Chapter 2/? - Perfectly Logical, yet Completely Wrong

—

"Usagi-chan, are you alright?" Ami asked her new best friend during lunch. Usagi had seemed somewhat out of it in class today, Ami didn't know if it was some lingering effect from yesterday's battle.

"I don't know Ami-chan," Usagi sighed. "I had a really weird dream last night, and I keep getting these stray thoughts that come out of nowhere. Mars was always better at dealing with things like that." Usagi yelped and quickly covered her mouth when she realized what she had said

"See what I mean" Usagi continued. "I've had stray thoughts like that pop up all morning, and I don't know what they mean.

"Maybe Luna knows what's going on?" Ami suggested. "Perhaps you've got some side effect from being drained by that youma?"

"Do you think it's some kind of evil spirit?" Usagi asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know Usagi, but if it'll make you feel better, there's a shrine who's charms are supposed to be really effective. Maybe we can go there after school?" Replied Ami.

"I'd like that Ami-chan." Usagi smiled as the two headed back into their classroom.

—

Deep under the earth's surface, Jadeite was reviewing his previous energy gathering operations. Queen Beryl had given him a tongue-lashing for the early end to his clock store operation, by all rights he should have been dead for how badly this operation had gone.

It was only ONE DAY, one single day before they raided it. Jadeite mused. The problem is that the victims are too noticeable. That is what draws Sailor Moon's attention. What I need is a way to hide the victims so I can drain them without interruption.

"Master Jadeite, I have completed my scouting mission, and I believe I have found an ideal location to collect energy from." The youma stated, bowing respectfully to Jadeite, and interrupting his thoughts.

"Very good Kigaan, tell me what you have found." Jadeite ordered. Hopefully the youma had found something he could use.

"There is a Shinto shrine on top of the Sendai Hill energy nexus. I believe that we can use this shrine as a base of operations." Kigaan reported.

"Very good Kigaan." Jadeite spoke in cold, measured tones. "I am concerned about how to keep this operation low-profile. I would prefer not to draw the attention of Sailor Moon too quickly."

"Master Jadeite, If I may make a suggestion?" Kigaan asked.

"Speak." replied Jadeite.

"By the entrance to the shrine, there is a bus stop where multiple bus routes pass through." Kigaan continued. "Perhaps if we were to use a second youma, we could distribute something at the shrine to act as a beacon and an energy conduit, and then we could use one of the busses to perform the draining."

"Your suggestion has merit Kigaan, but I'm afraid that I lack the standing with Queen Beryl to authorize the use of a second youma." Jadeite said. "Operating out a shrine is going to be risky, a youma runs the risk of being caught by any wards that the shrine would have in place. In addition, there is a possibility of the priest or an acolyte being able to sense what we are doing, and summoning Sailor Moon."

"My apologies Master Jadeite." Spoke Kigaan as she bowed deeply to Jadeite.

"I did not say your idea was without merit." Jadeite said. "The idea that you suggested was good thinking, I will just need to make some changes. I'll have you take control of one of the bus routes, and I will infiltrate the shrine personally to distribute markers."

—

Luna was waiting in a tree outside of the school gates for Usagi and Ami, she had sensed something was different about Usagi, but the girl hadn't given her a chance to figure out what was wrong. Something about yesterday's battle had spooked her, but Usagi hadn't said what.

Luna spotted a familiar blonde walking out of the gates. This was her chance, Luna leaped out of the tree and landed on Usagi's shoulder. Usagi reached over and started idly scratching Luna underneath her chin, right in the spot Luna likes.

Wait a minute.

"Usagi-chan, where's Ami-chan?" Luna asked. She hadn't seen the blue-haired girl walk out of the building.

"Ami-chan stopped to get directions to the Hikawa Shrine" Usagi replied.

"Usagi-chan, what happened during the battle yesterday?" Luna asked, Usagi being tight-lipped about whatever it was really worried her.

"During the battle, the youma set up a bunch of time pockets as traps." Usagi explained. "I stepped into one and I started to age really fast and had a bunch of images and names flash through my head. Bu when I stepped out of the time pocket, my body went back to normal." She looked down at her feet, mentally kicking herself for falling into that trap. "Since that battle though, I've had these weird thoughts drift into my head, and I always seem to know things without knowing HOW I know them. Ami-chan thinks it's something leftover from that youma."

Luna looked at Usagi with concern written on her face. "So that's why you were asking how long Lunarians lived…" Luna muttered to herself.

Just then, Ami walked out the school and caught up to Usagi and Luna.

"Heyyyyy Ami-chan!" Usagi squealed. "I was just telling Luna about what's been happening."

"Oh, of course Usagi-chan." Ami replied. "I'm surprised you didn't tell her earlier."

"Ami-channnn" Usagi groaned. "I didn't have a chance to talk to her about it until now. Besides, I'm sure now that Luna knows, I'm sure that she and Artemis can figure out the problem." Usagi gave Luna a small scratch on the head and she spoke.

Luna instantly tensed when she heard that name. How did she know about him?

"Um, Usagi…" Ami asked hesitantly. "Who's Artemis?"

"Who?" Usagi replied.

"You said that you thought that Luna and Artemis would be able to figure out what this problem is. Who is she? Who's Artemis?" Asked Ami

"Um, I don't really know, it just popped out without thinking." Usagi apologized.

Luna spoke up. "HE was another one of the Queen's advisors in the Moon Kingdom, My memories are still somewhat hazy, but I seem to remember him mostly working with Commander Venus."

"Oh… Sorry Luna, I just assumed because of the name that…" Ami blushed, embarrassed by what she had said.

"It's alright Ami," Luna continued, "I'm curious as to how Usagi know about him though."

"Luna," Usagi spoke up, "I told you, that these things just pop into my head and I'm trying as hard as I can to control it." Usagi thought about what Luna said, when she realized something. Luna mentioned a Commander Venus, I wonder if it's the same one as in that dream?.

"Luna?" Usagi asked hesitantly. "Was this Commander Venus another Sailor Senshi like us?" Luna nodded. "Did she have an orange skirt on her uniform?"

Luna froze. How the HELL did she know that?

"How did you know that?" Luna asked.

"I had a dream last night." Usagi spoke. "I think I was on the moon, and there was a Sailor Venus there, she had blonde hair and a red bow in her hair just like Sailor V, she took me to the Senshi training grounds, but I think that I wasn't supposed to be there normally. I think you were in my dream as well, but you were a kitten and you wanted to ride on top of my head."

Luna didn't say anything, what Usagi had described was uncomfortably close to what she had remembered about the Silver Millennium.

The trio walked in silence towards the Hikawa shrine.

—

Rei Hino watched the sacred fire. Her senses were screaming at her that something was coming, and all she could do was beg the fire to show her what it was. She looked into the flames and an image.

The first was a blond girl in a long white dress and her hair in an odd pigtailed hairstyle. The oddest thing though was the the golden crescent moon symbol on her forehead.

This girl is important. whispered the fire. Protect her.

Rei watched the girl as she looked up at the Earth from her balcony, the girl looked up into the sky in fear and trepidation. In an instant, it seemed like the sky began to tear itself open, and an army of monsters descended onto the ground.

Out of the palace walked four warriors, leading them was a woman with blond hair, and a Sailor Senshi uniform, with an orange skirt and a blue bow. On her left was a brown-haired woman in a green skirt and pink bows. Next to her was a blue-haired woman with blue skirts.

Rei looked to to the right of the blonde leader, and came face to face with herself.

Her doppelgänger was dressed like a Sailor Senshi, but wore a red skirt and had a violet bow on the front of her uniform.

The four warriors marched out to meet this army, a burning determination in their eyes.

Rei could only watch as the four effortlessly sliced through hundreds of monsters. Whoever these four were, they were powerful.

It was then that she saw four men in grey uniforms emerge from the tear in the sky. Rei felt as though she had recognized them from somewhere.

Leading them a tall man with silvery white hair who radiated power. To his right was a man with long dark brown hair. On the other side was a shorter man with long blonde hair tied back into a pony tail. At the end, was a man with short, sandy-blonde hair.

Rei turned around to look at her other self, and she saw them saying something to the four men. She saw the four men descend upon them, the four warriors fought back with an unmatched ferocity, and yet they were pleading with the men to stop. She watched as the green and blue senshi fell in battle, having managed to severely wound the ponytailed blonde and the man with chestnut hair.

Rei's other self launched a ferocious attack on the sandy-haired blonde, fire pouring out of her hands as she incinerated everything around her. When the flames cleared, he was nowhere to be seen, until Rei saw him stab her other self in the back.

She looked away, not wanting to be tormented by this vision any longer.

Her consciousness returning to the fire room, Rei looked at the fire, and she saw the sandy-haired blonde in the flames one last time.

Don't let it happen again. The fire whispered to her.

—

Usagi, Ami and Luna walked up the shrine's steps, hoping that the the priest here would be able to help figure out what's wrong with Usagi.

—

Deep under the earth's surface, Jadeite took one last look at the images of the Hikawa Shrine that Kigaan had recorded. Everything was ready for this operation, he just hoped it would work.

With one last glance at the image, Jadeite teleported.