Visibly delighted and brimming with mischievous glee, Kunzite held the self-crafted flyer in his hands, pacing jauntily in his chambers within the Dark Kingdom.

"Yes, this is a perfect plan, hehehe. They're not exactly the sharpest, so they'll definitely bite at this offer!"

"Kunzite, I fear you underestimate the Sailor Guardians far too much!" came a rather reproachful voice from the other side of the hall. Endymion leaned casually against a dark, stony wall, arms crossed, eyeing Kunzite mockingly.

"What?" Kunzite snapped back. He was still furious that the two had engaged in such a ridiculous spat at the Rose Mansion, right in front of the Sailor Guardians. It couldn't get more embarrassing! To top it all off, they'd lost the Youma as well. Thoroughly offended, Kunzite had stormed back to the Dark Kingdom to devise a new scheme as quickly as possible.

And, as was absolutely typical, Endymion—Queen Beryl's new favorite—wanted to thwart his meticulously thought-out plans yet again.

"When I look at your actions, I have to conclude that they've all failed because they're much stronger than you thought. We need to know everything about our enemy. We must know them as well as we know ourselves—only then we can win," the brainwashed Prince of Earth remarked dryly.

Kunzite had only a mocking smile for that. His voice dripped with sarcasm as he countered, "I'm not surprised you'd say something like that. You have a long history of fighting Sailor Moon. You must know a lot about her. Still!"

Now Kunzite grew angry again, sharply staking his claim. "I don't need your advice! You'll see. It won't be long before I defeat Sailor Moon."

With that, the conversation was over for Kunzite. He turned defiantly to the portrait in the gold-framed picture on his dresser. As he gazed at the image of Zoisite and himself, a deep pain pierced his heart. But there was something else—was it just his imagination at the Countess Rose's estate, or had he truly seen his beloved? Those eyes—only Zoisite had eyes like that. He'd recognize them among thousands. But it couldn't be. Zoisite had been punished by Beryl and was no longer in this world.

Endymion watched the irritated general for a long time, lost in thought. These foolish plans led nowhere, and Kunzite was only making himself utterly ridiculous and unbelievable.

Of course, Endymion was already leagues ahead of him. Since yesterday, to be precise. Unlike Kunzite and Beryl, he already knew who Sailor Moon really was. After feigning his retreat from the Sailor Guardians at the Countess Rose's mansion, he had secretly followed Sailor Moon. The Guardians had split up shortly after the battle, heading in different directions. Left behind was the Warrior of the Moon with her black cat.

He followed her further. Over Tokyo's rooftops, through dark alleys and narrow paths, until she turned into a small side street. As he looked around, the area felt strangely familiar. He'd been here before. At least once. A brief pink flash told him the Sailor Guardian had transformed back into her civilian self, and when the girl stepped out from the niche again, his breath caught. The world stood still for a moment.

"Usagi!"

Endymion clapped a hand over his mouth in shock. Where had that name come from? What did it all mean? His heart raced! That inner voice rose again, practically screaming at him.

Of course, you brainwashed idiot, it's her! Look at her with your heart! Remember !!!

He nearly tripped over his own cloak as he stumbled back a few steps in horror. Something within him begged that he keep this secret to himself. No one, absolutely no one, could know that this… enchanting being… was the Warrior of Love and Justice. How breathtakingly she moved. How captivating her charming aura was. Endymion swallowed hard, dropping to his knees at the sight of her as she turned in his direction.

"What a beautiful girl! She's the most stunning thing I've ever seen in my entire life."

A sense of obsession gripped him instantly.

Though they were enemies, he wanted her. Her specifically! The Silver Crystal was, from that moment, just a flimsy excuse to be near her. Nothing else in the world mattered more than being the reason she breathed. But how the hell was he supposed to pull that off? He had to work in secret. Not a word to anyone.

The girl slowly made her way to a house not far from the side street where she'd transformed back. With a leap, she jumped up a floor and slipped through a window. Endymion followed quietly and found a perfect spot on a tree not far from the window.

The ideal vantage point.

The light in the room came on, and he could see her peeling off her clothes piece by piece. Emotions raged within him at this extraordinary sight—a completely new experience, but one Endymion thoroughly enjoyed.

Pure perfection.

She would be his. His alone! That curvaceous, well-formed young body, covered only by a bra and pale pink panties, as she loosened her hair buns, letting her golden locks slide gently down her delicate skin. Such perfection right before him. He couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Fuck!" he whispered. A lot was stirring below his beltline. This girl, he'd keep a close eye on. Night after night. Day after day, he'd follow her. Alongside lust and desire, another feeling stirred within him.

"I have to protect her. She's mine. Nothing can happen to her. Somehow, I'll manage to get the Silver Crystal from her. Then I'll take her to my chambers and…"

Suddenly, the room's light went out.

"Damn it!" he hissed from his lookout. He'd return. From now on, every evening. Until she was his. He knew who she was now. But there was still so much more to learn about her. So. Much. More!

Back in the Dark Kingdom, he stood in his chambers, holding one of Kunzite's ridiculous flyers. Today, he'd resolved to pursue his own plans.

"Usagi Tsukino," he growled with a grin as mischievous as Kunzite's earlier, "it's time I got to know you better."

--

"Red does not suit me!"

"This outfit is even uglier than that grass-green blazer with the lilac pants!"

"I look like a Michelin Man in this padded getup!"

"Where the hell did Epheios get these clothes? From a charity bin?!"

"Stop whining! We need signal colors on the slopes. You've never skied before, and I need to be able to find you at all times!"

Jadeite snorted, fuming at his two companions. This wasn't how he'd imagined it. The ski resort was practically booked solid, and on this particularly sunny day, it seemed every ski enthusiast had flocked to the slopes. How in the world were they supposed to find the Sailor Guardians among these crowds?

According to Kunzite's flyer, the Moon Princess Contest was set to take place at the top of the mountain in the late afternoon. They still had plenty of time to search for their missing piece of the four-leaf clover and for Endymion. Hopefully, today they'd finally get a chance to complete their mission.

Nephrite growled once more, then put on his Hello Kitty ski goggles and lined up at the lift.

"You coming? We should really get going. I'm freezing, and there's an après-ski party later. I want to be back in the valley by then. They're giving out free shots after the tenth, and you get a 'Red Eristoff' plush hat with antlers. It looks super cool!"

"Nephrite, this isn't a pleasure trip. We're here to stop the bad guys from destroying the world, right, Jadeite?"

Jadeite strapped his snowboard to one foot, pulled his SpongeBob ski helmet over his head, and followed the others in a somewhat clumsy skateboarder style toward the lift.

"Exactly. Let's get started with today's mission."

After a short wait, the three were finally on the chairlift, slowly ascending the mountain. Suddenly, Jadeite blinked, slightly confused.

"Guys, those three in the lift ahead of us… don't they look familiar?"

Nephrite squinted and thought aloud, "The one on the right is Mars, and the one in the middle is Serenity—you can tell by the buns. But who's the shaggy guy on the far left?"

Zoisite pondered briefly. He'd seen that guy before, when he'd tried to get the Rainbow Crystal from that crazy old man.

"I think he works at the Hikawa Shrine and has a thing for Sailor Mars, from what I know."

It hit Nephrite like a ton of bricks. "No way, really? Him? Wait, I know him from something else. He was on the front page of the Japan Times recently with his parents. That's none other than Yuuichirou Kumada, the billionaire heir of the Kumada clan… you know, the ones with that erotic empire, all that sex toy stuff… uh, or so I've heard."

"What? Holy smokes, Mars has clearly landed herself a hot catch!"

Jadeite studied the three skiers ahead thoughtfully. Sailor Mars had somehow grown on him through all their battles. Back in the Silver Millennium, he'd secretly had a crush on her, and even under the Dark Kingdom's influence, he'd chosen to work at her temple. For cover, of course. Learning that Sailor Mars had a boyfriend in her civilian life sent a slight pang through his heart.

A few moments later, the three former generals reached the top and began tailing the trio. Suddenly, Zoisite was completely distracted, staring in a different direction. Frozen, he watched a dark figure with a strikingly long, white mane standing next to a skier with long, dark curly hair. The figure was whispering something to her, leading Zoisite to immediately conclude this was the latest Youma.

"Heads up, Kunzite's here!" he whispered to his allies.

Nephrite and Jadeite looked toward Kunzite and froze. Thanks to their ski goggles, oversized hats/helmets, and thick scarves—knitted by Sailor Pluto for the occasion—they could perfectly conceal their faces, allowing them to stealthily approach the evil general. But just before they reached him, he trudged through the deep snow and vanished behind a mountain hut.

"Damn it! He got away!" Zoisite clenched his Miraculous Ladybug gloves in frustration. He knew Kunzite was only here briefly to give the Youma instructions. He definitely wouldn't interfere in the upcoming battle for now. That's how it usually went with villains: instruct the Youma with a diabolical grin, float off laughing, and then rage when the plan inevitably failed.

"We'll have to race down with the others and stick close to Serenity and Mars. Kunzite or maybe Endymion will show up sooner or later, and then we'll get our chance."

Jadeite gave Zoisite an encouraging pat on the shoulder. The three former villains lined up for the contest, standing right behind Yuuichirou and the two Sailor Guardians in the second row. When the starting signal sounded, they took off—and instantly lost sight of their targets.

Worse still, their nonexistent skiing and snowboarding skills meant they couldn't keep up with the three skilled skiers. Nephrite got tangled in a safety net after five meters, yelling loudly; Zoisite made it fifteen meters before crashing full-speed into a padded pole; and Jadeite landed headfirst in a massive snow pile about thirty meters ahead of the other two novices.

Maybe they all should've taken a few ski lessons from an experienced instructor first.

--

Unlike the three former generals, Endymion was quite adept at skiing. But of course he was—he was, after all, an evil Earth Prince, perfect at absolutely everything! And today, he was on his very own mission. He'd been secretly watching the blonde girl all day. Since the moment she opened her beautiful eyes in her bedroom, to be exact.

He'd ridden the train with her. That's right—the guy in black with the stylish sunglasses three rows behind her was him. Then he'd watched her through the window of a luxury chalet as she sat on a couch in the living room, warming her hands on a cup of tea and listening attentively to her friends' stories. He skied at a distance behind her on the slopes and positioned himself ahead of her at the chairlift (better to eavesdrop on her conversation with the black-haired girl and the odd, scruffy bearded guy).

He barely spent time in the Dark Kingdom anymore. "Intensive research" drew him to the human world, he'd told Beryl. And the fool had let him go, as he'd promised to retrieve the Silver Crystal as quickly as possible. In theory, he could've done that anytime. He knew who Sailor Moon really was, after all. But an inner block made it impossible to harm her as long as she wasn't transformed into Sailor Moon. Besides, he wanted to delay taking the Silver Crystal for as long as possible. Watching her was currently the greatest thing in his life. Nothing was more important than seeing this girl. She fascinated him so much. He wanted to know everything about her. Absolutely everything.

Now he'd followed her and her entourage of four other girls to the snowy mountains of Nagano. Sailor Moon was clearly determined to fall into Kunzite's trap. Endymion sighed. Apparently, Kunzite wasn't entirely wrong in assuming the Sailor Guardians had a knack for stumbling into danger. Transformed into his alter ego in a padded tuxedo, he made himself comfortable on the slopes, waiting for his moment. Sooner or later, she'd have to transform into the Warrior of Love and Justice to escape Kunzite's schemes.

The Youma had done a stellar job. After the race began, it had systematically taken out all competitors through the most absurd manipulations of the course. Three participants, however, had made him chuckle with their unintentional comedy. They were so clumsy, they'd fit right in with Kunzite with their utterly amateurish performance and tasteless outfits!

Usagi and another black-haired girl were the last ones standing, now trapped in an ice prison. As he approached, he overheard them talking. What nearly threw him off was a strangely melancholic melody that suddenly played, note by note trying to reach his soul. This message, laced with odd emotions, touched his heart deeply. Fighting it seemed utterly futile. He got closer and could now clearly hear what they were discussing.

"I'm sorry, Rei. Did I hurt your feelings?"

"No way, that's not even possible anymore. That's long over. Honestly, I gave up on Mamoru—that is, Tuxedo Mask—the moment I realized he'd risk his life for you. There's no better proof of love. I don't stand a chance."

"Oh, Rei…"

"Let me tell you something, Usagi Tsukino. If you and Mamoru don't work out, Rei will punish you in the name of Mars."

Thankfully, the music faded, and Endymion could think clearly again (or so he thought).

Who were they talking about? Mamoru? Was he Usagi's boyfriend? He knew her social circle inside out by now. He'd even helped her mother, Ikuko, carry groceries into the house once. He gave Shingo regular tutoring in social studies, and Kenji had recently interviewed him as a journalist for the Japan Times on the topic "Paths Out of Darkness: How to Handle Temporary Memory Loss."

He met up twice a week at the Fruit Parlor with many of Usagi's friends like Naru, Umino, or her nameless classmates… but a guy named Mamoru? Nope, never heard of him. A wave of jealousy hit him over this mysterious guy. Whoever he was, he'd have to get past Endymion if he wanted anything from Usagi. Damn right!

But he couldn't dwell on how to neutralize this potential rival for Usagi's affection, as events suddenly spiraled before him.

The scruffy, bearded companion of the black-haired girl had dug a tunnel with his hands and now stood with the two teens. Impressive! But Kunzite's Youma had appeared and was trying to stop their escape. The guy—clearly the black-haired girl's boyfriend—bravely confronted it and was frozen into ice as thanks.

Pfft, amateur!

But before the snowman monster could strike again, the two girls transformed before his eyes. Moments later, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars stood in full battle gear, ready to take down the cold-hearted Youma. It wasn't easy, and just as the monster raised a dangerous ice spear to hurl at its opponents, Endymion saw his chance. With a deft leap, he landed beside the Youma and grabbed the spear.

For courtesy's sake, he greeted the transformed girls with a cheerful, "Good evening, you lovely Sailor Guardians."

He charmingly tipped his black top hat. Yeah, he had that down like no one else.

Naturally, the two warriors clapped in literal awe at his grand entrance. The monster, however, was less thrilled and quite pissed at Endymion's rather unconventional fighting tactics.

"I'll handle the two girls, Blizzard. Stand back and take your weapon."

He held a black rose in his hand. It was meant as a warning, hoping Sailor Moon would hand over the Silver Crystal willingly. He could never bring himself to harm her. Deep inside, that resolve was growing stronger. Still, he had to make a warning shot now and fired, with a "Sailor Moon, are you ready?" and utmost precision, launching his rose right into the gap between the two Sailor Guardians. He pulled another black rose from the inner lining of his tuxedo to add the necessary menace to his performance.

"This time, I won't miss!"

What followed, though, he hadn't anticipated.

Sailor Mars spoke up, her voice trembling and tearful, practically begging him to… remember?

"Tuxedo Mask"—that name they kept calling him—"it can't be that you've forgotten everything! That you once fought by our side… and that Sailor Moon is here, the one you loved more than anything!"

Her words hit their mark. Suddenly, Sailor Mars didn't seem delusional at all. Quite the opposite. She was baring her heart… and clearly speaking the truth.

"Please, Tuxedo Mask!" she pleaded.

Endymion hesitated. The new black rose in his hand flickered red. Dangerously red. That even more dangerous inner voice rose again, calling him to reason.

You idiot, wake up already! Mars is right. YOU are Tuxedo Mask, and YOUR damn job is to protect Sailor Moon. If necessary, with your life!

He could hardly believe what he was hearing within himself, but he had to act… because the Youma appeared out of nowhere above them, aiming to impale Sailor Moon with its ice staff.

Not on Tuxedo Mask's watch! Er, or Endymion's? Whatever! The red rose hit the Youma, neutralizing it, allowing Sailor Moon to transform it back into a human with her Moon Scepter in seconds.

No, no! What had he just done? This wouldn't do. He was Endymion, after all. With all his dark power, he banished that infuriating inner voice deep within and leaped high out of the ice prison. He stood above, looking down at the Sailor Guardians. He needed a good excuse for his sudden, unplanned exit, even if it was lame.

"You're not fit for a fight right now. You'd be too easy to defeat. Until next time. We'll meet again."

He muttered weakly and vanished into the darkness… or rather, back to his observation post. He still had someone to watch over.

--

Down in the valley, a lively après-ski party was already in full swing. The booming bass reverberated through the snowy landscape, audible all the way up to the peak. Nearby, three figures stood together, shivering and grumpy.

"Today was a total bust!"

"Kunzite's plans are even dumber than mine ever could've been!"

"I'm never doing this nonsense again! I think I tore a muscle in my right thigh from that fall… well, at least it's bruised!"

After venting their frustration, the three former generals stomped back to the valley.

"We can't give up. We still have a chance to stop them and bring them back," Jadeite said, desperately trying to rally his comrades.

"We swore it to our Master once, and we will save Endymion. I'm certain of it."

The next opportunity was already waiting for the three undercover heroes. Unlike today's ski trip, it would be a real slippery slope.