Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Chapter 4

Later that night, Usagi called Mamoru to let him know that it was alright for him to come over next Saturday. She hinted that Queen Serenity would expect him to come dressed as royalty and that Usagi would be wearing one of her gowns. Then remembering about the incident from that afternoon, she added, "Mamoru? I need your advice on something. Remember the crescent moon I had on my forehead as Serenity?"

"Yeah...what about it?" he asked warily.

"It's here to stay. It just appeared earlier this evening, and Mother – "

"Which mother?" he interrupted. "You have two now, so please specify which one you're talking about."

"Sorry. We worked out a system so we don't confuse them at our house and I guess we forgot to tell you. Mom is Ikuko and Mother is Queen Serenity. Anyway, Mother said that its appearing like this means that it will never go away and I will have it on my forehead for the rest of my life!" she exclaimed. "What am I going to do? I can't go to school with it in plain sight! Some of the kids are already on to me and if I went to school with a crescent moon on my forehead, they might put the clues together and spill my secret."

"Hmm. You definitely have a problem. Have you tried covering it up with make-up?" he questioned.

"That was the first thing I tried."

"It didn't work?"

"No. The concealer covered it up so that it was slightly less visible, but it started to glow. Then there was a burst of light and when it cleared, there was absolutely nothing on it! There was make-up right up to the edges, but none on it. And I can't exactly put make-up on Shingo. His crescent moon decided to show up also, so we have to think of something for him, too."

"What about the Silver Crystal? Use its power to cover them up, like your mother does."

"We would, but you have to be in contact with the Crystal to use it that way."

"Well, what about..."

They stayed on the phone for the next hour, trying various things to cover the crescent moons, but nothing worked. The two would have to go to school and risk discovery. Luckily for them, today was Wednesday. This meant that Halloween was the next day, and they were allowed to wear costumes to school.

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Usagi carefully put on her gown, anticipating showing it to Naru with great excitement.

After getting off the phone with Mamoru, Usagi had called the other Senshi. Apparently, the same thing had happened to them, as well. Every Senshi had the mark of their planet on their forehead and after a little persuasion, they had all agreed to Usagi's plan.

Usagi picked up her book bag and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where she sat down next to Shingo, who was already eating. Usagi took a moment to admire the formal Lunar Guard costume he was wearing. It made her feel safe just seeing the white and gold tunic with the emblem of the Moon embroidered over his heart. Inside a circle of Moonflowers was a gold crescent moon with the Silver Crystal floating inside the arc, forming the Moon Kingdom's royal crest. Moonflowers, Usagi's favorite blossom, were delicate, five-petaled flowers which shaded from cream to ivory to milky white, with the barest hints of pink near the stamen.

"Morning dear!" Ikuko and Serenity chorused, Ikuko setting a plate of waffles in front of her daughter.

"Good morning, Mom, Mother. So Mom, what do you think?"

"They're wonderful, dear, but aren't you afraid people will find out who you are?" Ikuko glanced nervously at her children's outfits. Usagi shook her head and reverently stroked the fabric of the white Moonsilk gown she had worn the night the Moon Kingdom fell.

Queen Serenity sat down next to her daughter, taking her hand and giving a sad smile in acknowledgement of the memories the costumes brought back.

Shingo replied to Ikuko's question, "No. No one will be able to guess what we really are unless we tell them. With luck, the other students will believe that our costumes are just very well-made. We'll have reinforcements, however. Each of the princesses – with the exception of Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune – will be there as well."

"Even so, be sure to not give any information that may lead to your discovery. To do so could cause unimaginable disasters," Serenity warned. She then slipped a silver chain over her head and put it around her daughter's neck, the Silver Crystal pendant glittering faintly. "This will assist you both in your disguises. Guard it well."

Usagi and Shingo nodded solemnly and finished their breakfasts, setting their plates in the sink. They hugged both of their mothers goodbye and walked out the door with Luna at their heels.

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"Wow Usagi!" Naru exclaimed when she saw her best friend. "I love your costume. I didn't recognize you at first. But what exactly are you? Some kind of princess?"

"Of course. And you are a cowgirl from an American Western video?"

Naru blushed and looked down at her outfit. She had on a white hat, a brown leather vest, a green shirt, a knee-length jean skirt with a fringe on the bottom, and brown boots. She even had a plastic pistol hanging from the holster attached to her belt.

"Yeah. It's not as good as yours though. Your dress is absolutely gorgeous! And I just thought of what you are!" Naru exclaimed proudly. "You're the Moon Princess from the legend! Right?"

"Yes," Usagi replied, slightly dismayed that Naru had figured it out so quickly. Well, Naru was her best friend. Though what she would say if she realized the absolute truth of her statement, Usagi couldn't begin to imagine.

Before either girl could say another word, however, the remaining princesses-in-disguise arrived. Rei had decided to transfer to Jubaan High School after they defeated Galaxia and Chaos. She said she liked it a lot more than her private school, where the students got rather stuck up at times.

"Greetings, my friends! I am so pleased the Galaxy Princesses could join us. As many as were able, naturally," Usagi said. She then widened her eyes slightly and gave a quick, darting glance toward Naru to indicate that the red-head had already figured out who she was. The other girls got the message and felt their hearts sink in dismay. If Naru had figured it out so fast, who else might be able to by the end of the day? All of them silently vowed to be especially on their guard and watch the students around themselves and particularly Usagi like hawks.

"Wow! Where on Earth did you guys get such gorgeous costumes? You look just like royalty!" Naru exclaimed, totally oblivious to the exchange that had just gone on around her.

Only a great deal of self-control kept the girls from exchanging glances and holding their faces in straight and impassive expressions at the red-head's innocent statement.

Princess Melania of Venus wore a shimmery orange gown with thin, half-inch straps, a low neckline, low back, and a long skirt that flowed from her waist. Gold beads draped over her bare arms and a gold tiara glittered on her head, her trademark red bow just showing behind it. A long, thin gold chain suspended the Topaz Crystal in its position in the shadow of her breast.

Rayne, Princess of Mars, wore a slim crimson gown with tiny cap sleeves, a square neckline, and an empire waist. Delicate obsidian beads and black embroidery spidered across the satin and twisted into a flaming motif, the hem of the dress brushing the ground. A thin chain of black metal found only on Mars suspended the Ruby Crystal just below her breastbone. Her tiara was of the purest black obsidian and set with the reddest rubies Naru had ever seen.

The Mercury Princess, Analise, wore a pale blue silk gown with short sleeves and a long skirt that flowed from her waist. Tiny silver beads cascaded from her modest neckline, across the bodice, and down the left of her skirt like a waterfall. Crystalline ice with the intricacy of a snowflake was twined through her hair and inlaid with the palest blue sapphires, a silver chain holding the Sapphire Crystal over the hollow of her throat.

Princess Listelle of Jupiter wore a simple gown of delicate, deep green silk with little cap sleeves and a low neckline. White gold threads were woven into the fabric and made the loose, flowing skirt shimmer when she moved. A white gold chain suspended the Emerald Crystal just below her breastbone. Her tiara was also white gold and was inlaid with emeralds, leaves and vines swirling together to create a beautiful object.

Hyaline, Princess of Saturn, wore a long, lavender satin gown with violet embroidery. A violet ribbon was tied around her waist, the ends trailing down the back of her skirt. Her platinum tiara was a delicate object that threaded its way around her head, inlaid with dark violet amethysts, a platinum chain holding the Amethyst Crystal over the hollow of her throat.

The girls thanked Naru for the compliment to their gowns and quickly changed the subject to a safely neutral topic, chatting together until the first bell rang and they were forced to separate for class.

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The girls' last class of the day, and their only class together, was P.E. So far, everything was going very well. Not a trace of who they really were had leaked out and their secrets were still safely locked away. But today was the test for the mile-run. And the five of them were very competitive when it came down to contests of speed and stamina.

It was during the last twenty minutes of class that the girls stepped up to the starting line. In five seconds the coach would blow his whistle and begin the timer on his stopwatch. Three… two…one…GO!

The Senshi took off like a shot down the track. They were neck-and-neck the entire way, no one giving any ground, no one willing to admit defeat. The Crystals sensed the change in their owners and responded accordingly, flooding the princesses with the power of their planet.

Soon, the five girls were far ahead of all the other students, outdistancing even the star runners of the track and cross-country teams. The friends flew down the track, the sun glinting off them as they ran. But then students began to notice that the girls were glowing in a veritable rainbow of different colors. The traces of royalty were showing up more than ever before, their foreheads shining like beacons.

Usagi crossed the finish line a split second before the other girls, the rest of the class not even half done. The group began congratulating each other on a good race and a fine warm-up, none of them even breathing hard.

Coach Furukawa's jaw could not get any lower. These five girls had just completed the mile in two minutes and thirty seconds. That was definitely not normal. As he came out of his stupor, he began to walk over to the girls, intent on asking them a few questions. Like how soon could they join the track team?

When she saw the look on Coach Furukawa's face, Usagi knew something was wrong. She turned to see where all the other runners were and her face paled.

"Guys…we have a problem…"

"Huh…what do you mean, Usagi?" Makoto asked, turning to look where her friend was pointing. Her eyes widened as she saw what Usagi meant, and she cursed under her breath. "Kuso kuso kuso!"

"What are we going to do?" Hotaru asked, fear filling her violet eyes.

"The only thing we can do," Ami replied. "Erase their memories."

The princesses sighed in resignation and joined hands in a circle, closing their eyes and bowing their heads as they concentrated on their magic. Once again, they began to shine with the power of their planets and their voices joined together as one as they chanted the spell.

A soft light encircled the princesses, filling the surrounding air with power. That power began to gather at the center of the circle, forming a multi-colored sphere. Faster than lightning, the rainbow of colors combined into a brilliant shaft of energy, rising into the air, then splitting to shoot into the foreheads of each human present, freezing them in place.

When he had regained his ability to move, Coach Furukawa shook his head and looked up at the sky, which had mysteriously begun to cloud over. "Class!" he shouted. "Come in. We'll finish the test tomorrow, when we have better weather." He then turned to walk back inside the building.

The Senshi let out the breaths they had been holding, relived that not only had the memory spell worked, so had the weather spell. They turned and followed their classmates inside to change. Their secrets were still safe. But for how long? If things like this kept happening, they were bound to be discovered sooner or later. Each one prayed that that day would be a long time in coming.

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"Mom! Mother! We have returned!" Usagi cried as she and Shingo walked in the door. Both their mothers immediately swooped down on them like hawks, asking a million questions at once.

After a fifteen minute interrogation, both women finally seemed satisfied and the siblings headed up to their rooms to do their homework.

Usagi pushed open the door to her room, expecting to see Luna curled up on her bed, taking a cat-nap. What she found instead was the last thing she could have possibly imagined. Standing before her were Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion, Chibi-Usa, a girl that strongly resembled young Queen Serenity, a male cross between Usagi and Mamoru, a Mamoru-look-alike, and six cats with gold crescent moons on their foreheads.