Nem woke up with a start, screaming. A few moments later, her mother burst into the room. "Honey, what's wrong?" She asked, gently, rocking her daughter. "It was just a nightmare, Mom," Nem was shaking she was so scared. She'd had a dream similiar to this before. It was longer this time, and with more detail.

"Go back to sleep. It was only a dream," said Mrs. Mercellin soothingly, shutting the door on her way out. ~Is it ONLY a dream?~ Nem thought bitterly. She didn't want to tell her friends about her dream; she didn't want to upset them. Suppose it wasn't only a dream?... Anemone didn't want to think about that. It couldn't have been real... Nem shivered; sleep was slow in coming.

There was a guest speaker at school the next day. Her name was Miss Stenn, and she was very pretty, with long blond hair and dark eyes. She wore an unusual snake charm pendant. Miss Stenn was a candidate in the race for the office of mayor of Tokyo. When the friends walked into the auditorium, Nem gasped, "It can't be..."
Her speech was very good, but there was something off kilter about the woman herself that the girls couldn't put their fingers on. Miss Stenn would be around for a few days observing the school and promoting her campaign in the area.

Nem was unusually quiet in school that day, as was Ariana. Ren and Tess chalked it up to missing Kari, whom they went to visit after school. Their friend was NOT in a good mood.

"I can't believe all the work I'm missing. I had those tests and I'm waiting for the results and you all KNOW how patient I am!" We laughed. "Hey, don't worry about. You'll be fine and then you can come home and catch up on all the stuff you missed. Doesn't that sound like fun?!" Her sister teased her good-naturedly. Kari only glared. After staying a while, the girls went home to do our own homework, which worked out perfectly because Kari said she was tired and not feeling very well.

The results came back the next day. All with the same conclusions: Unknown diagnosis. Kari's doctors were all perlexed. According to her charts, there was nothing wrong with her, which was obviously not true. She couldn't even get out of bed that day. Everyone was extremely concerned.

"What's WRONG with me?" Wailed the usually composed Kariana. Paul, having only met the girl, was probably the most upset, due to his only just starting to get over his father's illness. He would often stay behind and talk to Kari after the others left, if he had all his own work done.

Meanwhile, Kari had been filled in on what was going on with Ryo and Tess... Or rather, what wasn't. Finally, their friends had had enough.

"Uh, Ryo, pal... Tess... Yo, can we talk?" Akira finally got the ball rolling one day when the entire group of friends were relaxing in the Marcellins living room. Ryo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sure. What's up?"

"Well it's just that... Oh, anyone want to help me out here? You all know how great I am with words..." Akira suddenly stammered. The others just grinned smugly. "You're doing a fine job, Akira," said Ariana sweetly. He scowled at her.

"Ok. It's like this. You like her, she apparently likes you... Etcetera etcetera... And, well yeah, you can both see where I'm going with this... Common logic." Akira was very good with words, indeed, just not ones of this nature. Ryo and Tess had both turned 30 shades of red and were staring at the floor. Ryo sneaked a peak at Tess out of the corner of his eye and caught her doing the same. They smiled.

"You... You like ME?" Tess asked, her voice full of amazement.

"Well, y-" Ryo was cut off by Ren, who suggested they leave the two of them in privacy. Ren led the way into the kitchen for drinks.

"That was sweet in its own way," said Ariana. Ren and Akira were talking, but not much. They were still avoiding each other, but it was ever so subtle. Akira blushed, and Ren looked furious. The other two were stunned at her sudden anger.

"Oh, yeah, very sweet. It's just wonderful that you're trying to hook up our friends. I'm glad everything's working out for them. But why you thought that should've came from YOU is beyond me! Someone who can't sort out his own feelings, let alone respond to them! If you think you-" Tears streaming down her face, Ren ran out of the room. She didn't stop running till she was safely on the street outside the house, and began walking to the Takeshis.

Back in the kitchen, Ariana, Anemone, and Akira were both stunned. Ariana made a motion to say something but no words came out. She just looked helplessly at Akira, who was now glowering. He walked slowly to his own room and slammed the door. Ariana and Nem dared wander into the living room where Ryo and Tess were chatting quietly on the couch, oblivious to what had just happened.

"Uh... Did you guys see that? Do you have any idea what just happened or why??" Ariana asked.

"Um. No?" Answered Tess, "mind telling us the answers to your own questions?"

"We went in the kitchen and I told Aki it was sweet that he said that, and Ren got all mad and stormed out crying... I can't believe you guys didn't see her run past! Like, Oh my GOD!" Ryo and Tess both blushed. "Come on, we'd better go after her," said Tess.

Meanwhile, Ren had wandered to the school lot. She sat down glumly on a swing, tears still streaming down her face. Miss Stenn approached her from behind.

"What's wrong?" Miss Stenn asked. Her voice was odd. The compassion sounded fake in a way. It startled Ren. She jumped and wiped her face, stuttering.

"Nothing! Everything's fine! I was just gonna get going... Uh, homework to do.." Kerensa began walking backwards out of the playground. Miss Stenn advanced towards her.

"Now, now, don't run away. I want to help you..." Her face contorted evilly. Ren ran out of the playground, horrified.

"Hoshi! Hoshi!!" Kerensa found Hoshi chatting with Eclipse and Diana. She stopped short. "What are you guys doing back?" Then she remembered what she'd been yelling about. "Miss Stenn!!! That candidate person! She's, I don't even know WHAT she is! But whatever it is, it's not human, and it's not good." The cats exchanged glances.

"We knew the Pseudo-Darien had an accomplice..." Said Eclipse, sighing.

"The pseudo what? Oh no. Tell me we're going to have to fight." The cats shook their heads no.

"Not yet, at least," said Hoshi. He didn't want to worry Kerensa, she was obviously upset. She still hadn't gotten over the thing with Akira, and now this? Oy. Kerensa retired for the night. She didn't know when her friends got home; she was already asleep.

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

Hoshi drug the packs into the room. The four girls in the kitchen looked at him curiously. "Training. Now. Packs on. We walk," the cat said, leading the way out of the room. They arrived a short time later at the meadow they'd gone to for their first training session and all the ones they'd had since. "More vigorous attack and defense training... Also we're going to try to get you to use your powers. Transform," commanded Eclipse. The girls did so, with bewildered expressions on their faces.

"Now what?" Asked Kerensa. "Now, you know your powers. We don't. I guess I should explain," began Diana. "Your sailor identities are a part of you. They're like another part of your personality. Tessia, you know you're sensitive, it's a trait. Your powers are like that; you know you have them- and what they are. There are only a few ways we can get you to figure out your powers. One is during battle. You'll automatically know what to do, what to yell." Eclipse looked thoughtful.

"We could simulate a battle, or just make you pretend you're having one, but that's too dangerous." The other cats nodded.

"And the other ways?" Asked Anemone. Tess added, "and what about Kariana?"

"Well we aren't sure exactly. The only way I really KNOW of is during battle, but I know there ARE other ways... As for Kariana, she'll be brought up-to-date with your training as soon as she is out of the hospital. She can't do much while she's there anyway," answered Hoshi.

They began their training for the day. Many fights, bruises, and hours later, the girls were exhausted and hadn't figured out their powers. They knew they wouldn't figure it out until they needed to and gave up on that part. The cats worked them some more before finally letting them go home. Since the Marcellins' house was closer, they all tumbled into Nem's living room and laid down, tired and sore.

"Ughh I think I broke something," muttered Ariana. Anemone had gone to nurse a cut, and Ren couldn't reply, she was in such bad shape. Tess nodded her sympathy.

"I almost think Kari's lucky she's in the hospital," said Nem as she came back in. The other three managed a laugh. Akira, Ryo, and Paul arrived home just then, laughing. They stopped short when they saw the girls.

"What happened?! It looks like you were in one hell of a gang fight!" Ryo said, rushing over to Tess. She smiled at him. "Well, we were... Only with each other." The dumbfounded looks on the boys faces were priceless. Anemone wished she had a camera.

"WHAT?!" Said Paul. "Why would you fight each other? What is going ON?" The four girls and Akira exchanged glances. ~Let them know. Don't let them know. Wiat. What insane excuse could we even GIVE them? I think we gotta tell them.~ thought Nem. The others were thinking basically the same thing.

"We were training, and I guess we went a little overboard," volunteered Tessia.

"Training? For what?"

"Would you believe saving the universe?" Offered Ren.

"Although that's a bit, er, out there.... Uh... Maybe you'd just better explain?" Said Ryo. Between the five of them, the story came out yet again. The girls were so exhausted it took them a while, and they were glad Akira volunteered to say the majority. Ryo's eyes were as big as saucers, but Paul didn't seem surprised.

"So that's what Father meant," he said softly. Ren looked at him, puzzled. "What?"

"Before he died... Our last conversation. He told me about you, and that he knew we were both special. He said you'd need my help, that you're strong but can't do it alone. That's why I had Mother ship me over here, instead of just staying with her." Ren stared at him in silence.

"He knew," said Tess. "But, Paul, I don't understand... Scouts are, well, girls. How can you help?" He shrugged. "We're going to head over to see Kari, why don't you guys clean up and come with us, if you can?" The girls agreed and after changing and washing, met at the entrance to the hospital. They went up to Kariana's room. She was sleeping. More tests had been run, but the doctors still didn't know what was wrong. Kari's health hadn't improved. Contrarily, she seemed to be getting weaker.
"I wish there was something we could do...," sighed Tess. Paul's eyes lit up. He told everyone to let him alone by the bed. His friends clumped against a wall and watched. Paul's eyes grew brighter. If his friends were ordinary people, they'd probably have been scared. However, since they themselves weren't ordinary, they just watched in amazement.

Paul extended his hands over Kariana's sleeping form, and a white light shot from them at her. Ren felt her knees give but couldn't look away. She realized Akira had caught her and was holding her. As the beam of light grew, Paul's eyes became brighter. He became chanting words in a low, deep voice. They were audible, but yet, his friends couldn't make them out. Kariana half-rose from her bed, but as soon as the chanting stopped, she fell back and woke up. Paul's eyes returned to normal and the light was gone. Ren had fainted.

"Hi guys! What's going on? What happened? Why are you all looking at me funny? Wow. That nap must've really done something; I feel great!" She stopped. "What happened to her?" Akira picked Ren up and set her gently in the chair by Kari's bed. He went into the bathroom and returned with a cup of water, which he splashed on her. She roused slowly, stunned.

"Paul! When you were doing that... It felt like, like someone was sucking the life right out of me; I just couldn't help it... You cured her!" Now Kariana was confused. Paul explained that he remembered a part of his final conversation with his father. He didn't know how he'd known what to do- what he could do- he'd just done it.

"It seems that when you do it, your sister becomes drained. There must be a connection. You must combine your energies to achieve your power," mused Anemone. It was the only plausible explanation. Ryo, meanwhile, had left and returned with a doctor, who gave Kari a full examination then rang a nurse to have her call the Takeshis.

"This makes no sense... first it seems like you're healthy, but you're obviously not. And now you're just... OK. Teenagers," he muttered as he left. "I'll have your release papers signed tonight." As soon as he left, the girls filled Kari in on the training she'd missed. She grinned and replied she was up for a challenge.

The Takeshis arrived shortly and, although pleased, were quite stunned at the turn of events. They agreed to let Anemone sleep over to celebrate, but the girls would have to be good, Kari still needed to recuperate. While the girls knew Kari was perfectly fine, they agreed. The teens walke behind the group, with Akira and Ren at the back. They were walking silently. Ren wanted to talk to him; she didn't know why she wanted to, but no words would come. Finally as he and Paul were leaving for the Marcellins, she asked him if he would meet her at the pier the next day to talk. He didn't seem surprised, and consented to be there for one o'clock. Ren put this from her mind so she could enjoy the night's festivities. She couldn't wait for tomorrow, but was dreading it at the same time.