"What IS that thing?" Kariana stared at the mirror. I rolled my eyes.

"If I knew, I'd tell you." Hoshi now began examining the mirror. ~It must be very powerful to glow so brightly, all the time~ He had returned with the news that, yes, Anemone was the fifth scout. We were surprised and I wondered how to break it to her. I figured I should show the mirror to everyone first, then we could take it over to Nem's and tell her the whole thing. Her reaction would certainly be fun to watch. After everyone had studied the mirror, we headed out.

"Nem! Hi!" Kariana said, barging into her room. Our friend wore a shocked expression as the four of us and Hoshi poured into her room.

"Uh, hi guys. What's going on?"

"We have something to tell you," Hoshi began. Nem started screaming and shaking and backed into a wall. Akira burst into the room.

"What's wrong?!" Anemone could only blubber and point at the cat. Akira turned a questioning eye to me. I took a deep breath and began.

"I knew I shouldn't have let him start."

"Him?"

"The cat, Akira. Hoshi, the cat." He gave me a look as if I had spontaneously grown another head.

"Yes, the cat can talk. Hoshi, please. [He said hello, at which Akira's eyes turned as big as saucers.] Now, remember me telling you about the mirror? Your sister needs to know about it." I stopped and looked at my friends. I wanted to let Akira know... but could I? I was sure he could be trusted. I looked at Hoshi, who nodded. I broke into a grin. I don't know how the cat knew what I was thinking, but I didn't really care.

"Anemone, you're... oh, how can I say this? You're a Sailor Scout."

"A what? What's that? Why am I one? Would someone please tell me what's going on and WHY YOU HAVE A TALKING CAT?" I let my friends and Hoshi tell the story, throwing in things at some points. I had sat down idly on Nem's desk chair, and was just watching her reaction to everything. When I glanced at Akira, he was listening intently to Tessia. I studied him for a little, then walked out of the room. I suddenly needed a drink. After walking to the kitchen, I poured myself some water, then leaned against the counter and sighed.

"Are you OK?" Akira had apparently followed me. I jumped about ten feet in the air and turned to face him.

"Yeah, why?" I gave him a faint smile. To tell you the truth, I didn't know how I felt.

"You just seem... like something's wrong. So, you and your friends are defenders of the universe? Am I understanding correctly?"

"We're only still in training. There are five scouts already, only apparently they're being duped by some evil force and that's where we come in. Once we finish training, assuming this is in time, we have to go save them, or something like that." He raised an eyebrow. "Why you five? I mean, you girls aren't even from Juuban..." I shrugged, at a loss for an answer for once in my life.

"I just feel... I mean, I'm... It's..." I laughed. "I'm usually a lot better with words."

"I know. Take your time. What is it?"

"I'm scared, ok? I just have this feeling like, can I really handle this? Why was I picked? I... there's something the girls didn't mention, well they did inadvertantly, at any rate."

"What's that?"

"Kariana and I are... well, the term Hoshi used is 'co-captians'. We're the leaders. I'm honored, sure, but I don't know. Kari and I have been best friends since we born, practically. But can the two of us really call the shots when it comes to saving the universe? I don't know what this even entails. Talking cats, superpowers, I mean, imagine living practically alone since your mother's never home, living a nice quiet life with your three best friends and then suddenly you find yourself clear across the world learning about things you never knew existed, being able to control the forces of nature, doing things that normal humans could never attempt..." I trailed off and gulped. I hadn't realized how scared I was. I knew I was uneasy, but I've never been scared, and now I was. "And what bothers me is that we haven't even began fighting or anything yet. We're still in training! Suppose something happens before we complete training and we don't know everything and we have to fight? We haven't really done anything, and I'm so worked up!" I gave a small laugh. "It must scare you that the fate of the world as we know it rests on my shoulders, huh?" Akira walked over to me and gave me a hug.

"It's ok to be scared. You and your friends are all brave for even coming, for trying. Not everyone would be so willing. You don't know what to expect yet..." his voice trailed off and he hugged me tighter. After a few moments, I pulled myself away from him and gulped down the last of my water.

"I'd better go back to the room, they've got to be finished by now and probably want to talk about the mirror." He smiled and followed me back to Nem's room. Ariana was the only one who noticed as we came back in. I was right, they were just finishing the story and wanted Nem to transform. The question was, Who is she? Hoshi grinned when Kariana asked this and replied that Diana had told him. She had forgotten about the fifth scout.

"You're wearing your necklace, aren't you? I need you to shout 'WIND TRANSFORM POWER!' Girls, why don't you change too?" And with that we all yelled.

"EARTH TRANSFORM POWER!" "NOVA TRANSFORM POWER!" "DARKNESS TRANSFORM POWER!" "WIND TRANSFORM POWER!" and finally, "GRAVITY TRANSFORM POWER!" After a few minutes, the five of us appeared in front of a gaping Akira.

"Well I didn't expect this when you said you could change and superpowers and... yeah." We didn't pay attention to him, we were too busy admiring Nem's teal and aquamarine outfit, boots, and headband. Her band had a jade stone in the center.

"Wow," was all Nem could say. We laughed. Just then, Nem's parents got home and we quickly changed back into our normal selves. Akira made a mad dash for his own room.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad!" Anemone led us into the living room. "We're going for a walk, ok?" Then we were outside. "Today's been one hell of a day! Geez. So, what do we do now, anyway?"

"We wait?" Hoshi suggested. I looked at him.

"Of course not! We find out what this mirror is! Or whose it is! Or just something with the mirror!" My friends just looked at me, then they gave a collective sigh.

"Should've known you wouldn't just sit back, Ren," Kari said, "But where do we start?" I bit my lip indecisively. Tess suggested the library. Since we had nothing else to go on, we figured we might as well try there. However, we had no idea what to look for. Needless to say, after hours of searching (under Talismans, Mirrors, the art of making mirrors, just about everything we could possibly think of relating to mirrors and/or mysterious objects), we turned up nothing. We yawned and headed back to Anemone's.

"We're bound to think of something," said Ariana. "One of us has got to know something and just... doesn't know it yet!" Kariana rolled her eyes. Thoughtful, Anemone fingered her necklace. "I wonder..." She trailed off and bolted from the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a tattered envelope.

"I don't know what made me think of it... This is a letter that Abby wrote to me before she moved back to France. Abby's the girl with the other necklace like ours. [I grinned. ~why didn't I think of her? She might know *something*~] I never understood it..." She unfolded the letter and let us all read it.

My dear Nem~
I'm sorry I have to leave Juuban, I'm better off here
more than you can imagine, but it's not to be. Our
friendship is a special one. Remember, look inside
to find the truth. The clearer the reflection, the more
truthful it is. Don't be afraid if you can't find the
answers immediately. They will come to you. I
will always think of you, we may meet again. If
we lose touch now, just promise not to forget me.
Love, Abby


Kariana let out a low whistle.

"That's some good-bye."

"Oh, I know! I couldn't figure it out. Abby had always been serious, but not so... deep? I guess that's the word. But, think about it! 'Reflection,' 'They will come to you,' 'can't find the answers immediately'? She knew something! The mirror has got to be linked to her, somehow. I don't know why, but it's the only thing that makes sense so far." I nodded slowly.

"Why don't you write to her? Can you? [she nodded] Great. Don't mention anything about the scouts. Just get general conversation going for now. Ok?" Nem said she'd do it tonight.

Tess looked dismayed. "It's a good idea not to mention anything freaky, but do we have time? I mean, we're just going to sit around with a glowing mirror and hope for a reply, then proceed to ask her if she knows anything about the mirror. She'll think you've flipped, Nem, if you're wrong about her involvement." Anemone shrugged delicately. "That's just a risk I'll have to take. I can always tell her I was insane, or it was a dare, or that I didn't write it, it's a prank..." I groaned as my friends broke into grins. The four of us stated, "Live long, prank hard and NEVER GET CAUGHT!" [a/n- I couldn't resist!] Anemone laughed, "Ohhhh I like that!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anemone yawned. She glanced at the clock on the table by her bed. 2:47AM?! ~I'll never fall back asleep. The dream had been too real...~ She shivered and buried herself under her covers. ~I hope Abby writes back soon. I never was patient. She's gotta know something about the mirror... is she a scout? Nah. I don't think there'd be more than five. But then how does she fit in? I don't know, this is all so confusing. How did I ever manage to get ti...~ She had fallen asleep.

Meanwhile, in the Takeshi household, Tess needed to use the bathroom. She tiptoed down the hall. On her way back, she heard movement behind her and proceeded to flip Ryo. When she realized what she had done, she became extremely flustered and helped him up.

"I'm sorry! You scared me. What are you doing up?"

"Trouble sleeping, you?"

"I had to use the bathroom. Why can't you sleep?" He shrugged. While Ryo was usually a somewhat outspoken individual, he could be really shy. Particularly around Tess.

"I'm glad we don't have school tomorrow... I'm going to have trouble falling back asleep and then I'd never wake up in time," Tess laughed. "Not much of a morning person myself," replied Ryo. He smiled. After a slightly awkward pause, they made their ways to their respective rooms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come on, girls! Time to get up!"

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ariana and Tess had just flopped onto Kariana and myself, waking us up. I glared at them, and saw Kari do the same.

"It's a beautiful day outside! Not many more left before the weather gets cold. I say we go swimming at the pier," Tess was, for once, being slightly bossy. However, since we all liked her idea, we weren't about to argue. After quickly changing into our suits, Ana called Nem and invited her. She accepted.

We met at Nem's house since it was closer to the pier, apparently. Since I had never been there before, I certainly couldn't tell you. Ok, I suppose I still held a little grudge about the night they had me worried. It was only a short walk to get there. Tess had been right, the weather was perfect for swimming.

When we got there, the five of us were surprised to find Akira, Ryo, and a few other of their schoolfriends already in the water. ~Wow he looks good without a shirt on.. REN!! Why do you do this?!~ Akira spotted us first and waved. "Come on! The water's great!" he shouted. I was never one to be self conscious and quickly stripped to my suit and made a running leap in. I came up sputtering, "You're right!" My friends were a little slower. Ariana and I had to drag Tess in. Then, Anemone proceeded to sneak up on Akira and dunk him. That started an all out war of girls versus boys. While everyone was splashing and having fun, I made my way to the side of the pier and just bobbed there, watching. I didn't hear or see Akira come up behind me. When I finally got myself floating properly again, I gave him a look and lunged for him. We battled it out until I finally got him under not once, but three times. The boys, of course, ratted on him for being dunked in succession three times, but they had all suffered similiarly themselves. Anemone and Akira both cried truce and the ten of us laughed, a little tired. By now it was lunchtime and we climbed out and dried off some.

"Who's up for burgers?" cried one of Ryo's friends. We all shouted in agreement and made our way to the nearest fast food restaurant. I couldn't help laughing. I was sitting across from Akira, next to Tess. Anemone was next to her. She kept throwing her pickles at her brother, not stopping till one landed in his water. The scene was oddly familiar, except there were a few other guys. I kicked Akira lightly under the table. He nodded and I broke into an evil grin. Then I proceeded to squirt ketchup right into Nem's soft drink. She gasped and everyone stopped their chatter to look at her. I just smiled away while Akira almost choked from laughing so hard. The look on Nem's face was priceless. We couldn't help it, the whole table laughed, and finally, she joined us. Akira and I high-fived. "Thanks, I owe you one! I hate pickles as much as she does!" he laughed. I shrugged modestly. "All in a day's work." By now the table had calmed down, thanks in part to looks from the manager.

"Guys, just watch it, I don't want us to get kicked out, OK? I'm enjoying my lunch," leave it to Tess. We knew she was right though. "What do you want to do now?" Kariana asked. We had finished eating and were standing outside. Ryo's friends had departed, they worked and their shifts would be starting soon. I didn't really care, I was having fun. Apparently, so was everyone else. We headed to the Takeshi's to watch movies. Even though we had just eaten lunch, we made popcorn at Ariana's insistence. "You can't watch a movie without popcorn! It's just not... human!" We threw the popcorn at each other more than we ate it. Strangely enough, Anemone had been the quietest all day out of everyone. When she went into the kitchen to refill her soda, I followed her and asked her about it. She seemed startled but said everything was fine. I let it go, maybe she wasn't feeling well or something. When we got back to the living room, Ryo had moved to sit by Tess on the floor; he had to ask her something. The twins were on the larger couch and Anemone plopped down between them. The only seat vacant was next to Akira on the smaller couch, which I quickly occupied. We watched a few movies before it began to get late. I hadn't slept well the night before and almost dozed off more than a couple times. After a while, I couldn't stand it and succumbed to the drowsiness, promptly falling onto Akira. He glanced at me and returned his attention to the movie. No one else had even noticed, they were so engrossed in the film. Then Ariana, our mischiefmaker, went into the kitchen. When she returned she had a clear view of me asleep against Akira's shoulder. Luckily for me, I wasn't drooling or talking or snoring. Ariana squealed and pointed.

"What?" asked Akira. "Oh, nothing, nothing." Meanwhile, Kariana had left and returned with a huge cup of ice water. Tessia caught on and grinned. Anemone was still paying attention to the movie. "Hey, guys, you're going to miss this part, it's really funny... Ohh, lemme do it, please?!" She had finally turned to see what was so interesting. Kari handed her the cup.
Nem then dumped it over my head and Akira's shoulder. We both jumped up screaming.

"WHAT? Who? WHERE?" Then I stopped as my friends dissolved into giggles. "Huh?" I was confused. All I knew was that Akira and I were standing sopping wet in the Takeshi's living room with Ryo, Tess, Kari, Nem, and Ana laughing hysterically at us. Even Akira was suppressing a smirk. Then I remembered... movies... tired... yeah, it all made sense now. Tess almost fell over; Ryo had to hold her up, she was laughing so hard.

"Um, yeah, very funny," I grinned. "Hey, I'm going change my shirt and DRY MY HAIR. I'll be right back." And with that, I made a hasty retreat to my room. I dried my hair with Kari's hair dryer after changing into a T-shirt. When I came back I saw that Akira had borrowed a shirt of Ryo's. They had all resumed their seats and were watching the movie like nothing had happened. My friends never ceased to amaze me.