Author's Note: I'd like to take the opportunity to wish everyone who's reading this chapter on the day it was posted (11/28/24) a happy Thanksgiving.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor to I own the works of H.P. Lovecraft or Robert W. Chambers.

Chapter 9: Sandra's Pride

Constance slowly awoke to discover she was in an unfamiliar room. She was still fully clothed in her uniform, though her hat was hanging from the headboard and her gun was missing. It took Constance a few moments to recall what had happened the previous night. Upon remembering the living skeletons that had attacked her and the mysterious super-powered strangers who had come to her rescue, the police officer couldn't help but wonder if what she recalled was really just some strange nightmare. She even thought perhaps she ate some bad fish for dinner before heading out on her nightly patrol and had some sort of bad hallucination.

After getting out of bed and retrieving her hat, Constance cautiously headed for the door. Just as she was about to try the knob to see if the door was locked when suddenly it opened on her. She looked down and saw Erica standing in front of her.

"Ah! Good morning, Officer Marbury," Erica greeted. "I was just coming to check and see if you were up. You'll find your sidearm in the top drawer of the nightstand. Right now we're having breakfast if you'd like to come down and join us."

With those words, Erica left. Constance stood rooted in front of the open door for several moments trying to figure out what was going on. It didn't seem like she was being held captive. The brown-haired police officer went over and checked the top drawer of the nightstand. Sure enough, her gun was there and still fully loaded. Constance holstered her sidearm and slowly left the room. She came downstairs and quickly found a small dining room where Yoko and the others were eating at the table.

Constance stood in the doorway and placed her hand on the handle of her gun. "Alright! I don't know what the bloody hell is going on here, but I have half a mind to rest the lot of ya!"

"Odd way to thank us for saving your life," Yoko remarked as she sliced her knife into one of Makoto's pancakes.

"There's no need to be afraid," Makoto assured her. "We aren't going to hurt you."

"And we aren't holding you captive," Erica added. "You're free to leave whenever you wish."

"Though you should stick around for this breakfast first," Nao recommended as he held up a piece of sausage with his fork. "My girlfriend is one hell of a cook."

Constance took her hand off her gun but crossed her arms. "So all of you are the ones who saved my life last night."

"That's right," Hotaru confirmed. "And we kept you here for your own protection."

"The monster who came after you last night is likely going to come after you again," Yoko added. "Your name's Constance, right? Tell me something, did you ever receive a strange black brooch in the mail from a secret admirer?"

"Actually…I did," Constance admitted. "There was something creepy about it though, so I didn't even take it out of the box. My flatmate Amanda though, she thought it was charming. I let her have it, and a few days later she got sick."

"So your friend was unfortunately one of the first young women to have died from these brooches," Erica deduced. "I take it the one you received is the one currently in the custody of Scotland Yard?"

Constance nodded. "It is. Wait, you're saying I was targeted?"

"You were the intended victim," Yoko confirmed. "Mortimer Wyld, or I guess I should say Patchwork Wiley, is after you because you resemble an ancestor of yours. He couldn't get to you using his usual method, so he decided to just try and kill you while you were out on the street."

Constance shook her head. "Hold on. I still don't know who any of you people are. And how do you all know so much about what's going on?"

"That'll take some time to explain," Yoko told her. "For starters, my name's Yoko Renard. Last night you saw me as the Solar Knight, Khepri."

"Hold on! I took an Egyptology class in college, so I know that Khepri is supposed to be a minor god of sorts. He's supposed to be some bloke with a bug for a head!"

"Wait, what?" Nao asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yoko, were you not quite human in one of your past lives?" Makoto asked.

Yoko let out a heavy sigh. "Man, I'm never gonna live that down."

"Why'd you wear that bug mask while out in public again?" Hotaru asked.

"Like I said, it was one of little Bast's ideas," Yoko explained. "I could never say no to that kid."

Erica rose from her chair. "Officer Marbury, who we are, is of little importance right now. What is important is we're here to put a stop to the horrible things that have been happening in your city. To do that, we need to find Patchwork Wiley and end him once and for all."

"The problem is we don't know where to find him," Hotaru noted.

"The best place to start would be to check any old cemeteries in and around the city," Yoko declared. "Of course given the amount of people he's killed for his raw materials, I have to wonder if he's not using some place bigger for his base. Plus he'd probably expect us to check the cemeteries to begin with."

"…If you can't find his hideout, why not just lure him out?" Constance suddenly suggested, catching everyone's attention. "Don't get me wrong, I don't really trust any of you right now, but you did save my life and you seem honest about putting a stop to what's happening here in London. It's my duty to protect this city, so I'd like to help for now."

"Luring out Patchwork is a good suggestion, Officer Marbury, but I don't see how we're going to do it," Erica pointed out.

"Easy. You use me as bait. You said this Patchwork bloke is after me, right? We'll just give him another chance to get me. The moment he comes after me, all you lot have to do is just spring out and grab him."

Yoko tented her fingers. "I'm not crazy about this idea, but right now it doesn't seem like we have any other option."

"Don't worry, Yoko. Nao and I will keep a good eye on Constance," Makoto assured her. "You and Hotaru can just hang back here for now."

"Right. The moment Patchwork shows up, we'll let you know," Nao added. "In the meantime, Officer Constance is in safe hands."

"Meanwhile I'll be in the computer room trying to narrow down Patchwork's location," Erica interjected. "You and Lady Hotaru needn't worry, milord."

Yoko leaned back in her chair. "Fine. I guess it's all we can do for now. I just hope history doesn't end up repeating itself."

Sandra blinked and found she was sitting in front of a mirror wearing an elaborate pure white wedding dress. It felt like her head was in a really thick fog. She could remember today was the day of her wedding, yet it seemed to her like she had been doing something very different only seconds ago. Something was very wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Seeing herself in a wedding dress also gave her a very strong sense of deja vu.

Suddenly the door to her dressing room opened and Sandra was shaken from her thoughts. Entering the room was the redheaded man she was about to be married to, Jackson Stiles. He was clad in a white tuxedo with a gold tie.

"About ready to go, darling?" Jackson asked.

Sandra turned away from him and blushed. "Jackson! You know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

"Forgive me, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to get a look at you before all of our guests." He came up behind Sandra in her chair and put both of his hands on her shoulders. "You look absolutely radiant."

For some reason, Sandra found that Jackson's touch utterly repulsed her. It didn't make sense though because Sandra was in love with Jackson, wasn't she?

Jackson removed his hands and headed for the door. "I suppose I should finish my own preparations. I'll see you again soon, my darling."

As Jackson closed the door behind him, Sandra felt certain she was not in love with Jackson. Something was very wrong. Everything was. The trouble was Sandra couldn't quite figure out why.

The wedding march began to play as Sandra was escorted down the aisle by the man she seemed to think was her father, yet she knew he couldn't be. In fact it seemed like the man who was escorting her had no face. As she looked out at both sides of the aisles, none of the guests looked like they had real faces either, only vague impressions of them. Even the minister didn't appear to have a face. The only person who did have a face that Sandra could make out was Jackson.

When they reached the end of the aisle, the man who had been escorting Sandra sat down. The sense of uncomfortable deja vu Sandra had been feeling had only grown and was now suffocating.

"Dearly beloved," the faceless minister began. "We are gathered here today in the eyes of God almighty to join the hands of these two souls together in the bonds of holy matrimony." He turned his head to Jackson. "Do you, Jackson Stiles, take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do," Jackson responded.

The minister nodded and turned to Sandra. "And do you, Sandra Jacobsen, take this man to be your husband?"

"I…I…." Sandra found herself unable to finish. The feeling of uncomfortable deja vu seemed to be crushing her now, and then with a flash everything that was wrong became crystal clear. Sandra threw aside the bouquet she had been holding and punched Jackson right in the face. "I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS CREEP!"

The force of Sandra's punch knocked Jackson onto his back. After a moment Jackson got to his knees, glaring up at Sandra as he held his hand over what would soon be a black eye.

Sandra was glaring back down at Jackson, shuddering as she held herself. "To think I let some man put his hands on me. I'm gonna need to shower in bleach later."

Jackson got back to his feet, holding a hand over his left eye. "You BITCH!"

Sandra put a hand to her chest. "Sigrun Star Power MAKE-UP!"

A pillar of blue light enveloped Sandra, fading away seconds later to reveal her in her alternate form of Sailor Sigrun. Suddenly every one of the wedding guests rose to their feet. Their clothes ripped apart as they transformed into living grey mannequins with glowing red eyes. The minister also transformed into a red-eyed grey mannequin.

"How dare you go off script and spurn my affections!" Jackson protested. "Me! One of the handsomest actors ever to grace the stage!"

"Someone sure is full of themselves," Sigrun remarked as she raised her arm.

Materializing in Sigrun's hand was a double-bladed ax with a long silver pole for a handle. The large head of the axe appeared to be made of some sort of blue crystal. As soon as the mannequin that had once been the minister lunged at Sigrun, the blue-haired Sailor Valkyrie swung her weapon down and cut the attacking creature in half right down the middle.

Sigrun immediately turned and slashed her axe through the air at a downward diagonal swing towards the oncoming mannequins on the right side of the aisle. "Valhalla Crescent Moon!"

A large crescent-shaped blade made of blue light shot from the axe head and cut the oncoming mannequins to pieces. Sigrun repeated the move with all of the mannequins on the other side of the aisle. One of the remaining mannequins were cut to shreds, Sigrun and Jackson were the only ones left in the church.

Sandra shook her head at Jackson. "Boy, you really did a number on me. It's not the first time men have tried pulling tricks on me to get into my pants, but your trick was definitely the lowest. Hell, it might've even worked if I hadn't remembered being in this kind of situation before."

Ages before on the Sigrun Moon of Planet Folkvangr, the woman who would later become known on Earth as Sandra Jacobsen was to be wed to a prominent noble known as Ivar the Sturdy. In truth, Sandra had not felt any love for Ivar. In fact no man had inspired any feelings of romance in Sandra. Any time a man other than her father tried to get close to Sandra, all she felt was a sort of revulsion she could not understand.

Ivar was no different to Sandra, especially since the man was at least twenty years her senior. Sandra knew she had a duty to her family to go through with the marriage however. Though they had always been wealthy, they had been starting to suffer financially due to a strange blight that had stricken their farmlands. Sandra's marriage to Ivar was a condition to gain access to Ivar's abundant lands and start their crops anew. Though the idea of marrying a man she barely knew sickened her a bit, Sandra knew this was the only way to save her family's livelihood.

As Sandra stood before the aging minister with Ivar, she took another look at the man who was very shortly to become her husband. He was a burly man who stood at a height of eight feet, with a thick black beard and a full head of hair, not by any means ugly but not exactly handsome either. From the few times Sandra had interacted with Ivar before the wedding though, Ivar had seemed at least to be a kind man. She decided that she could at least try to make it work for her family's sake.

"On this day in the eyes of all who have gathered here and in the all-seeing eye of the All-father who still watches us all from the great beyond," the aging minister began. "These two souls stand before us to join their lives and their houses together forever more. Before the rite of joining is completed, I ask for any who may object to this union to stand now and be heard, lest ye forever more remain silent."

After a brief silence, a voice called out from the other end of the church. "I speak now to object to this union!"

Standing in the doorway to the church was the most beautiful woman Sandra had ever seen. She had long wavy hair like spun gold, eyes like sapphires, and skin like porcelain. The woman was clad in a backless white dress with a long flowing skirt, a dress cut low enough to show off the stranger's impressive bust. Sandra didn't know why, but she found she could not pull her eyes away from the golden-haired woman's impressive chest.

"Who dares interfere with these proceedings?" Ivar protested loudly. "Name yourself, wench!"

The stranger put a hand to her chest. "Folkvangr Star Power MAKE-UP!"

The woman was immediately enveloped in a dazzling pillar of golden light so brilliant that it forced everyone in the church to shield their eyes. The light soon faded away to reveal the woman was now clad in armor.

"Guided by the light of Planet Folkvangr, I am Sailor Freyja," the blonde announced.

The old bearded priest who had been presiding over the wedding was so startled that he dropped the gnarled wooden staff he had been holding. "By the Nine Worlds! One of the Aesir walks among us!"

There was startled murmuring from all of the guests in the church. Sandra on the other hand had been stricken speechless. She knew well the legends of Freyja, one of the great Aesir who had died eons ago during the time of Ragnarok.

"This is nonsense!" Ivar declared. "Ignore her, priest! Continue with the ceremony!"

The old priest shook his head. "If Lady Freyja, the Goddess of Love and Sexuality objects to this union, I cannot proceed."

"Are you mad or just a fool? Clearly the woman is an imposture!"

Suddenly an older man with blue hair and a mustache, Sandra's father, stood up. "If I may, perhaps if Lady Freyja could explain why she objects, we can decide for ourselves whether or not to proceed with the ceremony."

Freyja nodded and walked further into the church. "I will show you, by shining the light of truth!"

The blonde Sailor Valkyrie stopped half way down the aisle and a brilliant gold light began to shine from her armor. Upon being bathed in the golden light, Ivar suddenly cried out in pain and smoke began to rise from his body.

The light stopped shining from Freyja as she pointed a finger at Ivar. "As you can see, this man is not what he appears! He is a child of Jotunheim! A frost giant!"

As the wedding guests all let out startled gasps, Ivar began to growl and tremble with rage. Suddenly the temperature inside the church dropped significantly. Frost formed over the pews and on the stained glass windows. Ivar's skin turned ice blue and his black hair and beard turned white. His eyes became and red as rubies and suddenly he became enveloped in a small storm of ice and snow that forced Sandra to back away.

The old priest and all of the wedding guests fled the church as the twister of snow and ice grew larger. When the storm finally broke apart, Ivar had grown to five times his original size. He was clad in thick armor that appeared to be made of white ice, and in his hand he clutched a large two-sided axe.

"Meddling wench!" Ivar cursed. "How dare you interfere in my affairs?"

"I have been after you for some time, frost giant!" Freyja responded. "It is a disgusting game you play! You travel to many worlds, searching for beautiful young maidens of wealthy families. When you find a maiden you desire, you pose as a noble and manipulate circumstances to get those poor women to marry you. In this poor maiden's case, you blighted her family's lands and forced them to the brink of destitution!"

Ivar smirked. "And why not? I saw something I wanted and took it, by any means, just as I have always done. As for the girl, I treat my brides well."

"For a time. But eventually you would've frozen her into an ice statue once you had grown tired of her! I have infiltrated your fortress and have seen evidence of your work!"

Ivar let out a deep laugh. "I admit I do get bored easily. This girl would've been a very fine addition to my collection though."

"You made a mistake when you came looking for brides on one of the moons of my world! You are an abomination, frost giant! I shall rid the cosmos of your presence once and for all!"

"You can try, but I doubt you shall succeed. Even if you are an Aesir as you say, I sense that you do not have the same power that you once did during the time your kind reigned."

Freyja smirked. "Perhaps, but the power of your bloodline has weakened since Ragnarok as well. I will not be as easy an opponent as you think."

"DIE, WENCH!" Ivar shouted as he smashed the blade of his axe into the floor.

The floor of the church split open and a wave of sharp icicles burst from the crack. Freyja jumped out of the way to the right just as the last and largest icicle jutted out at her from the crack. As Freyja landed, a golden staff with a flower at the top containing a large pink gemstone appeared in her right hand.

Freyja charged at Ivar and leaped into the air at him with her staff raised. "Valkyrie Spear!"

The butt end of Freyja's staff began to give off a golden light that became like the head of a lance. Just as she got close enough to strike Ivar with the staff though, Ivar raised the flat side of his ax in front of himself. After blocking the attack, Ivar used his axe to push Freyja away, knocking her into the pews on the left side of the church near where Sandra was.

Ivar loomed over the fallen Sailor Valkyrie. "If you truly are an Aesir, then I shall put an end to your meddlesome breed once and for all."

As Ivar raised his axe over Freyja, Sandra found herself running towards the Valkyrie. It was as though her body was moving on its own. Sandra got in front of Freyja right as Ivar swung his axe down. Suddenly Sandra's body became enveloped in a blinding blue light that forced Ivar to pull his axe away and shield his eyes. When the light faded, Sandra had transformed into Sailor Sigrun.

Though confused, the blunette took a heroic stance and declared herself with an introduction that simply came to her. "Guided by the Sigrun moon of Folkvangr, I am Sailor Sigrun!"

Ivar was both surprised and outraged. "What is this? This is not your place, woman!"

"Our wedding…is off!" Sigrun declared as she summoned her axe on instinct and raised it with both arms. "Valhalla…Half-Moon Arc!"

With one vertical downward swing, Sigrun sent a large blade of blue energy that struck Ivar, shattering his ax and causing a single long crack down the front of his armor.

Freyja got up and put a hand on Sigrun's shoulder. "I shall finish it from here." The blonde raised her staff and the gemstone at the top began to glow. "Valhalla's Judgement!"

A multicolored stream of light resembling an aurora fired from the gemstone and struck Ivar in the face. Ivar roared with rage before exploding with a blinding flash of light.

When the light faded, Sigrun took a good look at herself. "What's happened to me?"

"There was another reason why I came here today," Freyja spoke, getting her full attention. "I was told by the Norns that I would meet one of my Sailor Valkyries here today, at this church. I did not expect it to be the bride though."

"Sailor…Valkyrie?"

Freyja nodded. "You are to be one of my protectors, who will aid me in keeping this system and our galaxy safe."

Though it was hard to take in and believe, Sigrun realized on some instinctual level that what Freyja told her was true.

Sigrun took a knee. "I am at your service, milady. I can only hope to be worthy of the faith you place in me."

Freyja chuckled. "I can already tell you shall be a reliable comrade. Now rise. There is one more matter I think we should discuss."

Sigrun nodded and rose to her feet. "What more is there, milady?"

"Well, I was watching the start of your wedding from the shadows, and I could tell from your face that you felt no love for Ivar. Is there perhaps someone else close to your heart?"

"No, milady. In fact…there has been no man who has ever moved my heart. I have had a number of suitors in the past, but every single one has made me feel…uncomfortable."

"Oh-ho! I think I've figured out your problem. Look at me, Sigrun. Do you find me attractive?"

Sirgun's face turned bright red. "Of course! You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever laid eyes upon. Why do you ask?"

Freyja gently took hold of Sigrid's face. "I think this will explain what I mean."

Before Sigrun could ask what she meant, Freyja gave her a kiss on the lips that made her head spin.

"…Let me tell ya, Lady Freyja is one smooth operator," Sigrun spoke as she looked back fondly and nodded. "She not only stole my first kiss, she also popped my cherry right there in the church. Of course we never became a couple. Later after I woke up from passing out, Lady Freyja told me we weren't right for each other, and I realized she was right. Honestly, she's a little too much woman for me."

"But Lady Frieyja did awaken me to who I truly am. Ever since, I've been scouring the galaxy for that one lady who might be the one for me, while also having as much fun as I can along the way. But let me tell you this, Jackson or whatever your name is. There's no way I'd ever find any man attractive, especially one who thinks he's some divine gift to my gender."

Jackson began to tremble with rage. "You…degenerate whore!"

The redhead removed the hand he had been holding over the eye Sigrun had punched earlier, revealing a large bloody hole that went all the way to the back of his head.

Sigrun recoiled in disgust. "Yeech! I didn't think I punched you that hard!"

Jackson chuckled. "Oh, this? I did this to myself years ago. You prattled on about your life story, so let me share mine. Back in my day, I was a rising star of the stage. Women threw themselves at me, though there was one beautiful little minx who managed to capture my heart and yet constantly spurred my advances. Her name was Ginette, and though she played hard to get, I eventually got her to accept my proposal of marriage with some help from her father. Fame, fortune and a beautiful woman were all within my grasp."

"Then one night, just a day or so before my wedding, a strange man approached me and asked me to read through a play he was planning to produce, The King in Yellow. He thought I might be right for one of the parts. I read through it from beginning to end, and in the delirium I experienced after reading its transcendent second act, I found myself somehow at Ginette's house. I saw her through her window in bed, having sexual relations with her maid. The instant I saw them together I knew what I had to do."

"I burst through their window and pulled out the gun I always took out with me, and then I shot both of those whores in the head! Then I shot myself right through the eye, as you can see by the hole through my head. I found myself in Carcosa soon after."

Sigrun shook her head. "Wow. You just keep getting more and more pathetic. But then I guess men like you never take it well when you're rejected by women like me."

Jackson's whole body quivered with rage. "I shall silence you once and for all by blowing off your wretched head!"

Suddenly Jackson became enshrouded in a pillar of sickly yellow light, which faded away moments later to reveal the mad undead actor in a brand new form. His face was covered by a pallid mask with a handsome mustached visage, and a black eyepatch barring the mark of the Yellow Sign over the left eye of the mask. The rest of his head was covered by a red helmet styled to look like long hair that curled slightly upward, and a tarnished golden crown with three large points at the front. Much of his body was covered in tarnished silver armor, and he wore a long black coat with red trim along the edges and gold ruffles at the cuffs. In each hand, he held what looked to be old pistols from the late 1700s made of tarnished gold and rotting wood.

The figure who had been Jackson twirled both of his pistols before doing a dramatic pose. "Call me One-Eyed Jack!"

Sigrun raised an eyebrow. "What, like One-Eyed Pete? I mean I guess you're one of his minions, but imitating him his kind of…oh! I get it. One-Eyed Jack is an Earth card game term. Your buddy is that Phantom Ace guy, so you're using the same playing card theme he is."

One-Eyed Jack cocked back the hammer of the pistol he was aiming at Sigrun. "If you happen to see my fare Ginette in Hell later, give her my warmest regards."

Satoru and Ami were up in their room playing a game of chess. With no signs that Hastur's minions were up to any other plots, the couple had nothing but free time. As the game progressed, Satoru noticed that Ami seemed distracted by something. In fact it seemed as though Ami had been troubled since yesterday. Satoru decided it was time to get to the bottom of things.

"Your mind's not in the game," Satoru remarked as he took Ami's knight off the board. "Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like something's been bothering you."

Ami sighed as she moved another one of her pieces. "Yesterday, Setsuna asked me to hack into the Sailor Valkyries' computer system. She said they thought they might have valuable information on what could be future threats to our kingdom."

"I see. Just what is Setsuna basing this on?"

"Apparently on her own research. Ever since Setsuna went on a trip to Egypt a few months ago, she has been studying some rather strange things, such as ancient and obscure cults. Michiru and Haruka have been a little worried about her, actually."

"I must admit I was also troubled by her behavior the other day when we were working with her, Luna and Artemis in the control room."

Ami nodded and moved another one of her pieces on the board. "The thing is, I'm wondering if Setsuna might be right? What if there is some future threat to the kingdom that the Sailor Valkyries haven't told us about? Still, I don't like the idea of hacking into the Sailor Valkyries' computer. The last time I tried snooping an ally's files, it didn't end well at all."

Satoru knew exactly what Ami was talking about. Ages ago during their past lives in Silver Millennium, Ami had tried breaking into Satoru's private files to learn more about the Dark Kingdom, apparently on orders from Sailor Venus. The whole incident ended up being a major misunderstanding that led to so many other things going wrong.

Satoru reached across the chessboard and took Ami's hand. "Ami, if you don't feel right about hacking into the Sailor Valkyries' computer, then don't do it. If their files do contain information about a future threat to the kingdom, I trust that they'll tell us eventually. And even if they don't, I'm sure we can figure out how to deal with it on our own."

Smiling, Ami got up and gave Satoru a peck on the lips across the table. "I love you, you know that?"

Satoru smiled back, and then used his bishop to knock over Ami's king. "Checkmate. You should've been paying a little more attention to the game."

Ami crossed her arms and smirked. "I'll do better next time. For now though, let me give you a little prize for winning."

With those words, Ami sauntered over to the other side of the table and turned the office chair Satoru was sitting in around to face her. She got down on her knees and unzipped Satoru's pants.

Sigrun rolled out of the way to her right as One-Eyed Jack pulled the trigger of the pistol in his right hand, firing a line of five flaming playing cards at the Sailor Valkyrie. The playing cards hit the pew Sigrun had been standing in front of and exploded, breaking it in half and leaving scorch marks on the two remaining pieces. Sigrun quickly got to her feet and sent another Valhalla Crescent Moon attack at Jack, only for the mad actor to shoot it apart with flaming cards fired from the pistol in his left hand. The battle had been going on in this way for what seemed like several minutes, as evidenced by the scorch marks all over the church walls and now broken pews. Both fighters had proved very capable of dodging and blocking each other's attacks.

After making her last failed attack, Sigrun fell back to the central aisle of the church, just a few feet in front of the doors. One-Eyed Jack advanced on her slowly, cocking the hammers of both his pistols.

"I think we're both done playing games," Jack declared as he aimed both pistols at Sigrun.

The instant One-Eyed Jack pulled both triggers, Sigrun raised her axe in front of herself and began spinning it like a windmill. "Valhalla Harvest Moon!"

A circle of blue light resembling a full moon appeared in front of Sigrun right as a barrage of flaming cards flew towards her. The cards exploded against the circle on impact, shattering it like glass. Meanwhile the shockwave from the resulting explosions knocked Sigrun to the floor.

One-Eyed Jack took another two steps forward. "Now I shall do to you what I did to Ginette and her degenerate whore of a maid. Perhaps now you regret spurning my earlier affections."

Sigrun got back to her feet. "Like I said, I've never had a thing for men. And you're the kind of man I hate most." She raised her axe above her head and began spinning it once more. "Valhalla…Moonlight Twister!"

A massive twister sparking with electricity suddenly formed around Sigrun. One-Eyed Jack fired more shots at the little tornado, only for them to flash out of existence upon impact. The twister swiftly moved towards Jack, and seconds later the one-eyed gunman was sucked inside. Sigrun watched on as Jack cried out in pain from inside as he was zapped by the twister's lightning bolts. Parts of Jack's long coat were torn apart by the twister's razor sharp winds. Then came one blinding flash and the twister was gone, and the only thing left of One-Eyed Jack was a scorch mark on the church carpet.

Sigrun looked down at the scorch mark with disgust. "That's what you get for trying to lay a hand on me."

Minako and Ace were sitting together on a red couch that was part of the set for a popular morning talk show. The host was a young woman whose name Minako couldn't remember. In fact, Minako was having a hard time making out the woman's face as she was sitting in her chair and talking something over with her producer, whose face she could also not make out. The producer quickly ran off stage as the director began a countdown from the shadows of the set. At the end of the countdown, music started to play, signaling to Minako and Ace that they were now live on camera.

"And we're back," the hostess announced to the camera. "With me now are the stars of Japan's hit superhero series, Ace of Victory. Please welcome Minako Aino and Ace Saijyo."

"We're happy to be here," Ace declared as he put an arm around Minako's shoulders.

The hostess nodded. "Now your series has quite an interesting history. Originally the two of you were stars of two separate shows that ran back-to-back in the same hour, Sailor V and Phantom Ace. How exactly did they get merged together?"

"Well first, you have to remember that both of our shows were produced by the same company," Ace began. "Now when we started out, Mina and I hadn't even met. One day during the second season of Mina's show and the first season of mine, we ended up bumping into each other on set. Isn't that right Mina?"

"Uh…yeah. I think I had just finished filming an episode of my series and Ace was just getting ready to start a shoot of his," Minako responded. "We ended up talking, and the next thing I knew he was inviting me to have dinner with him."

As Minako said those words, she felt unsure about whether or not what she was saying was accurate. Did she and Ace really meet one another on set? The memory was so hazy that it was almost nonexistent. In fact all of her previous memories of Ace seemed hazy. It was almost as if someone or something had compelled her to say everything she just did.

"One day, our producer saw the chemistry Mina and I had together and decided we should try bringing it to the screen," Ace continued. "Our shows started doing these big crossovers, and the ratings were so good the company decided to merge our two shows together."

The hostess nodded. "So you two really are a couple both onscreen and off. I understand that wedding bells are in your near future?"

"That's right," Ace confirmed with a big grin. "Just two more days and Mina and I will be tying the knot."

"Well let me be the first to offer congratulations," the hostess responded before turning back to the camera. "When we come back, Chef Toshiro will be here to show us some things no one ever thought to do with a chicken before."

As the music played, Minako found herself very surprised about the news of her upcoming wedding to Ace. The information she had in her head told Minako the wedding had been planned ages ago, but it didn't seem real at all. She once again felt something was extremely wrong with her current life.

Please review and let me know what you think.