A male figure entered the room. Every female heart skipped a beat. It was Morino Ryuu...and he had to be the most amazing guy in the whole school of Meiyo Gakuen. He wasn’t the most handsome, but he definitely was very, very attractive. He wasn’t the most popular, but he had lots of friends and even a whole female fan club. He wasn’t the nicest guy, but he was probably second in line for that title. However, being the second and third at every category made him near perfect. After all, the nicest guy in Meiyo Gakuen wasn’t the most popular, the most popular wasn’t the most handsome, the most handsome definitely wasn’t the nicest. Ryuu won above all of the ‘most’s’ because he was a lot of everything, not just a lot of one thing and a little of the other. However, most females noticed Ryuu’s good looks before everything else. His eyes were a deep emerald green. His hair was between black and dark brown and a bit long, somewhere between his ears and his shoulders. It was rather messy and untamable with the tendency to fall in his face a lot. He was always blowing strands out of his eyes. All the girls at Meiyo Gakuen agreed that Ryuu looked the best in his uniform over all the other guys in the school. The green of the pants matched his eyes, and the white of the shirt sharply contrasted with his hair making an interesting effect. The green blazer he wore when it got cold, also matched his eyes. Morino Ryuu was the perfect guy in the mind of almost every girl at Meiyo Gakuen.

"Sorano-san! Look! He’s soooo cute!" a girl said, whispering to a blonde girl who sat beside her. Sorano Himeko’s blue eyes watched Ryuu intently.

"Who is he, Mizaki-san?" Himeko asked.

"How can you not know?!" Mizaki Rika whispered loudly. The teacher’s eyes gazed up and looked at Rika oddly. Rika ducked her head down and pretended to read as the sensei redirected her attention to Ryuu. Seconds later, Rika sat straight again, "He’s Morino Ryuu, Class B...isn’t he just gorgeous?" she asked Himeko. Himeko tilted her head to the side, her eyes watching Ryuu give a piece of paper to sensei, flash a dazzling smile, bow, then walk out of the room. All the females seemed to sigh blissfully, and oddly, a few of the guys as well. Himeko raised her eyebrows, she wondered why she never knew who this guy was before...better yet, why she had never SEEN him before. She decided right then and there, she *HAD* to get this guy.

Himeko was walking out of the school into the courtyard later that day, in the corner of her eye was Morino Ryuu. She planned to ‘accidentally’ bump into him, introduce herself, strike up a conversation, then invite him to the chorus club performance later that week to hear her sing. She was sure if it went as planned, she’d definitely win his heart. She watched Ryuu walk out and stand by a tree, he seemed to be waiting for someone. His eyes gazed into the sky. This was the perfect chance, Himeko headed towards him, but stopped abruptly. A dark haired girl appeared almost out of nowhere. Her skin was pale, her black hair reaching just a little past her shoulders. Even from this distance, Himeko could see her flashing violet eyes. Himeko frowned. She knew exactly who *THIS* was. It was Shino Seishi, the school freak. Himeko waited for Ryuu to wrinkle his nose in disgust or walk away, but to her surprise he gave her one of his dazzling smiles and also a small hug. Her eyes widened as they walked off together, talking animatedly. Unbelievable...were they boyfriend-girlfriend?

"HIMEEE-CHAAAN!!!" a voice called which interrupted Himeko’s confused thoughts. Himeko turned around to see her best friend, Tokino Yoake running towards her. "Ne, Yoake-chan...do you know if Morino Ryuu-san and Shino Seishi-san are a couple?" Himeko asked, Yoake laughed and shook her head.

"No, my mother is very good friends with Seishi’s mother and knows Ryuu’s...they’re best friends, not lovers. Don’t worry, you can win him yet, Hime-chan," Yoake grinned. Himeko raised her eyebrows and smiled slyly,

"How did you know that was my plan? Anyway, Setsuna-san is friends with Shino-san’s mother? That’s got to be a terrible friendship." she commented. Yoake shook her head, her green hair whipping around her face.

"No, it’s not. Hotaru-san is very nice. She and my mother are really good friends...Hotaru-san is also very ill. I feel sorry for Seishi." Yoake commented. Himeko raised her eyebrows again. Yoake shrugged and changed the subject. "So, want to come over? Okaa-san (Mother) has these really wonderful new fashions, I want to try them on.." Yoake asked.

Himeko shook her head. "I can’t, sorry. I have to go over to my cousin’s house. Remember? The boring one, Aiko-chan?" Himeko sighed.

"Really Hime-chan, that’s so rude! My mother is friends with your aunt! Minako-san is very depressed, you should feel sorry for Aiko...the only reason she’s as serious as she is, is because she’s had to be. She’s had to care for her mother since she was born.." Yoake said, shaking her head.

"It’s no excuse. Minako-san should get over Tenji-san’s death...I mean, look at it this was. He was Mother’s brother, and she hasn’t been depressed for the past sixteen years," Himeko pointed out. Yoake shook her head again and waved to Himeko and started out of the school courtyard,

"I gotta go Hime-chan, call me tomorrow! See ya!" she called as she headed out of the courtyard. Himeko picked up her schoolbag and clutched it tightly, her lips smiled. Ryuu and Seishi are just friends, ne? Well then, I can still win him yet...

* * * * *

Hatenai Aiko looked into her reflection. The same thing she saw every day faced her. Light blue eyes on a face framed by short pale blonde hair. She thought she looked like a boy, and was sometimes mistaken for one, but she didn’t WANT to be mistaken for one. Aiko sighed heavily, she was one flaw after another. She was clumsy, ugly, and overly shy. She didn’t know what to say in front of anyone. She was also very lonely, she had very little friends...just people who were nice to her sometimes and those people were Mother’s friends’ daughters. The only thing good about her was her intelligence, which was far beyond normal...even far beyond genius. This didn’t help her either, however, it just made other children at Juuban Koutou-Gakkou (Juuban High School) hate her more. Aiko would have given anything to be someone else. To make a bad day even worse, her older cousin, her aunt, her mother and herself were going to go to Tokyo Park to have a picnic. Sorano Himeko, Aiko’s cousin, was the person that Aiko wanted to be more than anything. She was gorgeous, her golden blonde hair was long and beautiful, her dark blue eyes sparkled. She was popular, an amazing singer, and a champion athlete. It was unfair to have to be compared to someone so perfect. If not for Himeko’s rude attitude, Aiko would have killed to be exactly like her. Aiko sighed heavily and headed down the stairs. Why couldn’t she just be someone special? Why couldn’t she be someone everyone loved and adored...for just five minutes, why couldn’t she be someone different?

* * * * *

"Papa? Papa?" Diana whispered, she crawled over to her father who was lying in the very corner under King Endymion’s throne. Artemis opened an eye and looked at her fearfully, his terror seemed to die away as he recognized her.

"Luna, where have you been? I haven’t seen you for the longest time," Artemis said quietly. Tears filled Diana’s eyes, she turned her head away. Artemis didn’t even notice. "Why don’t you lie down here beside me, Luna? I’m still the handsome cat I used to be," he added. Diana lowered her head and walked to the old white cat and lay down.

"Papa, please don’t do this. I’m Diana...Mama isn’t alive anymore. Please remember...I need your help, I don’t know what to do.." Diana whispered.

"Ah Luna, isn’t Diana-chan growing up well? She’s so cute, Chibiusa-chan simply adores her," Artemis said. Diana’s tears fell harder, it was difficult dealing with Luna’s death, but Diana was still a little bit younger then. It was nearly five hundred years since Luna had died. Artemis, her father, was senile. He lived in the past when he was awake, and when he was asleep suffered from nightmares. There was no peace for him in Dream Land, and no peace for Diana in the world of consciousness.

Diana stood up and pleaded, "Papa...what am I supposed to do? I don’t know how to handle this situation alone. I can’t do it alone, papa. I can’t. Please, help me. The Dark Side of the Moon and the Tau Ceti are formidable opponents alone as it is, but we aren’t fighting them separately. Which should be destroyed? Save the life of Shino Seishi, and risk destroying the world? Save the Opaque Prism and destroy the life of an innocent girl? PLEASE PAPA! HELP ME!" Diana’s tears were flowing down her face, wetting the violet fur.

"Luna, I think Usagi-chan needs a little bit more discipline, don’t you? How will she ever defeat Queen Beryl?" Artemis asked. Diana choked back a sob and ran out of the throne room, leaving Artemis to sink into his world of the past.

* * * * *

"I’m home!" a voice called, accompanied by the sound of a door opening and closing.

Makoto looked up from the fashion magazine she was reading. "Ryuu, I’m in the living room," she called. Moments later her son entered the room and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. He sat down in one of the chairs opposite from her and gazed at the ceiling. Makoto closed her magazine and looked at her son.

"So, Ryuu, how was school today?" she asked.

"It was fine. Seishi and I went out for ice-cream after school. Hotaru-san is doing a lot worse lately," Ryuu replied.

"Aren’t you afraid of what people are going to think? I’m sure hanging around with Seishi lowers your reputation...not to mention other females are probably discouraged, thinking you’re an item," Makoto commented.

Ryuu frowned just slightly and looked at his mother intently. "I don’t care what people think, Mother. People who think worse of me for hanging around a great person just because THEY think she’s a freak aren’t people whose opinions I care about anyway." Ryuu answered.

Makoto smiled. "Good then, I’m glad that you think that way." Makoto was very proud of her son. He was handsome, polite, smart, and charming. Everything a mother could ever want in a son. He wasn’t afraid to tell people how he felt. He wasn’t a male pig either. Ryuu was very thoughtful and caring. However, right now idling in Makoto’s mind was who to choose to be the next Sailorjupiter. Her daughter, Yoseiko, was too young to be a Sailor Senshi. She was only five, but Makoto could wait just a few more years and then give her the power. Of course, Rei had called the day before about a vision she’d had that apparently showed five-year-old Yoseiko becoming Neo Sailorjupiter, as well as Yoseiko’s best friend Nijiko becoming Neo Sailormars. Yoseiko was only five…but was it her destiny? Or should the next Jupiter be someone else? If not Yoseiko, then Makoto was sure it should be someone of her blood, but she and her husband were both only children. If not Yoseiko, it could only be Ryuu…which of them was destined to carry the power of Jupiter?

* * * * *

"I don’t see the necessity of this meeting." Kasumi said unhappily. She had a cross look on her face as she leaned her back against a tree and brushed her hair out.

"Kasumi, we need to talk to Nijiko about us being Sailor Senshi, it’s very important. We have two dangerous opponents, and if we don’t act fast then the Universe will be doomed," Usa replied.

"You make it sound so serious, that’ll never happen," Kasumi scoffed. Her blue eyes glanced around impatiently.

"You don’t know that," Usa said. "I just wish Neo Sailormars was a little older than five."

"Well, where is she? Not very punctual," Kasumi muttered.

"We’re right here," called a voice. Karei, with her violet hair in a ponytail and Diana on her shoulder, was leading Nijiko towards the other two.

"Where were you?" Kasumi demanded.

Karei glared at her. "Am I supposed to tell you everywhere I go?" she asked coolly. Kasumi chose not to answer and instead turned her head up.

"Karei-chan picked me up from kindergarten," Nijiko said happily.

"Everyone…" Usa sighed unhappily. "Please, this is very important. The lives of everyone on Earth depend on us. We must also be careful of what we say...the Tau Ceti & Dark Side of the Moon are everywhere," Usa added.

"All right, we’ll be mature. At least, *I* can be mature." Kasumi replied, eyeing Karei.

"If you mean Niji-chan, Kasumi-CHAN, she’s five," Karei said.

"Diana, have the new Sailorvenus & Sailorjupiter been awakened yet?" Usa asked, turning her attention to the sad-looking violet cat.

"I don’t know, Usa-sama, I haven’t consulted Makoto-san or Minako-san about it." Diana said.

"What do we do about the Tau Ceti? How do we stop them?" Karei asked.

"How were they defeated last time?" Kasumi asked. Usa looked upwards and wrinkled her brow. She didn’t really know how they had been defeated the last time. She had, after all, been unconscious. Thinking back to her history class, she sadly realized she had slept through most of it.

"I don’t really know…" Usa said helplessly.

"They weren’t defeated, per se," Diana replied, as all eyes turned to her. "The Sailor Team couldn’t stop them, Hotaru-san destroyed Mistress 9 on her own...and it was she who kept Master Pharaoh 90 from destroying our Earth." Diana paused. "None of the other Senshi had the power to do it but Sailorsaturn. She was powerful, much too powerful. She reverted back to a child stage, for if she was awakened, the world would surely end...She was awakened later by an evil force, but the world didn’t end..." she added.

"If the old one was that strong, wouldn’t the new one be stronger?" asked Nijiko. Three heads turned in her direction.

"The very idea of that frightens me. Hotaru-chan, as Sailorsaturn, already had the ability to destroy worlds, to heal and to kill with her bare hands in normal form," Diana said with a small shudder. "An even stronger Senshi...They have always said that power distorts one’s mind. I’d hate to see the mind of one so powerful get distorted."

"Shouldn’t we awaken the new Saturn then? It sounds like she’ll be the only person capable of destroying Tau Ceti," Karei suggested.

"Should we talk to Hotaru-chan about this? After we get Saturn and the Inners back, there won’t even be a need for anyone else…" Usa said with a small giggle. "Thank god, if we defeat Tau Ceti…we won’t need to destroy Seishi," Usa added.

"Oh won’t you…" the wind whispered. Kasumi’s eyes widened with fear as she stiffened, her hand reached into her pocket holding on to her transformation wand. Usa screamed in fear, but Karei closed her eyes and remained calm.

"Something’s here…I can feel it…" she whispered.

* * * *

Aiko looked down at the ground. She and Himeko were walking along the gardens of Tokyo Park. Both were silent. Aiko always felt so uncomfortable alone with Himeko. It was even worse now. Aiko didn’t know why, but she had a feeling of dread in her heart. Aiko suddenly felt a pain in her chest. She stopped to catch her breath.

"What’s wrong with you?" Himeko asked, stopping and turning around, looking slightly annoyed.

"I can’t…breathe…" Aiko gasped as she collapsed to the ground. A scream was heard in the distance. Himeko looked towards the direction of the distress call.

"Don’t move, I’ll get mother and Minako-san!" Himeko ordered and rushed off in the other direction.

"What is this…this feeling I have…" Aiko gasped to herself. Her whole body felt warm.

"Someone…please…help me…"

* * * *

"It’s got to be them, the Tau Ceti…" Usa said in a hushed voice. The wind blew her pink pigtails around her face. A swirl of leaves appeared before them. A female slowly materialized, dressed in black, her long black hair flowing around her. She had her arms crossed. Her eyes narrowed at the three females.

"I knew you were watching us," Usa hissed.

"So then, why did you speak of your plans?" the woman asked, obviously Lady 9. The woman that Lord 9 had spoken about at the last battle. "You fools sadly underestimate us. Mistress 9 was an incompetent, and although we alone are not as strong as she, together, Lord 9 and I are more powerful. Your Shino Seishi will become our Silent Angel. No one can stop us, definitely not you," the woman said. Her voice was unreal. It was nonexistent. It sounded like a voice inside their heads. Also, even though she appeared to be standing in front of them, it seemed more like her presence surrounded them...They could all feel a cold breath on their throats.

"MERCURY COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!"

"MARS COSMIC POWER, MAKE UP!"

"MOON ANGELIC POWER, MAKE UP!" Kasumi, Nijiko, and Usa suddenly shouted in unison, bringing their henshin wands (or in Usa’s case, henshin brooch) to the sky. They all quickly transformed from their normal selves to the Sailor Team. Karei got out of the way.

"For Love and Justice, we are the Pretty Soldier Sailor Team!" Sailormoon introduced.

"In the name of the Cold Planet Mercury," Sailormercury began.

"In the name of the Fire Planet Mars…" Sailormars continued.

"And in the name of the Moon, we will punish you!" Sailormoon finished. Lady 9’s expression remained unchanged. She took a step backwards and suddenly disappeared.

"What? Where’d she go?" Sailormoon said, lowering her guard.

"She...she ran away!" Sailormars exclaimed. Sailormercury shook her head and pointed at the ground. There was a small spider standing in front of them, its eyes glowing a menacing red.

"We’ve all forgotten what kind of being she is, she can possess other living creatures. Lord 9 possessed a tree, and she has possessed that spider," Mercury replied. The tiny spider raised its arms upwards, and before anyone could step on it, it grew into a massive grotesque monster. It screamed at Sailormoon and shot a spray of sticky silk at her, trapping her against two trees.

"AQUA ICE PURIFICATION!" Neo Mercury shouted. the trails of frost encircled the spider. It began to make a loud, ear-piercing noise as its limbs turned into ice.

"FIRE BOMB!" Neo Mars shouted, blowing her fiery kiss at the spider. It exploded in front of the spider, which screamed even louder. It began to randomly shoot out its sticky silk everywhere, Mercury dashed out of the way of a glob of silk and accidentally stepped in a pile of it. Sailormercury screamed and frantically tried to free herself. The spider grabbed Sailormars and spun a silk rope around her, wrapping her into a cocoon. Its red eyes flashed as it picked up the other two Sailor Senshi wrapped up in cocoons. The spider’s huge fangs loomed ominously over them, as it brought the three cocoons, tiny in comparison with the spider, towards its mouth. Sailormars screamed at the top of her lungs and closed her eyes.

"HELP US!" Neo Sailormercury shouted as she squeezed her eyes shut. The spider let out another scream, and Mercury felt a soft thump as she hit the ground. Her eyes snapped open. She saw a yellow rose stuck in a crack in the sidewalk that hadn’t been there before. She looked up and saw the spider being surrounded and stunned by lightning. In the corner of her eye she saw two figures, both holding long swords. One had long dark hair and a white mask that covered his eyes. He was dressed in black armor which was trimmed with silver and a long black cape on his shoulders, the inside of which was colored a deep gold. His sword had a black handle with twelve tiny gems set into each side and a silver blade with odd inscriptions on it. The other wore a sailorfuku, but she was in shadow, so no more than the sugar-pink bow and brown pigtails could be distinguished. The blade of her green-handled sword was a shining white, with teeny silver lightning bolts crackling up and down its length.

"Who are they?" Sailormars gasped.

"I don’t know…" Sailormercury answered.

"CRESCENT ECLIPSE!" another voice shouted. A small golden crescent appeared and slashed by the three Senshi on the ground, cutting their bindings. Sailormoon leapt to her feet.

"MOON ANGEL HEART BREAK!" she shouted and pointed the Angel Moon Wand at the spider, the beam of light hit the spider, but nothing much happened to it.

"Combine your attacks!" the mysterious female voice said, stepping out of her covering of trees. Her sailorfuku was different from everyone else’s. Her skirt was blue and unpleated. The top of the mysterious female’s fuku wasn’t a tight bodysuit. Instead she had a rather short, loose white top that resembled a school uniform. On her neck was a white choker with a crescent moon on it. She also had long pale-blonde hair with half of it tied in a red bow. Her light blue eyes were framed with a white mask. Sailormoon nodded.

"MOON ANGEL HEART BREAK!" she shouted.

"AQUA ICE PURIFICATION!" Mercury exclaimed.

"FIRE BOMB!" Mars shouted.

White-gold energy surrounded the empty hand of the unknown male. A yellow rose, glowing white-gold, appeared in his hand. He threw it at the spider

"LIGHTNING BURST!" the shadowed figure said, raising her sword to the sky. Lightning shot from the previously cloud-free sky to strike the sword. She pointed it at the spider. The lightning, now tinted greenish, shot from the tip of the sword.

The five attacks combined together and struck the spider. It raised its appendages into the air and screamed. A smoky figure rose out of it, a feminine voice screaming. The spider slowly shrunk back to its normal state as a harmless insect. The spirit swirled into a circle.

"We shall return…" it whispered and disappeared.

Sailormoon stomped on the spider, then sighed with relief when the threat was over. "That was the most frightening thing…" she began.

Sailormercury looked at the two masked and one shadowed Senshi who stood before them. "Who are you, and why do you wear masks?" she asked.

"I am the Senshi of Victory, I am Neo Sailor V!" the blonde said enthusiastically and raised her right hand.

"I am the Senshi of Thunder, Neo Sailorjupiter!" said the shadowed Senshi, stepping forward into the light. She allowed her transformation to fade away in a shower of green sparks. Morino Yoseiko, two and a half feet shorter, hit the ground with a thump and began to cry. Sailormars sat down next to Yoseiko and detransformed with sparkling red light, avoiding a fall like Yoseiko’s.

"And who’re you?" Nijiko asked, looking at the male, who was very handsome.

He gazed up into the sky and pulled another yellow rose out of nowhere. He silently dropped it over the dead spider. "I am Neo Knight Kamen," he said, then added, "ridiculous as that sounds."

"What about you? Why are you Sailor V and not Sailorvenus?" Mercury said looking at Sailor V. The blonde girl shrugged.

"Because I don’t wish to be Sailorvenus. I don’t work in teams, I work alone. Work gets done faster that way, so I am Sailor V," she replied, bowing before them. "I must depart, I bid you all adieu," she added. She leapt into the air and, seemingly, disappeared. The four Senshi looked at each other for answers.

"I’m glad to have met with you, I don’t know what happened but all of a sudden I had this voice tell me that I needed to come here and save the Angel of Hope, whomever that may be," said Neo Knight Kamen.

"But…WHO are you?" Sailormercury asked again. Her transformation melted away in a sprinkle of blue light. Sailormoon followed her lead. They all looked at the masked male in front of them.

"I? I am…" he said and gazed into the sky. He brushed a strand of hair out of his face and took off his mask. Kasumi gasped, and Yoseiko stopped crying. Both recognized him immediately. His armor changed back into normal clothes, the mask disappearing in his hands. He gave them all a dazzling smile.

"I am Morino Ryuu…"