Disclaimer: I am not responsible for what reading this fic does to your mental or physical well-being. If you are disturbed, offended, co-dependent, obsessed, repressed, depressed, schizophrenic, manic-depressive, obsessive-compulsive, or anything else after you read this fic, in the words of the Almighty Yuri of the Dirty Pair: "IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" And furthermore - huh? That's not the right disclaimer? Uh-oh. Uhmm... These aren't my characters. Never have been, never will be. That being said....

Bishojo Senshi Sailor Comet

Act I

Episode 5

Through the Looking Glass

Musashi konran! Comet Princess toujou!

Musashi's confusion! The Comet Princess returns!

Luna was perched on the limb of a tree in the front of the Cherry Hill Temple. She was intent on taking a catnap, but kept being interrupted by Jesse's voice. The weather had gotten considerably cooler since the day before, and Jesse had been assigned the chore of raking the leaves. As she raked, James and Meowth ran around through the yard like a couple of children. As they ran, they scattered the leaves Jesse had just raked to the wind.

"Stop that, James!!!", Jesse screeched at the top of her lungs, "If you touch one more leaf, I'll beat you within an inch of your life with my rake!!!" James didn't stop. In fact, he and Meowth continued to race through the yard at top speed, laughing as they went. Jesse fumed.

"Ha!", James laughed, "You can't catch me!!!" He raced through the yard, laughing and trying to taunt Jesse. However, instead of trying to catch him, Jesse simply stood still. She watched James carefully. When he tried to run past her, she quietly moved the handle of the rake into his path. "Ooff!", James grunted as he went face first into a large pile of leaves. Meowth skidded to a stop beside him, snickering.

Jesse bent down over James (who probably had quite a large mouthful of leaves). "I told you to quit," she teased "See, you should have listened." Suddenly, a pair of hands shot up from the pile of leaves. Jesse gasped as the hands caught her and drug her down into the pile of leaves as well. Meowth watched as a flurry of leaves rose from the pile. He had trouble seeing what was happening because of the commotion, but soon the leaves began to settle. When the leaves cleared, Meowth saw Jesse, on her back in the leaves. James sat on her stomach, pinning her arms (and her rake) down with his hands. "Let me up!", she said, squirming, "These leaves are wet and dirty! C'mon, James! This isn't funny!" James stayed where he was, grinning maliciously. Meowth watched curiously to see what would happen next as Jesse continued to struggle. James leaned over until his mouth was even with her ear.

"C'mon, Jess," he whispered, "Lighten up. Have a little fun." Jesse stopped squirming. She could feel his breath in her ear. It sent cold chills down her back. He raised his head to look her in the eye. He was still smirking and Jesse was sure she was the color of a beet by now. "Okay?", he said, bringing his face closer to hers. Jesse began to wonder if he might actually be trying to steal a kiss.

'Well, it's about time,' she thought impatiently. She smiled and closed her eyes, expecting a kiss.

"Ahem!" Jesse's eyes shot open and James sat up. Meowth tried hard to stifle his laughter and Luna leapt from her tree branch with a sigh. All four turned to find the source of the voice. The voice had come from a non-descript man wearing a long black trenchcoat and hat. The hat covered his eyes and he obviously meant it to. He approached the group, apparently studying them. He drew a small piece of paper out of the folds of his trenchcoat and read it. He looked around. "Is this...", he looked down to study the paper again, "The Cherry Hill Temple?"

"Uhm, yeah," Jesse said from her place on the ground. The man in black stepped forward, looking closer at the two teenagers.

"Then I suppose you two are...", he looked at the paper again, "Jesse and James?" The two shot each other a look.

"Yeah," James began, "But how did you..."

"Ah, good," the stranger interrupted, "Mr. Giovanni sent me..." Immediately, at the mention of their boss' name, Jesse and James shot apart.

"It's not what you think!!!", they shouted in unison. The man smirked.

"The Boss sent me to give you this," the stranger said. He produced a manilla folder from his trenchcoat and handed it to James. He walked down the steps in front of the temple and out of sight. James turned the folder over in his hand and studied it. It had his and his partner's names written on it.

"I wonder what it is," Jesse said, looking over James' shoulder. As he opened the folder, Meowth sauntered over and looked curiously, as well. James pulled out two rectangular slips of paper and dropped the folder.

"It's our paychecks!", James exclaimed. He handed one to Jesse and they both studied the checks happily. Meowth picked up the folder and looked inside to see if there was a check for him.

"We're going shopping!", Jesse said happily, "And I know just the place!" Meowth, like on every other payday, found no check. James groaned at the prospect of going shopping with Jesse. She happily wrapped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed. James perked up considerably. "There's this really famous store in the Ikebukuro district, called the Seibu!", Jesse happily chattered, "It's the world's largest department store, and it even has an art museum on one floor, and a lot of expensive restaurants on the top floor!" James drooped. Not only would he have to go shopping, but he might even have to go through an art museum as well. He groaned. Jesse could tell he wasn't going to be easy to deal with. An idea presented itself to her. "Don't you want to go shopping with me?", she asked in a pouty voice. James looked skeptical.

"Well, I...", he stammered, considering his choice of words.

"Well, if you don't want to go," she said, "I guess I'll have to eat at one of those nice restaurants with someone else..." That did it. James made up his mind. He stood up and took a brave stance.

"I'll go with you, Jesse," he said with a determined look on his face, "I've braved a raging Gyarados, demented ghost pokemon, deranged Clefairys, a psycho Jigglypuff, and a homicidal Aerodactyl! Shopping with a woman should be no problem, right?" He started looking unsure of himself. Meowth shook the envelope and a piece of paper floated out of it onto the ground. James sighed as he lost his confidence completely. Meowth picked the paper up off the ground. He began to study it.

"Hey, guys," he began, "Dis note was tucked in da envelope with da paychecks." Jesse and James turned to look at Meowth, who was still studying the note. "It's from da Boss," the cat pokemon continued.

"From... the Boss?", Jesse and James asked nervously.

"Yeah,", Meowth said, reading from the note, "It says: 'I had better get my money's worth. - G.'"

Jesse and James looked at each other nervously.

******************************************************

"So, Malachite," Beryl said evenly, "You believe that this Sailor Comet has the Silver Crystal?"

Malachite nodded. "Yes, m'queen," he said, "Our crystal reacts whenever she's around."

Queen Beryl looked squarely at Malachite. "At least you're making some progress," the Queen remarked with no little amount of sarcasm, "Since you know who has the crystal, how do you plan to get it?" Malachite smiled confidently.

"During the Silver Millennium," Malachite began, "The Prince and Princess of the Comets were favorites in the court of Queen Serenity." Beryl began to wear a bored face.

"You're losing my interest, Malachite," Beryl said, yawning, "Is there a point to telling me things I already know?" Malachite smiled.

"When we last battled the Moon Kingdom, we looted the royal palace," Malachite continued, "During the battle, our soldiers uncovered a gift from the Comet Royal Family to Queen Serenity." Queen Beryl sat forward.

"That mirror?", she asked curiously, "I thought we determined that there was nothing special about that mirror." Malachite wore a look of satisfaction.

"Actually, there is," he continued, "As it turns out, it reveals the true soul of anyone who steps in front of it." Queen Beryl quickly regained her bored look.

"That's what the inscription on it said," she said nonchalantly, "And every Nega-creature who stepped in front of it saw their own reflection. There was nothing special about it." Malachite's satisfied look didn't waver.

"That's what I thought, too," he said calmly, "Until yesterday. The mirror was being brought out of storage and happened to be moved in front of where the Sailor Scouts are being held." Queen Beryl raised her left eyebrow in curiosity. "When we saw the images of the Scouts in the mirror," Malachite continued, "Instead of the images of the Scouts, it showed them as their princess selves."

"What!?!", Queen Beryl exclaimed, now interested, "So it works on Sailor Scouts?" Malachite nodded, clearly satisfied.

"It will show any Scout that happens to step in front of it in their princess form," Malachite said contentedly.

"Excellent," Beryl snarled, "That will be an incredibly useful tool! How do you plan to use it?" She brought one of her long red fingernails to her lips.

"The Seibu Department Store in Tokyo draws incredible amounts of humans to it each day," Malachite explained, "There's an art museum on the twelfth floor. My minions are establishing an exhibit of mirrors there as we speak. They're going to set up the enchanted mirror as the centerpiece."

Beryl looked directly at Malachite. "How do you know you're going to draw Sailor Comet in?", Beryl asked.

"Comet has to be the most conceited human I've had the displeasure to run across," Malachite sneered, "If anything is going to get her attention, it'll be an exhibit of mirrors. And it's in a place so conspicuous that she couldn't possibly miss it!" Beryl smiled wickedly.

"Devious," she cackled.

*****************************************************

"This one! No, this one's better! Oh, but I like this color... But this one is in my size... I like the way this one's cut, but.... This one has some nice pleats in it.... James!" James looked up from the "trout-on-a-stick" he'd been munching on. He wasn't quite sure what the "trout-on-a-stick" was made of, but it was pretty tasty. He saw Jesse holding about five skirts and three blouses. "James, which one of these skirts do you think looks best?", Jesse asked with a pleading look on her face. Meowth, who was sitting on the bench beside James, got made an amused face. Luna, who was sitting on Jesse's shoulder, seemed to sigh.

'That cat cannot be sighing,' James thought, 'That simply isn't possible!' Every time that cat did that, James tried to reassure himself that he was simply imagining things.

"James!", Jesse snapped irritably, "Pay attention! Now, which skirt?" James simply got an incredibly confused look on his face. Jesse was beginning to look angry and he knew he had to say something soon or risk her wrath. But which skirt? What if he picked the wrong one? What if she already had her mind made up and he picked one she didn't like that well? She would hit him for sure if he didn't say something soon.

"Errr...", James muttered. Jesse began to look really angry now. Meowth began to snicker. Jesse put her hands on her hips and began to tap her foot on the floor. James got an idea to buy himself some time. "I know," he said nervously, "What if you tried them on? That would make it easier for you to decide." Jesse looked like she was considering his last statement. He hoped desperately that she would decide to go along with it and not hit him. Finally, Jesse smiled.

"Alright," she said, grabbing James by the hand and holding the clothing in her other hand, "You're coming, too!" She drug him to the foyer of the ladies' dressing rooms. Meowth tagged along at their heels, nibbling on his own "trout-on-a-stick". Jesse plopped James down on a bench running along one wall of the room. "I'll go try these on, and you tell me how they look, okay?", Jesse said, turning on the charm. James was almost too frightened to say anything. "Okay?", Jesse said again, sounding like she was about to lose what little patience she did have. Meowth hopped up onto the bench beside James.

"Okay," James squeaked. He watched her happily skip off into the door that led to the dressing rooms on the left. He noticed a full-length mirror at the end of the foyer, to the right of the door Jesse had just went through. Opposite that door, on the facing wall, was another door. It led to another set of dressing rooms, judging from the sign it wore. James slumped against the wall and slouched on the bench. "I should never have agreed to come with her," he mumbled to no one in particular, failing to notice that Meowth was sitting beside him. The cat pokemon began to snicker again. "Shut up, cat," James said, raising a fist, as if to pound his furry companion.

"If you didn't have such a huge crush on Jesse, you wouldn't have come in the first place," Meowth said smugly.

"Oh, yeah?", James snarled, "Then why did you tag along, Meowth? It couldn't be because you like that little black cat of Jesse's, could it?" Meowth turned red. He jumped up on James' shoulder and covered his mouth with his free paw.

"Keep it down, wouldya!?!", Meowth hissed, "Luna might hear!" A raspy laughter came from across the foyer. James and Meowth looked up to notice a bench placed along the wall directly across from them and its sole two inhabitants. One, a man, wore a black turtleneck sweater with khaki pants covering a pair of black boots. He had turquoise-colored hair and he was smoking a cigarette. His companion was a large Raticate, occupying a seat on the bench beside him. It brought one of its hind legs up to scratch its neck.

"You two got it bad," the black clad man remarked, taking a drag off the cigarette.

"Who asked you, Butch?", James snapped. Butch leaned against his wall and smirked. He flicked his finished cigarette into one of the large upright ashtrays in the corner.

"I didn't think you liked girls, James," Butch remarked, his voice sounding smarmy. He exhaled a stream of smoke. James glared at him. But he knew a good comeback to that one.

"Oh, but I knew you did," James replied, "At least that's what the Boss said, wasn't it, Meowth?" Meowth snickered, remembering their conversation with the Boss a few days ago. Butch suddenly didn't look so sure of himself.

"He didn't...", Butch growled. James smirked.

"Fraternization," James said, looking pleased with himself. Butch squirmed, looking defeated. "So," James continued, "What are you doing here? Cassidy drag you shopping, too?"

"Like Jesse didn't henpeck you into coming out here," Butch snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"I am not henpecked!", James shouted back. Meowth broke into full-fledged laughter at that one.

"Yeah, right, guys," Meowth managed to choke out between fits of laughter, "I'm shore either of youse would be here if you weren't both completely henpecked!" James and Butch both looked defeated. Suddenly one of the doors opened and Jesse strutted out, with Luna still on her shoulder. She sashayed across the foyer and stopped directly in front of James. She modeled a new red skirt, turning this way and that.

"Well," she said happily, "What do you think?" James wore a goofy smile.

"I like it!", he chirped. This might be easier than he thought. All he'd have to do is agree with her.

"I like this color," she continued, occasionally looking over one shoulder to check out the view from behind. She stopped suddenly when a whistle came from across the foyer. She turned to see Butch smugly leaning against the wall with the Raticate sitting beside him. Jesse began to growl under her breath. Luna just looked curiously at the blueish-green haired man. James stood up, furious.

"Don't whistle at Jesse!", James shouted, raising his fists, "She's my gir-...." James suddenly stopped and realized what he was about to say - 'She's my girlfriend!' He reconsidered for a second and decided on a more prudent statement. "I mean - she's my partner," he amended, glancing at Jesse. She had a puzzled look on her face. Butch smirked.

"You mean, she doesn't know?", Butch asked, amused. James turned blood red.

"You wouldn't dare," he hissed. Butch grinned malevolently. However, before he could traumatize James for life through extreme embarrassment, the other dressing room door opened.

"I didn't ask you how I looked in the first place," Jesse said, turning her nose up.

"You look like a little wimp, like always," a voice remarked from behind Jesse. Luna covered her ears. She knew some shouting was about to take place. Cassidy sauntered up next to Jesse. She was wearing a rather nice pink dress.

"And you're just a homely little twerp, like always!", Jesse yelled, raising a fist in the air. Cassidy looked ready to face off as well. Luna jumped down from Jesse's shoulder and hid under the bench. However, before a cat fight could take place, James and Butch both stepped forward to hold their partners back. Both girls put up quite a struggle.

"Come on, Jess," James said, barely holding Jesse back, "They'll throw us out of the store!" He dropped his "trout-on-a-stick" and Meowth picked it up and began to eat it. Jesse continued to struggle.

"Let me at that little brat!", Jesse screeched, "Let me go, James!" She flailed wildly, accidentally smacking James in the head about four times. Across the foyer, Butch wasn't faring much better.

"You better keep her over there, pretty boy!", Cassidy snarled, "Get off of me, Butch!" Butch was also barely holding onto his partner.

"Stop it, Cass!", Butch yelled, struggling to keep his grip, "If the Boss found out about this, he'd kill us all!" At the mention of the Boss, everyone froze. Jesse turned her nose in the air. Cassidy folded her arms over her chest.

"Well," Jesse snorted, "I guess I'll let you off easy this time." Cassidy fumed.

"In your dreams, wuss! C'mon, Butch," she huffed, "Let's pay for this and get out of here." Cassidy latched onto Butch's arm and drug him out of the foyer. Their Raticate hopped down off the bench and followed close behind.

*******************************************************

"Wow!", Misty gasped, "This really is a huge store!" She walked through a large crowd of shoppers just inside the main entrance, holding Togepi in her arms, with Artemis tagging along at her feet. Brock was reading a brochure and Ash pushed his way past a familiar looking woman in a pink dress and her companion with blueish-green hair.

'Nah,' Ash thought.

Pikachu sat perched atop Ash's hat. It leaned over to look at the brochure that was occupying Brock's attention. Pikachu came dangerously close to falling off the hat in the process. "Pika - pi, chu, pikachu?", the little yellow pokemon asked. 'Whatcha reading, Brock?'

"Oh, do you wanna look, too, Pikachu?", Brock asked. Pikachu vaulted from the top of Ash's hat to Brock's shoulder and began looking at the brochure as well. "Look," Brock said to his group, "It says here that this is the largest department store in the world." He pointed to something in the brochure and Misty and Ash craned their necks to see. "It goes on to say that there's about 50 restaurants on the top floor and there's an art museum on the twelfth floor."

"I hate museums," Ash commented as Pikachu hopped back onto his hat.

"You are so un-cultured," Misty commented snootily. She walked up to a column that supported the second floor and began to read a flyer that had been placed on it. "Hey, guys," she said, motioning for her companions to come over, "It says here that they're having a special exhibit in that art museum this week. It's full of mirrors of all different kinds, from all over the world!" Ash and Brock looked to see what Misty was talking about.

"So?", Ash asked impatiently, "What's so special about mirrors? Other than the fact that you break 'em, Misty..." Misty quickly pounded Ash in the head with her fist, deftly avoiding striking Pikachu.

"You never know, Ash," Brock said, putting away the brochure, "It might be fun. Kinda like a funhouse, where they have all the weird mirrors..."

"Brock's right!", Misty chimed, "It sounds neat! Let's check it out!" Misty and Brock then proceeded to drag Ash to the nearest elevator.

******************************************************

"James, come look at this," Jesse said, pointing to a flyer stuck to a wall. James stumbled over, heavily laden with about 10 or 12 packages, stacked so high in his arms that he could hardly see. Meowth followed close behind.

"What is it, Jesse?", James said from behind his cargo, "I can't see around all these boxes." She ignored him and continued to study the flyer. Luna sat on her shoulder, exhausted from the busy day. All she'd wanted to today was take a nice catnap. Instead, Jesse drug her all the way across Tokyo and bored her half to death with clothes shopping.

"It says here that the art museum here is having an exhibit of mirrors," Jesse said happily, "Oh, I want to see it! There's nothing I love more than mirrors! After all, they always show me the most beautiful girl I've ever met!" Meowth rolled his eyes and James mumbled something from behind his stack of boxes. "What was that?", Jesse asked, turning in James' direction.

"Oh, nothing," he said where she could understand him. "Couldn't we just go eat instead?", James asked, eager for an excuse to set the packages down.

"No way!", Jesse chirped, "I have got to see this exhibit! Come on!" She grabbed James and drug him to the closest elevator, Meowth close behind.

*****************************************************

"Oh, cool!", Misty exclaimed, holding Togepi in front of a large mirror. Brock had been right - this exhibit was like a big funhouse! "Who's that in the mirror?", she cooed at her little egg pokemon, "Lookie there!" The mirror Misty stood in front of made everything look about ten times bigger than it actually was. Brock, Pikachu, and Ash were studying there own mirrors. Artemis had wandered over to inspect one that made his head look about ten times larger than the rest of his white body. He glanced down toward the opposite end of the room and noticed a huge mirror set against a wall. It had a gorgeous gold frame and a plaque beside it. He padded over to investigate. He reached the mirror and looked up at the plaque. He read it as best he could from his place on the floor. He could make out something about the mirror coming from the tenth century -roughly a thousand years ago- and that it was a gift from a prince and princess named "Comet" to a Queen of an allied kingdom.

'No,' Artemis thought, 'It can't be...' He squinted and read further. The plaque went on to read that the mirror was supposed to reflect the "true soul" of anyone who stepped in front of it. 'It is!', Artemis thought, 'I can't believe it! I want to look in it, too! I never got to when they presented it to Queen Serenity....' Artemis stepped in front of the mirror and looked up. He was shocked by what he saw. Instead of a small white cat, there stood a princely white haired man dressed all in white. Artemis jumped to the side of the mirror, hoping no one had seen his reflection. He darted over to Misty and began rubbing her leg fiercely. She looked down from her mirror and paid attention to Artemis.

"What's the matter, Artemis?", she whispered, picking up the cat and placing him on her shoulder.

"That mirror!", he whispered into her ear, "Go look at that mirror!" Misty went to the mirror just as Artemis directed her. When she looked at her reflection, she stopped dead in her tracks. Instead of her normal yellow shirt and denim shorts, she was wearing her Princess Nereid dress. And instead of a white cat, she saw a white-haired man resting his chin on her shoulder.

"A-a-artemis?", she stuttered, stepping to the side of the mirror, removing the images, "I-i-is that... you?" She looked at Artemis still perched on her shoulder, looking very much like a simple white cat.

"Read the plaque," Artemis whispered. Misty proceeded to read the information that had been placed beside the gigantic mirror.

"Comet?", she asked, "Then that means.... Jesse? But how did it get here?"

"I'm not sure," Artemis whispered, "I've wondered that myself."

"So when it says 'true soul,' it means that it shows Scouts as their princess selves?", Misty asked, puzzled, "But what did it do when we were princesses? Or in our Scout uniforms?"

"I suppose it would still show you as a princess if you were in your uniform," Artemis whispered, "If you were already in your princess outfit, I guess it would show you as a Scout. I'm not really sure."

"Hey, Misty!" Misty whirled around to see Ash and Brock studying the mirror, "Whatcha lookin' at?", Ash asked, peering into the mirror, "You couldn't have looked in this mirror. It's not broke." Misty smacked him on the head again. Brock proceeded to read the plaque posted beside the mirror. Pikachu happily danced in front of the mirror, watching his reflection. At the other end of the room, a trio of shoppers entered with a small black cat. Pikachu stopped dancing, suddenly aware of the other reflections in the mirror. It could see a red-haired woman in a long white dress with red gloves. A woman with long black hair and a pretty yellow dress rested her head on the other lady's shoulder. Ash's reflection obscured the other two shoppers' reflections, but Pikachu was sure it knew that red-headed lady. It turned around to face the group that had just entered through the other end of the room. Sure enough, there stood Jesse, James, Meowth and a little black cat. They had failed to notice their enemies at the other end of the exhibit and were strolling casually amongst the mirrors.

"It says here that legend has it this mirror reflects the 'true soul' of anyone that steps in front of it," Brock said. Pikachu was growing anxious from being so close to the thieves that had tried to "pika-nap" it so many times before. It tugged nervously on Ash's pants' leg.

"Pika-pi! Pi Pika-chu pikachu! Chu! Pi - ka!", Pikachu chattered, pointing at an oblivious Team Rocket. Ash looked down at his pokemon.

"What is it, Pikachu?", he asked, looking to see what Pikachu was pointing at, "Ooh, it's Team Rocket!" Brock and Misty automatically turned to see what Ash was going on about. It was Team Rocket, all right. Neither one of the two human Rockets were in uniform, though. James had his rose out, standing in front of a nice Victorian-era mirror, trying out different dramatic poses. Jesse stood in front of a modern-art type mirror that was divided into several sections. She had a black cat perched on her shoulder and she turned this way and that, admiring her red skirt. Meowth stood in front of a concave mirror that made him look about twenty feet tall. None of them noticed the group at the other end of the exhibit. "But they don't look like they're here to steal Pikachu," Ash said, picking up the yellow electric mouse.

"They don't even see us," Brock said, "I wonder why they're here?"

"What would draw those two egotists faster than an art exhibit full of mirrors?", Misty said, stating the obvious.

"Let's get out of here before they spot us," Ash said, moving towards the exit closest to their end of the exhibit.

"I'm with Ash," Brock said, following Ash.

"Wait a second, guys," Misty said, moving towards Team Rocket, "I just can't resist teasing her one more time!"

"What're you talking about, Misty?", Ash asked, "Hey, what're you doing!?!" But it was too late. Misty was already half way over to Team Rocket. Misty quietly walked up to Jesse and cleared her throat. Jesse jumped about three feet in the air and James turned to look.

"What are you doing here, pest?", Jesse sneered. James stepped over to where the girls were standing and crossed his arms over his chest. He was still a little irritated at Misty over what happened at the Pokemon Center Open House.

"Why wouldn't I be here?", Misty asked in an infuriatingly calm tone, "Why are you here? Did you drag James shopping? Or is it just a date?"

"We are not on a date!", Jesse screeched, "Why don't you go do something productive instead of irritate me!?!" Jesse raised her fist to strike Misty. Instead, Ash and Brock grabbed Misty and drug her out of harm's way.

"Excuse us!", Brock said, moving towards the exit.

"Hey, let me go!", Misty said, squirming. Artemis hung on for dear life.

"Eh - don't mind us," Ash said, backing away. They finally succeeded in herding her through the door and out of sight. Jesse snorted and went back to inspecting the different mirrors. James went back to his posing and Meowth went back to imagining he was twenty feet tall. Jesse and Luna made their way down the exhibit and finally reached the centerpiece. She began reading the plaque placed beside the mirror.

"It says here," Jesse whispered to Luna, "That this mirror was a gift from the Comet family. Does that mean...?" Luna nodded.

"This was a gift from the Comet Royal Court to Queen Serenity," Luna whispered into Jesse's ear, "I remember when you presented it to her. I never knew it survived the attack by the Negaverse...." Jesse continued to read the plaque.

"It also says that it shows anyone who steps in front of it their 'true soul'," Jesse continued, "Oh, I want to see! I'm sure my 'true soul' is just as beautiful as the rest of me!" Jesse stepped happily in front of the mirror and froze dead in her tracks. Instead of her pretty new red skirt, she was wearing her white and red princess dress with the red gloves and choker. Instead of a cat, a black haired lady in a yellow dress rested her chin on Jesse's shoulder. "Is th-th-that you, Luna?", Jesse whispered. Luna nodded. Jesse closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was standing before Queen Serenity in her throne room. Shooting Star was beside her and they had the mirror with them. Jesse saw Star bow his head and motion with his hands toward the mirror.

"The Royal Court of the Comets wishes to present the great Queen Serenity..." he began.

"With this enchanted mirror," Jesse heard herself say. She saw Serenity smile and she closed her eyes again.

"Jesse? Jesse?" Jesse was awakened from her flashback by a familiar voice. She opened her eyes and saw James standing beside her, studying her face. "Are you okay?", he asked, concern touching his voice. Jesse suddenly remembered that they were standing in front of an enchanted mirror and quickly scrambled to push James out of view.

"I-I-I'm fine," she stammered, hoping he hadn't seen anything, "Come on, let's go eat now, okay?" As she pushed him toward the exit, she glanced back at the mirror. She couldn't help but think that she caught a glimpse of a flickering piece of silver cloth. However, before Jesse could push James out the exit, the whole room began to shake. The rumbling went through all the mirrors and rattled them hard. A few of them fell in the floor and shattered. Jesse and James grabbed a hold of one another and held on tight. Meowth quickly scrambled up James' back and got a good grip on his head. The shaking continued as more mirrors fell to the floor and broke. Glass flew everywhere.

"What's going on?", James asked in a frightened voice. All the remaining mirrors except for the centerpiece fell to the floor and shattered. The rumbling stopped and all the broken glass slid to the middle of the room. The glass began to move and form into the shape of a female-looking creature. When the creature was finally formed, it had blue skin and white hair. It was wearing a dress that appeared to be made out of the same thing that disco balls are created from, and it had a round mirror placed directly in the middle of its forehead. The black crystal hung around its neck. Jesse's eyes grew wide as she realized that it was another monster from the Negaverse.

"Get out of here!", Jesse shouted, pushing James and Meowth through the exit and shutting the door behind them.

"Jesse! No!", James screamed from the other side of the door, pounding on it with his fists. Jesse took her transformation wand from her blouse and lifted it into the air. Luna leapt from her shoulder and looked up at her from the floor.

"I'm going to get Misty," she said before running for the door. Jesse scowled at her.

"I don't need that little wimp's help!", she yelled before turning her attention back to the matter at hand, "Comet Power!" Sparks and ribbons flew from the top of the wand and engulfed Jesse. When they cleared, she stood as Sailor Comet.

"Yes, you're the one I've been sent to find," the creature said in an icy voice, "You're the one with the Silver Crystal. But it's funny... My crystal isn't reacting." The monster picked up the crystal from around her neck and looked at it. It wasn't doing anything.

"I've told you morons before," Comet yelled, "I don't have that crystal!!!" The creature smirked at her.

"Oh well," it said, "Just because you don't have the crystal doesn't mean I can't waste you anyway!" The mirror on its forehead shone and glared a bright light. Sailor Comet shielded her eyes. The light reflected off the mirror and became a beam. The creature aimed the beam directly at Comet. Comet dodged the beam and rolled across the floor, picking up shards of glass as she went. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out in pain. As she picked herself up off the floor, she saw Sailor Nereid, Artemis, and Luna run through the door. The creature took hold of the black crystal again, this time seeing it glow brightly. "Right!", it said, "This Scout must have the Silver Crystal!"

"Are you all right, Sailor Comet?", Nereid asked, running to Comet's side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Comet replied. "Hey, fashion disaster!", she yelled at the monster, "That dress is as dead as disco! Prepare for trouble!" Luna and Artemis both ran for what little cover they could find.

"And make it double!", Nereid followed.

"To protect our world from the Negaverse!", Comet continued, trying to look more formidable.

"To place their evil under our curse!", Nereid said, glass crunching under her boots.

"To defend the values of all us girls!", Comet continued. From her hiding place, Luna rolled her eyes.

"To protect the people in our world!", Nereid shouted.

"Sailor Comet!"

"Sailor Nereid!"

"Get ready for defeat....", Comet said, pointing directly at the monster.

"And a lot of pain, too!", Nereid continued, bringing a fist up to her chin.

"In the name of our world, we will punish you!", they shouted in unison. The monster took a step back.

"Well," it said, "My name's Reflectia! Pleased ta meetcha!" Reflectia leveled her right hand at the Scouts. Slivers of broken glass flew from her fingertips. "If I can get rid of both you Sailor Brats, the Silver Crystal's ours for sure!", it shrieked, sending glass flying everywhere. Sailor Nereid jumped to safety. Sailor Comet, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

"Aaahhh!", Comet cried, watching the storm of broken glass hit her full-force. She tried to cover her face with her arms. The creature, sensing her weakness, poured it on. She could feel the glass making little cuts all over her arms and legs.

"Star Fire Blast!" A beam of light sliced through the air and cut the monster's arm. It dropped the arm to its side and quit the attack.

"Who dares?", Reflectia hissed, holding its wounded arm. It looked up to see a man in a silver outfit with lace gathered at his throat and wrists, standing protectively in front of Sailor Comet. He had his silver cape spread in front of Comet like a shield.

"Shooting Star," she sighed, before losing her balance and collapsing. He somehow managed to catch her before she fell into the broken glass on the floor. Star looked over to Sailor Nereid.

"You can destroy the monster by breaking the mirror on its forehead!", he yelled, "Don't worry about Sailor Comet, I'll take care of her! Just break that mirror!" Nereid nodded.

"Alright," she said, running toward Reflectia.

"It's not going to be that easy, kid!", the creature said, reflecting another blinding beam of light toward Sailor Nereid. She dodged the beam and crossed her hands over her head.

"Nereid..." Her ponytail clasp began to glow. "Staryu..." She brought her hands down to her chest, keeping the light from the clasp within them. "Tackle!!!" A star-shaped bolt of light flew from her hands, hitting Reflectia directly on its mirror. The mirror cracked and Reflectia froze. The cracks spread down the length of its body, before finally shattering it into fine powder. "Yeah!", Nereid cheered. However, the black crystal Reflectia had been wearing hovered above the pile of glass powder for a second, before flying into the waiting hands of its master.

"Hmph," Malachite said from the opposite end of the room, "So you actually have the crystal, Sailor Nereid?" Nereid looked puzzled. "Don't worry, little girl. I'll be back for it," he said, folding his arms across his chest. He floated beside the enchanted mirror for a second before disappearing and taking it with him. Nereid turned to look at Shooting Star, cradling an unconscious Sailor Comet in his arms. He bent down and laid her in a relatively glass-free spot. She was bleeding a little from all of the small cuts inflicted upon her by the broken glass. Star took his cape and began wiping the blood from her face and arms. Nereid walked over and bent down.

"Is she okay?", she asked softly. Star looked up, startled.

"She'll be fine," he said quietly, "I have to go now." He got up and walked through one of the exits before Nereid could stop him. Luna and Artemis emerged from their hiding places.

"You better go, too, Nereid," Luna said, "You're group will be worried."

"But what about Comet?", Nereid asked, "How will she change back into her normal clothes? She's out like a light." Artemis hopped up onto Nereid's shoulder.

"I'll take care of it," Luna said, "Don't worry."

*****************************************************

Sharp pain brought Jesse back to consciousness. Something on her arm was burning and stinging. She moaned softly and brought her other hand up to brush it off.

"Stay still, Jess," a man's soft voice told her. She felt the stinging again and it brought her mind a little closer to being in focus. She brought the other hand to her forehead. "Are you alright?", the voice came again. She knew then that it was James talking to her. She looked up and saw his face above her. His eyes looked red, as if he'd been crying. She noticed that her head was in his lap.

"I think I'm okay," she said quietly. She felt the stinging again and realized that James had gotten some alcohol from somewhere and was applying it to her arm.

"You were cut up pretty bad," he said, moving on to another cut. Again, Jesse felt the burning feeling. She raised her head and tried to brush him off her arm. "No, don't move," James said softly, "There's glass all over the place. You might get cut more." Jesse looked down at her legs and noticed that she was wearing her new red skirt again instead of her Sailor outfit. She saw the little cuts all up and down her legs and hoped they didn't have glass embedded in them. "What happened in here, Jesse?", James asked quietly, brushing more alcohol over her arm.

"I don't know," she said, laying her head back in his lap, "I must've passed out." She winced as the alcohol seeped into more cuts.

"Those brats left," he said, putting more alcohol on the cloth he was using, "And Meowth went to get our packages from where we left them." He rubbed the alcohol on the rest of the cuts on that arm and started on the other one. "I was really scared you were hurt bad," James said quietly, "Or worse." She smiled weakly up at him.

"Thanks," she whispered. She tried to sit up a little. "So, you still want to go out to eat?", she asked as James continued using the alcohol.

"You still want to go to one of those restaurants?", he asked, shocked, "But you're all cut up..."

"I've had worse," Jesse replied, trying to pretend the cuts didn't hurt, "And besides, those are really nice restaurants." She thought for a second and smirked. "And besides," she said nonchalantly, "You're paying."

End Episode 5