Turn the Page Book 1: Senshi Muyo!
**********************************
A Mega-crossover fanfiction.

All characters the property of their respective owners. That means anyone I
didn't create I'm using without permission. I'm not making money off of
this, don't sue me.

***

When describing Usagi Tsukino, otherwise known as Sailor Moon, several words
came to her friends' and loved ones' minds. Crybaby was one of those words.
Weak, lazy, and stupid were often used as well. Of course, those were
usually followed by words such as sweet, compassionate, loving, and
(sometimes) strong-willed. One word that was never used, mind you, was
regal.

It was this, more than anything else, that made it easy for Sailor Moon's
daughter to treat her as a completely different person than Neo-Queen
Serenity was. The latter was the absolute image of a queen; in every step
she took, every move of her hands, and every word she spoke. The former was
nothing more than a rather silly teenaged girl who, despite the fact she
fought minions of evil on a regular basis always seemed to be exactly the
same person.

The other Inner Senshi often wondered what happened to Usagi to turn her
from the flighty girl she was into the queen she became. If they had known
the truth, they probably would have been shocked. What made Usagi finally
accept her future was a fear so great, so debilitating, that Mamoru
sometimes spent hours trying to help Usagi deal with it.

Usagi had seen her friends, or even people who weren't her friends, die for
her sake once, and then almost die many times since. She was deathly afraid
that her friends would die, and she wouldn't be able to bring them back.
The scenario had played itself out so many times before - they would defeat
the lesser minions of an enemy, and then when the final confrontation was at
hand, her friends would almost die, just to give Princess Serenity her
chance to defeat their enemies. Not Usagi. Not Sailor Moon. Princess
Serenity.

Their last great battle against Pharaoh 90 had finally convinced Usagi that
it would just be easier to be Serenity all the time, so she could protect
the friends who had protected her for so long - so they wouldn't have to
risk their lives so much to save her.

They had scared their little princess to death, and were going to get their
reward for what they had wrought.

Sailor Moon fumed while the Inner and Outer Senshi argued over whose job it
was to defeat this latest menace. It had been some sort of dragon-like
creature they hadn't even destroyed, just driven off.

"You four couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag!" Uranus yelled at
Mars.

"Is that so?" Mars returned. "Well, we seem to do a hell of a lot better
than you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Venus jumped into the argument. "What do you think it means, Miss 'The End
Justifies the Means?' Maybe it's time you figured out that your way of
doing things DOESN'T WORK!"

***

On the top of a nearby building, Tuxedo Kamen watched the argument escalate,
and with it, Sailor Moon's anger. "Oh boy, are they in trouble."

"Very true," Pluto agreed beside him. Tuxedo Kamen started a little in
shock, and then shook his head ruefully.

"I wish you would stop doing that," he said in a pained voice. "I almost
put a rose through your heart."

"Shh," Pluto hushed him. "The best part is coming up." The pair returned
their attention to the argument.

***

Uranus almost growled in anger. "Why you little..." She trailed off as
Neptune placed her hand on Uranus' shoulder.

"It is a threat from outside the Solar System, and that means that it is
our," she used her hand to indicate herself, Uranus, and Saturn,
"responsibility to combat it."

"That is ENOUGH!" The arguing Senshi turned in shock to see Sailor Moon's
flushed angry face. "I am SICK and TIRED of you two going on about how the
great and mighty Outer Senshi must handle everything alone!" She walked
forward, interposing herself between the Inners and the Outers, and looked
Uranus in the eyes. She put her hand to her chest and fairly ripped her
broach away. "Do you know what this is? Do you know what it means?" she
demanded, shoving the broach into Uranus' face.

"The Ginzuishou," Neptune replied as Uranus recoiled in fear. "It means
you're Princess Serenity."

"That's right! It means that I'm the Princess, and that you're MY Senshi!
You follow MY orders!"

"How are you going to make us?" Uranus questioned with a bit of a sneer,
which was wiped away as the Ginzuishou flared with light and Sailor Moon was
transformed into Princess Serenity.

"A wielder of the Ginzuishou gave you your powers, Sailor Uranus," she said
in that regal voice. "A wielder of the Ginzuishou can take them away."

Uranus gaped at the glowing princess in shock. "You...you CAN'T!"

Just as suddenly as she had transformed into Serenity, she transformed back
into Sailor Moon. She staggered a bit, drained, but then grinned evilly at
Uranus as her anger once again sent adrenaline running through her system.
"Try me." She gasped and whirled to Saturn. "And you! Don't you EVER
become Sailor Saturn without me around!"

***

"You tell 'em, Usako," Tuxedo Kamen cheered softly from the roof, and then
grimaced. *Kaneda was really a bad influence on me, I have a sudden urge to
get some popcorn. This is far too much fun to watch.* He looked around
area, and groaned as he saw some people watching the exchange. *I better
warn them not to change back,* he thought, getting ready to jump off the
roof. He froze as he got a good look at one of the newcomers.

It was a girl in her mid-late teens, with shoulder-length pink hair wearing
a red summer dress. Her face was one he remembered well - it was the same
face that Black Lady had. Three young men and another girl accompanied her.
*Chibi-Usa?!*

***

Sailor Moon hadn't seen them; she was still busy lecturing the Outers.
"From now on, we work TOGETHER, as a TEAM. It is not only the Outer
Senshi's job to fight; it is not only the Inner Senshi's. It is OUR job.
ALL of ours." She locked gazes with each of the Outer Senshi in turn, and
one by one the others turned away. She took a deep breath and began to
continue, but was cut off by another voice.

"Actually, it's OUR job," the Senshi whirled to see the teenaged girl
standing behind them with a smug grin on her face. A teenaged girl with a
most familiar face, and pink hair a color they had only seen on one other
person...

"CHIBI-USA-CHAN?!" the Inner Senshi and Saturn chorused. Usagi grinned and
nodded, then scowled and whirled on her companions, who were now starting to
laugh.

"Ch-ch-chibi," a handsome young man with spiky blue hair stammered though
his laughter. He doubled over and began to hold his stomach as the laughs
wracked his body. Beside him, a slender girl with a mane of spiky white
hair giggled helplessly.

"Chibi-Usa-chan," the shortest of the newcomers snickered. His body
shuddered with suppressed laugher, and the hair of his large red mohawk
shook in resonance. "I'll have to remember that one."

The princess looked at her laughing friends with a dismayed look, then
turned hopefully on the last one, a noble-looking man with a purple
ponytail. "You understand, don't you Yosho-kun?" she asked in a plaintive
sort of voice. "It wasn't my idea, they had to call me something..." she
trailed of the young man walked up and put his hands on her shoulders,
giving her a kind smile.

"I understand, and I would never make fun of you for it," he said seriously,
then paused as a twinkle lit in his eye. "Chibi-Usa-chan." That was too
much for his companions who completely lost all control over their laughter.
The princess hung her head in defeat.

"Small Lady?" The girl in question stiffened as her friends snickered again
then turned to look at Sailor Moon. "Could you introduce us to your
friends?"

"Hai," she said with a sigh, and taking his cue, Yosho stepped forward and
bowed deeply. The mohawked man swept a quick bow, and the third man merely
nodded. "Lord Yosho, Lord Kesshu, and Lord Akuma of Jurai." The other girl
stepped forward and curtsied quickly. "Princess Toraneko of Jurai."

"We are honored, Serenity-ouhi," Toraneko said politely.

Sailor Mars watched the proceedings with suspicion. As the girl made her
greeting, she gasped upon noticing the girl's cat eyes. "Monster!" she
yelled for the other's benefit. "BURNING..."

The three young men seemed to explode into action. Yosho's face screwed up
in concentration, and dozens of little logs appeared in the air around
Toraneko. He pulled a hilt out of his belt, and an energy blade sprang into
existence from the hilt.

Akuma's black skinsuit was suddenly embossed with blue flames. He held out
his hands, and glowing blue balls formed in them. Clenching his right hand,
the ball reformed into a sword that he held in front of him, ready to fire
the other energy ball as needed.

Kesshu's computer visor appeared in front of his eyes, and a black panel
appeared out of nowhere. Punching a few keys, a hyperspatial hole appeared
beside his hand, and dumped out a device that resembled a crossbow. He
grabbed it and pulled back the cable, and a red energy arrow appeared, ready
to fire.

But the most dramatic reaction came from Small Lady, who threw herself at
Sailor Mars and knocked her hands down. "NO! She's my friend!"

"She's not human," Mars growled.

"None of them are," Sailor Mercury said, looking up from her computer.

"Not quite true," Kesshu corrected as he dumped his weapon in another hole.
"Us guys are three-eighths human." Kesshu got a thoughtful look on his face
and began ticking items off on his fingers. "Let's see, I'm also a half
hyper-dimensional entity and an eighth Juraian."

Akuma looked at his brother with some surprise. "You're quite the mongrel,
aren't you?"

"So says the son of a genetically engineered woman," Kesshu retorted.

"And what's wrong with that?" Toraneko demanded. "Otouchan's the same, you
know!"

"No offense, Tora-hime," Kesshu answered quickly. The girl in question
sniffed and turned her head away.

Yosho rolled his eyes and banished his blade and force-shield. His brothers
followed suit. "No, Mars-sama, we are not completely human. That doesn't
mean we are a threat to you or others." He frowned slightly. "Usagi-hime,
where is your father? We really should report in to him."

"My father?" the girl wondered, and then her eyes widened. "Oh no,
Yosho-kun. He's not Endymion YET."

Tuxedo Kamen leapt from the roof and landed beside Sailor Moon. "You wish
to speak with me?" Yosho examined him with a suspicious look, and then
nodded in satisfaction.

"Endymion-ou," he said respectfully, and bowed deeply. Behind him, Kesshu
followed suit. Akuma sketched a quick mockery of a bow while Toraneko
curtsied. "You honor us with your presence."

"I'd love to banter pleasantries," Mars interrupted, "but what are you doing
here, Chibi-Usa?" As the princess winced, Mars added defensively, "well we
have to call you SOMETHING."

"Call her Usako," Akuma called in. He looked curiously at the now-blushing
Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Moon, and princess. "What did I say?" he asked as the
other Inner Senshi giggled.

"Akuma-kun," 'Usako' began, "where did you come up with that name?"

It was Akuma's turn to look sheepish as he placed a hand behind his head in
embarrassment. "I've been calling her that in my head for months," he
admitted, and then quickly regained his composure as Yosho opened his mouth
to begin another lecture. "Stuff it, Yosho."

Kesshu frowned and summoned his hyperspatial computer. "Uh guys?"

"I think it's sweet," Sailor Venus chimed in from the group of Senshi.

"No one asked you," Sailor Moon snapped as she tried to quell her red
cheeks.

"Guys? I think there's-"

"We're straying off the point," Mars reminded them. "Usako," she couldn't
resist a slight smirk at the name. "Why are you here in this time? And why
did you bring friends? To train?"

"They're here to aid us with the creature you just fought," Sailor Pluto
said, and several of the Senshi started at her sudden appearance. "Its
presence threatens the future they have come from." She paused to frown at
Sailor Uranus. "You really should have known better than that, Uranus," she
scolded.

"HEY! Is anyone gonna-"

"What do you want, Kesshu?" Pluto asked peevishly.

Kesshu banished his computer and calmly pointed into the sky. "I just
thought everyone would like to know it's on its way back." All eyes went to
where he pointed, where a small dot could be seen above the horizon, growing
at an exponential rate.

"Right," Akuma said in a businesslike tone. "Toraneko, go ship, now." The
cabbit-girl started and made to protest, but he overrode her. "Don't argue.
Do. NOW!"

Toraneko threw back her head and a sound - part scream, part cry, part roar,
and totally inhuman - tore from her throat. She began to float off from the
ground, and her body turned angular and crystal-like, and her legs and arms
moved to form a four-pointed star, the tips forming a tetrahedron with three
of the points in the sky. Her body seemed to be iridescent with the colors
of the rainbow.

As they watched, the object Toraneko had formed into grew in size, until it
seemed to fill the sky above the Senshi. At the center of the four points
of the star, a sphere was nestled, the size of a small house. The object
shimmered, and finally became a greenish white. Toraneko's voice echoed
down to them. "Now what?"

Akuma turned to the Senshi. "They get on, and you take them out of here."

"WHAT?!" Jupiter screeched. "We're not running from some overgrown lizard!"

"I agree," Saturn added. "Flight will gain us nothing." She shrank a
little as Akuma stormed up to her.

"You are going to get on Toraneko and get out of here!" Akuma roared. "I'm
not about to allow you to risk Usako's future on your bravado." He pointed
to the starship. "Senshi of Silence or not, Ranma's girl or not," he
hissed, "I'll MAKE you keep yourself safe if I have to." He almost hit
Yosho as his brother placed his hand on Akuma's shoulder. The two men
locked gazes and Akuma nodded once. He turned and walked over to Kesshu who
as working away at his computer furiously.

"I'd like to apologize for my brother," Yosho said evenly. "He's a warrior
in every sense of the word, and forgets that sometimes a more..." he paused
for a moment as he searched for the correct word, "...diplomatic approach
may be required." He frowned up at the growing spot. "Kesshu," he called,
then sighed as his brother ignored him. "ONIICHAN, how much time do we
have?"

"About ten minutes, ototou-chan," Kesshu returned, and smiled beatifically
into his brother's glare.

"Why me?" Yosho asked the heavens, then paused. "Don't answer that.
Ladies, we're trying to protect our future. That means we have to keep ALL
of you safe, not just Usako-hime's mother and father. Some of you have
children and/or husbands in the future," he explained, then paused and
glanced over at Sailor Uranus. "Or a wife." He yelped as Pluto walloped him
with her staff, while Uranus looked VERY confused.

"Stop revealing things," she chided.

"Gomen nasai, Pluto-sama. Harm coming to any of you may change the future,
and we can't take that risk," he smirked. "As I said, Akuma is a warrior in
every way. In matters of war, few are his equal. If he wants you out of
here, then it really is for the best that you go."

"We can't just watch while you fight something that's trying to kill us!"
Venus protested.

"Why not?" Yosho countered. "It's what we're here for."

"We can fight as well!" Jupiter proclaimed, and several of the Senshi nodded
agreement.

They were surprised to see Yosho chuckling. "Jupiter-sama, a thousand years
from now, you will look back on that statement and regret it. The simple
fact is," all humor suddenly left his voice, "you will only be in the way."

"Yosho!" The man whirled to look at his elder brother. "Three minutes!"
Yosho nodded assent and turned back to the Senshi with an apologetic look.
"Gomen nasai," he said softly. "Toraneko-hime! Take them up!" He shrugged
his shoulders at the Senshi's angry faces as a beam from Toraneko surrounded
them and they began to dematerialize. "There comes a time when words must
be set aside." He looked up at the spaceship as it sped of into the sky,
away from the approaching wyrm. "Be safe, Tora-chan," he whispered.

"Why didn't you do that from the beginning?" Pluto asked him.

Yosho frowned at Pluto. "Why aren't you with them?"

"I'll leave," she promised him, "I have to give something to the princess.
But you didn't answer my question."

"I thought we should TRY reasoning with them," he explained, and then
glanced up at the sky. "Gomen nasai, Pluto-sama, but you really must leave
now."

Pluto smiled enigmatically and led him over to Usako, who was looking with
distaste at the broach in her hand. "I don't think you'll need that
anymore, Small Lady," she said, holding out another broach. She pressed a
button on the side, and it swung open, revealing a large crystal surrounded
by ten smaller ones. "It is about time Sailor Chibi-Moon was retired."

"Chibi-Moon?" Yosho asked with a chuckle, then he looked a bit closely at
the locket, and he gasped. "The Ginzuishou!"

Usako hesitantly took the new broach from Pluto, and gave her the older one.
She smiled as words formed in her head, and she raised the locket high.
"Moon Eternal Power, MAKE UP!"

Brilliant light exploded from the Ginzuishou, and pink and white ribbons
wrapped around Usako's body as her clothes were banished. The ribbons
tighten around her form, and began to melt together, becoming her uniform.
First knee-high boots appeared around her feet, their color a red that
matched Usako's eyes. Next, long red gloves appeared around her hands and
forearms, ending in a white bracelet that wrapped just below her elbow. A
white fuku with a black collar and a pink skirt finally appeared around her
torso, and the broach settled high on her chest in the midst of a small bow
that resembled wings. Finally, as the light around Usako began to fade, two
great white wings like those of an angel burst from her back and beat the
air once, and feathers swirled in the air.

The three brothers watched the transformation in a mixture of amazement, joy
and embarrassment. Wordlessly, Yosho reached his hand up first to one ear,
then the other, and removed his earrings. Akuma pulled a ring off of his
right pinky. The two men exchanged a glance, and handed the items into
Kesshu's waiting hand.

"How did you know pink was her natural hair color anyway?" Akuma asked him
in a whisper.

"I'm good, what can I say?" Kesshu gleefully returned, then called over to
Usako. "Nice wings, Sailor Moon!"

"Sailor Moon," the Senshi said, trying it out. "I like that." She frowned
as she mentally reviewed the attacks available to her. "Moon Princess
Temporal Halation?" Moon asked Pluto incredulously. "What kind of attack
is that?"

"You are sealing off Tiamat from this part of the timeline, Small Lady,"
Pluto quickly said. She looked up at the sky, and waved her staff, opening
a time gate. "I must leave now. Good luck, Sailor Moon!" With that, she
leapt into the time gate, which slammed shut behind her.

"Usako?" Akuma called from behind her.

The lone Senshi turned and glared at the man. "It's Sailor Moon,
Akuma-kun."

"Whatever," Akuma said dismissively as Moon and Yosho joined him and Kesshu.
"Kesshu, your responsibility is data-gathering. Get as much info on this
thing as possible. Yosho, protect Usa-er...Sailor Moon at all costs."
Yosho and Kesshu nodded, and Yosho transformed into his Juraian battle gear
while Kesshu summoned up his computer and another crossbow.

Sailor Moon looked worried. "What are you going to do, Akuma-kun?"

Akuma grinned and clenched his fist, and blue light exploded from the two
crystals in his wrists, embossing his black skinsuit with dark blue flames.
He formed an energy sword and jumped a little, floating a few feet off the
ground. "Someone has to draw it away from your parents so that we can fight
it." As he flew off towards the dragon, his final words floated down to
her. "And that's me!"

***

High in the air, a great green dragon with a long, sinuous body flew through
the air. Its huge wings, with a span that seemed to fill the sky, barely
moved as the creature soared. Suddenly it backstroked and slowed down;
bringing up its long neck in a curled shape that might remind an observer of
a question mark.

Its prey, the ones it had been sent to destroy...were running?

The analytical portion of the dragon's mind processed this information as it
slowly flew forward, wings beating faster now as it had to work more to keep
itself aloft. The prey was moving much faster than it should be able to,
and was now unbelievably distant. They were also inside a spaceship, the
likes of which the prey just shouldn't have access to.

Either its data was wrong, or someone was trying to interfere.

Further consideration was halted as a dark flash came up from the ground
below, passing before the dragon and leaving a stinging pain across its
face. It roared in pain and tried to get a bearing on the attacker, but the
insect had already flitted away. The dragon shook its head and began to
chase after the prey.

"Oh, no you don't," Akuma said from below the dragon, and transformed his
sword back into an energy sphere. He began firing them at the dragon's
belly, trying to make it focus on him. He frowned as he realized the dragon
was ignoring him. "Time to get serious," he muttered, and began increasing
the size and power of the blasts he was throwing.

He sent another volley of spheres at the monster, and was gratified to see
the dragon roar in pain and turn its angry gaze on him. "That's right, look
at me, not them. I'm your problem."

He never saw the dragon's tail whip around and slam into him, sending him
flying at hypersonic speeds to the Earth below.

***

High above the earth, the Senshi watched the battle on a screen in
Toraneko's bridge, which was little more than an empty room with view of
space in every direction. Around the ceiling, several green-white crystals
hovered.

"Kami-sama," Jupiter swore as Akuma flew through the air. "That's amazing!"

"I'll tell him you said that, Lady Makoto," Toraneko said, her disembodied
voice echoing through the room. Jupiter jumped at that, and looked
nervously around.

Mercury, sensing her friend's distress, spoke up. "Toraneko-hime, is there
some way you could give us an image to talk to? Just having a voice to
interact with is disconcerting."
A giggle echoed through the ship. "You ARE looking at me, Lady Ami," came
her reply. "But if you insist," some of the crystals floated to the floor,
and melted together, forming a largish puddle. Out of the liquid rose the
nude form of Toraneko. Another crystal flew down and formed into a robe,
which she put on. "Is this better?"

"Much," Jupiter said, sighing in relief and trying to ignore the chill that
ran down her spine.

"How can you stay here and watch while your friends risk their lives?"
Uranus demanded.

Venus, who was riveted to the action being shown on one of the screens,
gasped as Akuma was nailed by the dragon's tail. "Oh no!"

"Lord Haruka," Toraneko replied softly, "if they fail, that thing is going
to be coming after me next." She turned and watched the screen, her face
lined with worry as Akuma plummeted. "Please save him, someone," she
whispered.

"Lord Haruka?" Neptune whispered into Uranus' ear. "What is that about?"

"I don't know, love," Uranus replied softly, "and I'm not sure I want to
know."

***

"Akuma!" Sailor Moon cried, and beat her wings powerfully, hoping to catch
him. She was surprised to find Kesshu's hand gripping her arm almost
painfully as he typed into his terminal.

"Let me handle this, Sailor Moon," he said. "You try to deal with that
dragon." He frowned a moment, then handed his energy crossbow to Yosho.
"Here, this fires a net. You'll be able to use it better than me." With
that, he released Sailor Moon and used both hands on the terminal, his hands
almost blurring as he typed.

"MOON ARROW STRIKE!" Sailor Moon cried, and once again beat her wings
powerfully. This time, as they snapped forward, hundreds of small
arrow-like projectiles streaked from them towards the dragon that flew
overhead. As the attack met the dragon, it roared in pain and frustration
and let out a burst of emerald fire at its attacker.

Sailor Moon barely had time to shriek as before the attack engulfed her, and
then could only stare as the flame was deflected off an invisible barrier
that surrounded her. The flame dispersed, and she noticed the tiny logs
floating in the air around her.

"Nice move, Yosho," Kesshu said absently as he worked on his computer.
"Come on, come on...yatta!" Underneath the falling Akuma, a hyperspatial
hole suddenly opened, and the young man fell into it, only to be spit out of
another hole, this time going back up.

"What on Earth are you doing?" Yosho demanded as he took careful aim with
the crossbow. He fired the weapon, and the red bolt streaked off into the
sky. Moments before it impacted the dragon, it exploded into a huge web of
energy that wrapped around the dragon and sent it plummeting to the ground.

"One second...one second," Kesshu delayed as he intently watched the data
scroll across his visor. "Three...two...one...NOW!" High above, the
unconscious Akuma had nearly reached the peak of his upward journey when
another hole opened in the sky above him, which he flew into moments before
he came to a standstill. The hole closed, and another opened at Sailor
Moon's feet, dumping him out. "Fastest portals in the quadrant, thank you
very much," Kesshu said smugly, blowing on his fingers.

***

The Senshi made appreciative noises as Eternal Sailor Moon made her attack
on the dragon. The Senshi excluding the original Sailor Moon, that is, who
was busy examining the Ginzuishou instead.

"Now THAT," Mars said, "is an attack I like."

"I wonder if I can do that too," Sailor Moon hummed to herself, and then
looked deeply into the crystal. "Those wings are so beautiful." Suddenly,
as if sensing her desires, the Ginzuishou burst into brilliant light.
Sailor Moon shrieked as the light bathed her and the other Senshi.

Everyone whirled to stared at Sailor Moon, and then gasped as they were
bathed in the warm glow coming from the crystal, blinding them. Suddenly,
wings burst from Sailor Moon's back, then Sailor Mars', and soon the all of
the Senshi had wings like princess below. The air of the ship was filled
with swirling feathers.

As the light faded, Tuxedo Kamen took one look at the Senshi and turned
away, deciding that the view out of the ship was much safer than the one
inside it. It wasn't long before the others picked up on the reason for his
action.

They were all stark naked.

As seven pairs of eyes turned to glare at Sailor Moon, she blushed and
looked sheepish. "Oops! Gomen nasai, minna."

Sailor Mars stormed over to the blonde and bonked her on the head. "You
baka odango-atama! What are you trying to do?"

"Well," she sheepishly tried to explain, "I saw the wings she had and I
thought we'd look so pretty if we had them too..." she trailed off and
looked around. "I didn't expect this, though."

Mercury made a few beats with her wings and gasped as she rose off the
ground. "But...but it just shouldn't work! The aerodynamics would be
impossible."

Uranus snorted. "Nothing's impossible where Usagi's concerned." She gave
the other girls appraising looks. "I think I like the new uniform, though,"
she said, then grunted as Neptune elbowed her.

Venus reached up to touch her wings, then looked at the others. "You're all
so beautiful," she whispered. "You look like angels." She paused, then
turned to Toraneko. "Please tell me you have a mirror!"

Toraneko blinked in surprise and made one of the walls reflective. Soon the
Senshi were gathered in front of the mirror admiring themselves.

"Mamo-chan," Sailor Moon said, sidling up the man. "What do you think?"

Tuxedo Kamen buried his face in his hands and groaned. "Sailor Moon," he
complained, "PLEASE change them back." He turned and grabbed her by the
shoulders, forcing himself not to look down at her nudity. "We're married,
remember?"

Sailor Moon giggled. "But Mamo-chan," she whispered, "this would be such
fun in bed..."

***

The three conscious members of the team watched the falling dragon slam into
the ground several hundred meters away, and demolish the small car it landed
on. It lay there stunned for a moment, then began to struggle wildly in the
net that held it.

"What are you waiting for?" Kesshu demanded of Sailor Moon. "Get it!"

Sailor Moon threw her wings wide, and a brilliant silver glow burst from the
Ginzuishou on her chest and bathed the dragon in its light. She took a deep
breath, and called out the words that summoned the attack's full power.
"MOON PRINCESS TEMPORAL HALATION!" The Ginzuishou pulsed repeatedly, and the
dragon slowly faded out of existence with each pulse, its furious roars
fading as it did so.

"Well, that was...anticlimactic," Yosho said, and then turned to his
brother. "Akuma! You lazy good-for-nothing, get up!" He punctuated his
final words with a light lick to Akuma's ribs, who sat up, yawned, and
looked around.

"Hi guys," he said with a sheepish smile. "We win?"

"Yes," Sailor Moon said, kneeling and throwing her arms around him. "You
heroic baka, you scared me to death."

"Aww, I was OK," Akuma said as Sailor Moon released him.

Yosho snorted in derision. "You were almost a grease spot. If it wasn't
for Kesshu's quick work, we'd be picking you up with a scraper."

"I'm telling you, I was fine!" Akuma insisted. "I can more than take a
little fall."

"A LITTLE FALL?" Yosho yelled incredulously. "You were breaking the sound
barrier!"

"So? A REAL man can take something like that!"

"Are you suggesting something, you barbarian?"

"What if I am, aristocratic baka?"

Kesshu sighed, and banished his computer. "Guys, this really isn't the time
for this..."

"Shut up, Kesshu!" the two men shouted, and went back to their arguing.
Kesshu scowled and pushed back his sleeves, about to re-summon his terminal
when Sailor Moon placed her hand on his arm and shook her head.

"Don't," she said. "It'll keep them out of trouble until Sailor Pluto
arrives to take us to the next time period."

"That's just it," Kesshu said. "She won't. Tiamat is still in this
period."

"Then the dragon...?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "It has the signature that Pluto told me to
look for, but I'm still detecting it in this time, and the timestream is
still in flux. That means it's not over yet."

***

Toraneko took herself down to the surface of the planet and allowed the
de-transformed Senshi to depart from her body before morphing back into her
teenaged self. They watched with no little amazement as Akuma and Yosho
argued.

Eternal Sailor Moon stared at them. "Why are you..."

"Not in our Senshi forms?" Rei completed with a snort. "Ask your mother."

"I'd...I'd rather not talk about it, Chibi-Usa-er...Usako-chan," Usagi said,
blushing.

Giggling, Toraneko walked over to Eternal Sailor Moon and began whispering
in her ear. After a moment, she began to giggle helplessly. "Oh,
Usagi-chan," she gasped, "you didn't!"

Any further conversation was stalled by the sounds of battle from the two
arguing brothers. "Bakas," Eternal Sailor Moon muttered, and transformed
back to her normal form.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Ami wondered.

"What started them this time?" Toraneko asked the third brother.

Kesshu shrugged. "What else? Akuma's machismo." He turned to Usako.
"Usako-hime, shouldn't we clear out of this area? I expect it won't be long
before the police arrive." He winced as a roar of outrage and pain came
from Akuma.

"How do you plan on stopping those two?" Minako demanded.

Usako and Toraneko grinned. "Oh, that's easy," the cabbit-girl said.
"Ready Usako-chan? Three...two...one..."

The saccharine call rang out. "Oh boys?"

***

"That's a problem I would kill to have," Minako remarked to Makoto as they
watched the antics of Usako and her friends. "Choices, choices everywhere,
and not a one to make."

"Well, that Akuma guy is cute," Makoto mused.

Minako grinned. "Does he remind you of someone? Your ex-boyfriend,
perhaps?" She chuckled as Makoto sputtered in indignation.

Ami, who had been trailing behind as she worked on her computer caught up
with the pair. "Mou...Mako-chan, do you really want to wait a thousand
years for a boyfriend?"

A few meters in front of them, Kesshu and Toraneko walked together, deep in
discussion. Usako was a couple steps ahead, holding Yosho's arm as they
walked. Yosho kept on watching Akuma apprehensively, shifting his eyes
between him and Kesshu, as if he was expecting the other man to cause
trouble, and was worried by the fact that he wasn't. Toraneko frowned at
the sight.

Kesshu noted her irritation and decided to try and take her mind off of it.
"Tora-hime," he began, "did you overhear that little conversation?"

"Hai," she responded with a sigh. "I hope Akuma behaves himself."

Kesshu chuckled. "I don't think that's much of a problem. I can't see
Akuma really letting himself get involved with one of them, it'd be like
going after your aunt." He paused and considered the matter further. "I
think the problem is the other way around."

They reached the front of Mamoru and Usagi's apartment, and the group
stopped. "So now what?" Rei asked.

"I wish Meiou-sama was here," Kesshu said with a grimace. "I really need to
talk to her about what we can and can't do."

"Your first concern, Kesshu-kun, should be finding a place to stay," the
woman in question said.

Kesshu started at her appearance and gave her a peevish glance. Noticing
this, Minako laughed. "Speak of the devil and ye shall receive," she said,
and blinked in surprise at the groans that she got.

"You know," Akuma mentioned in a low voice to Usako, "it's kind of
depressing that she STILL does that a thousand years from now."

"Hush," Usako returned with a giggle.

"You will probably wish to take on the exchange student role," Setsuna
continued blithely.

Several of the Senshi rolled their eyes, and Akuma sputtered indignantly.
"There is NO WAY I'm going back to school!" he roared. "Four years under
Washu-okaasan was four years too much." Yosho nodded his agreement while
Kesshu looked both sheepish and amused.

Usako laughed for a moment. "I don't think they drop tanuki statues on you
for not paying attention in other schools, Akuma-kun."

"Drop..." Ami began.

"...tanuki..." continued Makoto.

"...statues," confirmed Yosho, rubbing his neck in memory of the pain.
"Very large, very heavy statues. Washu-okaasama knows EXACTLY how to
motivate a student."

"That would have been a great school for you, ne Usagi-chan?" Minako
giggled.

"MINA-CHAN!" Usagi complained. "Stop picking on me!"

Haruka huffed impatiently. "This is fun and all, but I've got things to
study and homework to do. Unlike the rest of you, I've got REAL courses to
take."

"Falling right into the arrogant engineer role, isn't she?" Makoto remarked
to Ami, who sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Right!" Usagi said, all business. "Usako, you can come with Mamo-chan and
I. Who wants to take the rest of them?"

"We should probably aim for maximum coverage," Akuma mused. "It'd be more
tactically sound."

"One of you can guard all of the Outers," Hotaru helpfully supplied, and
then wilted a little under Haruka's indignant glare.

"I suppose Ami-chan and I could take one at our apartment," Makoto mused
giving the men a predatory look. "Anyone mind sleeping on a couch?"

The three men exchanged nervous glances, and then began a peculiar
three-person variant of Junken-Pow. Yosho grimaced as he lost. "I'm with
you, Jupiter-sama."

Makoto frowned. "Yosho-kun, call me by name."

"Hai, Kino-sama," he said, and looked confused as she sighed in dismay.

"What about me?" Minako asked. "My dorm room is too small for another girl,
and there's no way I can sneak in another guy." She looked Akuma up and
down. "As much as I'd love to."

"Well," Kesshu hummed with a smirk on his face, "can you sneak in a pet?"

"Kesshu-kun!" Toraneko gasped, "don't you even think about it!"

"It should be OK," Minako said, "as long as Artemis behaves himself." She
looked around. "Where is that baka, anyway?"

"Do you know how much I hate doing that?" Toraneko demanded of Kesshu.

"Tora-chan," Akuma said sympathetically as he placed his hand on her
shoulder. "do you have a better idea?"

"Iie," she sighed. "One cabbit, coming up." As they watched, the girl
shrunk, morphing into a small greenish-white mammal with large hind legs,
big ears, a puff tail, a cat's face, and an aura of cuteness.

"Kawai," several of the Senshi chorused. Toraneko gave a small, pitiful
meow.

A low whistle came from a nearby fence. "What. A. BABE!" Turning to look
at the speaker, they saw Artemis hop down and quickly walk over to Toraneko,
completely oblivious to Luna's angry stance. He made it to within a meter
of the cabbit before he was picked up by the scruff of his neck.

Akuma held the cat up to his face, and spoke in a very low, very dangerous
tone of voice, an energy sword springing to life in his hand. "Listen
carefully. You keep your paws off her, or I will see that females become
the LAST thing on your mind. Understand?"

"H-h-h-h-hai!" Artemis stuttered, holding very still, and then yelping a
little as Akuma dropped him to the floor.

"I'll go with the Outer Senshi," Akuma ordered, "Kesshu, you go with
Hino-san." Kesshu opened his mouth to protest Akuma's commands, but his
words died as he locked eyes with his brother. Akuma nodded once and turned
to Haruka. "Please, lead on." Haruka took one look at him and decided to
do as he asked.

The four women and the man walked off with the remainder's eyes on their
backs. "What happened to him?" Usako murmured to Yosho.

"I have no idea," Yosho whispered back. "He's been acting weird for a while
now, ever since Okaasama talked to him before we left."

"Come on, Usako-chan," Usagi suddenly said impatiently, dragging the girl
off, "we have so much catching up to do!"

The others exchanged pained looks and shrugs, and dispersed to their homes.

***

There are some things that are so awful, so horrifying, they make strong men
weak, a brave men cowards, and honest men liars.

Those things have nothing on two women and a wedding album. This truth
Mamoru Chiba was discovering for himself as he hid in his and Usagi's
bedroom and listened to his wife and daughter. He looked over at their
picture on the mantle and smiled. Kenji wasn't very pleased to discover
that his daughter had been proposed to when she was only 16 years old, but
the idea had grown on him over the two years of the engagement.

"I can't believe 'Kaasama didn't let me come back for the wedding!" Usako
complained as she opened the album. "Oh, Usagi-chan, your dress was so
beautiful!"

*Maybe I can make a break for the bar?* thought Mamoru.

"Check out the cake," Usagi giggled. "Mako-chan spent almost three days
making it."

*Bar's out, Usagi knows I don't drink. Maybe Mokoti's place?*

An awed whistle. "How on Earth did you get Haruka-san into a DRESS?"

"Michiru-san, um, convinced her."

"Oh." Giggles.

*Kuso, Motoki's in Hokkaido for the week.* His eyes drifted over to his
books. *Studying?* a light gleamed in his eyes. *THINK, Mamoru, this has
to be good.*

"Usagi-chan...that red band Rei-chan wrapped on her arm, is that what I
think it is?"

A long sigh. "Hai, it's Kaneda's. I keep on telling her that mourning him
isn't necessary, that she will find him again..." There was a long pause.
"She does meet him again, doesn't she?"

"Usagi-chan, you KNOW I can't tell you that! Or about anyone else either!"

"Mou..." Usagi cursed. "I don't want them to be alone, Usako-chan. They
have so much love to give, more than they claim I do." She exhaled
breathily. "Gomen nasai, I know, I know, you can't say anything."

*Alright, Mamoru, it's now or never.* Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his
backpack and headed into the living room. "Bye you two I've got an exam
tomorrow. Ja ne!" He had almost made it out the door when Usagi's concerned
voice stopped him.

"Mamo-chan?" he stiffened and turned to look at her. "Tomorrow's Sunday."

He froze like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh...heh," he made an
embarrassed little laugh. "Silly me." He turned and walked back into the
bedroom, and fell onto the bed. *Mamoru no baka baka baka baka MAMORU NO
BAKA!*

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi's sweet voice echoed into the room, and for some reason
he felt a shiver go down his spine. "Come in here and look at pictures with
us!"

With a groan of dismay, Mamoru got up off the bed, and shuffled off with the
unmistakable air of a doomed man. One thought rang through his mind.

*Where's a villain when you need one?*

***

"Artemis, come out of there," Minako commanded as she looked under her bed.
"You have nothing to be afraid of."

A disgusted snort was his response. "Yeah, right. I've got some crazy guy
with a lightsaber threatening to neuter me and I've got nothing to worry
about? I'm going to stay here until they're gone."

"Akuma-kun is NOT crazy," Toraneko said from on top of the bed. She was
back in her humanoid form. "A little possessive, maybe even a little
overprotective at times, but he's not crazy."

"Well excuse me, but better safe than sorry. I don't want to sing soprano."

Minako sighed and flopped down on her bed beside Toraneko. "Artemis no
baka. You can't even sing as it is."

"Ha ha. He's a nut, and I'm not coming out."

"That's it," Toraneko growled. She stepped off the bed looked under it.
"No one talks about my Akuma that way." With that, she transformed back
into a cabbit and dashed under the bed. A moment later, Artemis came
dashing out, looking panicked.

"Mina-chan, get this crazy chick offa me!"

***

Makoto felt very hot. She blotted her sweaty brow with a handkerchief.

It wasn't the heat of the spring day. It wasn't the warm breeze that blew
across her skin. It wasn't the bright sunshine that shone on her as she
leaned out the window. It wasn't the heat of the tea she was sipping
slowly.

No, it was the rather well built young man who was standing shirtless in the
yard behind her apartment building, practicing sword forms. The handsome
young man with the bulging muscles that rippled as he moved, his skin
glistening with sweat. His long pony-tail whipped around behind him as he
moved from one stand to the next, his strong arms holding the bladeless hilt
in a steel-like grasp. Those strong arms that she wished were encircling
her...with an effort that made her wince, she forced her mind off of that
line of thought.

Makoto wiped her brow again, and forced herself to pull back inside the
apartment. "Ami-chan, your turn." The other girl looked up from the book
she was reading, picked up her ice water, and went to the window. Leaning
out, she sighed slightly. As Makoto sat down on the vacated seat, she
caught the title of the book Ami was reading: The Art of Kendo.

For some reason, Makoto found that to be the funniest thing she'd ever seen.
She began to giggle helplessly, and after a few moments curled into a sort
of fetal position as her ribs began to ache. Ami pulled back from the
window and gave her a quizzical look. "What's so funny?"

"Us," Makoto gasped. "Mooning after a guy from the far future, who's
probably Usako-chan's boyfriend anyway."

Ami blushed and smiled sheepishly. "It is a bit silly, isn't it?" She
shrugged. "If guys can get their kicks out of looking at ecchi pictures of
girls, I'm not going to feel guilty about looking at Yosho-kun train." She
leaned out the window again and took a look around the side of the building,
and giggled. "Besides, it looks like we're not the only ones." She sighed
in dismay a moment later. "Oh well, show's over."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Yosho walked in, a
towel around his neck. He looked slightly bewildered. "Mizuno-sama?"

"Call me Ami, Yosho-kun."

"That would not be proper," came his automatic response, and the two girls
sighed. He blithely continued on, not catching their reaction. "Has anyone
considered starting up a Kendo school in this neighborhood?"

Makoto and Ami exchanged a confused glance. "Why do you ask?" Ami queried.

Yosho nodded his head towards the door. "On my way back in from my
practice, more than a few women stopped to ask me if I would consider giving
them private lessons." The two girls suddenly burst into laughter, and he
cocked his head in a curious gesture. "Did I say something humorous?"

***

Rei placed a single red carnation on the gravestone, and bowed her head.
After a moment she wiped a tear from her eye. She knelt beside the stone,
and tentatively touched the crystal embedded in it.

Perhaps only Usagi understood why she always placed a carnation, and got mad
when the others placed roses. To Rei, placing a rose was too much like
saying goodbye. "Kaneda..." she whispered, and choked back a sob.

It wasn't fair, not in any sense of the word. She had been with him for
such a short time, a few short days, and he had taken her heart, her very
soul with him when he died. Almost unconsciously, she began to sing the
words of the song he had sung for her.

"...My love for you, will never die.
There is always a piece of you in my heart.
My missing you, will never stay,
The seeds of joy you sowed in my heart..."

"It's a very beautiful song, Rei-san," Kesshu said softly as he walked up
behind her. As she looked up at him, he bowed his head. "I apologize for
intruding, but I head you singing and was curious." He turned to walk away.

"Please stay," she said softly, and he froze. "Sometimes, it's easier with
company."

Kesshu nodded once, and knelt on the other side of the stone, reading the
inscription. "Kaneda Akasei...'red star'..." his eyes widened and he
clamped down on gasping the future name of the man.

"He was also known as Crimson," Rei murmured. "He was my Shieldsman, and
the man I loved more than almost anything in the world." She looked out of
the corner of her eye at Kesshu. "Is there anyone you felt that way about?"

He shook his head mutely, not knowing what to say. He KNEW Rei found
Crimson again in the future, or someone to replace him, but what could he do
for her now? Suddenly something his father had said occurred to him.
Something his father had said when he told his sons about the one woman he
loved beside their mothers.

There are times when sharing the memories makes the pain easier.

Taking a deep breath, Kesshu steeled himself for what he was about to say.
"Can you...can you tell me about him?"

Rei started in surprise and was about to snap at him to mind his own
business, when something made her stop. *What could it possibly hurt?* she
wondered. "For me, it first began with the dreams..."

Kesshu listened in silence as Rei told him the story. The longer she spoke
of the man, the more convinced he was that the Crimson of the future was the
same as the one of the past. After she finished, he played with a piece of
grass for a moment before speaking.

"Love is a funny thing, Rei-san, that for all my much-made-of genius I know
very little about. I can tell you this: if Kaneda truly did promise he'd
see you again, you will meet again." He gestured to the tombstone. "As it
says, ''Til the darkness fades.' That gives you something else to fight
for."

As she watched him speak, she caught a sort of wistfulness in his voice that
she recognized from herself and the other Senshi. "You love Usako-chan and
her friend like we love Usagi-chan, don't you? Not like those other two
boys, it's different for you."

Kesshu recoiled as if stuck and stammered "Wha...how?" He regained control
of himself shook his head ruefully. "It hard to remember you're the same
people I know, just a lot younger." He rocked back and stared out into
space. "Yes, my brothers love Usako-hime and Tora-hime in a different way
than me. They're...they're..." words failed him.

Rei began to speak. "Your friend, your leader, your confidant, your parent,
and your child all at once." She began to speak faster, the words coming
out in a rush. "She's the most important thing in your life, the purpose
that rules it. Harm to her is harm to yourself. You love her, but
expressing it in a physical way seems wrong, but you know if she ever asked
you'd say yes in a moment, and you love her more because you know she never
would." She blushed suddenly as she realized what she was saying. "I...I
mean...they," she corrected herself, and then suddenly frowned. "They're
your brothers?"

"Same father, different mothers," at Rei's aghast expression, he sighed.
"It's a Juraian custom, Rei-san. The male-to-female birth ratio among the
nobles is almost one-to-four. Monogamy is considered to
be...well...perverted to our people."

"Don't tell Mamoru about that," she said, shaking her head. "He might get
ideas."

***

The feeling in the air at the home of the Outer Senshi was grim. Akuma was
slumped in one of the chairs in the living room, and practically growled at
anyone who came near him. In the kitchen, there was a hushed discussion
between the three younger women. Setsuna watched them silently as she
sipped her tea.

"This is ridiculous!" Haruka hissed. "I refuse to stay out of my own living
room just because dark-and-stormy out there has his nose out of joint!"

"I think it's sweet," Hotaru sighed. Michiru and Haruka looked at her in
shock, and the frail girl giggled, her purple eyes sparkling. "He's acting
just like Haruka-papa did when she thought Michiru-mama was breaking up with
her."

Setsuna smiled slightly. "From the mouths of babes comes wisdom," she
murmured, too low to hear.

Michiru hummed in understanding. "So...you think that little display with
Artemis was the act of a boy in love?"

"Doesn't make sense," Haruka disagreed, shaking her head. "He'd have never
let that guy with the mohawk come near Toraneko then. Even if he trusted
him that much, Akuma would've made sure he was beside her too. He was
acting more like a guy who wanted someone else's girlfriend."

"How do you know that?" Michiru asked, surprised.

Haruka snorted. "Trust me, I KNOW how guys think." She frowned and looked
inquiringly at Hotaru. "There's one thing I really want to know, though."

"What's that?" Hotaru asked, feeling a little nervous under the scrutiny.

"Who's Ranma?"

***

Nighttime on campus. The air was full of the sounds of students heading
back to their dorms, the hum of cars, and the chattering of crickets.
Sentaro waited under the lamp-post like Sayuri had told him to. He
impatiently checked his watch for the twelfth time. "Where the hell is
she?" he demanded.

"Sssentaro," a breathy voice hissed from the shadows. "I'm sssorry I'm ssso
late."

Sentaro peered out into the night, barely making out a humanoid form.
"Sayuri, is that you?"

"Come, Sssentaro," the voice whispered. "I have sssomething to ssshow you."

He stepped out from under the light and walked towards the voice. "This
isn't funny, you know. I've been waiting for almost an hour." He felt a
hand on his shoulder, and whirled to look into a green scaled face with
yellow eyes. "W-w-w-what the hell?" he yelled, trying to break from the
grip.

"I'm sssorry, Sssentaro," the creature spoke, and then covered his mouth
with a clawed, scaly hand and bit at the juncture of neck and shoulder.

Sentaro's scream was muffled by the claw over his throat, and he struggled
in the creatures grip as he felt agonizing pain wash over his body. He
lifted his hands to his face to tear the claw away, and tried to scream as
he noticed the scales forming on them. In moments, his screams became low
hisses as the other released him.

The lizardman stood tall, and looked into the other's eyes. "The Sssenssshi
must be dessstroyed," he intoned.

"No," the other one said. "Jussst Pluto and Moon. The ressst must only be
dessstroyed if they get in our way. Now we mussst get more convertsss."

"Underssstood." The two lizardmen disappeared into the shadows.

***

The next morning, the Outer Senshi waited in the cafeteria at the university
for the other Senshi to arrive. Conversation focussed on the rash of
disappearances over the night.

"Where is that twerp?" Haruka demanded. "For a guy who's supposed to be
guarding us," she snorted in derision, "he's doing a pretty lousy job."

"There is more than one way to guard a person, Haruka-kun," Setsuna said
mildly.

Hotaru nodded in agreement, then brightened and waved out the window.
Looking to see what caught the younger girl's attention, they saw Ami in a
rather foul mood, an embarrassed Kesshu at her side.

"What's the problem, Ami-chan?" Michiru asked as the girl plopped down in
the seat beside her.

Ami pointed an accusing finger at Kesshu. "HIM! All through my physics and
chemistry classes that baka was snickering, making snide comments, and
making fun of the senseis! I've never been so embarrassed!"

"I'm sorry," Kesshu said in a tone that implied he was tired of repeating
himself. "I just couldn't help myself, it was so funny. Imagine how you'd
feel siting in a class where they're teaching material that if it wasn't out
of date, was just plain wrong!" He shook his head in dismay. "I honestly
can't believe the narrow world-view they have in those classes. How could
they turn a blind eye to so much?"

"What are 'they' missing?" Haruka inquired.

"Magic," Ami muttered, and grimaced as if the word left a bad taste in her
mouth.

Kesshu gave her a disgusted look. "Must you call it that?" he complained.
"What you call 'magic' is nothing more than a different way of manipulating
the universe. You treat it as magic merely because you're experiencing the
end product, like a computer to a caveman. It's not like anything you can
do with your...powers is really that different from a properly equipped
person can do today, anyway." By that time, his voice had gained a
lecturing tone.

Haruka began waving her hands to stop him. "Whoa! Hey, enough," she
insisted. "I get enough of that in class already!" She caught a glance of
something out the cafeteria window which made her sigh. "You boys are just
great at getting into trouble, aren't you?" she chuckled, pointing out the
window.

There, heading towards the doors to the cafeteria was a group consisting of
the remainder of the Inner Senshi, Mamoru, Usako, and Yosho. Yosho was in
the midst of a heated argument with the Inners, while Mamoru, Usako and
Toraneko watched with bemused expressions. Finally, Usagi stopped, whirled,
and yelled at Yosho for several seconds, then stormed through the doors.

"Honestly!" she huffed as she sat down beside Ami. "I can't see what
Usako-chan sees in that baka!"

"I'm sensing a trend here," Michiru murmured to Haruka.

"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?" Hotaru asked worriedly. The others filed in
silently. Seeing the lack of seeing space, Makoto and Minako quickly
shifted over a nearby table. Mamoru sat beside his wife and shook his head
in amused dismay.

"That..." she pointed her finger at Yosho almost exactly the same way Ami
had at Kesshu, "...BAKA sat in our literature class and argued for half an
hour with the sensei!"

Minako snorted. "Tell them what it was about." She continued on,
overriding Usagi. "He sat there trying to convince everyone that creep
Claudius was the real hero in Hamlet!" As Yosho opened his mouth to argue,
she wagged a finger at him. "Not a word, you!"

Yosho slumped in his seat, ready to sulk, when he noticed someone missing.
"Where, pray tell, is my good-for-nothing brother?"

Usako looked over at Toraneko. "Skipping?"

The other girl nodded sagely. "Skipping."

Any further discussion was halted by a high pitched scream, and someone
flying through the window to the cafeteria with a deafening crash. Yosho
shot to his feet and placed himself between the disturbance and the Senshi,
his sword in his hand but not activated.

The person was facing away from the Senshi, but slowly turned, revealing a
green scaled face and yellow eyes that burned with a feral gleam. A low
hiss erupted from the lizardman's throat. "Sssenssshi..."

A woman screamed, and the people in the cafeteria flooded to the exits,
almost trampling each other in their haste to escape. The Senshi nervously
watched the fleeing people, unable to transform.

Kesshu's holocomputer snapped into existence, and he punched a few keys.
With a muffled pop, a hyperspatial portal opened, and dumped out a handful
of small gray spheres. "Transform!" he yelled, and threw the spheres out in
an arc, surrounding the gathered Senshi. Where each one landed, there was a
flash of light and a thick smoke burst into existence. A crossbow dumped
out of the portal, he grabbed it.

The Inner Senshi exchanged a glance and nodded to each other. "I hope we
have clothes this time," Rei muttered.

"Mercury Crystal Power-"

"Mars Crystal Power-"

"Jupiter Crystal Power-"

"Venus Crystal Power-"

"MAKE UP!" With that, the four women were surrounded with the familiar
lights and phenomena that surrounded a transformation. The familiar sailor
fukus formed, except this time the girls all had large ribbons tied at the
small of their backs.

Haruka scowled and shot to her feet. "Let's do it! Uranus Crystal Power-"

"Neptune Crystal Power-"

"Saturn Crystal Power-"

"Pluto Planet Power-"

"MAKE UP!" With the exception of Pluto, the Outers' uniforms were altered
as well, but the ribbons on their backs were somewhat less pronounced and
decorative than their counterparts.

Yosho grabbed a chair near him and threw it through the window as the Outers
completed their transformation. "Get into the open. Back to back
fighting!"

Usako and Usagi pulled out their lockets. "Like me, Usagi-chan," she said.
Together, they called out the phrase.

"Moon Eternal Power, MAKE UP!" Mother and daughter were both transformed
into the fuku of the ultimate form of Sailor Moon, Usako's having red gloves
and boots, a pink skirt, and a black collar, while Usagi's was identical but
with a dark blue skirt.

The lizardman stared at the transformed duo, and hissed in confusion. "Two
Moonsss?" It turned to another creature that had entered the cafeteria
behind it. This one seemed to be somewhat more feminine. "Which one?" it
demanded as the Senshi fled outside.

Its companion looked at Sailor Moon, then the other, and shook its head
fiercely. "Kill them both!"

The Senshi streamed out of the smoking room, and found themselves face to
face with a horde of lizardmen, a handful of which were currently attacking
a familiar figure - Akuma.

He was wounded, his black and blue skinsuit torn and bloodied. Four huge
gashes were on his upper left thigh, and blood flowed down from the wounds
to form a puddle at his foot. His right hand was covering a deep wound on
his left side, and he was frantically firing energy blasts from his free
hand.

"I guess we know where he was," Yosho began, and concentrated. Small logs
appeared in the air around Akuma, and the other man shot Yosho a look of
relief before collapsing.

"Akuma!" Toraneko shrieked, and pointed her arms at the lizardmen
surrounding him. The flesh became crystalline, forming into two long
greenish white crystals. In between the two crystals, a large greenish ball
of energy formed. "Leave him alone!" she yelled, and streaks of light
exploded from the ball, smashing into the lizardmen and throwing them away
from the man.

The Senshi had troubles of their own. Upon seeing them exit the building,
the lizardmen had swarmed upon them. Following Yosho's suggestion, they
broke up into small groups and faced off against the lizardmen. They didn't
have long to wait before the creatures were upon then, and the Senshi's
battlecries field the air.

Kesshu knelt beside Akuma inside Yosho's forcefield while Toraneko fired
blast after blast into the surrounding lizardmen. Information scrolled past
his eyes on his visor, and he frowned. "Kuso," he swore. "You've really
had the crap kicked out of you."

"How is he?" Toraneko panted from outside the force shield.

"He'll be OK, I think," Kesshu said, then glanced up at her, and then looked
around. The younger Moon was surrounded by the lizardmen, and was battling
them furiously, her Arrow Strikes sending lizardmen reeling. Yosho was at
her back, using Tenchi-ken as best he could, considering that his weapon was
behaving as little more than a bokken against their scaled enemies.

The elder Moon was at the center of a circle consisting of the Inner Senshi,
who guarded their princess against all attackers with grim determination.
The Outers, who were fighting as a group of four, were also going reasonably
well.

As he watched, a lizardman was engulfed by an attack by Sailor Mars.
Through the filter of his computer visor, Kesshu noticed the creature
flicker for a moment between its collapse on the ground and its return to
the battle. He quickly replayed the sequence on his visor, and paled at
what he saw. "Tora-hime!" he yelled to the girl as she prepared a
particularly powerful barrage of laser attacks. "Don't kill any of them.
They're people!"

The younger Sailor Moon stopped in the midst of her latest attack as the
statement took her by surprise. "You mean they're-" she began, then
shrieked as a lizardman grabbed her by the throat and threw her into a mass
of others. "Yosho! Help me!"

"Usako-hime!" he yelled, and jumped towards the group, but found himself
blocked by more of the lizardmen. He tried to fight through them, but the
uselessness of his sword made it impossible. A collective attack by the
monsters found him restrained and the princess unconscious. A pair of
lizardmen held her up while a third snatched the Ginzuishou from her chest,
transforming her back to her normal self.

"Usako," Kesshu and Toraneko yelled and began running towards the girl. The
lizards redoubled their attacks on all of the fighters, hoping to buy enough
time for their victory.

Awakening, Akuma rolled over onto his front, and began to crawl towards the
combat. "No..." On his forehead, a lone golden bar began to shine.

"Lady Tiamat will be pleasssed," the creature grated, then turned to the
girl. "And now, Sailor Moon, you will pay for the crimes done in your
name," it proclaimed, and a roar of triumph rose from the lizardmen.

"No!" Kesshu screamed, and fired his crossbow at the lizard. The monster
hissed in pain, but otherwise ignored the attack. Kesshu swore and ran
faster, not noticing the golden bar that shone from above his eyes.

"Usagi-chan," Yosho whispered, and then threw his head back in an
animalistic cry. "NOOOOOO!" On his forehead, a third bar shone through the
skin. A burning golden aura rose form his body, and the lizardmen holding
him were thrown off. Two rays of the golden light exploded from his body,
impacting first Kesshu and then Akuma, who began to howl as well.
Everything seemed to stop as their cries rose in volume, overwhelming
everything.

And in the center of the triangle the three young men formed, a star shone,
expanding into a three-winged fan that shone with a blinding light. The fan
began to spin with greater and greater speed, until it was nothing more than
a golden disk of light. Then, with a burst of power, the wings flew off,
each one towards one of the young men.

Yosho threw up his arm, and the blade rotated in the air, the flat of the
wing colliding with the limb. A light blue flame began to rush across it,
converting it into an ornate shield that seemed to be hewed from living
wood. The flame also flowed across his body, turning the Juraian battle
armor into a pastel blue and white version of the uniform.

The second wing stopped inches from Kesshu and hung in the air. He reached
out his hand to touch it, and it reformed into a long thin staff made of
some white material, each end shod with an intricate blue cap. His dark red
skinsuit was suddenly made the palest red, and his ever-present labcoat was
shortened into a sort of bomber-style shirt. His computer visor was
suddenly made opaque from the outside, yet from Kesshu's actions it was
clear he could see.

The final wing flew into Akuma passing around his body like a window. His
blue and black skinsuit was repaired as his wounds disappeared from his
body, and he rose to his feet. The two crystals in his wrists exploded with
light, and his suit was suddenly bleached, the pattern on it now light blue
flames on a light gray background. He held out his right hand and formed an
energy blade made out of golden light.

"The Light Hawk Wings," Toraneko breathed as she stared at the men in
wonder.

"Kami-sama," Mercury whispered. She examined the men through her computer.
"Their power is off the scale. It is on par with..." she turned and looked
at Sailor Moon. "The Ginzuishou."

"That's impossible!" Mars insisted, but Mercury only shook her head.

"NO! You must not!" Pluto screamed, abject terror in her voice. The other
Outers stared at her in worry, and then turned their gaze to the three men
as their share of the lizards turned to attack the young men.

The three men ignored her. Akuma was the first to act, firing off golden
blasts from his left hand into the lizards blocking Yosho's path. Each one
engulfed a lizardman, and the creature collapsed, morphing back into human
form.

Yosho took the opportunity to head for the princess, striking at every
opportunity. His sword flashed through his prey, as after each blow a human
fell to the ground. He reached the creature holding the future Ginzuishou
and struck at its head. The lizardman jumped back and began to flee the
battle. Yosho watched him run, and then turned and dispatched the two
creatures holding Usako.

Bringing his arm up to throw his staff like a spear, Kesshu sighted
carefully before casting his weapon. Like a bolt of lightning, it streaked
through the air, passing though the chest of the fleeing lizard and
continuing onward. Kesshu held his hand like he was guiding the weapon, and
it soared high into the air and then back to his hand. Akuma flew over and
removed the Ginzuishou from the now-unconscious man's hand, and then flew
back to Usako and placed it in her limp hand.

"Usagi-chan!" Toraneko cried as she reached the girl's side. Yosho looked
impassively on before making a waving motion with his shielded arm. A
white, featureless sphere surrounded the two young girls, and the three men
then turned to face the remains of their attackers, now less than a dozen.
The creatures watched the men warily, but did not spring to the attack.

"HOLD!" The lizards froze, and then parted as a pale woman with thinly
slanted green eyes and long black hair strode through them. She wore a
translucent strapless white gown, and from her back sprung two white wings,
like those of a bat...or a dragon. "You would use such power to save one
such as her?" she demanded angrily. "You would risk destroying the very
planet you are trying to save?"

Yosho spoke, his voice cold and emotionless. "Usagi-hime..."

"...and Tora-chan..." Akuma continued in the same dead voice.

"...are of supreme priority." Kesshu finished his voice as cold as his
brothers'. "Threats to them must be eliminated."

The woman watched them speak, and her face softened for a moment. "I see,"
she whispered, then her face went hard and cold as she turned her gaze on
Pluto. "Very good, Pluto. You have not lost your touch. You know I could
never hurt ones such as these. Very good, indeed."

"Why are you doing this, Tiamat?" Pluto asked wearily, a tone of sadness in
her voice. "Why can't you let it go?"

"Until you pay for his death, Pluto, this will never be over. Until you and
Serenity pay..." she turned her cold gaze onto the elder Sailor Moon, who
was looking on in confusion, and frowned. "She does not know, does she?"
she said in sudden understanding. "You've treated her just like you treated
everyone else, a pawn in your brutal game." She waved her hand, and the
remaining lizardmen turned human and collapsed. "That changes everything,"
she said, and turned away.

"Wait!" Sailor Moon yelled, and ran towards Tiamat, stopping several feet
away as the woman turned to her. "Why? Please, tell me why..."

"For the death of Bahamut," she said. "For the lives, she has twisted, and
controlled, and changed for her own purposes, for the means she used to
reach the end you all benefit from," she paused, and a harsh edge entered
her voice. "I will punish her." She looked at the three men, who even now
were watching her warily. "But this will come later, when I finished
my...gifts. When they are in my debt, they will aid me, no matter what you
do, Pluto." A green swirling portal opened behind her, and she stepped
through.

With the disappearance of the threat, the three young men began to give off
a golden energy like rising steam. They blinked in disorientation and
looked at themselves and their arms. The shield about the two girls faded
out of existence. Usako ran to embrace Yosho, while Toraneko hugged Akuma
with all her might.

***

"I wish you didn't have to go yet," Usagi said tearfully as she and Usako
embraced. The other Senshi were a few steps back, giving the mother and
daughter some privacy to say their good-byes.

"I don't want to either, Usagi-chan," Usako sniffled, "but I have to go. We
can't just let Tiamat go, and I have to find out why she's doing this."

Usagi nodded and gave her daughter one final squeeze before releasing him.
"It would have been nice to get to know your friends a little better too,
even Yosho" she sighed, and then giggled a bit, "but I think they're not too
popular with the others."

Usako smiled and turned to look at Yosho, who was waiting by the time gate
with Pluto and her friends. "They can be a little hard to take, ne?" she
said fondly.

"I like him," Usagi said approvingly, and Usako blushed deeply. "Don't even
try to deny it, Usako-chan."

"I can't hide anything from you, and you're not even my mother yet," the
pink-haired girl complained.

Usagi turned her daughter and gave her a little push to her friends, then
grabbed her arm and pulled her back to whisper in her ear. "Remind me to
get the full story out of Setsuna-san in the future."

Usako nodded, her face dark. "That's one promise I guarantee I'll keep,
Okaasan." Usagi blinked in surprise, and her daughter smiled brightly and
kissed her on the cheek. "Sayonara!" she called, and waved to the other
Senshi before running to her friends. "Let's go!"

"I hope it gets easier," Kesshu mused as he watched the others go through
the portal, until only he and Pluto were remaining outside. He arched an
eyebrow at her. "But I have a feeling it won't."

End Book 1