Title: Snake Eyes
Author: Hidden Angel
Email: hitoshichan@bishoujosenshi.com
AN: This was previously posted under an old author name. It -is- my story, just
under a different author name than before.

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Usagi looked at herself in disbelief, the reflection in the mirror
shooting the look of utter shock and amazement right back to her widened
yellowish green eyes. She could never believe she would do something such as
this, but after Galaxia, and Mamoru never returning, she figured . . .
'I suppose now is just as good a time as ever,' she thought, sadly.
"Luna!" she called into her room, and the black cat promptly appeared at the
bathroom door.
"Usagi-chan!" she exclaimed in shock, looking over her charge,
carefully. Her previously ankle-length blonde hair was now midnight black,
completely pulled up into a single odango with a thick, armwidth braid hanging
from it. Her face was no longer innocent, her legs longer and her curves more
defined. The eyes were the most startling change. Previously a clear, sapphire
blue that reflected the sky on good days, they were now pale, green lightened
with flecks of yellow.
Snake eyes.
Luna shuddered as she saw the deviousness hidden behind the mask of
indifference Usagi had pasted on. How different she was now, than the girl who
has so gallantly defeated the ultimate evil in the universe no more than six
months ago.
Perhaps she hadn't paid enough attention. Surely, Usagi's heart would
have been broken over Mamoru's absence. Even after all the starseeds had been
returned, nobody had heard from him. Rei had refused to check the sacred fire,
in fear of what she might find. The same went for Ami, she didn't want to be
responsible for causing Usagi even more grief.
Now the venom and poison Usagi contained towards whoever had kept Mamoru
from her was immeasureable. Luna had even gone as far as to have Ami scan her
for dark energy. While Ami had been shocked at the results, she had not shared
any with Luna, though she assured the cat that Usagi was clear of dark energy.
But clear from harm? That is what worried Luna, on this new escapade of
Usagi's. Especially since the other scouts seemed to be keeping something from
her . . . even Artemis, which is how she suspected the other scouts had gotten
ahold of this new information.
She'd have to have a talk with him later.
"I'm ready to go, Luna," Usagi said, breaking Luna's train of thought.
"Where are you going?"
"To find Mamo-chan," Usagi replied, defiantly. "Mamma and Poppa think
I'm going to be an exchange student for a year. In a sense, I am. I will be
tutored while I am there, but I am no exchange student. I have a mission, and
one that I will complete, even if it costs me everything."
Luna's eyes widened, "Usagi-chan you can't!"
"I must! Don't try and stop me, Luna! Tell the girls goodbye for me."
She reached for her brooch. "Mother has bestowed a new power on me, one that
will be of intense focus once the new enemy has risen. If I'm lucky, I'll be
able to draw it away from you."
"New enemy? Usagi-chan, sto,"
She was cut off by an explosion of light with Usagi's next words.
"Ethereal Moon, MAKE UP!"
Luna squinted against the light that suddenly filled the small room, and
backed back into the bedroom as to not get herself fried by the intense energy
flowing throughout Usagi's being.
When the light finally died down, Luna squeezed open one eye to survey
the damage done. What she saw, shocked her.
Standing before her, in all her glory, was the fabled sailor scout Queen
Serenity had told her of, who would only exist in times of dire need.

***FLASHBACK***

"This scout, known as the Ethereal Moon Angel, was the very essence of
the moon's spirit. She held the powers of the generations of so long ago, and
more," Serenity spoke softly, looking down at the kitten she cradled in her
arms. "It will be your job to search for her, when the time comes, Luna,"
"How will I know when to start looking?" the tiny kitten's babyish voice
floated up from the small black bundle.
"The Ethereal Moon Angel's spirit and power will only be re-awakened in
times of dire need. The last time this senshi was seen, was at the very dawn of
time, when the Silver Millennium was created. Nobody knew where she came from,
or where she went. Some say she was the creator, but we all know better,"
Serenity said, her voice in a low whisper.
"What is she like?"
"Oh, Luna, so many questions . . . you will be a wonderful advisor to my
heir, some day. The Ethereal Moon Angel holds a love so pure, and so strong,
nothing can defy it. Not an ounce of hatred or darkness can consume her, though
at times she may seem like it. She is very passionate about protecting those
she loves, and those who she loves are everyone around her."
"Very much like what you hope the princess will turn out to be some
day?"
"Very much, but there is one trait in the Ethereal Moon Angel that I
wish my daughter will not have," Serenity continued, her voice growing strained.
Her crescent moon shimmered, and glowed softly.
"What's that?"
"She will be, when she needs to be, a cruel and heartless murderer. The
amount of killing she must do surpasses that of what Sailormoon, and the
Sailorsenshi must do. It surpasses that of what the Senshi of Death and
Destruction, the Saturn child, must do. She will have to destroy, then
re-create a whole universe, using nothing but raw power."
"She will have a strong heart, my queen."

***END FLASHBACK***

The woman who stood before Luna, was no longer Tsukino Usagi. No longer
Eternal Sailormoon. And most importantly . . . no longer Princess Serenity.
Her black braid whipped softly in an un-heeding breeze still flowing
around her still form. The shimmering, shifting dress she wore was of a
material no human eye had ever seen. Luna recognized it as material spun from
only the finest of threads, silver intertwined with clear, but not so much to
make the dress transparent
It was as if a single strip of cloth wound from this angels neck down to
her ankles, rather becoming transparent the further down it went. By the time
it reached her ankles, it was as if the dress did not exist. An intricate
pattern of stars, moons and feathers wove it's way through the hem and choker of
the dress, matching the sapphire-inlaid pattern on the crystal staff she was
holding.
The staff itself was amazing enough. It was a clear crystal, the power
flowing through it equivalent to that of the ginzuishou. On one end, it was
softly rounded, only to twist up in elaborate patterns as if it was made of
clear ribbons meshed together, and then splayed out at the top, colored ribbons
of energy flowing from the tips.
Liquid silver wings sprouted from the angel's back, their brilliance
enough to cause Luna to shield her eyes again. A strange, silver glow
surrounded her, and her pale yellow eyes portrayed the message they were meant
to hold more than a millennium earlier, "Who wishes to stand in my way will
ultimately meet the untimely death by my hand. My purpose is not to save, but
to destroy, and raise the phoenix once more."
The voice came loud and clear, and a rather shock to Luna's ears. She
did not realize that the angel had spoken until she opened her eyes again and
saw her looking down at her, a cold layer of ice covering her eyes.
"Usagi-chan . . ." Luna whispered, and promptly bowed the best she could
in feline form.
"Get up, Luna. You have been good to me, and have prepared me well for
the task I must now face. Warn the senshi, the Ethereal Angel of the Moon has
been reborn, and so must they face the consequences of her wrath when the time
of the silence comes. Please, tell Hotaru-chan she needn't worry any more. Her
powers of death and destruction are no longer in her hands."
With those final words spoken, the angel lifted her staff. She opened
her mouth and screamed silent words, deaf to Luna's ears, and promptly
disappeared into the quickly-approaching darkness of the inky night.

******

On the outskirts of town, Shinto Priestess Hino Rei was sweeping the
temple grounds when a cold chill shot through her mind. She gripped the broom
handle tightly, "Yuurichiro!" she called, her voice weak and strained,
"Yuurichiro!" she cried one more time. The cold chills continued, coming with
more and more pain, and fear.
Never before had Rei experienced such fear.
"Rei!" Yuurichiro cried, as he saw his fiancee loose her grip on the
broom and slump to the ground in pain. He raced to her and knelt by her, only
to see her gripping her head in pain and chanting the same thing over and over,
"Serenity's the angel . . . Serenity's the angel . . ."
Yuurichiro did the only logical thing he could think of to do. Sweeping
his bangs out of his eyes, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the
safety of the temple, away from the cool night air.
Outside, a star shot through the heavens and just as suddenly as the
chills started, they stopped.
"Yuurichiro?" Rei moaned, cracking open one eye to see him sitting by
her side, his face etched in concern.
"Rei, are you all right? You just . . . collapsed out there, what
happened?"
Rei attempted a laugh, but it came out as a bitter growl, "I wish I
knew. One second I was sweeping the temple, and the next, I feel this cold
chill, this feeling of dread . . . I couldn't hardly call your name, let alone
speak."
"You did say something . . ." Yuurichiro said, hesitantly.
Rei arched an eyebrow at him, "Oh, did I really?" she said,
sarcastically. "And just what did I say?"
"You kept saying 'Serenity's the angel.' It was hard to understand,
because you were mumbling,"
"*What* did I say?" Rei hissed, her voice suddenly cold, but wavering.
"Y . . . you said 'Serenity's the angel.' Rei-chan, what's going on?"
"Usagi-chan!" Rei suddenly exclaimed, and leapt off of the mat and
dashed out into the night once more.
"Rei!" Yuurichiro shouted and shot after her, stopping when he saw Rei
standing stock-still in front of him, staring hard into the distance. He stood
next to her, prepared to catch her if need be.
"Usagi-chan . . ." Rei whispered, and a hand flew to her mouth and she
collapsed sobbing, "It was too late . . . I was too late to save her! Her soul
may be forever lost!"
"Rei, what's going on?"
"Usagi-chan! It was her! Usagi-chan was the angel prophesized in the
moon kingdom! The silence will be her judgment on this world . . . we have to
warn the others!" Rei sobbed, leaning against Yuurichiro for support.
"What? Rei, what are you rambling about?" Yuurichiro demanded as he
gently lifted Rei back to her feet.
"Usagi-chan is Sailormoon. She was the princess, but now, who knows
what's going to happen? We'll need Sailormoon when the silence approaches, or
all is lost. It may be already."

******

A loud, piercing sound along the lines of an alarm shattered the peace
and quiet of a small, but cozy apartment. A slim, white hand shot out and
landed on a small blue object on a bedside table. A second later, a soft light
illuminated the room. Blinking tiredly, Mizuno Ami switched on her computer to
find out what had triggered such a reaction.
"S**t! MOTHER!" Ami cried when she read the readings. She leapt nimbly
out of bed and dashed for her bedroom door, reaching it just as her mother
opened it. She careened into her at such a speed it sent both of them tumbling
to the ground.
"Ami-chan! What's the matter with you?" her mother demanded, attempting
to get herself up without tripping over Ami. It took a second before she
realized that Ami was already up and racing for the dining room.
"Mizuno Ami just *what* is going on here? And would you stop that
racket! We're going to get the neighbors on our case if you don't!"
"That's what I'm trying to do, mother!" Ami ground out as she grabbed a
small substance from her sub-space pocket once she was out of visible range.
The sound immediately muffled to a dull, but still annoying, beep.
Ami stood in the middle of the living room, panting, as she quickly
typed in line after line after line on her mini-computer. Her mother entered
the room and watched her daughter curiously until she finally stopped.
"Mother . . . I have something to tell you, and it may come as a shock,
but trust me. It's real," Ami's voice came calm, but her mother detected and
underlying note of fear in it.
"Ami-chan, what is that?"
"Just watch . . . and don't faint. Are you ready?"
Ami's mother only nodded dumbly.
"Mercury Star Power, MAKE UP!"
When the transformation was complete, Ami's mom stood, gaping at her.
"A . . . Ami-chan?" she stuttered.
"That would be Sailormercury, in this form," Ami replied, smiling
slightly. "We're in great danger. A great evil is rising, and it's going to go
after Usagi-chan, but she no longer exists. So, we are the next best thing."
"Usagi-chan no longer exists?"
"That's only the beginning."
"What?"
"We, the senshi and our families, are currently bait for the pending
silence."

******

Far across the Atlantic, in a small alleyway in a city called Boston, a
brilliant light flared, a shooting star fell, and the angel stepped into
reality.