There's a storm brewing, and the group is embracing for the oncoming storm. After Minako has her brilliant moment and consults Ami, Ami has analyze data to figure out their next move. Can Ami figure out their next move before the Dark Kingdom comes knocking?

(Saturday Afternoon)

Usagi, her Sailor Guardians, Mamoru, and Ryo stood in the lobby of Mamoru's apartment building. They just stared outside as the rain pounded on Tokyo's streets.

"Ryo," Mamoru started as he turned to look over at the young man. "I don't suppose while we're fighting Kunzite or resurrecting Nephrite, that it's pouring like this?" He kept his hand in Usagi's for that connection.

"Uh…" Ryo stuttered. He was still kind of intimidated by the older male even though he clearly saw how wrapped up he was with Usagi.

Ami took Ryo's hand and squeezed gently. "It's okay," she assured him. "Just tell us about what you remember. What was the weather like?"

Ryo nodded. "Okay," he said. He closed his eyes and pictured the scene that gave him the key to resurrect Nephrite. He tried to picture the sky.

Mamoru had shifted to wrap his arm around Usagi's waist. When she had suggested they check it out now, everyone was all for it, but that was before the sky had opened up and started raining.

When Ryo opened his eyes, he looked over at Mamoru and said, "It looked like there was going to be an overcast."

"No rain?" Mamoru asked, looking for clarification.

"No rain," Ryo confirmed.

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi started.

"Usako, it's a possibility," Mamoru said, agreeing with her. "But the real question is when does the rain stop?" He pondered over the question.

"The rain still doesn't stop us from checking out that area," Minako said. She took out an umbrella from her purse and passed it to Rei. Then she took out another and passed it to Makoto.

"Prepared, are we?" Makoto asked, teasingly.

"Am I the only one that watched the weather report today?" Minako countered. When she looked around the group, everyone kept quiet. "That's what I thought. I thought all of us were a bit preoccupied about what happened last night with what Ryo told us."

Artemis, who was laying over Rei's shoulder, gave her a look. "I'm the one who had the news on," he reminded her.

"You?" Luna exclaimed. "I'm the one who turned it on to see if there were any reports about events that could be linked to the Dark Kingdom." She gave Minako and Artemis a look while she laid over Makoto's shoulder. "Learn to give where credit is due." The words that were coming out of her mouth weren't lost on her. She promised herself she was going to start doing the same thing, especially where Usagi was concerned. It was still an amazing feat what Usagi did last night and how she stood up for herself and her friends. She remembered what Artemis said; she was going to have to learn to trust Usagi.

"I still watched the weather report," Minako muttered as she passed out umbrellas to everyone. "I didn't say I was the one who turned it on." When she was about to pass an umbrella to Ami, Ami shook her head.

Ami took out her own umbrella out of her purse. "I'm always prepared," she reminded Minako.

Minako rolled her eyes. "So are we ready to blow this joint or what?" she asked everyone.

Without a word, Mamoru, who resisted the urge to roll his eyes, walked over to the doors leading outside with his arm around Usagi's waist and walked out the door while he opened up the umbrella when they stepped out.

Usagi hid her smile and swallowed her chuckle so Mamoru wouldn't be the wiser. She knew the whole thing had annoyed him because Minako was prepared.

"What?" Mamoru asked.

"You're not as mysterious as you think you are," Usagi teased. "I'm starting to peg you down, mister."

Mamoru sighed. "I don't want to be a mystery to you," he said, disagreeing. "I just want to love you."

"Well, you got that nailed down," Usagi confirmed and leaned into him while walking in tandem with him.

Behind Usagi and Mamoru, Ryo and Ami were sharing her umbrella and holding his hands. "All the information you're giving us is appreciated," Ami said.

"But you're afraid of using me too much," Ryo concluded.

"I suppose I am," Ami said. "I understand you want to do your part, but I don't want to hurt you or get you hurt either."

Ryo chuckled. "I've already accepted my feelings for you, and I have the resolve to know that if we do get the best possible outcome, that's enough for me," he promised her. "I still don't know when we will get the best possibility of what everyone gets out of it, including me." He looked ahead of him to Usagi and Mamoru. "The one thing I do get, do understand, is that as long as she's happy, you and the other three will sacrifice your own happiness for hers."

Ami's heartstrings tightened as she realized the decision she needed to make was getting harder on her. "You do see too much," she said.

"I didn't say it to make it harder on you," Ryo confessed to her. "I just wanted to let you know that I see you. I know you." He squeezed her hand for a moment. "Everything happens for a reason, Ami, and if you choose Zoisite over me, I will understand that you are following your heart. Okay?"

Ami linked her hands with his. "I still need a little bit more time," she told him.

"And that's fine," Ryo said. "I think there's time yet."

Behind them, Makoto, Minako, and Rei were each holding an umbrella. They knew that Usagi and Mamoru were talking just as Ryo and Ami were talking. "Do they know how irritating this is?" Rei asked.

Minako looked over at Rei. "Yes," she answered. "Especially Usagi."

"Do you agree that she knows the ramifications of the decision she made last night?" Artemis asked his partner.

"Yes," Minako said without hesitation. "Mamoru has that right. She loves us, and love, with the way she loves, is not selfish."

"She did it for him," Makoto agreed. "As much as she loves Mamoru and has the resolve to accept the decision has already been made, she's still going to feel guilty about the fact that decision pushed all of her friends to make a decision about love."

"Though I think we did get the short end of the stick," Rei stated, without a thought.

"Would you rather die?" Luna asked her quietly. She knew she pinned her with that one simple question.

"No," Rei said.

"So what then?" Minako asked, starting to get angry at Rei. "What you said last night to Mamoru isn't agreeing with you?"

"I meant every word I said to him last night, Minako," Rei fired back. "Especially about Usagi." She was angry that the insinuation had even been brought up or even considered. She may fight with Usagi, but she still loves her friend because she knew that they knew she couldn't help it. When it comes to Usagi, nobody can help but love her.

"Then what's going on with you?" Makoto asked.

"What do you think?" Rei said. "Yuuichirou…" She couldn't quite voice the thought as it was too unbearable to say, but she knew her friends would start to understand.

"Oh," Minako said, realizing that her friend had to pick between Yuuichirou and Jadeite.

Rei stared ahead watching Usagi with Mamoru. "I sat for hours last night after I got home in front of the Great Fire praying for answers or a premonition," Rei said. "I didn't get a single one, but then Yuuichirou walked into the room." She dropped her voice realizing now that in a way she was provided an answer and one she was still trying to come to terms with because of her gave her that answer. "He told me to follow my heart. Why is this so impossible?"

"Usagi would say the same thing," Makoto said, agreeing to the fact that Usagi would have told her to follow her heart.

"Did that make you decide to resurrect him?" Luna asked. She was already trying to figure out how to yield similar results for the Sailor Guardians.

"In a way, Luna, we are linked to her, to Usagi," Minako said. Her eyes furrowed in disbelief as she realized the weight of what she just said which made Rei, Makoto, Luna and Artemis what was going through Minako's mind. Then, without a word to any of them, she ran up to Ami and Ryo who she knew would want to analyze this aspect. "Ami…"

Ami and Ryo stopped to turn and to look at Minako. "Yes?" Ami said.

"Theory," Minako said to them. "There's no doubt that we are linked to Usagi as she is linked to us, and she is linked to Mamoru as he is to her. There's no doubt that each of us are linked to a certain Shitennou Knights as we are to them. Would it stand to theorize that Mamoru is linked to his Shitennou Knights as they are to him? Would it stand to theorize that Mamoru would be taking part in Nephrite's resurrection as well as Mako?"

Ami looked up at Ryo as gears in her head started to turn. "You only saw Mako's part?" she asked him. "Is it possible that you didn't see the whole ritual?"

Ryo paused as he thought about the vision. "It's possible," he said. "But as grand as my ability is, it isn't an exact science. If Mamoru has a part in this, it's a possibility he has a decision he needs to make as well." There could be other possibilities they hadn't considered.

Ami watched Ryo carefully. "Could some of it also be jumbled up because that is when Kunzite arrives?" Ami pondered. "Perhaps Mamoru has already made the decision, even unconsciously?" She knew Mamoru's primary concern would be to protect Usagi at all costs, and if that meant saving his Shitennou Knights, he would do so without question, without hesitation.

Ryo scratched his head. "They are both possibilities," he said, relieved to hear that Ami understood what he was trying to convey to them.

"We'll wait to tell them when we're in the forest," Ami said. There was something in her head that she was recalling, but she didn't want to voice it while the rain was dumping on them like this. She also wanted to do some data analysis, so she pulled her compact computer and hoped maybe it would provide more answers. She understood what Minako was explaining to her. "Let me do some data analysis. Then we can present it to the group."

"Okay," Minako said as she watched her genius friend already input the data.

Rei and Makoto with Luna and Artemis over their shoulders caught up to them. "What was that about?" Makoto asked.

"A theory," Minako answered who was proud of herself for coming up with it. "If it pans out, Ami will let us know."

"I mean, I wouldn't put it past it," Ami said. "If what they felt for them is the same way we feel for her, it does seem to hold up, but let me play with the data first."

"You have some ideas?" Luna asked.

"Yes," Ami answered, but that was all she was going to say until she could input the new data and go over it.

"Give her some time," Ryo said. "It's going to take us a bit to get to the forest in any case." He hoped they would get the hint.

"If anyone can do it," Artemis said confidently.

Ryo took Ami by the waist and started guiding her away from the group as she put in the data that was presented in her compact computer.

While they continued to walk, Ami muttered, "Thank you."

Ryo smiled and chuckled while they continued to walk.

Minako, Rei, Makoto, Luna, and Artemis stared after them. "Did that just happen?" Minako asked as they continued to walk.

"It certainly did," Artemis said. "Though, she'll figure it out."

"Did you see the look in her eyes?" Makoto asked.

"I did," Luna said. "There might be another tool or weapon that Mamoru is going to have to wield."

"Aren't most of her memories of the Silver Millenium of the books she read?" Rei asked them.

"Yes," Minako said. "She has some memories of tutoring Princess Serenity."

"Of course it has to do with education," Makoto said. "She told me that she remembered her first kiss with Zoisite was in the Palace Library."

"She's in the same boat as I am," Rei said. Then she looked over at Minako. "Kunzite?"

"I have thought about him," Minako said. "My situation with my past love is different from yours. I don't even know where or how to begin to know what I want."

"Well," Luna said. "It's best we do this one at a time." She looked over at Makoto. Luna remembered Nephrite when he visited the moon with Prince Endymion. Nephrite had been a negotiator for the Golden Kingdom. The word came to Luna suddenly realizing that she may know what Ami may be concluding, but she masked her thoughts as she trusted Ami.

At the front, Usagi had turned to see if her friends were behind them. "Where did they go?" she asked.

"They'll catch up," Mamoru told her. "We're all headed to the forest."

"You're right," Usagi said, knowing her friends will forever be there for her, just as she would be for them. "They'll catch up."

xXx

In the forest where Nephrite had died and then disappeared, the Sailor Guardians and Ryo had caught up to Usagi and Mamoru.

Ami walked up to Usagi and Mamoru who were standing together. She looked at Mamoru. "What do you remember of your home in our past lives?" she asked.

"Ami?" Usagi said.

"Wait," Mamoru said when his eyes widened. "The people of the Earth called it the Golden Kingdom."

Ami smiled knowing she could build on Minako's theory. "Do you remember anything about a Golden Crystal?" she asked him. "Or it's history?"

"Ami, what's with the twenty questions?" Usagi asked.

Mamoru had started to realize what Ami was getting at, she wanted data before she confirmed anything. "Hold on, Usako," he said. It took him a moment to remember the name of the particular story Ami was referring to. When he was growing up in the Golden Kingdom, his father had possession of the Golden Crystal, and the history of the Golden Crystal had been part of his education. "Are you referring to The Tale of Two Crystals? Does it have any bearing here?"

Ami smiled widened. "That's my exact thought," she told him. "I didn't remember the story until Minako spoke about connections." Ami explained Minako's theory to them. "It might most certainly have bearing here."

At this time, the group had gathered around them. "What's going on here?" Makoto asked curious as to what was going on.

"I think I have an idea," Luna said, who had mused about the subject as they walked to the forest. "The Tale of the Two Crystals?"

"I had forgotten you knew the library as well as I," Ami said. She remembered that she and Luna were the only ones in the palace that had read every book in the library and would converse about what they read.

"The Tale of the Two Crystals?" Artemis probed.

"Yes," Luna said. "Go ahead, Ami."

Ami nodded. "Many millennia before the Moon Kingdom or the Golden Kingdom had existed, the Gods had created two very powerful crystals, and at the time, they were called the Silver Crystal and the Golden Crystal. These crystals had been used in tandem to create our very solar system," she said and looked at Luna for confirmation, silently asking if she was on the right track.

Luna nodded. "Go ahead with the rest of it," she had urged Ami. Luna believed that Ami was definitely on the right track.

"With these crystals, they had created planets, moons, stars, and eventually people for each planet, moon, and star," Ami continued. "The Gods had decided that one planet and one moon would each get a crystal, and they chose the Earth and its Moon, making the Earth its kingdom who worship the sun and the Moon reigning over the rest of the Solar System. So the Monarch of the Moon received the Silver Crystal while the Monarch of Earth received the Golden Crystal. Even though the crystals were powerful by themselves, they still could be used in tandem which made them even more powerful. The Gods had made a pact with the Monarchs stating it was forbidden for either to form an alliance through love or through marriage, and if the pact was ever broken, there would be severe consequences. Over time, both crystals had been renamed the Legendary Silver Crystal and the Legendary Golden Crystal because of the feat they had made."

"The story was meant as a warning," Luna said. "But things still happen." She looked over at Usagi and Mamoru and smirked.

"Someone had to visit Earth and had to enjoy the feeling of the wind in her hair. She had to meet a handsome prince and had to fall in love with him," Minako said, teasing Usagi who blushed.

"If things are meant to happen, maybe this is a trial of sorts from the Gods," Ami said. That was one of her other thoughts. She remembered Queen Serenity asking her to do research because knew how her daughter felt about Prince Endymion. Before they got sidetracked even more, she continued, "But I think you carry the Golden Crystal inside you, Mamoru, much like the same way Usagi carried the Silver Crystal inside her."

"You think it's inside me?" Mamoru asked, understanding what Ami was theorizing. In the Golden Kingdom, he remembered the Golden Crystal his father of the past had on his cane, but he remembered his father's cane was white whereas his cane is black. He felt like there was something else, but it wasn't coming to him. He thought about the Moon Stick where the Legendary Silver Crystal had transfixed itself on when Usagi awoke as Princess Serenity; he knew the wand had once belonged to her mother. The similarities were too eerie to ignore.

"Yes," Ami said.

Mamoru thought for a moment, narrowing down on the reason why Ami was asking questions. "Do you think I'm needed for this ritual?" he asked Ami. "That Mako isn't the only one?"

"Connections," Minako said. "In a way, they are connected to you. Just the same way we're connected to Usagi."

"I think I understand," Mamoru said. He tightened his hold on Usagi as he formulated his own theory, perhaps also realizing what else Ami had theorized and hadn't revealed to the rest of the group as of yet. Something, or rather someone who was very important. "Maybe it's not just connections."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

Ami smiled. "Maybe it's love," she finished.

"You think she's a part of this as well?" Mamoru asked, knowing Ami knew exactly who he meant. He was not a fan of this theory at all.

"I do," Ami said.

"She who?" Usagi asked, not realizing they were talking about her.

Rei gave her a look, knowing the rest of the group realized they had been talking about Usagi. "Who do you think they mean?" Rei asked, nearly yelling at her.

It was more the way that Rei asked the question than what the question was. "Me?" Usagi asked. "How could I help Nephrite?"

"It's love, Usako," Mamoru explained, and looked at her pretty face. "You love me, and you love Mako."

Makoto smiled. "You would be assisting me and Mamoru," she told her friend.

"This would be the first time since the universe was created that the Legendary Silver Crystal and the Legendary Golden Crystal worked together," Artemis said, musing at the topic.

"Do we know where he died?" Makoto asked. She looked over at Ami who knew where he had died.

"It's a little further up," Ami said. She had her compact computer out which helped her determine where exactly he had died. Ami started forward, and the group followed her.

"Mamo-chan," Usagi said, "I still don't understand how I'm going to be a part of this ritual." She looked at him as they started forward following Ami.

"Usako," Mamoru said with a sigh. "Mako and I are connected to Nephrite, and you, my love, are connected to both me and to Mako because she and I are only connected through you."

Usagi stopped walking. "Wait," she said, starting to realize what her role was in bringing back the Shitennou Knights. "Am I a battery?"

Mamoru was afraid Usagi would come to that conclusion. "Not exactly, my love," he said. "More of a conduit. You're going to connect me and Mako."

"You're not happy about that, are you?" Usagi said. She had sensed something off about him while Ami was asking him questions, and now that she had voiced it the sense was going away. She had to guess he was acknowledging he was going to tell her what he was thinking.

"No, Usako," Mamoru said. "I'm not. I just don't want you to get hurt." He kissed her forehead knowing she had already decided that it was her duty to help them.

"You're not even going to ask me what my decision is?" Usagi asked him as she pointed to herself.

Mamoru smiled. "I already know what your decision is," he told her. "And so does everyone else here."

Usagi smiled at him. "So apparently, I'm not a mystery to you either," she told him, trying to lift his spirits and giving him the resolve he needed to accept her decision.

Mamoru laughed and leaned down to kiss her. "You wear your heart on your sleeve," he told her. "You're not a mystery to anyone."

"I think I can live with that," Usagi told him. "So how are we going to get the Golden Crystal out of you?"

"Now, that's a mystery," Mamoru said. "I think Ami might have a few ideas, and I have a feeling that you are part of it." He already had some theories, and with the ones he was formulating he didn't like.

"It's this connection thing, isn't it?" Usagi asked him.

"Now you're catching on," Mamoru told her as they continued walking, hand in hand, to where they needed to go.

xXx

When they had gotten to the clearing where Nephrite lost his life, it stopped raining, and the predicted overcast was certainly looming. Since they didn't know how much time they had, Ami had everyone transform as they knew Kunzite would try to interrupt them on the heels of resurrecting Nephrite.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stood together as Sailor Mercury wanted to run yet another scan on them, on Sailor Jupiter, and the surrounding area. "I don't know why she keeps running scans," Sailor Moon told him.

"Let's just indulge her," Tuxedo Mask said. "We are relying on her and on Ryo to figure out what needs to be done. We don't want any missteps that could lead us down the wrong path." Even the thought of her dying didn't sit well with him, and if they could avoid it, he would do anything to keep her safe.

"I suppose," Sailor Moon said and was surprised when he brought her against him. She thought he wouldn't be too into public displays of affection, and she would have been okay with a very limited amount.

"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "Tuxedo Mask!"

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask looked over at her as she walked over to them.

Sailor Mercury walked over to them. "You're going to hate this," she told him.

Tuxedo Mask sighed as he already guessed what her data analysis had confirmed. "We're going to have to recreate the emotions of what happened at Starlight Tower, aren't we?" he asked her.

Sailor Mercury nodded. "It's my best guess," she said. She was also starting to realize Tuxedo Mask was more perceptive than she initially gave him credit for, and she knew he would have to be since he wanted to be with Sailor Moon.

"How are we going to do that?" Sailor Moon wondered out loud. Her memories of Starlight Tower were sad ones and didn't wish to dwell on them.

When she had shivered involuntarily, Tuxedo Mask squeezed his arms around Sailor Moon a bit. "I'm right here," he promised her. "And even if you don't like it, we're going to have to talk about it."

Sailor Mercury looked from Tuxedo Mask to Sailor Moon. She thought it was probably best to let them figure out how to recreate their emotions, so they can do the ritual.

Sailor Moon laid her forehead on his chest as the fear crept up on her. She remembered being scared when they had been transported with him and trying to transform without him noticing she was Sailor Moon. When there was no choice because of that fireball from Zoisite, she did it anyway because she knew she had to save him. "I did what I had to," she told him. "It was all I could do." She looked up at Tuxedo Mask. "That icicle will always haunt me in my dreams, in my nightmares."

"But you woke up as Serenity," Tuxedo Mask said, pointing out that simple, yet complicated, fact. "Because you woke up as Serenity, we received our memories from the Silver Millenium and the Legendary Silver Crystal was formed." He cleared his throat. "My first thought when I woke up as Endymion was I knew I saved you."

Tears started to form and fall down from Sailor Moon's face. "You saved me, but I didn't save you," she told me.

Tuxedo Mask took her face in his hands. "You did save me," he said. "It took a few months, but you did save me." His eyes softened towards her. "I will forever remember waking for the second time and seeing your pretty face filled with relief and love. I was so flooded with relief as well that I couldn't stand it. It felt like my heart finally had a home; it feels like my heart finally has a home. I will always protect you because I love you." He leaned down and kissed her with so much love and devotion he had in his heart.

Sailor Moon met with equal fervor and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel the love and devotion he had for her, and she hoped he could feel the same things.

The Sailor Guardians and Ryo watched them as the Legendary Golden Crystal started to form from behind Tuxedo Mask. Without the couple realizing, they had turned into their royal forms. Sailor Moon as Princess Serenity in her long white flowing dress, and Tuxedo Mask as Prince Prince Endymion into his armor complete with his sword.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," Sailor Mercury stated with relief.

"I guess it's refreshing that sometimes you can be wrong, huh?" Sailor Venus asked, teasingly to Sailor Mercury.

"Uh…" Ryo started. "We need to hurry."

"You might want to hide," Sailor Jupiter suggested to Ryo. "We can take it from here."

"But you still need me to…" Ryo paused only when Sailor Mercury shook her head.

"No," she said. "I have an idea what else needs to be done, but we still need you for other things." Sailor Mercury took his hand. "We can't risk Kunzite seeing you and realizing how you are assisting us."

"But…"

"No," Sailor Mercury said again this time with more urgency. "I promise I have this." She squeezed his hand before letting go. "You go hide, Ryo." She knew he didn't want to. That he was more interested in protecting her than staying safe. "I won't forgive myself if anything happens to you." She knew she was adding on to his guilt, but she needed to make sure he stayed safe.

Ryo sighed, relenting. "Be careful," he said, walking away knowing where Kunzite would come from. It had already been discussed that he would hide when the fighting started, but he thought there would be more time.

Sailor Mars walked over to the royal couple. "We can't have you two locking lips while we need to figure out how to resurrect Nephrite," she told them.

When they had separated, the royal couple looked down at themselves and each other, thoroughly confused. "How do we transform like this without realizing?" Prince Endymion asked.

Sailor Mars pointed to the fully formed the Legendary Golden Crystal floating behind him. "The Legendary Golden Crystal had other plans," she told them.

Prince Endymion felt the urge to pull out his sword, and when he did so, his sword and the Legendary Golden Crystal started to resonate with each other. The sword transformed into a white cane and the crystal transfixed itself on the cane. "The Terrain Cane," Prince Endymion said with shock. When he took it, however, the cane transformed back into his sword and went back to his hands at the hilt. He sheathed the sword. "But we didn't even recreate our emotions." He looked at Princess Serenity in confusion.

Princess Serenity smirked. "In a way, Love, we did," she said. "Just by talking about our emotions from that day."

Sailor Mars looked from the princess to the prince. "So are you more them or more yourselves?" she asked, wondering how exactly that works. She knew they would understand her question.

"A bit of both," Princess Serenity said and looked over at Prince Endymion.

"That's accurate," Prince Endymion said. He saw the other Sailor Guardians coming down and Ryo walking away to go ahead. "My love, it's about showtime."

Princess Serenity nodded when the other three Sailor Guardians joined them. "Ryo said Jupiter would shout her transformation words," she said. "Around the time a fight breaks out?"

"Yes," Prince Endymion said. "And there's no time like the present. Shall we?"

Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, and Sailor Jupiter formed a circle. The three of them closed their eyes.

"Jupiter Power, Make Up!"

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

The words just came to Prince Endymion. "Terrain Prism Power, Make Up!"

All of a sudden a flash of lightning struck down from the sky aiming in the middle of the circle of Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, and Sailor Jupiter, and none of them were prepared for what was going to happen next.

Yes, I left off on a bit of cliffhanger. The only clue that you have is that Kunzite attacks them. What happened? Only time will tell.