"Attendance!" Mrs. Akubi called. The classroom had been filled with an excited din before Akubi called out. Rarely if every was she mean, but, if prompted during attendance time, she would turn so. The roar quickly silenced at the sound of her voice, and students who were not seated quickly found one. "Aino-san!" she called. A young girl with long flowing tresses of pink, green-streaked hair who sat in the front row stood proudly. A nametag on her uniform read "Aino Barako". "Hai!" Akubi-sensei nodded her head in acknowledgement, and Barako quickly took her seat. "Aino-" the teacher began, about to call on the other sister, but was interrupted by the sound of an explosion. The other girl, who had been about to stand, looked around and quickly sat down. "It's probably those weirdos in class Matsu 90," Akubi-sensei sighed. "Now-" The building shook uncontrollably, and the students his under their desks. Under normal circumstances, the earthquake siren would have gone off. But this . . . This was different from any earthquake. Lethally different. For it meant that they had found them. Neo-Tokyo Public High School was no average school. It was an isolated school in a remote area, hidden from the androids. But now, the populace's greatest fear had come true: the androids had found them. The girl with the pink hair shuddered as the building shook. There was no time for this; they had to act soon or be killed themselves. She glanced around. Her sister, Kirei, looked around as well. When their gaze met, they knew that they were both thinking the same thing. Barako looked around further, catching the eyes of her friends: Yuri, Takara, and Himitsu. They all nodded, knowing exactly what she thought. They stood, without thinking any further, and ran out of the room. "Wait!" Mrs. Akubi called. But it was far too late. They'd already run out the door and down the hall. She ran to the door, looking after them as they continued toward the source of the rumbling. "Oh those poor girls," she whispered. "What do they think they're doing? They're mere humans compared to those monsters . . . They'll be killed." Out of all the girls who ran out of the classroom, Himitsu was the most frightened. Their trip back to the twentieth century had confirmed her biggest fault and fear. There was no way that she'd be able to go through with the transformation; it was impossible for her to do so. "You guys, I can't-" she began. The navy-blue haired girl looked behind her shoulder briefly, pity in her eyes; a princess who couldn't transform. "We know," Takara sighed. "We know." Yuri, however, remained looking forward. Her legs pumped faster than the others, and she was ahead of them, not even out of breath. "But," she said, "there's nothing we can do about that." They ran until they reached the empty gymnasium. "Alright, Himitsu," gasped Kirei. She was bent over, her hands on her kneecaps. "It's time. Do your thing." Himitsu closed her eyes, and the five joined hands. This was the only thing she could do, for now. The incantation worked every time. Himitsu's eyes slowly opened, their normal green color now chartruse. "Callisto, Larissa, Dione, Ariel, Ganymede!" she called in a trance-like voice. "Appear to us now! We need your aid! We need your power!" Their ring levitated above the ground, and Himitsu's eyes fully opened. "Naturi Guardian! I call upon your strength! Protect me!" Suddenly, the four partners and Himitsu's Guardian, the former Doom and Gloom girls, appeared behind them, fluttering either translucent or feathery wings. Larissa stood behind Barako, second in command along with Dione, Yuri's partner, and looked at Ganymede. Ganymede nodded in recognition, then took her place in front of Himitsu. "Ojousama," she whispered, "I am here." The ring lowered slowly to the ground, and the other four girls opened their eyes. Barako nodded to Yuri, and they yelled together in unison. "Let's do it!" "Lead of the Naturi Guard, I am Sailor Rose! Naturi Rose Power!" Barako yelled, thrusting her transformation pen into the air. "Second in command of the Naturi guard, I am Sailor Timbre! Naturi Timbre Power!" shouted Yuri, doing the same. "The instruments of death are in my hands, for I am Sailor Mariposa! Naturi Mariposa Power!" Kirei's hand flew into the air, grasping for something. A flute soon materialized in her hand. "The voice of things to come, I am Sailor Dorado! Naturi Dorado Power!" screamed Takara, her transformation pen glimmering as it was thrust upward. "Make-up!" They yelled in unison. A beautiful spectrum of lights surrounded them, the Guardians forming a ring around them, for they were most vulnerable at this point. Himitsu looked on in wonder as her friends did so, and she sighed. What is so wrong with me that I can't transform? I wanna help, you guys. Ganymede's hand rested on her shoulder as the lights faded, and four pretty soldiers stood in her friends' places. Suddenly, Barako grabbed Himitsu, jumping high as a brilliant beam of energy came towards the spot where she once stood. Barako looked up toward the source of the blast. There, levitating above them, stood the two androids. The boy with long black hair laughed aloud as he watched the four girls huddle around Himitsu, and their partners form a ring above them. "My, my, what's this? The drama club have their special effects team come to scare us away?" The girl android laughed, placing an arm upon her brother's shoulder. "I don't quite think it's working, do you, Junanagou?" Rose brought her hands in front of her, and the Rose Petal Lasso formed in them. She grasped it, looking on at them. "Get lost, androids. This haven was erected so that you two sleezeballs would stay away," she growled. Her pink hair was now pinned back into a bun, two curled locks dangling beside her face. Junanagou laughed at her proposition. "You humans are no match for us," said the android with a menacing gleam in his eye. His sister poked his arm and whispered something to him. He looked at her. "'Hachigou, can't you think of something besides yourself for once?! I'm not gonna-" he broke off. Juuhachigou's eyes had narrowed, and she clenched her fist, looking about ready to kill him. The boy walked towards their circle, each step echoing in the empty gymnasium. Rose's eyes met his, her glaring into the cold blue ice as he looked past her. She stepped in front of him, then, sneering. "You're not getting any closer to Himitsu, you creep," she hissed, the lasso ready to go with a flick of her wrist. Juunanagou smirked. "Fine then," he sighed. "You there, with the sandy hair," he called to Himitsu. With a gasp, she at him. "What do you want?" she asked quietly. Timbre's hand grasped hers. "Don't be afraid of him, Himitsu. He can't hurt you." With a slight nod, she projected her answer louder. "My sister wants that chain you have on your neck, the one with the broken key," he explained. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, the female android. "Now let me warn you, Juuhachigou normally gets what she wants, so I wouldn't say no, if I were you." Himitsu's hand flew up to the key that dangled on her gold chain, and she glared at him, almost taking a step toward him if Timbre hadn't stop her. "Never!" she yelled. "You'll never take my Brilliante Luz!" The broken key represented her sleeping power, and had been given to her when she'd gone to the past as a little girl. Allowing their evil hands to get hold of it could prove dangerous, if they ever found out what it was for. With a snarl, Rose stepped forward then, her pink hair catching light from the few gymnasium windows. The broken lights overhead sparked, sending showers of embers cascading down. "If you want to take her power," she hissed, "you'll have to go through me!" The other Senshi gasped. "No, Rose!" "We need you!" "You have to protect the princess!" "I'll fight him for you!" The last cry was Timbre's. She was physically stronger than Barako would probably ever be, but the other girl possessed more magic powers. She shook her head slowly, glowering at Junanagou with her piercing green eyes. "You might be stronger, Timbre, but I'm faster, and more experienced. The daughter of Sailor Venus and her successor, I won't allow such to go unpunished. It would be a disgrace to being called the leader of Himitsu's court." The boy smirked as he stepped up to meet Rose's challenge. "Well, now. I didn't know that we were dealing with royalty here." He tossed his black hair over his shoulder, grinning widely at Rose. "Alrighty, then, Sailor Rose," he said disdainfully, "let's get to it." Rose's hand flew up into the air, along with the petal lasso. "Power of Love and Justice, empower me!" With a mere flick of her wrist, Rose sent the lasso out in a straight line at Junanagou. "Rose Petal Lasso!" The lasso's path was perfect, but Junanagou dodged it. It disappeared into thin air. "Wow. Threw a rope at me, ne? Too bad you missed." Rose laughed quietly to herself. "Not quite." Yanking her hand back, the lasso appeared once again, and as she yanked, it was revealed that the rope had wrapped around his ankles. He fell to the ground with a yell of surprise. "Never underestimate the power of love, Android," she snarled. "Rose, behind you!" Turning around, the only thing Rose saw coming was a blur of white as Juhachigou's foot connected with her jaw. The kick sent the girl flying several feet back, and the android girl laughed at her. "Hmph. Some leader you are. How are you supposed to protect your precious 'Himitsu' when you can't withstand a kick that weak, hm?" Rose looked up to see the girl, now several feet away, smirking as she approached her. "You tripped my brother up with your sissy magic lasso. That's a lesson I'm going to teach you to regret." She stopped, then chuckled sinisterly. "Actually, when I'm through with you, you probably won't live long enough to remember it." "Not if I have anything to do with that!" Eighteen spun to see Timbre coming at her, full force. The girl was coming too quickly and was too near for her to avoid the impact, which sent her into the wall adjacent the one she'd knocked Rose into. Juuhachigou looked at her in anger and bewilderment. "How could you have possibly snuck up on me? I have the best set of senses on the planet!" In the silver haired senshi's hand was a small scepter with a bell at the top. Spinning it around, she laughed. "Amazing what sissy magic can do. You couldn't even hear me approaching!" Seventeen fired a blast at her, causing her to jump up as her sixth sense alerted her. Eighteen then phased up above her, knocking her back down to the ground. "Timbre!" yelled Mariposa and Dorado unanimously. They watched as the silver haired warrior, who should have won, no contest, fell from the sky as quickly as she had arisen. Now they were left to guard the Princess. Now, however, Himitsu was not about to allow that. "Rose! Timbre! Get up!" she yelled, looking on in confusion as they didn't. "Rose, Timbre, I command you to get up, at once! This isn't funny!" The two pretty soldiers showed no signs of obeying, as they lay there, limp. "Aww," razzed Junanagou, "what's wrong, Princess? Your guards gone to the next world? Hope hell's hot enough for them." Himitsu felt anger bubble up inside of her as he laughed, and she stepped forward. "You creep. how dare you do this to us? All this time, scaring us, making us hide from you." Breaking through the barrier of Mariposa and Dorado, she stepped towards him. "I won't allow your deeds to go unpunished! So help me, if I have to fight you without any special powers, I will! Yurusenai!" "Himitsu." Ganymede stepped forward from the guardians' circle, and she held out her hand. In it materialized the other half of the key. "Your mother of the past forbade me to give this to you, but now, I see that we have no other choice. Rose and Timbre need you. Larrissa and Dione are sustaining their lives for now, but it won't last forever." Himitsu turned to face the two androids. "I'll give you a battle, Android 17, and you'll regret messing with the Royal Family of Neo-Tokyo!" Her necklace lifted itself from her neck, and the other half lifted from within Ganymede's palm. "Ojousama," Rose muttered, "I always knew you had it in you, somewhere." Timbre's eyes lifted to look at Princess Himitsu again. "Ojousama. do us proud!" Himitsu felt tears begin to border the edges of her eyes as they began to fade in the all too familiar way a Sailor Star dies. "Barako, Yuri! No!" Himitsu cried. She then turned to Android 17. "I realize now," she said as her tears raised up and floated like shimmering crystals, "who my Brilliante Luz- my Brilliant Light- is. My friends are the brilliant light that keeps me protected, and who I trust more than anyone. For trying to steal that light from me, I'll destroy you!" She thrust her hand up into the air, and both pieces of the key formed as one. "Brilliant Light, arise from within! Power of Miracles! Naturi Milagro Power, Make-up!" Beams of golden light surrounded Himitsu, and the key sparkled as it crystallized. Her school uniform turned gold, and she gained a tiara that covered the mark of a phoenix that appeared on her head. Her school shoes were replaced with golden boots with laces that ran up the sides of her legs. The key came down in a shaft of brilliant light, and as she reached for it, she yelled, "Shattered Hopes Blade!" The android looked on as a sword formed from the light. Milagro gripped it tightly as she walked over to her friends. Holding one hand over Rose's chest, she closed her eyes and whispered "Miracle Crisis Evaluation." The pink haired soldier's body began to solidify once more, and her eyes opened to look up at her Princess. "Himitsu?" she said lightly. Milagro nodded, then walked over to Timbre and did the same thing. The two Sailor senshi stood up beside her, and Milagro turned to face them. "Androids," she began, her voice pure as light, "You've wrecked havoc on this planet for too long. We hide from you in fear for our lives. The hopes we once had for the future are gone. You've shattered them, and in the name of shattered hopes," she yelled, raising the sword high above her head, "I will punish you!" Milagro brought the sword down, its tip facing toward Android 17. A prism formed, and a bright white energy surged from it to the stunned Android. It shot through his side, and he yelled in pain. When the sword's light dimmed, Milagro was horrified: 17 had only pretended his pain; she'd missed completely. "Whoops," 17 said, smiling wryly at her. "I think you missed." Milagro and the others watched as a ball of energy formed in his hand. "Don't worry, cutie, I'll make this quick and painless." Ganymede watched powerlessly as the ball of energy surged towards Milagro. She wouldn't make it in time, even if she tried."Milagro!" she yelled. Milagro just closed her eyes, awaiting the impact. Believe me, Rei's voice echoed in her mind, you don't want this crazy life. "So this is what she meant . . ." Milagro whispered.