The One, The Only--The Master of Time

Author's Ramblings: Look at this... Nine stories left, counting this
one. Wow. To think of all the time passed, the time spent, the homework
ignored... Umm, never mind on that last part, because I would never
ignore my studies for the sake of fan-fiction. No sir. Really, I
wouldn't... Why are all of you looking at me like that?
This is dedicated to a certain guy who probably will not get within
three feet of this fic (because he knows it's the one in which he dies).
So it's safe to say that this is to the real-life version of Seth, whose
name is--of course--Brian. This is for you, Bri-chan, whether you like
it or not, because I can safely dedicate this to you without you ever
knowing. Not that you'd care. You'd probably just blush.
Aaron Wittrig belongs to himself. This is payback for the "SuperKate
Math Project" fiasco.
P.S.I am W.U.I. (writing under the influence) of too much of the S
movie. I have now seen "Hearts in Ice" twice dubbed and about eight
times subtitled. Too much SM can lead to odd fanfiction. Not that you
couldn't guess that!
(Oh, and Dania: You're walk-on is in here. Somewhere. Hope you find it!)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Once upon a time, in the last fic...

Lisa quit. She came back. Ambriel kept working on Prophesy and got
caught. Richard was upset, missing his parents and such. But Lyra made
him feel better. (Ecchi! I KNOW what you're thinking! Get your mind out
of the gutter!) Tara became even less interested in her 'old' life and
the Scouts, skipping a locket alert. Orion managed to communicate with
Artemis through that bond they had, and he gave her confidence. Celeste
kissed Peter and the author dwelt on it. Ambriel explained the Prophesy.
Reeny got in trouble. And we left off with... Oh, wait, you'll see.

And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *

He howled, and purple energy shot everywhere.
The Sailor Scouts were completely unsuspecting of the attack,
given that they had just heard the strange being talk and mock them.
Helplessly, the group of girls dove out of the way, hollering half-
hearted attempts of their attacks and failing miserably. A ball of
stardust exploded in mid-air, a red-and-black comet soared far beyond
its mark, and a brilliant rainbow little more than tear up a park bench.
Seth laughed, his barking chortles echoing through the night air.
Sailor Chibi-Star let go of Peter and took a few wobbly steps
forward, groaning as she put weight on one of her legs. A sharp,
shooting pain, originating from one knee, tore through her body, and she
winced noticeably. Still, she took another step forward.
"I don't know who you think you are," she spat at him, hate
glistening in her narrowed green eyes, "but this is where the line ends,
you included."
Turning extremely slowly toward the girl, the human-wolf
combination raised a single brown eyebrow. "Excuse me?" he questioned in
a dry, languid tone. "You dare to oppose me?"
With various grunts of effort, all the other Sailor Scouts turned
to glance at the small blonde girl, her fists clenched at either side of
her body. As one, they gasped.
"Celeste..." Her brunette friend, his face devoid of all color,
reached out a hand for her. "Don't..."
She tossed a pigtail over her shoulder. "This world is full of
peace and harmony, and you should not try and harm such a place!" The
golden jewel of her tiara sparkled magnificently as she reached one hand
above her head. "I will punish you!"
With a flash of the purest white, a long golden staff appeared in
her hand, its radiant color almost blinding the other Scouts. Her
fuku shimmered suddenly, changing from its colors of yellow and purple
to one that matched that of the rod, while the pigtails in her hair
suddenly seemed to fade into nothingness and pull themselves into a bun
at the nape of her neck.
Brown eyes wide, Seth watched as she straightened spine and
touched the butt of the staff to the ground, a slightly mysterious smile
touching her pink lips. "For I, young Seth, am the Keeper of the
Nebulae, the spirit of an eternal power harbored in the body of a
child."
Peter's jaw dropped. The Keeper? She was the Girl in Gold... And
the Girl in Gold was his...his...
He gulped and broke away from the thought.
"Pleased to meet you, missy," retorted the man-dog, recovering
abruptly from his shock. "I'm certain that you don't expect to win this,
so, without further adieu..." He tilted his head to the sky and took a
deep breath.
"Starburst Shimmer!"
The howl cut through the cold night air like a knife.
Gold met purple, an unlikely combination, as the sheer radiance of
the attack erupted from the Keeper's staff and met with the swirling
beams of energy. Eyes watched, Scouts gaped, and Peter, in all his fear
and surprise of the girl's new, more powerful form, stared at her,
motionless.
Suddenly, there was an audible splash as waves of water erupted
from above, ramming into the creature and sending him backwards.
Following the water was a raven-haired teen, garbed in her normal tan-
and-green Sailor fuku, with a cocky smile on her face. "Miss me much?"
questioned Sailor Earth.
"Tara!" chorused the girls, rushing to their feet and gathering
around her. "Where have you been?!"
There was a loud, pained groan from behind them, and they all
turned to see Seth slowly rising to his feet, completely dripping with
the salt water of Earth's attack. "You...stupid...Scouts..."
An echo rang through Tokyo Central Park as Sailor Moon unsheathed
her sword and raised it high.
"Moon... Saber... Illumination!"
He screamed and flailed his arms, but it was no use. Crumbling
into a pile of dust, the once human Seth died.
Sighing, the Keeper of the Nebulae stared at his remains for a
moment, and then turned her face to the firmament above her, her breaths
deep and loud as she gazed up at the starry sky. No one spoke, but they
all looked upon the child in gold, not knowing what would happen next.
"There is something out there," she stated finally, after a pause
of silence that was as long as an eternity. "And I can feel it."
Glancing away from the skies and down to her fellow Scouts, she shook
her head slowly. "It was so very faint a sense at first that I ignored
it. It was not hard." She paused, pressing her lips together. "But now,
it is stronger. More intense."
Without warning, a flash of orange erupted from the heavens,
basking the Scouts and the pile of dust in a warm, eerie glow. Then,
magically, Seth's remnants began to slowly ascend into the air,
disappearing under the glow of the orange light. And it was gone.
Taking another deep breath, the Keeper of the Nebulae stared as
the glistening of color faded into the night sky. "It is Illusion," she
spoke mysteriously, her tone low and throaty, "and I fear it more than
life itself."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Damn!" swore the woman, pounding her fist on the marble armrest,
the sound of the blows echoing through the chamber. "Damn it! I don't
see how this could happen!"
The two others, both of her own age, stood on the floor, their
pale faces both gaunt from fear and reverent from the same fear, an odd
combination. "My Queen," began the man. "If you would just--"
She snarled at him, her brown-black eyes full of hate, and he
silenced. "Perhaps YOU don't understand, Rob," she spat, jabbing a
finger toward him, "but Seth was a very good strategist. And a powerful
warrior." She slammed her fist against the marble again, sending a small
crack running down the side of the black throne. "I swear, I can't take
any more of this shit!"
Sighing, the ebony-haired Tina rubbed her temples slowly,
muttering to herself. Then, she glanced up at her Queen, smiling
sweetly. "Well, Queen Ginnie," she supplied in an innocent, hopeful
tone, "if you would just send me out, I would..."
"Oh, no," retorted Ginnie with a shake of her wavy mane of hair.
"I am not sending out another truly magnificent warrior to do this. I
can't risk losing the truly skilled."
Blushing crimson, the blonde Rob tossed his head and smiled
sheepishly. "Your Highness," he chortled, touching one hand to his
chest, "I hardly think that you should abort the mission for fear I may
get hurt in battle..."
She raised an eyebrow, staring at him. "I don't know what the HELL
you're talking about, Rob," she responded, staring, "but I was
originally talking about Tina." A sadistic, evil smile crossed her
crimson lips. "YOU, on the other hand, have quite the mission ahead of
you. I sincerely suggest that you do not fail me."
All the color drained from his face and he focused on his shoes,
embarrassed. "Yes, ma'am..." he murmured, scuffing his feet together.
"What's that? I don't think I heard you..."
"Yes Evil Queen Ginnie!" saluted Rob, a forced and obviously
annoyed grin upon his fine features. "I will not fail you, SIR!"
She brushed a hair from her eyes. "Much better."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sighing, Peter leaned back against the headboard of his bed. His
pale face was emotionless as he stroked the chubby tan kitten that was
sprawled across his stomach. "I don't get it," he commented sleepily.
"What's the Keeper of the Nebulae supposed to do, anyway?"
Galileo rolled his brown eyes and rolled onto his back, smiling
contentedly as the boy scratched his belly. "Who cares?" he purred. "I'm
more worried about tomorrow's tuna..." He licked his chops. "Mmmm...
tuna..."
The child shoved the cat away and climbed to his feet, pacing
across the dark burgundy carpeting of his room. "Well, it doesn't make
sense, Galileo!" he snapped, annoyed. "If Celeste is the Keeper and the
Keeper is a girl who wears gold, then..."
"Why do you worry?" questioned the kitten sleepily, slowly lifting
his head from the warmth of Peter's thick quilt. "Even if that one,
little girl is the Keeper of whatever, there's STILL not any Master for
her to be in love with..." He yawned and rested his chin on the bed once
again. "So what does it matter?"
Leaning his head back against the cool white wall of his bedroom,
Peter stared out the window and across the backyard, eyes glancing from
the tops of the budding trees all the way to the glowing whiteness of
the moon. Its brightness in the dark night stung his eyes, and he felt
the cool bite of tears caress his cheeks. And, as much as he tried to
tell himself to calm down, he could not.
"I'm the Master," he whispered, voice low and trembling. "The
Master of Time."
And then, the moon disappeared behind a cloud and took away the
bath of silver that had once contained the room.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

The moonlight, bright and sweet, filtered in through one of the
windows in Lyra and Richard's apartment. The eerie glow would have sent
a shiver of sorts up the spines of even some of the world's bravest
warriors.
But it did not really matter. In one room slept a happy-go-lucky
young woman, her blonde corkscrew curls pulled into a high ponytail,
away from her face. A kitten, as silver in color as the moon itself,
laid at her feet with her tiny pink nose in the thick blue quilt of her
bed. She didn't feel the oddness of the moon.
In another bedroom slept the teen's destined love, having wrapped
himself up in the think brown comforter of his own bed. Silver rims of
glasses sparkled in the thin beam of light coming through the window,
but he could not appreciate the beautiful color. His slumber, peaceful,
stole him away. The power of the moon was lost upon him, too.
Then, sitting upon the tiny balcony of the apartment, was another
form. A girl. Just one solitary girl, short and blonde and utterly
ravishing for one of her age. Her beauty was usually overlooked, but
under the mystic glow of the moon, her tresses appeared to be fresh-spun
golden silk and her green eyes glittered endlessly.
Raising her face to the wind, she breathed in the night air
through her nostrils. It was crisp, cool, and freeze, its purity as
enchanting as the birth of a new star.
"I can feel this new power rush through me," she whispered aloud,
as though someone could be listening to her words in the night. "As the
moon rises high above me, I know the truth of this world. I am the
Keeper, and he is my destined."
The air suddenly grew thick as a flash of gold engulfed the child.
Suddenly, she had faded almost out of being, seemingly but a shape-
shifting glitter of glow.
Stars burst and shot across the sky, one after another, crossing
the blackened firmament in streams of beautiful light. It seemed as
though they were but a spectacle for the glittering form below.
Slowly, the stars faded into darkness and the girl was back, hands
upon her pajama-covered knees as she panted for breath. Sweat trickled
down her brow. "How can I control such power?" she gasped, green eyes
staring up at the full moon. "I've never been able to control something
that... that..." She stumbled on her own thoughts, searching for the
right word. "That...incredible." With a shake of her head, she sunk to
her knees on the cool wood of the balcony. "How can I be able to control
this? And where does that...that BOY...fit in?" The girl screamed, the
sound full of rage and agony, and slammed one of her fists against a
wooden plank. "Serenity save me!"
"You would expect it any other way?" asked a timid, childish voice
from behind her. The pitter-patter of an animal's pads upon wood echoed
in the sudden silence of the air. "Celeste, you should not worry so
much," scolded Cassiopeia, her brilliantly silver fur shining in the
moonlight. "All will repair itself."
Chuckling to herself, the girl tilted her head back and closed her
bright eyes. "Always the quick answer, eh Cass?" she questioned, tone
full of a smug loathing. "The only one who could possibly have the
answer is Ambriel, and even she isn't able to exploit the Prophesy
yet..." Her chuckles faded away and she whirled around, hair cutting
through the night air like a million daggers. "I control powers that
I've never had before! The battle today turned me into something that
I'm not, and I don't know how to reverse it!" She wrinkled her nose in
disgust. "It's as though I'm suddenly worth something more to the
world."
Her Guardian listened intently and stepped slowly forward. "No one
knew," she sighed, shaking her head with remorse. "My mother told me the
story, and no one knew..."
"What?" asked Celeste, staring.
"The Keeper was to be eternal," the cat informed her in a stern
voice, green eyes studying her features without wavering. "But her
spirit, so strong and stubborn, was placed inside the soul of an unborn
child."
The girl gasped and clutched a hand to her chest, as though she
had just been frightened.
Cassiopeia's tone became even more regretful. "And no one knew
that the girl would have to be awakened as a Sailor Scout... No one
understood, and..."
"What about Peter?" Celeste pressed her lips together and
readjusted herself to sit cross-legged. "What of him?"
Hanging her head, the young Guardian shrugged. "I'm not even sure
if my mother and father have any ideas," she admitted rather guiltily.
"It's in the Prophesy, but only Ambriel--"
"Has the Gift," finished the young girl, nodding slightly. "Well,
then, I guess I'll just have to hold back these emotions bubbling
within..."
"Emotions?"
She shook her head with a sigh. "I don't know, Cass," she
admitted, forcing a brave little smile as she cocked her head to one
side. "It's just that... Well, it's as though the new power and strength
is brought about through my thoughts..."
The cat furrowed her brow. "Thoughts about what?"
Celeste shrugged and clambered to her feet, catching a glimpse of
one last shooting star in the corner of her eye. The smile upon her face
faded as she stood, stark still, breathing gently as she watched that
last star streak across the moon's silver surface and fade away.
"About a lot of things," she responded, starting into the
apartment. "And about a lot of people."
And that was the only answer the Guardian received.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

She rose slowly, stretching her long arms over her head as she
yawned and greeted the smiling morning sun as she had greeted the last
ten morning suns.
With fear.
Pulling her hair into the familiar plaits that were so second
nature to her, the teen, really a young woman, climbed out of bed and
threw open the thick red drapes. She smiled, letting the warm light
flood her bedroom and kiss her face with its sweet touch.
Since that fateful battle with Seth, all had been quiet. Her icy
blue eyes stared out across her front yard and out at the street, and
she traced the path of that street until it faded into the horizon. From
her spot, she could see the tall, crystalline spires of Crystal Palace,
thorns sticking out into the blue, cloud-spotted sky. It had been too
quiet.
As she pulled on a pair of slippers and padded out the door, she
found herself enveloped in her own thoughts. Where was the enemy? They
had been so near for such a long time, a proverbial pain in the necks of
the Sailor Scouts. And now, in an almost random manner, they'd
completely disappeared! It was as if the defeat of Seth had sent them
all wandering into hibernation...or something.
But that was clearly untrue, she reflected to herself as she
pulled a mug from the kitchen cupboard and filled it to the brim with
warm, murky black coffee. Why would they give up when they'd been so
close to winning? In fact, had it not been for the Keeper of the
Nebulae, Celeste's strange and ambiguous second form, the Scouts
wouldn't have had a prayer...
"Hey! You up so early during spring break?" laughed a familiar
voice from behind her.
She shrugged and, leaning against the counter, took a long swig of
her coffee, evaluating Haley's appearance. As she'd been for the past
week and a half, the older girl was dressed for jogging in a T-shirt and
sweatpants. Her brow was dotted with sweat, but she was grinning, teal
eyes sparkling with light as she sucked the remaining drops of liquid
from a large water bottle. And she couldn't help but smile back at
Haley, her slight frown fading quickly.
"I was just thinking about the enemy..." she sighed, focusing on
the coffee, still smiling. "I don't know why, but I feel at ill ease..."
The brunette tossed her bottle at the sink and then hoisted
herself up onto the counter, face reflective. "Pheebs," she addressed
her housemate sternly, "I think we've all been at 'ill ease' lately."
She shrugged, unsure what to say as she glanced at her companion. "After
all, there was that creepy thing with the shooting stars, and then all
was silent... Even Alice has been all up-at-arms and jumpy, which isn't
like her..."
Phoebe nodded in agreement, still focused on the coffee. "When
Alice gets that way, something's up," she responded pensively. "But the
question is: Why do we feel this way?"
The jogger hopped down from the counter and placed her hands on
her prominent hips, eyebrows knotted together in thought. "I think it
has to do with Celeste," she said finally, nodding her head to help
reassure her own statement. "It just seems like this could have to do
with that Keeper appearance..."
"Time for a Scout Meeting?" questioned the girl with the blue
braids, glancing up and away from her drink.
Haley nodded. "I think so."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

With a long yawn, the young auburn-haired woman, much like her
friends were doing at that very moment, took a long sip of coffee and
crossed one leg over the other, thinking.
"It doesn't make sense," she mumbled softly, her tone rather sad
and that of one who had lost hope. "It's as though the world has stopped
revolving..." She wrinkled her nose and slowly picked up her spoon,
gently stirring the think brown-black liquid in her glass. "And
something just doesn't FEEL right..." She sighed once again and raised
the mug to her lips, sipping the slightly bitter drink slowly and
pensively.
Outside, the sun glittered in the blue sky, sometimes pausing from
its eternal warmth to dart behind one of the few white cottony clouds
that dotted the heavens. She watched this orange orb from her seat upon
her bed, just thinking gingerly, if such a thing was possible.
Why would any being, human or otherwise, want to take the Earth
away from those who inhabited it?
Because it was there, she mentally answered herself. Because it,
with its people and resources, was exploitable. In a way, it was a quick
conquest on the way to take over the universe.
Or so thought the enemy. Alice smiled and brushed a loose, wavy
strand of hair from her eyes before taking another sip of her coffee.
The enemy sure had a lot left to learn.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Metal clashed against metal, echoing through the thick, misty air.
The sound rang loudly, neither a pleasant nor a tenuous noise, its
brashness almost painful in nature.
The young man, his brown hair hanging slightly into his eyes,
watched over the two who bore the metal staffs. His face was impassive
as he stared at the duo of warriors, but his green eyes, bright yet sad,
told a different story. They were admiring and yet pained at the same
time.
Suddenly, there was a mighty yell, and the smaller of the two
warriors swung his small purple staff. It loosed from his grip and flew
from his hands, hitting the young man directly in the left knee.
Terry swore loudly and doubled over in pain.
"Papa!" gulped Peter, red eyes growing wide as he raised one hand
to his mouth and stared at the brunette man. "Are you okay?"
His sister, her green-black hair whipping behind her as she took
the time to rest her hands upon her fuku-clad hips, rolled her colorful
eyes. "I find it increasingly hard to believe that one such as you is
the brother to one such as me..." she mumbled sarcastically, observing
her brother as he rushed over to the man and helped him stand on the
injured leg. "You have a large affinity for hurting the ones you care
for, young Peter..."
"Aeris," groaned Terrence, holding onto a white marble pillar for
support as he glared at the young girl. "PLEASE don't help make this any
more painful."
She flushed. "Sorry."
The boy, his red eyes full of remorse, stared first at the
discarded Key Staff and then at his black shoes. The crimson cape around
his shoulders fluttered in the light, cool breeze that rushed around the
threesome. Between clouds and mist, a giant white marble doorway could
be seen, a sure signal that this place was no ordinary area. Quite on
the contrary.
It was the Gate of Time.
"I'm sorry, Papa," he apologized softly, still focused upon his
feet. "I have a lot on my mind, and I wasn't thinking..."
His sister mumbled something about stupidity, twirling her Time
Key idly in one hand as she spoke, but her words were all lost to the
ears of her family members.
Sighing, Terrence put on hand on his son's shoulder, smiling
slightly at the boy. "Accidents happen," he told him casually, putting
weight on the injured knee and then wincing as he did so. "Even to
warriors..."
"Whether or not it is an accident is not relevant," drawled Sailor
Chibi-Pluto, whirling her staff through the air, bored. "If we are to
stand up against the supreme evil which is that Queen Ginnie and her
minions, we must train. And fight with our power, strength, and
dignity."
With a nod of agreement, the adult stooped over to look into the
boy's eyes. "I know that we all have a lot to deal with, especially
without your mother here," he sighed solemnly, "but we have to keep our
minds and bodies on the goal--saving the world."
Peter nodded solemnly, staring at his father. "I know... I
know..."
Terry smiled and patted his son on the head. "Now, get back to
training," he commanded picking the Staff off the ground and handing it
to the boy. He pointed to a pillar a good fifty feet off in the thick
clouds. "Just do it over there."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"No, they're off training," the blonde woman said languidly into
the telephone, glancing at the wall clock as she spoke. "They'll be back
soon, I think. Meeting at 3? Sure, sure, I'll tell the kids..." She
readjusted the receiver on her shoulder just long enough to scrawl down
a few words upon a pad of paper. "Yeah. Got it. Thanks." Hanging the
phone back into its proper place, she wrinkled her nose.
"Who was that?" questioned the aqua-haired woman, glancing up from
her computer screen and across the den at her companion. The tanned
blonde's face, usually kissed with a sadistic smile, had drained of all
color and was a bleached, white tone. The small woman raised a single
blue-green eyebrow. "Alex?"
Snapping to attention, the tall blonde blinked and turned to face
her wife. "That was Phoebe Urawa," she told the woman with a sigh.
"There's a Scout Meeting today."
"Oh." Michelle chewed thoughtfully upon her upper lip, pulling her
gaze from that of Alexandra's and focusing on her folded hands. She was
silent, as was the room. Only a few soft strains of Mozart, emanating
from the CD player beside the computer, broke the dead still.
Then, taking a deep breath, the musician spoke. "You miss her,
don't you?"
Pressing her pink lips together, the sandy-haired woman was
silent, unsure what to say. Of course she missed the light that was her
daughter; who wouldn't? Not seeing her, the athletic, goofy, fun child
that they'd raised from infancy... Alex wrinkled her nose, not enjoying
the emotions that were rushing into her head and tugging at her
heartstrings. She tried to pull her thoughts away from Haley...
And then, she remembered how awful it was to have Susan gone, too.
Sure, the mystic Guardian of Time always spoke in her backwards riddles
and seemed to know things that she didn't plan on sharing, but that was
half the fun of living with her! But she, too, had left and she'd left
them all behind. Aeris and Peter, her two obnoxious children, were
always moping about, complaining... It was amazing to Alex that she'd
not killed them yet, for they were annoyingly pathetic and unable to do
much more than feel sorry for themselves. Well, they could fight.
They fought everyday, it seemed, alongside the Scouts.
The Galactic Sailor Scouts.
Alongside Haley...
The tears bit at her gray-green eyes be she pushed them away as
she had always done. It was but second nature, now, to force the
emotions and feelings away. There would be a time for tears, later.
"Alex?" questioned that familiar voice from the computer.
Sighing, the blonde ran a hand through her hair. "No," she
responded softly, "I miss both of them."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Downtown Tokyo was always busy, even on Wednesdays in the midst of
spring break, she reflected to herself, grocery bag a heavy weight in
her arms as she stood at the red light, waiting for it to turn.
Her brown eyes hurt from the brightness of the sun; it seemed to
glow twice as radiant as normal. Even though she wore sunglasses, it was
as though the sun was going to burst from its own radiance.
Sighing, she glanced about her. Masses of people of all shapes and
sizes walked down the sidewalks and crossed the streets, some more
attentive to those they shared the world with, and some less attentive.
Business men chatted with young, scantly-clad secretaries outside a
café; mothers pulled disobedient elementary school children behind them,
scolding loudly; street-corner merchants tried to fare well with all the
various passers-by, often receiving little more than the cold shoulder
in return for their offers. It was the way Tokyo had always been since
she was a little girl.
Why would anyone want to take over such a beautiful place and use
its inhabitants for evil? Wrinkling her nose, the young woman leaned her
back against a cool lamppost. After all, the Earth provided for all its
inhabitants and never harmed...
Suddenly, a bright flash of orange lit up the entire street in a
colorful glow. She gasped and dropped her bag, apples rolling down the
sidewalk and into the middle of the street.
"What's going on?" screamed a young stranger, cradling a baby boy
in her arms as she stared at the strange sphere that was slowly forming
in the middle of nowhere. "What is that thing?"
The babe began to howl, tears streaming down his tiny cheeks, and
the woman quickly turned to attend him.
Reaching into her pocket, Lyra felt the familiar weight of her
locket. Still, she couldn't risk transforming the midst of so many
staring people. Lowering her eyes, she focused upon the orange glow as
it hovered there, doing nothing. It looked so familiar...
Of course! It was that same exact shade of orange of that thing
which had caused Seth's remains to float into the air and utterly
disappear! No wonder it appeared so familiar!
And then, without any warning, the little orange sphere faded into
nothingness.
"What in the world..." muttered the curly-haired blonde, still
staring after it as she bent over to retrieve what was left of her
discarded groceries. "I could have sworn that was a crystal of sorts..."
The other young woman, having calmed her crying child, stared at
Lyra with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Do you have any idea what that was?"
she asked softly, her disposition that of a frightened doe in the
forest.
Shaking her head, the blonde teen took off down the street with
her bag, not even bothering to respond.
Sighing, the stranger kissed the top of her son's forehead. "That,
Andrew, was one weird girl."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I'm not going," she stated stubbornly, crossing her arms over her
chest as she stared at the answer machine. "I don't want to, you hear
me? I FINALLY have grabbed onto a normal life, and I'm not letting it go
for anything! Not even for them!"
The tiny red light on the machine blinked cheerily, seemingly
mocking the anger of the teen with the raven tresses.
She sighed and leaned against the wall, still glowering down at
the small black box. "I know that they're supposed to be my friends...
And they are! They really are!" She shook her head slowly. "But I can't
live in a world where I'm the odd person out. Do you understand?"
The light blinked even more.
"It's not that I don't care about them," she continued
remorsefully, "because I do really love them. Reeny and Lyra were my
first friends... And Alice..." She let another long sigh escape her
lips. "To be honest, I don't know how I feel about Alice, yet... But
there's Phoebe and Haley, too, and the Chibi-Scouts..." Brushing a
strand of hair from her eyes, she focused on one of the many tiny gray-
black buttons upon the machine. "I just can't have both worlds, you
know? Besides, the Scouts will always be there," she shrugged, a slight
smile touching her lips. "We share a destiny." Her smile faded and gave
way to a saddened frown. "This is the easiest way..."
One finger pressed the button.
The machine beeped. "Press 'erase' again," it commanded in a loud,
mechanical voice, "to erase all messages."
She pressed erase again.
A loud beep sounded, and the machine spoke once again.
"No new messages."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Alice! You here, sweetie?" called Lita Kino, strolling into her
large apartment and pushing the door shut behind her. "Ready to go to
the big classical concert down on Thirty-Seventh Street?"
She furrowed her brow. No answer.
"You in here, Ally?"
Silence.
"Come on, you've been waiting for months to see these players!
Your favorite cellist, Aaron Wittrig, is performing today!"
She warily padded across the carpeting, peering into her
daughter's large bedroom.
It was empty.
Lita made a face and clutched her fist tightly around the two
concert tickets, glancing carefully around the apartment for any signs
of life.
All she found was a pad of paper.
Picking up the notepad, she smiled slightly at the Sailor Jupiter
border and sighed, reading the note aloud and to herself.
"'Had to go to Phoebe's... Be back by five... Sorry I couldn't see
Wittrig in concert... Take Dad...'" The woman shook her head of brown
hair and placed the paper back down upon the end table it had resided
on, licking her lips softly. "She didn't want to see the concert?" she
questioned aloud, utterly bewildered. "She used to have the biggest
crush on that..."
Freezing in mid-sentence, the brunette groaned and pushed the
paper off the table, ignoring the sound as it thumped onto the floor.
"Damn that girl!" she swore, annoyed. "She's running off to spend time
with Phoebe AGAIN! It seems like, every time I turn around, she spends
more time with that child!" Stomping one foot onto the floor, she
clenched her fists and let out an irritated breath. "If I find out that
Phoebe and MY DAUGHTER are doing things that...that any good
heterosexual woman would NOT do..." She gulped, apprehensive for a
moment. "I will KILL Amy Urawa, mark my words!"
Just then, the doorbell rang. Lita turned her glaring green eyes
toward the closed door.
"WHAT?!"
"Hey Leets!" called a cheery, masculine voice from the other side
of the closed gateway. "Alice said you had tickets to the big classical
concert and that I could go!"
Shoulders slumping, the woman hung her head and sighed. "Or
maybe," she grumbled, "I'll just kill Alice."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I called this meeting for one reason," she drawled, stretching
her arms idly. "I want to know what's been going on since Seth's death."
The Urawa's living room was filled with bodies, both male and
female, as it had been on several other occasions since the beginning of
that year. Four young children, the oldest of which being nine and the
youngest not yet four, all sat together on the large brown couch.
Sitting at their feet were two young women, one with long, thin blue
braids in her hair and the other with messy, wavy auburn hair and big
chestnut-colored eyes. Across the room, sharing the loveseat, was a
young man and his curly-haired destined love, along with two strange
cats, one calico and one orange. Beside them, in a small armchair, sat
the Princess of the Earth, hands folded demurely in her lap, and her own
Prince sat on the arm of her seat. And then, lastly, was the longhaired
brunette, legs crossed at the ankles, sitting in a folding metal chair
right in front of the empty fireplace, looking very relaxed.
No one spoke at her comment, and the young woman rolled her teal
eyes. "Come on," she pressed, annoyance in her tone, "you know what I'm
talking about!" Standing, she stood and strolled over toward the couch
where the children were sitting. "First, there was an odd appearance
from our dear friend the Keeper of the Nebulae," she stated, staring
directly into the slightly apprehensive green eyes of the oldest of the
foursome. Sighing, she walked away and crossed to the loveseat. "Then,
there was a meteor shower--a group of shooting STARS, you could say,
falling from the Heavens that very night." She rose an eyebrow and
glanced at the young couple. They gazed back, both confused. "And, THEN,
a certain 13th grader started to get 'funny feelings' and, upon being
ignored by our psychic Scout, ran here." She glanced at the auburn-
haired teen. "And, of course, let's not forget our Princess, who called
yesterday just to ask where the heck the enemy was..."
There was a long, heavy pause. No one spoke.
Then, stomping a foot, Haley slumped back into her chair and let
out a loud groan of annoyance. "Damn it!" she swore loudly. "What the
Hell has been going on?" The blank stares toward her did not help to
soothe her unsettled mood, and she clenched her fists at her sides and
sent an icy glare around the room. "If I find out that even one of you
knows ANYTHING, I swear I'll..."
"It started with the Prophesy," spoke up the redheaded five-year-
old from her spot on the couch. "When we had our Chibi-Scout meeting, I
told them about my findings in the Prophesy--that the Master, whoever he
is, will end up with the Girl in Gold..."
"We all assumed that girl to be the Keeper upon her appearance,"
added in Aeris helpfully, glancing at the blonde who sat between her and
her brother. "However, after that glow of orange..."
Lyra suddenly gasped, brown eyes widening. "That's right!" she
exclaimed. "I saw that orange thing again today, while I was walking to
the bus stop coming home from the grocery store..." She furrowed her
brow, as though she was in deep thought. "The way it glowed, it reminded
me of the Silver Imperium Crystal, only orange..."
"I've never heard of Queen Ginnie of the Darkness having a
crystal," commented the silver-haired Priest of Elysion pensively, "but
I'll contact Abigail and ask her to do some research..."
"Abigail?" echoed his girlfriend, slightly suspicious as she
loomed over him, eyes lowered. "Who is Abigail?"
Helios shook his head slightly, rolling his blue eyes. "The
Priestess who is keeping Elysion in my absence, dear," he responded
casually, not much more than annoyed by the sudden sparkling of jealousy
in her eyes and the undertone of anger in her rich voice.
"Let's get back to the Prophesy," cut in Phoebe, resting her chin
in a hand as she spoke, face that of one lost in pondering. "If
Celeste's the Girl in Gold, then who in the world is her 'destined'
Master?"
The little angel-girl shrugged. "That's the only thing that I
didn't ever figure out," she admitted softly, shaking her head. "All
I've been doing for the last ten days is trying to make sense of who the
Master is, and the only thing I can get from my studies is that he and
the Keeper will fall madly in love after a kiss..."
"A kiss?" snickered Alice sarcastically, crossing her arms under
her chest. "Yeah, right. Love isn't based on kisses!"
Turning bright red, the young boy upon the couch coughed into his
fist and stared at his lap. "It could be..." he mumbled, statement
barely audible.
Everyone glanced at him, confused.
And then, Orion groaned and hung her head in annoyance. "Of
COURSE!" she announced, mostly speaking to herself. "Why didn't anyone
kick me for not speaking up?"
"Huh?" Her orange-and-white furred mate just looked at her,
completely lost.
Picking up her head, the small calico with the silvery star upon
her brow sighed and wrinkled her nose. "Peter! It's written all over him
that he's to be the Master!"
"PETER?" echoed the group, everyone staring at the brunette boy,
whose big red eyes were still focusing upon his own pair of jeans.
Then, Haley chuckled and waved a hand. "Come on, that's absurd!"
she countered, leaning back in her chair. "That would mean that Peter
and Celeste have kissed! For goodness sakes..."
Two of the four Chibi-Scouts both flushed and then turned a lovely
shade of crimson.
"Oh my God..." muttered Lyra, her jaw dropping as she gaped at her
little blonde sister. "You two...are...DESTINED?" She raised a hand to
her mouth.
Adjusting his glasses, the young man with the red hair glanced
over at the two embarrassed children. "Is this what caused the shower of
shooting stars?" he questioned thoughtfully. "After all, it's been all
over the news, and astronomers had no idea where it came from..."
Pressing her pink lips together, the girl with the two long,
blonde pigtails flushed slightly and nodded just the tiniest bit. "I'm
not sure how I made the stars fly like that," she admitted softly,
acting extremely timid as she stared up at the ceiling. "It's as though
I suddenly control powers that I'm not supposed to control..."
"How does this all fit together, though?" questioned the auburn-
haired Alice, first casting a long glance toward the silent,
contemplating Phoebe and then looking at a very confused Haley. "I mean,
it's all well and good that the Master is Peter and that Celeste is the
Keeper and that means WHATEVER in the nice little world of Prophesy. I
can deal with that. But it STILL doesn't explain three things: why
we're on edge, why the enemy has disappeared, why there's something
that's strange, orange and likes to take piles of dust floating around
Tokyo, and where the HELL Tara is."
The actress beside her shook her head slowly. "Four things..." she
muttered in a wary voice.
"What?"
"You said you were going to name three things. You named four..."
"Well, whatever," put in Reeny sternly, flipping a strand of her
soft pink hair from her face. "We need to find the enemy and crush them
to bits!"
Rolling her teal eyes, the sporty teen raised an eyebrow toward
her Princess. "And how, pray tell, are we going to do that?"
The girl with the cone-shaped buns beamed. "We split up and search
for them, of course!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Well, if this doesn't SUCK," groaned the large cat, pausing in
her walk to sit down upon her haunches and glance up at the tall blonde
man. "We're on a wild goose chase all over Tokyo and YOU'VE landed us
atop a building in a district that I didn't even know about."
Lowering his blue eyes, the man glowered down at the talking
animal, shaking his head towards her before turning back to a small
palm-sized computer he held. "It's not my fault that we're here," he
countered dryly, removing his glasses to stare, uncomprehending, at the
tiny greenish screen. "Tina gave me this and said it would help us find
the Queen's crystal." Scowling at the machine, he sighed. "IF I could
understand this jargon..."
Chuckling, Dolly smiled and bared her fangs. "Rob, dear," she
chortled, still gazing up at him. "Has it EVER occurred to you that
Tina's been doing nothing more than trying to screw everyone else up,
down, and over?"
He cocked his head at her, blinking.
"Really," she continued, trying to wash away the obvious disbelief
that he wore upon his face. "She pestered Arthur to go out again by
telling him that Ginnie wasn't happy, and we ALL know how badly she
sucks up. It's blatant that she's helping everyone else to LOSE."
"But...why..." stuttered Rob, completely dumbfounded. "Why would
she sabotage everyone else?"
The cat sighed. "She's not really SABOTAGING anyone's mission,
really," she responded thoughtfully. "She's just trying to further her
own case. And why shouldn't she? We all know that whoever's last is
going to get to run the whole world alongside Ginnie. Who better than
that ass-kissing, whining, obnoxious Tina?" Her red eyes sparked with a
certain mirth. "Then again, even if she WAS the one to find the
crystal..."
With one more glance at the computer in his hands, the man roared
aloud and tossed the small device over the edge of the building. Not
listening to the loud "crunch!" that sounded when it hit the pavement
after falling twenty-odd stories, he turned back to his pet.
"I don't believe that she tricked us by sending us on a wild
goose-chase with that stupid computer!" Kicking over a few small wooden
tables of potted plants that were set upon the roof, he groaned. "How
could I be so stupid?"
Shrugging innocently, Dolly blinked her big, blood red eyes and
smiled wolfishly, fangs shining in the sun. "How 'bout we send out a
monster to fight the Scouts?"
He pulled a marble-sized red crystal from the pocket of his black
trousers and stared at it a moment. Then, he glanced at the smiling,
sweet-looking animal. And back at the crystal.
"Good idea," he replied tossing it off the roof as he had Tina's
computer and then turning his back to it. "I'm not going to let Tina
win. There's no way in Hell of that."
Nodding in agreement, Dolly beamed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Why'd they make us split up like this?" mumbled the blonde child
to herself, kicking a stone that sat upon the sidewalk.
The Sailor Scouts had all grabbed their lockets and/or
transformation sticks and dispersed, each pairing off with another Scout
(or destined love, as the case had been) and starting off in one
direction. And Haley, the odd Scout out, had taken the two cats and
decided to go to Crystal Palace to go over some computer data that the
Guardians had collected.
So Lyra and Richard, hand in hand, had started out toward the
park.
And then Alice and Phoebe had decided to scope out one of the more
luxurious districts on the outskirts of town in the convertible that
belonged to the latter's aunt.
Ambriel and Aeris had voted to go and pay a visit to Crystal Music
Academy; one of Seth's wolf-monsters had attacked there, and no one
could be too careful.
And, lastly, Reeny and Helios had started off toward the downtown
shopping district.
Which left her, and HIM, stuck wandering through the business
district of downtown Crystal Tokyo, wandering amongst the skyscrapers
and the all-powerful executives, all of whom just stared at the two
young children. They did indeed look out of place, walking side-by-side
in tennis shoes and spring jackets whilst all the CEOs and Chairpersons
of some of Tokyo's hottest industries strolled by, briefcases in hand,
in suits and coats.
Honestly, she felt out of place, too, with her pigtails streaming
in the spring breeze and her knee-length purple skirt billowing out
behind her every so often. It was not so much that she felt out of place
amongst all the businesspeople as she felt odd spending more time with
Peter. They were destined, supposedly, but she didn't like him THAT
much. He'd saved her life, and she'd saved his, and that was that. When
push came to shove, there wasn't anything special about the two of them.
He was a three-year-old trapped in the mind and body of a kid her age,
and she was a wise, eternal soul trapped in the body of a kid her age,
and so what? They fought evil together, they won, and they went home to
their own beds at night. So be it.
Sighing, she brushed a hair out of her eyes and cleared her
throat. "Peter?" she asked.
He cocked her head at her, pulling his gaze from the sidewalk.
"Hmm?"
"Does this make any sense to you?" she inquired, a slight smile
touching her lips. "All this Prophesy and stuff, I mean." She chuckled
to herself nervously. "I mean, does it make sense that me and you are
destined just because of a little kiss?"
Sighing, Peter pressed his lips together in thought, glancing up
at the blue, cloudless sky. It had rained the past few days, but the
clouds had cleared that afternoon leaving only the peace and beauty of a
clear, flawless sky. He smiled slightly to himself, taking in a deep
breath. There was just something in the air...
"No, Celeste, it doesn't make sense," he responded softly, pausing
and turning to look her in the eyes. Her mysterious green orbs sparkled
back, and he smiled gently, raising one hand to caress his cheek. "But I
don't particularly care, because you are a wonderful person and, since
I'm obviously meant to share a destiny with SOMEONE, it might as well
be--"
He was cut off by a scream echoing through the area.
Turning to face the direction of the yelp, two young warriors,
much to their chagrin, watched as a young woman was chased down the
street by a giant reddish-orange animal that resembled a lion. A lion
the size of a school bus, that is.
With an annoyed sigh, the girl seized her friend's hand and
started running down the sidewalk toward the nearest alley. "Hate to
interrupt your speech," she told him urgently as they dashed toward the
darkness, "but we've sort of got a problem!"
As they entered the alleyway and leaned against the wall of a
building, panting slightly, he managed to smile. "I forgive you,
'Leste," he retorted, a certain amount of sweet admiration in his voice.
She smiled back for a moment.
And then:
"Small Star Galactic Power MAKE UP!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Two people sat in the same small den. One read a thick book, while
the other one cradled a small child while flipping through a battered
copy of Time magazine. Neither spoke to the other. They didn't really
have reason to talk.
And then, the one put the magazine down.
"I once read a history, long ago, that had some Prophesy in it,
you know."
The book shut slowly.
"Really now? What happened?"
A shrug. "Well, there were these four people mentioned: The
Prince, the Princess, the Keeper, and the Master."
"Oh?" The book-reader slowly cracked the volume back open...
"And the Master had a sister who was the Guardian of Time."
The book slammed shut. "OH!"
"Do you get my drift?"
"Yeah, but..." There was a pause. "What did the Master and the
Guardian do?"
Smiling sweetly, Hannah kissed her daughter's brow and turned to
look straight into a pair of rather confused green eyes. "I don't know
what the Guardian did in the Prophesy..."
Face falling, Terrence began to open his thick book on parenting
once again, suddenly finding himself disappointed.
"...but I do know that the Master and the Keeper helped to rule
the world."
The book dropped to the floor and, with a more amused grin than
before, the young woman picked the magazine back up.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"For a giant fire-breathing cat," grunted Sailor Chibi-Star,
somersaulting away from a giant fireball, "it sure fights well."
Clambering to her feet, she closed her eyes and reached one hand into
the air, feeling around in the null-space above her head for the Staff
of the Nebulae.
Nothing appeared.
Grunting with effort, she pulled harder, trying to find the tiny,
invisible threads that comprised the other-dimensional rift called null-
space. Her thin eyebrows clenched together, and sweat dripped down her
brow.
Nothing.
Meanwhile, Peter had succeeded in diverting the creature's
attention from the girl and focused all his energy on trying to take
down the lion using only his Key Staff. It was failing miserably.
Chibi-Star's comment about the monster's fighting ability had been
a fair appraisal; with its unusual fire-breathing powers and large size,
the animal was quite an enemy. Nothing really phased it, not even one of
Chibi-Star's quite powerful "Starburst Shimmer" attacks, and beaming it
in the legs with the small purple Time Key seemed to have even fewer
effects.
"Could you please DO something?" he hollered toward the girl,
jumping atop a red-and-white phone booth to avoid the wrath of another
fire attack. "I can't hold the thing off much longer!"
Sighing, the girl took her gloved hand out of the air and glanced
at it, head cocked to one side. "I don't get it," she muttered, blinking
in confusion. "Why doesn't the Staff appear?"
"CELESTE!"
The monster, having grown bored with Peter, turned its ravenous
red eyes upon the small girl who stood across the street. The purple
skirt of her fuku was ruffled from the breeze, and she was still staring
at her glove, a shocked expression on her face.
Slowly, the giant cat began to lower itself toward the ground,
posterior slightly raised and long tail waving furiously. Motionlessly,
it stared at the girl, who remained oblivious to the threat at hand.
The young Master of Time in Training recognized that stance. His
little kitten did the exact same thing...
When he was getting ready to pounce.
Surveying the situation as quickly as he could, the boy took in a
deep, shuddering breath. He had all of thirty seconds to save the little
girl--his destined love, or so it was said--and he was too far from her
to make a daring dash and the cat was too preoccupied to be distracted.
In fact...
He took one long glance at the Time Key, and closed his eyes,
taking in a long deep breath.
"Pluto, God of Time, don't fail me now..."
Peter raised the Staff above his head and took one last, deep
breath.
The cat began to wiggle ever so slightly.
"Dead Scream!"
For a brief moment, time seemed to stop. Then, there was a
brilliant flash of reddish-purple light, and the Garnet Orb upon his
staff brightened. From the orb erupted a sphere of energy and it flew
toward the cat, sending the animal flying into a parked car and away
from the smaller Scout.
Gasping, Chibi-Star stumbled backward and gaped at the body of the
lion-monster. It was twitching slightly, and some of the fur was lightly
charred. Then, she turned her green eyes toward the boy who had once
again saved her and gasped once again.
Peter stood atop the phone booth, his entire body sparkling with a
strange red glow. The symbol of Pluto shone prominently upon his
forehead, and the Key of Time floated before him. Wordlessly, the child
seized the Key in his fist and hopped down from his perch, slowly
walking toward the girl.
And in that instant, exchanging only the soundless words, they
knew that Peter had, in his own way, completed his training. He was
finally the being he had been destined to be.
"Celeste?" he asked softly, a slight smile curving his lips.
She nodded and smiled back.
"What the Hell happened here?" queried a loud voice from near the
body of the lion-creature. The two Chibi-Scouts turned to see all the
other Galactic Sailors (sans Earth, who still had not appeared) and two
young men crowding around the body, staring.
With a sigh, Sailor Moon thrust her sword into the fairly dead
body of the monster and muttered the magic words without an enthusiasm,
scabbarding the weapon even before the dead cat had reverted back into a
small red crystal.
Taking a wary step toward the two flushed, battle-bruised Scouts,
Moon raised a single pink eyebrow. "Well? What happened?"
"We killed the monster?" responded the brunette boy, quite unsure
of himself.
Chibi-Pluto, her Time Key clutched tightly in her fist, blinked at
the child and then managed to cock her head to one side in a confused
gesture. "There is something strange about you, small brother," she
commented, gaping at him. "You seem oddly...changed...for some
reason..."
Beaming, Sailor Chibi-Star held out a hand and made a grand
sweeping gesture toward her companion. "May I present to you," she
announced loudly, soprano lilt echoing through the empty street, "the
one, the only--"
She bowed and stepped away from him.
"The Master of Time."
Peter blushed and waved.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Susan Meiou froze, nearly dropping her dainty teacup onto the
kitchen floor. She could feel all the color drain quickly from her face
and in fact had to grab the countertop for support. What was going on?
A second wave of dizziness hit her and, this time, she did drop
the small white cup. It shattered loudly onto the tile, but fell upon
deaf ears.
Closing her eyes, she focused her energy and could see, very
vaguely, her son. His Time Key suddenly erupted in light and from it
shot the familiar energy of a "Dead Scream" attack. Within her mind's
eye, she smiled. Finally, he had obtained the power to use "Dead
Scream," an attack with power and responsibility that not even she yet
fully understood. Soon enough, it would all fall into place...
The sick feeling subsided, but that did not matter, for she knew
what it meant. A little bit more of her powers--a little bit more of her
unending, indescribable powers--had passed onto her child. A smile
kissed her lips.
"Susan?" questioned a teenage voice, and she pulled her eyelids
open. "Susan?"
The green-haired woman had not remembered falling to the floor,
but there she laid, a pair of concerned blue eyes staring at her face.
Groggily, she sat up, her college-age form responding quickly to the
command. She took a deep breath and then looked down at the remnants of
the porcelain cup.
"Sorry," she apologized quickly, kneeling to pick up the pieces.
A teenage Michelle Kaioh just gazed at the slightly older woman,
confused. "Susan, are you..."
"Just fine," broke in the Guardian of Time, flashing a sweet smile
at her friend. "However, I'm sure we can fix this cup..."
With a slight nod, the aqua-haired high-schooler bent over to help
her.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest and glared daggers
at the white ceiling of her bedroom. Upon returning home from the Sailor
Scout battle, she'd stormed up to the small chamber and slammed the door
angrily behind her, not wanting to so much as look at either of her
aunts or at her father. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to be left
alone with her own inner demons.
Green hair surrounding her face like an aura of color, she laid
upon her large bed, trying to sort out her thoughts. Her amazingly
colorful eyes, usually all shades of color and none at the same time,
were a dark, unforgiving shade of black as she laid, unmoving, staring
up at the ceiling. They traced the few small cracks of the paint, the
motion so slight that few could detect it.
But one did.
"What's wrong with you?" questioned a certain slender kitten from
where she sat upon the child's bed table, concern sparkling in her
crimson eyes. "You're acting awfully odd, even for you..."
With an annoyed grunt, the girl sat straight up and turned her
head to look at the cat, her great mass of green-black tresses flying
through the air dramatically. "It's not fair!" she snapped quickly at
her Guardian before crossing her arms once again and pouting.
A small, thin eyebrow rose far into the air as the kitten stared
at the girl. "What's not?" inquired Ara, obviously confused.
Snorting, the young child glanced at her small cat. "My STUPID
brother has a destined love, that's what!" she exclaimed angrily,
beating her pillow with a fist.
Furrowing her brow, Ara sighed and looked away. "Aeris..." she
scolded half-heartedly, suddenly regretful that she'd not revealed her
knowledge of Peter and Celeste earlier. After all, she'd figured it out
the minute that Ambriel had explained the Prophesy, and yet it had never
dawned on the genius child of Pluto. Though, then again, it was bound to
take a while to set in, regardless...
But the girl had begun ranting again. "I mean, HE gets to rule the
world alongside this beautiful, sweet girl. HIM! The idiot child of the
Guardian of Time!" Aeris kicked at her sheets and sent them sprawling
onto the floor. "It's not fair!" she roared, tears biting at her eyes as
she glared at her own shaking fists. "I have been the one to have the
power and to do the REAL fighting, but HE will get to rule the world
with Celeste! What in the world do I get, Ara? What?"
Sighing, the young Guardian furrowed her brow. The world would be
ruled "silver to white to gold to black," said the Prophesy. And, of
course, silver was that of the Silver Star, and white was that of the
mysterious Priestess who Ambriel had mentioned, which left gold and
black to be Celeste and Peter... What was left for the girl who would,
someday, be the Guardian of Time?
"Well..." Ara began, nervously glancing at her paws, slightly
embarrassed. "You get the Gate of Time, you know..."
Falling back into her pillows, the little girl rolled her eyes and
let up an exasperated sigh. "Great..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Pushing her glasses up upon her little nose, Ambriel smiled
proudly and closed the book before her. A small cloud of dust billowed
from the volume, but she didn't much care. Instead, she leaned back on
her elbows and let out a happy little sigh.
Raising a small pink eyebrow, Diana turned her head from her thick
stack of computer readings and glanced at the child. "What are you so
pleased about?" she questioned doubtfully.
"Peter became the Master of Time today," she stated bluntly,
twirling a small strand of hair around her forefinger as she spoke. "He
finally has grasp of his full powers."
Hopping down from her perch atop Ambriel's desk, the animal cocked
her head to one side. "Oh?" She furrowed her brow. "And I suppose that
you had something to do with that, Ambriel?"
The girl shrugged innocently, but the wise, knowing smile that
curved her lips told a different tale. "You know what the Prophesy
says," she responded casually, pulling her elbows out from under herself
and laying flat on the floor, hands behind her head. "The Priestess will
have to awaken our dear Master, and who better to do her job than, well,
than her?" Smiling, Ambriel closed her bright gray eyes. "After all, if
I am to help rule the world..."
"Ambriel!" exclaimed Diana, staring. "How could you possibly know
all that? Just weeks ago, you..."
Opening a single eye, the girl shrugged. "I never said that I
didn't know what the Prophesy meant," she retorted in a low tone. "And,
if I did say just that, it was most likely to the Chibi-Scouts. And
they're big kids... They've got to figure it out on their own."
There was a long pause while the pink cat stared, almost
frightened, at the large brown volume. Her left eyebrow twitched
slightly.
Then, with a deep breath, she spoke. "Do you mean to say you
unlocked the Prophesy?"
"Oh, weeks ago," grinned Ambriel, sitting up and winking at the
cat. "The first day I had the book, actually. Not that I knew what I was
doing, but something had called to me, Diana, and I..." She blinked.
"Diana?" she questioned nervously, gazing at the motionless cat. "Diana,
I..."
"YOU UNLOCKED PROPHESY BEFORE I EVEN STARTED TO TRAIN YOU?!"
roared the cat suddenly, hopping into the girl's lap and glaring at her,
red eyes aflame. "Don't you ever, EVER, do something dumb like that
again! You could have called the Silence without even knowing!"
Ambriel suppressed a whimper. "I...I thought I knew what I was
doing, but..."
The Guardian raised a paw, claws bared, level to the child's nose.
"If you ever, EVER, call upon Prophesy again without my knowing, I will
PUNISH you, Ambriel. And NOT as an agent of love or justice, if you
catch my drift."
This time, the girl whimpered aloud and scooted backwards, away
from the livid cat.
"But, on the other hand," put in Diana, turning around and
starting back to the desk, "it's good to know that Peter can use his
attack, now."
"So...you're not mad?"
The cat laughed aloud. "Don't be foolish!" she chortled with a
roll of her eyes. "I never said THAT!"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"One a-failure, two a-failure, three a-failure, four..." giggled
the black-suited young woman, flipping a page in her thick manga and
smiling to herself, as though a sacred secret was hidden within the
pages of the comic. "How many more stupid-ass minions must I kill before
I can take over? Hmmm?" She sighed wistfully and, falling onto her side
upon the couch, closed the manga. "It's amazing, but they couldn't do a
thing. In fact, without me, they're absolutely hopeless. It's one big
joke, and... I don't know..."
A pair of red eyes sparkled from a darkened corner, going
unnoticed by the woman.
With another sigh, she stretched out her arms and rolled onto her
back, staring at the damp marble ceiling. "It's not as though I don't
want us to win, because that's NOT it," she continued, brushing an ebony
tress of hair from her dark brown eyes. "It's just that I want to be the
one, of all of us, who prospers." She shrugged. "They just don't
understand how unfair it is... I've been working with this woman,
Ginnie, for years upon years, and yet those newcomers have as good as a
chance of reaping the profits as I do. It's just NOT fair."
Suddenly, from the shadows, burst an oversized calico cat, claws
unsheathed and gleaming in the pale light of the living room. "I KNEW
it, you two-timing little bitch!" announced the animal, pouncing onto
the woman's chest. "I KNEW that you were causing trouble, Tina, and
you're gonna pay!"
With a shriek, Tina sat straight up, using all her strength to
throw the livid cat against the nearest wall. Gasping, she hopped to her
feet and glowered at the feline. "What the Hell are you doing here,
Dolly?" she screamed, angry. "How long have you been listening to me?"
Shaking out her fur, the animal growled menacingly at the woman.
"That computer WAS shit, and you ARE trying to ruin everyone else's
life! God, I was just making all that up to get Rob and you fighting! I
didn't even think..." She shook her head quickly and leapt at the woman.
"How could you?"
In a swift movement, she knocked the cat away and against the wall
a second time. "Should it really matter that I want to be the one who
stays by Ginnie's side? I mean, why shouldn't I? I've been here the
longest, and your owner--not to mention those other IDIOTS--wouldn't
know a Sailor Scout from a pastry if it bit him in the butt!"
Then, in a single fluid movement, the young woman leapt at the
animal and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. "You aren't worthy to
share the same UNIVERSE as one such as me!" roared the ebony-haired
woman, slowly wrapping one hand around the animal's neck. "You don't
deserve to breathe the same air, or stay in the same room, or..."
"Look at you," choked Dolly, her eyes watering as she tried
desperately to gasp for breath despite the tight fist around her neck.
"You're so blinded by your own hate that...you..." She coughed
violently, and her eyelids slowly fluttered shut.
Smiling wickedly, Tina dropped the lifeless body of the cat onto
the floor, flipping a strand of long hair behind her shoulders. "That's
what YOU think," she spat, unexpectedly taking the cat by the tail and
setting it on the coffee table. "But, you see, only the strong survive
here." With a little laugh, she pulled one of the drawers of the nearby
desk open and removed a ball of yarn. "Truth is, you're just not one of
them."
And, as Tina exited the room, the limp body of Dolly hung from the
living room light fixture, swaying slightly in an unseen breeze.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Auntie Alex?"
Shoulders drooped. Eyes rolled. An audible groan escaped two
pursed lips. In short, Alexandra Ten'ou took her hands from the keyboard
and glanced down at a sweet, smiling little boy who looked to be about
the age of eight. "WHAT?!" she snapped, slamming her music book closed
and turning to glower down at the child. "You're a SMART boy, Peter!
Can't you see that I'm trying to practice?!"
Sniffling, little Peter Chiba stuck out his lower lip and blinked
two teary red eyes, seemingly ready to burst out in tears. "I...I
just...I..." he stammered, gulping back the lump in his throat. "I just
wanted to ask you a question, Auntie..."
"Jesus H. Christ," muttered the sandy-haired woman, rolling her
eyes once again. "What the Hell do you want, then?"
Immediately perking up, he hopped up onto the single oak chair
that sat in the tiny room that Michelle too often called her "musical
conservatory" and smiled cheerily at the woman. "You've known the King
and Queen of the Earth for a long time, right?"
Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking a question like
that?"
"Well, I'm just curious," he continued, wrinkling his little nose
as he gazed at her. "If two people are destined to be together, what
does that mean?"
Furrowing her brow, Alex sighed and bit her lower lip. "Well, I
suppose it means that they'll love each other unconditionally," she
stated, sounding a bit puzzled, "and that they'll be together for all of
eternity." She shrugged. "All the destined couples I know went and got
married and had children, myself included...sort of..." With a half-
hearted sigh, she tucked her knees up to her chin on the bench,
wrinkling the fabric of her black dress pants. "But why are you going
and asking me all this?"
His shoulders slumped suddenly and he swung his legs idly, silent.
Peter didn't speak but instead stared at the ground, eyes reflective.
"Well... It's just that I'm... And she's...and..." Then, unexpectedly,
he jumped out of his chair and triumphantly clutched his fists together
at chest level. "But, wait a sec, Auntie!"
Shocked and confused, she just stared.
"If I'm going to rule the world with her, then that means...that
means..."
"That means...WHAT?" snapped the adult, annoyed and extremely
puzzled by the child's strange behavior.
His face fell. "Oh my goodness..." he practically whispered,
motionless. "Me an' 'Leste are getting married!"
And then, without another word on the subject, he jetted out of
the room, slamming the door behind him.
Green-gray eyes blinked several times at the closed door. Alex
sat, silent and unmoving, for a long moment just staring. Then, she
shook her head and sighed miserably.
"He is his father's son, THAT'S for sure..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Her footfalls echoed as she climbed the many stone stairs, her
pace rather slow and solemn. The light March wind ruffled her skirt and
the pollen of the season made her eyes water and nose itch, but she kept
her steps steady and even, focusing on the building before her.
It wasn't fair, they'd decided. It wasn't fair for her, one of the
group, to be able to pick-and-choose her destiny. They'd not had a
choice, and they'd at least been able to embrace the differences that
set them apart from every other teenager out there. But she'd been far
too...too weak, really...to handle such things.
And, when push came to shove...
At the top of the stairs stood a tall, lanky teen girl with soft
raven tresses that were sawed off at about chin level. Her purple eyes
shone, the light makeup upon her face showing off those large, mystic
eyes, as she chatted with two other teens. She didn't even notice the
approach of the visitor.
Swinging a fist, the uninvited guest connected with the ebony-
haired girl's chin and sent her sprawling backwards.
"Phoebe?!" exclaimed the fallen girl, clutching her chin as tears
streamed down her cheeks. "What the Hell are you doing here?"
The two others stared before fleeing the courtyard of Cherry Hill
Temple.
Pushing a braid from her face, the actress crossed her arms over
her chest. "Get the Hell up, Tara," she commanded coldly, glaring at the
girl, "because you obviously wanted to piss us all off, and you've done
a good job of it, too."
Shaking, the ex-priestess clambered to her feet and lowered her
green eyes. "I don't know WHAT you're talking about, Phoebe, and
frankly--"
Throwing another punch, Phoebe scowled angrily and managed, once
again, to throw her friend to the ground. "You've abandoned us," she
stated, tone level and calm. "You've left us to fight short one member."
"And you're blaming ME?!" screamed Tara, scrambling to her feet
and clutching the red mark upon her cheek. "It's not my fault that
people don't understand what it is to be a Shinto and--"
Chuckling, the other teen once again raised her fists and glared
daggers at the crying, agonized teen. "You're so full of shit, Tara,"
she retorted coolly, taking a single step toward her, "that you don't
even realize what's reality anymore. It's blurred, and you're the one
who managed to blur it." She shrugged, placing her hands upon her hips.
"What are you going to do about it?"
With a loud, shrill scream, the taller girl leapt atop her fellow
Sailor Scout and began delivering hard, quick punches to her face.
Phoebe returned the favor in kind, rolling atop Tara and trying to save
herself from injury.
"STOP!" screamed a voice as Raye and the two other girls rushed
out of the temple, followed closely by Chad and little Joshua. "Break it
up!"
With a grunt of effort, Phoebe stood and brushed herself off. One
of her eyes was already starting to swell, and both her skirt and top
were absolutely covered in dust and dirt.
Brushing a single strand of loose navy hair from her face, the
young actress glowered down at Tara, who still lay on the ground,
panting. "You are a sorry excuse for a Galactic Sailor Scout," she
hissed, voice low and dark. "You know that and I know that. But, until
you give up this life of trying to be someone you're not and come back
to your senses, not ONE of us will ever call you 'friend.'" She tossed
her head. "You understand?"
"OUT!" screamed the High Priestess of the temple, robes swishing
about her as she pushed the teen toward the stairs. "You can't do things
like this for fun, Phoebe!"
Snorting, she turned her icy blue eyes on the adult. "You have no
idea how little fun I had," she snapped coldly.
Then, turning her back to the group so that none could see her
tears, Phoebe Urawa walked under the giant Tor and started toward the
street.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Somewhere, in the darkest corridor of an underground lair, a woman
walked, her black skirts swirling around her as she strode.
"I don't understand it at all," she muttered darkly, shaking her
head of dark brown hair. "That crystal has been darting all over Tokyo,
and yet no one can figure out WHY."
Throwing open a door, she stepped into a small room, very much
like a recreation room in a suburban house. Sighing, she plopped down
into a chair and flipped on a computer, strumming her fingertips upon
the desk as she waited for it to boot up.
It was then, as she watched her own reflection in the black
screen, that she noticed something swinging slowly behind her.
Turning around, Evil Queen Ginnie wrinkled her nose in utter
disgust, staring at the swinging object.
"Rob," she groaned, staring at the cat's slowly decaying body, "is
NOT going to be pleased."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"A crystal?" questioned the young, white-garbed woman, staring at
the glowing hologram in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Master, but I don't know
what you're talking about."
Sighing through the hologram, Helios shook his head sadly and
focused his blue eyes on his own hands. "I know that you've never heard
of it, Abigail, and I've not heard of it either, but..." He shrugged.
"It's out there..."
With a nod, she brushed a strand of sky-blue hair from her
frighteningly silver eyes and leaned back into her chair. "Master,
I have been studying Queen Ginnie for a long time," she responded rather
dryly, "and I believe I would have known about an crystal."
"They've all SEEN it," he returned, a bit of annoyance sparking in
his tone. "The Princess of the Stars, Lyra Mokoti, saw it in a street
just two days ago. I must find out what it is."
"But, Master Helios," argued the woman sourly, "how am I to find
something that does not--"
He lowered his eyes. "It exists, Abigail, whether you believe it
or not. And, frankly, I need you to find it." The hologram shuddered
violently and was gone.
With a slight, throaty growl, the young priestess of Elysion
crossed her arms and continued to lean back in her chair, scowling
darkly at the spot where her Lord and Master had been just moments
before. "Master," she said aloud, not really talking to a soul, "you do
not yet know how indebted you will soon be to me."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Why the Hell did you go and do something like that?!" exclaimed
the silver-haired woman, nearly dropping the ice pack as she removed it
from the freezer. "I could understand that you got a black eye from
running into a cabinet or something, but you actually..." She sighed and
tossed the cold compress to the nearby brunette teen. "You went and beat
up one of your best friends?"
Shaking her head, Phoebe allowed for the pack to be placed over
her swollen left eye. "She's not my friend, now," she stated blandly,
shrugging sheepishly. "She's no friend of the Scouts, now."
"Great way to talk," scolded Marie with a sigh. "Someday, Phoebe,
you'll be glad you had those friends."
"No one like Tara is a real friend," spat the blue-haired teen
coldly, turning her face away from her aunt. "She's forsaken us, just
like Alice said she did."
Placing her hands on her hips, the adult pressed her lips
together. "Or perhaps, Miss Urawa," she returned, "you've forsaken her."
And, with that, she turned and strode out of the kitchen.
As Marie left, Haley hopped up onto the countertop and sighed
wistfully. "I wish I'd had the guts to confront her like you did," she
said. "I mean, you must have done a great job..."
"Maybe Marie's right, though," lamented the blue-haired teen
rather sourly. "I just went up to her and punched her. I didn't say
anything until after she was crying..." Sighing, she leaned her head
back and settled farther into her chair, silent. Her chest rose and fell
in rather ragged breaths, and she could feel her eyes stinging with
tears. "She should be our friend, you know," she choked, trying to
swallow the lump within her throat. "We should protect her..."
Getting up and walking over to her friend, Haley took the other
girl's hand in hers and squeezed it. "We can't protect her if she's
going to act like she's been acting," she breathed, taking in a slow
breath through her nostrils. "How can we?" She smiled a bit as the
bright blue eyes turned toward her. "After all, she's practically given
up on everything we're supposed to believe in, and that's wrong..."
"Wrong..." echoed Phoebe turning her face from her friend's and
glancing out the back door at the warm morning sun. She sighed
mournfully before finally turning back to Haley. "But, as funny as this
may sound, I can't help but think that we're the ones who are wrong..."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Damn cat," mumbled Rob, thrusting his hands into his pockets as
the sun beat down upon him and the rest of the city of Tokyo. "I can't
help but wonder where the Hell she's gone..."
And then, suddenly, there was a violent flash of orange before
him, and a small crystal appeared.
Jumping backwards in surprise, he stared through his glasses at
the small, glittering orb before him. It was rather enchanting, with
many faces that all shone in the sweet daylight of March.
Then, he smiled. "Illusion..." he whispered, sticking a single
hand out toward the little sphere. "It's just as beautiful as Ginnie
said it would be..."
His hand reached the crystal and slowly began to close around
it...
And the crystal blinked out of existence.
Scowling, the young man leapt forward and tried to grasp air,
falling flat onto his stomach. "Dammit!" he swore, brushing his black
suit off as he clambered back onto his feet. "I thought I could catch
it!"
Then, wordlessly, he tossed a tiny red crystal onto the pavement
and watched it shatter.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Shit! That's cold!" howled Sailor Aurora Borealis, shaking her
long wavy hair free of small ice shards. "What's going on with this
monster?"
Fingers flying across the small keyboard of her mother's Mercury
computer, the plait-haired Sailor Phoenix scowled and glanced down from
her perch atop a phone booth to look at the group of Sailor Scouts.
"It's just like the last one," she shouted, one eye still swollen nearly
shut from that morning's fight, "only it hisses ice. But you have to be
careful..."
Angel Moon, who had been hovering behind the animal but three feet
off the ground, was knocked into a lamppost by the monster's tail.
"Because the tail will get you," she finished dryly, snapping the
computer shut.
Diving away from a long stream of ice shards, Sailor Polaris
sighed before clambering to her feet. "So all we have to do is beat it
up?"
"Obviously," responded the data-minded Scout, pulling an icepack
from null-space and applying it to her black eye. "I'm rooting for you!"
"GREAT..." drawled the green-haired Sailor Chibi-Pluto, dodging a
giant ice cube. "You do that..."
The monster roared and, sweeping a large paw across the street,
managed to knock several of the present Sailor Scouts from their feet.
Groaning, Sailor Comet rolled onto her stomach and gazed up at the
out-of-commission teen upon the stark red phone booth. "Attendance
status!" she barked.
Rather gingerly, Phoenix shaded her one functioning eye with her
left hand. "Moon and Earth, missing. Polaris through Comet, present,
with yours truly out of battle." She ignored the other Scout's rather
bitter comment about show-offs. "Chibi-Star and Peter, missing. Chibi-
Pluto and Angel Moon, present, with Angel Moon out of it by yonder lamp.
And the men are missing too."
"Superb," muttered Comet bitterly, hopping to her feet. "Only half
the battle power!" Flipping a strand of brown hair from her eyes, she
raised a fist high into the air. "Comet Crater CLOSE!"
A pit, full of what looked to be liquid rock, opened beneath the
cat-creature. It quickly leapt out of the way and spewed ice all over,
pummeling all the Scouts who were in action.
Sighing, Phoenix tossed her icepack over her shoulder and hopped
down from her high seat, holding her two hands in front of her. "On
three, Scouts!" she yelled.
"One!"
Polaris, Angel Moon, and Chibi-Pluto prepared their attacks.
"Two!"
Comet and Aurora Borealis took their battle-ready stances.
"Three!"
Six voices echoed through the empty street, a motley of voices,
young and old.
"Phoenix Heat Flashing!"
"Starlight Streak!"
"Angelic Glow!"
"Dead Scream!"
"Fiery Crater!"
"Rainbow Wave!"
And, suddenly, as the six attacks all flew toward the hissing,
awe-struck monster, there was yet another cry.
"Starburst Shimmer!"
The attacks all hit the cat simultaneously, and--upon impact--send
a great cloud of dust and cat hair flying into the air. When it cleared,
the monster was laying, motionless, on the pavement.
Smiling, Sailor Moon looked to the group. "Sorry I'm late!" she
apologized sheepishly, "but I had to start on my project outline for
business class..."
"I'm sorry, too," sighed Chibi-Star, scuffing her little sandals
together as she stood beside the leader of the Sailor Scouts. "Mama had
to ask me some stuff, and..."
The cat-thing mewed miserably and began to revieve itself.
"Sailor Moon?" questioned Polaris. "Can we talk AFTER this?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"And, thusly, your mother broke the taboo." Leaning back against
the wall, the young woman glanced down at the boy who sat beside her.
"Do you understand, yet?"
Peter Chiba sighed and rested his chin in his hands, chewing on
his lower lip. "I think," he responded wistfully, red eyes staring up at
the woman. "She was concerned about saving the world from Mistress 9,
and that saving started with the Outer Senshi, so..."
"Correct," returned she, smiling gently and running her long
fingers through his hair. "You do know that this is information that
should not be told to you or your sister, right?"
He nodded. "But then, why did she... Why..."
She raised a purplish-black eyebrow. "You wonder why she pretended
to die?" she queried, earning another quick nod. "Well, she had you two
to think of. That Susan was the Susan we both know now." Sighing, the
woman rested both her hands behind her head. "It's funny, but I had
never thought of Sailor Pluto as being a family woman, but sometimes..."
"Being the Mistress and Guardian of Time must be a big
responsibility," he stated, glancing at the woman. "To be in charge of
Time and all its facets, but to have the Three Taboos working against
you..."
She shrugged. "Everything has its taboos, dear," she said
conversationally. "I'm the Mistress of Destruction, but I have rules
that I cannot break. I cannot destroy something that, in and of itself,
is vehemently good. And I cannot live through destruction."
Peter wrinkled his nose. "But you've lived through it before,
haven't you..."
"I became an infant again and purged myself of sin. That's a bit
different." Smiling gently at the boy, Hannah Tomoe-Hartford climbed to
her feet and patted him on the head. "But, do you understand why you're
destined to help control Time?"
"It's in the bloodline?" he questioned, still unsure.
Laughing good-naturedly, she shook her head slowly. "Because you
and your sister are special, special children, and are the only ones
able to know how to use the Three Taboos..." With a sigh, she cocked her
head toward the boy and smiled more sadly than before. "Though Alexandra
will argue otherwise, you are both so much like your mother that I know
the world is in safe hands." She shook her head once again. "You have
the ability to use discretion and power hand-in-hand... And you will, as
the ruler of the Earth."
Peter furrowed his brow. "I still don't get it, really, Hannah,"
he admitted sheepishly.
She smiled and bent down, kissing his brow gently. "Someday, dear
Peter," she whispered, "you will."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sailor Scouts Say!

(Enter Tara, all by herself.)

Tara: I would like to defend myself.

(Booing from audience.)

Tara: (frantically) Come on! I mean, they're making me out to be the bad
guy, and I'm NOT!

(Enter Butler, omnipotent writer-god of all things beautiful. Crowd
begins to cheer.)

Butler: (crossing arms under her...uhh..."talent") Oh, really? Well,
let's see... You've beaten up Phoebe, forsaken the Scouts, forsaken your
religion, hung out with sucky minor characters who everyone will forget
about, and...and...

Tara: (cutting in) And who the Hell do you think wrote me like that?!

(Audience stops its cheering. Everyone glances at a rather red-faced
Butler. Kanji for "who?" scrolls behind her head.)

Butler: (sheepishly) Uhh... Well... That is to say...

Tara: (triumphant) See? I ONLY do what the author tells me!

Butler: (snapping) Still, it's not MY fault that you are a suck-butt
character to begin with!

Tara: (mad) Oh yeah?

Butler: YEAH!

Tara: (madder) OH YEAH?

(Everything goes black.)

Voice: I'm sorry. Due to Butler Stupidity (TM), we are unable to
continue this segment. Please reboot and pray for the best. Thank you.

(Click.)

-I Know-
Look around...
(Ambriel stares down at Tokyo from the top tower of Crystal Palace)
So many things aren't clear...
(Aeris and Peter stand before the Gate of Time with terrified
expressions)
Don't worry, though...
(Haley smiles and turns a page in her book)
You know that I'll be there...
(Orion and Orb chase after the kittens)
A lot of things are so uncertain...
(Tara, near tears, bites her lip)
The future's on its way...
(Michelle holds Delaney, an amazed smile on her face)
Look into my crying eyes...
(Reeny wipes tears off her cheeks while Serenity watches nervously)
Don't take your love away!
(Alice slams the door in her father's face)

Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Lyra looks up at the North Star)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Phoebe hugs her mother around the waist)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors hold up their lockets)

Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Richard grabs onto the wrist of a falling Celeste)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Terrence shakes his head as Sailor Pluto walks through the Gate of Time)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(Ambriel, Celeste, and Aeris all hold up their transformation pens)

Times will change...
(Tara, robes flying, chases Joshua around the courtyard)
People will change, too...
(Haley plays with her now-long hair)
But deep inside...
(Helios takes Reeny's hands in his)
I always will love you...
(Richard bends down to kiss Lyra)
I suppose there are questions now...
(Peter tugs on Terrence's pant leg)
The answers are so far...
(Alice and Phoebe dive for a floating sphere and miss)
But look at me and smile now...
(Hannah and Brian both smile as Alex takes Delaney into her arms)
I am your guiding star!
(Lyra and Richard stare at Celeste and Peter, who are watching the
sunset)

Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Lyra looks up at the North Star)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Phoebe hugs her mother around the waist)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors hold up their lockets)

Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Richard grabs onto the wrist of a falling Celeste)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Terrence shakes his head as Sailor Pluto walks through the Gate of Time)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(Ambriel, Celeste, and Aeris all hold up their transformation pens)

I know...
(Chibi-Pluto, the Angel Moon, and Chibi-Star stand together)
I know...
(The Galactic Sailors stand together)
All you need is love...
(All nine girls stand together)
All you need...is...love...
(The Prince and Princess of the Stars kiss)
* * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm not going through the stats, because I slacked off and they're
bad...

In other news, I recommend that everyone sees SMS at least once, because
it's AWESOME! Michiru ("Michelle") just kicks butt, and the Witches 5
are all idiots! But funny, no less!

--Kate

QUOTE OF THE DAY (credit Neon Genesis Evangelion):
Asuka: You're thinking in Japanese, aren't you?
Shinji: Uhh...
Asuka: If you MUST think, at least do it in German!
Shinji: Okay... Strudel... Bratwurst... Ummm...
Asuka: Never mind! Change language to Japanese!