It is a watery place.

The planet has no official name to the few races that live in systems close to it. The most commonly used nickname would translate "Waterworld" in our language. It is the inner of two worlds in its home solar system, orbiting its bright primary at roughly the same distance Earth orbits Sol. The other planet is a gas giant Jupiter's size, whose gravity is a fatal attraction to any asteroid that skirts close. Yet for those lucky few hunks of barren rock that tumble past the outer world and are drawn towards the inner, they normally find themselves flung back again into space by some unseen force. Observers from other worlds were baffled at the reason why, believing that no intelligent life could exist on a world whose surface was 99.99 percent water.

Of course, they didn't think to look UNDER the surface.

A space warp appears over the only known landmass, a small island near the equator. From it emerges Sailor Hades, Sailor Gaia, Nokoko Moroboshi and Nicole McTavish. The mistress of the crystal palace has a small container holding ten vials of blood in her hand. Tears gleam in Nokoko's eyes. "Oh, Blessed Mother Ocean, I've come home."

"I've never seen such clean seas!" Gaia breathes in. "And the air is so pure here!! It's Paradise!"

"If you don't mind living on such a small island, that is," Hades hefts her Styx Staff, then creates an energy bubble around the four. "Where to, Nokoko-san?"

"That way," Nokoko points, then looks curious. "Are you sure you want a school of twelve, Yuki? There are only ten Twins."

"Plus two more cyborgs under Kughra's control now," Hades reports. "I suspect that we'll be rescuing them soon enough."

"Can you be sure?" Nicole asks.

"Future predictions are Setsuna-chan's department, not mine," Hades reports as the bubble lifts off the island and soars north.

A few minutes later, the bubble splashes into the ocean some two thousand kilometres away from the island, drawn in by Nokoko's warning. As the bubble submerges, everyone watches the crystalline seas grow dark as they escape the sunlight. "How far down do you people live?" Gaia wonders, fighting the urge to panic.

"Usual depth is a kilometre," Nokoko relaxes. "But we can survive at three on occasion. Trenches on this planet can plunge to to six or seven in certain places. In the old days, we looked on them as forbidden places, gateways to the Black Ocean. 'Here be devil-sharks' as you might say it."

After a minute or two, the bubble bounces off a high plateau, the top of a large undersea mountain. "So where are they?" Nicole looks around. "I can't sense them, love."

"I can," Nokoko's eyes glow a deep burgundy.

Everyone then tenses on feeling a gentle warmth flood her mind. Sister...after so long, you have returned.

Nokoko smiles as a shuffling shape drifts towards them. Bowing her head, the Nendo-kata-turned-Terran school matriarch smiles. "It has been such a long time, sister."

Indeed it has, the matriarch of the Cold Flat Mound school nods, a smile in her mental voice. You look well. The Unity has treated you kindly. Your form is unusual, but certainly no different than what we've come to expect.

"You'll experience this soon, if you decide to help us," Nokoko sighs as she opens her mind.

You need but ask.

The two beings, one mammalian, the other mollusk, gaze at each other, their glowing eyes the only visible sign of their minds coming together in a powerful bond, one shared by those of the same blood. "Begorrah!" Nicole whistles as she gets a clearer picture of the untransformed Nendo-kata's skin markings and comparing them to her memories of the Outland school matriarch from twelve years before. "That really is Nokoko-chan's sister...her Nendo-kata sister, that is!"

"I still don't understand how these beings can help us," Gaia shakes her head confusedly.

"You'll understand soon enough, love," Nicole smiles.

A moment later, the Cold Flat Mound matriarch extends a tentacle in to caress her sister's cheek. It has been so long since you and yours left us for the Outland, sister, the joy in her voice is tear-jerking. The Cold Flat Mound school will help the Outland school and the Agents of Unity called the Sailor Senshi defeat this sub-creature Kughra. When shall we go?

"Now if you wish," Hades smiles.

Let it be done...

* * *

"Sailor Twins"
a tale of the Sailor Senshi
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
**** **** ****
Based on "Sailor Moon," created by Naoko Takeuchi
**** **** ****

PART THREE - CROSSING OVER

"My Mistress."

"What is it?"

"We lost thirty-two in the previous attack. Is it wise to strike now while our energy resources are so low?"

Kughra smiles. "You're wise to ask that, my friend," she gazes at the senior survivor of the Dark Kingdom now in her employ. They were always cautious about using too much energy. "The Senshi Twins have finite energy levels. If we push it all the way, one or more can die tonight...and that means less for us to deal in the future. Send the teams out."

"As you command, my Mistress."

The creature vanishes. Kughra exhales lustily, then smiles. "Beryl!!!" she snaps her fingers.

The nude form of the deposed queen of the Dark Kingdom walks into the chambers. "Yes?" her voice is thick with resentment.

"Still defiant, eh?!" Kughra smiles. "I admire that."

"You would feel the same way were you in my position," Beryl warns, her crimson eyes flashing.

"Perhaps," Kughra shrugs. "Now, be silent and please me!"

Beryl feels an invisible hand grasp her throat shut as she kneels before the dark princess. From the doorway leading into Kughra's bedchambers, Kyooko watches, turning away at the last moment, tears flowing down her cheeks...

* * *

"Beryl..."

"Eh?!" Mamoru looks confusedly at Usagi. "What is it, Usako?"

Usagi blinks, then stares at her boyfriend, Nona and Chooko. They now relax in an ice cream parlour near Juuban High School. "It's so weird, Muffin. I just had a vision of Queen Beryl."

"Beryl?!" Nona blinks. "Wasn't she the sleezebag queen you people fought when you first came out?!"

"That's her, alright," Mamoru nods. "But Beryl was killed in the Arctic years ago by Usako. You haven't thought of her ever since, love. You okay?" he stares concernedly at his girlfriend.

"Not really," Usagi bites her lips. "And this wasn't Beryl as we know her. I saw her being forced to bow to someone. Someone a lot more powerful."

Nona considers the point. "If the creep that did this to us rebuilt Beryl's asteroid, the chances are that she found some way to bring Beryl back to life," she scratches her chin. "Something tells me she could be used to distract us..."

Her words are echoed as an explosion rocks a nearby gaming hall. "That's Motoki-kun's place!!" Mamoru gasps.

"Perfect place for daemons to hit!!" Usagi leaps up. "Let's go do some monster-bashing!!!"

"Right!!" Nona and Chooko nod as they race out...

* * *

"Get out of here, you people!!" Motoki Furuhata screams as patrons race out of the Crown Arcade, the centre of which now being wrecked by two ugly daemons now eating the machines like they were chocolate bars. "Oh, man, insurance won't cover this!" he mutters as he watches one move to a Sailor V machine.

Suddenly, a rose impales itself on the monster's wrist! "Hold it, sleezebags!!!" a voice barks out.

Motoki turns to see Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Diana and Sailor Chronos standing at the doorway, all ready for a fight. "Sailor V is my favourite game, sleezeoids!!!" Moon points at them. "Now you're gonna pay for ruining everyone's relaxation time!! In the name of Moon, we will punish you!!!"

"Cool it with the speech, sis!!" Diana hisses. "Let's go!!"

The monsters exchange smiles. "I wonder what a pair of 'borgs taste like!" one snarls.

"Let's find out!!" the other cackles, leering at Sailor Diana. "Kughra-sama sends her compliments, Nona Tsuruga! Time for you to learn what it means to betray the Princess of Eternity!!"

A blast of shrapnel lances out of their mouths. Before Diana could react, Chronos shoves her clear, then takes the attack on her back! The shrapnel rips her sailor fuku and skin open in dozens of places, nearly shredding her backbone as she is flung out of the arcade to smash into a telephone pole, causing it to double over!! "CHOOKO-CHAN!!!!!!" Diana screams. "NO!!!!!!"

Motoki and Tuxedo Kamen race out as Moon and Diana leap in to attack. Staring at the shredded skin and the wrecked circuits and gears now exposed, the latter winces. "Gods, is she still alive?!"

"What is she, Mamoru-kun?!" Motoki wonders. "A robot?!!"

"Cyborg; her mind's still organic...oh, damn, you know?!!" Tuxedo Kamen gapes at his best friend.

"You couldn't hide this from me!" Motoki smiles. "Besides, I always knew you looked great in a tux!!"

Tuxedo Kamen mutters something under his breath, then leans down. "Chooko! C'mon, you still in there?! Chooko!!"

Chronos' eyes flutter open as she gazes at the caped knight. "I'm...a mess...Mamoru-kun..."

"How bad?!"

"Too...much...no chance...to repair it..."

Tuxedo Kamen turns away, fighting back tears. Motoki places a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. "Mamoru-kun...?" Chronos reaches out to grasp his hand.

The caped knight notices the time reaper placing a beautiful necklace in his hand. "Give it...to Nona-chan..." Chronos smiles as she feels her circuits shut down. "I wish...I could...have called...you...my brother-in-law..."

"No...!!" Tuxedo Kamen reaches down...

...then both men gasp as a strange glow encompasses Chronos, lifting her from the ground as the wrecked telephone pole is tossed aside. They then see a nude Chooko Nori standing three feet away, her eyes glowing a deep burgundy as she draws the fatally wounded cyborg to her. "You will not die. You and I will become one as we Cross Over together and embrace the ways of the Mother Ocean."

Tuxedo Kamen and Motoki gasp as a burst of energy blinds them. A second later, the *clang!* of something metallic hitting the asphalt is heard. Both turn to see Chooko standing there now dressed in normal clothes, the skinned endoskeleton which had once held her life essence at her feet. Reaching down, Chooko opens a plate in the android's abdomen, extracting a glowing crystal. "The power is of the Cosmic Chain of Life...of the *te'a,*" Chooko smiles as her eyes glow. "It will serve us well."

Energy warps around the crystal, reforming it into a henshin stick bearing Sailor Chronos' C-and-hourglass insignia. Once that is done, Chooko smiles at them, her eyes returning to normal. "It's alright, Mamoru-kun. I'm okay now."

"You're a Nendo-kata!!" Tuxedo Kamen gasps.

"Yes," Chooko nods. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." she points the henshin stick up. "CHRONOS TIME COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!!!!!!"

Energy melts her clothes into her sailor fuku, the Time Reaper appearing to land in her hand. Once the transformation is complete, Sailor Chronos glares at them. "Now, where are the sub-creatures who dared take me from my beloved's side?!"

They point inside the wrecked arcade. "Thank you!" Chronos smiles as she races into battle.

The two men exchange looks. "What's that all about?" Motoki blinks confusedly. "What's a Nendo-whatsis...?!"

"Long story," Tuxedo Kamen rolls his eyes...

* * *

"Diana!!!" Moon screams.

Diana howls in pain as a video machine smashes into her, sending her flying against a wall. The impact is enough to crush her hips and sever one of her arms at the elbow! As she collapses to the ground, the monsters cackle with glee. "You aren't so tough, 'borg!!" one snickers. "Now, it's lunchtime!!"

"No!!!" Moon growls, gripping the Imperium Silver Crystal. "***YOU...LEAVE...MY...SISTER...ALONE!!!!!!***"

A blaze of energy causes a whole section of the arcade's ceiling to collapse on the surprised monsters!! With that, Moon shoves the wrecked arcade machine off Diana, then kneels to help her back to her feet. "C'mon, Nona-chan..."

"Hold on..." Diana bites her lips, then makes a wave with her hand. "Eclipse...Veil!!"

Darkness descends over the room save for a shaft of light illuminating Moon and the crippled Diana. "What happened?!!" the former gasps surprisedly.

"Door's...that way!" Diana points with the stump of her wrecked arm. "Go!!"

Moon turns and drags her crippled twin away. The shaft of light follows them, illuminating a doorway that leads into an alley behind Motoki's arcade. With that, the Eclipse Veil vanishes, allowing Moon to see her surroundings. "Oh, that was close!" she breathes out. "Neat trick, sis!!"

"Put me...down..." Diana shudders.

Moon yelps as shattered circuits begin to spark from the gaping wounds in Diana's abdomen and legs. It was a miracle that she was still in one piece. Lowering her twin down, Moon gazes worriedly into Diana's eyes. "How bad is it?"

"I'm a mess..." Diana smiles. "Guess my luck...ran out."

"Don't say that."

"Got no choice..." Diana shrugs.

Suddenly, a shadow falls over them. Moon turns, then gasps in disbelief as a nude Nona gazes calmly at her. "WHO ARE YOU?!?!?!"

The Nendo-kata's eyes glow as she elevates Diana into the air, then a blaze of energy blinds Moon for a second as their minds merge into one being. The glow then fades, revealing a dressed Nona holding a henshin stick with Sailor Diana's crescent moon and crossbow, the empty android shell that once held her spirit dropping to the ground with a hollow *clang!* Taking her stick, Nona calls, "DIANA LUNAR COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!!!!!!" to perform her first transformation as an organic Senshi.

Moon gapes as Sailor Diana appears, then twirls her javelin. "I'm in the mood for a hunt!!" the latter grins.

"Let's party!!!" Moon nods.

The two race into the arcade. Inside, the two monsters blink confusedly as they look around, Diana's Eclipse Veil having long faded. "Where'd the two pukes go?!!" one snarls.

"Hungry?!" a voice wonders from the doorway.

They turn to see Sailor Chronos standing there, her dark eyes glowing. Video machines then lift from the floor, soaring at the surprised daemons. "Here's an appetizer!" the time reaper smiles.

Automatically, their gaping mouths yawn wide to take in the flying snacks. But before they could properly digest the treats, more video machines fly at them. "Here are some pachinko games for the first course!!" Chronos taunts.

As Moon and Diana step into the games room, more machines fly into the monsters' mouths. "And some pinball games for the second course!" Chronos continues.

"Boy, they're hungry, aren't they?!" Moon whistles.

"Some combat games for the third!" Chronos heaps several more games into the monsters' gaping jaws.

By now, both are about to burst. Chronos then levitates a Sailor V game. "Hold it, Chronos!!" Moon calls out.

"What?" Chronos blinks.

"Not the Sailor V game!"

"Sorry," Chronos puts it down.

"Boy, they look full," Diana raises a fist, her energy darts appearing. "Time for them to get some relief!!"

Chronos ducks as the moon huntress lashes out with her darts. The bolts slash through the monsters, causing the half-consumed video games within them to explode, killing them both in the blink of an eye!! Diana and Moon are protected by a telekinetic shield the former raises, then relax as the smoke clears. "Now that's what I'd call acid indigestion!" the latter whistles.

"Too much iron in their diet," the former grins.

The lunar twins laugh. Tuxedo Kamen and Motoki walk in, gaping at the sea of destruction before them. "Oh, shit!!" the latter sighs. "Who's going to pay for this mess?! I can't!"

"Oh?!" Chronos muses, then smiles. "Well, step outside! I have something I want to try!!"

Everyone vacates the arcade as Chronos takes the Time Reaper in hand and focuses on the wreckage in the games room. After telekinetically dispersing the monsters' bodies into ashes, she then raises the Reaper and aims. "***TIME REVERSAL!!!!!!***"

The arcade is bathed in a burst of energy!! A second later, the energy fades, revealing a restored arcade with everything back in place. "Wow!!" Motoki whistles admiringly. "You are one handy lady to have around after a disaster, Sailor Chronos!"

"Arigato!" Chronos blushes.

"She always had that ability, but she couldn't muster the power to do that until now!" Diana muses. "Not bad!!"

Tuxedo Kamen then remembers the pendant Chronos gave him before her Crossing Over, then hands it to her. "You need this."

"Thank you, Mamoru-kun," Chronos then walks over to place the pendant around Diana's neck. "For you, my love."

"Oh, Chooko-chan..." Diana sniffs, then tenderly kisses her. "Now we are One."

"We are One, Nona-chan," Chronos smiles.

"Oh, that's so beautiful!" Moon sniffs, wiping her eyes.

Her communicator then beeps impatiently. "Sailor Terra to Sailor Moon, can you hear me?" Terra's face appears on the screen.

"I'm here, Terra. What's wrong?!" Moon blinks.

"You're not gonna believe this, but something really weird just happened to all the Senshi Twins!"

"Let me guess," Moon hums. "An organic double of everyone shows up, merges minds with the Twins, then they transformed and trashed whatever monster might've been in the area, right?!"

"Good guess...oh, don't tell me!" Terra sighs. "It happened to Diana and Chronos, right?!"

"Right," Moon nods. "Let's meet at the Twins' apartment in a couple hours so we can talk this over!"

"I'll pass it on. Terra out."

As the screen blanks out, Moon then looks at Diana. "Now, will you mind telling me what's going on, sis?! What happened?!"

"The Nendo-kata happened, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Kamen supplies.

Moon blinks, then sighs. "Oh, that explains it!"

"Not to me it doesn't!" Motoki scratches the back of his head. "Hey, since Chronos just fixed everything, want to come inside for some coffee? I've been trying to figure you guys out since I realized who Mamoru-kun is and I still don't get half of it!!"

"You, too?!" Moon wonders. "Geez, first Naru-chan, then Gurio-kun, now you! Who next, my parents?! I swear, if my little spore of a brother finds out, everyone in Tokyo'll know it next!!"

Everyone laughs as they head inside...

* * *

"***THE NENDO-KATA?!?!?!***"

The daemons standing in Kughra's chambers stagger under the explosive rage of the dark princess as she watches the image of the Nendo-kata twin of Junko Satoda absorbing the soul of Sailor Zeus in Psi-Unity, the final act of the Crossing Over. Her rage at the sight of the one race whose passionate defence of Creation had stymied so many over the thousands of years they've roamed the Universe is intimidating. "My Mistress, you know these beings?!" one hesitantly inquires, bowing respectfully.

"Know them?!!" Kughra snarls. "They're like parasites, coming out of nowhere to destroy everything people have done to gain what they've desired, all in the name of some pathetic Unity that allows the weak to rule and the strong to wither!!! Why didn't someone find out that they had a foothold on this planet?!!"

"We never heard of them before now, Mistress!" a daemon of the Dark Kingdom sputters. "Are they really that dangerous?!"

Kughra stares at him. "Imagine a RACE of Queen Serenities armed with the Imperium Silver Crystal!! That is the Nendo-kata!"

The daemons gape, not believing that Fate had thrown beings like THIS before their path. "What can we do?!" one wonders.

"We wait!" Kughra sighs, relaxing on her throne. "To defeat the Nendo-kata takes time and much patience! We will develop that patience!! All of you rest now, build your energy stores! I will decide when we will attack next!! Go!"

The daemons shuffle away. Unseen, Kyooko and Beryl watch from their private chambers beside Kughra's room. "What are the Nendo-kata?" the latter muses as they return to the simple bed they shared. "I've never heard of them before!"

"I have," Kyooko sits beside her. "They're some alien race Ataru Moroboshi and Lum encountered some months ago, just before my husband rebuilt me into this. No one's seen them in action, but they're said to be so powerful, even the Sagussans or the Urusians avoid getting them angry!"

"Interesting," Beryl wryly grins. "To have a race of beings I would've gladly destroyed at the first opportunity be the one hope for you and I to escape this place is truly ironic."

"I'm glad Nona-chan and her friends are free," Kyooko sighs, then stares at her companion. "Have you ever had children?"

Beryl blinks, unused to having a question like THAT shot across her bow. "Um...no!" she shakes her head.

"Maybe if you did, you wouldn't've been so hell-bent on trying to conquer Earth," Kyooko muses.

"I...never thought of that," Beryl admits. "I confess, all I saw of the people around me were soldiers, servants to extend my will. I must admit...I'm not used to this."

"I know..."

"Kyooko!! Beryl!!" Kughra barks.

Both cyborgs jerk suddenly as they automatically march before the dark princess, all rational thought vanishing as they are once again made to give Kughra pleasure...

* * *

"It seems we're in your debt again, Nicole," Luna smiles as everyone gathers in the Twins' apartment later. "Thank you. I confess I'd never thought of asking for the Nendo-kata to come assist us in this matter."

"We're happy to be of help, love," Nicole scratches the raven-furred cat's head, eliciting a delighted purr from Luna. "We'd've been involved ourselves, but our wee ones are about due and we won't risk them even if we can stop this slug."

"We understand," Artemis nods. "Thanks again."

Parting from the Senshi and the Senshi Twins, Nokoko and Nicole board a small crystal skiff for the trip back to Oshika. "Well, now that's solved, we can finally relax," Usagi yawns. "Oh, by the way, did everyone get rid of their old bodies?!"

Affirmative nods. "The one thing I can't understand is why the Cold Flat Mound school was asked to come," Nona muses. "There are twelve in that school and only ten have Crossed Over. The other two are still waiting in the ground floor pool."

"There will be two more, Nona-chan," Yuki speaks up from beside Setsuna. "Your mother's alive."

"WHAT?!?!?!" Nona spins on her. "Mom's alive?!!"

"I couldn't tell you until events properly played themselves out, Nona," Yuki sighs. "If I told you before you Crossed Over, you would've charged headlong to Kughra's planetoid and died. At least this way, you have a fighting chance!"

"She's right, sis," Usagi walks up to her. "Don't worry! We'll get your mother out of there! Yuki, who else is involved?!"

"Beryl, believe it or not."

"BERYL?!?!?!" the inner Senshi exclaim.

"Yes," Yuki nods. "Kughra brought her back, then had Nona-chan's father turn her into a cyborg so she could be a pet toy for the dark princess' amusement. She's there right now."

"I don't know whether to be pleased or sickened at the thought of that sleeze-queen back alive," Minako sighs.

"Enough, Minako," Luna sighs. "Like it or not, Beryl is a victim of Kughra's madness. We have to rescue her."

"Besides, if Neflyte could learn, so could she," Naru adds.

"You'll forgive us if we take THAT with a grain of salt, Naru-chan," Rei sighs. "Then again, fighting Beryl did warm us up for creeps like the Black Moon Clan, Mistress Nine and Galaxia."

"True," Makoto sighs. "So what now?!"

"I say it's time for us to rest and relax," Luna sighs. "With no more worries concerning the Twins' power problems, we'll be more than ready for the next time Kughra pays a visit."

"We should hit them now," Haruka warns.

"Without knowing the lay of the ground, Haruka-chan?" Matsuri hums. "Without knowing how many we're up against? Let's take this one step at a time, okay? Even Nendo-kata can die given the right sort of circumstances. I don't want to press my luck until I'm comfortable in this form and with myself."

"Matsuri has a point," Luna nods. "It's time to rest and regather our wits. Besides, the Twins' lives were put on hold when they became cyborgs. They need the chance to get their lives back in order. I expect all of you to help," she turns to the Senshi.

"No problem," Usagi nods, then hugs Nona's arm. "Besides, I want to introduce you to Mom and Dad."

"How're we going to explain me?" Nona wonders.

"Well, if Gurio-kun and Motoki-kun figured us out already, I can guess Mom and Dad have an inkling of what's going on..."

* * *

"...the Sailor Senshi and the Sailor Senshi Twins were busy last night," a radio talk show host blares over the kitchen stereo as Mrs. Tsukino prepares breakfast for a beautiful Sunday. "One fight in the early afternoon against thirty or more monsters in the Juuban mall, then separate fights across the district in the late evening. Who's attacking us this time? What's their big beef with Earth now? Can the Senshi succeed? Let's take your calls..."

Usagi's mother sighs as she checks the rice cooker. "They better succeed," she muses. "I don't want to lose my only child to some outer-space monster."

"You don't have to worry."

She turns to see Usagi standing there, a smile on her face as she holds her transformation broach in hand. "Usagi-chan..."

"I'm glad you know now," Usagi walks over to embrace her mother. "It's been hard keeping this from you."

"It's been even harder watching you fight those things," her mother sighs as she returns to watching over the food, then stops as tears stream down her cheeks. "Who are you?"

"What?!" Usagi blinks.

"Who ARE you?!" her mother faces her. "Are you my child?!"

"Yes, Mom, I'm your child!" Usagi nods. "I'm Usagi Tsukino. It's just that Fate chose me to carry on a mission that was left undone a thousand years ago, chose me to get the power Princess Serenity had and be Sailor Moon. In this life, I am Usagi. I am your daughter. That will NEVER change, Mom!"

Silence falls as they gaze at each other, then they embrace. "I hope so, sweetie," Mrs. Tsukino sighs. "Seeing you out there facing those things day in and out for three years and more...when will it end?! When?!"

"It won't end, Mom," Usagi shakes her head. "There have been so many times I've wished this to go away and be a normal girl. But try as I might, I can't escape it. After all this time, I've come to accept it. I don't like it, but I accept it."

"Does Naru's mother understand why she became Sailor Terra?" her mother demands. "What about Ami's mother or Rei's grandfather or Minako's parents? And Makoto, what about her? And the Twins and the Outers?! Do they understand or are they in the dark?!"

"Mako-chan's parents died years ago in a plane crash," Usagi sighs. "I don't know about Naru-chan or the Inners. The Outers live by themselves, so it really doesn't matter. As for the Twins, except for Nona-chan, I'm not sure if their parents are still alive or the creep that turned them into cyborgs killed their parents at the same time. We haven't had the chance to ask; this Kughra is really keeping the pressure up."

"Cyborgs...?" Mrs. Tsukino gasps.

"REAL long story, Mom," Usagi shakes her head, then blinks. "Oh, by the way, I'm inviting some people over later. You mind?"

"Who...?!"

The doorbell rings. Usagi jogs to the front door, opens it, then smiles. "C'mon in, you two!" she waves Nona and Chooko inside. "You're just in time!"

"Thanks, sis," Nona smiles as they slip off their shoes.

Mrs. Tsukino walks into the living room, then gasps on seeing a red-haired Usagi and a double of Hotaru standing there. "Who?!"

Usagi smiles. "Mom, this is Nona Tsuruga, Sailor Diana...and her life-mate, Chooko Nori, Sailor Chronos! Nona-chan, Chooko-chan, this is my mother. Don't worry, she knows the basics."

"How do you do, ma'am," Nona and Chooko bow.

Mrs. Tsukino sighs...

* * *

The doorbell peals. Makoto runs to the door, opening it to see Katsura standing there, spiffily dressed in a button shirt, leather tie and slacks. "Ready?"

"Yep," Makoto nods as she grabs her bag, then the two walk out of the apartment. Awaiting them is a beautiful sports car similar in style to Haruka's. "Hey, did you borrow this from Haruka?!"

"No, it's mine," Katsura chauffeurs Makoto into the passenger seat, then hops behind the wheel. "I made a lot of money on betting on races and all that, Mako-chan. My parents made a lot of their wealth off gambling, believe it or not. You might say until the day I got hepatitis, I was blessed with good luck."

"Wow!" Makoto whistles as the sports car lunges out of the lot and into traffic. "So what about the others? Are their families still alive or did Kughra get them?"

"Yeah, far as we can tell," Katsura nods. "It was hard on us trying to contact them over the last few months. Look how much we changed physically?" she pulls a picture from her wallet.

Makoto looks. The pre-Senshi Twin Katsura Utai was a nearly anorexic, mousy girl with an angular face, glasses, an overbite and freckles. Comparing it to the tomboyish beauty beside her, she could realize how hard it would have been for the Twins to contact relatives. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she wonders.

"I have to," Katsura sighs. "One way or another, I have to tell my family I'm still alive."

* * *

An hour later, the car drives into the parking lot of a horse track near Atami. "Nice place!" Makoto wonders as they head inside, then file into line by the betting wickets.

A few minutes later, Katsura leans into the booth to gaze at the ticket teller working there. "Twenty thousand on Number Six," she smiles, slipping off her sunglasses.

"Hai, twenty thousand on Six," the clerk nods, typing on her keyboard, then hands Katsura the ticket.

Katsura places down two 10,000 yen notes, then winks at her. "Thanks, Teruko-chan!" she takes the ticket.

Teruko blinks, then stares intently at this stranger who knew her name; she didn't have a nametag or a plate marking her spot. "Who are...no!" her eyes widen as she gazes deeply into her older sister's eyes, then screams. "Katsu-onee-chan!!!"

People watch as the two embrace. Makoto smiles...

* * *

"Gods, what sort of cosmetic surgery is this?!" Teruko walks around Katsura, stunned at the change. They now relax in the staff lounge after Teruko got someone to take her place. "You grew twenty more centimetres, got your hair and face changed, put on a few kilos; I'd swear you were a different woman!!"

"Believe me, Teruko-chan, this is a VERY long story!" Katsura sighs. "Where's Mom and Dad?"

"In the stands waiting for the second race to start; they got a good run on Number Four," Teruko reports, then stares at Makoto. "So, who's this? Your new girlfriend?!"

Makoto flushes. "Geez, will you stop that?!" Katsura slaps her forehead. "I swear...!"

"Relax, relax!" Teruko laughs, then bows to Makoto. "Sorry about that! I always get her going like that whenever I start talking about her girlfriends!! Makoto, right? You want to make a bet before the third race?!"

"I'm not the betting type," Makoto shakes her head. "Thanks anyway, Teruko-chan. C'mon, Katsu-chan, let's go see your mom and dad and get this over with."

"Hai, hai," Katsura nods as they head out.

*Oh, welcome back, sis!* Teruko sighs as she returns to her booth. *It's so good to have you around again! Mom and Dad were lost without you! What happened...?!*

Upstairs, Katsura and Makoto enter the spectator's lounge. There, two middle-aged people gaze out on the track as the horses line up for the second race. Katsura checks out Number Four, a well-bred stallion named Meido. "They haven't put him out to stud yet?" she muses to herself, then smiles.

"Will he win?" Makoto wonders.

"Two lengths at least," Katsura muses.

The couple turns to her, both blinking surprisedly. "You seem very confident in that, young lady," Mrs. Utai muses.

"Mom, I've done that a lot, remember?" Katsura grins.

Stunned silence falls as the Utais gape at their transformed daughter, then with a cry, embrace her. Makoto smiles as she hangs back to allow Katsura the chance to unite with her parents...

* * *

"SUNARU HEAVENLY COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!!!!!!"

The Utais and Teruko blink as a funnel of energy warps around Katsura, shredding her clothes and reforming them into her sailor fuku. Right now, the family and Makoto are on the back porch of their secluded home in the mountains near Atami. "Whoa!!!" Teruko whistles as Sailor Sunaru emerges. "My sister the superhero!! Cool!!! So what's the speech?!"

"What speech?!" Sunaru wonders.

"Oh, c'mon, sis, you Senshi always have this speech you make when you go off to fight the bad guys! What is it?!"

Sunaru hums, then assumes a dramatic pose. "Prepare to bid farewell to Earth, demons, for the Mistress of Wind, Sailor Sunaru, will show you the Stairway to Heaven!!"

"You know, the Twins really think up some real nice speeches!" Makoto grins as she sips her lemonade. "Where were you guys when we needed a good speech writer?!"

The others laugh. "You wouldn't be Sailor Zeus, would you?" Mr. Utai stares at her.

"No, sir, I'm Sailor Jupiter," Makoto smiles, holding up her henshin stick with the astrological symbol of her planet. "I'm the original. Junko Satoda is Sailor Zeus."

"Way too cool! You must be really busy with these monsters coming through now, eh?!" Teruko gushes.

"Well, after the bloody noses we've given them, they seem to be cooling their heels...for a while," Makoto sighs. "But you can bet, they'll be back. Hopefully by then, we'd've adjusted to being with each other and forged a plan to stop them in their tracks. At the same time, we want to help the Twins get back together with their families as best as we can."

With that, Sunaru reverts to Katsura. "We are more than grateful for you to bring our daughter back, Kino-san," Mrs. Utai smiles. "Will you stay for dinner?"

"I'll help make it!" Makoto volunteers.

"Relax, Mako-chan," Katsura laughs. "You're the guest here. Besides, I don't want to spoil Dad and Teruko-chan with your cooking since they slobber too much over Mom's!"

Everyone laughs as Katsura and her mother head to the kitchen. Outside, Teruko and her dad bombard Makoto with questions about the Sailor Senshi's many battles. "She's a lovely girl, Katsu-chan," Mrs. Utai smiles as she prepares the rice. "And I can tell you're interested in her."

"I don't want to pop that on her just yet, Mom," Katsura feels her cheeks redden. "Is she my type? I don't know; I've only known her for three days. I like her very much and I'll be with her for some time to come, but I don't want to press myself on her."

"You'll be a perfect couple, Katsu-chan," her mother pats her arms. "Besides, you said that now you can only mate with other women. Mako-chan seems a decent sort."

"That's true," Katsura sighs. "But even though the Senshi've dealt with the Outland school, I don't think they can comprehend what a Nendo-kata really is. Thank the Mother Ocean that we don't have that six-month limit on having babies after we Cross Over these days; if we were all pregnant and things happened, we'd be in a real world of hurt. I just have to work on getting to know her a bit at a time, Mom. I'm not going to rush it."

"Good for you; besides, you'll have her parents to deal with sooner or later," Mrs. Utai muses.

Katsura winces. "Mom...Mako-chan's parents died some years ago in a plane crash," she bites her lips.

Her mother pales. "What about relatives...?"

"None. She's lived alone ever since."

"Alone?!" the older woman gasps, covering her mouth in horror at the emotional cost Makoto had paid over the years. "That poor girl," she gazes at their guest, now miming a big explosion to a wide-eyed Teruko. "All alone? No friends...?"

"Well, she's got the other Senshi to be with," Katsura sighs. "She's a really tough woman, Mom."

Mrs. Utai then sighs. "That's on the outside, Katsu-chan. On the inside, I'll guarantee it's a different matter. We'll discuss this with her at dinner, alright?"

"Mom...!"

"Enough!!" Mrs. Utai holds up a finger. "Even if Fate gave you this great power, child, there comes a time when you will want to shed the sailor suit and be a normal woman, live with a normal family and forget all the weirdness that seems to follow the Sailor Senshi like a dark kami. For that, you need a supportive family. If Makoto-chan doesn't have a supportive family, sooner or later, something could drive her over the edge. It's not right!"

Katsura bites her lips. "I guess so..."

* * *

"Adopt me as part of your family?!!"

Makoto stares at the Utais after they finished dinner. Teruko was busy clearing dishes. Katsura holds her hand. "Yes, child," Mrs. Utai nods. "Katsu-chan told us what happened to your parents. It isn't right by any shade of the imagination that anyone is left abandoned. I know you have some money inherited from your parents, but you need an emotional support base as well. That is where a family comes in...and that is where we want to come in."

"Mrs. Utai, you don't have to..."

"We want to," Katsura gazes at her. "Mako-chan, look. I know you've lived out on your own for the last five years or so. That's a gutsy thing to do for someone your age. But there comes a time when you want to kick back and relax. Hell, in what we're doing, we need that more than most other people. I need my parents even now, especially now. You need a loving family, too."

Makoto bites her lips, trying not to cry. "Katsu-chan..."

"Please," Katsura gazes at her.

Makoto shudders as she feels her tears flow. It had been a very rough time over the last while living alone in a spacious apartment, the only people coming by being her friends. She had so little left of her family, just pictures and other mementoes. There were times when she wished there was someone close to her that she could talk to, be with, use to unload her frustrations, vent her anger and sorrow at the madness that seemed to cover her like a shroud.

Strong arms embrace her as she barely hears Katsura's soothing words, allowing the dam to burst and her pent-up emotions to finally flow forth. Makoto hugs Katsura for all she is worth, beyond grateful to this beautiful stranger who came out of the blue to offer her home and family as a place of sanctuary from the unending demands of a Sailor Senshi. They were not just partners in battle. They were now sisters, family. Perhaps one day they'd be more than that. But that was still far into the future. Now, all Makoto wanted was the warmth of a family who loved and cared for her as if she was born of them.

And it really felt good!

* * *

To be continued...