Part Eight

Part Eight: The winter sun! Shinzui learns Minako's game

The ground beneath the black monument trembled as Lord Narcissus bellowed in fury. "I don't care what you say, Lady Slipper!" His icy voice sounded from the tear in space above the monument. "I'm perfectly capable of handling those meddling Sailor Senshi all by myself. You'll see. I'm going to get all of them this time!"
 This statement was only followed by mocking feminine laughter. "We'll see, Lord Narcissus. I'm only here because I'm concerned about your well-being. After all, if you don't bring in some results soon"
 Narcissus growled, and the sound shook the entire plain. "I know exactly why you're here, Lady Slipper. The Avatar sent you to check up on my progress, and you're scoping out my position for yourself. Wouldn't you just love to get your hands on a promotion?"
 Again that mocking laughter. "Oh, my dear Narcissus. You have it all wrong. I'm here to help you."
 "I don't need your help."
 "Oh, but you do. You need to find the Silver Dagger, right? Well, I know just how to do it." The feminine tones took on a dangerous resonance.
 "Oh, really?" Lord Narcissus sounded as though he were trying to seem nonchalant, but there was a distinct note of interest in his cold voice.
"Yes, dear Admiral. You see, these human creatures are surprisingly predictable. Currently it is their cold season - they call it 'winter'-- when everyone stays indoors. Makes it very difficult to get large numbers of them to group together, so the jaki can take their blood all at once."
 Lord Narcissus didn't even bother to try and hide the curiosity in his voice this time. "Go on. What do you have in mind?"
 There came another peal of laughter. "Well, it's quite simple. You see this little bottle?" There was a pause as she apparently was displaying it to the Negaverse admiral. "This bottle contains a supply of sun dust."
 "Sun dust?" Narcissus snorted in derision. "Never heard of it. I think you're just playing games with me, Lady Slipper."
 "SHUT UP AND LISTEN!!!" This shrieking scream burst from the dark opening in space, piercing the sky and causing the black stone of the monument to vibrate almost to the point of shattering. A flock of large black birds pecking at the ground nearby rose off the ground in a giant cloud of frantically beating wings as they were scared away. There was silence as Lord Narcissus evidently chose to obey the irritated woman, at least for the moment. After a few seconds, Lady Slipper's voice could be heard again, speaking normally as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.
"Now then, sun dust is a substance that was created for us by Sailor Phoenix himself, my suspicious little friend. When sprinkled through the sky, it will create the illusion of warm, sunny weather. And like I said before, the humans are quite predictable. As soon as this unexpected warm weather appears, I promise you that nearly every last one of them is going to get outside and go to a place that they seem to enjoy in hot weather-they call it the 'beach'."
 "Are you sure?" Lord Narcissus questioned dubiously. "What if it doesn't work?"
 "It will." Then Lady Slipper laughed again. "But even if it doesn't , who cares? It's not like you're getting anything accomplished as it is. You really don't have much to lose, here, Narcissus."
 "Fine." Lord Narcissus took a deep breath. "Come out, my jaki!"
 A drop of the oily black substance gathered at the bottommost edge of the gaping hole, and fell. It struck the cold stone of the monument with a sizzle and began to swell and move, taking on its black, ugly form. This jaki had the same yellow eyes as the others, and three long, hooked claws extending from each fist. The evil spirit grinned wickedly through the tear in space.
"Jaki here, Lord Narcissus," it hissed gleefully.
 "Listen to me, my simple minded minion. Take this bottle." A shimmering little crystal bottle, filled with something reddish-orange that swirled around inside, was tossed from the hole. The creature caught it, and stared at the swirling dust inside.
 "Pretty," the monster commented, tilting the bottle back and forth to watch the patterns change.
 "That bottle is filled with something called sun dust." This was Lady Slipper's voice. "You will take the sun dust and scatter it in the sky on your way to the city, you understand?"
 The ugly spirit nodded. "Jaki understand."
 "Then I want you go find a place called the 'beach'. There will be many, many humans there."
 The creature's yellow eyes lit up with anticipation. "Human juice?" it inquired greedily, smacking its swollen dark lips.
 It was Lord Narcissus' turn to give a mocking laugh. "That's right, my jaki. Human juice, and lots of it. I want you to get it all, and find the one with the Silver Dagger. Then you bring the Dagger to me."
 The jaki nodded its understanding. "Human juice Silver Dagger. Jaki will go." The shining black creature curled into a ball, rolling off the dark monument and striking the grass-covered ground with a bounce. It bounced again, and again, and then flew up into the sky. A trail of sparkling red-orange dust seemed to follow it as it arched its way towards Tokyo. The sun dust began to spread quickly through the sky, and the atmosphere above the plain already began to feel several degrees warmer.
 "It's working." Lady Slipper's voice could be heard to comment from the infinite darkness beyond the edges of the hole.
"It had better work," Lord Narcissus growled. "I've had it with those ridiculous humans, and I'm starting to lose my patience." Then he began to laugh, that deep, chilling chuckle that caused the very grass on the plain to shiver in spite of the warmer temperatures. "We'll find it this time. This time, I'm sure"

"Ugh." Tsukino Usagi rolled over on her bed uncomfortably, trying to get back to sleep, but it was no use. She lifted a hand to push a strand of hair out of her face, and grunted again with surprise to feel that her forehead was damp. She sat up and moved to throw the covers back, only to realize that she had kicked them all onto the floor in her sleep. Still only half-awake, she stared vacantly out the window for a moment trying to figure out what it was that didn't seem right about this. She was startled into full wakefulness, though, when a heavy, furry animal bounded into her lap.
 "You're finally awake, Usagi-chan. Did you hear the weather report this morning?"
 "What are you talking about, Luna?" Usagi grumbled a bit testily, rising to her feet and thereby dumping her pet onto the floor rather unceremoniously. She walked over to her bureau to exchange the sweat-soaked T-shirt she was wearing into something a little cooler and drier.
 "I'm talking about all this sunshine," Luna responded, also sounding a bit testy. She didn't like being dropped on the floor like that, not that she wasn't used to it by now. With dignity she sat down and began to clean her ruffled fur. When she was satisfied, having repaired the damage caused by her careless Princess, she continued. "Here it is, just two weeks before Christmas, and it's 95 degrees outside."
 "Ugh. No wonder it's so hot in here," Usagi complained, running a brush through her sweaty hair. "I'm going to have to take a bath before I can even get dressed."
Just then, Usagi's bedroom door burst open and Chibiusa came bounding in, dressed in her little pink swimsuit, with a polka-dotted floating toy around her waist. "Usagi-chan! Usagi-chan! Are you ready to go?" She stopped short at the sight of her future mother still in her nightclothes. "Don't tell me you just woke up!"
 "Didn't your mother teach you to knock?" Usagi snapped at the little girl irritably.
 Chibiusa cocked an eyebrow. "My mother is the one who always forgets to knock," she declared, staring at Usagi pointedly.
 Usagi frowned, noticing for the first time the way her future daughter was dressed. "What on earth are you wearing all that stuff for?" she asked.
 Chibiusa rolled her russet eyes. "Since it's Saturday, Kenji-papa and Ikuko-mommy are taking us to the beach."
 Usagi's eyes brightened. "Lucky!" she squealed happily, and began to dig through her drawers with more enthusiasm.
"But you'd better hurry, Usagi, because we're all ready to go."
 Usagi found her pink swimsuit, with its oddly placed yellow bows, buried in the very back corner of the drawer, and she yanked it out. "Here," she announced, "I found it." She raced over to her closet and began to dress.
Thirty seconds later, Usagi was ready to leave. Chibiusa stared at her future mother in disbelief. "Usagi, I've never seen you get dressed that fast unless you're going on a date with Mamo-chan."
 "Come on, Chibiusa, we're wasting time." Usagi grabbed Chibiusa's hand and started pulling her towards the door. Then she stopped suddenly. "Uh-oh."
 "What?" the little girl demanded impatiently.
 "What if Mamo-chan comes to the beach today too? What will Papa say?"
 A mischievous gleam entered Chibiusa's eyes. "Well, Usagi-chan, why not just tell him that you and Mamo-chan are dating?"
 Usagi looked quite uncertain. "I don't think Papa would like that at all. I mean, there is an age difference between us, and"
 "For that matter, why don't I just tell Kenji-papa that I'm Mamo-chan's and your daughter?"
 Usagi's eyes flew wide. "Chibiusa, don't you dare it's not that way at all, and you know it!"
 Chibiusa grinned wickedly. "But Kenji-papa doesn't know. I think it would be interesting to see what he thinks about being my grandpapa." She pretended to consider for a moment. "As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to go tell him right now!" She started to walk out of the bedroom.
 "Chibiusa!" Usagi tackled her future daughter, pinning her to the carpet, and Chibiusa began to giggle incessantly. Usagi rolled the pink-haired girl over to face her, and glared. "You'd better not say a word to Papa, or I'm going to make you really, really sorry!"
 Chibiusa just kept giggling. "The the look on your face." she managed to gasp out in between laughs.
 "What's going on in here, girls?" Tsukino Kenji popped his head around the doorframe.
Usagi froze, and gazed at Chibiusa in terror. What if she? But Chibiusa managed to stifle her giggles, and tilted her head backwards to look at Kenji, albeit upside-down.
 "Nothing, Kenji-papa," Chibiusa asserted, her face still pink from her laughing. "We were just playing."
 Usagi breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her future daughter gratefully. Chibiusa winked at her. From the doorway, Usagi's father shook his head with amusement. "Well, the more time you spend playing here, the less time we're going to have at the beach. Are you girls ready to go?"
 Both of them jumped up. "Hai!" they answered together.
"Come on," Shingo whined, also sticking his head around the corner. "Let's go, already. I want to practice some surfing."
 Usagi stuck her tongue out at her little brother. "We're coming," she answered, imitating his whining tone. Usagi and Chibiusa both grabbed their towels and headed out to the car with the rest of their family.

Shinzui stepped onto the crowded bus, and allowed Centauri to guide her to a vacant seat near the back. She sat down, making sure that her guide dog was settled next to her, and then put the flowered beach bag she was carrying beneath her seat.
As she bent over, Centauri asked quietly, "Are you sure about this, Shinzui-chan?"
 Shinzui cocked her head to sense if it was safe to respond. The man sitting next to her by the window was snoring loudly, and she could hear the two passengers in front of her involved in a heated debate about the cause of the sudden hot weather. No one was paying undue attention to her, so she nodded to her pet.
 "I'm sure, Centauri. This unseasonable weather change is not normal. I feel certain that the Negaverse is behind it somehow. With nearly everyone in the city heading to the beach today, I have a very ominous sense that Narcissus is going to try and take advantage of the crowds there. I need to go."
 Centauri looked at her with concern. "But , Shinzui-chan, you're still very weak from your last encounter with Lord Narcissus. Are you sure you can handle this today? Maybe you should just let the other Sailor Scouts take this one."
 Shinzui shook her head. "No, Centauri. This is my battle, not theirs. They don't even know what they're fighting for, yet." She sighed and rubbed her temples. Truth to tell, she was still a little weak. But she couldn't allow that to slow her down, not when there was so much at stake. "I know the Negaverse is behind this weather change, somehow, and I intend to get to the bottom of all of this."
 Centauri's liquid brown eyes were thoughtful. "Shinzui-chan, Lord Narcissus and his jaki are creatures of darkness and cold. They don't have the power to do something like this."
 "I know." The note of concern was unmistakable in the blind girl's sweet, musical voice. "That's what worries me."
 Centauri licked his mistress' hand in an attempt to console her. Shinzui had a sixth sense about the Negaverse's activities, she always had. She always seemed to know exactly when they were attacking, when they were vulnerable, and when they could be defeated. Of course, this didn't surprise Centauri a bit. Shinzui had, after all, had such an intimate connection to them in the past, before
 "Shinzui-san!"
 Centauri looked up in surprise at the unexpected greeting. Shinzui tilted her head towards the newcomer, and a slow smile spread across her face. "Ami, Rei Makoto, wasn't it? And I'm sorry, but I don't think I recognize your other friend."
 Minako's eyes widened in amazement as the young blind woman correctly identified all three of her friends. "Uh I'm Aino Minako. Nice to meet you. And that's incredible!"
 Shinzui raised an eyebrow. "What's incredible, Aino-san?" she inquired sweetly.
 Minako took a seat next to her friends across the narrow center aisle from Shinzui and her guide dog. Makoto opted to stand, gripping the overhead bar easily with one hand, her body swaying gently as the bus began to move. Minako stared at Shinzui with wide blue eyes.
 "Oh, you can call me Minako," she was quick to offer. "It's incredible the way you could tell who they were. How did you do that?"
 Shinzui smiled. "Your footsteps," she responded. "And Ami's voice. I knew it had to be them."
 Minako shook her head in amazement. "That's so cool," she enthused. "Rei said you were really smart." Before Shinzui had the opportunity to reply, the bubbly blond had moved on to a different topic. "So are you coming to the beach today, too?"
 The blind girl nodded with a smile that, had the girls known her better, would have seemed a little less than genuine. "That's right," she responded, trying to keep her voice light. Then she cocked her head to the side a bit. "Is is Tsukino Usagi coming too?" she inquired, making an attempt to sound casual. Centauri straightened a bit and looked up into his mistress' face. He knew exactly why she was asking that particular question.
 "Uh-huh," Makoto responded, not seeming to notice the carefully masked tension in the older girl's voice. "She's going with her family, though."
 "I see." Shinzui laid a slender hand on Centauri's head, and he understood completely. The Princess. She's going to protect the Princess. "It's a good thing I'm going, then."
 "Why's that?" Minako wanted to know with curiosity.
 Shinzui smiled mysteriously. "Oh, nothing really. I'd just like to talk with her again. She's an interesting girl."
 Rei snorted with amusement. "Interesting. That's one way to put it."
 Shinzui smiled, but did not get to reply as the ever vivacious Minako once again changed the subject.
"Do you play volleyball, Shinzui-san?" she asked eagerly. "Because we're going to have a little tournament, and we need another player."
 Shinzui shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm not very good at sports," she replied gently. She didn't add that she was also feeling a bit weak at the moment. But Minako didn't seem to understand the inference to the blind girl's condition.
 "I can teach you," she offered generously, grinning from ear to ear. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?" she demanded as Rei elbowed her in the ribs. Her friend rolled her eyes and pointed at her own eyes without saying anything. Minako got the point this time, and blushed furiously.
 But Shinzui didn't seem offended. In fact, she looked rather thoughtful, despite her weariness. "Well, that's a challenging prospect," she mused. "I don't know that I've ever even tried. It might prove interesting." She turned her head towards Minako. "That is, of course, if you'd really like to try and teach me."
 Minako turned and stuck her tongue out at Rei before turning back to Shinzui with her sweetest smile. "I'd love to," she answered. "I think, considering how tall you are, that you'd be really great."
 Shinzui smiled back. Just then, the bus' brakes squealed and the doors opened with a hiss.
"Welcome to the beach, folks!" the bus driver announced, as his passengers began to gather up their things and exit.
Shinzui reached beneath her seat and pulled out her beach bag, then took a firm grip on Centauri's harness. She stood up and stepped into the aisle, and Makoto held out a friendly hand to steady her. Shinzui smiled down at the brunette. "Arigatou."
 "No problem," Makoto responded, a little awed once again at the older girl's extreme height. "Hey, why don't you come to the cabana with us, and we can all get changed together? Then we'll go find Usagi-chan and Chibiusa-chan and head for the volleyball nets."
 Shinzui nodded. "All right."
 The girls all made their way off the bus and headed for the nearest vacant cabana. It took them a while to find one; they had to wait in line as there were so many people on the beach who wanted to take advantage of the remarkable warm weather. Finally they managed to get inside one of the small beach tents, and they all began to change into their swimsuits. Centauri, forever the gentleman, opted to remain outside.
 Shinzui changed quickly, wanting to get out of there and find Usagi as soon as possible. She just wasn't going to feel calm until she had the Princess under her guard. Something was not right about this there was danger on the beach today, and Shinzui was determined to make sure that it didn't get the chance to threaten her Princess. She tied the halter of her apricot-colored swimsuit behind her neck, tossed her skirt and blouse into her bag, and straightened to wait for the others.
 "Here, Shinzui-san. You'd better put some of this on." Without thinking, Makoto tossed her a bottle of suntan lotion. Instinctively, Shinzui reached out and caught it neatly, with one hand.
Ami stared. "Shinzui-san, how did you catch that bottle if you couldn't see it coming?" Makoto, realizing her mistake, blushed a little. She'd forgotten that the taller girl was blind.
Shinzui shrugged. "I just felt it coming, I guess, and I reached out to get it I don't know, exactly. I've always been able to do that." She smiled a bit as she tossed the bottle back to Makoto. "I appreciate it," she said to the athletic brunette, "but I never wear suntan lotion. I don't need it."
 Rei frowned as she took the bottle from Makoto's hand and began to rub the lotion on her own shoulders. "Your skin is so fair, though," she remarked. "You're going to burn to a crisp out there."
 Shinzui shook her head. "No, it's all right. It's odd, but I never get sunburn. I never get a suntan, either. The lotion, though that gives me a rash. I think I'm allergic to it."
Minako pulled a sheer cover-up over her head and grinned. "Well, if you can catch a lotion bottle, I'm sure you can play volleyball. It's the same thing, only you hit the ball instead of catching it." She ran a brush through her long golden hair a few times so that it shone, then put the brush back in her bag. "All right, guys, let's go play!"
 They stepped out of the cabana, and Centauri went over to his mistress, nosing her leg slightly so she would know she was there. Shinzui took his harness, and frowned as the unseasonable sunlight struck her face. There it was again, that premonition that something was wrong. Her grip on her retriever's harness tightened.
 Ami shook her head. "There are so many people here," she observed, gazing over the crowd of frolicking beach-goers. "How on earth are we going to find Usagi?"
 "Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll find us," Minako offered hopefully as she, too, scanned the crowd.
Shinzui closed her sightless eyes for a moment. "She's this way," she said quietly after a few seconds, and turned to her left.
 The other four girls looked at each other, then chased after the blind girl making her way confidently through the throng of people. Shinzui wound between several picnic tables and beach blankets, and a few seconds later, led them straight to a giant umbrella under which sat Usagi, Chibiusa, Shingo and their parents. The four girls looked at each other again.
"How did she do that?" Rei whispered to Ami. Ami shook her head.
"I've heard that blind people have their other senses heightened. Maybe it's the same for Shinzui-san," she responded quietly.
 Usagi leapt to her feet at the sight of her friends. "Minna!" she called happily, springing to her feet. "And Shinzui-san! I didn't know you would be here!"
 Shinzui inclined her head with a smile, and Centauri could sense his mistress' relief at finding her beloved Princess safe and sound. "It is good to see you again, Usagi-san," she responded musically.
 "Shinzui-san!" Chibiusa cried happily, running up to her piano teacher and hugging her legs, which were the only part of the colossal blind woman that the small girl could reach. She ruffled the silky fur on the golden retriever's neck. "Hi, Centauri."
Shinzui smiled down at the pink-ponytailed little girl. "Hello, Chibiusa. How's the practicing going?"
Chibiusa nodded excitedly. "I think I finally got that song we were working on last week," she announced proudly. "Can I play it for you at our next lesson?"
"Of course."
 "Come on, guys," Minako broke in. "Let's go play volleyball." As an afterthought, she bowed quickly to Usagi's parents. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino."
The adults smiled at the girls. "Hello, Minako-chan. Hello, girls. Have fun today, all right?" Ikuko greeted them.
Kenji frowned. "And, Usagi-chan, I want you to stay together with your friends and don't go off talking to strange boys, you understand?"
 Chibiusa grinned wickedly. "Oh, don't worry, Kenji-papa. We won't talk to any strange boys Promise."
 Usagi glared down at her warningly, and her friends had to turn away to hide their snickering. Then turned back to her father. "We'll be fine, papa. Really."
 The girls took off across the sand in a flurry of giggles. Shinzui smiled for a moment at Usagi's parents. "Don't worry, Tsukino-san," she said to Kenji quietly, with a slight smile. "I'll look after them." She turned and allowed Centauri to lead her in the same direction that the other girls had vanished in.

"Now, when you hit the ball, you should have your hands together, like this," Minako instructed, taking Shinzui's arms and joining the blind girl's hands together. "Your elbows stay straight, and you hit the ball with your lower arms, right here." She touched Shinzui's forearms in demonstration. "It may sting a little, but not so much once you're used to it."
 Shinzui nodded, a strand of pale hair escaping from her bun to fall across her face. She didn't seem to notice as she concentrated on Minako's words. "All right. I can do that."
 "Good, let's try it a couple of times," Minako suggested. "I'm going to toss you the ball, and you try and hit it back to me."
 The ball went up in the air. Shinzui could sense it coming towards her, and lifted her arms. She made contact with the volleyball a bit late, though, and it went straight up rather than towards Minako. The ball landed a little ways behind her. Shinzui straightened with a smile. "Ooops."
 "You can do it, Shinzui-san," came a deep male voice from her right. She turned to smile in the direction of the speaker, but did not bother to attempt a reply because he wouldn't have heard her over the sudden clamoring of his future wife and daughter.
"Mamo-chan!" both Tsukino girls cried, leaping to their feet and latching themselves onto the handsome young man's arms. They began to chatter brightly to him, each trying to compete with the other for his attention. Shinzui smiled again and shook her head, knowing that her friend had his hands full at the moment. She turned back to Minako.
 "Can I try that again?" she asked sweetly. "Sometimes it takes a while for me to find the rhythm."
 Minako nodded. "Sure. Here goes!" She tossed the white ball again, and this time Shinzui connected with it perfectly. It sailed up over Minako's head and thudded softly into the sand of the volleyball court.
 "That was perfect," Minako asserted, jogging over to the volleyball and retrieving it. "Now, before we really start playing, there are a couple other things you should know, like spiking the ball and how to serve it. And of course I should tell you the rules of the game."
 Shinzui began to relax a bit now that Mamoru was here. She knew that, despite the negative premonitions she was feeling, as long as the Princess was surrounded by her guardian Scouts and her Prince, she was relatively safe. Any one of them would give up their lives for her, Shinzui knew that much. So she was able to concentrate much more completely on Minako's careful instruction.
 After about another half hour, Shinzui was familiar enough with the game to play in a real one. The girls decided to split up, with Rei, Makoto, Ami and Chibiusa on one side, and Usagi, Shinzui, Minako and Mamoru on the other side. Mamoru was not going to play, at first, but they needed another person to make the sides even, and besides, Usagi wouldn't hear of him just sitting and watching.
 Minako served the ball, and Makoto attempted to spike it. But Mamoru got to it just in time and returned it over the net. And so it went. No one really kept track of the score, since that wasn't really the point of this game. Shinzui managed to do fairly well, returning most of the shots sent in her direction; and she even got the chance to spike a couple of times, which was a very impressive move considering the fact that she was six feet tall and scarcely had to jump in order to connect with the ball.
Centauri sat on the sidelines and observed Shinzui with something akin to a smile. It had been such a long time since he'd heard her laugh like that; it was something that only ever happened in the presence of the Princess. Centauri was amazed at his mistress' confidence and persistence. For as long as he'd known her she'd been like that, never letting circumstances get in the way of accomplishing goals. This was not the first lifetime that she'd been reborn with a handicap, but it was the first time she'd ever been blind. Still, it didn't seem to matter. Shinzui treated it more like an inconvenience than anything else, still stubbornly determined to do everything that everyone else could do, handicap or no. Another peal of her silvery laughter made him smile even more. How truly wonderful it was in those rare moments when she allowed herself to be happy. Centauri was so grateful to the Princess for making his mistress smile.
A couple hours later, the entire group was thoroughly worn out, and thoroughly happy. Ami and Rei sprawled out on their towels in the warm sun to take a rest, while Chibiusa and Usagi dragged Mamoru into the cool water to rinse the sweat out of their hair and splash around for a while. Makoto started performing some slow stretching routines to cool down after all that exercise, and Shinzui pulled a water bottle from her bag. She squirted some of the water into her own mouth, then took the top off the bottle and poured some into a small bowl she'd brought along for Centauri. He lapped it up quickly, the hot sun having made him quite thirsty, and so she poured him some more and ruffled his silky golden fur as he drank it, more slowly this time.
Shinzui recapped her bottle and put it away, then looked up as a new sensation struck her mind. She froze for a moment, trying to determine what it was that she was sensing. It wasn't the Negaverse, she knew that. It was it was one of her friends. Someone was feeling some strongly unhappy emotions. Frowning, Shinzui rose to her feet and took Centauri's harness. She brushed the sand off her legs, and started to walk in the direction of the foreign feelings. As she got closer she knew who it was. Minako.
 Minako sat on a rock facing the ocean, staring absently at the sapphire waves as they lapped gently, lazily at the sand of the beach. The volleyball in her hands turned slowly.
 "Minako?" Shinzui said quietly so as not to disturb the blond athlete. She took a seat next to her on the rock, and Centauri settled himself behind them. "What's the matter?"
 Minako turned to look at the pale-haired girl. Her blue eyes were troubled. "Nothing, really. I just" She sighed. "Tell me something, Shinzui-san. Do you ever feel like the fact that you're different keeps you from living a normal life?"
 So that's what this is about, Shinzui mused with a smile. Sailor Venus was always the one who had the most difficulty accepting her destiny. Her dreams were always so big Shinzui nodded. She knew how to handle this; she'd counseled Venus on this very topic more times than she could count.
 "Well, Minako, first you're going to have to define what you mean by 'normal'." Her voice was warm. "You see, everyone has a different destiny. Everyone lives a different life. So what exactly does it mean for that life to be 'normal'?"
 Minako returned her gaze to the ocean, and tossed a rock towards the oncoming waves. "I don't know, I guess." She was quiet for a moment, and Shinzui let her think. "I guess I guess what I want is to be able to go after my dreams without anything else getting in the way."
 Shinzui nodded slowly. "I can understand that. It gets very frustrating when you have to struggle so hard to accomplish things that others can do easily." She reached out and took the ball from Minako's idle fingertips, and she caressed it gently with her own. Minako gazed at her.
 "How do you do it, Shinzui-san? How do you find the courage to keep struggling? I mean, you're blind, and it seems like there's nothing you can't do."
 Shinzui smiled, her vacant eyes very soft. "Oh, there are plenty of things that I'll never do, Minako. I'll never drive a car, or play a video game. I'll never be able to watch a movie or paint a beautiful picture. But what it ultimately comes down to is that I am what I am. I can't change that. I am blind. I will always be blind."
 Minako shook her head. "And that doesn't make you sad, sometimes? Knowing that there are things you'll never get to do, things you can never be, because of what you are?"
 A slow, sweetly melancholy smile spread over Shinzui's features. "A very wise girl once told me that there was one truth that held for all people. What you are has nothing to do with who you choose to be."
 Minako pondered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. "You're right," she responded. "Even if I am different, I still have a choice, don't I?"
 Shinzui inclined her head in affirmation. "You do. You always have the choice. You can let your differences overcome you or you can overcome them. You can't change the circumstances, but you can always choose your reaction to them."
 The golden-haired girl smiled suddenly and wrapped Shinzui in a hug. "Arigatou, Shinzui-san," she grinned. Then she took the volleyball back from Shinzui's hands and considered it thoughtfully. "You know, every time I play this game I start wondering if my life is really going in the direction that I want it to." She turned the ball carefully. "Maybe I should take it up again, if it's going to have this much of an influence over me."
 Shinzui smiled. "You're very good at it," she offered. "And you're also a fine teacher. Perhaps you ought to consider becoming a coach."
Minako smiled and nodded. "I think I'd like that."
 Suddenly Shinzui stiffened, and her sightless eyes flew open in alarm. I knew it. They're coming. In one fluid motion the blind girl had risen to her feet and seized her guide dog's harness. "I'm sorry, Minako, but I have to go now."
 Minako looked up in confusion. "Is anything wrong?" she asked in alarm.
 Shinzui shook her head. "I don't have time to explain." She could feel the evil presence getting closer by the second. "We'll talk again later, all right?" She turned quickly and Centauri led her away, down the beach and out of sight.
 Minako frowned. Well, that was weird. A few seconds later, though, she began to hear screaming coming from the direction in which Shinzui had vanished. Minako rose to her feet as Rei, Ami, and Makoto came running up behind her.
"Did you hear that, Minako-chan?" Rei asked.
Minako nodded. "Where's Usagi? I have the feeling we're going to need Sailor Moon for this."
 "Mamoru is bringing her, and Chibiusa-chan too," Ami responded.
 "Right." Minako's tone took on a leadership quality as she produced her transformation pen. "Let's go, Scouts!"
 All four girls waved their pens in the air and called for their transformations. A few seconds later, the Sailor-clad Senshi were charging down the beach in the direction of the commotion.
 "Hey guys wait" Usagi gasped as she chased after them.
 "You'd better transform now, Usako," Mamoru suggested, as a rose appeared in his own hand. Usagi and Chibiusa looked at each other, and nodded.

The jaki dropped the woman's body and burped loudly. "Human juice!" it hissed happily, chasing after and seizing an old man. The creature bared its fangs and prepared to sink them into his victim's shoulder.
 "Stop." The command was spoken calmly, almost casually, and yet with so much authority that the evil spirit paused and looked up towards the voice.
 She was sitting on the roof of one of the lifeguard towers, frowning down at the monster. A trail of scattered, drained bodies lined the beach behind it. Sailor Orion raised an eyebrow. "I've been expecting you," she said to the jaki calmly. "No more human juice for you today, I'm afraid." Orion slid off the tower and landed in the sand. The evil spirit stared at her for a moment, then opened its mouth and tried to blast her with a burst of dark energy.
 Sailor Orion dodged to the side, and the energy bolt flew past her. But since she'd learned from experience that the jaki's attacks could reverse their direction of their own accord, she spun around to face it. Sure enough, the black lighting bolt turned and started heading for her again. Orion waited, then leaped out of the way an instant before it could reach her. The negative energy smashed into the lifeguard tower, and was absorbed harmlessly.
 "Burning Mandala!"
 "Venus Love-Me Chain!"
 The two attacks were combined, sending a fiery chain of red-gold hearts towards the evil spirit. The jaki attempted to get out of the way, but forgot about the old man it was carrying. The extra weight slowed him down, and the Scouts' chain wrapped itself around the creature's ankle. The monster screeched with pain and frustration, and dropped its burden on the sand. Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus shared a high-five.
 "Shine Aqua Illusion!"
 "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
 A burst of electrified water now enveloped the unfortunate Negaverse creature, who was still held captive by the burning chain. The jaki again hissed its displeasure. It reached down and snapped the chain around its ankle with the three hooked claws on its fist. Then it opened its mouth and spit black power at the Sailor Senshi.
 All four girls scattered as the monster's attack charged towards them. The dark energy was absorbed into a giant, rainbow colored umbrella behind them.
Sailor Orion took a deep breath. She was still weak, but she did have just enough strength to summon her Sphere. She raised an arm. But someone grasped it before she could do anything, and Orion opened her eyes. It was Tuxedo Kamen, holding her wrist. "You're still exhausted, Sailor Orion," he pointed out calmly. "Let her do it."
 Orion looked up to see Sailor Moon already powering up her Moon Scepter. She watched for a moment, and then nodded at Tuxedo Kamen. He released her hand, and the two stood and observed Sailor Moon as she prepared to destroy the jaki.
 "Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon called out, her two long ponytails streaming around her as she spun in a circle, then dropped to one knee and unleashed her purifying power on the evil spirit.
The creature shrieked furiously as its negative power was nullified by the attack, and it melted away slowly. After a few moments, all that was left was a now-familiar puddle of oily black residue that was quickly absorbed into the sand. But there was something different left behind with this one; a little crystal bottle filled with something that glowed and swirled around. Sailor Orion's eyes widened. So that's how they did it. I haven't seen sun dust since
"Ooh, pretty!" Sailor ChibiMoon exclaimed, reaching down to pick up the bottle.
 "NO!!!" Sailor Orion exploded, racing across the sand and managing to snatch the pink senshi's hand away before it could make contact with the crystal bottle. Sailor ChibiMoon looked up at Orion with startled eyes.
 "What's wrong?" she asked innocently.
 Orion took a deep breath, relieved. "You mustn't touch it," she explained, letting the littlest senshi go.
 Sailor Jupiter frowned. "Well, what is it?" she demanded, glaring at the little bottle now with suspicion, and looking very much like she was thinking about picking it up herself.
 Sailor Orion searched around on the sand and took the nearest beach towel. She wrapped the towel around her gloved hand several times, then bent over and gingerly picked up the small crystal vial of dust. The beach towel began to smoke and burn as it made contact with the crystal.
 "This," she said, holding it up so the other Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen could see, "is called sun dust. It comes from the Negaverse, and it will literally burn your hand right off." She fastened her silver eyes on the swirling dust inside the bottle. She could feel the heat it was giving off, even through the towel. "This is why we're having such strange weather today. The jaki has spread this stuff through the sky."
Sailor Venus coughed as the smoke from the burning beach towel reached her nostrils, and she waved her hand in front of her face. "Yuck."
 Sailor Mercury squeezed her earring, and her VR visor slid into place. "There is a lot of concentrated negative energy in that dust," she reported. "And I'm getting the same readings from the upper atmosphere. You're right, that spirit did fill the sky with it." She looked up at Sailor Orion. "We should destroy it."
 Orion nodded. "Yes. And for that we're going to need Sailor Mars."
 "Why me?" Mars wanted to know with surprise.
 Sailor Orion tilted her head. "Sun dust is a substance created by the Realm of Fire," she said. "Only someone with influence over the Realm of Fire can really destroy it." She set the smoking vial down on the sand again, and unwrapped the now blackened and singed towel from her hand.
 "Realm of Fire?" Sailor Mars questioned dubiously, staring down at the glittering little bottle.
 Sailor Orion smiled. "Yes. That is your Realm of influence. Each of you has one, and they're all different."
 "Even me?" Sailor ChibiMoon wanted to know.
Orion inclined her head. "Yes, small one, though your influence is not as strong yet as it someday will be. You, Sailor Moon, and I we all have powers from the same Realm; the Realm of Soul."
 Sailor Mars was still staring at the bottle of sun dust. "Okay, so how do I destroy this thing?" she asked.
 Orion giggled in that tinkling, musical way. "Well now, I suppose that's up to you."
 Mars nodded, and a mischievous grin spread across her face. "All right, then." She put her hands together, index fingers extended, and powered up her attack. "Fire Soul!" Sending the ball of flames straight at the shimmering bottle, the other Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen all took a step back as the sun dust exploded, shooting a column of fire straight up into the sky. The fire then seemed to ignite the air itself, as the dust that had been scattered into the atmosphere caught flame and burned away.
 "Crazy pyro," Sailor Venus muttered under her breath as Sailor Mars gazed with excitement at the burning sky.
 "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen," Mars exulted. "I gotta get me more of that stuff."
 "Sailor Orion, tell me something. About these Realms" Sailor Mercury broke off in mid-sentence. "Hey, where did she go?"
 The other Senshi looked around them, but Orion had disappeared. Sailor Moon sighed with disappointment. "I wish she wouldn't do that," she muttered. "Just vanish into thin air, just when things are getting interesting." Then the small Sailor leader shivered. "Brrr. Is it just me or did it get really cold all of a sudden?"
Tuxedo Kamen wrapped his cape around Sailor Moon's shoulders. "The sun dust was making everything warm," he reminded her. "Now that it's gone, the weather is back to normal."
 Sailor Moon gazed up at him with starry eyes. "Oh, I don't mind, Tuxedo Kamen-sama. I think I'll just stay here with you and your nice warm cape for a while." She traced a little design on his shirtfront with her fingertip.
 "Hey, I'm cold too," Sailor ChibiMoon whined, coming up on Tuxedo Kamen's other side and putting her small arms around his leg.
 "Sailor Moon. There's one more thing that needs to be done here," Sailor Mercury reminded her, indicating the trail of unconscious bodies that littered the beach. Sailor Moon sighed, and stepped away from Tuxedo Kamen long enough to wave her Moon Scepter one more time.
 "Moon Healing Escalation!"
 The combination of the now-chilly temperatures and Sailor Moon's cleansing powers began to revive the beach-goers, and Sailor Moon quickly returned to Tuxedo Kamen and his nice warm cape.
 "Okay, everybody, let's go get changed," Sailor Venus decided.
 Together the group made their way back down the beach.

Later that evening, as Usagi sat on her bed relating the events of the day to Luna, she yawned and stretched. "You know, I wonder" she mused sleepily, climbing under the covers.
 "What's that, Usagi-chan?" Luna inquired.
 "Sailor Orion said we all had Realms of influence. And she said they're all different. But if Sailor ChibiMoon and Sailor Orion can have powers in the same Realm as mine, then" she drifted off.
 Luna was curious. It wasn't often that Usagi thought seriously about things like this. "Then?" she prodded.
 "Then what if there are others, who share the Realms of the other Scouts? I wonder" Usagi fell silent as she rolled over and fell asleep, but Luna sat quietly for a moment. Then she went to the window and gazed up at the moon, shining full and bright and silver.
The cat watched as a shooting star winked across the sky. "I wonder"

Back to Part Seven
On to Part Nine
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