In Dreams

Minako sat up in bed, in a cold sweat. It had only been a dream. She looked around her
room, very happy to see her stuffed animals and to be in her warm flannel pyjamas. But where
was Artemis? He usually slept at her feet. "Artemis?" she whispered in the dark. Minako heard a
weak "meow" coming from the floor. She snuck out of bed, praying that Mamma didn't hear
her. "Artemis?" She saw Artemis laying on the floor, knocked out. "Oh, Artemis!" she gasped.
"What happened to you?!" "Ugh," Artemis said, coming to "you happened. You kicked me off
of the bed. Were you having a bad dream?" "I'm sorry, Artemis," Minako said. She picked him
up and kissed him on the forehead. "Yeah, I had this awful dream about Usagi-chan..."
"There was this new enemy, more powerful than anything we've ever faced before.
Pluto, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune were gone, and we couldn't contact them to come and help
fight. Even the Sailor Planet Attack did nothing. All of us Senshi were really injured, even
Usagi-chan. She was probably more hurt than the rest of us. But, she used the ginzouishou to try
to kill it or heal it or something. This *thing* just reflected the attack right back at her, then it
used an attack of it's own. It killed her instantly. And nothing could bring her back. She was
gone." Tears welled up in Minako's eyes. "It seemed so real. And then, just as the enemy was
about to kill us too, a ouji with long hair in a braid showed up. He rode up on a horse, and killed
the enemy... "
There was a pause, then Artemis asked "What happened after that?"
"There was us four Senshi left, and this ouji-sama. He stood watching us. Usagi-chan was
dead. Mamoru-san was weeping, begging her to open her eyes. We were all around Usagi-chan
too, crying. But she wouldn't come back to us."
"Oh, Minako." Artemis stretched up, and licked her tears away. "You do know that it
was only a dream, right?"
"But, what if it comes true?" Minako sighed. "I wonder if any of the others had the same
dream. I don't want to wake anyone up, but..." She looked at the clock, and saw that it was 4 am.
Rei-chan would be up for meditation. She decided to try calling her. Just as she thought that, her
communicator started to beep. Minako grabbed it from her bedside table. On the screen was a
very tired and stressed out Ami-chan.
"Minako-chan, gomen for waking you up." Ami said. "I know that it's 4 am, but I just
had to talk to you. I had this horrifying dream, and I'm feeling really shook up..."
"Ami-chan, what did you dream?" asked Minako, curious.
"Well..." Ami's face went dark. "It was horrible. We were facing this new enemy, just us
Inner Senshi, and it was more formidable than anything we've ever faced before. The Sailor
Planet attack was totally ineffective, and I could detect no weaknesses whatsoever. All of us
were badly injured, especially Usagi-chan. She was in worse condition than the rest of us. But,
she used the ginzouishou against the enemy, as a last resource. The enemy just reflected the
attack, then it used some devastating attack of it's own. Usagi-chan was killed instantly, and
nothing could bring her back. She was gone."Ami looked ready to bawl. "It was so realistic. Just
as the enemy was about to kill us too, a ouji with short blonde hair appeared. He rode up on a
horse, and instantaneously defeated the enemy... "
Minako was silent. "Horrific, isn't it," muttered Ami. "Gomen, I know it was ridiculous
of me to worry you about such a thing. After all, it was only a dream. Still, it haunts me, like it's
more than a mere dream." Ami was silent for a minute, then observed "it seems like you were up
before I called you on the communicator. What were you doing up at 4 am, Minako-chan?"
"Ami-chan, you're not going to believe this," Minako said, "but I had pretty muchly the
exact same dream. Except for the ouji-sama. He had a long braid in my dream, and had brown
hair."
"Did Usagi-chan come back to life in your dream, Minako-chan?"
"No." The girls were silent. "I wonder..." Minako began.
"...if Mako-chan or Rei-chan had the same dream we did." Ami-chan finished. "You
know, Rei-chan should be up now for morning meditation."
"I was just about to call her," Minako replied. "And we'll see Mako-chan at school
tomorrow, ne?"
"Hai," Ami said. A bell sounded in the background "Oh my, my telephone is ringing! I
wonder who would be calling at this hour. I'm glad my mother is out of town, or it would've
woken her up. Stay here, okei Minako-chan?" Ami ran to answer the phone.
"Wow, that's weird," Artemis commented. "You guys had basically the exact same
dream. I hope that it's not a warning of a new enemy coming."
"I hope so too, Artemis. We've had peace since Galaxia was defeated, and I want it to
stay that way." Minako stared out the window at the full moon. It was just setting, a big red-
orange ball in the sky. A shadow flickered across the moon, but was gone in an instant.
"Artemis, did you see that?!"
"Yeah, I did. And I don't like the look of it one bit! We have to call an emergency
meeting tomorrow!"
"Yeah, but do we have to tell Usagi-chan? I mean, maybe we shouldn't worry her until
we know there's a real threat. I know I wouldn't really wanna know if someone had a dream
about me dying."

**********

Usagi was cold. She shivered as a cool breeze drifted in the window. She curled up, trying to get
warmer, too tired to get up to shut the window. But, it was *cold*...Reluctantly, she got up and
shut it. Ahh, that was better. Usagi crawled back into bed. She felt arms wrap around her from
behind. She had disturbed Mamo-chan. Oh well, at least now she was warm. Usagi smiled, and
turned over to face him. Mamoru was looking at her through half-open eyes. "You were hogging
the covers again, Mamo-chan," she said, teasingly.
"Well, maybe you wouldn't need covers if you slept in something other than your skin,
odango atama."
Usagi kissed him. "But I like sleeping this way. The closer I am to you the better."
Mamoru kissed her back. "Well, I like having you sleep that way."
"Well, I like sleeping like this too. And we're both happy." She smiled. "Aishiteru,
Mamo-chan."
"Aishiteru, Usako." Just as he said that, Mamoru saw the dark shadow flicker across the
setting moon. His face darkened for a moment, knowing what it could mean.
Usagi noticed his brief worried expression. "Nani, Mamo-chan?"
"Nothing my love," he said. "Just that the moon is setting, and it doesn't have it's normal
radiance. But, I have my own radiant moon hime right here with me." Mamoru was relieved that
he didn't have to tell Usako the truth. She seemed satisfied by that, and he didn't want to worry
her.
"I'll always be by your side, my ouji." Usagi said. And, I'll always protect you too, no
matter what, she thought to herself. She kissed him again. "It's almost morning. I think we
should get some more sleep before the alarm goes off. Goodnight, my love."
"Actually, it is morning. Good morning, Usako." Mamoru held Usagi close, and she soon
drifted back to sleep. He lay there, watching her, hoping that the shadow across the moon meant
nothing and that they could live in peace.

**********

Ami came back to the communicator. "Minako-chan, that was Mako-chan. She had the
same dream as us! Except her ouji-sama was different from ours...he had spiky bangs and
reddish-brown hair."
"Hang on, Ami-chan. I'm gonna call Rei-chan. If she had the same dream as us..."
Minako went into the hall, grabbed the cordless phone, and dialed Rei-chan.

**********

Rei was in her temple, meditating. "Sacred flame," she prayed "give me guidance and
show me the meaning of my dream. Is the new enemy that I saw in my dream going to come?"
The flames began to glow brightly, indicating yes. Then, a dark streak flittered across the flames,
and they almost went out. "A bad omen," Rei muttered. "Please, sacred flame, show me how to
beat this enemy." The flames showed Rei a boy with long black hair, riding a horse. "Is there
any way for the Senshi alone to beat it? How do I find this boy?" The flames died. Rei gasped.
This meant trouble, serious trouble. Especially, it seemed, for Usagi-chan.
Sure, Usagi-chan was late for everything and not so good at schoolwork, and a ditz and a
klutz, and she was weak and a crybaby, but she was also Rei's best friend. She was always there
for you when you needed her, and she always manages to pull through when people are
depending on her. She's saved me so many times in so many ways, and I never tell her how
much she really means to me, Rei thought.
The door slid open, and there stood Rei's grandpa. "Rei," he said "I hate to disturb your
meditation, but one of your friends is on the phone. She said it was most urgent that I get you.
Something about taisetsuna business." Rei stood up, and went to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Rei-chan, it's me."
"Minako-chan, what are you doing up this early? What's the matter?"
"Well, me and Ami-chan and Mako-chan all had this same dream..."
"About a powerful new enemy that we can't defeat, and the Outer Senshi are gone? The
thing kills Usagi-chan, then a ouji with long dark hair in a ponytail saves us?"
"Hai." Minako sounded less than happy. "So you had it too."
"Yeah, and a shadow flickered across my fire this morning. That's a bad omen in itself,
but then the fire died."
Minako gasped. "I saw a shadow flicker across the moon a few seconds ago! This is bad,
really really bad. We need to have an emergency meeting ASAP! But, I don't think that we
should tell Usagi-chan yet. Ami-chan and Mako-chan agree with me on that one."
"Yeah, I don't think we should tell her just yet either. Hey, I know it's way early, but can
you come over now? This way Usagi-chan will never know about us meeting. She's probably
snoring away in Mamoru-san's arms."
Minako thought for a moment. "I suppose I could climb out my window. I've done it
before. Hang on a sec while I check with Ami-chan and Mako-chan."
"Okei, they're on their way," Minako said a minute later. "And so am I."

**********

Later that morning, Usagi got to class, late as usual. She was surprised to see Minako-
chan, Ami-chan, and Mako-chan's desks empty. Where are they, she wondered. Had a new
enemy come and captured them?
Just as she thought that, they all slunk in the door. Their sensei said "Tsukino Usagi,
Kino Makoto, and Aino Minako, you know the story. I'll see you at 3 pm. Mizuno Ami, I'm
shocked that you, of all people, would dare to be late for my class. You have detention as well.
Those delinquent girls can show you the ropes."
Makoto almost jumped out of her seat and hit Kilpatrick-sensei for being called a
delinquent, but Minako-chan grabbed her arm and yanked her down into her seat. "Settle down,
Mako-chan. You know that he'll quadruple-zillion your detention if you hit him," she whispered.
Ami's face turned bright red. Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no...she panicked. Would this
detention affect her grades any? Would it go on her school records? There went her chances of
getting into med. school...Ami felt dizzy. She fainted.
"Ami-chan!" Usagi gasped. A boy with blonde hair had caught her. Usagi rushed over to
them. "Ami-chan, wake up! Say something!" Usagi began to wail.
Ami opened her eyes to Usagi blubbering and a gorgeous blonde-haired cherub holding
her. Her face turned red, and so did the boy's. He helped her stand upright, and quietly asked if
she was okei. Ami nodded.
"Oh, Ami-chan, I'm so glad you're okei," Usagi wailed. She grabbed Ami and hugged
her tightly.
"Oh, Usagi-chan," Ami said, hugging her back. "You're so silly. Of course I'm fine."
Ami smiled at her.
The blonde boy thought that her smile was the most beautiful one he had ever seen. So
her name was Ami. So pretty. He wondered if she was single. No, someone as beautiful as she
must be taken...
"EVERYONE SIT DOWN NOW! TSUKINO USAGI, YOUR DETENTION IS
DOUBLED!" yelled Kilpatrick-sensei.
Usagi, Ami, the crowd that had gathered, and the boy slunk back to their seats,
embarrassed. Just then the PA system sounded, asking for the new transfer students to come
down to the main office. The blonde boy, a boy with brown spiky hair and long bangs, and a boy
with a long braid stood up.
"Ha ha," someone laughed "The one 'boy' with the braid looks like a girl!"
Minako, who had been quietly admiring (ogling) 'Braid-boy' as she had nicknamed him,
turned around and slapped the boy who had said that. "He doesn't look like a girl at all!" she
yelled. "For insulting a cute guy like that, I shall punish you in the...mrmrble mrmrble." Makoto
had clamped her hand over Minako-chan's mouth.
"You were going to say 'punish you in the name of Venus' weren't you?" she hissed.
"You wanna blow your cover? Just cuz that guy's got you all hot and bothered..."
"Well, aren't I allowed to look once in awhile? Just cause every guy looks like your old
boyfriend doesn't mean they're all after *you*!" Minako hissed back. You could see the tension
building between the two.
'Braid-boy' and the other two looked embarrassed. "THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!" Kilpatrick-
sensei yelled. "AINO MINAKO, KINO MAKOTO, YOUR DETENTION HAS DOUBLED AS
WELL! ANYONE ELSE WANT DETENTION WITH THESE TWO HOOLIGANS?"
The class was silent. I've never hated a teacher in all my life, Ami-chan thought, but this
guy is horrible. I hope the Negaverse comes back, and drains him of all his energy. I know for
sure that I wouldn't rescue him! Then, Ami was embarrassed by her thoughts, and turned red
again.
Meanwhile, the three boys shifted nervously where they were standing. "Yes, you may
go," Kilpatrick-sensei said. They quickly exited the classroom.

**********

Out in the hall, Trowa spoke first, which was unusual. "That one girl. It feels like..."
"I know her from somewhere, and I've seen her before." Duo continued.
"I know you guys might think I'm crazy, but I feel like I know one of them too. But not
from real life. From a dream."
"You had a dream about the blonde with a bow too, Quatre?" Duo asked
"No, I dreamed about the blue haired one, Ami." Quatre blushed. "She was a princess..."
"Calling out to me for help..." Trowa continued. "Only for me it was the tall one, with
the brown ponytail."
"Well, that's why we're here," Duo said. "To save our damsels in distress! Personally, I
prefer the blonde. She reminds me of Sailor V." He laughed.
"We know what you *really* think about blonde girls," said Quatre.
"I wonder if it applies to blonde guys too," joked Trowa. Which, of course, make Quatre
blush more.
"And why would you wonder that?" asked Duo with a devilish look on his face. That
comment made Trowa blush. "Ooh, everyone is blushing," laughed Duo. "Is Trowa in loooove?"
"I didn't mean it *that* way." Trowa fell silent.
"Well, I suppose we should try to meet up with Wu-fei and Heero, then try to find the
main office," said Quatre, trying to be the nice guy and change an uncomfortable topic. "I
wonder if they had the same dream as us."
They saw Wu-fei walking up ahead. "Hey, Wu-fei," Duo and Quatre said. As usual,
Trowa was silent again. "Listen," Duo said. "I know this is gonna sound weird, but did you have
a strange dream last night about a princess?"
"Yeah."
"Well, what did yours look like? Did she ask you for help? Tell us about her." Quatre
was curious.
"She had long dark hair. I guess she did, in her own way."
"Whaddya mean, 'in her own way'?"
"I mean that she was strong and proud. She wasn't a weakling and she didn't beg for my
help like others would. In her own way, she asked, and since she wasn't weak, I actually wanted
to help her out."
"Wow, Wu-fei. I think that's the longest sentence I've ever heard you speak," said Duo.
"But, tell us more about her. Is she really pretty?"
"Yes. She was like a goddess." Wu-fei looked wistful for a moment, then his face went
back to the rather emotionless state it usually held. "I take it you all had this dream too."
"Yeah, we all did. The strange thing is, there were girls who looked just like the
princesses in our dreams in our homeroom class. What about you? Did you meet your princess?"
Once again, Wu-fei looked wistful for a moment. "No. Love is for weaklings. I doubt
these girls exist in real life, it was probably just a coincidence for you three."
"Hey, there's Heero!" Duo looked happy. "Hey man, what's up?"
Heero just looked at Duo. "Hi."
"Listen, Heero. Did you have a strange dream last night about a princess? Calling to you
for help?"
"No. I rarely dream, and when I do, it wouldn't be about fairy tales." I only dream about
Relena, Heero thought to himself.
"Oh." Duo looked puzzled. Why would everyone else have the dream but Heero, their
'unofficial leader'?
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just that we all did, and we were wondering if you did too."
Heero shook his head. "Nope. Anyway, we should get to the main office before someone
comes looking for us."
"Someone comes looking for us? We're not being stalked by OZ, you know." Trowa
spoke up.
"I know. We're on a different mission this time. And, we have to keep our cover as
schoolboys, no matter what."
The boys entered the main office, where they were greeted by the principal. Then, they
were directed to the auditorium, where they would be introduced to the school. The whole
school was packed into the auditorium. The Gundams stared out at the sea of faces. There were
so many people here, so many innocent lives at stake...

**********

Ami, Minako, Usagi, and Makoto were all sitting together. "So, we're going to learn
these cute new boys' names," grinned Makoto.
"Well, you can have any of them but Braid-boy. He's mine" said Minako possessively.
"I don't see your name on him anywhere," said Makoto. "But, not to worry. He doesn't
interest me. Too short for me. I like the brown-haired one with the long spiky bangs." Makoto
and Minako continued to drool over the guys.
"You don't like any of them, Usagi-chan?" asked Ami.
"Well, they're all kind of cute, but I have my Mamo-chan." Usagi held up her left hand,
and pointed to the adorned ring finger. "Remember?" Usagi smiled, just thinking about her ouji.
"But what about you, Ami-chan? Which one do you like?"
"I don't have time for a boyfriend," Ami said quickly, too quickly. "The most important
thing is studying and getting into medical school. That, and being a Sailor Senshi." Ami blushed.
"Ooh, you *do* like one of them, Ami-chan. I knew it! Is it the blonde one who caught
you?"
Ami turned beet red. "Ummm..." Makoto and Minako realized that Ami and Usagi were
talking about guys, and that Ami's face was red. "Ooh, Ami-chan has a crush? Who? The blonde
guy?"
Ami nodded quickly. "But, nothing will ever come of it, so just forget that I said
anything."
Just then, the principal stepped on stage. "Quiet down, minna," she said. "Today, we
have five new students joining our school. Please stand up as I say your name, boys. In 11A,
Heero Yuy. In 11B, Quatre Winner, Trowa Barton, and Duo Maxwell. And in 11C, Wu-fei
Chang. Please make the boys feel welcome in our school. Now, in other business, the Student's
Council has some things they'd like to address. First up is Kaoru Miki. Please pay attention,
minna. This is important."
"Oh, we'll pay attention and make them feel welcome, all right." Minako and Mako
grinned, looking all starry-eyed. "Now, how to snag them before some other girl does..."
Meanwhile, Usagi fell asleep on Ami's shoulder. "Assemblies are boring," she murmured.
"Wake me up when it's lunch time." Ami just shook her head at her friends.
She wondered about the blonde boy, though. So Quatre was his name. How charming. He
looked like the prince in her dream last night. Could they be the new enemy in disguise? They
would have to pay close attention to these boys, get to know them better. Ami was shocked at
her thoughts, and she questioned her motives behind them. Yes, Quatre seemed very sweet and
was cute too. And he *could* be the new enemy in disguise, anything was possible after all. She
hoped that he wasn't, because she *would* like to have him as a friend and possibly more. Ami
wished she was more outgoing like Minako, and maybe she would be able to ask him on a date.
Even though she claimed that she had no time for boys, Ami still wished that she could have a
boyfriend. Someone kind and loving...
Quatre scanned the crowd for Ami. She was so pretty. He wondered why she had fainted
that morning, hoping that nothing was wrong with her. He made a mental note to ask her
afterwards, if he could get up the courage to talk to her. Quatre wished that he could be more
like Duo, who wasn't shy at all. And, Duo seemed to have a real way with girls...Quatre decided
to ask Duo later on for some advice. Quatre could fight battles in which he could die without
chickening out, and kill people (but only if he had to, he didn't like it at all) but yet he didn't
have the courage to talk to a girl, let alone ask her out.

**********

After the assembly, it was lunchtime. Ami woke Usagi up from her nap, the girls got
their bento boxes, and they went outside to eat, since it was such a nice day. They sat under a
tree near the main entrance. Of course, Usagi began pigging out and drooling over Makoto's
lunch. "Would you like some of my chocolate muffins, Usagi-chan?"
"Ohh! Yummy! I just *love* desserts!"
"You know, it's really amazing how much you eat, Usagi-chan," Ami said. "And how
fast you eat it all."
"Well, there's just all this yummy food to eat and I want to get it eaten up as fast as I can,
so I can daydream about Mamo-chan," Usagi mumbled with her mouth full. Crumbs sprayed
over the rest of the girls, and they wiped them off with their handkerchiefs.
Meanwhile, the Gundam boys were sitting under another tree not too far off, watching
the girls. "Wow, look at that blonde one eat," Wu-fei commented. "She eats like a guy."
"She's kind of cute," Heero said. "Odango atama: dumpling head."
The boys all turned and stared at Heero. "What?" he said. "It's not like I'm going to ask
her to marry me, I just said she was kind of cute. What about the rest of you guys, do ya think
any of them are cute?"
"Oh, the other blonde one for sure! Her hair is so sexy, and I just love that bow." Duo
exclaimed. "I wonder if them two are sisters..." After a moment's pause, he continued "ya know,
if I married her, and you married Dumpling head, then we'd be brother in laws." He slapped
Heero across the back, making him spit out his pop. The others nearly spit out their drinks as
well at Duo's comment. "I'm *kidding*! Don't look at me like that. Still, I wonder what her
name is..."
"Well Duo," Trowa said, "since you claim to be such a whiz with the ladies, go ask her."
"Fine, I will. Just watch me" Duo grabbed his bento box and walked over to where the
girls were sitting, stopping beside Minako. "Konnichiwa. How are you guys doing today?"
"Mrmblemrble... *swallow* Fine." Usagi put more food in her mouth.
"I'm doing well." Ami found the contents of her bento box more interesting than Duo's
face, and she reddened slightly.
"I'm fine, too." Makoto smiled at Duo. "Do you like to cook?" Minako poked Mako-
chan viciously in the back.
"Not really," Duo answered. "Trowa and Quatre do most of our cooking."
"So you guys all live together then?"
"Yep. And what about you?" he asked Minako, smiling hugely at her. "You never told
me how you're doing today."
"Oh, I'm just peachy." Minako smiled back. "Hey, do you wanna eat with us? You can
sit here." She patted the ground next to her.
"Sure!" Duo plunked himself down. He could feel his friends' stares in his back. "Uhh,"
he grabbed the back of his head "I hate to seem rude, but would you guys mind if my friends
joined us?"
"Oh, it's not rude at all," Makoto grinned. She waved the other guys over. "Hey, you
guys over there, come join us!"
Quatre, Trowa, and Heero got up to go join the girls, but Wu-fei stayed sitting. "Aren't
you coming?" Quatre asked.
"Yeah, I guess so." Wu-fei stood up, and followed behind the other Gundams. They
walked over to the group. The Senshi made room for them to sit down. Of course, the girls made
sure that their crushes sat next to them (or did their crushes make sure that they sat next to their
crushes?) It basically ended up as a nice circle, with Heero sitting beside Usagi, and Wu-fei
sitting by him, a little bit distanced from everyone else.
Usagi, by this time, had finished her lunch, but was still hungry. "Hey Mako-chan," she
said, "got any more of those delicious muffins?" Makoto just looked at her, with the last bite of
the last muffin in her mouth. Usagi was crushed.
Trowa turned to Makoto. "So, your name is Mako?"
"Makoto, actually. It's just easier calling me Mako-chan, cuz it's shorter. And you're
Trowa, ne?"
Trowa nodded. "Well, you know our names from the assembly today, but we don't know
yours. Aside from Makoto's."
"You can call me Mako-chan, if you want." And you can call me any time, day or night,
and I'll go out with you, she thought to herself.
Usagi introduced herself. "I'm Usagi-chan."
"Minako-chan."
"Mako-chan, but you guys already knew that."
Ami was silent. Usagi poked her. She said nothing. "This is Ami-chan. She's our group's
genius, with an IQ of 300!" At that, Ami turned red.
"That's nothing to be ashamed of," Quatre said quickly. "You should be proud that
you're that intelligent. With that IQ, I bet you get really good grades all the time. And with good
grades, you could get into any school you want to. You could probably get lots of scholarships
too, and you wouldn't have to pay a cent of your own money to go to school. What do you want
to do after high school anyway? I'm sure someone like you could do anything they wanted to,
and they'd succeed." Quatre's voice went faster the more he spoke, and by the end, you couldn't
really hear a single word he said, they were all blended together. There was also a faint tint of
red in his cheeks. He wasn't used to talking to pretty girls.
Ami smiled at him. How charming, he was nervous around her. So maybe there was
more than one way of being shy. Either not say anything, or to babble on and on. Maybe that
even meant that he liked her too. "You know," she said to Quatre, "if you slow down, maybe I'll
hear every word you say, and we can have a real conversation."
So it went with Minako and Duo, and Makoto and Trowa as well. They all found things
to talk about, and soon only Usagi, Heero, and Wu-fei weren't talking. Usagi tried to break the
silence. "So, where are you guys from?"
"Well," Heero said, "I'm originally from here. Wu-fei is from China, Duo is from
America, Trowa is Italian, and Quatre is Arabian."
"Oh. So, how did you five meet? You seem like an unlikely group. Duo said that you all
live together?"
"One could say that you and your friends make an unlikely group as well." Wu-fei spoke
up, to avoid answering the question directly. "A genius girl, a future chef, and two blondes, one
of whom appears to be engaged," noticing the ring on her finger.
Usagi was a little miffed by his words. "My friends and I make great team! And, if you
think us four are weird, you should meet Rei-chan! And yes," she said, tossing her head, "I *am*
engaged. When you find your true love..."
Wu-fei looked, well, hopeful, at the mention of this Rei-chan. Maybe she was the
princess from his dream. Granted, he would never tell anyone else of his secret hope, and wasn't
sure how to learn more about this Rei-chan.
Heero did it for him. "So, where is this Rei-chan you speak of? And, how can you be
engaged at such a young age?"
"I'm engaged because I've found the one I will be with forever. And, Rei-chan goes to a
private girls' school." Just as she said that, a pebble hit her in the head. "OWWW! That hurt!"
Usagi followed the direction that the pebble came from, and there stood the thrower. It was Rei.
"What did ya do that for?" Usagi yelled.
"To get your attention, odango atama!" *Heero laughed in the background to actually
hear Usagi called that* "You didn't hear me call you, so I threw a pebble. I bet you were
probably too busy paying attention to those boys..." Rei and Usagi fought (as usual) about the
pebble incident, but Rei's voice trailed off as she saw Wu-fei. It was him, the prince from her
dream! She had to get to know him, meet him, talk to him. "Hey, are we allowed to come in for
awhile, Usagi-chan?"
"I don't think the school will notice." Rei entered the gate, and walked over to the tree
where everyone was sitting. "What are you doing outta school anyway? Wait, what do you mean,
we?" Then, Usagi noticed the girl standing beside Rei. "Who's she?"
Heero and the other Gundams recognized her right away. It was Relena. What was she
doing here? At the same time, she noticed that it was indeed Heero and the other Gundams (and
not her imagination playing tricks on her) sitting under the tree with the girls."Relena!"
"Heero! What are you doing here?" She ran over to him, and before she could stop
herself, threw her arms around him. Surprisingly, he hugged her back, and smiled at her.
"I could ask the same of you. It's been awhile, we have some catching up to do." Heero
was surprised that he was being this nice to her, and what surprised him even more was how
happy he was to see her.
"You guys know each other?" The Senshi were shocked, their mouths hanging open.
They quickly explained that Relena was an old friend of theirs, and introductions were
once again made all around. Heero and Relena walked off a little ways from the group, and
began to talk in hushed tones.
Meanwhile, the girls asked Rei about how she had met Relena. "She showed up at my
school today, in my homeroom. I volunteered to show her around." Rei's look showed that it
wasn't a purely unselfish act. "I just had this feeling about her, that she somehow affected my
destiny. Not just my destiny, but someone else's. Though I'm not sure who."
The Gundams looked puzzled by Rei. "I'm a Shinto priestess," Rei explained. "I have a
little bit of a sixth sense, too, I guess." She acted like it was no big deal. Wu-fei found it
fascinating. He found Rei in general fascinating. He wanted to know everything about her. But
how could he find things out without being obtrusive?
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Everyone got their bento boxes and
started to head inside. "Hey Heero, you gonna stand outside and yak all day?" Duo called to him.
"It's alright, this is a study period. I'll see you all later, okei?"
Rei called out to the girls. "Come to my temple after school, or, in Usagi's case, after
detention! You boys can come too, if you like." The Gundams accepted the invitation eagerly.
They could learn more about these girls, and if they were in fact the mysterious princesses that
had been in their dreams. Usagi informed Rei that they all had detention today, even Ami-chan.
Rei was rather shocked, but she figured she'd hear the story later, and she waved goodbye to
everyone. Since it was a half-day, she had the afternoon free. "Hey Relena," she called, "would
you like to come shopping with me?"
Relena thanked Rei for the invitation, but said she'd stay with Heero. "Okay, I'll see you
later then. You guys can come to my temple too this afternoon, if you like." Rei wondered why
she was being so friendly and open to these strangers. They didn't give off any negative energy,
but they could still be in disguise, and be that new enemy they had dreamed about. Rei left for
the Juuban shopping plaza, trying not to let negative thoughts seep in.

**********

Relena and Heero watched Rei walk away, then Heero asked what Relena was doing
there. "I don't really know," Relena said.
"How can you not know? Well, why did you come to Tokyo? Where are you staying?
How long are you staying? What are you doing while you're here?" Heero was being awfully
curious.
Relena cocked her head at Heero and laughed. "Aren't we being inquisitive?" She poked
him in the side, and said "Curiosity killed the cat, you know." She then folded her hands
together and rested her chin on them, staring into his eyes with a half-smile. "I'd actually rather
not talk about all that here, if you don't mind. We can talk later though, in someplace more
quiet."
Heero looked around for a second, then grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.
"Come on," he said, still holding her left hand. Then he began to run (well, jog, so that Relena
could keep up to him,) and he ran right out the school gate and around the corner. They ran right
into a little alleyway.
Relena had been shocked by his sudden movements, and had no choice but to follow
him. Now that they had stopped, she had time to regain her thoughts. "What are you doing,
Heero? You have classes to go to!"
Heero scoffed at that. He already knew more than people twice his age, why should he
have to go to school? "Well, for one thing," he said, "I want to hear your story about why you're
here, of all places. And, if it's alright with you, we can talk in my apartment."
Relena's heart skipped a beat. Heero was actually inviting her to where he lived. He
wanted to talk to her. "But," she said, "aren't you worried about getting a bad reputation for
skipping classes?", trying not to sound so eager to go to his place.
"It doesn't matter what they think. You know I'll only be here for a little while, then
we'll go somewhere else. That's what always happens. So, you coming or not?"
Relena nodded, noticing that her hand was still in Heero's. He noticed as well. Neither of
them made a move to pull away. Wow, I'm actually holding hands with Heero/Relena, and it
feels so right, they were both thinking. "Let's go then," said Heero. "It's just a few blocks from
here." So they walked to the apartment, still holding hands. Somehow Heero managed to open
all the doors one-handedly, and even unlock the apartment door.
Once inside, Heero mumbled "Excuse me," and went into his room. He changed back
into his normal clothes, stopping to think about how good Relena looked. Especially with that
chou short skirt that she was wearing. Heero decided that he liked private all-girls' schools.
After a few moments, Heero reappeared to find Relena standing in the exact same spot
she had been in. "You coulda went and sat down, ya know," he said.
"On that?" She pointed to the pull out couch which had been left out, forming a nice lil
bed. Heero muttered something under his breath about baka Duo being untidy. "Yeah, we can sit
on it," Heero said. "Besides, that's Duo's bed, and if he's not gonna put it away, neither will I."
Heero crossed over to the bed, and flopped down on it. "Hey, this is actually comfy," he
commented, half to himself. Relena followed and sat down beside him.
There was a silence for a moment, then Heero said "You were gonna explain to me about
why you were here and whatnot."
"Oh, that." Relena sighed. "It's probably gonna sound weird to you. You're gonna think
I'm crazy." Relena was silent.
Heero turned and looked at her with a smile on his face. "I already know you're crazy.
You've begged me to come and kill you, you've followed me everywhere, even to space..."
Relena was looking at him oddly. He reached up, and traced her lips with his thumb. "And
*you're* gonna think *I'm* crazy, probably, but I don't care. Because I love you. And I want to
help you with whatever it is that you're doing here. I just want to be with you, and share
everything with you..." Heero was shocked when those words came tumbling out. He had felt
them for so long, but never could say them. He looked into Relena's eyes, afraid to see rejection.
They were shining, and he saw only love, reflecting back at him.
"Oh, Heero." It was all Relena could say. This was the day she dreamed of, for so many
nights. "I-I love you too. I've loved you since I met you. I'm just shocked to hear that you love
me." Heero put his hand to her cheek, and gently replaced the hairs that had fallen over her ears.
Then, he leaned in and kissed her. It was the most perfect, sweet kiss either of them had
experienced. Their entire bodies felt warm, and they fit together perfectly. They wrapped their
arms around each other, and their kisses deepened.
They slowly leaned sideways, until they were lying on their sides on Duo's unmade bed.
"I've been waiting for this my whole life," they said, in unison. Then they smiled at each other.
Heero kissed Relena again, then asked her to finish her story. "Even if you *are* crazy, I'll still
love you," he said to her with a smile.
Relena noted that this was the most she'd ever seen Heero smile. Then, between kisses,
she explained to him about this weird dream she'd been having. There were 6 princes and 5
princesses. "I think one of the princes is you, Heero," she said. "But instead of your Gundam,
you ride a horse." She then told him how they had all asked to come to Tokyo, and for her help,
saying that she was the only one who could save them. "Weird, huh?"
"Hmm. I think that Duo said something this morning about dreaming about a princess.
Maybe your dreams are linked somehow. We'll have to ask him later."
"Yeah. We can go to Rei-chan's temple after, and ask him then. But, school isn't out for
a little while yet."
"I can think of something to pass the time." Heero smiled again. This time, Relena kissed
him first. "This is the most I've ever seen you smile, Heero Yuy. You must have a good reason."
"Well, you see," Heero began, then kissed her, "I've just found out that my taisetsuna
hito loves me almost as much as I love her."
"Almost as much? Oh no no, my dear Heero, you love *me* almost as much as I love
you." Heero and Relena went on arguing about this for quite awhile, in between kisses that
warmed their entire body and soul.

**********

Soon after, school was out for the day, and the Gundam boys were about to run out of the
classroom when the Senshi grabbed them. "Rei-chan invited you guys to her temple today, didn't
she?" said Usagi.
"Despite your eagerness to go..." started Minako.
"You have absolutely no idea of how to get there," stated Makoto.
The Gundam boys hung their heads. They were right. There were tons of Shinto temples
in the city. They needed, at the very least, directions.
"You can either take directions, or wait for us to finish de-de-detention," Ami choked on
that last word, feeling a little faint again over the thought of her having a detention.
Quatre saw her go pale, and grabbed her shoulders gently. "Are you alright?" he asked,
concerned.
Ami smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just a little upset that I have a detention. I'm just really
concerned about what the dean of admissions would think if he saw that on a transcript. I just
hope it won't blow my chances of getting into med. school..."
Quatre was pleasantly surprised. "You want to be a doctor? I used to always dream of
becoming a doctor..." He then looked a little wistful.
"Why don't you dream of being a doctor anymore?" Before Quatre could answer,
Kilpatrick-sensei came up to the little group in the hallway. "You girls are lucky," he said. "I've
decided to postpone your detention for today." Ami looked *very* relieved.
"Well, this means we can go to Rei-chan's now!"
"Wait!" Duo said. "Where's Heero?"
"Oh, he's gone," Wu-fei said matter-of-factly. "He and Relena took off right after lunch."
"I wonder where to?"
"Probably back to our apartment."
"So they're a couple?" Minako wanted to know.
"Uhhh..." the boys didn't know how to answer that one. "To the best of our knowledge,
they're not an official couple. But they could very well be," Quatre tried to explain.
"That Heero never tells us anything!" exclaimed Duo in mock anger.
"CRAP!" exclaimed Makoto. Everyone turned to stare at her. She turned slightly red.
"Sorry for the outburst, minna," she said. "But I just remembered that I forgot some stuff in the
Home Ec. room. Actually, lots of stuff. Would someone mind coming and helping me carry it
all?"
"I'll help," Trowa volunteered. Like Rei, his motives were not purely unselfish. He could
finally get Makoto alone, and they could talk without 6 other people watching their every move.
"Hey, you guys can start going to Rei's, if you want," Makoto said. "We'll catch up.
Come on Trowa, the Home Ec. room is this way." She and Trowa headed down the hall, and
Usagi, Ami, Minako, Wu-fei, Duo, and Quatre started off for Rei's temple.

**********

"So, you like to cook?" Trowa and Makoto were alone in the Home Ec. room.
'Oh, I love it! Someday I wanna open my own restaurant! People will come from all over
to taste my delicious food!" Makoto paused, began to look a little bit sad. "I've always had to
cook for myself, though. My parents died when I was really little in a plane crash. I barely
remember them."
"Oh. I don't really remember my family either." So we have some things in common,
Trowa thought wryly.
"What happened to your family?" Makoto asked, concerned.
"Well, I don't really remember. All I remember is waking up one day, and being told that
my name was Trowa Barton." So that wasn't exactly the whole truth, but he couldn't tell her all
his secrets. It would put her in danger. "Anyway, what all do we need to take?"
"Well, there's this...and this...and this..." Makoto began going back and forth across the
room with Trowa following behind her, getting some cookbooks, and a bag of cookies she had
made. She stacked them all on a table near the door. "Oh yeah, and my cake. That's in the
fridge. She crossed the room to the fridge, but just before she got there, she slipped on a broken
egg someone had left on the floor. Just before she hit the floor, Trowa grabbed her around the
waist from behind, and saved her from falling. "Arigato." Makoto smiled up at the boy who had
caught her.
"Douishashimashite." He smiled back. "Don't you just hate a messy kitchen?"
"I usually do," she said, standing up and facing Trowa. They were around the same
height, she noted.
"And you don't today?"
"Well, if I had fallen in that egg guk I would have, but since I didn't..."
"I understand. Maybe I don't hate messy kitchens today either then." There was a pause.
Trowa and Makoto were pretty close together...
Just then, the Home Ec. sensei walked into the room. Makoto and Trowa both felt
disappointed. It had been so close... "Makoto, good to see you're getting your things," she
beamed. "Sometimes I think you're the only responsible student I have."
"Arigato, Sensei. I'm just about to get my cake, then I'm off." Makoto grabbed her cake,
and Trowa grabbed the bag of cookies and the cookbooks. They left rather quickly.

**********

"I'm worried about Hee-chan," Duo whined. "I wanna stop by the apartment to get him,
so he can come to your friend's temple too."
"Then go get him."
"But I can't go alone. I'll get lost."
"Hey, I'll come with ya!" Minako grinned. "Nobody knows the streets of Tokyo better
than me!"
"Sugoi! Let's go then! See ya guys later!" Minako and Duo headed off, and then it was
only Quatre, Ami, Wu-fei and Usagi. Ami and Quatre were talking quietly, and Wu-fei didn't
talk. Usagi felt lonely. "So, Wu-fei, do you like video games," she asked, trying to get him to
talk.
"No, they're a waste of time."
Usagi tried to ask other things, to find some sort of common interest, but everything she
liked, Wu-fei hated. He was sort of like a male Rei. "Oh, I give up," she muttered, rolling her
eyes.

**********

"So, Minako, where do you live?"
"I live right by Shiba park, but you probably have NO idea where that is," she laughed.
"And, I'm going to soon find out where you live, so there's no need to ask you." Minako smiled
at Duo. Such a pretty smile, he thought. She must have a boyfriend.
"Umm, are you seeing anyone right now?" Duo decided to be direct.
"Nope. What about you?" A guy as cute as him must have girls following him
everywhere.
"Nope." Minako was a little bit surprised, but happy. Dang, she didn't have the guts to
ask him out. He seemed interested, but still....
Minako stopped, noticing that Duo was no longer with her. She turned around to find
him standing in the middle of the sidewalk, staring intently at her. "What are you doing?"
"Well, you remind me so much of someone, and I couldn't put my finger on it, but now I
know!"
"Who?" Minako was curious.
"Sailor V!!! You know, from the mangas and the movies. You look so much like her, it's
uncanny! Right down to the exact same hairstyle!"
Minako was shocked, then she panicked. Did he know? Was he the enemy trying to trick
her? What should she do? She began to laugh hysterically. "Oh, that's on purpose. I just love
Sailor V! She's so cool and pretty and smart. I'm her biggest fan!"
Duo looked at her. "Well, at any rate, I'd like to meet Sailor V someday. I think she's
really pretty too. If I met her, I'd ask her out on a date, and buy her roses."
Minako was disappointed. Damn. So he was in love with Sailor V. Yes, she *was* Sailor
V, but she couldn't tell him that... "Hey, let's go get your friend Heero," she said, covering with
a big smile. So much for her dreams of getting married to her first love. Artemis' voice popped
into her head. 'Every boy you meet is your first love'. But, none of those other boys counted.
Duo Maxwell was her first love, and she couldn't even go on a date with him. Life was so cruel.

**********

Usagi, Ami, Quatre, and Wu-fei had arrived at Rei's temple, and they were sitting
outside on the grass. Rei had gotten them some iced tea, and they were all talking. "Wow, this is
a beautiful place you have," Wu-fei said. "I feel so peaceful and relaxed here. Do you get a lot of
visitors?"
"Hai," Rei said. "All year round, but most of them come right around this time of year."
"So, is it just you and your grandpa that run the temple."
"Hai," Rei said, looking a little bit sad.
"Do you get lonely?" Wu-fei asked.
"I have such good friends, how could I be lonely?" Rei grabbed Usagi and hugged her
tight.
Usagi was a bit puzzled. "What was that for, Rei-chan?"
Rei smiled. "Just cuz you're my good friend."
Usagi smiled back. Rei was acting strangely, she thought. So was Ami. Ami was actually
talking to a cute guy without breaking out in hives. That Wu-fei guy was actually talking, period.
Strange. Maybe it's just cuz they liked each other. Usagi lay back on the grass. I wish that my
friends all end up with the guys they love, and they are happy in love, she thought.
Makoto and Trowa showed up, and joined the group. "Here, I brought goodies. Anyone
up for cake?" When Usagi didn't jump up right away at the mention of cake, everyone turned to
look at her. She was sound asleep. "Oh well. More for us"
"Hey, don't forget about us!" Minako, Duo, Heero, and Relena joined the group, and
soon everyone was talking.
"It's amazing that your friend can sleep through all this noise," Quatre said to Ami.
"That's our Usagi-chan," Ami smiled.

**********

Where am I, Usagi thought? She was floating above a battle scene. It looked like her and
the Sailor Senshi were fighting some sort of machine. The Outers weren't there, however.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"
The attacks appeared to have no effect. Sailor Moon used her "Starlight Honeymoon
Therapy Kiss!" That didn't work either. Tuxedo Kamen offered to keep the enemy busy while
they powered up for the Sailor Planet attack. They powered up, and released it. The attack did
nothing, and now Tuxedo Kamen was injured. Sailor Moon decided to use the ginzouishou. It
was their last resort. She gathered all her energy, and blasted the enemy. She was about to
collapse after her attack, when she saw that the enemy had not been defeated. Hurt and weak,
she challenged it to a one-on-one duel. "If I win, you will leave our planet forever," she
commanded. "Fine," the enemy bellowed. "But I get the first shot." With that, a laser shot out of
its arm, and instantly killed her. She didn't even have time to move out of the way. "NOOOO!"
the Senshi screamed! They gathered around her, trying to revive her, but it was no use. Sailor
Moon was dead, and nothing would bring her back. "NOOO!"

**********

Usagi woke herself up with her screams. Everyone was staring at her. Usagi's face was
pale, and beaded with sweat. "Are you okei, Usagi-chan?" Minako asked.
"Did you have a bad dream?"
"What's wrong?"
Usagi was embarrassed to have everyone, especially the boys staring at her with that
much concern. "I was just worried that you guys didn't save me any cake," she joked.
"Don't lie to us, Usagi-chan." Rei grabbed her shoulders. "What did you see in your
dreams? You have to tell us."
"It was nothing. I don't even remember now." Usagi didn't want to worry the others, and
how could she say anything about being a Sailor Senshi in front of the boys? She didn't want to
blow their cover, and she didn't want to be the bearer of horrible, impending doom news.
"Excuse us for a moment, would you?" Makoto said. The four Senshi dragged Usagi over
to someplace where the Gundams and Relena couldn't hear. "Now spill," they all said.
"It was nothing, really. Don't worry, you guys." Usagi faked a smile.
"You dreamed about fighting an enemy, then you got killed, right?" Minako asked.
Usagi was shocked. "How-how did you know?"
"We all had the same dream." The girls explained to Usagi what they had seen in their
dreams, and how princes had come in theirs to rescue them all. "And, here's the real kicker,"
Ami said. "Those boys over there, the ones we like, look exactly like the princes from our
dreams!"
"Why didn't you tell me this before, you guys? As the leader, I'm supposed to know
everything that's going on."
"We didn't want to worry you. Anyway, we should go entertain our company so they
don't suspect anything. We can have a strategy meeting later." So, they all walked back over to
the group.
Relena smiled at Usagi. "Isn't it nice to have friends who take care of you that well," she
said. "I must admit, I do envy you. I've had many friends, but none as close as you all are."
"Well, you can be our friend too, Relena," Usagi smiled back at her.
"You're very sweet and caring, arigato."
Usagi got a devilish look on her face, then she leaned over and whispered to Relena "So,
are you and Heero officially together yet? It seems like everyone else is pairing off..." gesturing
to Trowa & Makoto, Duo & Minako, Quatre & Ami, and even Wu-fei & Rei, who were all
sitting VERY close to each other and talking so quietly that only the other person could hear.
Relena got a huge grin on her face, the kind that people only have when they're in love.
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps what?" Heero was curious to know what these two girls were talking about.
(Whoever said boys don't like to gossip were sadly mistaken!)
"Nothing." Relena continued to smile that Cheshire cat smile. She leaned over and
whispered in Usagi's ear, just to annoy Heero. "And what about you? Are you taken?"
Usagi smiled that particular smile also, and held up her left hand.
"Wow." Relena was amazed that someone her age was engaged. "Have you set a date
yet?"
"Not really. But I know I'll be with him for all eternity, so it doesn't really matter when
we get married."
"Wow, to just *know* something like that...Tell me, how do you know, exactly?"
Usagi thought about their cotton-candy color haired daughter. Couldn't tell them about
her. "Well, sometimes you just know. You fit into each other's arms perfectly, every time you
kiss your body is filled with wonderful warm energy, every kiss is just so perfect and sweet, you
long to be with the other person when you're apart, you know you would die for them..."
"Oh, how romantic!" Relena knew that was how it felt with Heero.
Heero rolled his eyes at Relena and Usagi, to show how pathetic he thought they were.
Yet, inside, he knew that was how he felt about Relena.

**********

Soon enough, the sky began to get darker, and the Gundams and Relena decided to head
home for the night. "Bai bai!" "See you tomorrow!" "See ya!" "Bai!" "Ciao!" ...
"So, what are we going to do about this possible new enemy?" Rei asked the second the
Gundams disappeared down the steps.
"Well, we know it's made of some form of metal, and that it resists our attacks."
"Hey, maybe we can get a giant magnet and make it stick to the magnet, then it can't hurt
us!"
"Usagi-chaaaaan." Usagi was so baka sometimes, Rei thought,
"Well, where will we find this giant magnet, Usagi-chan?"
"Hmm, good point." Usagi fell silent, trying to think of where they could get a huge
magnet. "I know! A junkyard! They have big magnets and a metal crushing thingy!"
"Yes, but how do we get the enemy to the junkyard? He might be a hundred miles away
from one. And, we know, from our dreams anyway, that when he attacks, there is no time to
defend yourself. We need a much better plan."
The girls sat and thought about it, but nothing came. It was nearly 6 PM. "We'd better go
home for dinner and whatnot," they all said.
Makoto invited them all to her house, but Rei said she had to do some work around the
temple, and Minako said her mom would kill her. Usagi and Ami accepted Mako-chan's
invitation. "I'm sure Mamo-chan won't mind, he has a late class tonight." Usagi said.
"My mom's working again, so I'm glad that I don't have to eat alone. My cooking skills
are almost as bad as yours, Usagi-chan," Ami teased.
The girls all left, Rei stood and watched them go. She prayed that no enemy was really
coming, that they had all just had the same nightmare, and their peace would not be shattered.
Rei decided to do another fire reading, to see if she could learn anything.

**********

"So what do you guys think?" Quatre asked the group.
"Think about what?" Heero was confused.
"Those girls. Are they in danger? Are they the princesses that called us?"
"Yes." Everyone turned to look at Wu-fei. He sounded so certain. "Yes to both of those
questions. And, we have to have our Gundams ready to go at a moment's notice to help them
when the time comes. Their lives depend on us." Wu-fei told him that he had heard the girls'
conversation, about Usagi's dream, and how all of the girls had all had that same dream. And,
how the girls had dreamed about the Gundam boys rescuing them.
"You eavesdropped?!" exclaimed Duo. "That wasn't right."
"Their lives are at stake, baka."
"It sounds to me like the enemy is a mobile suit," Trowa said. "A simple mobile suit we
can destroy. But something tells me it's not OZ this time."

**********

"Arigato, Mako-chan!" Usagi and Ami were happy and full. They were leaving Makoto's
for the night, heading home. "See you tomorrow!" Makoto waved. The streetlights had begun to
come on, lighting up the dusk.
"So, Ami-chan, what do you think will be on that big biology test tomorrow?" Usagi
asked kawaii-ly, linking her arm though Ami's.
"Usagi-chan! Have you no pride in studying for yourself?"
"Nope. But I did anyway." Usagi laughed. "I'm just teasing you, Ami-chan."
A pair of glinting blue eyes watched Ami and Usagi walking together. "Sailor Moon and
Sailor Mercury," it whispered. "I have waited so long for this moment, but now the time has
come. I will have my revenge on you, and all you Sailor Senshi shall die! Bwahahahaha."
"Ami-chan, did you just hear something?" Usagi turned around. "I could've sworn I
heard this old, familiar voice laughing evilly."
"I think you've been watching too many horror movies, Usagi-chan. Well, this is my
turn." Ami-chan stopped. "I'll see you tomorrow at school. Bai, Usagi-chan."
"Bai, Ami-chan. See you tomorrow!"
"Oh no you won't." The evil, sinister voice spoke. "You will never see another
tomorrow, Sailor Moon!"
Usagi and Ami gasped. That voice...it was so familiar...and it knew who they were...but
where was it coming from? They transformed. No sense hiding if the enemy already knew who
they were. They might as well fight and get it over with. Sailor Mercury radioed the other Senshi
with her communicator, while Sailor Moon tried to stall for time. "Just who are you, and where
are you?"
A giant mobile suit jumped off the top of a building, landing 5 feet from Sailor Moon.
"Well, now you know where I am, bwahahaha. You're going to wish you'd never known. And,
as for who I am, I will show you..." The door to the mobile suit opened.

**********

Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter had received Mercury's distress call. They had
transformed and were on their way to help. Mars stopped Jupiter for a moment. "You stay here
and try to contact Minako, like Ami said to do. I'll go on ahead." Jupiter nodded, and called
Minako on the communicator. It took a few beeps for Minako to answer. She had her "I'm-
gonna-kill-you-if-this-isn't-life-or-death" face on. "It *is* life or death," Jupiter said. "The
enemy has attacked Usagi and Ami. Rei's on her way to help, and I am too." She gave Minako
the location, and ran in the direction Mars had gone.

**********

"I'm sorry Duo," Minako said, "but I've really gotta run. Something important just came
up. I'll call you later, bye." Minako had been talking to Duo ever since she got home. They had
been just about to make plans to go to a movie tonight. "Kuso. Being a Senshi gets in the way of
a social life. But if I wasn't a Senshi, I wouldn't have a social life." Minako transformed, then
jumped out of her window with Artemis. "Hang on you guys, I'm coming!"

**********

"The enemy has attacked!" yelled Duo! "We've gotta go! Now!"
"Nani?! Isn't it totally obvious to you guys? This is why we came, to save our princesses!
They need our help now!"
The Gundams and Relena jumped to their feet. "Where do you think you're going?"
Heero asked Relena. "You're staying here where it's safe!"
"I'm coming with you, Heero! Something inside of me tells me that I have to!"
"Fine. But, fitting 2 people in the cockpit will be a bit of a squeeze, and I don't want you
getting in my way!"
"Fine!" She grabbed his hand. "Let's go save Usagi-chan and her friends!"

**********

Venus saw Mamoru-san walking home from college. "Venus! What's going on?"
"Transform and hurry," she yelled to him. "Usagi-chan is in grave danger." He transformed, and
they ran together, and finally came to the place where everyone was.
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama! I'm happy to see you!" Sailor Moon yelled. "Look who it is," she
said, pointing to the mobile suit. Sailor Mercury and Mars had already experienced the shock,
now it was Tuxie's turn. He looked at the pilot. How could this be? How could he still be alive?
Hadn't he been finished off that night when...
Jupiter and Venus had no clue who the guy was, but they had heard stories from Ami,
Usagi, and Rei. The man was none other than Jaedite, the first of Queen Beryl's four generals.
"You bakas," he yelled. "I was never killed! Queen Beryl froze my body, but now I have
thawed out! And, now I have this." He patted the mobile suit. "You will never beat me with this,
no matter how hard you try! Shall we begin so I can kill you off one by one? Who shall be first?"
"I'll spar with you!" Tuxedo Kamen looked at the Senshi. "Power up for the Sailor
Planet Attack! Don't worry about me, I'll take care of this joker."
Sailor Moon began to cry. This was just like her dream. She was going to die after all.
But as long as her beloved friends were safe, that was all that mattered. Please let this protect my
friends, she prayed. The tears sparkled in her eyes and on her face as she yelled "Let's do our
best! For the future and for love! Moon Eternal!"
"For knowledge and love! Mercury Crystal Power!"
"For peace and love! Mars Crystal Power!"
"For strength and love! Jupiter Crystal Power"
"For friendship and love! Venus Crystal Power!"
"SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!!!" They watched their attack launch toward the mobile
suit, then stop as it hit it. It wasn't going to do anything. Sailor Moon had made her friends waste
their energy for nothing. But, they heard a humming noise coming from the suit when the attack
hit. Had that been a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe all that energy would help short circuit the
suit...No, it was still moving. One of the giant arms swung, and sent Tuxedo Kamen flying.
"NOOO!" Sailor Moon screamed. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Sailor Moon's front "bow"
dissolved, turning into the ginzouishou.
"Don't do it, Sailor Moon!" the Senshi screamed. "You know what will happen. You've
seen what will happen. Don't use the ginzouishou!"
"Usagi-chan!" Mars ran to her. "If I lose you, I'll have nothing at all! You've been there
for me no matter what, even when I was mean to you! You saved me from being lonely! You've
saved me so many times in so many ways!" She threw her arms around Usagi-chan, sobbing.
"Make the ginzouishou go back to wherever it came from, please! Don't sacrifice yourself for
us!"
Usagi hugged her friend, their tears mingling together, and then unwrapped her arms
from her. She took her hands in hers. "Aishiteru, Rei-chan." She released Rei's hands and
looked at her other friends. "Aishiteru, Ami-chan. Aishiteru, Mako-chan. Aishiteru, Minako-
chan." She walked over to where Tuxedo Kamen was kneeling, trying to stand. She helped him
up, and kissed him one last time. "Aishiteru, Mamo-chan. You were always my ouji." She
walked to the middle of the battlefield, and stopped to look at her friends. "I love you all so
much. It's my job to protect you all, and your dreams. I want you all to have a happy life and to
fall in love." She turned to face the enemy.
Sailor Moon wielded the ginzouishou. She could feel it's power running through her
veins. "Please, give me the power to protect my friends. Let them be happy and find love." She
transformed into Neo-Queen Serenity. "I am ready, Jaedite."
"Good. All that mush was making my stomach turn. Let's get it over with!"
They both powered up, and Serenity was about to attack when she realized something.
Jaedite was not going to attack her first, he was going to wipe out Tuxedo Kamen-sama! She
threw her attack, then got ready. She had to time this just right, or Mamo-chan would be killed.
I'm going to save you, this time, she thought. All those hits he had taken for her, now was her
chance to save him. 3, 2, 1. Jaedite fired, and she dove into the laser's path. Serenity squeezed
her eyes closed. "Usagi-chan!" she heard. Then something big landing on the ground. Then
nothing.

**********

The Gundams, lead by Wing Zero, had arrived. They formed a protective barrier between
Jaedite and the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen. Each of the Gundams fired their attacks, in unison.
Jaedite's mobile suit was blown up in an instant.
The Senshi were crowded around Sailor Moon, who had leveled down to Usagi. The
Gundams jumped out of their suits to see if they could help.
"Usagi!"
"Usagi-chan!"
"Wake up, Usagi!"
"Usagi, you baka! We told you not to use the ginzouishou!"
"Usako."
The Gundams hung their heads. There was nothing they could do. Their company would
be unwelcome. A tear escaped from Heero's eye. The perfect soldier never cried, but he had no
choice. It was just so moving, someone who would die in place of another. All of the Gundams
were misty-eyed. "If I had gotten here a second sooner..." Relena kissed Heero on the forehead,
as if to say "it's not your fault," then walked over to the Senshi. "Re-Relena? What are you
doing?"
Trowa followed her, then Quatre. Then Duo, then Wu-fei. What were those bakas doing?
Those people probably wanted to be alone. Heero was going to stay, but he thought he should be
by Relena's side. So he went too.
Trowa went and stood by Makoto's side. She turned her face into his shoulder, and he
held her, his head resting on top of hers.
Quatre went to Ami. They held on to each other and sobbed together, holding the other
so tightly, as if they didn't, they would disappear.
Duo went to Minako. He held her, kissed her forehead, and ran his fingers through her
tangled hair.
Wu-fei went to Rei's side, but she wouldn't let him hold her. So he knelt down beside
her as she held onto Usagi's body, sobbing, and put his left hand on her shoulder, as if to give
her some strength.
Relena let them be like this for a few minutes, then she went and took Usagi from Rei.
She felt her wrist. "It's very weak, and most people would not be able to detect it, but there is a
pulse. She needs to sleep."
"NANI???" The Sailor Senshi, their eyes shining, turned to look at Relena.
Rei-chan was so relieved, she burst into a fresh batch of tears. But, she felt so weak, most
likely from the battle. Rei collapsed. Wu-fei caught her, and picked her up in his arms.
"Weakling," he said tenderly. His princess had done so well. She didn't really even need him.
"Rei-chan!!!"
"She will be fine in about an hour or so," Relena said. "While Rei-chan was holding
Usagi-chan, she actually gave her some of her energy, and that energy healed her most serious
wounds. That's how Usagi-chan is alive, and why Rei feels especially weak. I'd guess that
mobile suit model's lasers were only at 10% power, too."
The Senshi were amazed by this. How did Relena know all this? At least Usagi-chan was
alive, that's all that mattered. They didn't realize until then how dark it was, except for the light
of the full moon.
"You all will want to rest now, I imagine," Heero said.
Everyone nodded, tiredly.
"I want to bring Usagi-chan and her fiancee back to the apartment," Relena said.
"They're the two most injured, I need to keep an eye on them. Don't worry," she said to the
other Senshi. "I'll make sure to let you all know the second she wakes up."
"I'll bring Rei back there too, so you can help me take care of her." Wu-fei kissed her
slumped form.
"I think I just want to go home," Makoto said.
"I'll take you," Trowa replied.
"Good." She leaned on him, not realizing until then how tired she was.
"What about you?" Quatre turned to Ami, asking through tears.
"I think I'll just go back to my apartment too, and go for a swim." Ami was also talking
through her tears.
"You have a pool in your apartment? Aren't you going to be too tired to swim?" Quatre
was amazed.
"No, the pool's on the main floor. And, I might just float for awhile. Being in the water
always makes me feel better."
Despite never learning to swim, Quatre said "Well, I will watch over you then. I wouldn't
want you drowning and they say people should never swim alone." Ami smiled tiredly at him,
thankful that this angel was there for her.
Duo and Minako just stood there for a second. "What would you like to do?" he asked
her.
"I think I just want to go sit somewhere under the moonlight for awhile."
"Well, I know a perfect spot that I can take you. If you'll allow me to take you, Sailor V.
You know, I've always been hopelessly in love with you. You were my first love."
"It's nice to know I have fans everywhere." Minako smiled. Duo knew that smile was for
more than just knowing he was a fan.
So they each went their separate ways for the time being.

**********

Heero and Wu-fei each had the fun task of trying to fit 2 other people in their mobile
suits. But, it was accomplished, and soon Mamoru, Usagi, and Rei were resting safely in beds in
the Gundams' apartment. Wu-fei sat by Rei's bedside, and Heero and Relena went out onto the
balcony. Relena leaned on Heero. "It's been quite a night to remember."
"Hai."
"Well, everyone else seems to have paired off, so it's about time we did too." She kissed
Heero, softly. "All's well that ends well. You saved them. Nobody's dead, except those that
deserve to be."
"I know...It's funny, isn't it? I mean Usagi. All of them, their whole world revolves
around her. They all love her so much, and she loves them too. She was willing to commit
suicide, just so that they could live and be happy..."
"But they'd be miserable without her."
"Hai." Heero thought for a moment. "If someone was about to kill me, would you do the
same as Usagi did, Relena? If you say no, I won't be upset. I just want to know."
"Oh, Heero. How could I not save you? I love you so much, Heero. *My* world revolves
around you."
Heero looked into her eyes, and saw it was the truth. They kissed again, under the
moonlight and surrounded by stars.

**********

Rei woke up in a strange bed in a strange room. Where am I, she wondered. She looked
around, and saw Wu-fei dozing in the chair. So he had sat here watching over her all this time.
She vaguely remembered him carrying her into this place, and...She touched her lips. Had he
kissed her on the battlefield, or had that just been a dream? Rei closed her eyes. Usagi-chan is
safe, I'm safe, and we have peace again.
Wu-fei woke up from his doze to see Rei still asleep. He was tempted to kiss her again,
but didn't want to wake her. And, if his kisses were unwanted...
So instead, he whispered to her "You are strong and beautiful, my hime. I will never
forget you, your bravery, your love, and your fire soul."
Rei opened her eyes. So he had awakened too. "Arigato, Wu-fei. For everything, arigato."
She sat up, leaned over, and kissed him. "I know you are going to soon leave. I won't ask you to
stay, because I know you can't. But I'm happy to have met you."
"And I am better now for knowing you. I will never forget you."
"Nor will I forget you."
Their hands found their way to the other's, and they sat there in silence, together, looking
at the full moon through the bedroom window.

**********

Trowa had stashed his Gundam along with the others', and then proceeded to walk
Makoto home. They held hands as they walked, silently. All too soon they were at her front door.
"Would you come in for a little while?"
"Hai." It wasn't "would you like to come in," but "would you come in." Interesting.
Makoto said "Welcome to my little house." She showed him the living room and the
kitchen, then pointed down the hall to her bedroom and the bathroom. "If you would like
anything to eat or drink, I'm afraid you'll have to get it yourself. I'm so drained." She slumped
down onto her sofa.
Trowa sat beside her, and Makoto leaned over until she was lying down, with her head in
his lap. They just sat there in silence, for what seemed like eternity. Then, Trowa heard a
rumbling sound, much like he heard from Duo when he was hungry. He looked down at Makoto.
Her face turned red. "I had hoped you didn't hear that," she said sheepishly.
Trowa smiled. "Well I did, and I know the cure." She sat up, looking at him inquisitively.
He stood up, said "Give me 20 minutes," and disappeared into her kitchen. True to his word, 20
minutes later he was back with a huge pile of French toast, scrambled eggs, and fresh squeezed
orange juice.
Makoto looked at it and saw the best gourmet meal she'd ever eat. "Oh Trowa." She
threw her arms around him, then dug in. "I'm never going to be able to eat all this," she said.
"You're going to have to help me." So Trowa went back to the kitchen, and grabbed an extra
plate, cup, and silverware.
Soon, the food was all gone, and all that remained were a few drops of maple syrup.
Makoto saw one by Trowa's lip. Surely he felt it...or maybe...Makoto smiled. "You have syrup
right...here," she said, using her finger to wipe it off. "Yumm," he said, gently grabbing her
finger and licking it off. "Good to the last drop." He laughed at her.
"What?" Makoto was alarmed.
"Well," Trowa smiled at her, "it's just that you have powdered sugar on your nose." He
used his finger to wipe it off. "There."
Makoto saw the opportunity, so she gently grabbed his finger, and licked the powder off
of it. "Yummy," she said. Their eyes locked, and they leaned toward each other. This time there
was no Home Ec. teacher to interrupt. Trowa cupped her cheek in her hand, Makoto's hand went
around his neck, fingers in his hair. And they kissed, both tasting like French toast. "Mmmm."

**********

Quatre had returned Ami to her apartment (condo!) and waited patiently as she changed
into a bathing suit. After a few minutes she asked if he'd like to join her in the pool, and if he
wanted to borrow an old pair of her dad's swimming trunks. "Umm, okei." Quatre said. So, he
then got changed as well, and they both headed down to the pool. Ami dove right in, Quatre
watching the way she moved with such gracefulness. After a minute, she came up and asked
him if he was coming in. He sat on the edge of the pool, and dipped his legs in. Ami swam over
to where Quatre was. She rested her head on her hands, which were folded along the edge of the
pool. She looked up at him, and he was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss her. But he just
couldn't. He wasn't that brave.
"You don't know how to swim, do you?" Ami asked him. "Don't be ashamed if you
can't."
"Well, you're right. I can't." Ami took his hand in hers.
"Come in with me. We'll stay in the shallow end." Quatre couldn't refuse her, so he
followed her down to the shallow end. He went in. Up to his waist, not so bad.
"I was raised in the desert, so we sort of lacked pools. Water was for drinking, not for
playing in."
"Oh? What else is different between your homeland and here?" Ami was genuinely
interested in his past, and he told her everything he could. Every few minutes, they moved a few
inches, and they ended up in chest deep water.
"I hope you don't mind, but this is as far as I can go for now," Quatre apologized.
"It's quite alright, I understand." Ami smiled at him again, then moved a little closer. She
grasped his hands underwater, and they laced their fingers together. "Thank you for everything,
Quatre."
"You're welcome." Quatre looked into her eyes. "I have a favor to ask of you."
"Yes?"
"Can I kiss you? You're so beautiful, and I think I've fallen head over heels for you..."
Quatre didn't have a chance to say any more, because Ami had moved even closer to him, and
kissed him first. Quatre closed his eyes, knowing that he would remember this moment, his first
real and meaningful kiss, forever. Ami knew she would remember it forever too, for it meant the
same to her as well. When the kiss was over, they opened their eyes, and they met for a second,
before both Quatre and Ami turned a pinkish color.

**********

"Wow, Duo, this place is perfect! It's so pretty! How'd you know it was way out here?"
Minako and Duo had flown (in Deathscythe) a little ways out of Toyko, into a bit of countryside
where there were no streetlights, just stars and the moon.
"I just knew, and I knew you'd like it." He smiled at her. Duo helped her down to the
ground, then he climbed back up into Deathscythe. "What are you doing?" Minako asked.
"You'll see." Duo emerged in a few moments, holding something. He jumped back down
to where she was, with one hand behind his back. "My darling Sailor V, these are for you." He
held out a bouquet of roses.
Minako let out a happy yelp. This was the first time a guy had given her roses (no,
Artemis didn't count.) "Wow, these are pretty, arigato!" She had a happy-tired grin on her face.
She hugged Duo. "Thanks so much." She smelled them. "Oh, they smell so nice, too!" Minako
stopped and thought for a moment. "Why do you carry roses around with you? How did you
know that I'd want roses and you'd be giving them to me?"
"Feel the roses themselves," Duo told her. "They're actually fake. I bought them last year
in this silk plant store...Butabi's, I think it was. Anyway, I bought them because I knew I'd meet
my true love, the one and only Sailor V one day, and I wanted to have something to give her
when I met her."
"Oh, Duo." Minako's eyes welled up with tears. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever
heard." She hugged him again.
"Now, m'lady," he said with a grin. "I know you're tired from your battle, but could I
have one dance with you?"
Minako smiled. "I think I can muster up enough energy for that."
Duo held her close, and they slowly swayed back and forth under the moonlight. She
looked up at him, her eyes shining with happiness. "Arigato," she said.
He looked into her eyes. "Douishashimashite, my pretty Venus." They kissed as they
danced under the night sky.

**********

Usagi woke up in a bed. It wasn't their bed, but Mamo-chan was there beside her. He was
alive. So was she. Usagi realized that the nightmare hadn't come to be. But, many other dreams,
the good kind, had come true. She sighed a happy sigh, and kissed her ouji. They were alive, and
they had peace again. Her friends had found happiness in love, and she had made 6 new friends
as well. She cuddled up close to Mamo-chan. "Aishiteru, my ouji. It's a new day, and we have to
live it to the fullest."