"Well this is a surprise, I'd say," Kasumi noted, peering at the blond from behind her hood. Kasumi stood at the door where the Occult Club met nearly every day. The room was dark, save a few candles lit in the middle of a circle where the other members sat, all hooded. The scene was downright eerie. "I never took you as the kind interested in the occult."

"Ah, well..." Usagi stammered. "I'm not looking to join the club. I just..." There was a lot going through her mind. She had this new-found power, thanks to the joint dream she had with Mamoru and Juri, but something still bothered her, a sharp pang at the back of her heart. It was distracting. She had to know what it was. "Do you read fortunes?"

Kasumi paused, surprised Usagi hadn't gone to Rei to do something of this nature. "You want a tarot reading?" In the short time she'd known Usagi, Kasumi knew the girl wore her heart on her sleeve. It was very obvious something was bothering her. While the other girls had relaxed in the past week since the battle with the TV man, Usagi seemed slightly on edge. "Worried about our prospects?"

Usagi simply nodded.

Kasumi wasn't accustomed to this sailor business yet. She knew the story of their past, about the Eclipse senshi and their eventual demise, yet it never felt like she was truly a senshi. She was simply that weird occult girl that creeped out everyone else on the team. Usagi's presence was something she hadn't foreseen. "Sure, sure, come on in. I'll get the Tarot deck."

Usagi took a seat on the floor. She was a stark contrast to the rest of the room, almost like a light in the darkness. Her bright blond hair fell behind her and curling up on the floor as she pulled her feet under her.

Kasumi settled down across from her, handing Usagi the cards to shuffle. Receiving a shuffled deck in return, she started placing the cards. The first few cards were simple, relating to the bond she had with her new-found friends.

Kasumi turned over another card. "The magician." She placed it down on the floor. "One with the power to create something from nothing. The forces of creation and destruction are at your hand. It means you'll become a conduit for some great power."

Usagi paused. The accuracy of that card was a bit frightening. The power to create something from nothing was Cosmos. One of her alternate future selves was Sailor Cosmos, though she changed that path by creating a new future for her and her friends, one of peace and love.

Two more cards remained. Kasumi drew another and paused quickly. She wanted to put it back into the deck but that would falsify the fortune. As she placed it down, the other members of the club seemed rather uneasy, which only made Usagi more nervous.

"The five of pentacles," Kasumi explained. "A card of hard times, losing faith in oneself. It appears at the most trying points."

"Is that bad?" Usagi asked, somewhat unsure she wanted an answer.

"Tarot isn't necessarily good or evil," Kasumi replied. "It's not that clear cut, but instead more subtle. This card is in the future position. It's a warning not to lose faith in yourself."

Once again, the cards were speaking true. She had lost faith in herself after she could no longer fight, but the power of friendship had brought her back to the light. She had a new power to fight the Shadow Galaxy.

Though now she thought about it, there was a fear in the back of her mind. Fighting forms of Chaos had brought so much sorrow to her heart. Her friends had sacrificed their lives or were killed off nearly every time. The battle with Galaxia was particularly trying when the senshi were revived and forced to fight her.

She was afraid that would happen again.

"Don't be too nervous, I'd say," Kasumi suggested. "This last card will tell us what that five of pentacles actually means for you." She drew another card then set it down next to the five. "The Justice card. Combined with the five of pentacles, this card means you'll encounter a crossroads, a point of no return."

Usagi gasped. "No return?"

Kasumi nodded. "Whatever decisions you make will affect not only your immediate but also your long-term future. You'll be confronted with a situation where you have to choose to have or reject hope."

Usagi leaned over and picked up the Justice card. "A choice with no turning back." It was a lot to think about. The Shadow Galaxy was a huge threat, and now they were after her personally. And if they achieved their goals, Chaos would threaten the beautiful future they had before them. Everything really was on the line. It really could all end in a lapse of hope and faith.

Moon's power relied on her heart. She'd known that from the start when the silver crystal reacted to her heart and hers alone. When the Eclipse first arrived, she didn't have her tiare. It struck fear in her heart, hindering her powers. But now she had the power combined with the sun, the earth, and her own silver moon all within her.

She smiled suddenly. "Whatever this is, I'm ready for it. You're a great help, Kasumi-chan!" She looked at the justice card once again before handing it back to her. Somehow just hearing the fortune made her feel better, the pang at the back of her heart was fading. If it came down to a decision of hope, the choice was pretty obvious. Sailor Moon was a beacon of hope and justice.

Kasumi smiled as well. It was certainly nice to have her as a friend. "Any time, Usagi-chan." Taking the card, she tucked it back into the deck.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" The door to the room cracked open, a girl wearing a hooded cloak peering around it.

"Not at all, I'd say," Kasumi replied, beckoning her inside. "Come in."

Usagi crawled around the circle of club members to sit next to Kasumi. Usagi had suddenly felt uneasy as soon as the girl entered the room, and it was safe next to her strange occult friend.

The girl pulled down the hood of her cloak to reveal long light purple hair pulled back with a neon green hairtie. Her eyes were a piercing emerald green. "My name is Tanimura Yoshiaki. I'm really interested in your club." Her voice was soft-spoken, yet there was something deeper within her voice, something more sinister. "If you'll have me."

"You want to join us?" the boy sitting next to Kasumi exclaimed. It was unusual to see someone so pretty want to join the occult club. Most strayed away, unless they had some sort of supernatural power.

"Yes, I do," she replied quietly. "I've been interested in the occult for ages, probably since a past life. I like to think I'm pretty good at hexes."

Kasumi paused. There was something about this girl, something unsettling. Just who was she? "You're more than welcome to join." If Yoshiaki stayed, then perhaps Kasumi would be able to figure out who she was.

…

Author's notes

Now I'm not a tarot card reader, though I've known several who are (and have had frighteningly accurate readings myself). Since tarot cards are interpretive, I've left some open ends for vague interpretations, though remember this fortune. It's important.

The girl's name is Tanimura 谷 村 Yoshiaki 義明. Yoshiaki is a boys name meaning clearly or evidently correct. Since she's not a boy, her name is very clearly incorrect. Her last name means valley village.