"Let's go out clubbing!" Minako suggested the moment the other Inner Senshi met up at their usual cafe, leaning close to the other four. "Just us!"

"Minako-chan, what happened to your hair?!" Rei asked in shock. "It looks so different!"

"Forget my hair! I come back here from Kyoto and that's the first thing you think of to say to me?! You wound me! I thought we could use a break from everything!"

"Are you sure clubbing is a good idea?" Ami asked shyly.

"I have to keep an eye on Usagi," Usagi demanded almost instantly. "Really, none of us have time for this."

"Don't play the queenly act with me, I know deep down you're dying to have fun and let loose." Minako said. "Just get a babysitter, both of you!"

"Actually...could I bring Ittou-kun? Mayumi and Chibiusa could be sent to the Outers..." Makoto thought about it. "I just don't want to leave him out."

"Bring him! Bring everyone! The more the merrier!"

"But first, Senshi business." Ami turned serious. "From what I understand, I, Rei-chan, and Minako-chan have leveled up into our Eternal forms. We gained these by weakening what seems to be a counterpart of ourselves who go by Greek names. That's all I have so far,"

"Has your computer told you anything?" Makoto asked, but Ami shook her head.

"Nothing comes up, just the actual gods."

The girls finished their drinks and headed out, first to Makoto's, then to the Outers' mansion.

"Hello! We're coming to ask you to babysit!" Minako asked cheerfully. "We want to go out clubbing!"

"Clubbing? Can I come?" Hotaru asked eagerly. "I don't drink or anything, I just want to hear the music,"

"What?" Setsuna said before she got crushed in a hug by Mayumi.

"Aunt Setsuna! Auntie!" She cheered.

"Hello yourself," She smiled at the little girl.

Usagi offered Chibiusa to her, a sheepish smile on her face. Hotaru gasped.

"Making me the babysitter, huh?" Setsuna teased.

"They said you wouldn't mind!" Ittou said. "I can-"

"I don't mind, it's just sudden," She smiled down at Chibiusa, holding her close. The baby looked at her curiously. "Hello, Small Lady. The two of us will become very good friends in the future." She kissed her forehead.

"Oh! Mayumi has a peanut allergy and needs to be in bed by eight!" Makoto added quickly.

"Noted."

The girls thanked her again, took Hotaru, and got back in the car, situating themselves accordingly before Minako sped off.

"Minako-chan! Is this speed even legal on this road?!" Makoto demanded, making Minako laugh.

"Don't know, but does it matter? Nobody would dare to give me a ticket! The hottest idol in Japan right now!" She grinned.

"I don't think that's how that works..." Hotaru said in confusion.

The group arrived at the club and waited in line, though the bouncer recognized Minako and waved her over.

"The Love Goddess! Here for a good time?" He nodded approvingly.

"Is that really the Love Goddess?! The crowd gasped in disbelief.

"She's the hottest singer in Japan!" A girl gushed.

"Aino-sama, let me have your autograph!" A guy yelled out. Minako just giggled and ran her hands through her hair.

"You can go ahead because you're all with her." The bouncer nodded at them and Minako gave a wave before she headed inside.

The club was lit entirely by neon spotlights and was otherwise pitch black. Fog poured through the dancefloor and the whole place reeked of alcohol and sweat. Music blasted from the shaking speakers. Minako hurried into the dance floor and began to work it, capturing the attention of everyone, even though she wore a pink and red layered outfit inspired by a punk school uniform. The others were more dressed for the club; Rei wore a little black dress, Ami wore a flowy blue sundress, and Makoto wore black belted shorts and a white halter top. Hotaru wore a black sweater and long pleated skirt while Usagi wore a long white lolita dress that swept the floor.

"You have to admit, she's bad at most dances, but she lives for the club." Rei said. Makoto sought out a booth for them and set their bags down while Hotaru joined Minako on the floor, doing a more cutesy dance.

"Yeah, and why don't we join her? We all came here for a little fun!" Makoto danced with the trio, though her moves were mostly overshadowed by Minako, who twirled and jived perfectly to the beats. Rei and Usagi eventually joined in as well, looking more awkward with their slower moves. Ami had sat down to try and get out of it, but Usagi took her hands and made her join anyway.

Once it was decided nobody could dance as well as Minako could, the others breathlessly returned to their booth, gasping. The waiter came by with some random drinks and went off again.

"I can't drink alcohol!" Ami remembered.

"Why?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Oh, um...I'm..." She sighed. "I'm pregnant."

"What?!" Makoto and Ittou gasped.

"Congratulations!" Hotaru cheered for her.

Usagi just stared at her wordlessly.

"I've known for a few days now." Ami pushed her drink away and ordered root beers for both her and Hotaru. "I didn't mean to keep it a secret."

"If you want this, we'll support you!" Ittou reassured her. "Now I'm going to go get my boogie on!" He took a sip from his drink and left, pulling Makoto with him.

"Hey, I want to dance too!"

Minako had jumped on top of the bar counter with part of her shirt missing, cheering and gyrating her hips. The crowd cheered her on as she kept in rhythm to the song.

"You're pregnant." Usagi repeated. "I thought I made myself clear with Makoto-chan. No attachments, no families-"

"And you knew we'd have to fight again?! No, you didn't. Rei-chan already gave me an earful yesterday, I don't need another one," Ami drank her drink. Hotaru nervously sipped at hers, trying to look away. Usagi kept staring at her and Ami avoided her gaze. She missed the understanding, playful Usagi of her youth. She missed the Usagi who just a moment ago took her hands and pulled her onto the dance floor, determined for her to have a good time as well. The playful Usagi was more fleeting now, and the understanding portion rarely came out. She had a child, why was that allowed but nobody else?

Makoto and Ittou were still dancing together, holding each other's hands and spinning around. Rei moved her arms around to the rhythm, while Minako was sitting in a booth surrounded by guys, making out with a random one with a rolled up yen dollar on the table.

"Wait a minute…" Ami facepalmed.

Minako popped a pill a dude gave her and suddenly she was back on top of the counter again, dancing around rapidly. "Woohoo! Isn't this so much fun?! It's so hot in here! I'm so hot!" She unbuttoned her shirt and showed off her bra, making the guys in the crowd hoot and holler. "You like them, don't you?"

"Oh no," Rei sighed. "She's so drunk and high right now…"

Makoto and Ittou had stopped dancing too and just stared at her in concern.

"You're so sexy!" A man yelled, and Minako tossed her shirt at him.

"Darn right I am!" She blew a kiss and posed. "Should I take my bra off too?"

After some time dancing, Minako jumped off the counter and announced she was tired and longed to go home. Her cheeks were flushed and she couldn't stop giggling, constantly dropping her keys as she tried to drive.

"Minako-chan, how much did you have to drink? What drugs were you taking?" Ami asked nervously.

"And your vest and shirt are still missing!" Makoto gasped.

"Hm? Maybe a bottle or two of fruity vodka...the guy who gave it to me said I'd be a much better dancer with it! I also took an ecstasy tablet and did a line of coke." Minako laughed.

"You're crazy!" Ami gasped. "You're in no state to be driving! Let me drive us home, okay? You just sit and sleep,"

"Yeah, sleeping sounds good! I'm super tired right now!" Minako stretched and clumsily switched seats with Ami, laying down. "I'm so tired! Good night!"

"You can drive?" Usagi asked as Ami revved up the engine.

"Yeah, I just don't really like doing it." She drove off slowly, keeping an eye on the snoozing Minako. Hotaru fidgeted in her seat, sighing.

"I'm sorry...I have to use the bathroom. Too much to drink." She admitted bluntly.

"The only places around here would be alleys, are you okay with that? Sure it's a good idea?" Ittou asked.

"Normally no, but it's an emergency."

Ami pulled over to a random corner and Hotaru jumped out of the car, Makoto deciding to hover close by for protection. Hotaru disappeared into an alley and fumbled with her clothes in the dark, eventually just pulling her skirt and tights down and squatting. Once she finished her steamy pee, she hurriedly got redressed and got back in the car, rubbing her hands.

"I just wish I had some hand sanitizer or something." She lamented.

Ami continued to drive in silence, heading to the mansion first. Hotaru got out and headed inside, greeting Setsuna.

"Did she cause you any trouble?" Usagi asked, taking Chibiusa from her.

"Oh no, she was very well-behaved. She just slept the whole time," Setsuna smiled. "Same with Mayumi-chan." She motioned to the little girl, who was rubbing her eyes in sleepiness.

"Come here." Ittou gently picked her up and carried her on his back, and Mayumi instantly fell asleep again.

"Don't be afraid to ask us for babysitting again. I would be honored to do it," Setsuna reassured the girls. "Especially for our future princess."

The girls said goodbye to Setsuna and Hotaru and got back in the car, driving off. Minako waved drunkenly and stumbled back into her house, giggling. Makoto and Ittou carried Mayumi back in silence, staring at her lovingly. Rei got dropped off without fanfare and finally Ami dropped Usagi and Chibiusa off, sighing.

"Good night!" She tried, but Usagi turned her back on her and went inside, the doors slamming shut behind her. Even though the whole palace was crystal, they reflected light off them so nobody could see inside. It was a maddening effect and Ami just wanted to see Usagi smile at her again.

Usagi put Chibiusa in her crib and just looked at her for a while, sighing. As she stood there, Mamoru came home and wrapped his arms around her.

"She's so beautiful," He breathed.

"I think she's ready to start solid food." Usagi said.

"Maybe. Start simple with carrots or apples and see how she handles those."

"Mamo-chan! Not carrots!" Usagi gasped in fake horror. "She hates those!"

"Hey, this is a different one, so maybe she'll like them now?"

"No, she's the same."

"So sometime in the future, we're going to send this Chibiusa to meet us in the past?" Mamoru asked, and Usagi nodded. "I studied at Harvard and I can't even wrap my head around that," He laughed and pulled her away from the crib. "You smell like alcohol. Did you go somewhere today?"

"Yes, we went out clubbing, the girls and I. It was a lot of fun!" She smiled, and Mamoru could tell her queenly mask was slipping bad. "And Minako-chan even got drunk! And did a lot of bad drugs!"

"Sounds like someone had a nice night."

Her mind briefly flashed her images of Ami and her news, but she pushed them away. Right now, she was Usagi and was genuinely happy for her friend. Tomorrow, she'd be Neo-Queen Serenity again, and that was when it'd be her problem to deal with again.

/+/

Underneath Mt. Sakurajima, there were cracks in the ground that allowed molten lava to be seen, heating the room and providing the ambiance of bubbles and growls. There wasn't much else of note in the hideout, everything was grey and rocky. That didn't really matter to the inhabitants though, as heat was their utmost priority. Aphrodite sat on a modified crystal, applying lipstick in a mirror. Hermes read in silence as she leaned against a wall, and Ares played with her dollhouse, making the dolls have miserable lives. Her playset was one of the bigger things in the hideout, and even then not by very much, as it only had two stories and was light enough to be carried by the handle. "'Mommy, I don't feel so good!' 'Oh, what's wrong with you, dear?' 'My stomach!'" She changed her voice to match the ages of the dolls. She kicked her feet in the air.

"Can you do something more productive?" Aphrodite demanded, standing over her in her heels. "Like helping us?" She put her hands on her hips, still holding the mirror and lipstick.

"I'm taking a break! What's so wrong with that?!" Ares huffed. "'Mommy, why is she being so rude to me?!'"

"What about your targets? Do you even have any emotions for us?"

"I got some." She lied.

"You got none and your target was a fraud! Remember what Her Majesty said. My plans are not only interesting, but useful." A shadowed figure joined them.

"What's your plan?" Aphrodite asked in boredom.

"Cakes that absorb the emotions of people who eat them, and transfer them to me, of course!" The woman stepped out of the shadows, revealing honey curls and matching eyes. She was muscular and tall and draped her body in an emerald robe and sheer shawl with a huge cut up her dress to expose her legs. She also wore a jeweled diadem. "It's simple, but effective,"

"Sure." Aphrodite rolled her eyes and walked away.

"You have no reason to be jealous! But you? I could usurp you. You're basically nothing but a young child who throws fits," The girl grinned evilly at Ares.

"Shut up, Zeus! I don't even care about that stuff!" Ares insisted, returning to her dolls.

"Hm." Zeus kept grinning at her.

Hermes briefly looked up from her book. "Besides, you should remember the emotions aren't for all of us, just for each of us. That's how we do it. She's trying to anger you."

Ares ignored her, but Aphrodite smirked. "You're too smart for your own good sometimes." She then looked over at a woman leaning against the wall, covered entirely in shadows so one couldn't make her out. She clasped her hands together.

"Queen Serenity…" She mumbled. "Soon we'll have our revenge…"