Shortly after Ami had gotten off her plane, she found herself rushing over to Rei's temple, amazed she still remembered where it was. Rei was outside sweeping the steps off, although she looked up when she heard someone approaching her. "Ami-chan! You came here very quickly! I was expecting you to show up in about a week or something!"
"No, the airports are never busy this time of year. Besides, Russia isn't that far from Japan. I also had to come quickly because you said a majority of the Sailors aren't here, and if there really is a new threat, that can be bad if we become outnumbered." Ami took a seat on the clean steps, and Rei sat down next to her after putting up her broom. "When do you think the enemy will appear?"
"There's no way to know. We'll just have to keep our eyes peeled. And above all, keep Usagi out of trouble. This is very horrible timing for anything major, since she's a mother now." She looked at Ami.
"Well, she's technically always been a mother, but back then, Chibiusa-chan was able to take care of herself."
"We should worry about these problems when they're actually upon us. In the meantime, you've had a long flight. How about you come inside for some tea? Or if you'd like, I could take us out to a cafe or something."
"No, I'm good. I should get back to my place and rest there." She stood up, waved at Rei, and hurried her way home. She couldn't help but wonder what sort of threat they'd be up against this time, and how much stronger it was compared to their other enemies.
########
Several days later, the Inner Senshi were sitting in a cafe, discussing what Rei had seen in her fire.
"Nothing will be stronger than our last enemy, that's for sure. She was a universal threat, and those are always the most powerful." Makoto said.
"How are we even supposed to attack something new? Our powers will be hopelessly weak, most likely. They usually are when we fight something new." Ami stated.
"I'm sure the Outer Senshi will help us. They always seem to be more powerful than us, no matter what." Rei suggested. They all looked for Usagi to suggestions, but she was looking down at her baby, feeding her another bottle.
"Usagi-chan, we want to know what you think we should do!" Minako said. This made Usagi look up, but she looked right back down. "Let's just forget it. This new enemy hasn't even shown up yet, so how scary or powerful could they possibly be?" After she said that, however, there was the crash of broken glass outside, along with someone screaming. The four Inner Senshi ran outside, nervous to see what was going on.
"Halt! We're not afraid to punish you!" Makoto called out, prompting the four to assume a battle position. The person in question turned around, revealing snow-white hair to her shoulders and sheep horns poking out. She grinned when she saw them.
"New little playthings! Great! Now come on, give me your Star Signs! Otherwise, I'll take them forcefully! And nobody wants that, now do they?" She snapped her fingers, and behind her formed a giant sheep-like monster with metal fleece. "Now, what will it be?"
"We can't fight her, we're not strong enough!" Minako worried.
"We'll never know unless we try! Mars Crystal Power, Makeup!" Rei announced.
"Mercury Crystal Power, Makeup!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Makeup!"
"Venus Crystal Power, Makeup!"
"We're the Four Inner Guardians of the Solar System, and we'll punish you!" The four girls announced, taking their signature poses. The sheep-girl yawned and snapped her fingers again.
"You know what to do, Metaloid! Stick it to them!" She pointed at the Sailors, and the monster obeyed, pulling some of its metal off and chucking it at them. The girls quickly dodged it.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" Sailor Mars launched her arrow at the monster and it hit its target perfectly, slowing the beast down a bit but not stopping it.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury hit the monster with her attack, but it didn't dent it.
"I told you, we're too weak! We'll never make a mark on this monster at this rate!" Sailor Venus exclaimed.
"This would be a great time for the Outer Senshi to randomly show up like they always do and really pound this monster!" Sailor Mars said. The monster tore off more metal and threw it at her, wrapping itself tightly around her body and shocked her. She screamed and fell to the ground.
"Oh no, Mars!" Sailor Jupiter super-jumped onto the monster's back and did her attack, but found herself only able to slow it down. "Come on, we need some extra help!" Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus kept slamming their attacks into the monster from all different sides, but just like before, the monster was only slowed and not stopped. As they were starting to give up, Eternal Sailor Moon appeared out of the shadows.
"Ruining a young mother's feeding time, and ruining her friends' peaceful times alone! How dare you! That is the worst kind of evil there is! I'm Eternal Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" She did her usual pose and jumped right into the battle, helping Sailor Venus untie Sailor Mars.
"Sailor Moon! We were worried you'd never show up!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed happily from the monster's back.
"If we could get the Outer Senshi here, then we'd have all the help we need!" Sailor Mercury said.
"I don't think I'll be much help. I only deliver the finishing blow, and this monster's not ready yet!" She cried out and dodged another piece of metal the monster threw. "Also, what is this monster's theme?"
"Who knows! Just help us!" Sailor Venus snapped. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" This time, the monster got a small dent in it, and it was enough to make the monster stop and look at it, but only briefly.
The girl who summoned it was laughing gleefully, quite pleased her monster couldn't be defeated. "How funny! You can't beat my buddy! What kind of warriors are you!" She mockingly stuck her tongue out at them, then nearly dodged Mars' attack.
"They say the worst kind of villain is an immature one!" Sailor Jupiter taunted.
"So, that's how you guys fight? Fine then, let's fight!" She snapped her fingers again, and the monster threw Sailor Jupiter off, making her hit the ground on her stomach. She slowly got up and launched another attack at it.
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Jupiter Oak Revolution!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" After a while, the four girls felt very tired and drained of their powers, and were on the verge of giving up.
"This is too strong of a monster for us to fight by ourselves..." Sailor Mercury struggled to get up, but fell back down.
"My monster can't be defeated by the amazing, powerful, Sailor Senshi? How wonderful! Well, you know what to do!" The girl snapped her fingers and the monster threw several large chunks of metal at the girls. The chunks were all charged with electricity. The Inner Senshi were too weak to properly dodge it, so they covered their faces the best they could and waited for the impact.
"Silence Wall!" A young girl's voice cried out, and suddenly a light violet bubble surrounded the Inner Senshi. Eternal Sailor Moon watched as the metal chunks hit the shield, then harmlessly bounced back off. The girl seemed very unhappy by the sudden display of strong power and looked around.
"Who dares to ruin my monster's lovely magic?" She asked angrily, eventually looking up. On top of a small building stood Sailor Neptune and Sailor Saturn, looking quite proud of themselves.
"I'm the Senshi of the Seas, the graceful Sailor Neptune, here to charm you!" Sailor Neptune announced, striking a pose.
"And I'm the Senshi of Silence, the mysterious Sailor Saturn, here to mystify you!" Sailor Saturn spun her glaive around. They jumped off the building gracefully, landing perfectly on their boots.
"You guys were expecting us, were you not?" Sailor Neptune grinned and pulled out her mirror. "It looks like we came just in time anyway. Now, let's figure out why we can't defeat this monster! Submarine Reflection!" A ray shot out of her mirror and lit up the metal plates on the monster.
"They're supercharged with electricity and act as a sort of barrier from our powers," Sailor Jupiter noticed. "But that doesn't help us defeat it!"
"Isn't it obvious? What always shorts out electricity?" Sailor Neptune put her mirror away and aimed her next attack at the monster. "Deep Submerge!" This time, the large tidal wave took the colossal beast by surprise, nearly knocking it over. It was weakened, one could tell just by looking at it.
"Sailor Moon, now!" Sailor Venus directed.
"Oh, right!" She gently kissed Chibiusa's forehead and set her down in the alley, promising she would only be a second. She slipped out of her hiding place and pulled out her wand. "Silver Moon! Crystal Power Kiss!" Her wand flashed pink and showered the monster in the bright color. Surprisingly, the monster didn't react to being turned back into a plush sheep doll, but its apparent owner did.
"No! This just isn't fair! Nobody told me you had backup! I thought for sure I had outsmarted you dumb little girls!" The girl screamed, having a massive tantrum.
"There's a lot of things they don't tell about us." Sailor Saturn stated. "And now, prepare to join your monster!" The girls took fighting stances again, but the villianess just stuck her tongue out at them.
"No way, I'm done! Forget fighting you guys for a bit! I clearly have to go home and get an even stronger monster!" She unraveled a string of wool from her sweater, and it started glowing. "Remember my name, Aries! That's my name, and whoever was born under me shall pay!" She vanished.
"What an unusual villain! She took right after the famous Zodiac sign! Is this really what I flew all the way out here from Kyoto for?" Sailor Venus couldn't help grumbling. Eternal Sailor Moon had gone back to retrieve her daughter and was currently bouncing her in her arms slightly, a movement that was making the baby smile.
"You know how this usually goes. The weakest henchmen get sent out first." Sailor Jupiter stated.
"Yes, but she couldn't be very weak if we had that much trouble defeating her!" Sailor Mercury said.
"Either way, we now have a bit more of a clearer picture of what exactly we'll be up against this time." Sailor Mars said.
"Why aren't Sailor Uranus and Sailor Pluto with you? You four always show up to battles together." Sailor Mercury asked. A hint of worry edged into her voice.
"Oh, those two? I called them earlier and told them some new villains had shown up and Hotaru and I needed them to show up as soon as they possibly could. They promised they would, but they're not in Japan right now, so who knows how long it'll take them to arrive." Sailor Neptune explained. "Besides, both Saturn and I are very powerful Senshi alone. We'll be fine." She looked over at Saturn, who was currently gushing over Chibiusa again. Neptune sighed. "Well, she's powerful when she's serious."
"This is Sailor Saturn, the most powerful of the Sailor Senshi! She has the power to destroy an entire world!" Eternal Sailor Moon explained to the baby, a bit too overenthusiastic. Sailor Saturn jokingly posed. Chibiusa reached out for her weapon, but pouted when Saturn held it out of her reach.
"I'm sorry, but this weapon isn't supposed to be played with! And most of all, it's not a chew toy!" Sailor Saturn explained sadly.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to be telling her all about our Sailor identities? I mean, she's not a Sailor yet." Sailor Jupiter said. Eternal Sailor Moon shrugged.
"She has to learn eventually. Besides, I get the feeling she'll be involved in a lot more battles from this point on, so better to learn these strangely-dressed, highly-powerful women are still hers, and mine, best friends." She smiled.
"That's so sweet of you to say, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Venus gushed.
"Well, we only showed up here to help you, and we did that, so now we much leave. Come along, Saturn." Neptune directed sternly. She gently pulled the black-haired teen away from the baby and walked away with her into the distance, not looking back.
"I'll never understand those Outer Senshi. They feel like they're above it all, just because they're older. We've known each other for a really long time and it still makes my blood turn hot." Sailor Jupiter growled.
"I think it's more than age. I think it's their positions given to them, past, present, and future. Our jobs are to protect the princess, so we're always around the person we love the most. But they have to protect our solar system from outside threats, and they never have anyone to talk to except themselves. It's a very lonely life for them, to be sure. They probably aren't used to so much attention." Sailor Mercury observed. The other four were quiet after this, not really sure what to say. It was true, of course, but it was one of those things that remained truthful but never out in the open.
After they stood there for a long time, the four girls awkwardly bid each other farewell, detransformed, and went away to their own lives, all with the intention of appearing as normal as they had been just the day before.
##########
Usagi sat on the soft couch, watching TV and feeding Chibiusa another bottle. "Sheesh, how many bottles do you need in a day?" She teased. The baby looked quite pleased with herself for eating as much as she did, Ami once said her eating talents put her own mother's to shame. The show was mainly just background noise to Usagi at this point, who tuned it out an hour ago. It was some sort of celebrity tabloid show, she knew that. She recalled that back in the day, it was hard to ignore, since every other minute they'd be talking all about one of her friends. She wondered how her friends all became these huge stars and she was stuck at home, taking care of a baby she knew would grow into an even bigger pain in the future. She was about to turn the TV off when she heard the interviewer say the newest celebrity they were going to talk to was an increasingly famous young pop idol who called herself on-stage 'Love Goddess'. Well, that obviously had to be Minako-chan, so Usagi left it on and started actually paying attention.
"So, tell us Aino-san, first off, is it okay to call you that?" The interviewer asked nervously. Minako nodded. "Alright, Aino-san. Where exactly does the inspiration for your songs come from? They're all mainly about love, sure, but some of these lyrics are very empowering and beautiful. They stand out in today's music industry, which is mainly just the same stuff."
"Well, I can't exactly say where." Minako said. Her friends knew her songs came from the trials she dealt with as a Senshi, that's how most of the artistically-talented Senshi got their muse. This wasn't just something you gave away on public television, though. "The most I can tell you is that my life is not a very easy one. Sure, some people just see the easy-going, fun-loving, sorta ditzy pop star and fashion model that I show myself as. My friends often see that too. But I have another sort of secret life going on that really brings out my serious side. I think that's the side that comes up with these songs half of the time." She said, very seriously. Normally, Usagi would've tightly pulled her hair because of Minako being very specific about her Sailor duty, but today, she didn't feel that. It was most likely her outfit. It was teal and navy-blue, with red ribbons tightly wound around her arm in a spiral. Her normally-red bow was replaced with a frilly teal one, with giant red pom-poms popping out. Overall, the outfit made her resemble a comedic butterfly. She wore it once, back when she was almost sixteen, and it fit her then. Now, not only was the design horribly 1990's, but the chest area seemed particularly tight.
"I see. Do any of your friends make appearances in these songs?" The reporter nodded.
"Elements is a song that talks about nine of my best friends. They have these spiritual qualities about them, in a way, so this song talks about the goddesses of several elements, an obvious reference to my friends. None of them really like this song though, which is disappointing to me, to say the least. Another one of mine was more of an event than a person. It embodies the feeling of your friends falling in love, and having their hearts stolen from them. But you're not among them. You try your absolute hardest to make yourself look appealing, to show off that you want your heart taken too, but they're not buying it, and right when you're about to give up, there comes your heart, right out of your chest!" She winked. Usagi's eyes widened when she realized what event she was referencing. She took the bottle out of Chibiusa's mouth and started burping her, still paying attention to the TV.
"You feel these sorts of emotions very strongly, don't you?" The reporter persisted.
"Oh yes. I'm a very emotional person. I'm not really sure why, it's just who I am, I guess. I mean, all my friends are emotional too, but somehow mine are just able to come out easier."
Usagi finished burping Chibiusa and went into the kitchen to throw her bottle into the sink. She had meant to do the dishes, but lately they had been piling up behind her back. She'd get to them when she got to them. She didn't sit back down and instead bounced her baby in her arms slightly as she watched TV. She was still doing this when Mamoru came home from work several minutes later. Chibiusa was starting to fall asleep, but when she laid eyes on her father, her eyes quickly popped back open. She reached her arms out to him in a desperate attempt to have him hold her. Usagi laughed and gave him their daughter.
"What are you doing?" He glanced over at the TV. "Oh, that's Minako-san, isn't it?" Usagi nodded.
"She's talking about how we inspire her songs. It's no wonder she's famous. Her voice is fine but her lyrics are the true selling point." She turned the TV off, figuring Mamoru would have no interest in it.
"All these songs, and not a single one about me?" He teased, kissing her deeply. She broke the kiss off for a second to answer him.
"You don't remember her song about the masked hero who always rescues his princess from danger?" Usagi teased back, then kissed him again. Chibiusa grew impatient at their kissing and squirmed around in Mamoru's arms, breaking their kiss off again.
"Usagi must be sleepy." He suggested. Usagi nodded and took her from him, carrying her into the master bedroom and laying her down in her crib. Instead of relaxing, however, Chibiusa just squirmed around in her crib. Usagi turned her mobile on with a sigh, hoping the melody would soothe her enough. It didn't seem to, but at least she stopped squirming. She strode over to her mirror and started taking her hair down so she could sleep. As she was brushing her hair out, Mamoru came up behind her and took her brush away and started brushing her hair himself, although he was quite clumsy at it.
"Mamo-chan? What are you doing?" She asked in surprise. "Please don't wake Usagi." She warned.
"I want to ask you about what you and the other girls saw today. The monster you were fighting?" He asked, his voice turning serious. She quickly matched her tone to his.
"To be honest, I'm not sure who or what it was. She looked very much like a ram or something, and called herself Aries, like the Zodiac sign. After we defeated her monster, she swore that anyone born under her sign would be sorry, then she left." She recalled.
"Then she's planning on attacking people with birthdays born under that sign. Rei-san is one of them, isn't she?" Usagi nodded. "Then tell her she's got to be the one to defeat this thing."
"We couldn't defeat it though. At least, not by ourselves. Then Michiru-san and Hotaru-chan showed up and weakened it way better than we ever could. Our power is lacking, Mamo-chan, and as a leader, I can't help but be concerned. What if this same enemy attacks us again?" Mamoru pulled on a rough curl and made Usagi cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry about that, Usako. Anyway, if you're concerned about not being strong enough, then why don't you just ask Rei-san if she saw anything relating to a new transformation in her vision? I bet the way to unlock a higher level of power is to defeat the different Zodiac signs that is yours, and then you'll get the power boost."
"That does seem very logical." She jumped up from her seat. "Alright, I'll call Rei-chan tonight and see what she says. Chances are, the answer is yes!" Mamoru kissed her again.
"There's the determined Usako I married."
########
Meanwhile, Hotaru was finishing up her homework when she heard a knock on the front door. She looked over at Michiru, expecting her to answer it, but she was deeply invested in whatever song she was practicing on her violin, so Hotaru reluctantly put her book down and went to answer it. Once she did, however, her smile grew so wide it couldn't possibly be contained on her face anymore, and she tried desperately to throw herself into the arms of two people.
"Setsuna-mama! Haruka-papa! I can't believe you're home at last!" She managed to finally latch onto Haruka, who grabbed hold of her hands and spun her around playfully. "Whee! This is so much fun!" After a while, Haruka let go of her.
"And you know what else we bought for you while we were away?" Setsuna teased. She pulled several cupcakes out of her bag. They were in a plastic case and were coated in orange and yellow frosting. Fall cupcakes. Hotaru's eyes got wide at them.
"Those are only for good little girls who eat all of their dinner first!" Michiru teased, walking over. She still hadn't put up her violin. It still remained balanced against the leg of her stand. Hotaru pouted, but quickly ran away to set the table for dinner. Setsuna followed her to put the cupcakes in the fridge, leaving just Haruka and Michiru alone. Michiru started to put away her violin, waiting for Haruka to start a conversation with her. When she didn't, Michiru eventually took the bait.
"So, how was racing in L.A. like? How was California? Was it as hot as everyone says it is?" She teased. She snapped her case shut and propped it against their flat-screen TV.
"It wasn't as thrilling as I thought it was going to be. I beat all the races they put me in, which used to be fun, but now it's just boring." She looked away.
"Then maybe you need some sort of new thrill in your life." Michiru smiled slyly. "Did you hear about our new enemies?"
"Yeah, you called me about it earlier. It was nearly midnight over there!"
"Sorry. Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?" Michiru slowly glided over to where Haruka was and ran her fingers along her lips. "Because it's not something you need much of."
"That's exactly what I missed while I was away in America."
"Then why don't you come find it?" Michiru tried to run away, but she was giggling so hard she only managed a few feet before Haruka grabbed hold of her arm and embraced her. "Your grip has gotten stronger..."
"If there really is some sort of new enemy out there, you know I'm not bothered by them at all because you're still here."
"But Haruka, you say that all of the time!" She started to say something else, but was cut off by Haruka kissing her romantically on the lips. Michiru wasn't one to argue with such things, so she started kissing her right back, wrapping her arms around her neck. They remained like that for a while until Setsuna came in and cleared her throat, causing the two of them to quickly break away in embarrassment.
"Dinner's ready, if you two are hungry. I'd suggest sitting down anyway, since the topic of discussion will be over Sailor business. I understand you and Hotaru saw some action today." Setsuna said seriously. Michiru nodded.
"What's for dinner?" She asked nonchalantly.
"I didn't cook this, Haruka did."
"Oh dear." Michiru teased. Haruka glared at her slightly.
"There's nothing wrong with my cooking! This is actually a dish I learned in California, it's baked chicken with salad greens!"
"Okay, the salad doesn't sound like it will kill anybody."
"I'm telling you, there is nothing wrong with my cooking!"
"Kitten, last time you cooked dinner, you somehow set the sink and stove on fire, and we ate your food anyway to be nice and we were all sick for a week."
"That was one time!"
"What about your ice cream sundae incident of '98? Does that ring any bells?"
"If you two are quite finished, the dinner is getting cold, and Hotaru and I are very impatient to get started." Setsuna left the room, and the couple quickly followed her. They all took their usual spots at the table and started eating quietly.
"How come you guys get to drink wine, and I don't? All I get is cherry soda!" Hotaru announced.
"You're too young to drink wine, sweetie. Although it's not much of a privilege." Michiru said before taking a drink of hers.
"What exactly happened earlier today, involving the enemy?" Setsuna asked.
"Well, Hotaru and I only showed up for the later half, as traditional Outer Senshi way is. The Inner Senshi weren't doing a very good job at attacking it, but that's not an insult on their part. Their powers are too weak to face off on this enemy right now, which is very concerning. This is usually when the ultimate enemy sends one of their weaker henchmen to deal with us, and if they couldn't even beat her, then what does that say about the rest?" Michiru worried.
"But we defeated the monster really easy, didn't we, Michiru-mama? I just put up my shield, and you attacked with your signature attack, and you totally weakened the enemy!" She sprung up out of her seat at this point and was standing on her chair, waving her fork around like her weapon.
"Hotaru, sit down and eat." Haruka directed. Hotaru just stuck her tongue out at her.
"There must be some sort of task the others must do before they're strong enough to defeat everything. We might need to upgrade too, in time, but seeing as we're still able to weaken the villain as is, I wouldn't be too concerned about it." Setsuna sipped some of her wine.
"The girl called herself Aries and said anybody born under her would pay. I know Rei-san is born under that Zodiac sign. Perhaps she must defeat her before getting stronger?" Michiru suggested. The other two nodded.
"Sounds logical." Setsuna agreed.
"Hotaru, will you sit down and eat your food, for the last time! I'm not asking you again!" Haruka shouted. Hotaru threw her fork down onto her plate, but still refused to sit.
"I know a certain little girl who isn't getting cupcakes after dinner! Her mom and dad will just eat them all up!" Michiru threatened. This made Hotaru gasp and quickly sit down. The three went back to eating, but Hotaru decided her fun wasn't done yet. She was full, so being sent from the table wasn't a concern. She quickly pulled a piece of skin off of her chicken and hurled it at Michiru, covering her mouth when she saw it had gotten stuck in her hair.
"Excuse me, I'm leaving the table now. Good night!" She announced quickly before darting off. Setsuna stood up and looked after her.
"Hotaru? Where are you going?" She ran after her. Michiru ran her fingers through her hair absentmindedly and got disgusted when she found the chicken in it.
"So, is this how much you missed me?" She took her entire plate and jokingly dumped it onto Haruka, then tackled her to the ground. "It's a very strange gesture."
"I wasn't the one who did that, kitten. I'm pretty sure it was Hotaru."
"Well, it got my attention. Didn't some little kitten say she missed her lover while she was away in L.A.?"
"Shouldn't we clean up first?"
"Why should we, if we're just going to get even messier?" Michiru planted another kiss onto Haruka's lips before she could protest, thus ending the night for the Outer Senshi.