The Visitors

by A Writer of Fact and Fiction

The girls discover another Sailor Senshi, and meet some very special visitors Setsuna escorts to see them from their future. This next part of the series follows after 'A Time for Lovers'.

The Visitors

Usagi and her friends discover another Sailor Senshi, and meet some very special visitors she escorts to them from their future.

This story continues on from 'A Time for Lovers' and takes place about a month later, at the beginning of the Japanese school year's spring break.

. . . . .

Chapter 1:

The end of March had arrived, and with it the last day of junior high school was finally over. At the Hikawa Jinja, a young miko stood sweeping the courtyard, thinking back on her past year at the TA Private Girls' School and wondering what lay in store for the next semester. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the excited voice of a rapidly approaching close friend.

"Konnichiwa, Rei-chan!" Rei paused her sweeping duties as Aino Minako's greeting reached her ears from the steps leading up to the Hikawa Jinja. Her friend's mood appeared even more buoyant than usual as the fifteen-year-old blonde girl sprinted across the courtyard toward the miko.

"Let me guess" Rei leaned on her bamboo-handled broom as Minako slid to an abrupt stop in front of her. "Judging from your crazy mood, I believe you passed?"

"Hai! I passed the year!" Minako was beside herself with relief and grinned at the shrine maiden. "For a while there, I wasn't sure if I would make it. Those final exams were really tough! But I did!" she said breathlessly, hopping from foot to foot as though the shrine's courtyard was covered in hot coals.

"Congratulations, Minako-chan." Rei peered questioningly at the hyperactive girl. "Uh... aren't you going to ask how I did in my finals?"

"Oh! Gomen nasai, Rei-chan!" her blonde friend blurted apologetically. "I guess I just assumed you passed."

"You assumed correctly" Rei replied with an air of satisfaction. "Not at the top of my class, but very close."

"That's wonderful, Rei-chan! Have you told Yuuichirou and your grandfather the good news?" Minako asked. "I'm sure your boyfriend will want to celebrate the special occasion with you!" she teased her friend with a knowing wink.

The miko smiled at the thought. "Ojii-chan has my report card" she said. "He's happy with my grades, but told me to do even better next semester. As he always does" she sighed. "Yuuichirou is away on an errand this afternoon so he hasn't found out yet."

"I'm sure he'll be really proud of you too." Minako's voice suddenly dropped into a lower, more concerned pitch. "So... how did the other girls do?"

Rei shrugged. "No idea. They said they'd be coming over right after their last classes were done, but there's no sign of anyone yet. We both know Ami and Ryo will have breezed through the final exams, I think it's safe to say they finished at the top of their class. I think Mako-chan should make it through ok too, but... Usagi..." Rei frowned at the thought of her sometimes scholastically-challenged friend. "I'm not so sure about her."

Minako grinned evilly. "If Usagi fails the year, we may not see her again until the new semester starts. Her parents will keep her locked up in her room as punishment!"

The miko scowled at the thought. "You may be right about that, Minako-chan. But Usagi has no one to blame but herself if she gets grounded. She never tries hard enough, and with three people tutoring her, there's simply no excuse for her bad grades." She waved the broom handle around angrily. "And doesn't she realize we may need Sailor Moon's help if any new threats appear? How can that odango atama do anything if she's not allowed to leave her own home?"

"We'll just have to hope any new enemies always attack near her place!" Minako laughed.

"Wouldn't that be convenient, Minako-chan?" Rei replied. "Or perhaps we can just tell our enemies, sorry, we can't fight you anywhere else in the city, you have to go to this address to cause trouble. Hope you don't mind" she grumbled sarcastically. "Maybe we should hand out business cards with Usagi's home address on them to any new monsters that turn up. It would certainly save time!" While Minako laughed at the thought, the miko paused in mid-rant as she was distracted by the appearance of a striking young woman of about twenty who strode purposefully into the shrine's grounds. The tall newcomer glanced briefly at Rei and Minako, the faintest of smiles briefly appearing on her lips as she strode briskly past the two teenagers. Her long greenish hair swayed gracefully behind her as she walked by.

"Who's that?" Minako asked quietly, watching curiously as the young lady approached the altar and bowed before it.

"Minako-chan, there are millions of people in Tokyo. Am I supposed to know every one of them personally?" Rei muttered. "But now that you mention it... there is something oddly familiar about her, isn't there?"

"I thought there was too" the blonde agreed. She quickly returned to the matter at hand. "Anyway, it hopefully won't be long before we find out if-"

Minako was silenced in mid-sentence by a rapidly increasing burst of commotion approaching from the stone steps that lead down to the street. She watched as Makoto was the first to pop into view, followed by Ami and Usagi scaling the steps beside her. The two waiting girls were surprised to see the odangoed blonde grinning from ear to ear.

"I don't believe it!" Rei exclaimed. "I think Usagi actually did graduate!"

"Mako-chan looks happy too" Minako observed. "Looks like we all made it this time!"

As if to confirm her suspicions, Usagi bounded over the last step and hurried up to the waiting girls, leaving her friends behind. "Rei-chan! Minako-chan! Guess what?"

"Hmm... there's a big sale on at the ice cream parlor?" Rei teased.

"Iie!" Usagi replied impatiently. "But I wish there was! Guess again!"

"You passed the year, didn't you?" Minako asked, grinning at her. Usagi nodded briskly and grabbed the other blonde's hands in hers, twirling them both around in a makeshift dance.

"I did, Minako-chan! Not by much, but I made it!" Usagi exclaimed proudly, nearly leaping with joy. "And the best part is, I don't have to listen to Luna whining at me about schoolwork anymore. At least until the next year starts."

"That's ok, Usagi-chan. You do enough whining by yourself as it is, you don't need Luna's help. And will you two stop spinning like two demented tops?" Rei yelled at the pair. "You're causing a disturbance and making me dizzy!" She looked at her happy friend and shook her head unbelievingly. "It's a miracle. How did you do it, Usagi-chan? Did you bribe your sensei for a better grade?"

Her friend replied the verbal jab by sticking out her tongue at the miko. "Oh, and Mako-chan passed too!" Usagi quickly added as Makoto and Ami joined the little group.

"Omedetou, Mako-chan" Rei congratulated the tall brunette. "I bet you can't wait to tell Yuji the good news."

"Hai, I'm going to phone him later tonight. I'm sure he and Taro both graduated easily, so we're all moving a year ahead. What a relief!"

"My Taro-chan is so smart!" Minako boasted. "He has to be, to fall in love with me!"

"Yes... I suppose he is smart, despite that one little... detail" Rei chuckled. "And how did our resident genius do on the finals?" the miko inquired with a smile, turning her attention to the blue-haired girl who stood quietly nearby. "Or should I even bother asking?"

Ami opened her mouth to speak, only to have Usagi interrupt her. "Ami-chan got perfect scores on everything! She finished first, and Ryo came in second."

"No surprise there" Rei said, producing a blush from the modest, studious girl. "I suppose you'll all be going up to Mako-chan's house this weekend now that spring break is finally here."

"That's our plan" Makoto confirmed with a big smile of her own. "Ami and Ryo are driving us up to the old place again. We're going to try to stay for at least a week this time. Longer, if we can manage!" she said hopefully, her thoughts immediately turning to her boyfriend in Nerima.

Rei peered at Minako and Makoto and grinned, "I can just imagine what kind of week that will be!" She thought for a moment before asking, "Would you mind if Yuuichirou and I drop by sometime while you're there, Mako-chan? We won't be able to stay long though, maybe a couple of days at most."

"Of course, Rei-chan" Makoto nodded. "Everyone's always welcome at my house!" The brunette noticed a young green-haired lady approaching the little group and fell silent as the woman addressed them.

"Sumi masen." Everyone else looked at the visitor who now stood facing the girls.

"Konnichiwa. Can I help you?" Rei asked her with a polite bow.

"Minna... we need to talk" came the brusque, businesslike reply. "In private" she quickly added.

---

Chapter 2:

The five teenage girls glanced at one another with puzzled expressions. "Uh... sure" the miko agreed, gesturing ahead. "Please, right this way." Together, they entered the shrine's living quarters and gathered in Rei's room near the study table. Rei was convinced she knew this woman, but couldn't remember where she had seen her before. After closing the door, she confronted the stranger. "This is about as private as it gets around here. So... what can we do for you?"

The woman smiled. "Actually, the reason I'm here is to do something for you, Sailor Mars. And for your friends as well."

Rei's face lost its color as a round of gasps burst from everyone's lips. Makoto immediately feared the worst and quickly reached into a pocket of her school uniform for her henshin stick while glaring at the mysterious visitor. "Uh... look, lady. If that's what you are. We don't want any trouble."

"How do you know about me?" Rei was stunned that her secret identity had somehow been discovered by this stranger.

"There's no need to henshin, Sailor Jupiter" the woman said calmly to the brunette. "I'm not here to cause trouble."

"No? Then why exactly are you here?" Makoto growled back, unconvinced. "And how did you find out about us?"

"I bring news for you" the mysterious woman replied. "Some visitors from your future will arrive here tomorrow for a very brief stay."

"Nani?" Ami was as confused as her friends. "Gomen nasai, how could you possibly know anything about our future?"

The green-haired young lady smiled. "Perhaps this will help, Sailor Mercury." The young woman raised her right hand as the five girls looked on in astonishment.

"PLUTO PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!"

A henshin wand appeared in front of the strange female and she grasped it in her raised hand. An immensely powerful burst of energy swirled around her, and a split-second later the young woman was wearing the familiar uniform of a Sailor Senshi, though hers was in black with garnet trim. Her henshin stick also transformed into a long, silver key-like staff in her right hand. "As you can see" she said to the speechless girls who looked on with wide, unbelieving eyes, "I'm on your side. But please allow me to properly introduce myself before I proceed. I am Sailor Pluto, guardian of the gates of time and space."

"Sailor... Pluto?" Usagi stuttered. "You mean there's more of us?"

The new Senshi nodded. "I was sent here today by direct order of your future self, Tsukino Usagi."

"By... me?" the blonde squeaked.

"I'm sorry I cannot reveal more about your future lives at this time. Too much information may have a disrupting effect on your current situation. I am here today in the capacity of messenger, and my message is simply that tomorrow, beginning at noon, each of you will receive a special visitor here at this shrine. Your guests will be with you for a single day and night, to meet you and briefly experience life in your world. Please look after them and treat them well."

"Who are these people?" Rei demanded to know. "And if they're really from the future like you said, why would they want to go back in time to see us?"

You may think of it as... a learning experience. Both for them, and for you." The Senshi's vague answer only increased each girl's puzzlement. "All will become clear tomorrow. I merely ask that each of you are present for their arrival. It would be best if your boyfriends were also with you" she added. Having said her piece, the staff and uniform vanished as the Sailor Soldier detransformed and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Minako called after her. "Why do you want our boyfriends to be here?" Senshi or not, the blonde shared Makoto's distrust toward this strange woman. "It sounds like some kind of trap to me" she said suspiciously.

"You will better understand after you have met your visitors" the woman replied. "I must leave you now. Don't bother showing me out." Without another word, the young woman left the room and five very confused teenage girls behind.

Rei glared at Usagi. "So whatever this thing is, it was your idea? Usagi-chan, now you're even managing to cause problems for us from our own future! Why am I not surprised?" the miko grumbled.

"But... I didn't..."

"Ami-chan, what did Pluto mean about 'special visitors'?" Makoto asked the brilliant blue-haired girl.

"I honestly don't know what she was talking about, Mako-chan" a perplexed Mizuno Ami grudgingly admitted. "I guess tomorrow we'll all find out."

. . . . .

The next morning brought a flurry of activity from the five teenage girls. Minako and Makoto met their boyfriends at the train station and escorted them back to the shrine, while Mamoru took a day off from his university classes to attend the impromptu meeting. Ryo was present as well, sitting close beside his beloved Ami as they waited for the noon hour to arrive. Only Yuuichirou was missing, kept busy with some last-minute work for Rei's grandfather, though he promised to join them as soon as he could get away from the demanding old Shinto priest.

Ryo glanced at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. "It's nearly noon, Ami-chan."

"I'm still worried this might be some kind of trick to trap all of us together" Minako insisted to Taro. "But don't worry, my love. If something bad happens, we'll protect you."

"I'm not worried in the least, honey" her boyfriend replied, sitting with an arm around the pretty blonde. "Sailor Pluto? People from the future? This whole thing is really fascinating!"

"Mamo-chan, I'm scared!" Usagi leaned against her boyfriend who sat on the floor beside her. She looked up at him with huge, frightened eyes. "Hold me."

"You'll use just about anything as an excuse to cuddle your Mamoru, won't you Usagi-chan" Rei grumbled. "Even something weird like this."

"Quiet, Rei-chan!" the blonde yelled. "This could be something really important, you know!"

"If your future self arranged it, whatever it is, it's more than likely going to be a disaster!" Rei shot back.

With a minute to go before noon, Yuuichirou finally appeared. "Did I miss anything, Rei-chan?" he asked, sliding the door closed behind him.

"Only Usagi's constant prattling, Yuuichirou-chan" the miko muttered as he walked over and stood beside her. Rei got to her feet and the five couples looked expectantly at each other as the appointed time finally arrived.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. More seconds ticked by uneventfully, until at last the door to the study room slowly slid open. Standing behind it was a cute little girl of about six years old. She wore a bright red dress and had fine, raven-black hair that reached past her shoulders. The young visitor stood nervously in the doorway for a moment as she looked around, before suddenly spying who she seemed to be seeking. In a sudden blur of motion, she burst into the room and ran up to an astonished Hino Rei. Before the miko could react or even speak, the child threw her arms around her in a tight squeeze and beamed happily up at the stunned teenage girl.

"Mommy!"

"Mommy?" Aghast, Yuuichirou stared first at the child, then at his girlfriend. "Uh... Rei-chan my love, I think you have a little explaining to do!" Rei didn't reply, she could only stand rigidly frozen in place like a red and white statue.

At the sound of the young apprentice's voice, the little girl released her clench on the dumbfounded miko and hugged Yuuichirou just as tightly.

"Daddy!"

"Well this is certainly interesting!" Mamoru grinned at the stunned couple.

---

Chapter 3:

After a long, awkward pause, Rei finally found her voice. "Ah... what is your name?" she asked the little girl, amazed at how closely the child resembled her when she was much younger.

"My name is Akane" the girl answered after releasing Yuuichirou from her grasp. "Kumada Akane." She smiled sweetly at her future mother. "That's the name you and daddy picked for me" she said proudly. "It means bright red."

Yuuichirou bent his knees, lowering himself nearly to eye-level with the little girl. "That's a very beautiful name, Akane-chan" he told her softly.

"Arigatou, Daddy!" She hugged him again and Rei could instantly sense the bond that she shared with her father, though Akane had undoubtedly only seen him like this in photographs.

"She looks just like you, Rei-chan!" Usagi exclaimed.

"Hai. She does" the miko replied, her eyes beginning to mist.

The little girl hugged Rei again, even more tightly. "I love you, Mommy." With that, Rei shed a tear.

But before any more tears could form in the miko's eyes, a second young girl grabbed everyone's attention when she entered the room. This little girl also wore a pretty dress with frilly sleeves, this time in orange, and carried a small red bow in her surprisingly long blonde hair.

"I think it's obvious who her parents are!" Mamoru chuckled.

"Minna, konnichiwa!" This six-year-old ran up to Minako and Taro wearing a big smile on her cute young face. "Do you know who I am?" she asked the couple boldly. "I'm your daughter and I'm from the future!"

Taro reached out to steady his girlfriend, who was becoming a little wobbly on her feet. Nervously clearing his throat, he spoke to his future child. "You have very beautiful hair" the teenage boy spoke softly, "just like your mother's."

"Hai! I do!" the child replied happily. She hugged Minako and Taro in turn. With an outgoing bubbly personality very much like Minako's, she asked the couple, "Don't you want to know my name?"

"Oh! Hai!" Minako giggled. "That's kind of important, isn't it!"

The girl smiled brightly at her. "I'm Ito Emiko. You didn't know that, did you Mommy?"

"No I didn't, but I do now!" Minako laughed. She smiled warmly at her boyfriend who returned her smile, his eyes filled with pride and happiness. "We'll have such a wonderful, beautiful daughter together some day, Minako my love" Taro said, his voice choked with emotion.

Emiko looked over at Akane. "Wasn't that trip here scary, Akane-chan?"

Rei's daughter nodded. "It was, Emiko-chan. But... just a little."

The remaining three couples looked at each other as their suspense mounted. "I wonder who'll be next, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked her boyfriend.

Mamoru gently patted his soul mate's hand. "I'm sure we'll know very soon, Usako."

The remaining seated couples now stood up and moved to the front of the study table. Ami took Ryo's hand, and the young man could feel his girlfriend's fingers trembling as she gently squeezed his hand in hers.

"This is... simply incredible!" Ami whispered to him.

Ryo nodded and was about to reply when the third visitor arrived. Instead of words, the fifteen-year-old boy could only gasp weakly as a girl with short blue hair appeared in the doorway. Her white top and pale blue skirt left no doubt as to the identity of her parents, and several of the other teens laughed at Ami and Ryo's comically widening eyes.

The third child walked up and greeted them softly with a familiar shyness in her soft, melodic young voice. "Konnichiwa, Okaasan. Konnichiwa, Otousan." As the little girl bowed politely to Ami and Ryo, Ami noticed that though her future daughter looked very much like her, the little girl's twinkling blue eyes were a shade darker, similar to Ryo's.

"You haven't met me before, so you don't know my name yet" the child announced. "My name is Urawa Chieko."

"Well?" Usagi grinned, prodding her stunned, motionless friends to react. "Hugs?"

Ami and Ryo both immediately dropped to their knees and held out their arms to the girl in turn. An intense feeling of joy came over the blue-haired teen and her boyfriend as their future daughter hugged them tightly. "It's so wonderful to meet you, Chieko" Ami said through moist eyes as a tear of happiness slid down her face.

"I love you both so very much!" the little girl replied. "But... you look so young!"

"We do?" Ryo asked her. "How old are we when we're with you in your time, Chieko-chan?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy, but... I'm not allowed to tell you that" the child sighed. "Sailor Pluto made us promise not to talk about things like your age in the future. But I'm six."

"Knowing her parents, I think the name you gave her is most appropriate!" Mamoru told the blushing young couple.

"Arigatou, Mamoru-san" Ami replied. She still found it incredibly odd that the young child standing here in front of her and her boyfriend had actually called Ryo daddy. The proud parents-to-be smiled at each other, nearly overcome with emotion.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Chieko spun to face the door and waved at her very best friend who appeared next in the doorway. "Midori-chan!"

After seeing how closely the other children resembled their mothers, Makoto and Yuji had expected much the same. They weren't disappointed, as the little girl who entered the room next stood noticeably taller than the other three children and had exactly the same hairstyle as Makoto's, though the green balls that adorned the tie around her short brown ponytail were somewhat smaller.

Yuji and Makoto glanced at one another unbelievingly as the girl strode up to them with a look of confidence that seemed a little out of place in someone so young.

"Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!" More hugs were exchanged and Makoto's heart melted as her little girl squeezed her tightly.

"Konnichiwa, Midori-chan" the brunette whispered. She noticed that Midori's eyes were brown, just like her boyfriend's, but possessed the same spark of independence that she had developed early on in life.

Noticing that the girl's pale green blouse had a tiny rip on one sleeve, Yuji asked, "What happened to your clothes, Midori-chan?"

His daughter-to-be glanced at the torn fabric. "Oh! Just before we left school to come and see you, Daddy, a boy was teasing Chieko-chan in the playground. He was being really rude to her and he called her a... a nerd!"

"Nani?" Makoto frowned. "Did you tell your sensei about him?"

Her future daughter shook her head. "No, Mommy. I just beat him up!" she beamed proudly.

The entire room broke into laughter and Makoto grinned at her child. "That wasn't very nice, Midori-chan" she admonished, stifling a chuckle while trying her best to sound like a disapproving parent, but failing miserably at it.

"I know" the little girl pouted, staring down at the floor for a moment. "But no one makes fun of my friends!" she exclaimed defiantly. "No one!"

"Not if they want to live to tell about it!" Mamoru laughed. "Mako-chan, I think you're going to have a very spirited young daughter on your hands."

Usagi was gripping Mamoru's hand in hers so tightly, his fingers were beginning to grow numb. "Mamo-chan, our daughter will be next!" she blurted excitedly. But the blonde was surprised to see Sailor Pluto, again in her civilian form, join the group instead of another little girl.

The four children all cried out together, "Setsuna-san!"

"Minna, konnichiwa" the woman replied. "I see everyone has found their parents. Please remember what I told you earlier about not talking about your future lives too much." The little girls all nodded obediently as Setsuna walked up to Usagi and Mamoru.

"Where is our daughter?" Usagi asked the senshi.

"Is there a problem?" Mamoru added with a note of concern.

"Nothing major" the woman replied. "Your child should be along shortly. It appears that she is... reluctant to come."

"But why?" Usagi pressed.

The green-haired young lady sighed. "She's currently somewhat angry at you, Usagi-chan."

"Mad at me? But I haven't even met her yet!" the blonde protested.

"I'm sorry, I meant your future self, not you here" Setsuna corrected her.

"Isn't that typical!" Rei scoffed. "Even in the future, you're annoying and upsetting people, Usagi-chan!"

Usagi glared angrily at her miko friend. "Shut up, Rei-chan!"

"I'm sure the delay is temporary" Setsuna continued. "Please be patient."

"Having patience is not exactly Usagi's strong point" Rei smirked, drawing the expected reaction from her friend.

"Will you be quiet?" the blonde fumed. "I want to see my daughter! Right now!" she added, stomping her foot in frustration.

"Is Usagi still like this in the future, Setsuna-san?" Ami asked.

The woman smiled. "To some extent, yes, but... not nearly as much."

Usagi's face formed a scowl. "Ohh! Why does everyone always pick on me? It's just not fair!"

. . . . .

Author's note: An approximate translation of the girls' names:

Akane: brilliant red

Emiko: beautiful child

Chieko: wise child

Midori: of the color green

---

Chapter 4:

"Will you please calm down, Usagi-chan" Rei said. "No one's picking on you. Why are you always so paranoid about that anyway?"

"It's not fair that you can visit with your daughters, but Mamo-chan and I can't see ours!" the upset blonde replied.

"Well if you hadn't made her so mad at you in the future, she'd probably already be here. Did you even stop to think of that?" Rei grumbled. Seeing her friend's expression go blank, she added, "No, I didn't think so!"

"Setsuna-san, when the kids return to the future, can you take Rei with you too?" Usagi asked. "She's nothing but a grumpy pest here."

"I beg your pardon?" The miko glared back. "If it wasn't for my help, you'd probably be history by now, odango atama!"

"Minna, please." Mamoru gestured to the four little girls who stood quietly beside their parents. "Squabbling like this isn't setting a very good example for the little ones."

"Mamo-chan, it's not my fault that Rei is always so miserable!" Usagi insisted. "I feel bad that a sweet little girl like Akane-chan has to live with her!"

The miko's face flushed red with rage. "Why you arrogant little-!"

Before Rei could finish, Ami quickly reached out and covered Chieko's ears. "Let's all try to wait patiently like Setsuna-san asked us to" she interrupted the miko, her expression begging the feuding girls to stop fighting.

"Oh... all right" Rei relented. "But I'm doing this for you, Ami-chan. Not for her!" Her deep purple eyes regarded Usagi with scorn.

Puzzled at the lengthening delay, Setsuna excused herself from Usagi and Mamoru. "I'll find out what's taking so long for your daughter to arrive, and be back shortly" she promised. "In the meantime, everyone please enjoy the time together with your children. Remember that time is a very precious thing. Mamoru-san, why don't you escort Usagi on a quiet walk around the shrine's grounds? That may help ease the tension."

"An excellent idea, Setsuna-san" Mamoru agreed. Taking his girlfriend's hand, they followed the green-haired young lady from the room, much to a still flustered Hino Rei's relief.

Minako and Taro sat on the floor with their daughter between them. The other couples quickly followed suit, sitting in groups of three and chatting excitedly with their future offspring. "I really like your dress, Emiko-chan" Minako said. "It's very pretty."

"Orange is my favorite color too, Mama" the girl smiled. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you!"

"Do you have any Senshi powers, Emiko-chan?" Taro asked his child.

"Not yet, Daddy" she smiled sweetly at him. "But Sailor Pluto told us we should all get them very soon."

"Let's all hope she doesn't inherit Minako's impulsiveness as well!" Rei joked. "Or her carelessness. A pair of Minakos would drive me completely insane!" Ignoring her blonde friend's frigid glare, she asked her daughter, "Akane-chan, how long will you be staying with us?"

"Until tomorrow, Mama. We wanted to see how you lived when you were younger, so Queen Serenity sent us here to be with you."

"Queen Serenity?" the miko asked, puzzled. "You mean Usagi's mother from the Moon Kingdom?" She glanced toward Ami. "But isn't she..."

"No, Mama. Not her" Akane said. "Usagi-san is our queen in the future."

"Nani?" Rei was stunned. "That idiot odango atama actually becomes our queen?" She looked at Yuuichirou in horror. "We're all doomed!"

"I'm sure Usagi will have matured a lot by then, Rei-chan" Ami reassured the worried miko. "And we'll also have Sailor Pluto to help us."

"We'll need the help!" Rei scoffed, still unconvinced.

"Ah, Rei-chan, we may have a slight problem here" her boyfriend spoke. "How are we going to explain the girls to your grandfather? We certainly can't tell him where they're from or who their parents are!"

"That's a good point" Rei acknowledged with a concerned look. "Any ideas, Ami-chan?"

Her brilliant blue-haired friend pondered the question for a short while. "Well, we could tell him they are from... some other school" she suggested. "And that they've been sent here to learn things from older girls. Perhaps some kind of... field trip?"

"But they look just like us, Ami-chan" Makoto chimed in as she adjusted the green tie in her daughter's hair. "Won't that seem kind of suspicious?" Ami fell silent again, churning the problem over in her mind.

"Hai, they are like little copies of us, Mako-chan" Rei said. "Well, we'll just have to ask Pluto what to do. Our 'Queen Usagi' wouldn't send them here without some kind of cover story... or would she?" The miko frowned deeply. "You know, I bet she would! That royal imbecile didn't think this thing all the way through!" she fumed. "Some Queen! Ha!"

"How about bringing everyone out to my house in Nerima for the night?" Makoto asked.

"Mako-chan, Yuuichirou and I can't just drop everything, run away from the shrine and leave Ojii-chan here all alone. We have obligations!" Suddenly an idea dawned on her. "I still have some old miko clothing packed away from when I was young." She turned to her daughter. "Akane-chan, how would you like to be a trainee miko for a day?"

"Can I, Mommy?" the little girl squealed with delight. "I'd love that!"

"Of course you can, honey" her mother said. "I'm sure I can find something that will fit you."

"I'm going to be a miko!" Akane proudly announced to her friends. "Just like Mommy is!"

"Ami-chan, is your mother working tonight?"

"She is, Rei-chan" Ami replied with an understanding nod. "Ryo-kun and I can take Chieko-chan to my home after Mother leaves for the hospital, and bring her back in the morning before she returns. That should work."

"And Yuji-chan and I can take Midori to my apartment for the night!" Makoto added. "Problem solved!"

"Uh... what about our daughter?" Minako interjected. "My parents are home tonight so we definitely can't stay there."

Before the discussion could go any further, Setsuna returned along with a disappointed-looking Mamoru and Usagi. "It will be just the four of you on this visit, children" she announced. "Chibiusa won't be coming."

"Why not, Setsuna-san?" Emiko asked, also disappointed.

"She's being very uncooperative and stubborn today, so her parents decided it would be for the best to send her some other time" the Senshi told the little blonde.

"Like mother, like daughter" Rei teased.

"Quiet, you!" Usagi yelled, feeling more than a little hurt by the turn of events.

"You'll get to meet her eventually, Usagi-chan" Setsuna reassured the girl. "Don't take it so hard." The blonde muttered something unintelligible to the woman in reply.

To everyone's alarm, Hino-sensei picked that inopportune moment to walk into the room. "Yuuichirou-chan, are you slacking off again?" he growled at his apprentice. "We have visitors... out... side..." His eyes went wide as he noticed the children, and especially the sight of Akane sitting happily between Rei and her boyfriend. The Shinto priest leaned back with his hands on his hips. "Rei-chan, would you mind telling me what's going on?"

Rei looked up at her grandfather like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Uh... konnichiwa, Ojii-chan! I guess you're wondering why these kids are here" she grinned weakly at the old man.

"Now that you mention it, that thought did cross my mind" the priest said, his voice level and emotionless. "Care to explain?"

The miko stared at him. "Explain? Of course I can explain, Ojii-chan! They're... uh... they're just..."

Her diminutive grandfather folded his arms. "Go on."

Setsuna jumped into the conversation, bowing deeply to the Shinto priest. "My name is Meioh Setsuna, Hino-sensei. I represent an organization responsible for the care of these young children and have encountered a slight... ah... transportation problem. Your kind daughter and her friends have volunteered to look after these four sweet souls for the night. They are far from home and in need of a place to rest." She assured him, "They'll be leaving tomorrow and I promise they won't be a burden."

Rei cringed inwardly, not knowing if her wise old grandfather would buy the story. The priest stood silently for a moment, regarding each little girl in turn, and the teenagers who sat beside them. After another long, careful look at Akane, he smiled warmly. "That's very good of you to offer our help, Rei-chan." He next addressed the young woman. "This request is... highly unusual, Meioh-san, but... I think we can manage to look after them for you until tomorrow."

"Domo arigatou, Hino-sensei." Setsuna bowed again. "I knew we could count on the good people of the Hikawa Jinja to help us."

"Yes, certainly" Rei's grandfather said. "We're always glad to be of service here." He faced his apprentice. "Yuuichirou-chan, I'll cover your duties for the remainder of the day. Your new assignment is to help Rei and the other girls take care of these kids. They can sleep in this room tonight, we have plenty of bedding to make them comfortable. Please see to it." He raised an eyebrow, "Do you think you can handle this without making a mess of things the way you so often do?"

"Hai!" the apprentice grinned, nodding briskly. "I've got it covered, Hino-sensei!"

"Good. Then carry on." The old priest rubbed his chin, thinking, 'Am I seeing things, or does every child here look just like... no, it can't be! It's just some odd coincidence." Shaking his head, he left the room. 'Perhaps it's my old age...'

"That was close!" Rei breathed a sigh of relief after he had gone. "Arigatou, Setsuna-san."

"Mommy, who was that?" Akane asked the miko.

"That was my grandfather, honey. Don't you remember him from the future?"

The little girl's forehead wrinkled as she thought for a moment. "Oh! Now I do, Mommy. I remember seeing his picture!"

"His... picture?" The sudden realization hit Rei hard, and she took Yuuichirou's hands tightly in hers. "He's not with us then, Yuuichirou-chan. That means... he's..." The first of several tears slid down her face and the teenage boy comforted his grieving girlfriend with a gentle hug. Usagi hurried over to the miko and also threw her arms around her distraught friend's shoulders.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Akane asked. "Please don't cry."

Mamoru looked questioningly at Setsuna, who shrugged. "That wasn't part of the plan, Mamoru-san."

After Rei had wiped her eyes and collected herself, she looked wordlessly at the blonde standing close by. Usagi cowered, expecting a nasty outburst, but instead Rei smiled at her.

"Arigatou, Usagi-chan" the miko said softly.

"I thought you'd be mad!" Usagi puzzled. "Why are you thanking me?"

"I'm thanking you for reminding me to make the most of the time we still have with our loved ones. Even if that wasn't your intention."

"Oh. You're welcome, Rei-chan" Usagi smiled back.

---

Chapter 5:

Rei took her daughter into another room and rummaged through a closet until she found a box containing her old miko clothing. Selecting the smallest haori and skirt, she helped the little girl change into them. The transformation shocked even her, as the child looked even more like a six-year-old Hino Rei. For the finishing touch, she tied a red ribbon in Akane's raven hair.

"All done" Rei announced. "You're now a miko trainee, Akane-chan."

The girl looked at herself in a nearby mirror. "Mommy, I like this! I have to go show my friends!" The pair returned to the study room, receiving gasps of amazement from everyone.

"That's my daughter!" Yuuichirou announced to everyone with a huge smile. "Doesn't she look fantastic?"

Mamoru whispered to Usagi, "There's one very proud papa, Usako!"

Emiko ran up to her friend. "Are you a real shrine maiden now, Akane-chan?"

"Not yet, Emiko-chan. Today I'm just pretending. But some day I will be!"

"Your grandfather should see how she looks in your old clothes, Rei-chan" Usagi said. "Though he'd probably try to put her to work in the shrine!"

Rei laughed. "That wouldn't surprise me in the least, Usagi-chan." She asked Yuuichirou, "Did you notice the way Ojii-chan was looking at Akane earlier, my love?"

Her boyfriend replied, "Hai, I did. For a minute there, it seemed like he made the connection between us and Akane. I saw something in his eyes."

"I thought so too" Rei mused. "Sometimes I get the feeling that he knows I'm Sailor Mars, though he's never mentioned it."

"Rei-chan, could I borrow a needle and thread?" Makoto asked. "That little rip in Midori's top is bugging me."

"I have a sewing basket, Mako-chan. Let me get it for you."

After Rei disappeared into the other room to fetch the basket, Makoto tried again to be a good example to her daughter. "Midori-chan, fighting isn't always the best way to settle things" she lectured her child. "Sometimes talking is better. You can't keep hitting boys every time they make you upset. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Mommy" her daughter replied reluctantly.

Minako's giggling caused both females to stare at the blonde. "What?" Makoto asked, grinning. "What's so funny, Minako-chan?"

"I never thought I'd hear you say those words, Mako-chan" Minako said. "You must be getting soft!" Nearby, Ami hid her own giggle behind a hand.

"Who, me? Soft?" Makoto scoffed. "No chance!"

"Hai! No chance!" Midori parroted while placing her hands defiantly on her hips, causing Minako and Ami to giggle even more.

Makoto regarded her daughter with a wry grin. "Don't listen to what oba Minako is saying, honey. There's a right time for everything, including fighting, but you should always try to settle things peacefully if you can."

"Soft!" Minako repeated, cackling evilly.

Makoto glared back at her. "If you say that about me one more time, I'll-"

"Now that's more like our Mako-chan!" Usagi laughed along with Mamoru, just as Rei returned to the room carrying a small wicker basket. As Makoto thanked her and set to work mending her daughter's clothes, Ami turned her attention back to her own daughter, who had been sitting quietly chatting with Ryo.

"Chieko honey, do other children pick on you very often?"

"Not too much, Mommy" her child answered. "But sometimes at recess when I'm sitting alone and reading a book, they make fun of me."

The blue-haired girl sighed, remembering the similar treatment she had suffered through in earlier years. "There's nothing wrong with reading and improving your mind, Chieko-chan. It's actually quite important. Try not to let the bad behaviour of other kids bother you."

"I'll try, Mama" her daughter replied. "I love to learn new things."

"Just like her parents" Taro chuckled. "Another genius in the making!"

The little blue-haired girl blushed at the compliment. "Setsuna-san told me you and Daddy are the best students in the whole country, Mama. I hope I can be smart like you some day."

"I'm sure you will be just like them if you keep on studying, Chieko-chan" Minako said.

The little girl's face turned pale. "Mama, Minako-san said a naughty word!"

Ami looked at her daughter in puzzlement. "Studying isn't a bad word, Chieko-chan."

"But... Akane-chan said that's how you and Daddy made me. By... studying!"

Ami and Ryo's faces flushed bright crimson, followed immediately after by Rei and Yuuichirou's.

"Akane-chan, where did you learn that?" the miko gasped.

"That's what you told me, Mama" her daughter said. "You said that's how I was made too. After you and Daddy were studying one weekend."

Mamoru chuckled, "They learn these things so young in the future, don't they Rei-chan?"

The red-faced miko stuttered, "But I didn't mean... not in that way... oh, forget it!"

"Mama, if I study a lot, will I have a baby too some day?" Chieko asked her mother innocently.

"Oh my!" Ami blushed even more deeply, hiding her face in her hands. Beside her, Ryo shifted uncomfortably on the floor, not saying a word.

"Uh... how about we all make plans for this afternoon?" Yuji suggested in a valiant attempt to change the subject and spare his friends any further embarrassment. "Mako-chan my love, isn't there an amusement park in Tokyo that's open today?"

"That's right, honey. It's called Juuban Land." Makoto paused her stitching to address the group, "Would anyone else like to go there? They have rides and food and fun games."

"Hai hai!" Usagi blurted. "I'll go!"

"I think she was asking the children, Usagi-chan" Rei laughed. "But now that I think of it, you're the biggest child here! You're certainly the most immature!" The miko ignored Usagi's scowl. "That's a great idea, Mako-chan. After Yuuichirou and I take Akane on a little tour around the shrine, we'll go with you."

After everyone else agreed on the outing, Mamoru told Usagi, "I guess I'm not needed if our daughter isn't coming today, and my work is piling up at the university. Would you mind if I skipped this trip, Usako?"

"But Mamo-chan, it won't be nearly as much fun without you!" Usagi wailed. "Please come with us!" She leaned against his shoulder, looking coyly up at him while sweetly batting her big blue eyes. "Please!"

"Ok, Usako" Mamoru grinned. "You talked me into it!"

.. .. ..

With a parent on either side holding her hands, Akane strolled around the Hikawa shrine's courtyard, much to the delight of the guests and tourists.

"Oh! So kawaii!" A visitor from nearby Yokohama asked the young family if she could take their picture, and Rei agreed. Posing beside one of the stone koma-inu lions that flanked the entrance, the happily family was all smiles for the camera. A beaming Yuuichirou slipped an arm around Rei, with their daughter standing proudly in front of them in her miko clothing.

Standing unnoticed under a nearby elm tree, Rei's grandfather watched with amusement, after returning from a very special fire-reading of his own. 'So that really is my future great-granddaughter' he thought with a smile. 'I guess Yuuichirou is good for something after all!' Chuckling to himself, he continued watching the young family a little while longer before turning away.

The woman snapped several pictures and thanked the family before moving on. "Rei-chan, do you think Setsuna-san would object if everyone kept pictures of their children?" Yuuichirou asked. "It may be a long time before we see our Akane again."

"I'll ask her before we go to Juuban Land, my love" the miko replied. "Thanks to Usagi's clumsiness on the resort trip we took last year, I don't have a camera anymore. They have a picture booth at the amusement park, though. We can take photos there."

Inside the shrine's living quarters, Setsuna came forward from where she had been standing in the background. "I must return to my duties now" she told Usagi and Mamoru. "I'll return sometime later tonight to check on the children."

"Setsuna-san, I have a question" Usagi said quietly. "Why did I... I mean the future me, send everyone's daughters to see us today? Why not sooner, or some time after we're a little older?"

"This meeting could not take place until all of the Senshi had found their true loves, Usagi-chan" the green-haired young lady explained. "You and your friends are in a quiet period of your lives, now that the Dark Kingdom has been destroyed. This is the safest time for the children to visit."

The odangoed-blonde frowned. "Does that mean there'll be more battles ahead for the Sailor Senshi?"

"I have said too much as it is. Before this quiet time is over, you and Mamoru will also meet your daughter. If difficult times should come to you, remember your children. Their futures, as well as yours and possibly that of the entire world, are what you will be fighting to safeguard."

"Will you help us?" Usagi asked with concern. "And are there other Senshi we haven't met yet?"

"The flowing river of time will reveal all in due course" Sailor Pluto replied cryptically with a wave of her hand. "Please keep one very important thing in mind, Usagi-chan. Even though these children are with you now, your futures and theirs are not set in stone. If your lives should proceed down a path of defeat due to interference from your enemies, these young ones and the lives you would have shared with them may all cease to exist."

The worried blonde wanted to ask another question, but Setsuna would say no more. Bidding everyone a temporary farewell, she quietly left the room.

Usagi looked at the little girls and their proud, happy parents. 'We won't let them down, Sailor Pluto' she vowed to herself. 'I'll do whatever it takes to make our beautiful dreams come true.'

---

Chapter 6:

The city bus eased to a stop at the front gate of Juuban Land and discharged its passengers, with Usagi hastily pulling Mamoru onto the sidewalk behind the four young families. "This is going to be so much fun, Mamo-chan!"

"Slow down, Usako. You're going to tear my arm off!" Mamoru laughed, his girlfriend nearly as excited as the four children they were helping escort.

"I want to go on the rides!" Usagi blurted, then instantly changed her mind. "No! I want to eat something first, then go on the rides!"

"Usagi-chan, try to contain yourself this time, ok?" Rei said, glancing over her shoulder at the indecisive blonde. "Last time we came here, you ended up screaming like a monkey. Try to act like an adult for once."

"But that ride was so scary, Rei-chan! I couldn't help myself!"

"Scary? You were on a ferris wheel!" the miko scoffed. "You refused to go on the really good rides, remember?"

"Mommy, I want to ride the scariest thing they have!" Akane announced bravely. "Something that goes really fast!"

"Like mother, like daughter!" Yuuichirou chuckled.

"I guess I'll be the only one going with you on that ride, Akane-chan" Rei replied while smirking at her boyfriend. "Daddy doesn't like going fast."

"Hai, when we're together in the future, Daddy always drives like a turtle" Akane giggled. "Not like you, Mommy!" On the other side of her daughter, Yuuichirou grinned sheepishly as the family strolled through the gate.

The group hadn't gone far before Usagi spotted a game that involved throwing a ball through a small opening, with colorful stuffed animal prizes hung on display around the booth. "Minna, I'm going to try this! It should be easy for me since I'm an expert at throwing things!" she boasted.

"Hai. Like throwing a tantrum" Rei muttered. "Go on then, let's see what you can do."

The blonde picked up the first of three offered balls and aimed for the small hole in the target board at the rear of the booth. "Watch this!" The first ball struck near the hole and bounced away. "Ohh! This is a lot harder than it looks!" Usagi grumbled. Her next attempt also missed, making the attendant duck as the ball whizzed past his head. "Gomen nasai!" the flustered blonde apologized to the man as her friends laughed behind her.

"You're supposed to aim at the target, Usagi-chan, not the people working here!" Minako picked up the wayward ball and handed it back to the attendant.

"Quiet, Minako-chan! I can't concentrate if you keep chattering so much!" Usagi focused on the distant opening, her eyes narrowing in grim determination. "I'll get it this time!" Pulling her arm back, she flung the ball as hard as she possibly could toward the opening. The last throw slipped from her hands and went completely wild, ricocheting off a post and knocking a small prize off its hook onto the ground. "This game is impossible!" she fumed.

The attendant retrieved the fallen toy and presented it to her. "That's the first time anyone has ever knocked a prize down by accident!" he laughed. "So this is yours."

Usagi took the tiny pink elephant and held it up victoriously for all to see. "Minna, I won!"

"You didn't win. You cheated!"

"Did not, Rei-chan!"

Before their bickering could escalate any further, Taro suggested, "How about we all go on a ride. That one looks like fun, doesn't it Emiko-chan?" He pointed to a large boat in the style of an old pirate ship that sat nearby.

"Can we, Daddy?" Emiko bounced excitedly beside him.

"Sure, honey" Taro said. "You're tall enough. Who'd like to join us?"

The other three little girls all chimed in together. "Me!"

Most of the group headed toward the boat, but Usagi hesitated. "That ride doesn't look very safe, Mamo-chan."

Rei spun around and grabbed the nervous blonde's free arm, dragging her along with them. "Come on, you big baby. We're all in this together." She looked down at the tiny stuffed elephant in Usagi's quivering hand. "Are you going to have your trophy mounted on the wall when you get home?"

"Shut up, Rei-chan!"

Everyone climbed aboard, with Usagi and Mamoru sharing the rearmost seat. A worker lowered a metal bar across their lap and locked it in place, causing the girl to squirm nervously. "What's this for, Mamo-chan? Is it a handle?"

"That keeps you from falling out, Usako."

"Falling out? Mamo-chan, I don't think I'm going to like this ride!" Her words came too late, as the boat began gently inching forward. "Aahh! It's moving!"

In the seat directly in front of her, Makoto grinned at Yuji. "She thinks this feels bad? Just wait until this thing really gets going!"

As the ride's motion gradually increased, the children all held their hands in the air, squealing with delight. Even normally subdued Ami and Ryo became caught up in the fun, holding Chieko's hands up and screaming as the boat rocked forward and back until it was nearly vertical.

Usagi would have none of it, crushing her little stuffed elephant beneath her palm as she clenched the safety bar in a death-grip, her eyes squeezed tightly closed. "Mamo-chan, please make it stop!"

"I can't, Usako" he said above the children's delighted squeals. "Just relax, it'll be over soon. If you open your eyes, you won't feel so dizzy."

His girlfriend compromised, opening one eye just as the boat reached its highest point and began plunging downward. Usagi's body lifted from its seat, becoming weightless for an instant. The panicked blonde's scream could be heard all over the park. "Aaaahhh!" Usagi's two long braids of hair streamed behind her odango as the boat whooshed down, then upward around its pivot.

After another minute of rocking, the ride began to slow and finally came to rest at the exit stairway. The other families climbed out, leaving Usagi and Mamoru behind. "You can let go of the bar now, Usako" Mamoru prompted her. "The ride's over." He helped pry Usagi's hands free and escorted the wobbly, white-faced girl down the steps where they met Rei and their other friends at the bottom.

"Did you like that?" the miko was asking her daughter.

"Hai! It was really fun, Mommy!"

"It wasn't fun at all" Usagi wheezed. "It was terrifying!" She hung onto a nearby railing to steady herself. "And it made me flatten my elephant too! Ohh, it's ruined now!"

After allowing the shaken blonde a brief rest to calm herself, the couples and their children wandered deeper into the amusement park. Having regained her composure, Usagi spotted a booth selling pink and blue cotton candy on a stick. "I want the pink kind!" She hurried over and bought a huge clump, munching on it vigorously.

"Can I have some too, Mommy?" Chieko asked hopefully.

"It isn't very good for your teeth, Chieko-chan, but an occasional treat shouldn't hurt if you always brush properly afterwards" Ami relented, purchasing a stick of the blue-colored sugary snack for her daughter and presenting it to her.

"Arigatou, Mommy!" Chieko took a bite and smiled happily. "I love you! And Daddy too!"

"We love you too, Chieko honey." Ami squeezed Ryo's hand as the warmth in her heart for their little girl made the studious teen's eyes mist. "So very, very much."

The other children also received cotton candy and devoured it as they strolled through the park. As they were finishing, Minako spied a ride that hadn't been there the last time she had visited Juuban Land. "Taro-chan, they have bumper cars! We just have to take Emiko on them!"

"Please, Daddy!" his daughter begged. "I want to drive a bumper car!"

"I think you want to drive one even more than Emiko does, Minako-chan!" Taro chuckled. "Those cars look a little too small for me, darling. Why don't you take Emiko on the ride while I watch from here."

"Are you sitting this one out, Usagi-chan?" Rei teased as she and Akane walked past, heading toward the cars. "I wouldn't want you to overdo it after your death defying boat ride!"

Usagi glared at her. "I'm going on them too, Rei-chan, and you'd better be ready to get bumped good and hard!" the blonde retorted. The tiny cars could only seat two, so the girls boarded with their daughters while their boyfriends stood watching them behind the wall.

"How does it work, Mommy?" Midori asked after they were buckled in.

"Can you reach that pedal, Midori-chan?" Makoto pointed. "When you press it the car moves, but remember you have to steer where you want to go."

Her daughter grasped the wheel and smiled happily up at her mother. "Ok! I'm ready!"

With everyone in place, a bell rang and the cars lurched away. "Mommy, I'm driving!" Midori laughed. She spun the steering wheel and their car turned sharply. Suddenly they felt a firm jolt, and Makoto looked back to see Minako and Emiko behind them, the older blonde grinning wickedly.

"Got you, Mako-chan!" They pulled around the two brunettes and Makoto could hear Minako giving her daughter instructions. "Next we have to hit Ami and Chieko. That should be easy enough!" Their car buzzed past as they headed toward their next target.

"I hope you never drive a real car like that, Minako-chan!" Makoto yelled after them. 'But you probably will' she thought wryly.

A short distance away, Ami and her daughter were carefully threading their way between several randomly weaving cars, with Chieko steering. "You're doing great, honey" the older girl encouraged the younger. "Let's see how long we can last before someone hits us." Ami glanced around and spotted Minako and Emiko's car zooming straight at them like a hungry shark approaching its victim. "Turn left, Chieko-chan!"

Her daughter obediently spun the steering wheel and they swerved away just in time. The two blondes shot past and ran into the wall with a firm thump. Ami looked over her shoulder, smiling sweetly as Minako made a sour face at the blue-haired girls. "Looks like someone forgot who the real drivers are!" Ami said, feeling quite proud of her young daughter. Chieko gave her mother a big smile in reply.

Nearby, Usagi was weaving desperately left then right, struggling to shake the duo relentlessly closing in from behind. 'Rei isn't bumping me!' she thought. The blonde glanced back to see the miko and her daughter both grinning maniacally at her as they closed in. 'She's making Akane-chan evil, just like her!'

"We've almost got her, Akane-chan!" the miko laughed from the pursuing car. "Usagi can run but she won't get away from us!"

Leaning against the barrier, the five teenage males looked on as spectators to the action inside. "I never thought bumper cars was such a competitive game until now" Taro laughed. "The girls are really taking it seriously!"

"Ami and Chieko just dodged a bullet, but Rei and Akane look really determined to run into Usagi" his brother added, unwittingly sounding like an announcer at a sporting event.

"Come on, Rei-chan! You can do it, Akane-chan! Bump into her!" Yuuichirou cheered them on as he leaned over the wall. He suddenly had the feeling he was being watched and turned to see Mamoru peering at him curiously. The apprentice's face reddened and he mumbled apologetically, "Uh, sorry Mamoru-san. I just got caught up in the action."

"No problem" Mamoru grinned back. The eighteen-year-old university freshman grimaced as he watched Rei and Akane finally strike their target, jolting his girlfriend hard against her seatbelt.

"Baka!" Usagi yelled at the laughing pair. "I'll get whiplash because of you!"

"It's not our fault you don't know how to drive, odango atama!" Rei answered tauntingly.

"Ohh! I'll remember this, Rei-chan!"

---

Chapter 7:

"Well that was embarrassing" Rei sighed as the young families waited for a bus outside the amusement park. "Usagi-chan, remind me never to come here with you ever again!"

Her friend stared disdainfully at the miko from a nearby bench where she sat gently rubbing her stomach. "This was totally your fault, Rei-chan! If you hadn't forced me to go on that stupid roller coaster, I wouldn't have gotten sick!"

"You can't blame Rei for this one, Usagi-chan" Minako said in the raven-haired girl's defense. "All that junk food and soda you ate before going on the ride certainly didn't help." She laughed, "Throwing up on your boyfriend was kind of funny though! I feel really bad for Mamoru-san."

"Hai, Minako-chan, I guess it was funny, if you have a sick sense of humor!" Makoto chuckled. "Poor Mamoru!" Standing close beside the brunette and holding her hand, Midori clutched a huge stuffed giraffe that Yuji had won for her in a shooting game.

"Ohh... please don't say the word sick anymore, Mako-chan!" Usagi groaned. "I feel terrible about what I did to my Mamo-chan!"

"Are you heading home to rest, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked.

"No, I still want to see the children more, Ami-chan. I'll be fine by the time we get back to Rei's shrine."

"Please don't be sick there too" Rei begged. "And if you are, try not to throw up on Ojii-chan!" Yuuichirou snickered as he pictured the scene in his mind, receiving a stern glare and a sharp prod in the ribs from his girlfriend. "Yuuichirou-chan, don't you dare even think about that!"

"Sorry my love!" the apprentice apologized, though he continued grinning.

Ryo returned from quick visit to a nearby convenience store and handed Usagi a small box of tissues. "Take these, Usagi-chan. Just in case you feel sick on the bus."

"Arigatou, Ryo-chan." The blonde opened the box and pulled out a tissue, loudly blowing her nose in it.

Rei sadly shook her head. "There sits our future queen!" she muttered, waving her hand derisively at the odango-haired girl. "If our future turns out to be anything like today, I for one am in no hurry to see it. You know, I think I'd make a much better queen than her."

"Rei-chan! That's... mutiny!" Usagi yelled.

"Baka! We're not on a ship, how can it be mutiny?" the miko shot back.

Minako's eyes glimmered. "I could do it!" She smiled at her daughter. "Don't you think I'd make a good queen, Emiko-chan? We'd live in a huge palace with servants and everything!"

"That would be nearly as bad!" Rei now directed her rant at the other teenage blonde. "Sure, you'd live in a palace for a little while, Minako-chan. Until you blew it up!"

"Rei isn't one to forget your past mistakes, darling!" Taro laughed.

"I can't forget Minako-chan's disasters, Taro-chan" the miko grumbled. "Even though there were so many of them!"

"Rei-chan, please calm down" Ami urged the miko, who was becoming more and more upset as she remembered the disastrous day Minako helped out at the shrine. "What's done is done, we should all try to move on and forget any past... problems." A bus pulled up to the stop and its door hissed open. After a brief and uneventful ride, the group settled themselves in back at the Hikawa shrine, minus Mamoru who had gone home to change.

"Minna, that afternoon in the fresh spring air has given me an appetite for some real food. How about I whip up something nice and healthy for everyone?" Makoto offered. "You don't mind if I borrow your kitchen, Rei-chan?"

"Go right ahead" the miko agreed. "I'm sure you remember where everything is."

"Mommy, can I help too?" Midori asked excitedly. "I can show you all the things you taught me about cooking in the future!"

"Your daughter certainly is a little copy of you, Mako-chan" Taro complimented her.

"Hai. She's a lot like me when when I was a kid. The biggest difference is, thankfully she still has her parents..." Makoto's voice trailed off as a hint of sadness crept into her voice. She quickly shook off the unpleasant thought and smiled warmly at her daughter. "Ok, Midori honey, let's see what you've learned about cooking from the future me!" The little girl set aside her stuffed giraffe and nodded happily. Makoto took her child's hand and together with Yuji, the young family disappeared into the kitchen.

Ami sat listening to Ryo chat with Chieko about her schoolwork for a few moments, then caught Rei's attention. "Rei-chan, your grandfather said the children can stay here tonight" Ami mentioned, "but I don't think he's expecting our boyfriends to sleep over as well. I hate to think they can't stay with us all night, but if they do, it may pose a problem for him."

"I was just thinking of that, Ami-chan" the miko replied. "It would be a little awkward for Ojii-chan to accept."

"Yuji and I can't stay over anyway, my love" Taro told his disappointed girlfriend. "Our parents are expecting us back later tonight. How about we hang around as long as we can and catch the last train back to Nerima? We'll return on the very first train tomorrow morning."

Minako's happy mood faded. "Do you really have to go, my Taro-chan? I'll miss you so much!" She slipped her arms around him and kissed him deeply, prompting giggles from their daughter and the other little girls.

Chieko looked at Ami with wide, innocent eyes. "Mama, are they... studying?"

The blue-haired teen's face reddened. "Chieko honey, later on your father and I have to have a little talk with you about... that."

"Hey, you two!" Usagi scolded Minako and Taro. "There are little kids here! Don't get so mushy!"

"Sorry, Usagi-chan!" Minako said breathlessly after her lips reluctantly parted from Taro's. "We got a little carried away!" she grinned.

Rei frowned at the blonde before glancing at her wristwatch. "We still have another couple of hours before the guys have to leave. Let's make the most of it." She glanced at Yuuichirou before asking her daughter, "Akane honey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Mommy!"

"I know Sailor Pluto won't let you say too much about the future, but what is life like then? Do we still live at the shrine?"

"Hai, sometimes we do. But we live in another place too" her daughter answered.

"Oh? What other place do we live at?" the curious miko pressed.

"Is it Queen Serenity's palace?" Minako asked the little girl.

"I'm... not supposed to say." The child looked down at the floor, frowning. "Sorry, Mommy."

"That's ok, honey" the miko said soothingly. "I don't want you to tell us anything you shouldn't." Rei gently took her daughter's small hands in hers. "As long as we're together, that's the important thing."

"Hai, we're all together!" Akane brightened. "You and Daddy and me, and all our friends, and Sailor Pluto, and S... and some other people too."

"Other people?" Ami leaned into Ryo, whispering in his ear, "I wonder if she means other Senshi?"

"We'd better not ask" her boyfriend replied quietly. "I wouldn't want the children to get in any trouble with Setsuna-san." Ami nodded, though her mind pondered who these mysterious others could be.

"It looks like tonight will be a mother and daughter-only sleepover, Yuuichirou-chan. Before you call it a night later, would you help me find our spare sheets and blankets? I think there's a couple of spare tatami mats in the hall closet we can use."

"I'd be happy to give up my bed for one of the kids, Rei my love" the apprentice volunteered.

"It wouldn't be right to have some of them sleeping in beds and others on the floor. But thanks for offering, honey" Rei replied. "The only fair way would be for all of us girls to spend the night together here." She glared across the room at Usagi. "Are you staying here overnight too, Usagi-chan? You know you don't have to. Maybe it's best you went home, so everyone else can get a good rest without listening to your horrible snoring. You're louder than the bus we rode here on."

Usagi had picked up Midori's giraffe and now waved its head at her friend. "What are you talking about, Rei-chan?" she asked, haughtily raising her nose in the air. "I happen to be a princess, and princesses do not snore!"

"Oh yes they do!" Rei, Minako and Ami all answered together.

"Well... I'm staying anyway!" Usagi decided. "I like spending time with the kids."

"Fine, stay if you want. But if you keep us awake, you're not going to like what happens" Rei warned.

Usagi casually shrugged off the miko's threat. "Whatever. Anyway, now that I'm feeling better, I'm really thirsty!" she announced. "Rei-chan, do you have any soda or juice?"

"But of course, Your Majesty!" Rei replied sarcastically. "Can you manage to find the kitchen all by yourself, or would you like your humble servant to fetch you something?" She gave the blonde a short, stiff bow.

Usagi stuck her tongue out. "Don't bother getting up. I'll help myself."

"You're beyond help, Usagi-chan."

"There you go again! Sometimes I think you really don't like me very much!"

Offended at Usagi's remark, Rei replied, "You know that isn't true, Usagi-chan. Even though you constantly find new ways to drive me crazy, we are and always will be best friends."

"Really?" the blonde smiled. "You mean that?"

"Really, we are" the miko affirmed. "If we weren't, I'd have thrown you out of the shrine a long time ago."

"Arigatou, Rei-chan!"

Usagi wandered off to find something to quench her thirst, not hearing Rei mutter, "Though I admit there are some days I'd still like to."

---

Chapter 8:

Usagi's eyes lit up the moment Makoto reappeared in the study room bearing small bowls of Nikujaga. Her daughter and Yuji followed carrying two trays of temari-zushi and a large handful of chopsticks. "Minna, enjoy!" the brunette announced. "Everyone help yourself, there's extra in the kitchen if you'd like more. Sorry we didn't make anything fancier." The kids gathered around the table with their parents sitting behind them, and tucked into the food.

"Those sushi balls are fancy, Mako-chan!" Usagi said, popping one of the colorful sesame-seed garnished temari-zushi into her mouth. "And they're so delicious too! Arigatou!"

"Don't thank me, Usagi-chan. Midori made those" Makoto replied proudly. "She's a very good cook for a six-year-old!" she said, smiling at her daughter.

"You've taught her well in the future, Mako-chan. The skill to make delicious dishes like these must run in your family" Taro complimented her, producing a pair of blushes from the two brunettes. "Too bad Yuji could never make food like this at home!" he teased his younger brother. "His stuff's awful!"

"Well at least I didn't set fire to the top of the stove like you did that time, Taro-chan" Yuji grinned back. "You nearly burned the house down!"

Minako's seventeen-year-old boyfriend blushed red. "Let's not mention that, Yuji-chan" Taro mumbled.

"You had a cooking accident, Taro my love?" Minako asked. "Isn't that a coincidence! I've done that too... a few times!" she giggled.

"Poor little Emiko! She's going to starve to death if she has to depend on you two to prepare her meals" Rei teased the couple.

"I won't be hungry, Rei-san" their daughter said. "Whenever Mommy and Daddy's food isn't very good, I just go to Midori's home to eat!"

Minako and Taro looked at each other before hanging their heads in shame as their friends laughed. "Don't worry, honey" Minako earnestly promised her little girl. "Mommy is taking cooking lessons from Mako-chan. I'll get much better at it in time."

"Don't count on it" Rei muttered. She pointed at Usagi. "Maybe our future queen over there can loan you her royal chef, Minako-chan."

Usagi suggested, "Now that you mention it, since I'll be a queen in the future, I think I should start practicing my duties."

"Oh?" Rei asked. "How were you planning on doing that, Usagi-chan? Are you going to make an official decree announcing that today is 'throw up on your boyfriend' day?"

"Not funny, Rei-chan!" Usagi paused her munching long enough to glare evilly at her friend. "Actually, I think today should become 'be nice to Usagi' day. On second thought, one day is too short for something that important. I'll make it a whole year!"

"Ha! Like that'll ever happen!" the miko scoffed. "While you're at it, your hungry royal highness, why don't you ease up a little on the food? Mako-chan made enough for everyone, assuming we're all normal people with normal appetites. That obviously doesn't apply to you."

"Hmph! Just wait until I become queen, Rei-chan! We'll see if you're still saying all those mean things about me then!" The blonde backed up her threat with a savage bite on a rice ball.

"I wonder if the Dark Kingdom will ever come back?" Rei mused. "Too bad we destroyed it, maybe the rest of us should have joined them instead. It would probably be less stressful than living under the rule of Queen Odango Atama!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Rei-chan?" Usagi scowled. "I bet you'd love to be the next Beryl too! You're already evil enough!"

"Would you both please not bicker so much in front of the children?" Ami begged the feuding duo. "They are at an impressionable age and your behavior may set a bad example for them."

"Ok, Ami-chan" Rei sighed. "I'll try. But only if Usagi doesn't let this queen business go to her head. She's difficult enough to put up with already."

"Jealous!"

"Don't be rediculous! And don't talk with your mouth full, Usagi-chan" Rei grumbled. "While you're at it, don't talk at all!"

"Please!" Ami pleaded. "The children are listening!"

A soft scratching noise at the study room's door caught the miko's attention, and Rei walked over and slid it open to reveal two cats sitting in the hall. The children spotted them and squealed happily as they padded into the room.

"Luna! Artemis! Konnichiwa!" Akane greeted them excitedly.

Yuji and Taro both peered at the new arrivals curiously. "Rei-chan, I didn't know you had pets" Taro said, not having met them before. "They're cute little things, aren't they? I really like the white one." As the felines approached the brothers, both teenagers noticed a prominent gold crescent moon pattern in the fur of their foreheads. Yuji and Taro shared a puzzled glance.

"How does Akane know your cats' names, Rei-chan?" Yuji asked. "Are they from the future too?"

"They're not mine, Yuji-chan" Rei told him with a smile.

Becoming even more puzzled, Yuji looked across the table at Yuuichirou, who was also grinning widely at him for some unknown reason. "Are these the guardians you told me about at Mako-chan's house, Yuuichirou-chan? I thought you were talking about people, not animals."

"I think it's time for some introductions" Luna said after eyeing the two brothers and the little girls.

"It talked! That cat talked!" Taro's face turned as white as a sheet. "Yuji-chan, tell me I'm not crazy!"

Nearby, his brother looked on in disbelief. "I'm glad you heard that, Taro-chan! I thought I was going insane!"

"You're not going insane, my love." Makoto squeezed his hand. "And you're not hearing things either!"

"Ito Taro, Ito Yuji, may I present Luna and Artemis" Yuuichirou said, waving an arm toward the two felines with an exaggerated flourish. He chuckled at the boys' stunned expressions. "That's exactly how I must have looked when I met them the first time!"

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you both again" Luna said. "You were the only two boys in the entire Moon Kingdom who were able to win Makoto and Minako's hearts."

"Artemis is the white one and he's mine, Taro-chan" Minako said, reaching out and scratching under her cat's chin. "Luna is Usagi's guardian."

"But... cats...! What?" Taro faltered. His brother sat with wide eyes and mouth agape, staring transfixed at the new arrivals.

"They were with us during the time of the Silver Millennium" Usagi explained. "When my mother sent us into the future, she sent them along too, to help us become Sailor Senshi again." She grinned at the astonished boys. "We didn't tell you about them before now because we all wanted it to be a big surprise."

"It's definitely a surprise, Usagi-chan! That's for sure!" Yuji gasped.

"Speaking of surprises, Luna and I haven't met your future daughters" Artemis said. "Though they certainly seem to know us."

"We know you very well" Chieko confirmed. "You're with us in the future too."

"I see" the white cat said. "You have to be Ami and Ryo's child."

The beaming young parents-to-be nodded. "This is Urawa Chieko, Artemis" Ami told him.

"It's good to meet you, Chieko-chan." Artemis took a few steps nearer, looking back and forth between her and Ami. "The similarity between you and your mother is amazing!"

"All of them look so much like their mothers" Luna agreed. A round of introductions followed while Yuji and Taro sat quietly nearby, trying hard to absorb this incredible new twist in their lives.

"Where's Diana?" Emiko suddenly asked Luna. "She's not with you?"

"Hush, Emiko-chan!" Midori placed a finger to her lips. "Maybe they don't know about her yet!"

"Oops! Gomen nasai!" the little blonde apologized.

"Diana?" Artemis looked at Luna. "Who's Diana?"

"I have no idea, Artemis" the female cat said. "I'm sure we'll find out eventually."

"Luna, I'm really mad at you!" Usagi glowered angrily at her mentor. "Why didn't you tell us about Sailor Pluto before? And you didn't mention Taro and Yuji either! It's not nice to keep big important secrets like that from us!"

"We only remembered Pluto after we met her earlier today, Usagi-chan" Luna answered in a perturbed, squeaky voice. "And we didn't know when Makoto and Minako would meet their boyfriends again, so it wouldn't have been right to mention them to you or the other girls."

"Well... thanks for nothing!" the blonde scowled. "Who else are you forgetting to tell us about?"

"No one we can recall at the moment" her feline companion admitted.

"I don't believe you! Fine, Luna. Keep your stupid secrets!" Usagi miffed. "And I thought cats were supposed to have good memories."

"You're thinking of elephants, Usagi-chan" Ami corrected her. "They have excellent memories."

"I'm so glad you're not an elephant, Artemis!" Minako joked. "Where on earth would I keep you?"

"You and me both, Minako-chan" Luna said as the white cat smiled at her.

Everyone quickly became silent as Rei's grandfather stuck his head into the room. "The shrine is closed for the day, Rei-chan" the diminutive priest announced. "Mind if I see the children again?" Without waiting for her reply, he walked up to Akane. "My, but you're a pretty little girl. You remind me so much of Rei when she was your age." He looked at the raven-haired young child closely, his eyes softening as he regarded his granddaughter's future offspring smiling sweetly back at him.

Rei and Yuuichirou exchanged worried glances as the old priest sat down beside them. "Uh... Ojii-chan, is the front gate locked?" Rei asked, hoping he had forgotten.

"It is, Rei-chan."

"Have you had your dinner yet, Hino-sensei?" Makoto queried the elderly man. "There's still a little food left over in the kitchen if you'd like to have it. I'd be happy to warm it up for you."

"Arigatou, but I'm good, Mako-chan. Perhaps later."

"Sensei, what about the trash bins? Have they been emptied yet?"

"Yuuichirou-chan, everything's taken care of!" came the stern reply. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you don't want me here! I'd just like to visit with the children for a few minutes."

"Nani? No, that's not it!" his apprentice fibbed. "I'm just making sure that... uh... that the shrine work is all caught up, that's all."

The old man peered skeptically at his apprentice. "What's gotten into you, boy? You never cared about the shrine this much before."

"Well... it's not too late to start."

"No, I suppose not" the priest chuckled. He remembered his earlier fire reading, and what it had shown him about the children. Still undecided on whether to reveal his knowledge, the priest looked earnestly at his granddaughter. "Rei-chan... I should tell you something."

"Yes, Ojii-chan?" He could hear the nervousness in her voice and hesitated.

"I... ah... never mind" he said, abruptly changing his mind. "I'll... tell you later."

The crowded room became even more so as Setsuna appeared in the doorway. "Minna, konnichiwa." She strode up to the priest and bowed deeply, and he stood and bowed in return. "Thank you again for allowing the children to stay the night, Hino-sensei. I hope they haven't been any bother for you so far."

"No trouble at all, Meiou-san. I'm honored to have them stay here with us."

"Setsuna-san, we went to the amusement park today!" Akane told the Senshi.

"Oh? Did you enjoy yourselves?"

"Hai! It was so much fun!" Rei's daughter exclaimed. "But we had to leave early when Usagi-san got sick on Mamoru-san."

The dark-green-haired young lady tried her hardest not to laugh as Usagi's expression turned sour.

"I was trying to forget about that!" the blonde moaned. "Like mother, like daughter, I suppose. Isn't that right, Rei-chan?" An instant after the words escaped her lips, Usagi realized her mistake.

Rei's grandfather spun around, leaning toward the flustered blonde with his hands clasped behind his back. "Gomen nasai, Usagi-chan? Mother and daughter? Who are you talking about?"

Rei and Yuuichirou looked on, horrified, as Usagi groaned under her breath, 'Oh no! I've really done it this time!'

---

Chapter 9:

"Uh... what I meant was..." Completely at a loss for words, Usagi shot a wide-eyed, desperate look toward Rei. Standing by herself off to one side of the room, Setsuna remained oddly quiet, as though she were waiting for something to happen.

"I think what Usagi was trying to say, Ojii-chan, is that Akane reminds her a lot of me, and-"

"Hai! That's it! And that was just like something you would say to me, Rei-chan!" Usagi interrupted. "Your granddaughter always likes to remind me of my mistakes, Hino-sensei, like Akane just did by accident. I guess I got my words and people all mixed up! Silly me!" she laughed weakly.

"So it was my fault for reminding you that you ate all that cotton candy and those crepes before riding the roller coaster, Usagi-chan?" the miko grumbled. "You have to learn to control your crazy appetite!"

"Is that what you meant, Usagi-chan? I thought you were referring to something else" the priest said, though he didn't sound at all convinced. "I must have misunderstood." Hiding his amusement at Rei and Usagi's clumsy attempt to deflect the blonde's careless remark, Hino-sensei crouched down beside his granddaughter. "You have to admit, Rei-chan, Akane does look just like you. The resemblance is uncanny."

"She is really cute, isn't she Ojii-chan?" Rei grinned. "Just as cute as I was when I was six!"

"Yare yare!" Makoto groaned. "Rei-chan, your lack of modesty can be limitless sometimes. Just like Usagi's appetite!"

"Hey!" The miko and her blonde friend both glared at the chuckling brunette.

"Well I suppose I should go finish up that stack of paperwork waiting for me in the office" the priest sighed.

"That's a great idea, sensei!" Yuuichirou said just a little too enthusiastically. "No sense in letting the work pile up! You should get on that right away!"

"Hai. I will, Yuuichirou-chan." The old man glowered at his apprentice before leaving. "Sometimes I have to wonder who really is running this shrine." He stood, reminding Setsuna, "If there's anything else you need for the children, please feel free to ask, Meiou-san."

"We're good here!" Yuuichirou insisted, earning another frown from his departing mentor.

"I wasn't asking you, Yuuichirou-chan." Shaking his head, the elderly priest walked away.

After he had gone, Rei scolded her boyfriend. "Don't be so pushy, Yuuichirou-chan! Ojii-chan is already suspicious enough, without you and that big-mouthed blonde idiot over there making things even worse!"

"Why can't we tell him who I really am, Mommy?" Akane asked.

"Because then he'd know you came from the future, Akane honey" Rei replied. "If he found that out, he would soon realize that we girls are Sailor Senshi. It's very important for us to keep that our little secret for now" she said, placing a finger to her lips.

"I understand" the little girl nodded. "You don't want to be famous yet."

"We're famous?" Minako blurted, her blue eyes shimmering brightly. "Taro-chan, I'm a future celebrity!"

"A future calamity is more like it, Minako-chan" Rei scoffed. "That's the last thing we need, having you parade around like some... insane movie star!"

"This subject of your future lives is not something we should discuss at this time" Setsuna firmly reminded the teens. "Why don't you tell your daughters about how important your school work is? They are just beginning their formal education, and it may encourage them to always try their best."

"That's what I was just thinking, Setsuna-san" Ami agreed. "The most important thing we should worry about right now is our grades, and doing as well in school as we possibly can."

"Boooring!" Usagi declared. "Ami-chan, there's much more to life than stacks of moldy old textbooks and constant studying."

"I think Ami is right, Usagi-chan" Minako agreed with her studious blue-haired friend. "Especially that part about studying!" she teased, squeezing Taro's hand. "Don't you agree, Ami-chan?"

"Ah... that wasn't exactly what I meant, Minako-chan" Ami's cheeks reddened. "But that's... quite important too." She and Ryo exchanged coy smiles.

"Will you and Minako both stop it?" Rei muttered. "I don't know which one of you is worse!" Turning her attention to her daughter, she said "Ami is right, Akane-chan. Always try your very best in your classes. Whatever you do, don't ever be a lazybones like Usagi!"

The blonde made a face and stuck out her tongue at Rei, making Akane giggle.

Unknown to the raven-haired little girl, Rei's grandfather suddenly reappeared in the doorway. He had intended on asking Yuuichirou what the apprentice had done with his best pen, but instead heard the little girl speak to his granddaughter. "Are you really smart in school like Ami-san and Ryo-san are, Mommy?"

The miko paled as her grandpa walked over and looked his granddaughter straight in the eyes. "Mommy? Ok, Rei-chan. It's time to tell me what's really going on around here."

Everyone was stunned to see Setsuna step forward and inform the priest, "Akane-chan is correct, Hino-sensei. She is Rei and Yuuichirou's daughter, and the other children here are also daughters of the couples they are with."

"Setsuna-san!" Rei gasped. "Why are you telling him this?"

"Relax, granddaughter." The old priest lost his serious expression and broke into a grin. "I already knew about Akane. But it is nice to have official confirmation."

"Nani?" The astonished miko leapt to her feet. "How could you know?"

Her grandfather chuckled. "Rei-chan, you are quite accomplished at fire reading. More so than anyone else I have met in my many years on this earth. But granddaughter, I needn't remind you that you are not the only one of us with that ability."

"So... the sacred fire told you about Akane-chan?" Rei could scarcely believe the situation that was unfolding before her.

"Hai" he replied. "It did. Though it revealed only her parents to me. When I thought about it later, I assumed the other children are also the offspring of your close friends." He regarded Rei's little raven-haired girl with a warm smile. "She really is just like you, granddaughter. You and Yuuichirou should be very proud to have brought such a fine, sweet child into the world." Akane smiled back happily at the kindly old relative.

Ami spoke up from her place beside Chieko and Ryo. "Hino-sensei, you must be aware that they can not possibly be our children in the present day. We're all much too young to have six-year-old daughters."

"That was the one thing I couldn't understand at first, Ami-chan" the sensei admitted. "But... I also know something else about Rei, her deepest secret of all. Something that she has struggled to hide from me for nearly a year now. When I met Meiou-san, all the pieces finally came together." He laughed, "Though even knowing what's happening doesn't make it any less unbelievable!"

Rei peered cautiously at her grandfather. "This 'secret' I'm supposed to have, Ojii-chan. Would it be...?" She paused, uncertain if he was referring to her identity as a Sailor Senshi.

Her grandfather looked at Setsuna, who had been awaiting this moment. She nodded her approval to the priest. Turning back to Rei, he surprised her yet again by bowing deeply before her. "It is a great honor to have such a courageous and powerful warrior in our family... Sailor Mars."

Yuuichirou quickly clambered to his feet and reached out to steady his girlfriend, just as Rei's knees began to sag. "How long have you known about me, Ojii-chan?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"For some months now, Rei-chan. You remember that day last year when a horrible monster appeared at the shrine? That was when I first suspected you were... someone very special."

"But I didn't henshin in front of you, Ojii-chan!" Rei protested.

"I saw how brave you were in the presence of evil, and I knew there had to be much more to you than just a simple schoolgirl, or even an accomplished miko" the priest said. "I did see Sailor Moon however, and your familiarity with her was another clue. After several attempts, the sacred flames finally revealed your secret to me." He looked around at the other teenage girls who sat silently beside their children and boyfriends. "I imagine this room holds many more such secrets like yours, Rei-chan."

"Hino-sensei, there are times when too much knowledge of what has yet to be can prove... unhelpful" Setsuna said. "Even in the present, some things are best left undiscovered for now."

"I wholeheartedly agree, Meiou-san" the priest replied. "Though I am deeply grateful that you have allowed an old man this short glimpse into the future of his family, and the opportunity to meet his wonderful great-granddaughter."

The young miko threw her arms around her elderly grandfather. "I love you, Ojii-chan."

"I love you, Rei-chan. I'm so very proud of you."

The emotional moment misted the other teenage girls' eyes, and as Rei hugged her grandpa, he whispered to her, "Whatever may happen in your life, child, please promise me you will always take care. The world can be a dangerous place, even for a Sailor Senshi."

"Don't worry about me, Grandpa" Rei answered softly, her eyes moist with tears. "I'll be fine. We all will. I promise."

The priest next hugged Akane who squeezed her great-grandfather tightly. "You are a precious jewel, Akane-chan" he said. "Minna, all of your children are. Take care of them. Treasure them, for they are much more than symbols of your love. They are your futures."

"We will, Hino-sensei" Makoto solemnly replied, sitting with one arm snugly around Yuji and the other around Midori. "We'll take good care of each other. It's what best friends do."

---

Chapter 10:

Yuuichirou squirmed uncomfortably as Hino-sensei stared wordlessly at him. The tall, well-built young apprentice felt like a misbehaving child under the glare of the diminutive old priest. For several seconds, no words were exchanged between the young man and his teacher, until Yuuichirou could stand the silence no longer.

"You're looking at me in a funny way, Sensei. Have I done something to upset you?"

The old man chuckled, looking first at his granddaughter, then at her future child, and finally back at the teenage boy.

Yuuichirou produced a weak smile. "Heh. I think I know what's on your mind, Hino-sensei. It's about... Rei and me, isn't it? And about us... having a baby together and... stuff... But Sensei, I love Rei-chan with all my-"

The priest suddenly laughed, interrupting him. "Welcome to the family, Yuuichirou-chan!"

The young apprentice breathed a sigh of relief as he bowed to his teacher. "Whew! I thought you were mad at me!" He grasped the bald old man tightly in a bear hug. "Arigatou!"

"Easy, boy!" the priest wheezed. "Don't crush me to death!"

"Sorry, Hino-sensei" Yuuichirou apologized. The teenager smiled at Rei. "Then I guess this is finally the right time. Don't go anywhere, Rei-chan my sweet. I'll be back in a jiffy." With that, he hurried from the room.

"Where are you going, Yuuichirou-chan?" Rei called after him, but her boyfriend had quickly vanished without giving her an answer. "What on earth's he doing now?" the miko wondered aloud.

"Maybe he's feeling really nervous or something and needs some fresh air" Minako suggested.

Less than a minute later, Yuuichirou reentered the room carrying a tiny box.

"Looks like someone else may be getting a promise ring!" Usagi giggled at Ami while nudging her miko friend. Rei could only smile back, still unsure what her young man was up to. Yuuichirou sat beside his girl and looked at Rei with sincere, love-filled eyes as she and Akane sat beside him.

"I've waited for this moment for a very long time, Rei-chan my love" he said solemnly. "Now that your grandfather has given his approval, I'd be deeply honored if you would... wear this for me." He began lifting the cover of the box while Rei and her friends looked on. The miko gasped in shock as the opened box revealed not a promise band, but a small diamond engagement ring. The nervous apprentice gingerly removed the glittering jewelry from its felt-lined home and offered it to his girlfriend. "I know it's a little early in our lives for something like this, we're both still young. But... why wait?" the young man reasoned. "I really hope you like it" he added in a whisper.

"Mommy, it's beautiful!" Akane exclaimed. "Put it on!" she coaxed her future mother, tugging at her skirt.

Rei stared unbelievingly at the ring in Yuuichirou's trembling hand. "Yuuichirou, it's... it is so beautiful!" she gasped. "Honey, I..."

"Go on, Rei-chan!" Usagi urged her friend with a big grin. "Show everyone how it looks on your finger!"

Rei quietly hesitated for a moment, and everyone in the room held their breath as Yuuichirou looked on worriedly.

The stunned miko gazed deeply into her boyfriend's hopeful, love-filled eyes as her heart raced with joy. Having teased him long enough, she finally smiled and held out her left hand. He carefully slipped the sparkling diamond onto her slender ring finger.

"I love you, my Yuuichirou" she whispered to him. Everyone cheered and clapped as she threw her arms around the very relieved apprentice and pulled him close, kissing him tenderly.

"Rei-chan, that was really mean, keeping your boyfriend hanging on like that!" Usagi scolded. "You're so evil!"

"Congratulations!" Taro said. "We all know you'll be very happy together." He noticed that Minako was looking at him expectantly and gave her a sheepish grin. "I don't have a ring for you today, Minako honey. But I promise I will just as soon as I can."

The blonde smiled happily back. "That's all I need to know, my Taro-chan!"

"Well that was quite... sudden" the elder Hino said, clearing his throat. "Yuuichirou-chan, you certainly don't waste any time!"

"I've been dreaming of this day since the moment we first met, my love" Yuuichirou told his miko girlfriend. "I want the whole world to know that you're all mine."

"I am, my love" Rei replied softly. "Yours forever."

"I'm so jealous right now!" Usagi grumbled. "I only wish Mamo-chan was here to see this! Maybe then he'd finally give me a ring."

"You'd probably have a panic attack and be sick all over it, Usagi-chan!" Rei couldn't resist another good-natured jab at her envious friend.

"Ohh! Some people never change!" the blonde fumed.

The Shinto priest offered, "When your big day finally arrives, I'd like to perform the ceremony."

"But of course, Ojii-chan!" Rei agreed with a happy nod. "We wouldn't have it any other way."

"Minna, it looks like we have a wedding to plan!" Minako giggled.

"Slow down, Minako-chan!" Rei admonished the over-eager blonde. "Our wedding day is probably still years away. I have to finish high school first."

"I'll be living for that day, Rei darling" Yuuichirou promised her. "I've waited all my life to find you. What's a few more years?" he laughed.

"Looks like I'm going to need a second part-time job" Yuji joked to Ryo. "I wouldn't want my Mako-chan to get impatient waiting for her ring!"

"Don't worry too much about it, Yuji-chan" Makoto reassured her boyfriend with a warm smile. "My finger has a spot reserved for it right here" she pointed, "whenever that day may come."

Ami asked, "Yuuichirou-chan, you've certainly prepared for this moment. I have a feeling you even have your honeymoon all planned. Will you be having it at Mako-chan's house?"

"Not exactly, Ami-chan" the overjoyed eighteen-year-old said. "I was hoping we could go somewhere a little more romantic. How does a couple of weeks in Hawaii sound, Rei-chan darling?" he suggested to his girlfriend.

"Hawaii? Hai!" The miko's eyes lit up brightly. "That would be a dream come true! But... won't that be a little expensive, honey?" Rei asked.

"Money won't be a problem, my sweet" he grinned. "I'm not as poor as I seem!"

"Now I'm even more jealous!" Usagi muttered. "Hawaii! That would be the perfect place for a honeymoon! You're so lucky!" She looked hopefully at the couple. "I'm thinking that maybe you should bring your friends along with you when you go. You know, just in case."

"In case of what, Usagi-chan?" Rei laughed. "Do you think we'll be having too much fun and want to wreck everything like you always do?"

"I was just asking" the blonde mumbled with a frown.

. . . . .

With the day growing late and the children becoming sleepy, Taro and Yuji reluctantly got to their feet. "We're going to have to leave now if we want to catch the last train back to Nerima" Taro told his girl.

"I wish you didn't have to go" Minako sighed. "Promise me you'll be back first thing tomorrow morning!"

"We absolutely will, my sweet" Taro assured her. "When the first train arrives, Yuji and I will be on it. I'll miss you terribly tonight. And you too, Emiko honey." The brothers hugged their daughters and kissed their girlfriends goodbye as Ryo also stood up.

"I guess I should be going too. Sweet dreams, my beautiful Ami. I'll see you and Chieko in the morning."

"I'll miss you so" the blue haired girl sighed. "Please be safe going home tonight."

"See you tomorrow, Daddy!" Chieko said, hugging him. After a parting kiss, Ryo left his girlfriend and walked outside with his two friends from Nerima.

After a short time, Yuuichirou excused himself as well and went to his room, leaving the nine girls alone for the night.

"Ok, let's set up the sleeping arrangements" Rei said, taking charge of the group. "There's enough tatami mats, pillows and blankets for everyone. Setsuna-san, will you be staying with us?"

The tall greenish-haired young woman shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Rei-chan. Duty calls. The children will be returning to their future lives tomorrow at noon, so I'll return shortly before then." She bowed politely to the group. "Minna, goodnight."

"If you see our future Queen Serenity tonight, please give her my thanks. For everything" Rei asked the Senshi.

"Uh, excuse me, Rei-chan? I'm standing right here, in case you've forgotten" Usagi waved at her.

"Oh. I suppose you are, Usagi-chan. But it doesn't count. You're not the queen yet" her friend teased.

"Fine! You can thank me later, then!" she blustered, sticking her nose in the air.

Rei grinned at her. "I'm sure I will."

---

Chapter 11:

Usagi pulled one of the tatami mats from the pile Yuuichirou had placed in the corner of the room and spread it out near Rei and Akane.

"Usagi-chan, do you have to sleep so close beside us?" the miko asked. "You snore so loud, you sound like a truck when you sleep. Akane and I will never get any rest if you're laying there."

Usagi scowled at her friend as she straightened the mat with one foot. "For the last time, Rei-chan, I don't snore!"

"Actually, you do" Luna corrected her. "Sometimes I have to sleep downstairs on the sofa, you're so incredibly noisy at times."

"Stay out of this, Luna!" Usagi grumbled. "I thought you're supposed to encourage and support me, not agree with every bad thing Rei says!"

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" the miko smirked in reply.

"Quiet, Rei-chan! I'm sleeping right here in this very spot and that's final!" The blonde ignored her friend's evil glare, grabbing a pillow and tossing it on one end of her temporary bed. "There! My bed's all made!"

"Fine, go right ahead and be your usual stubborn self" Rei muttered, warning, "I just hope you're quiet tonight or else you'll end up sleeping outside in the courtyard."

"Me? Stubborn?" Usagi blurted. "Ha! You could give all of Tokyo lessons on being stubborn. And difficult. And mean. And-"

"That's enough, odango atama!" Akane was surprised to hear her mother once again addressing the girl her young child knew as their queen in such an abrupt manner.

"-and pushy too!" Usagi finished, waving her arms to emphasize each point. "Just because you're engaged now, it doesn't mean you own the place!"

"Usagi you idiot, you're in my shrine! My family does own the place, in case you somehow managed to forget."

"Oh... well then... in that case, you should be nicer to your guests!" Usagi blustered.

"And you can stop being so jealous about my engagement" Rei teased. "I'm sure Mamoru will give you a ring too... eventually."

"Ohh! I suppose you're going to wave your ring in everyone's face from now on, just to rub it in!"

Rei grinned evilly, wafting her left hand back and forth in front of the flustered blonde. "You mean like this?"

"If you can't be nice to me, then you can leave me alone!" Usagi hissed. "I'm laying down now and I don't want to be disturbed!" In a huff, she flopped onto her mat and dragged a thin sheet across her legs.

"Mommy, why do you and Usagi fight so much?" Akane asked.

"It's a long story, honey" Rei sighed as she finished preparing sleeping spots for her and her daughter. "Let's just say that Usagi causes more than her share of trouble. She can be very stressful for your mommy to put up with sometimes. Make that most times."

"I heard that" came an indignant grumble from the nearby mat.

Makoto walked toward the door after settling Midori in her temporary bed. "I think I'll have some tea before I turn in. Anyone else need anything from the kitchen while I'm there?"

"I'll have tea as well, if it's no trouble, Mako-chan" Ami answered. "And some water for Chieko please. Wait, I'll go help you."

"If there's any snacks in the kitchen, would you mind bringing me some?" Usagi asked the pair from her pillow. "A bag of teriyaki-flavored chips would be perfect. No, make that two bags! And some cake would be nice too, if you can find any."

"There goes most of our groceries for the week" Rei muttered.

The two girls left the room after taking orders from the others. Sitting on her mat near the study table, Chieko reached for a nearby book and propped herself on one elbow, flipping through it as she waited for her mother to return. Across the room, Emiko noticed her friend and caught Akane's eye, pointing and giggling at the blue-haired child.

"Chieko-chan, are you reading again?" the little blonde teased.

"I love reading" the blue-haired six-year-old said. "This book is too hard for me to understand yet, but I can still read some parts of it and look at the pictures."

"That's why that boy at school called you a nerd" Emiko said. "You read too much!"

"Emiko honey, that isn't a very nice thing to say!" Minako scolded her with a wagging finger.

"But I'm not a nerd, Emiko-chan. I just like books" Chieko insisted, frowning.

"Are you sure?" the blonde kidded her with a grin. "Nerds like reading too." Her smile vanished a second later as she noticed the icy look in Midori's eyes as the young brunette abruptly sat up and glared across the room at her. "Oh! You're right, Chieko-chan" Emiko hastily apologized. "That boy was wrong, he was just being mean to you. Reading is fun!"

A faint smile appeared on Midori's lips and she slowly stretched back out on her mat.

Rei found two large cushions for Luna and Artemis and set them down near the door. "Will this be ok?"

"Arigatou, Rei-chan." The white cat wasted no time claiming one of them, curling himself up and falling asleep almost instantly.

"That lazy feline could sleep through a raging typhoon!" Luna grumbled. "In fact, he did once!" She took her place on the second cushion and closed her eyes.

Makoto and Ami returned with refreshments and snacks, handing them out before sitting beside their daughters. Akane sipped her water and asked, "Mommy, do you have any pictures of yourself and Daddy I could look at with you?"

"Sure, honey. I have a photo album on the shelf over there. Let me get it." Rei retrieved the book and sat close beside her daughter, opening it to the first page. "There's me when I was four, Akane-chan."

Her little girl touched the picture as she stared at an unfamiliar face. "Who's that man with you?"

"That's my Daddy, honey. I don't see him very often. He's always... very busy." The other teens could plainly hear the resentment in Rei's voice as the miko mentioned her father.

"Oh. You're wearing a cute red dress in that picture, Mommy! I have one just like it at home. Daddy bought it for me."

Rei smiled. "You really like Yuuichirou- I mean, your father, don't you?"

"Hai! I love Daddy! He's always so nice and kind to us, and to everyone else too! But sometimes you get mad and tell him he's spoiling me" the child admitted.

Rei smiled. "He's a really special guy, Akane-chan" she replied, gazing at her glittering engagement ring. "So very special" she whispered softly to herself.

"Yuuichirou must be the most understanding guy in the world to put up with your nasty temper, Rei-chan" Usagi said between bites of a kasutera cake Makoto had found for her.

"Maybe that's because he isn't always driving me insane like you do!" the miko snapped back. She flipped the page in her album, revealing a shot of the five girls posing beside the lake in Juuban park. Minako was standing beside Usagi, sporting a wide grin and forming a victory vee with the fingers of one raised hand.

"Everyone looks really happy in that picture" Akane said.

"Your daddy took that for us a few days after we defeated Queen Beryl, honey. Did we tell you about that in the future?"

"Hai, you told me a little bit about it. You must have been really scared!"

"It was a very hard battle, honey, but we won." Rei's voice softened as she remembered the struggle. She glanced at Usagi who was munching on the last of her cake and smiled. "We're lucky Princess Serenity was able to bring us all back."

"Back from where, Mommy?" Rei's daughter asked.

"Uh... from..." Rei frowned. "From another place, Akane-chan." The miko fell silent as her mind briefly relived their battle with the five DD Girls, the most powerful youma the Sailor Senshi had ever faced, and the resulting death of her and her friends. Purging that memory from her thoughts, she quickly turned the page. "Look Akane-chan, here's one of Grandpa trying to ride my old bicycle!"

"That's so silly!" Akane giggled. "His legs are too short to reach the ground!"

"He fell off just after I took the picture" Rei chuckled. "Ojii-chan never acts his age." They looked at a few more photos together before Rei closed the album. "It's time for bed now, Akane-chan." On cue, Ami reached up and clicked off the light, leaving the room dimly illuminated from a light in the courtyard.

"But I'm not sleepy yet!" her daughter protested in the darkness.

"I'm not either!" Emiko added. "Mommy, tell us a bedtime story."

"A story?" Minako thought for a moment. "Ah... minna, how about the story of Princess Kaguya? I always liked that tale."

"That's a really good one, Emiko-chan" Usagi agreed. "But the ending is kind of sad."

"I have that story in a book at home" Emiko said. "You read it to me last week, Mommy."

"I did? Oh. Well then, let me think..."

"Would you tell us about you and Mama and the other Senshi, Minako-san?" Midori asked. "Something really funny!"

"Hai, I can do that!" the blonde teen agreed. "Let's see..." she mused. "Something funny..."

"How about the day Rei got sick and you tried to nurse her back to health, Minako-chan?" Makoto offered. "I heard that was kind of funny."

"Please don't remind me!" Rei groaned. "I don't know what was worse, Minako trying to poison me with her cooking, or wrecking my nice stereo! I was better off being sick!"

"I was only trying to help" Minako said glumly. "Anyway, my cooking has improved a lot since then."

"Has it really?" Rei asked. "Did you ever find another victim to test your food on, Minako-chan? Taro's still alive so he must have learned to stay far away from you when you're in the kitchen. Maybe it's a good thing that he still lives in Nerima."

"We can't all be expert chefs like Mako-chan" the blonde muttered. "Oh, I know!" she brightened. "I'll tell you about the night Usagi got drunk at the embassy party we went to!"

"Minako-chan! That's hardly something to tell young children about" Ami cautioned. "Anyway, it was an accident. Usagi didn't know what she was doing."

"Sounds just like her" Rei chuckled. "Always doing first and thinking later."

"I can still hear you" Usagi grumbled from her pillow. "Can't you find something else to talk about that doesn't always make me look bad?"

"It was so embarrassing when she was blabbering away to those guys and accidentally punched Mamoru in the face" Rei continued, ignoring her friend. "Honestly, we can't take her anywhere!"

"Rei-chan!"

"Usagi-san doesn't do silly things like that in the future, Mommy" Akane said. "She's a really good Queen."

"See, Rei-chan!" Usagi yelled at her in the darkness. "I'm a good queen!" She suddenly sat up. "Ohh, I drank too much water, now I have to go to the bathroom!"

"Careful, don't walk on anyone" Rei warned. "Do you need the light on?"

"No, I think I can see ok." Usagi stepped carefully between the girls and slowly neared the door.

"Ahhh! My tail!" A sudden shriek of pain burst from Artemis.

"Gomen nasai, Artemis!" Usagi apologized. "I didn't notice you there."

"Usagi-chan, please stop trampling on my cat!" Minako groaned. "If you hurt him, I'll have to spend valuable vacation time nursing him back to health."

"No!" Artemis blurted in panic. "Don't do that! I'm fine, Minako-chan. Really I am!" He tucked his sore tail tightly against his body.

"Are you sure?" Minako asked her mentor. "If your tail is hurt, I can put it in a cast for you."

Rei laughed. "I can just picture it! Poor Artemis, wrapped up in bandages like a mummy!"

"I can imagine it too, Rei-chan" the white cat said. "And it scares me!"

"Ok you two, I can take a hint!" Minako grumbled. "If you don't want my help, just say so."

"We don't!" the miko and cat both blurted together.

---

Chapter 12:

On the evening train to Nerima, Taro glanced around the nearly-empty rail car to ensure no one could overhear before discussing the day's incredible events to his brother. The only other passengers, two middle-aged salarymen on their way home after their usual late night at the office, sat at the opposite end of the car with their heads buried in newspapers.

The older of the two teens grinned at the younger, keeping his voice low just in case. "Yuji-chan, you look incredibly relaxed for someone who's only sixteen but has a wife and kid in Tokyo!" he teased. "Aren't you worried about all the responsibility?"

"Hold on a second, brother" Yuji raised a hand in protest. "You're conveniently forgetting that Makoto and I aren't married yet. And Midori's just here for a visit, it's not like Makoto and I are looking after her every day from now on. But... you know, I wish you were right. I miss them already."

"Our lives have really turned upside down since we met the girls, haven't they? I was just wondering if you were having any second thoughts?" Taro questioned, his grin widening.

"What? Of course not!" his brother affirmed. "No way! I can't wait for the day when Mako-chan and I are finally married. And later on when Midori arrives, that'll make our family complete. The responsibilities don't scare me one bit." He returned his brother's grin. "So how about you?"

"Me? This might just be my naivety speaking, but I'm so looking forward to it!" Taro replied with a happy smile. "I'm madly, hopelessly in love with Minako, and having a child with her later on in life was something I think we both expected to do anyway. It's great to know we'll have Emiko, she's such a cute, outgoing little girl."

"Hai, she has a personality just like her mother's" Yuji agreed.

"She does. But... there is something bothering me about this whole situation." Taro's smile faded and his face took on a more thoughtful expression.

"Oh? What's that?" his brother asked. "You're not worried that the future won't turn out the way we're expecting it to, are you? Isn't it a done deal?"

"No, it isn't, Yuji-chan." Taro shook his head and quickly rechecked their surroundings before he continued. "Remember when Setsuna told Usagi earlier today that the children were visiting now because this was a quiet time for the Sailor Senshi? And that everything depends on the Senshi winning their future battles?"

"I remember. What's the matter, Taro-chan? Don't you have confidence in the girls' abilities?"

"I do, brother. Plenty of confidence! Enough that I have no problem placing my life in their hands. After all, if they weren't really good at what they do, we'd both be dead along with Ryo after that youma attacked us at the shrine a couple of months ago."

Yuji stroked his chin. "So... what's the problem?"

"They're all just fifteen, and on top of everything else in their lives, now they have us and the kids to worry about too. It's an awful lot of pressure for the girls to live under. I only hope it doesn't become too much for them."

"Well... they're all very mature for their age. Even Usagi is… at times." As his brother's words sunk in, Yuji reflected quietly for a minute on the dual lives the girls had to lead. He thought of Usagi's power as their leader and Moon Princess, Ami's brilliant mind, Rei's fiery spirit, and Minako's upbeat, can-do personality. But especially his beloved Mako-chan and her determined, take-no-prisoners attitude. 'They're all so different from each other' he thought. 'That must be one of the things that makes them such a strong team.'

"It won't be too much for them to handle" he finally spoke, looking confidently into Taro's eyes. "I believe in them."

"I do too, Yuji-chan. But I still worry."

. . . . .

Back at the Hikawa shrine, Usagi managed to return safely from her bathroom visit without further mishap, and everyone settled down for the night as the four little girls grew sleepy. Their young mothers lay beside them, thinking of these young, innocent children and pondering the lives that awaited them after their journey back to their future time. After a few minutes, Makoto's daughter broke the silence of the room as she whispered a question to her mother.

"Mama, can I ask you something?" Midori asked.

"Sure, honey. What is it?" Makoto turned to face her future daughter and reached out, gently caressing her cheek.

"I was just thinking... you and the other Sailor Senshi are supposed to always protect Usagi-san and keep her safe, aren't you? She's the Moon Princess. And she'll be our queen too in the future. That makes her really important."

"Hai. That's right, Midori-chan" Makoto whispered back as her friends listened in. "It's our job to protect her with our very lives if necessary. Just like it was in the past when we all lived with Usagi on the moon."

"But... what if there is a big battle or something, with some really evil monster? And I was there, and you could only protect one of us, Usagi-san or me? Which one would you save?"

The brunette opened her mouth to reply, but her voice remained silent. The child's innocent question surprised Makoto, leaving her unable to give the little one a quick, definite answer. She frowned, wondering how she really would react if such a terrible thing were to happen.

Nearby, Akane reached across her tatami mat and wrapped her small, slender fingers around Rei's arm. "Mama, what would you do?"

"I know what they would do" Chieko spoke, adding her thoughts to the conversation. "They would protect Usagi-san first. They have to, Akane-chan. Like Makoto-san said, it's their duty to keep our queen safe."

"Chieko-chan, you shouldn't let yourself think of such horrible things!" Ami gently chastised her daughter, though her heart too was torn with the idea of having to choose between saving her dear friend and leader, or her sweet, beautiful daughter. "You're going to give yourself nightmares if you let scary thoughts into your mind before you sleep, honey."

"Well, Mommy?" Midori stubbornly pressed the brunette for an answer. "Would you do what Chieko-chan said? Would you save Usagi-san and let me... go? If you would, I understand" she said bravely.

Makoto abruptly sat up and took her child's hand in hers, her eyes becoming moist. "Midori honey, please don't ever worry about crazy things like that. It will never happen."

"But what if it did?"

Makoto sighed. "If it did, I'd find a way to save you both. Every battle we fight is a new and different challenge, and I'm sure we'd all come up with a way to protect everyone, no matter what. After all, we wouldn't be very good Senshi if we couldn't do that, would we honey?" she asked, giving Midori's hand a soft squeeze.

"Mako-chan's right, Akane-chan" Rei quickly added. "We wouldn't let anything happen to you or to Usagi."

"But... if you couldn't..." Akane still wasn't satisfied, much to Rei's chagrin.

"Minna, you're all forgetting something here." Usagi propped herself up on her elbows and spoke with an unusual air of confidence that surprised her friends. "You're forgetting about me. I know I may be a little clumsy, and even scared sometimes" she admitted, "but I'm hardly helpless. As the Moon Princess and the daughter of Queen Serenity, I have a lot of power, and I'm sure I'll have even more when I become queen. I'd gladly use every last bit of it to keep everyone and their families safe. So there's no reason for anyone to worry."

"That's right!" Emiko chimed in. "In the future, Usagi-san is so powerful, she would never let anything bad like that happen to us! I'm not worried, I know we'll all be ok."

Minako beamed at her daughter in the dim light. "That's the spirit, Emiko-chan! We're all really kind of one big family here! Between Usagi-chan and the rest of us, we'll beat any old youma or anything else that comes along! So, Midori-chan, you can sleep well knowing we'll always look after each other."

"Ok, Minako-san! Arigatou!" Finally happy with the answer, Midori smiled and closed her eyes. The other children followed suit, and the room again went silent. In the darkness, their future mothers lay awake a while longer, pondering Midori's question and hoping the day would never come when they would have to answer it for real.

. . . . .

Rei sighed contentedly, luxuriating in the warmth of the soft, fine sand beneath her blanket as she and Yuuichirou lay together on a Hawaiian beach. She squeezed a little more sun tan lotion from a bottle and began rubbing it into her husband's back, while high above them the glowing sun cast its rays across the cloudless, deep-blue sky.

"I love you so much, my Yuuichirou-chan. My husband."

"And I love you, my beautiful bride" he replied with twinkling eyes and a warm smile. "Or as they call you around here... Mrs. Kumada."

"You should turn over soon, honey. Don't get too much sun in one place" she cautioned him. "I wouldn't want you to get a nasty burn. Especially on our honeymoon!" Yuuichirou grinned and opened his mouth to speak, but his words were drowned out by the noise of an approaching speedboat. Rei frowned, waiting for the disturbance to pass, but to her annoyance the noise of the boat continued growing louder and louder.

"This is ridiculous!" the miko fumed above the din. "We can't hear ourselves think, much less talk!"

"What was that, honey?" Yuuichirou said, his voice rising to a near-yell.

The sound now reached an unbearable level, and Rei abruptly sat up on their blanket, screaming at the boat which strangely had somehow made it onto the beach and was now beside her.

"Go away!"

"Nani? What's wrong, Rei-chan?" The miko's eyes sprang open, revealing Usagi peering curiously at her as Ami clicked on the room light. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I'm... here?" Rei shook her head to clear her thoughts as the dream faded. "I thought I was with Yuuichirou on our... and that stupid boat..." She suddenly glared angrily at Usagi. "That boat! It was you!"

"What boat, Rei-chan?" the odango-haired blonde asked, puzzled. "There aren't any boats at the shrine. Don't be silly!"

"You!" Rei repeated with a snarl. "You were snoring again, weren't you, Usagi-chan? I was having this really nice dream and you woke me up. Baka!"

"Sshhh!" Usagi placed a finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down! You're going to wake the children."

"Me? Wake the children?" the miko scoffed. "With that racket you were making, I wouldn't be surprised if they're already wide awake. Along with the rest of Tokyo!"

Usagi frowned indignantly. "Don't blame me! I told you, I don't snore!"

"Oh yes you do!" a chorus of voices rang out. Usagi shrieked and ducked her head as a barrage of pillows flew at her from all sides.

---

Chapter 13:

"She accepted! I'm actually engaged! I'm engaged to my beautiful Rei!" The thought was so joyously overwhelming, Yuuichirou had to speak the words aloud as he lay alone in his bed. The teenage apprentice smiled up at the ceiling, his mind spinning and heart doing cartwheels with happiness. Realizing he wasn't going to be falling asleep any time soon, he dressed and left the small bedroom he called home, venturing outside into the night.

Looking up, Yuuichirou caught sight of his mentor, sitting alone on the roof of the building in quiet contemplation as he so often did. The teenage boy hesitated a moment, then slowly climbed the ladder leading to his sensei.

As his head popped over the top, the old man turned and regarded the intruder in silence.

"Mind if I join you?" Yuuichirou asked.

Rei's grandfather looked back, his expression inscrutable. But after a few seconds, he nodded and waved Yuuichirou over. "Come sit with me, boy. But be careful and don't fall." Yuuichirou grinned back and clambered onto the peaked roof. A few carefully placed steps later, he seated himself beside the old Shinto priest.

"Ah... it's a beautiful spring night, isn't it, Sensei?"

"Hai. It is." The old man gave the younger a knowing look. "Having trouble sleeping?"

"A little" Yuuichirou admitted. "After all, it's not every day someone becomes engaged and meets his future daughter."

"No, I suppose it isn't." The elder Hino looked out across the Hikawa Jinja's courtyard to the city lights beyond. Beside him, Yuuichirou followed his gaze. "You really love my granddaughter."

"I do love her, Hino-sensei. I love her more than anything in the world. More than life itself."

"That wasn't a question" the old man replied, his voice revealing just a trace of humor.

"Oh. Gomen nasai, Hino-sensei."

"I know you love her, Yuuichirou. I can sense it. Your feelings for Rei run through the very depths of your spirit."

"They really do!" Yuuichirou nodded vigorously. "Hino-san, please know that my feelings for Rei will only grow stronger as the years go by. I will always love her with all my heart and care for her as no other ever could."

"I'm sure you will, Yuuichirou" the priest spoke softly. "I believe her life will be in good hands."

"And when little Akane comes along, Rei and I will give her the happiest, most love-filled home we possibly can." Yuuichirou reached out his hand and placed it on the diminutive old man's shoulder. "But I don't have to tell you all that. You'll see it for yourself when the time comes!"

Hino-sensei fixed his gaze on the large torii gate that stood at the top of the steps at the very end of the courtyard, declaring to all who entered that this was a sacred place. "Perhaps..."

"Nani?" Yuuichirou's eyes widened. "Of course you will! You can even-"

His companion interrupted him. "I'm sure you're aware that Rei must finish high school before she is married. This I must insist on."

"Of course, Sensei. I definitely wouldn't want her to feel rushed or pressured. When the right time comes, we'll know."

"Good. Very good."

Yuuichirou abruptly stood, balancing himself precariously on the sloped tiles, and bowed deeply. "I am honored and so very grateful that you approve of me, Hino-sensei." As he straightened up, one foot began slipping and Rei's grandfather quickly grabbed the teen's ankle to steady him.

"I told you to be careful, Yuuichirou-chan! You won't be marrying anyone if you fall and break your neck."

Yuuichirou regained his footing and quickly sat down. "Arigatou." He grinned sheepishly at the frowning old man who sighed audibly.

"Between you and Rei, it's enough to turn a man's hair snow-white with worry. And it would turn mine white too, if I still had any" he chuckled, running his hand across his bare scalp.

"Sorry" the apprentice mumbled.

Again the elderly priest fell silent for a while, until finally asking, "Yuuichirou-chan, what are your plans regarding your Shinto training? Do you wish to continue?"

"Definitely, Sensei! I was going to ask you if you could give me more advanced training, that is, when you think I"m ready." He smiled, "You know, I had never pictured myself as a Shinto priest, but the more I learn, the more I like it. Now I know this is where I was meant to be."

"It's good to hear that my time spent with you thus far has not been in vain. However, there is the matter of education. It would be wise for you were to enroll in a seminar, since you are already a working priest-in-training. It can be somewhat expensive, and quite time-consuming" he warned.

"Hai, I've already looked into it, Hino-sensei."

"Oh? You have?" The elder Hino smiled warmly at the young man. "Yuuichirou, there may be hope for you yet!"

. . . . .

In a dimly-lit room somewhere beneath the two people sitting on the roof, Hino Rei slowly raised her head from her pillow and looked across at Minako, catching her eye.

"She's at it again" the miko grumbled, keeping her voice low. "We're never going to get any sleep at this rate."

The blonde grinned back. "Hai, Usagi-chan's off in dreamland again."

"She's in dreamland while the rest of us are in a nightmare" Rei muttered. She slid one foot out from the thin sheet and poked her snoring friend in the shin. Usagi muttered in her sleep and rolled onto one side, facing Minako.

"Thanks a lot, Rei-chan!" Minako grumbled as the noise went up a notch. She sat up and leaned over the odangoed girl, whispering her name.

"Usagi-chan... wake up, Usagi. You're snoring again." A muted mumble was the only reply.

Minako frowned at the lack of progress while Rei snickered nearby. She tried again, a little louder this time.

"Usagi-chan... please! We need our sleep!" Still nothing. Minako's face now hovered directly beside the culprit's ear. "Sshhh!"

"Aaagghhh!" Usagi's eyes shot open and she bolted upright in panic. "Snake! I heard a snake!"

Rei laughed. "That wasn't a snake, you idiot. That was just Minako-chan waking you up."

Usagi glared at the second blonde teen. "What were you trying to do, Minako-chan, scare me out of my wits?"

"You have wits?" Rei asked innocently.

"Quiet, Rei-chan! First you call me a boat or something ridiculous, and now this! Did you wake me up just to insult me?" Usagi growled.

"Mommy, it's so noisy in here" Akane complained.

"See? You're disturbing the children" the miko whispered back sternly. "Can you please try to sleep more quietly? I'm not asking for much."

"Well... I'll try. You know, Mamo-chan never complains about me snoring."

"No? He really should see a doctor. He may be going deaf."

"That's it!" Usagi stood and dragged her mat to the far corner of the room, behind the study table. "Now will you leave me alone?"

"Good night, Usagi-chan."

"Hmph!" Usagi threw herself down on the mat, whacking an elbow against the study table. "Ow! Now look what you made me do!"

Rei closed her eyes, smiling in satisfaction.

---

Chapter 14:

The following late-spring morning dawned brightly, and with it the delicious odor of food wafted into the girls' temporary bedroom from somewhere down the hall, joining soft sunlight that shone in from a nearby window. Minako's nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air appreciatively. "Minna, something smells really good. I'm so hungry, I could eat a house!"

"Don't you mean 'eat a horse', Minako-chan?" Ami giggled. "But thankfully I don't think Mako-chan has horse on the menu." The blue-haired girl kept her voice low so as not to disturb Usagi. Faint snoring could still be heard coming from across the room, behind the study table where her blonde friend still slumbered.

Rei and Akane returned from their turn in the bathroom and the miko peered over the low table before sitting down. "Sleeping beauty still isn't awake?"

"She must be waiting for her Prince to come and wake her with a kiss!" Emiko exclaimed. "Just like in my storybook! So romantic!"

Minako looked warily at her future daughter. "Oh? What kind of stories were your daddy and I reading to you, Emiko-chan?"

"Lots of things!" the little blonde answered with a smile. "Romantic things!"

"I see. Well, I guess you can never have too much romance in life!" Minako grinned at the younger version of herself.

"Minako-chan, she's only six!" Rei chastised her friend. "Don't rush things!" A low mumble arose from Usagi's mat and the miko's expression quickly changed to a mischievous grin. "Good, it sounds like our exalted queen is finally coming around. I hope my little surprise works." The others looked on quietly as Usagi began to stir.

"Rei-chan, isn't it a little mean to play a joke on her while she's sleeping peacefully?" Ami asked.

Of course it is, Ami-chan. But I prefer to think of it as payback for the horrible night's sleep she gave everyone."

Still not fully awake, Usagi extended an arm across her tatami mat and snuggled against something that lay beside her. "Ohh... Mamo-chan!" Rei snickered as her friend's eyes flitted open, only to focus on the face of an animal close beside hers on the pillow, its lifeless black plastic eyes staring coldly back at her.

"Aahhhh!"

Usagi's abrupt, panicked scream echoed through the shrine and she defensively grasped Midori's stuffed giraffe by the neck, yanking it from her pillow and flinging it violently away from her into the air. As it sailed across the room, the startled blonde gulped in a few deep breaths over the sound of Rei's laughter and clambered to her feet, glaring angrily at the miko. "I should have known you'd do something like this! That wasn't very nice, Rei-chan!"

"Good morning, your royal highness. Did you sleep well?" Rei ignored her upset friend's angry expression and innocently turned to Ami, who was concealing a giggle beneath one hand. "Ami-chan, I didn't know giraffes could fly. Isn't that interesting?"

"Ohh, Rei-chan you're just so mean... wait, do I smell food?"

"Well that was forgotten quickly enough!" Minako chuckled as Yuuichirou appeared in the doorway, looking alarmed.

"I heard a scream! Is everyone ok?" the young apprentice asked the girls as he scanned the room for trouble.

"We're fine, my love" Rei replied. "Usagi was just having a silly panic attack or something, that's all. You know what she's like."

"Rei-chan, I'll get even with you for this!" Usagi's eyes shot daggers at the miko.

"Oh. Well... uh, anyway the food's nearly ready" Yuuichirou announced. "Our kitchen's too small for everyone, so I thought we'd eat here if that's ok."

"That's fine, honey. At least in here we'll have enough room when Usagi attacks her breakfast. We won't all get jabbed and bruised by her flying elbows."

"Ohhh!"

"Settle down, Usagi. And stop acting like a big baby" the shrine maiden replied calmly. "Too bad the other boys aren't here yet. Ami-chan, is Ryo meeting them at the station?"

"Hai, they should be here in less than an hour" the blue-haired girl nodded as Makoto and Midori appeared in the doorway with trays of food.

"Yuuichirou-chan, is Grandpa eating with us?"

"He's been tasting things from Mako-chan's pots all morning, honey. I think he's stuffed already."

"Ojii-chan is nearly as bad as Usagi!" Rei muttered.

As everyone gathered around the table, Yuuichirou sat close beside Rei. "I have some news for you, my love. Great news, in fact!"

Rei's eyebrows raised. "Oh? What's that?"

"I telephoned my parents last night and told them about our engagement" the apprentice told her as he helped himself to some natto. "They're really excited. They want to meet you."

Rei's face paled. "They do?" she asked nervously.

"Hai! As soon as possible. They're currently staying at their cottage in Okinawa, and they want to fly us down to see them in a couple of days, if that's ok with you."

"Ohh, Rei-chan you're so lucky!" Minako enthused, her voice thick with jealousy.

"That sounds like fun, Mommy!" Akane blurted. "I wish I could go with you too."

"Uh... I guess it's ok" Rei replied hesitantly. "But... what about Grandpa and the shrine?"

"Already taken care of, my love" her boyfriend answered with a big grin. "I've already arranged for help from another shrine, the same apprentices that were here when we went to Mako-chan's house last month will stay with Hino-sensei." He waved his chopsticks in the air. "And my parents are arranging the tickets for us as we speak. We'll probably be flying out of Tokyo the day after tomorrow."

"This is all happening so fast!" Rei sighed. "And the tickets will be really expensive. Are you sure about this, honey?"

"Rei darling, as I told you before, my parents are very well off. The cost of our flight is nothing to them. Just think of it as a long taxi ride."

"They must be really rich!" Usagi said between noisy slurps of miso soup.

"And there's even more good news" Yuuichirou continued, his smile widening further as he looked around the room at the other girls. "I told them about our friends and they agreed to fly the girls and their boyfriends to Okinawa with us! They thought you'd be less nervous if our closest friends were there with you as well."

Minako's eyes lit up brightly. "We can go too? A vacation in Okinawa with my Taro?" she beamed. "That's wonderful!" she squealed with delight. Minako spun to face the tall brunette sitting nearby, nudging her. "Isn't that wonderful, Mako-chan? A vacation in beautiful Okinawa with our boyfriends!"

Makoto sat motionless at the table. She slowly lowered her soup spoon to its bowl, frowning deeply as her fingers trembled ever so slightly.

"Mako-chan, what's wrong? Just think, you and your Yuji on vacation in Okinawa! So romantic!" the blonde swooned.

Makoto shook her head. "Minna... I'm sorry, but I can't go."

"Nani?" Usagi gasped. "Why on earth not?"

"I know why" Ami spoke softly. "It's the flight, isn't it, Mako-chan?"

"Hai" the brunette admitted. "The flight."

"I certainly don't want to pressure you into going" Rei said. "We all know what happened to your parents. But flying is really very safe, Mako-chan" Rei insisted. "I'm sure we'll all be just fine."

Usagi threw an arm around Makoto in a lopsided hug of encouragement. "Come on, Mako-chan! You have to go with us!"

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. I just can't."

Midori stood up and faced her mother, her hands at her hips. "Mommy, you don't need to worry about flying. If we didn't have to return to the future today with Setsuna-san, I'd go with you."

"You're a very brave little girl, Midori-chan" the teenage brunette grinned weakly.

"Midori is the reason you should go, Makoto-san" Chieko suddenly announced.

"Gomen nasai, Chieko-chan?" Makoto asked her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Ami smiled at her daughter, knowing what she was about to say.

"Nothing will happen to you on the airplane ride, Makoto-san" the little blue-haired girl explained. "The fact that Midori and the rest of us kids are here with you from the future is proof that everything will be fine and you will all be safe. If not, we wouldn't exist!"

"Oh! Well..." Makoto hesitated. "I'm... I'm still not sure."

Usagi batted her big blue eyes at her friend. "Please, Mako-chan! Come with us! It wouldn't be the same without you!"

Makoto stared into her bowl for a few moments. "Let me think about it."

"Ok!" Usagi nodded briskly. She waggled a finger at Makoto. "Think about it very carefully, Mako-chan. And then come anyway!"

Rei smiled, shaking her head at her odangoed blonde friend. "Usagi-chan, you really are impossible!"

---

Chapter 15:

"Don't let Usagi talk you into something you're not ready for, Mako-chan" Rei told the brunette. "We'd love to have you and Yuji there with us. I know I could definitely use the support!" she smiled. "But... you're the only one who can make that decision."

"Arigatou, Rei-chan" Makoto nodded. "I'd love to go. I really would! But flying is... it's kind of scary for me, you know?"

"We know why, Mako-chan" Ami spoke reassuringly to her friend. "Whatever you decide, we'll understand."

"Mako-chan, this isn't like you at all!" Minako chimed in. "In the whole time I've known you, you've never been scared of anything. It's just a silly plane ride. It'll be fun!" she insisted.

"We all have our weaknesses, Minako-chan" Makoto sighed.

"When Yuji gets here you can talk to him about it" Usagi's voice softened. "Maybe that will help."

"Maybe."

"Do you think Mamoru can spare the time away from his classes, Usagi-chan?" Rei asked. "Even though you're a real pain sometimes, I hope you and him can be there with us too."

"Nervous about meeting your future in-laws, Rei-chan?" Minako grinned.

"Well... as a matter of fact, I am a little" the miko replied. "And I'm sure you will be too, when you and Mako-chan finally meet Taro and Yuji's parents."

"Not me!" Minako boasted confidently. "I know they'll like me. After all, I'm just so lovable!" she giggled, producing a groan from Rei.

"You would think that."

Yuuichirou slipped an arm around his girlfriend. "Don't be nervous, honey. Father and mother are really nice people. I'm sure they'll like you. A lot!"

"I hope so."

. . . . .

Half an hour later, three teenage boys hurried into the Hikawa Jinja's living quarters and over to their girlfriends. Passionate embraces and tender kisses followed while their future daughters looked on, giggling.

With Yuuichirou having gone outside to help Rei's grandfather open the shrine, the miko broke the news to the new arrivals.

"We can all go? That's great!" Taro beamed. "Yuji-chan, we must thank Yuuichirou for arranging this!" Yuji nodded as the older teen took Minako's hands in his. "It's funny that this subject came up now, my love. Last night my parents were saying how much they want to get to know you and Mako-chan. Perhaps when we return, we can all spend a few days in Nerima and you can meet them then."

Minako's face abruptly went blank, producing a snicker from Rei. "What happened to all that confidence you had earlier, Minako-chan?"

"I'm still confident" the blonde mumbled quietly.

"Oh? You don't sound so brave now" Rei teased.

"I wish I could go with you" Emiko said. "But we have to go back home soon."

"We're really going to miss you, Emiko-chan" Minako sighed. "Will you miss us?"

"We'll still be with you in the future, Mommy!" her daughter reminded her. "You and Daddy will just be a little older."

"Oh. That's right!" the blonde giggled.

"But I will miss you."

Minako's eyes moistened as she hugged her daughter. "It won't be the same without you here with us, Emiko-chan. Meeting you has brightened our lives so very much."

"Minna, it's a beautiful day. We still have a little time before Setsuna returns to collect the children, how about we all go for a walk in the park together?" Ryo suggested.

"Hai! Let's go to the park!" Midori enthused.

The young families agreed and soon they were strolling along a familiar path beneath the trees. Leaving Akane with her boyfriend for a moment, Rei dropped back and fell into step alongside Usagi.

"Arigatou, Usagi-chan" she whispered as she watched Yuuichirou and Akane walking together, the seventeen-year-old boy holding his daughter's hand. "Maybe your future self isn't so bad after all. Thank you for arranging this for us."

The odangoed blonde smiled back. "My pleasure, Rei-chan."

"It almost makes up for all the disasters you've caused in our lives since we first met."

Usagi scowled. "Ohh! And I thought you were finally being nice to me!"

"I am" Rei said softly. "You really are a true friend." The miko reached out and gently squeezed Usagi's arm. "I'm very grateful." She smiled warmly at the surprised blonde and quickly rejoined her boyfriend and daughter.

"Mommy, you and the other Senshi fought youma in this park, didn't you?" Akane asked as they walked along.

"We did, honey" Rei replied. "Lots of them."

"I hope I can be a brave Sailor Senshi like you some day."

"You will, Akane-chan. I'm sure of it."

"I fought a youma once too, honey!" Yuuichirou announced proudly. "It was at the shrine."

"You did, Daddy? You fought a youma?" Akane's eyes grew wide.

"He did" Rei chuckled. "And he nearly got himself killed in the process!"

"Well, I don't have any special powers to help me" Yuuichirou said defensively. "I only had a broom."

"What did you do, Daddy?" his daughter asked innocently. "Did you try sweeping it away?"

Rei laughed as Yuuichirou stared down at the path, his face reddening in embarrassment.

"Uh... never mind."

. . . . .

The group separated into couples for a while after agreeing to meet up at the gate later. Makoto led Yuji and their daughter past a grove of trees toward a bench near the lake where the teens sat.

"Mako-chan, something's bothering you" Yuji noted after Midori wandered over to peer into the still, blue water. "You aren't yourself today."

"Sorry, my love. I have a lot on my mind at the moment" the brunette apologized. She looked searchingly into her boyfriend's eyes. "Yuji-chan, have you ever... flown before?"

"Me? No, honey. I've never been on a plane. Taro hasn't either. But we did meet our father at the airport once. Does that count?" he joked.

Makoto grinned back. "Not exactly."

"I see fish!" Midori blurted from the lakeside.

"Are they orange and white? If so, they're called koi, honey" Makoto replied.

"They're so beautiful!" Midori watched with fascination as several small fish swam past her near the shore.

"It's going to be really hard to say goodbye to Midori soon" Yuji said. "I wonder how much time will pass before we meet again?"

"Next time you meet her, you'll probably be holding her as a baby in your arms in the hospital" Makoto grinned.

"And then our little family will be complete again. Until that day comes, it's just you and me, my love."

"You and me" Makoto repeated. She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek, bringing a blush to her shy sixteen year old boyfriend.

"You're not afraid of flying?" she suddenly asked.

"I'm not afraid of anything when my beautiful Mako-chan is with me. Love is so much stronger than fear."

Makoto gazed tenderly at him, her deep green eyes brightening. "Hai. It is, Yuji-chan."

---

Chapter 16:

The old Shinto priest waved at the group as they reached the shrine's courtyard. He hurried over and crouched down beside Akane. "Did you have fun in the park, Akane-chan?"

"We did, Hii Ojiisan! It's so peaceful there and beautiful too!" the little raven-haired girl replied happily. The smile on her pretty face quickly faded. "I wish we could stay here longer."

"I wish you could too, child" Rei's grandfather answered as Rei and Yuuichirou looked on, holding hands. "I'm going to miss you."

Akane threw her arms around the old man and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for looking after Mommy and Daddy. You're the best great grandfather in the whole world!" Hino-sensei quickly wiped away a tear and slowly straightened up.

The other children gathered around and thanked him for letting them stay at the shrine, causing Yuuichirou to grin at his teacher.

"What are you smiling at, boy?" the elder Hino asked his apprentice gruffly.

"Oh nothing much, Sensei" Yuuichirou said with a smirk. "Just that you remind me a little of Santa-san."

"I believe I'm somewhat too short to fill that role, Yuuichirou-chan" his mentor replied. The priest's voice softened. "Minna, your friend Setsuna is here. She's waiting in your study room, Rei-chan."

"Oh. I guess it's nearly time then" the miko sighed. She squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "We should go in, honey."

The children led the way, talking excitedly amongst themselves as their parents reluctantly walked toward the living quarters. Ryo heard a sniffle from Ami and glanced at her, the soft-hearted blue-haired girl's eyes shimmering as she tried to blink back a multitude of tears. "It's ok, my love" he spoke soothingly. "We'll be with Chieko again in a little while." He tried his best to raise his girlfriend's spirits but his voice was nearly cracking with emotion as he watched his future daughter lead her friends into the building.

Dressed in a smart grey business suit, Setsuna turned from the window to face the group as they arrived. "Good morning everyone. I hope your experience during the last day was pleasant for all of you."

"It really was, Setsuna-san" Minako said. "Is it... time to say goodbye already?"

"It is."

The couples held their daughters in tearful farewells while Usagi walked over to stand beside the mysterious green-haired lady from their future. "I know everyone deeply appreciates what you've done for us" the blonde told the Senshi of Pluto. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

Setsuna smiled back. "Don't thank me, Usagi-chan. After all, it was your idea."

"That's right! Then I should be thanking myself!" Usagi forced a smile at her own joke, but the sight of four tearful couples saying farewell to their children in front of her was nearly too much to bear. "This is so hard."

Switching to English, Setsuna replied softly, "Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."

"Nani?"

"That was a quote from Shakespeare, Usagi-chan" Ami said as she tidied her daughter's blue hair.

The blonde's forehead wrinkled. "Shakespeare? Who's that, Ami-chan?"

"Mamoru-san is correct" Setsuna chided her. "You really should apply yourself to your studies more."

"Now don't you start!" Usagi grumbled. "Rei teases me enough about my schoolwork already!"

After allowing a little more time for everyone to finish their goodbyes, Setsuna gathered the children near the opened sliding door that lead into the hallway. "It is time, little ones. Please follow me."

The little girls waved at their parents. "See you in the future, Mommy and Daddy!" Midori blurted. Makoto felt an uncharacteristic weakness in her knees and Yuji slipped an arm snugly around her, his expression numb. They watched as one by one, the children followed the Senshi of Time from the room.

"Emiko-chan!" Minako's words were soft and choked with emotion as her daughter, the last to leave, disappeared around the corner. Turning to her boyfriend, she buried her face in Taro's chest, sobbing softly.

Hearts ached and silent tears flowed from every eye as the study room, once buzzing with youthful life, fell silent. For a while, no one moved from their spot until Yuji noticed something partly hidden behind a chair in one corner of the room. He walked over and reached for the item, gently lifting Midori's stuffed giraffe from where it lay. "I guess Midori-chan forgot it" he said sadly.

The sight of the stuffed toy was too much for Makoto. She went to her love and threw her arms around him, squeezing the giraffe between them. "We'll keep it safe for her, Yuji-chan" the tall brunette whispered. "It will be her first present when she's born."

"Hai. Let's do that" Yuji whispered back.

Across the room, Rei's eyes met Usagi's and the miko smiled. "Saying goodbye is so very hard. I should be mad at you for putting everyone through this, Usagi-chan. But... I'm not. Thank you for allowing us to be families for a while."

The odango-haired blonde nodded understandingly. "Dou itashimashite, Rei-chan."

. . . . .

An hour later found the teens relaxing quietly in the study room, sipping green tea. An empty tissue box sat in the center of the low table. At one end, a small stack of books were piled in front of Ami and Ryo, where they sat untouched. Few words had been said, but the silence spoke more than mere words ever could. Only Usagi and Yuuichirou were missing from the group, Usagi having hurried off to phone Mamoru and tell him about the upcoming trip to Okinawa, while Rei's boyfriend attended to his shrine duties.

Makoto raised the teapot, offering, "Anyone like a refill?"

"No thank you, Mako-chan."

"I'm good, thank you."

The brunette sighed and poured herself another cup. "It's so quiet here" she said to herself.

"Hai, it just isn't the same without our kids" Minako nodded in agreement. "I wonder how long before we see them again?"

Taro smiled at her. "It certainly won't be forever, my love. The time will pass. And until then, we all have to finish school, and... and uh..." He fell silent as he pondered what awaited them in their future.

"And in the meantime we're all going to Okinawa!" Minako suddenly brightened. "That should improve everyone's mood!"

"Ah, not so fast!" Makoto objected. "I still haven't decided if I'm going yet."

"Of course you are!" her blonde friend insisted, Minako's bubbly personality beginning to return. "Mako-chan, how about if I sit beside you on the plane? I happen to be an experienced world traveller" she boasted, "so I can tell you everything that happens during our flight so you don't worry about it! Isn't that a great idea?"

"That's a terrible idea, Minako-chan!" Rei grumbled. "Mako-chan will be nervous enough as it is, without you adding to it by scaring her half to death with crazy talk."

"I was just going to explain all the funny noises to her, Rei-chan."

Makoto looked across the table in alarm. "What funny noises?"

"You know, the sounds the plane makes" the blonde replied nonchalantly. "Things the Captain says. Stuff like that."

Rei groaned, resting her head in her hands. "I see nothing good coming from this" she sighed. The miko abruptly sat up. "Mako-chan, I'll sit next to you. Or Ami can. Or even Usagi! Anything would be better than being trapped up in the air beside Minako for a couple of hours. Her explanations of mechanical things will probably have you terrified before we even leave the ground."

"Excuse me?" Minako pouted. "You're just jealous because you haven't flown before, Rei-chan! I've been on the other side of the world!"

"And I'd probably never fly again if you spent the whole trip blathering in my ear about weird noises!" the young miko scoffed.

"Hmph! Some people just don't appreciate real experience!" Minako muttered indignantly.

"Oh, you're very experienced" Rei snapped back. "Experienced at wrecking things! Minako-chan, there's a fresh crate of ofuda in the storeroom. Would you like to go blow it up like you did with the other one?"

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?" Minako steamed. Beside her, Taro chuckled quietly at the thought, prompting an evil glare from his flustered girlfriend.

"Girls, please!" Ami interrupted. "Mako-chan, I've flown once before and it isn't bad at all. It isn't nearly as bad as you're imagining. There's really no need to be concerned."

"Ami-chan's right, Mako-chan" Minako agreed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Nothing to it at all. It'll just be a fun flight to Okinawa with nice scenery to look at on the way there."

The brunette paled. "I don't want to sit at a window!"

"Unless we hit turbulence" Minako added as an afterthought. "Then the ride may get a little bumpy."

"Turbulence?" Makoto blanched.

"Minako-chan, will you please shut up?" Rei hissed. "You're determined to wreck everything! You're even starting to make me nervous about flying!"

"Oh. Forget I said that, Mako-chan" the blonde mumbled with an apologetic smile.

"I'm going to have nightmares about this forever!" Makoto groaned. "Even if I stay at home!"

. . . . . . . . . .

Note: The next part of the series is 'Okinawa' (in two parts).