Author's Note: Well, this chapter ended up getting done a lot sooner than I expected. It all came together pretty quickly, and I had a blast writing it. I hope you all enjoy this latest installment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon (or The King in Yellow).

Chapter 5: Comrades in Arms, Part 2

Hilda and Artemis had managed to get the still unconscious Minako and Keisuke back to Minako's trailer. They had chosen Minako's trailer because it had been closer to the site of the battle and was also than Keisuke's. After Hilda and Artemis had gotten the unconscious duo secured, Hilda had gone off to find Mason and tell them that Keisuke was in no condition to continue filming for the day due to him suddenly coming down with a mild case of food poisoning. Fortunately for Hilda, Mason had already decided to totally suspend filming for the day, as some changes were needed for the script. This left Artemis and Hilda with nothing to do but wait for Minako and Keisuke to wake up.

"I really don't like this," Artemis declared for perhaps the fourth or fifth time during the last hour. "We should've taken Mina to the hospital. Keisuke too."

"For the hundredth time, mouse breath. Those two are fine," Hilda assured him. "We both checked them over and found no injuries."

"Then why are they unconscious?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say those two are in the middle of reawakening the rest of their lost memories. Guess my mistress was right about those two."

"Mistress? What're you talking about?"

"Oops. Looks like I said too much just now."

"Are you ever going to tell us who you are?"

"All in good time. What I can tell you now though is that there's a strong bond between your mistress and the former dark general I've been paired with. Honestly, I doubted the strength of this bond between those two because of how Kunzite had been so easily corrupted twice by this Queen Beryl. It would seem now though that I was wrong. I guess now that Keisuke's no longer a pawn of evil, and now that he's in such close proximity to Minako, their lost memories are awakening naturally."

"Wait a minute… are you implying that Mina and Kunzite were a couple during the Silver Millennium?"

"At the very least, they were strongly attracted to each other. But I guess something like that would be the last thing you'd want, mouse breath. I can't tell if you're jealous because you have a thing for your mistress, or if you're being some sort of overprotective big brother to her."

Artemis arched his back and hissed at her. "My relationship with Mina isn't any of your business! Besides, any relationship between Mina and Kunzite is out of the question. Setting aside all the reasons why Kunzite isn't even worthy to be in the same room with Mina, the simple fact is that those two getting together simply isn't meant to be! History has proven that to us twice!"

"But now they're getting a third shot, and you had better hope it works out. The simple fact is that the bond between your mistress and Kunzite was the reason he was chosen to be my partner for this mission."

"Wait. Are you saying that Mina is in some kind of danger?"

Hilda nodded. "She's in the worst kind of danger that could befall a Sailor Guardian, a danger far worse than death. It's closing in on her fast from the look of it, and Kunzite might be the only way to save her. So you had better pray with all your might that their relationship works out this time."

As Hilda and Artemis continued to Artemis, the minds of Minako and Keisuke drifted back to the time of the Silver Millennium. Minako had gone back to the time when she, as Sailor Venus, had touched down on Earth for the very first time. At the time, Venus had been filled with a mixture of worry and anger. For the fourth time, Princess Serenity had snuck down to Earth. She had heard from Mars and Mercury that it was because the princess had become smitten with some young prince.

This time Venus had decided to go down to Earth personally to drag Serenity back and put an end to the whole thing once and for all. Venus had touched down near the spot that was reported to be the spot Serenity and her prince had been reported to meet. Despite her anger and concern, Venus couldn't help but notice how beautiful the area was. It was a beautiful sunny day. The sky was a brilliant blue with only a few small white puffy clouds in the sky, and the trees were all lush and green. Venus found she could understand part of the reason why Serenity liked to sneak down to the planet so often.

At last Venus found her wayward princess at the top of a small hill under the shade of a large tree. At that moment the twin-tailed blonde was making out with a very handsome young man with dark hair and regal features. Venus had to admit that her princess had good taste. The young man was definitely a catch. Still, this fling of theirs couldn't go on.

After quietly making her way up the hill to stand a few feet away from the oblivious couple, Venus crossed her arms and loudly cleared her throat. The act caught the couple's attention, and Serenity let out a startled cry when she turned and saw Venus standing in front of her.

"Your little rendezvous is over now, Princess," Venus declared sternly. "Now let's go home."

"Oh come on, Venus!" Serenity pouted. "I only just got here! Can't you look the other way and let me stay a little longer?"

Venus shook her head. "You know this sort of thing is forbidden."

"Um, excuse me," the dark-haired prince cut in. "You must be a member of Serenity's royal guard. I've met two of your comrades. I am Prince Endymion. Might I know who you are?"

Venus sighed. "I'm Sailor Venus, captain of Princess Serenity's guard. Now you seem like a nice young man, but I'm afraid I can't permit my princess to remain here."

"If you're worried about your princess's safety, I can assure you that there's no place on Earth safer for her than here," a voice cut in.

Suddenly emerging from behind the tree was a tall young man with long silver hair and dashing features. Venus couldn't help but blush upon seeing the young man. He was just as handsome as Serenity's prince, in fact even more so.

Remembering the situation, Venus quickly composed herself. "And just who are you?"

The silver-haired young man bowed. "I am General Kunzite, captain of Prince Endymion's royal guard. In other words, I am your counterpart. And I can assure you that with me watching over the prince, there is no safer place for your princess. Also, we are on the grounds of the prince's palace, and the most secure place on the planet. No intruder could sneak in without my fellow guards or I knowing about it. It's probably a far more secure place than your Moon Palace."

"And what in Hades is that supposed to mean?" Venus asked, taking offense.

Kunzite flinched, realizing too late his error. "All I meant was that your palace may not be as secure as it could be since your princess has been able to sneak to Earth so many times. Such gaps that would allow her to leave could also allow intruders to come in."

"Hey! My fellow guardians and I do everything we can to make the palace secure. The problem is that our princess is apparently something of an escape artist. She's always so full of energy, and she's so fixed on this planet that she does everything possible to sneak down here. Every time we think we've blocked off one hole, she ends up finding or making another. You have no idea how hard it is to keep an eye on her."

Endymion smirked. "I had no idea Serenity gave you so much trouble. Must be tough with a hyperactive too-curious princess. Right Kunzite?"

Serenity blushed and lightly slapped her prince on the shoulder. "Endymion!"

"What? I think it's cute that you're able to fluster your guards so much. Besides, I'm flattered that you go to so much trouble to see me."

Serenity smiled, and the two of them began to gaze lovingly into each other's eye. The sight caused Venus to let out a heavy sigh.

Kunzite meanwhile smiled and shook his head. "Sailor Venus, might I have quick word with you in private?"

Reluctantly, Venus followed Kunzite to a spot a few feet away from the tree. She looked back and wasn't surprised to see that Serenity and Endymion had already gone back to making out as if nothing had ever happened.

"First, let me apologize for offending you with my earlier comment about your palace's security," Kunzite began. "Second, I would very much like you to reconsider dragging Princess Serenity back to the Moon."

"Are you out of your mind?" Venus exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. "You know that romances between the people of Earth and those of the Moon Kingdom are the ultimate taboo!"

"I do, but I also believe that trying to separate those two might be an even worse crime. I've never seen Prince Endymion so happy since he met Princess Serenity. Certainly you've noticed such a condition in your princess."

Venus had to admit that Serenity had been different since she first started sneaking down to Earth. She had all the telltale signs of being a girl in love. Venus had also noticed how sad Serenity would sometimes seem after having been dragged back to her room at the palace, and that was something she could not stand. The thing that got Venus even more though was that her instincts as a goddess of love told her that Serenity and Endymion made a perfect match for each other despite the fact that their love was forbidden. The irony was so thick you could almost see it.

Venus shook her head. "If you're suggesting we just look the other way and let the princess come down here whenever she wanted, that's totally out of the question."

"I'm not suggesting anything of the sort," Kunzite told her. "But I am suggesting that we could regulate their visits with one another. We could protect them both and also ensure that the public doesn't find out about their relationship."

"In other words, you're saying that we could act as chaperones. Well… I guess it's better than what we've been doing. The fact is those two are so determined to keep seeing each other than probably no force on Earth or the Moon could keep them apart."

"Then I guess this means we'll be working closely with one another from now on," Kunzite assumed as he held his hand out.

"Looks that way," Venus agreed as she shook Kunzite's offered hand. She then looked back towards Serenity and Endymion and sighed. "Of course you have to know as well as I that this affair of theirs can't last. Even if we regulate their visits with each other, eventually something will go wrong. Someone outside our little circle will find out about them, or there'll be some other catastrophe we can't even imagine. One way or another this will end in heartache for the two of them."

Kunzite nodded. "I know all this very well. But like you just said, nothing we do is going to keep those two apart. All we can do is watch over them and keep them from being discovered for as long as possible."

In the months that went by since the regulated visits between Serenity and Endymion began, Venus and Kunzite had ended up working fairly closely together. Venus was usually the one to escort Serenity down to Earth when Kunzite's shifts to protect Endymion came. During these shared guard duties, the two ended up becoming quite friendly with one another. Venus found that she greatly respected Kunzite, even though he at times seemed a little arrogant and often hard to read because of his iron poker face. Kunzite meanwhile saw Venus as a capable leader of her own group of guards.

One afternoon, Venus came down to Earth with Serenity to meet with Endymion at the usual meeting spot. When they arrived, the two found Endymion just as usual, but in place of Kunzite was a tall and handsome young man with long wavy dark-brown hair. Venus knew this gentleman to be another of Endymion's guards, Nephrite, whom she had met once or twice in the past on previous visits to Earth.

"Good afternoon, Sailor Venus," Nephrite spoke as Serenity and Endymion went off together down the hill, already lost in their own little word. "It's always a privilege to be in the presence of such a gorgeous woman such as yourself."

Venus couldn't help but roll her eyes. The one thing she didn't like about Nephrite was that he always laid on the charm a bit thick. "Not that I'm displeased to see you, General Nephrite, but where's Kunzite? Wasn't this supposed to be his shift?"

"He ordered me to cover for him while he went to check on a disturbance in his territory. As you well know, we generals are responsible for protecting the lands of this world as well as our prince."

"Has he already left?"

"Last time I saw, he was in the palace armory getting a few things together before heading out. You might still be able to catch him before he leaves."

Venus turned her head towards Endymion and Serenity. "Can you look after those two on your own?"

"You kidding? This duty's a piece of cake. Just leave it to me. Oh, and tell Kunzite I said hi."

Venus didn't care for how lightly Nephrite seemed to take his duties, but she knew that she could trust him to handle guard duty in her absence, at least while she found out what was going on with Kunzite. In a few minutes, Venus found Kunzite in the palace armory packing a few small things into a satchel. She was standing in the doorway when Kunzite finally turned around to leave.

An expression of surprise quickly formed on the silver-haired general's face upon seeing her. "Venus? What are you doing here? Should you not be looking after the prince and princess?"

"Nephrite's got it covered for now. And the reason why I'm here is to find out why you're suddenly rushing off. Nephrite told me that you were going to check out some disturbance in your territory?"

Kunzite's face turned grave as he nodded. "Our soldiers in that area have reported that monsters of some kind have suddenly appeared in the area, though these reports are only vague sightings. Even so, I feel it best to go out and investigate these rumors myself. If these monsters do exist, then they could be a grave threat to the kingdom."

"And to my princess," Venus added as she came further into the room. "Which means I should go with you to investigate. I'll call Jupiter down here to take my place here. Someone needs to be here to escort the princess back to the Moon, and for some reason Jupiter is the only one of the others who can stand being in the same space with Nephrite."

"That's hardly necessary. I can handle this on my own. Besides, this is an Earth Kingdom matter."

"It's a Moon Kingdom matter too if whatever this is puts our princess in danger. In fact this may be connected to a disturbance our people detected a few days ago. Some sort of energy force was reported to have emerged from the sun and struck the Earth. There's a chance it could have something to do with these monsters."

"Just when were you going to tell us about this energy force you detected?"

"My people are still in the middle of investigating it. So far the energy hasn't had any noticeable effects on the planet at all, but there's now a chance that these monsters were somehow produced by this energy."

"Be that as it may, I can handle this investigation on my own. There's no need to put you in danger."

A wave of anger suddenly rose up in Venus. "Are… are you saying I couldn't handle myself if we had to battle these monsters?"

"You're a very capable guard, Venus. But battles like this should be left to someone like me. After all, this is not your world. The Moon and your home planet are peaceful worlds, but the Earth is still a harsh place, and someone such as myself is more suited to dealing with its perils."

"Where in Hades is all this coming from?" Then the realization of what Kunzite seemed to imply struck her like a falling meteor. "By the gods… are you saying I couldn't handle myself in these battles because I'm a woman?"

The accusation caused Kunzite to visibly flinch. "Well… here on Earth it is traditionally the role of the men to do the fighting and the role of the women to handle the household. I realize it's quite different on the Moon and on the other worlds of this solar system, but as I said, the perils of my world are quite harsh. Probably far harsher than any threat you've had to deal with."

"I'll have you know that Venus can be just as harsh a place as Earth, and that I'm just as capable a soldier as you or any other man! I don't need you to protect me or tell me that a battle is too dangerous!"

"But I could not live with myself if you died accompanying me to face what is clearly an unknown enemy!"

Venus let out a heavy sigh as she took a moment to compose herself. Soon her eyes fell on a sword hanging on the wall behind Kunzite, and an idea formed in her head.

"Okay. How about this?" Venus asked as she went over and took the sword from the wall. "Before you leave, you and I have a little sparring match. If I win, I go with you to investigate these rumored monsters. On the other hand if you win, I'll suck it up and let you go on alone. Does that sound fair?"

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"What's the matter, general? Afraid you're not man enough to take down a mere woman?"

Kunzite scowled. "Very well. There's a practice arena down the hall that we use to train. We can hold our duel there."

In a few moments, the two of them had gone down the hall to a small circular arena with a few small windows near the top of the walls. Kunzite had drawn his sword as soon as they entered.

"The first one to pin the other to the ground wins. Sound good?" Venus asked as they took their places in the ring.

"Fine with me. And I have your word that you'll stay behind once I defeat you?"

"That's if you defeat me, and yes."

"Then lets begin!"

With that, Kunzite charged straight towards Venus and swung his blade down towards her. Venus quickly blocked Kunzite's strike with her own blade and weaved tot the right to avoid his next strike. She then slashed her blade towards Kunzite's face, forcing him to quickly parry. Suddenly Venus began a string of relentless attacks that began to force Kunzite back towards the wall of the arena. Kunzite was greatly surprised by the blonde's speed and power, and it was keeping everything he had to block her attacks.

Just as they were about to reach the wall, Venus suddenly swept her leg into Kunzite's and knocked him to the ground. Before he could recover, the blonde sat down on top of him and brought the point of her blade inches above his eye.

A triumphant smirk formed on Venus's face. "So, I guess this means I win."

Kunzite took a big gulp. "Um… yes. You can accompany me on the mission."

"Great!" Venus declared as she got to her feet and tossed the sword away. She then began to walk towards the arena's door. "I'll contact Jupiter and tell her to get down here to cover for me. Then I guess I had better put together some previsions for this trip, huh?"

Kunzite sat up and remained where he was on the floor for several moments after Venus had left. He could not believe he had been so soundly defeated. The captain of the Moon Kingdom's royal guard was definitely more than a match for him. She could've easily just killed if she had wanted to. Kunzite had clearly underestimated Venus, and not only that, the way she had so easily taken him down turned him on.

As soon as Jupiter had arrived to take over chaperone duty, Venus and Kunzite had set out on horseback for the area of the disturbance. Kunzite had led Venus through a subterranean tunnel a few miles out from the palace to an area in Kunzite's territory where most of the monster sightings took place. The area in question was a vast desert that seemed to go on endlessly in all directions. Venus had been glad she had taken Kunzite's advice about bringing plenty of water. The sun was still fairly high in the sky and the heat was incredible, but it wasn't anything that Venus couldn't handle.

"I bet you've never been in a place quite like this, have you?" Kunzite remarked as they continued to ride.

"You kidding? This desert pales in comparison to the ones on my home planet."

Kunzite internally kicked himself for once again underestimating the blonde. "My apologies. It seems I can't stop myself from assuming you're weak. Though in my defense, you've never really talked about what your home world is like."

"I haven't?" Venus asked, blinking in surprise. "Huh… you'd think with all the time we've spent together during these months, I'd have brought up my home planet at least once. Though I guess since I'm stationed on the Moon, I don't really think that much about home."

"You've told me quite a bit about what the Moon is like, but not about your home world. In fact my fellow generals and I hardly know all that much about the other worlds in this solar system."

"Well if you want to know something, now's the perfect time to ask."

Kunzite held his chin in thought. "Alright, I've met you and the guardians from Mercury, Mars and Jupiter, but are there not four other planets in this solar system? Do they not have guardians, and if they do, why have I never met them?"

"That's your first question? You make a big deal about hardly knowing anything of my planet, and then you ask about the outer worlds?"

"Humor me. I do very much want to know about the planet where you come from, but the question of these outer worlds has been on my mind off and on for a few weeks now. It was just something that occurred to me the other day."

"Well if you really want to know, there are said to be guardians from Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. But the guardians from Uranus and Neptune are charged with protecting the kingdom from invaders who would come from outside the solar system, so they're not permitted to leave their posts. As for Pluto, she's said to protect a hidden door in the palace of the Moon Kingdom, a door that only the Queen is permitted to approach. I've never met any of these guardians, and honestly I doubt that they actually exist."

"How interesting. And Saturn? Is that world's guardian also bound to her post?"

Venus shuddered upon the mention of the final outer planet's name. "Saturn is a forbidden world, a world that's been dead for as long as anyone can remember. There was once life on that planet. Explorers found ruins of a mighty civilization that once thrived there long before the Moon Kingdom rose to power, and it's said that a few other civilizations rose and fell before that one. But they say that each kingdom that rose on Saturn fell to ruin because they were all tainted by some unspeakable darkness."

"What sort of darkness?"

"Nobody knows. The few explorers that dared examine the ruins on that planet say that a dark entity from far beyond buried itself in the planet and corrupted all life that rose upon it. There's also a theory that when the final civilization of Saturn fell, the darkness that corrupted it fled from the planet and buried itself deep within another world."

"And which world was that?"

"...Earth. Or at least that's what some people say. Nobody knows for sure. In fact there's no evidence to indicate that this darkness actually exists. It's just a ghost story told on all the other worlds. But Saturn is shunned because of that mass graveyard covering its surface. Those few who have been there say that the whole place felt tainted. They also say that another kind of darkness sleeps on that planet. It's said to be that planet's guardian, but it's a guardian that if awakened will bring nothing but destruction."

Kunzite was left a bit unsettled by the story Venus had just told him. "Well, I guess that's what I get for being curious. Okay then. I think for now I'll just stick to questions about your own planet."

Venus smiled and nodded. "What do you want to know first?"

In the few hours that had gone by, Venus ended up telling Kunzite a great deal about her home planet; about its vast desert lands and its glittering metal kingdoms. In the process, she even told Kunzite a bit about her childhood and what it was like growing up in her kingdom before being called to serve as captain of the guard for the Moon Kingdom. Kunzite had even shared a bit about his own childhood in response. Eventually the sun had started to set, and the duo had reached a dune overlooking a field of rocks where some of the monsters were sighted. They dismounted their horses and came to the crest of the dune, crouching down so they could look without being spotted.

Down in the clearing they quickly spotted the creatures they had been looking for. There were at least sixteen or seventeen in all. They were all muscular with very dark pine-green skin. Their heads were apish, with yellow eyes, long pointed ears and mouths filled with sharp yellowish-white fangs. White claws tipped the fingers and toes of the beasts, and they all wore pieces of tattered brown cloth around their waists. Many of the creatures were clustered around a huge campfire, eating meat from severed human limbs. One of them was gnawing on a head that had been reduced to a human skull.

"Well, guess these monsters really do exist," Venus whispered. "And they're far more disgusting than I imagined."

"There's a small village not far from this area," Kunzite whispered back, narrowing his eyes at the creature gnawing on the skull. "These things must've attacked it. There's no other way they could've gotten their food supply. None of my troops have been reported missing. And that skull… it's from a child. I've never encountered any monsters as loathsome as these."

Venus put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's take these things out before they harm anyone else."

Kunzite nodded and led the way back down the side of the dune. Leaving their horses where they were, the two circled around to approach the clearing from the left. The beasts were totally oblivious as Venus and Kunzite reached the clearing's edge.

As soon as Kunzite drew his sword, the blade turned pitch-black as he thrust it at the gathering of monsters. "Obsidian Lance!"

A massive cone of black energy flew from the sword like a rocket and struck the campfire, obliterating the monsters that had been surrounding it. The remaining monsters quickly began to rush towards the intruders that had killed their comrades with claws and fangs bared.

Venus pointed her finger at one of the monstrosities on the right. "Crescent Beam!"

A beam of gold light shot from the blonde's finger to the center of her target's forehead, blowing a hole straight through it and knocking it to the ground. Venus then fired two more blasts at the creatures on the left, striking them in the chest and face and taking them out. Meanwhile, Kunzite swiftly impaled the first creature that came in striking range in the chest. A second later he withdrew his sword from the dying beast and cleaved another one in the head. Another of the monsters attempted to tackle Kunzite to the ground from the right, but he managed to push it away and impale it through the heart.

In that brief moment of time it took for Kunzite to stab the monster through the heart, another one of the creatures came at him from behind and almost slashed him in the back, but at the last second Venus shot it through the head with another Crescent Beam attack. Venus and Kunzite nodded to one another before resuming the task of eliminating the monsters. After a few more minutes that seemed more like hours, every single one of the beasts had finally been killed. The two of them stood catching their breath, looking carefully over the battlefield to make sure the beasts were all dead.

"I think we got them all," Venus spoke.

"Indeed," Kunzite agreed before turning to face her. "Thanks for saving me earlier, by the way. I owe you one."

Venus smiled in response. But her smile turned to a look of shock when she glanced down at one of the fallen creatures. "Kunzite, look!"

Kunzite looked down at the dead monster Venus was now pointing at and became equally as shocked as the blonde was. Before their eyes, the body of the monster had morphed into that of a thin and fairly young-looking man with dark hair and olive skin. The two of them looked around and saw that the corpses of the other monsters had also morphed into humans.

"What madness is this?" Kunzite asked.

"Something turned these humans into monsters. We may be seeing the influence of that darkness from the sun I told you about this morning. Something is twisting people into cannibalistic beasts."

"Could these monsters have also come from the same village as their victims?"

"Quite possible. They probably began slaughtering their fellow villagers as soon as they turned. Or maybe they came from another village nearby and attacked the one you're talking about after finishing off their own. You said these sightings have been happening for days."

"And they've been sighted in more than one area. This may not be the end of it."

"It's also very possible that more of these monsters could end up coming into being. All it'd take is for this darkness to corrupt more humans."

"Then we have much work ahead of us. Venus, I'd like your help investigating the other areas where these things have been sighted. If there are more out there, they need to be eliminated as soon as possible."

"Happy to help. But we also need to figure out what's making these things. Otherwise they could become a serious threat to both your kingdom and mine."

More weeks passed, and Venus and Kunzite split their time between guarding Serenity and Endymion and patrolling the lands that fell under Kunzite's jurisdiction looking for more monsters. They ended up finding and having to slaughter more small groups of the beasts that would pop up, and as they days went by it seems as though more packs of monsters were starting to show up and in greater numbers. It was starting to seem like there would be no end to the things, and there were even sightings of them occurring in the territories of the other Shitennou. Meanwhile as all this was going on, there was sort of a general unrest that was starting to grip the people of Earth.

Despite these dark times though, Kunzite and Venus had ended up becoming quite close with one another through their shared battles with the monsters. Before either of them knew it, Venus and Kunzite would start thinking about one another almost constantly when not in each other's presence. They had always gotten along extremely well, and there had always been a physical attraction between them that each was conscious of, and it seemed that all that had blossomed into love. Yet both chose to keep these feelings secret from one another for professional reasons. As time went on though, Kunzite was finding it harder to keep his feelings for Venus a secret.

One night, Kunzite and Venus had just finished clearing another village of monsters. There were only five of the creatures this time, and it seemed that the duo had arrived just in time to keep the things from slaughtering the rest of the village. They stood in the middle of the road, looking of the corpses of the things that had now turned human.

"I'm glad we were able to save a village this time, but these lives were still lost simply because they mutated into those wretched things," Kunzite spoke, looking down at the corpse of a young woman that had moments ago been a fanged green-skinned monstrosity with a mixture of sadness and disgust. "It's as if there's a plague spreading across the land."

"Maybe that's what it is," Venus theorized. "I've had Mercury looking into these monsters for the last few days, and her current theory is that this is either the work of some kind of disease or there's some enemy going around and transforming people into these monsters with some kind of magic. Until we find the exact cause though, this is just going to keep going on."

"And in the meantime, more lives will be lost."

Venus put a hand on Kunzite's shoulder. "I'll have Mercury start working night and day on this. We will find out what's behind these monsters before the sickness destroys both our kingdoms."

"I would like Zoisite to work with Sailor Mercury on this matter as well. Of us Shitennou, he is the most scholarly."

"They say two heads are worth the price of one."

Kunzite raised an eyebrow. "Um… that's not how that goes. I've noticed that you've had quite a bit of trouble with our Earth sayings. I think you meant to say that two heads are better than one."

"Whatever," Venus replied as she smiled and stretched. "Well, there's nothing more for either of us to do here, so I think we had better head back."

Just as Venus was about to turn and leave, a cloud moved away from the moon and caused its light to shine down upon the blonde. It was then that Kunzite realized once again just how beautiful Venus was, and that he could no longer deny his feelings for her. Yet this was not the proper place to confess them.

"Venus… if I might be so bold, I know that have another patrol together scheduled for tomorrow. If you have time after we're done, I'd like you to show you around my home kingdom. You've told me so much about your home planet that it's only fair I return the favor by showing you where I come from."

"…Sure. Why not? I look forward to seeing what your kingdom is like."

Thus the two of them left village and returned to their respective posts. The next day after their scheduled patrol, Kunzite took Venus on a tour of his homeland. That night he confessed his love to Venus, only for Venus to end up rejecting him out of duty. It was here that the shared recollections of Minako and Keisuke came to an end and they came out of their dreams of the past.

Minako woke up on her bed in the trailer to find Keisuke leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His expression seemed more serious than usual.

"The first time we met, Prince Endymion made a remark about how difficult it must have been for you to look after a hyperactive too-curious princess like Serenity," Kunzite spoke. "Shortly afterwards, I recommended that we regulate the visits between the prince and princess, as keeping them apart would be too difficult. You remember this, don't you?"

Minako nodded. "That, and everything else. Including our missions together to kill those monsters that we know now were being created by Beryl. Or at least I assume Beryl made them. You'd know about that part than I would."

"She made them. But that's not really relevant right now. You and I should have a talk. Outside."

Minako agreed and followed Keisuke out of the room. Artemis asked Minako if she was okay as she came into the other room, but the blonde totally ignored him as she followed Keisuke outside. Hilda meanwhile didn't say a word to either of the two. As soon as they got outside, the two quickly found a place where they wouldn't be overheard.

"I'm sure you can guess what I wanted you to talk about," Kunzite began. "Clearly we've both regained the full memory of our past lives together, including the events that led to us falling in love with each other."

"I have. And… I have the same feelings now that I did back then." Minako's face had turned a bright shade of red. "Now that I remember everything, they've come back to me in one big wave. This is probably how Usagi and Mamoru felt when they met each other again in this life and recalled how their love began."

Keisuke put a hand on Minako's shoulder. "And just like for them, there's no real reason why we can't pursue these feelings."

Minako pulled away and turned around. "Yes there is. Even though there's no longer any taboo to keep us apart, and romance between us would only end badly."

"Why do you think that? What on earth could lead you to such a stupid conclusion?"

"Because true love isn't in my destiny!" Minako snapped as she turned back around with tears in her eyes. "I learned long ago that such a thing would always be out of my reach. Just look at how things ended between us back during the Silver Millennium, and how they ended again in this life with the Dark Kingdom came back! There's just no future for us!"

"But it's different this time! We've been given one more chance, and I'm clearly no longer under the sway of that witch, Beryl!"

"But something else would probably go wrong if we gave into these feelings for each other! And I… I couldn't live with myself if I ended up losing you again, especially not now that you've become the good man you once were again. I'm sorry, but for your sake more than mine, we just can't be together."

With that, Minako began to head back to the trailer. Keisuke thought about going after her for a moment, but instead stormed off back to his trailer. Meanwhile as Minako reached the door of her trailer, she saw Hilda standing by it, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Let me guess, my guy confessed his undying love for you and you rejected him," Hilda deduced. "Guess now I'm going to have to deal with more of his damn sulking. Thanks a ton."

"I don't see how my relationship with Keisuke is any of your business."

"It is a little bit my business. And I think I have a bead on the situation. You think that the two of you can't be together because you're essentially cursed, right? That destiny is against you?"

"Again, not your business. But that is pretty much it."

"You know, my people seem to have a much different view about destiny than your kind. We believe that anyone with a strong enough willpower can bend destiny to what they want it to be. Your princess seems to be ample evidence that such a thing is true."

"Well I'm not Usagi. And in case you haven't noticed, Keisuke and I have already struck out two times before."

Hilda looked Minako straight in the eye and gave her a steely gaze. "And you call yourself a warrior and a Sailor Guardian. I feel sorry for your princess for having such a weak-willed little girl as the leader of her guard."

"If you're looking to pick a fight, you picked a really bad time!"

"Oh I'd love that, but neither of us has the time. We have much bigger problems to deal with right now. But I will say one last thing on the matter. Quit being such a whiney little bitch! If you think the fates are against you, then punch them in the face, break their damn bones under your heel, and just take what you want like a true warrior and princess would! Otherwise you're unworthy of your crown and your power."

With that, Hilda walked off. Minako meanwhile went back into her trailer to change out of her costume. It had been an exhausting day both physically and emotionally, and all she wanted to do at that moment was go back to her hotel room and crawl into bed.

It was late at night as One-Eyed Pete sat behind the desk of his moldering study with his boney fingers tented, watching the screen of a laptop that Mason had placed before him. Mason and Lyle stood at each of his chair also watching the screen, which showed a video of Kunzite and Venus battling the undead warriors from earlier in the afternoon.

"Well… it seems that the young man we cast as Cassilda's lover is a bit stronger than I first expected," Pete observed. "He could pose a problem for us."

"Then we need to get him out of this picture as soon as possible," Lyle declared. "Aren't we at a spot yet where we can kill him off?"

"We have but four more scenes left to shoot. Then we'll have covered all of the existing script," Mason informed them.

"Then I suppose it is high time I begin work on the final two acts," Pete decided as he reached for his quill and a sheet of yellowed paper. "Mr. Tenju will be written out in the first one."

"If you don't mind me asking Maestro, how do you intend to kill him off?" Lyle asked.

A huge beastly grin formed on Pete's face. "Not to worry, Mr. Worthy. I already have a few ideas in mind, and all of them are sure to succeed."

Author's Note: There we have my interpretation of what went on between Venus and Kunzite during their past lives. Of course I had to embellish a bit and take a few liberties here and there. That very first scene of the flashback is based on a page from the original Sailor Moon manga with a few small alterations. As much as I love the original manga, the biggest problem with it is that while Usagi, Chibi-Usa and even Mamoru got ample attention throughout the story, the other characters were left sort of abandoned. So it's pretty much up to us humble fan fiction writers to fill in the gaps regarding things like their histories. I'm actually pretty proud of this version I've come up with, and I hope everyone else enjoyed it too.

Please review and let me know what you think.