Silvermoon

by Immora

The Senshi are reborn into a new Silver Millennium after the earth is destroyed.

3. Encounters

~~SILVERMOON~~
Encounters
Seven through Eight
a Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon fanfiction by Immora

_________________________________________________________________

Please see the author's notes in Resurrection for all copyright
information.

I apologize for the awful line-wrapping.

________


SEVEN

________



Time: the next day
Place: the palace on Uranus



Uranus sat on a throne in her indigo princess dress, her face a
mixture of bored and exasperated. Her head rested on her hand,
elbow propped on the armrest as Toren read a report off to her.
Uranus fidgeted in her seat. Damn throne! she thought to
herself. Why the hell does it have to be so uncomfortable?! She
looked around at her (boring) surroundings. Ooo, yay. Her throne
was on a pedestal with several steps leading up to it, a red
carpet leading from the base of the throne to the large wooden
double doors at the entrance to the throne room. Candles and
tall windows lined the walls. The floor was marble. Uranus hated
it.

"--the Vidiava family requests an audience with you," Toren was
reading. "They said--"

"Why?" Uranus interrupted. "Why do they want to talk to me?"

Toren was seething. That woman _had_ to learn to stop
interrupting! "They want to talk about some ideas they had for
improving our economy. Their son has offered to take your place
when you're gone--"

"What are his qualifications for that?" she murmured. She'd
heard basically the same thing all morning. So-and-so family has
idea for improvement, son/daughter wants to rule, a number of
marriage proposals she promptly refused.

"--and he is quite good with the people..."

Uranus blinked. She'd missed everything Toren had just said.
"No more marriage proposals, I hope."

"None this time. I still don't see why you turned down Ranfa,
he's a perfectly decent young man and a woman of your position
should have a spouse, and besides, you've known him awhile and
he's quite smitten with you--"

Uranus let out a loud laugh and sat up in her throne. "Oh, he
is, is he? Tell him, like the others, that _I_ _am_ _not_
_interested_! We should make an announcement that all marriage
proposals should cease because I won't except them!"

Toren raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Really, he's a great young
man, quite popular with the other ladies--"

Uranus hopped down from her seat, kicked off her heels (she
really hated wearing high heels) and walked over to Toren.
"Toren, I don't care. I _really_ don't care. I'm already in a
relationship and I am QUITE happy with it. I don't want to run
off and marry some guy I barely know. I don't want to marry some
_guy_, if you get right down to it!" She laughed and turned to
walk back to the (uncomfortable) throne.

"What are you saying?" Toren asked in surprise, adjusting his
reading glasses. He smoothed his (fast graying) brown hair down.
"I mean, about the marriage issue?"

She turned and glared at him. What a dense fool! "Toren, why
don't you make a general announcement to the families that seem
to be intent on getting me wed that I will not marry their sons
because I am just not interested, okay?"

"Not interested in getting married to a _man_ or--"

"I am _homosexual_ you fool!!!" she shrieked at him. "I am not
about to marry a man! I already have a lover, and I am QUITE
CONTENT to continue my relationship with her, okay?! Now go put
out a communication through those weird crystal-thingies we're
using now to tell those dumbasses I am NOT marrying any of their
sons, okay?!"

Toren was frozen in place with shock.

"WELL?!!?!"

"Yes, princess," he murmured, dazed, and walked off to send the
message.

"And get ME a crystal while you're at it! I need to talk with
Michiru, she'll want to make sure I'm okay!"

"The princess of Neptune?"

"YES the princess of Neptune! She's the only Michiru I know!!!"
Uranus was seething. Toren quickly ran out, retrieved a crystal
ball for her, and shakily handed it to her. He promptly left
after that. Uranus sighed and moved her hand a few inches over
the ball in a circular motion. "Patch me through to Princess
Michiru of Neptune please. Tell her it's Haruka."

The mage on the other in answered, "Hold on a couple minutes.
It'll take awhile to get through the magical field around the
Earth moon. Some strange residue--" The man cut off as he started
the spell.

Damn that Immora; she just _had_ to get into that battle with
Saturn! Who knows how long this'll take!? Uranus impatiently
slid down in her seat to wait.



Time: several minutes later
Place: Pluto's room, the Palace, the Moon Kingdom



Pluto sat on her bed, Saturn on hers, talking with Neptune, who
was resting in an easy chair across from them. They weren't
really discussing anything in particular. Pluto was still a bit
upset about some of Immora's comments to her, Saturn weak from
her battle yesterday. Neptune was a bit saddened by Uranus's
temporary departure, since it was still uncertain when she'd
return. Pluto was in the middle of saying something when she gla
nced over to the communications crystal on her dresser. "Hmmm?
It's glowing? Who'd be calling in--" Pluto ran her hand over the
top of it. "Hello there, who's calling?"

"Hello," a mage on the other end said. "A call for Princess
Michiru of Neptune, from... ah, Haruka... ?"

Apparently a fairly powerful mage, Pluto thought, to find Neptune
here. "Put it through. Oh, sorry about the magic field; Saturn
got in a battle with an archmage yesterday."

"I can guess who..." the mage murmured.

"Excuse me?" Neptune said, waving her arms. "I believe there's
a call from Haruka to me, not that mage to you. I'd like to talk
to her..."

"Oh, sorry!" Pluto said with a laugh. She handed the ball,
about the size of her head, to Neptune.

Neptune pressed her hand to it. Uranus's face appeared.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully.

"Hi there!" Neptune giggled. "How's it going over there?
Anything interesting happening?"

"Well... hey, go into our room. HEY PLUTO, TAKE THE BALL!!!
Redirect the call to our room, 'kay Setsuna? THANKS!!"

Pluto winced and whispered to Neptune, "Doesn't she know I can hear
her just fine?"

Neptune handed the ball to Pluto and went into the room she and
Uranus shared. She sat down on their bed near the window (the
other closer to the door went unused now that the two were
sleeping in the same bed) and picked up her own ball. Uranus's
face appeared in one half, Pluto's in the other half. "Okay, go
away Pluto!"

Pluto laughed and her face disappeared, leaving Uranus's the
only one their. "Toren went to send out a message for me, so I'm
alone now," Uranus commented.



"So, what's going on?" Neptune inquired, lying back on the
large pillows.

"Well, lots of people have offered to take the throne, I've
received a few marriage proposals from guys I've never met,
Toren knows about my, ah, 'interests' now. I kinda screamed it
at him when he kept pushing me to marry some Ran-something-or-other guy."

Neptune laughed. "Oh okay. Did you visit your mother yet?"

"Yup. I don't think she's going to make it much longer. She's
pretty weak. They sobered her up, but she's still in no
condition to even get out of her bed. She was surprised to see
me; she really only had vague memories of me since she was
usually wallowing in alcohol when I lived here. Ah well, if she
_had_ been able to think for herself, she probably would've
tried to help me out when I was a kid, and then Dad would've
beat _her_ too."

Neptune gave a weak, sad smile. "It's a real shame your dad had
to be like that. You deserve so much better, love."

Uranus smiled and blushed. "Thanks for the compliment," she
said, then dropped her voice lower with a sweet smile, "but I
have all I need now that I'm with you."

Neptune smiled. "Thanks, I could say the same for you..." Uranus
laughed.

They continued to talk for the next few hours.



Time: roughly the same
Place: Serenity and Usagi's room.



Mars was visiting Serenity and helping her brush her long silvery
hair. She'd taken it down from her odango to brush out, and it was
a tangled mess. "How can you stand having hair this long?!" Mars asked
in an awed tone.

Serenity giggled. "Family tradition. The girls always have long hair tied
up in odango. It's just a trademark."

Mars smiled and glanced at the communications crystal. The
image was scrambled and kept switching between images. For some
reason it kept picking up only other people's transmissions and
not the ones meant for them, and then the image and sound kept
switching at random, never matching. It was so annoying! The
constant garbled voices got on your nerves after awhile...

Serenity looked over to watch too. She briefly saw some Mercurian
baron's face, Uranus's face (must be talking with Neptune), Jadeite,
a duchess from Saturn, a young giggling girl, a peasant man, Naru,
Immora... Immora?!?! "Did you see that?!" Serenity gasped.

Mars just groaned. Would that archmage just GO AWAY?!!!

"Let me finish brushing your hair and we'll go see. She might
just be talking with Pluto or something..." She better not be here
she had better not be here... I swear I will hurt her as badly as
I can if we see her!!!

Mars finished one half of Serenity's hair, and Serenity pulled
it up, twisted the top part into an odango, pinned it, and let
the rest hang down. By the time she was done, Mars was almost
finished. Serenity pulled the rest of her hair up. "Well, let's
go see if she's here."

They wandered around through the halls and bumped into a woman
going the opposite way. "Oh, sorry about that!" she apologized. "I
was lost in thought, I should have been paying attention."

"It's alright," Mars said with a smile. She noted the woman had
unusual eyes, the pupils were white and her irises were a swirl
of emerald, cerulean, and silver that constantly shifted. Her
hair was dead straight, reached to her waist, and was very dark,
her skin tanned and smooth except for a small, pale mole under the
right corner of her mouth. She had very delicate features and
was taller than Mars. She wore a cerulean dress that was in a
style like Immora's, with a hoodless cloak fastened around her
shoulders with a flat gray stone. "A mage?" Mars asked before
she realized what she was saying.

"Yes," the woman answered. "My name is Ka'ina. I am a student
of Immora's. You know her, I assume. Your friend Sailor Saturn
gave her quite a beating."

Mars laughed. "I'd say she gave one to Saturn! That woman is
powerful!" And boy is she a bitch!

Ka'ina chuckled. "Immora gets carried away in battles. She
would undoubtedly return to grovel at Saturn's feet begging for
forgiveness. Her mind is starting to slip again and it's all
Sharra and I can do to keep it from going completely."

Serenity remarked, "She was a nice person on the inside, I
could sense."

Ka'ina nodded. "She really is; she is very kind, but she does
have a cruel streak. She's very dependent and hates being alone.
All she really needs is someone that loves her..." Ka'ina trailed
off.

"Who'd love _her_? You'd have to be as crazy as her!" Mars said
bitterly.

Ka'ina flinched slightly. "Ah... I am her lover..." Ka'ina said
slowly.

Mars turned near the color of her hair. "Omigosh I'm sorry! I
didn't mean it... I... um..." Mars turned around and fumed. Great, I
just insulted this woman that I barely know. She'll probably
turn me into dust or something. Strange... I get a really bad
feeling about her though. Something seems wrong...

"It's alright," Ka'ina said softly. "I guess I am a bit...
insane... for falling for someone like her... well, I better go
now, goodbye."

Serenity smiled at her. "Bye!"

Mars didn't say anything. That woman had a strange spell around
her, but she couldn't tell what it was. It seemed like she was
controlling someone...

She and Serenity walked off.

"What was it we left our room to do?" Serenity asked.

Mars suddenly realized she'd completely forgotten too.
Shrugging, they walked off to go visit the Generals. We might as
well, Mars thought as they wandered through the palace.

Ka'ina sadly looked at the watch she held. Immora was supposed
to show up over three hours ago. She was never late and would
have contacted Ka'ina if something went wrong. Did she not want
to see her anymore? Or maybe... could she have broken the spell?!

Ka'ina sighed and walked through the wall, outside to the
gardens, never once caring that she'd passed through solid rock.


___



Uranus laughed as she finished filing her nails, tossing the
file aside. She didn't like fixing her own nails herself, but
she didn't feel like asking someone to do it for her. Plus, she
was too busy talking to Neptune through the crystal to wander
away from the crystal.

Neptune kept chattering away when the door opened behind her.
She held up a finger to signal "wait a second", then turned to
talk with the person. Uranus saw it was Naru. She draped her legs
over the armrest as she sat to wait, glancing into her mirror with
mild amusement. She always used to have cuts and bruises on her face
as a kid, but she had healed up nicely. No scars on her face, a few
on her back, and of course a mark on her ribs from the bullet wound
her father inflicted. Uranus flipped her pale bangs out of her deep blue
eyes and noted that she needed to get them trimmed. She was growing
her hair out slightly, still keeping it short, but a more feminine
style than she used to wear. Neptune said it looked nice on her, so
Uranus decided she might as well keep the style. She half-heartedly
studied her face, then turned back to the crystal.

Neptune waved Naru away. "I am so sorry, Haruka! I have to go to a meeting!"

Uranus sighed. "Oh okay... call later, alright?"

Neptune giggled. "Of course I will! Talk to you later," she
said softly, giving Uranus her sweetest smile. "I love you,
Haruka."

Uranus smiled back. "I love you, Michiru."

Neptune blew her a kiss, and Uranus giggled as she waved at
her. The crystal went dark. Uranus sighed sadly. The hall was
silent now. It was boring again.

Toren walked in slowly, his face deathly pale, as if with fear.
Uranus looked up with confusion; What the hell is he so scared
about? "Y-You have a vis-visitor," he stuttered. "Sh-she
requests to--see you n-now..."

"Who is it?" Uranus demanded irritably.

Toren opened his mouth to speak, and his voice failed him. He
quickly darted back into the other room. Uranus rolled her eyes
and sat back in her throne correctly, watching with annoyance as
a shadow behind the curtains moved into the hall. Uranus then
stared in shock and considered summoning the guards or transforming
on the spot.

The woman's pale face looked eerie with her crimson lipstick
and dark lined eyes, combined with dark clothing. She wore a
black hoodless cloak that trailed behind her, fastened with a
silver clasp. Her dress was a dark reddish brown, low-cut, the
right side slit up to mid-thigh. She wore soft black leather
boots that covered up to her knees, making her steps silent
except for the sounds of her faded brownish-black cloak dragging
on the carpet. Three small black leather cords were tied around
her waist, one drooping down on the left of her waist, the other
two dipping on the right. Crimson beads were laced into this.
She had black gloves pulled to her elbows, made of soft fabric
but obviously good protection. A small dagger was strapped with
brown leather cords to each glove, a larger dagger tied to her
waist with the leather cords. The cords around her gloves made
slight bulges appear between each twist of cord. She wore
dangling blood colored jewels on her ears, though her blond hair
covered one ear slightly. She had a serious expression on her
face, but strangely emotionless also. She stopped several yards
from the throne to bow her head in acknowledgment, then raised
her piercing dark blue eyes with reptilian slits to Uranus's
face.

"Immora..." Uranus hissed.

Immora's lip twitched. "Correct."

"Unusual outfit," Uranus remarked coolly.

Immora cocked an eyebrow. She walked over to a cart resting
near the wall and poured herself a glass of a cold, non-alcoholic
fruit drink. She sipped it lightly, silent. "You probably wonder
why I am here," Immora started, seemingly searching for the right
words. "I was going to go straight to the Moon Kingdom, but there
is undoubtedly some sort of price on my head now... so I think I will
avoid it for awhile. Anyways... I need to apologize to the Senshi and
the Moon Kingdom for my... irrational behavior yesterday. I have a...
condition... that seemed to have resurfaced yesterday."

"What, are you insane?" Uranus sneered.

"Precisely," Immora said simply.

Uranus blinked in surprise.

"My former teacher, Necros, placed a spell on me that gradually
caused my sanity to lessen more and more. Eventually, I went
insane. A sorceress, Lorenada, healed me... seemingly. The spell
isn't completely removed and sometimes my mind will slip and I
will have no control over my actions. That happened to me yesterday,
when I suddenly took it into my mind to attack the Palace. I sincerely
apologize for that, and for harming Saturn like that. I would heal
her myself... but she probably wouldn't trust me to do that... and... my
magic has grown very weak since that battle. It will take me a couple
more days until I have full control of my magic again. I am limited to
telepathy, telekinesis, and simple spells for now. I only wear these
daggers so if someone attacks me I'll have some protection. The
slit in my skirt is so I can kick easier if someone attacks me.
I know that will eventually happen... I-I have been attacked here before."

Immora started getting nervous, it seemed, Uranus judged from her biting
her lip and glancing around the room. "I've always defended myself with
magic though, so I don't know if I can defend myself without it..."

"Immora, why don't you get help?" Uranus asked as gently as she
could. No matter what this woman claimed, Uranus was... afraid... of
her. She didn't want to have to fight her. This was a powerful
archmage and could probably kill her easily. She wasn't going to
chance it.

Immora pushed her hair behind her ear, then pulled her hair out
from behind her ears again. Must be a nervous habit, Uranus
noted. She had sat down in a chair now, and was drumming the
long fingernails of her left hand on the armrest while her right
hand rested under her chin. "I have tried to... find a cure... but
so far there really isn't anything I can do. No one is powerful
enough to fully cure me. Since I am the most powerful magical
force that currently exists--other than pure magic, of course--it
is hard for someone to use their magic in... well, to combine
their magic with mine to heal me. If someone tried to use magic
against me, depending on the nature, my own would either work
automatically with it or against it. To heal me, because of the
direct root of the spell, they would have to tap into energies
that reside in Hell, where the man that put this spell on me is
now. My magic automatically counters magic from nether regions
and that involving death." She then smirked slightly. "Probably
the reason Saturn could hurt me as bad as she did was that my
magic, which is directly connected with my own mental and
physical well-being, was so stressed to counter her own death-
related forces that it just sapped my strength to the point that
I couldn't work the magic anymore. The reason none of the others
could attack me was that I could easily defend myself against
fire-based power, love, water, etc... which is what the other Senshi
use. There would be no strain and therefore, I would have easily won.
The Senshi would have tired out, and in using my magic to negate
theirs, I could actually become stronger from the effects of their
powers against me. Silver Moon's powers, no matter what, have a basis
of goodness and healing to them. That could easily have helped me
defeat Saturn by tapping into that once Silver Moon's energies had
been directed at me. That is why Pluto wanted no one else to attack---
she knew my energy would be depleted by attacking Saturn."

Uranus had listened with fascination at her entire explanation.
"That's really amazing," she said, "but wouldn't my powers have
had some strange effect on you? I am linked with Heaven, the
wind, the earth, etc... since you are sensitive to the more
Hellish powers, wouldn't you also be harmed by more Heavenly
energies?"

Immora thought about it. "That is likely..."she murmured. "I
wouldn't try though," she warned. "I tend to have strange...
bonds... with people linked to either Heaven or Hell. I don't know
why, it seems our souls are connected. I have no idea why.
Welllll... Mages draw their energies from all around. Our powers
are based on the energies around us, the two strongest obviously
being the two-afterworlds, the first places to exist. Since we
draw so much more energy from these than the other areas, we
have strong spiritual connections with those aligned with them."

"Like a soul-sister," Uranus murmured to herself. This was her
first interesting visitor all day, and she found she was actually
gaining an understanding of this unusual woman through this
conversation.

Immora laughed softly. "I guess you could say that. Very few
people are aligned with those places, so yes, in a sense, the
group of mages combined are all a bunch of soul-sisters and
soul-brothers. Then those aligned with Heaven or Hell are also
included."

Uranus's eyes widened in surprise. "But I am--hmmm?! So... _you_
are my soul-sister?" Uranus laughed. "That seems crazy."

Immora's eyes were narrow slits of concentration. "Well, yes...
that could explain this unusual understanding between us... a
soul-sibling, in the case of these energies, simply refers to
the connection with the Heavens that my soul taps into and that
yours does. If you get right down to it, we are only
'soul-siblings' in the sense that the energies in our souls have
origins in the Heavens, though mine also tap into the Hellish
realms too. So it's not like our destinies are fused or
anything, that's what soulmates have, and besides, a
soul-sibling and a soulmate are different. We all have a
soulmate somewhere, we just have to find them. Our soulmate is
the one we are destined to be with, forever. One that we will
always love and be loved by in return. Most people never meet
there's, or if they do, they don't realize it. If the bond is
exceptionally strong, it is very easy to recognize and
therefore, probably much deeper than others."

Uranus put both legs over her armrest and relaxed. "Hmmm... I
think I have found my soulmate already," she said softly. "It
sure does seem like it..."

"If you mean Michiru," Immora said with an amused tone, "I _do_

know of a spell that can determine things like that... relatively
simple spell..." She closed her eyes and whispered a few words.
A soft glow formed around both her and Uranus. She opened her
eyes with a grin. "Well, what do you know, the two of you _are_
soulmates."

"Wow," Uranus said in awe. I guess we really are meant to be
together, she thought happily. If our souls are linked like
this, we have to be! "I am so glad to have someone like her...
that loves me like this... I love her so much... I wish everyone
could have a love as deep as ours." She sighed softly and asked
suddenly, "Are you in love with someone?"

Immora suddenly dropped her glass on the carpet, amazingly it
didn't crack. She smoothed her skirt as she stood up. "I do hope
the other Senshi will accept my apology. I never wanted to be
enemies."

Uranus grinned over at her, though was puzzled by the sudden
change in subject. "Hey, they can learn to get used to you
'sister'."

Immora laughed. "I am not your sister in blood, but in spirit.
Not a true sister then," she commented. "But close enough. I
don't have a family, so I might as well call you mine."

Uranus looked at her with an amused look. "If all you mages are
soul-siblings, then could you actually be soulmates too? Or
would it be 'incest' for soul-siblings to be together?"

Immora shrugged. "Not really. We aren't _truly_ relatives.
Besides," she said, dropping her voice, "relationships between
mages are usually very brief unless the two are soulmates... I... I
should know," she said sadly. "Some mages... they actually will
use certain spells to _make_ the person they love fall in love with
them... Ka'ina did that to me. I broke the spell just today," she
sighed. "That's the problem with getting involved with another mage...
you never know if the attraction to them is real or if it's the result
of a spell. I was supposed to meet her at the Moon Kingdom today...
but I didn't. The meeting was supposed to be for us to... go out to
dinner, become closer... but I don't want to do that with her. I wish
I had someone... like... well, I wish I had someone as close to me as you
and Michiru are. I used to have someone... if my fragmented memories are
correct... but Ka'ina wiped those memories and..."

"Let me guess, she sent this person away so you couldn't fall in love
again?"

"Yes..."

Uranus gave her a wry smile. "You'll meet again one day," she said softly.

Immora smiled sadly and stood up. "I hope so. I wish we could talk more,
but I need to be going. I have to help Sharra with a spell--"

"Was she that dark-skinned Elfin lady that appeared to retrieve
you yesterday?"

Immora nodded, then bowed at the waist. "Goodbye, Haruka, I
shall see you some other time... ?"

Uranus rose and walked her to the door. Just as Immora placed
her delicate hand on the door handle, the door swung open.
Immora stepped back as a tall, lanky man with dark hair and dark
colored robes entered. "Princess, I--" He blinked in surprise as
he met Immora's gaze. He then bowed at the waist, an awed
expression on his face. "Immora. A pleasure to meet you."

Immora nodded and bowed politely. "And you are?"

"Zatuur. I have studied you for years, it is an honor to meet
you face to face."

Immora cocked and eyebrow and chuckled. "I didn't know there
was any written material about me. I'm not really that
interesting!"

Zatuur smiled and traced a strange symbol in the air. Immora
did the same, her finger leaving a blue glowing trail behind it,
so the symbol shone in the air briefly before fading. She smiled
back at Uranus again before leaving the room, to go rest in some
guest quarters.

"What just happened?" Uranus asked in confusion.

Zatuur laughed and handed her a scroll. "It was a gesture of welcome.
Here. This is from the Titaaun family. Their son--"

"Let me guess, offers to take the throne, wants to know if I'll
marry him?!"

"Ah... yes. I'll just tell him no." Zatuur smiled slightly.
"Maybe you should make a general announcement that you are
already... ah, in a relationship... and are not interested in
committing to another one."

Uranus shrugged and headed off to her room. What a weird day.



Time: about two hours later
Place: a library, the Palace, the Moon Kingdom



Mercury, Neptune, and Venus had gotten together to study. It
was pretty late at night and they only had candles to read by.
Mercury skimmed over some science notes, Neptune glanced at her
math before becoming lost in a complicated daydream, while Venus
struggled with her studies of the Uranian culture. "Too bad
Haruka isn't here," she muttered. "She could probably help me
with this."

"I just plain wish she was here," Neptune said with a little
sigh. Her hand trailed to a necklace around her neck with a rich
blue stone on it. Mercury looked up at her and noted the
necklace. It looked to be expensive, and she had no idea what
the stone was, but it was obviously real and extremely rare.

"Where'd you get that necklace? It's beautiful," Mercury
commented. Venus promptly looked up to view the necklace.

Neptune blushed faintly. "Ah... Haruka gave it to me... about three
days ago..." She cleared her throat and opened up a book.

Venus and Mercury both smiled slightly. Venus combed her golden
hair back, then irritably scratched the skin around the symbol
on her forehead. "Are you okay?" Mercury asked with a puzzled
look.

Venus nodded and continued scratching her forehead. "It just
itches like crazy... I don't know why..."

She glanced around the library and noted a dark-haired woman
sitting alone in a corner with a haunted look on her face. The
door to the library slowly opened. The woman that entered was...
Immora? She was wearing a light blue, satin silk dress that hung
to her ankles. No makeup adorned her face, making her look
strangely innocent and weak. A small silver necklace hung from
her neck along with a few bracelets on her wrists. Her feet were
bare. Several candles went out around the room as she gestured
with her hand. The corner the dark-haired woman sat in had only
one candle glowing, while the three Senshi had about five. They
watched with interest as Immora sat down across from the other
woman and took a deep breath. "Hello, Ka'ina," she said. Her
voice was soft and sad, unlike how'd they remembered it.

"Hello, Immora," Ka'ina said bitterly.

"Ka'ina, I... I am sorry I didn't show up... I just..." Immora looked
away. "I'm sorry. I just don't think that... Ka'ina, I broke through
your spell... I'm sorry, but I don't love you. We can't stay together.
I'm sorry."

Ka'ina just looked at the floor and a single tear trailed down her face.
"I still love you," she whispered. "I only put the spell on your because
of that." She fled the room before Immora could say anything else.

Immora sighed and sat back farther in her chair. She then
glanced in the Senshi's direction. "Michiru?" she called softly.

Neptune was surprised that Immora was using her real name. "Ah...
yes?"

"I was on Uranus today. I spoke with Haruka... before I left the
planet..." she walked over to her and held out a scroll. "She told
me to give this to you if I saw you."

Neptune put it in her bag. "Thank you..." she trailed off. Immora
looked so weak and tired standing there in that pale slip dress,
with her blond hair falling down her back and around her
shoulders. She was so pale, with very delicate, frail features,
the light of the candles dancing on her eyes...

Neptune's eyes widened. Her pupils... they were round? Weren't
they slits before? What did it mean?

As she watched, Immora's pupils slowly formed slits again. "Sleep
well," she whispered to the three before walking out the door slowly
and silently. She gently closed the door behind her.

"Poor woman," Venus whispered. "She's so confused, she has so
much pain to live with..."

Neptune sighed and pulled open the scroll and read it aloud to
the other girls.

" 'Dear Michiru',... that's all she can say? Dear?"

"Keep going," Venus prodded. "Worry about it later."

" 'Hello! I've been incredibly bored here on Uranus. Not much
has happened since I last talked with you. Immora dropped by to
chat and since she mentioned going back to the Moon Kingdom, I
told her to give this to you.' Well, obviously, I mean, we just
saw her," Neptune chuckled.

" 'My mom isn't doing well. The doctor said she probably won't
make it another day. She seems happy enough though. I visited
her, and she said that she was happy that she wouldn't have to
feel the pain anymore. She said there was nothing left for her,
so she was happy to be going on to a better place. I will miss
her a lot. I never really got to know her. I wish she could meet
you. She told me she thinks you sound like a "very nice young
lady, the type you wish your daughters could be just like". She
hopes we'll be happy together, and she said that she'll send her
blessings from above when... if we get married.' Hmmm... I wonder..."
Neptune giggled and kept reading. " 'I miss you already! It
really hasn't been that long or anything, but I miss spending
time with you. I _hate_ being cooped up in the palace all day. I
wish I could see you again. I'll probably be here over a month,
but I'll come back the day of the ball and stay the night before
I have to go back. It'll be nice to spend the whole night together
again, won't it? Just like old times, staying up late talking,
getting barely any sleep because we spend so much time making
love...' " Neptune coughed and blushed deeply while Mercury and
Venus just giggled.

"Well, well, Michiru," Venus teased. "I didn't know that you
two were going that far!"

Neptune blushed deeper and cleared her throat. "Minako... we are deeply
in love and... we just... we are old enough to be... engaging in those
type of, um, activities..."

"Why don't you keep reading?" Mercury suggested to spare Neptune more
embarrassment.

Neptune opened her mouth to speak, then turned around and
started looking around the room with a puzzled look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Venus asked her, brow furrowed with concern.

"I thought I sensed..." Neptune shuddered and pushed the thought
out of her head. Get a grip, Michiru! She's dead! We destroyed her!
She can't be here... right?



"And you want _me_ to do this?"

The shadowy form standing in her room nodded. "Yes. You are the
only one I know of with the power to--"

"What if I refuse?!" the woman snapped. "Just because I _have_
the ability, doesn't mean I will agree to this... this
_madness_!!"

The form seemed to coalesce into the shape of a woman with
long, flowing hair, but still remained a shadow. "You tried to
kill all the people here yesterday. You could do it again."

"No!" the woman shouted hoarsely. "I am tired of it! I am too
weak! My magic is still weakened!"

"When you regain your power--"

"NO!!!" the woman screamed. A burst of blue light shot at the
shadowed form but only passed through her. The woman then
crumpled on the floor sobbing. "I don't want to hurt them,
really I don't.... I..."

"You really _are_ weak, Immora. You are stupid and powerless,
aren't you?" The form shimmered into nothing.

Immora lay in a crumpled heap, sobbing to herself until she was
gasping for air. "I will never answer to you, Mistress Nine...
never..." she closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep. "Never."


________


EIGHT

________



Time: the next morning
Place: the Palace, the Moon Kingdom



Neptune stirred, and immediately upon awakening had the strangest sensation
that something was very wrong in the Palace. She just couldn't figure what it
was.

She tied her bathrobe around her and went downstairs for breakfast. It was
early in the morning, and only ten people were in the huge breakfast hall. A few
people in the Earth military, a man she recognized as a doctor from Uranus (why
was he _here_?), a giggling couple sitting off to the side, a Mercurian
translator, and Immora, who never noticed Neptune.

Neptune grabbed several food items and casually walked over to the Uranian
doctor. He was busily typing into a keypad, a small communications crystal in
front of him. The ball showed a screen of writing, that was all that was there
at the moment. He seemed frustrated and busy, Neptune didn't say anything in
case she might disturb him.

"Damn!" he swore. A face appeared in the ball. "I'm sorry," he told the woman
that had appeared. "I can't do anything with these figures. Near as I can tell,
she's dying and we can't stop it. Tell her daughter." He broke off the
communications and rested his forehead against his head, looking tired and
guilty.

"Who is it? The woman that's..."

"The queen," the doctor said. "The queen of Uranus is dying, and we'll probably
lose her in the next ten minutes."



Time: roughly the same
Place: the palace on Uranus



Uranus had been shaken awake, and after hastily throwing on some clothes, led
to her mother's bedside, where the woman lay in her final minutes.

"Mom!" she cried in a choked voice. She dropped to her knees next to the bed
and clasped her mother's hand. "Mom... I am sorry... I couldn't do anything..."

Her mother coughed and made a choked sound. "Darling, there isn't anything you
could do to stop it. Let it go. We all die someday... some of us sooner than
others. Wipe your tears away, daughter, and stand proud! You have your whole
life ahead of you! I've lived mine! I am going on to a greater place, you don't
need to stop that." She paused to cough softly.

Uranus smiled through her tears. "I love you, Mom. I really didn't get to spend
much time with you... but you were always special to me... in those times I
remembered..."

Her mother smiled weakly. "Child, just be happy for me. I have lived in pain
too long, I've needed a release. Now I have it. Your life is so good for you
now! Think about it dear. You have a woman that loves you dearly, that you also
love, and you have friends that will stand by you. You have many things,
Haruka..." she coughed again. "Haruka, please, just be happy. Stay true to your
friends, stay strong in your faith, and of course in your love."

Uranus nodded, fighting back tears. "Farewell..."

Her mother closed her eyes and leaned back farther in her pillows. "Goodbye,
Haruka... I love you daughter..." She gave a soft sigh and gave her last breath.

Uranus pushed the bangs back from her mother's face and kissed her forehead.
She knelt down and said a small prayer, then opened the door where many people
gathered, waiting. "There is no more to be done here. The queen is dead." She
turned and walked back to her room, then flung her windows opened and looked at
the sky. "If you can hear me now, Mother... thank you. For listening, for loving
me... even if you couldn't be there in my childhood." She smiled up at the sky
sadly, then turned to the crystal to tell Queen Serenity what had happened.



Time: an hour later
Place: the breakfast hall, the Palace, the Moon Kingdom



The Inner Senshi, Saturn, Pluto, and Princess Serenity sat eating breakfast. A
lot of people were in the hall now, many still there from earlier. The young,
giggling couple was still there, Immora still sat there, not really eating, but
she was sorting through papers, writing a report it seemed.

Saturn had just opened her mouth to speak, when Queen Serenity opened the doors
and clapped her hands loudly. The hall fell silent. "I ask, please, for a moment
of quiet reflection. A life has been lost, the queen of Uranus, just an hour
ago."

The gatherers obliged and lowered their heads, thinking about what they'd
heard. Several people from Uranus were there, all remained in shock, silently
praying for their late queen.

Queen Serenity looked up. "You may continue," she said softly.

Many people stayed quiet, the rest murmuring softly. Immora walked over to
Queen Serenity and handed her the sheets of paper. "Please read this," she said
softly, before walking out of the hallway in a strange sort of trance.

Neptune raced to her room and grabbed her communications crystal. "Get me
through to the palace on Uranus--"

The woman on the other end responded, "The princess has asked not to be
disturbed--"

"Put me through to her!!!"

"Ma'am, I am afraid that--"

"I am her LOVER!!! Put me through to her!!"

"Ah... yes, m-ma'am... hold on a moment..."

Neptune sat impatiently waiting as the lady seemed to be searching for which
signal would reach Uranus's room. Finally Uranus's face appeared. She smiled
weakly, sadly. "Hi Michiru..."

"Hi Haruka... I... heard what happened. Do you want me to come over there? I
figured you probably want someone to talk to..."

"My shuttle leaves in three hours to return to the Moon Kingdom for the ball. I
can only stay until tomorrow afternoon though; I will need to get back to my
duties... Mom's funeral is in five days..."

Neptune wiped a tear from her eye. "Haruka... I..."

Uranus smiled sadly at her. "There was nothing anyone could do for her... maybe
some mage could've helped, but Mom wouldn't have wanted that. She wanted it to
end..." Uranus drew in a shuddered breath, the type you breathe after you've been
crying hard for a long time. "I'm gonna miss her... she was the last family I had...
Lord knows where my brother is!" She smiled more genuinely then. "Well, at least
Mom is happy now... she always had a very strong faith... Her life wasn't so great
so she wanted it to be over. I just have to accept that."

Neptune blew her a small kiss. "I'm going back to Uranus with you, okay? I miss
you too much, and besides, it's easier to rule a planet with someone by your
side."

Uranus laughed. "Thanks! Well, gotta get my dress from the cleaning lady... I
hope you'll like it. I picked it out for the ball, it's dark blue..."

"Don't tell me yet! I wanna be surprised!"

"Suit yourself," Uranus chuckled. "Well... I should go... if I am lucky, maybe I
can catch an earlier shuttle."

"Yeah, okay... Hey wait!" Neptune suddenly remembered... "Haruka... I've been getting
these strange feelings lately... like there is some evil presence in the palace...
I'm scared, I really am. I don't know who to talk to..."

Uranus thought about it. "Why not go to Mars? She is good with this type of
stuff..." there was a burst of static briefly on the screen and some garbled
sounds, then Uranus appeared again. "Sorry! This thing isn't working quite
right... see ya later okay? I love you..."

Neptune giggled as Uranus blew her a kiss and winked. "I love you too" Blowing
her a kiss, she broke of the communications, then flopped back on their bed and
pondered the strange premonitions she'd been having lately.



Time: about seven minutes after previous scene
Place: a guest room, the Palace



"No!!! I told you NO!!!" Immora started throwing vases and various strange
objects, magic trinkets, and books at the shadowy form, before stumbling to the
ground when she lost her footing. She looked back up at the form of Mistress
Nine with a sneer. "I won't ever serve you. I am not STUPID, unlike what you
might think." She spat at the form. "Look at you, you don't even have a body
anymore! You're just a shadow, a mere presence!"

Mistress Nine's black form was only a shadow of her former self. It had the
shape, but the solid black shadow didn't betray any features. A strange purple
glow formed around her, and her eyes became visible as piercing white slits on
her face, her irises only showing as a dark circle in the white. A red glow
formed from the eyes. "I will regain Hotaru, Immora, and then you can't do
anything to stop me. You _will_ help me whether you wish it or not."

Immora climbed to her feet again. "You don't get it, do you? I will NOT serve
you, no matter _what_ happens!!! And how the HELL are you able to exist after
all the power the Senshi threw at you!?!"

Mistress Nine laughed lightly. "You fool! I am tied with many powers in the

universe, linked to darkness. As long as there is evil in this world, I can
return."

Immora snorted. "Whatever. I really don't care anymore." Without any semblance
of modesty, she cast her clothing aside and pulled on a pale violet dress, slit
up one side, with thin straps and a low neckline. "Now, I am going to ENJOY
myself and have fun. Don't interfere with that!"

Mistress Nine shimmered into a purple glow. "I go where I choose." She d
isappeared after that.

Immora shrugged and applied rosy brown lipstick to her lips. I hate that woman,
she thought to herself, pulling her hair into a twist and sticking pins in it, a
few pieces left out to frame her delicate-featured face. She won't control me, I
will never let _anyone_ control me again, after what Necros did... Immora
shuddered slightly, then turned around in front of the mirror to examine her
dress. She slipped her feet into pale violet high heels, then put silver hoops
in her ears, a silver bracelet near her bicep (it's one of those Egyptian style
ones) and fastened a necklace around her neck. It had a rich blue gem, the
variety unknown, but clearly rare [note: this is just like what Neptune was said
to have in the previous chapter; this was not given to her by Uranus though!]
fastened on a silver chain. She held the jewel up in front of her face with a
wistful look, her pupils rounded. I will find you... one day we will be reunited,
my love. I am sorry that Ka'ina removed the memories and I couldn't remember a
single thing about you, but I remember now... I know who you are now. I miss you
so much! I don't know when, but we will be together again... my soulmate. I have
a strong feeling it will be soon...

A single tear trickled down her cheek, and Immora irritably dabbed her cheek
with a cloth to get rid of the smear her eye makeup left behind it. I will find
you one day... we will be together... forever...



Time: half an hour later
Place: a meeting room in the Palace



Queen Serenity was discussing the report Immora had given her with several
generals, Kunzite, Jadeite, Zoisite, and Nephrite among them. She had made it
clear that Mistress Nine was still in existence and was trying to utilize
Immora's powers, and to regain possession of Hotaru.

Kunzite paced the floor while Nephrite spoke with the other two, the other
generals present murmuring amongst themselves. "I think that if she plans to
attack," a general from Jupiter spoke, "we need to build up everyone's defenses
in preparation."

A voice spoke out, "That is just what she is waiting for." A person materialized
from the shadows. Immora. She was dressed for the ball, it seemed. "Look, she will
wait until she knows we are ready for her to attack. She is strange in that sense...
she wants to wait until... until my powers are built up again. She seems to think
I will assist her."

A Martian commander narrowed his eyes in her direction. "Will you assist her,
archmage? You tried to attack us two days ago! Why not now?!"

A typically fiery-tempered Martian, Immora thought to herself. "No, I will not.
Oh, General, if you were paying attention to the broadcasts lately, I did _not_
attack of my own free will. I believe you can study that report in detail if you
wish to understand my unique mental condition fully."

She then curtsied slightly. "If you will excuse me, the ball is in two hours,
and I need to speak with some people. Farewell Queen, gentlemen."

"She has a strange charm to her," Zoisite murmured.

"If you have a heart of ice," Jadeite chuckled.



Time: an hour and a half later
Place: the docking bay, outside the Palace



The Senshi stood waiting for Uranus's shuttle to arrive, along with a few dozen
Uranian citizens that wanted a glimpse of their princess. Some of the guests had
filed outside to see who all would get off the shuttle--it held about a hundred
people--along with the well-known gossipers, fishing for stories to broadcast
over a general channel the next morning.

Neptune stood with the Inner Senshi, the four Generals, and Endymion. The
Generals and Endymion had their arms wrapped around the shoulders of their
respective lovers, while Neptune stood off to the side. Pluto and Saturn were
talking with an old friend of theirs several yards away. Neptune smoothed the
front of her dress, a silvery aqua in color. The dress hugged her upper body
while the skirt billowed around her, the low dip of the neckline and the loose,
transparent sleeves complimented her shapely figure well. Her heels matched the
color of her dress, and she wore simple droplet earrings, the ring and necklace
Uranus had given her, and a thin silver chain bracelet around her left wrist.
She only wore a bit of rosy lipstick as her makeup. Like the other Princesses,
she wore a thin ribbon tied in the back around her neck. Her wavy hair was worn
down, curling around her shoulders slightly.

The Inners were dressed with equal elegance. Princess Serenity had her usual,
beautiful white dress, white heels, the engagement ring Endymion had given her,
and some simple silver jewelry, with pale pink lipstick as her only makeup. She
was a vision of angelic beauty in her soft white and silver tones. She had tied
a silvery white ribbon around her neck which complimented her eyes and hair
well. A few small white flowers were tucked into her hair near her odango.

Mercury had on a short blue-toned dress, the color shifting from rich blues to aqua
tones depending on the angle you looked at it. The neckline dipped but was
modest at the same time, her sleeves thin spaghetti straps. Her dress was
flowing like water, her silver jewelry seeming to reflect the watery hues. The
ribbon around her neck shifted colors with her dress, her silver hoop earrings
and bracelets appearing blue toned in comparison, her lips glossed to a delicate
shine.

Venus had a yellow dress on that had a gold tinge to it. Her v-neckline didn't
dip very low, the slit up one side of her skirt showed her legs, the skirt and
top clinging to her lithe form. Her shiny hair was worn loose instead of in its
usual ribbon, matching her gold droplet earrings and bracelets well. The ribbon
was the same color as her dress, though she tied it at the side of her neck instead
of the back, her bronzy lips completing the color scheme.

Mars wore a rich red dress so as not to match her bright hair color exactly.
Her dress clung to her before flaring around her knees, her thin straps worn low
on her shoulders with her plunging neckline showing her tanned skin. Her hair
was pinned up in a twist, with several pieces dangling loose. Her ruby jewelry
was set in gold, the ribbon around her neck had a slight curl in the tails. She
smiled briefly in Serenity's direction as her rosy lips kissed Jadeite's cheek
briefly.

Jupiter wore an emerald-toned dress, loose and billowing around her, with a low
neckline and transparent sleeves like the one's on Neptune's dress. Her wavy
locks were pulled back in a low ponytail with a ribbon like the one around her
neck. She wore only rose earrings for jewelry, but they were so polished and
bright that it didn't seem necessary for her to wear any more. Her lips were a
glossy pink, going well with the rose earrings.

Pluto wore a black dress with a plunging neckline and thin straps. It clung to
her body, flaring only at her ankles, her dark hair pulled up in a high ponytail
held with a silver hair-ring. Dark jewels sparkled from her ears, a dark ribbon
tied around her neck seeming a bit out of place, but she looked strangely
imposing nevertheless. A bracelet made of silver wrapped here upper arm (again
one of those Egyptian ones, you know, those snake bracelets?) She didn't smile
but only briefly, a slight twitching of her deep chocolate-colored lips.

Saturn wore a purple dress with a modest neckline and off-shoulder sleeves. The
dress was loose around her tiny frame and she seemed uncomfortable standing
around in it. She wore tiny silver hoops for earrings, her only jewelry, her
lips glossed slightly, and the ribbon tied around her neck matching her dress in
color. She seemed a bit nervous though. I have a terrible feeling about tonight,
Saturn thought to herself. Something is terribly wrong, I know it...

Usagi stood to the side of Saturn, wearing a silvery pink dress that was simple
in design; low neckline, strappy sleeves, tight on the top while becoming looser
and flared towards the bottom. She wore her hair down, flowing in soft waves,
with some small white flowers tucked behind her left ear. She wore tiny silver
droplets for earrings, with a silvery pink ribbon tied around her neck, and a
small silver chain around her wrist with a heart dangling from it. Pluto was
surprised at how much more mature she was than in the Original Time, and was
pleased that she had grown into such an intelligent, calm woman.

The Generals wore black tuxedos with flowing cloaks, the inside lining of Kunzite's
being an icy blue, Jadeite's a dark red, Nephrite's a rich green, and Zoisite's a
deep golden orange. Endymion wore his usual black tuxedo with a flowing black cloak,
the inside lined with a rich red velvet.

As the group stood, Pluto and Saturn rejoined them. The shuttle finally landed,
about ten minutes late, but that was to be expected with the strange magical
waves that Immora and Saturn's battle had caused. Passengers started filing off
the shuttle, side-by-side, in a long trail of people. Several well-known
families exited the plane, their arrivals announced as the left the ramp.

Uranus was near the back of the group and seemed a bit upset about being so far
behind everyone. A big fuss was made by the announcer at her arrival, the group
waiting for her ignoring what they said.

"Haruka!" Neptune called out, waving her hand over the large crowd of people.

Uranus waved back and started pushing people aside to get through, "'Scuse me,
pardon me, hey! Watch where you're going!" She finally got through the crowd.
"Jeez, it's a zoo out here!" she chuckled.

Neptune smiled and ran into her open arms, hugging her tightly. "How was the
trip?" Jupiter asked.

Uranus nodded, "It was okay, some rough space, but it was a pretty smooth
trip--oof! You're squishing my ribs, Michiru!"

Neptune giggled and kissed her lips lightly. She pulled back from the embrace
and breathed, "You look gorgeous."

Uranus blushed slightly. "Thanks, you do too." Uranus wore an indigo dress that
fitted her slender body tightly. It had a dipping neckline with two tiny straps
on each sides for sleeves. The skirt was slit to just above her knee on each
side. She wore a gold chain with a tiny globe-shaped gem on it, a rich dark blue
with flecks of aquamarine swirling in it. It was a gift from Neptune. She wore a
small gold hoop on each ear, her lips colored in a rosy brown. The ribbon
matching her dress tied around her neck had very short tails on it. She kissed
Neptune on the forehead. "Like the dress?"

"Yes, it's very nice," Neptune said with a smile.

"C'mon, let's get away from the crowds, the ball starts in twenty minutes... it's
going to be tough getting inside," Mars told them all.

"We better get inside then," Endymion said with a smile. "After all, the 'royal
couples' have to be announced." The couples all groaned. "Pluto, Saturn, and
Usagi, you three will each get separate introductions..."

"Why do we have to be announced?" Serenity said with a sigh.

"We are royalty, important people, rulers, Senshi..." Mercury shrugged. "We have
to get used to it. These people look to us for protection and leadership. They
expect us to be announced and talked about--" she laughed, "I'll stop rattling
on... probably is a rather boring topic, right?"

The couples joined hands as they walked to the front of a line of important
people that would be introduced, the three singles also coming in behind them.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to bump you--" Saturn started to someone she'd
jostled.

"It's okay I wasn't--Saturn?!" The woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Immora?!" Saturn was completely shocked, but she tried not to make too big a
deal about it.

Immora cringed. "Er, hi... I... Saturn, I am so sorry for... attacking like
that... I..."

Saturn's shocked face changed to a wide smile. "Uranus explained it in a
transmission to me last night. I understand. I... forgive you."

Immora breathed a sigh of relief. "Y'know... I _hate_ waiting in this stupid
line!" She laughed lightly. "I don't consider myself important, so why should I
be here?! I mean, tons of mages look up to me and everything, but I'm really
just some simple woman who wishes she had a _normal_ life! I'm sure you can
understand that, being a senshi and all, can't you? Being popular really _sucks_
sometimes."

She laughed with Saturn, then they exchanged several words, complimented their
choice of dress, and stood talking as they waited to be introduced.

"Welcome to the annual Silver Millennium Ball! I hope the trip was okay--" the
usual speech by the announcer followed. "First, we have our dear queen, the
beautiful Serenity!" There was an uproarious applause after that, Queen Serenity
entering the room with her usual grace, smiling as she took her seat at a large
table reserved for the Senshi and the Generals (Endymion too!)

"Princess Serenity of the moon and her fiancé, Prince Endymion of Earth!" The
young engaged couple walked it with Serenity's hand around Endymion's arm. They
politely nodded and took their seats.

"Princess Mercury and her boyfriend, General Kunzite!" The two entered and
smiled to everyone, Kunzite returning several salutes he received from various
members of his forces.

"Princess Venus and her boyfriend, General Zoisite!" There were several
whistles, just who they were directed to was not apparent. They waved before
taking their seats.

"Princess Mars and her boyfriend, General Jadeite!" They walked in and briefly
waved before slipping into their seats.

The announcer paused slightly. "Princess Jupiter and her _fiancé_ General
Nephrite!" They hurried to their seats as scattered shouts and whistles flew at
them, the Senshi all staring in astonishment at them.

"When did THIS happen!?" Serenity squealed.

"Hush, last night, now be quiet," Jupiter hissed.

"Princess Uranus and... *ahem* her girlfriend Princess Neptune!" They walked in
holding hands and smiling widely, receiving various responses as they took their
seats.

"Princess Pluto, Princess Saturn, and the beautiful, kind, and mysterious woman
known as Usagi!" The three women entered, curtsied, then took their seats.

"Um..." the announcer was uncertain about announcing the next person on the list.
"The most powerful archmage in known existence, Immora!" Immora entered with a
tiny forced smile, the only true applause being from some mages clustered
together, the rest was out of politeness. She sat down at a large table where
most of the mages sat, a strangely crestfallen look on her face.

The introductions continued for a bit as some other important persons and
families were announced. "General Toren of Uranus with his wife..." Uranus held
back a loud laugh as his name was called.

"The King and Queen of Neptune, with their daughters and sons..." the announcer
racked off several names as Neptune paled slightly.

The announcer continued announcing the royal families of the various planets,
the kings and queens receiving less applause than their sons and daughters
however.

"... one who has been known to us as one of the fastest runners and best shuttle
pilot around, Akeru!"

A loud crack of glass was heard from one of the tables and most of the guests
fell silent and turned to see Immora, shards of glass held in her trembling,
bleeding hand. The eyes went back to the woman introduced as Akeru, shrugging as
they clapped for her.

Akeru had average skin-tone, short, boyish-cut black hair, and almond-shaped,
chocolate brown eyes. She was average height, slender, and carried herself with
confidence. Like most of the men present and only a couple women, she wore a
tuxedo, pale in color but not quite white, looking strangely right in it. She
wore a silver chain around her neck, with a rich blue gem attached [notice a
pattern here?] She took her seat at the table filled with mages, choosing an
empty spot next to Immora.

The introductions finished shortly after that. Uranus nudged Jupiter with her
elbow. "Hey, you have any idea what is going on over there? I don't know what to
make of it..."

Jupiter followed her gaze to where the mages sat, the other Senshi also
starting to take interest. Immora sat, wide-eyed, and said nothing as she gazed
at Akeru, tightly clasping the jewel around her neck. Akeru looked over at her
with a bemused look. The Senshi used their magical abilities to hear what they
said.

"Do you remember me, Immora?" she spoke in sweet tones.

Immora nodded slowly. "I think so..." Akeru cupped Immora's chin with her hand.
Immora colored slightly. "I've missed you... I am so sorry for what happened..."

Akeru just smiled and kissed her cheek gently. "It isn't your fault... Ka'ina
made you forget and sent me here..."

A tiny tear trickled down Immora's cheek. Akeru brushed it away, Immora
catching Akeru's hand in hers when she pulled it back, and gently kissed the
other woman's hand. Akeru smiled at her and Immora smiled shyly back.

"Poor Ka'ina," Venus said softly, gesturing to the crestfallen woman sitting a
several seats away from Immora and Akeru. "It's kind of obvious what Akeru and
Immora feel for each other... Immora has a love for Akeru that she never had for
Ka'ina..."

Music started playing and couples started to file out to the dance floor.

"May I have this dance?" Endymion teased Serenity, pulling her to her feet as
the two began twirling and moving across the dance floor with practiced skill.

Uranus smiled to Neptune and they stood, also moving to the dance floor.
"Remember that day in the cave?"

Neptune blushed faintly, then gently pressed her lips to Uranus's. "How could I
forget... my first kiss, or should I say two, ever. And they were _quite_ good,
Haruka."

Uranus laughed with her, holding her close as they moved in time with the
music.

The Generals helped their respective lovers to their feet as they moved out to
the floor also. Venus kept hissing questions in Jupiter's direction, as did
Zoisite, demanding an explanation as to just how their engagement came about.

Queen Serenity sat at the table with Pluto, Saturn, and Usagi. "They all make
such beautiful couples," she commented.

Pluto nodded in agreement. "They do all go well together... hmmm, what _is_ our
friend Immora up to?"

They looked over in her direction. She was talking softly with Akeru, nervously
clasping her hand. Akeru then asked her something and they stood up. Akeru
started to lead her in the dance, moving among the dancers a bit awkwardly, as
if not used to dancing much. Immora's cheeks were flushed slightly as they held
each other tightly.

"Akeru, I ... I love you. I am sorry that Ka'ina... you know..."

"Hush, my love..." Akeru whispered, pressing her finger to Immora's soft lips.
"I love you too..." They leaned closer, meeting each other's lips in a tender, yet
passionate kiss. A few murmurs escaped some of the people dancing near them, the
couple never even noticing in their embrace. Akeru pulled back slowly. "I missed
you," she told Immora softly.

Immora blushed slightly and said shyly, "I really missed you too... once I
remembered you..."

Serenity chuckled, "Despite having lived for technically hundreds, maybe thousands
of years, she still is young at heart."

The various couples continued to whirl around the dance floor as the band
shifted to a slower song. Endymion held Princess Serenity tighter to him as he
talked softly with her. "When do you want our wedding to be? We've been engaged
for awhile now..."

"Hmmm... let's think about that later and just enjoy the party for now..."

Pluto smiled to Saturn. "They are a lovely couple aren't th--" her words cut off
as her eyes went blank.

"Pluto, wha--" Saturn gasped for air, her eyes blanking out. Her world seemed to
swirl around her, she felt light-headed like she was floating, yet strangely
heavy... everything was spinning, she was numbed, but a sharp pain ached through
her body... everything seemed so silent, but a voice throbbed in her mind... her
thoughts were mixing, jumbling, hers and someone else's, she could feel part of
her body clearly while the other seemed to be feeling what another person felt...

Queen Serenity dashed to Saturn's side, the Senshi quickly breaking away from
their dances to run over to here. Saturn had collapsed on the ground shrieking, a
black shadow shaped like a woman hovering over her, but seeming to overlap her...

The crowd started screaming and panicking, shoving aside their peers in a dash
for the exits. Guards swarmed around trying to get things under control. Queen
Serenity started shouting at the Senshi, "Transform! It's Mistress Nine, you
must stop her!"

The Senshi all clutched their heads simultaneously as a pulsing sensation went
through their minds. "I am afraid NOT," Mistress Nine cackled. Saturn's body
raised, eyes still blank. About half of Mistress Nine's form was merged with
Saturn's. Saturn's body seemed like a puppet, suspended in the air, unable to
control her own actions. Mistress Nine sent out a wave of energy that rippled
the air and slammed into the Senshi, it didn't knock them back or hurt them
physically, but had another effect...

"I-I can't henshin--" Mercury moaned. "My head..."

"That power.. it's too strong, stop fighting it!" Uranus called hoarsely to
them. "The harder you try the more it AHHHH!!!" she slumped to her knees
clutching her throbbing head in her hands.

Purple lighting crackled in the air as Mistress Nine slowly merged with
Hotaru's body. "STOP HER!!!" someone else screamed.

A burst of light hit Mistress Nine's shadowy form and she was forced back a
bit. "What the--"

Immora stood their with a terrified look on her face. "D-Don't do it please!
You told me you wouldn't... You don't know what--" a burst of black energy from
Mistress Nine slammed Immora back against the wall. A crack split the wall as
the crunch of bones was heard. Immora still remained pinned to the wall as
Mistress Nine continued to pour black energy from her, slamming into the
screaming archmage's form. Finally the onslaught stopped. Immora dropped to the
ground with a sickening thump. Akeru screamed loudly and ran over to her
crumpled, bloodied figure.

"The ginzuishou! Give it to me!" Queen Serenity shouted, fighting against the
pain of the black energy crackling around her. The guests had cleared the hall,
leaving the queen, the Senshi, Immora, Akeru, and Mistress Nine the only ones
present.

The younger Serenity painfully lobbed it to her mother, who clasped it in her
hand with fierce determination. A strong wind blew outwards from Mistress Nine,
pushing them back away from her as she continued to merge with Hotaru's body.

Uranus painfully crawled over to Akeru, who was slumped over the form of Immora.
Immora's breathing was ragged and her healing was going painfully slow. "You
have to help us!" Uranus shrieked. "Get up! Get up and fight!"

"I can't!" she sobbed, clutching her broken ribs. Sobs racked her body, making
the pain worse. "I-I-I wish I c-could but... ahhhh!" she screamed as a glow rushed
through her. Blood stained her hands as she held them in front of her face,
shudders racking her. "I can't d-do anything against her... I-I..."

"Don't push her!" Akeru whispered hoarsely. A burst of light caused the Senshi
to slide across the floor towards the walls.

Pluto finally came to, weakened and in terrible pain. She couldn't access her
time abilities. She watched in horror as Mistress Nine started to complete her
possession.

"Immora!" Queen Serenity screamed.

"Use the gin-ginzui--" Immora started to say. She coughed hard and spat out some
blood.

Queen Serenity held it up and a bright white light began to glow. "Ginzuishou
Clen--" she never finished her words. A bright purple flash suddenly appeared,
and everything was colored red as a red glow formed, finally turning black. They
couldn't see what was happening...

A dull purple light, shaped light a small star, appeared. Then red glowing
eyes. Everything lit up again. "NoOOOoooOOOooOOOoooooOOO!!!" Immora shrieked.

Loud maniacal laughter filled the hallway. Standing tall, wearing a low-cut
navy dress with long black hair, yet the same frail form they knew, was Mistress
Nine. "I knew I would have this body again... nothing can ever stop me..."

"Pluto Senshi MAKE-UP!!!" Pluto shrieked, ignoring the fire in her mind. She
stood up, clothed in her fuku. The pain in her head made her want to pass out,
but she had to keep going...

"Mars Senshi MAKE-UP!!!"

"Uranus Senshi MAKE-UP!!!"

"Jupiter Senshi MAKE-UP!!!""

"Venus Senshi MAKE-UP!!!"

"Neptune Senshi MAKE-UP!!!"

"Mercury Senshi MAKE-UP!!!"

"Moon Prism Power, Make-UP!!!!!"

The Senshi transformed and stood up, clutching their respective weapons in
hand. Mistress Nine laughed loudly. The two Serenities clung together, trying to
power the ginzuishou, which refused to answer their summons.

"Blazing --" Mars started her attack, when Mistress Nine sent another ripple of
energy out. The Senshi screamed as they slid across the marble floor to collide
with the wall. Mars moaned and started to try again, when a burst of energy hit
her hard, knocking her unconscious before she could cry out.

"Try something else, summon your elements or something!" Akeru cried to them.
She held Immora against her, her pale tuxedo dotted with Immora's crimson blood.

Immora moaned and rasped, "Just summon them! Don't worry about the words *cough
cough* just do it!!"

Neptune nervously started, "I summon the spirits of the sea--" Mistress Nine's
form seemed to waver and glowed brightly. Neptune cried out and screamed,
knocked unconscious like Mars.

"Damnit, it isn't responding!" Princess Serenity cried. The ginzuishou remained
dull and lifeless.

"I summon the guardians of the heavens--" Uranus also screamed was also knocked
out by a blast.

"We are never going to win this," Neo-Moon sobbed. "Everytime we try she just--"

"Wait!" Akeru cried. "Immora... give me the rings..."

"What?!" Immora gasped. "Akeru, you can't--"

"Do it!"

Immora handed over several rings to her, each having a different colored gem set
in them. Akeru grimaced slightly at the flow of energy that went through her,
then turned to face Mistress Nine. Several bolts of lightning, followed by a flow
of fire and ice, launched at the other woman. Mistress Nine sidestepped them,
then lashed out, knocking the rings from her fingers.

"Damn!" Akeru swore. "I can't use those abilities without the amplifier rings--"

"Death... " Mistress Nine started in a chill voice.

Pluto's eyes widened to their fullest. "no, No, NO SOMEONE STOP HER!!!!"

Immora cried out hastily, "I Summon the energy of the Cosmos to me--"

"Reborn..."

"--and call you to fill me with your power!!!"

"Revo--"

"Katanu shali tai Na!!!!" Immora shrieked.

"--LUTION!!!"

A bright white burst of light formed, matched by a burst of black light. The
two smashed together, the sound of a gigantic thunderclap shattered the air as a
blinding light formed. Screams echoed in the air as a rush of intense cold
poured from the blast, seeming about to freeze everything in the bright glow,
when suddenly it all ceased.

The Senshi that were still conscious huddled together as they sobbed with fear,
then sniffled slightly and looked around.

Saturn lay on the ground, her skin almost deathly white. Her body had returned
to normal. Immora lay, not breathing, on the ground next to her. Their dresses
were torn and clung in pathetic scraps to them, scratches and small burns
marking their pale skin.

The scream from Akeru brought them to their senses.

They stumbled over their feet, moving as quickly as they could to Saturn and
Immora's side. "Oh God no please no oh my God..." Mercury was murmuring to
herself. She lay her head to Saturn's chest, fearing the worst. "Oh thank God,
her heart is beating... faintly though... she's not breathing..."

She inwardly grimaced. If she had to resort to mouth-to-mouth... Akeru handed her
a vial of smelling salts. "It might work... get her breathing first..."

Neo-Moon stumbled forward and said some strange phrase under her breath. A pink
light glowed around Saturn and she drew in a shuddered breath, then another.
Mercury briefly waved the vial under Saturn's nose. She coughed and her eyes
fluttered open. She started to sit up, but Jupiter held her shoulders, keeping
her in place, then gently gathered her into her arms, cradling the frail
princess. Saturn started sobbing. "Oh God I hurt all over... I feel so horrible...
check on her..." she whispered, then passed out, but she breathed regularly.
Jupiter gently handed her limp form to Pluto.

Akeru was frantically trying to rouse Immora. Immora lay still on the ground,
still not breathing. Mercury checked her. "She barely has a pulse... we might
loose her..."

"She's IMMORTAL damnit!" Akeru screamed. "She won't die! It's not possible for her
to! Just wake her up please!!!!" She drew in a shuddered breath. "I-I... I'm sorry,
I just..." She calmed down a bit and started taking deep breaths.

"We have to get her breathing again... give her mouth-to-mouth please," Mercury
said. "I don't think anyone else is willing to."

Akeru nodded and pinched Immora's nose tightly shut, held her jaw firmly and
covered her mouth with her own. She breathed in several times, then pulled back
and pressed her hands to her torso, pushing in a few times.

The waited several moments. "Damn!" Akeru repeated the procedure. She then
repeated again... Finally Immora started to breathe again.

"She's still unconscious," Venus murmured wearily. "And Mars, Nep--"

"Call the doctors," Queen Serenity murmured to them, slumped against the wall.
"Summon them, someone..."

A few minutes later, the doctors showed up, putting the five patients on
stretchers and carefully teleporting them to the medical facilities.



Time: two hours later
Place: the medical facilities, the Palace



The Senshi, Akeru, and Queen Serenity waited outside the door nervously until
the doctor let them come in.

Mars, Uranus, and Neptune lay on small beds pushed near each other. "They
should be okay in a few days," the doctor told them. "Conscious by tomorrow, but
they will need to rest a few days. Calling upon their elements like that and
having the link so suddenly severed... it may damage their abilities for a couple
of weeks. But they will be physically and mentally well within three days at the
most."

The doctor handed some medical reports to Mercury, who scanned through them
briefly, planning to read through them later. "Saturn... I am afraid I do not know
when she will be well. There is no way to tell yet if Mistress Nine is still
within her. I am afraid we will have to keep her in unconscious until we are
able to determine if Mistress Nine still possesses her. Also, she might be
damaged mentally by the attack... I will explain more momentarily.. We have been
able to cure most of her wounds already, so when we are able to wake her up, she
should be in full health."

The Senshi nodded to him. Queen Serenity sadly gazed upon Saturn, lying with
the sheets pulled up to her neck. They had removed the shreds of her dress, as
they'd done with Immora, because they had gotten in the way during the surgery.
Though they had appeared to be not seriously injured on the outside, there had
been some internal bleeding in both that the doctors had to stop.

The doctor handed the medical documents on Saturn to Mercury, then drew their
attention to Immora. "I am afraid she has fallen into a coma. We tried to...ah,
jump-start her usual magical healing process with a small dose of this," he held
up a vial of a strange liquid, "but we got no response--"

"What do you mean?!" Akeru interrupted. "If her magic abilities are working
they would have started to heal... oh no..." her hand flew to her mouth.

The doctor nodded. "As you all might recall, her abilities were weakened by her
battle with Saturn--not permanently, but they probably would not have raised back
to full potential for a number of days. What Immora did earlier today..." he
cleared his throat. "Mistress Nine called upon a power that would have ultimately
destroyed _everything_. I don't mean just this planet, this solar system... the
power she called upon would have reached across possibly hundreds or thousands of
galaxies. Immora did a very... _stupid_ thing... she basically called upon a power
that would have basically done the exact opposite of that. When the two energies
collided, that huge explosion you felt was formed. It did not just burst and
disappear. That same explosion is still traveling... it's probably left out solar
system by now... What I am getting at is that Immora used a power, a very great
power, that she should not have attempted even in her full power, much less her
weakened state. She is lucky she is immortal or she would undoubtedly be dead
already. Using that much power would kill anyone _except_ for an immortal, and as
it is she probably will be in a coma for a long time."

Akeru seemed to be frozen in place. "How long until she can be woken up?"

"At the least... " the doctor sighed deeply. "It could be several months before
she wakes up, and maybe even more time after that before she is able to even
_think_ on her own again."

Jupiter steadied Akeru as she slumped over towards the ground, crying hard.

"oh God!" Pluto whispered. "If it had this effect on her, how could Saturn... ?"

"Saturn is a unique case, she already had the potential for that kind of attack
in her. Immora did not have that ability. The chant she cried out, the summon
she made... she drew in power from _everything_, and then suddenly released it in
that one burst. Normally, if she were to attempt that, she would have to build
up the energy for months... but to do it in a matter of seconds..."

Pluto leaned wearily on her Time Staff. Saturn and Immora... comatose... Saturn
likely to still be possessed, they didn't dare risk waking her... Immora in a coma
for who knows how long.... Mistress Nine could escape anytime and attack.

A small tear escaped her eye. All I've tried to do in my duty is to keep the
natural balance of this reality. I failed in the last one, and this new reality
was formed. This one has plunged into a chaos that I can't do anything to
prevent. Things are happening that shouldn't happen, and I can't do anything to
stop it.

I have failed.

**********
END ENCOUNTERS ~~~ NEXT: REMEMBRANCE