Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay but I hope you like this chapter. I want to thank all of the story followers and reviewers, especially Jedi Misty and LoveintheBattlefield who've stuck by and given me encouragement to keep the chapters coming. :)

And since I haven't posted it in a while, here's the list of character names.

Matai - Mamoru

Jian Je Zheng - Jadeite

Nate / Nathanial Taylor - Nephrite

Zachary Brennan - Zoisite

Kiral Nazari - Kunzite

Sarah Thomas - Usagi

Amy Stark - Ami

Rhiannon Moonbeam - Rei

Liese Reinhardt - Makoto

Margaret Stone - Minako

Patsy - Petz

Beth - Berthier

Chapter 8: The Masked Man Arrives!

Golden hair glinted in the sunlight, seeming to sway gently as Sarah walked beside her best friend from school. It had been a good day so far. She had actually made it on time for once and Lucy had brought an extra cupcake for lunch that she had shared. They laughed as they discussed their day and stopped in the street as Lucy attempted to imitate one of their teachers.

"Sarah Thomas! You were daydreaming again! If I had to take grades home like yours I'd be too embarrassed to daydream. Now pay attention!" Lucy put her fists on her hips and projected her voice, repeating the dialog from math class that morning.

Sarah stuck her tongue out and gave an exaggerated raspberry which sent both girls into fits of laughter so strong they nearly fell over. "You sound so like her Lucy! Ooh, Miss Warren never leaves me alone. I swear she makes her tests harder on purpose!"

"Well you could study just a little harder instead of napping so much Sarah. I'm sure you can do better," Lucy tried to offer.

Sarah put a hand wearily to her head in exasperation. "But it's so boring! I can't help but fall asleep. And dreaming is just so nice…" Her reverie was interrupted by a gasp from her red haired friend.

"Oh no I almost forgot! I'm supposed to take the new shipment to mama today at the store. I'm going to be late. I have to go!" Her mother ran a small jewelry store in the wealthier side of downtown. Lucy began to run and Sarah followed her.

"Wait Lucy I'll go with you part way to my house," Sarah called out as they both ran, shoes pounding on pavement. Up ahead cracks and pitting made the pavement uneven and Sarah could only shout a warning as her friend tripped, her foot and ankle turning one way as her body went the other, dumping her roughly to the ground.

Sarah ran to her friend who was already wincing and holding her ankle. "ow ow ow ow," she hissed through her teeth. After a moment she stood up with Sarah's help but winced as pain shot through her now swelling ankle as she put weight on it.

"You can't walk to the store like that. That looks like a really bad sprain."

"But, I have to bring the new shipment to mama today"

Light dawned in Sarah's light blue eyes. "I know! I can take it there for you Lucy. Your house isn't far from here. We can make it there and you can show me what to bring."

"Are you sure? You'll miss dinner and be late." Sarah was already threading her arm under her friend's shoulders. They made it to the house where Lucy was all but forced onto the couch with a pillow under her foot. She couldn't help but smile at her warm and caring friend. Underneath the klutziness and the whining, there was something really special about her friend and Lucy was glad to have their friendship. In a few minutes Sarah had the black briefcase in hand and wished her friend a good night.

She made quick strides, not wanting to be later than she had to. The black briefcase was clutched tightly to her chest because she knew its contents were valuable. Maybe Lucy's mom would let her see inside when she got to the store, she thought, imagining all the glittering shininess the case might contain. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the footsteps approaching until a hand pulled her hair back and wrapped an arm around her neck. She let out a startled scream, clutching the case even harder as she wriggled and struggled.

"Give up the case girl and maybe we'll let you leave unharmed." The owner of the voice stepped out from a side alley, face disguised with a wide brimmed hat. The man behind her tightened his hold, making movement impossible as the second one stepped closed, reaching out a hand for the case.

Liese Reinhardt pulled harder on the two wooden handles of her flower cart as she struggled to tug it over a large pot hole without spilling her wares. A lock of wavy brown hair broke loose from her ponytail and she swatted it away from her eyes. It had already been a long day, peddling her flower bouquets all over the city and she didn't have a lot to show for it in her pockets today.

Her flowers were her babies, raised with such tender care, often watered from her own meager water allotment. With her unusual height and strong boned German features, she was not exactly the image of a delicate flower girl but it was one of her fondest passions. And it was what had enabled her to make a life for herself independently. Liese needed to rely on no one which was important to her even though the living was meager.

"Carnations for sale! How about a dozen roses for the lady?" She called out to those who passed her on the street, putting her best smile forward even as they walked past her with dispassionate glances, engrossed in their own troubles that flowers simply wouldn't fix. She let out a sigh as they passed and the street grew quiet again, but not for long as a muffled scream broke through the silence. Liese stiffened, tightening her grip on the cart. "It's none of my business. I have to look out for my flowers." She tried to convince herself. Digging too deeply into what goes on in the shadows here wasn't good for your health. But all logic fell to pieces as a second shout sent a chill through her, and she went into motion.

Shoving the cart ahead of her she rounded the corner to see two men threatening a girl about her own age with long blonde hair in two buns. Anger boiled in her seeing their formidable size compared to the small delicate girl. Why did bigger people feel the need to pick on those weaker than them? "Bullies," she whispered, making it sound like a curse. It was a sore point with her, and one that had landed her in more than one fight as a kid.

Before she could think better about it, Liese was running with all the power her long legs could muster. "Let her go!" she yelled, ramming the front of her cart into the back of the man holding her. He had his back to her and turned just in time to feel the impact. The other girl took the brief lessening of his grip on her as a window and wriggled free. He turned toward Liese with murderous rage in his eyes but she was angry too. As he reached her she drove her knee hard into the most sensitive spot and was ready to follow it with a punch but he crumpled to the ground leaving only the man with the hat.

"Come any closer and I'll shoot." The man with the hat spoke in calm, clipped tones. Her eyes followed only to see the blonde pushed into a corner with a pistol leveled at her head. "Now, give up the case like a good girl." Liese could almost hear the sadistic smile in his voice even though she could not see his face. But she didn't dare move for fear of getting the girl killed.

Tears were running down Sarah's face. She had never been so frightened in her life. A part of her wanted to just drop the case and run away but she refused, gripping it tightly to her chest. "No! I promised to deliver this and it's really important to Lucy's mama. I can't let you have it, not ever!" She shook her head emphatically, shielding the case with her body.

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to take it the hard way. Pity to destroy such a pretty girl but…" He leveled the gun firmly at her head and his finger began to pull on the trigger. Sarah shut her eyes tight wondering what it will feel like to be shot.

"No!" Liese shouted, terrified and unable to do anything to stop him in time.

Something shot quickly through the air and hit the hand holding the gun. The pistol suddenly flew through the air to clatter to the ground at his feet. He recoiled, pulling his hand towards him with a startled yelp, and Liese was surprised to see the stem of a rose stuck into the back of his hand. It was unreal.

Sarah carefully pried her eyes open in time to see a dark figure drop down from atop a chain link fence. She debated on whether it was not a better idea to keep her eyes closed when she saw his face. He was honestly the most handsome man Sarah had ever seen, even with a white mask over his eyes. His cape fluttered in the wind as he landed smoothly on his feet.

"Picking on girls and those who are smaller than you is desperate and despicable. No amount of jewels will erase that." Matai fixed the tall man in the hat in his gaze, one white-gloved hand gripping his black staff tightly. Things had been strange these past few days. He had discovered strange new abilities but was no closer to understanding who, or what he was really supposed to be. Kiral had tried digging up old books and documents to make sense of the visions they had shared, but without luck. He could only keep looking and hope that things would become clear.

Nonplused, Hat-man threw himself at Matai, fists flailing. He sidestepped one and blocked the next with his staff. The man was desperately trying to get enough space between them to run for his gun, a window Matai was not going to give him.

The other man, apparently the Hat's assistant had gathered himself and grabbed Liese from behind, sneering a challenge. "Not so tough with your arms pinned are you girlie?" Fury seemed to boil up from within Liese. "Don't…call..me…girlie!" With a yell she dropped low and threw her weight with everything she had, launching the man off and over her head. He hit the ground with a thud just as the man in the mask and tuxedo had the Hat pinned against a brick wall. Both men suddenly realized they were outnumbered and out of their league. With frightened yells, both men took off running, leaving the gun in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Are you all right?" A voice spoke but for a moment Sarah could find no words. The man in the mask was crouching near her, offering her his hand. Her eyes met his and all of the air left her lungs. Finally after an uncomfortable pause she managed, "Yes, yes I'm OK now." She felt as if she were in a dream as he pulled her up to her feet, a crimson blush beginning to show on her cheeks.

Matai recognized her as the girl who hit him in the head with a water jug about a week ago. As he helped her up for just a second he felt that odd feeling in his hand like last time and as the last rays of the sun glinted off of her long hair for a second in his mind's eye he saw the woman from his dreams. He shook his head. All this jumping from rooftops must be getting to his head. The other brunette was running over too. "It looks like you're in good hands." he said as he released her and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sarah called out. "Thank you. Um, what do I call you?"

"Tuxedo Mask", he said flashing her one final gaze before jumping up and over the fence. In just seconds he was gone. "Tuxedo Mask," she repeated to herself, trying out the name. It, just like him, exuded such a sense of mystery.

"Gosh, are you alright? Do you believe the nerve of those guys? And oh, what a mess I've made of my flowers!" Liese stood over her upturned cart looking down on it sorrowfully. She bent to pick up some of the bouquets and nearly bumped heads with the blonde. Liese looked up, surprised that after all she had been through she would stop and help with Liese's flowers.

"Don't worry. I'll help you pick everything up. It looks like a lot of them are still OK!"

Liese responded. "Thanks for the help. I sure hope so, but it was worth it to kick that guy's butt. I'm Liese Reinhardt.", she said offering her hand.

Sarah smiled. "And I'm Sarah Thomas. You sure are strong for a girl."

Liese bristled at first. She had been hearing that comment all of her life but the way Sarah said it was different, as if it were a compliment instead of an insult. And she didn't shy away. "Yeah, I suppose so huh?", she finally said with a smile and both girls shared a laugh.

A few minutes later Sarah was on her way to the jewelry store, still a bit shaken by the whole experience. When she explained what had happened to her on the way, Lucy's mother had made such a fuss over her, even letting her pick out a small pair of earrings from one of her display cases.

Beth and her sister Patsy were nearby returning some laundry that Beth had done on the side to make some extra money. Patsy waited outside while Beth went in to the apartment trying to enjoy some fresh air and clear her mind. She had kept to their apartment for the last week until Beth all but dragged her out here insisting it would help cheer her up and get some healthy fresh air. She watched the people passing by, wrapped in their own lives. A glint of gold caught her eye and she strained to look closer through the crowd as a young girl walked by, golden-yellow locks almost down to her waist in twin buns. Suddenly her heart began pounding in her chest. It couldn't be. It was utterly impossible. And yet her heart was about to burst for joy as she ran across the street, dodging through the crowd. "Sailor Moon!", she cried at the top of her lungs as Patsy finally got through and wrapped her arms around the blonde. "Sailor Moon! I'm so glad I found you. You're alive!" Tears streamed down her face as she embraced the girl tightly.

Sarah let out a terrified squeak as the strange woman grabbed her in a bear hug, calling her by some strange name. "Um," she said before having her breath knocked out by another hug. "I'm sorry, but I think you have me mistaken for someone else. I don't know you. Please let go."

Beth had seen her sister run off screaming. She had heard the name Sailor Moon before from Patsy's slep-talking while she was sick. "Oh no, not again." She ran off after her sister only to find her holding tightly to some teenage girl. "Please excuse my sister. I'm very sorry. Patsy, let's go. She's not Sailor Moon. There is no such person. I have told you before."

Patsy let go reluctantly. "But, but you look just like her. I had so hoped…" Her face fell in despair but she let her sister pull her away, leaving Sarah wide eyed and confused.

"People are sure crazy today.", she said out loud to herself. Her stomach was growling, reminding her that she was late for dinner. She set out on her way home trying to forget the day's events and dreaming of a nice hot meal.

Above the rooftops another figure had followed Sarah from afar, watching over the young girl. He overheard the commotion and something struck a chord with him. "Sailor Moon,", he said to himself wondering why somehow such a strange name would seem familiar and important somehow. Perhaps it was another piece to the puzzle of his existence.

Luna and Artemis had been searching for days on foot. They had been chased, had cans thrown at them by rowdy kids, and were absolutely exhausted. The situation seemed so hopeless. "Artemis, We don't even know if they were reborn. If the princess hadn't had time to use the crystal there's no telling when or if they would ever emerge from the galaxy cauldron again. I'm frightened Artemis." Luna admitted, her body shuddering with the pent up worry and grief that she had been holding in ever since she got a good look at what was left of the moon.

Artemis nudged her softly with his head. "We just have to keep looking Luna. I won't believe it until I've searched every corner of this city. My Venus has to be out there and so does our princess. We just have to believe." Truthfully he wasn't feeling much more optimistic but if both of them gave in to despair there would be no climbing out of it. A cry of "Sailor Moon" suddenly had both of them at attention.

"Did I hear what I think I just heard?" Luna looked to Artemis for confirmation and the pair began to bolt towards the souds as fast as their furry paws could take them. People walked by, uncaring of passing cats, and they had to do some fancy dodging to get by. Finally Luna caught sight of the blonde haired girl and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't be sure without getting close enough to let her lunar senses feel the girl out, but she sure did look quite a bit like the princess, enough to make Luna's heart ache.

Luna watched as the girl finally disentangled herself and followed from a distance until they reached a desolate part of the street. Quickly she bounded forward, leaping on to a trash can and from there on to the blonde's shoulders. The girl gave a shriek of surprise before finally realizing it had only been a cat. But in that brief time Luna had opened herself to the senses bestowed upon her by the crescent on her forehead. Without a doubt now she knew. "You really are Sailor Moon."

Sarah shrieked as something else flung itself at her in the darkness. She was only somewhat relieved to see it was a black cat but her heart was still racing. Her nerves were shot having been accosted, nearly robbed, tackled with hugs by a strange woman, and now this. And then the cat spoke. And it called her Sailor Moon. "Again with that name,", she said, her eyes focusing and un-focusing. "A talking cat. How about that? This has been a really strange day. I think I want to go home now." And without warning, Sarah passed out right in the middle of the street.

"Serenity! Sailor Moon!" Luna called, trying to nudge her to wake up. Luna realized she had no idea what to call her now, in this lifetime. "Come on, you can't pass out here in the middle of the street!" But the girl only sleepily muttered something to herself about dinner. A thud nearby made both guardian cats leap instantly to attention, dropping into defensive stances in front of the girl. As their eyes trailed up from the feet, to black and red cape, and finally to masked eyes, both cats let out a gasp.

"Tuxedo Mask?" Artemis could not believe his eyes.

Matai was having trouble getting images of the girl out of hs mind, and so he told himself he was only going to follow to make sure she got home safely when in reality it was also because of his curiosity. He overheard the cats speaking, which startled him more than a little but one word they said took his breath away. "Serenity," he said aloud to himself. "I know that name somehow."

When she suddenly collapsed he could no longer stay away. He walked carefully past the stunned cats to the girl and gingerly picked her up in his arms. They seemed to recognize him and let him through. Once she was safely in his arms he turned to the two cats. "Who is Sailor Moon? Who is Serenity? I feel like I should know that name." He asked the cats, fixing them with a searching gaze.

It was Luna that realized what was going on. "You don't remember do you?" It was sad really, the loss of memories upon being reborn. She could understand the searching look in his gaze and the feeling of loss and confusion when only pieces of memories came through. And yet even without memories here he was with her in his arms. It seemed that some things would never change. And that was a relief and a balm to the heart. "Well, it looks like we might have a lot to talk about. But let's get her to bed first." Luna leapt up to his right shoulder and Artemis followed on the left. Soon they were at Sarah's house where he climbed in via a window and laid her gently in her bed. Looking at her sleep brought a warm feeling to his heart and he took a minute just to look before climbing back out. Tonight he would have answers.