"Mmm! It smells so good in there!" exclaimed Usagi, poking her head into the kitchen. "Mako-chan, please just one bite?"

"As long as you don't drool into my fondue pot," I replied cheerfully. Indicating the breadbox, I added, "The bread's in there. There's a tupperware container in the fridge of some shrimp salad-- make yourself a sandwich, if you like, to tide you over?" Usagi has a stomach like a bottomless pit, but it's impossible to hold it against her. Every chef likes to feel appreciated.

That particular evening, I had invited my six best friends over for a fondue party. It was something which I had recently discovered, and was interested in sharing. Since I have a good reputation as a cook, Ami, Rei, Usagi, Minako, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru had no hesitation in coming over for dinner. My normally lonely apartment was full of cheerful conversation coming from the living room. A nice change, I thought, pouring melted cheese into one of the pots, and removing a pan of toasted bread from the oven in one sweeping motion.

"Need help in there?" Minako stood in the doorway, shuffling a deck of cards in her hand.

"No, I'm all right-- go on back out there, and I'll give you guys a call when I'm ready," I answered cheerily. I flipped my brown ponytail back and grinned. "How's the game going?" They were playing "Spoons" on my living room floor.

Minako wrinkled her nose. "I went 'out' last turn," she sighed. "You should see Chibi-Usa... she's pretty good."

Usagi swallowed her mouthful of shrimp salad sandwich. "Hotaru-chan isn't here?" she inquired. "Why not?"

"Hotaru-chan, Michiru-san, and Haruka-san had other plans tonight." I ticked their names off on my fingers. "And Setsuna-san has been at the Time Gate for the last week or two. It's just us."

"I haven't seen them recently," remarked Minako.

"Well, they do tend to keep to themselves a bit," I admitted. "And they have lives separate from ours. When there's an enemy, they'll come help us, of course, but it's silly to expect them to come running when I throw a fondue party."

"I'd come running," promised Usagi, swallowing another bite. "Hey, Ami-chan!" she called into the living room. "Has your Mercury Computer registered any great loss of energy anywhere recently?"

"Not at all," came her answering voice. "Very quiet."

"I wonder if they've withdrawn?" I hazarded. We weren't quite sure of who our newest enemy was... there was at least Sama, who had threatened the Moon Kingdom during its Silver Milennium. And there had been a Lord Aquarius, who we had destroyed. There was also a Lady Pisces who had made a brief appearance and then had vanished just as quickly. The only connecting link between them was a Lady Saga. We weren't quite sure if the other ten members of her court were also on earth, and whether or not she herself was here, too. But time would tell...

***

Lord Sagittarius looked from Lady Saga to Sama, who was in his natural guise today. "That's our plan," he said, inclining his head towards Lady Taurus, who was seated next to him. "Most of the creative part of it came from her-- she's much better at that sort of thing than I."

"I think it shows great potential," smiled Sama toothily. "You are a great asset to us, Lord Sagittarius. And you, also, Lady Taurus."

"Go immediately and implement your plan," commanded Lady Saga.

"Yes, milady." The two rose, bowed ceremoniously, and exited.

Sagittarius kissed Taurus' hand with a great flourish. "Congratulations on your wonderful mind," he praised her. "Together, we are an insuperable team!"

Taurus giggled. "I'm quite glad you think so. But it's only reasonable-- we must find a distraction for the senshi. It should be much easier to, ah, distract them than it is to kill them all... And I seem to have noticed in my time on earth so far, people spend much time in daydreaming and fond reminiscing of happy pasts... With your help, we can have the senshi relive some of their golden moments with such reality..." She allowed the comment to drift off unfinished when she realized he was still kissing her hand.

***

"Usako! You dropped your bread in the fondue!" Mamoru expertly twirled the cheese around his own toasted bread, without it falling from its fork, and popped it into his mouth.

"Some people play games with fondue," I commented. "If you drop your bread, you have to do some forfeit-- like kiss someone, or do a favor, or something."

Usagi and Chibi-Usa each clutched protectively at Mamoru. "No one kisses him but me," proclaimed Usagi.

"But he's the only guy," protested Chibi-Usa. "If you think for one minute, I'm going to kiss anyone else--"

"Oh, forget about the cat," remarked Artemis, smiling from atop my bookshelf. Luna was curled up next to him.

"You are a dreamer," she commented lazily. "I'm sorry your paws aren't shaped for fondue forks."

"I feel so left out," he sighed.

Minako gave him a piece of toasted bread, which had been dipped in the beef fondue. "It's probably not much to a cat's taste," she apologized, "But you can try it."

He nibbled at it, and made a face. Luna also gave it a try.

"I'll leave the toast to you people," he said. "Sorry, Makoto. No offense."

I waved my fondue fork in the air. "Fine. If you don't like it, I understand. It's not good enough for you--" But I smiled. "I do have some roast beef in the fridge. Let me go warm up a plate for you two."

"If it's not too much trouble?" inquired Luna.

"Do you have something in the microwave?" inquired Usagi. "I hear a beeping noise--"

"It's not me," said Mamoru, automatically checking his pager.

"It's my Mercury Computer," said Ami, snatching it from her backpack. She glanced at the screen, pressed a few keys, and then snapped it closed. "We have to leave. Now. Great amounts of energy are being stolen from the shopping mall."

"It's 8 PM," said Minako, checking her watch. "Yes... I guess there still would be people there... Venus Star Power!"

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Mars Star Power!"

"Moon Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Chibi-Moon Crystal Power!"

"Make-up!"

We dashed as quickly as possible to the scene of the energy draining. It didn't take too much brains to figure out where the responsible culprit was-- this particular Minion had not been disguised at all. He was a giant, curling shadow, wrapping his gray tentacles around the fainting, energy-drained people, rasping, "Lagoon Nebula Drainage!" His victims would be surrounded by a lingering, purple aura.

We had our technique down by now. "Shabon Spray Freezing!" shouted Sailor Mercury.

"Venus Love-Me Chain....Encircle!" A chain of tiny golden hearts shattered the Minion. Energy began to return; the people glowed with a stronger purple aura as they regained strength.

"Minion! Now!" shouted a man who until now, had escaped our notice. He was wearing robes woven in varying shades of purple, with the constantly repeated design of a sort of arrow with a crossbeam on it... I remembered seeing it somewhere before, but I couldn't quite place it. There was also a woman standing intently next to him, with a gown all done in pastels, with pale green hair. Her gown had the pattern of a circle topped with a semicircle constantly repeated. I had seen that one, too-- all of this, I noticed in a fraction of an instant. I whirled to meet the new attack I sensed behind me.

"Horseshoe Nebula Reminiscing!" shouted a Minion who seemed to appear from nowhere. Pastel violet arrows shot from him towards us. There was nothing I could do to avoid it. I distinctly saw one coming toward me, and braced myself for the impact. However, I felt nothing. Looking down, I saw the arrow glow brighter violet, solidly lodged in my heart. And then it disappeared. Not only did the arrow disappear, but Minion and the two strangers who commanded it also vanished.

"I think we'd better get out of here," said Sailor Moon.

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