Author's Note: I started writing this story quite a few years ago.  It centers on my creation, a character named Fuuu Tenkousei.  It's set during the Sailor Stars time frame.  There will be no romances for poor Fuuu in this story.  I have used all the Japanese names for this fanfiction, mostly because I really hate the name "Serena."

All of the characters in this section (other than Fuuu) belong to Naoko Takeuchi and any other company that holds the copyright. 

I would appreciate any feedback.  I apologize for the stupid title names. 

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Searching…

by CuteDestruction

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Chapter 1: A New Breeze

            A new enemy had appeared.  The soldiers of the outer planets had barely escaped destruction, and the Messiah of Silence was growing at a phenomenal rate.  Haruka Tennou chewed over all this while drinking her tea.  She stared into her cup, hoping the little leaves at the bottom would tell her what was going on. 

             Why must she fight again?  They had just finished with the Death Busters.  She was going to go back to motocross racing, and was looking forward to raising Hotaru with Michiru.  She never wanted to fight in the first place--she never asked to be a soldier of justice.  She hated--

            "Haruka."

            Haruka raised her head to see Michiru sitting across from her at the table.  At least, no matter what, they would always be together.  Even if they did have to die in battle....

            Michiru took a sip of her tea, then said, "The seas are rough.  A far stronger enemy than Pharaoh 90 is coming this way.   Hopefully, we will be more lucky this time.   We have more power and more time to prepare.  We will not, and cannot be caught moving so slowly again.  No one will survive it."

            Haruka nodded, but turned back to her tea.  Gazing into it, she replied, "We must do what we can....."  She pulled her head back up and stared out the window at the small patch of sky still unblocked by buildings.  How many times will my dream be taken away? she wondered,  Will this happen all my life? 

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            The juvenile delinquent had been hanging around the arcade quite a bit.  Motoki, the worker there who saw her most, supposed that this would be the place for juvenile delinquents to go.  At least she was mostly quiet--the only way he found out that she was a juvenile delinquent was when her parents ran in searching for her, yelling that she had to go to school.  She disappeared somewhere in the arcade while they were there, only to reappear a few minutes after their departure.  Motoki still couldn't figure out where she went to....and he thought he knew the arcade back to front. 

            He didn't have the heart to turn her in.  It was obvious that the girl had a very good reason for skipping school and leaving her parents.  She looked just like his far-off girlfriend, except that this new girl's hair was a tannish-blonde color, not dark brown.  Her deep blue eyes held an extremely determined look that was MUCH too serious for anyone in an arcade.  She was looking for someone or something, but obviously hadn't found it yet.  Motoki decided to leave her be. 

            He did feel he would have to kick her out eventually, though.  She never played any of the games, and she was creeping out the rest of his customers.  And she had been watching Usagi and her group of friends a little too closely for anyone's good. 

            About two weeks after her parents had come around to find her, there was a flash in her eyes, and she ran over to Usagi and her friends rather hysterically.  Motoki felt slightly guilty about listening in, but he did so anyway.

            The girl headed straight for Usagi, and the girls stopped their current conversation to turn and look at her. 

            "Please, my name is Fuuu Tenkousei.  I want to know how I know you.  I know you're all involved in some sort of large secret, and I think I'm involved somehow," the girl said.

            Usagi looked surprised.  "What...what makes you think I know how you know me?  I don't think we've met before."

            Fuuu fell to her knees and clung to Usagi's dress.  Her voice grew higher with anticipation.  "Please!  There's something wrong with me, and I want to know what it is.  It somehow has to do with that UFO a couple years ago, and the destruction of Mugen High about a year ago, and somehow I know you were all there....I KNOW it!"  Her pleading blue eyes looked into Usagi's confused ones.  There was a quick flicker of recognition.  "Oh my god...you're Sa-"

            "We don't have any idea what you're talking about!  Leave us alone!" Rei nearly yelled, while all the others in that group seemed dumbfounded. 

            Fuuu started crying, and she started pounding Usagi's lap with frustration.  "Yes, you do!  Yes, you do!  You know exactly what I'm talking about!  I know you all from somewhere else, but it's like a nightmare!  Please!  I can't live like this anymore!  Tell me what's wrong with me!  Tell me!  Tell me!"  She fell to the floor and starting sobbing. 

            Motoki went to Fuuu and picked her up.  The rest of the group held a teary Usagi back from running to Fuuu, and they all held a hushed discussion.  Motoki was busy carrying Fuuu, who had passed out by now, into the back of the store.  He laid her on the counter, then left to get a cold compress.  She had disappeared by the time he returned, and a note saying only "Sorry" was in her place.  He hadn't seen her since.

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            A cold wind bit at Fuuu's face as she walked down the street, almost as if it were trying to tell her a story of some awful tragedy.  She again saw  a laughing metal-plated woman slightly illuminated in a very deep darkness.  Fuuu closed her mind to it-- this was not the time for stories.  She looked around the street, and finally found a small restaurant where she could hide from the cold weather.

            Fuuu knew she was growing low on money.  She ordered a tea and hoped the waitress wouldn't force her to order more. 

            "How could I have lost control like that in that arcade?," Fuuu thought to herself, "That girl who is Sailor Moon looked like she might have helped me if I hadn't gotten so hysteric.  Now there's no hope of getting answers from them."  She stared into her tea, hoping that the tea leaves would give her the answers she was looking for. 

            Answers?  She didn't even know the questions.  That was probably why she became so frustrated in talking with the girls.  She didn't know what to ask.  She knew  that she didn't belong in her home with her family.  She knew that she felt a great pain when she had heard on the news that Sailor Moon and the rest of the senshi were fighting evil again.  She knew a much greater evil was now loose, and that she must find out soon what her connection to Sailor Moon was.  This was all she knew. 

            She did decide, at least, that there was something real about her problems.  She knew that the girls at the arcade were sailor senshi and had fought at Mugen High, and it was obvious she was right.  Those girls had been astonished at her utterence, much more so than the normal school girls would be at a strange story being told.  So, she knew who the sailor senshi really were.  What good came of that? She stared into the tea leaves longer, trying to figure it all out for herself. 

            "Hey, pretty girl."

            The near-sentence was directed at her, and was said in the most respectful way it could be said.  Fuuu ripped her head up to see who had said it.  Standing in front of her booth was a very handsome man, with green eyes and the same sandy hair as hers, but cut short.  Something urgent pushed to the front of her mind, but for the moment, she was caught by the fact that someone so handsome had given her such a compliment.

            He smiled and continued once he saw her response.  "There, there, pretty girl, don't be so serious.  Girls your age shouldn't be that serious about anything.  You should be off with friends, enjoying your life!"

            She continued to stare at him as he took the seat across from her in the booth.  "Thank you.  I should, but I....I feel it's more important to find out who I am first," Fuuu replied.  The urgent information continued to try to rush to the forefront of her mind, but she pushed it back.  For once, maybe I should enjoy myself, she thought.

            "Who you are?" said the man, "Many people spend all their lives trying to find that out.  Why do you think you can find that at your age?"  Even though the last bit stung her, he took most of the bite out by saying it very gently, as if he didn't want to hurt her too much.  Then he laughed.  "Oh, maybe I should tell you who I am.  My name is Haruka Tenou.  What is yours?"  He held out a hand in greeting.

            Fuuu didn't hear the last question.  Her head was exploding.  The thing that was so urgent in her mind finally won its battle after she heard the word Haruka.   A vision of Haruka in a formal tuxedo came to her mind.  She (as it was now known to Fuuu that Haruka was a woman) was guiding Fuuu through a beautiful hallway to meet someone.   Fuuu went into an ornately decorated room and met the princess of the kingdom of Neptune, Haruka's love.  Fuuu was in a palace on the moon.  Haruka was her sister.  Fuuu was the princess of Uranus.  She was a protector of the solar system.  She died in Haruka's arms. 

            It all kept coming.  It wouldn't stop.  She had thought earlier that she wanted to know this, but now...at least, she didn't want it this way.  There were so many horrible images--the worst being the remembrance of the feel of death rushing up toward her.  She heard Princess Haruka shouting at Beryl for mercy, and the tears of both Haruka and Michiru seemed to come pouring down on top of her, drowning her.  All this came to her so quickly--too quickly.  She grabbed her ears with her hands as her head fell to the table, and she squeezed her eyes as shut as they could be.   

            Haruka finally lifted Fuuu's face, and pried the hands off her ears.  "Listen to me!" said Haruka frantically, with wide eyes.  "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong!  I want to help, if I can!"  Fuuu noticed a beautiful woman standing near her, her eyes also full of concern.  She recognized this woman as the princess of Neptune in her vision.

            Fuuu, with tears running down her face, said, softly smiling, "Don't you remember, Haruka?  I am a fellow princess of Uranus, your sister, Fuuu."  She then promptly passed out yet again, for the second time in her life.

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Tears.  They came pounding down everywhere, and each one nearly gave Fuuu bruises.  There was so much sadness, and it was so dark.  The only light seemed to come from small, glittering gems, and even that light flickered as if it was fighting a losing battle with the darkness.   Then a woman in shadow laughed as another woman appeared in moonlight.  The moonlight woman took one look and cried and cried, and the moonlight was overtaken by the darkness as well.  All that was left was the darkness and the darkness woman's laugh and the tears pounding down on Fuuu.

            Fuuu sat straight up as her face was dowsed again in the freezing cold water.  She immediately noticed that her surroundings were quite different, and that she seemed to be in someone's apartment or house.  Three faces stared angrily at her.  Before she knew what she was saying, she blurted out to Setsuna, "Pluto!  It's so nice to see you again!"

            The faces continued to look angry.  Fuuu closed her mouth and waited for one of them to speak.  Eventually, Haruka did.  "Who are you and how do you know so much?" she yelled. 

            Fuuu wasn't surprised, but she was a little disappointed.  "You really don't remember me, Haruka?  I was the one who chose to shadow the princess' court!  I worked in secret to find out Beryl's plan for conquering the Silver Millennium.  I was the first casualty in what was to become a great war!  Don't you remember?  I died in your arms, Haruka, after Beryl threw my dying body at you, when she first stormed the moon...."        

            This time it was Haruka who wasn't listening.  She seemed very far away.  She quickly came back, however, and yelled, "Lies!  Don't lie to me about something like that!  You are the enemy!  You must be!  It can't be true!"  Haruka ran out of the room.

            Fuuu turned her head to the ground and said quietly, "There's so much I still don't understand, but I'm not the enemy.  I'm sure what I said is true!  Please believe me!"  She looked up and into the faces of the two remaining people.  This was her true family.

            They didn't seem to see it that way, however.  They continued to stare at her angrily.  Finally, Michiru spoke. "I believe Haruka.  You must be the enemy!"   She pulled a large and beautiful wand out of her purse and yelled, "Neptune Planet Power!  Make up!" 

            As Sailor Neptune appeared where Michiru had been, Setsuna likewise pulled out her transformation wand, shouted, "Pluto Planet Power!  Make up!" and became Sailor Pluto.  Both of the standing senshi looked down harshly upon Fuuu, and pointed toward a door.  When Fuuu just sat there, Pluto grabbed Fuuu's arm, pulled her up and pushed her through the door. 

            Suddenly, Fuuu was outside.  It was a very pretty countryside, but Fuuu didn't have time to admire the scenery.  Being flung outside by Pluto, she fell backward and hit her head on a tree.  The two senshi ran outside while Fuuu did her best to stand upright.  She didn't know what to expect.  Trying to be ready for anything, she slowed her breathing, tightened up her muscles to sprint, and became extremely sensitive.  She used to do this back in the Silver Millennium when she was close to getting caught by the enemy, and when she got this ready, time seemed to slow down for her.  She was glad she had gained her full memory back so quickly, or else she probably would have been seriously hurt.

            Sailor Neptune shouted, "Deep Submerging!" while Pluto whispered, "Dead Scream."  Two large globes of energy flew at her, each from the respective senshi. 

            Instantly, she decided it would be safest to go to the left, and she ran that way with all her might.  The Dead Scream attack narrowly missed her.  Sailor Uranus appeared in front of her, and she barely noticed in time to run to the right.  This time, though, she wasn't quick enough.  Uranus easily could run stride for stride with her, and caught her by the arm.  Fuuu was whipped back into Sailor Uranus, and Uranus caught hold of her other arm.  Wide eyed, Fuuu watched with terror as the other two senshi readied their attacks again.  Struggling, Fuuu cried out, "No!  Stop, please!  You don't understand!  STOP!!"  The two globes of energy flew at her again, but she knew she wouldn't have time to dodge them, even if Uranus did let go of her to dodge them herself.  Breathless, she waited for their arrival, wishing that they wouldn't seem to move so slow.  She couldn't believe this, and she couldn't let this happen.  They were supposed to be working together....

            She let out a loud, painful yell.  The only thing she could think was, "It's not supposed to be this way!"  The two energies made their way closer and closer and then....they stopped.  A bright greenish light engulfed them and they sputtered out of existence, inches from Fuuu's nose.  After this, Fuuu could see nothing but the greenish light, and she felt warm. 

            She heard Uranus say, "I knew it."

            Neptune replied, "Oh, really?"

            A heavy object fell into her right hand, and she felt everything change.  When she looked down to see what she had caught, she noticed that she was now wearing a blue and green Sailor outfit, much like her sister's blue and yellow one.  What was in her hands was her old transformation wand, which looked exactly like her sister's.  It was specially made for her by her parents because, although she never did just materialize one like her sister did, they knew she would be able to use it.  She never did use it much, but it was nice to see it again.

            The green light had subsided, and the three senshi faced her once again, but it was different this time.  Uranus' face held a smile, Pluto's was expressionless, and Neptune's held a very familiar smirk.  Fuuu stepped towards them and asked, "Do you believe me now?"

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            Fuuu had used her sailor costume very rarely, much less than any of the other sailor senshi, due to the fact that her normal job was as a spy to the enemies of the Silver Millenium.  Although she was involved in a lot of different organizations, the one that she usually infiltrated was the Dark Kingdom.  When she was finally discovered by the general Zoicite, she did transform into Sailor Uranus to confront them.  When around Haruka, she called herself Sailor Neo Uranus, to avoid confusion.  Haruka, however, always called her Chibi Uranus, despite Fuuu's protests.

            Although she fought hard in the Dark Kingdom, she was one against the four strongest generals in the Dark Kingdom, and her talents had not fully developed.  She was electrocuted slowly and painfully by the generals, then given to Queen Beryl, just barely alive.  Beryl kept her and tortured her until the evil finally reached the Moon Palace.  One of the first things Beryl did was to throw Fuuu to Sailor Uranus, who had just arrived with Neptune to help fight. 

            At the time, Fuuu thought it would be fitting for Haruka to say, "I told you so."  Haruka had never wanted Fuuu to fight, and let her know so every time Fuuu came to visit her.  Haruka said it was because, "there should only be ONE Sailor Uranus, and that should be me," but Fuuu knew that Haruka was just trying to protect her. 

            Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were so devastated by Fuuu's death that they didn't help fight against Beryl until very late, when their lives were threatened.  When they did fight, they fought half-heartedly and they lost their lives very quickly.  Now that Haruka remembered this, she knew why she now hated to lose sight of whatever the current mission was.  She couldn't afford to lose hope like that ever again.

            It was well into the afternoon, and the same old argument was still raging on.  Michiru sat quietly and watched, while Setsuna had been gone for a long while to deal with things unknown.

            "You can't fight!  Not only do you lack the training but you have no idea what's going on here!  You haven't been involved since Beryl--" Haruka stopped her yell short, remembering what had happened on the Moon so long ago.

            Fuuu, however, would not let the conversation slow down.  "And before I died, I gave a ton of useful information to Prince Endymion!  If I hadn't told him so much, he'd have probably been on Beryl's side!  Would that have been better?  I assure you, I know what I'm doing, and I'm very valuable!  You can't disqualify me just because you're afraid of me getting hurt!  If my intuition is anything close to what is actually happening, this entire world is in very real trouble.  And if sacrifices must be made, I will be the first to lay down my life for my Princess." 

            Haruka was about to speak when Michiru interrupted her.  "I've had the same intuition, and I wouldn't doubt you if you said more than the world is at stake.  If this is true-" she turned to stare at Haruka, "we will need all the help we can get."

            Haruka shifted her eyes to the side and said, "Well, all right.  I guess it's okay.  But you had better not be sneaking around like you usually do, Fuuu.  That will easily get you killed." 

            Fuuu nodded in agreement.  "I won't take that drastic measure unless it's the only option left."
            Just then, Setsuna came in, holding a small girl by the hand.  Haruka and Michiru gasped when they saw the girl enter.  "My god," Michiru said aside to Haruka, "She appears to have grown two years in just this afternoon!" 

            Fuuu wasn't paying attention.  She had walked toward the girl, knelt down, and said, "Hi, little one.  My name is Fuuu.  It's nice to meet you!"

            "And my name is Hotaru.  It's nice to meet you, too!" was the reply.

            Fuuu's face tightened.   Her gaze darted up to Setsuna, who was now towering over her more than usual (Fuuu was unusually short for her age).  As soon as Hotaru noticed that Fuuu wasn't looking at her, she ran over to Michiru to show her how she had learned to hold a violin.  Fuuu asked Setsuna, "Hotaru?  Is SHE the sacrificial senshi?"

            Setsuna cut her off, "Yes.  And her alternate self is reawakening."

            "Then it is as bad as I thought!" Fuuu said with wide eyes.  She then looked confused. "Um...RE-awakened?"

            For the first time in Fuuu's life, she saw Setsuna smile.  "Yes.  There is much for you to learn, as you've known what you know for so short a time.  We should get started informing you immediately."

            "Thanks, but there's something I have to do before we get started.  I need to let Serenity know what's going on, apologize for the last time I saw her, and prepare her for what might be coming.  I know how you would all like to handle things.  You never want to bother her with what's happening, but that's just not how I operate."  Fuuu stood up and spoke so the whole 'family' could hear her.  "I'm going out for awhile.  I'll be back in a few minutes.  Could someone point me in the direction of Juuban?"  Hotaru pointed her finger in a north-easterly direction.  Fuuu smiled down at her and said, "Thank you very much, Hotaru.  I'm VERY glad I met you now."  She walked out the door and towards the ones she had vowed to protect. 

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            Fuuu searched the district high and low until she finally came to a shrine on a hill.  Upon entering, she asked the tiny old man living there if he had seen a girl with long blond pigtails and her four friends.  He said he had, and that in fact one of her friends was his granddaughter, and would she at all be interested in helping him work at the temple because it was very demanding for just him, and he could really use the help of a vibrant young lady....

            A girl with long, raven-black hair ran out of a room down the hall yelling, "Grandpa!  Stop annoying this poor girl!  Why would she want to work for a pervert like you?!  And what did you think?  That I wouldn't be able to hear you through the PAPER DOORS?!  I just can't--oh..."  She had finally looked up from yelling at her grandfather to notice that she had seen this girl before.  She sat confused a moment before verbally attacking, "What are you doing here?!  I told you before, we don't know anything!  Leave us alone!"  She ran back into her room and did as much as she could to slam the paper door without ruining it. 

            The old man looked stricken.  "Oh, I'm sorry," he said unenthusiastically, "I guess Rei doesn't want to see you."
            Fuuu's mind traveled a kilometer a second, and she quickly devised a small, childish plan.  Making her eyes as big as possible, she looked straight at the old man, and whined, "Oh!  And I just wanted to be FRIENDS with her!  If I was, I could come over here ALL the time....and I would even help with the temple chores, if YOU would want me to."  She fluttered her eyelashes, and hoped that this lack of dignity would work.

            Work it did.  The old man's face brightened, and he said quickly and quietly, "Well, I don't see anything wrong with you being friends!  I'll take you back to Rei's room.  Hopefully, she'll give you another chance."  She followed him down to Rei's room, where the old man opened the door, yelled randomly into it, "Look, girls, a visitor!" shoved Fuuu through the doorway, and shut the door.  Rei looked like she was going to make new grandfather-shaped indents in the temple wall. 

            Fuuu, hoping to end this situation quickly, knelt down in front of Usagi and said, "It is good to see you so well, Princess Serenity."

             Gasps came from around the room.  Fuuu used the pause to her advantage.  "Greetings, princesses of the inner court.  Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Fuuu Tenkousei, but in reality, I am Sailor Neo Uranus."  She pulled out her transformation wand to illustrate.  "You never met me personally, only once at a party when we were all little children on the moon.  However, I dedicated my life to protecting you in the shadows at an early age, and did my best."  Sorrow appeared in her eyes, but she continued.  "However, it was not enough, and I was not able to warn the Silver Millenium of attack as I thought it would be."  She lowered her eyes in shame.  "Also, please forgive me for my previous outburst.  I was...confused at the time."

            Usagi was first to speak, out of confusion.  "Sailor...Neo Uranus?  You're a sailor soldier, too?" 

            "Yes.  Haruka is my sister.  I suppose you will want evidence to know that I am not lying.  You can talk to her, if you wish, or to the prince of Earth.  I talked to him quite often, when I warned him of Beryl's secretive operations."

            Tears welled up in Usagi's face. "Oh, Mamo-chan?  He's, well, he's sick..."

            Fuuu decided that it would be best not to bother Usagi about that subject anymore, as it obviously hurt her.  "Well, I can show you the way to the cabin Haruka and the other outer planet senshi share.  It's not very far from here."  Suddenly remembering something, she nearly interrupted herself.  "But, I would like Princess Serenity to stay out of the cabin.  It wouldn't be a good idea to have any possible errant energy around my sister's ward, or the girl might awaken as Sailor Saturn, the--"

            "Hotaru-chan?" the pink-haired girl next to Usagi nearly yelled.  "She's with them?!"  When Fuuu nodded, she nearly yanked Usagi's arm off, as if trying to fling her to the cabin. "Come on, let's go, Usagi!"

            The four older girls discussed the idea among themselves while Usagi tried to keep from dislocating something.  Finally, they reached a decision.  "We think that visiting the outer senshi would be a very good idea," Ami stated matter-of-factly. 

            They all were leaving the temple when Fuuu saw something out of the corner of her eye.  She told the others to wait inside and ran out into the yard.  Sure enough, there were at least five or six silvery youma (demons) waiting there.  Of course, the others didn't take long to follow her, and they watched as she yelled, "Uranus Planet Power!  Make up!"  and transformed.  At the end of her transformation, she just completely disappeared.

            "Where did she go?" Makoto asked.

            "Who cares?  Let's transform," said Rei.  So they did.

            As soon as they were done, they heard a voice that seemed to come from all around them. "Heralded by the New Age, I am the shadowed soldier Sailor Uranus, acting mysteriously!"

            The youma just giggled and looked around while the inner senshi tried to find the voice.  Sailor Mercury pulled down her visor and pointed to a tree.  "There she is!  But you can't see her without infrared sensors.  Wow, she's good!"

            "Singular hurricane!"  The next thing they all saw was a bright white ball of swirling wind hurtling toward them.  They all ducked.  The ball missed them and hit the youma closest to them.  The demon was crushed to mirror-like bits, but reformed within seconds. 

            Fuuu jumped out of the tree and landed in between the girls and the rest of the youma.  "Hurry!  Attack!" she called out behind them, and continued to use her attack against them.  It felt very good to be fighting again.  She guessed she had it in her blood. 

            But the youma proved to be too resilient for them.  They just kept reforming, and they were too fast for any attack.  The youma seemed to be centered upon attacking Sailor Moon, so, in a last-ditch effort, the six senshi formed a protective circle around her. 

            That was when the others appeared.  Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Saturn, and the first Sailor Uranus were all there fighting back the youma.  Sailor Saturn told everyone that she wanted Sailor Moon's "true form" to awaken, and everyone gave strength to Sailor Moon.  She transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon, and defeated all the youma with a single attack.  Fuuu was very impressed, as was everyone else. 

            After a brief discussion, Sailor Pluto explained that they had come because "the Prince of Earth was in danger."  Immediately, they all headed for Mamoru Chiba's apartment.  Sailor Neo Uranus kept up with her sister, with Neptune following close behind, and the group of three reached the area first.  The entire apartment was surrounded by youma, so they went to work clearing out a path for Sailor Moon. 

            Sailor Moon quickly arrived, and Neo Uranus followed the inner senshi into the building.  They were all going to take the elevator, but another youma waited for them there.  Neo Uranus jumped in front and told the others to take the stairs.  While they ran up, she became determined to give this youma a fight to the finish.

            It giggled at her as she started to attack.  She stood with her arms stretched downward and both her hands palm down.  After yelling, "Singular!"  a large dome of wind appeared under her hands that stretched to the floor.  The wind engulfed her legs, and would have torn them to ribbons if there was any possible debris under her.  This was why she only used the small form of her attack before, seeing as the ground of the temple had been covered with leaves.

            Letting the dome grow, she waited for a couple seconds.  Finally, she smiled and moved her hands up to point directly at the youma in a swift motion.  As she did, the dome followed her hands and became a long  stream of tornado force wind.  "Hurricane!!"  The stream of wind seemed to be enfused with even more energy, and after disintigrating the youma, it flung all the pieces into the elevator wall.  The wind continued until it drilled a hole through the elevator, and clear through the rest of of the building.  The youma's pieces were flung to very long distances, and luckily, it didn't reform.

            She smiled a bit before turning to run up the stairs.  The outer senshi entered the building and ran up with her.  They seemed to arrive too late, though.  When they entered Mamoru's apartment, they saw a woman in a mirror reach out and pull a dazed Mamoru in with her.  She said, "He's mine now.  Come and get him, if you want, Sailor Moon."  Sailor Moon yelled at the woman to stop, but the woman vanished, along with Mamoru.  Sailor Moon was left looking at her own crying reflection.  

            Sailor Neo Uranus felt a twinge of deja-vu, but shook it off.  This was very awful, indeed.  The enemy had Prince Endymion, and that meant that Serenity's health was at stake.  If she lost him, she might lose her will for living.  Neo Uranus knew that Serenity loved him that much.  "And," she admitted to herself, thinking a little too fondly, "It's not as if I hated being around him, either." 

            Seeing that there was nothing else to do here, they all transformed back into their normal selves.  Fuuu noticed that the little pink-haired girl didn't seem to be feeling so well, and Usagi insisted on carrying her.  They all walked back toward the temple.  The youma were gone, and the only signs of a struggle were a few burn marks here and there, and Fuuu's hole in the building (as they passed the hole, Fuuu seemed to shrink a few inches under Haruka's disapproving stare).  Seeing that Usagi wanted to be with her close friends, the outer senshi, including Fuuu, followed slowly behind her. 

            Haruka pulled Fuuu aside when they had gone halfway, saying that she needed to talk to her.  They came to a stop in an alleyway.  Haruka said seriously, "If you're going to help us fight, you will need more power.  I can help you get it.  All I need to do is change your transformation wand, and it should increase your strength two-fold."

            Fuuu cautiously said, "Okay.  Thanks."  She went to reach for her transformation wand that was in her right jacket sleeve. 

            Haruka followed her arm and pulled the wand out.  Once she had the transformation wand, she threw it down the alley way.  "You're not fighting with us.  I won't let you."  With that, Haruka zipped behind Fuuu and pulled her arms behind her.  Haruka pulled a large roll of rope out of her pocket, and tied Fuuu's hands and legs.  She also used the rope to gag her, as Fuuu was now yelling at the top of her lungs.  Haruka smirked at her own handiwork.  "You may get out of that eventually, but not before we're long gone.  Don't try to follow us.  I don't care how much help we need, you're not going to be a part of it.  Not that you would be any help anyway.  In the end, you would just be another hostage."  With that, she ran out of the alley, leaving Fuuu struggling on the cement.

            It took Fuuu about fifteen minutes to break free of her bindings, and as soon as she did, she ran down the alley to grab her errant transformation wand.  She found that Haruka must have picked it up on her way out, because it wasn't there anymore.  Fuuu ran to the temple as fast as she could.  She was madder than she had ever been in her whole life.  How could Haruka do this to her?  She could be low, but not that low.  The remark that she was not good enough to fight, and would end up a hostage, made Fuuu's entire body burn with anger. 

            Because she was so upset, Fuuu made it to the temple in record time.  When she got there, however, there was no trace of the group.  Seeing that Fuuu was looking around, Rei's grandfather came up behind her and answered the unasked question.  "They all already transported off, if you're looking for the rest of your fellow warriors," he said good-naturedly.

            Fuuu looked confused.  "You mean....you already knew...?" she asked.  She knew that if she was still going to be living with her parents--oh, that was something she was going to have to figure out still--she sure wouldn't tell them she was going to be running off fighting evil monsters every other couple days. 

            Grandpa smiled.  "Oh, I've known for a LONG time.  Not that Rei ever told me, of course.  But after a few dozen youma have attacked your temple, you begin to notice a few things.  I'm surprised they thought they could keep such a secret from sneaky old grandpa!"  he grinned.  Then his face lowered a little bit as he said in a hushed voice, "Of course, they don't know I know.  If they did, Rei would scoot all her friends off someplace else, and I would NEVER see those short skirts again!"

            Fuuu groaned a little and asked, "Do you know how they 'transported' to where they were going?"

            "Not really, but I know it took at least most of them to do it."

            Fuuu sighed and readied herself for the long wait ahead.  "Well, I guess I won't be able to go...this time, anyway.  Need some help with your chores, grandpa?" she asked, not really knowing what else to do. 

----------------------

            About 12 hours later, they all appeared again, looking very tired.  But all of them were there, including Endymion.  Fuuu had been sweeping, but rushed around a corner when she noticed they were arriving.  They all came in a big circle, and hurriedly changed into plainclothes on arrival. 

            Haruka was the closest to Fuuu, which was just the way Fuuu wanted it.  Fuuu threw herself into a sprint, and then jumped into a flying kick.  Haruka noticed at the last second and turned, but Fuuu caught her in the side, anyway. 

            They both fell to the ground, and Fuuu started punching with all her might.  "How could you?!   How could you?!" she screamed.  Haruka blocked most of them, but a few punches landed on her, and she started looking pretty bruised. 

            Haruka pushed Fuuu off of her, and did a sweeping kick that Fuuu jumped over.  Wiping blood from her mouth, Haruka stood up and replied, "I didn't want you to screw up the mission.  You don't belong with us."

            "How could you say that when you don't even want to fight?  All you want is to hole up with Michiru and spend the rest of your life racing motorbikes!  You're not a real soldier!"

            By this time, all the senshi had gathered around the two, and Setsuna and Michiru had barred Usagi from intervening, although she still cried, "Stop!  We shouldn't fight each other!"  Usagi's pleas reached neither Haruka nor Fuuu.  The air crackled with tension.

            Haruka narrowed her eyes, and stared at Fuuu.  Fuuu's last statement had really struck a nerve.  Finally, she said, "When I say you don't belong here, I mean it.  You're not my real sister.  You aren't even from a nearby planet.  My parents adopted you because no one else would.  You had a tail, and we had to surgically remove it to keep you from being a freak.  You're not wanted here, and you weren't needed.  You've helped enough.  Now leave us alone."       

            Fuuu was struck.  Was it true?  Even Usagi quieted down as Fuuu looked around.  It was right--they hadn't needed her.  They all did fine without her.  She wasn't needed to complete the protection of the planet.  Her eyes fell on Endymion.  His sympathetic gaze was more than she could bear.  She noticed that tears were running down her cheeks, and decided that it was time to leave.  She turned and ran.  As she left the temple, she heard Makoto yelling at Haruka, but didn't pay attention at what was being said. 

            She ran across all of Tokyo.  She ran past the Imperial Gardens, all the way to the cultural district of Asakusa, where fancily dressed people stopped to see what was driving that poor, tear-stained girl.  It was as if she didn't even notice anyone in Tokyo at all, but somehow she never did run into anyone.  She just kept running.  And thinking.

            Fuuu never did show true senshi power.  She never formed her own transformation wand.  She hardly ever donned her sailor outfit, because she never thought it suited her.  She didn't fight the same way, with her different "modes" of her attack.  They hadn't needed her for the teleporting, or for beating the enemy.  They hadn't needed her protection.  She had finally thought she found a place that fit.  Within a day, that had been taken away from her, too.

            They didn't need me.  It kept running through her mind.  What she was scared of, though, was something she wouldn't allow herself to think--they don't want me, and they don't want my help. 

            Eventually, she noticed that she had run up the steps of a temple, and found that it was a large temple for the goddess Kannon.  "Where are you?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.  "Huh?  What happened to you in all this?!"  But the goddess of Mercy didn't answer. 

            She sat down heavily close to the top step.  Now what?  She was back where she started.  Except now her entire life was a lie on top of another lie.  Who was she?  WHAT was she?  Apparently, she wasn't even close to human.  She buried her face in her knees and let the tears silently run down her face. 

            She had sat there for an hour when the winds changed direction.  The wind beat upon her and filled her ears.  She saw the metal-plated woman again, sitting on a throne.  This time the woman seemed to look directly at her and smile.  Fuuu remembered that this wasn't the lady she saw in the mirror with Endymion.  This was someone else-- someone far stronger.  This one possibly threatened the entire galaxy. 

            "You were right to come here, young one,"  Fuuu heard, in the wind.  She jumped up and looked around for the voice, but soon she could see nothing but the metal-plated woman's face, smiling at her.  "I do not often show mercy, but you are so strong...you could be useful to me."  It was the woman speaking to her, and Fuuu backed up, only to fall on an upper step.  This seemed to make the woman smile more.  "This is not your planet.  Yours was destroyed, as this one soon will be.  If you will pledge allegiance with me, I will let you live.  More than that, I will give you more power than you have ever imagined."  She laughed and continued.  "You are truly alone!  Unleash your hurt on this unsuspecting world!  I know you would like to; I can feel it within you."  She started to vanish.  Eventually, Fuuu could no longer see her, but she heard the woman's parting words.  "Your destiny awaits you at the Ginga television station.  Your death awaits you everywhere else.  Please make the right decision."

            Fuuu sat for a minute, contemplating all this.  It did sound like she really was all alone.  She didn't even have a planet she belonged to, much less one to protect.  Teary eyed, she slowly stood up.  Then she ran for Ginga TV.