**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the characters used in this story. Those rights belong to Naoko Takeuchi.

This story is my own version of a continuation on Naoko Takeuchi's original storyline of Sailor Moon. It is to be used for Fanfiction only.

Chapter 3

It was 2:05 PM and everyone was sitting in the temple, except for Makoto. Minako, Ami, Rei and Usagi were all sitting on cushions next to the fire that Rei had manually started for the first time in years. Luna and Artemis were sitting on the desk against the wall that had the computer on it.

"Where do you think she is?" Usagi asked, referring to the late Makoto.

"It's only five minutes after. She should be here soon," Minako responded.

"I know. It's just not like her to be late for anything."

Ami had her folder of paperwork clutched to her chest and was anxious to get started. She pulled her mini system out and started searching data that she had not looked up yet. Rei was staring into the flames with her arms folded and a small frown line on her forehead. Just as Usagi was opening her communicator, Makoto came rushing into the room. She had a basket over her arm, two bags over her shoulder and a sling across her chest. Quickly, she walked to the empty table in the room and set her stuff down. She started unpacking the basket of food and laying it out for everyone.

"So sorry that I am late, guys," she offered as an apology.

All four of her senshi friends were looking at her with questions on their faces. Minako's mouth had dropped and Usagi quickly stood up to help Makoto. "Is that a baby?" she asked as she approached her friend.

Makoto swiftly turned around with a slight flush to her face. "Yes, it is. I am watching him for a, um, a good friend."

"Oh, that's nice," Usagi replied, "What's his name? Can we see him?"

"Well, he's sleeping right now. I would hate to wake him up," Makoto said lamely, just as the baby started cooing.

"Sounds like he's awake," Minako corrected as she walked up to the table.

"Oh, Um, well.." Makoto stammered, "Let me take him out of the sling." She stopped messing with the food and reached over to pull the sling open in the front. Usagi stepped up and peered closer.

"Oh my goodness!" Usagi exclaimed. "He's absolutely adorable!" Reaching in, she pulled the baby out of the sling and snuggled him into her arms.

Minako stood at Usagi's shoulder and stuck her finger next to the baby's fist. Instinctively, he wrapped his little fist around her finger and smiled. "What's his name?" Minako asked, still staring at the little bundle.

"Well, his name is.. Just call him Aki. That's what I call him." Makoto blurted out.

"Aki," Usagi whispered reverently. Rei and Ami had both come over to join them and they were all standing in a little circle staring at the baby. Suddenly his face screwed up and he started crying. Makoto rushed up to Usagi and took the baby back.

"He needs a bottle," Makoto offered as she saw Usagi's face fall.

"I'll help make one," Ami replied quickly.

"I guess we can start the meeting once he calms down?" Minako asked.

The other four senshi all agreed and everyone headed for the cushions while Ami went to warm up some water for the bottle. Within a couple of minutes, Ami returned with a bottle ready and grabbed a cloth from the diaper bag before going to take her seat next to Makoto.

"Let's get this meeting started," Minako said as the baby quietly started eating. "There are some things happening that I think we need to all be aware of. There is a new enemy in town and something weird happened to me earlier today. First of all, Rei met the new enemy in another plane. Apparently this woman reached out and summoned Rei's spirit into the other plane as she was meditating this morning. We're not sure exactly who she is or what powers she has, but Rei says that she is operating with dark magic. As she dismissed Rei, she cast a powerful spell on her. Rei, show Ami and Mako-chan your hand."

Rei held out her right hand to show the symbol on the back of it. Makoto gasped and sat forward to get a better look. "You said it's a spell?" she asked.

"Yes," Rei replied. "I have seen this symbol in ancient texts that I have studied as a priestess. It is a containment spell and will not let me release any of my physical powers."

"Did that text tell you how to break the spell?" Makoto inquired.

"No. It explains the symbol, but does not advise how it can be reversed or removed. I cannot control fire right now, whether I am in this form or my senshi form. I can still read auras and use my psychic abilities. Unfortunately, I am unable to protect Usagi from this woman without my powers."

"Is she after the silver crystal?" Ami chimed in.

"That's what we believe," Minako replied. "Usagi will have to be with one of us at all times. Thankfully, Mamoru will be back in Tokyo tomorrow. He has boarded his flight from America and will be back soon. We all can trust him to protect our princess."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Ami grabbed Rei's hand and started scanning the symbol with her minicomputer. "Let me see what I can find."

While Ami started trying to research the spell that had been cast over Rei, Minako continued to explain about her encounter with the strange woman that morning. She told everyone exactly what had happened and pulled the rose out of her purse. It was still in perfect condition.

"That sounds so much like something that Mamoru would do, as Tuxedo Kamen," Usagi said.

"That's exactly what I thought. It was so weird. I thought that it was him at first, but discovered that it was a woman within a matter of seconds. My thoughts are that she admires him as a hero and is trying to mimic him." Minako continued, "She did not do anything that was unique. She's quick, strong and can jump fairly high. None of these are powers, just physical abilities."

"Can you explain how that rose has remained perfect? Also, she used a yellow rose, not a red one," Makoto pointed out.

"It looks like she coated the outer petals in a wax of some sort. This has helped the flower to keep its shape."

"Are we really concerned about this new hero? She sounds harmless from what you are telling us. Don't we have more important things to worry about? Like this new enemy?" Usagi chimed in.

"I am not really worried about her at this point in time, but we might keep our eyes open. If she turns into a vigilante and tries to stop crime, there is a possibility that she could get caught up in whatever we are dealing with regarding this new enemy. As a human, she will not have very good defenses against dark magic," Minako concluded.

"That's a good point, Mina-chan," Usagi agreed. "I will keep my eyes open. Maybe Mamo-chan can patrol when he gets back. She might be hoping to meet her hero." A soft smile lit up Usagi's face. "I can't wait to pick him up tomorrow. He will be so proud of my driving abilities!"

Rei laughed. "You might take a bus to meet him. Your driving abilities are not that polished yet."

Usagi's smile grew and she nodded her head, "You're right. I don't want to get my boyfriend killed trying to get him home. I'm just not that comfortable with traffic."

"Traffic is the definition of Tokyo, my friend," Makoto chimed in. "That's why I am glad that I can just walk or take the bus."

"How long do you have Aki?" Usagi asked.

"Well, my friend wasn't sure how long she would be away. Her grandmother is sick and she is the closest living relative. Obviously, she didn't want to take her little baby into a home with illness. You guys know how much I love babies. I agreed to watch him for as long as necessary, "Makoto responded smoothly. Dang that was good! She thought to herself.

Everyone seemed to buy Makoto's story about Aki's mother. She breathed a small sigh of relief and looked over at Ami. "Has the computer found anything about that spell?"

Ami's eyebrows were knitted together as she quickly read the information on her screen. "It appears as though the spell can only be broken with the use of a stronger magic than the one that set it."

"Should I try the silver crystal?" Usagi asked.

"That seems like our only option at this point. The light from the crystal should overshadow any dark magic that was used against Rei."

Usagi opened her hand and brought her crystal forth. She no longer needed to physically carry it in a brooch or compact. The crystal was inside of her and she could summon it with a simple thought. Moving closer to Rei, she held her crystal up and immediately transformed into Princess Serenity. "Help me to heal my guardian!" she said firmly. The crystal blazed into a bright white light and washed over both Rei and Princess Serenity. Rei immediately transformed into her own pure form as the Princess of Mars. Serenity could see the mark on Rei's hand fading. As soon as it was gone, she stopped her powers and the crystal vanished from plain view. Princess Serenity grabbed Rei's hand and smiled. "There you are, dear guardian. It is so great to see you as you once were; a princess of the royal courts!"

Rei looked away from Serenity and saw that all of the senshi had transformed. She motioned at the rest of the group, "Your crystal beckons all of us to be our royal selves."

Luna and Artemis were looking on with tears in their eyes. These young women were becoming more like their past selves every day. It brought back fond memories of the Silver Millenium and the peace that once existed within the realm. Princess Serenity inclined her head to her senshi and, just like that, they all were their human forms again.

Rei felt a big sense of relief as she stood and walked over to the flame pit. Reaching out, she beckoned the flames to come to her. As soon as the fire began to lick at her hands, she gasped and quickly pulled them away.

"Rei, what's wrong?" Ami asked as she stood up and hurried over.

Turning around towards the group, Rei held out her hands palm down. "The flames burned me." Bright red wounds were already beginning to appear on the tops of her hands. As they all looked, the ancient symbol suddenly reappeared on her right hand. A tear formed at the corner of Rei's eye and, before she could lose control, she ran out from the room. Ami quickly ran after her.

"What does this mean?" Usagi asked, looking over at Luna. "How did that spell come back?"

"I don't think that your crystal was able to break the spell," Luna replied. "This is a much darker magic than I could have imagined. We need to figure out who this enemy is!"

"We need to figure it out soon. I don't want to give this evil woman the upper hand in a fight!" Makoto muttered angrily.

Usagi and Minako readily agreed. Usagi had a sinking feeling in her stomach that this was going to be much harder than any of them had originally thought. She said a silent prayer. Please don't let this evil take over our planet.

End Chapter 3