A Hero is Born

Based on the Sailor Moon Manga

Original Story by Naoko Takeuchi

Adapted and novelised by BenRG

Legal Disclaimer

Sailor Moon, her friends and her enemies are all the creation of the wonderful and lively Naoko-sama. I am only a devoted follower and fan. How could I ever claim to own such a wonderful story? I know my limits…

Book 4 – Shining Gem

Chapter 1 – A Growing Band

Only few weeks had passed since the great battle of Sendai Hill, and, despite the destruction of what seemed to be one of the Enemy's most senior operatives, the pressure on the Sailor Senshi continued to grow. This night in early April was, thank the gods, a quiet one. No monster roamed the streets of Tokyo, and the new Enemy commander, Nephrite, did not have another one of his subtle plans in motion.

Serena Moonlight, Amy Anderson and Raye Blaise slept like the dead, their youthful bodies exhausted by several days of almost continual fighting. Meanwhile, Luna was in a hidden operations room, updating the files on her three charges, their allies and their enemies.

The small black cat with the golden moon mark on her forehead had to smile as she looked at the photographs of the three girls to whom fate had entrusted the future of the world. Serena's smile was full and open, revealing her love of mischief and her honest and innocent soul. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle with vitality. Amy's smile seemed a bit… false, somehow. However, this did not surprise Luna. Amy was under a lot of pressure, both (unwittingly) from her successful mother and from her own ambitions. Although she publicly praised the Senshi of Water and Wisdom's single-minded focus before the other two girls, privately she always cheered silently whenever Raye or Serena forced the girl to stop studying and relax for a few hours. Raye's photograph was unintentionally funny. Raye had tried to smile as requested, but it came out a bit odd. Somehow, Raye's smile almost never really reached her sad violet-coloured eyes.

Luna had already decided that Raye was not, as she initially thought, the princess they were searching for. Raye, despite her power and poise, had a fearfully short temper. The clumsy and often slow-witted Serena was often the target of the Senshi of Fire and Passion's tantrums. However, the girl (apart from a theatrical show of tears) never really seemed to care. There was sadness in her eyes afterwards, but Luna always felt that it was sadness for Raye, not because of Raye.

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Serena 'Bunny' Moonlight

Sailor Moon

Date of Birth: 30 June 1978

Residence: Minato-ku, Juubian District, Tokyo, Japan

Blood Type: O

Star Sign: Cancer

Amy Anderson

Sailor Mercury

Date of Birth: 10 September 1978

Residence: Mugen Delta, Juubian District, Tokyo, Japan

Blood Type: A

Star Sign: Virgo

Raye Blaise

Sailor Mars

Date of Birth: 14 April 1978

Residence: Sendai Hill, Juubian District, Tokyo, Japan

Blood Type: AB

Star Sign: Aries

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Luna looked at the fourth picture, a slightly blurred shot, but usable nonetheless. The camera hidden in the traffic signal outside the Crown Arcade had caught Darien Shields in a thoughtful mood. His midnight blue eyes were stormier and more dangerous than usual. A breath of wind had blown a few strands of his rebellious black hair across his face. Luna looked at the accompanying data sheet. They knew very little about this young man, other than the fact he was approximately four years older than the girls and that he had a habit of turning up wherever Serena might be.

Who are you, Mr. Shields? Luna thought to herself. Are you a friend or are you a foe? Either way, you are an interesting one. What is it that all the Senshi feel from you that fascinates them so? Especially Serena…?

***

Next morning, as the birds sang and the more discordant chorus of traffic on nearby roads filtered into the Moonlight home, Ilene was reading the morning Tokyo Daily News. She was looking at the main headline with undisguised fascination. 'Battle in Juubian Park' the newspaper declared, 'Sailor Senshi Save the Day!' Ilene shook her head at the low-quality images of Sailors Moon, Mars and Mercury fighting a monster seemingly a cross between a scantily-clad woman and a forest of vines, in Juubian Park the previous day. She could clearly see that Sailor Mars was throwing a fireball while what seemed to be a stream of fog was jetting from Sailor Mercury's hands. Sailor Moon was in the middle of an acrobatic somersault, throwing a blue-white disc of pure energy at the monster.

Ilene surprised herself by smiling in pride at the sight of Tokyo's own super-hero team in action. Eat that, male chauvinists, she thought. The whole city saved by three girls! She sighed as she looked at the badly blurred face-shots of the three Senshi, noting the paper's apology and the explanation that it seemed impossible to get a clear photograph of their faces. Although it was difficult to see their faces, she could clearly see Sailor Moon's infectious, excited smile. She seems so young, Ilene thought mournfully. What kind of parent lets such a young girl fight nightmares from hell every night?

"Morning, Mom!" Ilene looked up with more than a little surprise as her daughter came downstairs with more than ten minutes to spare before she had to leave for school. The girl was yawning mightily as she fixed her hairdo. Ilene felt a little shock when she realised that her firstborn wore the same hairstyle as Sailor Moon! Well, at least there was no chance of this girl fighting monsters night after night!

"Serena, darling, good morning!" Ilene said. "You've left it a bit late, dear, but there is enough time for a little breakfast first."

Serena smiled in a wan, tired way before slumping down at the breakfast table. "What's the matter, Onee-chan?" Sammy asked, genuinely worried. "First you're up at a normal time, and you look so tired. All the manga and low grades finally affecting your health?"

"Sammy!" Ilene snapped, giving her smart-alec son a smack upside of the head. Much to Ilene's pride, Serena didn't respond. She just shot her younger brother a look of utter scorn before returning to her morning pancakes.

With her two children, if not well behaved at least presenting a fair facsimile of such, Ilene returned to her paper. On the third page was an article jumped out at caught the woman's attention. 'Princess Desiré visits Tokyo!' the headline screamed. 'Treasure of the Kingdom of Diamunte on show!" Ilene read the article with interest it seemed that the crown princess of a small, rich eastern-European nation was visiting the Japanese capital. With her came the greatest treasure ever produced by her diamond-rich country.

As Ilene read the article and tried to imagine the treasure that was scheduled go on show, Serena's cat, Luna, entered through the recently-installed cat-flap and rubbed against her mistress' legs. "What is it Luna?" Serena asked in such a way that gave Ilene the oddest impression that the girl expected an answer. The cat meowed significantly and looked towards the clock. Serena's eyes bugged out! "It's getting late! I've got to move!" Serena gasped. She took a mouthful of orange juice and grabbed her bag. "See you this evening Mom!" she gave Ilene a brief kiss on the cheek before turning to leave. She ruffled Sammy's hair. "Take care, Fungus! Don't die too messy, I want you presentable for the funeral!" Then the girl ran for the door, her cat hard on her heels.

"Some times, I think that I'll never understand that girl," Ilene said with a sigh.

***

More out of habit than necessity, Serena was sprinting down the streets towards Juubian Junior High School, Luna racing along beside her. "Come on, Luna, we've got to move!" Serena called to her cat, who just shot her a disgusted look.

Serena was so used to the morning race to school after several years that she could do it virtually on autopilot. This meant that she could spare more of her attention to events around her than would normally be possible. This morning, as Serena raced along, she immediately noticed something was wrong. Gee, there are a lot of cops around! she thought. I wonder what is going on?

Although Serena could normally navigate to school while daydreaming, this ability didn't include avoiding unanticipated obstacles, like the tall young man in a bright green jacket who turned the corner and walked right into her path. Serena had just enough time to gasp in horror before striking the man full-on and sending them both tumbling to the ground. "G… gomen, sir," she stammered as she staggered to her feet.

"It's alright Ondango Atama," the man replied. "I'm used to it by now."

Serena looked into the man's stormy midnight-blue eyes, which peered out from behind an untidy thatch of raven black hair and nearly screamed in anger, frustration and a strange kind of comfort that she didn't want to have to identify. "You again!" she shouted at Darien Shields. Darien simply smiled and offered Serena his hand to help her get up.

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From the journal of Serena Caroline Moonlight

4th April 1992

You know, dear diary, I never realised that being the Champion of Love and Justice would be so much work! Luna (my talkative cat-guardian) tells me that I have a whole slew of orders.

Firstly (and obviously), I have to keep fighting these pesky enemies, who aren't even human! Recently, we (and I'll explain who 'we' is in a moment, diary, so be patient) took out this high-ranking bad guy named Jadeite. Unfortunately, an even worse bad guy named Nephrite has taken over where Jadeite left off. If anything, the fighting has got worse. Nephrite doesn't attack directly, but he turns ordinary people's dreams and desires against them. It has always been scary being Sailor Moon, but now it is getting really, really frightening.

Secondly, I have to find out who my fellow Sailor Senshi are. I'm the Senshi for the Moon, and I have found the Senshi of Mars and Mercury. So, I guess there must be one for every planet. According to what my dad has told me, that means that there may be as many as seven of them left to find! Talk about a lot of work!

Amy Anderson is the smartest girl in school. You would have heard me talking about her before, Diary. She's quite lonely because her Mom is always at work and she's always studying. I'm her first proper friend (imagine that)! She's also Sailor Mercury, the Champion of Water and Wisdom. She isn't the strongest fighter, but she is super-smart and, with her little computer, she can find the weakness in any monster.

Raye Blaise is a trainee Shinto Priestess, and boy does she have a hot temper! She is always shouting at me about being late or not studying hard enough. She can be mean sometimes, but I get the feeling that she is really upset about something other than me. I think that there is something that has really hurt her and I aim to find out what it is and make it better. She is also Sailor Mars, the Champion of Fire and Passion. She can shoot flame or throw fireballs, so I call her 'Pyro' whenever she calls me 'Ondango'.

Thirdly, we have to find the 'Silver Imperium Crystal'. Luna says that it is a really powerful energy source and weapon. Our Enemy is looking for it too, so we are in kind of a race.

Luna has told us that we three Sailor Senshi are the guardians of a princess who can use the Silver Imperium Crystal to seal away our enemy forever. With the way the battles are getting harder, it is more important than ever that we find her, and we to protect her.

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The young people of class 2-1 of Juubian Junior High School looked up in some amazement as Serena barged through the door, completely out-of-breath. Several of them looked at the class clock and double-checked their wristwatches. Yes, as stunning as it seemed, Serena Moonlight had arrived at school before the first late bell rang. Serena looked around at the stunned faces and just managed to avoid smiling smugly. "Hi guys," she said quietly, before threading through the desks to her desk in between Molly Baker and Melvin Morton.

"Bunny-chan! You made it on time again!" Molly said to her friend. "This is getting quite a habit, ne? You even managed to beat Miss H today!"

Serena didn't know whether she should be pleased or insulted by Molly's words. Did Molly-chan really think that she was incapable of making it to school on time? Bunny-chan, she reminded herself, up to a few months ago, you were incapable of making it to school on time…

Molly interrupted Serena's candid self-examination. "Say," she said, "did you see all the cops around town today?"

Serena nodded. "What's going on, Molly-chan? I've never seen so many! They were stopping cars, even checking litter bins!"

"There is going to be a VIP visitor to our bit of town tonight," Molly explained. As she continued, Luna sneaked into the classroom, unnoticed by all. "Princess Desiré of Diamunte is staying at their embassy on Sendai Hill! They are going to have a huge formal ball! Like, everyone from the Prime Minister to the Crown Prince himself is going to be there!"

"A real princess visiting Juubian? Wow!" Serena was impressed. Could she be our princess? she wondered. Luna's ears pricked up when she heard this bit of news. She looked around and noticed that, as usual, Miss Haruna had left her copy of the Nippon Times on her desk. She jumped up and began leafing through the pages, looking for the Court Circular announcements page.

"Diamunte is famous for its' high-quality diamond mines," Molly, the child of a famous family of gem merchants, explained to her enchanted classmates. "Grandpa says that they mine the finest diamonds on earth and are better at cutting and polishing than anyone else. Most of those mines are state-owned, so Princess Desiré is going to inherit a, like, huge fortune when she grows up! I bet the embassy will be filled with handsome princes trying to catch her eye!"

Handsome princes… Serena thought dreamily. Without any conscious effort on her part, the masked face of her handsome prince appeared to her mind's eye. I wonder if Tuxedo Mask-sama will be there tonight? she wondered with a sigh.

"And that's not all," Molly continued, not noticing her best friend's suddenly drifting attention. "Apparently, the Princess has brought her country's biggest treasure with her! She is going to show it at the climax of the ball tonight! The Diamunte Treasure is supposed to be the most beautiful crystal ever found!"

Serena's attention suddenly snapped back to the here-and-now. "Molly-chan, did you just say a beautiful crystal?" she asked urgently.

Molly looked at her friend in surprise. "Uh… yeah!" she said, sounding a bit alarmed at Serena's sudden absolute attention. "I've heard some say that it glows." Serena shot Luna a significant glance. The small black cat nodded and looked back at the paper. The article she was reading concerned the ball that night. 'Desiré, heir to the throne of Diamunte to display the secret Treasure of Diamunte at tonight's Embassy Ball!' the paper proclaimed. Luna scowled at the lack of information about the princess herself. People said that she was shy and reserved. Apart from a few official portraits, which few people outside Diamunte had seen, there were no pictures of the young woman in the world.

Luna pondered over these facts as Molly, following Serena's gaze, saw Luna sitting on Miss H's paper. The redheaded girl laughed and walked over to her best friend's pet. "Hey, Bunny-chan, look! Luna is trying to read Miss H's paper," she announced. "You are so kawaii," Molly said lovingly. She stroked the cat's smooth, silky fur. Luna was so absorbed in reading the article on Princess Desiré that she barely noticed.

Chapter 2 – The Mysterious Princess

She can't win this time, Raye Blaise thought confidently as she watched her companion and friend press the button that set the rotors on the fruit machine spinning. It is impossible to have a winning streak on these things. As Raye watched, her friend's icy blue eyes seemed to lose focus. The girl's hand hovered over the 'stop' button for a few moments before she slapped it three times, seemingly at random intervals. The fruit machine's three rotors stopped, each showing a golden bell. The sound of game tokens pouring into the 'pay' trough at the base of the machine echoed through the Crown Arcade, even over the sound of the other games.

Raye looked at Amy Anderson in disbelief. "That… that was three… three times in a row!" she said at last. "How… how did you do that?"

Amy smiled in her gentle, understated way. "It is a simply application of the arts of mathematics and hand-eye co-ordination Raye-san," she replied. She didn't feel comfortable enough around the raven-haired beauty to use the intimate 'chan' suffix just yet. "I can show you how if you like."

Raye spluttered in disbelief as Amy started collecting her small fortune in tokens. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar blonde head with two buns and two pigtails over the crowds of kids in the arcade. She muttered a prayer of thanks. Serena's arrival was a welcome distraction from the fact that Amy had won about 10,000 yen over the last three minutes when Raye had blown most of her allowance for that week. "Ondango Atama, you are late!" Raye snapped. "Some of us have better things to do than wait for you, you know!"

"Well, she has a valid excuse this time," Luna announced as she jumped up onto the top of the game machine beside which Amy and Raye were standing. "She flunked her science test today, so she had to stay behind." The cat looked at Amy pleadingly. "You are already doing a lot, I know Amy, but I would be grateful if you could help Serena study for her science classes."

Raye sneered at Serena. "You are always flunking your tests, Ondango!" she snapped. "What is wrong with you anyway? Are you reading so much Manga that it is rotting your brains?"

Serena scowled at Raye. Despite the appearances, they actually liked each other, but Raye was a caustic one who only felt happy if she was in an argument. "My brains are in better shape than yours must be, Pyro," she spat back. "After all, most of them are your Manga! What must owning all of them do to your brains?"

"Yeah! They're mine and I have to nag you to give them back!" Raye shouted.

"Well, I take my time reading them!" Serena shouted defensively. She wasn't going to admit to Raye that she was such a scatterbrain that she sometimes forgot that they weren't actually her Manga.

"So we add reading to the list of skills that you lack!" Raye cried triumphantly.

Low blow! Serena thought with a wince. Tears started in her eyes. "Raye Blaise! Take that slander back…!"

"And if I won't, Ondango Atama?" Raye asked snootily.

"And stop using that nickname!" Serena wailed. "Ooh! You are so… mean!" She sucked down a sob in her best theatrical manner and stuck out her tongue at Raye. "Nyaah!"

"Nyaah right back!" Raye replied, sticking her tongue out too.

Luna looked on as the two fourteen-year-olds entered a tongue-poking war. "Please!" she hissed. She lashed out and gave both Raye and Serena a swipe of her claws. The two girls blinked in surprise and pain and looked at the black cat in shock. Amy was laughing heartily behind her hands. "Now that we are all here," Luna continued in a more discreet tone, "we can move onto Senshi business."

Serena rolled her eyes. Raye drew herself up to her statuesque full height and flipped her hair over her shoulder aristocratically. "I'm really too busy for this 'Senshi' nonsense," she said haughtily. "With my duties at the Shrine and my schooling, I don't have time to go rushing around town on an open-ended crusade just on your say-so!"

Luna looked at Raye levelly. "Raye Blaise, we do not chose our destinies," she said quietly. "We simply live them."

Raye blinked. That was the closest that Luna had ever come to scolding her, and it had shocked her into silence for a moment. "Look, Luna, there are too many mysteries here," she said in a slightly more reasonable tone. "You've told us that we're looking for a princess. Who is she? Can you at least tell us of which country she is a princess? What about you? How does a cat learn to talk? If you won't tell us who and what you really are, well I'm not going to be involved with this any longer!" Raye folded her arms firmly and looked around at Serena and Amy in a triumphant way. Amy squirmed nervously. Serena, who had started playing Sailor V – Fighter, seemed unaware of the simmering argument.

There was a long pause. "Are you quite finished Sailor Mars?" Luna asked gently. Raye was surprised at Luna using the name of her alter ego, but managed to nod stiffly. "That's good. Now I'm not going to tell you this again, Raye. I cannot give you any of those answers, at least not yet. It would put our Princess in danger. Besides, I can confidently say that you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Luna walked along the tops of the games machines until she was eye-to-eye with Raye. "Frankly, Raye, you are not remotely ready to hear those answers. Even Serena is closer to being ready for that step than you are."

Raye's eyes bulged out in fury at the dismissive way that Luna had just brushed her off. Before she could explode, Amy spoke up. She was terrified at the thick, angry tension that had flared up between Raye and Luna and wanted to do something to diffuse the tension. "Luna, you have to give us some clues," she protested quietly. "Can't you tell us anything? What about the nature of the Enemy and that 'Silver Imperium Crystal' that we are supposed to find?"

Luna sat back and looked at Amy thoughtfully. "The enemy is something of a mystery to me too, Amy," she said at last. "I know that they are from beyond the boundaries of our reality, but I can't understand how they came to be able to enter our universe."

Amy and Raye exchanged a confused look. "Why don't you know anything?" Raye asked sharply. "Weren't we chosen to fight them? As our guide you should…"

"No, that isn't the case at all," Luna interrupted. "The Senshi are the personal bodyguards of the Silver Princess. You were chosen to protect her, with your lives if necessary. It just happens that defeating the Enemy and protecting the Princess are the same thing at the moment. Now, the reason that we have to find Her Royal Highness is because she was magically… how to describe it…? She was 'sealed away' in a fashion."

"Sealed away?" Amy parroted in wonder.

"Why?" Raye asked.

"To ensure she wasn't found easily," Luna explained. "I suspect that the Princess has the Silver Imperium Crystal with her right now. It is her birthright, after all, and it is bonded to her soul on a fundamental level." Luna looked at Raye and Amy to ensure she had their full attention before continuing. "The Silver Imperium Crystal is a shard of the fundamental magic that underlies the universe," the cat explained. "It possesses unspeakable power to heal or to destroy. We cannot allow the Enemy to take control of it, or all is lost."

"That is a lot of responsibility for three fourteen-year-old girls and a talking cat," Serena muttered from where she was pushing further than ever into her favourite video game.

Luna smiled. "Well, you will have a lot of help along the way," she replied. "There are still two Senshi for you to find. Additionally, you three have only begun to explore your abilities. Eventually, you will learn to use increasingly powerful manifestations of your powers. Only when your powers are complete will the princess be unsealed and revealed to you." Luna looked up at her audience and smiled. "And that is all I can say for now, girls," she added gently.

"Completing our powers?" Raye asked. "You mean like the way I learnt to throw fireballs instead of just emitting jets of flame?" Raye asked. She had been proud of her new 'Fire Soul' attack. She felt that it proved that she was the most powerful of the Senshi, and, therefore, a better leader than Serena.

"In some ways, yes," Luna agreed. "What you fail to realise is how this will take place. You see, you already possess these powers, you simply must remember them to use them."

There was a shocked silence. "Remember…?" Raye asked in shock. That didn't make any sense at all.

"Yes, Remember, especially Serena," Luna said. She looked at the blonde girl, whose attention was now focussed entirely on her game. "As the first Senshi awakened in this era, you are destined to lead the Princess' bodyguard." Luna noticed how Raye bristled when she heard that, but chose to ignore the Chosen One of Mars' ambitious dreams for now. "In the short term, that means that you have to shape up and be less irresponsible!" There was no response to this announcement. Luna jumped onto Serena's head and slapped the girl's cheeks a few times with her paws. "Serena, pay attention!" she screeched. "This is important!"

"Yeah, I've got to shape up and be less irresponsible," Serena said, continuing to play her favourite video game. "We have to remember how to use our other powers too." That perfect recall stunned Luna into silence.

"How does she do that?" Raye asked herself in a surprised tone of voice.

Luna was about to reply when she saw Andrew Fuller, the son of the owner of the Crown Arcade, walking over. She mewed once in warning and everyone tried to look innocent, except Serena, who remained focussed on her game of Sailor V-Fighter.

"Hey, Bunny-chan," Andrew said, ruffling Serena's hair in a brotherly way. Serena giggled and blushed. Andrew crouched to he could whisper in the ear of the girl who he saw as a surrogate baby sister. "Have I thanked you recently for bringing all your cute friends to the Arcade?" Serena's blush got even brighter, making Andrew grin. "So," he asked, "what's up with all the cops around today?"

Serena had been so totally thrown by Andrew's close proximity and his subconscious flirting that she had immediately lost the game. She shook her head as she looked at the 'You're Dead' graphic on the screen. Maybe Luna is right, she mused, maybe I do need to focus more. She shook her head again and turned her attention to her Onii-san's question as Amy replied.

"Apparently Princess Desiré of Diamunte is visiting her country's embassy in this district tonight," Amy explained in her precise voice.

"A princess, huh?" Andrew said. Much to Serena's jealousy and annoyance, the young man's eyes became misty and unfocussed. He rubbed his chin and looked out into nothing. "I wonder if she's blonde and glamorous?" Andrew asked with a stupid smile on her face.

Serena sighed. Face it, Bunny-chan, she thought. He isn't interested in you, and he will never be interested in you.

Luna settled down a little on her charge's head, making Serena grunt in discomfort. The cat had been eating well at the Moonlight household and she was getting too heavy to sit on Serena's head. "The Treasure of Diamunte makes me nervous," she murmured to Serena. "Something like that is bound to attract the Enemy's attention." Serena pursed her lips in worry as she nodded in agreement.

Much to everyone's surprise, Melvin came bustling over carrying what looked like a movie poster all rolled up in one hand. "Once again, the 'Net Rat saves the day," the small boy declared in his usual bombastic tone of voice. As soon as everyone was looking at him, the boy waved the rolled up poster. "It wasn't easy, but I was able to locate a site on lesser European monarchies that has a jay-peg file of an official portrait of Princess Desiré!" Melvin puffed out his chest proudly before unrolling the picture he was carrying with the suitable flourish of unveiling a great work of art.

Everyone's mouths dropped open. "Oh," Amy said with a fixed smile, a great droplet of sweat appearing at the side of her face. Similar droplets appeared beside Serena, Raye, Luna and Andrew's faces.

"That's… Princess Desiré?" Raye asked, her voice sounding weak and uncertain.

"Hmm… er…" was all Andrew could say.

"She… er… looks like your kind of girl, Melvin," Serena offered with a game smile.

"You think so?" Melvin asked, sounding flattered. Princess Desiré had beautiful long blonde hair and the unknown artist had pictured her sitting on a bench in a beautiful flower garden. She was holding a small bouquet of posies up to her round, good-natured face and smiling uncertainly. What stood out, however, were her spectacles, which had the thickest lenses that Serena had ever seen.

Serena laughed kindly. "Yeah, I know so, Melvin," she said. She leaned back on her seat and looked up into the sky in a dreamy fashion. "I bet that she will be wearing the most beautiful dress tonight," she announced with a sigh. "I wanna go to the ball, guys. I wanna see the Princess and see her treasure!"

"That's not a good idea," Raye announced. Serena looked at her black-haired friend with concern. Her violet eyes had gone blank in the way that Serena had come to associate with the other girl's psychic flashes. "I have a bad feeling guys," she said quietly. "There is going to be… trouble tonight. I am sure of it."

Serena reached out and touched Raye's forearm. The other girl jumped involuntarily and came back to the 'here-and-now', staring at Serena uncertainly. "All the more reason for us to go," Serena said, an atypical maturity shining in her cerulean blue eyes.

***

In a mansion on a hill overlooking the city of Tokyo, General Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom was standing in front of a huge holographic astrolabe. Overhead a sophisticated three-dimensional image of the visible stars around the Earth hung in the air. Using a laser pointer, the brown-haired man was tracing out arcane lines and connections between the major stars. "The stars know everything," he announced quietly. "Show me now the hiding place of the Silver Imperium Crystal. Show me how to defeat the Sailor Senshi!"

Despite his outward calm, Nephrite was a desperate man. After his confident promises of a swift victory after the fall of Jadeite, Queen Beryl had given him little room for failure. With the Senshi growing ever stronger, Nephrite was beginning to wonder if he would live long enough to enjoy the rank that he had so recently acquired. Suddenly, he saw a pattern in the heavens. "What is this? A little princess visiting Tokyo? And she brings a gem with her? Ah!"

Nephrite dismissed the astrolabe with a gesture and turned away. "I saw about the visit of Princess Desiré of Diamunte in this morning's news periodicals," he said to himself. "Could she be the Silver Princess? Might her treasure be the Silver Imperium Crystal? I must investigate this matter myself!"

"Yes, do investigate this promising clue, General," hissed a dangerous, feminine voice.

Nephrite stiffened and his skin went ghostly white. He turned and fell to his knees before Queen Beryl. "Your Majesty!" he gasped. "If I had known that you had intended to visit my headquarters I would have…"

Beryl did not give Nephrite the chance to finish. She touched him on the shoulder with the tip of her staff. "Rise, my General," she commanded coldly. Nephrite rose to his feet, his expression reflecting fear and uncertainty, which was just the way that Beryl liked it. "I had great hopes for you, Nephrite," Beryl announced. "However, despite your different methods from the late General Jadeite, you are no more successful. Now tell me, why should I continue to have you lead my armies?"

Nephrite swallowed. "Majesty, no stratagem is guaranteed to succeed, as you well know," he said nervously. "I continue my search for the prize, as well as for a way to defeat our enemies. I assure you, it is only a matter of time before their luck runs out and we emerge victorious! Even now, I am preparing to investigate what may be the hiding place of the Silver Imperium Crystal. At the very least, I am certain to acquire all the energy of those attending this gathering…"

Despite the fact that Beryl was a good three inches shorter than Nephrite, she still managed to look down on the man with long brown hair. "I, too have heard of the Treasure of Diamunte," she told him. "I hope that you succeed in your mission tonight, Nephrite, for your own sake." She turned to leave, the four hulking Youma acting as her escort falling in to formation around her. "I cannot wait to look upon the beauty of the Silver Imperium Crystal myself," the Dark Queen hissed. "Bring it to me now, Nephrite. After placing my trust in you, I have little time for excuses… or failure!"

General Nephrite watched as Beryl, with a wave of her staff, opened a trans-dimensional portal. The Dark Queen stepped through with her escort and then she was gone, the portal closing behind her. When he was alone again, he noticed something. His hands were shaking.

Chapter 3 – Belle of the Ball

Serena unlocked the door and stepped into her home. Raye was a step behind her, then the two girls had to turn and urge Amy to enter the Moonlight family home too. The three girls had decided that they should stick together for the day until they decided how they would respond to the matter of the Treasure of Diamunte. "Hi, anyone home?" Serena called out.

"Hi, honey!" Ken Moonlight called, stepping from behind the doorway in between the dining room to the living room. He smiled when he saw his daughter's two impressive new friends: Amy was the daughter of a famous artist and the Director of the Tokyo University Hospital. Raye was the daughter of a prominent Representative in the Diet, as well as the granddaughter of one of Tokyo's most respected holy men. He couldn't help be pleased that his daughter had honoured their family by finding two such prominent families to befriend.

Serena waved to her father. "Hi, Papa," she called. "Where is mom…?" Serena paused before continuing. "And where's Sammy?"

"Your mother is visiting her parents tonight," Ken told his eldest child. "Your brother is at a sleep-over at one of his friends' houses. So, you will be pleased to hear that you and your friends will be your own mistresses for tonight." The man winked behind his expensive designer-framed spectacles and continued to adjust his bow tie. As an afterthought, he wagged a finger at his daughter. "I don't want any mess, do you hear?"

"Huh?" Serena blurted. "So what about dinner? And where are you going, all dressed up in a tux?" Ken didn't notice that his daughter blushed when she mentioned his tuxedo. There were certain…associations… that Serena felt with that choice of clothing that she wasn't ready to face quite yet.

"There are some TV dinners in the freezer that you can cook in the microwave," Ken said. "As for me? Tonight, I'm covering the Embassy Ball at the Diamuntian Embassy for my paper!"

"You're going to Princess Desiré's ball?" Amy blurted, impressed enough to speak despite her shyness around Serena's family. Ken nodded with a smile and a wink to the shy blue-haired girl.

"No fair!" Serena couldn't help but wail. "I wanna go too!"

"I'm afraid that they aren't letting minors in tonight, Bunny-honey," Ken said with a shrug. "You'll probably see everything that there is to see on the TV tonight." Ken finished pulling on his tuxedo. He took his camelhair coat of its' hook, picked up his car keys and, with a kiss on the cheek for his little princess, walked out of the house.

Serena scowled and seriously considered sulking at the injustice of it all. The party event of the year and even her own father was further up the list of guests that she! She was so focussed on this issue that she didn't hear Raye say "Bunny-honey!" and start sniggering tauntingly.

"You know… This really is the best clue we've ever had," Serena suddenly said, picking at her bottom lip thoughtfully. Everyone fell silent and a great droplet of sweat appeared beside Luna's head. "Even if the Treasure of Diamunte isn't the Silver Imperium Crystal, the Enemy is sure to check it out!"

"Now, Serena, don't go off half-cocked," Raye said urgently. "I've really got a bad feeling about this party and…"

"Serena, they'll never let three schoolgirls in," Amy protested.

"Besides, I've got stuff to do," Raye added. "I can't goof off to go to some silly Embassy Ball!"

"Well, I think that we should investigate," Serena said with a wicked smile. "And as I'm the leader…" Serena reached into her subspace pocket and pulled out her Disguise Pen. "Disguise Power!" she cried out. Suddenly, blue-white light filled the living room of the Moonlight home. "Morph us into princesses!" Serena concluded. Ribbons of blue-white light surrounded Serena, Raye and Amy.

When the glare faded away, all three girls were a good six inches taller and their bodies were those of adults. Serena was wearing a beautiful strapless white ball-gown with a blue chiffon bow at the base of the plunging back, scarlet shoulder-gloves and pearly-white high-heeled shoes. Strings of pearls ran along the top of the dress and there were two more strings of pearls woven through her buns and down her long pigtails. The Moon Prism Brooch morphed into the centrepiece of a white silken choker around her throat.

Amy looked down at herself and gasped. She was wearing a sleeveless, icy-blue-white dress with a plunging v-shaped front and back. Royal blue roses were sown onto the shoulders of the dress and white ribbons were trailing down from the breast and the back of the dress.

Raye looked at herself in amazement. Her dress was raven black, so black that light seemed to fall into it and never emerge. There was a large, red silk shoulder piece that curved gracefully over the top of Raye's breasts, which extended down to waist-level and had a beautiful red rose sown into the very centre of the chest. All three girls were wearing silver tiaras that seemed to flow like quicksilver as they moved around. "Wow," was all Amy could say.

Raye looked down and swallowed. She had never thought that she could look like this. "Serena…" she said.

"Yeah, Raye-chan?"

"Why do I have to go?" Raye whined quietly.

***

Using one of her credit cards, Raye hired a cab to carry the three Senshi to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Diamunte. Luna declined the ride, saying that she would make her own way to the Embassy.

Security was tight, but Serena was somehow able to fast-talk a way in for herself and her friends. Somehow, as soon as the Diamuntian soldiers saw them, they seemed to know that they were princesses. Inside, the Embassy they immediately noticed that everyone was wearing butterfly-like eye masks. "A masquerade ball!" Serena gasped.

"That's bad," Luna said from a nearby window. She jumped down and threaded through the partygoers over to the Senshi. "It is going to make it nearly impossible for us to identify anyone."

"Come on, Luna," Serena said, "let's try and keep some optimism!" The girl pulled out her Disguise Pen and altered their disguise spells to give them masks. Raye's was blood red and shaped like a pair of eagle's wings. Amy's was aqua-coloured and shaped like a butterfly, right down to the antennae poking up from the bridge over her nose. Serena's was white and reminiscent of the feathery eye-mask that she wore as Sailor Moon. "Okay, guys," Serena murmured. "Spread out, stay in contact and watch for Enemy activity. Luna, I want you to find Princess Desiré and see if she is our Princess, okay?" Luna nodded and raced off.

A few minutes later, Raye and Amy met up. "Have you seen Princess Desiré yet?" Raye asked.

"No," Amy said. "But with these masks, I could have spoken to her and not know." Raye nodded grimly. This was proving harder than expected. "Have you seen Bunny?" Amy asked.

Raye looked in the appropriate direction and saw Serena immediately. "Don't worry about her," Raye said, a droplet of sweat forming at the side of her face. "I think that she is… otherwise occupied."

Serena was standing in the middle of the ballroom, looking around herself in a dazed way. "It… it's like being in as movie," she gasped in awe. "Everyone all dressed up! And I'm dressed like a princess! I wish that at least one guy would ask me to dance!"

Serena didn't realise that someone else had spotted her. Kenneth Moonlight looked at the blonde beauty in scarlet and white with a dumbstruck expression. It was a tribute to the Disguise Pen's power that he didn't even suspect that this was his own daughter. Nonetheless, he was impressed. If I wasn't married, I might even try my chances, he thought. The funny thing is her having that particular hairdo. She is just how I imagine my little Bunny growing up: a beautiful princess.

Suddenly, another woman jostled Serena. The woman was carrying a glass of red wine that she spilt down the girl's dress. The woman apologised and walked off, leaving Serena to deal with the aftermath. "Drat! That's gonna stain," she hissed, dabbing at it with her handkerchief. She span around, looking for a rest room so she could clean off the stain before it dried into the silky material of the dress. When she saw a restroom, she fled towards it, not noticing that she had dropped her handkerchief.

A white-gloved hand picked up the simple white cloth square with the embroidered bunny and a return label: 'Bunny – Juubian Junior High'. Tuxedo Mask frowned at the mute bit of cloth in his hands. In truth, he had never doubted it for a moment, but here was the proof.

After dealing with the stain, Serena re-emerged from the ballroom. In her haste, she had managed to get seriously turned around. She couldn't see Amy, Raye or Luna anywhere. Suddenly, she realised that she felt very lonely. Everyone was chatting to friends and acquaintances. Some couples were dancing, looking blissfully happy. A desire to have at least one dance tonight suddenly struck Serena hard.

"Hello, little warrior maiden," a smoky, dangerous male voice whispered from beside Serena's left ear. She whirled and found herself looking into the masked midnight blue eyes of Tuxedo Mask. "May I have this dance, Sailor Moon?" the tuxedo-clad warrior of the night asked with a dangerous but charming smile.

"With pleasure, Tuxedo Mask," Serena said with what she was fretting was a rather silly smile. To Tuxedo Mask, it lit up the whole room like a sun-bulb. The tall man took the girl by the hand and waist and swept her onto the ballroom floor. After a few tense moments of worry, Serena relaxed into the rhythms of the dance. Somehow, she found that she could dance the slow, formal dances perfectly. This was despite the fact that she knew that she had never danced the waltz or the foxtrot ever before.

Over to one side, Raye suddenly had difficulty seeing past the tears in her eyes. Why did this seem so familiar? Why did it seem so right?

Serena looked up into the eyes of her… date, yes, that was the word… and smiled. "You know," she said in a strangely mature voice, "I was hoping that I would see you here tonight, and maybe have the chance to do this."

"Me too," Tuxedo Mask replied with a genuine smile, squeezing her hand gently. With that truth declared, Serena pulled herself closer to Tuxedo Mask as a slower dance began and leant forward against his chest. As his arm tightened around her waist, she let all hint of time, place and mission drift away in a sense of total belonging and safety.

Finally, although it seemed to have been only moments to Serena, Tuxedo Mask steered her over to the side of the ballroom and released her, bowing deeply to her before taking her right hand and kissing her knuckles. Serena blushed prettily and looked away.

"Bunny!" hissed a voice from below.

Serena turned and smiled at her guardian, still in a slightly blissed-out haze. "Hi, Luna!" she murmured. Then she realised that Tuxedo Mask had vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. How does he do that? she asked herself. She blinked and, reluctantly, turned back to the matters at hand. "Have you found Princess Desiré yet?"

"Yes, she is in one of the Embassy's state rooms," Luna reported. "I didn't feel anything special from her; she isn't a Senshi and she certainly isn't our Princess."

Serena nodded. "What about the treasure?" she asked.

It seemed, in fact, that the Treasure of Diamunte was on everyone's mind. All around the Champion of Love and Justice, and her feline guardian, people were talking about the Treasure. They couldn't wait to see it! Everyone was wondering what it might be! Would be a gigantic gemstone? Alternatively, was it perhaps some kind of religious artefact?

That anticipation weighed heavily on the shoulders of the most important guest at the Embassy that night.

Chapter 4 – Shadow of the Soul

Desiré von Diamunte sat in a small side office near the ballroom, looking out the window at nothing, or so it seemed. Actually, she was looking at the reflection of her face in the glass. She wasn't admiring her beauty; she wasn't delusional, after all. Rather she was wondering why she had bothered to turn up tonight. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called.

A tuxedo-clad man, her country's ambassador to Japan, entered. "Your Highness," he said, "it is time."

"Yes, it is time," the blonde girl replied. "Time to do the only thing that makes me welcome here." With a deep, heartfelt sigh, the girl strode out of the room, her pearly white dress billowing out around her gracefully. She strode out into the hallway and gestured at the nearest figure, a tall, supernaturally beautiful black-haired woman who was wearing a tight fighting and daring trouser suit with a corset blouse that exposed her midriff. "You, come here," the princess commanded. "Show me to my rooms so I can fetch the treasure. I'm sure to get lost in this blasted maze that passes for our embassy otherwise."

"Of course, Your Highness," the woman said in a calm, passionless tone of voice. "I will be glad to help you."

It was actually quite ironic that Princess Desiré felt as she did. For, in fact, she was beautiful, graceful and regal: everything that a princess should be. However, all she could see was her unremarkable features, made worse by the thick glasses, which was the result of the myopia that was hereditary in the women of her family. In fact, she was quite certain that she wasn't worth anything to anyone gathered in her country's embassy that night. "Treasure this and Treasure that," she sighed. "Everything is about this blasted treasure. No one is interested in me. If I was more beautiful, maybe they would gather by the hundred to see me instead."

"That's right," the woman suddenly said. "No one cares about you. You are the heir to a third-rate monarchy. No one cares about you as much as they care about your family's wealth. No one is interested in anything about you."

Princess Desiré span around and stared at the woman. "You… How… How dare you?" she spluttered.

The woman took a few steps forwards. She was smiling in a vicious, hateful manner. Nightmarishly, her eyes had begun to glow brightly with a dark green light. "You know it is true, Princess," she hissed malevolently. "No one thinks anything of you. You are ugly and unlovable. Only your family's wealth makes anyone even bother to listen to a word that falls from your misshapen mouth." Tears started in the princess' eyes. The woman laughed. "But I can help you little princess. Open yourself to me and I will see to it that everyone listens to you and that you are the centre of attention, just as you truly want it to be."

"I… I… I do want that…" Desiré whispered, hardly realising what she was saying. She couldn't move her gaze away from the woman's glowing eyes.

Suddenly, there was a surge of grey-green light and motion. The woman's body dissolved, leaving her clothes to fall limply to the ground. Desiré tried to scream, but no sound came past her lips as the light, now resembling a human shadow funnelled into her nose, ears, eyes and mouth. When it was all over, the princess' eyes glowed grey-green with malevolent power. With a sadistic, predatory smile, the girl quickly turned and raced off towards her rooms. The suddenly empty corridor echoed with the malicious laughter of General Nephrite.

The girl raced past several confused Embassy staffers. When she reached the doors to her rooms, she slammed them open so hard that they rattled in their frame. She snatched up the chest containing the Treasure with an insane little giggle. "The treasure is mine now," she hissed.

"Your Highness?" the girl turned around to see two of the staffers standing in the door. "Your Highness, are you all right?" one asked.

"Are you concerned about me?" the girl hissed. "Well that's good. From now that is all you will be concerned about!" Beams of green light flashed from her eyes and the two men's eyes became blank and unseeing. The blonde girl grinned in demonic triumph. The first of her loyal and devoted admirers had come into existence. "Now, slaves, you will assist me in taking the Treasure to our Master."

***

For Serena, it all happened so quickly that she had to think back carefully if she wanted it to make any sense. She was standing on a balcony overlooking the Embassy's gardens. She was thinking about Tuxedo Mask, and the feelings that she experienced when he danced with her. Everything was completely normal. There had been no sign of any threat or danger all night. Then, someone screamed. "Look out, the Princess has gone crazy!"

Serena turned around to see a girl, who she immediately recognised as Princess Desiré, racing towards her. Two guys in suits were running alongside her, pushing people out of her way. "Out of my way, peasants!" Desiré was shouting. "This Treasure belongs to my Master now!"

Serena froze in shock for a second. Her 'Master'? she thought in horror. That is what people enslaved by the Enemy are always saying!

"Serena, she's heading right for the balcony!" Luna hissed from where she was huddling under her charge's skirts. "She'll be killed if she tries to jump to ground level!"

Serena didn't need to be told twice. She darted forwards and seized the girl in a headlock, trying to drag her backwards. "Listen to me," she hissed into the smaller girl's ear. "You have been possessed! Fight back! The Enemy wants to use you for their own ends! You don't matter to them!"

Desiré snarled. "I know that, idiot," she hissed. "But the Dark Kingdom has given me the means to have my heart's desire! I do not care for anything else! SLAVES!" The two men who had been running alongside the princess suddenly jumped forwards and grabbed Serena's arms. The girl recoiled in horror as she took in the utter mindless blankness of their expression. Princess Desiré smiled in triumph and nodded once, briefly. Without changing expression once, the two men heaved Serena over the railing of the balcony and turned away.

As she soared through the air, Serena screamed as she desperately tried to grab the railing. She was too far and she felt as deep a fear as she had ever known as the balcony fell away from her searching hands and the ground started to race towards her…. Then a vice-like grip snapped closed around her left wrist. Tuxedo Mask was half over the railing himself as he desperately tried to hang onto her wrist. "S… Sailor Moon," he gasped. "Try to climb up, you're pulling me over too!"

Serena, using a little of her school gymnastics lessons for the first time, swung up her feet and tried to get purchase on the marble wall of the Embassy with her hideously impractical high-heeled shoes. Suddenly, her communicator started to bleep. Serena swung her right hand up to grab Tuxedo Mask's wrist and used the motion to open her communicator. "Moon here! What's going on!"

"Sailor Moon," Amy's voice called out. "Princess Desiré has been possessed by the Enemy somehow! She is hypnotising everyone in the ballroom!"

***

Desiré… or rather the thing controlling her… laughed insanely as more of the people came under her spell. "You are my slaves!" she called out. "You exist only to give me the love and attention that I deserve!"

"Oh no you don't!" a voice shouted out. Desiré turned to face the two dark-haired women, one with long hair in a black dress and one with short hair in a pale blue dress. Much to her surprise, her hypnotic powers didn't affect them. "You will not succeed in your plans, evil one," the woman with long black hair announced. She pulled out a red crystalline pen or wand and held it up in the air. Her companion, who had shorter blue-black hair, pulled out and held up a blue pen. "Mars Power!" the first woman declared.

"Mercury Power!" added the second.

"Make Up!" they both chorused. The first woman disappeared in a column of flame and the second in a sparkling vortex of glowing ribbons and trails of snowflakes.

Desiré snarled and gestured to a phalanx of her slaves, ordering them to deal with the interlopers who dared not give her the admiration that she deserved. She saw the man in the tuxedo trying to rescue the first interloper and gestured to another slave.

***

Tuxedo Mask grunted with discomfort as Sailor Moon slowly clambered up his arm. Suddenly, something hit him and he was tumbling over the railing. Operating on an instinct that he couldn't understand, he grabbed the disguised warrior maiden and held her to him, trying to somehow cushion her fall with his body.

Serena screamed in panic, but something happened that she didn't understand. She somehow knew what to do. She lifted up her Disguise Pen and pressed the metal pocket clip. Suddenly the pen more than quadrupled in length and turned into some kind of parasol. The thing opened like an umbrella and crystals at the end of every armature began to glow. Sitting on the balcony, Luna drew in a deep breath, thanking Selene that Serena had remembered, somehow, that the Disguise Pen had a secondary Gravity Parachute function.

With the gentle grace of a dandelion seed, Serena and Tuxedo Mask drifted down to ground level, suspended underneath the parasol-like magical parachute. When they touched down, Serena, feeling very weird, folded it up and watched as it shrank back into the Disguise Pen. "Nice timing, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask said. Serena looked into the masked hero's face and saw his good-natured smile. "You've saved me once again, but now you have to save everyone else. Farewell!" And with that, he raced off towards the entrance of the Embassy.

"Tuxedo Mask! Wait!" Serena called out. She sighed, feeling melancholy for no reason that she could understand. But it is you who saves me all the time, she thought miserably. She shook her head firmly. She could indulge in wool gathering later. The Enemy had attacked and, no doubt, Amy and Raye could use her help by now. She touched the choker around her throat and felt the power of her Prism Brooch. "Moon Prism Power! Make Up!"

***

Sailor Moon jumped the thirty feet back up to the balcony with easy "Okay, Demon," she called out as she landed gracefully on her feet. "I am the pretty sailor-suited soldier of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon. I protect the innocent from evil, and that means you! In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!"

"Moon, will you cut out the lame speeches and get your butt over here?" Sailor Mars yelled. "You're late as usual and now we're in serious trouble!" Mars was using her Soul Blade to keep back blank-eyed party goers, while Sailor Mercury was using a narrow-beam Bubbles Blast attack like a water cannon to drive back those who tried to attack her.

"What the hell is going on?" Sailor Moon asked. She somersaulted forwards, catching a zombie on the chin with both feet, sending him tumbling away from Sailor Mars.

"She's hypnotised everyone!" Mars reported tersely. "She's using them to keep us away from her, so I can't break the spell that is controlling her!"

Sailor Moon's eyes widened in horror when she saw her father amongst the legions of the brainwashed surrounding Princess Desiré. The girl was glowing with grey-green light as the ambient light level in the room dimmed. Daddy…? Sailor Moon shook her head. She had to focus. She looked through her mask and let her second sight reveal what was going on. Trails of energy connected every zombie to Princess Desiré. From the interplay of colours, she guessed that the possessed princess was tapping out her victims' life forces.

Princess Desiré was gracious enough to confirm this. "You fools, you can't win," she giggled. "They belong to me now, just as the Treasure and their life forces belong to my master."

"We have to drive whatever that thing is out of the princess," Serena declared as she drove a trio of zombies back with a feint with her soul blade.

"Tell me something that I don't know, Ondango," Mars snapped.

Serena's lips pressed together in annoyance, but this wasn't the time or the place to indulge Raye's infantile need to put down anyone who threatened her sense of superiority. "On my mark, girls. Mercury and I will make the opening, so you'd better be ready Pyro!" Raye scowled at hearing that hated nickname, but she pulled out an evil expulsion charm and nodded. "Okay, NOW! Moon Tiara Shriek!" Serena threw her tiara, which began to circle the ballroom emitting a brain-liquefying sound.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Visibility dropped to zero as Amy filled the ballroom with a freezing fog.

The sound coming from the Moon Tiara instantly disrupted the princess' control over her slaves and they stopped their purposeful advance, starting to twitch and tremble instead. Raye didn't need any more opening than this. She raced forward, vaulting over one twitching zombie and kicking aside a second before reaching Princess Desiré, who was covering her ears in a futile attempt to filter out the sound of the tiara's shriek. "This is going to hurt you more than it will hurt me, kid," Sailor Mars announced. She muttered a prayer over her charm and slapped it onto the princess' forehead. "Aku Ryo Tai San!" she declared.

Princess Desiré staggered back, but her behaviour didn't change much. If anything, she became even more vicious. "Fool, your superstitious nonsense can't affect me!" she snapped. She stared at Mars and a beam of energy shot from her eyes, blowing the Senshi of Fire and Passion back several paces.

"How… how did it resist that charm?" Raye spluttered. The tiara had returned to Serena and the zombies had begun their purposeful advance again. Princess Desiré's giggling had taken on the sound quality of fingernails on a blackboard.

Sailor Mercury summoned her TACS computer. In her fighting form, she didn't need to use the clumsy handset, rather a pair of glass lenses slid out from her tiara and covered her eyes. Suddenly she could see all the sensory data from her computer suspended before her eyes in a kind of heads-up display. She could even control the computer through eye movements. She did so now, ordering a full-spectrum scan of Princess Desiré. "She isn't possessed," Mercury reported. "There is some kind of energy overlaying and filling her body that is controlling her movements." Amy shook her head and dismissed the HUD lenses. "It is like her shadow has gained substance and is controlling her!"

"So what do we do about it?" Serena asked, her voice coloured by fear and anxiety. She had to help her father, but she was all out of ideas. She had rather hoped that Raye's charm would do the job. She jumped back as a whole score of zombies charged her. Suddenly, a trio of roses fell in between her and her adversaries, making the brainwashed partygoers reel back in pain. "Tuxedo Mask!"

The formal-suited warrior of the night was standing on the balcony railing, now with his full regalia of cape, top hat and cane. "Sailor Moon!" he called out. "The only way to drive out a shadow is to force it to face the light!"

"Face… the light…" Sailor Moon said in a strange tone of voice. Yes… I can do that, she realised. She didn't know how or why, but she could remember a way to do just that. She jumped over the first line of zombies to face the giggling princess. She focussed her mind and allowed the power of the Moon to flow outwards through her body. To the observer, the light leaking out of various parts of her costume suddenly grew far more intense. "Moon twilight… shine!" Serena declared. The light intensified still further and spread until Serena was a human-shaped image seemingly made out of silver-white light… Then the light grew even brighter still and exploded out, filling every nook and cranny of the ballroom with the intense silver-white light of the full moon.

Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars all covered their eyes, but the light shone through hands and eyelids without any loss of intensity. The zombies all staggered and then tumbled nervelessly to the ground as if they were puppets whose strings someone had suddenly cut. Princess Desiré herself screamed in agony as the light physically drove the monstrous evil from her body. On the wall behind her, her shadow writhed in a way that no movement of the human body could cause. As it twisted and turned, it lost its' human shape and began to swell, rapidly resembling a tentacled cloud.

When the light finally died away, the princess tumbled to the ground too, her body drained of strength by the purification that it had just experienced. The four young heroes' eyes opened very wide when they saw the massive twisting black cloud hovering over the prostrate girl. "That is it," Sailor Moon declared. "The shadow that controlled the princess!"

"Nice job, Ondango," Mars snapped, stepping forwards. "Now it's my turn! Fire Soul!" The black-haired young woman threw a blazing fireball at the twisting cloud of shadow. Much to her shock, the attack went right through the monstrous shape and struck the wall behind it. The creature responded with a roar, lashing out with a tentacle seemingly made of pure shadow. Serena barely knocked Raye aside before the shadow slammed into the spot where she had been standing, shattering the marble floor like it was made of glass.

Mercury activated her computer again and scanned the monster. "It's made out of some kind of poison gas!" she cried out. "Physical attacks won't harm it! It's too diffuse!" She dived one way and Tuxedo Mask dived the other as another tentacle lashed out at them, smashing the railing on the balcony into gravel.

Tuxedo Mask threw an energised rose at the monster, but it went right threw and blew a chandelier into crystal shrapnel. "Now what?" Serena wailed, her voice rising in panic.

"We… we have to solidify it somehow," Amy replied, her voice shaky, but somehow certain, as if she knew something… or had remembered something… that the others had not. My power is over water, and most importantly over ice and cold… If I could concentrate that somehow… Amy, as if in a dream stepped right up to the writhing cloud. "Mercury, get away from that thing!" Raye screamed as a tentacle reached out for the petite Senshi of Water and Wisdom.

Sailor Mercury raised a hand and thrust it out towards the gas-creature. "Mercury ice bolt!" she cried out. A star of blue-white energy materialised in her hand and spat towards the oncoming monster like a miniaturised meteor. It struck the cloud of gas and had an immediate effect. The creature made a strange, unearthly groaning noise and began to shrink, getting darker and darker. There was a loud crackling noise like the sound of an ice cube shattering when put in a drink. The creature shrunk still further, taking on a solid aspect. In a matter of moments, a frost-covered grey-black ball of something fell to the ballroom floor with a solid-sounding 'thud'.

There was a brief, disbelieving silence. "Nice work, Mercury," Sailor Moon said with a smile at her blue-haired friend. Mercury blushed and smiled a little, pleased to have been of use.

"Yeah, great work, Mercury," Mars said, stepping forwards. "Now to finish this once and for all. Mars Fire…"

"No!" Serena slapped Raye's arms up and away, disrupting her spell before she could unleash the fires of her namesake world against the frozen demon.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mars screeched.

"Use your brain, Pyro!" Moon shot back. "If you use fire against that thing, you'll free it from Mercury's ice and we'll have to start all over again!"

Raye felt incredibly embarrassed that Serena had better grasp of the physics of the situation than she did. She tried to cover it up with acid sarcasm. "Oh, and I suppose you have a better idea, Ondango Atama?"

Serena grinned. "Actually, I do," she replied. She pulled her tiara from her brow and charged it up, turning it into a discus-like weapon. "Moon tiara action!" she cried out, throwing the weapon at the frozen monster. The tiara screeched right across the ballroom and struck the frozen ball that was the gas-monster, shattering it into thousands of tiny shards that quickly faded away into puffs of grey ash and then nothingness. Sailor Moon caught her returning tiara and resettled it on her brow, smiling at the scowling Sailor Mars. "Moon-dusted," she said with a wink.

***

Nephrite fell backwards as his monster, which was based on his shadow and, therefore, contained a little of his essential self, was completely annihilated. "What the…?" he spluttered. "Those sailor brats have beaten me again! I will make them pay for this!" In the back of his mind, however, he was cowering and gibbering. How will I explain this to the Queen?

***

With the destruction of the shadow/gas-demon, everything in the ballroom had returned to normal, except for the holes made by the demon's attacks, the shattered chandelier and the huge scorch mark on the far wall from Sailor Mars' Fire Soul attack. The party guests were staggering to their feet uncertainly, looking around themselves and looking at their tattered clothing, uncertain as to what precisely had just happened.

Princess Desiré moaned piteously and tried to get up, but she was still too weak. The three Senshi crowded around her and helped her to stand. As they did so, her glasses fell off and the three warrior girls gasped in surprise, droplets of sweat appearing beside their faces. Without her glasses, Desiré was a picture of innocent beauty, with wide blue eyes that shone with life and humour. She truly was beautiful. "Oh my, what happened?" she gasped. "The last thing I remember was being in a corridor!" She peered myopically at Serena. Then she knelt and began to feel around her. "My glasses!" she said. "I can't see a thing without them!" Amy put the glasses in the girl's hands and she put them on, becoming unremarkable Princess Desiré again.

"Guys," Serena whispered to her friends, "do you think that maybe if Melvin were to replace his glasses with contacts…?"

Droplets of sweat appeared beside Luna, Raye and Amy's faces. "No way," Raye said hurriedly.

Chapter 5 – Aftermath

Things calmed down very quickly as the party guests realised that everything was 'back to normal'. Serena had come to realise that it was an odd trick of the human mind that it automatically censored out facts of reality that it found too worrying to consider at any length. People didn't want to think about how they were living in a world where monsters could attack at any moment… so they didn't. Ignorance, it seemed, was not only bliss, but also mandatory for any kind of normal life.

Serena, Raye and Amy decided to hang around, even though the Enemy's plan seemed defeated. After all, there was always the chance that Nephrite himself might make one of his rare appearances in an attempt to salvage the situation. Because there was no way of avoiding it, they remained in their Senshi forms and thanked the gods for the glamour magic in their transformations that stopped even their closest relatives from recognising them.

Serena had particular reason to be thankful. Her father was trying to interview her. She was, therefore, grateful when a thrill of excitement passed through the crowds, catching her father's attention and diverting it completely away from his interview with one of Tokyo's resident superheroines. She turned around to See Princess Desiré, along with some flunkies carrying cases and chests, step out into the ballroom. "My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen," the head flunky cried out. "Pray your attention for her Royal Highness Desiré, Princess of the Kingdom of Diamunte."

There was a smattering of polite applause that made the young princess blush slightly. "Thank you," she said in a quiet but firm voice. "Tonight has been a night to remember for many reasons. I hope that you will all remember the hospitality of my nation this night, and go your way remembering us as friends." The girl drew in a deep breath before continuing. "I know that many of you are looking forward to seeing my country's greatest treasure. However, I feel that I have another duty to perform first.

"Tonight, we witnessed courage of the greatest sort, when three heroines fought to protect us, mere strangers, from the dark forces that threaten our world. It has always been the custom in Diamunte to reward such courage and kindness. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars, please step forwards."

Serena's eyes widened in surprise and she caught Raye's gaze. The black-haired girl smiled slightly and shrugged, gesturing that Serena should do as the princess had requested. Then she grabbed a suddenly nervous Amy and dragged her out of the crowd.

The princess smiled at the three Senshi in a regal, if slightly acted manner. "None of us would be alive at this moment if it were not for your efforts, Sailor Senshi," Desiré announced. "It is our wish to reward your efforts." Serena opened her mouth to tell the princess that it was unnecessary, that they were only doing their jobs, but her eyes were caught by the contents of a briefcase that one of the Embassy flunkies had just opened and the words died away on her lips. There were three jewel-studded star-shaped medals lying on a velvet background. "This is the Order of the Crystal Star," Desiré explained, "the highest honour that my country can award to a citizen of another nation."

The small princess pinned the shining star-shaped medals, which were mounted on leaf green velvet bows, to the breast of each Senshi's fuku. Much to Serena's surprise, she found herself talking. She didn't know where the words came from, but they seemed right somehow, so she didn't worry too much about it. "Your Highness, on behalf of myself and my sister Senshi, I thank you for this great honour that you have bestowed upon us," she said in a strangely… regal… tone of voice. "Although we do not seek reward for doing the duty that we are sworn to carry out, we accept these awards in the hopes that it represents the beginning of a long and peaceful friendship between your kingdom and ours." Luna looked ready to faint at hearing Serena sound so mature. Even Raye was impressed.

After the three Senshi had faded into the crowd, Desiré turned to another flunky, who handed her the chest containing the Treasure of Diamunte. "And now for the moment that I know that you have all been waiting for," the princess joked. "The unveiling of the Treasure of the Kingdom of Diamunte." The girl put down the chest and pulled out a key that had been hanging from her necklace. She unlocked the chest and opened its' lid. Everyone held his or her breaths.

There was a chorus of 'ooh' and 'wow' as Desiré lifted out a crystalline statuette of a woman who greatly resembled her, right down to the bottle-glass lensed spectacles. "Cut out of a single 2,000 carat raw diamond, a statue of my grandmother, Queen Helena of Diamunte," Desiré announced with a broad smile.

A great droplet of sweat appeared next to Amy, Luna and Raye's faces. "Is… is that it?" Raye spluttered. The statuette was hardly what she would call a 'treasure'.

"I… I guess so…" Luna murmured quietly.

Amy was looking around. "Has anyone seen Bu… I mean Sailor Moon?" she asked.

***

Serena had wandered away from the crowds. She found that she didn't care to see the Treasure after all. She had too much to think about.

Firstly, of course, she and Amy had found new powers. That was a good thing, as it meant that they could fight the Enemy more effectively. However, the way that the knowledge of her new power simply appeared in her mind, as if it were a memory, disturbed her. There was clearly a lot about their powers and their identity as Senshi that Luna hadn't told them about yet. Despite her protestations that they were 'not ready', Serena decided that she, Raye and Amy needed to corner the cat and insist on being told the whole truth.

Secondly, and on a more personal level, she was thinking about dancing with Tuxedo Mask. She had wanted him to be here. Hell, she had expected him to be here. And dancing with him felt so reassuring and so… familiar. What is happening to me? Serena thought with a sigh. I seem to have a whole part of my mind with memories that I never knew I had. Is this something that being a Senshi does to you? Or is there a part of my life that I know nothing about? And if so, how could that be? I'm only fourteen!

Serena absentmindedly picked up a glass of sparkling something and sipped it. It was tangy on her tongue and warm as it slid down her throat. "Hmm! Not bad!" she said. She finished the drink with one gulp and felt the odd sensation of bubbles up her nose. She liked it so much, that she had another. When she finished the second glass, the world started to sway slightly. What is it? she thought hazily. Are we having an earthquake?

Much to Serena's surprise, a fit of hiccups suddenly seized her. Desperate to find a glass of water, she weaved across the ballroom towards the kitchens, despite the fact there was no one and nothing in the way. She giggled at nothing in particular and suddenly took two steps backwards, unable to keep her balance. She fell against a warm, muscular male chest. She looked up and, much to her delight, saw Tuxedo Mask and his identical twin brother. "Sorry, Tuxedo Mask-sama," she giggled.

Suddenly, she felt very tired and she snuggled against Tuxedo Mask's chest. "That's nice," she sighed, feeling incredibly safe as she hugged the mysterious warrior of the night.

Behind his mask, Tuxedo Mask blushed brightly as the young Senshi of Love and Justice snuggled up against him. He felt a strange sense of protectiveness and affection for the little warrior maiden who was attempting to use him as a cushion. Despite himself, he chuckled. "I'll guess that you aren't used to champagne," he said.

"Was that what I drunk?" Sailor Moon asked, still swaying despite the fact she was tightly hugging Tuxedo Mask. "Shimmatta! I don't usually drink alcohol! Daddy will kill me if he finds out! *Hic!*" Serena giggled when she realised that her father would never find out. "On the other hand…" She leaned close. "All the squares are drooling over the princess's gems, Tux-boy," she whispered sensually in Tuxedo Mask's ear, making him blush even brighter than before. "We've got the entire Embassy to ourselves! Let's party, handsome!"

Tuxedo Mask grinned. "You are definitely not used to champagne," he announced. "Come over here and rest until your friends can get you home."

"Don't wanna rest," Serena whined. "Wanna paaarrrtyyy!" Tuxedo Mask laughed and lifted the small heroine up into his arms. Serena sighed and suddenly felt incredibly tired as she snuggled into Tuxedo Mask's arms.

Tuxedo Mask looked down into Sailor Moon's pale, beautiful and almost elfin face and remembered what she said to him earlier: 'You know, I was hoping that I would see you here tonight, and maybe have the chance to do this.' Yes, he had hoped to see her too. He didn't need to think about it for a moment. He knew that he wanted to dance with her. What is more, he knew that she could dance and knew how much she loved it. Who are you, Sailor Moon? Tuxedo Mask asked himself. How is it that I know you so well?

The tall formal-clad warrior gently placed Sailor Moon on a divan couch sitting on the balcony overlooking the Embassy's gardens. He sat down beside her, determined to guard the tipsy girl until her friends came for her. He reached out hesitantly and brushed a lock of golden blonde hair from her eyes. The girl's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at her champion, a slight smile gracing her lips. Drawn by a need that neither understood or wanted to understand, they leaned towards each other… and their lips met in a gentle, loving kiss.

Serena's mind was suddenly completely clear of the haze of alcohol. Ah! she moaned in her mind. Kami-sama, this is so familiar… There was such tenderness in Tuxedo Mask's eyes that all of Serena's nervousness and youthful fears fell away. She reached up and held him by the back of the head and shoulder so that she could kiss him again. This time, the kiss was longer. Serena felt the man's tongue brush across her lips and she opened her mouth to let him in. One of Tuxedo Mask's arms wrapped around her back and another cradled her head. Both young people lost all sense of time and place as they kissed again and again. This feels like something that I've done before… realised a small part of Serena that could still think rationally. A long time ago… somewhere…

Similar thoughts raced through Tuxedo Mask's mind. Warm arms, soft lips and sweet kisses. This is something that I remember doing many, many times with you…

"Step away from Sailor Moon you hentai!" snapped a familiar voice. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon broke contact to look at Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars (accompanied by Luna), who were staring at them in an angry, accusing way. It took a lot of effort for them to clear their thoughts of the blissful haze that had come upon them the moment that their lips first touched.

Seeing murder in Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury's expressions, Tuxedo Mask stood up and, after stroking a still-disoriented Sailor Moon's silky-soft hair one more time, he backed away from the divan where she was lying. The other two Senshi immediately jumped in between them and took a defensive posture. Luna stepped forwards to face Tuxedo Mask. "Who are you, Tuxedo Mask?" she asked firmly. She noticed, without much surprise, that the man did not react to her speaking. She figured that he remembered her choice comments when he caught her when she fell from the 'Phantom Bus' on Sendai Hill. "Where do you come from? Why do you always appear out of nowhere when Sailor Moon is fighting?"

Tuxedo Mask decided that he should answer Luna as completely as he could so he could leave as soon as possible. He had to have time to think about the sensations and the dim memories that had coursed through him when he kissed Sailor Moon. "I am on a quest to find the Silver Imperium Crystal for a lost princess who appears in my dreams," he announced.

Luna frowned. "Who's side are you on?" she asked.

Tuxedo Mask smiled. "I'm on my side," he said with an easy laugh. "However, as we are competing for the same prize, perhaps we are ultimately destined to be enemies. I just don't know." Suddenly, before anyone could react, he jumped up onto the railing and leapt off into the night.

Raye and Amy helped the befuddled Serena to her feet. "Come on, Ondango, let's get you home so you can sleep this off," Raye said with rough affection as she tried to support Serena's weight on one side, Amy on the other.

Luna was watching the direction in which Tuxedo Mask had vanished. "Enemies…" she repeated quietly. "I wonder…"

***

In another part of Tokyo, a 14-year-old brunette named Lita Wood was walking home from an all-night convenience store. She stopped and she looked up at the moon. She had no idea why, but suddenly she felt tense and cold, as if someone had walked over her grave. She sucked in a deep breath and felt electricity in the air. "There is a storm on the way," she announced to nobody. Then, much faster than before, she set off once again for home.

To be continued…