A newborn child opened her eyes and somewhere an evil being began to laugh

A newborn child opened her eyes and somewhere an evil being began to laugh.

***

Sailor Pluto leaned against the Time Gates as she watched the years pass by. She observed the escapades of her reincarnated fellows with amusement and, at some times, awe. Such a small selection of souls to have had such a profound effect on the timeline. Such geniuses as DaVinci might not have survived childhood illnesses or intellects like Copernicus not discovered the universe had it not been for Mercury's interventions. They had been heroes and they had been the makers of heroes, Lady Godiver, Helen of Troy, Cassandra, the Oracle of Delphi, Queen Boudicea, Red Sonya, Mulan, Madame Curie, Atalanta, and Robin Hood. Pluto laughed as she thought of the last, only Uranus could pulled of such a masquerade, and won her true love at the same time. It was one of her favourite time periods, for although there had been much misery the joy of seeing two of her old friends find each other again had compensated and Neptune had been a wonderful Maid Marion.

The smile stayed on the ancient Scout's face as she considered the soul who had shone even compared to such company. Her Prince had surpassed any expectations his father might have had for him. As Sinbad, D'artagnan and Odysseus he had excelled but it was as a teacher rather than the hero that he had performed his greatest work. As Merlin he had changed the world.

Suddenly Pluto gasped and stumbled. She regained her balance quickly and began to search the time stream for the disturbance. It had taken her a very short span to detect the critical event and realise that it was the eventuality she had not expected. She stepped through the Gates of Time and materialised in a nursery. A young red haired infant awoke at her approach. Pluto bent over the child for a closer examination. After a minute she straightened and leaned on her staff wearily.

"So we meet again Beryl. I did not expect this when we last faced off; you were expected to spread discord for several decades before succumbing to death. Your rebirth was unanticipated-" she broke off when an echo of laughter drifted to her ears. It was a cackle that Pluto had heard but once in her phenomenal life time, the day the Terran Kingdom had fallen.

"Metallia!" she hissed, "Well at least in this I can thwart you..." She swung her staff down but stopped before she even began the mantra that would have destroyed the infant.

She was Pluto, Guardian of the Gates of Time, and when the timeline had been threatened she had performed acts that would have made a torturer flinch. Though she had never before needed to kill a child she had watched as some died and ensured that others would never be born but for some reason she could not complete the act. Pluto stared at the girl while she analysed her motives. Suddenly the tall Scout reopened the portal that would return her to the Gates of Time and as she stepped into it she whispered to thin air, "Her birth does not ensure your victory, it may in fact herald your doom. For she was ours once and she could be again." Beryl had been reincarnated; all that Pluto could do was work to prevent her birth presaging disaster.

***

A six year old girl smiled at her nanny and the tall, dark woman smiled softly back. The child's gold eyes met the woman's magenta in a shared joke.

A redheaded twelve year old laughed as she and her governess modelled the strangest hairstyle they could invent. Pony tails streaming from twin buns held both mane of flame and black locks that shone green.

A teenager spun in the magnificent gown her friend had designed for her. Long flowing skirts of green velvet, a gold linked belt and matching necklace draped over her shoulders. An enigmatic face watched on with genuine pleasure at the girl's delight.

A young lady's face twisted in pain as she ran from an embraced couple. She slapped away concerned hands as she ran into the night.

A cold woman spurning the care of her green-haired friend as she left with a group of dark individuals. The woman watching as the group spilled blood to attempt a spell and laughing in enjoyment. A watcher sighed as her friend made a choice that altered the future. In the reverberations the Time Guardian missed four occurrences that augured a shift in the future.

Twelve years later magenta eyes witnessed the departure of the plane that carried the selfish woman, an open child no longer, to her destiny.

***

Sailor Pluto closed her eyes and returned to the Gates of Time. She had done all she could to give Beryl a chance at a long and happy life but the woman would become one who would seek to destroy the world. Beryl's fate was now sealed, the ordained meeting with Metallia approached and her sorcerous education would truly begin. Pluto kneeled before the Gates for a single moment, morning the loss of a friend for the second and final time. Then she stood, the time to awaken the others was nearing.

Pluto felt the shock of Beryl's magical summoning reverberate through the fourth dimension. Through the shaking Gates the dark Scout saw a newly powerful sorceress kneel to a shadow she had conjured. As the fabric of the fourth dimension stabilised Pluto recovered herself and stepped through the Gates of Time once more.

She arrived in a small village. With a thought she banished her staff and shifted from her Scout uniform to a comfortable pair of jeans and an elegant cashmere jumper. It didn't take long for her to find a small cottage and knock on the door.

"Come in!" bellowed a deep voice from inside.

Pluto entered the cottage and found a tall, lean man who looked to be about fifty watching her from behind a half disassembled telescope.

"Greetings Professor Shields," she murmured and he motioned for her to take a seat on the couch as he resumed cleaning his equipment. She examined him for a moment, she knew that he was at least twenty years older than he looked and that his unassuming appearance masked an intellect that had solved an impossible problem for the NASA engineers responsible for landing the first man on the Moon. He waited patiently for her to speak.

"Professor Shields, you will not remember me but I am an old acquaintance of yours and I am here to remind you of some important history that you will have forgotten."

The Professor looked her up and down, assessing her. His appraising glance made Pluto blush, it was all too reminiscent of the way his royal father had first greeted her when she had become Sailor Pluto. He noticed the blush and his lips twitched but the threatened smile did not occur as he replied.

"Nay Lassie, I dinnae think ye be any old kith o'mine. I be quite sure I'd be remembering such a jem as ye. Och, such locks!" his tone had been deadpan as he had started but by the time he had finished speaking his voice was frankly admiring.

Pluto reached to touch her hair involuntarily and caught herself as she did so. She lowered her hand and glared at him but humour glinted in her eyes. This time a smile did appear. Lighting up his face and emphasising his deep blue eyes. Pluto shook herself inwardly. It was hardly time to be seeing the Terran King of several thousand years ago in the face of a physics professor. She shoved memories of a happier time to the back of her mind and caught the professor's eyes. Her strangely coloured eyes darkened from red to black and a spark seemed to pass from them to the professor's own.

He jerked back blinking and then shook his head. "Goddess Pluto! Wasn't there an easier way to be about it?" He looked up, blinked again and met Pluto's eyes. "What on Earth has happened?"

"Do you remember the Day of Darkness, Highness? The day the Shadows were released on Terra?" Pluto asked slowly.

"Day of Darkn-... Aye I do. What happened after Kunzite killed me?"

"He too died, I saw to it myself," Pluto answered expressionlessly.

"Och, Pluto. He dinnae have a choice, ye know that,"

"Aye... yes I do. Now you have me doing it."

The professor snorted, "Ye should be tryin' it from my side o'the fence. 'Tis really confusing from my viewpoint. I'm trying to reconcile two ways of thinking, it's not as easy as ye'd think... So what else happened?"

"I was the only one to survive... My Prince, I never wished for it to happen but-" she began to beg as she saw memory of her inaction cross his face.

"Pluto stop! When I was young and Father explained the roles of the Scouts to me he told me of Pluto's role in the universe. I know you had no choice, no matter how horrible it would have been for you it was you're duty to see it through and you are a greater slave of duty than even I am. I couldn't blame the Guard for what Beryl forced them to do so don't expect me to condemn you for a burden my family placed on you. My father knew it, too. So please forget about it and tell me what happened after." the professor's eyes showed nothing but understanding.

Pluto nodded and continued, "My Prince throughout the millennia I have watched over you, all of you and you have been things you would not believe. But in every lifetime you had one constant, your endless fascination with the moon." She smiled as he grinned at her wryly and patted his telescope, then she went on, "Serenity saved us." She stopped and waited for him to understand what he had just said. He just stared at her blankly for a moment before his face was filled with wonder. "Just so," she confirmed, "Serenity, whom Terrans think of as, Selene, Goddess of the Moon."

"She's real?" his tone became jubilant, "I knew it. I knew there was something about the moon, why we couldn't go there... but we got there! How? Why didn't we find any sign of her?"

"Serenity and her people are trapped, they were imprisoned eons ago by the same demon that gave Beryl such power. Somehow she managed to break free for a short time and she battled Beryl and the Demon Queen supporting her and banished them both. Then she cast a spell that would cause the souls of you and the Scouts to be reborn time and time again until the Shadows return. She charged me to await that time when I was to revive your memories of the past and aid you in opposing the Shadows once more. She was so strong but her heart was breaking. The last thing I heard as I left was her keening. I think she sacrificed more than we'll ever know to help us."

"And it was for nothing. We're right back where we started after all." the professor said sadly.

"No my Prince, we have a chance to stop the Shadows once and for all. Beryl is a complication that makes things more difficult for us but a chance still exists. It'll take her ten to fifteen years to relearn her sorcery and another five to ten to build her forces to prepare to attack. We have time to prepare."

"Fifteen to twenty-five years. It won't work Pluto. Even though I'm now able to slow my aging I'll be too old to be effective by then, Hell this body'll be near a century old. If you'd given me my memories twenty years ago then being a hundred wouldn't be a problem, but it's too late to undo the ravages of time now. I'm... going to have to be reborn again. We'll have to pray that I'll have enough time to grow up."

Pluto nodded in acknowledgement, "I'll arrange it so that you just fall asleep and don't wake up,"

The professor breathed deeply and released it in one great gust, "Thanks but I'm going to need a little time, maybe a month but no more. This changes everything and I want to make a few provisions for the future... I don't suppose you could tell me who I'll be reborn as?" she shook her head and he continued with only faint regret colouring his voice, "Well I'm going to need your help arranging matters so that a few of my current possessions make their way to me in my next life, like 'Eagle Eye' here," and he stroked the telescope.

Pluto nodded, "You will not remember this lifetime, the only memories I can revive are those of time of the System Alliance. If you still wish it then write them aside in your will as a benefit to be given to a deserving boy who will be chosen by Setsuna Meiou. It's an identity that I've been using quite often recently, I'll leave you the details before I go. Anything else?"

"Yeah, are any of the others in the same situation as I am?"

"Jupiter, Mercury and Neptune are all even older than you are in your current lifetime. They'll each pass naturally within the next couple of years, I don't think I'll need to intervene. Though I might make small visits to ensure that any items of significance they possess will make their way back into their hands in the next lifetime."

"You might want to think about reuniting us before returning our memories to all of us at once. If there's time let us become friends before we need to start depending on each other for our lives. I don't think I'm the same person I was in the past, I'm Endymion and Adam Shields. We'll need to be able to adjust to each other's new personalities. Once we have our memories it won't take us too long to shake the dust off our old skills." the Professor mentioned in an aside and then motioned for Pluto to continue.

"Uranus is young enough that if I revived her memories now she would still be in her prime when the time comes."

"Could you send her a series of dreams that'll activate her unconsciously but do nothing to her aware mind?" the man asked.

"I shall consider it. Saturn is a child and will not have a problem on the other hand Mars and Venus are in much the same circumstances as you are."

The Professor was silent a moment and then stated, "Give them the same choice you have given me." Pluto nodded and he continued, "That's that then... do you want to stay and chat for a while? Or must you leave?"

Pluto examined him for a moment and then her lips curved into an amused smile. "You would not be hoping for descriptions of you previous lives by any chance?" she asked smoothly.

"Well I wouldna be objectin' if ye get a wee bit talkative now lass," he slipped back into the brogue of his current lifetime as his cheeks reddened in slight embarrassment.

"I'm sure talk about King Arthur would only bore you," she teased, allowing herself to relax for a little while.

"I was King ARTHUR?!!" his voice cracked in his astonishment.

"... Not exactly..."

***

Kevin Ice sat up in his bed and shook of his dream. In the bed next to him he saw his stepbrother, Jason, tossing restlessly in his sleep. Kev rubbed his head, he knew what his brother was dreaming about. After all he dreamed the same thing, or something so similar as to be no different. There were four of them, his brother, himself and two more. They were in darkness and then pain and light. Then there was an angel and Kev knew that they had to protect her.

Jase bolted upright in his bed and gasped in shock. Kev crawled out of his bed and knelt on the floor beside his brother. Jase looked at him and Kevin saw that his brother was not upset as he had first thought, instead he was excited.

"I saw them Kev! I saw the other two that were with us."

Kevin gaped at his brother for a second before leaping up and grabbing him by the shoulders, "Tell me!"

For as long as both boys could remember this dream had dominated their nights and since their parents had married it had come to monopolise their attention in the day as well. Before Kevin had met his stepbrother he had been able to dismiss his dreams as nonsense. Then his father had introduced him to his new fiancée and her son, Jason, a boy who had been in Kevin's dreams for years. Jason who had been born on the exact same day as Kevin, Jase who had the exact same dreams as Kevin did, Jason who was only the only person Kevin had ever met who could do magic, like him.

The pair of them had spent a very uncomfortable two weeks after their parents had married, avoiding each other. Trying to ignore the other's presence in their dreams, trying to hide those same dreams. Neither of them had wanted to risk talking to the other in case he had thought them crazy. They shared a bedroom however, and when Jason had awoken Kevin in the middle of the night by screaming he had been forced to request his new brother's aid in hiding it from their concerned parents. After the adults had gone back to bed Jason had confided everything to Kevin, his dreams, his magic and the therapy his father had forced him into when he hadn't known to keep it all to himself.

That night had freed the both of them. All their lives they had felt alone, knowing that they should be with others like themselves. Finding each other had reinforced that belief , had given them hope that one day they might be complete and confirmed their faith that they were meant for something important. In the last two months their dreams had become more and more intense, coming more frequently than they had in the entire two years previously that they'd been together. So when Kevin ordered his brother to speak, Jason took no offense, he knew this was as important to his brother as it was to himself.

"There were four of us as usual," Jason began, "The darkness seemed to be forcing us, not just surrounding us. Then the pain freed us from the darkness and then we were kneeling before a bright light. You were opposite me next to a man with light brown hair in a ponytail. His eyes were light hazel I think, the thing is that he really looked like a man but I think he was a girl. Not because of the hair or anything, I mean your hair was long then too, or the earrings, we all wore them, he just didn't feel right for a guy. Do you get it? I hope so 'cause I don't

"Well she was next to you and a real guy was next to me. He had dark hair and it was a kind of reddish brown. Well anyway we were all kneeling and then the light disappeared and we were all standing and holding the angel, then the dream ended." Jason fell silent and Kevin sat on the bed beside him. Time passed and both considered what they now knew.

"So you could recognise them if we ever met them?" Kevin finally asked.

Jason looked at him for a moment before answering, "Yeah, but you want to know the really weird thing?"

Kevin, slightly confused, nodded.

"The man next to me, well he looked a lot like the new boy in our class. Same hair, same eyes, same way of annoying me. Kev it's him, there's no mixin' it"

Kevin frowned for a moment and then nodded again, "Tomorrow we're going to have to start working on him. Find out if he's been having the same dreams as we have."

"And if he has?"

"Then we get him to join us in looking for the girl and the angel."

"Great Kev, but then why do you seem so... gloomy?" Jason asked doubtfully.

In response Kevin cupped his hands and a globe of light formed between them, "Jase are you sure there is an angel?"

Jason looked at his brother in the light of the conjured globe, "Bro if you can do that and I can make fire then what's so hard to believe about an angel... other than me being her protector? Don't worry Bro, she's real. Anyway you should be thinking about our birthday."

"Yeah, I guess... Happy fourteenth Lunkhead."

Jason gave a small grin, reassured, and threw his pillow at his brother in revenge, "Happy fourteenth Bro."

***

Nicholas Cook sat by himself behind the science lab, deep in thought while he pulled out his lunch. A loud rumble caught his attention and he looked up to see two silhouettes standing over him. The taller one cuffed the second figure as it shrugged sheepishly.

"Sorry Kev, but I'm starving," it muttered.

"Don't look at me, you were given money to buy lunch today. It's not my fault you spent it on those toys," the other retorted.

"But they're really neat-"

"I don't want to hear about it."

By now Nicholas had recognised the pair as Kevin and Jason Ice. Everyone knew about the two, they were stepbrothers who had become best friends. Jason, blonde haired and green eyed, was not to be trusted with anything serious. Kevin had hair so pale it was white with very light blue eyes that seemed to see right through you. If someone wanted Jason to do something then they went to Kevin for help. The two seemed to be total opposites, where Jason was a joker Kevin didn't seem to have a sense of humour, where Jason was easygoing Kevin was intent and hard to approach but where Jason would blow up and lead with his fists his brother would pull him out and make him calm down. Nicholas had been told by another kid to never tick them both off. If it's only Jason then Kevin'll cool him down, if you get Kevin mad as well then you're dead, together they're unbeatable. It's a good thing it's almost impossible to make the iceman get mad. Not that he was particularly worried, Nicholas had been won three judo championships before he was twelve. Sometimes, though, he could have sworn that he knew the pair from somewhere before.

"Hey Nick! You don't mind if I call you Nick do you?" Jason chattered cheerfully as he thumped down next to Nicholas.

"Actually only my friends call me-" he began.

"Just ignore him," Kevin advised as he sat down facing Nicholas, "Otherwise he'll drive you crazy."

"Don't believe a word of it!" Jason retorted grabbing one of Nicholas' sandwiches, "Can I have this? Thanks!"

"Hey!"

"So nice of you because it's my birthday and all-"

"I don't care if it's your birthday, that's my lunch," Nicholas growled as he reached to grab his sandwich back.

"Jason..." Kevin warned.

Jason ignored his brother and grabbed Nicholas' free hand as if to shake it, "You want to congratulate me on surviving my brother for another year, why thank you!" As their palms touched Nicholas felt the electric current pass from the small device in the other boy's hand to his own. He fell back yelping and shaking his numb limb.

"Jason, that was stupid." Kevin reprimanded.

"Well he deserved it. He's been annoying me ever since he got here, every time I say something he makes fun of me. It was time I got him."

"Why? Because he wouldn't put up with your tricks? Because he gave as good as he got? Grow up!" Kevin turned to look at Nicholas who was now approaching Jason with a scowl on his face, "Are you OK?"

"I am but he's not!" the dark haired boy returned as he stalked towards his prey.

"Come on, it was just a joke!" Jason returned. raising his hands as if to surrender as Nicholas reached him and grabbed his shirt.

Kevin placed a hand on the taller boy's arm, "Nicholas, it's not worth it-"

Nicholas threw him off to land a couple of metres away stunned. Seeing this Jason went red and knocked his opponent's hands away. He rolled to his feet and rushed Nicholas. Nicholas simply stepped aside, allowing the other boy to overbalance, then swung at him. twice. The first punch connected with Jason's shoulder but with the second Jason surprised him by not being there. Instead he had ducked behind him and grabbed him around the neck, this was made difficult by the fact that Nicholas was at the end of a growth spurt and was nearly eighteen centimetres taller than him. Nicholas jabbed his elbow backwards, hitting Jason's stomach and knocking the boy off of him but as Jason fell away he tangled the larger boy's legs and brought him down as well. Nicholas twisted as he fell so that he didn't land on his back and Jason quickly rolled away from him. Nicholas stood first, Jason still trying to regain his breath, and raised his foot to step on the sprawled figure. A hand from behind wrenched him back and around so that he faced the stony expression of Kevin Ice.

"Enough." the silver haired boy stated quietly and with a calm command. His demeanor shook Nicholas for a moment and he suddenly understood why the other boys in the school would not risk making this one mad. He shook the feeling off, the boy was only a centimetre or so taller than his brother, and if he fought anything like Jason it wouldn't take too long to knock him out.

His plan went awry when every strike he sent towards the boy was either avoided or stopped. Nicholas moved at a speed that even his judo teacher found difficult to match but Kevin kept pace with him seemingly without difficulty. Behind Nicholas caught a glance of Jason watching them with a grin on his face from where he lay on the ground and suddenly he lost his temper. He took a step back and pointed his hand, palm outwards, at the other boy. Before he could think Nicholas shot a pulse of energy at the other boy.

He heard a gasp behind him and turned angrily to see Jason's white face. Then he realised what he'd done. Nicholas whirled back to where a cloud of smoke drifted and took a tentative step forward. He felt sick to the pit of his stomach, he had lost his temper and killed and innocent human. It didn't matter that the boy's brother had provoked him or that the electric shock he'd received from Jason had triggered a phobia of his. He had lost control and hurt someone who had no way of defending himself. A sudden breeze chased the smoke away revealing Kevin unhurt and showing no sign of the killing blast that had been aimed at him. Nicholas' eyes widened and he gaped at the other boy. Behind him he heard Jason snigger but though he ignored him he saw Kevin glare at his brother.

"That was a bit of an overreaction, don't you think Nick? Oh and by the way happy birthday."

Nicholas just shook his head opening and shutting his mouth, not being able to force any words from his lips.

Kevin lightly pushed him back to the shadow next to the building and motioned for him to sit down.

Nicholas did so and as he leaned back against the building he found his voice again, "I... apologise for what I just did. Today hasn't been a good day for me and your brother managed to push every one of my buttons-"

"How do you know it's his birthday?" Jason interrupted.

Kevin scowled at his brother and pointed to the sandwich that had been dropped during the brawl, "You may as well eat that now but what ever you do, Jase, shut up. You already caused enough trouble for the day. Nicholas, I apologise for Jase, his sensitivity is not what it could be."

Nicholas nodded but before he could continue he saw Jason sulkily picking up the abandoned sandwich and with a glare the dust flew off of it. The blond boy then bit savagely into it all the while muttering to himself.

"I guess that would explain why you didn't seem to shocked at the blast I threw at you." Nicholas said, "By the way you may as well call me Nick."

"I'm Kev and he's Jase then," Kevin answered, "You were saying about today being a bad day?"

"Yeah," Nicholas sighed and reached for what remained of his lunch. He opened the box to reveal a packet of home cooked biscuits. He opened it and hearing another growl offered the packet to Jason without even looking. Kevin smiled slightly, lightening his face and offered his coffee roll to Nicholas in turn. Nicholas accepted and took a bite before continuing, "You were right, today is my birthday and it has me down. Plus I haven't been sleeping too well lately. So I kinda wanted to be alone and you're brother starts pushing me. Stealing my food, which I would have given had he asked," from the corner of his eye Nicholas saw Jason blush, "The buzzer thing was sort of a last straw. I have this thing about being electrocuted, recurring dream about where I'm hit by lightning or something. I'm sorry about blowing up like that, it really isn't something I do everyday." He finished of the roll and cocked an eyebrow at Jason when the boy returned the packet of biscuits half full.

Kevin takes a mouthful of his soft drink and replies, "I would say don't worry about it except that if it had been anyone else you would have killed them, even Jase. I don't mind if you fight with me when you want to work out some frustration but you can't ever risk doing that with anyone else ever again. In fact I would welcome a challenge, Jase's rather laid back-"

"You can't win against him!" the other boy interjected.

"-and if you can help me whip him into shape, I'd be rather grateful," Kevin finished.

"That sounds like... fun," Nicholas murmured grinning sideways at Jason. Jason caught his eyes and began to look a little apprehensive.

Meanwhile Kevin began to speak again, "Anyway, what was that about dreams? You were struck by lightning? Do you have any other weird dreams?"

Nicholas answered honestly, still feeling guilty about attacking the brothers like he had. "That's pretty much the only dream I ever have. I'm in this room filled with people and we're talking to a king I think. I don't ever see the people I'm with but we're forced to attack the people and we do, even killing people who just want to run away. There's a woman in green with a really short skirt and I stab her with my sword and that's when I'm hit by the lightning only I think it came from the woman. The dream goes on but that's all I ever remember. Freaky huh? Total weird-out right?"

"You say that you're with others but you don't see them? And you're all forced to fight?" Kevin asked intently. Jason had moved closer while he spoke and Nicholas saw that he, too, was leaning forward, waiting for Nicholas' answer.

"Yeah we're forced to fight, I know that if I'd had the choice I would never have hurt that woman... Never." Nicholas paused for a moment and blushed at the emphasis his words had gained and continued quickly, "As for the others I'm with I never see them."

"Do they ever remind you of anyone or have you met anyone who reminds you of them?" Kevin questioned.

"No... I don't know. Look what's this all about?"

"Please try,"

"Yeah, please Nick," Jase added softly.

Nick shrugged uncomfortably and shut his eyes, breathing in and out slowly. He focused on the his dream and the presences he felt behind him. Suddenly his eyes shot open, "You!" he blurted, "What are you two doing in my dreams?"

Jason grinned at his brother and quipped, "Told ya!" he then turned to Nick and said, "You're one of us, and there's one more, a girl and we're all supposed to protect the angel."

Nick just looked at him as if he'd gone mad. Jason looked to his brother for help but Kevin raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'you put you foot in your mouth, you get it out, I've done enough cleaning up after you for one day.'

Jason took a breath and faced Nick, "Look, I've been having these weird dreams for as long as I can remember about me and three others. First we're surrounded by darkness, then there's a heap of pain and then we're surrounded by light. The last thing I ever see is the angel me and the three others are holding. Two years ago I could see the face of one of my companions in the dream and then one day my mum comes home with her boyfriend and his son and says she's getting married. I look at Kevin and I see the face from my dreams. We ended up comparing notes and it turns out he'd been having the same dreams. Lately my dreams have showed me the faces of the other two with us. We were all kneeling and swearing an oath to this bright light that we would protect the angel and I could see every one. First was a girl and the other was you!"

"We were promising to protect an angel," Nick asked the question of Kevin, expecting him to say that it was another one of his brother's rotten jokes. Instead Kevin nodded and shrugged slightly. Nick shook his head and muttered derisively, "An angel?"

Jase sighed melodramatically, "Look I know it's weird but is it any worse than three people who never met dreaming about each other all their lives. Or people being able to do real magic? We're different Nick, you can shoot that energy stuff, I can move thing with my mind and even set fire to things, look!" Jason grabbed the empty biscuit packet from Nick's hands and it floated up in front of Jase's face and burst into flames. The light from the small fire was brilliant but it didn't last long as the plastic was quickly consumed. As the fire died down Jason continued, "If you think that's cool then you should see what Kev can do when he wants to. Nick we're connected, us three and this other girl and it's for a reason. Why else would we have those dreams that draw us to one another, why else do we have the magic? We have to protect the angel!

"I know it's far fetched but dreams are weird right? I mean what we see in a dream might be different in real life. The angel might be an ordinary girl in real life who just looks like an angel, or maybe she really is one but she's real and she's the reason we're here. So are you in?"

Nick looked at the blonde in front of him, Jason's belief was so devout that he too began to have faith. He closed his eyes and listened, sometimes if he was really still, Nick could swear that he heard the stars singing to him. He didn't know if the celestial music came from the heavens or from the music room opposite the lab but he decided to take it on faith. He opened his eyes and smiled at the brothers, Jason grinned broadly back at him and Kevin nodded with a small smile.

"Alright!" Jason exclaimed, "Now we're getting somewhere... but Nick, why do you shut your eyes like that when you think?"

Nick shrugged uncomfortably, "It helps me concentrate."

"And you look to the sky because it helps you concentrate too?"

Nick saw Kevin shaking his head in sympathy at him and tried to change the subject, "I like astrology and stuff like that and that means I have to look at the stars a lot. You know fortune telling and stuff."

"Oh cool! Could you tell my fortune?"

"Why not? Give me your palm," Jason held his palm out to Nick who moved closer and bent over the hand, hmming and ahing dramatically before finally speaking, "Oh you're gonna be rich. Look there's your mansion," Nick pointed to the part of the palm just below the index finger, "There's your car, two of them, there's your private ski resort... oh and there's your swimming pool!" With that Nick spat onto the other boy's palm. Jason jerked back and Kevin started laughing with Nick.

"That is so gross!" Jason yelled rubbing his hand in the dirt.

"I don't believe you fell for that!" Nick laughed, "That is so old."

Jase glared at him, "I thought you were being serious."

Nick snorted, "With you? OK, OK, serious... how about I find out what your totem animal or spirit guide is, for real? Will that do?" Jason nodded and Kevin cocked his head in interest as well and Nick continued, "Well mine is the gryphon, which is pretty strange nowadays from what I've read because only a magician has a magic animal, and even most of them don't. Since I can do some magic it's not so impossible. Jason yours is..." Nick started to close his eyes again but found he didn't have to, "Whoa that's weird."

"What was?" Kevin asked quietly.

"Nothing much it's just that it was so easy, usually it takes me a while. Well Jase your guide and patron is the pheonix and Kevin yours is the dragon... If there are going to be four of us, and one must lead, it'll be you Kevin. With a guardian like the dragon you can be nothing but the leader... but that still doesn't tell me how you knew it was my birthday."

"Yeah Bro, what gives. You turning into a fortune teller now?" Jase added.

Kevin shook his head and smiled, "Nah, just a guess. I just always thought that it was a bit strange that along with everything else Jase and I had the same birthday. A pretty big fluke I thought. But I don't believe in chance and since you're born on the same day as well, I bet the girl is too and it all happened for a reason. Maybe when we find the girl we'll know more."

"Cool... so Nick what're you doing this afternoon?" Jase asked casually.

Nick shrugged, "Not much, why?"

"Well it's not right for three boys like us doing nothing special for our birthday... so what do you think about us having a little party? We raid the oldies' kitchen and cook us up a feast!"

"Sure, why not?" Nick smiled. The bell rang and Jase jumped up and ran to the corner of the lab. As he followed Nick saw that the normally unflappable Kevin was looking a bit green and so he asked, "What's wrong,"

Kevin grabbed him by the shoulders and looked up at him intently, "Please tell me the truth Nick, can you cook?"

Nick shrugged and nodded, not understanding why the boy was so serious, "Yeah sure, why?"

The only reply he got was a heartfelt, "Thank the Gods!"

***

In the year since that day Nick had come to understand Kevin's relief all too well. While he could manage basic meals and Nicholas was a chef in the making Jason was anything but. The blonde insisted on helping out whenever the three ventured into the kitchen and it hadn't taken Nick long to realise that the boy was one of those rare individuals who could burn water. He had witnessed the desecration of the Ice's kitchen for ten minutes before sending Jason to buy snacks while he and Kevin tried to save what remained of the food. Nick chuckled as he watched Jason pacing around the lounge room in impatience as he waited for Kevin to get there, he could proudly say that thanks to him Jason had been stopped from poisoning anyone.

Nick leaned back into the chair he was sprawled in. The last year had been one of the most interesting of his life. Aside from the magic they had all learnt and developed they had grown to be fast friends. Nick had decided that it was his purpose in life to protect the world from the devices of Jason and had taken a great delight in turning his tricks back onto him. He had also learned a lot from Kevin, finding that the other boy was even better than his judo teacher for teaching new fighting tricks. To Nick's delight Kevin had proved to have a subtle and wry sense of humour. He was a very able conspirator when Jason began to rise above himself. Both Jason and Nick had missed him when he had been sent to attend a junior officer's training sponsored by a private security firm, two weeks after their joint birthday. Now, a month later, Kevin was coming back and things could get back to the way they should be.

At that moment the front door opened and voices drifted into the lounge room. Jason grinned suddenly and turned to the door. Nick almost choked at the look on Jason's face when he saw that Kevin hadn't been alone. With him was a pretty girl about their age with long light brown hair and hazel eyes and Jason hadn't been told she was coming. Kevin had informed Nick that he was bring a friend with him to show around as her family were moving out there soon. Nick had begged Kevin to surprise Jase explaining that seeing reticent Kev with a girl would blow the blonde's mind. Apparently it had. Nick stood and moved to help them with their bags while Jase gaped. At the same time Jason came back to reality and Kevin moved next to the girl. All four of them reached for the same bag at the same time and their hands touched simultaneously.

FLASH

"Then by the Light of thine own Moon we do swear, by the silver light that though it may fade will always return, our loyalty will always shine as strongly as does the full Moon."

FLASH

"Beryl's magical awakening will be the trigger that initiates your rebirth. I cannot promise you that any of you will remember, and I am certain that the trauma will erase Serena's memories. But you must seek her out and together unite to face Metallia, for she, not Beryl, is your true enemy. Now I freely give an angel into your keeping."

FLASH

"Go with my blessings Children and never lose faith. As long as Serenity's light shines you will be free, she is the light that will save your world."

FLASH

"As you are mine, I am yours, remember. Even if I forget, you will remember and then you will find me."

FLASH

The four jerked apart, Jason to go sprawling onto the floor, Nick to stumble into the wall, the girl to fall into Kevin's arms which held her carefully as they fell against the door. Nick shook his head, clearing the imagery the four brief visions had released. He looked up to see Jason just staring at where Kevin and the girl, Zoicyte, Nick realised, were just gazing at each other.

Nick carefully walked over to where Jason lay and whispered, "Shut your mouth and stop staring!"

Jason turned to him and muttered maliciously, "Y'know in the zillion years we've all been dead you'd think they'd've gotten past this 'stare into each other's eyes' thing, I'm mean it's kind of gross! Why don't they just get a room!"

Nick started to cough and Jason snickered as he rose to his feet. They both turned to face the pair who had finally wrenched their attention away from each other. Nick stepped forward again, offering his hand to the girl, "I remember," he stated softly, "It's good to see you again Zoi."

"Yeah," Jason enthused, "These two are never any fun,"

The girl smiled as she reached for the boys' hands. "It's good to be back... and the name's Zoe now, Zoe Rostek," she laughed as she squeezed their hands warmly with one of her own.

"What's the diff?" Jase shrugged as he moved past her to hug his brother.

"A vowel, Lunkhead. When are you going to learn to spell?" Kevin retorted as he hugged Jase.

Nick reached for Kevin's shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding Zoe's. The four of them revelled in each other's presence for a moment before Nick spoke.

"I remember everything now," the cheer leaked out of his face, "Endymion, the Scouts... Sailor Jupiter..."

Jason sobered and nodded, "Beryl and Metallia. What we did, what they made us do."

"Serenity, Queen and Princess" Zoe added reverently and the regret faded from their expressions to be replaced by determination.

"We've found each other again and we know that Beryl's awake and has returned to her old ways, otherwise we wouldn't be here," Jase added.

"Fifteen years, she's been practicing for fifteen years." Nick murmured.

"That just means she worked her first spell when we were born," Zoe added, understanding their reasoning, "She probably didn't begin scheming until recently, it would have taken her some years before she regained the skill necessary to deal with the shadows. Until then she wouldn't have any memory of the past."

Kevin's silence registered on them and they looked at him curiously. He was standing between Jason and Zoe with his eyes closed and his head cocked. As the quietened down a awareness started to engulf them and they felt as if they were surrounded by light. They couldn't tell how long it lasted but when it faded in a final wash of brilliance Kevin broke the silence carefully.

"It's time to seek Serenity."

***

Sailor Pluto watched from her post at the Gate of Time. Endymion and all of the other Scouts now existed in the forms they would eventually fight with. Endymion had been reborn in Japan three years ago followed soon after by Neptune and, surprisingly, Uranus who had died in a freak accident. In the last year all the remaining Scouts, with the exception of Saturn, had begun their next life and most of them lived in Japan. Jupiter was an American and Venus English but Pluto had already begun to plan ways of reuniting them with their friends.

At that moment she watched as three-year-old Darien Chiba played with the two year olds Haruka Ten'ou and Michiru Kaiou. She laughed watching the antics of the reincarnated prince and his Scouts for Uranus and Neptune. Already she could see the resemblance of their new bodies to those of their first lifetime. By some twist of fate they would each come to bear a remarkable resemblance to themselves of times past. Haruka, blonde and blue eyed, Michiru with her green eyes and strange bluish-green hair and Darien with darkest black hair and eyes of a blue that matched.

Pluto laughed again and was abruptly thrown back from the Gate of Time. She stumbled as the fourth dimension shuddered through another time quake. One of a magnitude greater than even the one caused by Beryl's reunion with Metallia three years previously. She staggered back to the Gate and commanded a view of the Event that caused such a massive disturbance. The image she found was of a dark haired woman being handed a blonde newborn. The infant was wailing passionately until her mother's arms tightened around her and she quietened.

Pluto watched for a moment longer before stepping back from the gates again. The child's birth was obviously the cause of the time quake yet for the life of her Pluto could not explain why. The coming period of time was to be among the most turbulent known and in the eons she had lived, Pluto had examined the era exhaustively. Nothing she had seen indicated that the child was a key player in the coming drama and Pluto concluded that the child's importance lay in the time after the war, a time she could not see even with the aid of both Garnet Staff and the Gates of Time. As yet the future after the war was undecided, pending the resolution of the conflict between life and Shadows. Even so, Pluto decided, the Gods must be thinking positively, planning for the success of the prince and his warriors.

Even as Pluto filed the incident at the back of her mind she could not help but puzzle at the familiarity the child had inspired in her. This too she disregarded for now, when you had lived as long as she had, most people reminded you of someone no matter how odd the resemblance might feel to your subconscious.