Hiya!

Did you like last chapter? I hope you did! It was a bit sad and a bit angsty at the end, but hey, what's life without a few bumps? And our Mako-chan's tough!

All right! I think things are going to really start rolling from now on ! (That's is, if I ever get around to giving Mako-chan her gundam...for some reason I keep delaying it... Oh well! Extra detail is good!) Wait 'til you meet her gundam! I made it up by myself, and it's going to be the coolest and best looking gundam ever! And I promise you that you'll all love it the best! (Trust me *winks*) I've even designed all it's weapons! And its armour! It's all pre-planned!

You're probably thinking I've gone loony about now. After all, a gun is a gun and a sword is a sword and there's not much more you can do with most gundams, right?

WRONG!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Oh. I got near the sugar today, so don't worry... It passes...Usually.

I want to wish everyone a happy new year, and I hope you all make a resolution that's keepable. I always make one, but forget it once school starts...

Oh, by the way, if anyone's beginning to suspect, Rei-chan's going to be in here! Heh heh...I wonder what will happen the first time she meets Wufei... I'll make sure there's a baseball bat nearby - um, I mean... I have to...go now...

Disclaimer: I own neither Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. (There! Short and sweet!)

Now on with the story!

***

CHAPTER 7

Leila tumbled out of the simulator, sweating profusely.

Technically, she shouldn't have even been in there. But her dreams had been getting so bad lately, that she just couldn't go back to bed after waking. Somehow she found herself wondering from the halls, into the military base, courtesy of clearance passwords from Setsuna.

Eh. What the hell? Why not throw some training in? It wasn't like she had anything else to do.

She'd been glad, actually. As her new memories took hold, she found she began to enjoy piloting, and her fear of heights lessened. It was still there, of course, and very strong, but Leila tried to ignore it and focus on the good points of flying, remembering fondly her memories of her hovering, slightly tossed around by the Moon's winds...

Until she freaked.

Like now, for instance.

She sat down heavily, her breathing gradually becoming normal. A few minutes, and she'd head back in. If she couldn't get rid of her fear, the least she could do was learn to live with it.

God, Duo would laugh at her if he knew...

Oh no. It was happening again. She would not, would not think about that stupid braided baka.

She suddenly wondered why exactly he dumped her.

Argh! Leila slapped herself. "That's it, back in NOW!"

Once in the cockpit, she found she began to relax, calling up an opponent to practice unarmed combat with. She was getting very good at it, at least from the ground. In the air was a slightly different mattter...

"Gotcha!" She quickly dispatched her opponent, frowning. There were seven levels she could choose from, from easiest to hardest. That had been level three.

"Alright." She said calmly. "On to four."

She continued like that for another half- hour, passing level four with relative ease, trying to build up her confidence before she took to the air once more. Leila breathed in. "Let's try this again." She muttered to herself. "It isn't that hard...the take-off's the hardest bit..." She pulled her gundam into a short run, pushing off into the air as she flicked on the thrusters.

She whimpered, and her hand immediately moved to flick them back off. She clenched it along with her jaw. She could do this. She could really do this. She just needed to...

Leila opened her eyes to see her gundam was still heading up. Oops. Blushing furiously, she switched the gundam to aerial mode, very glad Setsuna had not been here to witness it. That was just plain embarrassing.

Right. She was in the air. It took a hell of a lot, but she was in the air. Leila sighed in relief. It didn't seem that bad, once it was over... See, Leila? Not so hard. There's no need to be afraid, Kami knows why you're so scared in the first place.

She very hesitantly tried moving the sim. It moved with ease under her hands. She wouldn't try anything fancy just yet, but she could get used to moving around...

As she began to become more sure of herself, Leila tentatively started going faster, and found she enjoyed the smoothness of her turns with increased speed. She tried kicking higher, then dropping lower. She brought it to a halt, then positioned her gundam so she could see the ground, facing her fear head on.

It made her very, very nervous, but other than that...a memory came to her...

~

"Makoto, why aren't you afraid?" Serin asked timidly, watching her friend dance on the winds.

"Because to live in fear is to lose to yourself." Makoto replied, looking at her seriously. "I could just as easily get hurt falling down a flight of stairs or being kicked by a wild horse or getting burnt when in the kitchens. And to be able to fly is worth fighting the fear for. Remember that, Serin. There are different kinds of flight."

~

"Let's try someting more complicated." Leila suggested. "I want to try that loop the loop you did before."

"You have to get off the ground first." Setsuna pointed out dryly.

"It's a goal, mum. I just need to work toward it." Leila replied airily. "Worry me not with countless mere details."

"You're in a good mood today." Setsuna observed. "Despite the fact your eyes look puffy. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Trying to," She responded dryly.

"Ah. Old memories, or backaches?"

"Memories. Am I supposed to have backaches?"

"Um..." Setsuna faltered. "Don't worry..."

"Is there something you haven't told me?"

"Of course not..."

Leila wondered if Setsuna was losing her ability to lie smoothly. She used to do it so well before...

"Come on. Let's see if you can get in the air." Setsuna said.

"Right. Do I run up, or do I just take off?"

"Just take off." Damn. She was hoping she could run up. "Okay, so I just jump?"

"Yep. You have to do this some day."

She ignored Setsuna and focused on her sim, first trying a light jump, then really pushing off and flicking on the thrusters. She did it. She had her eyes closed the whole time, but she did it. And this time she remembered to switch to aerial. "There. Not too hard." She said, relieved. The slight nausea she felt was ignored.

"You've really gotten there!" Setsuna sounded really pleased. "And only on your second session!"

Well...not quite...more like her fifth...

"Let's see if you can move around. Just the basic stuff, before I move you to aerial combat."

So while Leila moved around in the air, Setsuna instructed her on the basics of aerial combat. "The advantage of it," she pointed out, "Is that you can basically drop lower or go higher without losing the balance of your gundam, whereas if you tried something like that from the ground you would be at a serious disadvantage, because you would also have to compensate for it. As gundams can't really move as humans can, they can't do any neat martial arts stuff to help them. Also, you can attack your enemy from above or below. But they have the same advantage, which is why I designed your own gundam for speed and defense rather than offensive skills. You'll find out of all the gundams, yours has the most defense, and is at least as fast as Deathscythe Hell, if not faster. I believe it is, but my suggestion is to not let anyone know that."

Leila chose a level one aerial opponent, easily dodging it's blows before she moved close with her staff for the kill. "That's really good, considering out of all the pilots I have the most chance of screwing up. But, if I have crap offense it won't do me much good against Jadeite." She pointed out.

"Oh, you have good offense, but you're not really an offensive unit. What I mean is, you don't get right into it like Wing Zero and Altron. You don't barge in and kick ass, but you just kick ass."

"...I'm not sure what that means."

"You will when you see your gundam, trust me."

"When do you think I'll have to use it?"

"Well, when I decided to make you a gundam pilot, it was because I felt we needed the numbers. You have to admit the other pilots are better than you, though they didn't progress as quick."

"So I'll join in when they really need help?"

"Yes." Leila proceeded to level two. This one was a bit more difficult - it had guns, and it knew how to use them. "Or, of course, I'll send you on solo missions."

"Solo?"

"When the other pilots are busy and can't spread their numbers."

"Oh, right. What do I do about the gun fire?"

"Dodge it or deflect it."

"Deflect it? Can gundams do that?"

"Yours can. Trust me and try it."

Leila swung her staff and found it could indeed deflect bullet fire. "Hmm." She waited for a shot to come to her, then moved to the side, swinging her staff like a baseball bat and hitting it right back, doing minor damage. She took advantage of the distraction and flipped over it (pretending she was on the ground), and swung around, ripping through the suit with her staff.

"Good. Very good. We've still got an hour and a half of training. Think you can work it without me?"

"Yes!" When Setsuna left, Leila could continue where she left off last night - on level four ground work, and level two in the air.

She proceeded to level 5. In the air. Granted, she wasn't as trained as she should be to pass the level, so it would take a while to take this one down, but it helped her figure out battle tactics and her own instincts quicker. It also forced her to move quicker and more recklessly in the air, setting aside her fear to concentrate.

She narrowed her eyes at the opponent before her - DeathScythe, Duo's first gundam before it got destroyed. "You're going down, Maxwell."

If only she could do that in real life...

~

Madam P made her way down the hall, nodding to doctor J and the five pilots flanking him as they came from the opposite direction. They stopped, allowing her to enter the conference room first.

"Morning, gentlemen." She greeted them as they took their seats.

"As you know," Doctor J started, "This is about the joint task force by Earth and the Colonies, being overseen by ourselves as an independent organisation in contact with both. There has been a slight bump in planning. Both Earth and the colonies insist Queen Relena should not be on the shuttle when it takes it's course to bait the forces. However, as Relena is the prime target, she will need to be on that shuttle. We will have to assume that the information sources open to this force will allow them to know if they have been sniffed out or not."

There was a knock, as Milliardo and Noin both walked in, the door closing behind them. J nodded to them. "We believe, without Relena on that shuttle, the forces in ambush will be alerted and withdraw before we can take them out. I'm suggesting that the gundams be put in place before then, so if such a thing should happen we can close in before they escape us. I'll be sending the mission details later."

Setsuna narrowed her eyes. But these were youma enhanced mobile dolls. And Relena needed to be on that ship, to draw them to attack her. Otherwise they would be too spread out for the taskforce to take them on. Or even the gundams...Ami had said there were at least a hundred mobile dolls out there, and those were just the youma-enhanced ones...There was no telling if there were more... Relena needed to be on that shuttle...

...Or did she? Setsuna's hand tightened on the the green item that had slipped into her hand. Engraved with gold and the sign of Jupiter...

"I would like to talk about the units in the ambush itself." She said aloud. "Aside from regular mobile dolls, there are Leo's and Tauruses also. However, I do not believe they are our regular kind."

"Regular meaning?" Doctor J asked condescendingly. Setsuna frowned. He was beginning to annoy her.

"Allow me to explain. A few months ago, I developed a way to detect such units by the variations in power and mass that can be detected for each suit." She explained calmly. "The first thing I noticed was that the energy signature patterns for each doll had become irregular. There were other power patterns woven in with the usual ones, which were already slightly skewed." She didn't tell them they were youma energy signatures.

"Each suit has the same basic pattern, but different outside patterns. It is my belief that the suits have been enhanced in some way, but are unique from each other. Therefore it is my belief that each suit may have different strengths and weaknesses, despite having the same basic structure. I'm warning you to be careful, because you may have to adjust your fighting style to compensate for each individual suit."

"You're serious." Doctor J said, disbelievingly.

P smiled. "I'll bet you twenty bucks on it."

Trowa stirred. "Is this all?" He asked.

J nodded. "Yes, for the moment. P?"

"I haven't observed these suits in battle, so I can give you no more information on them.However, I may be able to offer more information in the debriefing." She affirmed.

Relena had to be on that shuttle. Which meant pulling some strings..."However, I need to talk to Milliardo. If you would care to stay behind?" She turned to Noin. "I'm afraid you'll have to pick up my daughter for me. Do you know where to take her?"

"Yes. Should I go now?"

"If you wish. Thank you, Noin." Noin smiled back, turning to leave.

"Pilots." J said to them. "You'll be heading to your training session."

Setsuna waited until all had gone before turning to Milliardo, making sure the door was closed.

"Your sister needs to be on that shuttle."

"I know," he affirmed. "But I don't want to put her in danger like that."

"I understand your concerns." She breathed in. "What I tell you now must not ever be repeated outside of this room or conversation as of yet. Is that understood? I'm trusting you."

Milliardo eyed her for a moment. "Understood."

"What do you know about the sailor senshi?"

~

"NO!" But it was too late. The energized scythe sliced for her torso -

She'd lost. Again. "Dammit!"

"Wow, you're pretty good for a newbie." A woman's voice said, impressed.

Huh? "Who's this?"

"It's Noin. You saw me in that meeting?"

"Oh yeah, that's right."

"Anyway, your mum's a bit busy, so I'm picking you up. How much longer have you got?"

"About forty-five minutes. Do you think you can wait?"

"No problem. It's amazing the new pilot's a girl, you know. I've never gone beyond a mobile suit."

"That's pretty impressive!"

"Not compared to you, no. What level are you on?"

"Five. And I still can't beat that stupid thing. It's killed me six times!"

Noin laughed over the speaker. "Deathscythe's practically only weapon is his scythe, which has long reach. And his strength is speed. So unless you have a longer staff, you're going to have to get in close and under his scythe, really fast before he realises what you're doing. You might want to try on the ground first, though. He's got the advantage in the air."

"Thanks! He's just too fast for me to react, though." And he was, the shiftly little...

"Well, try again. Do you have a shorter weapon?"

"Let me check," Leila said, calling up the menu. "Oh yeah, my fans!" She accessed level five again. "And I can use both arms!"

"Fans?"

"Heh, watch and learn!"

This time they were in a forest area. She jumped back, using the hilly area to her advantage and making DeathScythe move faster and have to jump higher. She allowed him to corner her, while selecting a fire patterned fan from her collection and praying she wasn't too bad with her right hand. Leila was naturally a leftie, after all.

The scythe swung horizontally for her torso, but this time she was ready, swinging her staff up to intercept and push the scythe up over her head.

"Unh..." She strained.

"The advantage here is that your gundam's shorter. Duck under!" Noin instructed. Leila did so, pushing her staff behind her against the scythe, locking it in place while her right arm came up a gigantic fan unfolding while she slashed upwards. It ripped right through DeathScythes front. A moment later, the cut melted in on itself under intense heat.

"Now that was impressive." Noin commented. Leila's collapsible staff slid into itself, making a shorter stick as she used the scythe to launch herself over her opponent. The staff grew out again, and she stabbed Deathscythe's back, launching herself away, as she looked at her menu for a long distance weapon...energy disk? She brought it up and threw it at DeathScythe. It sliced right through, and the top part of her opponent simply slid off it's legs.

Leila blinked. She hadn't expected THAT...

"All right! Now you just have to beat him again - in the air."

"Ugh, trust me, my aerial battle skills aren't so good. I'm only up to level three there." She said grimly.

"I think you'll catch up. Come on, we've got another half hour. Most pilots have a problem with aerial battle at first. They prefer the ground under them."

"So it's not just me?" She felt a little relieved.

"Trust me, we'll work on it." Noin said.

~

"So where are we headed?" Leila asked curiosly.

"You've seen your gundam on the inside. Madam P designed that simulator specifically for you, after all, even with the menu thing. I think it's because you're a newbie pilot... But you haven't actually seen your gundam yet, have you?"

"No...What's it look like? Have you seen it?" She asked excitedly. She couldn't help it. It WAS her gundam, after all. And if it was as impressive as the others...

"Milliardo didn't tell you?" Noin asked. She really didn't want to tell Leila herself. "Well, it's not your average looking gundam..."

"That's what Milliardo said. He called it 'unique'." Leila said, rolling her eyes. "How unique can a robot look-alike be?"

Noin started coughing. "Well, that..."

Leila narrowed her eyes. "You know, mum did the same thing when I asked her, and Milliardo just kept laughing whenever I asked him. Now what the hell is up with my gundam?"

Noin smiled then. "You have to see for yourself to understand." She told her. "But I think you'll like it, once you get over the shock." Noin shook her head. "I don't quite know what your mother had in mind, but I'll grant you one thing - it's a very good gundam."

"So you say." Leila grumped. "All gundams are very good. There are only seven in existance."

"True." Noin conceded. "So how's life in the colonies and on the run?"

"Hectic." Leila summed up in one simple word. "It's only been a week, and I've already gone through about as much shit as I can possibly handle. Half of which was all in the first two days, so I guess I'm glad we're slowing down a little."

"It's the calm before the storm." Noin said. "With the ambush and all. Trust me though, Leila. It's hectic now, but once everything's sorted out for you and you finish your crash piloting course, things will start slowing down. But not too much. There is a war out there."

Leila had to agree with that. "But I think I'm doing okay, if you consider all of this is pretty much new to me."

"You've adapted quite well. Your mother was telling how impressed she was with your progress." Noin said.

"So what exactly are you in relation to me?" Leila asked. "Am I going to be working with you, or-"

"Basically, I'm your military superior. The doctors might train you, but technically, you guys are my charges. I usually update you on info, send you on missions, I represent you when talking to other departments, all that. As a pilot, you're going to be working with me more than the doctors. Basically, a lot of the time I'll be observing through your view during your battles, like in the sim. I can analyse the enemy and give you advice. I'll also be sending you on private missions, working with you in training sessions and all that. If you have a problem, you usually come to me."

"Oh." Leila said. "When do you think my first mission will be?"

"Probably the ambush."

"You know," Leila pointed out, "I'm surprised they moved into place so early, if Relena leaves on Wednesday. They've been there for over a week. Wouldn't that increase their chances of being detected?"

"Nothing we have can detect them." Noin said dryly. "If it weren't for your mum, we wouldn't know if they were there at all."

So Jadeite had figured out a way to cloak his forces. "It's a good thing she figured out how to detect their energy traces. Why do you take her word for it if she's the only one who says they're there?"

Noin stopped, looking at her. "Trust me." She said dryly. "Your mum doesn't make mistakes."

Leila shrugged. Setsuna seemed to command a lot of respect...

They walked for a while, talking together. Leila found she really liked Noin. She wasn't solemn, but she could be serious. And she had a sense of humour. Not to mention she was a nice person all in all. And she seemed genuinely interested in Leila.

"Hey, didn't you say you knew Duo from before?" Noin asked suspiciously.

"Oh yeah. That. We went out, he dumped me." Leila said dryly. "The story of my life. I always manage to get the jackasses, don't I?"

Noin winced. "I take it you're not over him yet, the way you were glaring at him."

"Bastard." Leila muttered. "Sorry, he's probably your friend and all that, but-"

"Don't worry about it. You wouldn't know how many girls Duo's done that to." Noin told her.

"I don't think that makes me feel better." Leila said dryly. "I'm just another bimbo in the crowd, then."

Noin winced once more, as they came to a door. She keyed in a code, not answering as the door slid open.

"So exactly how big is the base?" Leila asked. "I know it's underneath the school, but how much bigger?"

"Very big." Noin said."Basically you'll find mini-bases all over the colony. The official bases are above ground, but they all have underground tunnel cars leading to different bases. It's just big."

"Oh." Leila said. That was a big base.

They walked through, to a big open area. Technicians were all over the place, resting. It seemed their work was done. All lazily turned to her and Noin, as the door slid closed. Leila shifted uncomfortably. That was, before she caught sight of-

"Oh, Kami." She said softly, incredulously.

"Pardon?" Noin asked.

"Oh my GOD!!!" Her voice echoed all over the chamber, which was very big. "There is NO WAY IN HELL THAT'S A GUNDAM!" She shrieked out. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?!"

"Don't you like it?" Noin asked, smiling slowly and evilly.

"It's - it's -" Leila started choking, and Noin had to slap her on the back. "Thanks." She noticed how oddly her voice echoed throughout the room. Obviously it was designed for commands and instructions to carry. "But, well, it's a gundam."

"I know that."

"Gundams are weapons of mass destruction. Weapons - mass - destruction. Weapons - mass - destuction. Repeat after me." She said, waving her hands in Noin's face. "Weapons - mass -"

"Yeah, but the other gundams look cool and impressive. Why can't yours?"

"They look cool and impressive in a scary, weapons of mass destruction way!" Leila said, totally panicking. "They don't -" She paused, pointing mutely, before gasping. "It has - It has SHOES!"

"Yes. Nice pretty blue heels. Quite attractive." Noin said, smiling slightly.

"And a - Noin, it looks like a porcelain doll! It doesn't look like a gundam!" Leila said. "It looks - cuddly!"

"Yes, Leila. It looks cute and cuddly."

"It's a gundam. It runs around blowing things up." Leila said pleadingly. "It's not supposed to look cute and cuddly." She said tearfully. "Though I think it's quite sweet aside from that," She added in afterthought.

"See." Noin said knowingly. "I knew you'd like it."

"But - but - oh my god, what will the other pilots think?!"

"Well," Noin said, tapping her nose, "They'll think it's just a ridiculous showy gundam. They won't think it could actually be a THREAT..." She paused, mischievously. "And neither will the enemy. It takes a woman to think like that. Most people will be laughing at it so hard, they won't notice the fact that it has a weapon. The whole idea of the gundam was so people would naturally underestimate it."

Leila had to concede that. Then. "It's got red hair."

"Well, the red glass around the sides of your face are actually a thin but very strong shield - extra protection for the cockpit."

"So..." Leila thought for a moment. "Practically everything here looks like it's for show right?"

"Yep." Noin said. She was obviously enjoying herself immensely.

"But it's really got a reason for being there. Like the hair."

"Mmm hmm." Noin said, smiling.

"Except it's so ridiculous, no one will realise that..." Leila started grinning. Then paused. "It's got green eyes."

"Yep."

"This is supposed to be me!"

"Yep."

Leila gaped, saying nothing. Then, "It's got puffy sleeves."

"Yep."

She couldn't help it. A faint giggle escaped Leila. It turned into full, rich laughter. "It's got puffs, and a dress," She laughed. "It's just - it's just-"

"It's just so cute!" She and Noin finished together, before both dissolving into laughter.

"Oh my gosh, is that a teddy bear she's holding?"

"And she's got a bonnet, look! And her fans are hanging from her sash -"

"There's a flower on her hat!"

"Oh yeah? Wait 'til you see her schematics!" They both couldn't stop laughing.

The technicians looked at them, non-plussed.

"Loony." One woman said to her partner. "Just loony."

~

"So, you and Milliardo are an item?" Leila asked mischievously over her dumpling. Noin shrugged modestly.

"Well, no, not really." She said, smiling back.

"But it's getting there?"

"I'd like to think so."

"That's good."

The two of them were currently having lunch together. It was Sunday, they had free time, and figured they might as well get to know each other better. Another meeting was being held in the afternoon, with Leila. It seemed only Noin and Milliardo was attending for the moment. And Noin had said she wanted to get to know her charge better.

Hence the nice restaurant lunch. "So do you know who's in charge of the new enemy?" She asked.

"No. We have nothing on them. P reckons there might be a man named Jadeite involved, but I don't know where she gets her information, so..."

"Ah. Jadeite." Leila said. Her good mood evaporated.

"Do you know him?" Noin asked, eyebrow raised.

"Let's just say me and mum aren't being hunted for no reason." Leila said, giving a slight smile. It was her own belief, from what hints Setsuna gave. Why else would she need bodyguards? "He takes an interest in my well being."

Not that she minded, as long as it was her and not -

"P doesn't tell us much about him." Noin explained. "I know it's probably going against her wishes, but any information you can give on him would be welcome. It's hard going up against someone you know nothing about - we don't even know what he wants!"

"To destroy the colonies and capture Earth." Leila said immediately.

"Why, though."

"Revenge. He wants to pay back Mam-" She broke off. Why had she said that?

"Pay back who?" Noin asked, eyes searching. She knew Leila was hiding something.

"I can't tell you that. But the colonies are of no consequence to him. He'll destroy them if he can. But he wants Earth intact."

He wants to resurrect the Terran Kingdom. He wants to torture Mamoru with his revenge.

And he wants Rei.

"Relena? Or one of Earth's other kingdoms?" Noin pressed.

"No. No one you'd know." Leila shook her head. "You wouldn't understand. And he wants me because -"

He knows I'll do anything to keep him away from Rei. And because I mean something to her. He'll kill anyone who means anything to her.

Leila didn't know why those feelings popped up. But somehow, she knew they were right. She needed to talk to Setsuna. Where were these thoughts coming from? Her old memories?

"I just might. Understand, that is. Try me." Noin said softly. Leila shook her head, stabbing her dumpling viciously.

How could she explain to Noin two lifetimes of the fantastic?

You see, Noin, in my former life I was the Crown Princess of Jupiter, apart of a Silver Alliance made up of all the planets except Earth. Magic was a real thing back then, you know. You could do heaps with it. So yeah, basically there's this Prince of Earth. Fell in love with the Princess of the Moon, you know, Lunar? Except he had a fiance called Beryl and she didn't really like that at all. But Endymion got a little caught up in Serenity - he forgot about his four generals - his best friends, you know. And they really didn't like it when Endymion confiscated them of their kingdoms so he would be worthy enough of Serenity - for her hand and all that. He left them with practically nothing. And then Beryl went into psychotic bitch mode, hired on the four generals, one of whom I was in love with, and one of whom the Princess of Mars was in love with. That one was called Jadeite - ring any bells? And basically they came and slaughtered us all, but we got reborn and we had to fight them again, except they'd found this realm called the negaverse - the next step to Hell, really, and they were a bit harder to deal with than we thought. So hard to deal with that I've actually died about three or four times fighting them - the negaverse, that is - before I came here, of course. So yeah, Jadeite's back, and he's going for Endymion, the real Prince of Earth, who right now, happens to be in America studying for his law degree. Totally normal, except he runs around in tuxedos chucking roses at evil people. Oh, me? Did I tell you I used to run around in a mini-skirt before I got kicked out of the senshi? Um yeah, so Jadeite's back, and he's after one of my best friends, and wants to do I don't know what with her...

Actually, that's a good way to start, Chibi-Minako pointed out.

Oh shut up. Are you still in my head?

Heh heh! I ain't the only one! She said brightly. Rei popped up beside her, grinning evilly before she walked off and dragged Ami back on, who was actually reading her gigantic encyclopedia. Then -

Don't forget meeeeeeeeeeee!

Oh shit. Usagi too? What the hell was wrong with her? Indeed, Usagi bounded on, a bunny ears headband completing her cute chibi look.

Take that off. You look ridiculous. She told her impatiently. How I put up with you girls...

You know you love us! Usagi said cheerfully. Rei rolled her eyes while Minako beamed. Ami just tried to ignore them all and read her encyclopedia before sighing and putting it away in thin air.

Maybe I should try romance novels. She said, tiredly.

What the hell?! That's it, odango! What have you done to Ami? Rei demanded furiously. There's something wrong with her!

Actually, I believe it has something to do with being in the same room as you guys day in, day out. Ami told her. I believe I'm becoming quite deranged.

It was about then Leila wisely decided to step out of the conversation.

"No." She said simply. "I don't think you could. And even if you could, I can't tell you. You have to ask my mum."

"Oh." Noin said, regarding her curiously.

"So what do you think we should do?"

"If we combine the forces of Earth and the colonies, we should be able to hold them back. Then, the rest is up to the gundam pilots." Noin told her. Leila nodded. So they were on their own. Well, it wasn't much different from being a senshi, really. Though the big metal robots were an exception.

She ignored Rei's furious war cry as she launched herself at Ami, who was hiding once more behind her encyclopedia. Usagi and Minako had grabbed her arms and were straining to pull her back, but it wasn't working... Obviously, she'd missed out on something while talking to Noin. But Rei broke free, tearing Ami's book away from her and raising it violently -

To smash it into Minako.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEED A BOYFRIEND?!?! She roared. Okay, that confirmed it. Leila seriously didn't want to know. At all.

"Um...So where do you come from?

"Well, my familiy's Italian...You?"

"I'm not actually sure," she admitted. "I've lived in Japan practically my whole life, but I think I came from somewhere else. I never actually got the chance to find out."

"Gee, that must suck." Noin said sympathetically.

"Yeah...I guess in a way I'm glad Setsuna found me, you know." She said out of the blue. It was then Leila realised she was drawing from her new set of memories.

"Found you?" Noin asked.

"Yeah...You've read my history?"

"Well, your parents were ambassadors of the Sanc Kingdom. They were killed in a plane crash, where OZ crews cleaned up, and found you. You were then transferred to an OZ research facility, though I have no idea what they did to you there. You were found on a mission by an independent anti-OZ vigilante group set on rescuing several prisoners held there for testing reasons and destroying the base. It was a failed mission - all prisoners they intended to rescue had been killed in the experimentation stage."

Leila winced. "That's harsh."

"Yes...We never found out what they did there. That group refused to give any information, though rumours leaked out that OZ was experimenting with human enhancement..." Noin raised an eyebrow, to which she shook her head.

"I honestly don't know what they were doing. I was seven at the time, remember. All I remember is needles and..."

Screaming, sobbing humans, throwing themselves against bars, being dragged down hallways, always frightened...

"That's about it." She lied.

"Right." Noin said dryly. "Well, there goes that."

"Sorry." She offered.

"Nah, that's fine. How's your 'other' training going?" Noin gestured.

"Actually, we haven't started." Leila said, assuming other training included hacking, espionage and the like. "It's not exactly in the job description, so I don't think we're bothering..." Plus, her new memories would serve her well if she ever needed to...

"Not bothering? You ARE a ..." Noin glanced around her.

"Well, yeah, for this specific situation, I think. I don't know what's going to happen after this is over, though. I expect I'll go back to being Kino Makoto..."

"After all this training? Only for one little...thing? I mean, you'll be needed."

"Oh, I don't know about that." She said, a little bitterly. "When do we need to meet mum?"

"We have an hour." Noin told her. "Do you want a milkshake before we start out?"

Leila shrugged. "Why not?"

~

"This is a private meeting between the parties Setsuna Meiou under the name Madam P, Milliardo Peacecraft, Lucrezia Noin and Leila Meiou. No one else shall enter, and no one shall leave until I am through." Setsuna keyed in a code as the door slid shut. "This door will not open without my clearance."

She then turned and walked back, facing the other three occupants. "No party in this room shall speak of this outside this room and this conversation. This is a private meeting concerning the taskforce being launched to attack the ambush forces lining the shuttle path which will be taken by Relena Peacecraft upon returning to Earth. The reason why you are here, is because both you and Milliardo, Noin, will be working with my daughter on a close basis."

"This is about Leila, then?"

"Yes and no. Allow me to explain. The man you are going up against is known as Jadeite." Setsuna flicked on a switch as a screen lit up of a giant Jadeite looming over Tokyo, challenging the Sailor Senshi lest the city burn.

"Jadeite is no normal man. I doubt he is enitirely human. He was an enemy of the Sailor Senshi. About two years ago, this challenge was issued, and the senshi would meet him in the Tokyo Airport for a showdown. No one was present at that confrontation. All humans who tried collapsed appoximately three kilometres from the airport. So though we cannot confirm this, we must assume that the showdown between the senshi Moon, Mercury and Mars occurred. Jadeite was never seen again after that showdown."

"And now he's shown up." Noin said, alarmed. "But none of us have magic...shouldn't we get the help of the senshi? I heard they've grown in numbers."

"You forget my daughter and I were formerly living in Tokyo." Setsuna told her. "I assure you they cannot help at this point in time. They have their own concerns. They can't afford tp spare their remaining senshi."

"What do you mean remaining senshi?" Noin objected. Setsuna looked at Leila, and then at Milliardo.

"Noin," He said, "I think there's something we need to show you."

"Huh?"

Setsuna smiled, flicking her wrist out as something appeared in it. "Pluto Planet Power, make up." She murmured softly. A moment later, after a flash of light, she had transformed.

Noin stared a moment. "Oh my God. But you look so different. You look nothing like P."

Setsuna detransformed. "That's the magic in our uniform. It keeps our identity secret, unless we transform right in front of a person, like I did with you. I am Sailor Pluto, not only the senshi of Pluto but the Guardian of time. And destiny. It is not only my duty to watch over the sailor senshi but this universe. And you, Lucrezia Noin, along with Milliardo and the gundam pilots, are a few of my charges, which is why I have not only worked as a senshi but as a doctor alongside the gundam pilots for quite a while."

"Oh. This is..." She gasped out. She was silent a few moments. "So you brought Leila here as a pilot because...?" She turned to Leila. "I know why you said I couldn't understand. Are you a senshi too?"

Leila hesitated, then shook her head. "A senshi isn't what you think. I think Setsuna has to explain a little better what being the servant of Destiny means."

"Allow me to tell you of the Silver Millennium." Setuna began. "The Silver Millennium existed approximately a thousand years ago, maybe more. At that time, all planets and moons of the solar system were occupied with life. We were not so much aliens, as different races. Plutonians, like myself, were known for their green hair, as mercurians for their blue."

"Sailor Mercury..." Noin said

"Martians and Saturnians were close cousins, both known for their purple hair and eyes. Indeed, at that time the princesses of Mars and Saturn were sisters, Saturn the elder, though in this time she is the younger. Each royal family was held above their peers by unique gifts from the planet that chose them. For Mars, the gift of fire, and occassionally wings, though the frame was too weak for Martians to fly with."

Leila nodded. That fitted with her dreams.

"For Mercury, the gift of all forms of water, from ice to rivers and streams, and a little, though not much, sea magic. And so on. The planets of the Silver Millennium were known as the Silver Alliance. Earth was not apart of this Alliance. This Alliance needed an impartial ruler to head it. Thus a priestesshood on Earth who worshipped the Moon goddess was chosen and brought to the Moon, establishing a kingdom there to rule over this alliance. This was known as the Moon Kingdom.

Now let me tell you of the senshi. Every queen of the moon kingdom had a special guard, which consisted of two separate guards, the Inner and the Outer. The Inner guard personally guarded the Queen, while the Outer Guard guarded the Alliance itself from outside threats. The guard was made up of one member of each planet.

For each planet's royal family was strong in magic, and one member of that planet was chosen to be a senshi. A senshi was a selected thing. She was not chosen by the planet, but by the Queen of, or Heir to the Moon. Therefore to be a senshi was to guard the queen, or princess. A senshi was a guardian."

This time, Leila continued. "A great force attacked the Silver Alliance, and it fell. The Queen of the Moon at that time bore a great crystal known as the Ginzuishou, a stone that accessed the power of all the planets, or the planets of the Silver Alliance. Or, in other words, every planet that had a senshi.

She sent her daughter and the senshi, along with the prince of Earth, to be reborn in the future. Thus we have the sailor senshi. However, to send the senshi to the future meant sending the enemy also. Thus the senshi and their battles against the negaverse. Not all enemies of the senshi are from the past. Some are from the present, others from the future."

Leila stood up. "I used to be the senshi of Jupiter, it's crown princess. However, in this lifetime, it was decreed that Jupiter was not needed as a senshi."

"Therefore," Setsuna continued. "Jupiter has been cut from the Silver Alliance, and Jupiter's power taken from the Ginzuishou. Sailor Moon may no longer draw on Jupiter for power."

"Sailor Moon's the Moon Queen?" Noin asked.

"Moon Princess." Leila corrected. "And current holder of the Ginzuishou, or what you would know as the Silver Crystal. I am no longer a senshi, which means I am no longer a protector of Sailor Moon. It does not mean I no longer have my powers. Indeed, I am still Jupiter's chosen warrior. I was selected by Sailor Pluto, guardian of the universe, to take down Jadeite, a former enemy of the senshi. That is why I am here."

"That's right," Noin said, thinking. "There's no Sailor Jupiter."

"There is much more to this story than what we have told you." Setsuna said, pacing. "Thousands of years, many lives, many loves, many tales. Politics. But we simply cannot explain so much in so little time, and I doubt you'd believe half of it. We can, however, ask for you to trust us - and also for your help."

Noin nodded, thoughtfully. She was, Leila thought, taking it quite well. "You'd need for us to clear you, get you in on special missions, that sort of stuff, right?"

"Correct. Jadeite must be taken down." Setsuna said. "As Sailor Pluto, I may interfere if this is a senshi matter. Without Sailor Moon involved, it is not. I cannot fight Jadeite directly, by order of Chronos. However, Leila can. No longer being a senshi also means she has the right to use her own powers whenever and however she pleases, which gives her more freedom and advantage against Jadeite. She no longer has to use specific attacks of one aspect of her powers like the senshi do, restricting her abilities, but whatever she likes. Allow me to give an example. Of her magic, Makoto, or Leila was restricted to lightning attacks only. Now she has attacks formed of all or most aspects of her powers. She can fight Jadeite, and the youma I believe he will be using alongside humans."

Noin gasped. "That means..."

"Without a magic user tackling the youma, you're screwed." Setsuna told her. "You know it has been agreed that Relena Peacecraft will not be present on that shuttle when the ambush occurs. Jadeite has magic means to check up if she has or not. Therefore, she must be on that shuttle. That presents a risk. Relena cannot defend herself, especially against youma. Leila can. I'm proposing that Leila take Relena's place on that shuttle. And if the shuttle is attacked, Leila has a better chance of making it out alive."

There was silence. Leila kept her mouth shut. Her?

"I agree with P." Milliardo said. "She doesn't make mistakes like this. Not often. If she has faith in Leila, I'll arrange to let personnel know that a decoy is taking the place of Relena on that shuttle. And Relena has to know, too, but not about the senshi bit, of course. We'll have to make something up. But I'll need you to back me up, and tell the commanding officers in the taskforce."

"I'll go with it." Noin said finally. "But Leila and Relena look nothing alike. And Jadeite will be looking closely for a decoy, won't he?"

"That is correct." Setsuna agreed. She turned to Leila, and held out a small, green, gold engraved stick, with the sign of Jupiter on top and surrounded by a silver circle. "The silver circle represents your powers outside of Jupiter, as a healer. A circle represents life and health." Leila took it, hand shaking. It was so small it fitted in the palm of her hand. The stick...The pen from her dreams...

"The pen Luna gave you back then was destroyed. Luna was once a woman, whose specialty was to be able to access aspects of magic from every planet, and use it with her ability to make magical objects. This allowed her to create the senshi transformation pens. This is a wand she created for me the other day."

Leila slowly rotated it between her fingers. "She told me to tell you it does more than design your wardrobe this time, and that she sends it with love."

"Thank her for me." Leila said, looking down at it. "And tell her I miss her."

Setsuna nodded. Leila hesitantly held it up and concentrated, whispering something as she held it close to her mouth...

White light gently surrounded her, and before them stood Relena Peacecraft.

"Well," she said with a dainty pout, flicking her wrist as the wand disappeared. "We'd better start getting ready."

Milliardo nodded, resigned as he got up.

Noin just stared.

~

"So who was that girl?" Relena asked abruptly, even as they made their way back to the Winner Mansion of the L4 colony. To all their shame (except Relena's), they were travelling back their in her pink limousine. How she'd managed to get one off Earth, they didn't know. They jerked out of their stupor, which they'd sunk into while politely listening and nodding to Relena's increasing babble.

"Which girl, miss Relena?" Quatre asked. He was, Duo decided, way too polite for his own good. That's what happened when one got raised by twenty-nine older sisters, in his opinion. Definitely not healthy.

"You know," Relena said, tossing her hair. "That hussy from Thursday."

"Oh. Leila?" Quatre asked, polite beyond reasonable.

"The onna's no hussy." Wufei remarked idly. "Just unfortunate in the choice of seats."

"I can't believe you're on her side!" Relena declared indignantly. "She insulted me! Me, of all people!"

"Technically," Duo pointed out, feeling like causing trouble, "She didn't know who you were, so I guess we can excuse her." He smirked slightly. "And she was polite until you called her a bitch."

"And even after that," Wufei agreed. They looked to be on the same side for once.

"Oh! You mean she didn't know who I was! What a bimbo!" She tossed her head once more.

Instantly, Duo wanted to protest. Makoto was no bimbo - she had her own intuition, and could analyse others better than most people he knew. Then he wondered why he wanted to defend her. He'd dumped her, after all.

"Well she's a lot better than -" He bit his tongue. No need to piss off the Queen of Earth and get himself deafened by a wailing fit. Trowa gave him a funny look. In fact, most of the boys did.

They'd had to escort Relena the whole day, and he was getting tired of it. First for a haircut, then shopping, then visiting, then lunch, and now a horrible one hour ride back to Quatre's... He was so glad he and the others were leaving tomorrow for their mission...

"Hmph." Relena sniffed. "Who is she and how do you know her?" She demanded.

"Leila." Duo said, rolling his eyes. He'd nearly called her Makoto, but there. "Leila Meiou, daughter of Setsuna Meiou -"

"SETSUNA MEIOU?!?!?!" They all flinched. "The famous fashion designer? You're kidding me. She doesn't look like SHE'D have any fashion sense."

"Tough. She is. What's so great about a fashionable onna?" Wufei asked, obviously bored and not really paying attention.

"Of course YOU'D say that Wufei." Relena said, patiently and condescendingly. "So how do you know her? What sort of clearance does she have?"

This time they jumped. "Clearance? Huh? What?"

"She DOES have clearance, doesn't she?" Relena pressed. "Milliardo told me I had to be nice to her, because she's involved in this whole ambush thing and she's saving my life." To which she rolled her eyes. "Though I don't see what good she can do. It's not like she's ever held a gun or anything. So what kind of clearance does she have? You have to have at least above level four if you're involved with the gundams and not pilots, don't you?"

They shut up. Level four was very impressive. It was what they had. "Actually, I don't believe she's military personnel." Quatre said. "It's just that - well, a lot of highly placed people know her."

That was a lie, but Duo understood Quatre's reasons for it. If Relena started blabbing about a famous fashion designer being a high ranking top secret military agent -

"What sort of people?" She demanded. "Isn't that irregular procedure anyway? Who does she think she is?"

Quatre gave her an adult *look*. It seemed even he could get annoyed. "You know we're not allowed to say. Besides, your brother's positon gives you the same advantage, Your Highness."

Uh oh. No one upset Quatre. Relena seemed to realise she'd stepped over the line, sulking a little and looking out of the window. "So she isn't a friend of yours?" She asked after a while.

"No." Heero answered in monotone.

Relena looked quite pleased for a while. Before -

"QUATRE! WHAT'S SHE DOING AT YOUR MANSION?"

Duo watched as Quatre blinked and looked out the window. He strained to look himself -

To find Leila, on the front doorstep of the mansion, talking with -

"How dare that stupid hussy come on to my brother?!" Relena seethed, furious. "Ooh, I'd like to -" Her fists opened and closed.

"Actually," Trowa spoke, examining the two. "It looks like it's the other way around." As Milliardo placed his hands on her shoulders, deadly serious. She smiled slightly, shook her head, and seemed to say something, to which he let go of her, looking worried.

"He's WHAT?" Duo asked. For some reason he seemed unsettled. He didn't like that idea.

Everyone continued to give him funny looks. Leila smiled and backed off before giving a traditional Japanese bow, turning and jogging off. "Just who does she think she is?! This isn't even Japan! Ooh, how dare she? How dare my brother be interested?" Relena was not happy. The limo pulled up, and they got out.

"About time," Milliardo said impatiently. "Boys, we have to get started and out in space by six. The -"

"What were you doing with that girl?" Relena cut in, icy.

"Leila?" He raised an eyebrow. "She's a friend of Noin's, remember. She was supposed to come here with me to meet the boys but - something came up."

"You two were flirting!" She accused. "You know I don't like her, Milliardo."

"We were not!" Milliardo said, looking offended. "I just asked if she was sure about -"

"About what?"

"YOU know, Relena." He told her with a scowl. "You do know she's risking her life-"

"We're not supposed to talk about that!" She snapped, suddenly alarmed. The others exchanged curious glances. There seemed to be more to this than they knew.

Milliardo shrugged. "You DID ask. What, don't want to tell Heero how you're-"

"Brother!" She snapped furiously, red. Heero frowned.

Milliardo shrugged once more, giving the others a smile. "So we'll be heading off? We need to do last minute check-ups on our gundams before we head off."

"Of course." Quatre spoke up. "We'll just see miss Relena in before we go."

With that, they all walked in. "Besides," Relena began once more, seemingly unable to get off the topic, "I suppose I don't really need to worry about her."

"Who?" Duo asked, fully well knowing the answer.

"Leila. She's a freak anyway."

"Right. Freak." Trowa said mildly.

Relena glared at them. "You're going to find out anyway." She told them. "Then you'll wish you believed me."

Milliardo rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't mind being a freak if I could do what she does." He told her, amused. "Is my poor little sister, Queen of Earth, feeling threatened by a common girl?"

"Of course not!" She shot back furiously. "I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed." She said, icy, before flouncing up the stairs. It was four in the afternoon, so Relena was obviously implying she was going to sulk.

They watched her go, before heaving a universal sigh of relief.

"So what was she talking about?" Wufei asked Milliardo, who just smiled.

"That's confidential, Chang." He said.

Wufei glared in return.

"Come on," Milliardo said. "We have to be at the base in an hour."

And walked off, leaving the others wondering.

~

Leila focused, sinking further into the light meditation she was in.

Not many people would have considered Leila to be the meditational sort of person, but if one asked her, she would have told her she did meditate - just in an active way.

One would have also thought the point of meditation was not to focus - or think. Leila would have also told them she wasn't thinking - she was feeling.

Leila quite liked meditation. Not only did she get her daily workout, she got nice relaxation at the same time - and some times a little more.

She placed her right foot in front of her left, spreading them apart and balancing her weight between them as she began her katas, the first one focusing on control. Her body automatically went through the movements once, to get into the feel of it. She then did it again, placing more care into the flowing from one movement to the next.

It was her usual workout. First she'd do the kata once, then she'd do it again, focusing on where she lacked. Then she'd do the kata a third time, faster. She always started with control, then speed, then offensive. Sometimes she did defensive as well.

And while she was doing her physical workout, she'd empty her mind, allowing it to simply float.

This time, though, she was making it float downwards, reaching her inner self and her magical core. Leila had been training as a pilot, yes, but before she took on any new youmas she wanted to get at least an idea of what she could do with her magic. She allowed herself to sink down, down...

Until colours started floating into her mind. And she *felt* her powers, an beautiful emerald green, entwined with silver for her weather magic. And white for her healing magic.

Feeling colours, Leila reflected, was a lot different from seeing them. She hesitantly coalesced them together, and watched the colours actually take a fuzzy shape in her mind's eyes. It was blurry, but that was okay. After all, it was only her first time. She examined the pillar of power - her magical aura.

The cylinder was more a rope or chain, with green, silver, and white bound together, spiralling upward - her green, weather and healing magics. But looking closer, she saw rainbow sparkles within and around all of them - it reminded her of the silver sparkly veil in her dream. What was it? She gently touched it -

And felt nothing but pure sensation.

Huh?

Leila idly pondered it, knowing if she focused too much it would probably bring her out of her passive state. Sensation meant feeling. So what did that mean?

Rei had once told her that she could access her fire magic directly, but sometimes, she tapped into it using her spiritual potential...but that she could use her psychic powers to enhance and channel both of her abilities. If Rei's aura had been in front of her, Leila would have bet her psychic powers - whatever it looked like - would have replaced that sparkly stuff. If sensation was feeling, feeling could be...empathy?

"Actually, yes."

Leila wasn't actually surprised to hear Setsuna's voice. Setsuna did stuff like that all the time, after all. "You have empathy, which comes from your healing ability."

Leila looked at the white ribbon. Indeed, it had a lot more sparkles than the other two.

"That's correct also. This is because healing is actually a unique ability, and very rare. Correct, Hotaru does have healing, but not the way you do. This is because not all wounds are physical. Some are emotional, and the more powerful healers usually possess at least a little empathy. Only very powerful healers like yourself have this amount of empathy, though. Not only are you strong enough to recieve other's emotions, you can affect them."

Leila gently started her speed katas, lazily listening. "Is that's what's so special about healing?"

"No. Healing tends to be a somewhat misleading term when referring to this sort of magic. White magic is a more accurate term. The duty of a Healer is to heal - and keep safe. Or protect, but not to harm. You'll find your white magic doesn't have any attack capability. About the only thing that vaguely resembles an attack is a power ball, which you can throw at the enemy. It can't do magical damage, but it's sort of like throwing a baseball. It can bruise them, knock them back, but not actively harm them. You can cast protective shields, raise strangth and magical potential of others, reflect attacks..."

"So it's sort of like a healer in those computer games." Leila said, sleepily.

"Correct. The empathy surrounding your magics shows that you access it by instinct. Allow me to explain. For someone like Ami, who's a logical person, it's only natural that she needs to focus to access her powers. It probably eludes her when she's panicking or not concentrating."

"Don't most people concentrate to bring up their magic?"

"Correct. It's the main way, which everyone can use. However, there are other ways. Rei can summon her magic through prayers. Michiru being close to the sea or ocean can use it as a channel so she can use more magic than usual without straining herself. Usagi accesses it through her weapons or objects. Your magics are bound together, so you can access them through each other, but mostly your magics react to your instinct. Even now, instead of thinking or concentrating, you're feeling."

"So?"

"In your meditative state you can view, experience and touch your magic. But you cannot channel it. You're trying too hard."

Leila allowed the pillar to fade away, emptying herself as she simply danced her katas. "So how do I access them?"

"You just have to reach out for them. You don't need to concentrate or try anything like that, though you can. You simply need to feel them and reach for them. Use your empathy."

Leila did so, switching over to instinct and reaching out. Immediately, electricity wound itself around her body, before disappearing at her command. She reached out for the wind, and it responded, lifting her up, before gently setting her down. This time, instead of trying to use her magics, she grasped all three and drew them close, simply feeling them.

"Now let go." Leila did. "Empathy isn't simply emotion - it's feelings. There are millions of feelings in the world, but only a few have been named, like anger and fear. Empathy enhances your instincts and intuition, to the point of giving you premonitions like a psychic. For instance, you just might have a 'feeling' telling you to go check your oven. The fact that you've relied on your instincts and intuition your whole life has allowed you to become more in tune with your empathy. It also means that instead of concentrating to access your powers like most people do, you naturally reach out for them with your instincts. Now that your empathy has started asserting itself, you'll find you'll be making very accurate predictions and observations.

The advantage -and disadvantage - of accessing your powers through your empathy means your magic will react to your empathy. For instance, if your in danger, you may not be consciously aware of it, but your instincts will. And your magic will pull off what is required to take you out of danger. Which is why you have to be careful, especially in crowded places."

Leila nodded, gently reaching out for her green magic. Flower petals streamed from her fingertips as she whirled, spreading throughout the room before fading away.

"Don't get me wrong - you still have your old attacks, and quite a few new ones. But I don't think you can access them at the moment. When Jupiter as a warrior is required, I think you'll be able to use them, though."

Leila nodded once more, focusing on her movements wholly now.

"The next time you transform," Setsuna added. "You might find a surprise in your Luna Space pocket."

"Like?"

"A few fans."

"Ah."

"And - maybe something else. Maybe. Just be sure to check it."

"Okay."

"And now to usual business. Milliardo told Relena you're a strong psychic."

Leila stopped in mid-kick, staring at her. "And how am I supposed to support that?"

"With your new empathy you'll be fine. Use your wind magic to throw a few things around, act mystical at times, you know."

"But - "

"No buts. And put your leg down. You look ridiculous."

Leila flushed, bringing it down and starting the kata over. "I guess it's plausible. Being psychic is more believable than being an enchantress-"

"How'd you know that?" Setsuna asked sharply. Leila jumped, before shrugging.

"I HAVE been having dreams, you know."

"Oh." Was it her, or did Setsuna seem...edgy? "That's what's being circulated around too, because a certain someone can't seem to keep her mouth shut -"

Leila groaned. Relena strikes.

"Don't worry. The maximum amount of people who know is about twenty, all level four clearance and above, which means they won't talk. And trust me, they trust in psychic ability a lot more than they trust in magic."

"Okay..."

"Basically, tomorrow you'll be escorted to the shuttle. The pilots are actually heading out to space today, so we won't have to worry about them asking questions. You'll be escorted to the shuttle by three men and Noin. Relena will have already gone through the ceremonial stuff before, but you'll have to deal with the press. Smile a little, be friendly and nice, and state your belief in peace between the colonies and Earth. Assert that you truly believe that both parties can get over any bumps presented. Smile and politely wave aside the cameras, and get on the shuttle. After that, it should be easy sailing. Act demure and lady-like, take your seat and the rest is up to us. I'm predicting you'll be followed for about a day, until you're about half - way along the path. Be on your guard around then."

"Right. When do I leave?"

"10:30 AM. You'll have to wake up at seven and be at the base by eight. That's when Relena goes through her speech and goodbyes and all that crap. She'll meet you in the hallway on her way out at ten, where you'll switch over. But you're basically free until about nine."

Maybe she could get some piloting practice in... Providing she woke up at about five... practiced until about eight, took a shower at the base, which was fifteen minutes...yeah, she could do it. "Can I bring a book on the shuttle?"

"No." Setsuna said shortly.

"Oh." She replied, slightly deflated. "Okay then."

Maybe she could get some extra sleep...

~

"Right, so where exactly are we?" Duo asked tiredly. He was beginning to get on Heero's nerves. He wondered how Quatre was faring.

"Right now we're approximately twenty kilometres away from a group of the unidentified units Madam P pointed out for us." Trowa answered, above the thumps that were Wufei whacking his head on the console. "So far they're not emmiting any power. They aren't charged up for mobility, the power is just high enough for life support. They're totally dead, and floating. Which might explain why our own sensors can barely detect them."

"Speak english, Trowa."

"We're in space, we're in the middle of nowhere, and we're screwed."

"Oh. Okay then."

Heero sighed silently in relief. Duo had been worse than normal these days. He was even getting to them on the mission. He usually kept quiet and serious during missions.

Heero suspected it had something to do with his ex-girlfriend popping up.

Considering the way Duo had been acting, it looked like either 1) He was dead scared for his life and wanted her out of it, 2) He didn't want a stupid old girlfriend around to complicate it, or 3) He still liked her, or he was becoming attracted again.

Heero suspected it was a mixture of one and three.

It seemed he wasn't the only one.

"God's sake, Maxwell, shut up!" Wufei said, annoyed. "You dumped your girlfriend. She's back. Get over it, because I'm starting to get the idea you still like her."

"WHAT?! What the hell makes you think THAT, Wu-man?"

"Hmm. I wonder. And don't call me Wu-man. Why'd you dump her in the first place anyway?"

Silence.

"Come on, you knew it was a one time fling, right? So you could've said so and be nice about it."

"Actually, he broke up with her about two weeks before we left." Quatre said over the speaker. "So I'm not sure that's it..."

"I don't still like her." Duo said finally. "And she was too serious, not fun enough, too quiet, and just..."

"Just what?"

"Not my type."

"Uh huh. Which is why you're being such an ass, Duo. You don't want her, but you're not happy about anyone else having her."

Now that was interesting. Heero's ears perked up. What on Earth had possesed Wufei to say that?

"Uh, guys?" Quatre asked, and was promptly ignored.

"WHAT?" Duo seemed genuinely angry. "Say that to my face, WU- MAN!"

Was Duo actually looking for a fight?

"Uh, guys?" Quatre asked once more. "I think the miss-"

"I just might, Maxwell." Wufei said lazily, not rising to the bait.

"Uh guys? Relena's done something stupid." Quatre said, drawing attention to himself.

"Like what?" Trowa asked.

"If you switch to the closest satellite broadcast, there should something on live." Quatre intsructed, voice strange.

Heero frowned and did so. What had Relena done now?

"And what do you have to say about the recent lightning strikes on the colonies?" A reporter accused, shoving a microphone into her face. He was obviously going for the 'let's make Earth look like an asshole' view. Relena in turn regarded the reporter somewhat seriously.

"We believe that these forces are as much a threat to Earth as to the colonies. We believe that whoever they are and wherever they're based, obviously one of the objectives of these attacks are to enstrange the colonies and Earth from each other. This is a time of chaos and mopping up." She shook her head. "We haven't even really started recovering from the war, and the colonies and Earth are, at this point in time, vulnerable, especially to attacks such as those occuring recently. I only hope that we can work together to discover and bring this group to justice."

"Easy to say. You do realise that many believe that these attacks are from Earth?" Another reporter pressed, this time female. Relena nodded, and gave a grim smile.

"And you yourself may be aware of the lightning attacks launched on various civilian Earth targets." A shocked whisper ran through the crowd, and the reporters pressed forward once more. "I understand why the people of the colonies would be suspicious, but as stated before, it is believed that these attacks, among other reasons, mean to jeopardise the already fragile relationship between Earth and the colonies. In this time of confusion and suspicion, I hope that both parties stand together, and in the times to come."

Heero watched, disinterested as she generally dissuaded the crowd. He wasn't interested in pacifism speeches, but...Relena seemed different. Not as detached for one, and less...

"There's something wrong with Relena." Trowa said.

"What do you mean? The onna's giving another crappy speech." Wufei said, annoyed. "What's the point in this?"

"Well, actually -" Quatre began, to be cut off.

"Relena's not so impersonal, for once." Trowa said. "And she's less fanatical about the usual peace talks. Actually, it makes you pay more attention to her, because she sounds more sensible and down to Earth, but it's not her usual diplomatic demeanor..."

"That's not what I was really worrying about." Quatre said.

"Then what was?"

"Isn't that a standard colony L1 shuttle with it's hatch open and a red carpet rolled down behind her?"

There was a pause.

"Shit." Duo said simply. "Oh shit. What the hell is she doing?"

"I told you," Quatre said. "Something stupid."

~

Leila sighed in relief once she'd been strapped in. Kami strike me, that had to be one of the most annoying experiences of my life. Setsuna had better not ever make me do that again.

But despite her feeling of accomplishment - she'd made a pretty decent speech for her first time outside of a classroom - Leila still felt uneasy.

~

"Leila." Setsuna placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's good you came here."

Leila looked at Setsuna, puzzled. "Of course. This is where I switch with Relena." Damn that pretty-faced girly-girl.

Setsuna, she noted, had been edgy the past few days. Edgy for her new mother meant slight uneasiness, something that wouldn't even register for other people. But Setsuna did not get edgy.

"I know that." She replied exasperated. "I mean so early. I need to talk to you. About that task force."

Leila shrugged, but paid attention anyway. What had Jadeite done now?

"There's at least over three hundred mobile dolls there. And at least one third are youma enhanced."

She couldn't help it, letting out a sharp gasp. "But that's way too many for just one shuttle!" What the hell were the extra two hundred and ninety-five dolls for?

"Jadeite assumed the shuttle would be escorted. It was standard procedure in the Silver Millenium. Do you have your wand?"

Leila silently plucked it out of the air.

"Good. Consider it a magic wand. It can get you out of most situations. Take this." Setsuna handed her a dark green pendant. Leila accepted it, jumping slightly as magical ribbons glittered, pulling it from her palm and tying it to her wrist. "It's what I call a warp pendant. It contains my combined portal magic and Luna's ability to create subspace pockets."

"Oh." Leila said, trying to vainly sound like she understood. "What does it do?"

Before Setsuna could speak, Relena, escorted by Noin and three other guards entered the hallway.

"Let's get this over with." The princess said grimly. Leila nodded and closed her eyes, pretending to focus as she clenched her small mini-wand in her hand. She hazily disappeared in a blue glow before a mirror-image of Relena appeared. Relena sniffed. Leila/Relena shrugged before turning back to Setsuna, but the older woman was gone.

~

What was the pendant for? The pilots were taking care of everything, right? And Setsuna had specifically STRESSED to Leila not to do anything stupid - like hijacking the shuttle and joining in the fight or whatnot. And she had a day to get ready for the ambush. Though there wasn't much she could do, considering her gundam wasn't around...

~

Makoto smiled slightly, enjoying the shocked stares of everyone in the ballroom (She'd especially enjoyed it when Serenity had fallen over from shock in the waiting room... Luckily she was quite composed now). Idly, she wondered if she was slightly overdressed. She didn't think she was, compared to the other girls, who really stood out, but she was the only one wearing a veil. She gently nudged Rei, hoping with their closeness no one would notice.

"Hmm?" Rei murmured quietly. It wouldn't do for the gracious hosts to neglect their guests, after all. If Rei was found talking the queen would kill her.

Luckily for Makoto, no one could tell when she herself was speaking. "How much longer do we stand here?"

Rei daintily held a hand to her mouth. "Few more minutes."

YES!

"Ah." She murmured quietly.

"You're not fooling me." Rei said matter-of-factly.

She couldn't help it. She smiled.

Luckily, Rei's estimation was correct. Makoto let her eyes roam over the court of Earth, first looking at Endymion. A warning bell went off in her mind as her empathy kicked in. Was he a threat? Something told her otherwise, but this man would bring pain...

Makoto hesitated a moment, then let her empathic ability fully loose, allowing it to sense out Endymion. And even as he observed the formalities, his mind - and emotions - were on something else. Or someone else... Her eyes widened. A fixation with Serenity? So quickly? Either this meant he was a romantic idiot, or this was love at first sight. Makoto didn't particularly believe in love at first sight. Unless, of course, they were two lovers from a previous life just met...Or if the Gods had manipulated it. Makoto wasn't stupid. No one pissed off the Gods enough to make them meddle like that unless they were extremely stupid. That, or Minako's mother got bored...

Did Serenity feel the same way back? Makoto gently probed her. Her friends didn't really mind that she could read them like a book. After all, they understood once empathy was unlocked it could never be 'locked' again. Makoto couldn't turn it on and off, though she could restrict it's range. But doing that meant that she would feel whatever she felt more intensely... But Serenity and the senshi had grown accustomed to sharing their feelings now, though it embarrassed Makoto herself. Serenity...there was mild attraction there, but no real interest. That cut down the options. No past life. No love at first sight. The only option left was that Endymion was a romantic idiot. She was about to dismiss the matter, but her empathy kept her wary.

"Rei?"

"Yes? What's wrong, Makoto?" She asked softly. She'd done it again. Makoto had let her emotions spill into the people around her. Rei sensed her uneasiness.

"Tell me what you sense about Endymion."

Rei gave an imperceptible nod as she fastened her eyes on the high prince. Immediately, Makoto felt mild attraction there. Endymion caught her gaze on him, and glanced back. Makoto shifted slightly. Intense attraction to Serin, a lesser one to Rei...He was only human, granted, and Rei and Serin were both very beautiful...There was a jealous shifting next to Endymion as one of the Prince Generals - Jadeite - caught the look between them. There was suddenly a much stronger streak from Serenity as she caught it also. But Makoto had only felt mild interest from her a moment ago!

Jove! The Gods WERE interfering. Which meant they were all screwed, considering this was only the first night. Makoto made a point to tell Minako exactly what she thought of her second mother.

The princesses, apart from their human parents, were said to be 'daughters' of the gods, especially considering their history. Minako had been raised by the priestesshood of Aphrodite, as commanded by an oracle, just as Makoto had been given to the priestesshood of Gaia before that of Zeus. Makoto was just generally a daughter of earth, or daughter of the woods, as Rei was a daughter of fire.

"Rei. Don't check him out. Serin's taken an interest."

"I' not checking him out." Rei whispered back, though she blushed slightly. "I sense magic from him and the rest of the court, but nothing more. No evil. What did you sense?"

Makoto regarded Endymion much more gravely this time. Despite the veil, her gaze could still be sensed. She almost smiled ruefully. Her 'eyes of enchantment' hadn't become famous for nothing, after all. It was true, Rei, Hotaru and Setsuna had the same skill, but Makoto's empathy and nature magic made her eyes - and their abilities - a lot more diverse than the usual ensorcelling skills. He sensed her gaze, alright. As did his generals. She gently sensed them out. There was a bond between them, akin to that of the senshi. They all turned to her, free to do so now the lesser nobles were being presented to the queen.

"He doesn't mean harm." Makoto whispered to Rei. "But something tells me his actions will cause harm. Notice the way he gazed at Serin?"

"No, actually." Makoto heard a tinge of disappointment. "I wasn't looking."

"I was sensing. I think we should watch him around her."

Rei shifted slightly, as Ami nudged her and turned her head slightly to Minako. "Minako wants to know what you sensed." Rei told Makoto, lips hardly moving.

Makoto nodded slightly, not removing her gaze from Endymion's. Now she sensed anger, and uneasiness. What rumours had he heard of the Lady Jupiter? His gaze hardened on her form. Feeling quite mischievous, she inclined her head, and his - their - eyes widened. She savoured the confusion in them.

"Let the ball begin!" Queen Serenity announced, and, with a bang, it started. Even as endless nobles made their way to the princesses, Makoto sensed, rather than saw, Setsuna's attention shift to her, trying to tell her - something - before a dark green light surrounded her and she disappeared, returning to the time gates.

"So what did you sense?" Minako asked, as the inners crowded around her, their presences exuding an aura of privacy, dissuading the nobles - and suitors - for a time. Makoto shook her head.

"Just a feeling. I think we should watch Endymion around Serenity." Makoto hardly ever used Serin's real name unless it was required, or if she was stressing a point.

Minako quickly turned, looking between the two. "I sense attraction between them." She reported. Being the Senshi of Love had it's advantages.

"I sense troubles to caused by that attraction." Makoto replied, even as Serin walked up.

"Did Makoto sense anything?" She asked. "I thought your emotions spilled, Mako."

"They did." Makoto said. "Have you been eyeing Prince Endymion?"

Serin shrugged. "He's quite handsome, I'll grant you that, but I'm not a romantic." She replied simply.

"Yet when Rei was looking at him you got very jealous."

Her eyes widened. "Serin, watch yourself around him. Your emotions keep shifting strangely with Endymion. It feels meddled with."

"Are you suggesting sorcery?" Ami asked, eyes narrowed.

"I'm suggesting divine interference. And if it isn't divine, it's by powers I don't want to know about." Makoto corrected. "But I think he's smitten with you, Serin."

Serin looked at her. "Attracted, or smitten?" She asked cautiously.

"More like obsessed, the way Mako's acting." Rei said dryly. "She even asked me to sense him out."

"So that's why you were looking at him!" Serin exclaimed, then blushed.

Makoto decided to ignore it. "I think just smitten. He isn't obsessed - yet."

Serin sniffed. "Well," She declared, "I don't woo so easily."

"That's good to hear." Ami declared also. "I think we should be cautious with Endymion - until Mako figures out what she sensed. Are his generals a threat?"

They moved aside slightly so Makoto could once more look at them. They were also in a group. And, surprise, surprise, their attention was directed straight back at the inners and Serin. Or her, more specifically. It seemed like she really scare- um, upset them."No. I don't particularly sense anything from them. They're loyal to Endymion, but they don't intend harm to us." Though they seemed to be a little overly interested with their little group...

She frowned slightly as she looked at Jadeite, who was eyeing Rei. "In fact, I think some of them are quite attracted, Rei."

Rei blinked. And blinked again. Then, "WHAT?!?!?!?!"

It echoed all over the ballroom. There was silence a moment before everyone resumed dancing. They were used to it by now. Rei was quite well-known, after all. "We're drawing attention." Minako said quietly. "There's nothing we can do about this now, so we might as well enjoy the ball. Let's split for the moment." And with the quiet command, they gravitated away, Minako and her sister to the food tables, Ami to Michiru, and Rei and Makoto were left together.

"Rei?" Makoto asked abruptly. A few weeks ago, she and Ami had gone over what they knew about Endymion for Serenity. They'd wanted to find out as much about him as they could before he arrived.

"Yes?"

"Isn't Enymion betrothed?"

~

Huh? Was she waking up, or going into another memory? There was a swirl of colours, and Leila found herself being pulled somewhere...

~

She was in a glade.

Leila had expected to turn up in some ancient palace, or exotic garden. She hadn't expected a normal forest glade.

Though she wasn't too sure about normal. The glade was a little...too perfect. Sunlight gone gently through the cover, not enough to blind her, but enough to keep her warm against the cool breeze. Flowers were everywhere, There were no dead leaves, no broken twigs. Everything was picture perfect.

Like a dream.

Even the birds were singing. Perfect.

Why was it, Leila wondered, that dreams were so perfect when practically everything else in life was screwed? Even as she looked around Leila heard the faint sounds of a stream trickling over a pebble bank. She almost laughed. How many fantasy and romance novels had she read with these types of dreams in them? How stereotypical.

But it felt very, very real...Leila gradually became aware that she was barefoot, and that she could actually feel she was barefoot, instead of just knowing she was barefoot. The sound of that stream was all too vivid, and the sunlight played patterns on her skin, heating different spots of her arm and causing annoyance.

This had to be another memory. She'd never experienced such a realistic dream.

But, it seemed she could control herself this time, so that wasn't right.

Something gently compelled Leila to go toward that stream. She shrugged, picked up her skirts - skirts? She seemed to have petticoats - and did so. It wasn't like she had anything else to do, after all.

The stream was breathtaking, and Leila viewed it with a mixture of delight and regret. If anything like this existed on Earth, or the colonies, it wouldn't be a natural set up. It would be carefully constructed to please, but not really...well, natural. It was a shame, but...

She placed her thoughts aside, instead stepping lightly into the stream, mindless of the water, which wasn't high enough to wet her skirts. Leila smirked. It was stuff like that, that let one tell the difference between trees and real life. Back in the glade her skirts had been past her ankles and a nuisance. Now though, it was a few inches above her ankles. Bravo. Leila suddenly wondered if Helios would show up or something, but she doubted it. If Helios was here, he was probably with Chibi-Usa.

What had made her come here? Her empathy? Or was it just curiosity?

"And who are you?" The voice was nicely low, and definitely male.

Right. Leila wasn't stupid. Perfect, beautiful dream, lovely, nice dress, her in the water, with the skirt hems high enough to give the impression she was walking on on that same water, 'chance' encounter with a man who she hadn't seen but had a pleasant voice she seemed to enjoy hearing...

"I'm assuming this is just a dream, but my name is Leila." She answered calmly without turning around. She would not - would NOT - submit to stereotypical romantic fairy tale crap.

"It is and it isn't. The dream is as real as you want it to be." The man said mildly. "And I myself thought you were Kino Makoto."

Oh shit.

"Princess of Jupiter and Daughter of the Woods."

"And how did you know that?" Leila asked, archly.

The man said nothing, but Leila's stomach did a strange flip flop. She had a feeling he was smiling. She also had an urge to take a very good look at that smile...

What the hell was she thinking? She was just getting over Duo and now she was feeling attracted to some man she'd never even seen, only heard?

Though he had quite a manly voice...

That was it. One more thought like that and she'd hit herself very hard when she woke up. And then she'd go ask Milliardo to. He was a gundam pilot - a hit from him would have to hurt...

"Won't you face me? It's a common courtesy to look at a person when they're talking to you." His voice held a gentle teasing to it. Leila's stomach stopped it's flip-flops; it instead chose to tie itself into a very uncomfortable knot.

She turned around slowly. "You know of me." Leila pointed out. "But who are you?"

There was a jerk, and everything blurred, and Leila caught a glimpse of a broad shouldered man and dark hair with black clothing...

Another jerk, and she shot awake. Looking at her watch, Leila surmised she had been asleep for almost a day. A day? Could a person sleep that long?

Another much more violent jerk threw her forward, against her straps.

Wide eyed, Leila whirled as fast as she could, gazing through the view.

Hundreds of mobiles dolls converged upon the shuttle.

The ambush had begun.