Spin the Bottle 2, part 2

Chapter Four, cont.

Serenity had been utterly startled to emerge from the Crystal's warm cocoon of power to see that her Mother had aged and looked almost identical to her! And then, without warning she had again been snared by the Crystal. ["What is happening?"] she cried out mentally as she was consumed. The power filled her mind and her veins with silver power and visions began to fly past her minds-eye dizzyingly. She could hardly follow their progress. And then one came very sharply to her mind. It was a city. A beautiful city made entirely of crystal and in the center was a large palace. Serenity's mind flew towards the palace and she went THROUGH the walls into a throne room. She ignored the crowd there and focused on someone sitting on the throne. A beautiful woman with long silver hair flowing from two buns onto the floor. The woman abruptly looked up and their eyes met-

"Stop!" someone commanded sharply. A woman's commanding voice, sounding strangely echoing. As if she were standing in a great cavernous room. The silver-haired woman and the throne room vanished, along with everything else and then Serenity was consumed with power again. Before she could gasp, she felt herself falling fast. "Arrggggggh!" she shrieked in an undignified way, both from the falling sensation and from the way that her shirt was flying up above her waist, revealing her bare breasts and a view of her lacy panties. The darkness about her cleared and she fell into a light, then smacked into a hard body from above, flattening the person. "Oh dear" Princess Serenity gasped, eyes wide and stunned. She was barely clad decently and-she looked up-she screamed again as she saw three men staring down at her with shock.

"Get off of me!" someone grunted from below her.

Serenity shrieked again as the person surged underneath her, making her tumble to the ground ungracefully. She glanced around nervously as she hurriedly scrambled to her knees and huddled there hiding her long bare legs. ["Oh WHY didn't I get Endymion to buy me some clothes?"] she wailed silently, a huge blush on her cheeks.

"Good lord!" one of the men breathed. The one that had practically thrown her off.

Serenity looked up hesitantly into his blue eyes and then she focused on his face and hair. "Good lord!" she breathed back, horrified. Fear spirally through her at the familiar face. Where WAS she?! Wasn't he DEAD?

"Princess Serenity!" the man gasped out, paling as his eyes swept over her appearance. She paled and then flushed under their gaze.

["He knows who I really am!"] she thought, shrinking back. But-he had died and no one but she and her extended family knew... "Stay away from me!" she commanded, trying to calm her trembling tone. She got up and backed off, forgetting her undressed state. They averted their eyes from her, making her remember. She then noticed that something was clutched in her hand and looked down quickly to see that it was the Silver Crystal. As if responding to her fear and bewilderment, the Crystal once more flared into brilliant light and she was sucked into a swirling vortex.

Kenji and Marie came running into the room then, both looking red-faced and concerned. Their startled eyes went from the form of the Princess glowing like a small sun...to the naked shoulders of a strange girl who looked EXACTLY like his daughter...to a pole axed Ikuko, two stunned cats and a gaping Motoki and Reika.

"Usagi?" he queried, looking first at Seline. When she shook her head, his eyes became a trifle wild and he looked back at the glowing twin. "Usagi?!"

"It's her, Kenji," Ikuko said worried, biting her lip. She felt so helpless against such power as the Silver Crystal was exhibiting. And not for the first time either, over all. She'd had no control over anything since all of this had begun.

"Umm-what did we miss?" Kenji uttered faintly, looking back at his daughter. She was glowing so brightly that he could barely see her form. But he could see that her beautiful silver eyes were wide and staring. Blank. "What's wrong with her?!" he demanded, almost running to her side.

"Kenji-no!" Seline cried out, the golden crescent moon on her forehead glowing briefly.

Kenji fell to a stop mid-stride and froze where he was a foot from the bed and hand still out-stretched. "I can't move," he groaned through stiff lips, eyes rolling wildly from side to side.

Seline gasped and released him, falling back into Ikuko with the sheet clutched at her chest for modesty's sake. She shuddered when the blue-haired woman wrapped a comforting arm about her shoulders. "It's so hard now. MY powers are so weak,” she said weakly, passing a slender hand over her shadowed eyes.

"What happened-" Marie began curiously, eyes never leaving the Princess' form.

"We aren't sure, Marie-but don't touch her. The Crystal packs quite a punch,” Ikuko said ruefully.

"Uh-sure," Kenji said uncertainly, settling back a few feet from his daughter. He wrung his hands together nervously. "Is she okay in there and-" he looked about. "Where are Mamoru and the girls? I thought that Rei and he couldn't separate from Usagi because of the bond!" he looked accusingly at Seline. "And WHO are you? And-and-" he noticed something else, eyes going wild. "WHERE is the baby?"

"Here?" Seline waved an arm at him, giving Kenji a tentative smile. "I'm Seline-the baby...who was Queen Serenity. And why am I babbling? Oh dear!" she covered her mouth, blushing becomingly.

"There, there, dear. You ARE only sixteen now," Ikuko soothed, eyes going back to her other daughter.

"YOU'RE THE BABY?!" both Kenji and Marie gasped, eyes boggling.

"Yes," Seline muttered from beneath her hand, utterly bewildered and shocked from the circumstances. Her daughter was trapped inside the Crystal's power, Pluto hadn't answered her, the Senshi and Endymion were off in battle without the Crescent Moon wand and-SHE had aged and actually turned back into a sixteen year old. "This is such a mess!" she cried out, frustrated.

"It IS," Luna sighed heavily, padding forwards on the carpet until she was at the base of the bed and then she leapt up. Her red eyes studied the Princess encased inside the Crystal's unimaginable power. "I believe that she is unharmed" she said finally. "The Silver Crystal appears to be-I don't know...almost it looks like it's communicating," she sounded puzzled.

"The Silver Crystal isn't sentient, Luna. That is NOT possible,” Seline said, removing the hand from her face swiftly. Her eyes tried to penetrate the glow of power about her daughter, but even she was unable to sense anything. "My powers are not at their fullest, I am afraid," she murmured, resting her head back against Ikuko's chest, the silver hair spilling over both of them and the sheet like a silken waterfall. She looked so like Princess Serenity that it was uncanny.

"Are you SURE, my Queen?" Artemis asked, breaking his silent musing. "I mean, what do we really know about the Silver Crystal? Do we even know where it CAME from?"

Seline frowned, delicate lines forming between her silver brows. "I-I...that is strange," she murmured, perplexed. "I cannot remember where the Crystal came from either."

"You WHAT?!" Luna and Artemis chorused in horror and disbelief. HOW could Queen Serenity NOT know?!

The young girl suddenly looked her age as her silver eyes became frightened and bewildered. "I do not know! My memories aren't all there. Oh, Luna!" she cried out, sounding so like a scared Usagi that Luna responded automatically.

Luna forgot that this was her Queen of over a thousand years and only saw a beautiful frightened girl who was under her care currently. She leapt up the bedclothes and curled up onto Seline's chest above the sheets and began to purr loudly. "It will be all right," she soothed, reaching up to pat the girl's cheek with a soft paw.

Artemis' eyes softened also as he looked first at Seline and then the purring Luna. Something familiar nagged at his mind, but it slipped away before he could grasp it. Only a flash of something stayed-a beautiful woman with long curly red hair, smiling at him with love. He blinked, then frowned darkly. He too had been having problems with missing memories. "I'd really like to know what's going on around here-and what is going on with Princess Serenity!" he snapped out, frustrated to the point that his white fur was standing on end on the back of his neck.

"So would I!" Kenji announced, crossing his arms and frowning just as darkly. "I bet that boy has something to do with this!" he muttered.

Ikuko and Motoki heard and glared at him. "I thought we already had a talk about this and agreed that none of this was Mamoru's fault, Kenji!" she snapped at him irritably.

He groaned and unfurled his hands to touch a finger to his throbbing temple. "Yes, yes. I know we did. And I know it's not-but who else can I blame?!" he finished in a demanding tone.

"When we find out, we'll be sure to tell you first," Artemis said dryly.

"And we can do without that attitude if yours young man!" Kenji whirled and pointed one trembling digit at the astonished cat.

Artemis' fur bristled in indignation, then he smiled slyly. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news-NOT-but I'm WAY older than you YOUNG man" he said smugly to the now-fuming Kenji. "Give or take a thousand years."

"Oh, yeah!" Motoki said, eyes lighting up. "That's right! All of you are over a thousand years old," his eyes went wide, face paling. "Even Mamoru! Wow."

"Wow is right," Reika murmured. She quirked an amused eyebrow at her boyfriend. "I suppose now that he's far too old to attend collage. Ancient in fact."

Artemis growled at Reika, then stuck his tongue out at the startled woman. "Lady, do I look ancient to you?" he asked her pointedly. "Do you see any gray fur? And does Mamoru or Usagi or Minako look wrinkled and cane-bound to you? Heeeeello!"

Reika blushed at him, then frowned back. "You know-you sounded very like, Minako just then," she, Marie and Ikuko turned big grins on the cat as he spluttered.

"MEEEE? Like that blonde ditz! Ha! Never happen." he shouted indignantly. He purposefully turned his furry back on them all and began to sulk and mutter under his breath about women in general.

Seline giggled, then sobered as the room went quiet again and all eyes went to Serenity. "I hope she's okay-" she began, but was cut off by a bright flash right in front of her face. The glowing form of the Princess vanished into thin air before anyone could gasp. "Serenity!" Seline screamed, scrambling up onto her knees and just remembering her sheet at the last moment. Her hands frantically dug at the covers where her daughter had been, even though it was evident that she was gone. "Serenity!" she wailed.

"Usagi!" Kenji and Ikuko shouted together, devastated.

Luna looked about wildly, having been tossed ungracefully from Seline's chest as the girl scrambled up. "Usagi! Serenity!" she too began pawing at the covers as if the Princess was hidden there. "Where is she?"

As her frantic words died down in the panicked yelling of everyone in the room, another bright flash-larger this time-came into being right above the beds. As everyone gaped, there came a startled shriek and Princess Serenity came hurtling down from above. "Arrrgggggh!" she fell directly onto the pole axed Luna, who couldn't move in time and was flattened. As she frantically scrambled out from under the light-weight girl to see if she was all right, she was shocked to hear four more startled shouts from above-this time sounding definitely masculine.

"Abandon bed!" Motoki shouted out, blue eyes wide as he eyeballed the glowing light hovering over Ikuko, Serenity, Seline and Luna. The girls all looked up and then scrambled ungracefully from the bed as one person as four shapes came hurtling out of the air and onto the bed. They hit with such force that the figures tumbled off the other side of the bed and thudded into a pile of flailing legs and arms at Seline's delicate feet. Then cursing filled the air.

"Ouch, damn it!"

"What in Terra's name just happened? I just hit my bloody head on the floor!"

"Never mind that-where the hell ARE we! And where is Princess Serenity?"

The last lot of swearing was muttered, but highly uncomplimentary, from a figure crushed under the others.

Serenity eyed the pile of limbs and royal blue uniforms with a slightly perplexed look. "Mother-I er seem to have brought back with me....from somewhere" she stepped back towards Ikuko nervously, still wary of the men. Especially the two that ought to be dead!

"A FEW someone's, Serenity!" Luna growled, rubbing herself against her Princess' bare leg and glaring. They were MEN! ["And they saw my Princess dressed in only a shirt!"] her eyes began to glow red with outrage. Her claws popped out, ready to rip into the interlopers. Then her eyes widened as she finally caught the last part of Serenity's stammered words. "SOMEWHERE?!" she yowled, leaping up into the air in shock. Serenity caught her automatically in her arms, then blinked at her face reflexes. "And where was THAT exactly?!" she demanded, recognizing two of the men belatedly. ["Great, Serenity! She's brought back the dead!"] Luna started to panic at the implications of that thought.

Seline moved forward, after making sure that she had securely wrapped herself up in the sheet toga-style. She placed a hand about her daughter's waist in a silent comforting way and then stared down at the uniformed men with a startled, then utterly horrified look as the four finally raised their heads and scrambled onto their knees to face their audience. "Oh, NO!" she gasped out in horror.

Chapter Five

Shingo backed away from the open doorway as he heard the Senshi mention a battle near the Mall. "They'll be going there soon-and I'm NOT missing it!" he told himself firmly. He hesitated as he turned away to creep away down the hall. Marie and his Dad were still down in the kitchen. "Usagi sounded so worried too. I'll keep an eye on the Senshi and Mamoru for her," he decided, heart beginning to beat uncomfortably fast. Mamoru and the other's had rapidly become family to him, even if it had only been a day or so since he had discovered their identities. And he already thought of Mamoru as an older brother. One day he would marry Usagi.

He ran as quietly as possible down the main staircase and into the hall, tip-toeing so that he couldn't be heard from the kitchen or upstairs on the tiles in the main foyer. Shingo slipped out the front door and ran down the long drive to the main gates. Then he paused in chagrin-he didn't KNOW the code! He slapped his forehead. "Idiot!" he grumbled angrily as he cast about the front yard and drive for a solution. Shingo's eyes brightened as he saw the large tree to the left. It would do no good to anyone trying to break in from the OUTSIDE-but was perfect for someone to break OUT! He grinned in glee, easily scaling the tree and jumping onto the top of the wall. Then, holding his breath, he jumped down from the high wall and began to run in the direction of Juuban Mall.

Five minutes later, he cursed himself for an idiot as he realized how stupid it had been to RUN all the way to Juuban. The Senshi definitely had an advantage over him, being superheroes. "Keep going Shingo!" he told himself, pushing faster. "I hope they're okay," he thought aloud, concern in his eyes. Still, as fast as he ran it took him so long that the battle had already started by the time be arrived and spotted them. He gasped for breath and hid behind a tree half a block down-just in case it got rough. He was pretty sure that no one back at the mansion would miss him-and the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen weren't EXPECTING him to be there...so he should be safe enough...

Sailor Mercury glanced down at the mini computer clutched in one gloved hand. "It's just below us,” she said in a low voice to the others. She brushed back a lock of her deep blue hair with a distracted movement, then moved to the edge of the rooftop to glance down. Sure enough, below her-eight floors below to the sidewalk-was a hideous Youma AND Zoisite. She reached up to touch the earring of her left ear and her visor slid down. "And she looks really annoyed too," she noted in slight satisfaction.

Sailor Mars slid down from Tuxedo Kamen's arms quickly, red eyes wide with surprise as they rested on Mercury's clearly smug face. ["She's changing personalities on us, Mamoru!"] she complained mentally, rolling her eyes skyward. This new Mercury was astonishing them all. But from what they had learned, this was what the blue-haired girl had been like a thousand years ago. Obviously, modern times had given the girl her shyness-but having been a warrior protecting the Princess of the Moon in the Silver Millennium had given her the confidence and amusement that she was occasionally displaying since their change.

["Oh, I don't know. I kind of like her like this"] Tuxedo Kamen responded, voice amused. He moved next to Mercury and glanced down also, narrowing his blue eyes behind the white mask. He couldn't see as well as the Senshi could-or Mercury with her visor, for that matter-but he could sure SENSE the outrage coming from the General in waves. He grinned. "Yep. She's steaming!" he reported to the others.

Sailor Venus reached up to tug at one of her long ponytails in annoyance. "This hairstyle is driving me nuts!" she declared roundly. "Let’s go kick Zoisite’s' butt and get home for some lunch."

"I second that." Sailor Jupiter grinned widely, the tossed her long green hair back from her shoulder and cracked her knuckles loudly. "And remember, everyone-call Venus 'Sailor Moon'" she reminded them seriously.

"Right," Tuxedo Kamen murmured, expression becoming somber. He wanted to get back to his love quickly. He had faith in her that she had the strength to maintain her appearance as Princess Serenity-otherwise he and Mars would die...

["She can do it. I KNOW that she can. Don't worry, Tuxedo Kamen"] Sailor Mars reached out to hug him tightly, ignoring everyone else’s startled expressions at her impulsive movement. Both she and Tuxedo Kamen frowned darkly at the same time, glaring at everyone in annoyance. They knew very well that Mamoru belonged to Usagi and vis-versa...but this affection that they both felt seemed very natural to them. Even if it didn't to the others.

"Let’s get this show on the road," he growled at them all, startling them again with his obvious anger. He reached out for Sailor Mars and swept her into his arms smoothly, then leapt off the side of the building.

"Look out below!" Sailor Venus cried out, taking a short run and leaping from the side of the building.

"Geronamo!" Jupiter cried out gleefully, cannon-balling off the side a moment after.

Mercury rolled her eyes, jumping onto the ledge of the building. She hesitated a moment, then grinned. "Yah hoo," she whispered, taking a swan dive off the side.

They all landed, moments apart on the sidewalk below and fell into defensive positions. The Mall was only half a block away and they all hoped silently that the place wouldn't be destroyed.

Sailor Mars looked about as she again quickly slid from Tuxedo Kamen's arms and stood at his side carefully close. The streets were deserted, she noted as she looked about. And the Youma had been busy throwing a temper tantrum-or Zoisite had. The shops around them were looking rather decimated. She winced. ["Oh dear-this isn't going to look good for our record. The city is going to be REALLY angry at us for showing up this late"]

"Urk! Umm-maybe we should have gotten here a bit earlier, everyone?" Jupiter noted, wincing also.

"Couldn't be helped," Mercury murmured, eyes narrowing on Zoisite.

"About time you brats got here!" Zoisite fairly screeched at them all, face going red with rage. She calmed herself, normal color returning. "And what's with the hair colors? Got bored and dyed your roots huh?" she smirked at them all.

"Shut up! My roots are perfectly natural!" Sailor Jupiter yelled at her, hands going defensively to her green hair. Okay, so it was a strange color to see in modern day Tokyo-but her roots were NATURAL! She glared at the General.

Zoisite smiled smugly at the reaction her words had gotten, then her head turned to talk to the Youma, mouth opening to order it. It was then that she finally stared at the others. She paused in disbelief and rage. "YOU! You're dead!" she shouted, pointing at Sailor Mars accusingly.

Mars flushed uncomfortably, then paled as realization hit her. It hit the others at the same time and she heard multiple groans from around her. She'd been dead the last time Zoisite saw her-and none of them had remembered! ["We are morons! Idiots! Usagi's even!"] she slapped her forehead with a gloved hand, red eyes darkening.

["Hey!"] Tuxedo Kamen bit out, voice startled. Then he relaxed and threw Mars a slightly sheepish look. He guessed that old habits died hard. ["I totally agree with you. IDIOTS!"] he shouted, making both he and Sailor Mars wince as it echoed around both of their head's painfully.

["Will you quit yelling!"] she bellowed back at him angrily. She turned her attention to Zoisite. "Yeah-well, you were mistaken!" she lied easily to the steaming General. She could have SWORN that she saw green sparks shoot from the woman as she stood there, with her fists clenched. "OH!" she exclaimed, an evil expression entering her red eyes as it hit her why Zoisite was so enraged. "You told Beryl I was dead!"

"Oooh. Bad mistake there," Jupiter noted, wincing.

"You-you-! DIE Senshi!" Zoisite screamed at them, raising her hands swiftly. She blasted them all with her dark power, shooting randomly in her rage.

The Senshi all dodged easily; Mars tucked under one of Tuxedo Kamen's arms to keep them close. One little false jump and they could both end up dead from bond separation!

"That was a little too close," Sailor Venus muttered under her breath.

"Tell me about it," Mercury murmured, blowing the bangs from her forehead. She quickly put away her Mercury computer into her sub-space pocket, so that her hands were free to fight.

"Reptilia-kill those brats!" Zoisite ordered the Youma, flying away to a safe distance to view the battle.

"Ugly," Jupiter said under her breath, eying the newest Youma. She could see why it had been called Reptilia. She was all green and covered with scales, her flickering tongue long and pink like a snake's.

Sailor Venus sided up next to Mars and Tuxedo Kamen nervously, eyes flickering over the Youma as Jupiter and Mercury dove into the fight. "Umm-guys? I'm supposed to be Sailor Moon right?" she said to them. "Then er-how do I fight? This is a disguise and I doubt Sailor Moon's usual powers are going to work with this outfit" she finished in a rush, shrugging helplessly.

Mars looked at her in chagrin. "Why didn't we think of that earlier?" she groaned. ["Once again-we are MORONS Mamoru!"] she told him scathingly.

"I agree with you-never think I don't," Mamoru groaned back at her aloud, rubbing hand over his face in a stressed fashion. "Just try to stay behind us and keep up the masquerade for as long as you can," he ordered, reaching out for her shoulder. He pushed her gently behind him and Mars. "How about a fireball, Sailor Mars?" he asked the red-haired Senshi, a determined glint in his dark eyes.

"Right!" she said, hands coming up. "Mars fire!"

Sailor Jupiter was glad when a stream of hot fire passed her and Mercury, hitting the Youma squarely in the chest. It yowled in agony as it flew backwards, body flaming.

"Can't you do anything right?" Zoisite shouted at her minion, flying closer to the battle. She sent a barrage of dark fire back at Sailor Mars. She smirked as she saw Tuxedo Kamen's arms wrap around Sailor Mars' waist-Sailor Moon trying to keep up and obviously behind them other two. "Changed girlfriends huh, cape boy?" she taunted him.

"Shut up and eat lightning!" Sailor Jupiter yelled back angrily, chucking a lightning ball at the gloating woman. She grimaced as Zoisite easily dodged and laughed annoyingly.

"Oooh. Hit a nerve, hmm?" Zoisite said, eyes calculating. Dissension in the Senshi's ranks could work well for her.

"Raaaaaaah!" the Youma gave off an enraged bellow and charged at the nearest Senshi-Mercury. She gave a startled gasp as it loomed over her, as if from nowhere, claws extended menacingly.

"Mercury!" Sailor Mars screamed, hands flying up to blast the Youma. She heard the others cry out in horror, but it was too late.

Sailor Mercury could only give an agonized scream as the poisoned claws shot towards her and slid smoothly into her chest. She gurgled her last breath, hands moving up to clutch at the Youma's wrist futilely. She's buried her claws to the end of her fingers into Mercury's body.

"MERCURY!" they all screamed, rushing to her aid. But even as they did, they knew it was far too late. The Youma smiled evil and shook Mercury off of her claws as if she were garbage. She turned to them all. "Who's next-"

Tuxedo Kamen's fist shot up viciously into the Youma's face, smashing her nose into her skull. She fell limp at his feet, groaning.

"Ta ta, Senshi! Another dead-and this time she's DEFINETLY dead," Zoisite called out in a singsong way. She blew them a kiss, eyed Mercury lying in a pool of her own blood and then vanished in a swirl of pink flowers.

Jupiter leapt onto the prone form of the Youma and began pounding it to death, rage in her eyes. It gurgled and struggled and then died as she crushed its face. "Bitch! You bitch!" she screamed, clawing at the dead Youma's chest.

"Makoto-it's dead. Leave it," Tuxedo Kamen said soothingly, pulling her off of the body. he pulled her into his arms, as Mars and Venus clung to Mercury's fatally wounded body.

"Ami. Don’t die please!" Mars cried, tears running freely down her beautiful face.

"Oh god! I-I-" Shingo stammered, running up. He paled as he got closer and saw Mercury's body. She was clearly fatally wounded-and there was nothing any of them could not. He cursed himself silently for just watching the battle from a safe distance. He'd come to watch over them for his sister-and had not even been able to help!

"Shingo! Where did you come from?" Mars exclaimed, eyes shocked. The boy had appeared from nowhere. And she mansion was a very far distance from Juuban Mall.

"I-I followed you all. I was worried," the young boy stuttered, eyes on all the red blood spilling around Sailor Mercury. "Oh god!" he groaned again, sinking to his knees beside the others. "Ami."

Mercury opened her blue eyes and gave them all a ghost of a smile. "I'm sorry everyone-but I'm dying," her voice broke off as she choked on her own blood. "It will be okay. Remember, Serenity will know...We'll be bonded soon." Even as she was dying, she was comforting them.

"I hope so," Venus whispered, gently brushing Mercury's dark blue bangs from her eyes. She bent over and kissed her on the cheek reassuringly-and when she pulled back, Mercury was dead.

"OH GOD!" Mars choked, hands pulling back from her friend's silent body and burying in her own lap with fists clenched. "Please sense this, Serenity. She can't be gone."

"She'll sense it. She'll sense it," Shingo repeated over and over feverishly, wishing that he could have done more than hide like a coward as he watched them all fight.

Tuxedo Kamen titled his head back to the sky, eyes closing. He rocked the inconsolable Jupiter in his arms. ["Serenity! Please have sensed this! Oh god Serenity"] he prayed silently. Could she do anything? Could she possibly bring Mercury back as she had Mars-and all the way from the mansion?

They all stayed silent, praying that their Princess knew what had happened and was on her way with the Crystal...

The four men stared back at the group of stunned people, not exactly sure where they were or who the strangers were.

Seline could do no more than stare in complete horror, having realized exactly who the men were and where they had come from. The ramifications were...staggering! To say the least.

"Who ARE these people?" Motoki yelled, gesturing wildly at the four men. His eyes were wide and startled-all though he was sure that he aught to have been used to strange happenings by NOW. He brought his arms up to his chest and crossed them, trying to look somewhat threatening-for the ladies' sakes.

"Who are YOU!" one of the strangers yelled back, annoyed. His hair was short and blonde, eyes deep blue. As with the others, his uniform was deep blue with gold trimmings and he bore a sword at his hip.

Luna merely sat at Serenity's feet, totally pole axed and spluttering. Her red eyes were glazed over. "Oh dear. Oh dear," she kept muttering under her breath, for once not able to gather her thoughts and take charge as she did for the Senshi occasionally.

"Usagi dear-would you mind explaining who our guests are?" Kenji said in a strangled tone, glaring bloody-murder at the men standing a few feet from his scantily clad daughter. It was bad enough that Motoki and Mamoru had seen her like this-but STRANGERS? Intolerable! He fought an insane urge to throttle the four men.

"Umm...I-well-" Princess Serenity responded, unable to form a coherent sentence to save her life. ["They're DEAD! Dead! I SAW-"]

["Calm down Serenity"] Seline's voice in her daughter's mind was meant to be calming, but instead only amplified the panic and horror that she was feeling. ["This isn't happening! Oh no, no, no"] she kept thinking over and over, just staring at the men before her. Where was her commanding presence that she had had over so many millennia? She was like a child again!

"Princess Serenity," one of them said politely, averting his eyes from her bare legs as he bowed in a courtly manner. "Could you please explain exactly where we are and what is going ON here?" his words ended in a growl, as he finally lost his patience.

"You're NOT in Kansas," Motoki muttered under his breath, snorting in a sarcastic way.

Reika watched the proceedings with a lot of interest. The men didn't SEEM to be harmful. And they were dressed so strangely, it was obvious that they were not from around Tokyo.

"Oh dear!" Serenity said, fear filling her eyes again as they rested upon two of the men, ignoring the speaker for now. Two men who were DEAD and very familiar to her. "Jadeite? Nephlyte?" she whispered weakly, resting back into Ikuko and her Mother's arms. "But you're dead!" she finished on a rather shrill note.

"Dead? I'm not dead, Princess!" Jadeite responded in perplexity and concern. Why was the Princess of the Moon so scantily-clad and proclaiming that he was dead? AND Nephlyte too! He averted his blue eyes from the silver haired girl and stared at the others crowded about her Highness. Rather belatedly, he saw the identical-looking girl with her arms about the Princess. "Good lord-A TWIN?!" he shouted, wild-eyed.

"A twin!" Nephlyte and the other two shouted just after, having spotted Seline also.

"Not good. Not good. Oh, Pluto will have my head for this-surely she will!" Seline wailed, clinging to Serenity's slender waist like a lifeline. Her silver eyes flitted over the four men and settled on one in particular. "I was RIGHT!" she blurted out, eyes glazing over. She wasn't HAPPY to be right-but there was the proof right in front of her. The one who was meant to be a girl-but was clearly a man.

"Right? About what, Mother?" Serenity demanded, turning to look at her 'twin'.

"MOTHER?!" the four Generals exclaimed in disbelief. Their eyes flitted over the other occupants of the room and noted their strange clothing.

Malachite took charge then, as usual. "Queen Serenity?" he queried, a flicker of incredulity entering his light blue eyes as he looked over the beautiful girl wrapped up in a sheet toga-style. This couldn't be right...

"Yes. I am Queen Serenity," Seline said proudly, releasing her hold upon her daughter to stand tall and proud before Endymion's Royal Guard...and try to pretend desperately that she wasn't holding audience wearing a sheet. She faltered as their eyes swept over her from head to toe, clearly disbelieving. "I AM Serenity," she snapped at them, regaining her mature composure. Her silver eyes glinted wrath as the doubt lingered in their eyes clearly. "Serenity-the Crystal, if you please!" she demanded of her daughter.

"Yes, Mother," Serenity answered, obediently opening her hand and handing the silver Crystal to her Mother. She held her breath as she did so and knew that her Mother was doing the same. Seline was human now and the Crystal might not recognize her as the former Queen. They were essentially putting Seline's life in danger in order to prove her identity to the Generals.

Seline picked up the delicate-seeming Crystal from Serenity's palm and breathed in relief, slumping slightly as a warm power and light enveloped her in a familiar way. It recognized her! ["Thank Selene"] she murmured mentally. She would have been utterly devastated if the Crystal had rejected her-but then again; she would have been dead. Her head thumped uncomfortably in her chest, making her breath deeply. "Recognize this, Gentleman? Do you dare to refute my claim now?" she asked the men coolly, holding the Silver Crystal up clearly before them.

Malachite and the other's backed away as the Crystal in the girl's palm became to glow a warm silver light, enveloping her. He sighed as he saw the proof. This was no imposter! He had seen with his own eyes, the Princess Serenity hand the Crystal over to her twin-and now the Crystal itself had shown to truly BE the legendary Silver Crystal that Queen Serenity used to keep peace over the Solar System. As one, the four Generals’ went to their knee's, head's bowed in apology. "I apologize most humbly, Queen Serenity," Malachite spoke for them all.

"You must admit, your majesty that you don't look as you should" Jadeite raised his head as he spoke and then the four got to their feet smoothly to await her answer. This was as bizarre as it got! Wait till Endymion heard about this one! "You're-so YOUNG!"

"Much has happened that you may not believe," Seline spoke more calmly, handing the Silver Crystal back to her daughter. She glared at the Generals as their eyes followed her movements and settled again on the indecently clad Princess. She moved her body, so that she was concealing her daughter from their eyes. She felt mollified, as the General's looked sheepish and realized that they had never seen the Princess nor herself ever dressed so indecently.

"You can say THAT again!" Motoki spoke finally, breath exploding. "Seline, WHO are these men?" he demanded.

"Watch your tone with the Queen, boy!" Jadeite growled at Motoki, reaching down for the hilt of his sword. This-peasant had spoken so disrespectfully to the Queen...even if he had called her by a different name. He halted when Zoisite placed a calming hand on his.

"BOY!?" Motoki shouted indignantly, lunging at the arrogant General. "I'll give you-Hey! Reika!" he yelped as his girlfriend grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him to a halt ungracefully. He struggled with her, trying not to hurt her in the process. "But he-he insulted me!"

"Don't be stupid Motoki!" she yelled at him, spinning him back around to face her. She grabbed a hold of his shirt with both hands and shook her boyfriend. "Don't mess with a man with a big pointy sword!"

Motoki blinked and threw a hasty look over his shoulder, eyes going to the sword in the sheath about Jadeite’s waist. He paled and slumped in defeat, muttering uncomplimentary things under his breath about weird guys with swords from other dimensions. "I've decided not to attack you-even though you deserve to be beaten into a bloody pulp!" he announced haughtily to the blonde General, trying to make it sound like it had been his own decision.

Jadeite smirked at him and then at Reika. "Whipped, I see," he noted mockingly.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Reika shouted at him, eyes flaming with wrath.

"Now honey! Remember! Pointy sword!" Motoki wrapped his arms tighter about his enraged girlfriend to keep her from clawing Jadeite’s eyes out and ripping him into a bloody pulp. "You're REALLY stupid to make Reika angry," he told the blonde General casually. "She's not pretty-especially at that time of the month." The last part was said in a stage whisper in order to lighten the tense mood. Reika rewarded him with a punch in the arm and he winced. He cowered when he looked at everyone else and saw all the women wearing murderous expressions. ["Ooops? I shouldn't have mentioned something so touchy,”] he thought.

"Stupid" Kenji muttered, shaking his head.

"Real stupid," Artemis nodded in agreement, smirking at Motoki. "Why, I remember when, Luna-" he frowned deeply, as his thoughts trailed off. ["That's strange-I could have sworn I was about to say that Luna was always murderous when she-"] he frowned even deeper, blue eyes glinting with worry and disbelief. He raised his eyes to stare at Luna penetratingly, trying to figure out how he KNEW such an intimate detail. She stared back at him, eyebrows risen in inquiry. "Never mind," he finished lamely, lowering his head to look fixedly at the carpet.

Seline smiled at him, knowing that his memories of him and Luna were starting to return. "Well-now we can get down to business,” she said commandingly, smoothing her damp palms down over her hips in a soothing, but undignified manner. She grimaced when she realized what she had done.

"Please do!" Zoisite said, looking annoyed again. "What IS this?" he gestured about him, encompassing the people, the cats, the room and the world in general. "And why do you look as if you were the Princess' twin sister?" he added as an after-thought, eyes going to the Princess' face over the Queen's shoulder. Princess Serenity blushed brightly in response.

"To put it simply-you're in the future, gentleman. My daughter somehow traveled to the past and brought you back with her," Seline said clearly. A startled shriek sounded into her ear from behind and she winced, then turned her head to glare at her daughter. "Princess Serenity!" she reprimanded, silver eyes stern.

Serenity swallowed at her Mother's tone, remembering times past when it had been aimed at her. She flushed again, this time in shame. "Sorry Mother-but they're form the PAST!" she exclaimed in disbelief. She looked over her Mother's shoulder to where Zoisite was standing with arms crossed, looking arrogant. "And it explains HIM," she added, casting a look down at Luna.

Luna nodded in return, looking flabbergasted. "It certainly DOES,” she said emphatically.

"Explains WHAT exactly, Princess?" Zoisite said suspiciously, taken-aback by the weird looks that the Royal Adviser and her Princess were giving him.

"Well..." Serenity hesitated, not sure how to tell him. "In this time-and don't ask me how-you're a....girl."

"I'm a WHAT?!" Zoisite dropped his arms and gaped at the Princess in shock and horror. "A GIRL?!"

"A girl?" the other three Generals and the other's echoed, equally stunned. They looked at the Princess, then stared at Zoisite from head to foot.

"Huh?" Kenji said intelligently, totally lost. "What do you mean, in this time?"

"Yes, DO explain," Malachite's eyes held a look of amusement and curiosity. "And how did the Princess bring us to the future?"

"Exactly how FAR into the future are we?" Nephlyte broke in, before the Princess could answer.

"Over a thousand years," Seline told them, expecting an explosion. The General's paled, then the air exploded with a multitude of colorful curses. They were so wildly varying that even Kenji and Artemis flushed in embarrassment.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Malachite asked finally, not looking amused in the slightest. He cast a frozen look about the room and occupants as if his Prince would leap into the room at any moment and yell 'Got you!'. "Where is Endymion."

"There's a battle with Queen Beryl's General's," Serenity said finally, swallowing uncomfortably. Her silver eyes went to Zoisite's stiff form, all the General's telling from her tone that something was being hidden from them.

"Beryl?" Nephlyte said with a deceptively quite tone. "The dread Queen? SHE'S here? I sincerely HOPE that my Prince is NOT fighting on his own? I note that the Senshi are all missing," he gritted out from between clenched teeth.

"Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars are with-Endymion," Ikuko spoke, trying to stay calm. Her eyes swept over the men. So these men were Mamoru-no ENDYMION'S Generals and his protection?

"What of the other Senshi?" Malachite said, sounding surprisingly calm. However, his eyes were as cold as ice.

Serenity and the other's started with shock, looking inquiringly at Seline.

"More Senshi that I don't remember?" Luna groaned under her breath, not totally surprised. Once again, she was resentful that her memories were in pieces. ["It figures as much"] she thought.

["I have more Senshi?"] Serenity thought in shock and incredulity, keeping the thought from her Mother. If Seline had wanted her to know-then she would have told her already. And she greatly doubted that her Mother WANTED her to know that there were others. For some reason... ["I wonder why I don't remember them?"]

"What others?" Marie murmured from behind Ikuko, having said not a word until that moment, not really knowing what was going on. She had only recently joined the others, after all. "I thought that there were only FIVE Senshi?"

["We will talk of this later"] Seline said mentally, focusing on her powers. It drained her and she fell silent after, unable to think another word at them. She was so weak now! ["This is so frustrating!"]

["It's all right, Mother"] Serenity murmured, glad of her link with her Mother. She could sense a huge amount of tension from the silver haired girl before her.

"Where is he? WE are his Generals and should be beside him in battle," Jadeite said coldly.

Everyone was silent; some of them because they were confused by it all and others because they JUST didn't know HOW to tell the Generals that so much had changed in a thousand years.

"Endymion can look after himself. He has my Senshi also,” Princess Serenity said, narrowing her silver eyes at the four Generals. Absently, she looked their uniforms over from head to foot. They were wearing deep blue and gold instead of the terrible gray color she was used to seeing on them in this time. ["So-the Generals were Endymion's protectors in the past. I did not remember that either"] she bit her lip. ["It will not be good when they discover that the General's in this time are our enemy's and Endymion only knows them as such"]

"I appreciate that you think so, Princess Serenity," Malachite said formally, clenching his jaw with impatience and trying to be gentle to a girl he knew had no fighting experience. She'd been sheltered in the Moon Palace all her life, he knew. "But he is our Prince and WE must protect him. We have been sworn-"

"You will do nothing" Serenity interrupted him icily, every inch a Princess. Her skin crawled with rage as the impertinent General presumed to know her so well. "The Senshi will look after my love and give their own lives if necessary to insure his safety."

Malachite's eyes narrowed at her. "You seem terribly determined to keep us from our duty, Princess," he replied coolly, eyes boring into her determined face. "May I remind you that you have no military experience-"

"How DARE you!" Kenji bellowed at the General, seeing red. He charged the man so fast; mind filled with rage, that he actually landed a punch. The man staggered back, looking surprised.

"Kenji!" Ikuko said, stepping forward in concern as the three other Generals’ lay their hands on their swords threateningly.

Kenji seethed, pulling himself straight and glaring at the four. "I don't know WHO you think that you are, but NO ONE speaks to MY daughter like that!" he spat out.

There was a stunned silence from everyone, especially the General's.

"DAUGHTER?" Malachite said in shock and disbelief, looking the man over. "This is your husband in this time, Queen Serenity?" he managed, choking on the words. "Isn't he a little...old for you?" everyone knew that wasn't what he was REALLY thinking, but said nothing. It was obvious that the General's thought Kenji was not King material.

Seline almost fainted from shock. "My-my HUSBAND?" she stammered, blinking rapidly. Then she burst into irresistible peels of laughter. "Oh! Oh, that is just TOO much!" she gasped, doubling over with mirth.

Kenji looked nonplussed and a little indignant at Seline's response. "Is it THAT ridiculous a thought that I could be married to a Queen?" he demanded of them all, frowning.

Marie, Ikuko and Reika sniggered from behind their hands, eyes filling with a similar mirth to Seline's. Serenity bit her lip, fighting the laughter. Luna and Artemis covered their faces with their paws.

"YES!" Jadeite and Zoisite answered simultaneously, looking at Kenji as if he were a bug.

"Definitely," Nephlyte added.

"Good hit," Malachite said to Kenji, rubbing at his jaw. He looked at Princess Serenity. "My apologies Princess. But you really do NOT have any military experience."

"You are mistaken," Luna cut in coolly, defending her beloved Princess. "Things are different in this time. Serenity has been a Senshi."

The four Generals gaped at her. "A SENSHI? The Princess of the Moon?" Nephlyte gasped out in astonishment. "Impossible! The Senshi are Serenity's protectors! That is their duty."

Luna flushed brightly. "Yes well-" she cast a disgruntled look at her former Queen, red eyes resigned. "There was a mix up when the Senshi were reincarn-"

"Luna!" Seline snapped, interrupting her adviser. "Do not tell them any more than we have. Serenity has destroyed a lot of the Timeline as it is," she sighed as her daughter flinched. "I AM sorry, Serenity-but it is true. This was never meant to happen. Pluto will be SO angry about this."

"The Guardian of Time?" Malachite inquired with interest. "We have heard of her-but never seen her in battle."

"Who?" Motoki gasped out. "There's a Guardian of TIME?!"

"Oh yes," Seline said absently, wincing as she thought about Pluto's reaction to this mess-whenever she discovered what had happened, that is... "I wonder why she has not come," she said aloud, perplexed. She had been dismayed and upset that Pluto had not responded to her summons...but if Pluto had not even responded to a fracture in the natural Timeline then something was TERRIBLY wrong.

"Pluto...Sailor Pluto?" Serenity said, breaking the silence. She remembered...something, but was not sure what it had been. When she had just been remembering having been Princess Serenity in her past and her soul was struggling to be free-she vaguely remembered seeing flashes of other girl's dressed as Senshi. And then into her mind flashed the scene that she had seen before ending up in the past and collecting the Generals. "She is the Guardian of Time?"

The General's gave her a strange look. "You do not remember one of your Senshi, Princess? Things really HAVE changed," he noted. "Just how many Senshi are with Endymion?" he demanded.

"Four" Seline said absently, looking closely at her daughter's face. She sensed that Serenity was hiding something. "What is it, Serenity?" she asked crisply.

Serenity looked startled, then gave a tentative smile. "I was just remembering something" she began, eyes loosing their focus. "As I was going back to the past, I saw so many things. Visions of past-and I THINK the future or perhaps the far past," as she paused, she and the other's saw Seline pale to a deathly white shade, eyes going wild.

"Exactly WHAT did you see, Serenity?" she said urgently, reaching out to grasp one of her daughter's slender wrists in a bruising grip. She knew that Serenity could hear some of her thoughts and threw a strong mental shield up before she gave anything away.

"Mother." Serenity winced, but didn't pull her arm from the grip. Her Mother looked-PETRIFIED! "I saw-a huge beautiful city and a palace made all of crystal. And there was a woman with long silver hair, done up in the royal style-"

"Oh my god! Selene preserve us!" Seline gasped out in horror. "Did you recognize her?" she demanded urgently of her daughter, praying to her god that her daughter had NOT. Or ALL time would be unraveling.

Serenity paused, thinking hard. "No. NO, I didn't...who was she?" she demanded back, knowing that her Mother was hiding something big.

Seline slumped slightly in relief. Serenity HADN'T recognized her future self. "Oh, thank you!" she whispered fervently. There were thinks that Pluto had showed her after she had died on the Moon Kingdom. Things that no one else was EVER meant to know about.

"Mother?" Serenity prompted.

"You-you saw something that you were not meant to," Seline said firmly, looking around at them all. "Forget what you heard and saw."

"Was it the past or future?" Nephlyte pressed the Queen, eyes staring hard at her. He-more than the others-appreciated that time could not be disturbed. The stars knew all and knew the passing of the ages. But still, the Queen had seemed SO terrified by the Princess' words that he could not help but be curious.

"Forget," Queen Serenity almost growled at him, eyes abruptly filling with a silver glow of power.

The Crystal in Serenity's hand began to burn and she gasped in surprise, throwing her Mother a look. She was somehow drawing from the Crystal's power without touching it! Awe filled her. "What-" her words broke off in a pained gasp as agony filled her whole body. She fell to her knees, eyes going blank.

"Serenity! Princess! Usagi!" everyone cried out, rushing to her aid.

Kenji pulled his daughter upright and held her trembling form as she shivered and whimpered. "What's wrong, Usagi?" he asked her, not seeing the General's exchange a bewildered look at the strange name he had called the Princess.

"Ami," Serenity groaned, loosing her concentration on her past self. Usagi fought to be loose and combined with the link with Rei and Mamoru was the knowledge that her dead friend was dead. "She's dead!" she screamed out, hands going to her temples and pressing hard. "Mercury is dead!"

Seline wrenched her daughter's hands from her face before she could damage herself. "Serenity! Concentrate!" she shouted, trying to get through. There was so much pain she could feel through the link she shared with her daughter. So much!

"Hurts. Oh, Mercury! So much pain!" Serenity whimpered, legs giving way. She felt herself lifted into her Dad's arms and placed on the bed gently. ["She's DEAD! Mercury is dead, Mother!"] she screamed mentally again, filled with loss and despair. And the Senshi and Endymion were crying out to her for help!

Seline straightened from her position bent over her daughter. "You have to get to her,” she said, biting her lip.

"I don't know what is going on-but we will take her to Mercury," Malachite offered.

"Damn right we will! What do you mean Mercury is dead?!" Zoisite roared at the Princess, his heart almost stopping. Vein's in his temple stood out sharply and he had been bereft of all ability to speak when he had heard that his love was dead. ["She must be called Ami here"] he thought irrationally. ["What a strange name..."]

"Don't yell at her!" everyone shouted back at him, glaring.

"No-you can't go with her,” Seline said hastily, knowing that it was true. The General's of the past MUST NOT meet their future selves. Even if two of them from this time were dead from Queen Beryl's displeasure.

"Queen Serenity, with all due respect-" Jadeite began heatedly.

"NO! I said NO and I mean NO!" Seline shouted at him, infuriated. "I know that Zoisite and Mercury are in love, but things are different here! There is a Timeline to maintain!"

Marie gasped, a hand going to her throat. Her daughter was in love with one of the General's of the past? But-they hadn't met...which meant that it was the PAST Senshi that had been in love with him and AMI didn't even know him. "Oh no," she whispered, suddenly understanding Seline's urgency. "She's right. There must be another way."

"I'll drive her,” Kenji said suddenly, making the decision.

"Drive?" Malachite said, perplexed at the strange term.

"Damn it!" Zoisite shouted in rage, punching a hole in the wall.

Serenity breathed in deeply to calm herself and made the fear recede. Mercury was dead and she would be too late if they drove her. "It will be too long" she murmured under her breath. "Silver Crystal...give me your power," she spoke directly to the Crystal in her palm. It glowed in response and as if sensing her urgently, it suddenly burst into silver flames and rapidly consumed her. She saw the shocked faces of everyone moments before they disappeared and she disappeared from the room.

Pluto witnessed the Princess call upon the Silver Crystal's power and saw its immediate response to her agony. Her red eyes widened in incredulity. "The Crystal isn't sentient!" she exclaimed in shock. Queen Serenity had been entirely correct when she had told that fact to the others.

The Guardian of Time stared deeply into the Vortex of the Time Portal carefully, seeing the Princess reappearing before the Senshi and her Prince. "It's moving too fast. Much too fast," she said to herself, deeply troubled. Time was altering so much that she could even safely say herself what might happen. None of this had been meant to happen. None. But once it had started to alter, so did the portals about her and she was allowed in some measure to see it's ramifications. But not now. Something else had changed. Her eyes narrowed on the Crystal and the Princess, sensing...something. And then, right before her eyes, something else happened. Something world-shaking. "Oh no-Serenity" she whispered. Irreparable!

Her gloved hand reached up to run threw her long dark green hair. There had been a reason earlier when she had not gone to her Queen's summons. And it was not, as the women had thought, because she was no longer Queen. She would ALWAYS be Pluto's Queen...until Serenity took the throne, that was. But now-there was no longer a need to stay hidden. Sailor Pluto closed her eyes for a long pained moment. Her Princess would need her now. More than ever. She summoned the Time Key to her from her sub-space pocket and opened her eyes to stare deeply into the glowing garnet orb. She must leave this place before the Time Gates slammed shut on her and she would be trapped in the Halls of Time. "I am coming, Serenity," she said, then concentrated on her powers and disappeared.

Chapter Six

"Please Serenity," Tuxedo Kamen prayed under his breath, casting out his desperation mentally. Mercury had been gone for almost a minute. Mars had been gone longer, admittedly, but how could tell when Serenity would sense-

["She'll get here!"] Mars broke into his thoughts, trying not to panic herself.

Abruptly, a brilliant silver light flashed into existence three feet from their grief-stricken group. A form solidified and when the silver vanished, Princess Serenity stood there, clad in her shirt.

"Serenity!" Mars cried out in relief.

"Thank god!" Jupiter and Venus cried out also.

"Usagi!" Shingo burst out.

"Shingo?" Serenity exclaimed, sparing him a searching look. She fell silent, determined to ask him why he was there later on. Mercury needed her now.

Tuxedo Kamen closed his eyes in thanks and then opened them quickly as Serenity gave a heartbroken wail and threw herself down next to Mercury's still warm body. She reached down to pick up a limp gloved hand and held it tightly. "Oh Mercury-I was hoping that I had been wrong," she said, tears forming and slowly sliding down her smooth cheeks. She looked swiftly up at Tuxedo Kamen, ignoring her tears. "How long was she gone before I sensed her death?" she demanded, dreading the answer. ["What if I sensed it too late?"] she thought in mental agony.

"She's only been dead for about a minute, Serenity," Tuxedo Kamen soothed, releasing Jupiter's form and moving to knee next to his love. He totally ignored his body's natural urges as their bond cried out to them and he needed to kiss her senseless. Mercury came first. And the well-being and safety of their family always WOULD come first before their own needs.

Serenity breathed a sigh of relief, glancing up at her Prince and then to Mars. "You were gone longer than this, Mars. I was in time," she breathed, trying to comfort them all. She brought up her right hand and opened the palm to reveal the Silver Crystal clutched desperately there. ["I hope that I can do this,”] she thought to Endymion. ["Mars was not brought back by the Silver Crystal-but by another means"] it was still a confusing point to the Princess-how her dearest friend had been brought back. Had her soul cried out in loss and the universe answered her call?

["Just try, Serenity. Try"] Tuxedo Kamen murmured back soothingly, laying a hand upon her slender shoulder briefly. It had not escaped his notice that his love was still clad only in a shirt and that they were crouched on a street near a usually busy Mall. How long would it be before people started to venture out to see that the battle had ended. He frowned and reached up to untie his clock, then swept it from his shoulders and onto the kneeling form of the Princess.

Serenity cast him a grateful look, then stared down at Mercury's silent form. ["Silver Crystal-lend me your power once more"] she centered her thoughts upon the Crystal and in response it began to glow almost soothingly. She felt the power shoot up her arms and then into the rest of her body as the silver light strengthened and consumed her and then Mercury. She was startled as her mind was filled with the murmuring of a thousand voices; all indistinct words but strong in chorus. A vision came to her, out of all the multitudes that flashed past her mind's eye and she saw a Senshi. She was older and had long dark green hair. The Senshi did not sense her and seemed to be staring into a swirling Vortex of some sort, a devastated look on her beautiful face. All at once, Serenity RECOGNISED her. It was Sailor Pluto-the Guardian of Time that her Mother had spoken of.

"Serenity?" Endymion's voice seemed to come from a long way off and yet her heart sang when she heard his voice. It broke into her meditations as no other's could have and the vision and voices faded. "Come back to me Mercury!" she commanded, feeling out with her mind for her Senshi's. Her dearest friend. Her sister. And she found it-soul burning bright. She grasped onto it and pulled, feeling the power race along her nerve endings in response.

"She's breathing! Oh, Mercury thank god!" Sailor Mars said from far off, filled with relief and love.

"Serenity?" Endymion's voice was filled with panic this time, but Serenity was unable to respond.

"Serenity!" they all cried out to her, filled with horror.

"Usagi?" Shingo's voice said also, confused and frightened.

Mercury's voice was weaker, but no less fearful as she waited for her Princess to say something. "Serenity! Answer us!"

Serenity opened her mouth to speak, but could not. She was formless. Floating in a loving warmth of silver power that was the Crystal. She didn't know what was going on-but only that she was there for a reason and reluctant to leave. Even though her loved one's waited for her, there was some REASON she was still enveloped in the power. A reason why it flowed into and through her and burned her and her soul. She felt like liquid power, endless-stretching on to past and present and future. And then there was a voice-or rather an awareness. She frowned as she tried to puzzle it out. Something wanted her to go back, but said nothing. Her eyes opened and everything blurred-the the power faded and she was again kneeling beside Mercury with Tuxedo Kamen's cloak wrapped warmly about her. She glanced down anxiously and saw that Mercury's eyes were wide open and staring back at her with relief, love and-shock?

"Serenity!" Mercury breathed at her, a hand rising to touch her chest. She pressed it there as if her heart were beating to hard to bare. ["My god!"] she thought mentally, absently feeling the strong link that she now had with Mamoru and Rei swirl about her comfortingly.

"Good lord-Serenity" Tuxedo Kamen uttered in shock, unable to look away from his love. She had changed-again! ["How did this happen?"] he demanded silently to Mars.

["I think that the Silver Crystal did it"] Mercury's voice answered, startling the other two. They'd forgotten that she was now to be linked to them. ["She used it to bring me back, didn't she?"]

["Yes"] Mars answered, too pole axed to say more, even mentally. Her Princess was even MORE beautiful than before! She hardly resembled the 14 year old Usagi who had been such a klutzy awkward girl only days ago...

"What is it-?" Serenity demanded of them, reaching down to pull Mercury into her fierce embrace. She held her as if she would never let go and was again almost in tears. She was completely startled at the sound of her own voice. She blinked. It was different somehow. More musical and older-sounding. She looked down at her form, noting her slender arms and legs were a little longer. She gasped as she spotted her hair-it was even LONGER than before. "Oh no, what has happened!" she said with fear. What had the Crystal done to her THIS time? She felt so STRANGE! Different.

"You've-aged." Tuxedo Kamen said in a strangled tone. His deep blue eyes were filled with so many emotions as he locked eyes with her. Love and lust, fear and concern, protectiveness and pride. ["You're...absolutely BEAUTIFUL, Serenity!"] he told her huskily, mental tone private. His eyes drank her in, moving slowly over her bare legs and upwards over the shirt which was suddenly more full and straining at the buttons. Under the cloak, her shirt-that had once fallen almost to her knees was almost indecently at mid-thigh. Serenity now looked about HIS age. 19 years old and stunning beautiful. Perfect.

["Endymion?"] Serenity said uncertainly, seeing deeper emotions in her love's eyes than she'd even seen before. Something that had been restrained in the deep blue of his eyes had now been unleashed and her body responded, beginning to tingle with awareness. She clutched Mercury closer, actually afraid of what she was feeling.

"Don't be afraid of me," Tuxedo Kamen half-pleaded and half-growled at her aloud, startling the others.

Mercury clung back to her Princess, feeling the slight tremors racking her body. She didn't know what was wrong-but Serenity seemed to be AFRAID of her Prince-which Tuxedo Kamen's words had just confirmed. Immediately her eyes iced over. She gently removed Serenity's arms from about her and placed herself squarely before her Princess. The other's moved into similar protective positions, glaring at Tuxedo Kamen furiously and crouching between him and the Princess' form. "You stay away from her!" the Senshi of Mercury warned him.

Mars frowned unhappily, not sure what was going on. One minute they were all so happy that Mercury was alive again-and then their Princess was afraid of her Prince! ["Mamoru-what's going on?"] she demanded cuttingly of him, keeping close to him and Mercury for bond's sake only.

Tuxedo Kamen glared back, eyes baffled and unhappy also. ["I don't KNOW! I can’t seem to fight my emotions"] he retorted in frustration, eyes going automatically to his love over their shoulder. She looked calmer, but he could still sense her wildly fluctuating emotions through their link. Endymion's link to Serenity. He bit his bottom lip hard as his body flooded with uncontrollable lust as their eyes met and locked. Her eyes answered his just as fiercely, fear fading. "Serenity," he purred at her, clothes shimmering from Tuxedo into armor.

"Endymion," she answered, breathing hard and unable to control her body. It felt like it was on fire! Her every senses were filled with Endymion. She lunged suddenly towards him, knocking Mercury to the side.

Mercury was looking at Tuxedo Kamen's eyes, which were filled with a bewildering hunger that made her flush with embarrassment even though she didn't understand it. He suddenly shimmered and was clad in armor, Prince Endymion taking over. Before she and the others could even speak, something rammed into Mercury's back and knocked her to the side. She gaped as her once-frightened Princess flung herself into Endymion's arms. Their lips met and began to devour each other's hungrily.

"Oh...dear," Jupiter said, staring.

Venus' powers cried out from beneath the facade of Sailor Moon. She WAS the Senshi of love after all...but this was more than love. It was natural and-burning brightly.

Mars and Mercury could only gape at the two as they locked arms about each other and did their best to eat each other's lips-at least that's what it looked like to the shocked Senshi.

Serenity moaned loudly and slid her arms up Endymion's armored chest, then over his shoulders to lock firmly behind his neck. Her fingers dug into his dark locks as they kissed deeply, passion uncontrollable. ["Endymion"] she groaned his name mentally, trying to burrow closer.

Endymion in return, slid his arms up her back until one hand was twisted into her long silver hair and another firmly against the back of her head to keep the kiss deep. ["My love"] he groaned back, licking hungrily at her bottom lip, then sucking it into his mouth. His body was on fire for her and all rational thought had left as soon as their minds had truly merged as Prince and Princess.

Mars broke out of her stupor and blinked, looking around worriedly. People were starting to wonder back out into the street, staring at the two lip-locked so passionately and the Senshi crouched a foot away. ["I think we should break those two up and get out of here. NOW!"] she said hastily to Mercury, feeling the beginnings of panic. What if Zoisite came back right now and saw the Prince and Princess? Would she recognize them? And she would see that Mercury was alive too!

["I agree-totally"] Mercury said, sounding a little distracted as she gazed at her Princess and Prince. There was something not all together unfamiliar about the scene before her and she was wondering why. She rubbed the back of her neck distractedly. "Right-you and Jupiter grab Endymion and I'll grab Serenity," she said, uncharacteristically taking charge.

Jupiter nodded and she and Mars lunged for Endymion, taking a hold of his shoulders and pulling. His lips unglued from the Princess', a fierce growl escaping his lips at the interruption. As they broke him away, Mars winced in pain as she and Mercury's bond began to be felt. They blue-haired girl was just a bit too far away. ["Mercury"]

As if sensing this, Mercury winced also and nodded, moving closer with a firm hold about Serenity's slender waist. She took a firmer grip as Serenity groaned helplessly and began mindlessly to move towards Endymion. "This is ridiculous!" she said aloud for Jupiter and Venus' benefit. Serenity and Endymion's eyes were totally glazed over and filled with hunger and lust! Given their behavior, the unknown emotions that she had seen in Endymion's eyes before were now very obvious. Somehow Serenity's aging so abruptly had called up some...uncontrollable mating urge.

Mars smirked, as she caught Mercury's thoughts. "Mating urge?" she gave a short amused bark of laughter, clinging hard to Endymion's arms to keep him firmly back from his love.

"Mating urge?" Jupiter looked from Serenity then to Endymion and laughed also. "You're RIGHT! It’s like...I don't know-two wolves?" she floundered for a similar experience in life to base this hunger on.

"It must be that bond Queen Serenity spoke of. The Princess' aging so rapidly must had let loose whatever had been held back by her younger age before. What had been an urge to kiss is now an overwhelming urge to-" she broke off, flushing brightly. "Er-lets just say lust and leave it at that, yes?" she suggested to the others, very much embarrassed.

"Sound's good to me. Now how do we DO this?" Mars said, looking pointedly at Sailor Mercury. "We're bonded now-and Endymion is bonded to Serenity...so those two HAVE to stay together and WE can't separate..." she trailed off helplessly.

The other Senshi eyed her with horror as the meaning caught up with them. How could they POSSIBLY jump from roof to roof and keep the bonded one's together? They HAD to keep Serenity and Endymion back from each other, but not more than a certain distance or they would die.

Venus moaned, taking a hold of her Princess' other arm and looking around at a growing crowd of curious onlookers. "Serenity! Get a hold of yourself-PLEASE!" she said desperately to the silver haired girl. NONE of them seemed to know what to do. They were all still shaken from the earlier events.

Shingo spoke finally, reminding them that he was there. "Uh-I don't know what's going on or what's wrong with my sister...but couldn't she use the Crystal to take us all back to the house?" he said tentatively, staring at Serenity as if she had grown too heads. It was beyond HIM why she and Endymion had looked like they were trying to eat each other's faces. It hadn't LOOKED like kissing to him.

["I'm glad we can't sense their thoughts!"] Mars said in relief, as Endymion tried to shake her off and get to Serenity, his deep blue eyes still glazed over. Still, something inside of him must have been aware of them, because he didn't try to get loose enough that he would HURT them. He just wasn't very rational or sane at the moment with his love so close.

Mercury frowned thoughtfully, then turned to her Princess. She calmly raised a gloved hand and slapped her over the face.

Prince Endymion roared in rage and threw Jupiter and Mars off; his eyes fixed on Mercury murderously. But he had not taken a step before the two Senshi dove onto him again and used their enhanced strength to hold him there.

Mercury swallowed hard at the look in her Prince's eyes, sure that he might have actually killed her if he had been free at that moment. Then she turned back to her Princess, an apologetic look in her blue eyes. “I’m sorry, Serenity-but there was no other way to wake you up,” she said.

Serenity blinked as her cheek stung from some kind of pain. The feelings consuming her were pushed back slightly as she looked at Mercury's worried eyes. There was fear there too, which the Princess responded to. "Mercury! What is wrong?" she asked sharply, finally looking about her. Her lips still tingled from the touch of her Prince's and as she looked back at him, cheek still throbbing, she saw his rage. She flinched and he saw it, eyes becoming abruptly rational.

"Serenity," he gasped, slumping into Mars and Jupiter's arms. "What on earth just happened?" he demanded of the Senshi, utterly stumped. He's ravished his Princess in front of them-in a STREET! It was then that he noted he was being restrained and that there were curious people watching them. "I'm fine," he told Mars and Jupiter, who warily released him. "Serenity-you had better get us back home," he told his love, purposefully avoiding her lovely eyes. If they looked directly at each other, they might be consumed again!

"Of course," Princess Serenity said, nodding and avoiding his eyes also. She opened her palm and sent a thought to the Crystal, which she was much more familiar with now. Liquid silver consumed her and then the others and they vanished from sight.

"God!" Kenji blurted out in shock as his daughter, the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen abruptly appeared in the center of the bedroom. Everyone had been waiting anxiously.

"Mother-Mercury is all right," Serenity said, tears of relief filling her eyes. She was glad when no one gave her more than a cursory look before staring at Mercury in delight.

Seline however DID notice. Her silver eyes widened in incredulity and shock as she took in her daughter. She was taller, her hair longer, almost bursting out of her pink bunny shirt under Tuxedo Kamen's cloak and OLDER! "Good lord," she breathed almost in a whisper. "Serenity, what has happened to you?"

"Endymion!" Malachite breathed in relief, seeing that his Prince was unharmed.

Minako slumped as the Luna Pen's power suddenly gave out and the illusion of Sailor Moon faded along with it. "That's better,” she said in relief, running a hand through her loose hair.

Zoisite took one look at Mercury before striding swiftly across the room and sweeping her into his arms. She gave a startled yelp and then her lips were smoothed under his in a demanding kiss.

"Umm-Mercury? Who is THAT?" Mars yelled, pointing a shaking finger at her friend locked into a passionate embrace with a strange man dress in a uniform and sporting a sword at his side. She noticed three other strangers and included them in her pointing. "And WHO are THEY-oh my god! Jadeite!" she shrieked at him, eyes going impossibly wide with horror and shock.

"Hello my sweet," Jadeite murmured to her, moving as quickly as Zoisite had to pull the Senshi into his arms. In a moment, she was being ruthlessly kissed.

"What-" Venus began, heart leaping into her throat as she noticed an amazingly handsome man eyeing her narrowly. He stalked towards her and she yelped, backing off-but to no avail. She too was swept into eager arms and kissed like there was no tomorrow.

"Good lord!" Kenji uttered, eyes boggling. What on earth was going ON around here?!

That left Jupiter, who was also being watched like a tasty treat by a gorgeous man with long brown hair. He took a step towards her and she took a step back hastily. Okay, so he was delicious BUT- "No, no, no! NO kissing!" she shouted at him, backing off more as he tried to corner her. She dashed around the other side of the bed and raised a shaking finger to his baffled and hurt face. "I don't know who you are, but no kissing without introductions first! And maybe a date!" she added the last part wistfully.

Nephlyte came to an abrupt halt, horror and realization flooding his eyes. "You don't KNOW me!" he said rather numbly. He turned to look at Seline in agony. "We're not together in the future?"

Seline shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry-no," she looked at Mars, Mercury and Venus who seemed suddenly reluctant to end their kissing session-even if they had no idea who the General's were.

"Together?!" Jupiter exclaimed, staring at the man. "Just who ARE you and why would you think that we were together-and WHY are your buddies kissing my friends!" she blurted out, confused as hell.

"That is what I would like to know," Endymion broke in coolly. He looked Nephlyte over, the faintest hint of recognition in the blue depths. "I know you, don't I?" he said, sounding uncertain.

Nephlyte closed his eyes in pain, then opened them and stared solemnly at his Prince. "My name is Nephlyte Prince. And I don't know how you don't know me and the others-but we are....WERE your Royal Guard a thousand years ago," his voice sounded extremely wounded, but he tried to hide it. Desolated.

Jupiter looked at him, feeling a strange tug at her heart. "We knew you? A thousand years ago?" she went to continue and then a glint entered her green eyes as something clicked. "Did you say Nephlyte? But you’re dead! And one of Ber-"

"Jupiter NO!" Serenity shouted, drawing attention to herself. Everyone's eyes widened as they really LOOKED at her for the first time since she had returned. She flushed to the roots of her hair as their mouths fell open and she belatedly remembered that she was almost bursting out of her top. She swiftly closed the warm cloak about her.

"SERENITY!" Luna gasped out, the first to speak past her shock and amazement. Her Princess looked like she was 18 or 19 now! "HOW did this HAPPEN?!" she demanded.

"That's what I want to know, young lady! And NOW!" Kenji bellowed at her, eyes boggling-not only at her changed age, but at her apparent state of undress.

Zoisite pulled back as he heard yelling and looked down into the flushed face of his love. "I'm glad you're all right, love," he whispered tenderly. For a moment, there was love and tenderness in her eyes too-and then it faded into a look of fear, bewilderment and a lack of recognition.

"Who-who are you?" she stammered, yanking herself from his warm arms and backing towards the others.

Mars pulled herself from Jadeite’s arms and stared at him for a long moment in disbelief. Then anger clouded her eyes and she raised a hand and slapped him over the cheek hard. "Don't EVER touch me again. Bastard!" she hissed at him, hate in her eyes. She and Mercury backed together, unconsciously reaching out for each other's hands.

"Mars. Love, what-" Jadeite began, utterly shocked by her. She had HATE in her lovely eyes. Hate for HIM.

"Don't CALL me that, Dark Kingdom scum!" she shouted in loathing, not noticing that the General's had gone deathly white at her words.

Venus caught the tail end of Mars' heated words and wrenched her lips from the handsome strangers swiftly. She looked at him in horror, his own eyes echoing it as he too heard Mars. "Dark Kingdom?" she whispered faintly, running past him to where Mars, Jupiter and Mercury were huddled protectively close to each other near Serenity.

Jadeite turned shattered eyes on Seline. "Dark Kingdom? We work for Beryl in this century?" he spat out, eyes boring into her unforgiving. He gestured to Mars. "Mars doesn't LOVE me! My soul mate!" he shouted at her, voice filled with hate and pain. He didn't see Mars' eyes widen with incredulity.

"Just what is going on here?" Malachite said, trying to sound calm. From Venus' reaction, he surmised that the Senshi of this time did not know him at all. Had not met him yet. And at least his love's reaction had not been as violent as Mercury and Mars' had been.

"I'm so sorry-I forgot to tell them before we came back," Serenity's voice was anguished and hushed. Tears filled her eyes at the amount of pain in the four General's eyes. Unbearable anguish. "Mercury was dead and then-"

"Why did you kiss me?" Mercury demanded of Zoisite, sudden recognition in her eyes. "You're Zoisite-aren't you? But you're a GIRL!"

Zoisite winced in response, closing his eyes and trying to will the pain away. It wasn't her fault. She didn't know him in this time-which brought up the question of WHY? "Yes, I AM Zoisite and I have been told by Queen Serenity that I am a girl in this century," he sighed deeply, opening his eyes to gaze at the other three General's. "It's not their fault," he told them calmly. "Apparently they don't remember us-and the General's they know work for the Dark Kingdom."

"HOW?" Jadeite demanded, rage barely-contained in his voice. He looked at Serenity and Seline for answers and he wanted them NOW. "HOW can our soul mates not KNOW us?" he frowned as something else occurred to him, unnoticed before. "And why are they younger than I remember?"

"I will answer all of your questions, Lord Jadeite,” a strange voice said calmly.

They all spun defensively to see a Senshi standing just inside the door. She was older-in her early 20's, with long dark green hair and red eyes. Her Senshi fuku was dark blue and black. She was also stunningly beautiful.

"Pluto!" Seline and Serenity gasped out simultaneously.

"My Queen," Sailor Pluto bowed deeply before Seline and then again-with an ever so slightly deeper bow-to Princess Serenity. "My Princess"

"The Guardian of Time," Malachite breathed, aware of the ramifications of her even BEING there talking to them. Sailor Pluto had never been seen by anyone other than the Princess of the Moon and her Mother the Queen. She was legendary.

"But I thought that you weren't allowed to interfere with Time," Jadeite said in bewilderment, looking at Seline. "Queen Serenity hinted-"

"It is a moot point now, Lord Malachite," Sailor Pluto sighed deeply walking towards them. "Time has been changed beyond recognition and I had to escape before the Time Gate closed upon me."

Seline gazed at the Senshi in horror. "You can't DO anything, Pluto?" she whispered, faint.

"Nothing." Pluto answered, eyes sweeping over them all. "It's too late now to fix it," her red eyes swept over Serenity from head to toe. "The Princess has aged again," she noted clinically. "You know what this means." she said to her Queen, but still looking closely at the Princess.

"Oh no. It's too early. MUCH too early" Seline replied weakly. She fell to the floor as her legs gave way from under her, silver eyes wild and stunned.

"It is LATE now, Serenity." Pluto said gently, walking gracefully over to her Queen and helping her to her feet. She stared into glazed silver eyes. "You must aid her now, more than ever." She turned her head to look at the Generals and then Endymion. "They are now involved and must resume their roles as the Prince's protectors. They must ALSO be told of their involvement with Beryl in this time."

"No, no," Seline murmured, shaking her head. She looked up at them all, seeming all at once to be a normal frightened teenager. Sailor Pluto seemed to realize this and released her Queen gently. Princess Serenity immediately too her Mother into her arms, murmuring soothingly.

"Answer my questions now, Sailor Pluto" Zoisite said from between clenched teeth, trying not to look at his love in anguish. His world had been turned upside down and it would have been more merciful to kill him than let him live without Mercury.

Mercury gasped as she heard his words and saw from his startled eyes as he spun to look at her that he had not known he had spoken aloud. Her teeth clenched and her lips tingled as she remembered his searing kiss. It had held such love...and these apparently weren't the evil General's that they all knew. Besides the fact that he was a guy!

The Senshi all exchanged a look, filled with guilt, anger and half-remembered feelings. Did they all feel the same, these strange men? That they would rather DIE than not have the Senshi's love? Were they truly together and soul mates in the past?

"Queen Serenity," Mars said rather formally, looking at Seline uncertainly. "Is it true? The General's were our soul mates in the past?"

Seline nodded. "It is true. You were all in love"

"Were," Jadeite said rather bitterly, flinging himself away from the others and keeping his emotions to himself.

Mars stared at his stiff back, not knowing WHAT to feel. ["We were in love? I felt-something...and then I remembered who he was and felt nothing but hate"] she thought to Mercury, anguished at the pain she and the others had wrought. These were not Beryl’s Generals. These were men that had loved them-deeply. And still DID.

A sigh escaped Mercury's lips as she recalled her violent reaction to Zoisite's loving kisses. "Oh-what a MESS this is!" she exclaimed. ["Such a HUGE mess!"]

Venus's heart ached as she felt all the unrequited love filling the room. Oh what utter agony the Generals were feeling at that moment! Their soul mates hated them and only knew them as enemies. She looked up at Malachite sadly, wondering how deeply THEY had been in love a thousand years ago. He returned her gaze with wariness and love and she felt her heart skip a beat in response. "How can we fix this?" she whispered to herself, feeling despair. "How can we EVER fix this?"

Chapter Seven

The silence in the room quickly become unbearable and no one wanted to look at each other.

Mercury sighed finally. ["It's hard to believe that all of these events happened in only three days"] she thought to herself, having forgotten the bond that she now shared with Mamoru, Usagi and Rei.

["You know-you're RIGHT!"] Sailor Mars exclaimed in shock, red eyes widening. She let go of Minako's hand absently and straightened. Her gaze flittered about the room. The Generals were standing together, looking utterly anguished and infuriated at the blow destiny had dealt them. The Senshi were all gathered tightly about Serenity, who was clutching Tuxedo Kamen's cloak about her blossomed form. Tuxedo Kamen stood close behind her, eyes shuttered as he watched the Generals. Ikuko, Kenji, Shingo, Marie, Grandpa and Yuuchiro stood slightly to the side, not wanting to interfere and Mars could see that they were in shock from all the events of the last few days. And then there was Sailor Pluto-standing calmly next to Seline, who was clad only in a white sheet toga-style. "Well," she murmured into the silence, overwhelmed herself.

"Well," Minako, Jupiter and Mercury echoed awkwardly.

"Send us back to our own time!" Malachite suddenly ordered, eyes turning to Princess Serenity.

The Princess blinked at him, startled. "I-" she turned to Sailor Pluto. "Can we not send them back, Pluto and have the Silver Crystal erase their memories?"

The Guardian of Time shook her head gravely, suddenly feeling incredible old. "I AM sorry, Princess. And to you also Generals of the Golden Kingdom...but the past no longer exists."

The room erupted into pandemonium, every screaming and shouting at Sailor Pluto.

"Enough!" Seline shouted, silver eyes flashing with wrath. "This is not Pluto's fault. Anymore than it is my daughter's fault. All of this has happened for a reason! I'm certain of it."

"What POSSIBLE reason could there be for us being brought to a century where out soul mates don't even love us!" Zoisite spat out, looking briefly at Mercury.

"It wasn't intentional," Mercury murmured, casting her blue eyes towards the carpet. She felt something for this man-something eating away at the back of her mind-but he was still a stranger and she could not understand his love or anguish at the situation. "I'm very sorry," she whispered.

Zoisite's eyes swung back to her and he took an involuntary half-step before he remembered. "So what happens now?" he asked no one, a pulse ticking wildly in his cheek.

"You must be told of this century and your selves involvement with Queen Beryl," Sailor Pluto said, sighing deeply. "You are still Endymion's Royal Guard and I feel that soon you shall be needed to protect him."

"WE can protect him!" Sailor Mars growled, feeling her earlier hate towards Jadeite. He had been evil and hurt them all. ["But he's not the same person, is he?"] she thought wistfully.

"["No-he isn't"] Tuxedo Kamen responded, struggling to feel free of the hate he also felt for the Generals. These men were from his past. Endymion's past. And they had been his protectors. "Perhaps we should talk soon," he directed his words at the Generals', who nodded their consent.

"I'll go and make us some sandwiches or something," Ikuko murmured faintly, a hand to her cheek. She headed towards the door, but was grabbed on the back of the dress by her husband.

"Not so fast, Ikuko!" he told her sternly. "Have you forgotten that you just gave birth not long ago?"

"Gave birth?" Malachite eyed the women with confusion. She didn't LOOK like she's just given birth...and where was the baby then?

"Oh, I forgot I guess," she blushed brightly. Ikuko ran a hand over her stomach and moved her legs experimentally. "I don't FEEL sore anywhere."

"The Silver Crystal healed you fully, Mom," Serenity said positively.

"MOM?!" Zedite and Nephlyte exclaimed, staring.

Seline sighed. "It's a part of that long story that we have to discuss. Let us all go down to the kitchen."

"Perhaps we should get you some clothes first, my Queen?" Minako hissed at her, flushing in embarrassment.

Seline's face went almost as bright a red as she looked down and saw her sheet. "Oh dear!" she said, hands flying to her cheeks in shock. She'd completely forgotten!

"AND the Princess," Mars said, de-transforming into Rei. She never noticed the General's shock. ["There's NO way Serenity is running around in only her bunny shirt!"]

["I agree"] Tuxedo Kamen said, almost growling.

"Right." Serenity said, blushing faintly. It hadn't bothered her as much, because she had Endymion's cloak.

"Everyone, this way-girls you stay here and we'll figure out how to go get you some clothes." Ikuko said, taking charge.

"It is fine. The Crystal will make us clothes, Mom," Serenity called out.

Ikuko blinked and then smiled. "I keep forgetting about that, for some reason." She left with everyone else and closed the door behind her.

Mamoru and the girls all eyed each other. "What a mess," he finally said, throwing himself down onto the bed near Rei.

Rei sighed and pulled Mercury with her as she sat down close beside him and leaned her head onto his shoulder wearily. ["I'll say"] she murmured mentally.

Serenity bent her will upon the Silver Crystal and the silver light of it's power consumed her. She fought back against the multitudes of voices and the call of visions and concentrated on herself and her Mother. When the light had cleared, she and Seline stood clad in short pink skirts and white woolen sweaters, along with gray boots on their feet.

Seline glanced down and shrieked loudly. "SERENITY! My LEGS are showing!" she almost wailed, sounding so much like Usagi that the other's stared.

Serenity blinked-and was suddenly Usagi. She slumped towards the ground, her strength all gone. Luckily Tuxedo Kamen caught her before she hit the ground and pulled her onto his lap on the bed. "Oooooh! My head," Usagi moaned, clutching at the throbbing temples. ["Anyone got any aspirin?"]

"Welcome back Usagi," Mamoru murmured, kissing her forehead lightly. He stiffened as an urge came over him to ravish her where she lay, but he restrained it. ["This is going to be SO hard"] he moaned silently.

Rei sat up and whacked him over the back of the head. ["None of that mister! Just remember that we have a BOND going on here and I don't want to hear your lecherous thoughts for my best friend!"]

["I concur with that!"] Mercury said hastily, flushing brightly. She de-transformed into Ami and flopped backwards onto the bed.

"Serenity? My SKIRT!" Seline said through gritted teeth, staring hard at her daughter. Serenity had dressed them identically and there was only the fact that they were now different ages that would keep them from being mixed up.

"Motttttther!" Usagi wailed at her, closing her eyes and burrowing into Mamoru's embrace. "I'm EXHAUSTED! And this IS the twentieth century! You'll have to get used to it's clothing."

"But I feel so exposed!" Seline yelled back, reaching down to try and tug her short skirt downwards to cover her long slender legs.

Sailor Pluto smiled in amusement and then de-transformed. Everyone stared at her and her smile widened. "Call me Setsuna, when I'm not transformed," she told them, running a slender hand through her long dark green hair.

"That's a Japanese name," Usagi noted, startling them all again with her intelligence. It would seem that Serenity was emerging fast within her body. If Pluto was using a Japanese name, then she's visited this time and...it was obviously not her REAL name. ["HEY! I'm not a total airhead now!"] she growled at Ami, Rei and Mamoru when they opened their mouths to say something.

"So-you ADMIT that you were an airhead before?" Rei said sweetly.

"Arrgggggh!" Usagi yelled at her, silver eyes narrowing in wrath. "I am your Princess and demand respect, Pyro!"

"You're my Princess-but you're still an airhead!" Rei yelled back, beginning to grin wildly. ["Finally, everything is startling to look normal"] she sighed mentally.

Usagi paused with mouth open to blast Rei and then smiled tenderly. "Not quite, my dear sister-but then nothing will ever be the same."

Rei, Mamoru, Ami and Minako stared at her, all misty eyed.

"Awwww! You called her your sister," Minako cooed.

"She IS," Setsuna said, ignoring their gaping. "The Senshi were all closely bonded Millennia ago and became like sisters. Often you all referred to each other as such."

Usagi felt tears enter her silver eyes and blinked them back. She sniffed. "That's so sweet!"

"I'm going to be sick," Rei said teasingly, not really meaning it. She recovered swiftly. "As your sister, I shall resume by name-calling of 'Odango Atama'!" she announced haughtily, leaping to her feet.

"WHAT?! I thought we were past that, you Pyro!" Usagi exclaimed, leaping off of Mamoru's lap and facing Rei.

Rei smiled smugly. "Nope! she crossed her arms. ["It's not THAT easy to get away from me, Odango!"]

["Oh GUYS!"] Ami said, shaking her head at them ruefully. Things might not be so bad after all if those two could act like they used to be.

["Can I call you Odango too?"] Mamoru purred seductively at Usagi, blue eyes glinting. He looked down at her long slender legs lasciviously.

["HENTAI! Keep your mind out of the gutter!"] Rei screeched at him, cheeks flaming.

["Oh MY!"] Ami blushed just as brightly as she got a mental image from Mamoru of licking up the long slender legs of Usagi. ["HEY! Stop that!"] she screeched at him, leaping from foot to foot in agitation.

"MAMORU!" Usagi screamed at him aloud, fist coming up. She smacked him but good on the cheek, sending him spinning backwards over the bed to the floor. Immediately, the three girls and he shouted out in agony and the girls scrambled over to where he was sprawled.

"Don't HIT him!" Rei gasped out to Usagi, glaring at her Princess. "Are you trying to kill us?"

"Sorry," Usagi said sheepishly, blushing again.

"Oh. Serenity," Seline sighed, but her lips curved into a gentle smile.

"Ooooh, that hurt! That really hurt!" Ami groaned, crouched down next to Rei. "Does this happen every time you separate?" she inquired incredulously.

"Every time," Usagi, Rei and Mamoru groaned at her.

Ami's eyes narrowed and she loomed over Mamoru, then grabbed his shirt and thrust her face in near. "And Mamoru, if I ever SEE something as hentai in my mind as that again-I'll kill you!" she threatened.

Makoto eyed them all with envy, amusement and curiosity. "What did you see?" she asked.

"Nothing!" all four shouted hurriedly.

"Well, this will be amusing" Setsuna noted, equally amused. The bond was working far differently from when it had a thousand years ago!

"First rule of the house Gentleman," Ikuko was saying as the Senshi, their Princess, their Queen and the Royal Advisors entered the cavernous living room. "No using your powers," she said sternly.

Malachite looked up from the contemplation of his boots. "We only use our powers in defense of our Prince and the Golden Kingdom," he informed her curtly. His eyes slid sideways to where Minako had knelt in front of the couch where Mamoru, Usagi, Rei and Ami had squeezed onto. Makoto sat carefully next to her, effectively baring the Generals from their loved ones. Just in case the warriors from the past weren't what they seemed. Seline, Ikuko and Kenji sat on the opposite couch from the Senshi and the Generals were seated on a couch and seats to their left, Motoki, Reika, Shingo, Grandpa and Yuuchiro sat on the right of the Senshi facing the Generals. The seating formed a square with a sizable space between then all, with only a table filling it.

"Still, Lord Malachite, we would prefer if you and the other three did not use your powers in this house-just as we Senshi will not," Minako said formally, taking control as leader of the Senshi.

"As you wish, Lady Venus," was the cool response. Malachite exquisitely courteous. For a moment a deep hurt reflected in his blue eyes, but was quickly hidden.

"To maintain the peace, it would be better all round if no one used their powers," Setsuna said from behind the Generals, walking in from the kitchen with a steaming mug of tea in her hand. She nodded at them all, settling down on the arm of the couch that her Princess was using. Now that time was unraveling, she wanted to be as close to her future Queen as possible. "However, Venus and Ikuko, it is not necessary to be wary of the Generals. Their powers cannot be used for evil," she spoke solemnly.

"Not used for evil! We've SEEN what they do!" Rei burst out, fury in her eyes as she looked directly at Jadeite. ["I might have to tolerate having these killers in our house, but I WON'T be polite about it!"] she said heatedly in a mental tone to Usagi, Mamoru and Ami.

"No, Pluto is right," Seline said clearly, silver eyes troubled. "The Generals of the present received their powers from Queen Beryl, whereas the Generals here before us received theirs from the power of the Golden Crystal."

"The GOLDEN Crystal?!" everyone burst out, eyes boggling.

The General's all looked askance at their Prince, who looked as pole axed as the rest of the room. Seline bit her lip and shook her head at her stupidity. Once again, she had put her foot in it! Only the General's would have remembered the existence of the Golden Crystal, which had powers similar to the Silver Crystal, but had been divided up among Endymion's five General's to keep it safe from those who would seek it's power. All knew that only the Silver Crystal could be touched by Moon royalty, but few knew that only the Earth's royalty could touch the Golden Crystal and many wars had been fought over it. The Crystal had permitted itself to be broken into six separate pieces, since as the Silver Crystal had been broken when the Moon Kingdomfell... "Oh dear-I completely forgot that Endymion and the others are not aware of the existence of the Golden Crystal in this time!" the silver-haired teen cried out, embarrassed.

"What is this Golden Crystal?" Mamoru demanded, blue eyes narrowing. He vaguely remembered his Father saying... something...but that was so long ago and a mystery as was most of his past. ["And VERY frustrating it is too!"] he thought angrily.

Rei reached out and patted him on the shoulder. ["There, there, Mamoru. Your memories will come back soon enough. You'll probably remember you were brought up utterly spoiled on golden plates and crystal goblets and maidens falling at your feet in droves"] she teased in a slightly condescending manner, a smile playing about her lips.

["There better NOT have been any maidens falling at my Mamo-chan's feet"] Usagi said, voice chilly. The look that she threw Mamoru was full of violent promise and she scanned her memories to see if she remembered seeing any women.

Mamoru frowned, then grinned wickedly. ["Now Usako, how can I be held accountable for what my past self did? Hmm?"] he tried to reason with her.

Usagi growled, took one step towards Mamoru and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Look here, Endymion!" she told him icily, silver eyes glowing. "If I so much as remember a women DROOLING over your feet, I'll kill you!"

"And we'll help," Ami said, giving a lopsided grin from Mamoru's side.

"Ditto on that," Makoto cracked her knuckles, making Marie wince.

"I see that Princess Serenity is so much more violent in this time," Nephlyte said in a stage whisper to his companions, who all hid grins.

"Now, now darling-there's not need for you to use violence on Endymion," Kenji said soothingly. Then he switched his burning gaze to Mamoru, hands twitching as if wanting to strangle him. "I'LL do it!"

"Kenji!" Ikuko gasped, shocked. "I thought we talked about this! Mamoru is going to marry our daughter!"

"Not if he's cheated on her!" Kenji defended his violent urges desperately before his seething wife.

"Hey! I can hardly defend myself against something that MIGHT have happened over 1000 years ago!" Mamoru protested, almost whining. ["Why does everyone want to beat me up so much?!"] he thought to himself in a 'why me?!' tone.

["'cause we love ya!"] Ami said in a sing-song tone, grinning cheekily at him.

"Things really have changed," Zoisite noted, looking absently at Ami-then he remembered and looked away with a deep sigh.

"I'll defend you Mamoru!" Minako announced gleefully, looking about with bright eyes.

"Minako! You're supposed to champion the Princess!" Artemis yowled from the floor.

"Well, poor Mamoru has no one else to defend him," she pointed out reasonably. "Besides-he's just SO cute!" she gushed, batting her lashes at Mamoru. Everyone groaned, but Malachite's eyes grew grim as he looked from his past love to his Prince.

"I fully approve of this championship," Usagi announced whimsically, smiling at her Prince and then everyone else.

"Yay me!" Minako giggled, jumping about happily.

"Some things DO stay the same," Jadeite noted, snorting slightly at Venus' antics. She didn't seem to have changed a bit!

Chapter Eight

"Tell us what you know about the Silver Crystal, Sailor Pluto," Usagi asked formally, silver eyes fixed upon the Guardian of Time with steely determination.

Seline and Setsuna stared at Usagi for a long moment, then exchanged a guarded look.

"Why do you want to know, Princess Serenity?" Setsuna said finally, red eyes cautious. Her hands rested in her lap with a seemingly relaxed pose, however, her shoulders were stiff and she was ready for anything.

"I want to KNOW, because I'm aging at a frightening rate! I know nothing about the Silver Crystal and its power is consuming me. My friends are changing as much as I am and I want to know what is happening!"

Seline looked consternated as her silver eyes rested on her daughter. A daughter who was a strange mixture of Princess, Warrior and a clumsy 14 year old girl with the body and emotions of a woman. "Well...that is to say-" Seline began, uncertain what to tell Usagi. She looked at Setsuna appealingly.

Setsuna smiled at Seline reassuringly, then turned to Usagi. "We will tell you what we can-BUT, we cannot reveal anything that will harm Time. There are many secrets that you are not yet ready to know."

["Relax Odango! You're going to have a heart attack"] Rei's voice came to Usagi, Ami and Mamoru, conveying a mixture of concern, exasperation and love.

["No, she's perfectly right to ask it"] Ami said firmly, turning to look at the other three on the couch. ["The Silver Crystal now belongs to Princess Serenity and she has no idea how to use it-or even what it's doing to her"]

["What do you mean doing to her!"] Rei almost screeched, reaching over to grab Ami tightly by one hand.

["It's clearly merging with her slowly"] Ami winced, but managed to convey her suspicions to them all. ["Her abnormal rate of accelerated aging, her travel back in time and more importantly, the bond we are all sharing"] her blue eyes hardened. ["You didn't think our bonding at the same time that Serenity and Endymion's souls broke free was just a coincidence, do you?"]

Usagi and Mamoru looked pole axed and Rei stunned, but also frightened. If only her she could use her visions! She would have done anything to summon the Great Fire at that time.

"Unfortunately, we can't go to the Temple, Rei. Chances are that Zoisite already knows who all of us really are and where we live," Mamoru said aloud, casting a cool look at Seline and Setsuna. They obviously both knew something BIG, but were equally determined not to tell Serenity and the rest of them.

"You're wondering about your bond and your aging," Seline said suddenly into the silence Mamoru had created with his words. They stared at her wordlessly, having had forgotten Seline's bond with her daughter. The Generals watched curiously, waiting to hear about the legendary Silver Crystal they had heard about. The source of power for the Moon Kingdom.

"Yes," Mamoru said finally, answering for them all. He felt Usagi's hand creep into his from the left and wasn't entirely surprised when Rei did the same from the right. He felt drawn to Rei in an inexplicable way, but it felt...like love. Love for a sister.

["You know, you can be really sweet when you set your mind too it, Mamoru"] Rei said teasingly, mind caressing his.

["Keep your mitts off my Fiancé, Sister-Dear"] Usagi told her without turning her head.

["Awwww!"] Ami crooned, flashing them all a smile. She cast a look suddenly at Makoto and saw that the brunette was staring at them fixedly, her green eyes longing. ["Poor Makoto"]

["Hmm?"] Rei said, distracted, she turned to look at Ami and followed the Senshi of Water's intent gaze to Makoto, who was looking at them all wistfully.

["She really feels left out with all of us bonded"] Usagi said with sudden insight, silver eyes full of compassion. ["She's probably remembering flashes of what it used to be like when we were all bonded and able to read each other's minds on the Moon Kingdom. Minako too, though she's good at hiding it"] she looked at Minako, who was smiling as usual, her bubbly nature holding through since she'd arrived. However, Usagi could see that deep in Minako's golden eyes was a wistfulness also. Usagi's gaze switched Makoto thoughtfully. Perhaps there was a way to bond Minako and Makoto to them without them dying?

["I don't think there IS a way, since Rei and I both died to be bonded to you"] Ami remarked, head tilted to the side and eyes as thoughtful as Usagi's.

["Ami is right-I think it has something to do with our dying. It...releases our souls-"] she halted, scowling as something just beyond her grasp eluded her.

["I see what you mean"] Mamoru frowned, staring down at his and Usagi's entwined hands. He stroked his thumb over her skin thoughtfully and felt the tremor that went through her. He winced slightly, throwing Usagi a guilty look. She was so SENSITIVE since she'd aged. But at least they were both trying to ignore their emotions and have this discussion. Finding out about the Silver Crystal was imperative. However...he turned to look at Minako, then Makoto. The well-being of the two remaining un-bonded Senshi was also of concern. ["Who knows what absence from the bond might do to them?"]

Usagi's hand tightened in Mamoru's, trying to hide her equal concern as his thoughts reached hers. ["Mamoru, do you really think it might HURT them?"] she asked anxiously, eyes darting to Ami's for confirmation.

["I-"] Ami laughed nervously, reaching up to run a hand through her short blue hair. ["I really can't SAY, Usagi. I just don't KNOW enough about the bond OR the Silver Crystal to even hazard a guess"]

["The bond won't hurt them Serenity. None of you must ever worry about that"] Seline's voice intruded into their conversation, voice gentle. Her eyes grew sad. ["However, the girls must also die for their old souls to be released and so too their old powers. None of you, including Serenity are at your true power-strength"]

["We're NOT?! They're NOT?!"] the three girls and Mamoru exclaimed together, stunned.

"What? What happened?" Makoto demanded in a strained voice, hands suddenly digging into the couch. "Why do you look so freaked-out?"

"More like stunned," Minako noted, peering across the coffee table at Mamoru, Usagi, Ami and Rei's faces.

"Pole axed," Jadeite added, eyes on Rei.

"Gob-smacked," Shingo chipped in, not to be outdone. He swallowed hard when the four Generals turned their heads to stare at HIM weirdly. "What?" he demanded shifting on the floor uncomfortably.

"GOB-SMACKED?!" Zoisite said incredulously. "Is that even a word?"

"Sure it is!" Minako chirped cheerfully, bouncing up and down and grinning like a maniac. Her head tilted to the side. "Umm-but I don't think it's in the Dictionary. Artemis?" she peered under the table searchingly.

Everyone turned to stare down at Artemis and Luna, who had both been almost unnoticed in their silence during the conversation. They were curled up on either side of Usagi's feet. "Why me?" the white cat demanded, hanging his head. He smacked a paw to his face and groaned. "I swear, I've only known Shingo for a couple of hours, but he seems as blonde as YOU Minako!"

"WHAT?!" Shingo said with outrage, flushing brightly. He and Minako looked at each other, then simultaneously glared down at Artemis.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" he and Minako yelled together.

"BLONDES!" Artemis yowled back. "OUCH! LUNA! What did you do that for!" he held a paw to the mouth she'd smacked when he'd yowled at Minako and Shingo-unfortunately, he'd done it right in her ear. Also unfortunately, when Luna had smacked him, he'd bitten his tongue.

"HEY!" Jadeite and Usagi shouted, taking offense because they were blonde too...well, Usagi USED to be blonde and had momentarily forgotten that her hair color had changed.

"What are YOU worrying about, Princess Serenity? You're not blonde!" Jadeite gritted out, staring daggers at the white cat-who was currently sticking his tongue out and trying to see if he'd bitten off any.

"Yes I-oh wait, I'm not blonde anymore," Usagi amended sheepishly, casting an upward gaze to her silver locks. "Ooops."

"Odango brain," Rei muttered, restraining the urge to hit Usagi over the head as she used to do when the blonde did something idiotic.

"Just try it, Pyro," Usagi said sweetly, staring past Mamoru.

["Ooops?"] Rei thought, flushing. Now SHE'D done something dumb by totally forgetting that Usagi could read her mind!

"Cut it out you two!" Makoto said automatically. She cracked her knuckles. "Or Princess or not, I'll smack your heads together."

Nephlyte stifled a laugh, turning it into a cough. Same old Jupiter!

"Thowwy, Pwwintheth. Thenalal Thedith," Artemis muttered behind his paw, rubbing at his mouth and glaring at Luna.

"What was that?" Luna demanded, still staring daggers at her white counterpart. "Don't talk with your tongue hanging out like some mutt!"

Minako winced sympathetically as her cat flushed brightly. "Oooh, the deadly insult!" she stage-whispered.

"I SAID, Sorry Princess Serenity and General Jadeite!" he shouted, turning his back on her.

"Fur ball!" Luna muttered under her breath, resolved to ignore him the rest of the day.

Usagi grinned wickedly at her Mother, then down at Luna and then Artemis. "Heheheh," she snickered.

Ami blinked at her. "That was an evil laugh if ever I heard one," she remarked.

Usagi only grinned wider, eyes glinting. ["Don't tell them this, but Artemis and Luna were an item in the Silver Millennium"]

"NO WAY!" Rei gasped out, stunned.

"No kidding," Ami said mildly, then she gave up the act and let an equally evil look cross her face. "Hehehe."

"It gives me the wiggins when Ami looks like a mad professor," Makoto said to Marie, who looked utterly fascinated by the goings-on in the room. "How about you?"

"I can't say I've ever SEEN Ami look that way," Marie said curiously, head tilted to the side as she studied her daughter.

"What did Usagi say?" Minako demanded, having realized the source of the evil grins.

"Nothing," Usagi, Mamoru, Rei and Ami chorused. When Minako and Makoto's faces fell, Usagi amended their words. "I'll tell you later."

"Are you done?" Seline said with amusement. ["You DID ask about the Silver Crystal?"]

["Almost"] Usagi returned, grin fading. ["Makoto and Minako are really feeling the loss of not having our bond"] The four in the bond looked again at Makoto, eyes considering.

["I don't honestly think we can do anything. They have to...die to become bonded"] Usagi murmured, heart beating faster in her chest. The thought of loosing another of them to death was agonizing.

Makoto became suddenly aware that four separate gazes were zeroed in on her intently and blushed, looking about her self-consciously. "What? What? Do I have food on my face?" she hastily wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, then checked that her ponytail was straight.

"You look-perfect Jupiter," Nephlyte assured her, eyes staring deeply into hers with an unfathomable expression in their depths.

"You're forgiven because you're prejudiced," Jadeite said with a grin, throwing a look at Rei covertly. "As are we all when it comes to the Senshi," he finished, blue eyes shadowing when he remembered that his love didn't feel that way about him here in the future. A future where he was stuck forever, now that the past had changed. He sighed deeply and heard it echoed by his four friends. They'd all lost their loves.

"Perhaps I can explain to everyone what is happening and also about the Silver Crystal," Setsuna's voice abruptly broke into their thoughts. They gaped at her and she smiled slightly. "I'm bonded with Serenity,"

Everyone in the room looked at Usagi, then at Seline, then back to Usagi, then to Setsuna again.

"Queen Serenity," Setsuna elaborated.

"I can speak with Pluto and she can speak to me, but you are not bonded with her." Seline looked solemn. "Unfortunately, you will never be bonded with her."

"Why is that? She's a Senshi too," Shingo said, frowning.

"Setsuna was born a very long time before any of you were born."

"HOW long?" Usagi demanded, searching her mind for an explanation. So, Setsuna was a Senshi, but not HER Senshi. Not a Guardian of the Princess of the Moon.

"Lets just say a few millennia and leave it vague," Setsuna said, smiling slightly at their shocked faces. "Don't looked so surprised, I'm sure Serenity-Seline told you that you are immortal now."

"But how is this possible? The Silver Crystal was in pieces for over 1,000 years!" Mamoru exclaimed. "Why didn't you AGE?"

"I kept my own powers. It is not...how do I explain this?" Setsuna looked briefly annoyed as she gathered her thoughts. "I know that you are a Shinto Priestess Rei, so you already believe in the presence of your God."

"Yes?" Rei said, rather confused. Her fingers tightened around Mamoru's and she reached on her other-side for Ami's. She knew something BIG was about to be revealed and it made her skin crawl!

["My skin too"] Mamoru murmured dryly. ["Setsuna likes her suspense, I see"] he added when the Senshi of Time seemed to pause dramatically, waiting for their expectant looks.

["I don't think so"] Usagi said, looking into Setsuna's red eyes. She saw an agelessness there that she couldn't even begin to fathom. And wisdom. A great wisdom that one only got from having seem much. ["It think she's trying to decide how much to reveal to us"]

["Agreed"] Ami said, also looking intently at Setsuna.

"The Universes were created by the gods, longer ago than even I can fathom," Setsuna began, voice no longer hesitant. "So long ago that years mean nothing. Time means nothing to them. In time, these gods withdrew, giving their blessings to those favored in their eyes. When Serenity became Queen, the Solar System was in shambles. War was immanent and the worlds were separated. Serenity's Father had been a terrible King-forgive me, my Queen," she spoke to Seline solemnly.

"You have not said anything that is not true. My Father-was not the kindliest of men. He was harsh, brutal and loved war above all. He was favored by Mars, the God of War."

"THE God of WAR?!" Rei gasped out, paling. "Are you saying-that the gods EXISTED?"

Setsuna looked amused. "Of course, Rei-where do you think your powers came from?"

"WHAT?!" everyone in the room shouted, but for Setsuna.

"Good lord!" Grandpa uttered, looking as shocked as Rei. He had been resolved to stay quiet as his Granddaughter and her friends and family talked, but now he could not be silent. His daughter was infused with the power of a war-god! "This is who we pray to?"

"No, you pray and are heard by your Earth-God, but Rei has been praying unknowingly to Mars," Setsuna corrected him.

"Wait, what was this you said about the gods?" Usagi said urgently, not being deterred by the constant interruptions.

"Right-as I was saying, the Solar System was in chaos. When Serenity became Queen and married a Prince of Earth-" Setsuna began again.

"Oh GOD!" Mamoru gasped out in utter horror. "A Prince of EARTH? Then Serenity and I-"

Usagi and he exchanged a terrified glance.

"Don't worry, Endymion" the Senshi of Time reassured him swiftly. "In the 19 years before you became engaged to the Princess and the Solar System was formed into the Silver Millennium, the Earth Royalty changed families. You aren't related to Serenity at all."

"Oh thank God!" he said, collapsing back into the couch.

["She almost gave me a heart-attack!"] Usagi gasped out, clutching at her heart.

["Me too!"] Ami and Rei said, still looking shocked and pale.

"Wait-my Mother was the one to form an alliance with all the planets?" Usagi said suddenly, focusing on the first part of Setsuna's words.

"Yes. But you also were instrumental. The gods gave part of their powers to Serenity to form the most powerful of objects in creation. The Silver Imperial Crystal"

"Holy shit!" Makoto swore, eyes almost popping out. "Usagi's been carrying around something made by the gods?"

Setsuna ignored her, going on with the story. "The Silver Crystal was given to the Royal Moon Family to be used to forever be the Guardian of the Solar System. And to the heir to the throne was given a girl-child of Royal blood from each of the Planets. Each girl was chosen as Avatars of the gods very carefully and were born at the exact same moment as the Moon Princess. And as each were born, so did the Silver Crystal give each a measure of their gods powers."

"What?" Usagi whispered. "The Silver Crystal gives them their powers-but they had them long before we found the Silver Crystal! It was in pieces!"

"True, but your Henshin sticks were a key to the Silver Crystal's power and given to Luna to give to you each. Don't blame Luna, she did not remember, as her mind was blocked," the Senshi of time looked at each of the girls in turn. "Didn't you ever wonder why there were SEVEN Rainbow Crystals that formed the Silver Crystal?"

"But there are nine Senshi," Usagi said, frowning slightly.

"Nine? There are SIX of us, Odango Atama!" Rei scolded.

Usagi shook her head, silver hair flying about her and eyes sure. "No, with Uranus, Saturn and Neptune, that makes nine."

"Huh? There are MORE of us?!" Makoto gaped at her Princess. "Are you sure?"

"Usagi is quite right," Seline said, smiling slightly at her daughter in pride. She was remembering her past life. "There are now nine Senshi, though only eight a thousand years ago,"

"Eight or nine, it still doesn't change the fact that there were SEVEN Rainbow Crystals," Ami pointed out, waiting for an explanation.

"Sailor Pluto got her powers directly from her god, as did Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon-until such time as the Silver Crystal and the Golden Crystals were formed. However, you four and Uranus, Saturn and Neptune all got your powers from the Rainbow Crystal. When united into the Silver Crystal and all the powers are combined your powers are matched by none."

"Immortal AND the most powerful beings in creation-other than the gods, that is," Rei gasped out, utterly flabbergasted by what Seline and Setsuna were revealing to them. She flopped back into the cushions, unable to take her eyes from the silver-eyed Seline. "Are you sure?" she murmured hopefully.

The others were also similarly stunned at the revelations and even the General were staring at the girls with awe and disbelief. The Senshi they had known and loved over 1,000 years ago had been THIS powerful? Direct Avatars of the gods and their powers.

Ami blinked, the shook off her shock, brain already working. "So the seven Rainbow Crystals are Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn? And the Moon Princess got her powers directly from the Moon Goddess, Selene?"

"Very good, Ami," Seline said with a warm smile. ["Mercury always was so very intelligent. Her god was very proud of her..."]

["And OUR goddess, Mother? Was she proud of ME?"] Usagi's voice suddenly demanded, making Seline jump. For a moment, she had forgotten her bond with her daughter. ["Was she proud of me when I fell over my own feet? When I klutzed out in battle or failed every test in School?"]

"You're too hard on yourself, Serenity," Seline said gently, eyes locking with those of her daughter. Right now their appearances where so similar, but inside they were very different. "You had a different up-bringing than you did when you were Princess. Back then, you knew that studying your lessons was imperative to ascend the throne after me. But here-you were just a normal girl with dreams of meeting the perfect guy and getting married, just like any girl of your age," she sighed deeply, aware that everyone watch listening with baited breath. "You were never meant to be a Senshi, however, Selene had different plans. I was as stunned as you could imagine when the goddess came to me in a vision and told me that my daughter, the Moon Princess was to be a Senshi!"

"But WHY?" Mamoru said, trying to understand.

"You met the goddess PERSONALLY?!" Minako squealed loudly, throwing Seline off. "How totally cool!"

"I repeat-same old Venus. She hasn't changed a BIT!" Jadeite groaned, hitting his forehead with the heel of his hand.

"Don't make me punch you, Jadeite," Malachite warned mock-ominously, flexing the muscles in his shoulders. "That's MY air-headed fiancé you're talking about!"

"Thank you, sweetie!" Minako said, grinning for a long moment at Malachite-but then reality hit and she flushed brightly, grin fading. "Oh my God! I just called General Malachite, Sweetie! What the hell is going on here?!" she almost screamed, horribly embarrassed and unable to look at the General.

"Same thing that happened earlier today when you locked-lips with him," Makoto said gleefully.

"So sorry!" Minako threw out in the general direction of Malachite.

"I'm terribly sorry, Venus, but I can't find it in me to regret what you just called me," Malachite said with heavy irony. His eyes lifted and locked with hers, making her unable to look away. "OR our kiss earlier," he watched with some interest as she flushed even brighter, squirming on her seat.

"Awww!" Makoto, Usagi and Rei said, grinning.

"I've never seen Minako look so embarrassed," Artemis remarked from the floor, also fascinated with the color of his charge's face.

"Stop that!" Minako hissed to him, breaking her gaze from Malachite's to glare daggers at her Guardian. "I noticed that you didn't do a thing when he lip-locked with me!"

Artemis shrugged his shoulders and sniffed. "What could I do? I'm only a cat."

"A cat who's going to wake up BRIGHT FUR PINK one morning!" she yelled at him, leaning forward menacingly.

Artemis swallowed and his ears went back. "Okay Minako, if you're lip-locked with a stranger ever again, I'll heroically throw myself at his ankles and give him hell!"

"That's better-no wait!" she complained, confused.

Everyone laughed at her and Artemis, making Minako flush brightly again.

"Don't feel guilty about remembering your past life as General Malachite's fiancé, Venus," Pluto said gently. "You will remember more and more as the hours go by-"

"What if I don't WANT to remember?" she said unhappily, staring down at her feet. "I don't KNOW him. None of us remember that long ago," she looked up slightly to see Malachite staring at her with an expressionless face. She couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. Eventually he sighed and looked away.

"You can decide once you remember," Usagi told the blonde, smiling tenderly. "I HATED Mamoru before I remembered that he was Endymion. You know, the Prince that's my fiancé in our past life-just like you and Malachite."

Minako's head shot towards her Princess, blue eyes stunned. "You HATED Mamoru?" her eyes became suspicious. "Are you sure? 'Cause you two have been all OVER each other several times since I arrived today."

Usagi flushed brightly, looking guilty. "Minako!"

"It's true though-right everyone?" Minako looked about expectantly. She received a chorus of agreement from everyone.

"Yep."

"Uh huh."

"He had his tongue down her throat alright!"

"MAKOTO!" Kenji, Ikuko, Usagi and Ami yelled in shocked tones.

"What? You think they're gonna be lip-locked that long and not have any tongue?" Makoto said reasonably. Her reply was a barrage of couch cushions right in the face.

Chapter Nine

"Before we continue with this discussion, I'd like to go and get everyone some coffee," Ikuko announced loudly, getting to her feet.

Marie leapt to her feet. "Oh-I don't think that's entirely wise, Ikuko...after all, you just not long ago gave birth."

"Excuse me?" Nephlyte said incredulously, staring with raised brows at Ikuko's trim form. "I don't have much experience in birthing-but shouldn't-Ikuko be in bed?"

Jadeite was frowning at Ikuko also. "I agree...but really, you don't at all look like a woman who has given birth today."

"The Silver Crystal healed her!" Usagi said with exasperation, sure she'd mentioned it before.

"She's completely recovered," Seline confirmed with amusement.

"There you are then," Zoisite said, but then he looked very confused. "Where is your baby? A new-born should not be left alone for such a long period of time," his look at Ikuko was disapproving.

Everyone but the Generals burst into laughter and Seline blushed brightly. "Umm-I'M that baby," she said shyly, not able to meet Zoisite's incredulous gaze. "It's a long story," she finished, sighing.

"I'd like to hear that story, while Ikuko gets...coffee was it?"

"A hot drink made from beans," Ami supplied, then the Generals still looked befuddled.

"It gets you on a high," Minako giggled.

"MINAKO!" Artemis yowled, sitting up so fast he almost gave himself a concussion on the bottom of the table. "I thought I forbade you to have any coffee!"

"Yeah..." the blonde looked guilty, her golden eyes skidding away from the cats'. "Hehehe."

"It's caffeine," Ami said, smiling at the antics of the cat and the new Senshi. "It's highly addictive and is used as a mental stimulant."

"Ahhh?" Zoisite said, looking half-confused and half-realizing. He of course was much more used to Mercury-Technical-Speak than anyone there and so had understood what she was saying-but for the reason WHY.

"It makes people much more alert and is used in gatherings at home and at work," Makoto said, trying to explain.

"It stunts your growth," Usagi added.

"Is it dangerous?" Jadeite asked with curiosity, looking from Ikuko to Ami.

"It is if you drink too much!" Rei giggled, then covered her mouth guiltily when everyone's eyes swung to her. ["Sorry! I couldn't help it! It happened to me once"] she said with annoyance when Mamoru snorted in amusement.

"Hyper Senshi wouldn't be a pretty sight!" Venus giggled too.

["WHEN exactly did you have too much coffee, Rei?"] Usagi asked mentally, sounding curious and accusing. ["You tell us all the time that coffee is bad for us!"] the silver-haired girl crossed her arms and leant forwards slightly to look past Mamoru, who was grinning widely, blue eyes twinkling.

["That's WHY I tell you that, Odango Atama!"] Rei retorted, crossing her arms also and glaring back at Usagi. She stuck out her tongue and her best friend responded in kind.

["Hehehe. You sound so superior Rei, but you're just as flawed as the rest of us"] Ami cut in, grinning evilly. ["Want to tell us what happened?"]

"Absolutely NOT!" Rei shouted at her, then flushed with embarrassment as everyone's head shot around to look at her in surprise.

"Absolutely not, what?" Makoto said suspiciously. She chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip, completely unaware of the effect it was having on Nephlyte, who was staring at her lips fixedly. "Come on-give," the Senshi of Jupiter prompted, when Rei was silent.

"I er-" Rei muttered, looking furious that she'd yelled and called attention to herself. "Idranktoomuchcoffeeonceandembarrassedmyselfinfrontofclass" she spat out hurriedly, sounding remarkably like Usagi.

"What was that?" Kenji said with amazement, turning to look at his daughter and then Rei with a weird expression. "You know, you sounded just like-"

"Usagi!" Mamoru, Makoto and Ami yelled, all grinning like maniacs.

Usagi pouted and leaned into Mamoru, looking up at him through her lashes with a wounded-puppy look.

"Oh no!" Mamoru said, glancing down and seeing her face. He rolled his blue eyes skywards. "Don't give me the 'look' Usako!" he pleaded, releasing Rei's hand to shield his eyes from his love as if her eyes were laser-beams.

"She gave him 'the look'!" Makoto chortled in amusement. "Hehehe. Good one Usagi!"

"There should be laws against that!" Rei said, mock-sympathetically to everyone. But then she gave Mamoru an evil grin, her red eyes glinting with malice. ["Poor Mamoru!"] she teased mentally, batting her lashes at him. Then to his absolutely unending horror, Rei gave him the 'look' too!

"Arggggh!" Mamoru yelped, yanking his eyes from her. He focused on safe-ground, which happened to be his Guardians-but to his shock, they TOO were giving him evil looks! "Hey! You four are supposed to be on MY side! You know-you're MY Generals?"

"Sorry, Endymion...I mean Mamoru," Malachite said, grinning at him. "But you haven't learnt in a thousand years!"

"He's right," Jadeite continued, staring for a long moment at Rei. He then looked at his prince, who looked like he wanted to bolt. "When ever Princess Serenity gave you the 'look' you melted into a puddle of goo."

"Goo with no willpower," Nephlyte added sardonically.

"Yay girl-power!" Minako cut in before Zoisite could add his own commentary. She giggled when Mamoru looked at her long-sufferingly. "What? I couldn't HELP it! You should see your expression!"

"Okay, okay. back to what Rei said," Shingo said urgently, eyes glued to the Priestess-in-training. "I couldn't follow what she said at ALL!"

"I drank too much coffee once and embarrassed myself in front of class," Mamoru, Ami, Usagi and Jadeite said monotone.

Rei blinked at Jadeite in surprise, then glared at her so-called 'friends'. "Thanks a LOT you guys! Now the whole room knows what I said!"

"Don't look so surprised, Mars," Jadeite told her with mirth. "I can decipher, Mars-speak better than anyone."

"Mars-speak?" Yuuchiro growled jealously, glaring at the handsome blonde General.

"I'd say it's like 'Usagi-speak'," Mamoru answered, lowering his hand. He looked sideways at his princess cautiously to see if she was still doing the puppy-dog look, but she was smiling at Rei. "You know? Motor-mouth?"

"Hey!" Usagi and Rei yelled, both thumping Mamoru on the chest.

"Ouch?" Mamoru winced. Boy, Senshi training had sure added weight to what usually wouldn't have hurt a fly.

["Did that really hurt?"] Usagi said with sudden concern, turning fully to face him, silver eyes running over his chest in concern.

["Are you okay, Mamoru? We forget our own strength sometimes"] Rei said solicitously, running a hand soothingly over his chest. She remembered a second later that he wasn't wearing a shirt and blushed scarlet. "Sorry! Forgot the half-naked bit" she blurted out, hands flying to her cheeks to hide the embarrassed color.

A strange growling noise came from across the room and everyone followed the sound to a furious Jadeite. "Mars!" he almost snarled at her. "What are you DOING to the prince?"

"That's what I'D like to know!" shouted an angry Usagi, glaring so hard at Rei that the Priestess was surprised she didn't burst into flames!

"Er-er..." Rei stuttered, inching away from Mamoru and almost climbing onto Ami's lap in the process. "It was an accident! Really! I thought I'd hurt him!" she suddenly yelled back at Usagi, then Jadeite. "And anyhow-I'm not your fiancé here, remember?" she told the blonde General with annoyance.

Jadeite glared at her, then his expression faded into sadness and then into hard determination. "We'll see," he murmured to her.

Rei stared at him, feeling curiously like a hunted animal before his burning gaze, which seemed to see right into her soul and possess her. She swallowed, averting her gaze. "Umm-Okay then," she said into the stunned silence, linking her hands and twiddling her fingers nervously. Jadeite obviously had something in mind for her and his words had sounded so ominous. It was as obvious to her as everyone else that Jadeite was not going to take this laying down! The fact that she was from 1,000 years in the future and not his fiancé didn't faze him a bit... ["Why do I suddenly feel like I'm a rabbit being hunted by a wolf?"] she asked mentally, her nervousness and strange excitement transmitted to Mamoru, Ami and Usagi.

["Maybe you should think of yourself less than a rabbit and more like Little Red Riding Hood"] Mamoru said silkily. he looked across at his General, who was still staring at Rei as if she was a particularly tasty piece of chocolate cake and smiled maliciously. "'Cause he sure looks like he wants to eat you up! And kiss every inch of your body-"]

"MAMORU! HENTAI!" Rei, Ami and Usagi screeched at him, faces flaming bright red.

Usagi reached behind her for her cushion and brought it round fast, slamming into Mamoru's grinning face. "Take that!" she yelled.

"Ow!" Mamoru muttered, looking hang-dog.

"And that!" Rei shouted, grabbing a cushion from the floor where it had bounced when they'd pelted Makoto with them earlier.

"OW!" Mamoru muttered again, looking annoyed.

Minako threw a pillow to Ami, who grinned at her, then turned to glare at Mamoru. "What did I TELL you about having those sort of thoughts when I'm bonded to you?!" she said in a deadly-quiet voice.

Mamoru gave her a guilty look and opened his mouth to speak. "Look-"

Ami leant over Rei and let him have it right in the kisser. "I told you NO HENTAI THOUGHTS!" she shouted.

"OWWW!" Mamoru yelped, as the zipper caught his lip and stung.

Ami hauled her arm back and whacked him again, this time connecting with his left eye.

"OUCH DAMNIT!" Mamoru roared, leaping to his feet. He spun on one foot and glared down at the three girls, who suddenly got an inkling that they'd gone too far. They all got this 'deer-in-the-headlights' look in their eyes. He thrust up one arm, waving it left and right crazily as he shoved his index fingers close to their faces. "You and you and YOU! Just quit it!" he ordered. ["Or I'll-"] he trailed off.

"Or you'll WHAT?" Usagi, Ami and Rei said apprehensively.

"SPANK YOU!" Mamoru shouted impressively, blue eyes glinting evilly.

"HENTAI!" the girls shrieked at him, pelting him with their pillows.

Mamoru fell backwards onto the table, then rolled onto the floor on the other side at the Generals' feet, stunned. At the same time, the agony hit him and the girls and they screamed and jumped to their feet.

Everyone was stunned, mouths gaping as three beautiful girls THREW themselves over the table and landed in a pile on top of Mamoru with graceful swan-dives.

Malachite, Zoisite, Jadeite and Nephlyte gaped down at their feet, where her Royal Highness Princess Serenity was sprawled across her prince's chest, bottom in the air. Her Guardian's, two of the most powerful women in the Universe were sprawled in a collection of arms and legs across both Serenity and Endymion. With their red, blue and silver hair, it looked like some crazy kaleidoscope. It was also a big perve for the General's, since amazing amounts of long slender legs were displayed in this uncoordinated belly-flop on top of the Royal Prince of the Earth.

"Thanks a LOT guys!" Mamoru gritted from underneath them, blowing a lock of Usagi's hair from his mouth. "No, I really MEAN that!" he almost yelled, trying to breath under the weight.

"Sorry Mamo-Chan," Usagi said from behind Jadeite’s legs, nose scrunched up against the bottom of the couch. She wriggled around, trying to dislodge the two forms on top of her, but was unable to move. ["Can you two please GET OFF ME! I can't BREATH!"] Usagi hollered mentally, wondering if her nose would stay mushed-up like that when she finally got free.

"Now I HAVE seen everything!" Jadeite said in a wondering tone, eyes fixated on something in the ungainly pile of bodies. "Red underpants," he muttered under his breath.

"WHAT?!" Rei screeched, surging upwards and throwing Ami off. The Senshi of fire pulled down her dress and turned to glare daggers at a pole axed Jadeite. "You HENTAI!"

"No pillows-please, Mars-Love," he winced, flinching as her look burned into him from blazing red eyes. If looks could kill, he'd be a smudge of soot on the couch by now. He held up his hands in a placating manner.

Ami blinked about, wondering how the heck she ended up sprawled over the laps of the four Generals. "Umm-Hi?" she wiggled her fingers up at them, blushing and pulling down her skirt to cover her legs as Zoisite grinned wickedly at her. ["Please tell me this isn't happening?"] Ami pleaded, scrambling from the General's laps onto the floor next to a steaming Rei. "Tell me I didn't just get catapulted onto the laps of four men?"

"Ai yi yi!" Zoisite said, eyes twinkling mischievously.

Ami flushed even brighter and brought up her hands to hide her face. ["I am So embarrassed!"]

["Me too!"] Rei almost wailed. ["My worst enemy and my ex-fiancé just saw my undies!"]

["I think I have carpet burn"] came Usagi's reply. The girl lifted herself up and scrambled backwards, hand going to her reddened nose. "I have carpet burned nose!" she said accusingly to her love, glaring down at him. She kneed him in the chest deliberately as she climbed backwards over him and then sat on the floor, holding her nose and glaring.

Mamoru just lay there on the floor like a beached whale, gasping for breath from being flattened by three girls and a knee in the chest.

Malachite leaned forward to peer down at his prince, a brow raised. "So this is what it's like in this century?"

"You lady-killer, you," Jadeite added.

"Such a commanding presence," Nephlyte said, leaning forward to smirk down at his prince, chin resting on hands thoughtfully.

"How could anyone doubt you're a prince? You don't let anyone get the better of you," Zoisite sing-songed mockingly. He titled his head to the side and cupped a hand about his left ear in a patronizing manner. "What's your secret, Endymion?"

"Hey!" Usagi turned her glare towards the four amused Generals. "Only I'M allowed to make fun of him!" she thumped Mamoru's chest for emphasis and he groaned. "Sorry Mamo-Chan!" she said soothingly, blushing.

The General's all turned to look at each other considering.

"Hmm-she's right. He's going to be shackled to her for eternity anyway," Malachite said, nodding.

"In wedded bliss," Zoisite nodded also.

"I say she's got prior rights to his humiliation," Nephlyte nodded at Usagi approvingly, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"It's settled then. Princess Serenity has all rights of a fiancé to trounce Endymion's fragile ego," Jadeite announced to everyone.

Everyone in the room grinned maliciously at Mamoru.

"Thanks guys. Real pals," Mamoru muttered resentfully, getting to his knees.

[  Part Three ]

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