Mamoru was walking down the sidewalk carrying a bag of groceries that he had just bought from the corner grocer. Usually Mamoru went to the grocery store on weekends and just did one big run. However, this was a special case. These groceries were for a special dinner Mamoru was planning to cook for him and Usagi. Considering how crazy the past week had been, the reborn Prince of Earth figured that a nice, quite dinner date was in order.

Sadly for Mamoru, the Death Busters had a different idea. A small group of daemons suddenly crashed through the windows of a nearby store and landed in the street. Naturally, everyone near the daemons started panicking and running for their lives. Mamoru reacted on instinct and he ducked into a secluded area while stuffing his groceries in his mystical storage space. Once Mamoru was sure that no one was able to observe him, he transformed.

Unlike the Silver Millennium, the old Earth Kingdom valued practicality. Thanks to this mental outlook, Mamoru was able to transform into Prince Endymion in a fraction of the time that it took any of the Scouts to transform. Prince Endymion immediately charged out his hiding spot and scanned the battlefield. There were five daemons and he was the only person available to fight them; definitely not good odds for the home team, but Endymion wasn't about to throw in the towel.

Endymion's opening move was raising his left hand into the air and shouting out, "Aether!" The prince's cape immediately started billowing as if in the wind for a few seconds and then Endymion rose into the sky. As soon as Endymion was in the air the daemons launched their attacks. Luckily for Endymion his 'Aether' spell made him extremely maneuverable in the air. Thanks to this maneuverability, Endymion was able to doge the barrage of incoming attacks.

After Endymion had avoided the last attack, he raised his hand again and shouted out, "Hemera!" As soon as the spell's name left Endymion's lips, his body let out a blinding flash of light. Unfortunately for the daemons, they had been created with extremely sensitive senses. While the daemons were lying on the ground writhing in agony, Endymion drew his sword and dove towards one of the daemons. The daemon's suffering ended when Endymion impaled his sword on the daemon's head.

Usually the Scouts and, as much as Endymion didn't like to admit, Tuxedo Mask would have let the daemons regroup before attacking again. However, Endymion had been extensively trained in military matters and he knew better. The warrior prince stretched out both of his hands so they were pointing at two more daemons and he yelled out, "Duo Steropes!" Two large bolts of lighting flew out of Endymion's outstretched hands and blew up two more daemons as they started to stand up.

Now things were starting to look up for Endymion. Thanks to his blitzkrieg assault, Endymion had managed to reduce the odds down to a more manageable level. Of course, the daemons weren't about to just roll over and die. The second round of the battle was a much more dangerous affair as the daemons used every trick they knew of to try and kill Endymion. As Endymion barely avoided a twin assault he tried to figure out how to win. It wasn't like Endymion could just steamroll the remaining two daemons; those opening attacks had been a massive drain on his magical reserves.

Luckily for the prince, he knew all of the tricks that the daemons knew. This meant that Endymion was able to control the battle thanks to his superior intellect. About 4 minutes after the battle started, Endymion maneuvered himself so that he was between the two daemons. Once he was in place, the prince quickly sheathed his sword and gave both daemons the finger. Either the daemons were aware of obscene gestures, or they figured that they had a clear shot because both of them attacked Endymion. The prince rolled to the side just as the two attacks were about to hit him, which resulted in a double K.O. for the remaining daemons.

As soon as Endymion got to his feet he started to look around trying to find any sign of a victim. Much to Endymion's dismay, he wasn't able to find any sign that someone had lost their heart crystal. While Usagi would have been happy to hear that news, Endymion was troubled. There were only three possible explanations for the lack of a victim. Either the intended victim had managed to escape the Death Buster, this attack was a diversion so that the Death Busters could get their real target, or this attack had been stage just to test the Scouts.

Out of all the possible options, Endymion feared the possibility that this was merely a test. He didn't really consider the first possibility since the Death Busters had repeatedly proven that they could snatch a person's heart crystal when they set their minds to it. With the second possibility there was a strong chance that the Scouts would intercept the Death Buster behind the attack. However, if this attack had really been about collecting information, then the Death Busters had won a big tactical victory.

Eventually, Endymion decided that it wasn't worth worrying about now. Whatever the purpose of this attack was, it could be determined latter. Right now Prince Endymion was a little too conspicuous. So using his finely honed skills, Endymion quickly left the battle site and found a place to transform back into Mamoru. Once the transformation was over, Mamoru headed back to his apartment like nothing had happened.

Usa was in her room packing her suitcase. After placing one of her shirts into the suitcase, Usa turned towards her desk. On her desk was a brand new copy of Plutarch's Life of Julius Caesar. Whenever Usa looked at that book she felt as if it was taunting her; reminding her about what she was planning to do. Usa continued to gaze at the book for a few minutes and then she shut her eyes. The princess then firmly told herself, "Get over it. You knew what you were doing when you sent that letter."

After saying that, Usa forced herself to return to packing her suitcase. It had been all too easy for her to leave the palace. Neo-Queen Serenity had instantly given Usa permission to leave for a week or so to tour some of the less important provinces to life up the public's spirit. Minako was a little harder to convince to let Usa leave the palace without a set of guards, but Usa knew what buttons to press. All she had to do was hint that she was planning on discreetly practicing her flirting skills to catch Ranma and Minako let the matter drop.

Once Usa had finished packing her stuff, she felt Setsuna walk towards her room's door. For a second, Usa wanted to holler at Setsuna to come in. However, Usa bit her cheek and waited for Setsuna to ring the doorbell before responding. Being able to sense familiar people with strong magic was not something to be shared. It was just too useful of a tool to let it be known that she had it. After Setsuna walked into the room, she silently leaned against the wall.

The room was silent for a few minutes and then Setsuna said, "Are you willing to do this Usa? Do you have the mental strength to see what you're planning on doing through to the end? Because if you're not, don't do it. Once Ranma agrees to this plan of yours there's no going back."

Usa sighed and quietly said, "What choice do I have Setsuna? Even without the Time Gates you can see the situation here. If I don't do this, what chance does Crystal Tokyo honestly have? Be honest with me Setsuna and don't give me that line about protecting the sanctity of the timeline. I'm not asking where my plan will work or not, I just want to know what's most likely to happen if I don't go through with this."

Setsuna seemed to wrestle with a dilemma for moment before she sighed and answered Usa in a resigned manner. "Things don't look good for Crystal Tokyo if things stay the way they are. Your plan has the possibility of truly restoring the former grandeur of the Silver Millennium back to this system. It may even lead to the Solar system eventually becoming even greater then it has ever been. However, your plan could also lead to the eventual collapse of civilization in this system. A collapse, I might add, that won't nearly be as easy to get over as the fall of the Silver Millennium was."

For a second Usa seemed frozen in shock, but then she gave a small chuckle. While Usa was shaking her head she said, "Stagnation and a likely slow death or a quick and violent destruction with only a minimal chance of bringing humanity to untold glory? This is Earth, not Arrakis. I understand what you are saying Setsuna, but I must do this. If I fail then I will at least go to the afterlife knowing that I tried to do the best that I could for my people."

The room became quiet again as neither one of them had anything more to say. A few minutes latter Usa finished packing her suitcase and started walking towards the door. Just after Usa walked out of the door, but before Setsuna walked out as well, the warrior of time quietly said, "I hope you succeed Usa. Even though I hate myself for agreeing to this plan of yours, I pray for its success."

While Usa and Setsuna were traveling into the past, all of the reincarnated members of the Silver Millennium and Mamoru were gathered at the Hikawa Shrine for a special meeting. It had been about two weeks since Kasumi had been discovered, but this was the first chance that everyone had to meet. Once everyone was sitting down Setsuna said, "I've just received word from my Crystal Tokyo counterpart. She's informed me of the location of the talismans."

Haruka looked over at Setsuna and said, "So where are they? You've been having us hold on finding those talismans for weeks now so tell us."

Setsuna quickly sent a withering glare at Haruka. Once the hot headed Scout had been sufficiently cowed Setsuna said, "You're carrying the talismans. Michiru has the Neptune Mirror hidden in her heart crystal and Haruka has the Space Sword hidden in hers."

Ami jumped in and said, "How does that help us Setsuna? I mean, we don't have the ability to extract a person's heart crystal. And even if we did have the ability, what possible good would the talismans be if two of our teammates were killed in retrieving them? Wouldn't it be better for us to just leave the talismans where they are so that the Death Busters don't get their hands on them?"

Suddenly Kasumi put her hand on her head as if she had a headache. Minako and Makoto quickly turned to try and help Kasumi even though they figured there wasn't much they could do. However, Kasumi waved them off and said, "Sorry everyone. I just had a memory flash." Kasumi then turned to Ami as she said, "You're wrong Ami. There's a way to retrieve the talismans without endangering Haruka or Michiru."

The reincarnated queen then turned to look at Usagi and she softly said, "Would you please hand me the Ginzushou Usagi? It's needed to retrieve the talismans and sadly you don't have the skill to cast a spell of this kind of nature just yet."

Usagi wanted to pout about having to hand the Ginzushou over, even if it was just temporarily to Kasumi. The Ginzushou was her responsibility and being told that she wasn't suited to using it, well that was a major blow to Usagi. After all, she had successfully used it to beat Beryl and Metallia so why couldn't she use it now? However, the more mature part of Usagi knew that Kasumi wouldn't have asked for the Ginzushou without a very good reason. So with just a momentary hesitation, Usagi pulled out her locket and handed it over to Kasumi.

Once the locket was in Kasumi's hand she smiled at Usagi and said, "Thank you. Now carefully watch what I do so that if you need to do something like this in the future you can Usagi." With that said Kasumi magically summoned the Ginzushou out of the locket. Then Kasumi cupped her hands under the floating sacred stone and closed her eyes. Next, Kasumi's clothes changed from her typical modest dress into the royal dress that everyone remembered Queen Serenity wearing.

Now that Kasumi was in her royal regalia, she turned to face Michiru and Haruka. Before Kasumi did anything she politely said, "Don't worry you won't feel a thing." With that said two small silvery beams of light shot out of the Ginzushou and hit both Scouts in the chest. Michiru and Haruka started to glow and all anyone could see of the duo was the silvery outlines of their bodies.

Everyone was shocked when the glow dimmed down enough so that they could see the two Outers again because the Outers were currently in their Scout form holding their talismans. Setsuna then decided to transform into Sailor Pluto. Once Setsuna had finished her transformation, she summoned the time staff and removed the Garnet Orb form the staff. As soon as all three talismans were free, a series of golden lines shot out of the talismans creating a golden triangular pyramid. Then the Holy Grail formed at the apex of the pyramid.

As the Scouts gazed on the Holy Grail, something unexpected happened. The Holy Grail let off a silvery glow and then it shot towards Usagi's locket like a silvery comet. There was a blinding flash when the Grail and the locket touched each other forcing everyone to look away. When the Scouts could look again they were shocked to see that both the locket and the Grail were gone. In the items' place was a small wand that was just a little bigger then the wand Usagi had used to fight the Dark Kingdom.

Usagi looked at the wand and then shouted out, "What's going on? Where's my locket? How will I be able to become Sailor Moon without my locket?"

Makoto quickly replied, "I think that you're supposed to use that wand to transform." Immediately after Makoto said that several of the Scouts shot her questioning looks. When Makoto saw those looks she raised her hands defensively and said, "Hey it's a perfectly reasonable explanation. We all use transformation pens and you've got to admit that a wand is more like a pen then a locket is."

Ami was working on the Mercury computer and quickly backed Makoto up. "Makoto's correct, that wand is Usagi's new transformation device. In fact, if my readings are correct, it's a good thing that Usagi has that wand."

Minako looked at Ami and said, "Why is it a good thing that Usagi has that wand? She could transform and fight just fine before with the locket."

Suddenly Rei's eyes lit up and she said, "Compatibility. The wand is more compatible with Usagi then the locket was."

Ami nodded her head and said, "Rei's correct. Our transformation items act like pathways funneling power into our transformed states. Compared to the rest of us, Usagi was pretty inefficient with how she channeled her power. Part of this was because of the fact that she subconsciously created her first locket for Luna to hand her. Since that locket was made out of instinct it had several flaws in it compared to our transformation pens. Also, the Ginzushou wasn't integrated into the locket very well. The only reason why Usagi was the most effective Scout up to this moment was because of the incredible amount of power she was forcing through the locket."

Usagi looked at Ami and nervously asked, "What does all of this mean Ami?"

The genius Scout gave Usagi a small smile and said, "Well from what I'm seeing everything's great. You'll be at least twice a powerful now with that wand then you were with the locket. However, I'd let Kasumi keep the Ginzushou. The Grail is acting like the Ginzushou used to act and you wouldn't be able to handle both the Grail and the Ginzushou at the same time. Besides, the Ginzushou is in sync with Kasumi more then it is with you."

Haruka quickly added her two cents about the situation. "So the kitten's twice as powerful as she used to be. That will make it easier to defeat the Death Busters. Now all we need to do is find them and pound them into the Stone Age." Although a lot of the Scouts didn't like how Haruka said it, they agreed with her about the next course of action.

Ranma looked at the menu in his hand and tried to focus on what to eat rather then on his 'date'. When Ranma had agreed to meet with Usa, he didn't know what exactly to expect. However, this was not exactly what he had envisioned. Currently Ranma and Usa were sitting in a booth away from the front door at a small Italian restaurant. Usa had been insistent that any business discussion wait until after they both had a chance to relax and have a little fun.

Eventually Ranma decided to try the chicken parmesan and Usa settled on stuffed manicotti. Once both of them had ordered, Ranma expected Usa to start talking about why she wanted to meet him. Sadly for Ranma's curiosity, Usa refused to talk about why she called the meeting. Instead, she directed the conversation to ordinary subjects that were of no importance.

By the time the waiter return with dinner, Ranma had forgotten about why he was in the past. Usa may not have realized it, but she was giving Ranma the one thing he had wanted for so long: the chance to just be a regular guy. Even though Ranma knew in the back of his mind that it was just an illusion, he couldn't stop himself from pretending that everything was normal. On Nemesis, the responsibility of ruling his people was like a lead coat. At least for the moment, Ranma had the chance to take that coat off.

It wasn't until the duo was about halfway through their meals that Usa decided to talk about why they were meeting. "Ranma, what would you say if Nemesis was to be given access to the planets and the outer moons for mining purposes?"

Usa's question came so unexpectedly that Ranma nearly choked on his previous bite. Luckily, Ranma was able to take care of his problem without causing a big scene. Once Ranma finished taking care of his problem, he looked at Usa and emphatically said, "That, that would be wonderful. I mean, Nemesis could really use the metals." A second latter Ranma narrowed his eyes a bit and said, "What's the catch?"

Even though there was a hint of accusation in Ranma's voice, Usa was thrilled to hear his replay. Ranma had barely been on the throne for a month and he already knew more about ruling then Neo-Queen Serenity seemed to know. Usa looked at Ranma and calmly, although she was barely holding it together inside, said, "The catch is simple. You help me ascend to the Crystal Throne and then you make me your wife."

Ranma couldn't believe that he had just heard Usa say what he thought he had heard her say. In a very nervous manner Ranma said, "Isn't that a little excessive Usa? Surely we don't need to go to those lengths. Couldn't we arraign a lease agreement between our two countries? Or maybe I could buy a few asteroids from Crystal Tokyo."

Usa really wanted to agree to Ranma's ideas. In all honesty she preferred his plans over the one she was proposing. However, Usa slowly, almost hesitantly, shook her head. Ranma could hear the pain in Usa's voice as she replied, "Your plans are wonderful Ranma, but they'd never work. Mother and father have never truly understood what being a ruler means. They prefer to leave most of the actual ruling over to the Scouts. Sadly the Scouts don't really understand how to govern either. Only Venus, Mars, and to a lesser extent Jupiter have any competency in ruling. Sadly those three want to keep things static and they aren't willing to consider something if it didn't occur in the Silver Millennium."

"In their minds Crystal Tokyo is the pinnacle of civilization. They would never accept Crystal Tokyo and Nemesis working together except for Nemesis being annexed into Crystal Tokyo. Even Venus's plan of me seducing you is simply a way for Crystal Tokyo to eventually, peacefully annex Nemesis. Of course, since their memories are so scrambled because of their repeated resurrections, they've romanticized many aspects of the kingdom. That's why out of all the worlds Crystal Tokyo controls; only the Earth is habitable."

After thinking about what he had been told, Ranma asked, "Isn't that what you're proposing? Maybe I'm missing something, but it sounds like you've only added replacing the Scouts to their original plan."

For some indescribable reason, Usa suddenly felt the urge to hit Ranma with a mallet. Once Usa regained her calm she said, "I'm not suggesting that either Crystal Tokyo or Nemesis annex each other Ranma. The two kingdoms are too different to fuse into a single entity. Instead, I want Crystal Tokyo and Nemesis to have a dual monarchy; sort of like the Hapsburgs established between Austria and Hungary before WWI. Both kingdoms would remain separate, but we'd rule them together."

Usa then brushed a few stray hairs away from her face and continued on. "I suppose that I am borrowing Venus's plan a bit. However, you have to admit that an arranged marriage and seducing you are two totally different things; besides the fact that the arranged marriage has a better chance of happening then me seducing you does." Surprisingly Ranma let out a small chuckle.

In a more serious manner Usa said, "I'm hoping on a bloodless coup Ranma. However," and at this point tears started to form in Usa's eyes, I'm worried that a snag may come up and I'll have to kill someone. I love my parents and my aunts. If there was another way to solve the problems Crystal Tokyo is facing, I'd take it in a heartbeat. But both of us know that what we want and what we need to do can be two totally different things."

Usa's voice then became very quiet and she whispered out, "I know that you might be wondering if this is a trap Ranma. If you require it Ranma, I am willing to offer myself up as a pledge of my sincerity."

Ranma was shocked that Usa was willing to offer herself up a pledge. Such things were rarely given out since any infraction on the agreement would result in the pledge being handed over to the person wronged by the broken contract. If Usa offered herself up as a pledge she would have to see the coup through to the end or she would be transformed into his slave. There wouldn't be anything that Ranma could do to free Usa if that happened because it would be her magic that would be bounding her to him.

Very quickly Ranma said, "There's no need to go that far Usa. I don't need any pledge from you to trust you." As soon as Ranma said that Usa let out a sigh of relief showing that she really hadn't wanted to offer a pledge. Ranma then continued on saying, "Can you give me a few days to think about this Usa? I don't want to commit Nemesis to such a drastic plan without thinking about everything."

In a much more relieved manner Usa said, "Take all the time you need Ranma. This is a major decision after all. We have until the end of the week for you to make up your mind; even if it's just to table this decision until you can gather more information."

Cologne was walking down the street towards the train station when she spotted a young man sitting on a nearby bench looking very depressed. Normally Cologne would have left the teen alone, but something about him seemed to call to her. It was as if she needed to talk to him and help him sort out his problem. If Cologne had learned anything in her 300 year life, it was to always trust her instincts. So without further adieu, Cologne walked over the bench and said, "What's the matter young man?"

To Cologne's complete surprise the young man questioningly asked, "Old Ghoul? Is that you?" Ranma then looked at the astonished Cologne and said, "Sorry about the Old Ghoul crack Cologne. Force of habit you know."

The Amazon elder wasn't sure if she was more shocked because she had run into Ranma like this or if it was the fact that he was apologizing for calling her names. Cologne quickly replied, "It's alright Ranma. I can fully understand how a habit can become so ingrained that it's a reflex. Now, is there something that I can do to help you?"

Ranma thought about it for a second and eventually decided to tell Cologne about Nemesis and Usa's proposal. Cologne didn't have a stake in what he did since she annulled Shampoo's marriage, so she could offer unbiased advice. Besides, Ranma asked himself, who else could he talk to that could give him good advice about this situation and not believe that he needed to be locked up?

It took Ranma about half an hour to give Cologne all the details about the situation. During this time Cologne just sat and listened, except for one or two instances where she needed a point clarified. Once Ranma had finished explaining everything, Cologne closed her eyes and thought about the whole situation. Matters like this did come up in the Amazon high council from time to time and they were only solved with very careful consideration. Cologne also knew that she needed to be careful about what she told Ranma. The boy needed to solve the problem on his own and couldn't be given a solution.

Now in her wise old teacher mode, Cologne slowly said, "You need to think carefully Ranma. No one can just give you some advice and say that it's the solution. Let me ask you something. Do you feel that the ends justify the means or that the means must justify the ends? Is your course of action to help your people or to help yourself? Have you carefully explored all of your options or are you grabbing whatever looks good at the moment? When someone is a leader, like you and I are, that person has to ask themselves these questions all the time."

"As for your companion's plan, well I've see and heard about a lot of coups in my lifetime. Some coups lead to more suffering for everyone involved. Other coups did help out people of the countries involved. However, most coups simply got rid of one set of problems and replaced them with another set. If you go along with Usa's plan and it succeeds, then both your people stand to gain a lot. But at the same time, this plan could destroy any relations your people might have if the plan fails."

"Think about this and all of the other aspects you can think of and then make your decision. Whether or not your decision turns out to be the right one can only be determined once everything is said and done. And even then, it is for the historians and the people that come after you who will determine whether your decision was the right one. After all, there have been cases where a decision might at first appear to be a mistake, but later turns up to be a blessing in disguise."

Ranma thought about what Cologne said for a second and then he gave the ancient teacher a bright smile. He then said, "I've got to admit Cologne, that's the best advice I've gotten since I got stuck with this gig. Thanks for the lesson."

Cologne chuckled and replied, "Any time Ranma, any time. I may not be able to teach you martial arts anymore, but you're still a joy to teach. Why don't you stop by Nerima while you're in this time period? A lot of your friends and family over there would like to see you again and you never know when you'll be able to visit."

While shrugging his shoulders Ranma nonchalantly said, "I don't know Cologne. Part of me wants to see everyone again, for old time's sake if nothing else. However, another part of me wants to stay away from them. I'm not Ranma Saotome anymore; hell, I'm barely Ranma Tohno anymore. Do you really think that Nerima can handle Prince Ranma of Nemesis; especially when you consider the NWC's track record with magical princes?"

To Ranma's surprise Cologne crackled and retorted, "You got a point there. Magical princes and the folks in Nerima don't exactly mix. However, I'm sure that we can grandmother you from that little ruling. If not, well, I've got my cane and you've got your magic. That should at least insure that you can have a short visit with your mother and your ancestress in peace." After that Ranma and Cologne wrapped up the conversation and headed their separate ways.