ENTER THE SHINING STAR
At exactly 9:10 am, a single cry pierced the newly lit sky. All of Tokyo knew who the screamer was and what her frantic cry was for.
"Oh no, I've overslept again!" Serena wailed as she rushed around her bedroom.
"Serena, didn't I tell you to set your alarm?" Luna asked. The black cat stretched and began grooming herself. The yellow crescent on her forehead glowed.
"I forgot," Serena called from the depths of her closet.
Quickly, Serena put on her blue and white school uniform, straightened the red bow on the front and clasped her locket around the centre. Not even pausing to brush her long, blond pigtails that began as balls on the top of her head, Serena raced out the door and up the street.
"Don't forget about the meeting at the Cherry Hill Temple after school," Luna called after her.
Serena slid into her seat just as Ms Haruna ended the mornings lesson. Serena did her best to look as if she had been there all along, but her teacher knew better.
"Serena," Ms Haruna said. "Please review for the class the examples I just gave."
A red blush rose into Serena's cheeks and she opened her mouth to admit to the teacher she had missed the lesson again. Before she could speak, however, she felt someone push a few papers into her hand. Serena blinked in surprise and read the answers that she had been given. Ms Haruna tried to mask her shock.
"That's . . . right," she said as the bell rang.
As Serena stood to leave for lunch, she turned to see who her benefactor was. The girl appeared to be slightly older than Serena, with shoulder length curly brown hair and hazel eyes. She was taller than Serena by quite a few inches, and wore a sun shaped ring on her finger.
"Thanks," Serena said. "You saved my life!"
"Your life?" the girl asked.
"I have a very important meeting to go to tonight, and my friends would've killed me if I got detention," Serena smiled. "My name is Serena. Are you new here?"
The girl nodded. "I'm Jenny. I just moved here a few days ago."
"Nice to meet you," Serena said. "Wanna go for lunch?"
The Sailor Scouts waited patiently on the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple. The trees around the shrine were beginning to bloom, signaling an end to the winter. Raye paced up and down impatiently wearing her temple robes. She always dressed in the robes while at the Temple, telling everyone they were more comfortable than her normal style of dress.
Amy was seated in front of the shrine, reading a book. Her blue eyes skimmed the pages quickly. She wore her uniform from school, having just come from her after-school computer class. Luna was seated beside her, napping in the warm afternoon sun. Mina sat on a stone bench near the stairs, close enough to be able to hear anything being said, but far enough away to avoid being trampled under Raye's pacing. She also wore her school uniform, giving the same excuse Raye gave for her temple robes. Her white cat, Artemis sat next to her, following Raye with his eyes.
"Calm down, Raye," Artemis said at last. "You're making me dizzy."
"She's late again!" Raye fumed. "How difficult is it to walk from home to the Temple?"
"Maybe she's studying?" Amy suggested, not lifting her eyes from her book, "or has detention?"
"Probably the second one," Luna answered dryly.
Lita, who was leaning against a tree, laughed. "I should have told her I was making cupcakes," she remarked.
"Cupcakes? Where?" Serena asked, suddenly appearing from behind Lita.
Raye was about to march over to where Serena stood and demand an explanation when Mina rose to her feet and intercepted her angry.
"So Luna," Mina said quickly, "why did you tell us to meet here?"
Raye turned to face the black cat. Mina sat down again and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I know you all have your memories after Alan and Ann left," Luna began, "but I'm not sure why. Queen Serenity ensured that you would not have any memories of the Sailor Scouts unless the Earth was in danger from the Negaverse."
"Does that mean we have to keep fighting?" Serena asked.
Luna shook her head uncertainly. "I don't know. All I know is that Serena knows she is Sailor Moon, which means we're not out of the woods yet."
As if to prove Luna's point, a scream split the still air. All the scouts raised their heads at the sound.
"It came from the park!" Raye exclaimed.
Almost instantly, the girls were on their feet and heading away from the temple.
They hid among the trees as they assessed the situation. It was definitely a monster of the Negaverse, with metallic pink hair and green skin. She wore a black leotard with a puffy tutu skirt. The monster was advancing towards one girl, who stared at the creature in fright.
"Let's go!" Serena cried. "Moon Crystal Power!"
"Mars Star Power!" Raye yelled.
"Mercury Star Power!" Amy shouted.
"Venus Star Power!" cried Mina.
"Jupiter Star Power!" Lita ended.
The Sailor Scouts jumped from the forest and placed themselves between the monster and her prey.
"You think you can steal that person's energy, do you?" Sailor Moon said. "Well, not while I'm around! I stand for love and justice and in the name of the Moon . . ."
"On behalf of Sailor Mercury," Mercury added.
"In the name of Mars," Mars said.
"For Venus," Venus cried.
"And Jupiter also," Sailor Jupiter finished.
"We will punish you!" they all cried in unison.
"I really wish they'd forget about the long speeches and get on with it," Luna complained from the bushes.
Artemis nodded his agreement.
"Beat it!" the monster said impatiently. "It's not you I'm after, it's her!"
Sailor Moon turned around and saw that the victim was Jenny. She blinked in confusion and turned back to the Nega monster.
"Well, you can't have her!"
The monster shrugged and lunged at the five girls. They scattered, but the monster shot metallic spikes from her hair, pinning Sailor Moon up against a tree.
"Guys, help!" she called.
"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury cried.
The park suddenly filled with fog. Confused, the monster began to shoot spikes randomly. Sailor Mercury gestured to Sailor Jupiter with a wave of her hand.
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter yelled.
A shot of lightning electrified the monster as the fog disappeared. The spikes fell from the tree where Sailor Moon was trapped and the girl fell to the ground. Now angry, the creature jumped at Sailor Mars.
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Sailor Venus shouted, sending her beam to the monster's head.
Sailor Moon took off her tiara, turning it into a glowing discus.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" she shouted, throwing the tiara at the monster. It hit, and the monster dissolved into a pile of dust.
"Totally Moon dusted," Sailor Moon giggled.
The other scouts were already helping the dizzy victim to her feet. Sailor Moon caught Sailor Venus by the elbow as she went to where Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter stood with the girl.
"I know her," Sailor Moon whispered. "I met her today."
Sailors Moon and Venus joined their friends. The girl was already on her feet and dusting off her jeans. She tucked her hair absently behind her ear and the sunlight reflected off of her silver ring.
"Thank you," she said.
"No problem," Sailor Moon answered. "Are you all right?"
Jenny nodded. "What was that thing?"
"I'm getting a weird feeling from that girl," Luna whispered to Artemis as they joined the girls.
"Yeah, me too," the other cat agreed. "Do you think she's a spy?"
"Don't worry about that thing," Sailor Mercury answered, "as long as you're fine."
Luna squeezed her way over to where Jenny stood and the girl bent down to stroke her. As the ring past near Luna's eyes, she studied it intensely.
"Remember, if you need us, we'll be there in a flash!" Sailor Moon said with a wink.
Jenny waved goodbye as the scouts vanished into the trees.
"Oh Luna, you worry too much," Serena said.
"I'm telling you there's something about that girl that's not right," Luna argued.
Serena sat on her bed and swung her legs back and forth. She had been getting ready to sleep when Luna had decided to bring up the topic of the girl they had saved.
"What do we know about her?" Luna asked.
"Well," Serena said as she pulled on her pink pajamas, "she goes to my school and she's in my home room class. Her name is Jenny, she just moved here but she doesn't have very many friends. She usually eats lunch alone, but I had lunch with her today."
"Artemis and I sensed something strange about her. It seemed to be coming from her ring. She may be from the Negaverse," Luna said seriously.
"That's what you thought about Amy and she ended up being a Sailor Scout. Are you sure there were only five of us?" Serena said.
Luna nodded. "There were definitely only five Scouts, but I seem to remember another member of your mother's court, your lady-in-waiting, actually. I brought her to Queen Serenity at her birth, but she wasn't accepted by any planets. I wonder if she's been reborn on Earth. We should have another meeting."
Serena yawned. "Can't it wait until tomorrow? It's late and I'm tired."
"I suppose, but be sure you're on time," Luna sighed.
Serena didn't answer. She was already sound asleep. Luna curled up on the foot of her bed.
"You're hopeless, Serena," she sighed.
Amy walked down the halls of Crossroads Junior High, holding her books tightly to her chest. She had received the news from Serena about another meeting that afternoon but had said she would be late. She was working on an extra credit essay that was due in a few days and she wanted it to be perfect. Amy told Serena that she would spend a few hours in the library and come to the meeting after. Serena had made a face, but had agreed to pass on the message.
"Hey!" someone called behind her.
Amy turned around, not expecting to be the one who was called. She smiled when she saw the girl they had saved the day before running down the hall towards her.
"You dropped this," she said, handing Amy a piece of paper.
"Thank you," Amy said.
The girl's eyes narrowed and she looked closer at Amy. "Have we met before?"
"I — I don't think so," Amy stammered, wondering if the girl knew she was a Sailor Scout.
"Yes we did!" the girl said triumphantly. "I sit behind you in history class! Remember, you lent me your notes so I could catch up?"
Amy smiled. "Of course I remember you. My name is Amy."
"I'm Jenny," the girl said with a grin. "Where are you going?"
"The library," Amy answered, expected Jenny to make a face.
"Hey, me too!" Jenny said. "I work there after school sometimes, it's volunteer, but I love books."
The smile on Amy's face widened. "Would you like to walk with me?"
Jenny nodded and the two girls set off, chatting as if they'd known each other for years.
Amy ran up the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple, hating to be late. She had almost finished her essay, but had gotten caught up talking to Jenny and had nearly missed the meeting. She slipped through the door, but didn't escape the notice of the other Scouts.
"Even Serena managed to get here on time," Raye said somewhat angrily.
Amy blushed. "Sorry. I got caught up in something and forgot about the time."
"That's our Amy!" Mina laughed, "she studies so much, she forgets about the rest of the world!"
Amy's blush deepened and she sat down between Lita and Serena. Mina and Raye were at the other side of the table, with Luna and Artemis at the head.
"So, what were you saying about another member of Queen Serenity's court?" Serena asked, her mouth full of cakes.
"There was a girl who was born with the crescent mark, but was not chosen by a planet. Serenity allowed her to stay in the court where she acted as Serena's lady-in-waiting," Luna explained.
"What's a lady-in-waiting?" Serena interrupted.
"A companion to a noble woman," Amy replied. "Usually, the lady would have several and they would talk. They were the noble's best friends."
"A best friend," Serena mumbled to herself.
"I remember that girl," Artemis said, getting back on track. "She used to always let me sleep in her lap, and she kept you Scouts under control when you decided to explore' your new powers. Now that you mention it, Jenny does look an awful lot like her."
"Would she have scout powers?" Lita asked suddenly.
"Probably not, since she doesn't represent a planet. The key to your powers is the planet that you are the guardian of. If Mars suddenly exploded, Sailor Mars would be powerless," Artemis explained.
"Hey!" Raye said angrily.
Artemis fled behind Mina. "Just an example, Raye."
Raye turned her attention back to the problem at hand.
"Is there anything else in space?" Lita asked. "Something she could be the guardian of?"
"I think Serenity would have told me if something had accepted her," Luna said, sounding hurt.
"Well, there's black holes, stars, comets, meteors, asteroid belts, and a lot of emptiness," Amy said.
"She could be the guardian of one of those," Serena said hopefully.
"It's possible she could represent a star, but it would have to be a pretty big one," Artemis said.
"What about the Sun?" Mina suggested.
"That would be powerful enough," Artemis agreed.
"It also would explain the ring on her finger," Luna added.
"Sailor Sun? That had a strange ring to it," Serena said.
"That's because you're not used to it, Meatball Head," Raye said.
Serena stuck out her tongue at Raye, which Raye promptly returned to her. While they fought, Lita, Mina, and Amy returned to the discussion.
"If she does control the powers of the sun," Mina said, "then it would explain why the Negaverse is after her."
Luna nodded. "They could use her as a bargaining chip to get Serena's Imperial Silver Crystal. We had better keep an eye on her."
"No problem," Amy said. "I see her everyday in class, and she works after school in the library. I can keep my eye on her."
Amy sat in the library, quietly reading. Three days had past since the last Scout meeting and not a single monster had returned. True to her word, Amy had been watching Jenny and had found talking to the girl to be quite enjoyable. Jenny had a strange sense of humour that Amy couldn't help but like. She was also quite smart, which provided Amy with stimulating conversation.
"Are you done with these?" Jenny whispered, pointing to the pile of books Amy had put on the table.
"Yes, thanks," Amy whispered back.
Jenny picked up the books and put them on her cart, quietly wheeling them back to the shelves where they belonged. Suddenly, there was a flash of light from one of the aisles and a muffled scream. Amy was on her feet in an instant and heading down to see what was wrong.
Jenny was being held against the wall by another Negaverse monster. The creature had a large book for a body and had wrapped Jenny up in a page. Amy ducked behind a shelf and turned on her communicator.
"Guys, get to the library fast! The Negaverse sent another monster and it has Jenny!" Amy said, sending the SOS to her friends.
She slipped her power stick out of her pocket.
"Mercury Star Power!" she whispered.
The monster laughed at Jenny. "You must be the one," it said in a raspy voice. "Why else would I have been sent?"
"Hold it!"
The monster turned to see Sailor Mercury standing behind her. The creature smiled grimly.
"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury said.
The room filled with fog. From beneath the huge page, Jenny managed to squirm free. She fell to the ground and rolled to where Mercury stood. Her ring began to grow warm on her finger.
"Get out of here," Sailor Mercury called.
Visions swam before Jenny's eyes. She saw the sun and could feel herself being drawn into it. It was warm on her skin, its power coursed through her, and she suddenly knew what she had to do.
"No," she said. Sailor Mercury turned in surprise. Jenny held her ring above her hand and cried "Solar Ring Power!"
In a brilliant flash of light, Jenny was gone and in her place stood Sailor Sun. She wore the same uniform as the other scouts with a yellow skirt with a purple bow on the back, a white leotard with a yellow bow on the front, and white elbow length gloves. She wore an orange choker with a golden sun on it and the jewel on her tiara was also in the shape of a sun. On her feet were yellow sandals that laced up her legs in ribbon.
"I am Sailor Sun, Guardian of the Eternal Star," Sailor Sun announced, stepping in front of Sailor Mercury to face the monster. "Surrender or be destroyed!"
"You are the right one," the monster sneered. "Master! I will not fail you!"
The creature lunged and Sailor Mercury and Sailor Sun each jumped in different directions. Sailor Mercury rolled and stood again as the monster went after her friend.
"Sailor Sun!" Mercury called. "Use your powers!"
"I don't know what they are!" Sailor Sun replied. "I'm new at this!"
The monster grabbed Sailor Sun by the leg and began to pull the newest scout towards her.
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"
The book creature released Sailor Sun as electricity coursed through its body. She screamed in pain as Sailor Sun scrambled away.
"Wait!" Sailor Sun cried. "I think I've got it now."
She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. Holding up her two hands in a triangle with her thumbs and index fingers touching, she brought them up so her jewel was showing in the middle of her fingers, and opened her eyes.
"Day-Star Solar Ray Charge!" she yelled, sending a beam of pure light energy from her four finger and sun jewel.
The beam hit the book monster and it incinerated into a pile of dust. Sailor Sun stepped over it and went to meet her fellow scouts.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Sailor Sun."
"I'm Sailor Moon," Sailor Moon said. She pointed to each of the scouts in turn. "This is Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and I believe you've met Sailor Mercury."
"So, am I in your little club now?" Sailor Sun asked.
Sailor Jupiter laughed. "You don't really have much of a choice, actually."
"Welcome to the team, Sailor Sun," Sailor Mars said. "Meet us at the Cherry Hill Temple at five o'clock tonight so you can see our human forms."
With that, the five original scouts vanished.
"Now, how do I change back?" Sailor Sun wondered aloud.
At five o'clock on the dot, Jenny hesitantly walked up the steps leading to the Cherry Hill Temple. At the top, she spotted Serena and Amy, as well as three people she had never seen before. Slowly, she joined the small group. Jenny looked at Amy up and down as if seeing her for the first time.
"Why didn't I notice before?" she asked herself. "Sailor Mercury, right?"
Amy smiled and nodded. Jenny turned to Serena. "You have to be Sailor Moon."
Serena giggled. "Yeah, and this is Lita, also known as Sailor Jupiter, and Mina, our Sailor Venus, and Raye, Sailor Mars."
"And Sailor Sun makes six," Raye said formally. "Shall we start the meeting?"
Raye lead them inside and served them tea and cookies. Serena, as usual, stuffed herself. Once inside, Jenny noticed the two cats she had seen the first time the Sailor Scouts had saved her.
"You were great, Jenny," Lita said after they had sat down. "I can see you have a great instinct for fighting."
"But you have a lot of history to learn," Luna said.
Jenny blinked in surprise. "Um, okay," she said slowly. "First I turn into a superhero, now there's a talking cat."
"Two talking cats," Artemis said in a slightly hurt tone.
Jenny smiled and sipped her tea.
"Who would have thought monster fighting would be so much fun," she teased. "Shall we do it again tomorrow?"
Her new friends groaned.
"Looks liked she'll fit in just fine," Luna said.
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