Author's Note: Thank you everyone who's reviewed the last three chapters :D It means so much to me when you let me know you like my writing. If you have any suggestions or critiques, let me know as well (Just be nice please)

Saturday dawned warm and clear, Elsa came by Michiru's apartment at 9.

"All ready?" Asked Elsa, wearing a stripped tank top, red shorts, and sun glasses. Her bag was slung over her shoulder.

"Just about." Michiru replied, as she decided which swimsuit to bring with.

"Hey, is that you're newest painting?" Elsa asked walking over to the easel where Michiru's newest piece was drying. Her carefree smile faded a tiny bit. "Wow, this is quite a bit different than your usual artwork..."

The painting was of Michiru's recurring nightmare. A great dark wave devouring the city.

"You don't like it..."

"No...I mean, it's brilliantly done..." Elsa said, "But what happened to serene planets and pretty star whales?"

"I've been having a nightmare..." Michiru finally confessed, "Over and over again, the same dream. In it I see this. A tsunami, bigger than anything this world has ever seen rising up to end the world..."

"Is that why you've been acting weird lately?"

Michiru nodded. Elsa looked somber for a few moments before she grabbed Michiru's hand, her usual smile returning. "No more disaster movies for you. If a killer wave is going to come and end us all, we can't stand around wasting what's left of our lives worrying about it! The only waves I care about are the ones I can take a surf board to. Come on!"

Despite how long they'd been friend's Elsa's turn on a dime attitude still caught Michiru off guard. Still she couldn't help but feel better at her friend's words. She laughed, "I suppose you're right."

"I always am! Haven't you learned that by now?"

They headed to the beach. The day became exactly what Michiru needed. They rented a sail boat to take out. Elsa insisted on being 'captain' and admittedly, she did a decent job, only capsizing them once. She tried to convince Michiru they should attempt to rent a speed boat, but Michiru reminded her that neither of them had a license and getting arrested for boat theft was not on Michriu's to do list. ("You're such a buzz kill!" Elsa had whined). They got lunch at one of the little food stands and spent most of the late morning sunbathing.

After Elsa had become bored with that, she pulled Michiru to the surf board rental shop. They both rented boards, but Michiru only rode one wave. She preferred to sit on her board with her legs hanging over in the cool water. Elsa didn't mind since she loved few things more than showing off, and surfing was one of her favorite things to show off in. Michiru watched her friend and clapped whenever she did anything that was probably very difficult.

The early afternoon consisted of casual swimming and looking for seashells and other tiny treasures. Michiru couldn't remember having such a good time in months. If only the morning could have lasted forever. For a while it felt like it was going to, but it was too good to be true. People like Michiru didn't get days to just have fun. She wasn't a normal teenager, no matter how much she pretended to be. And today was the day her fantasy finally ended. She couldn't ignore her destiny anymore...

It was when Elsa suggested they get dressed and go to the mall that everything went horribly wrong.

Michiru made her way to the changing tents when she heard someone calling for help. She ran to the direction of the cry. A girl was cowering in the corner of a tent, a huge black creature was towering over her. Instinctively, Michiru pushed the girl towards the entrance of the tent. "Go." She shouted. "Get somewhere safe!" The girl ran off. Michiru was about to flee after her, but an orb light appeared between her and the monster. Inside the orb was a strange metal looking object. It looked like some sort of children's play wand. She had to take it. She wasn't sure why, or how she knew, but she knew she was meant to take it. Her hand reached out and her fingers wrapped around the smooth metal handle. Warmth flooded her body, something felt familiar about this. Without knowing what compelled her to do so, she raised it over her head and said "Neptune Planet Power, Make-up." She felt strange. Her body transformed. Within seconds her swimsuit and sandals were replaced with a sailor uniform and high heels. Sailor Neptune. Vague, foggy memories bombarded her mind. She felt sick. She let her body act on it's own accord. She raised her hand up in the air and gathered energy into a sphere. "DEEP SUBMERGE!" The attack left her hand and sped towards the monster. She stumbled back a little bit. Her outfit faded back into a swimsuit. The monster screamed and melted into a young man. He fell on his knees, holding his head in his hand.

"What happened?" He asked. "I feel hungover..."

Michiru was too shocked to move. The man looked at her. "Hey? Are you okay?" He asked, "Did you see what happened? I was just helping my sister and...shit! Asami! Where did you go?"

Michiru didn't reply, she was shaking. "I have to go find my sister! I'll come back with help! Don't move! I'll be right back!" He ran off.

Michiru stared down at the metal rod in her hand. What just happened?

"Michiru? Michiru!" She could hear Elsa calling for her, she had been gone for a lot longer than she should have been. "Michiruuuu!"

Michiru managed to get to the entrance of the tent so that Elsa could see her.

"Michiru! What happened? You look awful!"

"I just need to lay down...I feel sick..." Michiru said, still in a bit of shock. "Can you call a cab? I think I should go home."

Elsa nodded, "Sit down, I'll be right back."

Elsa rode with Michiru to her apartment and helped her inside. "Are you sure you're okay?" She kept asking. "What happened?"

"I'm fine." Michiru would just reply.

"Michiru, what aren't you telling me? Just let me help. It's me! You can tell me anything!"

"I know you're trying to help." Michiru replied. "But please, can you just give me some space?"

Elsa looked slightly hurt, but nodded. "Okay. Call me if you need me, okay?"

"Okay."

Michiru sat down and put her head in her hands. What happened? She must have been hallucinating. She must have been. Sailor Neptune? No. The Sailors were urban legends. Publicity stunts, nothing more. Her hand went to her pocket and closed around the cold medal rod. It was real. But it couldn't be.

She went to her bed to lay down for a little while. She ended up falling asleep.

"Keep up, little one." A beautiful woman in a long silky blue dress walked next to her in the expansive garden that she often visited in dreams.

"I'm not little!" Michiru replied. "I'm Fifteen Lunar Years old. Nearly a woman!"

The woman smiled. "You'll always be little in my eyes. You're still a babe to me. Green as the day I first held you."

"I thought you were supposed to start training me. Not reminiscing about how young you still think I am."

The woman turned to face her. Her eyes were loving but serious. "My love, I know you're excited to start training. But know that you are about to take on a very heavy responsibility. You are my daughter. Which makes you the next Sailor Neptune. But it is not an easy job. It's so much more than glamour and praise. You must be willing to take the lives of every single one of your citizens into your hands. You'll have to make impossible decisions. You'll have to be prepared to kill or die if necessary. There's no turning back. Once you become a Sailor, you are a Sailor until you have a daughter to pass the position down to. Or until you die. Which can happen. We're not gods. We're not invincible. Do you understand that?"

She somberly nodded. "But what if I don't want that responsibility? What if I don't want to be Sailor Neptune."

"It's your destiny. You will be Sailor Neptune whether you want to be or not. Just like your a princess whether you want to be or not. It's your birthright."

"What if I'm bad at it?"

The woman laughed. "You won't be. I promise." She kissed Michiru's forehead. "Come now, there is much you must learn."

Michiru woke up. She had dreamed of the strange gardens so many times, but this was the first time she had ever been accompanied. She thought of the woman, as the dream fled the details of the woman's face became harder to picture again. Still the feeling in Michiru's gut knew who she was. Mother.

No! Michiru's mother was Marketa Kaioh! And she was a good mother. Michiru didn't need any other mother. Yet the woman and her dream had been so familiar. Michiru felt a pang of loneliness. She knew what the dream had been, but she didn't want to admit it. She had never believed in reincarnation. People got one life. Only one. After that...she didn't know, but they didn't get another life. Yet this dream had been a memory from her past life.

You will be Sailor Neptune whether you want to be or not. So that was it. Just like that. She didn't have any choice. All those dreams about the end of the world. She had them for a reason. All her hopes of becoming a great violinist, of touring the world... She had to forsake them. She was destined for something else. Part of her wanted to cry, but she didn't. She gripped the rod still in her pocket. This was her destiny. Like it or not. She would rise up to meet it. She would be strong. She would be Sailor Neptune.