AN: I am considering a massive change for this fanfic and Kazeko, so if you are interested and want to offer your opinion, please read the author's note at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 20: Jupiter Oak Evolution

February 17, 8983

Ken'nin had not expected to see his sister again for months, and the woman he found standing in the courtyard of Io Castle was not the same carefree young woman he had watched leave with Ami. Makoto's emerald eyes were hard and full of a strange sorrow he couldn't understand, but she wore her green hair loose around her shoulders and had chosen a dress instead of her traditional armor. By her side, Ami was also somber, the knowledge in her sapphire eyes almost frightening the prince. He could tell by their proximity that his sister had pursued a relationship with the Mercurian despite the laws that should keep them separate, but they were both relaxed and calm, so perhaps his fears were unfounded. Saiki and Eiki joined him moments later as Ken'nin glanced at the rest of the visitors, assuming them to be Makoto's fellow senshi.

The Martian he recognized without hesitation; as a fellow warrior he had watched Rei's epic battle with her mother for the henshin stick only days after the incident, and her bright crimson hair would give her away on any world. Her amethyst eyes were dark, serious, and worried, as though she knew something about the future that frightened her. Beside Rei, her golden hair gleaming in the sun, the princess of Venus watched the princes approach with emotionless blue eyes, her stance that of a leader who worried about nothing. Beside her, almost identical to her in every way except for hair style, the High Princess of the Moon had an innocent, carefree light in her eyes despite the dark despair that gripped her senshi. A slender, beautiful woman with wavy aqua hair stood behind the young Lunarian, sapphire-tinted teal eyes focused on the small mirror in her hand. From the symbol on the back of the mirror, she was clearly Sailor Neptune, but Ken'nin had not heard that Shousha had passed her henshin stick to her daughter. Beside her, emerald eyes narrowed as he stared at the mirror in Michiru's hand, a tall blonde completed the group, his stance at ease but the sword on his hip indicating that he was ready to fight at a moment's notice. He raised his head as Eiki joined his brothers, and Ken'nin felt himself stiffen in shock.

He knew that green-eyed Uranian. His mind flew back to the Ganymede Invitational Tournament, three years after Makoto won by pretending to be him and his mother had forced the organizers to chang the rules to allow women to compete. He had accepted a judge's seat that year, and he had watched in breathless awe as Rinae, High Duchess of Callisto, battled another woman, the tall Uranian princess, and Haruka had fought more fiercely than Ken'nin had expected from a non-Jovian. Her father hadn't bothered to come as she received the greatest warrior accolade Jupiter could bestow, but she had been tall and proud as she stood alone and grinned at Ken'nin as he slipped the medal over her neck. Her suit had been finely tailored but definitely masculine, and her eyes had been so intense . . . like looking into the depths of a furious storm cloud filled with emerald light. He would never forget those eyes for as long as he lived, and as the blonde's gaze met his curiously, Ken'nin knew that the tall Uranian had to be Princess Haruka.

Haruka chuckled from across the courtyard, stepping away from the group of senshi to face the three princes. Makoto and Rei looked up as she passed them, her good mood lifting their grim spirits, even Minako relaxing as the Uranian walked forward. "I never thought I'd see you again, Prince Ken'nin of Jupiter."

"I can honestly say you are the last person I thought I'd see here, on Io, with my sister and the other senshi."

"What can I say? This is where I belong." She glanced over Ken'nin's shoulder at his younger brothers, raising one eyebrow in a silent query.

"Mother and Father send their regrets. They are in the middle of a review of the troops before their trip to Titan and will not be able to meet you until the evening meal. They sent me to see to it that you are supplied for your trek through the rainforests of Metis." He pulled his brothers forward into the group of senshi, hugging his sister briefly before facing the blonde. "Welcome to Jupiter, Princess Haruka."

Michiru glanced up at her wife, the only princess not surprised that Ken'nin recognized the blonde. "So this is one of those handful of lucky people who have met you?"

"He judged the Ganymede Invitational the year I won," Haruka replied, hands in her pockets. "I'm going by Rukaze, son of the Fourth War Queen Ono Hikari."

"Who are you hiding from?"

"Everyone," Haruka shrugged, glancing at the two surprised men standing behind Ken'nin. "Your younger brothers?"

"Yeah. Saiki and Eiki. They won't tell anyone your secret." He waved a hand at the servants standing near the doors to the palace, watching as they collected the princess's baggage and carried it inside. "We assigned you guys one of the towers for the night. I wasn't sure if you would stay more than one day since the meeting on Titan is only three days away and you might want to sleep here since Queen Yumemi is not known for her hospitality." He glanced at his sister for an answer, but it was Minako who made the decision for her senshi and their Moon Princess.

"It's probably a good idea, actually. When are your parents leaving for Titan?"

"Tomorrow night, I believe. The royal ship will only take a few hours to complete the trip, and Mother doesn't want to spend the night on Saturn. I was thinking that maybe we could go with you to Metis and talk."

"About what?" Makoto's voice was sharp, demanding, and Ken'nin accepted that she would be suspicious of his intentions.

The Jovian embraced his sister and smiled, his green eyes warm. "I'm not going to tell you not to be with Ami. I can see that she grounds you and makes you happy."

"I'm going to marry her."

Saiki let out a noise that registered somewhere between a squeal and a grunt, shock evident in his ice green eyes. "What? Mako . . . that's not legal."

"It will be when I'm queen." She stood taller, slipping her hand into the comfort of Ami's grasp, letting the genius give her strength. "You guys know me and you know . . . you know the kind of partner I have been looking for my whole life. I've always wanted someone to protect, someone who needs me, but I never knew how much I needed . . . I don't know how to say this." She glanced at Ami, running her fingers through her short blue locks before continuing. "I need someone to protect me from myself, and that's her. I love her, Ken, more than I thought I could ever love anyone. Mother and Father might not ever understand, but I hoped that the three of you would."

Eiki stepped forward, embracing his sister and Ami in silence, never one for words when actions would suffice. Ken'nin nodded and Saiki reached out to take Makoto's hand, pale eyes boring into his older sister. "Ken told us about your feelings for Ami after we left the ship. He said that she was the kind of person you could fall in love with, but he worried about the consequences if you did. I've never seen you more centered in your life, sister, but you aren't an impulsive person. Have you thought about the future, about the heir you must one day have?"

Makoto nodded, smiling at her younger brother. "Ami and I are going to take consorts who will impregnate us through artificial insemination. Her little brother already offered to be mine whenever we are ready, and I was hoping that one of you would be hers."

"Would it prevent us from marrying and having our own families?"

"No, Ken; it's just a title. The consort fathers a child in place of the queen's mate when the mate is infertile or otherwise incapable of doing so, but it's not marriage."

"I would do it," Eiki whispered, the quietest royal child smiling at his sister. His hair was only a few shades darker than Makoto's wavy locks, and his eyes were almost the same intense emerald green as hers. "I'm the most like you, in any case. If being with Ami makes you happy, then I will help you in any way I can."

"Thank you," Makoto whispered, pulling Eiki into a warm hug.

Haruka tapped the Jovian princess on the shoulder, interrupting the family reunion. "Hey, Thunder; if your mother isn't here, how are you going to get your keystone?"

"You mean this thing?" Ken'nin reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a golden chain attached to a small, round emerald. "Mother told me that she forgot to hand it to you when you received your henshin stick but that it truly belongs to Sailor Jupiter." Makoto took it with a grateful smile, slipping the chain over her neck. "What's it for? Why do you need it so badly?"

"Because we're going hunting, and this stone can find what we're looking for."

Ken'nin shrugged when his sister offered no further explanation. "Well, if you're heading to Metis, you definitely need Jovian armor. Your senshi uniforms are way too bright and revealing for that rainforest. Makoto has her own set, I know, and I'm sure Saiki can find armor for the rest of you women. Haruka, however . . . I suppose you want male armor." The blonde nodded. "Well, you're taller than Mako, so you'd probably fit in a set of my armor just fine. If you want to come with me, Makoto can take the rest of you to her ladies-in-waiting and have you dressed."

"Metis isn't like the rest of our moons." Makoto tightened the straps of her bracers and slipped a small knife into the sheath on the outside of each one as the group of senshi and princes waited next to the shuttle pad. "For one thing, it's the closest moon to Jupiter, and it's tidally locked to the gas giant. It's not the smallest of our moons, but without the massive gravity and magnetic field generators we installed millennia ago, our scientists suspect that it would be a tiny, lifeless, asymmetrical lump of rock in danger of constant bombardment by other moons and rogue solar system objects, existing only to add debris to the slender rings of Jupiter. We put a lot of effort into keeping the moon alive and safe because it was the place chosen for the signing of the peace contract that ended the Wars of Unification. There is a small town at the landing and treaty site, but most of the world is a wildlife sanctuary protected by the same artificially lit domes used on all of our main moons. On Jupiter, wildlife sanctuary really means that everything on that moon is either poisonous or deadly. The same gravimetric and magnetic technology that keeps Metis habitable prevents transportation onto the surface, blocking even our own senshi power. Once we land, we will have to trek through the forest to the Tosha Plains, and then walk back. There are no land vehicles and we will not be able to teleport if we get into some sort of danger."

"Sounds like fun," Haruka replied dryly, watching as a small shuttle landed on the pad next to them. "Are all of your moons so nice?"

Makoto grinned as she led the group onto the shuttle, helping Serenity up the steps as her brothers brought up the rear. All of them wore the traditional green and rust brown armor of her people, dark brown half-cloaks on every back, her brothers having insisted on carrying all of the supplies. They boarded the shuttle quickly, taking their seats for the five-minute hop around the gas giant to the tiny rainforest moon.

"What's the keystone for?"

"When we get to the Tosha Plains, I can use it to search for the Thunder Cry Crystal. That's the planet crystal of Jupiter, the stone that used to give Sailor Jupiter the power to transform."

"And you think you can find it as easily as that?" Makoto waved her hand at Ami, the Mercurian pulling a small crystal from her pouch, Rei and Minako mirroring her action. Ken'nin nodded in acceptance, using his staff to push another set of hanging vines out of the way as the group continued forward. "Are you all looking for your crystal?"

"Yes. We found a list of the locations where they were hidden three thousand years ago, and it seems like the right time to collect them again."

"They'll give you the full power of the planets, don't they? Why do you need that?"

Minako avoided Ken'nin's gaze, her senshi equally silent as they carefully jumped across a small stream. "Does it have something to do with the meeting on Titan?" Eiki's words were soft, but demanding, and Minako sighed.

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell us what it is?"

"We don't know yet, not really," Minako replied, brushing her hair away from her face. "We think that something is trying to make Sailor Saturn rise, but we won't know for sure until after the meeting on Titan."

"You don't know what having the full power of the crystal means, do you?"

"We know that our ancestors had it and were more powerful. Sailor Pluto is the only senshi to still have full access to her planet's power, so maybe she has the answer."

"Having the answer does not mean she will answer the question," Rei pointed out sagely, stopping just behind Makoto at the edge of a tranquil-looking river. The Jovian held her staff out, over the water, her emerald eyes narrowed. Rei summoned her bow and Haruka drew her sword, both sensing that their fellow warrior was searching for danger.

"This is known as the River of Deception. It flows from the mountains along the equator to the sea at the south pole, and it carries so many types of dissolved heavy metals that we stopped trying to analyze the water hundreds of years ago. From what we can tell, the primary one is mercury, which is present in such a high concentration that the water has a silvery sheen to it. That's the main reason everything on this world is toxic; mercury poisoning killed off the original colony here six thousand years ago before we turned it into a nature preserve."

"So . . . don't drink the water?"

Ami leaned down by the edge of the river, sapphire eyes widening as her computer analyzed the liquid before her. "Rei would be correct. I would suggest you avoid touching the water in this particular river, in point of fact. I'm surprised at how low the atmospheric mercury is with the concentration in the water this high."

The Jovian shrugged, her brothers already fanning out along the banks to search for a way to cross the silvery water. "The life here is adept at utilizing mercury compounds, but we have sensors in the dome to detect dangerously high levels of a number of toxins, including mercury. The dome over the city scrubs the metals out of the air and water, making it safe to live there, but if we scrubbed the air here, all of this plants and animals would likely die."

"Makoto! I found a place we can cross."

The Jovian nodded at her brother's call, leading the senshi and their princess up a small slope to a rock jutting over the river's silvery surface. A cluster of huge trees towered overhead, reaching almost to the other bank, and dozens of thick, strong vines hung down from the trees' canopies. Ken'nin and Eiki pulled a few of the vines to test their strength, seemingly satisfied with the result. Haruka crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the three princes. "You've got to be kidding."

Ken'nin shrugged. "Do you have a better idea? These vines are strong and long enough to get us to the other bank without issue." He wrapped the vine around his upper arm, grabbing lower with his left hand, judging the distance across the river as he jumped. He swung across the silvery surface confidently, reaching out to grab one of the vines on the other side of the river and coming to a stop in the spongy green grass. "It seems safe enough. You should all have your weapons ready just in case."

Rei raised her bow and readied a flaming arrow, staring at the silver water, amethyst eyes intense. Minako summoned her chain as Haruka glanced at Serenity, touching her wife's hand in a question. Michiru smiled and nodded; she would be fine to cross on her own but someone had to carry their princess, and Haruka was the likely choice. Eiki crossed the river next, Makoto and Saiki watching their brothers as the Jovians listened for any danger in the forest. "Okay, who's going next?"

"We are," Haruka replied, pulling Serenity forward with her. "I'm taking the princess across. Do we have a way to secure her to my back?"

Makoto pulled on one of the smaller vines, letting Haruka cut it down before turning to Serenity. "Ok, jump up on her back."

Haruka crouched down and waited for Makoto to help Serenity climb up, settling the small blonde and standing so the Jovians could secure her with the vine in their hands. Serenity rested her chin on Haruka's shoulder, sighing. "Is this really necessary? I can swing across just like the rest of you."

"It's not about whether you can," Haruka replied, her voice a soft purr, "but we're your protectors and we aren't going to risk anything going wrong."

Makoto finishing slipping the straps between Haruka's legs, blushing the entire time, Saiki pulling the rope over the Uranian's shoulders. He crossed the ends of the vine across the blonde's flattened chest, ice green eyes narrowed in contemplation as he finished tying the knots. "Do you even have breasts?"

Haruka grunted as Michiru giggled, the Neptunian's reaction answering the prince's question. Serenity laughed over Haruka's shoulder, nudging the blonde with her knee in a silent request to answer Saiki. "Yes, I have breasts," Haruka replied, her gruff tone amused. "My planet is harsh and unforgiving, so we don't exactly grow large and ungainly. Your Jovian women have cornered the market on that size." She waved one hand at Makoto, who easily had the largest bosom in the group, watching as the other warrior blushed.

Haruka reached up for the nearest strong vine, tugging on it experimentally and testing her new center of gravity at the same time. Wrapping the vine around one wrist as she had seen Ken'nin do, the Uranian pushed off of the small rocky outcropping, swinging across the silver river without incident. Ken'nin and Eiki caught Haruka and helped her land, walking a few paces away from the river's edge and helping Serenity down. Saiki followed them moments later, catching Ami as she landed and joined Haruka guarding the princess. The Mercurian and Uranian stared across the river in silence as Makoto helped Michiru grip the heavy vine and pushed her across the water. Haruka stepped forward and caught her siren, smiling in relief to have her wife beside her again. She had felt a twinge of danger while Michiru was swinging across the water, almost as if something sinister was watching them, but Haruka was willing to believe that she had just been worried about having her lover out of arm's reach.

Makoto joined the group on the lower side of the river, standing with Ami and Serenity while her three brothers turned to guard them against threats from the forest. On the other side of the river, Minako whispered something to Rei as she uncoiled her chain, the Martian's arrow still pointed at the peaceful river. Rei nodded once, obediently, as Minako swung her chain into the branches overhead, the magical talisman securing itself so its senshi could safely cross the water. As soon as Minako landed, Haruka joined her, something in the blonde's eyes worrying the Uranian. "What?"

"She has a bad feeling about the river," Minako replied, swinging the end of her chain back to her lover. Her blue eyes watched as Rei caught the chain, letting her bow vanish as she wrapped the glowing metal around her wrist and prepared to leap. Michiru joined Haruka at the river bank while Minako joined Ami and Makoto beside Serenity. The senshi stared across the placid river in silence as the Martian pushed off, swinging across as easily as the others had, her booted feet reaching for the safety of the river bank.

They had all been expecting something to happen, everyone on edge as they pondered the dangers of the silent forest, but in the instant of the attack no one was able to respond. Rei screamed as a huge reptilian creature leaped out of the water, its jaws engulfing her leg as its serrated teeth tore through her armor and into her skin. Her warrior instincts took over in that instant of agony, fire covering her slender form as she incinerated the creature, Minako's chain releasing her as flames covered the surface of the river. Haruka and Makoto were by her side in an instant, catching the flame senshi as her power faded, the creature a pile of ash on the river bank as the silver surface calmed once more.

Haruka pulled the unconscious Martian away from the water, eyeing the jagged slices in her thigh as Minako's talisman landed beside them in a pile, its senshi still holding back. The leader of the Outer Senshi looked up at the leader of the Inner Senshi, cringing from the pain in Minako's eyes. She stood alone beside Serenity, one arm held in front of the High Princess to keep her from running forward toward the river that had spawned the monster, tears in her own eyes as she watched her lover fall. Haruka stood, letting Makoto and Ami tend Rei while she and Michiru walked over to Minako.

"Go on," Haruka whispered.

"Someone has to protect the princess."

"I know. We will. Go to her." Minako smiled at the taller woman gratefully, joining the other Inner Senshi as Haruka pulled the crying princess into her arms. "She's going to be alright; don't worry."

"It tried to eat her," Serenity whispered, tears streaming from her eyes. Michiru placed a comforting hand on the blonde's back, her eyes meeting Haruka's over the girl's head. No one else had realized the choice Minako made in the instant of the attack, but they had seen the indecision in her eyes. She had wanted to run to her lover, help the Martian, but that would have left the princess unprotected, and a senshi's first duty was to Serenity. Minako had chosen her princess over her soul mate, a choice that none of them had ever wanted to face.

"If it is a choice between you and her," Haruka whispered, emerald eyes stormy; "I will always choose her."

"I know," Michiru whispered, teal eyes understanding. "I would, as well."

"But if the price of my choice was your life, I would follow you into death."

"I know." Michiru linked her fingers with Haruka's, their free hands still comforting their princess. "The Sailor Pluto who ordered the creation of the keystones must have feared this. She thought we would sacrifice our princess for each other."

"She should have known better," Haruka replied, resting her chin on Serenity's head. The two senshi turned to the river, hoping that Rei would be alright.

Ami shook her head as she examined the wounds, Minako's fear and desperation pulsing off her in waves. Dozens of small, jagged wounds covered the Martian's leg almost to her hip, her leather armor shredded and useless. The creature had only managed to hold on for a second, and Rei hadn't made the mistake of trying to pull away, so the wounds were not nearly as bad as they could have been. Even with senshi healing, she would not be able to walk on that leg for at least a day. "These bites are deep and certainly infected. A predator like that must have all sorts of bacteria in its saliva. I can give her something for the pain and I can treat the metal poisoning—"

"Metal poisoning?" Blue eyes wild, Minako pulled Rei into her lap, running her fingers through the unconscious woman's red hair.

Makoto grabbed Minako's hand, emerald eyes dark. "Minako, please control your emotions. Ami can't think with you so wound up. It was only a Lortest Basiil, and a small one at that. She passed out from using so much of her power so fast, not from anything it did."

"But Ami said metal poisoning . . . why would a creature from a river filled with mercury bother poisoning its victims with heavy metals?"

Ami finished cleaning the wounds and bandaged them, tapping a command into her computer as she replicated something to neutralize the metals contaminating Rei's blood. Some of the larger gashes required stitches, but the clear sutures she used would be absorbed by the Martian's body when she finished healing. "They don't, but everything here is saturated with mercury compounds and other ionized metals. Her blood toxicity level is ridiculously high just from the water that entered the wounds. She's going to be fine, Minako; please calm down."

The blonde finally gained control of her fear as Ami injected a pale liquid into Rei's arm, leaning over the Mercurian's shoulder and watching as her lover's vitals seemed to return to normal. Her conversation with Rei months ago about her power as Sailor Venus returned to her, and she knew that she had to learn to control her own emotional outbursts for the sake of her team. "How long will she sleep?"

"She used a lot of power. I'm not an expert on senshi strength just yet, but I think that she could be out for a while. Her reaction was instinctual and therefore overkill, so burned herself out. Someone is going to have to carry her the rest of the way."

"I'll do it," Haruka offered, leading Serenity closer once it was clear that the danger had passed. "I'm the only one strong enough who isn't a Jovian, and we need them to be free to navigate the forest."

Minako reluctantly released Rei as Makoto lifted the limp Martian, positioning her on Haruka's back and using a few nearby vines to secure her in place. "You'll be careful?"

"Of course I will," Haruka replied, "you just worry about protecting Serenity."

Minako nodded, taking the High Princess's hand as Makoto prepared to move forward again, the three Jovian princes behind Haruka while Michiru and Ami flanked the Uranian. Pulling Serenity forward, Minako fell into step behind Makoto, hoping that the rest of their trek through the forests of Metis would be uneventful.

Makoto sighed in relief as she stepped out from under the shade of the trees onto an empty, blue-grassed plain, the artificial sun nearly set on the other side. "Finally."

"Tosha Plains?"

Makoto nodded at her leader, letting her staff vanish as she pulled the keystone free and held it up. A tiny green light in the center of the stone began to pulse, indicating that they were finally reaching their destination. "Everyone, drink something quickly; we can't move slowly across these plains. From the level of light in this stone, my planet crystal is at least two hours' walk away and we can't be exposed on the plains for that long."

The senshi obeyed her, Ami grabbing her wrist in confusion. "What do you mean, Mako? There's nothing out there."

"Nothing you can see," Eiki retorted, stowing his weapons and making sure that each one was safely strapped to his armor. His brothers echoed his actions, clearly preparing for something while everyone took a moment to quench their thirst. "The Tosha plains are named for the single predator that lives here, giant bird-like creatures called Tosha Ris that prey on anything that moves through the grass. They hunt by sensing the electrical pulses of their prey, and the bigger they are, the tastier they look. We're not the largest thing out here, but we're going to look yummy. The best way to cross is to run, get into the hills in the center before the sun sets completely. They hunt at night and during the morning, but they sleep during the hottest part of the day so we are safe for another hour. After that, we might all end up like Rei."

"Everyone transform," Haruka ordered, glancing at Minako. "I can use my power to help us run faster, but I can't carry Rei while I do it."

"As Sailor Venus, I'll be strong enough." The blonde transformed, letting Makoto shift the still-sleeping Martian onto her back. She took a moment to become accustomed to the redhead's weight, nodding as the rest of the senshi also transformed. "Neptune, can you carry Serenity? With Mars unconscious, Jupiter has the best offensive power if those birds find us, so I need her free to act."

"Of course," the older woman replied, smiling as she urged the young princess onto her back. The three princes moved into the center of the group with Neptune and Venus, Jupiter in the lead with Mercury behind her and Uranus taking the rear position at Neptune's heels. Closing her eyes, the blonde summoned her wind, carefully wrapping it around herself and her companions. Opening her eyes, she nodded at Jupiter, and the group took off.

She had never run so fast in her life. The sword on her hip pulsed in joy at the raw power flowing through her lean form, her emerald eyes glowing. She loved running, she loved speed, but she could already feel the drain of carrying so many people along with her. They had only been running for twenty or so minutes, but Haruka was tiring.

Serenity glanced back over her shoulder, reaching out with one hand and touching Uranus's shoulder. Haruka gasped as power filled her, a strange, pure power that she could neither identify nor understand. Serenity just smiled, the golden moon on her forehead glowing, as she offered the power of her birthright to her senshi. Nodding in acceptance, Uranus tightened her web of wind around the group and pushed, moving them even faster. Less than a handful of minutes later she sensed it, danger at the limits of her perception as the sun settled on the edge of the horizon. "Jupiter!"

"I know! I sense them, too. They're coming."

"Your power is electricity. Can you mask us?"

Jupiter raised her hands to the sky, concentrating as she summoned lightning to her fingertips. Throwing her hands out to the sides, she blanketed the area with electricity, trusting Uranus's wind to protect the group while she tried to confuse the birds' senses. They were quickly nearing the safety of the hills, but the two warriors could still sense the approach of the predators, and both of them were tiring. Uranus pulled with all of her strength, forcing the group to come to an abrupt stop as she reached out and grabbed Jupiter's arm. Neptune knelt beside the pair of them, letting Serenity slide to the ground. "I don't think they're fooled by the electricity," Jupiter admitted, her eyes sparking with the effects of her power.

"We need to spread it further, make it cover more of the plains." Uranus grabbed the Moon Princess's hand, emerald eyes meeting light blue. "Can you do that again? The thing with your power?" Serenity nodded slowly, the moon appearing on her forehead again. "Give some to Jupiter, too." The green-haired senshi took the princess's free hand, gasping as the same pure, brilliant power filled her frame, the pale blue-green lightning overhead spreading across the plains. Uranus's wind followed, scattering the electricity into a fine net, masking the group as the flock of predatory birds moved closer. The senshi stared at the sky, motionless, as a dozen huge shadows passed overhead, the birds ignoring them in favor of other prey deeper in the plains. As soon as the foreboding sense of danger passed, Uranus and Jupiter released their power, the group relaxing as they stood to finish their trek toward the hills.

"What was that?"

"Hmm?"

Jupiter waved a hand at the Moon Princess, confusion in her emerald eyes. "What was that power? It was strong but not distinct from my own . . . it was like it magnified my own powers beyond what I would normally be capable of."

Mercury, glancing at her computer as she walked beside Serenity, shrugged at her lover's explanation. "That seems to be what happened. Serenity catalyzed your own strength, letting you pull on your planets' life forces in ways that you can't on your own. I've never heard of a princess having senshi-like powers before, though."

"I have," Venus murmured, glancing at the princess. "She has, too."

"Just stories," Serenity countered, running her fingers nervously through her hair. "I have heard that sometimes the line of Serenity can produce senshi, but it's very rare. The princess has to have a balanced power in addition to the light of the ginzuishou, and she never has the power to fight, only heal. But what I feel . . . it's not healing."

"No, it's something more. You're not a senshi, either. And what does that mean, a balanced power? The strength of the Serenity Line comes from light alone."

"In the beginning of the Silver Millennium, there were three gods," Serenity replied, glancing at the ground to avoid the rocks that had begun to appear around them as they climbed into the hills. Jupiter's keystone had begun to glow brightly as they entered the hilly part of the Tosha Plains, indicating that they were nearing the end of their trek. "Serenity was the goddess of purity and healing, Tranquility was the god of power and light, and the third one, the unnamed daughter of Hades, was the goddess of darkness and strength. Her name might be lost, but her power is still alive in my lineage. I think the balance means that I have some of her dark power inside me."

"Why would that make you stronger?"

"You can't have light without the darkness," Uranus replied, reaching back to help Neptune climb over a rocky outcropping. "Having the darkness would magnify her light, make her stronger. That could be the catalyst."

"I'm not the first. I've found stories in the Royal Archives of a ninth senshi, Sailor Moon. There have been two in recorded history, and I think I might be the third."

"That's why you wanted to come with us," Uranus realized. "You wanted to see if you could force your powers to manifest."

"It's working. I feel different, stronger. If I can figure out how to transform . . ."

"Why do you want to fight so badly? We're your warriors, here to protect you so that you don't have to face the darkness."

"Because it's going to be too strong, Jupiter. It's going to consume my entire kingdom and I don't think we can defeat it without the cleansing power Sailor Moon is rumored to have. I don't want to fight, but I think I have to."

Jupiter led the group in silence for a few minutes, the keystone glowing as they climbed the last of the hills, stopping dead at the sight that met her. At the base of the verdant hills, protected from the fierce storms that ravaged the open Tosha Plains, a copse of golden trees surrounded a stone temple, blue vines heavy with red flowers covering the walls. "I think this is the place."

"Why is there a building here? No one has ever lived on Metis beyond the city."

"I don't know, Ken, but my planet crystal must be inside." She summoned her staff once more, ready to clear the foliage so the group could enter the building, lightning sparking from the end of her talisman providing the only illumination for the group as the artificial sun finally set. "Shall we?"

AN: I know it's been a while, but I had to go to the dentist early this week and my drug-induced sleep lasted for the two days I normally write. Tooth pain since has been making it hard to update but here is the chapter on Jupiter! Next chapter is Titan and the Full Council meeting you have been waiting for. Also, I have been thinking about my fics recently and I realized that so much of this story is not wrapped up or answered until Kazeko, such as the identity of Serenity's father, the Sailor Sol thing, and Setsuna's own happiness. I am considering a merging of the two fanfics once this one is completed, because you can't really understand Kazeko without reading this one, and this one is going to have quite the unhappy ending if you don't read Kazeko. If that happened, the title would probably still be The Last Sacrifice but it would have Part 1: The End of the Silver Millennium for the first however many chapters, then Part 2: Kazeko for the next couple dozen. There would certainly be a slight rewrite on Kazeko to make sure everything fits correctly and that the style is the same, but the fic would most like be over 250k words. If you have an opinion for or against or suggestions about the titles, please let me know either in your reviews or private mail. You guys are the readers and I want your opinions on this.