The Sailor Scouts, even though they were aware of their destiny to defend the earth, kept trying to have fun. So when the Outer senshi reunited with their friends, it was only natural for them to try to attend a movie. Hotaru, feeling shaky, declined the offer with a smile, and the other girls promised to return with snacks. Even one member short, there was plenty of eye rolling when screams about monsters echoed from an alley close to the theater. The senshi, as usual, transformed and prepared to fight- even if the match promised to be short.

"Silver Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" The yoma shrieked and crumbled to dust, like many had before it. Eternal Sailor Moon whooped for joy and high-fived her team, while a pair of women watched from a darkened rooftop.

"I think we've found them, your highness." The shorter girl nodded.

"And I think that you're right."

Both paused. "I can't talk to them just yet… I'm sorry." The second figure remained stoic.

"You'll have another chance tomorrow, Princess." The princess returned the nod, although it was less than enthusiastic.

"Yeah… Tomorrow…" They both turned and started to walk away, but the taller woman suddenly groaned and doubled over, then fell to her knees. The princess knelt by her side, obviously panicked.

"Not again!" The princess grabbed her partner by the shoulders and squeezed.

"Focus! Fix your eyes on me! Don't give up yet, we're too close!" She didn't realize how loudly she was yelling until she heard someone land on the roof behind her.

"Too close to what?"

"Damn," the princess muttered under her breath. "They've found us…"

"Damn right we found you!" Sailor Uranus folded her arms, her impossibly tall frame towering over the pair on their knees.

"I'm afraid that we cannot let you leave here," Sailor Pluto warned, landing beside Uranus. "Not until we know who you are and what you intend to do on this planet." Neptune brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled slightly.

"We care too much for our princess to allow any harm to come to her." The smaller of the two women slowly rose to her feet, clutching a scepter that was very similar to the one Super Sailor Moon used.

"And if we don't tell you?"

"We'll kill you," Jupiter replied, as she and the rest of the inner senshi finished the circle around the two strangers. The younger girl said nothing, but the older woman was still on her knees. She'd begun clawing at the rooftop, obviously in agony. Her breath was coming in shallow gasps, and her entire body would shudder violently every few seconds. Sailor Moon stepped forward, clutching her staff.

"Is she ill?" The smaller girl decided that her partner needed attention more than the intruders, and slowly sank back to her knees.

"Yes, very." She grabbed the other woman's hand and squeezed it, receiving a tortured whimper in return.

"Can't we help?" Sailor Moon was biting her lip; she was too caring to ignore someone in pain, even if they seemed to be a threat. The girl laughed bitterly.

"You can't help her, Sailor Moon. I can't either. Only Death can help her… but he cannot reach her."

"I beg to differ," Uranus snarled, tearing her saber out of its scabbard.

"I'll help her right now!" She lunged forward, obviously having every intention of ending the threat to her moon princess. Ironically enough, that was the exact moment the woman's bizarre attack ended. There was a blinding flash, and both strangers' faces were illuminated for just a moment. The smaller girl had long, white-blonde hair, with a single streak of vibrant red running down one side. Her red eyes were very large, exuding a feeling of innocence. The other woman had black hair, also very long, but her eyes were strange. They were mostly a rich shade of gold, but there were patches of emerald green shining through. They both wore sailor fukus. Then the light was gone, and Uranus gasped in surprise as she found that her Space Sword had been parried by a spear.

"Princess, are you hurt?" The older woman's voice was still shaking, but it was very clear that she had regained control as she shoved Uranus back. The younger girl shook her head.

"I'm fine." The older woman grabbed her companion by the arm.

"Good. We're leaving." There was an earth-shaking explosion as a sphere of fire and light engulfed the two women, then burst outwards, throwing all the sailor scouts off the building.

"What the hell was that!" Sailor Mars was one of the first scouts to sprint after the two strangers, but the others soon joined her.

"I don't know," Sailor Uranus growled, "but I'm really going to get them for it."

The two women sprinted down an alleyway between apartment buildings, with the Sailor Scouts right behind them.

"We're gaining on them!" Venus's triumphant shout was more than enough to catch the attention of their prey. The shorter girl whirled around and pointed her staff at them, and another blinding flash emanated from the tip.

"Aahhh!" Jupiter stumbled and ran into the brick beside her, while all the other girls fell to their knees or doubled over.

"I can't see!" Mercury, blinking away tears, activated her headset and minicomputer.

"That light was incredibly powerful. Easily as bright as the sun!" She began running again, with the other scouts at her heels, still typing furiously.

"Actually," she murmured, "It's exactly as bright as the sun…" Her eyes widened.

"It duplicated the wavelength of our sun exactly! There was even a surge in the middle that looks like-" The excited genius was cut short as someone grabbed her collar and yanked her back from the path of a truck. Sailor Pluto waited until the truck had passed, then dashed through the traffic.

"What did it look like, Mercury?" Mercury rubbed her throat and coughed, but gave Pluto a thankful look before answering.

"A solar flare…"

The sailor scouts were still pursuing the other two women, chasing them through one of the many parks in the city. The fugitives were making excellent time, leaping from branch to branch in the cherry trees above, while the senshi tried to follow them down the winding path.

"Screw this," Mars decided. She leaped up and caught one of the tree branches, and braced her feet on it in order to jump to the next, but she suddenly found herself lying winded on her back underneath the tree. As she watched in confusion, one of the tree branches moved back to its proper place.

Pluto and Mercury caught up to her, Pluto grabbing her hand and yanking her to her feet so that she began running again.

"What happened? Did they hurt you?" Raye shook her head.

"No… but the tree did." As the other two looked at Mars in confusion, Jupiter, far ahead, apparently got the same idea she'd had.

"No! Get down, Jupiter!" All the senshi heard her shout, and they watched in shock as one of the tree branches whipped around and stuck Jupiter in the back, throwing her to the ground. Sailor Moon stopped to grab Jupiter's hand and help her up while the brunette rubbed her neck.

"What happened?"

Sailor Moon pulled her friend up and began running again. There were a few moments of silence before she finally answered, "I'm not really sure, Jupiter…"

Venus and Neptune, far ahead, exchanged a wordless glance and nodded. They'd worked together long enough that they didn't need to communicate. Moving as one, they poured on the steam and finally managed to get ahead of the strangers, stopping just beyond the edge of the trees. Behind them was a slight drop onto a busy thoroughfare. The outsiders were trapped. The shorter woman cried out and pointed, obviously having seen the impending ambush. Her partner grabbed her hand and pulled her forward anyway. They hit the ground and continued running straight at their opponents. Venus and Neptune smirked and charged, then suddenly stumbled and flopped onto the ground. The younger blonde groaned as her enemies ran past, then gasped as she noticed that there was grass lengthening and wrapping around her legs as though it were alive. Neptune grabbed it and tried to pull it apart, only to cry out as more wrapped around her wrists and pulled her back to the ground. Jupiter and Mercury stopped to help free their comrades, while Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto kept running just behind Uranus and Mars. The fleeing pair stopped at the edge of the thoroughfare and turned to find that they were still being pursued. The taller woman thrust the head of her spear into the ground, smirking. Mars and Uranus skidded to a stop and whirled around as they heard their two remaining friends cry out. Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto were clinging to each other for dear life, sinking above their waist in what looked like quicksand, where manicured grass had been a moment before. Then, just as quickly as it had changed, it was back to being grass, and both women were stuck fast. Mars and Uranus exchanged a glance. Their princess was safe, but their prey was escaping. The chase resumed, as the fugitives lunged into the traffic. An oncoming car honked and slammed on its brakes, on a clear collision course with the two of them. With what seemed like very little effort, they leapt onto the top of the vehicle, then sprang to the next in a mad game of leapfrog that led them up the street. The two sailor scouts followed as quickly as they could, and actually began gaining ground. The pair stopped at the edge of a bridge, looked over their shoulders, and then jumped, landing neatly on the roof of a speeding train. Mars and Uranus followed them without hesitation, then began running along the cars to catch up. Just when they were getting close, the strangers vaulted onto a bridge that spanned the train tracks. The pursuing senshi made a spectacular jump and landed just in front of their prey.

"End of the line," Sailor Uranus crowed triumphantly.

"Actually," smiled the woman with black hair, "It's the end of the train." She grabbed her partner and back-flipped over the railing behind her, catching one of the rungs of the ladder at the back of the car. Mars cried out and ran to the side of the bridge, watching in exasperation as the older woman helped the other girl get a firm grip on the ladder, then waved and blew a kiss with her free hand. Both senshi watched silently as their quarry sped out of sight.

"That went well," Raye remarked.

Raye trudged up the hill to Hikawa Temple, totally exhausted. By the time they'd freed Venus, Neptune, Pluto, and Sailor Moon, people had seen them, and there were photos all over the news. The tabloids would probably have a field day. She changed into her hakama and meditated in an attempt to calm down, but her mind was a whirlwind. Finally, she collapsed on her bed. If she just slept, she'd feel better…

Raye blinked and raised a hand to cover her eyes. The sun beat down, impossibly bright, warming the pristine sand that she stretched out on. The smell of the ocean filled her nostrils, and a breeze picked up a few strands of her hair. Bewildered, she sat up. Palm trees marked the beginning of a jungle behind her, while the vast waters that stretched before her swirled with shades of green and blue.

"You're here too. I'm glad. This dream is kind of freaky when you're alone." Raye gasped and scrambled to her feet. One of the girls from the rooftop, the one with the red eyes and white hair, sat beside her, hugging her knees to her chest. She was dressed a tad bit strangely, especially seeing as Raye was still in her hakama. The girl was wearing a white tank top, with a silver arm cuff around one arm, and several bangles jingling at her wrist. Her other arm had a strip of black lace that wound around her wrist and up to the elbow, and there was more lace tied around her throat. Her skirt reached mid-thigh, and her boots ended just above the ankle, with a pair of zippers winding up the side. Checkered white and black leg warmers stopped just below her knee, and several necklaces looped around her neck in various shades of silver. She wore very heavy makeup, with smoky black eyeliner and pinkish red lip gloss. Most of her hair fell loose, but there were several small braids that were loosely pulled around the right side of her head and fastened behind her ear.

"Sorry for the tension earlier. Legendary warriors are kind of hard to approach." She smiled and tilted her head to the side, suddenly looking years younger.

"My name's Taiki, by the way." Raye took a few steps backwards, eyeing the younger girl cautiously.

"Legendary warriors?" Taiki turned to stare back at the ocean, smiling placidly to herself.

"Yeah. You sailor scouts. You're amazing. I wish I were more like you." Raye narrowed her eyes.

"Perhaps I'm confused. I thought you and your partner were wearing sailor fukus, just like ours." Taiki shrugged.

"Just because we're senshi doesn't mean we're like you."

Her face lost all trace of youth as she added, "She and I have both failed where you've succeeded…" Raye was about to ask another question when her breath caught in her throat. She whipped around to stare at the ocean, unable to look away. It was still as glassy as ever, but something was so terribly wrong.

"You can feel it, then? You really are a powerful psychic…" Taiki stood up, her hair swaying gently in the rising wind.

"We need your help, Sailor Mars. And, you may not realize it, but you're going to need ours. Come to Tokyo Tower. You'll understand." Raye blinked sand out of her eyes as the sudden storm pummeled her.

"Tokyo Tower? What for? I don't understand!" She tried to take a step toward Taiki, battling the gale to move forward a mere inch. Taiki, her face suddenly devoid of any emotion, raised one hand to point at the ocean.

"It's coming," she stated, her voice as flat as the horizon had once been. Now, as Raye turned to stare, her entire field of vision was filled with an utterly monstrous wave. The crushing surge was crowned with pale foam, rising higher and higher until it blocked out the sun. Taiki turned back to Raye and held out her hand.

"Now you are the one who has the power to save everything. Will you use it?" Raye tried to reach out and grab her hand, but her body refused to move. She opened her mouth, gasping for breath under the enormous pressure that was suddenly assaulting her, and found that her lungs still worked. But whatever she had started to say was swallowed by the water.

"Augh!" Raye was suddenly bolt upright in bed, shaking and positively soaked in sweat. She took a deep breath and shuddered, pressing her hands against the sides of her head, trying to block out the sound of rushing water. But this was a sound not heard by the ear.

"Taiki!" Taiki jerked awake, then blushed sheepishly as her manager tapped her foot.

"Sorry," she murmured, gripping the arms of her makeup chair.

"I guess I fell asleep." Her manager folded her arms.

"So it would seem. You've had an unfortunate habit of doing so." Taiki lowered her head, then jumped a bit as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It is late," A gentle voice offered.

"We had that break earlier, and since then we've done nothing but rehearse. I don't think it's going to get any better until tomorrow, so we should just call it quits for tonight." Taiki turned around and stared at Aiyuu's eyes for a moment before lowering her head. She knew. Their manager glanced at her watch and nodded.

"I guess you're right. Thanks for working so hard tonight, girls. Why don't you sleep in an hour or two tomorrow? You have made a lot of progress on that choreography, so you deserve it." She smiled and patted Taiki on the head as she and Aiyuu headed back to their trailer.

"Sorry, Taiki. I guess I get kind of crabby this early in the morning." Aiyuu turned back around and smiled, her black hair swirling around her waist as she did so.

"Don't we all?"

Taiki winced as the door to the trailer shut. Aiyuu locked it, then slowly turned back to her partner and folded her arms.

"I thought we agreed we'd do this together." Taiki bit her lip.

"I know. It was an accident, though!" Aiyuu narrowed her eyes.

"How can you 'accidentally' establish a psychic link with someone!" Taiki clenched her fists and set her jaw, looking every bit the stubborn child.

"Sharing a dream is accidental! Sailor Mars has ESP, and it just so happens to be powerful enough to pick up on my visions, now that we're so close together! That isn't something I can prevent!" Aiyuu stared at the floor for a few seconds, then looked back up.

"What did you tell her?" Taiki, satisfied, turned to a mirror and began to untie the lace around her neck and wrist.

"Not much. That we need their help. That they're going to need ours. That we're also sailor scouts. I told her my name, too. And I asked her to come to the concert." Aiyuu sighed and stepped behind a screen to change.

"Oh, great. So now they're gonna crash our concert." Taiki shook her head.

"They won't crash it! They probably won't even recognize us." Aiyuu rolled her eyes and tossed her clothes over the screen, feeling a grim satisfaction as Taiki shrieked.

"Are you kidding me! After they chased us and we had to use several attacks to get them off our tail! I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up while we're sleeping." Taiki pouted.

"We could have just talked to them." Aiyuu snorted.

"Yeah, right. Sailor Uranus was definitely ready for a diplomatic ceasefire." There were a few moments of silence before Taiki's wavering voice broke the stillness.

"Aiyuu?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you still dream about her?" She paused.

"Your sister, I mean." Aiyuu's throat contracted viciously and her eyes suddenly burned.

"Yes," she whispered. She swallowed painfully and wiped at her eyes, refusing to let tears form.

"You?" she asked. Taiki gently opened a compact and traced her finger over the facets of the yellow-gold crystal within.

"Always," she sighed. The face of a handsome man filled her mind's eye. Short blonde hair, luminous blue eyes, a sharp chin and confident smile. She sighed and clutched the compact to her chest, feeling the faint, pulsing warmth that came from the gem inside, as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I miss you, Jadeite…"