Standard disclaimers apply. Most of these characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi, and rightfully belong to her. I'm only borrowing them for a while. New characters, and this story, belong to me. Ask before you use them. :)

AN: Final exams are evil. :( Anyway, thanks again for the reviews, and I'm glad to see people are asking questions; it helps to know what interests you when I'm writing the later chapters. But to answer them... First, about Sailor Moon's 'new' powers...you have to keep in mind that this series takes place right after the first season, so it's still a bit early to pick up new powers...especially for Sailor Moon, who already has so many of them lined up. I will eventually develop the Senshi's powers beyond what's given in the anime...just not yet. In the case of Jadeite, one reason is that he's the only one in the anime who wasn't killed. There are other reasons, but I won't get into those here, since we still have a story to get to. And Randa-chan...if you're guessing what I think you're guessing, then you'd be right. :) Either way, though, that little plotline won't come into play for...oh...seven or so more fic series. I have grand plans/delusions, people. ;) Now, on to the story, and hope you enjoy!

Hearts of Darkness

Part 4: Mysteries and Revelations

by JG Chan

MONDAY

"AAAAAHH, I'M GONNA BE LATE AGAIN!"

Usagi charged up the stairs to the shrine, wondering why the heck there had to be so many. She had actually been to class on time that morning, since Mamoru had woken her up early. Unfortunately, she'd also spent most of the class dreaming about the night before, and so had given the wrong answer to Haruna-sensei's question...after she'd been asked five times already. And so to detention she went.

'Still,' she giggled to herself, 'how can I not dream about that.' She had been woken up to the smell of food from Mamoru's kitchen, and they had spent the rest of the evening together, mostly just talking. Queen Serenity had assured her that she could spend the night with him, and indeed her school uniform was mysteriously there at his apartment, so the two had taken full advantage of their uninterrupted time. It still made her smile giddily now, as she caught her breath at the top of the accursed stairs.

"Finally!" Rei said as Usagi stepped in her room. "Did you forget your way here so soon after you got your memories back?"

Usagi turned up her nose at the miko. "Hmmpf! For your information, Rei-chan, I had detention."

"And I suppose you're proud of that?"

"Oh, shut up, you big meanie!" The blonde stuck her tongue out at Rei, who quickly reciprocated. Round thirty-something of the tongue wars began.

"Will you two stop acting like children?" Luna interjected with a sigh. She then turned to face the only male in the room. "Alright, Ryo-kun, what is it that you wanted to show us?"

"Yes, Luna-san," Ryo responded politely, still not quite sure how to address the cat. He took a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his uniform and held it out for the others to see. "Do any of you recognize this?"

The girls stared at the drawing. It seemed to be a strange symbol of some sort, with an upturned crescent moon outline in the background.

"What the heck is this thing?" Usagi asked, blinking. The complicated design was making her dizzy.

"It appears to be a rune, like the kind used in old European religions," Ami explained. "But it doesn't match any of the ones I've seen before, or anything I can find on the Mercury computer..."

"A Glyph of Banishing!" Artemis exclaimed suddenly. Luna jerked her head up, her eyes wide.

"A what?" Makoto asked on behalf of the confused humans in the room. The two cats, meanwhile, were frowning in concentration.

"It's a type of magical symbol drawn on the foreheads of those sentenced to exile, back in the Silver Millenium," Luna told them. "It prevented them from ever returning to the planets of the Silver Alliance. It wasn't used very often, though, because so few of the real evildoers ever surrendered."

"Does this mean we're dealing with someone from the past?" Minako asked.

"Probably," Artemis replied.

"Definitely," Luna corrected grimly, "and I know exactly who it is."

"Who?" The question came from several places at once.

"Prince Athan."

Everyone except Artemis stared blankly at the black cat.

"Who is this Prince Athan?" Rei asked. "Someone from the Dark Kingdom?"

Luna ignored her. "How did you come across this?" she asked Ryo.

"About a week ago, I started having visions again, and this was one of the images I saw. All I knew was that it was connected to you guys, though."

"Luna, what does all this mean?" Ami asked. "And who is Prince Athan?"

Artemis and Luna exchanged glances, hesitant. Then Luna nodded and began her story. "It all started ten years before Princess Serenity and the rest of you were born, during one of the early skirmishes with the Dark Kingdom..."

"It can't be..." Queen Serenity whispered, collapsing back into her seat. "He can't..."

Prince Andrinor averted his eyes. He couldn't bear watching the Queen in such pain. They were in one of the small antechambers to the great hall of the Moon Palace. He had just returned from the asteroid Ceres, where the planetary armies had established a temporary outpost to combat the Dark Kingdom forces. "I'm sorry, your Majesty," he said formally. "I have failed in my duty, and will accept what punishment is due."

"Oh Andrinor," Serenity managed a sad smile at him. "Please don't start blaming yourself. I know Metallia's power, and I know you have done everything you could." She sighed. "I...I had hoped this would never happen..."

"Mother?"

The two turned towards the door. A young boy, about seven, stood at the threshold with Luna behind him. "What's going on, Mother? Where's Father?"

Serenity hesitated slightly, then decided to tell the truth. "Sweetheart, your father, he's...he's dead."

She felt her heart tearing again at her son's expression, as did Andrinor, who had always been close to the royal family. At first, the boy looked ready to burst into tears, but slowly, his expression changed to one of anger, and then determination.

"It's the Dark Kingdom, isn't it?" he asked through clenched teeth. "I'll make them pay for this. I'll get stronger and avenge my father!" He yelled the last part as he ran out the door. Serenity buried her face in hands, finally allowing the tears to come.

"I'm sorry, Athan..."

"Prince Athan was as good as his word," Artemis continued. "By the time he turned fifteen, he was at the frontlines of the war, pushing back the Dark Kingdom at every turn. But then..."

"What happened?" Minako asked.

"The enemy suddenly disappeared. There were no more attacks on the Moon Kingdom, and no sign of youmas anywhere. Everyone thought we'd won and started celebrating, except for Athan. He was still obsessed with getting revenge for King Leigan, and started to look for ways to get to the Dark Kingdom. After a while, he just disappeared without a trace."

Luna took up the story again. "Not long after that, Queen Serenity and Prince Andrinor of Jupiter were married, and the Princess was born a year later. During the festivities, Prince Athan returned and accused the Queen of being unfaithful to his father. And then...he killed King Andrinor."

"What!?" Rei and Makoto both shouted. Usagi just sat there in stunned silence.

"He went after the Princess next, but Queen Serenity used the Silver Crystal to overpower him, and he was captured. Since he was still a member of the royal family and a hero of the war, his life was spared. He was banished instead. That was the last anybody heard of him."

There was silence for a while as everyone digested the new information. Both Rei and Luna were watching Usagi to see how she would react, but so far she just sat there, staring at nothing.

"Can't fit everything inside your head, Usagi?" Rei asked. The others looked up worriedly when she got no reaction.

"Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" Ami asked, shaking her friend by the arm. Still no reply. Luna frowned, and jumped up onto the blonde's shoulder.

"USAGI!!" the cat yelled into Usagi's ear, causing her to jump four feet in the air and both of them to land on their faces.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU LUNA!" Usagi screeched. "YOU ALMOST MADE ME DEAF!"

"Calm down, Usagi-chan," Minako said, wincing. "You had us worried there. What's bothering you?"

Usagi pouted a bit, then sighed and looked down. "I...I'm scared, guys," she admitted softly.

The girls looked at each other, concerned but unsure of what to say. After a moment, Usagi went on, her tone dead serious.

"I mean, all this time, I never knew anything about my family back then, except for Mother. And now, I find out I have an older brother who killed my father, and I might have to fight him, and...and I don't know if I can do that..." 'And you'll all be in more danger because of me,' she finished silently.

"Well, who said you had to fight him?"

The girls blinked, then turned as one to Ryo, who quailed a little under the sudden concerted stare. Nonetheless, he managed a slight reassuring smile at Usagi. "Tsukino-san, when I saw that symbol, I never got any sense of good or evil from it. There's no telling what connection this Prince Athan has with what's happening now. He could be working for the Dark Kingdom, but he could just as well be trying to redeem himself by helping you, or have been reborn without any memories. We don't know what he'll do."

"I guess...you might be right," Luna conceded reluctantly. "Still, I find it hard to believe he would help us, considering..."

"You knew him, didn't you?" Rei asked. "What was he like?"

Luna thought for a moment, trying to sort through her memories. "He was very quiet, even as a boy. He rarely got into trouble and was kind to others. He was intelligent; he'd grasp whatever we taught him quickly, especially battle tactics. In short, he's like Usagi-chan's opposite."

"Luna..." Usagi grumbled, sweatdropping.

"It's the truth," the cat replied, shrugging. "Anyway, near the end of the fighting, he started to change. He became focused on revenge to the exclusion of everything else, and even more withdrawn. Then he disappeared,
so I can't tell you anything more."

"Do you think he could have been manipulated?" Artemis asked. "He did seem rather crazed when he attacked Andrinor."

"I...don't know."

"What about these new monsters?" Ami added. "Could they have any connection with Prince Athan?"

"No," Artemis answered. "The chimeras have always been around the Dark Kingdom. It's really a matter of preference on their commanders' part. Chimeras are more brutish and aggressive than youmas, and physically stronger, but very few of them can gather energy or be subtle."

"If only we knew what the Dark Kingdom wants..." Luna said.

"You mean other than to destroy the world?" Minako quipped.

"Rei-chan, what about that thing we found last night?" Makoto suddenly asked. All eyes turned to the raven-haired miko, who went to her desk and got the object in question.

"There's some dark energy coming from it," Rei told the others, "but it's pretty weak. I haven't been able to figure out what it does, though."

Ami took out her computer and placed it in front of the small pod. The others watched as she typed rapidly, eyes scanning back and forth across the lines on the screen.

"It looks like some kind of receiver," she said finally. "It's taking in small amounts of energy from around itself and sending it somewhere."

"You mean we found their energy gathering thingy?" Minako asked excitedly. "Does that mean we can foil their plans if we can find all of them?"

"That's certainly possible," Luna agreed. "Ami-chan, can you trace where it's sending to?"

The blue-haired girl shook her head. "I tried already. It's not any kind of wave or particle, and it's too faint in any case. I could work on it more with time, though."

"That's really pretty clever of the Dark Kingdom," Artemis mused. "It's small and very hard to detect and trace. And with enough of these hidden around Tokyo, they could gather a lot of energy over time."

"That's just what we need," Rei groaned. "A subtle enemy. Like we don't have enough to worry about."

"Well, it's a good thing you found the pod, then," Luna replied. "Now we just need a way to detect them more reliably. Where did you find it, anyway?"

Makoto snorted at that, and quickly put up her hands as Rei scowled at her. The others glanced between the two curiously.

"Rei-chan?" Usagi prodded.

The miko cleared her throat. "It was in a back alley behind a restaurant," she said nonchalantly. "Nothing really special."

The others seemed to accept that. "Why don't you let Ami-chan keep it, then?" the black cat went on. "We'll see what she can come up with using her computer instead of spiritual power. This might give us the chance to stop the Dark Kingdom in their tracks, if all goes well. In the meantime, you girls should stay alert."

That signalled the end of the meeting, and the girls began to file out. Minako and Makoto went first, talking excitedly about a supposed love letter the blonde found in her locker, followed by Ami and Ryo, who were just as excitedly discussing the capabilities of her computer. Usagi lingered behind as her guardian trotted out, her expression still somber.

"Are you alright, Usagi?" Rei asked, coming up behind the smaller girl.

"Yeah..."

The miko gazed at her friend for a moment, then moved forward and hugged her fiercely from behind.

"Rei-chan?"

"You should cheer up, Odango-atama," Rei said with a smile, her violet eyes twinkling. "After all, we can't lose with someone as beautiful and talented as me on our side." She winked and gave a thumbs up. Usagi stared at her blankly for a moment, then giggled and hugged her friend back.

"Thanks, Rei-chan. Seeya later!"

With that, the blonde went quickly down the stairs and out of sight. Rei stared after her for a long while, thinking of nothing in particular, until her grandpa called for her inside.

Peridot walked swiftly towards the throne room of the crystal palace. Actually, 'slunk' would have been a more appropriate term, as the vulture-faced general always seemed a bit sneaky. At the moment, however, he carried an air of self-importance as well, convinced that his progress would earn his master's favour. The guards at the doors stepped aside for him as he entered the great hall and bowed to Adamantite.

"The first step has been taken without mishap, my Lord," he reported. "If all proceeds according to plan, the Senshi will be destroyed within the week."

"Good for you, Peridot."

The bald man raised his face to glare hatefully at Selenite, who had just appeared from behind the throne. The tall warrior returned the gaze coolly, almost daring him to a fight. Peridot's gnashed his teeth as he struggled to contain himself.

"This is no time for such foolishness," Adamantite interrupted coldly. "General, you are to proceed with your mission. In the meantime, send some troops to shake the Senshi's confidence. The spell works far better if the subject is fearful."

"A brilliant idea, my Lord," Peridot responded obsequiously, backing away from the throne. He threw one more hard glance at Selenite before leaving to select his troops.

"Do not underestimate Peridot, Selenite," the dark lord admonished. "He can be a formidable foe if you provoke him."

Selenite shrugged. "I know what I'm doing, my Lord. The old vulture is far from being a match for me."

"In any case, you will wait until our plan is completed before you start playing with him. He is still of use to me."

"I suppose so..."

'So, the Senshi really did defeat Beryl, huh?' Jadeite mused. His spirit self smiled wryly. 'I bet she never saw that coming.'

"You've found out a few things, I see." It was the voice again.

'I have a few old tricks up my sleeve,' Jadeite replied easily. Since their last exchange, he had gradually recovered his internal power reserves, enough that he could confidently probe outside of his prison. 'And to what do I owe this visit?'

"Peridot's plan has begun, and will be moving rapidly. You will need to help the Senshi soon, or they will not know how to defend against it."

Jadeite frowned. 'I still don't have the energy to travel that far.'

"I will lend you my strength, if necessary."

'But why?' Jadeite pressed. The question had been gnawing on him for some time now. 'Why are you helping the Sailor Senshi? Who are you?'

There was a brief moment of silence, as if the entity was trying to decide what to say. Then, the shadows around Jadeite's crystal tomb began to swirl and coalesce into human form. Although the trapped general could not open his eyes, his spirit self clearly saw who was standing before him.

'You!' Jadeite exclaimed incredulously. 'How could this be?'

The person smiled imperceptibly. "It's a long story, old friend..."

Rei sat down with a sigh in front of the sacred fire. At least Usagi seemed in a better mood when she left. It wasn't like her to be so serious. She wondered suddenly what had happened to Usagi the day before, when she had felt that wave of power. She was sure it was somehow connected to their Princess, but had forgotten to ask...

A horribly familiar noise suddenly interrupted her train of thought. She ground her teeth together and got up. Moments later, she flung open the door to Yuuichirou's room with flames in her eyes.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO PRACTICE IN HERE!" she screamed.

The unwitting recipient of her wrath cautiously poked his head up from behind a chair. He had jumped back there the moment he had seen Rei's face.

"W-whoa...calm down, Rei-san. I really didn't mean to get that loud, really..."

"Well, you did. Now, I have to meditate and I don't want to hear anything from you, got it?"

He gulped. "Yeah, no problem."

She glared at him for another second, then turned to leave.

"Wait, Rei-san!" Yuuichirou called after her. "I...uh...look, I'm really sorry to have bothered you. I shouldn't have gone and played in here."

Rei paused, then let out a big breath and turned around again. "It's alright, Yuuichirou. I've just got a lot on my mind recently, and I probably over-reacted."

"That's okay." He gave her that goofy grin of his. "I'm pretty much used to it by now."

Almost in spite of herself, Rei smiled back at him before leaving his room. He could be very disarming at times. She settled herself back down in front of the fire, and emptied her mind. Soon, she could feel the flames roaring around her as her spirit dove into its embrace, trying yet again to discover the answers she needed...

She was walking slowly through a quiet garden. The flowers were in full bloom, carpeting the ground with rainbow colours. Before her, a palace rose in all its glory, and sounds of reveling could be heard from inside. 'I'm in my dream,' she thought, quickening her pace slightly. 'Maybe this time, I'll finally know what this is all about...'

A soft sound interrupted her train of thought, and she saw her past self, Princess Rei of Mars, sitting on one of the benches. She was sobbing, mourning a loss that Rei herself still could not remember.

"Princess? What are you doing here?"

Both Reis turned towards the trees to the left of the bench. Someone was there, and as he came closer, the earthlight revealed the blue and green uniform of one of its officers. Then, his face came into the light, and Rei stepped back in shock, her hand coming up to stifle an instinctive cry. Unable to move, she could only watch as Jadeite sat down next to her past self and attempted to comfort her. And when they left, she clearly saw the unmistakable look that passed between them, and then everything faded to black as she returned to her body.

Rei opened her eyes, gasping. Now that she know who she was dreaming of, bits and pieces of memories started to surface. Their relationship back then had been slow in developing, but stormy and passionate once it began. More than that, she could feel the spark of their lost love buried within her soul. Deeply shaken, she hurried back to her room and buried her face in her pillow, trying to shut out the memories, to find some kind of peace so she could think.

WEDNESDAY

"ALRIGHT!! 50,000 points!" Usagi crowed, startling several other players. She stood in front of the Sailor V game, beaming as the screen displayed her score in big, flashing digits.

"Hey Usako."

"Mamo-chan!" She hurled herself into his arms, almost sending both of them crashing into Motoki's counter. He laughed and set her down. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"My classes are over for today, so I thought we could go eat and maybe see a movie together. I had a feeling you'd be here after school."

"Great! I'll call my mom and tell her I won't be home for supper."

He followed her at a more leisurely pace as they left the arcade and she headed for a phone booth. 'Finally,' he thought, 'we can spend time together, just relax. Gods, I can't understand why I never admitted what a treasure she was...'

His thoughts were interrupted by a stab of pain at the back of his head, a warning from his danger sense. Almost out of reflex, he dashed after Usagi and threw both of them to the ground as a shadow passed over the phone booth.

"Mamo-chan! What...?" Usagi asked.

Still covering her body with his, he motioned behind him with his head. Looking over his shoulder, she saw the falcon-headed mantis crouched on the sidewalk while the top half of the booth fell, sliced clean through.

"Mamo-chan..."

"Run to that alley over there and transform," he whispered tersely. "I'll buy you some time."

"But..."

"Don't worry about me. Just go."

She nodded and crawled out from under him. He got up and stood between her and the chimera, who was preparing to launch another attack. She quickly ducked into the alley and raised her communicator.

"Guys, me and Mamo-chan were just attacked by a chimera outside the arcade, we need help," she said shakily. There was no answer. Her fear started to grow. "Guys? Is anybody there?"

There was a bit of static, then Makoto's face appeared, and she was already transformed.

"Sorry, Usagi-chan, but I've got my hands full right now," she said above what sounded like explosions in the background.

"Same here," Ami's voice added. "I'm afraid you're going to have to fight alone." Then the communicator went silent.

Usagi almost collapsed on the spot. 'They know,' her mind screamed. 'They know who we are...'

The sound of a lamp post hitting the ground snapped her out of her momentary despair. 'Mamo-chan's still out there!' she thought. Her hand went to her brooch.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

Sailor Moon turned the corner just in time to see Mamoru rolling away from the chimera's slashing blades, panting. She decided then and there to forgo her speech. Glancing around, she quickly formed a plan.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The creature looked up and quickly ducked under the shining projectile. What it didn't realize, though, was that the disc was aimed at the only standing lamp post nearby, which just happened to be behind it. It screeched when the heavy pole crashed into it and pinned it down, even as Sailor Moon instinctively summoned her newly acquired Moon Rod. "MOON PRINCESS HALATION!" turned the chimera into a pile of dust, and Sailor Moon ran to her beloved.

"Are you alright, Mamo-chan?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm...fine..." he answered between gasps. "You did great, Sailor Moon."

She smiled briefly at the compliment, but quickly remembered something. "Mamo-chan, the others were attacked at the same time as us, and I need to check on them. Would you go to the shrine and wait for me there?"

He nodded, and she ran back into the alley. 'Mako-chan's place isn't too far from here,' she thought, jumping onto a roof. She wasted no time getting to her friend's apartment, where a column of smoke was coming from Makoto's floor. Sailor Moon landed on the small balcony and peered inside. Sailor Jupiter was facing off a youma with a gun where its left forearm should have been. There were large holes in the walls and furniture, confirming that the gun was very functional.

Just then, the youma raised her gun and fired another shot. Jupiter dove to the side, releasing an electric charge she had been holding in her tiara. The attack hit its target and sent it stumbling back into the wall. Taking the opening, Sailor Moon slid the door open and pulled out the Moon Rod again.

"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

Jupiter gaped first at the floating dust where the youma had been, then at Sailor Moon.

"What was that!?"

Sailor Moon blushed a little. "Umm, I forgot to mention I had a new attack. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but..." Jupiter looked around. The only thing still standing in her living room was the television. She sighed. "This will be hell to clean up..."

Sailor Moon was about to reply when her communicator beeped. Rei's face appeared on the small screen. "Are you okay, Sailor Moon?"

"Jupiter and I are fine," she replied. "How about you and the others?"

"We're okay. Luna just got here, and she's calling another meeting right now."

Sailor Moon nodded and signed off. As she and Jupiter got out on the balcony, she couldn't help shivering a little. 'They know who we are,' she thought again. 'They can come after us anytime now...or after our families. Oh, Mother, what can I do to protect them? What can I do?'

Peridot snickered gleefully as he watched the replay of images from his flying eyes. Granted, it was unfortunate that none of them were killed, but he could clearly see the grim realization in their faces. His Lord was right; this will certainly help in his own mission.

"Enjoying yourself, Peridot?"

With a choked cry, the bald general whirled around to face the tall man standing in a corner. "Selenite!" he hissed angrily. "What right do you have to come in here?"

"I am Lord Adamantite's right hand, after all," Selenite replied with a faint smile. "I am simply making sure all is going well, so that he will not need to waste time on you."

Peridot snarled at the infuriating words, but then began to grin slyly. "You might have the advantage now, bastard," he spat, "but don't count on it lasting. Once I succeed, you might find that you're no longer the Lord's favourite."

"You, Peridot?" Selenite replied impassively. "What have I to fear from you? Even now, all you can do is pride yourself on a success that rightfully belongs to our master, while your own mission lies neglected. Was your real plan to wait for them to die of old age and claim it was your doing?"

The bald general fumed, his temper rising again. "You go too far, upstart!" A green light began to gather about his form. He raised his hand, intent on striking with full force...and faltered when Selenite appeared right before him and simply gazed into his eyes. The twin black orbs bored deep into his mind, whispering of untold horrors. With a strangled gasp, Peridot stepped back, the green light fading.

Selenite continued to gaze emotionlessly at his opponent, then turned away. "Our time will come, vulture," he said in parting. "If the Lord doesn't tire of you first." With that he disappeared into the shadows.

Peridot glared murderously at the spot for a moment, then spun around and went to his desk. Taking out a small package, he headed for the door. The spell might not set with only a few days' preparation, but the risk of that was small. "Just you wait, Selenite," he growled. "I will make you swallow your words...and I'll rip them back out from your throat, along with your heart!"

"Is everyone alright?" Luna asked, glancing around the room. All the girls were present, along with Artemis, Mamoru, and Ryo. Grandpa Hino and Yuuichirou had gone out earlier, so they had the entire shrine to themselves.

"Minako-chan was able to find me in time, so I'm okay," Ami said.

"My apartment's completely trashed," Makoto grumbled.

"It seems the Dark Kingdom has discovered our everyday identities," Ami observed. "That puts a serious risk on our families and friends."

"Maybe they won't think to do that," Usagi suggested hopefully.

"That's really big 'maybe'," Artemis replied. "We can't afford to let our guard down now, with stakes this high."

Usagi sighed. "I know. Wishful thinking, I guess."

"So, what do we do now?" Minako asked.

They looked at each other but said nothing, each deep in their own thoughts. Usagi went over to Mamoru and laid her head against his chest. Being so close to him was soothing, and she definitely needed to be calm right now.

"Rei-chan, has the fire shown you anything?" Luna asked after a while.

Rei hesitated slightly. "No...not really."

"How about you, Ami-chan?" Luna moved on. "Have you made any progress with the receptor Rei-chan found?"

"Sort of..." Ami pulled out her computer and the pod from her bag, laying them out on the table. Motioning for the others to gather behind her, she hit a short sequence of commands, bringing up a radar screen display on the monitor. The others could clearly see the small blip indicating the pod.

"Nice..." Makoto whistled. "Does that mean we can go and destroy all of these? I don't know about the rest of you, but I want some payback!"

Ami sighed. "I'm afraid it's not so simple. Ryo-kun and I tested the program yesterday, and we've only got a maximum range of twenty meters. Even assuming I can make it work on something other than the Mercury computer, we'd still have to comb Tokyo street by street."

"Darn," Minako grumbled. "So we're back to square one, huh?"

"We do have a few more ideas we could try," Ryo added, "but we'll need more time to work on it."

"I might be able to help as well," Mamoru offered. "I have some experience in information-gathering from when I was searching for the Rainbow Crystals."

Luna nodded. "Thanks, Mamoru-san. In any case, I guess that's all we can do at the moment. Ami-chan, Ryo-kun, we'll be counting on you. As for the rest of you, pay close attention to those around you. We don't know if the Dark Kingdom will target your families, so we have to play it safe."

Everyone nodded, and got up to leave.

"Why don't you stay over at my place for now, Mako-chan?" Minako offered. "We have lots of space, and I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind."

"That's great! Thanks, Minako-chan."

"At least now, we have someone who can cook..." Artemis muttered.

"I heard that, furball!" Artemis grinned and ran off before Minako could catch him. Meanwhile, Usagi turned to Mamoru, her eyes betraying her anxiety.

"Mamo-chan..."

"It's alright, Usako," he smiled at her. "Go home and look in on your family. We can always go out some other time. I'll go back and see if I can ask Kunzite and Zoisite some questions."

"Thanks, my love." They kissed, and went their separate ways. Soon, everyone except Ami and Rei had left.

"Is there something wrong, Ami-chan?" Rei asked, glancing curiously at her blue-haired friend. The latter looked like she wanted to say something, but was unsure whether she should. Finally, she squared her shoulders and looked Rei straight in the eyes.

"Rei-chan, are you hiding something from us?" she asked bluntly.

The miko blinked confusedly for a moment, not quite able to match the question with her friend's usual demeanor.

"Umm, of course not, why would I be?" She laughed a bit forcedly, but Ami's expression didn't change. Rei stood her ground before the serious sapphire gaze for less than a minute before she averted her eyes in defeat.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I saw it on your face when Luna asked about the fire," Ami replied, sitting down on the walkway. The courtyard was empty, and there was a soothing quietness to the air that often comes with sunset. "And you've been more preoccupied than usual lately, even given the new enemies." She smiled up warmly at her friend. "I just thought you might want to share it and lighten the burden."

"Look who's talking," Rei replied teasingly, sitting down as well. "So why else do you ask?" she added, noting Ami's slight start with a smile of her own. 'She's not the only perceptive one here...'

"...When the chimera attacked earlier," Ami began, her eyes distant, "I couldn't do anything to it. My bubbles slowed it down, but when I tried to attack it physically, it was much too strong for me. I ended up leading it to a empty lot and playing hide-and-seek with it until Venus showed up."

"Ami-chan, if you're worried that..."

"No, Rei-chan, it's not that." The blue-haired girl flashed a genuine smile, before continuing. "The point is, I realized again that my strength isn't in fighting; it's in thinking, and the more I know, the better I can use that." Her tone became firm and resolute. "So...I want to do my best for everyone; I want to learn as much as I can about our enemies and ourselves, so that when the time comes, I can make it that much easier for us to fight...and win."

She turned towards Rei, and blushed a little at the admiration in the miko's eyes. "So I'm sorry if I'm prying, Rei-chan," she finished, "but if you know something we can use, then I'd like to know."

"Wow, Ami-chan..." Rei kept her gaze on Ami a moment longer before grinning. "You know, I pity whichever enemy thinks you're the weakest one of us, Ami-chan. Alright, I'll spill..."

And so she did, starting from the dreams she had had since over a week ago. Strangely, the telling was not as hard as she'd imagined it; it felt natural somehow. Ami listened attentively, not speaking until Rei had finished with the revelation of Jadeite's identity after their previous meeting.

"Do you think it means anything, Rei-chan?"

The miko nodded emphatically. "I'm sure it does. The spirits can be cryptic a lot of the time, but there's always a reason behind their visions." She grimaced then. "Of course, I don't know what this meaning is, so..."

"The dreams seem pretty positive to me," Ami mused. "Maybe it means he will be on our side this time."

"Maybe...but I wouldn't base any plans on that." She sighed. "It's all just so much to digest. I have no idea how I feel anymore. Is there some kind of bond between us, like with Serenity and Endymion? Or is it just a one time thing, and he's just as likely to still be against us?"

"I think you should just give it time," Ami suggested. "Things will become clearer, I'm sure, and we'll all be with you no matter what." She smiled and got up from her seat. "In the meantime, I should get back to work. Thank you for trusting me with this, Rei-chan."

Rei nodded, and watched bemusedly as the blue-haired genius crossed the courtyard and disappeared down the steps. She sat there for a while longer, staring at the sky with a renewed sense of peace, before going back in to start supper.

To be continued...