Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, just the story. I will try to complete the

story as soon as possible.

Sailor Crescent Moon - Thank you so very much for your critique, it was certainly

inspiring! :)

**********************************

Molly skipped up to the dark mansion that Nephlyte called home.

While the detail of the large house was intricate and clearly antique, it

gave off a distinct unpleasant feeling that caused the young girl to rush her

normally casual step. Perhaps the ancient limbs of the surrounding trees or the

eerie mist that perpetually surrounded the grounds contributed to the strange aura

of the place. Then again, she mused, Nephlyte himself was mysterious.

She hurried up the steps and stood on the porch for a moment, peering in a

nearby window and trying to steal a glimpse of Nephlyte before her knock alerted

him of her presence. He was such a guarded man, consistently cloaking his

thoughts and feelings. Her eyes finally adjusted to the dimly lit interior of the

house and she saw nothing, only dark shapes that were most undoubtedly

furniture inside a dark home.

She knocked briskly, trying to slow the beating of her heart as she heard

his footsteps approach.

Seconds before his opened the door, she smoothed an imaginary wrinkle

in the snug, midriff flattering white blouse she was wearing and patted her hair

consciously. She had twisted her shoulder-length hair into an elegant brown knot,

and, while it was certainly a change, the style made her look a couple of years

older. The hem of the cotton blue skirt she wore barely reached respectable

length, she mused, hoping that it would prod Nephlyte to respond to her in a more

mature fashion.

Molly suppressed a giggle.

A few gentlemanly kisses here and there had merely made her curious for

more, and she longed to learn the secrets of passionate love. While Nephlyte

learned the beauty of humanity, Molly mentally drummed her fingers and tried to

be patient. If only he would learn the beauty of romantic love, she thought.

Nephlyte opened the door cautiously, relief flooding his face as he looked

into Molly's eyes. He ushered her into his home, offering her various beverages

from his kitchen, nodding cheerfully when she selected an herbal tea mixture.

She looked different today, he thought, sitting down on a comfortable

couch in the sunroom, located in the back of the house. Molly sat down next to

him, kicked off her shoes, and leaned into him.

"Nephlyte, I've thought about you all day." She smiled warmly, sending a

rush of affection through his heart. "Do you ever get lonely in this big mansion of

yours, all alone?"

He took her hand and squeezed it. "No, I know that you will be with me

soon and it gives me time to relax. The Negaverse was no place for love and

relaxation. I seem to be enjoying both in your world, though." He arched a dark

eyebrow, a light dancing in his azure eyes.

It nearly robbed her of her breath. Molly smiled again, and, mentally

slowing her racing heart, she pressed her lips to his and tried to incite a satisfying

response from him. She placed her hand behind his head, threading her fingers

through the auburn masses and boldly pressed his mouth to her own.

Nephlyte's eyes widened in shock at the strange sensations flooding his

body. He kissed her passively for a few moments, trying to understand what was

happening. His entire body tingled, and he visibly shuddered, pulling her into his

lap. Nephlyte's kisses became dominant, and from Molly's delicate gasp, he

knew that she was enjoying this as much as he was.

His tongue brushed hers ardently as his hands crept up her back to tangle

in her hair as hers was currently tangled in his own. He crushed her small frame

to his body.

A new, stranger sensation crept up his spine. Opening his eyes, Nephlyte

found himself staring to beautiful green eyes, quite unlike Molly's. They

belonged to the mysterious girl from the storm. He knew it was an extraordinary

vision, a stubborn mental lapse designed to inconvenience him, but it rocked him

to his core - he wanted the girl more than he had ever wanted Molly.

He stopped suddenly and pushed the girl away from him, shaking his head

forcefully, ridding his mind of the tricks it played on his eyes. Instantly, the

stranger's beautiful face and entrancing eyes faded, revealing Molly's soft,

wounded expression.

Molly pulled away from him slowly, looking embarrassed. Two buttons

on her shirt were undone, her hair tangled, and her cheeks flushed. He looked

deeply disturbed by something. She could only surmise that he was disgusted by

her.

As Nephlyte tried to explain in a manner that would make sense as well as

spare her feelings, she merely nodded and walked toward the door. He was still

stammering when she left his house, rushing to get away from the humiliating

situation and the creepy surroundings.

* * * *

It was too beautiful a day in Tokyo for such a thoughtful mood. Such days

were meant for milkshakes, poolside lounging, and friends - not school bells, the

Negaverse, or the problems with Nephlyte. But Sailor Moon was required to

ponder these things - it was sunny days like this that she fought to keep.

It was amazing how such a tiny planet could be so beautiful and yet so

different from its sister planets. Each of Earth's nearest neighbors had an

interesting feature that was distinctly unique to that planet. Mercury with its

strange orbit, where at some points on the planet, an observer would see the sun

gradually rise and stop, briefly reverse course and stop again before resuming its

original path. Venus, where an observer would look to the west for a sunrise and

east for the sunset. Mars with its vast dust storms, versus Jupiter's colder

temperatures and lightning bolts that are ten times more powerful than a lightning

bolt on Earth.

And she was only the guardian of Earth's moon. It was simply a small

ball of rock and crater damage with no atmosphere. Sure, the view of Earth was

breathtaking, but what was significant about its one tiny moon?

In many ways, it made sense why she so different than her human

planetary counterparts, but sometimes it was frustrating. Amy, Sailor Mercury,

had been endowed with extreme intelligence, and Rei, Sailor Mars, had been

blessed with a sixth sense. What was her extraordinary power?

Memories of the recent fateful night flashed through her mind. Nephlyte's

attack, Molly's love, the scouts' healing powers. As Sailor Moon, she had

contributed little. Although she had eliminated the pain from her friend's hands,

she hadn't healed them completely.

What new powers would the next sailor scout bring to the Sailor Scouts?

Serena thought about the moon princess that the scouts were to seek out.

What would her appearance reveal? And what about the Imperium Silver

Crystal?

She shook her head and marveled at how serious she had become about

her role as Sailor Moon. Regardless of Rei's accusations that she was a total ditz

and a complete baby, there was more underneath her façade of outrageous

silliness. It hid the biting fear of battle and the panic of having her dearest friends

placed in danger to save the energy of their species. She loved her fellow scouts

as much as her family, and she would gladly die protecting them.

Serena's chest hurt when she thought more of the new sailor scout that

would arrive. This individual would become among her circle of beloved friends,

and there would be one more person to worry about, one more person to cry for.

One more to protect with her life.

She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't notice a tall brunette

walking straight in her direction. The collision knocked them both down.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Serena scrambled to help the other girl off of the

sidewalk. "I'm afraid that I wasn't watching where I was going."

They hurried to retrieve their belongings.

The brunette smiled. "Me neither...I had my mind on other things, too..."

Her smile faded slightly and a pensive frown turned her lips. She shook her head

as if to clear her troubling thoughts.

Serena pushed her long ponytails over her shoulders. "I'm Serena. You

know, you look familiar."

"My name's Lita." Lita cocked her head momentarily and studied the

short blonde girl. "You go to school, right? I transferred there a couple of days

ago."

Serena drummed her fingers on the notebook she carried. "You must be-"

She gasped. "You are the girl that got kicked out of her old school!" exclaimed

the ever-so-blunt blonde.

Lita laughed and tried to explain the situation. Before long, the two were

talking animatedly about their lives.

"You want to meet me after school tomorrow, Lita? We can go to the

arcade and see this really cute guy..."

"Sounds great!"

With the agreement, Serena and Lita rushed off to school.

* * * *

Queen Beryl recessed to the deepest of her chambers with a mission.

Another of her generals lie cold in his grave and her control wore thin. The first,

a failure, the second, a traitor...what next?

She peered into the round crystal that dominated the small room. "Queen

Metallia, what shall I do next?"

A low, wispy voice came from the crystal. "We must summon the shadow

warriors forth from the rainbow crystal carriers. There are seven total - with

them, Beryl, we shall be invincible!"

Queen Beryl momentarily smiled, but it faded with her intruding black

thoughts. "And the sailor scouts? Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Mars continue to

thwart my efforts. If they intercept the Imperium Silver Crystal, we may lose this

fight."

"No, Beryl, they won't. They will be destroyed by the seven shadow

warriors." Metallia's voice strengthened momentarily, revealing the depth of her

excitement. "Remember the death and destruction our seven strongest warriors

left in their wake?"

Queen Beryl nearly licked her lips in delicious memory. Blood spilled on

lunar soil had been her goal for decades - and the shadow warriors spilled

satisfying amounts of it on the gray dust. Bodies of those who remained loyal to

the Silver Alliance littered the ground - victory was very close.

At that moment, she offered the earth prince a chance to rule with her. He

was the only man who she had truly wanted by her side. She shivered slightly at

the thought of his thick dark hair, piercing eyes, and muscular physique.

Although his stubborn demeanor had caused his death, she had admired that, too.

While he refused and held the earth princess close, she had aggressively

attacked them both. They died instantly.

Her eyes narrowed. That was when Serenity had sent them hurling to

earth and the future. A future that she intended to dominate.

And, if the sailor scouts had been born again, then so had the earth prince.

She intended to make him hers this time around.

* * * *

Zoicite fingered the dark crystal that would enable him to retrieve the first

of the seven rainbow crystals. Strength had never been his strong point, he

thought dryly, but it had been one of Nephlyte's strengths, and, after all, he was

dead.

The general laughed.

How he had hated Nephlyte...for his strength and his passion. Perhaps it

had bordered jealousy in the beginning, when the queen valued strength over

brainpower. While not stupid, Nephlyte was certainly no intellect as Zoicite

prized himself to be. When Beryl began to question Nephlyte's motives, Zoicite

pounced - this was a perfect time to prove himself to his queen.

Later his hatred turned to disgust - Nephlyte's infamous passion for battle

turned into passion for life...and human love. How disgusting.

So much for passion, he mused, when Beryl summoned him to the throne

room. It was too strong and unpredictable - brainpower was steady and

trustworthy.

As he left his chambers, Zoicite felt a strange sensation. He shivered as he

felt a slight pang of guilt. Utterly shocked, he stopped walking and began to

massage his temples, intent on making the uncomfortable feeling go away.

While he hated his fellow generals, there was an unmistakable bond

between the four. Nothing resembling love, but it was an unexpected tie of loyalty that

he had never understood. It only hit him at intervals that were few and far

between, but this was stronger than the others. When Jadeite had been destroyed

by Queen Beryl, he no longer felt that irritating tie to Jadeite.

Awareness crept up Zoicite 's spine...Nephlyte was alive.

* * * *

Amy slipped the thin-rimmed glasses from the bridge of her nose and set

them on the table beside the leather couch. "This is by no means an interrogation.

We simply have to learn more about you - for everyone's safety." She nervously

twirled the pen in her right hand as she glanced at the list of questions she had

prepared for the interview.

"For Molly's safety, you mean." Nephlyte's narrowed gaze flicked to

Amy's notebook. He did little to hide the contempt from his voice as he said,

"Let's be honest, Sailor Mercury." He paced around the vast study that was

located on the west wing of the mansion. Plush rugs, mahogany furniture, and

leather couches greeted guests with an intimidating awareness - an environment

that suited him well.

Nephlyte helped himself to a Scotch, then, as an afterthought, said, "And

does the intellectual Sailor Mercury indulge in alcoholic beverages from time to

time?"

Amy's spine stiffened. "Of course not. Strong drink impairs one's ability

to think and reason. I rather enjoy the freedom of making intelligent choices

without the swaying relaxant of such beverages. The thought of acting

impulsively due to such an atrocity is appalling, in fact, I-"

"Yes, yes. A simple 'no' would have been sufficient." In an act of

defiance to Amy's lecture, he took a long, exaggerated sip of the Scotch. She

seemed unaffected.

Which was hardly surprising. When she had first entered his home with

the intentions of picking his brain, he had naturally resisted. If not for Molly's

safety, he would have refused this interview, but his past seemed to be the key to

unlocking his future. The more he knew of his past, the Negaverse, and his

individual powers, the more he could protect Molly and himself from Zoicite .

It seemed that Sailor Mercury, or Amy as the scouts had revealed to him,

was the only person who could solve the mystery of his past. Despite the fact that

she was here to help him, the two were quite weary of each other, being such

fierce recent enemies.

He finished his drink and sat down in a leather chair across from the petite

young girl. Fixing a fierce look of impatience on his face, he evenly said, "I'd

advise you to keep this quick, Mercury. Having tea parties with little girls is

hardly my idea of fun."

"You are wasting your time if you think that you will intimidate me,

Nephlyte."

Flashing an appraising look at his former enemy, he could only agree. Her

soft features had become rigid and her eyes flashed icy blue fire. "Indeed. And

when should Mars arrive?"

"Soon. We will place you under hypnosis, and I will ask you simple recall

questions, a cognitive exam, if you will. Rei will appeal to your subconscious

memories."

He nearly laughed. "Ah, sort of like a junior high séance?"

Amy chose to ignore that comment. "I will ask you to relax and allow us

to delve into the recesses of your mind. This is extremely important to our

mission tonight. You must remain calm and compliant."

Nephlyte raised a speculative eyebrow.

"On my honor, we will not harm you."

It was a sincere oath, one that he would trust. "Very well, I accept." He

laid his head on the back of the chair and tried to ease the tension in his body.

After several moments, he heard the door to the study open softly as Mars

entered. He pretended to close his eyes but opened them slightly so he could pay

close attention to them. She and Amy had a whispered conversation, one that he

could barely make out. Rei's voice was much more forceful, easier to understand

than Amy's softly whispered sentences.

"...recording device...you must...computer..." Amy gestured at her

laptop and handed Rei a small black object.

"...I agree...if we monitored his vital signs...would be important to the

translation...will try to explain the visions in full detail...only after he

sleeps...not dangerous..."

No longer caring if they noticed him, Nephlyte watched with wide eyes as

Rei began to unpack things from a black satchel that she had brought with her.

Candles were placed around the room and lit, while Amy turned out the lamps

and adjusted things on her computer. She placed a video and audio recording

device next to his chair.

Strange scents reached his nostrils as Mars began to speak softly to him.

She knelt before him and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Nephlyte, it is extremely important that you trust me. Trust that I am

only gathering information that we need to discover the secrets of your past. It

was with my visions that I found you to be human, and it will be with my visions

that I will learn the rest of your story. Throughout this procedure, I will be

touching your face and your hands. Take comfort from my presence and my

voice." Rei reached for his left hand and was pleased when he did not pull away

from her.



"We will be monitoring your vital signs as we ask you questions." Amy

began strapping equipment to his body. "Will this equipment distract you?"

Nephlyte looked into Amy's kind eyes and regretted his harsh treatment of

her earlier. "No, it is quite comfortable."

Mars smiled. "Good. Let us get started." She walked around his chair

and placed her hands gently on either side of his head. "I will ask you to pick an

object in the room and focus on it. Let the tension drain from your body and get

used to the feel of my hands."



He focused on a flickering candle across the room and let the strange

aromas of the room capture his senses. Surprisingly, he found that he had to

struggle to stay conscious. Fighting it only for a few seconds, he fell into a light

trance.

Rei gently stroked his temples as the minutes ticked by. She began to sing

softly, and ancient song that her grandfather had taught her, and, along with the

lyrical sounds coming from her mouth, the scents of the ceremonial candles

carried his mind away from his surroundings. A tranquil expression relaxed the

usually rigid features of his face. When she felt that he had succumbed to the

hypnotic spell, she softly said, "Show me who you are, Nephlyte."

She closed her eyes and willed the visions to inhabit her mind.

A beautiful woman stepped from the shadows of an enormous throne

room. Golden red hair curled and tumbled down her back and was only a few

inches shy of the marble floor beneath her crystal encased feet. The only

hindrance of that beautiful mass was an elegant golden crown that encircled her

head. The folds of her scarlet dress shimmered a royal purple if the light hit it

precisely in those areas.

Her delicate fingers curved around the end of a long golden scepter. With

a grace that can only be inherited, she floated to the single throne and surveyed

her subjects.

Her red lips curved into a pleased smile. "I see that all of my subjects are

here," her silky voice purred. "I would like you to meet my commanders." Her

next command was a surprise - for all of the reserve and silkiness that her voice

contained before, it was lost with her clearly bellowed order. "Come forward!

My commanders!" Four men dissolved out of the crowd and stepped up to meet

the queen.

The man that Rei knew to be Nephlyte turned to face the court with his

fellow commanders. The queen passed each of them and, in turn, each knelt

before her and kissed her hand. He softly murmured, "Queen Beryl", as he did

so.

The vision faded as another took its place.

Two fierce blue eyes narrowed into Nephlyte's eyes.



He observed the woman with a smirk. What was once a silky evening

dress was torn and dirty. Her golden hair escaped most untidily from her hairpins

and a bloody gash marred her upper arm.



She spit at his feet and spoke with a clear voice. "I will DIE first, do you

hear me? You are a traitorous bast-"

The surroundings took on distinct details. What looked like pools of

golden water were stained with the blood of dead bodies all around them. The air

was humid and hazy - a sure sign of a turbulent atmosphere heavy with the

aftershocks of a fierce battle. A castle in the distance reflected the fierce sunlight

off of it's battered walls. Smoke rose all around them. The sun was hot and the

air had a strange smell to it.

Another man to Nephlyte's left clicked his tongue.

"Now, is that any way for a princess to speak?" The man, who had long

white-blond hair, reached to touch her face. "Do as Nephlyte asks and surrender."

A tear fell down the young woman's dirty cheek and a moment of silence

followed. Her beautiful face passed through many emotions, including love, pain,

pity, regret, and lastly anger. Her mouth slowly began to thin and her eyes

narrowed. Her composure regained, her blonde hair fanned around her as she

swung to meet his gaze. "You've underestimated me again, Kunzite. Once, I

warned you to never repeat that transgression." Icy fire stirred in her gaze as she

stared at the handsome man.

Kunzite's eyes remained calm. He released her chin. "I've never seen

you before, little girl."

The third man of lesser rank than Kunzite and Nephlyte, who was sure he

had a firm hold on the woman, never saw her attack coming.

The icy glow from her eyes began to spread throughout her body. The

tattered golden dress she wore repaired itself and dissolved into nothing. With

soft murmurs in yet another language that sounded like a fairy's song, the winds

of the strange surroundings seemed to obey her commands. Her pale hair grew

and whipped around her body as the gold-flecked dust of the earth swirled at her

feet. With a shout that resounded across all of the visible lands, blinding light

hurled from her petite body and disintegrated the body of the soldier that no

longer held her.

Rei could feel Nephlyte's physical pain as the light began to cover him

and Kunzite as well. She knew that they had barely escaped death from the

impassioned woman who had narrowly escaped death herself, at the hands of the

evil that had apparently destroyed her people and her lands.

Rei's breath began to come in short pants, and she feared that she could

not physically bear many more visions. After a few seconds, she placed her

forehead to Nephlyte's and whispered, "Go back even further. Who were you

before you were a commander in Queen Beryl's army?"

She could feel herself being sucked into a powerful memory.

A monster peered into his eyes. It's nearly-black eyes burned with an

eerie intelligence that made him shiver. The scaly skin of its fingers touched his

naked torso and spoke to something on its left.

His skin had continued to crawl when the creature turned toward him

again and touched his temple. Pain, unbearable and intense, shot through his

entire body as his skin burned from invisible hot oil that melted it into angry red

boils. In the next minute, the skin was completely healed and the pain was gone.

Nephlyte bit his lip so hard that it began to bleed. He began to vomit but

only his pride kept the tears from flowing down his cheeks.



The woman that haunted his dreams, his Princess Jupiter, walked to his

side. He could not contain his surprised.

She merely smiled, her soft brown eyes gazing lovingly into his.

"Nephlyte, please join the queen in her mission. We have all succumbed to her

mighty power, please, do so too." She lowered her head to his and kissed him

passionately.

His heart knew that she was merely hologram, an element of deception

created by Queen Beryl, but he kissed her anyway. She asked for his allegiance

again, but, as he had done for many torture-filled days now, he rejected the offer.



Instead of dissolving into an angry, screaming Queen Beryl, the princess

that he loved merely nodded. The image of his ladylove walked away from the

platform that he was chained to and pulled a man out of the shadows of the room.

With a sly smile towards Nephlyte, she began to kiss the man. Other images

followed, some so deceitful and adulterous that Nephlyte nearly vomited again.

With a cry of rage, he cursed the queen for such false images and allowed

the pain to drain from his heart. It was not real. He knew it was not real. The

images disappeared.

"Noooo!" the redheaded woman screamed, her face appearing a mere inch

from his own. "I wanted your knowledge of Earth and the moon for my own!

And yet, all four of you have resisted torture, threats, and eternal life with your

princesses to keep it for yourself. Damn you all, guardians of the Earth Prince!"

She stamped her heeled shoes on the marble floor of the torture chamber so hard

that one of the cracked.



Several silent moments passed. When she had calmed down, she smiled

wickedly. "Very well, noble Nephlyte. With or without your special knowledge

- I must have you. I will simply have to MAKE you mine." Soft laughter escaped

her crimson lips. "This MAY sting a little..." She pointed her scepter to his heart

and blasted the full force of her evil magic into him.



The pain was unbearable, and he screamed and cried. His only coherent

thought was to fight off his assailant.

With a startled cry, Rei threw herself out of striking range. With a series

of sounds and commands, she brought her subject back to a peaceful state of

mind. "Nephlyte will wake in a few minutes." She focused worried violet eyes

upon her intelligent friend. "Ami, he's been brainwashed. VIOLENTLY

brainwashed."

Ami's hands shook as she took the videotape out of the recorder. "Rei,

whatever you saw, it's on this tape. Luna and Serena should know about this -

we'll call an emergency Sailor Scout meeting tomorrow after school." She slowly

slipped it into its case, and she and Rei began to thoughtfully pack up their

equipment.

The two girls left the mansion half and hour later, leaving a weakened

Nephlyte sleeping fitfully.

* * * *

Sailor Jupiter had emerged. With a cry of outrage the glowing symbol on

the girl's forehead marked the arrival of the fourth sailor scout.

Luna assessed the situation, noting with dry humor that their "hero" had

not come to save Sailor Moon THIS time. Perhaps the mysterious Tuxedo Mask

was an enemy sent to distract the champion of justice. The Lunarian would have

applauded his absence if the situation had not been so dire.

Serena was on her own in the fight against a game machine champ turned

evil - by the Negaforce no doubt. And, what had Zoicite 's speech on rainbow

crystals been about? Luna was determined to find out.

Serena's transformation had surprised the tall brunette. Serena had, no

doubt, made friends with the girl and brought her to Tokyo's finest arcade. When

one of the boys had left the arcade, the two followed, unwittingly caught in

another scheme plotted by Queen Beryl. With no time to spare and in flashes of

light, Sailor Moon had arrived.

Strangely enough, the other had angrily joined the fight and had revealed

her true nature. Luna reacted quickly, giving the girl instructions on how to

transform.

In a swirling background of green sparkles, the scent of a storm preceded a

force to be reckoned with - an attack of fierce thunder and deadly electricity. It

was a moment that Luna would always remember, as she had with the first attack

of the other three scouts.

Hours later, four girls talked animatedly about school (mostly Amy), boys

(Serena and Lita), and the situation with the Negaverse (mostly Rei and Amy,

with frequent interruptions about Tuxedo Mask's absence from the most recent

fight by Serena).

After the conversation started to die down, Amy gestured toward her bag

and grimly stated, "The tape is ready and I think you all need to see it. If you

have a weak stomach, I suggest you leave the room."

Everyone looked at Serena. "Excuse me? I can handle this, and, after all,

I am your leader." She pompously swept her ponytails over her shoulders as her

face took on an arrogant expression.

Rei opened her mouth to argue the point but stopped when Ami held up

her hand. "Remember, we will be seeing...situations...as Nephlyte's broken

mind remembers them. This is, in no way, a truth that could be verified and

labeled as fact. It is important to keep in mind that you will be seeing this through

Nephlyte's eyes, just as he sees them. Everything on the tape is like this with a

few exceptions, and these scenes are ones that Nephlyte has either fantasized or

imaged how other people viewed the situation." She turned to Rei. "I realize that

you have seen this, but the tape will be different than what you saw. The

recording is somewhat broken, and it would be helpful if you explained certain

things to us."

With a controlled breath, walked to the VCR and began to slip the tape in.

She's afraid, Serena thought, as she unconsciously inched closer to Rei. If

it scares Ami...

The screen went blurry, and just as Serena was about to complain, a dark,

menacing room took shape. She and the other girls watched the four men turn

and greet the audience...that seemed to be somewhat inhuman. However, the

figures were so blurry that it was hard to tell for certain.

Lita gasped slightly as Nephlyte turned around and faced the audience.

Serena, misunderstanding Lita's distress, patted her hand. "It is a bit

scary, isn't it?"

The newly appointed Sailor Jupiter merely nodded and tried to calm down.

That was the man from the other night...the one she had... Her face began to

burn, and she prayed that the other girls didn't notice.

The room faded and went black. The screen fuzzed slightly as the next

scene unsteadily came to focus. The exchange between the girl and the man

called Kunzite came to a halt when Ami paused the tape.

She pointed to the background of the paused film. "Have any of you seen

such a landscape? While I am aware of the fact that Nephlyte has certainly

distorted some of the memory, this is too much of a distortion. Golden pools...?"

"The air also had a strange smell to it, Ami. I remember that. There were

other details to the land that is not showing up here. Such as the unnatural

haziness, brownish skies, and choking humidity." Rei walked to the screen and

pointed to the girl and the silver-haired man. "I don't know if you guys noticed,

but this exchange with this man is really painful for her."

She took the liberty to press the play button, so the girls could see the

unexpected attack that came from her slender body. "There are only a couple of

things that could have enabled her to do this - Negaverse power or Sailor power."

Ami shook her head vigorously. "Who could this girl be? My thoughts

are that she was a member of the alliance to the Moon Kingdom. During the

Silver Millennium."

Serena's ponytails shook as she disagreed. "But, Ami, that would mean

that Nephlyte is over a thousand years old!"

The stricken look on Lita's face along with a sharp intake of breath got the

girls' attention. The tape had continued to play and Lita had continued to watch.

Rei looked toward the screen. "Oh my gosh! Lita...that's you!"

The three didn't notice her lose consciousness as their eyes continued to

focus on the screen and the woman that lowered her head to kiss the tortured

general.

******************************************************************

Until next time! :)

Copyright 2003

References

http://www.iit.edu/~mars/mars.html

http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/venus020422.html