Libra pushed her hood back; it kept falling down over her eyes, 
rendering it difficult for her to see.  Unfortunately, the costume came 
with the job.  She took a moment to bind her long ash blonde hair back 
with a ribbon when it tried to take over where the hood had left off.  
Finally, she gazed down at the horoscope she had just worked out, trying 
to interpret it.

	Finishing that one, she cast a second one, then interpreted it.  
She took her bronze scales and placed each horoscope in one of the 
balances.  It swung back and forth for a while, then gradually balanced.  
She'd expected as much.  Both the Senshi and the Dark Kingdom were 
growing stronger, and apparently they were matching each other for 
growth despite the Dark Kingdom's losses.  

	The Zodiac, on the other hand, was not getting any stronger.  So 
far, half the Zodiac had tried and failed to beat the Senshi.  It would 
take an all out assault, she suspected.  But that would only leave the 
victor to be picked off by the Dark Kingdom.

	Her blue eyes glimmered in the dim light of the room as she 
studied the scales and thought.  The best solution seemed to be to play 
off the Senshi and the Dark Kingdom against each other, then pick off 
the victor herself.  But with such an even balance, that might take too 
long; most people prefer greatly to only attack when victory is certain.  

	The Sailors would have to be weakened in some way, their balances 
broken, to leave them vulnerable.  But not too vulnerable; ultimately 
the Sailors were only their enemies because they protected the Star 
Princess and tried to hoard her power, the power that rightfully 
belonged to the Zodiac.  Once they had that power, they could easily 
crush the Dark Kingdom.  The trick would be to not weaken them so much 
that the Dark Kingdom made off with the Star Princess.   

	Libra frowned.  Will I be able to right the balance in time if I 
tip it?  Her power included the disruption of balances and cooperation, 
but she never enjoyed using it in that manner.  But it seemed she had no 
choice.  And even though she wished she could weaken the Dark Kingdom as 
well, to reduce the danger of this, they were not easy to strike at, 
unlike the Senshi.

	She got out more paper and began to cast another horoscope, 
seeking guidance on what action could best disrupt this balance.  Once 
she interpreted the results, it made no sense to her.  But then, the 
workings of her power had often involved her in strange actions.  

	Rising from her seat and pulling her hood back up, she picked up 
her scales and set out to put her plan in motion.


                                   *****


Naru:     I'm tired of always running
          I've grown tired of the night
          I wish I had some cunning,
          Had some power, had some might.

     We see a collage of Naru running from monsters, grabbed by
monsters, trapped inside big moss balls by monsters, etc.

Sailors:  You don't need to keep on running.
          You don't need to fear the night.
          We can save you with our cunning,
          With our power, with our might.

     We see a collage of images of Usagi and the other Sailors saving
Naru and many other people from monster attacks.

Naru:     I don't want someone to save me;
          I'd just like to save myself
          I don't want to be a helpless doll
          That must sit upon the shelf.

     We see Naru sitting at her window, looking out on the starry night
sky of the city.  One by one, lines trace the constellations.

Pluto:    If you want to have the power
          You must reach into your heart
          Look inside to find your strength
          For that's where power starts

     We see Pluto holding out an eight-pointed star, which hovers just
above her hand.

                                   *****

Sailor Moon Z:

Series Concept by Jeff Hosmer and John Biles
Primary Writer this Episode: John Biles

Based on the Series Sailor Moon, copyrighted by a whole lot of people
who aren't us.

Episode 21
"Running Wild in Avalon.
 Which Road to Walk?"

                                   *****

 	Kensuke Mizuno parked his car; he was proud of his new sedan, even 
though it wasn't very flashy.  Simply put, it was new.  For the first 
time in his life, he'd actually bought a completely new car with his own 
money; oh, he and his now ex-wife had owned a new car, but she had 
basically paid for it.  And kept it when they had divorced.  

	It had taken a long time for him to build up his skill and 
reputation in the art world to where he stood now.  While not 
internationally renowned, he'd become fairly well known in Japan for his 
imaginative watercolors and fantasy prints.  Finally, he was making a 
decent living off it, and his parents no longer had an excuse to nag him 
to get a job, which he'd begun to think they would do until the day he 
died.

	He whistled a happy tune as he wandered across the parking lot, 
and gazed on Ami's school.  I'm impressed, he thought.  I'd heard good 
things about this place, but still...this must cost an arm and a leg.  
But I'm sure it's worth it.  

	A quick inquiry sent him on his way to Perry Hall, where his 
daughter was staying.  Students darted past him, all out of uniform, 
because class was out for the weekend.  He passed a young couple 
smooching on a bench and smiled a little.  Young love, he thought.  It 
burns so brightly, and you think it will last forever, even though the 
last time it only lasted two weeks.  

	He shook his head and lost himself in thoughts of fond high school 
memories.  This kept him busy right up to the front room of the dorm, 
where the dorm mother perched behind a counter.  "Hello, sir," she said.  
"Can I help you?"

	"I'm here to see Mizuno Ami, my daughter."

	The dorm mother blinked.  "She left a few minutes ago when her 
boyfriend came down and picked her up.  I think they were going to meet 
you at the parking lot."

	"..."

	"I can ring her room; maybe her roommate would be in and would 
know."  The dorm mother thought for a second.  "At least, I think that 
was her who went out.  I have so many girls, it's hard to keep track if 
they're good and don't cause trouble."

	He laughed.  "I'm very proud of my daughter."

	She nodded.  "You should be.  She's one of our best students.  Let 
me call her room."  She got on the phone.

	While it was ringing, there was a tap on his shoulder.  He spun 
the other direction, and to his surprise, he saw the couple from the 
park bench.  "There you are!" the girl said.

	He blinked, wondering whom she could have mistaken him for.  
Should I know her? he asked himself.  She wore a knee-length white skirt 
covered with various math equations, and had short blue hair, like his 
daughter's.  Black sunglasses hid her eyes; he wished he'd brought his 
own, as the sun was quite bright today.  She wore a white blouse with a 
blue vest over it; the top two buttons were undone, which might have 
been deliberate or an oversight from the kissing session on the bench. 
He remembered having once tucked his tie inside his shirt after one such
session in his high school days. 

	The boy with her looked vaguely familiar as well, not very tall, 
with short black hair and an honest face.  He was wearing dark slacks 
and a blue buttoned shirt, with the second button undone, though not the 
top one.  He looked very, very nervous.  

	"Is something wrong?" she asked.  She sounded worried now.

	The voice finally sank in.  My daughter, he thought.  I didn't 
recognize my own daughter.  Is she really growing up so fast?  "Ami?"

	She took off the sunglasses, and smiled faintly.  "I see my clever 
disguise fooled you."

	"I guess it's been a while since I last saw you," he said 
sheepishly.  "So you must be Urawa Ryo," he said to the boy.

	Ryo nodded.  "It's nice to finally meet you, Mizuno-san."

	"I've been running around to so many shows lately...Well, let's 
go, while we still have a day to spend together."  He turned to the dorm 
mother.  "Thank you for your help."

	"It's a pleasure to have met you," she said, then stared pointedly 
at Ami, making a buttoning gesture at the top of her own blouse.

	Ami stared, then looked down, and her eyes widened.  She quickly 
buttoned her shirt.  "I...uh..."

	Mr. Mizuno laughed.  "Let's go."  You never expect your children 
to grow up, but then they surprise you, he thought.  

                                   *****

	Minako ran into her room, threw herself flat, and rolled under her 
bed.  "If anyone comes looking for me, I ran away and became a nun," she 
announced.

	Himeko sighed.  "What stupid thing did you do this time?"  She 
welcomed a distraction from her own thoughts; if she didn't keep busy, 
she kept seeing the image of Hikaru...the ninja Hikaru of the other 
universe...dying.  

	"I...well...umm..."  Minako laughed nervously.

	There was a knock at the door.  Himeko asked, "What did you do?"  
Her voice was sharp; she wanted a distraction, but she was getting very 
aggravated with the frequency of Minako doing stupid things these days.

	"I sort of agreed to...well...I wasn't thinking about the fact 
that..."  Minako laughed nervously.

	The person knocked again.

	"If you tell me you agreed to date someone, I'm going to have to 
beat you up," Himeko said.  Her brain offered maiming suggestions, which 
she ignored.

	Minako was very silent.

	"What is WITH you these days?" Himeko demanded.  "Ever since we 
came back from the TORG universe, you've been acting like even more of a 
nutcase than you used to!"

	"At least I'm not moping all the time like you have been!"

	"I'm not moping!  Okay, maybe I'm moping a little, but you'd mope 
too if..."

	Dimly through the door, they heard, "Hey, Minako, you in there?"

	Himeko sighed.  "Answer the door, Minako."

	"No one down here but us dust bunnies."

	Hime-chan sighed and turned into Minako, then went to the door.  
"I changed my mind because..."

	The guy, who she dimly recognized as the rather handsome senior 
Takashi, swept her into his arms and kissed her.  For about a second, 
she simply kissed back as her brain spun.  Then she kneed him in the 
balls to get him to let go when an effort to pull back failed.  "I'm 
dating someone!" she shouted.  "And you could TRY saying Hello first, 
too!"

	"But you said he wouldn't mind..." Takashi said as he stumbled 
back, hunched over.  "I'll just go home now," he said weakly, staggering 
away.

	"Next time, ASK FIRST!" Himeko-Minako said, then slammed the door 
and changed back to normal. "Minako, this is getting ridiculous."

	Minako nodded.  "I know."

	"Then DO something about it!"

	"I don't know what to do!"

	"THEN FIND OUT!!!"

                                   *****

	"Yeeehaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!"  Mr. Mizuno shouted as they roared 
down in the rollercoaster.  Ryo was screaming along with him, while Ami 
was using the suffering saint look he was sure she'd inherited 
genetically from her mother.  He kept trying to get her to enjoy 
rollercoasters, but it looked like that today wasn't the day that would 
happen.

	Once they finished on the ride and got off, Ryo said, "I'm 
hungry."

	"I'll be right back," Ami said.  "I need to go to the ladies' 
room."

	Mr. Mizuno frowned a little as he watched her go.  "I hope that 
didn't make her sick.  She threw up the first time I took her on one, 
and ever since then, it's been like pulling teeth to get her on one."

	"I love them," Ryo said.  "But Ami doesn't, so we usually stick to 
the Ferris Wheel, and other rides she does like."  He looked around the 
park.  "This is a really great amusement park."

	Mr. Mizuno nodded.  "Do you come here often?"

	"Ami and I had our first date here," Ryo said, gazing off at the 
Ferris Wheel.

	"So how long have you two been going out?" Mr. Mizuno asked, then 
sat down on a handy bench.

	Ryo sat down next to him.  "Well, we met in junior high, and went 
out a few times, but nothing came of it.  But we've been going out a 
couple of months now, ever since I came to Tsunami.  It's hard to find 
time to do stuff together what with all her homework and...everything"  
He started sounding nervous again.  

	Mr. Mizuno wondered if he was hiding something, or if was just the 
usual 'boyfriend meets the dad' jitters.  "Well, you're her first real 
boyfriend, I think.  Ami's always been sort of shy; I tried to get her 
to ask people out, but she always seemed to prefer studying."  He shook 
his head.  "I admire her dedication, but I couldn't do that."

	Ryo blinked in surprise.  "I really admire Ami-chan's dedication 
to her studies.  I try to study hard, but I'm not nearly as good a 
student as she is."

	"Well, I'm just glad to see she's finally letting herself have 
some fun."  He sighed.  "I think her mother forgot about the concept 
somewhere down the line.  But I shouldn't badmouth people who aren't 
here.  So what do you plan to do one day?"

	"I'm thinking about becoming a stockbroker," he said.  "I've 
always been good with money, and Dad's got friends in the business who 
can help me get a good start.  I've also thought about photography, 
which I greatly enjoy."  He took out his camera.  "Say cheese!"

	Mr. Mizuno struck a pose, smiling.  Ryo snapped the shot, but he 
had forgotten to turn the flash off.  "Sorry about that."

	Mr. Mizuno rubbed his eyes.  "Photography is a noble art.  
Business tends to suck your life dry and leave you no time for anything 
pleasant.  But then, I'm an artist, so I'm biased."

	"We went and saw some of your work last weekend.  I liked it," Ryo 
said.  "Although I couldn't quite figure out what that weird thing was 
in the picture where everyone turned to stone."

	"It's called a cockatrice.  I saw it in..."  He frowned and tried 
to remember what it was from.  "A game?  A book?  I can't quite 
remember, but it turns people to stone.  I modeled its face on a coach I 
had in high school who was really lousy."

	Ryo laughed.  "I hope he doesn't see it then."

	"He was just a really bad coach.  Most of our coaches were good, 
but..."  Mr. Mizuno shook his head.  "He drove me off the swim team, he 
was so awful."

	"You did high school swim team?" Ryo asked.

	"For two years," Mr. Mizuno said.  "And I taught Ami to swim too.  
Speaking of Ami, what's taking her so long?"

	Ryo shrugged.  "Who knows what women do in bathrooms that takes 
them so long?  If Minako was here, we might never see them again.  
She'll come out when she comes out; worrying won't make it faster."

	"Thank you, young kung fu master," Mr. Mizuno said, then laughed.  
"You're right.  I just..."

	The explosions started off to their right.  Mr. Mizuno leaped to 
his feet, reaching into his pocket and grabbing something he knew Ami 
and her mother would call him silly for carrying.  It was a charm from a 
shrine he'd visited, one for warding off magic.  

	He had become a more serious believer in such things after falling 
to an attack in the first wave of monster attacks two years ago.  He'd 
been at a theatre...he couldn't remember it very clearly, but he 
remembered enough to know that normal measures weren't sufficient.  He'd 
always hoped that magic was real, but he'd learned the hard way that not 
all of it was bright, shiny sunrises and elf-queens.  Of course, 
traditional elf-queens had often been rather nasty creatures.

	He prayed the charm would work as he watched the Sailor Senshi 
battle a swarm of animatronic animals now possessed by evil.  One of 
them caught his eye...she looked familiar.  "Can I borrow your camera?"

	"Hmm?  Sure," Ryo said, passing it to him.  "We'd better take 
cover, just in case."

	He activated the zoom feature to get a better look, and then his 
eyes widened.  The reason one of them was familiar was that she was his 
daughter!  

	He stared just a few seconds too long.  A bird broke out of the 
struggle and started flying right at him.  He turned and ran, as did 
Ryo, but the bird was too fast for them.

	Spinning on one foot, he bolted into the men's room; Ryo had 
apparently gotten the same idea.  The bird smacked into the door, its 
beak stuck through it.

	And then a voice spoke on the other side of the door, something 
about ochre illusions.  The bird froze up and was pulled out, and then 
there was a gentle knock.

	He opened the door a crack and saw his daughter, dressed as Sailor 
Mercury.  "Hello?" he asked.

	"Are you okay?" she asked.  "I saw the bird chase you in here."

	"Oh, we're fine," he said, and wondered if she expected him to 
recognize her or not.  For that matter, he wondered how he'd never 
recognized Mercury before...not that he'd seen the Senshi very many 
times.  

	"Good.  You'd better stay in here where it's safe until we finish 
them off."

	"Can you check the ladies' room?" Mr. Mizuno asked.  "My daughter 
went in and never came out, and I was starting to wonder if something 
bad happened, but well...I can't check."

	"I'll check for you, Mr. Mizuno," Sailor Mercury said.

	You slipped, he thought.  I never said my name.  "Thank you."

	And then she was gone.

	Ryo said, "Wow, that was Sailor Mercury!"  It was the most fake 
effort at surprise Mr. Mizuno had ever heard, but he played along.

	"We should have gotten a picture," Mr. Mizuno said.  He then 
remembered he was carrying Ryo's camera.  "Let's see if we can get one."

	"Shouldn't we wait..." Ryo began, but it was too late.

	Mr. Mizuno got three good photos of the end of the fight, and 
another one of the Senshi conferring afterwards.  I thought there were 
only five, he thought, but it looks like at least nine, and two guys as 
well.  If that's really her, he thought, she's been keeping this up for 
two years without me or her mother finding out.  Then again, maybe her 
mother does know and didn't tell me.  He frowned slightly, then 
dismissed the thought.  Miaka would never let her do something like 
this.

	The senshi looked about to scatter, and he went back to the bench 
and sat down.  "I'm starting to think Ami fell in," he said, laughing.

	"She probably heard the explosions and is waiting for it to be 
safe," Ryo said, sounding and looking rather guilty.

	A woman came out of the ladies' room, sticking her head out 
nervously.  "Is it over?"  She looked to be in her mid-thirties and was 
towing a small child along.

	"I think so.  I don't suppose you could ask around, and make sure 
my daughter hasn't gotten stuck or something?" Mr. Mizuno asked.  "She 
went in before the fighting started, and I'm starting to wonder what's 
going on.  If it's not too much trouble.  Her name is Ami."

	The woman nodded.  "I'll check."

	Mr. Mizuno glanced over at Ryo, who had settled down with a look 
of doom on his face.  "Is something wrong?"

	"I'm just worried because Ami is taking so long."

	The woman came back out.  "Very strange; there's no one named Ami 
in there."  

	Several other women came out now, heading off across the amusement 
park, and in the distance, the normal sounds of the park revived as the 
memory of the battle quickly faded.  

	Mr. Mizuno scratched his head.  "I wonder where she went, then."

	The woman shrugged.  "Good luck finding her.  Come on, Mai, let's 
go."  And then she left.

	"Maybe she fled out the back during the fighting?" Ryo suggested 
weakly.

	"I don't think there is a back door," Mr. Mizuno said.

	About a minute later, Ami came running out.  "I'm sorry to make 
you wait so long.  I hid from the sounds of all the fighting, and then I 
decided to freshen up my makeup a bit."  Her voice wavered just a bit, 
and he knew she was lying.  Ami had always been a horrible liar, just 
like her mother.  Their voices would shake, and they looked as guilty as 
a cat caught with the canary in his mouth.

	"Not a problem.  We had a fine show watching the Sailor Senshi 
fight all those animal robot things," Mr. Mizuno said.  "I was afraid 
I'd made you throw up again or something."

	She shook her head, came over, and looped one arm around his and 
the other around one of Ryo's arms.  "You didn't make me sick. Let's go 
ride the Ferris Wheel."  

                                   *****

	Hudson put down the controller.  "Why did I have to operate the 
lambs instead of the tiger?"

	"It was your destiny," Libra said.  She put down her controller, 
then leaned back against the wall of the van and took a sip of tea.  

	Libra, Hudson, Izuko, and several other Zodiac agents were all 
crammed into the back of a van parked at the amusement park, having just 
orchestrated an animatronic rampage.

	"My birds were rather sluggish," Izuko commented.  "And the visual 
sensors kept flickering in and out."

	"I'll let Capricorn know," Libra said.

	"So why exactly did we just send a bunch of fake animals on a 
rampage in a amusement park?" Blake, a short, black haired man, asked.

	"Everything is ruled by the stars," Libra replied.

	"Is that your answer to everything?" Hudson asked.

	"Izuko, get us out of here," Libra ordered Izuko.

	She nodded and scrambled into the driver's seat, pulling out.

	Libra turned to Hudson.  "We have cast a stone into the lake; now 
we must see if the ripples wash the blossom we desire to the shore."

	"Wouldn't it be easier to just get a net and grab the blossom 
directly?"

	"Hungry piranha live in the lake and keep chewing holes in the 
net."

	He looked thoughtful and chugged his now cold coffee, then made a 
face.  "That tasted pretty crappy," he said.  "So what does this blossom 
do?  And what does the park have to do with it?"

	Libra sighed.  "We're being sneaky."

	"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

	"I was being sneaky."

	"Oh."  Hudson shrugged.  "Can we stop somewhere to get more 
coffee?"

	"You should all be able to go home once we drop the van off," 
Libra said.  "You can get your coffee then."  And I will go and see what 
I have wrought.	

                                   *****

	"So, I'm flying over the forest and...aaaack!"  Derith was 
interrupted in telling Hotaru a story when Minako suddenly popped up 
from nowhere and started shaking him.

	"I've got to get a grip!  I can't stand this any longer!  I can't!  
I'm going to end up cheating on my boyfriend with Mamoru and become 
Chibi-Usa's mother or something!!!!"  Minako shouted.

	Derith tried to speak, but all he could do was babble incoherently 
as he tried unsuccessfully to pull loose.  Finally, Hotaru pulled Minako 
off him.  "You could start by not grabbing people," Derith said.

	"I have to get a grip, and I have to get it now!  Now!  Now!  
Can't you just mind whammy me or something?" Minako pleaded.

	"Well, I could try taking you to Avalon for a while, and let you 
run wild there and get it all out, but that means you'd miss out on 
school."

	"Piffle.  Like I care about school.  Not being a mental case is 
much more important. Like roses for water, you know."

	Derith and Hotaru glanced at each other, then Derith said, "Are 
you sure you can't wait until your next vacation period?"

	"I can't wait all the way to Christmas. I'll be pregnant and 
barefoot by then at this rate," Minako said, sitting down. "Aren't 
there, like, places where time goes wonky in Avalon?  A thousand years 
in a day and all that?"

	"Yes. There's also ones where it goes the other way.  And even 
someone with my experience may sometimes fail to tell the difference. 
It's rather risky."

	"I'm just losing it," Minako said.  "Desperate mimes call for 
desperate measurements, you know.  Either that, or I need a cure.  Being 
an elf has brought me nothing but trouble, and once I get hold of those 
idiots who turned me into one, I'll throttle them."

	"It's not all bad," Derith said defensively.

	"It is for me.  There's nothing good about being an elf that isn't 
outweighed by bigger aggravations. I have to hide my real appearance, I 
act like some sort of deranged whore half the time, and I keep 
attracting men I don't really want. I'm SICK of it."  She slumped in her 
chair.  "I don't care if I flunk out.  Because if I don't deal with 
this, I'll flunk out anyway."

	Given some of the things young elves did, he could believe that.  
"Alright, I'll try to find a good place to take you and your boyfriend 
so you can just run around and get it all out of your system."

	She leaped up and hugged him.  "Thank you!  How soon do we leave?"

	"Well, it'll probably take me a while to find somewhere stable 
enough.  But within a few weeks at most."

	Minako bounced around happily, then hugged Hotaru.  "Woo woo!" she 
shouted.  "Okay, give me a call when you know!"

	"I will," Derith said, then watched her bounce off.

	Hotaru said, "Are you sure there's no way to just make her human 
again?"

	"Not with my skills," he replied. "I couldn't make her an elf or 
unmake it."

	"I'd like to see Avalon," she hinted.

	"Alright.  Minako will need to take Steven with her anyway, so she 
can condition herself properly."

	Hotaru blinked. "Condition herself?"

	"Well, you see, it's like this.  Someone who has been turned into 
an elf starts losing control of their impulses.  Impulses you indulge 
during that time start turning into long term tendencies, and finally, 
into fairly stable traits once the period ends.  This tends to mean a 
certain amount of personality change, and sometimes fairly radical 
changes.  To some greater or lesser extent, many of their old 
inhibitions will be lost, for good and ill."

	Hotaru nodded. "So if you start eating strawberries a lot, you 
might become obsessed with eating them?"

	"Usually not quite that bad, but yes.  I've seen people saddle 
themselves with some weird wants as a result of this, though. Puberty 
for Elves is just messy, and when a human becomes an Elf...bamm, instant 
puberty."

	"So, if she takes her boyfriend along and sticks close to him and 
avoids other temptations, she'll come out of it with a stronger devotion 
to him?" Hotaru asked.

	"Exactly.  On the other hand, if she went to a mad orgy every 
night, she'd end up as a wild party animal."

	"So, about how long does this take to settle down?" Hotaru asked.

	"Weeks to months," Derith said.  "Differs by person.  Given how 
long Minako's been going through it, I don't think she has too much 
longer, and I'm sure I can find an area with faster time, but I just 
don't want to risk us ending up somewhere that makes us vanish for years 
of Earth time."

	Hotaru looked thoughtful, then said, "I know.  We could ask 
Setsuna or Hime-chan to help us find the right spot."

	He blinked. "I should have thought of that myself," he said.  "We 
can ask her when she gets home." 

                                   *****

	"So, then Umino finds out he had forgotten to take off the lens 
cap," Ryo said later, laughing.  "He just about died of embarrassment."

	They had headed to a fairly nice restaurant, and were having a 
quite tasty dinner, more elaborate than what Mr. Mizuno had grown used 
to most of the time, but he'd decided he wanted to splurge.  "I'd 
imagine.  I hope the photography teacher was understanding."

	"No, he reamed out Umino pretty well for making such a foolish 
mistake.  But he did let him do the assignment over.  But luckily, we're 
a club, so it's not like you can flunk out."  

	"Maybe next time you can show me some of your photos," Mr. Mizuno 
said.  "Oh, and let me know when you develop the roll you have right 
now.  I'd like to have a copy of the Sailor Mercury picture I took."

	"You got a picture of Sailor Mercury?" Ami asked nervously.

	"She came to our rescue," Mr. Mizuno said.  "I hadn't realized how 
short those skirts they wear are.  Your mother would probably have a 
heart attack if she saw you in one of them."  He smiled as innocently as 
he could manage.  "I'm sure Ryo thought she was hot, right, Ryo?"

	"Daddy!" Ami said, turning red.  "Don't say such things.  You know 
I'd..."  Then she really blushed, opened her mouth, shut it, then got 
up.  "I'll be back in just a second."  She ran off.

	He blinked.  "I'd better apologize when she gets back.  I didn't 
mean to embarrass her that much."

	"She's been..."  Ryo considered his words carefully.  "She has a 
friend who's been trying to get her to loosen up some, but the friend 
tends to...well, that's the sort of teasing she might have done.  Umm... 
I'm really not sure what I'm trying to say."

	They ate quietly for a little while, then Ami returned.  "Sorry 
about that," she said.  "Had to rush to the bathroom."

	Mr. Mizuno said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have teased you like 
that."

	"Oh, it's nothing you said, Daddy.  I was just...I just had to 
go."  Her voice wavered, and he felt concerned.  

	"Okay," he said.  "So how is school going?"

	"Really well," she said.  "It keeps me pretty busy, although I go 
to the chess club when I can."

	He nodded.  "Just don't study too hard, or you'll burn yourself 
out.  I know your mother doesn't agree, but that's because she's sworn a 
war against fun."

	"Mother is just dedicated," Ami replied.  "And we used to play 
chess all the time, so she does know how to have fun."

	"She got mad if I beat her.  But that didn't happen very often," 
her father said. "Do you play chess, Ryo?"

	"Sometimes.  Ami's a lot better."

	"So, do you make sure Ami has enough fun?"  Mr. Mizuno asked.

	"Oh, you know Ami, she's a regular party girl," Ryo said.  "I have 
to force her to study."

	"Ryo!"  Ami protested.  "I am not a party girl!"

	"Just teasing," he said.  "We play RPGs with some of our friends 
sometimes, go to the movies, and stuff."

	"No mad passionate sex on the roof?" Mr. Mizuno teased.

	They both turned red.  "No!" they both shouted.  

	I shouldn't do this, he thought.  But it's too much fun.  "Roof's 
too steep?"

	"Unlike Minako, Ami doesn't sneak me into her room at night," Ryo 
said finally.

	"Oh, so Minako sneaks you into her room at night instead?"  He 
couldn't help laughing.

	"That's Steven's job," Ryo said, laughing.

	"I've never snuck Ryo into my room at night!"  Ami protested.  "Or 
Minako's room or...Daddy!"

	"I'll stop this time.  Really.  So what are your teachers like?"

                                   *****

	Dr. Tomoe checked the rat.  Three hours after having had the 
purple slime smeared onto it, the rat was now completely free of its 
fungal infection.  He shook his head in wonder.  If only I knew how to 
duplicate this stuff, he thought.  He wondered again how exactly 
Alexandrite had been able to create a world so real, with so many 
wonders that still functioned once removed from it, like the medkit Ami 
had given him to examine.  

	Ami had retained the knowledge of how to use it, and some of how 
the various lifeforms were grown, but much of that required equipment he 
didn't have.  But he had kept on studying, trying to learn as much as he 
could before it all ran out or died.  

	They'd at least been able to figure out how to make the nutrient 
packs the various lifeforms required to keep them alive.  This could do 
so much good, he thought.  

	He heard Haruka coming moping down the stairs.  "Hello," he said.

	"How's your experiments coming along?" she asked.

	"Very fascinating. But frustrating because I lack the facilities 
to duplicate any of this."  He sat down in a chair and pointed to 
another one.  "So what's wrong?  You only come down here when you need 
to talk to someone who isn't Michiru."

	Haruka smiled wryly.  "Am I that predictable?"

	"Yes."

	Haruka sighed.  "You got anything good for getting rid of 
nightmares?"

	"Still having the bad dreams?" he asked.

	"You know about them?" she asked in surprise.

	"Screaming in the middle of the night three nights in a row tends 
to give the mystery away," he said.  "I don't know much about drug 
treatments for nightmares if there are any," he continued.  "I never 
really studied that.  Are you having trouble sleeping also?"

	"It's not the sleeping, it's what I remember when I wake up."  
Shuddering, Haruka brushed her hair aside as it tried to fall down over 
her eyes.  "And given that some of the others seem to have brought 
things back with them and all, I'm worried about, well..."

	"Whether we'll have to lock Michiru up at the next full moon?"

	Haruka nodded.  "I think we're both cured, or I'd be trying to 
drain you dry right now, but...When I think about how it felt to be...to 
be a vampire and..."  She shuddered again.

	"I understand," he said.

	"How can you possibly...oh," she said as it sank in.

	"I spent months being possessed," he said.  "I didn't think I'd 
ever feel clean again after that. I took baths three times a day.  And 
the nightmares...I didn't think they'd ever end."  His hands clenched.  
"And every time anything even slightly strange happened, I worried that 
they'd come back.  That I would hurt Hotaru.  That I would be a puppet 
again."

	"I know it'll be a long time before I can eat a steak rare 
comfortably," Haruka said.  "So what made the nightmares go away?"

	"Time."  His hands relaxed and he smiled a bit.  "Both literally 
and metaphorically.  The memories will fade, and you'll find rest.  You 
just have to tough it out."

	"Meta...oh."  Haruka grinned.  "Did it until you couldn't think 
straight?"

	He looked embarrassed.  "Umm, well, I wouldn't put it quite like 
that..."

	"We've both been too tense to do anything like that," Haruka said 
more seriously.  

	"Then do something fun.  You've got to prove to yourself you're 
not going to go on a rampage.  Maybe an amusement park or something."

	Haruka nodded.  "There's a good idea."

	"Or a nice long ride."

	"My nightmares drive faster 'n me, I think, but yeah."  She got 
up.  "Thanks for talking with me, Tomoe-san."

	"No problem," he said.  "I hope you feel better soon."

	"Me too.  Have fun with your slime molds or whatever those are."

	"I'll try."

                                   *****


	Dr. Mizuno Miaka stopped at the next bed.  "How are you doing 
today?" she asked the young hairless boy on the bed.  He was having to 
undergo chemotherapy, and as a result, he'd lost all his hair.  So had 
everyone else in this ward, the brood of children whom she watched over.  
She paused to look at the coloring book on the table near his bed.  
"Been enjoying your new book, Miki?"

	He nodded and smiled.  "Yes, thanks for getting it for me.  How'd 
you know I wanted this one?"

	"You talk about the Shining Rangers all the time," Miaka said.  
"So I was sure you'd like it."

	He nodded fervently.  "Yeah, it's great!  Take a look at this 
one!"  He paged through it until he came to a page of the five rangers 
posing heroically.  She was impressed by his ability to get crayons to 
match the colors as precisely as he had.  "See, here's the red ranger, 
with..."

	The boy rambled on, and she did her best to nod and smile, even 
though she couldn't follow half of what he was talking about.  Miki 
seemed to have his own degree in Ranger Studies, so far as she could 
tell.  

	He was still going on when the nurses came in to serve everyone 
dinner.  One of them pulled Dr. Mizuno aside.  "Don't you ever go home?" 
she asked.

	"They need me," Dr. Mizuno said, then yawned.  "Small children 
need attention and friendship, and there's no one else to give it to 
them.  Some of them aren't strong enough to play with each other, and 
their parents can't be here all the time, so I have to do my best."

	"Wipe yourself out, and you won't do them any good.  It's 
Saturday...go home and relax a little.  You're going to burn out at this 
rate."

	"I've been doing this for years.  I know my limits.  And I've only 
got two more to go tonight, anyway.  But I think getting food right now 
would be a good idea."

	"Good.  Go eat.  We'll take care of your babies for a little 
while."  Nurse Tanaka almost forced Dr. Mizuno out the door.

	Dr. Mizuno laughed a little, then headed off to get some food.

                                   *****

	Mr. Mizuno buried his face in his hands.  "One of these days, I 
will learn not to play Trivial Pursuit with you, Ami."

	Ryo shook his head.  "You can't say she didn't warn you."

	Ami patted his head.  "How about if we play again, and I'll try to 
pretend I'm Minako?"

	Ryo looked at the clock.  "Hmm, it's getting late."

	"I'd better take you home, then," Mr. Mizuno said.  "Are you going 
to stay here tonight, Ami, or are you going too?"

	"I think I'll stay here, since we're going to the art museum 
tomorrow morning anyway.  I'll need to go home after that and study, 
though."

	"Okay.  Come on, Ryo, I'll take you home," her father said, then 
looked over at Ami and smiled.  "Here, I'll turn around while you two 
kiss goodnight."

	Ami blushed slightly, and couldn't manage a very fervent kiss 
goodnight, which she could tell disappointed Ryo a little.  He seemed 
nervous enough himself, though.

	Once they were gone, she went upstairs and took a shower, then 
wandered around the apartment in her pajamas, lost in memories of past 
times she'd stayed at her father's.  The furniture had gotten nicer, she 
noticed, and now his paintings were everywhere, along with some prints 
she'd given him.

	She went into his studio room, and looked at the painting he was 
doing.  It showed a planet with a giant dragon curled round its equator, 
grasping its own tail in its mouth.  If you looked closely, some parts 
of the dragon had cities built on it.  The bottom half of the planet 
wasn't done yet.

	"That's Jormungandr," her father said, startling her.  "The world 
serpent of Norse mythology.  It's for a book cover."

	"He looks so real," she said.

	"That's my style.  I like to do very realistic pictures of very 
imaginary things.  Your boyfriend seems like a very nice fellow."

	She turned around and smiled.  "He is."

	"He's a very poor liar, but that's a good thing."

	Ami started to look a little nervous.  "He lied about something?"

	"Well, so did you, but you're an even worse liar.  He confessed 
after I put the screws to him, though."  He shook his head.  "So how 
long has this been going on, exactly?"

	"We...we've only done it a few times, I swear!" Ami said in a 
panic.  "I just...I love him, Daddy.  I love him very much, and we were 
careful to use protection after the first time!"

	The bottom fell out of Mr. Mizuno's brain as he realized what she 
was talking about, which was certainly not what he was thinking.  She 
had sex with him?  He couldn't believe it.  He had no delusions about 
teenage hormones, but he'd never thought his shy daughter would ever do 
such a thing.  He staggered back a step, trying to get his brain in 
order.  "You had sex with him????"

	Ami's eyes widened more.  "Umm...isn't that what you meant?" she 
asked weakly.

	"No, I was talking about you being Sailor Mercury!" he shouted, 
then tried to calm himself down.  "You...you...actually had sex with a 
boy."

	Ami winced.  "Daddy, I love him."

	And then, to her shock, his face lit up.  "That's great!  You're 
not going to end up friendless and alone like your mother!"  He sounded 
vaguely hysterical.

	"Daddy, Mother has friends!  And she isn't alone!"  There were few 
things that made Ami angrier than when her parents insulted each other.  
It brought back bad memories of the fighting before the divorce.  

	Her father tried to get a grip on himself.  "This day is just 
getting stranger and stranger.  So are you Sailor Mercury, or are you 
just having sex?"

	She sighed.  "Well, since Ryo already told you, yes.  I am Sailor 
Mercury, and I have been for nearly two years."

	"Actually, I lied about him telling me. I was just bluffing you," 
he said.

	"..."

	"Does your mother know about any of this?" he asked.

	"No," she said.  

	"You told your boyfriend, but you didn't tell us?" he asked in 
shock.

	"Ryo met me because of me being Sailor Mercury," Ami said, then 
sighed.  "Let's go sit down, and I'll tell you everything."

                                   *****

	Makoto listened to music and did homework in that order.  Stuck 
doing homework on a Saturday night, she thought.  That truly stinks.  At 
least I got to hang out with Clark for a while last night, she thought.

	She decided to take a break from math and wandered around her 
apartment looking for something to do.  Her eyes landed on her new 
sword, the 'Hackmaster'.  She'd been surprised it had stayed in 
existence when they returned from the TORG dream universe thing.  
Whatever exactly it had been.  

	I ought to give this to someone, she thought.  Given I've already 
got a magic staff.  But Clark already has a magic sword.  And most of 
the rest of us wouldn't know how to use it.  On the other hand...

	She picked it up, drew it, and swung it about, noticing again how 
it guided her hands.  This might be good to give to one of the guys, she 
thought.  Since it seems to know what it's doing, it could help them if 
they have to fight.  But which one?  

	She decided that watching some TV might bring her some 
inspiration.  Sheathing the sword, she plopped down on the couch.  There 
soon proved to be nothing on worth watching.  

	Don't want to do math, she thought.  Oh wait, I know, I could try 
reading one of the short stories from that book Ami recommended.  Might 
as well get that assignment out of the way now instead of later, since I 
already have the book.  

	After much digging about, she managed to turn up the collection of 
Sherlock Holmes stories.  They had a short story report due in a few 
weeks for English class; everyone was running around in a panic.  
Getting her dictionary and placing it where it would be handy, she 
settled down to read.

                                   *****

	"A good idea," Setsuna said.  "This would make an excellent 
training mission for Nonohara.  She needs something to snap her out of 
her funk."

	Hotaru sighed.  "I understand how she feels."

	"Alright.  Next weekend, I can take her out to Avalon, and we'll 
find a good place to take Minako to until she gets over her adjustment 
period," Derith said.

	"I'll tell Nonohara when I see her next," Setsuna replied.

                                   *****

	"Fortunately, Athena seems to have gone to take a nap," Ami 
concluded somewhat later.

	{I just had nothing useful to say,} Athena commented.

	"Or not."  Ami sighed.

	"I...uh..."  This was all rather overwhelming for Mr. Mizuno.  "I 
think I'm going to have to sleep on this and discuss it with you in the 
morning."

	She nodded and got up.  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all this 
before, Daddy, but we just...This is something I have to do, and I 
didn't think either of you would approve.  And...it's hard for me to 
tell people about it.  It seems to be something about our disguise 
magic."

	He got up.  "Goodnight, Ami."  And then he staggered off to have 
strange dreams.

                                   *****

	Himeko leaned against Daichi as she sat on her bed.  "I just can't 
forget it," she said.

	"It wasn't real," he said.

	"It seemed real," she replied, shuddering.  "I just can't imagine 
I'd ever...do something like that."

	"You've killed monsters," he pointed out.

	"It's not the same," she replied.  "It just...I've had times I got 
so mad I thought I wanted to kill Hikaru, but..."  Himeko turned and 
stared off at her desk.  "I can feel part of my brain calculating how 
many different ways to get out of this room if I was attacked.  As I was 
trying to get through a crowd, I thought briefly about using tear gas.  
It's like...It's awful.  Just awful."

	"Well, Pluto said it would all fade with time, right?" Daichi 
asked.

	"I keep feeling like I should...I mean, Hikaru's not really dead, 
but..."

	"Sometimes you think too much," he said, then turned and kissed 
her.  Her eyes widened, and then she leaned into it, letting it wash 
away her memories for the moment.

	Minako, of course, chose this moment to walk in the door, point 
and shout, "Ahah, finally caught you two making out!"

	Beating Minako with a pillow also helped Hime-chan forget.

                                   *****

	Ami lay in bed and tried to think.  What's he going to do? she 
asked herself.  I should have told him about being Sailor Mercury a long 
time ago, but...  When she thought about it, she wasn't sure why.  
Makoto had told the others she hadn't been able to tell Maguson-sensei  
about being Sailor Jupiter at first...maybe it was some sort of spell?

	{An aspect of the disguise magic, I suspect,} Athena speculated.  
{But our father seems like a fairly reasonable fellow.  I'm sure he'll 
come to accept all this once he has a chance to adjust. I am glad that 
thine parents were not chained together as mine were; mine could not 
divorce, and so I'm sure they were fighting right up to the fall of 
Mars.}

	[Daddy is very sweet,] Ami replied.  [But I think Mother is going 
to be very angry.]

	{Yes, it would have been best to tell them before this.  And 
better if thou couldst only drop one rock on her head at a time.  But I 
suppose thou hast no choice.  It may be necessary to be firm with her.}

	[I can't just 'be firm' with my mother!  She's my mother!] Ami 
replied.

	{And thou art not a child any longer.  Many a woman of my time was 
married and living a new life away from home by your age.  She has to 
understand our duties.}

	[Mom is more stubborn than you think, Athena.]

	{It boots nothing to give up before the battle is fought.  If 
worse comes to worse, we may have to abandon thine normal life, but I 
pray it will not come to that.}

	[Easy for you to say.  I LIKE my normal life.]

	{So do I,} Athena said.  {I envy that you have had such a normal 
life, and that you so easily found the true love it took me a lifetime 
to find.}  Her voice was wistful as she spoke.  {And I do not think Ryo 
will betray you as Zoicite betrayed me.  He is not so skillful a lover 
as Zoicite was, but I'm sure with time, we can train him.  And when he 
smiles, it's so...}

	[He's MY boyfriend,] Ami thought sharply.

	{Our boyfriend.  After all, we are the same person, are we not?  
Hard as it is to believe for me at times.} 

	[So why are we so different?]

	{I think you exaggerate the difference.  But of course, our 
upbringings ran in different directions, and we had different 
opportunities.  My parents were too busy fighting to inspire me to 
anything except the desire to not be like them.  And I have had far more 
targets for love than thee, growing up in a series of courts full of 
bored, amorous nobles.  My mother only bore me because it was her duty 
to bear children.  Thine set you to a noble dream.  My only dream was to 
find the joy I had never had as a child.}  She sighed.  {Thine 
discipline drives me crazy at times, but sometimes I envy it.}

	[I have to admit I sometimes wish I could be as free with what I 
think as you are,] Ami said.

	{But Thou can be.  Thou are what thou makes of thineself, Ami.  
Thou couldst be as free as myself if you so desired.  Thou needst but 
stretch forth thine wings and fly.}

	[I could never act like you do,] Ami said, feeling, to her 
surprise, a little regret over that.  [I suppose you'd just go tell off 
Mother and run off with Ryo to join a cycle gang or something.]

	Athena laughed.  {I am free, but not stupid.  But it may come down 
to having to leave the nest.  It is frightening to fly free, but 
liberating.}  She grinned impishly.  {Don't make me push you out of the 
nest.}

	[I'm the one who will have to live with the consequences here, you 
know!]  

	{We both will.  Wherever thou goest, I go too.  I do not wish to 
see us suffer.  But I don't wish to be deterred from my duties to 
Princess Serenity if it comes down to a choice between her and your 
parents.}  Her voice slumped into gloom again.  {Not that I will have 
the choosing of it.}

	[I don't know what I'd choose,] Ami said.  [I couldn't just defy 
them, but...surely they'll be reasonable.]

	{Sadly, one can never count on reasonableness.}

	I know, Ami thought.  I know.  She thought about her parents 
fighting when she was little, then drove the memories from her head and 
finally found sleep. 

                                   *****

	Ami was nervous as she made breakfast the next morning, not sure 
what her father would do, although she did feel some relief when he came 
into the kitchen and smiled at her.  "Good morning, Ami," he said.

	She smiled back at him.  "Good morning, Daddy," she said, flipping 
the eggs on the frying pan.  "You still like scrambled eggs, right?"

	"With ketchup," he said, then smiled when she made a face.  "I 
can't help it, I like it like that," he said, then sat down at the 
table.  "Hey, the paper...I guess you went and got it?"

	She nodded.  "There's a story about art galleries in Tokyo in 
section B you ought to read.  They mention you."

	"They finally printed that?  That's great."

	Breakfast went by with small talk and no mention of last night.  
Ami was beginning to wonder if she'd dreamed it, when finally, her 
father said, "Did your mother ever give you...the talk about sex?"

	"It was three hours long with illustrations and a quiz 
afterwards," Ami said, only slightly joking.

	He nodded.  "I should have expected that."

	"Mother's had me on the pill since I started menstruating, just in 
case..."  Ami couldn't quite say it out loud.  "In case...well, you 
know."

	He winced.  "That.  Yes.  Did he...use protection?"

	"Not the first time.  We didn't think of it," Ami said, feeling 
embarrassment come to full bloom.  "But every time since then."

	"Has it been very many times?"  Mr. Mizuno tried to build up 
enough willpower to stop beating around the bush.

	"No, it's hard for us to get enough privacy," she said.  "Are you 
going to tell me to stop?"

	"I'm not going to order you, because I know I can't make you do 
it, and I can't really check up on you.  And I'm not going to tell you 
to break up with Ryo, because I think he's a good boy, and you're not 
doing anything I didn't do in high school.  But you know as well as I do 
that every time you have sex, you risk getting pregnant, and that would 
wreck your life.  You'd never be able to do medical school, or probably 
even college.  So what do you think would be the responsible thing to 
do?"  Ami had rarely seen him look so nervous as he did now, though he 
was trying to project calm reasonableness.

	Daddy is right, she thought.  It is a risk, if not a very big one.  
If I got pregnant...  She couldn't bear the thought of an abortion, but 
it would mean giving up her dreams.  And that sort of thing almost 
always led to an unhappy marriage.  But I can still be with Ryo, she 
thought.  I just have to control myself. I can do that, she thought.  
She was used to self-discipline.  "To stop doing it," she said.  Even 
though she didn't want to.  But it would be better for both of them.

	{Oh, yes, that'll be easy,} Athena said.  {You'll have more luck 
trying to empty the sea with a bucket.}

	He looked greatly relieved.  Her father had never been very good 
at disciplining her, although he rarely had to.  She had been the sort 
of child who would do something bad, then tell on herself.  "That's 
good.  Hopefully, that'll keep your mother from freaking out when I tell 
her."

	Ami winced.  "Do you have to?"

	"We may not be married, but there's things parents of a child 
don't hide from each other," he said.  "Either I can tell her, or you 
can.  And in fact, it would probably be better if you did."

	She nodded.  "I'll call her tomorrow; I think she has it off.  No, 
I'll go see her."

	He got up and started picking up his stuff to put it in the sink.  
"You should tell her about being Sailor Mercury, too."

	Ami began picking up her own stuff.  "Daddy, what do you think 
about that?"

	"I don't even know how to start thinking about that," he said, 
tossing the few remains of his breakfast into the garbage, then loading 
his plates into the dishwasher.  "It's all very overwhelming.  I think 
I'm going to have to talk to your mother about it."  He looked 
thoughtful.  "I don't suppose you have any scrubbing bubbles powers?"

	She laughed as she scraped her own plates clear of debris and 
loaded them.  "I could try, but I don't think it would be a good idea."

	As she began loading everything she'd used for cooking into the 
dishwasher, he said, "The thought of you going out into danger horrifies 
me.  You're my only child, and I couldn't bear to lose you.  But at the 
same time, I've been in one of these monster attacks myself, and..."  He 
shuddered.  "It has to be stopped.  So I don't know what to say.  And I 
don't think you'd stop if I asked, or even if I ordered you to."

	"I can't stop, Daddy," she said softly.  "It's my duty."

	"I know.  I know."  It didn't sound like he liked knowing that.  
"So what would you do if...your mother won't like this," he said.

	"This is more important than what mother likes," Ami said, 
surprised to hear herself say it, then went to get the frying pan.  "I 
can't give up being Sailor Mercury.  I have to do this."

	"I was afraid you'd say that," her father said.  He could see the 
train wreck coming.  Ami usually gave in to pressure, but once she dug 
in her heels, rare as that was, she was just as stubborn as her mother. 
He already knew what Miaka would say.  She'd want Ami to break up with 
Ryo because she 'didn't have time for such frivolous things' and she'd 
want Ami to drop being a Senshi because it was too dangerous and took up 
too much time.  

	I can probably get her to accept Ami's promise to not sleep with 
Ryo again, but still date him, Mr. Mizuno thought.  But getting her to 
bend on the Senshi thing...It'll take a miracle. 

                                   *****

	The next morning, namely on Monday, Dr. Mizuno had a leisurely 
breakfast, and pulled out a big mountain of unread correspondence.  She 
had today off, at her supervisor's insistence, and had decided to 
dedicate it to plowing through all the mail she had kept shoving in the 
'read later' pile.  I need to get in the habit of reading my own mail, 
she thought, since Ami isn't here to play secretary for me anymore.  
It's my responsibility, not hers.

	By the time breakfast was over, all the bills were plucked out and 
dealt with.  There were some eight notices from Ami's school.  Five of 
them dated weeks ago, but close to each other, a recent one, and two 
older ones she couldn't believe she hadn't read yet.  

	She mentally castigated herself for neglecting these.  She'd been 
in the habit of talking to Ami periodically about school, which caused 
her to mostly ignore letters like these, which always told her things 
Ami had told her first.  And since Ami never got in trouble, that had 
never been an issue.  Now that Ami wasn't living at home, this had 
become a bad habit she decided she had to break.

	The oldest one was simply a 'look at how cool we are, thanks for 
sending your daughter' letter.  The second one asked her to come to 
'parent's day', which had been months ago.  She felt a little 
embarrassed.  

	The first of the five which came close together, however, shocked 
her.  It was a report of disciplinary action for failing to wear the 
school uniform.  The second reported she'd flirted with a teacher.  The 
third involved a teacher finding her at a wild, off-campus party.  This 
threw Dr. Mizuno off her stride, as she wondered what the teacher had 
been doing there.  The fourth and fifth both involved classroom 
disruptions.  

	She was torn between disbelief and shock.  She couldn't believe 
Ami would do anything like that.  Maybe it's a clerical error, she 
thought.  It had to be.  Surely they would have called me at work or 
something.  This can't be true.  It can't be!

	She shuddered to think what the most recent one from a few days 
ago could be.  Slowly, as if it was a poisonous snake, she reached out 
and took it, then slowly opened it.  It informed her that Ami had been 
caught with a boy in her room after hours at her dorm.  Her eyes 
widened, but then she found some relief when the dorm mother went on to 
say it had just been a study session, and several other girls (and boys) 
had been present.  It was still a curfew violation, but the dorm mother 
reported that 'Ami is not up to the trouble she caused a few weeks ago; 
she seems to have returned to her normal behavior, thankfully.  She's a 
very sweet girl, but for a while, I was afraid she'd joined a girl gang 
or something'.  

	What sort of a school have I sent her to?  Dr. Mizuno asked 
herself.  It looked like a good school, but any place that could make 
Ami start doing things like this...

	There had to be something new...something that hadn't applied 
before.  It couldn't be the school.  And Ami seemed to have the same 
group of friends, as far as she knew.

	She looked at the final report.  There was something odd about how 
it was all phrased; she had the niggling feeling it held a clue.  There 
must be someone who had lead Ami into this trouble.  Her daughter would 
never do such things on her own.  The report didn't name any names, 
leaving her to stew in her own thoughts.  I think I had best call the 
school, she decided.

	"Principal's office, Tsunami High School, Yuriko Star speaking," 
the secretary said.

	"This is Dr. Mizuno Miaka, mother of Mizuno Ami.  I need to talk 
to whoever is in charge of discipline," she said.

	"Ahh, let me see if Yamamoto-san is available."

	A few minutes passed, and then she said, "I'm sorry, he's already 
talking to another parent.  Would you like to hold, or can I connect you 
to our counselor?"

	"The counselor will be fine," Dr. Mizuno said. 

	Music played a few seconds, and then a firm female voice answered, 
"Counselor Mei'ou.  How can I help you?"

	"Hi, I'm Dr. Mizuno.  I need to find out what happened with these 
disciplinary incidents of my daughter's."

	"Can you come down to my office?"

	"Yes," she said.  "I'll bring the letters."

	"Thank you."

*****

	Dr. Mizuno walked into the office and sat down.  "Hello, Counselor 
Mei'ou," she said.

	"Nice to finally meet you," Setsuna said.  "Ami has often told me 
about you and your work at the hospital."

	Dr. Mizuno smiled and let herself feel a little pride.  "It's hard 
work, but very rewarding."

	"I understand you're concerned about the disciplinary problems Ami 
had several weeks ago?"

	Dr. Mizuno nodded.  "I just can't imagine what could have driven 
her to do such things."

	"Sooner or later, under enough stress, anyone will snap for a 
time," Counselor Mei'ou said.  "Ami had finally reached the point of 
being overworked more than she could take, and so she started acting up.  
I was able to get her back on her feet after a few sessions, and things 
have been going much better now.  Of course, it would have helped if 
we'd been able to contact you."

	"My answering machine was broken around the same time as the main 
batch of these letters," Dr. Mizuno said.  "And I work so much, I didn't 
have time to fix it or get a new one for a while.  But most people just 
call me at work."

	"We only call at work for emergencies, not for simple disciplinary 
action.  Many workplaces frown on personal phone calls."

	Dr. Mizuno nodded.  "Do you think...this won't happen again, will 
it?"

	"I'm sure there won't be any further trouble," Counselor Mei'ou 
said smoothly.  "Would you like me to call Ami in now so you can talk to 
her?"

	"No, I'd rather not disrupt her studies.  I'll go see her after 
class is over.  I have today off."

	Counselor Mei'ou nodded.  "Would you like a tour of our campus?  I 
don't have any appointments for a while."

	Nodding, she said, "I'd like that."  She felt better, her fears 
relieved, although something kept nagging at her.  For the moment, she 
dismissed her worries.

                                   *****

	"Another night of dining hall food," Minako groaned.  "I'm going 
to die."

	Ami laughed.  "It's not that bad." 

	Class was out, and now they were on their way to dinner.

	To Ami's surprise, her mother rounded the corner of a building.  
"Hello, Ami," she said.

	"Oh, hi, Mother!" she said.  "I tried to call you earlier, but you 
weren't at work or at home."

	Dr. Mizuno nodded.  "Hello, Minako."

	"Hi, Dr. Mizuno!" Minako said.

	"Do you have time to have dinner with me, Ami?" Dr. Mizuno asked.

	"Sure," Ami said.

	Minako sighed.  "Well, off to the fault lines for me.  Have fun 
with your mom!  Bye, Dr. Mizuno!"  And then she ran off.

	"Just come with me," Dr. Mizuno said.

	Ami nodded.  "I'm glad you found me.  I, uh, needed to tell you 
about some stuff."

	She nodded.  "There's a lot for us to talk about."

                                   *****

Dr. Mizuno laid the letters out on the table.  "So what happened?" 
she asked.  

	Ami tried desperately to think of an answer that wouldn't require 
admitting to hearing her past life talking to her.  Her mother would 
never, in a million years, accept that.  "I stayed up too late studying 
too many nights in a row, and then I just...sort of lost it for a 
while."  She did her best to not start staring off into space the way 
she usually did when she was trying to lie.  "I just got frustrated, and 
I couldn't think straight, and..."

	Her mother looked disappointed.  "Ami, there's something you're 
not telling me.  You're as bad a liar as I am."

	"I got hit in the head and my personality changed."

	Her mother sighed, took a sip of coffee, then said, "Ami, please, 
I'm a doctor.  Do you really think I'm going to believe that?"  And then 
it suddenly clicked in her head.  I can't believe I didn't think of this 
before, she thought.  What was the number one cause of teenagers acting 
like idiots?  A member of the opposite sex.  Maybe he was a 'bad boy', 
and she'd been trying to attract him, or he'd lead her down that 
primrose path for a while, or maybe he'd done something cruel, and she'd 
freaked out for a while.  That had to be it.  "Ami, do you have a 
boyfriend you haven't told me about?"

	Ami blinked.  "Mother, I'm sure I told you about Ryo."

	The realization swept over Dr. Mizuno that Ami had mentioned a boy 
named Ryo before, although she didn't remember him being her boyfriend.  
"Is he responsible for this?" she asked.

	"No, it's not his fault at all.  He tried to keep me under control 
when I was freaking out," Ami protested, then wished the food would 
hurry up and arrive, so she'd have time to try to figure out how to 
handle this.  I'd half forgotten about everything Athena did with my 
body, Ami thought.  "I'd just gotten so pent up, it all exploded."

	"You never had any trouble before," her mother said.  "And I 
thought you were already spending too much time goofing off with your 
friends instead of studying."

	Ami frowned.  "The more pressure that builds up behind a dam, the 
worse it is when it finally breaks."

	"As I see here."  She frowned.  "This never happened when you were 
living at home."

	"It was your idea for me to live in the dorm," Ami replied, 
starting to get more irritated.  "Look, this was just an isolated 
incident!  It won't happen again."

	"Five incidents!"

	"But it's over now!"

	And then the waitress brought their food, and conversation faded, 
to be replaced by eating.  This gave them both some time to cool down.  
However, Ami's anger was replaced by intense nervousness, because she 
knew if she now confessed to sleeping with Ryo, or to being Sailor 
Mercury, her mother would simply freak.  But on the other hand, she'd 
promised to tell, and if she didn't, her father would have to, and that 
would be even worse.

	They ate in silence, which Ami's mother finally broke by saying, 
"Ami, there's still something you're not telling me.  Even if you did 
snap under the pressure, I just can't believe you'd suddenly start 
acting like this.  There has to be something else."

	"I can't explain it all here in public," Ami said.  "Let's go 
home, and I'll...I'll tell you everything."

	Her mother tensed.  "You weren't...trying drugs, were you?"

	"No!" Ami barked, then shrank in on herself when many people 
turned and stared.  "How can you think such a thing of me?" she asked, 
hurt by the idea her mother could even suggest such a thing.

	"This isn't like you!" her mother said with a hint of panic.  "I 
can't understand this!  Why?"  She stopped and took a deep breath.  
"You're right.  Let's go home and talk about this."

                                   *****

	The backyard of the Mizuno house filled with fog.  "I'd 
demonstrate some of my other powers, Mother, but I'd break something," 
Sailor Mercury said.

	Her mother tried to wave the fog out of her eyes.  "Okay, this is 
an interesting trick, but..."

	"It's not a trick.  It's magic!"

	"There's no such thing as magic!" her mother barked back.  "Only 
idiots and children believe in magic."

	"Only idiots don't believe in what they're seeing!"

	"It could be a fog machine."

	Sailor Mercury did a complete spin around.  "And where exactly in 
this outfit did I hide a fog machine???"  Of all the reactions she'd 
thought her mother might have, disbelief wasn't one of them.

	"You could have positioned it in the backyard before this, and 
used a remote control in that laptop of yours to set it off," her mother 
said.

	Sailor Mercury said, "And what would it take for me to prove to 
you that this isn't me going crazy?"

	"Show me something I couldn't do."

	"Right."  She took her mother's hand.  "Sailor Teleport!" She 
prayed her practice would pay off.

	A few seconds later, they stood on the observation deck of Tokyo 
Tower.

	Her mother paled, then looked over the edge.  "What...what did you 
just do?"

	"Magic."

	"There's no such thing," her mother said reflexively.

	Sailor Mercury took a deep breath.  "So what just happened?"

	"I...I don't know," she said, looking a little pale as she gazed 
down on the city.  "This can't be real."

	I wonder if having her talk to Hermes would help...no, she'd think 
it was just a special effect, Sailor Mercury thought.  "Mother, it's 
real.  I'm Sailor Mercury.  Magic is real."

	"Ahah, there you are!" a voice bellowed from the direction of the 
elevator bank.  A four-armed purple humanoid stood there, clad in a 
suitably altered dark kingdom uniform.  "Come looking for me, have you?  
Well, you should have brought your friends!  DIE!"  He gestured at her, 
and four purple knives of glowing energy erupted in her direction.

	Sailor Mercury grabbed her mother and dived to one side, then said 
to her mother, "Go round the deck and take cover."

	Her mother took off running while she began leaping about, trying 
to draw the purple warrior's fire.  "Who are you?" she asked.

	"Samsonite!" he shouted, then threw more purple knives, which 
missed.

	"Like the luggage?" Mercury asked.

	"Hey, I didn't get to CHOOSE my own name, OKAY???"  Then he formed 
four purple swords and rushed at her.  "I won't let you people screw it  
up this time!"

	"SHABON SPRAY!"  Half the deck filled with a mist, into which 
Mercury faded while the purple warrior ran about impotently.

	She began a scan for dark energy...there had to be some reason he 
was hanging around here, she thought.  She soon found it; he'd altered 
the viewing telescopes to drain a little bit of energy from everyone who 
used them and feed it to him.  She couldn't pick up any more youma or 
energy sinks.

	And now to deal with him, she thought.

	"Damn you!  Fight me like a man!" he bellowed.

	"Shine Aqua Illusion!" she shouted, but by sheer bad luck, he 
stumbled the right way for her to miss with it, and instead, the 
elevator bank got frozen.

	"Ami, where are you?  What's going on?" her mother shouted.

	And then the purple-skinned warrior took off towards her voice.  
Mercury chased after him, but he could run quickly when he knew where he 
was going.

	She chased him right out of the mist, to one of the sides of the 
observation platform, where he had grabbed her mother.  "Give up, or she 
gets it," the youma said, holding two of his swords to her flesh.

	Some mothers would have done the noble thing and told Mercury to 
take her chances.  Others would have begged to be saved.  Ami's mother, 
faced with the further shattering of her worldview, did the scream 
incoherently thing.

	I need to kill time while my computer finishes trying to find a 
weak point on him, Mercury thought.  "Okay, you win," she said, putting 
her computer on the ground, then put her hands over her head and watched 
the readout on her visor.

	"Slide it over to me," the youma said.  "I can't smash it while 
it's over there."

	He could just blast it, she thought.  She slowly bent over and 
picked it up, then walked as slowly as she thought she could get away 
with.  I should have called for backup, she thought, sparing a few 
seconds to mentally beat herself up.  

	{Make an ice knife and throat him,} Athena suggested.  {His hands 
are full, so he won't be able to block you.  Or alternately, you could 
grab Mother and teleport when he has to loosen his grip on her to try to 
take the computer.  Although we'll be too tired to do much fighting if 
you do that, but you could go for help.}

	Mercury blinked in surprise, as she'd assumed Athena was asleep 
again.  [I don't know how to make an ice knife.]

	{Best to go for the teleport,} she replied.

	"Hurry it up or she dies!" the youma barked, sounding just a 
little nervous.

	Mercury came forward, and held out the computer.  "Here, take it."

	The youma made two of his blades vanish and reached out for it, 
bringing a third one up to prepare to smash the computer, while 
clutching her mother tightly with the fourth hand, which held no blade.  

	She started to hand the computer to him, then brought it up to 
slam into his chin, catching him by surprise.  He lost his grip on her 
mother, and she latched onto her mother's wrist.  "SAILOR TELEPORT!"

	And then they were in the Tomoe backyard.  The back porch door 
opened and Tomoe-san stuck his head out.  "Is someone..."

	"Tomoe-san, this is my mother," Mercury said.

	She blinked.  "Hotaru's father?"

	"Yes, I am," he said, then glanced over at Mercury, wondering how 
much he could or should say.  "Please come in and have some tea."

	"Yes, tea, that would be good."  Dr. Mizuno sounded quite dazed.  
"There aren't any more four armed purple skinned hallucinations waiting 
for me inside, are there?"

	"No, it's perfectly safe if you like cats," Tomoe-san said.

	"We don't bite," one of them said from near Tomoe-san's feet.

	"Isis, you're not supposed to talk in front of strangers!" a young 
girl shouted from inside.

	Ami's mother decided to faint, in the hopes she'd wake up with the 
drugs out of her system.  Mercury caught her and sighed.  "Dad caught 
me, and I had to tell Mom and...there's a youma at Tokyo Tower.  Someone 
needs to deal with it."

	Haruka came out.  "I'll transform, and we can go squash it while 
Pops takes care of your mom.  Although you probably shouldn't have 
brought her here."

	"I wanted to go somewhere safe!"

	"We can lick up the spilt milk later," Go said, coming out.  "It's 
time to hunt."

	Mercury considered her energy reserves.  "If I do another 
teleport, I don't think I'll be in any shape to fight."

	"You should have just called us, then," Haruka said, getting out 
her transformation pen.  "I'll go get Michiru, then."

	Mercury nodded.  "I'd best stay with Mom, anyway."  She went 
inside and found her mother having tea with Setsuna and Tomoe-san and 
Hotaru. She detransformed, and sat down with them. 

	Hotaru poured her a cup of tea as Setsuna said, "The truth is that 
the awakening of Ami's past self caused her some trouble until she 
learned to deal with it."

	Dr. Mizuno nodded dumbly, having decided it was best to simply 
ride out the strange dream she'd been having.  "So her past life was a 
whore or something?"

	Ami's eyes widened, and Hotaru stumbled, spilling tea on herself 
as she went to put the pot down.  "Athena was not a whore!"

	{Now this is a reverse,} Athena said.  {You defending my 
reputation.}

	[OUR reputation.]

	"Athena was a little too interested in having fun, but she was the 
daughter of the King of Mars, not a whore," Setsuna said.

	"Uh huh," Dr. Mizuno said, drinking her tea on autopilot.  She 
turned to Ami.  "Does your father know about all this?"

	"Yes, he does," Ami said, then took a sip of tea.  "He winkled it 
out of me when I stayed at his house Saturday night.  I accidentally 
gave it away at the park, and then he tricked me into confirming it."

	"Why didn't he tell me?" Dr. Mizuno asked, feeling irritated.

	"He was going to call you today to talk to you about it, but we 
decided I ought to tell you myself first," Ami said.  "Are you okay, 
Mom?" she asked.  "He didn't hurt you before I got you away from him, 
did he?"

	She shook her head.  "I'm fine, but...I could have died!  So could 
you!  What are you thinking, getting involved in all of this?  You don't 
have time to go around being a...a monster cop!  You've got school, and 
you're not combat trained, and..."  She paused and took a deep breath.  
"Ami, have you ever been seriously hurt doing this?"

	This wouldn't be a good time to mention I've died, been crucified, 
and suffered various other disasters, Ami thought.  "Yes, I have.  But 
it's a risk I have to take."

	"It is not.  I couldn't bear to see you get hurt, Ami," her mother 
said.  "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to forbid this.  It's too 
dangerous if it's all real, and if it's not, you don't have time for 
this."  She stared at her cup of tea.  "I hope I'm dreaming this, but I 
fear I am not."

	"Mother, I can't give this up!  It's my destiny!"

	Her mother slammed her glass down.  "There is no such thing as 
destiny!  We make our own destiny!  Didn't I teach you that?  You can't 
rely on some imaginary cosmic force to make things right, and there's no 
one who sets out our lives' course but us."  She stared at her spilt 
tea.  "Sorry about that."

	"Mother, they NEED me," Ami said.  "My partner is counting on me.  
You saw that monster.  There's a lot more of them, and I have to help 
stop them."

	Her mother's eyes narrowed.  "You couldn't even stop that one!  I 
could have died!  What were you thinking trying to pull a stunt like you 
did?"

	"I was trying to save your life!"  Now Ami slammed her glass down 
and spilled hot tea on her hand.  "Oww!"

	"You can't even keep your tea under control and you want to fight 
monsters???"

	"Now, now, let's calm down," Tomoe-sensei said nervously.

	"Yes, let..." Setsuna began.

	"Shut up!"  Dr. Mizuno barked at her.  "You lied to me before, 
_counselor_.  How many other children have you roped into this... 
whatever exactly is going on?"

	 Setsuna's eyes narrowed.  "All of us were born to this task.  I 
have not 'roped' anyone into it."

	"Now I know why Ami's grades have dropped the last few years, all 
those times she was vague about what she'd been doing, hanging around 
with all those lazy, worthless girls, getting herself hurt..."  A 
thought struck her.  "Ami, is this the reason you gave up that chance to 
study abroad in Germany?"

Ami nodded.  "Yes, it is.  My friends needed me more than I needed 
to go to Germany."

"That sort of chance doesn't come every day!"  It was the last 
straw for Dr. Mizuno.  She couldn't let Ami's life be ruined by this 
madness.  She stood up.  "Ami, we're leaving.  I don't want you to be a 
part of this."

	"Mother, calm down.  You're not making any sense," Ami said, 
taking her hand.  "Please, this is really important!  I can't just..."

	"You can, and you will.  If you want to run off and get yourself 
killed once you're no longer my responsibility, then that's your 
business.  But I'm not letting my only child get tangled up in some sort 
of violent, superstitious mess like this!"  She took a deep breath, and 
visibly struggled to calm herself.  "Ami, we're leaving.  Now."

	Ami tried to figure out how to get through to her and failed.  She 
glanced over at Setsuna, who was struggling herself to remain calm.  

	Tomoe-san rose.  "I'll drive you two home so you don't have to 
take a bus."

	"A bus will be fine," Dr. Mizuno said.  "Thank you for the tea, 
come along, Ami, we're going."  She headed for the door.

	"I'll talk to you at school tomorrow," Setsuna said softly to Ami.  
"Best you go with her now."

	Ami nodded and ran after her mother.

                                   *****

	"Mother, I..." Ami tried again.

	"Do any of the other parents know about this...this...mess?" Dr. 
Mizuno demanded.

	They were in the kitchen by the phone, sitting at the table.

	"No," she said.

	"Well, that makes me feel a little better," she said.  "I'm going 
to take you back to school, and then I'm going to call all of them and 
see what can be done about this."

	Ami's eyes widened.  "Mother, you can't just do that!"

	"I can, and I will.  It's my duty to let them know.  It's a good 
thing I got everyone's numbers when you went to the beach."  She sighed.  
"I suppose you had some sort of group orgy there too."

	"MOTHER!"  Now Ami was getting mad.  "This isn't some sort of 
weird cult free love magic thing!  We were doing Sailor training!"

	"Uh huh."  She took the sheet of numbers off the refrigerator 
door, then sat down and began to call while Ami fumed.

	The first family answered quickly.  "Hi, this is the Tsukino 
house!" an ebullient female voice said.

	"Hello, Usagi. This is Ami's mother, Dr. Mizuno.  I need to talk 
to your parents," Dr. Mizuno said.

	"Is something wrong?" she asked.  "Ami's okay, isn't she?"

	"Ami is just fine," Dr. Mizuno said, her voice softening.  "Just 
let me talk to your parents."

	"Okay!"   

	"Please, Mother, Usagi's father is going to just....he'll lose 
it," Ami said, making her last ditch attempt.

	"She should have told him earlier then," Dr. Mizuno said.

	"Hello, this is Tsukino Kenji," Usagi's father said.

	"Ahh, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

	"No, not at all."

	Dr. Mizuno froze up before she could actually say anything about 
the sailors.  If I don't have any proof, they're going to think I've 
wigged out, she thought.  "Do you have time for me to come over tonight 
with Ami?  I need to tell you something, but I can't show you the proof 
over the phone."

	"I don't understand," he said.

	"I wish I didn't," she said, sighing.  

	"Well, if you need to come on over, okay," she said.

	"We'll be there in a little bit," she said.

	"Mother, are you planning to..."

	"Best I assemble everyone at once.  It'll be easier,"  Dr. Mizuno 
said, sighing.  "Even if it is late."

	Ami sighed.  "Mother, this will likely cause a riot."

	"Sometimes, you just have to cut out infected flesh," she said 
primly.

	{Do something!}

	[Do WHAT?]

	{I don't know.}

                                   *****

	The Tsukino living room was about to explode, what with the 
Mizunos, Mrs. Osaka, the Tsukinos, the Ainos, the Nonoharas, and a horde 
of their children all crammed into it.  When Grandpa finally arrived, 
Dr. Mizuno said, "I'm sorry to call you all this late at night, but I'm 
afraid all our children have been up to some stuff they haven't told us 
about."

	This triggered a load of whispers, and then Mr. Aino said, "You 
mean about them being the Sailor Senshi?"

	"..."  Dr. Mizuno stared blankly at him.

	Minako leaped up.  "Daddy, you knew?"

	"You talk in your sleep, dear, you keep leaving your 
transformation pen lying around, Sailor V came from England to Japan 
exactly when we did, and you're not very good at being sneaky," her 
mother said.  "You've talked on your communicator in the bedroom with 
the door open, your cat kept talking to you when we were going by in the 
hallway, and I saw you transforming in the bathroom, before climbing out 
the window while leaving the shower running three times."

	"..."

	"We've known for years," her father said.  "We had a running bet 
about whether you'd confess first or screw up and get caught.  Looks 
like I win."

	Many parents boggled in unison.

	Then Usagi stood up.  "This is my fault.  I'm sorry, everyone.  As 
leader of the Sailor Soldiers, this is my responsibility."  She looked 
far more serious than usual.  "We've lied to all of you because we 
didn't want our families dragged into all of this."

	"I'm sorry, Papa, Momma," she said.  "You see, we're all reborn 
magical warriors from the moon kingdom and..."

	"Is this some kind of joke?" Mr. Nonohara asked. 

	Himeko sighed.  "No, it isn't."  She pulled out her transformation 
pen.  "Pluto Planet POWER!"  And then she transformed.

	The others did as well, half-blinding everyone else.

	And then the cacophony of angry and confused parental shouting 
began.  Everyone was shouting at once, and their children wilted before 
the onslaught.  Ami watched the mounting anarchy, and tried to think of 
a way to calm the waters.

	Instead, Mrs. Tsukino rose.  "Stop shouting," she said.

	This didn't work; people just shouted over her.  

	She went into the kitchen, got a pan and a ladle, then banged them 
together.  "SILENCE!" she shouted.

	Everyone froze up, then she continued.  "I see no point in us 
fighting with our children as a group.  I suggest we all go home and 
discuss this with our kids separately, unless anyone has any more 
bombshells for the rest of us?"

	"I've already decided my daughter will not be part of 
this...this...any more.  If you chose to let your children continue to 
endanger themselves, please keep them away from my daughter."  Dr. 
Mizuno rose.  "Let's go, Ami."

	Sailor Mercury felt everyone's gaze on her, and tried to think of 
something to say.  "Mother, I can't quit being Sailor Mercury."

	"You can.  You will.  So long as I'm responsible for you, I'm not 
going to lose another child."  Her voice was tense.  "I've had to see 
too many children buried to want to lose my only daughter.  I'm not 
putting my trust in a rock to bring you back."

	Sailor Mercury winced, not wanting to defy her mother after that, 
but still feeling she couldn't just quit.  Not now.  And so she hung 
between irreconcilable demands.

	Then her mother simply took her by the arm and dragged her out.

	"Rei, let's go home and discuss this in private," Grandpa said.

	"But I'm living here right now," Mars replied.

	"Why don't you talk to her here, while we go to the kitchen?" 
Usagi's mother suggested.  "Everyone, thank you for coming, I have some 
cookies if you want to take a snack with you."

	In short order, Ikuko had everyone cleared out and retreated to 
the kitchen with Sailor Moon and her husband, who looked ready to 
explode.  "Usagi, can you turn back to normal, now?"

	"Eh?  Oh sure," she said, after taking several cookies.  Usagi sat 
down at the table and started stuffing her face.

	"Usagi, you LIED to us!" her father bellowed.

	"I never actually said that I WASN'T Sailor Moon," Usagi 
protested.

	Best not to mention what happened with Beryl, Usagi thought.  Not 
yet, anyway.  "Daddy, I never wanted to be Sailor Moon, but I can't help 
it.  If I don't do it, people will get hurt, people will die.  Beryl 
would have conquered everyone, the Black Moon Family would have enslaved 
everyone and destroyed the future, and Master Pharoah Ninety wanted to 
destroy all life on Earth.  It...It's my fate.  And..."  She tried to 
muster the courage to tell them she'd rule the Earth one day, but she 
didn't think they'd believe it.  "I've seen the future.  I have to fight 
to make it come true.  Even though I'd rather be normal Usagi."  

	Or would I? she asked herself.  This was her perfect chance to get 
out of this, but she realized she'd fight tooth and nail to keep being 
one of the Sailor Senshi, even if they ordered her to quit.  She 
couldn't just quit while the Zodiac were after Naru and the Dark Kingdom 
was back for another round.  "I have to do this.  The Dark Kingdom's 
come back, and the Zodiac is hunting Naru-chan. If we quit, they'll just 
kill us all, and we'll die anyway.  You can't protect me by making me 
stop."  I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought.

	"Umm, Usagi-chan, I'm afraid we don't know what any of those 
things you're talking about are," her father said.

	Usagi blinked, then said, "Oh, yeah, I guess you wouldn't."  She 
then gave them the abbreviated version of her adventures over the last 
two years, which took quite a while.

	When she was done, her father said, "Even if we decide to let you 
keep doing this, we're going to have to punish you for not telling us 
about this.  What if you'd died?  We never would have known!  Can't the 
police deal with this?  It's what they're for.  And the army."

	Usagi shook her head sadly.  "The police aren't enough.  You've 
been attacked by monsters, Dad.  Did the cops show up?  Were they any 
use in this?"

	He sighed.  "No."

	"I..."  She gulped.  "This is my destiny.  I am the Moon Princess.  
It's my duty to protect the Earth and fight for a better future.  I have 
the power and the responsibility too.  This is the most important thing 
I've ever done.  Maybe the only thing.  Please, don't take it away from 
me," she pleaded.  "I'll do anything to make up for not telling you.  
Just, please...I have to do this.  I'm their leader.  They're counting 
on me.  And...I need them."

	Her parents looked at each other, then Kenji said, "Your mother 
and I will talk about this, and tell you in the morning what we've 
decided, okay?"		

	She nodded.  "I'm really, really sorry."

	"You should be," he said, then sighed.  "And I'm sorry for barking 
at you.  You know I just want to protect you, don't you?"

	"I know, Daddy," she said, rising and yawning.  "I'm going to 
bed."

	Once she was gone, Usagi's mother said, "It's hard to believe our 
daughter is a monster fighter."

	Kenji smiled.  "And the leader.  And so...I've never seen her so 
serious about anything.  I mean, she's been doing this for two years, 
risking her life...she couldn't even remember to feed her pet fish when 
we bought her some.  But going on training trips and everything..."  He 
shook his head.  "Do you think there's some way...she could make a 
career out of this?  Because if she's actually found something she 
likes...  I mean, I don't want her to be hurt, but, well, you know what 
I mean."

	"Exactly," his wife said.  "Maybe we should approve it 
provisionally, and see how things go.  Watch them train and so on.  
She's gone this long and not gotten hurt, after all, and..."

	"And there are monsters out there," Kenji said, sighing.  "I 
remember one time when Shingo and Usagi and I went..."  He trailed off.  
"Now I now where she vanished off to during that.  At the laser tag 
place."

	They stood in silence for a while; neither of them wanted to let 
their daughter go out into danger.  But at the same time, they both felt 
a little proud of their daughter for actually doing something with her 
life.  

	Finally, Ikuko said.  "Even if we say yes, we still need to punish 
her for not telling us.  If she'd died, we might not have ever known 
what really happened."  She didn't like to think of that.

	He nodded.  "And I think the best punishment for lying to us would 
be to force her to have an obligatory two hours of studying every night, 
with one of us watching her, she doesn't do anything else, until she 
gets it done.  That'll make her regret her actions AND maybe get her 
grades up."

	"She'll try to get us to do her homework."

	He shrugged.  "She does that anyway."

	"True.  Well, it sounds reasonable to me."

	He yawned.  "I think Usagi has the right idea.  Bedtime."

                                   *****

	"I can't believe you never told me," Grandpa said to Rei.

	Rei stared at the floor.  "I would have, but..."

	"But you didn't."  His voice was very disapproving.

	"But I didn't.  Grandfather, this is my destiny."

	"That may well be, but it doesn't change the fact that you lied to 
me about this for years."

	"You never asked," Rei said instinctively.

	"I could have done a lot to help you do this better," he said.  
"Stepped up your training...instead, you've been running around behind 
my back and risking death without me even knowing."

	"I'm sorry," she said, still staring at the floor.

	"Sorry is nothing but words.  You've been running around, getting 
into danger without telling me!  You could have died!  Your parents 
would never forgive me for that!  Well, their souls wouldn't."

	"What do you want me to do, Grandpa?"

	"You're not doing any more monster fighting until I say you're 
ready," he said.  "And when you're not training, I'm going to give you 
extra chores.  And I will consult the sacred fire and see what guidance 
it gives me on whether or not you should be still doing this."

	Rei nodded.  "Alright."

	"And if you ever run around behind my back like this again, you 
WILL regret it."

	"I won't," she promised. 

	He nodded.  "Come and see me tomorrow after school, and we can go 
talk to the sacred fire together."

	"Alright," she said.  "I'll see you then."

	His face softened.  "You understand, don't you, Rei?"

	She nodded.  "I understand."

	"Good.  Now, tell me about this threat you're facing right now.  I 
want to understand what's going on."

	"Well, it all started back in the Silver Millenium..."

                                   *****

	Minako's dad asked, "Do they help you hear better?"

	Minako fingered her pointed ears, being relieved her father had 
avoided the Spock jokes she feared were coming.  "Yes, which mostly 
means it's harder to sleep because I can hear too much."

	"Good for hunting in the woods, I'd expect," her father said 
thoughtfully.

	Her mother returned from the kitchen with three cups of tea, 
handing one to everyone.  "Is it permanent?"

	"Pretty much," Minako said, sighing.  "I'm hoping to go to Avalon 
some time soon so I can finish adjusting to this.  Before I do anything 
stupid."  She took a sip of tea, then said, "I can't believe you're 
taking this so calmly!"

	"Oh, this nice Elven fellow came by and explained everything weeks 
ago," her mother said.  

	"Derith?" Minako asked.

	"Oh what was his name...Eien?  Yes, Eien," her father said, 
chugging his tea.  "We just assumed it was more magical weirdness."

	Minako stared blankly.

	"What we're really worried about is that your grades haven't been 
very good lately," her mother continued.  "Are you sure you can take 
this trip without missing any school?"

	"Hime-chan and Derith are going to find a good place for me to go 
to.  We'll be gone before you know I'm back!"  She paused.  "I mean..."

	Her father looked thoughtful.  "Are you going to need a passport?"

	"Umm...I don't know."

	Her mother asked, "Is it warm there this time of year?"

	"Umm...in parts..."

	"Well, you see, we haven't had a vacation in a while, and that 
nice Elf lord invited us to come visit him some time, so perhaps we 
could tag along.  I'm sure you could use a chaperone anyway," Minako's 
father said.

	"..."

	"Of course, we'll need to make sure we've had our shots, and see 
about getting our passports renewed.  And stock up on some cold iron in 
case of trouble.  A pity church bells are too big to carry, but..."  
Minako's father began.

	"Church bells?" Minako asked weakly.

	"Do they actually work?" her father asked.  "I did some research 
after we met the fellow, but the sources aren't very consistent."

	"I don't know.  No one mentioned anything about church bells.  I 
didn't exactly get a manual with these," she said, pointing to her ears.  
How can they take this so CALMLY?  I mean...I'm glad they're taking it 
well, but this is just...

	And then she thought about the time they were caught in a nasty 
earthquake and her father's first reaction was to make sure the iron was 
unplugged.  Her parents had always been pretty unflappable and 
whimsical.  Still, this did seem a bit much.

	"Too big to carry, anyway.  So when is this planned for?"

	"Maybe two weekends from now.  This weekend, they find the place, 
the next weekend, we go."

	"Good, good, I'll need to give advance notice at work."

	"I'll see about the passports," her mother said.  "Do they have a 
magically hidden consulate here somewhere?  I want to make sure I don't 
break any import regulations again."

	Minako laughed nervously.  "I'll ask Derith."

	"Good, good.  Ask him to come round, won't you?  And see if he has 
any of those 'learn Elvish quickly' tapes.  Assuming anyone's made some.  
It's always nice to be able to speak a little of the local language, 
although with this short of notice, we can't learn much."

	"I'll...uh...ask him."  Minako said.  

	"Good.  Now, about your grades," her father said.  "You've got to 
study harder."

	"I'll study harder," Minako said, relieved to change the subject.  
"I'll be the best student who ever studied a book ever!"

	"Just do your best, dear," her mother said.  "That's all we ask.  
I know it gets boring sometimes, but you'll be glad one day you did."

	"I can do better.  And I WILL!!!"  She leaped up on the coffee 
table.  "They'll call me the girl genius of Tsunami High by the time I'm 
done!"

	"That's good, Mina-chan," her mother said.  "But you're standing 
on the coffee cake."

	"The coffee-cake trampling genius!"  Minako paused.  "The getting 
off the table right now genius," she said weakly.

	"Better go clean your feet, dear," her mother said.  "And we need 
to get you back to school before it's too late at night."

	Minako ran off to clean her feet.  This went better than I thought 
it would, she thought.  

                                   *****

	Ami flopped down on her bed, feeling miserable.  Mother's lost it, 
she thought.  At least she didn't make me move back home, she thought.  
And she didn't tell me to dump Ryo.  Then she realized she'd never 
actually gotten around to telling her mother about the sex.  I'd better 
just wait a few days, she thought.  It would only make her go more 
berserk. 

	{Best not to wait too long,} Athena said.  {If she learns before 
thou tellst her, we'll be in even more trouble.}

	Ami smiled wryly for a moment.  [I never thought you would be the 
more responsible of us.]

	{I have drunk of the cup of parental wrath too many times to wish 
to do it again without need,}  Athena said.  {Your father will tell her 
soon if you do not.}

	[You're right.  I'll do it tomorrow.]

                                   *****

	"The Senshi's parents seem to be taking things poorly," Bauxite 
reported to Hematite.

	"Keep them under observation.  If this hampers their 
effectiveness, this may be a good time to strike."

	Bauxite nodded.  "Yes sir."

	"You may go."

	He left, leaving Hematite to sit and think.  Who should I push to 
test their defenses, he asked himself.  Amazonite would be easy to 
motivate, but also most likely to screw up, rendering the test useless.  
Unless some of the Senshi could be pinned down by her somewhere as a 
distraction for a better plan.  Perhaps Anthracite?  He was fairly 
competent, but his grudge against Endymion could make him as much of an 
idiot as Amazonite.  Alexandrite's recent death demonstrated how weak 
the desire for revenge makes you.  Magnetite had other duties.  The same 
for Sapphire.  Marcasite...he might be convinced to try a strike at 
Odysseus, who seemed to have some control over the same star power which 
obsessed Marcasite.  He might be suitable, and he lacked any self-
destructive obsessions.  Pyroxenite was dead, but some of his followers 
remained.  Yes, they might be suitable as well.  At least as fodder.

	Also, who could they afford to lose?  Amazonite was certainly 
expendible, as she was of little use in any case.  Anthracite as well.  
As for Marcasite, he could be a threat in the future to Hematite's own 
plans.  Hematite would cry no tears if Marcasite fell.  

	Hematite decided this deserved more thought.

                                   *****

	Dr. Mizuno walked into the ward, doing her best to hide her 
exhaustion. She'd been so tense, she'd been unable to sleep, but three 
of her patients needed to undergo their chemo treatments today, so she 
couldn't just take another day off.

	One of them, Taiki, had somehow gotten out of bed and was holding 
Kimiko's doll just out of her reach.  Kimiko had a broken leg to go with 
her other problems, thanks to a car wreck as her family had been 
bringing her to the hospital.  "Come and get it if you want it!"

	"What are you doing, young man?" she demanded.

	Taiki paled, threw the doll to Kimiko and ran back to his bed.  
"Don't hit me!  I'll be good."

	Dr. Mizuno blinked in surprise.  Do I look that scary today? she 
asked herself.  "I would never hit you, Taiki.  But you shouldn't steal 
Kimiko's dolly."  Maybe I took too harsh a tone, she thought.  I 
shouldn't take my anger out of them.  Calm, she told herself.  Be calm.  
They need gentleness, not wrath.

	"But...you looked...okay," he said weakly.  "I'll be good."

	"Good," she said, then went over to Kimiko.  "They've given you 
breakfast, right?"

	She nodded.  "Uh huh."

	"Good, good.  We're going to take you down for another 
chemotherapy session.  You feeling ready?"  She patted Kimiko on the 
head, and did her best to smile reassuringly.

	"Can I take Rumiko with me?" she asked.  Rumiko was her doll's 
name, a simple doll made by her mother for her.

	"Sure you can, Kimi-chan," Dr. Mizuno said, 'rumpling' Rumiko's 
'hair'.  "We all need a friend when it hurts."

	"You'll always be my friend, won't you?" Kimiko asked plaintively.

	"Of course I will,"  she said.  "Ready?"

	Kimiko nodded.  "Ready."

	"Okay, Nurse, Takamura, get me a stretcher," she said to the 
nurse, who nodded and got the one she'd already brought up in the 
hallway.  

	"Doctor Mizuno, Chichiri won't give me any candy!" a young boy 
with short black hair shouted.

	"Chichiri, be nice and let Hiroshi have a piece of your candy," 
she said.  Chichiri's parents had a lot of money, and tended to give him 
lots of small gifts during his stays here, which he then flaunted in 
front of the others.  She knew he had candy to spare.

	Chichiri pouted, then forked some of the candy over, as they were 
wheeling Kimiko out the door.

                                   *****

	A while later, they wheeled a now slumbering Kimiko back to the 
ward, and Dr. Mizuno checked her schedule for the day.  "Okay, let's see 
how Hiro...where's Hiroshi?"

	The nurse on duty said, "He choked on a piece of candy he didn't 
chew enough.  Luckily, one of the other kids noticed and screamed enough 
to get Kozue's attention, and she came in and got his throat clear.  But 
then he vomited up all over himself and her, so she took him to get him 
clean and get herself a new uniform."

	What was I THINKING, not making sure he'd be able to handle the 
candy, she thought.  He could have...  She brushed away the 
recrimination, saving them for later.  Maybe I had better just go home 
and...no, I can't just run out in the middle of the day.  I have to deal 
with this, she told herself.  "I'll go check on him before I deal 
with..."  She checked her clipboard again.  "The meeting I'm supposed to 
be at...when was this scheduled?"

	"Don't ask me, I wasn't invited," Nurse Takazumi said.  

	Dr. Mizuno finished getting Kimiko back into her bed, then took 
off.

                                   *****

	Do not flirt with anyone, Minako told herself.  No one.  A boy 
smiled at her.  His name was Touji, she thought.  And he had a cute 
butt.  But she wasn't going to flirt.  Nope.

	"So what is this poem about?" Clark asked Minako.

	"It's not about Touji's fine butt," Minako said solemnly.

	Touji grinned, and Minako turned red when she realized what she 
said.

	"This is true," Clark said.  He turned to the rest of the class.  
"Would anyone like to interpret this poem?"

	There was a great dearth of volunteers.

	He turned to Makoto.  "How about you, Miss Kino?"

	"Well, it was a rather difficult poem," she said.

	A lot of the other students nodded.

	"You can't fly if you never stretch your wings," he replied.

	"I believe the author was trying to use a metaphor for the agony 
in her life.  The waterfall wearing away at the rock was like the 
vicissitudes of life slowly grinding away at her soul," Makoto said.  
"She was losing herself and had to get away.  I think the fish leaping 
up the falls then represented this desire to escape to a higher plane of 
existence, away from the waterfall.  But the transition between 
metaphors was confusing and badly handled.  Tennyson did it better, 
really."  She paused.  "No, that wasn't Tennyson.  He wrote Idylls of 
the King, correct?"  She spoke without the slightest trace of a Japanese 
accent, Clark suddenly realized.

	"Umm, among other works," Clark said faintly.

	Everyone stared at Makoto, who didn't notice.

	"Maybe it was Blake.  No, not Blake.  Shelly?  Byron?  Maybe it 
was...no, Macauley was a historian, not a poet.  Well, now I can't 
remember what poem I was thinking of anyway.  Sorry."  Her voice had 
returned to normal.

	Clark nodded.  "Very good, Miss Kino."  He turned to another 
student.  "Mr. Takamari.  Would you like to comment?"

	"Fish can't really jump up cliffs, can they?"

	"Maybe they were flying fish," another student suggested.

	The discussion soon turned into a fishing class despite Clark's 
best efforts to get it back in line.

                                   *****

	Ami shifted uncomfortably in her chair.  "Only a few times, 
Mother," she said weakly.

	"I'm glad you were honest enough to tell me," Dr. Mizuno said, 
trying her best not to explode.  "But I'm NOT very happy about it."  

	Ami stared at the table.  "I know."

	"Ami, you'll never get into medical school and finish if it you 
get pregnant before it happens."

	"I know."

	"And no sex is safe enough to be sure.  Fairly safe, yes.  
Especially if you use multiple contraception methods."  Her eyes 
narrowed.  "Did you?"

	"After the first time," Ami said.

	"Have you had a pregnancy test yet?"

	"No."

	"Then we'll give you one.  After this."

	Ami nodded.

	"Pregnancy would wreck your life.  It's a risk you can't afford if 
you want to make something of yourself.  And that's leaving out all the 
moral reasons to wait for marriage."

	Ami nodded.  "I know."

	"If you knew, you wouldn't have done it."  She took a deep breath 
and counted to ten, letting the temptation to shout drain out through 
her feet.  "I know it's tempting, Ami.  You're at an age where it's very 
hard to control yourself, but if you don't build the habit of discipline 
now, medical school will eat you alive."

	"I kn..."

	She frowned.  "Stop saying that!  If you really knew this, you'd 
have NOT done it!  And, it'll wreck your reputation.  Men try to get 
women into bed, but once they do, they think the woman's a slut, even 
though they're usually far more slutty than most women.  Get a 
reputation like that, and you'll never find a good man for a husband."  
She sighed.  "Not that it guarantees you'll find a good one..."  She 
reined herself in again.  "Or that you'll be able to live with him if 
you do.  Your father is a good man, but we just weren't compatible."

	Ami nodded.  

	"But as long as you have a boyfriend, the temptation is going to 
be there.  You're going to have to break up with him, if you don't want 
to end up pregnant or worse, and have to give up your dreams."

	Ami felt her stomach knot.  "Mother, I love him. I want him to be 
part of my dreams."

	"Ami, do you really think you can go back to being celibate with 
him having done it once?" she asked.  "Because that's what it would 
take."

	"Yes," Ami said.  "I can do it," she said firmly.

	"Let me guess, your father suggested that."

	She nodded.

	Dr. Mizuno sighed.  "Do you really think you could hold back all 
the way through the rest of high school, four years of college, and all 
of medical school?  Or that he'd want to wait that long?  He's a young 
boy, and even the best of them have raging hormones at your age.  Have 
you talked to him about this?"

	Ami shook her head.  "No, I've been too busy and...I wanted to 
tell you before I made any final decision."

	Dr. Mizuno spent a little while trying to figure out how to make 
Ami understand.  "I'm increasingly coming to think it would be best if 
we simply transferred you to another school, so you could make a clean 
break with all of this mess.  That way, you couldn't be drawn back into 
it.  And I don't trust Tsunami's administration anymore, knowing that 
Mei'ou woman is part of it, using parents and students as pawns in 
whatever her little game is."

	"Mother, Mei'ou-san is NOT using us as pawns.  I was Sailor 
Mercury for over a year before I even met her!"

	"She's up to something. I don't trust her," Dr. Mizuno said.  
"She's using you for her own private monster war."

	"Mother, this concerns EVERYONE!" Ami said.

	"It will take me a while to arrange a transfer.  I'd get your 
father to do it, but he'd probably pick some art academy where no one 
learns anything useful."  She began scribbling possibilities on a 
notepad.

	"Don't I get any kind of say in this?" Ami demanded.

	"No, you don't.  You've demonstrated I can't trust your judgment 
or your honesty any more, and until you either show me that I can trust 
it, or you get the skills you need to support yourself, I'm going to 
have to run your life for you so you don't screw it up any further.  
You're going to break up with the boy, and you're going to get ready to 
go to a new school, if I can find one.  But in the meantime, you'd 
better keep up your grades at Tsunami.  It'll help you get into a better 
school.  It's a good thing you took all the best schools' exams 
already."  

	"I'm not a little girl any more!"

	"No, you're just old enough to make adult mistakes without having 
an adult's common sense," Dr. Mizuno said.  "The deadliest of all 
combinations.  Hmmm...best to send you to an all-girls school."

	Ami stood up.  "Mother, this isn't fair!  I haven't done anything 
wrong!"

	"You lied to me!  You lied to me repeatedly!  You could have died 
a thousand times, and I wouldn't have even known why!  And you seem 
determined to throw away everything you've been working for since you 
were six over a boy!  I'm not going to let you ruin your life and die!  
If you want to go overdose on heroin or choke on a piece of candy once 
you're not under my care any more, I can't stop you, but dammit, I am 
NOT going to just sit back and let my daughter ruin her life and die 
when I can do something to prevent it!  Your father's spoiled you, and I 
see I didn't pay enough attention. I trusted you, and you betrayed that 
trust.  I just want what's good for you!"  She banged her fist on the 
table.  "Oww, dammit."

	She closed her eyes.  Screaming does not grant authority, she told 
herself.  I don't want to make Ami scared of me, I want her to listen to 
reason.  "My decision is made.  I'd better take you back to the school, 
so you can get to bed at a reasonable hour."

	"Father wouldn't..." Ami began.

	"I'm your legal guardian," she said.  "And it's my duty.  You can 
go running to 'Daddy' to try to get out of this, but I'm NOT backing 
down.  And if he thinks otherwise, he can...forget about it."

	"Mother, I can't just throw away my life and start over."  Ami 
clenched the table, trying to figure out some way to get past her 
mother's stubbornness.  

	"Sometimes, we have to start over so we don't throw it away," her 
mother replied.

	The knot in her stomach finished twisting, and for a moment, she 
was afraid she was going to throw up.  "Mother, please, I just can't do 
this."

	"You can.  You will," her mother replied flatly.  And that was 
that for the moment.

                                   *****

	Kensuke turned around from a late night refrigerator raid, only to 
see his daughter standing in the kitchen.  He nearly dropped everything 
when he saw the tears running down her face.  "Ami, what's wrong?"

	"Mother...she..."  Ami began to sob incoherently and babble.

	"Ami, I can't understand anything you said," he said, putting a 
hand on her shoulder.

	She flung herself at him and began to cry onto his chest.

	He put down everything.  "Let's go sit down and talk, okay?" he 
said.

	She nodded.

	Once she had cried a while longer, she finally pulled herself 
together and explained everything.

	He sighed.  "Once your mother has time to calm down, I'm sure 
she'll be more reasonable."

	"You really think so?" Ami asked weakly.

	He pushed her hair out of her eyes.  "Of course...no, I can't lie 
to you.  Your mother never wants to back down.  Once she says something, 
she'll fight to the end to defend it.  Fortunately, she only says stupid 
things when she gets mad, and she usually doesn't get mad.  Although I 
was far too good at making her mad."  He sighed and shoved aside 
memories.  "I will talk to her, but I make you no promises. She's your 
legal guardian, and my rights are pretty limited.  I will tell you I'm 
not going to bother enforcing the no boyfriend thing, because that's 
just stupid.  But as to switching schools..."  He sighed.  "If she won't 
listen to me, the best I can do is to try to get you into one that won't 
be awful."

	"She doesn't want me to be Sailor Mercury either," Ami said 
weakly.  "But I have to.  They need me and I need them."

	"I know, honey," he said, hugging her sadly.  "But legally, she 
can tell you not to do that.  I think.  And if you defy her...well, you 
know how that goes."

	"Can't you tell her?" Ami pleaded.

	"I'll do my best.  But with your mother, my best was usually never 
enough."  He sighed.  "She's a good woman; I couldn't do what she does 
without going mad.  But once she makes up her mind, the Emperor himself 
couldn't move her."  He patted Ami's shoulder.  "Maybe you should ask 
your boyfriend if he has foreseen anything."  He laughed.  "I can hardly 
believe I actually said that.  I guess having an oracle on tap is kind 
of handy."

	Ami nodded, feeling a little heartened.  "I'll ask him tomorrow."

                                   *****

	"I can only foresee things I'm in the middle of, usually," Ryo 
said.  "But I haven't had any visions for a few days. I guess that means 
the future is unclear."

	"Well, do you think Daddy will convince Mother to change her 
mind?"

	"I don't know your mother well enough to guess," he said.  "But it 
doesn't sound like it."

	They were at breakfast in the dining hall, early, right after it 
opened and while most people were still getting up.

	"So what are we going to do?"  Ami asked, feeling desperate for 
some kind of reassurance.

	"Wait...I'm seeing something...oh dammit!" he said in frustration.

	"Did you see..."  Ami asked hesitantly.

	"I screwed up, and I'm gonna get a D on the math test.  But I 
studied so hard..."  He paused to stuff some more cereal in his mouth 
and chew away his frustration.

	She sagged.  "Ryo, we have to do something about this."

	He nodded.  "I couldn't stand to lose you, Ami," he said.  "And if 
your mother sends you to another school, I can still go try and see you 
on the weekends.  But I really don't see anything I can do about your 
mother."  He scratched his head.  "I could try talking to her, but I 
dunno if she'd listen."

	"You have to try," Ami said.  "If I push her more, she'll just 
explode."

	After another spoonful of cereal, he said, "I'll see if I can call 
her this evening and make an appeal."  A doomed appeal, he thought.  But 
it was better than doing nothing. I don't need a vision to know how this 
will go down, he thought.

                                   *****

	Ami sat at her desk and stared at page 200 of the English reader 
for the fortieth time.  Looking down at her translation, she saw she'd 
just translated the third paragraph a fifth time.  She tossed the book 
off her desk in frustration.  "I hate this," she announced.

	"Yeah, it's a lousy story, 'mi-chan," Noriko said.  "Oh, you mean 
waiting for your dad or 'yo-kun to call you?"

	"Exactly. I can't think, I can't study, I can't do ANYTHING," Ami 
said.

	"How about if you take a study break and play Senshi Combat with 
me, then?  It needs more field testing," Noriko suggested.  "Or you 
could read a nice book you've been putting off."

	"I guess a virtual fight might help," Ami said.

	Thirty fights later, her virtual avatar froze Tuxedo Kamen in a 
block of ice and threw him into the ocean.  "Sorry about that," Sailor 
Mercury said with a tinny voice that wasn't right at all.

	"Does she always apologize after every win?" Ami asked, now 
feeling a little more relaxed.

	"I stole the sound clip from...Chun Li?  I think so," Noriko said.  
"Don't ask me why she does it.  I just didn't have a good tag phrase for 
you."

	Ami began trying to think of one, as the phone rang.  She ran over 
to it.  "Hello?" she asked.

	"Well, I have good news and bad news," her father said.

	"What's the good news?" she asked first.

	"I convinced your mother not to transfer you until next year, 
because she'd already paid in advance for this year to get a discount 
and because it would disrupt your studies, since none of the other 
school's she looking at have exactly the same curriculum."

	Ami felt a wave of relief wash over her.  "That's great, Daddy."

	"But she wants you to move back home where she can keep an eye on 
you."

	Ami nodded.  "I'll miss being able to see everyone easily here, 
but I can handle that, I hope."

	"She still wants you to break up with Ryo, unfortunately.  And she 
doesn't want you to have anything to do with the other Sailor girls.  
About all I could get her to back down on was that one thing.  I'm 
sorry, Ami," he said.  "And no being Sailor Mercury, either.  She blamed 
me for you getting into that, when I brought it up.  As if I..."  There 
was silence for a few seconds.  "She's overreacting, but as long as 
you're living with your mother, I can't do much about it.  But you can 
see Ryo when you come visit me.  Just tell her you broke up with him. 
It's not like she can check up on you."

	Ami laughed faintly.  "I never thought I'd have one parent tell me 
to disobey the other."

	"It's just utterly ridiculous.  There's simply no reason at all 
for you to dump him.  I can see why you being Sailor Mercury seems too 
dangerous to her...I'm not comfortable with the idea of you risking your 
life either.  But I think she's overdoing it.  But if we tough it out a 
few weeks, hopefully, she'll calm down, and we can talk some sense into 
her."

	Ami nodded.  "I wish I could come live with you, Daddy."

	"Me too, honey, but your mom is your legal guardian, not me, and I 
can't afford to take it to court.  And I don't think the court would 
rule in my favor anyway. I'm sorry I mostly have bad news for you, 
dear."

	"Well, I can handle a few weeks of this," Ami said.  "At least, I 
hope I can.  But if the Sailors need me...I mean, I can't just defy 
Mother, but I can't just not go either."

	"I really don't know what to tell you, Ami.  You're just going to 
have to follow your heart."

	"Thanks, Daddy," she said.  "We'll just have to see what happens."  
She sighed.  "Talk to you later, Daddy."

	"See you, pumpkin."

	She hung up the phone, and it rang again.  "Hello?" she asked.

	"It's me, Ryo," he said.  "Your mother won't even talk to me."

	"Come on over," she said.  "We need to make plans."

	"Okay, on my way."

                                   *****

	Ami leaned against Ryo, drawing comfort from his presence and from 
the arm he'd put around her shoulders.  "I'm gonna miss being able to 
see you often, Ryo," she said.

	"I'm gonna miss seeing you too," he said.  "At least we'll be able 
to eat lunch together, though.  When do you have to move out?"  

	"Tomorrow evening.  I can't believe Mother is overreacting like 
this."

	"But she is."  He sighed.

	"Maybe...maybe we ought to skip school tomorrow and go on one last 
date," Ami said, hardly able to believe she'd said that.

	"We'd have to run from truant officers all day," he replied.  
"That wouldn't be much fun.  On the other hand...oh heck, let's do it."

	Noriko laughed.  "Dress up nicely, and everyone will assume you 
must be older."

	"We just have to make sure we make it back before Mother gets 
here," Ami said.

	"And that Yamamoto doesn't catch us sneaking off campus."

	"Sailor Teleport your way out!" Noriko replied.

	Ami laughed.  "That would be...oh heck, if we're skipping school, 
what does it matter?"

	"Right.  Bring a change of clothing and meet me behind the dorm, 
and we can teleport to my dad's house.  He'll be at work, and we can 
change there," Ryo said.  "Oh wait...problem."

	"Hmm?" Ami asked.

	"The school will notice we're missing and probably tell your 
mother.  If she knows we did this, she'll freak out even more."

	Ami frowned.  He was right.  There had to be some way out of 
it...but she couldn't think of one.  She sighed.  "I guess we won't do 
it, then."  Skipping school wasn't a good thing to do, she told herself.  
Mom's going to work me hard, I'd best get used to it, she thought.

	Ryo nodded.  "We just have to make the most we can of tonight."

	"Then let's go do something now," Ami said.  "It's not too...drat, 
it's already eleven!  Where did the night go?"

	"Down the tubes," Noriko said.  "I need to go to bed soon.  Not to 
be rude and kick Ryo out, but...I'm gonna be rude and kick him out.  
Sorry!"

	"I understand," Ryo said, getting up and kissing Ami on the cheek.  
"We'll work this out, somehow."

	"Somehow," Ami said.  "We have to."

                                   *****

	The junior Pluto turned to Derith.  "Well, I'm ready when you're 
ready."

	"Mount up," he said, pointing to Bob.  

	"I don't think she can handle my weight," Bob said, smiling a 
dragon smile.

	She climbed up into the saddle behind Derith.

	Hotaru said, "I still don't see why I can't go."

	"If you had time powers, I'd take you instead, but this saddle 
doesn't hold three people very easily.  You've got to make sure Minako 
doesn't do anything stupid," Derith said.  

	"Oh, that's probably impossible," Go said from the deck chair 
nearby.

	Hotaru sighed.  "Be careful."

	"Don't worry," the junior Pluto said.  "I can get us out of 
anything."  She sounded like she was trying to assure herself of that.

                                   *****

	Ami popped her transformation pen and computer out of subspace, 
just to stare at them for a few seconds and reassure herself they were 
still there if she needed them.  She'd stashed them there to keep her 
mother from confiscating them, then told her mother she'd 'given them 
back' to her Sailor friends.  She didn't like lying to her mother, but 
she feared they'd end up locked away somewhere when she needed them 
otherwise.

Sending them back to subspace, she then stared at her homework as 
she sat in her bedroom at home.  She'd been here for half an hour, doing 
the same problem over and over because she couldn't focus.  The problem 
was that she was bored out of her mind.  She'd had this problem her 
first few nights at home, but now, on Friday night, it was exceptionally 
bad.  Her mother was downstairs, watching CNN and actually catching up 
on the universe outside her hospital, but she was stuck here until she 
finished this chapter.

	But since she was already eight chapters ahead, and normally would 
have been out on a date with Ryo or doing Sailor Training, or anything 
else but studying on a Friday night, her brain refused to function.  
This shocked her; Ami could study under any condition, even on the bus, 
but now she just wasn't interested.

	She'd always studied ahead because school always went too slowly, 
and it meant she couldn't fall behind if she got sick, which usually 
happened once or twice a year.  Her love of learning drew her onwards to 
new knowledge; Ami enjoyed studying.  

	But now she felt cooped up where once she'd felt safe and 
sheltered, up in the room where she'd done so much studying.  It felt 
cramped, like the walls were closing in.  She got up and did some 
stretching exercises, and felt her tensions begin to drain away.  But at 
the same time, it made her aware that her back felt full of knots.

	There was a knock at the door.  "Come in," Ami said, continuing to 
pull her leg back.

	"Your back isn't bothering you again, is it?" her mother asked.

	"It's been a while," Ami said, "But yes, it is."

	"Well, I can fix that," Miaka said, coming over to the desk and 
putting down a glass of tea and some popcorn.  "Here's a snack for you, 
but first, let me give you a backrub."

	Ami lay down on the bed, and let her mother massage her, removing 
all her aches.  Her mother had done this hundreds of times in the past, 
and Ami always enjoyed it.  It was almost worth the pain, just for the 
massage.  She lay there silently, giving a small moan every once in a 
while.  

Her mother worked in silence, until finally, she said, "Better?"

	"Much better," Ami said.  Her whole body felt much more relaxed.  
Maybe too relaxed, as now she didn't want to get up off the bed.

	"Better not stay up too late," her mother said.  "I'm going to bed 
early; work's wiped me out."  She kissed Ami's head.  "Good night, 
dear."  

	And then she was gone.

	Ami couldn't quite understand it.  Her mother had been much calmer  
and more considerate since she'd moved back home, except for pretty much 
restricting Ami to physical exercise and studying as her two main 
activities; her mother had always emphasized staying in shape, which was 
one reason they had a big pool.  Her mother went swimming every morning 
before work.  

	Maybe I should go swim, Ami thought.  Then I can have my snack and 
get back to studying.  She nodded.  That's a good idea.

                                   *****

	Makoto could think of several more pleasurable ways to get her 
boyfriend sweaty on a Friday Night instead of sparring with him.  
Unfortunately, the need to hide their relationship precluded all of 
them.  

	Makoto pressed her attack, throwing everything she had into it; it 
was frustrating fighting with the staff; sometimes it would just feel 
totally natural. And other times, like now, she was struggling to 
remember how to use it at all.  She feinted left, then tried to bring 
the right end around for a blow to Clark's left shoulder. 

	And then Clark's blade came around and caught the staff from 
below,  knocking it right out of her hands.  "You've got to drill more 
with the basic forms before you try anything fancy," he said.

	"I can do those at home," she said, feeling a little irritated. 
"But I can't spar without a partner."

	"Which doesn't do any good if you're struggling with the basics," 
he fired back.  "You've got to learn to crawl before you can walk."

	"There's probably something more boring than doing staff forms, 
but I don't know what it is," Makoto said, then sighed and went and got 
the staff. "I'd rather be curled up with a nice book."  She paused. "Did 
I really say that?"

	"We all seem to have retained a few bits and pieces of our other 
selves," Clark said, sheathing his sword and leaning against the wall.  
She'd been pressing him hard, for though her skill was low, she was a 
lot stronger than him, and deflecting her blows had taken a lot out of 
him.  He wasn't going to admit this, though.  "I caught myself writing a 
sermon instead of preparing for the next day's teaching last night."  He 
sighed.  "Lost half my preparation time on it."

	She laughed.  "I wish I'd retained all of Maggie's knowledge.  I'd 
be making perfect grades.  She had a Mind of 12, and I probably only 
have about a six."  She sighed and sat down on the couch, which had been 
pushed over to one wall to make space for sparring.  "I just feel so 
stupid sometimes."

	He came over and sat down on the other end of the couch.  A 
thought struck him.  "You're not stupid at all, Makoto," he replied in 
English.  "You could have as good grades as Rei, if not Ami, if you'd 
just study more.  I was very impressed with your analysis of the poem 
the other day.  And your English has greatly improved."

	"It just sort of came to me," she said in English.  "I spent all 
of breakfast staring at that poem like it was some magic spell or 
something, and then suddenly, bam, I just understood it.  Maybe sleep 
deprivation helped or something."

	"Did you need to use a dictionary?"

	She blinked.  "Actually, no, now that I think about it.  And I 
just casually read it at breakfast like it was in..."  She frowned. 
"Maggie could have read that and understood it easily.  I'm not going to 
start hearing her voice in my head, am I?"

	"I don't think so," he replied.  "But some pieces of our other 
selves do seem to have remained behind. I don't know if they'll stay or 
if they'll fade."

	"Well, as long as I don't go mad, I wouldn't mind keeping what 
Maggie knew, because she knew a lot more than I do about some things.  
And I'd be guaranteed a good grade in English."  She grinned at Clark.  
"And wouldn't have to bribe you with kisses."

	"Well, we have been speaking in English the last few minutes," he 
said.  "So I think you'll be able to earn that grade without bribery."

	Her eyes widened. "I have?"  She blinked. "Oh wow, I have!"

	No accent either, he noted.  He smiled at her and switched back to 
Japanese.  "Ready to drill in some forms now?"

	"No, but I'll do it anyway," she said, getting up and smiling.  
"So, do you think I should dye my hair until this streak grows out?  Or 
keep it?"

	"I kind of like it," he said. "But I noticed Yamamoto looking at 
you rather intently the other day.  I don't think Tsunami has a hair dye 
policy, but I'm not sure about that."

	She nodded.  "Well, if you like it, I'll keep it.  Let's get going 
with the forms."

	This consumed the rest of the evening.

                                   *****

	Maybe this is Mother's way of apologizing for doing so much 
screaming earlier, Ami thought. She won't back down, but she is trying 
to not just rant.  She slowly did the backstroke under the moonlight.

	{A gilded cage is still a cage,} Athena said.  {If thou wishes 
anything in thine life beyond studying, thou willst have to break out of 
this.}

	[It's just for a little while until Mom will listen to reason.]

	{Dost thee really thinkst she'll listen to reason?  She's calm 
now, why dost thou not go to ask her?}

	Ami reached one end of the pool and turned, continuing to 
backstroke the other direction.  

	{As I thought.  And what of thine lover?  Dost thou not miss him?}

	[I miss him a lot!]  Ami's body ran on autopilot from long 
practice, while she argued with Athena, her legs slowly speeding up 
their kicks.  [But I can't see him until I get Mother to back down.]

	{Which will happen when hell freezes over.}

	[I can't afford to believe that!  She's already calmed down a 
lot.]

	{Because thou dost not defy her.  If thou didst, her claws would 
be unsheathed again.  The victor can well afford mercy to the 
vanquished, so long as the loser knows his place.}  Athena's voice was 
sharp, but then it softened.  {I miss him too.}

	[I'm going to go crazy if I don't get my...if I don't figure out 
how to focus on my studies,] Ami said.

	She pushed off the far end, and switched to the breaststroke, her 
body moving fluidly.  She'd mastered swimming long ago, and it soothed 
her.  Already, she felt better.  

	{Thou art so far ahead it's pointless to do more work and thou 
knowest it.  All work and no play makes people snap.  And thou hast not 
had any real play except for swimming all week.}

	[It's pathetic!  I've hardly been here a few days, and I already 
can't focus!]  Ami said.

	{That's because thou wast learning to not have to study all the 
time to keep from going mad with loneliness.  Thou didst not need slave 
away to forget that you spent most of your time alone when not in 
school.  But now, thou hast lost thy friends, thy purpose, and thy love.  
Well, not lost thy love, but a love from afar is thin food for the 
soul.}

	Ami felt the temptation to get out of the pool, wait for her 
mother to go to bed, then teleport to Ryo's room to see him.  She shook 
it off.  Too risky of discovery, especially since his roommate would 
probably be home.

	{Of course, if thou thinkest today is bad, tomorrow will be worse.  
No school means an entire day of studying thou dost not need.  No Sailor 
training with Haruka.  No gaming with your friends.  And even if a 
crisis arises, they cannot call on you.}

	[Shut up!  Just shut up!  I don't need you harping on everything 
I'm missing!]  Ami scowled and tried to blank out Athena as she pushed 
off the wall and went for another lap.

	Athena was silent the next fifteen laps, leaving Ami to stew in 
her own frustration.  The rest of the night didn't go much better.

                                   *****

	The next morning, Ami finished off another batch of translations.  
So much for that English reader, she thought, laying it aside and 
stacking the translations in the English folder.  They wouldn't actually 
be due for weeks, but it was easy to predict the assignments of her not 
very skillful or original English teacher.  

	It was almost time for lunch, and her mother was gone until around 
eight tonight.  For the first time since coming home, she could do 
anything she wanted without her mother checking up on her, as long as 
she got as much work done by the end of the day as her mother expected.  
She'd worked feverishly all morning to get that much work done.

	And then, as she ate lunch, it struck her that there really wasn't 
anything to do with her free time.  Not that didn't risk her mother 
finding out and require her to lie to her, if she didn't want to get 
punished for doing it.  I should go shopping for some fiction, Ami 
thought.  I'm sure Mother won't get mad at me if I find something nice 
to read in my spare time.  If I get to have any.

	She changed into her blue sundress, got her hat, and headed out to 
catch the bus and go down to the shopping district.

	Her favorite bookstore called itself 'The Library of Alexandria'. 
It was pretentious, but always had a lot of interesting old books.  She 
lost herself in browsing for an hour, and sipping the coffee that they 
had there.  I haven't been here in forever, she suddenly realized; she'd 
been too busy trying to juggle homework, friends, a love life, and 
senshi duties to really read much fiction.  I suppose that's the one 
good thing about this, she thought.  There's a lot of books I've been 
wanting to read.

	She'd picked out five to buy when she rounded a shelf, and to her 
utter shock, she found Minako slowly moving along the shelves of 
imported books, muttering to herself in English.  "Mina-chan, hi!" Ami 
said, feeling a surge of joy that surprised her.

	"Hey, Ami!" Minako said.  "Your mother stopped cracking the whip 
yet?"

	"She's off cracking it at work," Ami said.

	"So you snuck off to buy books?"  Minako laughs.  "Anything good?"

	"Yeah," Ami said, and rambled on for a while about the books, 
until finally, she decided she was talking too much.  "I'm surprised to 
see you here."

	"Hey, I do read, you know," Minako said.  "I'm trying to find a 
short story collection that isn't wretched.  We have to read a short 
story and write a short paper about it for English class.  Also, I 
started reading a couple of series back in England when I was there, and 
I'm trying to catch up on them."

	"So how did your parents react?" Ami asked.

	"Oh, they don't mind at all.  They didn't even freak out about me 
being an elf and everything.  In FACT, they want to go to Avalon with 
me," Minako said.  

	Ami sighed.  "I wish I could go with you.  I just need to get away 
from working until I drop.  So they're really not mad?"

	"Well, you saw how they were at Usagi's.  Dad was even more 
unflappable than usual."  Minako shrugged.  "Best not to kick a gift 
horse in the mouth.  But they did tell me I need to be more serious, 
that I'd been kinda out of control.  And well, they're right, much as I 
hate to say it.  If you'd been acting like me, your mother would 
probably chain you to a desk until you were forty."  She shook her head.  
"I can't believe your mom freaked out so much."

	"She's just trying to protect me," Ami said, sighing.  

	Minako checked her watch.  "Steven was SUPPOSED to meet me here to 
help me find a good book, but I guess he's standing me up.  Or he went 
to the wrong store."

	Ami felt a surge of intense jealousy, and tried to tamp it down.  
She was going through hell, and Minako wasn't suffering at all from 
this.  "What about everyone else?" she asked.

	"Well, the Outers don't have any problems.  Rei almost has Grandpa 
convinced to let her be a sailor again, and Makoto is fine.  But Usagi, 
Naru, and Himeko's parents are freaking out.  They've been punishing 
Usagi by making her study constantly."  Minako shuddered.  "I'd die."

	Yes, you would, Ami thought with a surge of further irritation, 
then tried to shove that down as well.  "That's pretty much my 
situation."

	"But Usagi is a lot lazier than you.  We all are," Minako said.  
"It amazes me how you can work so hard.  Me and Usagi and Makoto...your 
mother would have killed us by now with so much studying.  But you look 
like you're doing fine."  She paused, and now her voice became concerned 
as realization struck her.  "You're not fine."

	"I miss everyone, and I'm bored of studying," Ami said, sagging a 
little and letting it show.

	Minako put a hand to her forehead.  "No fever.  Must be some other 
kind of sickness."

	"Mina-chan, don't make fun of me," Ami protested.

	"Sorry," she said.  "I just never thought you'd say that."

	"Have there been any monster attacks?"

	"Not yet," Minako said.  "Thankfully, our enemies all seem to be 
busy.  Maybe their parents are mad at them."

	Ami laughed at the thought.

	"Look, why don't we go do something fun?" Minako asked.

	"I really shouldn't," Ami said.  "Mom doesn't want me hanging out 
with...anyone."  She stared at her books.  "I wish I could go live with 
Dad."

	"Ami, you're going to go nuts if you just sit around the house and 
read!  You'll end up...trying to use the vacuum cleaner!"

	"..."

	Minako sighed.  "Umm...joining a...no.  You'd try to...ugh."  She 
wrinkled her nose.  "C'mon, I'm bored too.  You deserve a REAL break."

	Ami shook her head.  "I can't."

	Minako grabbed three more books off the shelf.  "You're no fun."

	"I can't afford to be.  If I keep this up, Mother will eventually 
calm down."

	"You really think so?"

	Ami began to shift back and forth nervously.  "It has to be true," 
she said.

	"If you say so.  Well, I gotta find Steven and kill him.  See ya 
later!"  She gave Ami a hug, then headed for the sales counter, leaving 
Ami to her thoughts.

                                   *****

	Three hours later, Ami had plowed halfway through her book, gotten 
tired of reading, gone swimming, gone jogging, and cleaned her room.  
And now she was about ready to climb the walls using her hair.  

	Her mother wouldn't be home for four more hours.  There wasn't 
even anything on TV that wasn't wretched.  She'd tried studying, but her 
heart wasn't in it.  

	Then the phone rang.  She ran over to it and answered.  "Hello?" 

	"Yeah, I'm trying to do my homework, and it's kicking my butt," 
Minako said.  "Can you help me?"

	"Sure," Ami said.  "What's the problem?"

	"Can I come over and show you?  Math is just crushing me all 
over."

	Ami frowned.  "Mother said..."

	"Well, just taking this call breaks that, right?"

	Ami winced.  "Did you have to put it that way?"

	"C'mon, it's homework.  Your mother loves homework, right?  And it 
makes you smarter by thinking about it, right?  And I'm gonna DIE if you 
don't help me!"  Minako began to wheedle.

	"Well...okay, but we have to get you out of here before Mother 
gets home."

	"I love you!  You're a lifesaver!  Be right over!"  Minako hung 
up.

	Ami felt a mixture of guilt and relief, but shoved the guilt aside 
by telling herself that it would help her practice her math.  In fact, 
she'd done that homework so long go, a review would do her good.  Yes, 
it would, she decided.

                                   *****

	Helping Minako with homework without doing it for her was a skill 
Ami had perfected long ago.  Much to her surprise, though, Minako had 
dispensed with the usual rituals of trying to talk about other things, 
'losing' her pencil, doodling instead of listening to Ami talk.  
Instead, she had come in with all the problems already done.  Already 
done wrong, which was why she needed help.  Ami had pointed out errors, 
and Minako had picked up on it quickly, and now she was finishing off 
the last few herself.

	"You're really working hard," Ami said.

	Minako grimaced.  "You don't have to sound so surprised."

	"Well, normally..."

	"I know, I know.  Normally, I'm a lousy student.  But I told my 
parents I'd do better, so I will.  If it kills me, and it probably will.  
And I still don't know where the hell Steven ran off to."  She sighed, 
began to doodle, and scratched it out.  "Athena tried to help me with my 
studies, back when I was Inanna, but I always drove her nuts being even 
less focused than her.  I could never figure out how she could do so 
well, when I NEVER saw her study.  Until I figured out her secret."

	Ami blinked, and tried to think of what Minako meant, dredging up 
Athena memories.  There were too many of them, though, for her to be 
sure what Minako meant.  "Secret?"

	"Remember her elf friend, Dia?"

	Ami shuddered.  "Do I have to?"

	"Dia had some little hideaway where time was like twenty times 
faster than on the moon.  So she'd go run off with Dia every so often 
and do all her studying there, then come back and act like she didn't 
need to study at all."

	Ami boggled. "She and Dia were study buddies?"

	"Well, I think they were having mad passionate sex too, but yes.  
She always claimed Dia was very intelligent, although Dia always struck 
me as well...I mean, I enjoyed sex, and I still enjoy sex, but even as 
an Elf, I'm not like constantly on the prowl for my next bed partner."  
She paused. "At least I'm trying not to be.  Even when I start thinking 
about things like that philosophy argument."  She blushed.

	Ami blinked.  "What philo..."  And then the memory rushed over 
her.

	Athena and Inanna had spent several hours arguing philosophy, much 
to the surprise of both of them.  Especially to Athena's surprise, as 
Inanna had argued far more cogently for free will than Athena had 
expected.  And then, Inanna had crowned her argument by saying, "For 
example, nothing made me do this except that I wanted to do it.  Because 
I care about you."  And then she had leaned over and kissed Athena on 
the lips.  

	They'd made love before, but it had always been with their male 
lovers as well, four bodies piled together in a variety of ways.  Athena 
had returned the kiss passionately at first, and then she'd suddenly 
looked fearful, gotten up, and run away.  The next day, Athena had said 
nothing of it, and Inanna had been afraid to press the issue again.

	They both looked at each other as the tides of memory ebbed, 
Minako wondering why Athena had run away.  And Ami because she knew.  
Athena had been afraid to really fully give her heart to anyone, for 
she'd seen 'true love' go bad too many times, and seen too many married 
couples hurt each other.  And so she could never let herself take her 
love affairs too seriously.  Until Zoicite.  And until...

	Ami gulped.  "She was afraid...afraid something would go wrong, 
and she'd lose you.  That it would all unravel.  I can hardly imagine 
how she ever got the courage to let Zoicite into her heart, and..."  Her 
heart was beating faster, for suddenly, she was aware of how beautiful 
Minako really was.  She could see Inanna in Minako, and she understood 
why Athena had loved her, and why she had never been able to completely 
admit it.  

	And now she could feel Athena straining to be free, feel the 
memory of love and desire generating what was definitely desire, and 
might be love, or perhaps just a desperate need for someone, to connect 
to someone, to forget her boredom and escape to a better place for a 
little while.  

	No, I have a boyfriend, she told herself.  I'm not going to do 
anything crazy with Minako, she thought.  Especially not now.  She could 
feel herself start to get aroused, so she thought about math.  "Got any 
more problems?" she asked.

	Minako blinked, then turned to her homework, blushing more.  "See 
if you can figure this one out," she said.

	Ami gradually relaxed as they continued working through the 
problems.  Not too much longer, they were done with the homework, and 
Minako got out of her chair and danced around.

	"Woo woo!  Minako wins!"  She made a V for victory sign with her 
fingers.  

	Ami laughed.  "I wish I felt that triumphant every time I finished 
an assignment."

	"I'm sure you would if it was as hard for you as it is for me," 
Minako said.  "And I think we set a speed record."

	Ami checked her watch.  "Well, it's about time for dinner.  Mother 
said she would pick herself up dinner on the way home, so I don't have 
to wait for her.  Want to stay and eat with me?"

	"Sure!"  Minako said.  The phone rang.  "I'll get it!" she said.

	"No, I'd better," Ami said.

	She quickly got the phone.  "Hello, Mizuno household," she said.

	It was Steven.  "Is Mina there?  And do I really want to talk to 
her or should I go hide?"

	"She's here," Ami said.  "Mina, phone for you."

	She passed the phone to Minako, then said, "I'll go start 
cooking," leaving Minako to eat Steven's head in her absence.

	Minako came bouncing in as Ami was busily mixing the sauce for the 
pasta she'd decided to make.  "Hey, can I help?  And you'd better make 
some extra...I invited Steven to come too."

	Ami's danger sense immediately went off, and she winced.  "I 
really shouldn't have too many people over...I mean, I really shouldn't 
have anyone over at all, or Mother's going to get mad if she finds out," 
she said weakly, despite knowing she'd already broken her mother's 
commands.  

	"In for a cent, out for a mile," Minako replied, leaving Ami to 
wonder if Minako had a random phrase generator in her head.  "If you're 
going to get in trouble anyway, best to make it worth it, right?"

	"But I don't WANT to get in trouble!" Ami protested.

	"You don't?  I thought you said I could come over so we could defy 
your mother together," Minako said in surprise, then struck a 'heroic' 
pose.  "Brave companions riding boldly into the mouth of the five 
hundred cannons of Baklava!  Boldly rode the five hundred and..."  She 
paused.  "No, wait, I got something mixed up here...How many people in 
the light brigade?"

	"Didn't they all die?" Ami asked.

	"Umm...well...not ALL of them," Minako said.  She looked at the 
sauce.  "Can I help?"

	Well, we still have several hours, Ami thought.  And there's no 
way to contact Steven to tell him not to come.  I just have to not do 
this again, she thought.  "You can set the table," she said.

	"But cooking is more fun!" Minako protested.

	"Table, now," Ami ordered, laughing a little.  "I don't want us to 
be still pumping Steven's stomach when Mother gets home."

	Minako stuck out her tongue and went to set the table.

                                   *****

	How do I get into these things, Ami asked herself as she and 
Minako and Steven and Ryo sat at the table and ate spaghetti.  I wonder 
if Minako planned this, or if she just sort of stumbled into it.  And 
why didn't I try to stop her?

	Because I didn't really want to, she answered herself.  This is a 
lot more fun than the last few days have been.  Her anxiety and 
inability to concentrate had faded, and she felt a lot better.  
Unfortunately, now she had a new source of anxiety, but she'd have to 
cross that bridge when it burned under her.  

	"So where were you, Steven?" she asked him.

	"Ryo asked me to give him a ride to go hunting for some special 
film he wanted, and it took forever," Steven said.

	"Well, my usual place was out, and the backup was out, and finally 
we tracked some down, but it cost us an extra hour and a half," Ryo 
said.  "So your Mom's finally backed down?" he asked Ami.

	Minako and Ami both froze like deer in headlights, and Ami turned 
to Minako.  "Did you tell them that?"

	"I...uh...Steven said he thought it wasn't a good idea to have a 
little dinner party here while your Mom was still forbidding you to see 
any of us, and I...uh..."  A bead of sweat began to roll down Minako's 
brow.

	"You said Ami's mother had given her approval!"

	"Well, she didn't explicitly tell Ami not to have a dinner party 
here today while she's gone..."  Minako protested, then sagged.  "Okay, 
I shouldn't have done this.  Especially since Ami's the one who will get 
in trouble, but it's my fault."  She turned to Ami.  "I'm REALLY sorry.  
I just...I'm missing you and Usagi and everyone and we haven't done a 
double date in a while and...I guess trying to talk you into sneaking 
out to go dancing would be a bad thing, huh?" she concluded weakly.

	Ami felt sorely tempted to say yes, but she focused her will.  Any 
open defiance of her mother would guarantee this would drag out even 
longer.  "No, I can't do that.  I shouldn't even do this."

	Ryo's eyes suddenly widened.  "What time is it?"

	"It's nearly six," Ami said.

	"Your mother will be walking in the door at..." he began.

	Then the roar of a car came from the driveway.

	"Tell me you walked here, Steven," Minako said faintly.  "We can 
flee out the back door."

	"Motorcycle," he said.  "Want us to run anyway, Ami?" Steven 
asked.

	"Best I just take my punishment and be honest about it," Ami said, 
summoning up every ounce of responsibility she had, and rising to meet 
her mother at the door.  "She's probably going to call your parents and 
ask them to punish you, Minako."

	"My parents think your Mom is a fruitcake for how she's acting.  
They'll probably raise my allowance for this," Minako said.  "Why don't 
you just come live with us?"

	"I can't do that," Ami said on her way to the door.  She thought 
for a moment.  "Best eat fast, so your food won't go to waste."

	Her mother had already come in the door when she arrived.  "Ami, 
do you know where this motorcycle came from?" she asked.  Her voice was 
calm, and for a moment, Ami wondered if her mother was being cagey or if 
she really had no idea where it could have come from.

	Just be honest, Ami thought.  "It's Steven's motorcycle.  I ran 
into Minako at the book store, and I didn't want to eat by myself, so I 
invited her over to have dinner with me, and she ended up inviting 
Steven and Ryo over as well.  And I helped her with her homework."  She 
was taking some extra blame on herself, but she feared if she didn't, it 
would come off sounding like she was covering something up.

	Her mother's expression darkened.  "I leave you alone for a few 
hours, and you choose to defy me."

	"I can't be a hermit any more," Ami said as calmly as she could.  
"I'm not your slave, I'm your daughter.  And there's only so much I can 
stand."

	Through slitted eyes, her mother glared at her.  "I just can't 
trust you at all any more.  You don't have any discipline at all any 
more.  And it's people like the Aino girl who've ruined it!  How you 
stand to associate with such a completely useless flunk out?"

	Ami clenched her hands into fists, then made herself unclench 
them.  "Minako is a lousy student, but there's more to life than just 
studying!  Minako's risked her life and nearly died a hundred times 
trying to protect ungrateful people like YOU!"  She stabbed an accusing 
finger at her mother.  "She's one of the bravest, most caring people I 
know!  Not that you'd know anything about BRAVERY!  Do you think I don't 
know being Sailor Mercury is dangerous?  I've been crucified, frozen in 
ice, burned, stabbed, and tied up more times than I can count!  But I 
know it's worth the risk!  I'm not a...a coward like you!"

	"Bravery?  Risking your life fighting monsters when you've got 
your whole life ahead of you and throwing away everything else for it 
isn't bravery, it's STUPIDITY!  We don't pay for an army and police so 
that they can sit around and eat donuts while WE fight evil!  Let them 
take care of it!  And I REFUSE to let you risk getting killed!"  Her 
mother was trembling as she shouted, and now her voice dropped down 
several dozen decibels, almost to a whisper.  "Do you know how many 
children I've had to bury over the years?  That I did my best for, but 
they died anyway?  Ami, I couldn't stand to see you get hurt.  And if 
you died...I'd die too."  And then she started to cry.

	Ami stepped forward, feeling ashamed of herself, and clumsily 
hugged her mother as her mother cried.  "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

	"I'm sorry too," her mother said, sobbing.  "But it doesn't change 
that you defied me.  But...I just keep yelling at you, and I shouldn't, 
and I'm sorry."

	Now Ami began to cry as well, overwhelmed by her mother's sorrow 
and frustration, letting some of her own out as well.  While they did 
so, Minako, Steven, and Ryo quietly slipped out, leaving mother and 
child to take what little comfort they could from each other in a brief 
armistice from their war.

                                   *****

	"dead scream."  Purple energy blasted more of the gargoyles to 
ash.  They finally gave up their assault and peeled off.  The junior 
Pluto sighed.  "Well, this was a waste of time."

	Derith rubbed his sword clean with a cloth.  "Well, it did prove 
this would be a bad place to send Minako to."

	"It's like every fast time area we find is full of homocidal 
maniac monsters," the junior Pluto said, screwing up her nose.  "Do they 
warp creatures or something?"

	"No, not really.  We must just be having bad luck," he replied.  
"Although I suppose a lot of such places are probably hoarded by people 
who want to exploit their properties."

	"But even 'Happy Valley' was full of rampaging creatures," the 
junior Pluto said, frowning.  "There hasn't been a monster invasion, has 
there?"
	
	"Well, no one at Caer Dwyffed seemed to think anything unusual was 
going on," he said, pursing his lips.  "But it won't hurt to keep our 
eyes open."

	She nodded.  "I have a bad feeling."

                                   *****

	By the next evening, Ami felt ready to chew off her own leg.  Her 
mother had kept checking up on her every five minutes, and when she'd 
gone to the bathroom, her mother had briefly panicked, apparently 
thinking she must have slipped out the window and leaped down to the 
backyard or something.  

	Ami was tired of doing homework without interruption except for 
meals, bathroom breaks, and a round of swimming in the afternoon.  She'd 
completely finished her history book, and now she was close to finishing 
off her math textbook as well.  In fact, she would have already finished 
it, except that she couldn't concentrate with her mother periodically 
checking on her; just as she started to really get her brain moving, her 
mother would stick her head in the door and expect acknowledgment of her 
existence.

	Now her mother came storming up the stairs, and Ami wondered what 
could have made her angry.  She soon found out.

	"I called the Aino parents, and...they laughed at me!" her mother 
proclaimed.

	Ami resisted the impulse to toss a coin to her mother so she could 
call someone who cared.  "Her parents think you're insane."

	"I am not insane!  I'm just trying to protect you and get your 
life back on track!"  She shifted about with the restlessness of someone 
who wanted a target to turn their wrath loose on, but didn't have one.

	"I can't do anything about Minako's parents, and I can't focus on 
my homework like this," Ami said curtly.  "Maybe you should call Usagi's 
parents and give them some advice on how to get Usagi to study."

	"Good idea," her mother said.  "They understand, at least."  And 
then she was gone.

	I'm sorry, Usagi, Ami thought.  I shouldn't fob Mother off on you 
like that, but I just...

	Her pencil broke in her hands.  I can't stand this constant 
surveillance.  I can't stand doing nothing but homework any more.  I 
just can't, she thought.  But I have to.  

	And then she began to cry.

                                   *****

	"MOON KICK!"  Sailor Moon flew feet first at her target.  
Unfortunately, her target was Jupiter, who stepped out of the way and 
brought her staff around to paddle Sailor Moon in the butt, knocking her 
into a tree.  "Hey, that's cheating!" Sailor Moon yelped.

	Her parents watched from the Tomoe porch, both looking rather 
concerned.  "She's not very good," her father said flatly.

	"Well, usually she doesn't get into hand to hand combat," 
Professor Tomoe explained.  "But she really can't refine her main attack 
much more than she already has."

	"Don't you worry about your daughter?" Ikuko asked Tomoe.

	As she asked this, Venus and Saturn were sparring; Venus had 
borrowed Jupiter's Hackmaster, so she and Saturn could spar with 
weapons.  Deadly blades whirred past each other, mere inches away from 
causing potentially fatal wounds.  Parias stood nearby, giving advice 
and instructions.

	"My daughter could annihilate the entire self-defense force if she 
felt the need to do so," Tomoe replied, sighing.  "I'd like to protect 
her, but I'm afraid she's rather better at protecting herself than I am 
at protecting her."

	"Put some force into it!" Go shouted to Uranus.  "Kick her ass!  
I've got a pile of catnip riding on this!"

	Uranus and Neptune, bereft of the partners Serenity had assigned 
them, were sparring with each other, but neither was trying very hard 
today, as both were lost in their own thoughts.  Uranus aimed a feeble 
punch, only to have it easily blocked by Neptune, whose return kick was 
a miserable failure.

	Benten turned to Go.  "Perhaps we should bite them on the leg to 
give them a little fighting spirit."

	"That would only direct their fighting spirit at US."

	"She just doesn't seem ready for a real fight to me," Kenji said 
as Jupiter grabbed Sailor Moon by her hair and yanked her off her feet.

	Ikuko winced.  "That has to hurt."

	Sailor Moon yelped in affirmation, then whacked Jupiter in the 
stomach with her Spiral Moon Heart Rod.

	"Yeah!  Go for the knees!" Kenji shouted.

	Jupiter lost her grip, fell down, then recovered and tackled 
Sailor Moon.

	"Make up your mind, dear," Ikuko said, still sounding worried.  

	"I...uh...ah hahah."  Kenji laughed nervously.  "I just think..."

	"You might want to keep in mind that Jupiter is one of the two 
best of the Sailors in hand to hand combat.  Judging this by your 
daughter sparring with her would be like thinking someone was a poor 
scientist because they didn't have a Nobel Prize," Tomoe said.  

	Sailor Moon tumbled back, then leveled her rod at Jupiter.  
"SPIRAL MOON...oof!"  Jupiter was on her again, kicking her back.  "Give 
me a chance to..." she began as she tumbled.

	"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"  Jupiter leveled her staff at Sailor 
Moon, and a storm of oak leaves erupted from it, a great spiraling cone 
which hurled Sailor Moon further back, knocking her Spiral Heart Moon 
Rod out of her hands and into the lower branches of a tree.  Jupiter 
turned and jumped to grab the Rod out of the tree, only to have Sailor 
Moon take off her tiara and hurl it at it.  It nailed Jupiter in the 
rear, sending her sprawling, then bounced off the tree, and back to 
Sailor Moon.

	"Yeah!  Show her who's boss!" Kenji shouted.

	Ikuko sighed, looking embarrassed.  "Kenji, this isn't ladies'  
wrestling."

	He laughed nervously.  "Yes, yes."  

	Sailor Moon dove for her rod, only to end up with Jupiter on top 
of her.  "Leggo!"

	"Nope!" Jupiter said, grabbing her legs and standing up.  "Give 
up?"

	Sailor Moon looked thoughtful for a moment, then poked her rod 
into Jupiter's stomach.  "Bang."

	Jupiter looked down at it, and grinned.  "Okay, I get the point," 
she said.  "I didn't hurt you too much with the oak attack, did I?"

	"Well, I started it," Sailor Moon said ruefully.  "Umm...can you 
put me down?"

	"Needs more practice," Kenji concluded.

	His wife nodded.  "Yes, she does."

	"She should have blown Jupiter away at that point."

	Ikuko sighed.  This is going to be a long afternoon, she thought.

                                   *****

	Later, Minako bounced up and down excitedly as Hime-chan 
dismounted from Bob.  "Well, did you find a good place?"
	
	She shook her head sighing.  "Monsters, monsters everywhere.  You 
did remember to cover for me so my parents don't find out I'm doing 
this?" she asked Minako.

	"Yep.  Luckily, your sister got sick and they canceled Sunday 
dinner, which could have been a bit tricky."

	"I was pretty sure that would happen, but..."  Himeko shook her 
head.  "This ended up a big waste of time."

	Derith frowned.  "Something strange is going on. I'm going to be 
looking into it, and next weekend, I'll take Hime-chan back for another 
look."

	"I should have come with you," Hotaru said.  "If there were 
monsters everywhere."

	"Mostly nuisance creatures," Bob said.  "Hardly a threat to 
someone like me."

	"But Derith could have gotten hurt!"

	"Well, if you want to be technical..."

	Derith sighed.  "Ha ha ha.  Anyway, don't worry about me.  I'll be 
fine.  Mostly I'm just going to go talk to some people I know.  But 
we'll find you a place soon, Minako."

	"Well, thanks for trying, anyway," Minako replied.

	"You're welcome."  Better tell my parents so we can reschedule 
again. This will likely delay us, she thought.

                                   *****

	Daichi ambled along with Himeko, idly juggling a soccer ball as he 
walked.  "Anyway, so I have to do this stupid lab thing tonight, because 
my lab partner has to go home tomorrow and..."

	They were interrupted by Hikaru, who waltzed up to them.  To their 
surprise, she'd dyed her hair a bright red in color.  "How do I look, 
Daichi?" she asked.  "I heard that..."

	Himeko stared at her, then gave a strangled cry and ran off.

	Hikaru blinked.  "It doesn't look THAT bad, does it?"

	Daichi sighed.  "It's a long story I can't tell you."  Then he 
turned and ran off after Himeko.  

	Maybe I should have tried being blonde instead, she thought.

                                   *****

	"C'mon, get a grip on yourself," Daichi urged Himeko once he 
caught up with her.  "You can't spend the rest of your life feeling 
guilty over this."

	"I killed her," Himeko said dully.  

	"From what you told me, it didn't sound like you had much of a 
choice," Daichi said.  He was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all.  "And 
it was just a weird dreamworld place anyway, right?"

	She turned and embraced him, leaning against him.  "I just...I 
need to atone, but I don't know how.  There's not even anyone to 
apologize to or anything, and..."  She sighed, coming close to crying.  
"How can you even stand to hold me when I'm a..."

	"You're not a killer," Daichi said.  "She was trying to kill you, 
and you fought back."  He sighed.  "Maybe you should talk to my dad. 
He's a cop.  He's had to shoot people before and..."

	"My parents are losing it enough over this without me telling your 
father something he'll feel he has to tell them," Himeko said, sitting 
down on one of the many benches which dotted the campus.  Daichi sat 
down next to her.  "I don't know what to do," she said.

	"Me neither."

	"So how did your Dad take all this anyway?" Himeko asked.

	"He's trying to pretend he dreamed the whole thing.  Or that your 
parents were joking when they called him.  I dunno what he's gonna 
think."  Daichi leaned back and stared at the sky.

	Himeko sighed.  "Mom and Dad are still all shook up.  And angry I 
didn't tell them.  If they knew I'd run off to Avalon with Derith and 
all..."  She sighed.  "I just can't quit this. Though right now, I 
really wish I could.  I just want to pretend I'm a normal girl and..."

	"Oh, you've never been normal," Daichi said.

	"Thanks a lot, Daichi."

	"C'mon, let's go play a little one on one soccer.  It'll make you 
feel better," he said, getting up.  

	"I don't feel like playing," she said.

	"You just think you're going lose," he said.

	She leaped up.  "The day I lose to YOU at soccer is the day I 
marry Hikaru!"  She knew better than this, but her pride was stung.

	"Wedding bells are ringing."  He grinned.

	She stole the soccer ball and ran with it.  "Try and stop me!"

	He ran after her laughing.  Much better, he thought.  This should 
get her mind off things.

                                   *****

	The next week dragged by for Ami as if it had small mountains tied 
to its feet.  Finally, on Saturday, Ami had the surprise of being woken 
from her sleep by the maid, who normally came in on Mondays.  "Hello, 
Ami-chan," she said.  "Best rise and shine.  It's already nine."

	"I slept that late?" she asked in surprise, getting up.  "What 
brings you here today, Rumi-san?"

	"Your mother asked me to switch to Saturdays," Rumi said.  "I was 
supposed to make sure you got up by eight, but you looked so peaceful as 
you slept, I couldn't bear to do it.  Anyway, I made you some breakfast, 
so you'd better hurry before it gets cold."

	As Ami ate her breakfast, it sank in why her mother had gotten 
Rumi to switch to Saturdays...so she could keep an eye on Ami on the day 
Ami had the most free time but her mother worked.  Her stomach knotted, 
spoiling her enjoyment of her breakfast.  

	She trudged back to her room once breakfast was over.  Back to the 
cotton fields, she thought gloomily.

                                   *****

	"Miss Mizuno, your turn to read the next paragraph of the homework 
translation," Haohmaru-sensei said.  He got a lot of video game jokes at 
his expense, but he just laughed at such.  He wasn't a very good English 
teacher, in Ami's opinion, but he did at least try harder than most of 
the ones she'd seen.  They did more than simply translate written 
materials, although not a lot more.  But right now, that was what they 
were doing.

	Ami realized to her embarrassment that she'd taken the wrong 
sheets of paper from her stack of already done translations; this 
assignment wouldn't be due for at least a week.  So, she improvised by 
stumbling through it as best she could, which was actually fairly easy.  
Minako and Manami were the only people she knew were better than her at 
English, not counting adults.  

	Haohmaru-sensei nodded and moved on, but when the bell rang and 
she got ready to go, he stopped her.  "Is something wrong, Miss Mizuno?" 
he asked in English, apparently counting on no one else being fluent 
enough to overhear.  "You've been looking miserable ever since two weeks 
ago, and now this...not that your performance isn't better than anyone 
else in the class.  I'm just concerned."

	"I'm having family problems," she said.  "I really shouldn't talk 
about it."

	He nodded.  "I understand.  I simply do not like to see my 
students suffer."

	She smiled at him.  "Thank you, sensei.  I will do better next 
time."

	"Have you ever thought about going into translating for a living?  
There's a lot of demand in international business for people fluent in 
several languages, and I think you have a knack.  I'd been meaning to 
talk to you about this, and while I have you..."

	She laughed a little.  "I plan to be a doctor, sensei."

	"That's good," he said.  "It's a lot of work, but I think you'll 
do well.  Well, I'd better let you get to your next class."

	Students were streaming past them into the room.

	"Thank you for your concern, sensei!" Ami said, then turned and 
sprinted for the gym, as she had P.E. next.

                                   *****

	Minako and Naru were both in her P.E. class, they were doing 
soccer.  While Naru ended up on the other team, Minako was with Ami 
during the soccer game which occupied most of the period.  By the end of 
the game, she noticed Minako was limping a bit and favoring her left 
leg.  Afterwards, as they all headed back to the showers to get clean 
before lunch, Ami fell in with her.  "What happened to your leg this 
weekend?"

	"Youma tried to break it.  Hotaru took his head off.  But he did 
hurt it," she said.  "Saturn pretty much put me back together again, but 
I've still got a little bit of pain in this leg.  That was Friday 
night."

	Ami's eyes widened.  "How many youma?"

	"It was the usual 'dance club turned into youma factory' thing," 
Minako said.  "So most of them were pretty wimpy youma.  A few dozen.  
We beat them, but..."  She sighed.  "We coulda used you and Naru and 
Usagi and Himeko.  Rei finally convinced Grandpa to let her come back to 
us, or we'd have really gotten our butts wiped and diapered."

	Naru, who'd joined them, sighed.  "I'm sorry, but Mom is just...I 
spend most of my time trying to calm her down.  She's been really shook 
up by this.  Is your mom still riding you hard, Ami?"

	"Yes," she said, and felt guilty.  Her friends had gotten hurt 
because she couldn't help them.  "Nobody else got hurt, did they?"

	"Uranus got pinned under the sound equipment and sprained her 
ankle.  Nothing too horrible, though.  Some cuts and scrapes and burns 
and whatnot.  Nothing Saturn couldn't fix for us, luckily."

	Ami felt more knives of guilt as they headed into the dressing 
room to strip for the showers.  We can't fight two enemies with only 
half our strength, she thought.  We can't. I have to do something...but 
what?  What can I do?  She didn't know.

                                   *****

	Ami tried to sleep, but she couldn't.  The darkness and her own 
exhaustion taunted her.  There has to be something I can do for them 
without getting in trouble, she thought.  And some way to get Mother to 
back down.  But there wasn't, that she could see.  She was lonely and 
tired and frustrated and feeling guilty, and she hated it.

	[Do you have any ideas, Athena?] she tried asking her past self.  
But Athena was silent.  In fact, Athena had largely been silent for at 
least a week, except for the occasional thought of frustration which Ami 
suspected was just her own grumbling anyway.  

	[Please, say something, anything!] Ami begged, surprised to find 
herself wanting Athena's presence.  Even talking to herself was better 
than the boredom and loneliness she felt, she realized. 

	But there was still no reply.

	I finally get something I've been wanting, Ami thought, just when 
I don't want it.  She laughed bitterly, then went back to trying to 
sleep.

                                   *****

	Ami woke up, not sure when she'd actually gone to sleep, or how 
she'd gotten turned around so that her feet were up on her pillow and 
her head was buried under the sheets at the foot of the bed.  She 
disentangled herself, only to find the moon was shining in her window, 
and the clock was steadily blinking 3:15 over and over.  

	We must have had a blackout, she thought groggily, and got out of 
bed.  Her door had a full mirror on the inside, and she paused to stare 
at her bleary self.  Much to her surprise, her shadowy reflection was 
wearing a blue tank top that left her midriff bare and blue panties and 
nothing else.  And she could see someone in her bed, although just their 
feet from this angle.  She turned and stared at the bed, which had no 
one in it unless you counted a stuffed dog which had fallen down off her 
shelf of stuffed animals her father had given her over the years.  She 
had one for every year of her life.  

	Looking down at herself, she saw her dark blue pajamas, the ones 
she remembered putting on before bed.  Looking up at her reflection, 
though, she saw the blue tank top and panties, but not the pajamas.  She 
rubbed her eyes, and so did her reflection.  The feet on the bed stirred 
slightly, and her reflection gave her a wry smile.  

	Ami put her hand to the mirror, then realized she must be dreaming 
as her finger tips touched those of her reflection and met warm flesh 
instead of cold glass.  And then it struck her...I bet Athena would 
sleep like that if she lived now, Ami thought.

	"Yes, I would," Athena said.  "Don't you find those pajamas 
confining?"

	"You've never tried to sleep through Mother's arctic blast air 
conditioning," Ami replied.  "It may be warm over in your part of 
dreamland, but you'd freeze over here."  She glanced over at the bed.  
"And who am I dreaming is with you?"

	Athena smiled impishly.  "Who would you like it to be?"

	"I don't have time for games.  I need to reset my alarm clock, 
which means checking the time."  

As Ami reached for the doorknob, however, Athena caught her hand. 
"Now, now, this is a dream.  So your alarm clock isn't really dead.  
After all, I couldn't do this while you were awake, now could I?"

Ami stared down at the hand sticking out of the mirror.  "How did 
you..."
	
"I am as real as you here," Athena said softly.  

"Where have you been?" Ami asked.  "I mean...ummm..."

Athena laughed gently.  "So lonely that talking to yourself sounds 
good?"

Ami blushed.

"You have problems enough without me, and if you will not listen, 
there is no point in me speaking," Athena said more seriously.  "I'll 
just go back to taking solace with Ryo-kun, and leave you to your work."

Ami's eyes widened.  "You're doing what?"

"I've been enjoying all your fantasies about him."  She smiled 
wickedly.  "You have a very vivid imagination in all the right places, 
even if you usually forget these dreams when you wake up."

Faintly, she heard Ryo's voice, "Ami, are you talking to the 
door?"  It was coming out of the mirror.

"I'll be back in a moment, Ryo-kun," Athena said.  "Just having a 
chat with my reflection."

"You're MY reflection!" Ami said.  "And he's my boyfriend."

"Oh, but I am you, right?  So it doesn't matter which one of us is 
with him."  Athena let go of Ami's wrist.  "Go ahead and reset your 
alarm clock, if you really want to wake up and go to school so you can 
come home and study.  I'll go have fun until you want me."

Now Ami grabbed Athena's hand.  "I don't have a choice!  If I defy 
Mother again, she'll just get more stubborn."

"Do you think you can put up with this until you finish high 
school and college?" Athena asked.  "Or that she's ever going to back 
down?"

Ami stared at the ground.  "No.  I don't think I'll keep my sanity 
so long."

"Then you have to do something about it.  Don't you feel like 
you're going to explode?"

Ami nodded.

"Then why don't you come on over to my side and let off a little 
stress?  After all, it's just a dream, and your mother can't hold you 
responsible for your dreams."

Ami nodded.  Yes, it was just a dream.  And in her dreams, she 
could do anything she wanted to.  She stepped forward, and cold air 
washed over her.  

She shivered at the sensation, then shivered again at how aroused 
she suddenly felt.  She looked down at herself, and realized she was 
wearing just the blue tank top and panties she'd seen her reflection 
wearing.  Her brain swum as she tried to remember why she would have 
been dressed differently from her reflection.  

She looked in the mirror, and saw it showed a girl wearing dark 
blue pajamas, alone in an empty room, looking tired and frustrated.  
Poor girl, she thought.  I'm glad I don't have to be alone tonight.  

She turned away from the mirror and walked over to the bed, where 
Ryo had rolled over, apparently either asleep or faking it.  I'll have 
to fix THAT, she thought, and smiled very broadly.  Some problems were 
fun to solve.

                                   *****

	Ami awoke groggily from the middle of a very ecchi dream as her 
alarm went off, and for a few minutes felt confused as to where her 
boyfriend had gone and how she'd gotten into her blue pajamas.  She 
staggered out of bed, got into her school uniform, stumbled downstairs, 
got breakfast, and headed off to school.

	She continued to feel slightly disoriented through the entire 
morning; everything just seemed slightly out of whack, and her uniform 
felt oddly rough.  She felt like she was running on autopilot, just 
drifting through her day.

	At least until after P.E., when they were all showering to get 
clean before lunch, during which she suddenly caught herself staring at 
Minako's chest.  That snapped her out of her trance, and she quickly 
turned to look elsewhere, only to find, for obvious reasons, that there 
were naked women everywhere she looked.  She started to blush, trying to 
control the thoughts racing through her head.  

	The hot steam of the showers didn't help, and she finally swooned.

                                   *****

	Ami woke up, finding it hard to believe she'd actually fainted, 
lying on a bed in the nurse's office.  She sat up and saw Hikaru 
Momonochi, the school nurse, a tall, skinny man who always looked on the 
verge of collapse, making coffee, while Minako sat nearby on a chair, 
reading a book.  "How long have I been passed out?" Ami asked, rubbing 
her eyes.

	"Maybe fifteen minutes," Minako said.  "Are you okay?"

	"I'm fine," Ami said.

	"It looks to me like you didn't get enough sleep last night, and 
your body decided to get a little rude about it," Momonochi said, 
bringing Ami a cup of coffee.  "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

	"Not last night," Ami said.

	"Well, that..."  The phone rang.  "Sorry, I have to answer that," 
he said.  

	While he was on the phone, Minako asked, "Did you stay up too late 
studying?"

	"No, I was too stressed out to study," Ami said.  "And then...hey, 
is that a bandage on your arm?"

	Minako sighed.  "Poison ivy.  Keeps me from scratching."

	Ami glanced over at the nurse, and Minako traced her sailor sign 
on her palm when Ami looked back.  Ami nodded.  

	"I'll be right back," Momonochi said.  "Someone's taken a soccer 
ball to the head, and they need me.  Do you feel ready to go to lunch, 
Mizuno-san?"

	"I'll be fine," she said.

	"Okay."  And then he was gone with a small black doctor's bag 
clutched in his hands.

	"You sure you're okay, Ami?" Minako asked.  "You were turning red 
in the shower, like you were overheating or something."  She came over 
and sat down on the bed by Ami.

	Ami felt her pulse suddenly speed up, and she started trying to 
not think about how close Minako was to her.  This included not looking 
directly at Minako.  "I'd just been groggy all morning.  Maybe I'm 
coming down with something."

	"Ami, you're a lousy liar," Minako said.  "If you can't look at 
someone when you're lying, it gives it away."

	Ami began to flush again.  "I...I shouldn't talk about it."

	Minako took her hand and gave it a squeeze.  "Okay, I won't push 
you.  It's probably none of my business."  She rose off the bed, still 
holding Ami's hand.  "Ryo's probably waiting for you, and you still 
haven't had lunch.  Once you have some food in you, you won't feel the 
urge to faint."

	Ami felt incredibly self-conscious with Minako holding her hand as 
they walked out into the hallway, and at the same time embarrassed about 
enjoying Minako holding her hand.  Just because Athena and Inanna 
sometimes...did stuff, doesn't mean we have to.  Or that her holding my 
hand means anything except her being worried about me.  And then she 
thought about the night she'd joked about a foursome and Minako had 
seemed pretty eager to do it.  It was probably just Minako's new elf 
nature messing with her head, but...

	What if it wasn't?  What if Minako did want to start something?  
Maybe she does like me that way, Ami thought.  I don't like her like 
that, she thought.  But then the memory of what had happened in the 
shower came back to her.  Her heartbeat sped up more, and she stumbled, 
then managed to trip over her own feet, but Minako caught her.  

	"Ami, maybe we'd better take you back to lie down," she said, 
sounding worried. 

	"I'm just...I just..."  She closed her eyes and tried to still her 
raging mental waters.  "Thank you for being willing to stay with me 
while I was knocked out," she said.

	"Hey, that's what friends are for," Minako replied.  "Naru stayed 
a few minutes too, but she had to go see a teacher about some 
assignment.  You sure you're ready to go eat and go back to class?"

	"I just can't take much more of this," Ami said.  "Mother is just 
making me go crazy."

	"You need some good loving," Minako said.  "C'mon, I'll take you 
to Ryo and he can help you put yourself back together.  Unless you'd 
rather I take you back to my room and do it myself."  She winked at Ami.  
"Elves do it in the...aargh, I can't think of a good joke.  In the 
woods?  No, that isn't funny.  Umm..."

	Ami mumbled, "I'm half tempted to ask you and Ryo to both go back 
to your room with me."

	Minako looked thoughtful.  "I'd need to get Steven's permission 
first...how about if we wait until after school, and then we can have 
four people, which would be more fun anyway?"

	Ami's eyes widened.  "Are you serious?"

	"Are you?" Minako asked, her lips quirking into an impish smile.

	She's teasing me, Ami thought.  "I can't stay after school, or 
I'll get in trouble."  Might as well tease her back.  "Otherwise, I'd go 
for it."

	"Hmm...if we miss class, though, someone will come looking for 
us..."  Minako scratched her head.  "It's a quandary, but I have a few 
ideas.  But let's get you fed and boyfriended before you fall down 
again!  RUN!  RUN, AMI, RUN!" she shouted, then took off dragging Ami 
along after her.

	Ami laughed as she ran after Minako.  You can be such a nut, she 
thought.  

                                   *****

	The next day at lunch, Ryo sat on the bench, waiting for Ami, and 
was surprised when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind 
and kissed his neck.  He jumped, managing to nearly spill his lunch on 
himself.  "Careful!"

	She giggled.  "Didn't you foresee that, Ryo-kun?"

	He shook his head.  "There's no real pattern to it.  Sometimes 
it's big things, sometimes small."

	Moving round him, she sat down by him and unwrapped her bento box.  
"Uh oh," she said.

	"Uh oh?" he asked.

	"I'm pretty sure this isn't what I made this morning...I must have 
someone else's somehow."  Ami frowned.  "But it had the same 
wrapping..."  She shook her head.  "How are you today?"

	"I'm fine," he said.  "I miss seeing you in the evenings, though."

	She leaned against him.  "I'd be happy just to be able to hold you 
in my arms at night.  It gets really lonely.  I don't suppose...maybe if 
we ate fast enough...?"  She sounded nervous now, which made him feel a 
little better, as he'd started to wonder if she was having an Athena 
attack again.

	He'd never thought of that.  "Well, we'd probably have to skip 
lunch, really, but..." he gulped.  "We could see if my room is empty."

	She stood up, taking his arm after she quickly wrapped up her 
lunch.  "Let's see."

                                   *****

	His nervous tension was greatly reduced afterwards, and he felt 
silly for having been afraid like he had been about losing her.  And 
then it struck him.  "Didn't you promise your mother you wouldn't do 
this?  I mean...I'm glad we did, but..."

	She sighed.  "I just had reached the point where I had to either 
do something stupid with you, or with someone else, which would have 
been more stupid.  I shouldn't have done this, but I just...I just wish 
I didn't have to leave you.  I wish I could be with you whenever I want 
to, that..."  She sat up.  "I love you, Ryo-kun.  I just wish I didn't 
have to drag you into my troubles."

	The bell for class began to ring.  "Ack!" Ryo said.

	Ami started to run for the door.  "We have to hurry!"

	"We're both still naked!" he pointed out.

	She looked down at herself.  "My uniform!  Where's my uniform?"

	Ryo pulled it off the floor, then started getting dressed.  "Well, 
now we know this isn't the best time for this."

	"And now I am going to get you in trouble," she said, sighing as 
she pulled on her clothing.

	"It's worth it," he said.  "You're worth all the trouble in the 
world to me."

                                   *****

	Setsuna was about to leave, when she realized she needed to stay.  
She sat back down just before Ryo ran in.  "Are you here?" he asked.

	"Yes," she said.  "So you want to know about who you were in the 
Silver Millenium."

	He nodded.  "I know one of the Seven Shadows slept inside me...but 
was that me, or was it just put there by Serenity when she defeated 
them?  But you're going to tell me you can't say because of oaths you 
swore."

	She smiled a little.  "Vision?"

	"That's one of your three standard answers to everything," he 
replied.

	Now, she laughed.  "I can tell you that you had little direct 
personal interaction with any of us but me during the Silver Millennium, 
and that you had no past romantic relationships with any of us.  Nor is 
there some destined person from that time waiting for you."

	"Are Ami and I destined to be together?" he asked.

	"Some love is destined.  But most love is painstakingly assembled 
by two fumbling hearts, trying to beat in unison," she replied.  "Your 
love is not a spoke upon which destiny turns, and thus you are free to 
win or lose in love as your own hearts determine.  It is possible that 
you will break up, and possible that you will one day be married and 
have cute genius children who see the future.  But the future is in your 
hands."

	This was somewhat reassuring.  "I've just been worried about 
everything.  And I haven't had any useful visions.  I wish I could just 
turn them on and off when I need them, but..."

	"I have neglected to aid you in perfecting your abilities, in part 
because only I could try to train you in them, and I have been busy with 
my apprentice.  I must rectify this, if you are interested."

	Ryo's eyes widened.  "Training?"

	"While you will never be a warrior like myself, it would be best 
for you to learn to gain control over your abilities and a better 
understanding of them.  As for your past life, once you gain enough 
control over your abilities, you'll be able to unlock your own mental 
block that keeps you from knowing.  Which is what you intended when you 
sealed that knowledge away from yourself.  Fair enough?"

	He nodded.  "If that's all I can get, then I'll work with that.  
When do we start?"

	"Since you currently have Friday evenings free, how about then?"

	"Sounds good to me," he replied, then sighed.  "I wish Ami's 
mother would stop trying to make her study herself to death."

	"So do I, but she now distrusts me enough it is best that I do not 
intervene.  It will be up to you to help her through this, for I fear 
she is about to snap."  Setsuna said this in such a calm manner that it 
greatly irritated Ryo.  

	"How can you be so calm about this?" he demanded.  "She's being 
driven nuts, and..."

	"So why haven't you done anything about it?" Setsuna asked.  "She 
is your girlfriend, but you've pretty much sat back and done nothing."

	"But I don't know what to do about it!  Her mother won't listen to 
some teenager.  And even if I did..."  The vision popped into his mind's 
eye.  "I just..."  He took a deep breath, then said, "If two people 
loved each other in a past life, does it mean they'll always fall in 
love again?"

	"It certainly predisposes them to do so, but it also depends on a 
variety of things.  The problem, you see, is that some people change 
more than others when reincarnated.  If one or both changes a lot, then 
they are unlikely to fall in love again.  If they both remain largely 
the same, then it is very likely.  I assume you are worried about losing 
Ami to someone?"  She tapped a pencil against her desk.  "To Minako."

	"Are you reading my mind?" he asked nervously.

	"Simply a process of elimination.  While I will not pretend to 
know who most of Athena's lovers were, there are only a few 
possibilities here.  I would know if one of them was present, but she is 
not.  Zoicite is dead, and so far as I know, likely to remain so.  Dia 
has not been coming around to the best of my knowledge.  I suppose 
there's an infinitesimal chance that Haruka would try something, but I 
think she'd be more likely to seduce Steven than Ami.  Which leaves 
Inanna, now Minako, by process of elimination."

	He nodded.  "Well, given all the other romances of the Silver 
Millenium that have come to life again..."

	Setsuna looked thoughtful.  "It's possible.  Inanna and Minako are 
much alike, especially since becoming an Elf seems to have shattered 
what common sense she'd managed to gain in this life.  Ami, on the other 
hand, seemed to have learned from her mistakes as Athena.  In some 
cases, she perhaps learned her lesson too well.  Unfortunately, she's 
been making things difficult for herself ever since she learned what 
Athena was like."

	"What do you mean?"

	"The fundamental problem was that Ami reacted to all the disasters 
Athena had brought down on herself by attempting to become completely 
different in this life," Setsuna said.  "Not consciously, of course, 
because she couldn't remember that life.  But the memories would have 
influenced her decisions which shaped her into what she is now.  And 
also, Ami has something Athena never really had--a purpose in life.  
Athena, even after becoming Sailor Mercury, never really quite knew what 
she was doing in the long term.  Being Sailor Mercury was not her 
choice.  And so she drifted.  Ami, on the other hand, has purpose.  She 
has a dream.  And while her parents fought as Athena's did, they were 
able to get free of each other, which meant she continued to love and 
respect them, and they were able to inspire her."

	Setsuna paused.  "Would you like some coffee?  I feel the need to 
make some."

	"Yes, please," he said.

	She got up, still talking as she went to work on the coffee.  "If 
Ami had never awakened to her past, she would likely have remained as 
she largely was when you first met her, a shy, quiet girl determined to 
become a doctor, very studious, self-disciplined and socially 
incompetent.  She'd channeled all of her other energies into that, and 
fairly successfully repressed all of Athena's behavior patterns.  And 
that would have been that.  But it didn't stay that way."

	Setsuna paused, staring into the coffee can.  "There should be 
more coffee in here, I'm pretty sure."  She sighed and poured the 
grounds into the coffee maker with a scoop.  "Most people never awaken 
to their past selves; those selves simply remain part of their past, 
something they've moved on from.  Ami, however, has two problems. First 
of all, the process of the senshi growing in power is based on them 
recovering their past memories of how to use those powers.  This is 
necessary because there is no one to really properly train them.  Himeko 
will thankfully be spared this, as she has me to train her and no past 
life as a senshi.  Now, when the past and the present are largely the 
same, this is not a problem."

	"But when the past self and present self are diametrical 
opposites, it means you end up with your past self talking to each other 
and not agreeing?"  Ryo asked, seeing where Setsuna was going.

	"Exactly."  She set the coffee maker to running.  "Although they 
are not so diametrically opposite as Ami thinks they are.  But because 
the Athena in Ami's head reflects Ami's understanding of Athena as much 
as she does the real Athena..." Setsuna shook her head as she came back 
and sat down.  "Athena certainly enjoyed sex and had as much of a desire 
for it as any man.  But she wasn't the madly rutting animal that Ami 
thinks she was.  So, she blames Athena for her own impulses.  This lets 
her deny that she is the one thinking those things.  But Athena is only 
a part of Ami now.  Anything Athena tells her to do, is simply her 
talking to herself.  She has to accept her past, and then move on past 
it, in order to be free of Athena.  Part of that is realizing and 
accepting that some of those things 'Athena' tells her are what she 
actually wants to do, but feels she shouldn't."

	"Are you saying she ought to do what Athena tells her to do?"  Ryo 
asked, feeling a little confused.

	"Not necessarily.  If we followed every whim we have, we'd all act 
like morons most of the time.  But it's not healthy for her to split 
herself in half like that.  And Athena did have some good qualities 
which Ami suppressed for a long time.  Unfortunately, I fear that if Ami 
remains under this pressure from her mother much longer, she'll rebel by 
giving herself over to Athena completely.  When being good fails, we 
often try being bad instead."

	Ryo nodded.  "I don't know what I can do about it, though."

	"I don't know either.  But I think you're in a better position to 
deal with it than I am.  And if the dam does break, it's going to be up 
to you to help her put herself back together.  I suspect that once she 
blows off all her steam, that will be the decisive point at which you'll 
need to ensure that she doesn't permanently slide into...being simply 
Athena reborn instead of Mizuno Ami.  She's going to have some hard 
decisions to make, and she'll need your help in making them."

	"But you don't see any way to keep her dam from breaking?"

	Setsuna sighed.  "We are crippled by this, but the parents 
involved would not listen to me, and were I to use force, all the roads 
I see are fraught with disaster.  We could make them forget, but sooner 
or later, they would remember, and the remembering would make even more 
trouble.  I must tend to the battle against the Dark Kingdom and the 
Zodiac, and leave the struggle with the parents to their children, who 
are more likely than me to win such a battle, anyway.  They have reason 
to trust and love their children, but they have lost any trust in me."

	Ryo nodded.  "We were hoping we could do something nice for the 
next time Ami goes to see her father.  That'll give me a good chance to 
talk to Ami and see if we can work anything out together."

	Setsuna nodded, and her voice softened. "She will need you."  The 
coffee pot finally got moving on actually producing coffee at this 
point.  "I need a faster coffee pot."

	"I need her too," Ryo said softly.  Just hold on, Ami, he thought.  

                                   *****

	"No, she can't come visit you," Miaka said into the phone to her 
ex-husband.  "Ami needs to get her discipline back, and goofing off with 
you won't help that."

	"Hey, I have visitation rights, you know!" he protested.

	"One weekend a month, which you've already had.  It's because of 
too much coddling from you that she's gotten like this!  And all the bad 
company she drifted into because I was a fool and ignored her for too 
long.  I thought she was responsible enough to largely watch over 
herself, but I've learned I was mistaken."  The anger in her voice 
softened into regret.  "I let myself neglect her too much because of my 
work.  It's no wonder she turned to all these other things.  And you 
filling her head with fairytales didn't help!"

	"Those monsters threatening our city are NOT fairytales!  And a 
good imagination is part of being mentally healthy!" he fired back, 
getting mad himself.  "You're the one being delusional, pretending you 
can keep Ami safe by making her life miserable and not letting her do 
her part to ensure we don't all end up as monster chow!  Ami was doing 
just fine until YOU decided to screw it all up!"

	"I am doing my DUTY AS HER MOTHER!  I'm not going to let her run 
off and die being a soldier when she's just a child and not even trained 
properly!  These people have warped her!  They've filled her head full 
of superstitious nonsense about being a reincarnated magical warrior, 
they've made her lose all her discipline, and they've led her down the 
primrose path to teenage pregnancy!"

	His eyes widened, unseen by Miaka.  "She's pregnant?"

	"Thankfully, no.  But it's not for lack of trying.  If I hadn't 
had her on the pill, she probably would be pregnant."  She gave a sigh 
of relief.  "I think I would have shaved my head if the test had come 
out positive."

	He gave a sigh of relief as well.  "Miaka, please, you can't push 
her so hard, or she'll break.  It's not like her grades have sagged at 
all."

	"She's only seventh in her grade when she SHOULD be first!"  Miaka 
said.  "And she's nearly died repeatedly!  I will not lose another 
child!  I won't!  Especially not my own daughter!"  She tried to calm 
herself down.  "They drove her mad!  She thinks her past life is talking 
to her!  I should have her seeing a psychiatrist, but I'm afraid she'd 
end up having to be institutionalized, and that would wreck her career."  
She shuddered.  "I...do you think I should?  She needs to be cured, but 
once you go somewhere like that, it's a stigma you can never escape.  
And she seems normal most of the time, but..."  

	"I don't think Ami is insane," Kensuke managed to say.

	"I keep hoping they just brainwashed her into thinking that.  
Because if we had to send her away..."  She stifled the urge to cry.  
"My poor daughter."

	"But she may go mad if you keep pushing her."

	"I am not to blame for her condition!  I'm trying to help her!"

	"You're a doctor, not a psychiatrist," he said.  "Do you really 
know the likely consequences of what you're doing?"

	"You're not a psychiatrist either!  And your solution to 
everything was always to just let it slide and pray it solved itself!  
Well, I can't just sit and fiddle while Rome burns!  But trying to argue 
with you is a waste of time.  Good night, Kensuke."  She hung up, then 
sunk down in the chair and tried to get a grip on herself.

	I'm going to need a psychiatrist myself at this rate, she thought.  
If Ami needs one...no, I can't, she thought.  She'd end up a laughing 
stock if the news got out.  But if I don't, she could get worse.  And 
Kensuke is no help, he's probably off buying Ami a ten step guide on how 
to plan parties with the help of your past lives.  

	Unseen by her, Ami quietly crept back to her room, her brain 
aswirl from what she had heard.

                                   *****

	To her surprise, there were two elves on her bed when she returned 
to her room.  "Hello, Ami," Dia said.  "Minako and I have a proposal to 
make."

	Ami blinked.  "How did you get in here?"

	"Sailor Teleport," Minako said.  "Anyway, Dia's offered me the use 
of her estates for as long as I need to get over my whole...um... 
adjustment period.  A year passes there for every day here.  So I can 
get this all out of my system.  And I wanted to invite you to come 
along.  You could just meet me at school tomorrow, and we could hop out 
for a few months of Avalonn time, then you could go home.  You'd miss 
one day of school, but I'm sure you'd feel a lot better afterwards."

	"Can I bring Ryo?" Ami asked.

	"Sure.  I'm already planning to bring Steven," Minako said. 

	"I would be happy to host the four of you," Dia said.  

	Ami looked straight into Dia's eyes and asked, "Are you going to 
try to seduce me again?  I'm not Athena any more, and I AM dating 
someone."

	Dia smiled.  "Only if you want me to."

	Ami frowned.  She's up to something, she thought.  But the chance 
to get away from her mother was too good to pass up.  I can resist 
anything she throws at me, Ami thought.  "Alright.  When do we leave?"

	"Friday.  That way you can get back on time, and I can stay longer 
if I need to," Minako said.  "Though Derith is sure I'll only need a few 
months of Avalonn time, which would be less than a day."

	"Okay," Ami said.  "I'll be ready then."

	"Cool!  This is going to be LOADS of fun!"

                                   *****

	Himeko was busy wallowing in her own guilt as she sat on one of 
the school benches, trying to do some reading for her literature class, 
when Hikaru tapped her on the shoulder.  "Are you going to run away 
screaming again?" Hikaru asked.

	Himeko instinctively grabbed Hikaru and threw her, rolling forward 
as she did so, then realized too late what she was doing.  "Dammit!"

	Hikaru rolled across the ground, then lay winded as Himeko came 
over and kneeled down by her.  

	"Are you okay?" Himeko asked desperately.

	"No thanks to you!"  Hikaru shouted angrily.  "Are you going mad?  
You've been a complete and utter LOON the last few weeks!"

	"Yes, I have," Himeko said miserably.  "Go ahead.  Beat me up.  I 
deserve it."

	Hikaru sat up and blinked.  "What?"

	"I killed you," she said.  "And I can't get it all out of my head 
and it's driving me NUTS!"

	Hikaru edged away from her.  "You're talking crazy, Nonohara."

	Himeko stood up.  "You deserve to know the truth," she said.  "You 
could be in danger."

	"From Minako and her crazy friend who keep watching me all the 
time?" Hikaru asked.

	For just a moment, Himeko smiled.  "'Oh, she couldn't possibly 
notice us'," she said in a fair imitation of Minako's voice.  She 
offered Hikaru a hand.  "Come with me."

	Hikaru took the hand and followed her.

                                   *****

	Makoto opened the door.  "Oh, hi, Steven," she said.  "Come on 
in."

	The smell of chocolate chips filled the air, and he breathed it 
in.

	Laughing, Makoto said, "You can have one once they come out."

	"Thanks.  So why'd you want me to come over?" he asked, praying he 
wasn't about to be used as a furniture mover again.  

	"Well, I heard you and Minako are going to Avalon, so I thought 
I'd loan you my magic sword, since I don't actually need it."  She 
grabbed it off the table and passed it to him once he came in.

	He stared at it.  "I don't really know anything about 
swordfighting."

	"It drags your hands around, helping you fight," she said.  "I 
doubt you'd beat a real swordsmaster, but every bit helps."

	He drew the sword and swished it about, feeling how it guided his 
hand.  "Wow!  I'll do my best to take care of it!"

	"I wish I could go with you," Makoto said.  "But Pluto wants us 
all to stay, in case something goes wrong and we're needed here."  She 
sighed.  "Which probably means she knows something is gonna happen 
here."

	Steven sheathed the sword.  "So how about those cookies?"

	"First, you get to help me move the couch."

	He groaned, then nodded.  "Alright. Least I can do."

	"And my bed.  And the dresser and..."

	Trapped like a fly in a web, he thought.

                                   *****

	Himeko sat down at her desk and gestured to her bed, which Hikaru 
sat down on.  "So what do you want to tell me, Nonohara?" Hikaru asked.

	"Minako and Hotaru have been watching you because they're Sailor 
Senshi, as am I.  We're afraid the Dark Kingdom may assume you know more 
about us than you do, in which case they may try to grab you."

	Hikaru's eyes widened.  "You...you're one of the Sailor Senshi?"

	"Yes.  For several months now.  And even before that, I've been 
involved with magic in various ways."

	"So you really did...have magical powers ever since I met you," 
Hikaru said softly.  "All those weird things that happened...does Daichi 
do magical things too?"

	Himeko shook her head.  "No, he's just Daichi."

	"Then I still have a chance!" Hikaru crowed, then wilted under 
Himeko's stare.

	"There's someone else in your destiny," Himeko said flatly.  "Who 
you would miss if you got together with Daichi.  And the two of you 
would only make each other miserable."

	"We would..."

	"Hikaru, has Daichi EVER expressed any romantic interest in you at 
all?"

	She sighed.  "No.  He's been...What does he SEE in you?"

	"I don't know myself, sometimes," she said.  "And I know I've been 
driving him nuts lately over this whole business."

	"What whole business?"

	"It had to do with this game named TORG.  You see..."

                                   *****

	Ryo stared at the suit of armor in his closet as he finished 
packing for the trip on Friday.  Take or not take, he asked himself.  He 
didn't trust anything made by DBI Team #45 any further than he could 
throw it, but just in case something went wrong...  Of course, with that 
armor, things couldn't help but go wrong.

	Well, I'll take it anyway, he thought.  Who knows, it might prove 
to be useful as a club if nothing else, and it is fairly compact.

                                   *****

	"And I keep having this horrible nightmares about being a ninja 
and killing people and everything," Himeko concluded, sighing.

	Hikaru frowned.  She'd never seen the usually confident Nonohara 
this shaken up.  She'd never liked Nonohara, but she'd always envied her  
confidence.  She put up a front of confidence herself, but it was just a 
mask she hid behind.  She'd been confident once, but years of failure 
with Daichi had shredded that and made her ever more desperate to 
finally succeed with him.  And seeing Nonohara like this made her feel a 
burst of despair.  If things were this bad...

	"But they're only dreams, right?" she said.  "Nightmares aren't 
worth worrying about."

	"Yes, but I killed...I mean...I killed you.  A person like you."

	Hikaru shook her head.  "But it wasn't the real me.  It was just 
some weird other universe dream thing, right?"  

	"Well, yes, but..." Himeko replied.

	"And you've killed a lot of monsters, right?"

	"Umm, well, yes."

	"And from what it sounds like, the other...me...was trying to kill 
you."  I can't believe I'm defending this, Hikaru thought.  She's my 
rival.  She's...she's...Daichi loves her, and I don't want her to be 
like this because it hurts him.  "So it's not like you had a choice."

	"She was my only friend, and I killed her!  There had to have been 
some other way!"  Himeko began to cry.  She tried to keep talking, but 
she was becoming hysterical.

	Hikaru stood up nervously, and came over to pat her shoulder.  
"Just...ummm..."  She gave up on talking, and just stood there, patting 
Himeko's shoulder and trying to figure out what to do.  How can she dump 
this on me?  It's supposed to be Daichi's job to deal with this sort of 
thing!  I'm not even her friend!  We're supposed to be rivals and...

	She couldn't sustain her indignation in the face of Himeko's 
misery.  Her heart began, against its will, to go out to the sobbing 
blonde.  Finally, she stepped forward and embraced her, saying, "I 
forgive you."  I'm never dying my hair again, she thought.  "But crying 
won't bring back the dead.  You...you're a soldier.  And sometimes 
soldiers have to kill people.  And if you can't handle that, you ought 
to quit and go be a nun or something."  That wasn't very comforting, she 
thought.  

	"I can't quit," she said.  "I've seen what happens, and everyone 
dies, and the world burns and..."  She began to sob again.  "I don't 
want to see the future.  I don't want to have to kill people.  I just 
want to be Himeko again."

	"We don't always get what we want," Hikaru said sharply, then 
tried to get herself to calm down.  "Did you...see yourself killing... 
people... in the future?"

	"I'm afraid to look," Himeko said miserably.  

	"Then take us to the future.  Don't be a coward.  You've GOT to 
snap out of this."

	"I'm not supposed to..." she began.

	"You have to.  Because you're no use to anyone like this.  This 
isn't like you.  And if it means breaking the laws of time, you can just 
tell the time police it's my fault."

	"I AM the time police," Himeko said faintly.

	"Good, then stop arresting yourself."

	"You're serious," Himeko said more soberly.

	"We're going to do whatever it takes for you to snap out of this," 
Hikaru said.  "So call up your magic, and take us to the future so you 
can see you're being a ninny."

	Himeko nodded, though she wasn't even sure what she would need to 
see in the future to feel better.  She transformed, then called up the 
Gate of Time.

	Hikaru gasped at it all; she could feel the sheer power of the 
Gate, and for a moment, she hesitated.  But she couldn't let herself 
show weakness in front of Himeko, so she said, "Well, come on, let's get 
going."

	"Gate of Time, take us to...ten years from now."

	The Gate opened and mist swirled through.  The junior Pluto choked 
back the feeling that this was a bad idea, then lead Hikaru through it.

	They found themselves in an open-air cafe, somewhere in Tokyo.  
The sun shone down from a blue sky, and a clearly older Hikaru in a 
suit-dress sat at the table, a briefcase in the chair next to her.  She 
was typing on a laptop as they appeared.  She looked up, then sighed.  
"Of course the people from the past get here before Himeko does."

	Hikaru blinked.  "You were expecting us?"

	Future-Hikaru sighed.  "I've already lived through you visiting 
here."

	"Oh."

	Running feet charged up behind them.  They turned and saw Himeko, 
dressed similarly to Hikaru, come running up, also carrying a briefcase.  
"Stupid bus!" she shouted.

	Hikaru laughed.  "Shouldn't she have known the bus would delay 
her?"

	"It was fate," Future-Himeko bluffed.

	Himeko looked her future self up and down; she looked quite 
respectable in her navy-blue suitdress and quite happy, though a little 
tired from running.  

	The waitress came over and looked at the four of them, then 
blinked.  "Take your orders?"

	"Tea," both Hikarus requested.

	"Coke," both Himekos said.

	The waitress brought them their drinks, then departed.  Hikaru 
asked her future self, "So what are you working on?"

	"Reading e-mail," Future-Hikaru replied.  "I get a lot of it these 
days."

	Future-Himeko smiled at her past self.  "C'mon, don't look so 
gloomy, Hime-chan."

	Himeko felt more frustrated than relieved from staring at her 
smiling future self.  "How can you be so...so..."

	"Perky," Hikaru offered.

	"Exactly."

	"Once it sinks in that what you did in that world doesn't reflect 
who you are, but something that was done to you, you'll feel better," 
Future-Himeko replied.  "It wasn't even a persona you'd created for a 
game; you were under Alexandrite's mind control.  And even in the other 
universe's...reality...you spent half the time under Thratchen's 
control."

	Himeko shuddered at the memory, then chugged her coke.  "It 
just...I just can't stop thinking about it."

	"Just give it time," Future-Himeko said.  "That's something any 
Pluto has plenty of."

	"So, like...are you married?" Hikaru asked Future-Hikaru.

	"Can't tell you," she said.  "It isn't good to know too much about 
your future."

	Well, she looks pretty happy, Hikaru thought.  That was some 
comfort in itself.  "So where's Daichi?"

	"Running a fever at home and complaining a lot," Future-Himeko 
replied.

	"And you're off at a cafe while he's suffering?" she asked 
irritatedly.

	"Well, we knew I had to show up here, so I had to, or I'd change 
the past," Future-Himeko replied.  "The worst part was both of us 
knowing he was going to get too sick to come."  She shook her head.  
"Perfect example of why you don't want to know too much."

	Himeko sat back and listened to the two future women banter with 
Hikaru for a while.  She did feel a little better, but not as much as 
she'd hoped for.  

	Future-Himeko turned to her and said, "There's no magical cure for 
pain.  You just have to shuffle through it.  It'll get better.  I can 
promise you that."

	"Any advice you can give me on how to get my parents to ease off?  
They really need me."

	"Well, given you've already ignored that command to go off to 
Avalon several times..." Future-Himeko began.

	Himeko blushed.  "Well, there was...I mean..."

	"Just keep working on them.  That's about all the advice I can 
give you without cheating."

	I see I'm going to become as aggravating as Pluto, Himeko thought. 

	"Can you tell us anything at all about the future?" Hikaru asked.

	"You're going to lose a sock the next time you do laundry," 
Future-Hikaru said, smiling.

	"Which sock?"

	"I don't remember any more.  I just remember my future self told 
me that."

	Hikaru turned to Himeko, "I think we might as well head back."

	"Just one more question...What day is this?" Himeko asked.

	"Exactly ten years in the future from when you left," Future-
Hikaru replied.

	Himeko nodded.  "Let's go, Hikaru."  

	She summoned the gate of time, and the last thing they heard was 
Future-Hikaru saying, "And forget about Daichi!  There's someone better!  
His name is..."

	Future-Himeko said, "You're not supposed to..."

	And then the gate shut, cutting off the sentence.

	They returned to their own time, and Hikaru said, "We never paid 
for our drinks."

	Himeko sat down at her desk.  "Well, that did sort of help.  I 
feel a little better knowing I'll eventually feel better."

	"I think it helped me more than it helped you," Hikaru said.  
"Although I keep wondering exactly what my future self does for a 
living."

	"Well, it seems to let her dress pretty nicely," Himeko replied.

	"You weren't bad either," Hikaru replied.  

	For a little while, they sat in silence, and then Hikaru said, 
"Well, this is it."

	"It?"

	"I..."  She took a deep breath.  "I officially announce I'm going 
to give up on Daichi.  If it kills me."

	"It won't kill you," Himeko said.

	"It feels like it should.  It's like..."  She shook her head.  "If 
there's someone better out there, I won't find him unless I look."

	"Well, there are a lot of guys who find you attractive," Himeko 
said.  

	"My natural grace and beauty easily ensnares men.  I suppose I 
should stop fending them off now," Hikaru said thoughtfully.

	Himeko suppressed her instincts to say something sarcastic.  "I 
won't pretend to be an expert on dating, but I'd say that's a good 
start."  Not something too sarcastic, anyway.

	Hikaru glanced over at the clock.  "Urk.  I need to go do 
homework."

	Himeko nodded.  "Well...thanks for talking to me."

	"And thank you for explaining everything to me."  Hikaru got up 
and left, leaving Himeko to her thoughts and to the realization she 
hadn't done her homework yet either.

                                   *****

	Ami sat in class tensely that Thursday.  There were a lot of ways 
their planned trip could go wrong, and she'd been fretting about them 
all day.  Especially if the time differential didn't work right and they 
ended up vanishing for months.  Though hopefully, Pluto would come and 
get them if they really did vanish for too long.  Part of her felt 
guilty for running out on her mother; mostly, she just wanted to get 
away before she went mad.

	"Mizuno-san, are you there?" one of her teachers asked.

	She started.  "Umm, yes, I'm here," she said.

	"Can you answer the question?"

	"Umm...what class is this?"

	"..."

	"Oh, history, right?"

	"This is math.  Mizuno-san, are you sick?"

	"No, I'm just tired."

	"Very well.  Miyabi-san, can you take a shot at this?"

	I feel like a complete idiot, Ami thought.  I've got to pull 
myself together.


                                   *****

	Ami checked her watch nervously.  "Okay, we have until about six 
tonight before Mother will expect me home.  Are you sure the fast time 
differential is going to work right, Minako?"

	"Pluto even told me it would work out fine," Minako said 
reassuringly.  "You guys ready?" she asked Ryo and Steven.

	"Ready as we'll ever be," Ryo said.  "No visions for good or ill."

	"Let's get going," Steven said.  "Before this sword falls off my 
back again."

	Ami asked Hermes, "Are you sure you don't want to go?"

	"And spend months in a place full of elves?"  Hermes sounded 
disgusted.  "I'd go mad.  I'm sorry, Ami, but I don't think I could 
handle it well."

	She nodded.  "Alright.  I'll miss you."

	Minako made her goodbyes to Artemis as well, who wanted to avoid 
any chance of an encounter with Queen Hecate.  

	They piled their luggage in the middle and joined hands.  Ami and 
Minako transformed, then shouted, "SAILOR TELEPORT!"  

	The ground cracked and pitted beneath them, there was a flash of 
light, and then they were gone.

                                   *****

	Water splashed around them as they landed, then sank into a long 
reflecting pool.  Their luggage submerged completely, and they all ended 
up soaked to their waists.  

	After many cries of dismay, they waded out of the pool, then waded 
back in to rescue their luggage, then took a look around.  On three 
sides of the pool, a great garden of flowers and fruit trees spread out 
around them.  On the fourth side, a great paved plaza decorated with 
statuary led to a huge palace with a central union shaped dome.  

	Venus stared.  "It wasn't like this last time, was it?"

	"You've been here before?" Steven asked.

	"Dia took me to see the estate and it was kind of...kind of not 
like this at all," Venus said.  "I hope we're not lost."  She began 
shaking the water off her legs.

	Half a dozen elves emerged from the palace, then stared at the 
visitors.  They immediately began to cross the plaza towards them.

	"Well, on the bright side, my luggage is water proof," Ryo said.

	"Really?"

	"No, I'm lying to make myself feel better," he said, sighing.

	Mercury sighed.  "Not a good start."

	The elves soon came closer, all dressed in blue and white livery.  
"Ahh, Lady Mercury, Lady Venus, it is good to see you," one of them 
said.  She was short and slender, carrying a blue baton.  "May I ask why 
you landed in the pool instead of the foyer?"

	"There wasn't any pool the last time I was here," Venus said.

	The woman nodded.  "Well, come with us.  I will take you to your 
rooms and get you dry clothing."

	"Oh, this is my boyfriend Urawa Ryo," Mercury said to the woman, 
pointing to Ryo.

	"And this is my fiancee, Steven Grant," Venus said.

	"I am Chatelaine Milrinde," the elven woman replied.  "Everyone, 
help them with their luggage."

	They soon were all in motion towards the palace.  Venus asked, "So 
why did you change everything around?"

	"Lady Dia wished to make the place comfortable for you, and she'd 
been looking for a new theme for a while, anyway," Milrinde replied.

	Soon, they were ensconced upstairs, each couple with their own 
room across the hall from each other.  The servants brought them some 
dry clothing, in the style of the Moon Kingdom's last years.  

	Ryo looked around for somewhere to change.  "Hmm, I guess I'll go 
change in the bathroom," he said.

	"Why bother?" Ami asked.  "It's not like we haven't...seen each 
other naked."  Her voice had an undercurrent of nervous excitement to 
it.

	"Well, that's true," he said, then started changing out of his 
clothing.  

	He was down to his underwear when he realized she was just 
standing there watching him with a hungry look.  There was no need for 
him to have a vision to guess what was on her mind.  He thought about it 
briefly, and decided it was quite fine with him.  "So, can you actually 
take your sailor uniform off?" he asked.

	She looked thoughtful, and curiosity took the place of desire for 
the moment.  "Good question," she replied.

	She reached back and tugged the bow of her uniform, which 
dissolved away into red ribbons, falling to the ground.  They then 
coalesced back into her school uniform, sopping wet.  This didn't leave 
her clad in much.

	She smiled, and he smiled back, and they didn't come out of their 
room for a while.
	
                                   *****

	"Welcome to my estate," Lady Dia said at lunch.  She was clad in 
one of her usual provocative outfits which revealed quite more than it 
concealed, in blue and white.  "You're welcome to stay as long as you 
like; I hope I can keep you entertained."

	"Thank you very much for inviting us," Ami said.  "I really, 
really needed a vacation."  She was feeling much better now.

	"I know you like to swim," Dia said, "So I had a very nice pool 
installed."

	"We fell in it on the way here," Steven said.

	"Not the reflecting pool.  A nice warm indoor pool.  Perhaps you'd 
like to try it out later this afternoon?" Dia asked.  "I could use a 
swim."

	Ryo had but to look at her and see the way she looked at Ami to 
see what Dia wanted.  He'd already known this, but he'd never actually 
seen the two of them together at the same time.  He felt his heart 
plunge into his feet for just a moment of panic.  I can't compete with 
that, he thought.  Not if Ami has any interest in women in this life.  
He knew that while he wasn't ugly, he wasn't particularly handsome by a 
longshot.

	Steven sighed mentally.  She's going to be trying to get into 
Ami's bed this whole time. I was afraid of this, he thought.  But I 
could use a good swim.  "Sounds good to me," he said.  

	"Me too!" Minako announced.

	"That would be fun," Ami said.  "But we should wait a little after 
we eat so we don't get cramps."

	"Of course," Dia said.  "I can show you around the estates while 
our lunch settles."

	"That would be good," Ami said. "How closely modeled on the Moon 
Palace is this place now?"

	"Fairly closely," Dia said.  "But if you can point out any 
mistakes, I will correct them."

	"Well, if we can _remember_ the old estate well enough to point 
them out," Minako replied.

	"You don't remember your past lives completely yet?" Dia asked.

	"Just fragments," Ami said.  "It comes and it goes."

	She nodded.  "Well, let's eat."

                                   *****

	A tour later, Dia asked, "Ready to go swimming?"

	"I am," Ami said.

	"Me too," Steven said.

	"Let's go change into bathing suits," Minako said.

	"Bathing suits?" Dia asked.

	"..." Minako stared at her in surprise.  "You know, for swimming."

	"You don't swim naked?" Dia asked.

	Ami blushed.  "No."

	"But you all have such nice bodies," Dia said.  "Why hide them?  
And drying clothing takes forever anyway."

	Ami blushed more.  "I really wouldn't be comfortable with that."

	Dia sighed. "Alright.  Well, you'll have to show me what one looks 
like.  And I'll have to tell everyone to put some on."

	"Thank you," Ami said.

                                   *****

	There were a fair number of elves, pixies, naiads, satyrs, dryads, 
and other faerie folk enjoying the huge swimming pool when they arrived 
there a little later after changing.  About three-quarters of the guests 
were female, and most of them were beautiful.  Ryo and Steven did their 
best not to stare, but it wasn't easy.  

	The introductions took just about forever, and Ami knew she'd 
never remember half the names, but she did her best.  Soon, she was 
swimming, feeling quite content with herself.

	Everyone was quite friendly, and they soon each found themselves 
with several hangers-on.  Ryo was quite surprised to find two blue-
skinned naiads and a tiny green haired male pixie seeking out his 
company.  The naiads were named Nike and Aria, while the pixie was named 
Luka.  

	"So where are you from?" Luka asked.

	"Japan," he said.  "I was born up on Hokkaido, but I've lived all 
over Japan."

	"Does Japan have any nice rivers?" Nike asked.

	"We have lots of beautiful beaches, but our rivers aren't very 
impressive," Ryo said.  "It's an island nation."

	Aria smiled.  "I like islands."  She looked thoughtfully across 
the pool.  "How about a swimming race?"

	"I don't think I could beat two naiads in a swimming race," Ryo 
said ruefully.

	Nike tickled his chin, nearly sending him into shock.  "Oh come 
on, just try.  You'll never know how well you can do unless you try."

	Luka snorted. "You're a WATER fairy.  I might as well challenge 
him to a flying race."

	Ryo felt himself go red as Aria cuddled up to his left arm and 
shoulder.  "How about if we each only use one leg?"

	"How can you swim with just one leg?" he asked.

	Ryo glanced around at the others, but his friends were all 
distracted by their new acquaintances.  "Oh heck, it can't hurt to try," 
he said.  "Sure, why not."

	They both applauded.  Luka sighed. "Well, I'll be judge, then."

	Ryo could tell they were going easy on him once the race started, 
unless he'd vastly improved his swimming skills without realizing it.  
Both of them were ahead of him, but it was just a slender lead.  Every 
so often, he'd pull ahead slightly for a few seconds, and then they 
would pass him again.  

	About the time they reached the far end of the pool, kicked off 
it, and turned to swim back, he realized everyone was watching them.  
Ami was staring in shock, Steven was laughing, and Minako was waving 
fans and shouting, "Go, Ryo, go!"

	He faltered and fell behind in a moment of panic, then redoubled 
his efforts.  Losing to them was one thing, losing in front of an 
audience was another.  He pushed himself to his limits, kicking and 
stroking as fast as he possibly could.  To his amazement, he actually 
found himself catching up to them.  They both smiled at him as he passed 
between them.

	He won the race by only a hand's length, as they both pressed 
harder in the last hundred feet, nearly catching up to him.  He leaned 
against the side of the pool, exhausted.  Lukas announced, "I'll be 
damned.  You won, Ryo."

	His friends began applauding.  Nike and Aria both seemed hardly 
winded at all, which made Ryo wonder why they hadn't tried harder.  Then 
he found out.  Nike said, "Well, you won, which means you get the 
traditional prize."

	"Prize?" Ryo asked, huffing and puffing.

	She swept him into an embrace and a kiss, then passed him over to 
Aria, who did the same.  Minako began to hoot, and Ami ran over.

	"What are you people doing with my boyfriend???" Ami exclaimed.

	"Just giving him what he earned," Nike said.  "If you want a kiss, 
you can race us too."

	"..."

	Ryo finally managed to pull away from Aria.  "I didn't know you 
were going to do that," he said feebly.

	"I'd do it again, but I think Lady Mercury might freeze me in a 
block of ice," she said.  "Perhaps another day."  And then she dove out 
of sight and swam away.

	Nike was more bold.  "If you would dispute the fairness of our 
race and its prize, Lady Mercury, then you must needs race with me."

	After flapping her lips soundlessly a few times, Ami nodded.  
"Alright.  I will.  Let's race."  

	She slipped into the water, taking a moment to stretch.  Nike 
bounced about, waiting impatiently.  Soon, they were both ready.

	"Ready.  Set.  GO!" Luka shouted.

	And then they were off like rockets, churning the water behind 
them.  Ryo watched in shock.  "She's so much faster," he said.

	"They threw the race because they wanted an excuse to kiss you," 
Luka said flatly.  "But they were both smooth enough to make it look 
like you won it by your own merit."

	Ryo sighed; he'd been half-hoping he really had won the race under 
his own power, but what Luka said made sense.  He hopped up onto the 
edge of the pool and sat with Luka on his shoulder, watching.

	Ami pushed herself as hard as she could, but it was quickly 
obvious to her that she wasn't going to beat a naiad in a swimming race.  
Maybe I should transform, she thought.  Then she realized that she WAS 
still transformed.  She'd never changed back after teleporting here.

	I've never stayed in sailor form this long, she thought.  Then 
again, Hermes had been telling her that the transformation had never 
been necessary to use their powers; it was just a disguise that also 
supplied them with some battle armor.  But she felt stronger in this 
form.

	{I suggest thou usest thine powers to freeze her legs together,} 
Athena whispered to her.

	[That would be cheating!] Ami replied.

	{She is using her magics, canst thou not feel them?}

	When Ami concentrated, she could feel them.  No wonder she's so 
much faster this time, Ami thought.  She must have been not using any 
magic when she raced Ryo.  [Is there some way I can use my powers to 
speed up without actually attacking her?]

	{Our power is more over ice than water.  I see no other options.}

	[I don't want to attack her, even if she's using her magic.  After 
all, she's not using it on _me_.]

	{Doest thou wish to see her hanging all over our boyfriend?}

	They reached the far end, kicked off it, and began the home 
stretch.  Nike pulled far enough ahead that the turbulence from her very 
powerful legs was now interfering with Ami's progress until she swung 
further over to the side, which cost her more ground.  

	Ami began to push herself, drawing on every reserve of energy she 
could find in herself, and started to close the gap.  However, she 
quickly saw she wasn't going to close it fast enough.  Nevertheless, she 
kept pressing herself, hoping her analysis was wrong.

	She pulled forward; her head was now even with Nike's feet.  
Twenty more yards, and her head was up to Nike's knees.  She tried to 
kick her legs faster, regretting she'd never pursued swimming as 
seriously as she might have despite her enjoyment of it.  The water 
rushed past her and the edge of the pool drew closer.  Every time her 
head turned so that her right or left ear broke the surface of the 
water, she could hear Minako and Ryo and Steven cheering her on.  Some 
of the fae were cheering for her as well, while others were urging on 
Nike.  Dia herself simply sat in a deck chair, watching and looking 
amused.  

	Fifty feet left, and now her head was almost to Nike's waist.  She 
began to hope for victory.  And then Nike sped up, spurring Ami to a 
final push.  Her final push got the tip of her head almost even with 
Nike's bellybutton, but then Nike's hand touched the edge; Ami had a 
hard time stopping herself short of smacking right into the edge of the 
pool.

	Nike turned to her and said, "I'm impressed."

	Ami just breathed hard in reply.  Ryo helped her up out of the 
water to sit on the edge.  "You okay, Ami?"

	"I'll be fine," she managed to say.

	Steven looked over at Nike, then asked, "Are you going to ask Ami 
to kiss you now?"  

	Ami turned beet red.  "..."

	"You thought that too, eh?" Minako said to Steven.

	"Well, we didn't say what the prize was, and Lady Mercury did 
challenge me..." Nike began.

	"I couldn't...I mean..." Ami said weakly.

	{Sure thou couldst,} Athena said.  {Is she not lovely?}

	[She's after ou...my boyfriend!]

	"But while your skills are legendary, I must admit I prefer men," 
Nike continued.  "As I suggested the duel as a means by which the 
fairness of my kissing Ryo could be settled, I will simply accept your 
admitting I had the right to kiss him as my prize for this contest."

	Ami didn't want to kiss her, especially with Athena urging her to 
do so.  And she didn't want to admit the woman had kissed Ryo fairly, 
since she didn't want anyone getting the idea they could go around 
kissing her Ryo whenever they felt like it.  But...  She sighed.  
"Right.  Just don't do it again."

	Nike grinned.  "Only if I earn it."  She turned and swam off.

	Ryo put a hand on Ami's shoulder.  "You're a better kisser than 
her."

	"Yeah!  And I'm sure there's no danger she put any evil love magic 
on Ryo with her kiss," Minako said.  "Though I could shoot him up with 
love arrows for you, just to be sure."

	"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Steven said.  Once that bow 
comes out, disaster will ensue, he thought.  

	"I'm just glad I didn't have to kiss her," Ami said.

	Dia came over.  "Very good, my friend.  I know I couldn't do that 
well against a naiad."

	"I'm kind of surprised myself," Ami said.  "But I was pretty 
determined."

	"You did great," Ryo said.

	"You got played like a violin," Steven said, shaking his head.  
"You should have challenged her to something you could win at."

	"Steven, be nice," Minako scolded.

	"We'll all be ending up as some faerie's love slave by the time 
we're done here if we're not careful," Steven said flatly.  "Even though 
it's hard to resist because of the glamor."  Dia glared at him and he 
wilted a bit.  "I don't mean to give offense," he said.  "But we didn't 
come here to be seduced, at least as far as I know."

	Dia was not appeased.  "Everyone is just trying to be friendly."

	"I'm glad everyone's so friendly, but there's such a thing as 
being a little too intimate too fast," he said.  "We're all taken."

	"Now, now, we've made some concessions," Dia said.  "Like wearing 
these silly bathing suits.  You have to be understanding of our ways as 
well."

	"Yeah, loosen up, Steven, it's all in fun," Minako said, glomping 
onto him.  "They're not bad people."

	Steven was too aware of his own moment of temptation a little 
earlier to want to risk loosening up too much.  This was a bad idea, 
coming here, he thought.  But maybe we can make it work out.  I'd better 
talk to Minako in private later, though.

	"We are not used to your ways," Ryo said.  "Or aware of your 
customs."

	Dia nodded.  "So I see.  I will assign each of you someone who can 
instruct you, so we can avoid any more disasters."

	"Thank you," Ami said.  "We'd appreciate that."

	"Well, I'm here to swim," Minako said.  "So let's swim!  Last one 
in is a rotten keg!"  She dived into the water.

	Everyone went back to swimming.
	
                                   *****

	That night, Steven said to Minako, "We need to talk 
about...mrph..."

	His attempt at conversation was interrupted by Minako jumping on 
him.  A bout of lovemaking later, he tried again.

	"Minako, we need to talk about all this."

	"Did I make a mistake?" she asked, worried.  "It was the 
earlobes...I could feel you twitch.  I didn't hurt them, did I?"  She 
tried to peer at his left ear.

	"No, no, not about that.  I mean..."  He tried to figure out how 
to say it.  "I think we need to find somewhere with less temptations to 
do this.  I've sort of gotten used to your glamor, but..."  He shook his 
head.  "I nearly ended up in the same sort of situation as Ryo."

	"We can do it!  Our love can conquer anything!" Minako proclaimed.  
"And if we do stumble, we can blame it all on them and reunite by 
teaming up to kick their asses!"  She waved her fist in the air.  
"C'mon, Steven, this is going to be a lot of fun.  Just loosen up a 
little."

	"Minako, I'm afraid if I loosen up a little, I'll end up doing 
something really stupid," he said.  

	"You have my permission to be stupid," Minako said.  "If something 
goes wrong, I'll take all the blame.  I just NEED to cut loose, Steven.  
So I can get this all out of my system."

	If this works, it'll be worth it, he thought.  But a lot of these 
elves seem about as flaky and impulsive as Minako is right now.  Is it 
really going to get much better?  

	"Just don't cut too loose," he said.

	Minako nodded.  "Hmm.  We could just break up, run wild, then get 
back together afterwards."

	"Minako, are you actually thinking about anything you're saying at 
all?"

	"No," Minako said.  "You're too warm and soft for me to be able to 
think."

	If he hadn't already sated himself, he wouldn't have been able to 
think either.  But as it stood, he said, "Count to ten and think."

	She did so, then her eyes widened.  "Did I really suggest breaking 
up?"

	"Yes," he said, feeling annoyed.

	"AAAAAHHH!!!!  I'm gonna do something really stupid. I can hear it 
in the air."  She looked miserable.  "I'm going to end up having mad 
passionate sex with Ami and Ryo and Dia and that guy with the really 
nice ass all up on the roof at once, causing a meteor to fall on us, 
killing us all!"

	"A meteor?"

	"The wrath of the gods!" she shouted.  "They punish those who 
break the sacred chains of love!  We're all going to die!"

	Fix one problem, create another, Steven thought.  "Calm down, 
Minako," he said soothingly.  "We're not going to die."

	"I'm going to cheat on you, and then you'll get jealous and I'll 
put on a cloak poisoned with Dia's blood and die!"  Minako was getting 
hysterical.

	Steven decided to not ask for an explanation.  "Minako, calm down.  
No one's cheating on anyone."

	She leaned against him.  "I'm gonna do something stupid.  I can 
feel it."

	"I'm afraid of that, too," Steven said.

	"But I just...I can't go.  I can't.  At least here, if I screw up 
or you screw up, we'll know it wasn't our fault, and we can forgive each 
other and not break up, right?  I mean, you know I'd never cheat on you 
if I could think straight, right?"  She stared into his eyes.

	"I know," he said.  "But I think I'm going to have as hard a time 
as you thinking straight if I stay."

	Minako yanked on a lock of her hair thoughtfully.  "Maybe if I 
riddle us both with love arrows, we won't be tempted."

	Steven was tempted to say yes, but also feared Minako would end up 
making them both fall in love with the bed, or their underwear, or 
something else ridiculous.  "Are you sure you know what you're doing 
enough with that bow to take the risk?"

	"Well, if I never practice, I'll never get any better," she said.

	He couldn't argue with that.  "Well, let's wait.  If it gets to be 
totally too much temptation, then we'll try that, okay?"

	She nodded.  "Okay."  She kissed his cheek.  "I'm going to sleep 
now," she said.

	"Goodnight," he said, watching her drift off to sleep and wishing 
he felt relaxed enough to join her.
	
                                   *****

	The next morning, Ami woke up feeling refreshed.  Ryo was still 
sound asleep, so she decided to go take a morning swim.  She changed 
into a black and blue one piece bathing suit, then headed down to the 
swimming pool.  Except for the occasional patter of feet in the distance 
and a few nice smells coming from the kitchen, she got the impression 
that sleeping in was probably the order of the day most days on Dia's 
estate.

	The swimming pool was empty, which was a relief to her, as she'd 
suddenly realized right as she arrived that there might well be naked 
elves here with the same idea as her.  Instead, she had it all to 
herself, which suited her just fine.  She plunged into the water and 
began doing laps.  

	She was on lap number twelve when she heard people splashing into 
the water.  She surfaced, but didn't see anyone, to her surprise.  
Plunging underwater, she looked around and spotted Nike and Aria halfway 
across the pool, quite naked.  They waved.  Ami waved back, blushed, and 
finished her lap.

	By the time she surfaced, Nike and Aria had popped up by her; 
their speed impressed her.  "Are you alright, Lady Mercury?" Aria asked.  
"You look flushed."

	"You...um..."  

	Aria slapped her forehead.  "Oh yes, many humans become 
embarrassed by nudity."  She looked thoughtful.  "Doesn't that make 
taking a bath difficult?  Or sex?"

	Ami made herself look at Aria's face, and felt her embarrassment 
subsiding.  "Seeing myself naked isn't a problem.  And seeing my 
boyfriend naked is, well...I like that.  But we don't normally get naked 
in co-ed places like a swimming pool."

	"What's a 'co-ed' place?" Nike asked, leaning back and floating on 
her back.

	"Where men and women mingle," Ami said.  

	"Why?" Nike asked.

	"Because men and women aren't supposed to see each other naked 
unless they're married.  Or intimate, anyway," Ami said.

	"Why?" Nike asked.

	Aria giggled.  "Nike, don't be a pain."

	"But I want to understand.  I've never met a real human who wasn't 
raised here in Avalon before."  She now drifted into the side of the 
pool.  "Ow."

	Ami tried to think of an actual reason why not seeing each other 
naked was a good thing.  She could have given a sociology lecture on why 
people in most Earth societies had nudity taboos, but that didn't 
actually justify their continuing existence.  It had simply been 
something her mother had taught her, rather than something she'd ever 
tried to justify to herself.  "It's embarrassing.  Being seen naked, 
that is.  And if you wander around naked, people get the wrong ideas 
about you."  
          
	"Wrong ideas?" Aria asked.

	Ami decided to float on her back; she began to gently backstroke 
with Aria and Nike trailing after her.  "Well, getting naked around men 
tends to make them think you want to have sex with them."

	"What, just because you're not wearing any clothing?  I 
mean...yes, you generally need to take your clothing off before sex, 
but...I mean...if it means you want to have sex with someone, how does 
the right person tell you want to have sex with them?  And not with 
someone else?" Nike asked.

	I never thought I'd meet naive elves, Ami thought.  "That's why we 
only do it in private.  Or when it's just other women around, so that it 
doesn't matter."

	"But what if some of the other women like women?" Nike asked.

	"Ummm...that's pretty rare on Earth," Ami said.  

	"Well, you like women, right?" Nike said.  "How do you...oh."  Her 
eyes widened.  "No wonder you're uncomfortable.  Us being naked must 
seem like a come-on to you."

	Ami blushed more.  "I...uh..."

	{Don't lie and claim thou doest not,} Athena said.  {I did, and 
that's the sort of thing that doesn't go away.}

	[I don't!  I don't!] Ami shouted at Athena.  

	{And what about the shower incident?  Or when thou kissed Dia?  Or 
the way thou canst not look at Nike and Aria because it would force thee 
to admit to thineself that thou likest the way they look?}

	[I don't like women!  And I'll prove it!] Ami shouted at Athena.

	{Is that a challenge?} Athena sounded amused.

	Aria laughed.  "I'll take that as a yes.  Well, we'll go get 
changed so we don't embarrass you too much more, okay?"

	"Thank you," Ami said weakly.

	{So how doest thou intend to prove to me that thou doest not find 
women attractive?}

	[You'll see!]

*****


	If Athena hadn't kept badgering her, Ami would quickly have 
relented of her impulsive decision, but she knew the only way to prove 
to Athena that she wasn't attracted to women was to do what she was 
planning to do, and then not like it.  

	What did snap her out of it was that when she went and knocked on 
Minako's door, Steven answered, a blue robe wrapped around himself.  He 
yawned.  "Good morning, Ami."

	What was I THINKING? she asked herself.  Minako has a boyfriend!  
But proving I'm not attracted to Minako is what I really need to do to 
shut Athena up, Ami thought.  "Minako still in bed?"

	Steven laughed.  "Do you really have to ask?"

	"Good point.  Can you tell her I need to talk to her later?"

	"Sure thing," he said.  "Have you had breakfast yet?"

	"No, but I'm starving," Ami replied.

	"Cool.  Gimme a second to get dressed, and I'll go score some food 
with you."

	"I'll go get dressed and see if Ryo is up yet."

********

	Ryo responded to 'Do you want breakfast?' with silence, so Ami 
changed into one of her outfits she'd brought with her and hooked up 
with Steven to head to the kitchens.  Having been told breakfast was 
served, they went to the dining rooms where many bowls of fruit and 
cheese and bread were laid out, along with a lot of fruit juice and 
spiced mead and apple cider.  A fair number of the guests had drifted in 
and were eating already.

	"Dia tried to climb into your bed yet?" Steven asked, his tone 
half-serious and half-joking.

	"Not yet," Ami said.  "Maybe she knows better."

	"You really think that?"

	"No."  Ami sighed.  "With Athena in my head, I don't know what I'd 
do."

	"I think she's a good example of why people are designed to 
usually not remember past lives," Steven said.  "Much as I'm curious as 
to who I might have been in the Moon Kingdom, I wouldn't want past-me 
trying to tell present-me what to do."  He began carving his orange into 
eighths.

	They ate in silence for a while, then Ami said, "Ryo told me that 
Pluto told him he'd sealed away his own memories of the past for some 
reason.  It has something to do with his powers."

	"Maybe he foresaw something in his past life, some reason why he 
shouldn't remember his past," Steven suggested.  "Maybe he wanted to 
forget something."

	Ami frowned.  "Like what?"

	"Maybe he wasn't happy with his life, and didn't want to burden 
his next life with it, but knew his next life would start remembering if 
he didn't seal the memories." Steven took a piece of cheese and ate it.  
"Or maybe it's important he not remember until some specific thing 
happens."  He shrugged.  

	Ami had a sudden thought.  "Hmm, when you look at someone, you can 
see all sorts of things about them, right?"

	Steven blinked.  "Well, sometimes, if I look really intently, I 
can learn things about someone, yes.  It's kind of tripped out and 
symbolic and well...it sort of scares me a little.  But yes."  He had 
another piece of cheese then said, "Are you worried someone's put a 
spell on you or something?"

	"I need to know..." Ami felt her resolve weakening.  It was hard 
to even ask.  She leaned closer and whispered, "I need to know if 
I'm...in this life, I mean...Athena was, but..."

	Steven stared at her blankly, trying to figure out what she meant.  
His hands moved on autopilot, getting a pear and beginning to slice it.  
"If you're what?"

	Ami whispered, "If I like women."

	Steven blinked.  "What, you can't tell?"  He could imagine Minako 
confusing herself so much she needed magical help to tell, but not Ami.

	"I just...I mean...I can't tell if it's me or Athena."

	"Athena IS you," Steven said.  "And I don't think that sort of 
thing changes.  Haruka still likes women, and she used to be a guy in 
her past life.  If THAT couldn't change it, I don't think simple 
reincarnation could."  I can't believe I'm having this conversation, he 
thought.

	"But I'm not the same as Athena in a lot of other ways," Ami said.

	"Yes, but..."  He thought a moment.  "Well, look, let's see..."  
He looked around, then pointed at a tall, willowy dryad clad in a loose 
red tunic and sandals.  "Take her for example.  When you look at her, 
what do you notice first?"

	"She's got brown skin and green hair," Ami said.

	"After that."

	"She's thin, she looks to be in her late twenties, she's color 
coordinated her hair and her dress."

	Steven laughed.  "Do you think she's sexy?"

	"Too tall and too skinny," Ami said.  "But then, I think that 
about that Satyr over there too."  She pointed to him.  "And I know I 
like men."

	"Well, find someone female you do think is sexy."

	Ami began looking around the room.  Before she picked someone, 
arms wrapped around her from behind.  "Good morning!" Minako announced.  
She then went over and sat in Steven's lap, following this up by kissing 
him intensely.  Ami wondered for a moment if Minako could kiss like 
Inanna had.  This caused her to blush.

	"So what are you two doing?" Minako asked.

	"Just talking," Ami said.  

	"Ahh, there you are," Aria said.  "Dia asked me to be your guide 
to elven life, Ami.  If you don't mind."  Aria now wore an elaborate red 
and yellow Renaissance dress.  

	"I don't mind," Ami said.  

	"Nike is assigned to Ryo, Morgan is..."  She looked around.  
"Morgan is trying to be cute by hiding herself, but if she ever bothers 
to stop hiding, she'll be helping Steven.  And Lady Dia wants to help 
you herself, Minako."

	No danger of Dia trying to seduce me, Ami thought.  But Nike with 
my Ryo...she frowned, but then decided she would trust in Ryo.  After 
all, if he didn't reciprocate, it didn't matter what Nike tried.  She 
would trust him.

*********

	Morgan was a nightstalker, tall and dark skinned, but capable of 
turning invisible if she so desired.  Unlike most of the elves, she wore 
a muscle shirt and jeans instead of renaissance garb or moon kingdom 
garb.  "So you're worried about Minako doing something crazy?" she asked 
Steven.

	He nodded, gazing out across the land from the balcony they stood 
on.  "Yeah."

	"But didn't you come here SO she could do something crazy?"

	"Well..."

	Morgan pursed her lips.  "It would have been better if she hadn't 
been turned into an elf, I think.  I pretty much wrecked my mundane life 
when I went through that, and it was natural for me."

	Steven blinked.  "Eh?"

	"I was a changeling, an elf baby switched for a human one.  It's 
done so that we can learn about how the human world currently is, so we 
don't completely lose touch.  Of course, then no one will actually pay 
attention to you or believe you when you try to tell them things that 
contradict the way things were before we started hiding."  She sighed.  
"Anyway, puberty gets pretty insane for us changelings.  You're just 
going to have to accept she WILL do some stupid things she wouldn't 
normally do.  Better she do them here with people who will...well, a lot 
of them may not notice, but at least some of the people here will know 
better, and they won't get glamored by her so they lose control of 
themselves."

	Steven frowned.  "I'm worried about those who won't know better."

	Morgan nodded.  "Well, just don't let it eat you too much.  You 
have to be understanding.  And you have to sort of..."  She scratched 
her head.  "Guide her.  The impulses she acts on the most are the ones 
that will tend to last.  If you keep her busy with things like impulses 
to play tennis, you'll have less problems."

	Steven nodded.  "How radically can someone be changed by this?"

	"Well, I've seen people turn into drunkards or wild party guys or 
suddenly develop an obsession with bonsai.  And other strange things.  
Often, it's simply a matter of the thoughts you used to repress, you 
stop repressing, but sometimes people change in weird ways.  If people 
around you encourage you to do something, you're especially likely to 
get a taste for it you didn't have before."  She drummed her fingers on 
the railing thoughtfully.  "I wish I could give you more helpful 
advice."

	"I just don't want to lose my girlfriend," Steven said.
	
	"Oh, I don't think she'll dump you.  But she may end up cheating 
on you without meaning to.  You just..."  Morgan fell silent.  "Stay 
close to her.  That'll help."

	I hope she's not getting into anything crazy right now.

*****

	Minako stared at the wall of fog before her.  "It's very foggy," 
she said, feeling the need to make commentary.  

	Lady Dia laughed.  "These are the mists of Creation.  We build new 
realms in Avalon by entering the mists and dreaming our visions into 
reality."

	"Wow!"  Minako said.  "I bet Usagi would dream up a giant 
refrigerator!"

	Lady Dia smiled.  "Perhaps."

	"So anyone can do this, even a mortal?"

	"Especially mortals," Lady Dia said.  "Your lover could probably 
do a better job of this than either of us.  When the time comes for you 
to set up your own realm, you might well ask him to do it."

	"Why are mortals better at it than elves?" Minako asked, staring 
at the mists, and trying to think of what her ideal world would be like.  
She'd want a big gymnasium, and a soccer field, and some nice woods for 
romantic picnics, and maybe a big stadium for her concerts and...

	"Because most elves can't focus on one idea long enough to create 
it.  And a lot of us lack imagination.  But mortals are better at it."

	"Steven would probably create a big space empire," Minako said, 
after some thought.

	"Hmm, that could be interesting.  We don't have many of those.  
He'd need a lot of vision to make something that large.  Anyway, once 
you create a realm, you can change it if you like, though it requires 
some effort, such as how I transformed my realm to resemble the Moon 
Kingdom.  I'm sure it must bring back some memories."

	Minako nodded.  "I keep remembering all sorts of things."  She 
frowned.  "Which is probably a problem for Ami."

	Lady Dia blinked.  "Why would Lady Mercury not want to remember 
her past?"

	"Because she doesn't like how Athena was."  Minako sighed.  "She's 
over reacting, really.  Although I have to say that I wouldn't want her 
to be all the way like she used to be."

	"Why not?" Dia asked.  "I always found Lady Athena's company a 
delight."

	"Well, I'm trying to be more responsible myself, and Athena was 
just...she was more crazy than me, sometimes.  Though I wouldn't 
mind...ummm..."  Minako trailed off and stared at the ground.  "But 
then, I suppose you want that too."

	Lady Dia laughed and began walking back to her horse.  "Now, now, 
I promised I wouldn't try to seduce her."

	Minako followed her, turning beet red.  "I just want to...I 
mean...aaaargh, I'm being a stupid elf again!"  She began kicking a 
handy tree.  "This is just driving me nuts!"

	"Now, now, not every impulse is a bad one," Lady Dia said.  "After 
all, is not love which transcends death one of the great dreams of both 
elves and men?"

	"..."

	Lady Dia lithely leaped up onto her white stallion's back.  "I'm 
sure she would return your affections.  Athena always spoke very fondly 
of you to me when we laid together after a bout of lovemaking."

	I will never understand how elves think, Minako thought.  Even if 
I am one.  "But I already have a boyfriend!"

	"He is quite handsome and intelligent," Lady Dia replied.  "Come, 
mount up, we can talk as we ride."

	The dun mare looked Minako in the eye, then whinneyed.  He's 
laughing at me, Minako thought.  Because I nearly fell down eight times 
on the way here.  "Here I COME!"  She leaped up high onto his back, 
landed wrong, snagged her feet in the saddle, and ended up hanging over 
his side, her hair dragging the ground.  Spooked, her horse took off 
running.  "THIS ISN'T HOW IT GOES IN THE MOVIES!!!!!"

	Lady Dia rode after her.  "Whoa, Tokawa, whoa!" she shouted.  

	Tokawa sped up.

	"Giddyap!" Minako tried, hoping maybe the horse was trained 
backwards."

	He sped up.

	"Don't make me blast you!" Minako screamed.

	So he stopped.  Minako's feet slipped loose and she went tumbling 
into thorn bushes.   "OWW OWW OWWW!!!!!"  She leaped out of the bushes 
and blasted them with a Venus Meteor Swarm.  "Hah!  Take that!"

	"Bad horse," Lady Dia said, whacking it on the nose with her 
riding crop.  "Are you alright, Lady Venus?"

	"No, but I'll survive," Minako said, getting up onto the horse 
more carefully.  

	"I'm sure the four of you could work something out," Lady Dia 
said.

	"Well, it worked for us back on the Moon, but Ryo and Steven don't 
have any romantic interest in each other.  If they did, I'd be all for 
it," Minako said.  "But I don't know if it could really work.  I mean, I 
wouldn't want to make them just WATCH while Ami and I...you know."

	"Well, there are ways in which a man and a woman can both pleasure 
a woman at once," Lady Dia says.  "Though yes, it would be more stable 
if any of the four of you could pair off.  Although the two of them 
might like it if they tried."

	Minako turned red again.  "I couldn't ask them to try that.  I 
mean..."

	"Why not?"

	"..."

	"I could ask them for you, if it embarrasses you too much," Lady 
Dia offered.

	"..."

	They rode along through the woods.  Birds sang while Minako tried 
to figure out something to say.  Finally, she said, "Now I know how 
Steven feels when I say something crazy."

	Lady Dia frowned.  "That was rude."

	"I...umm...sorry," Minako said.  "I just...I'd like to do that 
with Ami, but I can't see how to make it work out right.  I could always 
shoot them up with my bow, but it doesn't last."

	"Well, it would be one way to get them to try it and see if they 
like it."

	Minako sweated.  "Don't tempt me."  She could already feel her 
brain planning out how she could do that.  

	Lady Dia just smiled.  "Well, you'd want to ask them first."

	"Also, I think Ami would resist it because she's so dead set on 
not being like Athena."

	Lady Dia nodded sadly.  "She needs to get over that."

	"Well, if Athena wasn't talking to her in her head, it would 
help."

	Dia looked thoughtful.  "She is?"

	"I thought I told you that," Minako said.  Oh wait, maybe I 
shouldn't have told her.  Since Ami doesn't want the whole world to 
know.

	"I must have forgotten if you did," Lady Dia replied.  "Perhaps I 
can help her with that."

	"You really think so?" Minako asked.

	"I have done a lot of study of magics of the mind.  So Athena is 
talking to her as if they weren't the same person?"

	"Exactly."

	"Is this happening to all the senshi?"

	"Nope.  Just Ami, really.  The rest of us are gradually getting 
our memories back, and we have flashbacks sometimes, but our pasts don't 
really talk to us.  Now, Ryo and Steven, on the other hand, they can't 
remember anything at all."
	
	"Well, it is possible this is their first life."

	"I guess," Minako said.  "But it just seems like they should have 
one.  Do you think you could help them remember?"

	"I could try.  If there is anything TO remember.  But don't get 
your hopes up too much."

	"Thanks," Minako said.  "Ami's really been struggling with this."

	"I'll talk to her this evening."

*****

	"Games and challenges and contests are very important to us," Nike 
told Ryo as they walked along the river together.  It wound lazily 
through the large forests on one side of the estate.  "They help us 
resolve things without too much violence.  Not that we die easily, but 
we never back down without some kind of fight.  Better a non-violent 
contest, right?"

	"Quite," Ryo said.  "It's a good idea, given that elves are known 
to be picky about their honor and the like."

	"Indeed, your reputation is often all you have," she said, 
kneeling by a bush.  "These grow by rivers.  They're very nice."  She 
plucked a berry and handed it to Ryo.

	Ryo tried it while she got one for herself.  It was yellow, but 
tasted like raspberry to him.  He liked raspberries.  "Good."

	"You can always refuse a challenge, but you lose face for it," 
Nike continued, grabbing several more berries and giving half to Ryo.  
She started walking again.  "If no prize is stated before hand, the 
victor can claim something appropriate, like a kiss or an apology or 
whatever, as their prize."

	"Like when you manuevered me into kissing you," Ryo said bluntly.

	"Yes," Nike said, without the slightest shadow of a hint of 
remorse.  "Just remember, no one can ever force you to accept a 
challenge.  And unfair challenges cause little loss of face if one 
refuses."

	"Like when you manuevered me into kissing you."

	Nike frowned.  "You're angry with me."

	"Just a bit, yes.  And with myself for being dumb enough to try to 
outrace a naiad."

	"Well, I could apologize, but I'd be lying.  I don't regret 
kissing you at all.  You're quite good, and rather handsome," Nike said.  
"I like you."

	Ryo blushed slightly.  "I'm not very handsome."

	"Certainly you are.  Not to mention, any man who could win the 
heart of Lady Mercury so firmly would have to be quite remarkable."  She 
shoved a branch out of the way long enough for Ryo to get by.

	Ryo smiled at that.  "I wish I could always be so confident about 
it."  He looked around.  "What exactly are we searching for?"

	"Oh, just taking you out into the woods to seduce you," Nike said.  

	"..."

	"I take it I'm being too honest again," she said.

	"I...I don't WANT to be seduced!" Ryo said.

	"Why did you come out in the woods with a beautiful woman, then?"  
She paused.  "Or do you think I'm ugly?" Her voice quivered.

	"I thought you were going to show me something out here!"

	"Earth people are just strange," Nike said, sighing.  "So does 
seeing someone naked on Earth really usually mean they want to have sex 
with you?"

	"..."

	"You see..."

	"Well, it can mean that, though usually you don't get naked until 
you already know they want to sleep with you."

	She nodded.  "You'd best not come and visit any naiad cities, 
then."

	Ryo laughed nervously.  "I suppose not."

	"Well, if..."  She started walking again.  "So, I understand 
you're an oracle?"

	He laughed.  "You could say that.  I don't have very good control 
yet, but I'm going to be training with Pluto."

	"So who were you in the Moon Kingdom?  Anyone I would have heard 
of?"

	He shook his head.  "I don't know."

	"You don't know?" she asked in surprise.

	"I can't remember anything about it."

	Nike frowned.  "But your powers have awakened?"

	"Well, yes.  Shortly before the one of the Seven Shadows which had 
been bound into me broke free."  

	Nike started.  "One of them was bound inside you?"

	"Along with a piece of the Silver Moon Crystal.  I sometimes 
wonder if maybe the monster WAS my past life."  His voice was sad and 
soft as he said that.  "And that's why I can't remember."

	"You're no monster," Nike said, taking his hand.  "Lady Dia is 
good with that sort of thing.  She might be able to help you remember."

	Ryo nodded.  "Pluto told me I'd probably locked them away myself, 
and she wouldn't tell me who I was."

	"Now I'm curious," Nike said.  "If I don't find this out, it's 
going to eat away at me."

	"You really think Dia could help?"  And can I trust Dia not to 
monkey around in my head, he asked himself.  She hasn't tried anything 
yet, but...

	"Yes, I think she could."

	"You ought to go see her right now, then," Nike said, turning 
around.  "No time like the present!"

	"Whoa, I want to think about it some," he said.

	"Don't you want to know?"

	"Well, yes, but..."

	"Then come on!"  She dragged him along.


*********

	"Well, we don't have a really formal government," Aria said to 
Ami.  "There's a council of really old elves who make the really big 
decisions, after a few decades deliberation, after which it's usually 
too late.  There are a lot of kings and queens, but they come and go and 
they usually only have as much power as their ability to convince people 
to follow them gives them.  Generally, the nobles rule, and you become a 
noble by creating your own realm in the Mists of Creation."

	They sat on a bench by the tennis courts, having just finished a 
game.  

	Ami asked, "And each noble makes their own laws?"

	"Yes.  Although some things are pretty common customs everywhere, 
like challenges and duels and ordeals and so on.  I think Lady Dia 
simply uses the Seelie Codex for her law code."  Aria stretched and 
stood up.  "I'm surprised you want to know all this stuff.  Don't you 
remember it from before?"

	"No, I only remember a few things, and in twenty five thousand 
years, things could have changed."

	"Well, Lady Dia could help you remember.  She's good with magics 
for the mind."

	I remember too much of Athena already, Ami thought.  Although 
maybe she could...no, she'd want Athena to just take over.  I wish I 
could get her help, but...  "I don't want to just become Athena."

	"As you like.  Want to play another game?"

	"Sure," Ami said, getting up.  "Let's play."


*********

	"I'm a little worried, but I think I'll ask her to see if she can 
unlock my memories," Ryo said to Ami later, when they got together 
before dinner.  "I'm kind of curious now."

	"Minako and Aria both told me Dia could help me with Athena, but 
I'm worried that she may just try to make me become Athena completely," 
Ami said.  

	He nodded.  "I don't think she sees you as you are now."

	"Although if I could get her to promise she won't do anything to 
me...Aria told me that Elves can't break an oath."

	"I've heard that about Elves," Ryo said.  "But if you ask her to 
promise that, she'll probably feel insulted and get mad."

	"The first time I saw her...Athena just took me over.  I couldn't 
help myself.  I'm scared of doing that again," she said softly.

	Ryo put a hand on her shoulder.  "I know.  Well, do you want to go 
with me after dinner to see her?  You can watch what she does with me, 
see if it seems safe."

	Ami nodded.  "Good idea."

*********

	Lady Dia took both of them down the hallway to her sorcerous 
workings chamber.  It was about fifty feet across, a pentagon in shape, 
with a door in each face, and a lit brazier in each corner.  The floor 
was polished granite with many old chalk scribblings still to be seen.  
A large cabinet sat against one wall.  Dia brought out three chairs from 
a closet, then sat herself, Ami, and Ryo down in them.  "Lady Mercury, 
Minako told me you've been having problems with reconciling your past 
self and your present one," Dia said.  

	"Just call me Ami," Ami said.  "I'm not here as a Sailor Senshi."

	Dia smiled.  "Well, I feared you were angry with me."

	"I'm not mad.  I just...  I don't want to hear Athena talking to 
me.  I don't want to be Athena."

	"Why?"

	"Because I like the way I am."  Ami caught her eyes straying to 
gaze on Dia's rather ample and exposed bosom, and forced herself to look 
up and gaze into Dia's eyes.  "I'm not like her.  I wish I had her 
skills, but she's always telling me to do things I don't want to do."

	"Then why don't you just ignore her?" Dia asked.

	"Because she won't shut up," Ami said.

	{Because I'm telling you what you actually want to do, but you're 
too scared to, or you've been taught you shouldn't,} Athena replied.  

	[I do NOT want to do any of the things you tell me to do!]

	{Like when I gave you advice on what to do with Ryo last night?  
You didn't want to do that?}

	Ami blushed.  [Okay, maybe a few of the things you tell me aren't 
bad, but...]

	"Like right now?" Dia asked softly.

	Ryo sighed.  "What's she doing this time?"

	"Have you given her a fair chance to try out what she suggests and 
see for yourself if you like them?" Dia asked.

	"I know I don't want to do these things!"

	"Now, now, if someone else suggests something, do you just reject 
it out of hand?" Lady Dia asked.

	"Well, sometimes.  If I already know it's a bad idea."

	{Thou art a scientist, right?  Don't scientists do experiments?} 
Athena said.

	Ryo said, "After all, sometimes people do suggest stupid things."

	"Well, I will make you an offer," Lady Dia said.  "While I could 
seal off Athena and all your past memories, I think it would be 
healthier for you, and more permanent, if you came to terms with your 
past by embracing it for a while, so you can decide what parts of it you 
like and which you don't like, instead of this knee-jerk rejection of 
it."

	"By embr..."  Ami's eyes narrowed.  "You don't mean letting Athena 
take over for a while, do you?"

	Dia shook her head.  "That would not prove anything.  What you 
need to do is to try all the things Athena liked that you think you 
don't like about her.  If you like them, then you can keep doing them.  
If you don't like them, then you'll know for sure.  After all, you can't 
be sure you like something until you try it."

	There was some sense to that, Ami thought.  But I don't want to 
cheat on my boyfriend.  "Well, the problem is that I'm dating someone, 
and well, most of what Athena and I disagree on is sort of, well, 
umm..."

	"Now, now, Ryo, you want to help Ami, don't you?"

	Ryo could feel the weight of her gaze upon him.  He'd never been 
the most forceful of souls anyway.  "Yes, I do," he said.  "But I've 
seen Athena, and well...I couldn't stand to watch her carry on like 
that."

	Dia pursed her lips.  "Well, if I was to just seal Athena away 
without you coming to terms with how she lived and accepting that some 
of her lives on in you, she'll just break out again eventually."

	"I know she was me, but I just can't accept how she acted," Ami 
said.

	"Then you'll have her in your head forever.  The more you fight 
her, the stronger she gets.  If she wasn't telling you things you really 
want, I think she'd just fade away."

	"But I don't..."  Ami clenched her fists.  "You just want me to be 
Athena because she was your lover!"

	Dia just smiled, which made Ami more angry.  "Yes, she was one of 
my lovers.  And I would not be adverse to rekindling our old 
relationship.  But I would advise this even if it meant you would find 
out you really didn't want to be like Athena at all.  I swear that.  You 
may not like me now, but Athena was my friend, and you are her.  I do 
not wish to see you suffer, and no one is supposed to have voices in 
their head.  The more you repress her and treat her as not being you, 
the longer this will last, and the worse it will get."

	"I don't want to...I mean...I can't live like Athena."

	Lady Dia smiled very broadly.  "If you gave me one night with you, 
I could change your mind, I think."

	Ami paled.  "You mean to..."  She could feel her pulse speed up at 
the thought.  I'm just nervous, she thought.  Just nervous.

	Ryo said fiercely, "She's my girlfriend!  I can't just..."

	"Oh, you could join us, of course," Dia said smoothly, turning her 
smile on him.  He felt his whole body tingle; some of it was glamor, but 
he suspected she would have impacted him like this even without it.  "I 
could teach you many ways to bring your lover pleasure."

	Ryo gulped and tried to pull himself together.  

	"I don't like women like that," Ami said weakly.

	"How do you know if you haven't tried?" Dia said.  "Just give me 
one kiss.  If you don't like it, I'll drop the entire issue."

	"You've already kissed me before, but it just..."

	"Didn't you tell yourself that was just Athena?  And not really 
you?"

	"Umm, well..."  Ami began to sweat.  "Not today.  I'll think about 
it, but not today."

	Dia looked disappointed.  "Alright.  Well, then Ryo, let's see 
what we can find.  Just close your eyes and open your mind."  She began 
to chant softly.

	Ryo sat nervously, listening to her chant, and wondered what it 
would feel like.

	Dia opened her eyes.  "Impressive."

	"What?"

	"Your memories were sealed off.  There's a wizard's mark, but I 
don't recognize it."

	"A what?"

	"A sort of magical signature.  I'll have to look it up in my books 
of lore.  It's part of the seal.  A rather impressive one."

	Ryo asked, "Do you think you can open it?  Should we open it?  
Maybe they were sealed off for a reason."

	"I'm going to try and look up this sigil and do some research.  
This should be a challenge."  Lady Dia smiled.  "I like challenges."

*********

	The next few days drifted by lazily, lost in games and archery 
contests and swimming and riding and tennis and picnics and dances.  Dia 
had an infinite number of diversions for them, and in all, it was a very 
fun week.  

	One day, Dia announced at breakfast, "Today's entertainment is a 
scavenger hunt."  She passed out a list to all her guests.  "We'll draw 
names from this hat to see who pairs up with who."

	Ami went first, drawing Minako's name.  

	Ryo drew Ami's name, had to throw it out, and drew Nike.  

	Steven drew Morgan's name.  

	Various other folk drew names and paired off.

	Ami took Minako up to their room to sit down and carefully plan 
out where to find everything.  "A four leafed clover.  A silver rose.  
Two blue socks.  A forget-me-not.  A scoop of honey not from the 
kitchens.  Four inches of silia vine.  A cup of salt water.  A pink 
scarf.  A hair from a hare.  Six blueberries.  I think we'll have to go 
out in the forest for some of these."

	Minako nodded.  "We should probably ransack the palace first, then 
head out into the forest."

	"Right.  Now, let's see where we would look for these items..."

	Brainstorming commenced.

                                   *****

	"Where are we going to find SALT WATER?" Morgan asked.

	"Can't we just put salt in water?" Steven asked as they moved down 
one of the hallways.  They had secured some blueberries and blue socks 
and a forget-me-not from the gardens already.  

	She slapped her forehead.  "Yes.  I think we'll have to go out in 
the woods for most of these, though."

	"That's true," he said.  "In fact, this whole hunt seems to be 
designed to enable people to go out in the woods together in pairs."  He 
frowned slightly.

	Morgan giggled.  "You're an insightful man."

	"I have a knack."  He sighed.  "Well, maybe we'll win while 
they're busy making out."

	"Sounds good to me.  I'm not in the mood, anyway."

	"Then let's go."


                                   *****

	Nike dragged Ryo by the arm.  "Come on, we'd better hurry!"

	He ran along with her.  "Um, where are we running to?"

	"We're going to make off with Aria's scarf and socks before she 
remembers she has them!"

	"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.

	"It's not like we're going to STEAL it and keep it forever.  It's 
a scavenger hunt.  And we have to get my silver rose, before she can 
make off with it."

	He nodded, though he still felt a little uncomfortable.

	They soon arrived at the room Nike and Aria shared.  Ryo was 
somewhat surprised it wasn't underwater somehow, but it was quite dry 
and normal.  "I'd think you'd want a wetter room."

	"Oh, I live underwater at home, but the Moon Palace didn't have 
any special Naiad rooms, so I have to make do."  She began rifling 
through the dresser drawers.  "Just poke into stuff."

	So he did.  "Ahah!  Silver Rose!" he said, pulling the pin out 
from under the bed.

	"That wasn't supposed to be under the bed," she said, scratching 
her head, then shrugged.  "Okay, sit.  I'll be done in a minute."

	He sat down on the bed and waited.  She finally pulled a pink 
scarf and blue socks out.  "There we go."

	Ryo asked, "Why does she have socks?  You two always wear 
sandals."

	"Her feet get cold at night," Nike said.  "So she wears socks."

	"Even underwater???"

	Nike came over and sat down by him.  He scooted over to make room, 
trying to hint.  She took it.  "Looks pretty silly, I have to admit."

	Aria came running in with a tall nightstalker.  "Excuse me!" she 
said, running past them.

	"Time for us to fly," Nike said, taking Ryo's hand and dragging 
him out of the room, leaving Aria to tear it apart behind them.

                                   *****

	"Score one silia vine," Minako announced, slicing it off a tree.  
"If I remember what they look like, anyway."

	Ami took it and stuffed it into their bag.  "Are you sure we 
shouldn't have searched the palace first?"

	"I spotted this the other day; I wanted to grab it before anyone 
else could."  Minako stretched in the warm sun.  "Man, what a beautiful 
day."

	Ami stretched as well.  "I know."

	Then Minako began tickling her.  "Don't let your guard down!"

	They started to wrestle; Ami dropped the bag, but it didn't help.  
Eventually, Minako had her down on the ground, tickling her.  
"Surrender!"

	"Okay, okay, you win," Ami said, still laughing.  "Going to claim 
a prize?"

	"Hmm...how about..."  Then Minako leaned down and kissed her 
firmly on the lips.

	Ami felt her whole body go rigid, but it swiftly relaxed.  
Instinctively, she kissed back while her brain gibbered in confusion.  
Her arms reached up and pulled Minako down closer, and then she parted 
her own lips, sliding her tongue into Minako's mouth.  This went on for 
several minutes, until Ami's mental chaos calmed, and Minako fully 
realized what she was doing.  Her eyes widened and she pulled her head 
back.  Ami's arms were still wrapped around her.  "Ami, I...I'm sorry, I 
didn't think and..."

	Very faintly, Ami said, "I liked it."

	"I...what?"

	"I liked it.  I have to admit that I liked it," she said.  

	Minako gulped.  "I liked it too, but we have boyfriends, and..."

	Ami kissed Minako softly on the lips for just a few seconds.  "I 
know."  Then she wiggled out of Minako's grasp.  "Okay, we need to talk 
about this."

	Minako moved into a sitting position.  "Yes."

	Birds chirped.  Fish swam.  The breeze blew.

	Finally, Ami said, "It's weird.  I'd expect Athena to be crowing 
right now, but she isn't saying anything."

	"Maybe she doesn't have anything to say," Minako said.  "I didn't 
mean to kiss you."

	"But it happened.  And I have to face it.  I'm not madly in love 
with you, but I do...find you attractive.  And if I wasn't dating 
someone, I'd want to...do more."  Ami made herself turn and face Minako.  
"I guess I have just been fighting it off."

	"Yeah, that's how I feel too," Minako said.  "It's a pity the guys 
wouldn't go for a foursome.  But I don't know how well it would work 
without them liking each other like we like each other."

	Ami nodded.  "It just makes me wonder what else I've just rejected 
because Athena said it which I would actually like."

	"Well, experiment a little.  Find out."  Minako picked up a stick 
and began twirling it about.  "Just don't start flirting with Haruka, or 
Michiru will kill you."

	Ami laughed.  "Yes, she would."  She took Minako's hand and stood 
up.  "We'd better get going or we'll lose."

	"BANZAI!"  Minako took off running with Ami behind her.  They ran 
and ran and ran and then Minako stopped.

	"Do you see something we need?"

	"Umm...where are we?  I'm lost."

	"..."	

                                   *****

	Nike plucked a four leafed clover and passed it to Ryo.  "All we 
need now is a hair from a hare."  She looked around.  "I don't suppose 
you have any magical hare summoning abilities?"

	"Not even vaguely."

	"Too bad.  And no useful visions of the future?"

	"They never seem to come when I need or want them."

	"Visions are like that."  She frowned.  "How to find a rabbit..."


                                   *****

	Steven jumped up and down in front of the rabbit.  "Hey, look at 
me!"

	It took off running.  Morgan appeared, becoming visible, holding a 
hair.  "You know, it helps if you don't PANIC the rabbit."

	He laughed nervously.  "Wasn't sure what else to do."

	"Well, we got the hair. Now we just need four leaved clovers."

	"And honey."

	"Hmm.  I know there are some bee hives around here..."

	"I am NOT going to distract the bees for you," Steven said.

	Morgan grinned.

	"Oh no, not the bees, not the bees!"

	About twenty minutes later, Steven found himself standing in front 
of a bee hive, wishing he was dead.  "La, la, la!" he sung.  "I'm over 
here!"

	Then he ran like he'd never run before.  He could hear the bees 
swarming, but they weren't getting any closer.

	He turned and looked, and then heard Morgan start yelling.  Bees 
were swarming around a suspiciously nightstalker shaped open space.  

	Smoke drives away bees, he thought.  But where am I going to get a 
fire around here?  No time to try to make one with sticks...

	And then Morgan turned visible and ran right at him.  "Run!  
Run!!!!!!"

	So he ran, with the bees chasing them both.

                                   *****

	"Are you sure this isn't cheating?" Ami asked as she used her 
computer to scan for the remaining items."

	"Everyone else will use their magic.  You can count on that," 
Minako said.

	"True."  She watched the computer scan.  "Okay, this is very 
strange."

	"What is?" Minako asked, staring over her shoulder.  

	"The nearest honey is coming closer."

	"It must mean someone found some."

	"Oh, that makes sense," Ami said.  

	"AAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!" In the distance, a wail began to rise.

	"Scan for bees, Ami," Minako said.

	"They're coming closer too."

	Then Steven and Morgan came into sight.  "Run!  Run!" Steven 
shouted.

	Ami stood and watched the bees come closer.  "SHABON SPRAY!" she 
shouted.  A mist spread out, covering the bees, who fell unconscious to 
the ground.

	Morgan leaned against a handy tree.  "Thank you!"

	Minako said, "You can thank us by sharing your honey."

	Morgan stuck some of the sticky clump onto Minako's hand.  
"Enjoy."

	"Ewwww."

	"How are you two doing?" Steven asked.

	"We're doing great!" Minako said.  "How about you two?"

	"We're close to being finished," Steven replied.  He kissed Minako 
on the cheek.  "And now we'd better run and see if we can finish off our 
list."

	"Us too," Minako embraced him, kissed him, then replied.  "Good 
luck!"

	And then the two pairs parted.  Minako asked, "How close are they 
to winning?"

	"They still need a silver rose."

	"Us too.  So hunt one down for us."

	"Will do."  And Ami went to work.

                                   *****

	Ryo watched another hare bolt down a hole.  "I think everyone's 
scared all the rabbits."

	Nike frowned, putting her hands on her hips.  "Blast it, it's all 
we need!  We have everything else!  I really want to win this!"

	"Is there a prize or are you just feeling competitive today?" Ryo 
asked.

	"Lady Dia traditionally gives a boon to the winner," Nike said.

	Ryo nodded, then tried poking a stick down the hole.  This 
accomplished nothing.  "What are you going to ask her for?"

	"Advice on how best to seduce you.  Lady Dia is reknowned for 
her..."

	Ryo sighed.  "I'm dating someone!  I don't WANT to be seduced!"

	Nike smiled at him.  "You only think that now."

	Now I know why some women hate men, Ryo thought.  'Cause I know a 
lot of guys who take that kind of attitude with women.  At least she 
hasn't tried using her glamor on me to MAKE me do it.  He shuddered at 
the thought.

	"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice concerned.  "You suddenly 
don't look so good."

	"I'm just...irritated.  I don't want you to seduce me, and I MEAN 
it.  And don't even THINK about trying to use that Elven Glamor trick on 
me.  I'm...I'm wise to it."

	"Now, now, I don't want to force you.  I know some of our folk 
rely on that too much, but I prefer to win you with my own charms, not 
magic."  She smiled at him, and he could feel his hormones surge just a 
bit against his will.  If he hadn't been dating someone, he would have 
welcomed her advances, but as it was...

	"You're very pretty, but I'm taken," Ryo said firmly.  "Let's go 
hunt more rabbits."

	Her smile made it clear she hadn't dropped the subject, just 
delayed it.



*****

	Lady Dia finished toting up the list.  "Very good, Lady Mercury, 
Lady Venus.  You've got everything, so I declare you the winners.  What 
boon do you desire?"

	"Boon?" Ami asked.

	Lady Dia blinked.  "Yes, the winners each get a boon from me."

	"I suppose asking to be human again isn't an option," Minako said.

	"It is beyond my power to grant," Lady Dia replied.
	
	"Oh, I know!  Your boon to me can be to get Ami's mom to ease off 
on her so she won't drive Ami crazy when Ami goes back home."

	Dia nodded.  "Hmm, that may be difficult from what you've told 
me."

	"Well, it's what I want.  Nothing much I really need for me."

	"Thanks," Ami said.  "If it's really hard, maybe it should count 
as the boon for both of us."

	"No, no, feel free to ask something else for yourself," Dia said.  
Her eyes made it clear what she was hoping Ami would ask for.

	"I'm going to have to think about it," Ami said.

	"Alright.  Don't forget there's a dance tomorrow night.  And you 
promised to play chess with me in the morning."

	"I won't forget," Ami promised.

			********

	Later, that night, Ryo found himself out in the gardens with 
Minako.  "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

	The Earth hung in the sky like a giant moon, making the night 
quite bright.  Minako gazed up at it for a little while, then turned 
back to him.  "Ryo, do you think I'm cute?"

	"Yeah, you're cute," Ryo said.  She called me out here to ask me 
this?

	She smiled brightly.  "Thanks.  You're pretty cute too."

	And then it sank in.  Oh great, I think she's called me out here 
to seduce me, he thought.  Okay, it's flattering, but... 

	She stepped closer to him.  "Well, I owe you a kiss, since it 
wouldn't be fair of me to kiss just one of you, so..."

	Ryo blinked.  Kiss just one of...oh.  His brain took just long 
enough to figure out what she meant that when Minako swept him into an 
embrace and her glamor rushed over him, he didn't have time to say 
anything.  Once it hit him, his mental defenses quietly collapsed, and 
he quite willingly (for some values of 'willing') let her kiss him quite 
fiercely.  

	The rush of the glamor receded as his conscience chimed in, and 
pretty quickly, he pulled back from her.  "Minako, what are you 
doing???"

	"Well, Ami and I made out for a little while in the woods, so it's 
only fair that I make out with you for a while to restore the karmic 
balance."

	"..."

	"We kind of sort of made out for a while, then decided it was a 
bad idea, since we're both dating someone else, and you and Steven don't 
want to make out like mad weasels like we do, and therefore, it couldn't 
work to pile us all four in one bed, even though the thought of it is 
making me kind of hot, plus you smell nice."  Minako kissed Ryo's throat 
on the left side.  "Although if you do want to make out with Steven too, 
just say the word and we can all fit in my bed, I think."

	"..."

	Minako started to unbutton Ryo's shirt, following her nimble 
finger movements up with kisses.  "Although we could always just try 
trading off one night, or finding each of you a second girlfriend, just 
to be fair."

	Ryo could feel himself getting turned on, and her glamor was 
beating against his mind.  It was hard to think coherently.  "Minako, is 
Ami doing this with Steven right now?"

	"Well, I...dammit, I forgot to plan this out with her like I meant 
to!"  She stopped unbuttoning his shirt.  "Having mad passionate sex 
with you while Ami ISN'T having mad passionate sex with Steven would 
just make things more unbalanced.  I knew I forgot something."

	Ryo jumped back and buttoned his shirt.  "Minako, you have to 
think before you act."

	"You're right.  Let's go find them and have mad passionate sex 
AFTER we all talk."  She took his hand and dragged him off.

********

	Dr. Mizuno checked on another of her patients, Kameko, who was 
napping.  The bruises she'd had when she was brought in for her latest 
round of treatments were fading, thankfully.  She had her suspcions 
about their origins, but without any proof, there wasn't anything she 
could do about it.

	Supposedly, Kameko had fallen down the stairs shortly before 
coming to the hospital because she 'didn't want to go there, so she ran 
off and fell'.  Dr. Mizuno would have believed it if Kameko hadn't had 
bruises the previous times she'd been brought in as well.

	There was just something about Kameko's mother as well.  The woman 
usually ended up bickering with her daughter about how poorly she was 
doing in school, as if a child who had to miss school for medical 
treatments could be expected to do as well as others who did not.  
Kameko's mother had very high expectations, higher than a sick child 
could reasonably meet.  And she was very harsh about enforcing them.

	Thinking about that stirred up more uncomfortable thoughts for Dr. 
Mizuno as well.  Am I being too harsh on Ami, she wondered. I would 
never hit her, ever, but I just can't let her throw away her life like 
she's been trying to do.

	I just want what's best for her, she thought.  Not a life full of 
monster-fighting.  What if she got hurt?  Dr. Mizuno couldn't bear the 
thought of her child getting hurt or dying.  Surely it isn't necessary 
for her to endanger herself like that.

	Then the worry crossed her mind.   What if I push Ami into running 
away?  She'd watched too many TV movies about teen runaways to ever want 
that to happen.  The thought of her daughter ending up as a prostitute 
or worse to support herself horrified Dr. Mizuno.

	I'm just being silly, she thought.  Ami is too sensible to run 
away.  

	But the thought nagged at her.  I can't let her get caught up in 
that life of danger again, she thought.  But if I keep pushing her as 
hard as I have, what if it gets to be too much?  

	She was shaken out of her reverie by a nurse's arrival.  "Here's 
the test results, Dr. Mizuno."

	"Thanks," she said.  "Can you check on Ken?"

	"Of course I will."  The nurse headed off across the ward, and Dr. 
Mizuno turned from contemplation back to her work. 

********

	Ami sat back to let the program compile.  "So why did you ask me 
to scan for monsters, Steven?" she asked.

	"Just a moment of paranoia.  A lot of these alternate time areas 
have been attacked, according to Derith, and I'm just worried something 
might be coming for this one."  Steven got out a deck of cards and 
started shuffling.  "Still thinking about what to ask Dia for?"

	Ami nodded.  "I'm not sure what to ask for.  I think Dia is right 
about sealing off Athena being a bad idea.  I just need to come to terms 
with her on my own."  She got up and stretched, then spent a while 
shaking one foot, as it had fallen asleep.  "Which may not be as hard as 
I thought it would."

	Steven blinked.  "What makes you think that?"

	"Well, I found out today..."  She blushed.  "Umm...did Minako tell 
you yet?"

	Steven frowned now, putting the cards aside.  "No."

	"Umm, well, you know Athena and Inanna were, well...they sometimes 
shared men or...each other..."  Ami could feel her new sense of 
confidence wilting under the power of his frown.  "And, well, Minako and 
I ended up kissing and trying to talk about how we felt about each 
other."

	"No, she didn't tell me about that," Steven said, then sighed.  "I 
should have known better than to let Minako come here.  Or else stayed 
home myself and just not asked what she did.  I know it's hard for her 
to control herself, but...I just can't cut loose like that.  I almost 
wish I could.  If we were both running around wild, neither of us would 
have to feel guilty about it.  But I'm just a stick in the mud."

	Ami shook her head, getting up and coming over to sit down by him 
on the edge of the bed.  "No, it means you're a good guy, and Minako is 
lucky to have someone who wouldn't cheat on her.  A lot of guys would 
just run wild here."

	"I can't pretend I haven't been tempted," Steven said.  "Although 
Morgan hasn't been half-jumping on me the way Nike keeps doing with 
Ryo."  He sighed.  "So what did you two...decide?"

	"There's a lot of feelings there, but it's not viable under the 
current circumstances," Ami replied.  "Athena and Inanna could handle it 
because they only both had permanent boyfriends at the same time once, 
and that was Kunzite and Zoicite, who liked each other too.  Since you 
and Ryo aren't into men, the four of us couldn't make it work.  So we 
decided we wouldn't do that again.  And it made me realize that I do 
like women like that.  Which makes me wonder what else I might enjoy 
that Athena is always telling me to do."

	"Are you sure this isn't going to lead to, well...Athena taking 
over?"

	"I've been running away.  Once I try things for myself, I'll know 
what's part of me, and what's just a memory of things I've outgrown," 
Ami said.  "And then I'll be free to just be myself."  She stood up and 
stretched.  

	Then Minako and Ryo came in.  "Ahh, here you guys are.  I thought 
you were reading in our room, Steven," Minako said.

	"I had an idea, and I went over to ask Ami to scan for monsters.  
I'm a little worried there's going to be an attack."

	"Did you see some out in the woods?" Minako asked, sounding 
worried.

	"No, but I was thinking about what Derith told us about the 
attacks at some of the other places like this.  Just paranoia."  He 
turned and looked at Minako.  "Ami told me about you two making out in 
the woods."

	Minako blushed.  "We tripped and fell down, and sort of...yes.  
Yes, we did."  She sighed.  "Maybe we'd better just go home, Steven.  
I'm having a lot of fun, but I can't really run wild here any more than 
I can at home without ending up cheating on you.  I don't want to, but I 
just...  This isn't fair to you."

	"Well, at least here it won't have any long term consequences.  
Except for me going insane," Steven said.

	"Umm, should we, like, go, and let you two discuss this 
privately?" Ryo asked.

	"This is Ami's room," Minako said.  "So WE should go.  But first, 
you need to kiss Ami to restore the karmic balance.  As I've kissed Ryo 
already."

	"But then, wouldn't Ryo and I have to kiss each other to fully 
restore the balance?" Steven asked sarcastically.

	"Dammit!  You're right!"  Minako began to pace.  "Hmm, I could 
shoot you two with my bow just long enough for one good kiss, then undo 
it..."
	
	"Except something would go wrong, and I'd be in love with Ami's 
computer, while Ryo would be filled with mad desire for the door or 
something," Steven replied.
	
	Minako sighed.  "I'll never get good with this bow if no one ever 
lets me shoot them with it."  She summoned it up.  "I'll be really, 
really careful!"

	{Don't let her do it.  That thing is dangerous,} Athena said.

	"Even Athena thinks it's a bad idea," Ami said.  

	"Hrmph."  Minako sat down on the floor and pouted.

	This is just driving me nuts, Steven thought.  Now I'm going to be 
paranoid all the time about whether those two are smooching every time 
they're off together.  I wish I could just beat up whoever exactly 
turned Minako into an elf.  I ought to try asking Dia; she probably 
recommended it be done.

********

	"Lord Eien used the wand, but yes, it was done at our advice."

	"And there's no way to undo it," Steven said.

	"Given we did it a permanent way, there's no way that I know of," 
Dia said.

	They were in one of her lounges, a room in shades of blue and 
green with very comfortable furniture. 

	"There has to be some way."

	"I suppose a human sufficiently skillful in magic of shapechanging 
could do it, but I don't believe any such human exists," Dia says.  "Nor 
is one likely to appear any time soon."  She looked thoughtful.  "The 
Elders might know a way, but I don't think you could rely on them enough 
to be sure they wouldn't get confused and think she wants to be a 
badger, unfortunately.  Hmm...there is one option."

	"What?  I'll try anything," Steven said.

	"Well, It's not exactly the solution you're thinking of, but...we 
could make you into an elf too."

	"..."

	"We normally refrain from doing such, especially with people who 
aren't as suited to it as Minako is.  Even with those who are suited, it 
is a gift rarely given.  The Council of Elders has to approve the use of 
such options; they gave Eien the wand.  But if the Senshi Venus 
petitions the council, it could be done."

	"But I don't want to be an Elf.  I want to be human," Steven said.

	"It is hard for an Elf and a human to have a relationship," Dia 
said.  "And often it ends in tragedy.  It may well be the best solution.  
But I can understand.  I would not want to become human any more than 
you want to be an Elf.  But while you're here...I understand you can't 
remember your life in the Silver Millennium."

	"Yep.  Assuming I even had one."

	"True.  You might well be once-born.  If you like, I could try to 
give you access to the memories."

	He thought for a moment, studying her.  His powers gave him no 
hint of deceit from her.  She's not after me or Minako anyway, he 
thought.  Heck, why not?  "Sure, let's do it."

	Dia smiled.  "Alright, close your eyes and open your mind."

	"How do I open your mind?"

	"Just don't resist me," she said, getting up and coming over to 
him and placing her fingertips on his forehead.

	He closed his eyes, listening to her chant seeming nonsense 
syllables.  His head began to tingle.

	"Now, I'm suspicious," Dia said as the tingling stopped.

	"What?" Steven asked, not liking her tone.

	"Your memories are sealed as well.  And the same person did it."

	"What?"

	"If I have identified the sigil correctly, it was Tilerna the Time 
Priest.  Which would be a bit of a trick."

	"Why?"

	"He died during the fall of the Silver Millennium."

	"That would be quite a trick."

	"I know.  However, I think I know how to break through this."

	"You THINK you know," he said, warily.

	"I've been doing some studying; Tilerna had a reputation for doing 
this for people or to people."

	"So who was he?" Steven asked.

	"He was a mysterious priest who was rumored to have been Pluto's 
sometimes lover.  He wandered around meddling, telling people things 
were their destiny, and hiding various secrets in an irritating manner."

	"Perfect for Pluto, then."

	Dia laughed.  "I suppose so.  What she did to poor Lord Eien..."  
She shook her head.  "Anyway, do you want me to try?"

	"What could happen if this goes wrong?"

	"Probably I'll just fail with no side effects.  There's some risk 
of your memories getting jumbled, but I should be able to avoid that."

	Steven frowned and tried to decide if it was worth his.  His 
curiosity was aroused now, though.  "Well, try."

	"Okay, let's try again."

	His head started to feel fuzzy, and then to ache.  He could sense 
the magic flowing into his brain somehow, and in some way he didn't 
understand, he knew she wasn't doing anything she shouldn't.  Of course, 
it was possible she was making him 'sense this' to cover up real monkey 
business, but Steven had learned to trust his magical intuitions.  

	And then the memories rushed over him.

******

	"Maglan-chan!"  Two arms folded around Lt. Maglan from behind.  
"Wait for me!"

	"I couldn't wait any longer for you to come out of the privy," Lt. 
Maglan said to his partner, a female elf named Gwynnaefael.  "We were 
supposed to meet Senshi Venus twenty minutes ago."

	"Oh, but she's always thirty minutes late," Lt.  Gwynnaefael 
replied.  Like Lt. Maglan, the blue-haired Sidhe was a member of the 
Solar Patrol.  She began to play with his short black hair.  "Are you 
mad at me again?"

	"Captain Derkin will have our heads if this goes awry because we 
missed our rendevous with Senshi Venus," Maglan replied.  "We're both 
about three inches away from him killing us most of the time, anyway."  
Although, from his past dealings with Senshi Venus, he had to admit she 
was probably right about Venus being late.  He liked Senshi Venus, but 
she was as flighty as Gwynnaefael at times.  Probably because she'd 
grown up among Elves, here in Tradetown, he assumed.  

	"That's because Dwarves are cranky and don't know how to have 
fun," Gwynnaefael said.  She began striding along at high speed.  
Despite being nearly a foot taller than the fairly short elf, Maglan had 
to scramble to keep up with her.  "Hmmm..."

	Maglan had learned from experience that whenever Gwynnaefael said 
"Hmmm...," trouble was sure to follow.  He dodged passing elves and 
humans, and continued to follow her through the streets of Tradetown, 
the human trading enclave on Venus.  

	Most of Venus was given over to all the various faerie races, but 
the humans maintained a fair sized city for trading with the fae folk.  
It was policed by the local watch, and by the Solar Patrol, the 
interplanetary police force maintained jointly by the Five Kingdoms.  
Most of the major work of the Solar Patrol was done in the Outer 
Planets, but there was a small force of them based at Tradetown, each 
selected because they had some advantage in dealing with Elven 
criminals.  Many of them, like Gwynnaefael, were in fact Elves.  In 
Maglan's case, he had the Sight, enabling him to see through Elven 
glamors.  In fact, he had it incredibly powerfully, considering that his 
magical skills were otherwise fairly poor.  He'd been teamed with 
Gwynnaefael because her magical powers were quite vast, and because his 
common sense restrained her natural elven flightiness.  

	They reached Blue Plaza, but Senshi Venus was no where in sight.  
"See, I told you!" Gwynnaefael said.  "Now you owe me a kiss."

	He blushed slightly.  "Patrolmen shouldn't be seen smooching on 
duty."

	"Well, then, I'm going to get to dress you up tonight," she 
announced.  "You'll have to pay interest on this kiss, bucko!"

	He wondered again what a bucko was.  "Shouting about it in public 
is even worse."

	She frowned.  "I looked it up, and the regulations don't say 
ANYTHING about that."

	"..."

	Grinning, she sat down on one of the benches in the center of the 
Plaza around the statue of King Tirazzar III.  "I went and looked up 
everything in the regulations, and as long as we don't get naked in 
public, anything else goes.  Well, and don't neglect our duties."  She 
patted the bench next to her.  "Sit, boyfriend, sit."

	He came over and sat down by her, putting an arm around her 
shoulders.  She sighed happily and snuggled up to him.  Part of him was 
sure that being his partner's lover was probably a bad idea, even if the 
regulations didn't actually forbid it.  It drove Captain Derkin insane; 
on the other hand, just about everything drove Captain Derkin insane.  

Another part knew from experience that dating an Elf was a 
rollercoaster ride between ecstasy and heartbreak and back again.  The 
Elven definition of faithfulness was the lover who came back to you 
after a fling with someone else, not the lover who never had flings with 
other people.  He'd been young and cocky and horny enough when he'd 
first started this with her not to mind, and even to enjoy their various 
'side ventures', but now he was starting to wish it could be just the 
two of them.  Like right now.  He decided to give her the kiss she'd 
asked for right now.  

But as he leaned over, a hand came over his eyes and over 
Gwynnaefael's as well.  "Zap, you're dead," Senshi Venus said, giggling, 
then took her hand off their eyes.  "I see you two made up."

"Oh, we always make up," Gwynnaefael replied.  "No point in having 
a quarrel if you don't kiss and make up afterwards.  So did you and 
Kunzite really get engaged?"

Senshi Venus nodded.  "Yep!  We still need to set a date, but..."  
She smiled rapturously.  "You guys ready to go smite some evil?"

Maglan reached down to his belt, and made sure his maklar, a thick 
magical rod which could also transform into a fighting staff, was 
actually there.  His previous mission had gone horribly when he'd 
accidentally reversed where his lightrod and his maklar hung from his 
belt and then had tried to stop a charging ogre with a flimsy crystal 
rod.  That had, to say the least, not gone well.  "I'm ready.  So how 
did you get called in on this anyway?  Captain Derkin was so mad at the 
elves calling in someone from outside the Patrol to deal with this that 
he didn't do a very good job of explaining WHY they called you in."

"Well, you see, the Dream producers have been buying up bulk 
quantities of love potions."  She brandished her bow.  "I can counteract 
that or turn it against them if I need to.  So the Elders called me in.  
Plus, I think they know something they aren't telling us that also led 
them to call me in."

"Such as these people having some major monster that takes a 
Senshi to stop enslaved by the love potions?" Gwynnaefael speculated.

"Yeah, Artemis thought that too," she said.

"So where is Artemis?" Maglan asked.

"He's off trying to talk to some cats he knows.  He'll hook up 
with us later."  

"Right," Maglan said.  "Then let's get going."  

*******

	Steven felt the rush of the memories as his past life fell into 
place.  He'd been born on Ganymede.  A strange man in green robes had 
come to his namegiving ceremony, and blessed him with the Sight for 
reasons unexplained; he'd never seen the man again, nor had his family.  
That had launched him on the path that had eventually led him into the 
Solar Patrol, where, after a year at the Solar Patrol Academy, he'd been 
partnered with Gwynnaefael and assigned to the Tradetown beat, due to 
his special talent.

	 They'd been partners and lovers for several years before... 
before...  He frowned.  "I can't remember how I died," he said.

	"Some of these are very well sealed off," Dia said, sounding 
frustrated.  "I have to admit I'm impressed by Tilerna's skill, 
especially considering this must have faded some in the last twenty five 
thousand years."

	I wonder if she's still alive, he thought.  Or if she even 
remembers me.  "Dia, can I ask you a question?"

	"Hmm?"

	"How is that after twenty five thousand years, you can still 
remember anything at all from the Silver Millenium?  It just seems like 
an awfully long time to remember anything."

	"Elves have infinitely better memories than humans, though we have 
to put more effort into it.  Even people from thousands of years ago 
will register dimly, and if I concentrate for a while, it will all come 
back to me.  On the other hand, we sometimes don't pay enough attention 
to remember things as well as we could.  Are you wondering if some elf 
you knew then would remember you now?"

	"And how you remembered Ami after all these years."

	"If something is important to one of us, we will never forget it, 
ever.  Even if we should, like Lord Eien and Pluto."

	"You wouldn't happen to know a Sidhe named Gwynnaefael, would 
you?" 

	"Doesn't sound very familiar...wait, was she in the Solar Patrol?"

	"Yes," he said.

	"Haven't heard anything from her in thousands of years.  I dimly 
remember her family being very proud she'd made it into the Solar 
Patrol; most Elves washed out of the Academy, if I remember correctly.  
Too much discipline.  Were you in the Solar Patrol with her?"

	"I was her partner," Steven said, leaving out the 'and her lover' 
part.

	"Ahh," she said.  "Well, I don't think there's anything I can do 
to get those last few memories unlocked without more study.  I may have 
to make some inquiries."

	He got up.  "Well, I still have some quest...oh, here's something. 
Can you think of any Silver Millenium wizard types in green robes?  
Apparently, one of them came to my naming ceremony when I was Maglan, 
and gave me the Sight, somehow."

	Her eyes widened slightly.  "One of the Three?"

	"The three what?"

	"The THREE.  Three powerful beings who advised the rulers of the 
Star Kingdom and helped to maintain the Great Shield.  I don't know very 
much about them, but I know one of them wore green robes and was said to 
be in some sense 'the master of the present'.  There may be more to be 
found in my library."

	"I think I'll take a look tomorrow," he said.  "Wait...was one 
connected to the past and one to the future, then?"

	She nodded.  "I'm not sure whether they had actual time powers, or 
that was just intended to be enigmatic and spooky."

	Seeing what is, what I do, that could be seen as mastery of the 
present, in a sense, Steven thought.  But why did he give me that power?  
"Thanks for helping me," he said.

	"You're welcome.  If you see Ami, remind her we have a chess game 
tomorrow morning."

	"I will," Steven said.

***********

	"So, spill the beans," Minako said, tugging Steven's arm.  "What 
did you find out?"

	"Well, apparently, some of my memories were sealed so well, Dia 
can't get into them.  But I was Lt. Maglan of the Solar Patrol."

	Minako's eyes widened.  "Oooh, I remember him now!  His girlfriend 
was a real flake."

	"Pot, meet kettle," Ryo said, smiling.

	They were in Steven and Minako's room.  Steven and Minako were 
sitting on the bed, while Ryo and Ami were in chairs.  

	"Nyaaah," Minako said.  "Even as an elf, I'm less flaky than she 
was."  She paused.  "I hope.  Although, when it was important, she was 
pretty without it.  With it.  Whatever."

	"Well, Maglan dated Gwynnaefael for several years and kept his 
sanity, so that gives me more hope for us."  Steven kissed Minako on the 
cheek.  "Though he was a bit more of a wild man than I am."

	"Good," Ami said.  "And Minako will settle down more in just a few 
months, anyway."

	"Have you figured out what you want for a boon from Dia yet?"

	"Not yet," Ami said.  "I'm going to think about it some more."

	Minako yawned.  "Time for this happy camper to go to happy 
camperland."

	Ami got up, taking Ryo's hand.  "See you tomorrow."

	"Bye-bye!"

********

	Dia sat by the chessboard, contemplating strategies and waiting 
for Ami to arrive.  Her mind hazed by thoughts of openings, she didn't 
realize anyone was there until Ami tapped her on the shoulder and kissed 
her cheek.  "Good morning, Dia," Ami said.

	Ami then went over and sat down opposite her.  She was dressed 
rather more scantily than Dia had come to expect from her reincarnated 
friend, as her blouse was unbuttoned almost all the way to her waist, 
and her skirt came down only to mid-thigh.  Dia rather liked what she 
saw, and hoped it was an omen of things to come.  Perhaps she's finally 
realized she's been too much of a prude in this life, Dia thought.

	Dia held out two hands.  "Pick one."

	Ami picked the left hand.  "Ahh, black."

	"And white for me."

	They set up their pieces, and then Dia suggested, "Shall we make a 
wager?"

	"Sure," Ami said.  "Do you have something specific in mind?"

	"I would like a kiss from you," Dia said.  "Should I win."

	"And if I win, I want your help in trying to figure out how to 
duplicate these healing organisms I picked up on a recent adventure."

	Dia frowned.  "That sounds like a lot of work."

	"It is a lot of work," Ami said.  "But I think I could do a lot of 
good with them if I knew how to make more."

	"It's worth rather more than a single kiss," Dia protested.  "If I 
must pay that much, then you should match what I'm putting up."

	Ami looked very nervous for a moment, then nodded.  "Well, what 
would you consider a fair counter prize?"

	"One night of passion with you," Dia said, grinning.  "You can 
bring your boyfriend if you like."

	Ami stared at the board thoughtfully, then said, "Alright."

	Dia smiled broadly.  "I see you have loosened up."

	Ami smiled a confident smile.  "I simply don't intend to lose."

	"Neither do I," Dia replied.

	As the game progressed, Dia found it hard to concentrate on the 
present, because Ami kept moving in ways that drew her eyes to her old 
lover's body and evoking memories of fun times with Athena.  Much to her 
disappointment, Ami hardly seemed distracted at all by Dia's own figure, 
and she wondered what was wrong.

	And Ami had gotten better.  Or perhaps Athena had thrown some of 
their past games.  As the game progressed, Dia soon found herself 
getting crushed.  She began to take bigger risks, and most of them 
didn't pay off.  Finally, she could see the end of the line approaching.  
I have to do something, Dia thought.

	"Hmm, I feel a bit hot," Dia said.  "You just think about your 
next move, while I change into something cooler."

	She went to her closet and selected an outfit, then stripped right 
in front of Ami, watching her reactions in the mirror she used to 
change.  Ami began to blush, which pleased Dia.  I CAN get a reaction 
out of her.  She must just be very focused on the game.

	Dia sauntered back, then waited for Ami to finish her move.

	This seemed to help a little, but not enough.  Dia took one of 
Ami's bishops, but lost a knight and a rook in the process.  This wasn't 
going to be enough.

	Maybe I can slip a spectral piece or two onto the board, Dia 
thought.  Then again, Athena could usually see through my tricks like 
those.  There has to be SOMETHING.  If I'm chained to the lab, I'll go 
mad.  I could try turning the board around...no, wrong game.  

	A gambit came to mind, so she moved out a pawn, hoping to lure 
Ami's Queen into a trap.  To her surprise, Ami moved her Queen to take 
the pawn.  "Check."

	"Aha!"  She began to move the supporting pawn to take it.  "Got 
you!"

	Ami shook her head.  "My rook will be open to take your King if 
you move that pawn, so you can't move it."

	"But then, next turn, you'll take my pawn and checkmate me!"

	Ami examined the board.  "Well, not immediately.  I think it'll 
take a few more moves after that."  

	"Alright, you beat me this time.  Give me another chance!  Double 
or nothing!"

	"How exactly are you going to double your stake?" Ami asked.

	"I'll give you my magic sword, Mynfar, to give to your boyfriend."  
I haven't drawn the thing in a hundred years anyway, Dia thought.  

	"Alright.  Let's play," Ami said.

	Eight hours and three more games later, Dia still had yet to win, 
though she had worked herself up into a properly obsessive frenzy.  
She'd gambled away her lab services, her magic sword, a silver figurine 
that transformed into a winged horse on command, and a wand that could 
call down lightning from clouds.  Dia tried to weigh whether her entire 
wardrobe would be worth risking to try to cancel her debt she now owed.  

	Ami stood up and stretched.  "That's enough chess for one day for 
me."

	"We have to play again!" Dia protested.

	"I need to go change for dinner and the ball," Ami said.  "But 
thanks for playing with me.  It was lots of fun.  What time tomorrow do 
you want to start our lab work?"

	Dia sagged.  "You tricked me!"

	"You're the one who wanted to gamble."

	"You knew I'd want to!  That's why you dressed like that!"

	Ami shook her head.  "No, I decided I wanted to see if I'd enjoy 
dressing like this.  I'm trying to find out how much of what Athena is 
always telling me really is right."

	Dia nodded.  "So, are you enjoying it?"

	"Well, it does seem to have its uses."

	Dia snorted.

	Ami smiled at her.  "Well, all I really want is your help in the 
lab, as I still don't remember most of my old alchemy.  You can keep the 
rest of the things you gambled away."  She looked down at herself, and 
said, "Did I really affect your game that much?"

	Dia sighed.  "I'm just disappointed I didn't effect you much."

	"Well, getting naked did distract me for a while," Ami said, 
blushing a little.

	Dia stalked over to her, putting a hand on Ami's shoulder and 
leaning her face close to Ami's.  "Athena, why are you so cool to me in 
this life?"  Her voice was fraught with passion and she looked close to 
tears.

	"My name is not Athena, and I have a boyfriend who I happen to be 
in love with!" Ami said.  "I'm not going to cheat on him no matter how 
tempting you are to me!"

	Dia's tears vanished.  "So you do find me attractive."

	"Yes!  But I've made a commitment to Ryo, so I'm not going to ACT 
on it," Ami replied, folding her arms over her chest.  "And don't you 
even DARE think about trying to break me and Ryo up."

	Dia frowned.  "You wound me by..."

	"Like you did with Aresia and Malpan."

	"Like you can talk about breaking people up!  What about Lady 
Fortitude and Berek, hmm?  Dia sounded rather angry now.  "I seem to 
remember someone who had little regard for marital bonds, let alone mere 
lovers."

	"I never once broke someone up who knew true love!  And all of my 
married lovers were in marriages of convenience, so it didn't count!  A 
marriage for political advantage is no true union of love!  And their 
wives usually had lovers too!"  Now Ami was getting angry.

	"You aren't even giving me a chance!"

	"When did I ever agree to give you a chance?  We swore no oaths!  
We pledged no bond!  I don't think you've spent the last twenty five 
thousand years waiting for me!  You're in NO POSITION to be angry 
because I won't hop into bed with you like I was in heat every minute of 
the day!"

	"I am not a rutting animal!"

	"That's true!  Animals can't help it!  You could, but you're just 
a slut!"

	"Big words from the pot to the kettle!" Dia shouted back.

	"I am not a slut!"

	"If you hadn't died, you'd have been with MORE men and women than 
me over the last twenty five thousand years!  You spread your legs more 
freely than I!"

	Ami slapped Dia.  Dia slapped Ami.  And pretty soon they were 
rolling around on the floor beating the hell out of each other.  
Finally, Ami ended up shirtless and pinned to the floor by Dia, who was 
taller and stronger than her.  Dia hadn't started with much clothing, 
and she had even less left now.  For a few seconds, Dia glared at her, 
then she sighed, let go of Ami's arms, and rocked back into a squatting 
position.  "This is ridiculous," she said.

	"I'm sorry I slapped you," Ami said.  "I just...I'm not the same 
as Athena, and it drives me crazy when you treat me like I am."  She 
sighed.  "I shouldn't have come here.  I'm sure this must be hard for 
you, seeing an old lover with someone else."

	"I'm sorry I hit you as well," Dia said.  "It has just...it has 
been so long.  I cannot say Athena was the love of my life, but we were 
good friends, and I have missed her greatly.   I did not think there was 
any chance of seeing her again, for normally, when mortals are reborn, 
they remember nothing of the past."  She got up and picked up her 
clothing, putting it back on.  "And our kind is easily prone to 
obsessions."

	Ami picked up and put on her blouse, buttoning more of it, but not 
all the way up, this time.  "If I didn't have a boyfriend, I'd be open 
to a closer relationship with you, Dia.  And I hope we can be friends.  
But I can't give you what you want.  I have Athena's needs.  I can't 
deny that.  But I'm not Athena, and I don't satisfy them the same way."

	Dia sat down on the bed.  "Why have you changed so?" she asked 
softly.

	"I'd like to think I learned a few lessons that Athena didn't," 
Ami said.  "But I guess it's mostly because I grew up differently than 
she did.  Even though my parents got divorced, I'm not as disparaging of 
marriage as she was.  And even Athena eventually found someone to 
marry."

	"Who killed her," Dia said dolefully.  "I could not save her."  
She shrank in on herself a bit.  "And the Elders chose to withdraw, to 
run away and leave everyone else to their fate."

	Ami sat down next to her.  "Well, we're not going to lose this 
time."

	"The Moon Kingdom fell, and it was stronger than a handful of 
warriors," Dia said, turning to her.  "Do you really think you can win?"

	"We have to," Ami said.  "And we've seen the future.  We know 
we'll create a better world.  So don't worry about us."

	"I have seen dark omens in the future, Ami.  The future is not set 
in stone.  You can't be sure that future will come to pass.  And I would 
not bear to see you fall again."

	Ami patted her on the shoulder.  "Have faith in us.  We'll win.  
My boyfriend isn't going to kill me this time, either."

	"I don't think he could if he tried," Dia said.  "Unless he has 
vast powers sealed away in those blocked off memories."  

	Ami frowned.  "Tilerna the Time Priest...I know he and Pluto 
sometimes worked together.  He was very, very obnoxious, what with his 
constant babbling about how the future couldn't be changed and how he 
was the incarnation of fate and all that."

	"You knew him?"

	"Vaguely.  He was from the Star Kingdom, and he could see into the 
future, though he couldn't time travel like Pluto did.  Usually, he wore 
this horrible purple outfit with gold trim, and..."

	"He could see into the future like Ryo does?" Dia asked.

	"Y...  You think he might have passed his powers on to Ryo or 
something?"

	"Perhaps he sealed away his own memories so that he could be 
reborn AS Ryo."

	"Ryo could never be that obnoxious," Ami said, then thought about 
the events surrounding when she first met him.  "But why would he seal 
his own memories?"

	"Perhaps he saw it as necessary.  Or perhaps he would normally 
have been reborn with full memories, and he needed to forget everything 
so that he could take on a new identity.  Or maybe he just wanted to 
forget the things he had done."  Dia frowned.  "I'm also wondering why 
certain of Steven's memories were locked away better than others."

	"Perhaps Tilerna foresaw that someone would try to unlock them, 
and knew only a few would have to stay hidden at that point."

	Dia nodded.  "They seem to relate to his death?  Why hide it?"

	"I don't know," Ami said.  She got up.  "I really need to go 
change."

	"And I as well.  Will you dance with me tonight?"

	"Yes, I will," Ami said, holding out a hand to her.

	Dia took the hand, and Ami pulled her up to a standing position.  
"I apologize for hitting you," Ami said.  "Friends?"

	"Apology accepted, and I am sorry I hit you as well, my friend."

	Ami leaned forward and kissed Dia's cheek.  "Then I'll see you 
later, Dia."

	"See you."

	Dia watched her go and wondered what was to come.

*******

	The ballroom bustled with brightly colored clothing and brightly 
colored people as the music played and the fair folk danced.  Steven did 
his best to guide Minako, who kept getting a bit too wild for the 
remarkably calm dances.  His feet were starting to hurt from repeated 
crushings, however.  Thus, when Lord Fishrun cut in, he was quite happy 
to let the man swoop off with Minako while he retreated to a chair to 
sip lemonade and let his feet stop hurting.  

	And then two hands clamped over his eyes, and a woman's voice said 
cheerfully, "Guess who."

	He would have assumed Minako, but it wasn't her voice.  I know 
this voice, he thought.  But who is it?  "Ami?" he guessed.

	"No," the woman said.  

	"Morgan?"

	"No."

	"Nike?"

	"No."  The woman started to sound just a little aggravated he 
couldn't guess who she was.

	A sudden nervous thought came to him.  "You're not Polly, are 
you?"

	She sighed.  "Have you forgotten me?"

	Oh great, he thought.  Must be some elf I've met here, but...  And 
then he suddenly recognized her perfume.  "Gwynnaefael?"  How did she 
find me?

	"You remembered!  It is you!" she said, then took the hands off 
his eyes and embraced him from behind, placing her head next to his.  
"Oh, Maglan, I never thought I'd see you again."

	Steven didn't know what to say.  "I never thought I'd see you 
again, either," he replied.  "But I'm named Steven now."

	"Did you get bored of your old name?" she asked.

	"I died and was reborn, and no one is named Maglan these days," 
Steven said.

	She pulled him to his feet.  "Dance with me, now," she commanded.

	"Do you promise not to stomp on my feet?" he asked.

	"I promise," she said.  

	They moved onto the dance floor, getting into a dancing position.  
Unlike Minako, she was an excellent dancer, moving fluidly and 
gracefully, and never crushing his feet.  In fact, he quickly came to 
the conclusion she probably knew more about these dances than he did, as 
he knew only the basics of ballroom dancing, which Polly had crammed 
down his throat back when they had kind of sort of gone out.  

	It didn't help that he could just look at Gwynnaefael and tell she 
wanted to go back to things being the way between them that they had 
been before Maglan died.  How could she still be in love with me after 
twenty five thousand years? he asked himself.  Elves were usually far 
more fickle than that.  Sure, they could sometimes become obsessive, and 
he remembered from his time in Tradetown that some Elves really did have 
fairly long lasting relationships, but...he couldn't even remember some 
of the people he'd been in Kindergarten with ten years ago.  Let alone 
so long.

	"C'mon, you can dance better than this," she said.  "Let's try a 
four-corners step."

	He felt embarrassed.  "I haven't had much ballroom dance training 
in this life, and the dances I remember from the Silver Millenium aren't 
what everyone's doing right now."

	"Well, I'll teach you," she said.

	Steven had a good memory, and after a few tunes, he'd picked up a 
lot more moves from Gwynnaefael's teaching.  He also needed to sit down 
for a few minutes, and said so.

	"Alright, let's sit," she said.

	They went and got some punch, and Steven pulled out a chair for 
her, and another for himself.  She pulled her chair right over next to 
his, then sat down, holding his hand.  "You're younger than I remember."

	"That's because I died and was reborn, and I'm only sixteen," 
Steven said.

	She looked embarrassed.  "I never thought of that.  Mortals get 
reborn as babies, yes.  It's been a while since I've been out in the 
mortal world."

	"I have to ask you a question," Steven said.  "But I'm afraid it 
will sound rude."

	"I didn't forget about our promise to get married," Gwynnaefael 
said.  "Even though you told me I shouldn't just wither away waiting for 
you to come back.  So, I won't pretend I haven't had any lovers.  I've 
had a lot of them.  Especially right after you died.  I was distraught 
for decades."  She shook her head.  "So if you're afraid I'll be mad 
because you had a girlfriend in this life before or something, I won't 
get mad."  She paused.  "You're not mad at me, are you?"

	He felt both relieved and panicked.  He was glad she hadn't just 
been wasting away for 25,000 years.  "I'm not mad at you."  Okay, he 
thought.  Now, just tell her you're engaged to Minako.  And that you 
can't marry her.  Even though she must have loved you enough to remember 
for 25,000 years.  "I just...I'm kind of surprised you still remember me 
after all those years."

	"I promised to marry you.  And after you died, I swore an oath 
that I would never forget.  And so I didn't," she said.  "I suppose 
we'll need to wait until you're eighteen, though."

	He gulped.  "Well, you see..."

	"Well, it doesn't mean we can't enjoy each other's company until 
then.  So how did you get to Avalon, anyway?  Lady Dia didn't tell me."

	"I came here with...Senshi Venus and Senshi Mercury.  They 
teleported.  Their names are Minako and Ami now."

	"Ooh, I see Mercury right over there," she said, pointing to Ami, 
who was dancing with a satyr.  "So you're all sixteen now?"

	He nodded.

	"Did Senshi Venus really get turned into an elf like I heard?" she 
asked.

	"Yes.  And..."

	"And, you know, we haven't kissed properly, yet."  She rectified 
this by rising, sitting in his lap, turning, and kissing him 
passionately.  His body moved on instinct, embracing her, and he 
reciprocated the kiss, as memories of his past with her flitted through 
his head.  "Hmm, you will need further training," she said afterwards.

	"Gwynnaefael, I can't marry you," he said.
	
	"I know, you're too young.  But what's two years?  An eyeblink."  
She paused.  "Oh, wait, don't tell me your new mortal family has engaged 
you to someone to cement some political alliance?"  Her voice was tense.

	"I'm engaged to Senshi Venus," he said.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't 
remember anything about my past life until just yesterday night.  So I 
fell in love with Minako and we got engaged."

	"How could you not remember?" she asked.  "I remembered!  I 
finally remembered something!  I made myself remember!"

	"Tilerna the Time Priest sealed away my memories," he said.

	She growled.  "That bastard!  If I get my hands on him, I'll rip 
out his heart!"

	Steven felt a twinge of fear.  Gwynnaefael didn't get mad often or 
easily, but when she did, it tended to be pretty terrible.  "Now, now, 
it's not worth screaming about."

	"I trusted him and he did this to you!  He'll pay!"  

	By now, lots of people were staring, as screaming is not 
traditional at Elven balls.  Minako came over.  "There you are, Steven."

	"Umm, Minako, this is my old partner, Gwynnaefael.  Gwynnaefael, 
this is Senshi Venus, now known as Aino Minako."

	Gwynnaefael tried to pull herself together.  "So you're engaged 
to...Steven?"

	"Yes, I am," Minako said.  "I...hey, you were...Wait...you were 
his old girlfriend!  And what are you doing in my fiancee's lap!"

	Steven blushed.  "She, umm..."

	"I was kissing him because we're engaged!" Gwynnaefael announced 
proudly.  "We got engaged before our last mission where that bastard 
Tilerna the Time Priest messed with his head!"

	Minako blinked.  "I thought Steven couldn't remem...oh, YOU 
remember it.  Duh.  Steven, how could you get engaged to someone and not 
remember it????"

	Steven had a very bad feeling.  "Mina-chan, I told you.  The Time 
Priest sealed my memories away!"

	"Now you've made me a bigamist!  I'm going to have to join a girl-
gang and slice people's tires!"

	"..."

	Gwynnaefael joined in.  "..."

	"I'll spiral down into darkness and be known as Dark Venus, the 
avenging angel of the night, before I perish because I lived by the 
sword!"  Minako began to rant really intensely now.

	Everything is going to go to hell now, Steven thought.  

	Ami and Ryo came running over.  "What's going on?" Ami asked.

	Minako whipped out her bow.  "Well, I'll fix this!"  She nocked an 
arrow right at Gwynnaefael, who screamed in terror.

	"Minako, no!" Steven shouted.  He threw Gwynnaefael to one side, 
then tried to lunge at Minako.

	"Minako, calm down!" Ami shouted, as she charged forward.

	"Mine, mine, mine!"  Minako shouted.  "You can't have him!"  And 
then she began firing arrows wildly everywhere.  "Love!  More love!  
Just a spoonful of love will do the trick!"

	Ryo dived to the floor and tried not to look at anyone.  Not 
again, he thought.  Then an arrow bounced off a chair and fell on him.  
He felt it pierce his butt, then vanish, but he didn't feel himself 
falling for anything.  At least it didn't make me fall in love with the 
inside of my eyelids, he thought.  But now I can't open my eyes.  

	Then Ryo got trampled and knocked out, and wasn't going to be 
opening his eyes anyway.

	Aria took an arrow right as she got a cup of punch.  "Punch.  I 
love punch!"  She dove into the punchbowl and tried to swim around in 
it.  It was a pretty tight fit.

	Dia dodged the arrow fired in her direction, so it struck Lord 
Malsey instead.  "You evil bitch!  DIE!!!"  He drew his sword and came 
at her.  She dodged, then had to run.  We should have burned the bow, 
she decided. 

	Steven dodged a pointblank arrow shot, shoving it to one side 
before it fired, then began wrestling with her for control of the bow.  
More arrows kept firing somehow, and he cursed the bow, its inventors, 
the elves, and anyone else who might be vaguely to blame for it.

	Ami jumped onto Minako from behind, then shouted, "SAILOR 
TELEPORT!" As they vanished, more arrows flew wildly, including Steven 
getting shot.  

	He sighed, shutting his eyes as soon as he saw the arrow coming at 
him.  "I hate that bow."

	Gwynnaefael said softly, "Did she hurt you?"

	He could hear anarchy all around him.  "No, Minako would never 
hurt me.  But I'd be better off if she had.  Though hopefully, Ami will 
wrestle her down and they'll come back and undo this."

	He felt her arms wrap around him.  "So, you fall in love with the 
first person who you see from these?"

	"Probably.  Although she might have fired some hate arrows too.  
As I can hear people hitting each other."

	Gwynnaefael said softly, "You tried to protect me."

	"The more I'm around you, the more I remember how Maglan felt 
about you.  But still, I can't marry you, Gwynnaefael.  I'm with Minako 
now."

	She kissed his cheek.  "I can wait.  She'll get old and die, and 
you...oh, dammit, she's the elf and you're the mortal!  You'll get old 
and die first!"  She began to cry.  "After all this time, and I'm too 
late.  Too late again."

	He turned around and embraced her.  "Don't cry, Gwynnaefael.  This 
is my fault, not yours."  It pained him to hear her cry.  

	"Well, if we can't...can I have just this one night?  Even if it's 
just magic, I just...just one night.  And I'll release you from your 
promise."

	He was sorely tempted to say yes.  He could easily blame it all on 
the love arrows, and just holding her brought back his memories of the 
times they'd shared together.  "Gwynnaefael, I..."

	And then a guardsman ran into the ballroom.  "There's an army of 
knockers and goblins coming this way!  Where is Lady Dia?"

	Someone lucky enough not to have been shot pointed off towards a 
doorway.  "Running for her life, that way."

	"Has anyone seen the Chamberlain, then?"

	A satyr pointed to a couple making out on one of the tables.  
"Over there."

	"What is happening?" the soldier asked.

	"Senshi Venus snapped," the satyr said.

	"Take me over to him," Steven said.

	Gwynnaefael guided him over to the troll guardsman.  "Here you go, 
Steven."

	"I'm sorry," Steven said.  "My fiancee freaked out and started 
firing the Venus bow everywhere."

	"Which goblin kingdom is this army from?"

	"I don't know.  Their leader is demanding Senshi Venus come out 
and fight her or she'll sack our lands."

	Steven frowned.  "Who is their leader?"

	"She says her name is Amazonite."

	"Of the Dark Kingdom?"

	"She didn't say, sir.  Umm, why are your eyes closed?"

	"Because I'll either fall in love with or hate the next person I 
see," Steven said.  "Due to getting shot with the bow."

	The troll stepped to one side.  "Right.  Where's Senshi Venus 
now?"

	"Not a clue.  Oh wait, I can...no, that won't work."

	"What?" Gwynnaefael asked.

	"I need to use my communicator, but I can't activate it without 
being able to see...Artemis!  No, wait, he stayed on Earth with 
Luna....Is Ryo around here somewhere?"

	"What does he look like?" Gwynnaefael asked.

	"He'd be the only other male human," Steven said.

	"I don't see him anywhere," she said.

	"Okay, she probably took Minako outside somewhere no one could get 
shot..."  Steven started trying to think of what to do.

********

	Ryo found himself laying on a soft bed when he woke up.  He sat up 
and opened his eyes before he remembered what happened, then closed his 
eyes tightly again.  This is Nike's bedroom, he thought.

	And then one of his visions hit him, of himself making out with 
Nike.  There was water all around them.  No, no, I wouldn't do that, he 
thought.

	Except for the stupid love arrow.  Must be a love arrow, he 
thought.  But if I saw it, then I can't help it.

	Nike sat down next to him.  "Are you okay?" she asked.

	"I'm still aching from being stepped on," he said.  

	"Did you get shot with one of Senshi Venus' love arrows?"

	"Or maybe a hate arrow," he said, though he was sure it wasn't the 
case.  

	"Well, once she comes back, I'll get her to take the spell off 
you.  You'd better stay here until then; I'll guard you from any 
accidentally sightings of anyone."  She moved to sit behind him.

	"I'm...ummm..."

	"Surprised I'm not trying to pry your eyes open?"

	"Uh, yeah."

	"I want you, and I will have you.  But not with love magic.  
You'll come to me of your own free will."  He could almost hear her grin 
confidently.  "And you'll owe me one for this."

	"Yeah," he said, and wondered if the vision he had meant she was 
right or just that something would happen to open his eyes.

*******

	Ami and Minako landed in the forest, wrestling on a bed of leaves 
and grass.  Ami managed to wrench Minako away from the bow, rolling 
across the ground with her.  Minako was taller and stronger, however, 
and she soon managed to roll Ami over and pin her on the ground.  "Ami, 
snap out of it!  You're being mindcontrolled to attack me!"

	"Umm, actually, I was trying to stop you shooting people with your 
bow."

	"Oh, great, I was being mindcontrolled, and I didn't even notice!" 
Minako said.

	"No, you got mad at Steven and...who was that elf he was with?"

	"His old elf girlfriend from his last life, Gwynnaefael.  She 
claims she's his fiancee!  I don't remember any such thing.  I mean, 
sure, Maglan and her were lovers, and I caught them making out in the 
bushes during a stakeout one time, and...and..."  Her eyes widened.  
"And he's alone with her right now!"  She started to get up, but Ami 
grabbed hold of her.

	"Minako, calm down, or you'll go on a rampage again!"

	"Right.  Count to twenty, then kill her."

	Ami thought for a moment.  "Now, if you knew Steven in his past 
life...why didn't you recognize him?"

	Minako blinked.  "What?"

	"I mean, you didn't have any memories sealed, right?"

	Minako frowned.  "Do you think this is part of some kind of 
trick?"

	"No, I think...I'm not sure what I think.  But this just suddenly 
came to me, and now I'm wondering what's going on."

	"Well, Ryo has sealed memories too.  Maybe Tilerna made everyone 
forget who Ryo and Steven were in their past lives, as well as making 
Ryo and Steven forget."

	"Could he really have that much power?  And why?" Ami asked.

	Minako sat down next to Ami, thinking.  "I don't know, but now I'm 
curious."  She flopped back down on the grass.  "So, did you spend all 
day playing chess with Dia?"

	"Yes," Ami said.

	"Just chess?"

	"Yes."

	"Damn, I lost my bet!" Minako said.  

	Ami frowned.  "What did you THINK we were doing?"

	Minako said, "Well, I mean, chess doesn't take like eight hours, 
and, well, umm..."

	"You thought I was having sex with Dia????" Ami boggled.

	"Well, now that I think about it, that doesn't last eight hours 
either, usually."

	"What made you think I'd do it?"

	"Well, I just..."  Minako wilted.  "I'm sorry."  She kissed Ami on 
the cheek.  "I mean, you wouldn't sleep with me, and I'm much cuter than 
Dia, anyway."

	"I have a boyfriend, and I'm going to be faithful to him if it 
kills me."  Ami shook her head.  "Although if I'd lost that first chess 
game, I'd have been in trouble.  Fortunately, Dia went double or 
nothing, which didn't further obligate me to double my bets on the later 
games."

	"What?"

	Ami explained everything.

	"Yeah, that was pretty risky.  Have you told Ryo yet?"

	"Not yet," Ami said, sighing.  "Haven't had the chance."

	"Hmm.  So do you think I should shoot up Gwynnaefael to make sure 
she doesn't try to steal my Steven?  Or should I let them have a fling 
to get it out of their system while I make out madly with you and Ryo?  
Because if I have sex with both of you, then it wouldn't be cheating on 
the part of either of you, and Ryo is pretty cute."

	"..."

	There was a moment of silence.

	"I just gave you water for chocolate, I think," Minako said.

	"..."

	Minako said, "That's the problem, really."

	Ami blinked.  "What exactly?"

	"I can't really run wild all that much here, any more than I could 
back home.  Although this will protect my reputation better.  But I 
still have to watch everything I do like a snail."

	"Like a hawk."

	"That too.  I just want to do something wild and crazy and fun.  
But I also don't want to do anything that could hurt my relationship 
with Steven.  And all the stress from that is just not fun."

	"I'm tempted," Ami said.  "But it's not something likely to work 
out in the long run."

	"I know, I know," Minako said.  "You don't think Steven will run 
off with Gywnnaefael, do you?"

	"No, I don't think he will.  But she might try something on him," 
Ami said.  "I didn't know her in my past life, and barely know anything 
of her, so I can't say."

	Minako scratched her head.  "Am I forgetting something?"

	Ami thought a moment, then said, "The ballroom!  You shot everyone 
up with love arrows.  We'd better get back so you can fix them."

	"Right."  They joined hands.  "SAILOR TELEPORT!"

*********

	Ryo heard something buzzing coming towards him and blindly swatted 
at it.  

	"Watch where you're swinging, Ryo!" Luka the pixie said.

	Ryo opened his eyes in surprise in a fit of stupidity.  "Sorry 
about...that."  And then the love magic took hold.  "I never realized 
you're so handsome..."

	"Dammit, Luka, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that!  He got 
shot with a love arrow," Nike said, restraining him as he tried to leap 
at Luka.  

	Luka flew WAY across the room.  "Sorry, not interested, ESPECIALLY 
with someone human-sized!"

	"But I love you!  I need you!  You're all I've ever wanted!" Ryo 
shouted.

	Nike managed to wrestle him down onto the bed.  "I don't suppose 
you can break love spells, Luka?"

	"No, but I've heard dunking the victim's head in water helps," 
Luka replied.

	"It doesn't break naiad love spells, I know that," Nike replied.

	"Was this done by a naiad?"

	She frowned.  Couldn't hurt to try.  "Here, help me...okay, that's 
not possible.  Go find Aria, and tell her to meet me at the pool."

	"I'll try to find her," Luka said and took off.

	"No, don't LEAVE ME!" Ryo shouted, then began to cry.

	Nike sighed and hauled him, screaming and kicking and trying to 
recite bad love poetry, through the anarchic halls of the palace.  She 
wondered how many people had been really shot, and how many were using 
it as an excuse to run wild.  

	She reached the pool before Aria did, and decided not to wait.  
She cast a simple water-breathing spell on Ryo, then leaped into the 
pool with him.  

	Thinking he was drowning, Ryo began to flail about in an abject 
panic, howling and screaming.  

	"Calm down, you won't drown," Nike said.

	"AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"  He pounded on her, trying to yank himself 
loose and rise up to the surface.

	"Look, you couldn't be screaming that loudly and annoyingly if you 
were really drowning," Nike said, ever so slightly aggravated.

	He paused in mid punch.  "Hey, I'm not drowning."

	"Are you still burning with mad passion for Luka?"

	Ryo turned bright red.  "Oh man, I wanted to..."

	"Does that mean you're better now?" she asked.

	He nodded and she let go of him.  "Wow, I'm breathing water," Ryo 
said, just a little excited.

	"It comes naturally to us," Nike replied.  "I guess Luka was right 
about a good dunking breaking the spell."

	"More like total fear of dying," Ryo said.  "I guess I was so 
scared, the shock broke me out of it."

	Nike smiled at him.  "So, do I get a reward for helping you out, 
hmmm?"

	It suddenly struck Ryo that this was where his vision of a little 
while earlier was set.  It also struck him that he hadn't actually seen 
the two of them getting to the naked stage, just making out a bit, and 
that, perhaps, if he gave her a kiss, it would fulfill his vision 
without leading to something worse.  Her clothing drifted loosely about 
her, only hinting at the delights to be found inside it, thanks to the 
water flowing in and out of it, but the hints were quite enticing.

	So he stepped forward, embraced her, and kissed her as fiercely as 
he could manage, trying to do what he'd seen himself doing.  This caught 
her by surprise, and for a few seconds, she just stood there with open 
eyes, looking confused.  Then she wrapped her arms around him and leaned 
into it, participating quite eagerly.  

	This went on longer than was strictly necessary for vision-
fulfillment.

	But Ryo finally tore himself away from her when he started to feel 
the impulse to go further.  He laughed nervously.  "How's that?"

	"A good start," she said, stepping closer to him.

	He shook his head.  "I can't go further than that."

	"You mean, you won't."

	"Same difference," Ryo said, then said, "Thank you for keeping me 
out of trouble."

	"You're welcome, and I can only hope I get more chances to help 
you out."  She winked, and he laughed, then climbed out of the pool.  

	"Now I need to go dry myself off."

	"Want help?" she asked, winking again.

	"I'd better handle this myself."

**********

	"Okay, now the goblin cavalry is posted on the left," Gwynnaefael 
said.  "And the archers are behind them.  There's some feral trolls on 
the right, and..."

	"This would be a lot easier if I could look at them myself," 
Steven grumbled.  
	
	Gwynnaefael said, "Then I'll take the risk."

	"The what?"

	"Look at me.  Either you'll love me and we can get on with this, 
or you'll hate me, and I can stuff you in my magic bag until I find 
Senshi Venus."

	"But either way, I won't be able to do anything."

	"Sure you will.  You always had a strong sense of duty, and even 
though I'd like to drag you off in the woods and have my way with you, 
so do I.  We can beat this invader, THEN go make out.  And if you hate 
me...well, then you can't do anything.  But you can't do anything like 
this."

	He nodded, then opened his eyes, and realized that he really, 
really hated Gwynnaefael.  No doubt she was trying to cast evil magic on 
him to take him away from Minako.  He whipped the Hackmaster out of its 
sheath.  "Now you die!"

	Next time, we keep his eyes shut, she thought, leaping backwards.  
She began to cast a spell, but Steven lunged forward, nearly impaling 
her and ruining it.  Her next three attempts also went awry.

	"DIE!  DIE!  DIE!" Steven shouted.

	Okay, time for plan two, Gwynnaefael thought.  She took off 
running with Steven chasing after her.

*******

	The ballroom had largely cleared out by the time Ami and Minako 
returned to it.  Some searching found a servant, though, who said, "Lady 
Venus, there's an Amazonite out on the grounds.  She has an army and is 
threatening to burn everything if you don't come fight her."

	Minako sighed.  "Have you seen Steven?"

	"Lord Steven is trying to chop some sidhe woman I don't know up 
with a magic sword the last I saw of him."

	Ami sighed.  "A hate arrow."

	"Curse my bow and the horse it rode in on!" Minako shouted, then 
calmed down.  "Where did you last see him?" she asked.

	"He was in the kitchens a few minutes ago."

	"I'll find him with my computer," Ami said.  "We'd better go stop 
that army first, though."

	"But what if Steven hurts her?" Minako said, worried.

	"Steven doesn't know anything about swords," Ami said.  "And it 
will take time for me to search for him, anyway."  She got her computer 
out and went to work.

	"Well, I guess," Minako said nervously.  "Take us to the army."

**********

	As Ryo and Nike tried to shake themselves dry, Gwynnaefael, hotly 
pursued by Steven, sprinted into the pool room.  "Someone stop him!" she 
shouted, then dodged another slash from Steven.

	Ryo sighed.  "Hate arrow."

	Nike chanted several magical words and a large gout of water rose 
out of the pool, rushing at Steven, who casually sliced it apart with 
the Hackmaster.  This gave Gwynnaefael the chance to run and hide behind 
Nike.

	Steven turned.  "You're in league with her!" he shouted and rushed 
at Nike.

	Ryo gritted his teeth nervously, then threw himself at Steven's 
feet.  Steven tripped and fell down, shouting, "You too!  Everyone's 
betrayed me!  But you won't get away with it!"

	He got up on his knees and raised his sword, only to have 
Gwynnaefael finally get a spell off.  He felt his body slowing down.  
Desperately, he fought it, while Ryo got to his feet and ran for his 
life.

	Instead, Steven toppled over.  Nike gave a sigh of relief.  "Toss 
him in the water," Nike said.

	Gwynnaefael did so.  "Now what?"

	"The shock should bring him out of it," Nike said.

	They waited a little while, and Steven didn't come up.  Ryo 
blinked.  "Umm, Nike, did you put a water-breathing spell on him?"

	"..."

	"So he's lying at the bottom and..." Ryo began.

	"MAGLAN!"  Gwynnaefael dove into the pool after him, bringing him 
back up.  

	Steven made interesting gargling noises.

	If I have to give him mouth to mouth, I'm going to die of 
embarassment, Ryo thought.

	Nike quickly got the water out of him, and got him breathing 
properly again, saving Ryo from that fate.  "Are you done being insane?" 
she asked.

	"Yes," he said weakly.  "I'm sorry about that, Gwynnaefael."

	"It was magic.  Couldn't be helped," she said.  "We'd better find 
Venus and Mercury and see if they need our help."

	"I don't feel like I'm very much help to anyone right now," Steven 
said, standing up.

	"Piffle," Gwynnaefael said.  "You're a Solar Patrolman.  There's 
nothing you can't handle."

	"WAS a Solar Patrolman.  Now I'm a high school student."

	"Come on."  She took his hand.  "There's work to be done."

*********

	"So, Venus!  You have come!" Amazonite bellowed from horseback.

	Sailor Venus (she'd gone ahead and transformed on the way there) 
nodded.  "So, this is going to be single combat?  Loser's army yields 
the field?"

	Mercury stood nearby.  She'd tried calling Ryo and Steven, but 
they weren't answering their communicators.  A computer search showed 
them to be inside the Palace, where she hoped they would be safe.

	Amazonite nodded.  "This time to the finish!"

	Venus levelled her bow.  "Let's get it off!"

	"On," Mercury said.

	Amazonite leveled her spear and charged.  Venus shot Amazonite's 
horse, which developed a sudden lust for a tree, which it then charged 
at.  Amazonite cursed and leaped off, then charged at Sailor Venus.  

	The goblin army and the much outnumbered Elven guards watched as 
Venus backpedalled, firing arrows like crazy at Amazonite.  She dodged 
half of them and swatted the others aside.  "Stand and fight me!"

	Venus decided to give up on the bow and sent it back to its 
waiting place.  "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!"  She cracked the whip of hearts 
at Amazonite.  It struck home, but Amazonite just grunted and kept 
coming.  "Uh oh."

	Mercury quietly watched and scanned Amazonite.  If Amazonite grabs 
her, she's doomed, Ami thought.  

	Venus took off running.  "Come and get me if you can!"

	"COME BACK HERE!"  They ran off out of sight.

	Mercury paused and studied the goblin army, which was grumbling 
among themselves.  I have a bad feeling about this, she thought.  She 
fell back to the guard commander.  "Do you want me to try to find Lady 
Dia?"

	"And any other help you can find."

	"I will, then."  She headed towards the Palace.

*********

	Venus took a punch and landed in the reflecting pool.  She snapped 
off a Venus Meteor Swarm, but it only succeeded in charring Amazonite's 
hair.  This woman is tough, Venus thought.  I wish I'd made Artemis 
come.  He'd know what to do.  Then again, he'd probably just play dead.

	That's IT, she thought.  She fell down in the pool again, and 
played dead when Amazonite gave her a rap to the head.

	Amazonite, however, proved not so easily fooled, as she announced, 
"You're faking," and gave her a harder blow.  Then she lifted her foot 
to stomp Venus' head.

	Venus leaped out of the pool and out of the way.  Think, Minako, 
think, she thought.  Her brain was full of ideas, but they all required 
her to have the other sailors around, which wasn't an option.  

	She backpedalled, dodging blows, and wished her bow could also 
turn into a staff or something.  She feared to try blocking with it, as 
she had gone through enough hell to get it, the thought of what 
replacing it would require was too much to bear.  

	"FLARE ARROW!"  Someone shouted, and a glowing arrow slammed into 
Amazonite's back.  Then the water of the pool erupted upwards, followed 
by it forming into a fist and coming down on Amazonite, who was caught 
off guard and fell down.

	"This is a single combat!" Amazonite shouted.  "Stay out of this!"

	Venus saw Steven, Ryo, Nike, and Gwynnaefael at the far end of the 
pool.  Nike's face was scrunched up with concentration as she brought 
the water fist down on Amazonite again.  "I can take her!  I can...oof!"  
She took another blow to the torso from the spear, which Amazonite 
tended to use more as a staff than a spear, and went flying.  

	Steven was torn between the part of him that wanted to rush to his 
girlfriend's aid, and the much larger part which told him that it would 
be suicidal, even with a magic sword.  "Dammit!"

	Then, from the other side of the building, the sound of fighting 
broke out.  "I think the goblins got impatient," Gwynnaefael said.  
"We'd best go help out."

	Steven thought.  "Venus, you need to break the spells you put on 
everyone, so that all the guests aren't helpless to fight back against 
the goblins!"

	Venus nodded and sprinted backwards.  I should have thought of 
this earlier, she thought.  She fired off an arrow into the air, which 
split into dozens of dispelling arrows, to seek out the victims of her 
earlier fit of stupidity.  This time Amazonite lunged forward, spear-
point forward, so Venus had no choice but to parry with her bow.  To her 
relief, it turned aside the spear without breaking.  "Find Mercury!  Get 
her to help you!"

	"Right!" Gwynnaefael said, and then they ran off, leaving Venus 
and Amazonite to their battle.  

********

	Steven wondered if his old skills had come back to him, if the 
sword was just really good at helping people fight, or if he was just 
incredibly lucky.  Venus breaking her spell had provided enough 
reinforcements that the battle between the elves and the goblins was now 
pretty even; despite his fear, he'd pitched into the fray because every 
person would count in such an even battle.  

	He'd taken a cut to his leg, and he had bruises all over, but most 
of the blood on him wasn't his, and he'd taken down or scared off 
several goblins, so he was feeling pretty good about himself.  Having a 
powerful sorceress backing him up didn't hurt either.  She was cutting a 
broader swathe than he was, with fire and lightning.  

	He wondered again what Ryo had gone off to get, and why it had 
made him so visibly nervous.  The answer came when a clanking suit of 
metal armor flew out of an upperstory window of the palace, right into 
the middle of the battle, firing energy beams wildly from its palms as 
Ryo screamed in terror.  The armor crashed into a tree, and cool, 
refreshing water dribbled out of its mouth.  It then soared through the 
lines, sending goblins and elves alike scattering in terror.  "I'm 
sorry!  I'm sorry!  AAAAAAAA!!!!!"  Ryo screamed.

	Nearby, Sailor Mercury winced.  Her computer indicated the flight 
guidance systems on the armor had gone out; she couldn't find a good way 
to stop it before the batteries ran down, given she couldn't try to fix 
it while it was flying about.  A knot of goblins charged her; she blew 
them away with a Shine Aqua Illusion.  

	An idea struck her; she tried establishing a remote link to the 
armor, and to her relief, was able to connect to its guidance systems.  
Must be because they're both dwarven-made, she thought.  She then 
patched her communicator in, attaching it to the universal access port 
on her computer.  "Ryo, can you hear me?"  

	"Yes!  Something's busted, Ami!" he shouted.

	"I'm taking control.  Can you handle the weapons systems?" she 
asked.

	"Yes, I think I can," Ryo said.

	"Good.  I'll pilot, you shoot," she said.

	Just pretend this is a video game, Ryo thought.  He started firing 
away as Mercury flew him around.  Of course, in a video game, the toggle 
switch for a drink of water wouldn't break off and soak me in a slow 
dribble, but...

**********

	Venus was down.  Amazonite stood over her, preparing for a final 
blow.  And then Venus remembered another one of her powers.  "SAILOR 
TELEPORT!"  And then she was gone to the roof of the Palace, leaving 
Amazonite far behind.  

	Okay, she thought.  Think.  Think.  My attacks don't hurt her very 
much, she's stronger than me, she's tougher than me, the only advantage 
I have is that I'm pretty and she's ugly, which isn't much use here.  
Dammit, I should have brought Artemis; he'd know what to do.  Hey, past 
me, you got any suggestions?

	Inanna didn't say anything, so Venus started dredging through her 
memories, trying to find a good trick.  As she did so, she gazed down on 
the battle on the other side of the roof.

	Before she found one, Amazonite spotted her and teleported onto 
the roof.  "Stop running!"

	"So why are you so determined to fight me, anyway?"

	"I wish to prove myself against you in single combat!"

	"Well, you've done that.  I don't think I can beat you by myself.  
You win."  

	Amazonite paused.  "What?"

	"You've won," Venus said.  "I admit it.  I can fight you all day, 
but sooner or later, you're going to beat me.  I'm part of a team, and 
our strength is in fighting together.  You couldn't beat us all at once, 
but as for me, I think I've lost."
	
	"Hah!  I am triumphant!" Amazonite crowed.  "Now your army must 
yield the field to mine!"

	"Unfortunately, your army didn't wait around for us to finish, and 
now it looks like they're being driven off the field by our army.  And 
since I didn't actually have any authority over our army anyway..."

	Amazonite's eyes widened.  "You tricked me!"

	Might as well take the credit for my luck, Venus thought.  "Well, 
it looks like in a battle of brains, you don't have any feet. Call it a 
tie?" Venus said sweetly.

	"You will pay for this.  Later."  Amazonite took off after the 
remnants of her army, cursing.  So much for my big plan to recruit 
goblin auxillaries to aid our conquest of Earth, she thought, as she 
left.  If Anthracite laughs at me, I'll beat him to death.

********

	"Now we know what's been causing all these attacks lately," Lady 
Dia said.  "Though I have to wonder why Amazonite focused her attacks on 
fast time realms."

	"Perhaps that way, she could sack the place before it could send 
for any effective help," Ryo suggested.  "She probably was sacking them 
to get plunder to convince the goblins to follow her."

	"That makes sense," Dia said.  "Well, all's well that ends well, 
but if you ever fire off your bow like that in the middle of another 
ball, Venus dear, I will have to take it from you and beat you into the 
ground with it.  You understand, don't you?"

	Venus blushed.  "I won't do it again."

	"Good.  I'm going to order the repairs to begin, and then I'm 
going to bed."

	They all scattered.  Minako turned back to normal, and took 
Gwynnaefael and Steven aside so she could talk to them.  Instead, they 
ended up staring up at the stars and the huge Earth in the sky in 
silence for a while.  Finally, Gwynnaefael said softly, "Hard to believe 
there was just a huge battle."

	Minako said, "Gwynnaefael, I don't know what to tell you."

	"I've missed my chance," she replied softly.  "I'd like...just one 
night with Maglan...with Steven...just because we...just because I've 
waited so long.  But if I can't have it, then I hope, at least, that 
you'll both be my friend."

	"If I let myself feel those feelings again, I couldn't stop with 
just one night," Steven said to Gwynnaefael.  "But I'm sorry I can't 
keep my promise to you."

	She nodded.  "I release you from it, then."  She glanced over at 
Minako, then said, "But if she ever dumps you, I'm coming after you 
again."  Then she stepped forward, embraced him, and gave him a final 
fierce kiss, then let go.  "Until then, my friend."

	"Gynnaefael, can you tell me how I died?  I can't remember."

	"The Silver Millenium was coming apart.  The Great Shield only 
guarded Earth, and monsters were destroying everything.  The Solar 
Patrol fell apart and only those of us based in Tradetown were left.  
The humans of Tradetown were given the choice of either staying in 
Avalon forever, or returning to Earth.  So I asked you to marry me and 
stay on Avalon with me forever."

	Steven listened quietly.  Minako listened tensely.

	"But Tilerna the Time Priest came to you and told you it was your 
destiny to help the people going to Earth.  So I decided to go with you, 
to help.  I hoped that I could teleport us both back to Avalon once we 
got the people to the Earth.  But monsters attacked us before we reached 
the Great Shield."

	Her voice grew very soft.  "They had this living ship they crashed 
into ours.  Tilerna and you fought your way onto their ship.  I tried to 
follow, but Tilerna sealed the way in behind him.  I don't know what 
happened next, but their ship fell away from ours and blew itself apart.  
I managed to land our damaged ship on the Earth once we all cleared out 
the remaining ones who boarded us, then teleported back to Avalon to 
mourn you."  She sighed.  "It was horrible."

	Minako impulsively hugged her.  "I'm sorry," she said gently.

	"Before we left, you promised you'd marry me when we got back.  
And I promised you too."  Her voice was choked with emotion. "I'd almost 
forgotten after all these years, but just hearing you were alive..."

	They both held her for a while as she cried, and then Minako 
pursed her lips.  This is almost certainly a stupid idea, she thought.  
It will probably end in utter emotional agony for all of us, and the sun 
will fall into the ocean and Aslan will drown when the wave hits him, 
and I'm not making any sense.  But...  "Alright, Gwynnaefael.  One 
night."

	Steven's eyes widened.  

	"And then you two will both have to be just friends, because 
Steven and I are going to get married and love each other forever.  But 
I'm the Senshi of Love, and I can't stand to see people cry.  So, I'm 
going to help you, my old friend."  She whipped out her bow.

	"Minako, what are you doing?" Steven asked.

	"It's not cheating if it's both of us with her," Minako said 
softly.  

	"Venus, thank you," Gwynnaefael said softly.

	"Minako, if we do this, I don't know if I..I mean..."

	"You can.  You must.  You will.  I trust you, Steven," Minako 
said.  "Now trust me."

	He nodded.  

The bow twanged several times.  

You can imagine the rest for yourself.

*********

	"That was a really big risk you took with Dia, Ami," Ryo said.

	"Are you mad at me?" she asked, looking up from her efforts to fix 
the armor's guidance systems.

	"No," he said.
	
	"You're lying," she replied.

	He sighed.  "Okay, I am mad you didn't tell me."

	"Well, I won't take that chance again."

	"Well, as Dia said, all's well that ends well.  How's the repairs 
coming along?"

	"Well, if we're ever desperate enough for you to use this again, 
it'll be ready in a day or two.  I don't think I'll finish tonight."

	He nodded.  "I hope everyone else isn't having this much 
excitement."

	"They're in school, so probably not."

*******

	Mamoru listened to Takeshi present his research results, and 
wished his own research was coming along faster.  At the rate I'm going, 
Usako will graduate from college before I do.  And then the PA system 
kicked in.  "Endymion, I know you're listening.  I have your little 
blonde friend with me.  Scream for the nice man, won't you?"  

	A shrill female scream erupted over the speakers, causing many of 
those present to wince and cover their ears.  Mamoru simply gritted his 
teeth.  Anthracite, you bastard, he thought.

	"I'm in the third floor lab if you want to come and watch me 
conduct some experiments."

	There was another scream and the voice cut out.  "What the hell ws 
that?" the teacher asked.  "This had better not be another practical 
joke."

	"Someone ought to go call the police," another student said.

	"I will," Mamoru said.  "Just in case this isn't a prank."

	Dr. Tagami nodded.  "Good idea."

	Mamoru ran out of the room, found a quiet corner, transformed, and 
ran upstairs.  Tipping his hat to Dr. Yageshi after he nearly ran the 
man down, he sprinted up the stairs onto the third floor.  The air 
smelled strange, a smell he knew.  Did someone break a gas line, he 
wondered, pulling out a handkerchief and praying he could hold himself 
together long enough to deal with this.

	The door to the lab was locked, so he smashed his cane through the 
lock, then opened the door.  Unconscious people lay everywhere, and he 
could hear the gas vents.  Why didn't anyone notice the smell before, he 
asked himself.  There should be classes on the third floor right now, 
like the one these people must be from, right?

	He could see someone blonde tied to the table with the vents.  He 
rushed over to her, only to realize as he drew closer that it wasn't 
Usagi, though she looked somewhat similar.  But not quite similar enough 
to fool him.  And she was holding something.  A lighter.

	Realizing what was coming, he dropped down over a knot of 
unconscious students, drawing his cloak over all of them, saving a few 
if he couldn't save them all.  The lighter flicked on, and the disguised 
youma burst her fake bonds as the gas exploded into flame.  Tuxedo Kamen 
focused his power into his cape, and managed to save himself and the 
three students from the blast.  Then the floor collapsed under them, and 
they toppled down into a class in session.  People scattered as flaming 
debris fell down and the walls began to burn.  Tuxedo Kamen discovered 
to his horror that one of the people had already suffocated from the 
gas, and the other two were close to death.  He took a few seconds to 
help them breathe as best he could, and wished Saturn was there.

	Slapping his forehead, he picked up the two survivors and tried to 
hustle them out, even as the flaming blonde youma dropped down after 
him.  "The party's just begun, Endymion!" the youma shouted.

	I've got to get backup, he thought.  

	"Anthracite, I've found him!" the youma shouted to the air.  He 
took this chance to dart through a door, across a room, and out a window 
to the ground below.  Dammit, I left my communicator in my briefcase, he 
thought, then laid the people down on the grass outside, and ran into 
the now burning building.

	His briefcase turned out to be missing, along with his classmates 
and professor, who he guessed must have evacuated.  He decided to do 
likewise, heading back to the stairwell, only to find two youma coming 
up the stairs.  He ran upwards instead, and opened the door only to find 
yet more youma waiting.  At the next doorway, they'd already come 
through, so he aimed a thrust with his cane at the chest of one, forcing 
it aside, and kicked the other in the lower torso, then leaped over it 
as it fell.  

	Soon, he found himself up on the roof, with Anthracite waiting for 
him.  "You can't hope to get away!" he announced.  

	Youma began to charge out of the staircase door behind him, 
forcing him to retreat away from it as Anthracite advanced.  "Coward!  
You can't fight me without an army, I see!" he said.

	Anthracite winced.  "I don't need an army to deal with you, 
Endymion!"  He charged, sword forward.

	Tuxedo Kamen stepped aside, parrying the blow with his cane.  If 
I'm lucky, his pride will make him keep fighting me by himself, even if 
he starts to lose, he thought.  

	They began to battle back and forth across the roof as the youma 
watched and smoke billowed up out of the windows of the building, while 
a crowd gathered to watch the fire and sirens blared in the distance.

********

	Setsuna sighed.  Anthracite is insulting my intelligence by 
thinking he can fool me with the 'your boyfriend is in danger' trick, 
she thought.  She sat in the teacher's lounge, having a cup of coffee 
with two other teachers who had this as their off period.

	One of them, Serena Anderson, was fiddling with the radio.  
"Anyway, so this girl gets coffee confused with tea, and..."

	The radio was currently playing music, but Pluto's ever present 
sight of the future informed her that in five minutes, it would begin 
informing them that there was a fire at the Akagi Science Building at 
Tokyo University, along with signs of fighting between persons unknown.  
She pursed her lips.

	Perhaps I'd better call Souchiro, just to be sure, she thought.  
And I must look into this.  She rose.  "I need to make a phone call.  
Talk to you later."

	"Okay," Serena said, then began to pour out her sob story of her 
disaster date onto one of the coaches, who glared balefully at Setsuna's 
back as she left the room.

*******

	"There's youma all over the place," Hudson said into the phone.  
"We need an attack squad."

	"Have the Sailors appeared yet?" Libra asked.

	"No, but I think I saw Tuxedo Kamen."

	Libra frowned.  "The rest of them should have shown up by now."

	"I hear the cops and the fire engines coming.  But no sign of the 
Sailors."  He looked across the street again.  "Hey, Izuko, who's that 
on the roof?" he asked her.

	She peered through binoculars.  "Four youma, Tuxedo Kamen, and 
some man in a black uniform with silver trim.  He's carrying a sword."

	"The man's going to die if we don't get some people down here," 
Hudson said impatiently.  "Not to mention everyone still in the 
building!"

	"The sailors will come.  And then, while they are scattered and 
off-balance, then it will be time to strike."

	Hudson frowned.  "I don't see any sailors, and..."

	"And you will wait and observe.  When they appear, call and tell 
me which of them have come, so I know which of my plans to use."

	"Yes, ma'am," he said through gritted teeth, then hung up.  
"Bitch."

	"Libra is just..."

	"A bitch," Hudson said.  "I should have just quit this 
organization after...everything.  I hate this covert work."

	"No one quits the Zodiac," Izuko said quietly.  

	"I know.  Dammit."  He watched the fight on the rooftop for a 
little while.  "I can't just watch."  He began heading over from the 
payphone to their car.

	"The last time we got involved, you nearly died!"

	"I should have died with the rest of my unit," he said grimly, 
opening the backseat door and getting out the rifle from the footwell, 
then loaded it.  "Of course, with my luck, these things will just laugh 
at even the special rounds they issue us, but at least it'll annoy 
them."

	Izuko sagged.  "You're going to be the death of me."

	"Stay back and watch.  That way, if they frag me, you can at least 
bitch out Libra for being an idiot," he said.

	Most of the people in the area were watching the building burn, or 
watching the fight, or listening to the sirens coming.  But several 
people noticed a man with a rifle, which is not a normal thing in Tokyo, 
even when the man is a gaijin.  The threat they knew scared them more 
than the threat they didn't.

	He raised the rifle and tried to get a bead on one of the youma or 
the man with the sword, but they kept bouncing around, making things 
difficult.

	"Saturn's coming."  Izuko pointed up to the black-winged senshi 
who was flying towards the rooftop from the east.

	"Good.  I hope she can silence the flames or something, then," he 
said.  He finally got a good shot and took it.  To his surprise, the 
youma's head burst like a ripe melon.  "Hey, it actually died."  He 
grinned.  "It actually DIED!"

	Another youma turned and leaped through the air at himself and 
Izuko.  He plunked three more bullets off its head; it reciprocated by 
blasting him off his feet with lightning.  Then it landed and stalked 
towards him, opening its huge fanged mouth wide.  "You will suffer for 
that, human," it said.

	He pulled out his emergency grenade from the inside of his jacket, 
pulled the pin, and tossed it right into the creature's huge mouth.  
"Chew on that, BASTARD!"

	Then nothing happened.

	"SHIIITTT!!!!!"  Hudson screamed in terror.

	 That thing must have really strong digestive juices, Izuko 
thought, and called Libra's number again.  

	Police cars roared up and cops poured out.  Saturn dove down onto 
the blazing roof and pulled Tuxedo Kamen up and away.  Many of the cops 
fanned out around the building, while several trained guns on the 
creature stalking Hudson.  "Stop!"

	They got blasted with lightning.  The creature began trading shots 
with the police.

	"There's a bulletproof monster after Hudson and I.  We NEED 
BACKUP!" Izuko shouted into the phone.  "And Saturn is here."

	"No other sailors?"
	
	"SCREW THE SAILORS!  WE DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

	"Language," Libra said.  "You've been around Hudson too much."

	"What part of 'we're about to die' don't you understand?" Izuko 
said angrily.

	Hudson made it over to her and grabbed the phone.  "I didn't join 
the Zodiac to play these stupid games!  Whatever your stupid ass plan 
is, it's gone all to hell!"

	"You will not take that tone with me!" Libra snapped back.

	There was a flash of light, and Sailor Pluto, Sailor Mars, Sailor 
Uranus, and Sailor Neptune appeared.  "Pluto, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune 
just appeared," Hudson said.  "Can we get some backup NOW?"

	"Just get out of there," Libra said.  "That's what I needed to 
know."

	"What, aren't you going to..."

	"The Sailors will take care of these fools.  I have a higher 
priority."  And then Libra hung up.

	"Shit!" Hudson said. "Well...shit."  He sighed.  As he watched, 
the Sailors swung into action on the roof.  "I guess they will.  Let's 
get out of here before Mr. Bulletproof decides to fry me again."

	They ran for the car, hopped in, and drove off.

********

	Makoto stood in the hallway, grumbling, with buckets in each hand.  
Stupid teacher getting mad just because I was trying to go to the 
counsellor's office like I was told to.  

	Vice-Principal Yamamoto came round the corner.  "Kino-san, didn't 
Counsellor Mei'ou call you to her office some time ago?"

	"Hyooba-sensei decided I ought to be punished for trying to do 
that," Makoto replied.

	Yamamoto frowned.  "Well, I will have a talk with him about that.  
Go see Counsellor Mei'ou, then you can come back and finish standing in 
the hall later."

	"Thanks, Yamamoto-sama!" she said.  She dropped the buckets, and 
then she took off running.

	She reached Setsuna's office, but everyone was gone, so she got 
out her communicator to call them.  Past her, in the hallway, three 
women, a man, and a centaur quickly strode past the office.  Makoto 
stuck her head out; she knew some of them, though the bow-weilding 
centaur was certainly a surprise.  Zodiac.  They must have lured half of 
us away, and now they're going to try to grab Naru.  

	She closed the door, transformed, then prayed she remembered what 
classroom Naru was in right now.  Clutching her staff, she shouted, 
"SAILOR TELEPORT!"

	She landed with her feet in a cake, standing on a table.  Home 
economics students yelped and scattered in all directions.  "Sorry about 
that.  Everyone, there's monsters in the school!  Evacuate!  Evacuate!"

	People began fleeing in all directions, soon leaving just her and 
Naru in the room.  Naru turned to Jupiter as soon as everyone was out of 
the room.  "Dark Kingdom?" she asked.

	"Zodiac," Jupiter said, getting out her communicator.  "And I 
think I'm the only Sailor left in the building who won't get reamed out 
by parents for fighting."

	Naru transformed.  "Then I guess I'll get reamed.  I'll call Hime-
chan while you call Usagi."

	"Right."  Jupiter got out her communicator and hoped Usagi would 
be in a position to answer it.  Before she could call, however, she was 
interrupted.

	"Surrender now!" Libra said as she, Virgo, Leo, Scorpio, and 
Sagittarius (the centaur) charged in the door.  "We're just here for the 
Star Princess."

	"Ummm...no," Jupiter said.  "Can't you people wait until school is 
out to do this sort of stupid thing?  You made me ruin a very nice 
cake!"

	"Like a gorilla-woman like you would know anything about a nice 
cake," Scorpio sneered.  

	"I am NOT A GORILLA-WOMAN!" Jupiter shouted.  "JUPITER OAK 
EVOLUTION!" The exploding oak leaf barrage slammed into Scorpio, who was 
thrown back.  

	"We need to get the others," Odysseus said.  She grabbed Jupiter's 
hands.  "SAILOR TELEPORT!"

	Libra sighed.  "They never ran away before."

	"Any more brilliant plans, Ascendant One?" Scorpio asked.

	"Virgo, track them."

	"They're just partway across the building."

	"Excellent.  Let's go."

********

	Students milled about outside Edo Hall, listening to the sounds of 
fighting inside.  Then there was a flash of light and four Sailors and 
five Zodiac landed outside the building, in the midst of the students, 
who mostly screamed and ran every which way.  

	While Jupiter went toe to toe with Scorpio, the junior Pluto 
battled with Virgo, and Sailor Moon faced off with Leo.  This left 
Odysseus in the unhappy position of trying to dodge Sagitarrius' arrows 
and Libra's staff at the same time.  She ran and dodged and weaved, 
using trees as cover, and hoping one of the others finished their fight 
fast enough.  

	But it wasn't going to be fast enough, especially since she could 
see Cancer and Capricorn approaching.  Umino could see this too, as he 
watched and fretted from behind a tree.  He shouted at the White Knight 
who he had dreamed of after the TORG adventure.  I could use a 
transformation phrase here!

	Yuki shouted down from a tree, "Jupiter, Odysseus, switch off!  
Jupiter can fight Libra better than Odysseus can, because she's armed!  
Cover the switch with a Solar Flare!"

	"SOLAR FLARE!"

	While the Zodiac members were all wincing in pain and frustration, 
the switch was made.  But now Capricorn was running towards the tree 
Yuki was in, and Cancer was still closing in on Odysseus.

	"Yuki!  RUN!" Umino shouted, then grabbed a stick and charged at 
Capricorn, who took a few seconds to boggle in surprise.

	Yuki, realized she'd stuck her neck out just a little too much, 
jumped out of the tree and ran.

	Umino went for a power leap, which wasn't very powerful, and 
brought the stick down on Capricorn's head.  The branch broke, and he 
rubbed his forehead.  "That hurt."

	He kicked Capricorn in the knees.  "I bet that hurt too."

	Capricorn swiftly picked him up.  "Boy, this isn't your fight."

	"I won't let you hurt Naru!"  So he kicked Capricorn in the balls.

	Capricorn winced in pain.  "Well, you have spirit.  But you should 
know better than to try to attack the master of the sign you were born 
under, Umino Gurio."

	Odysseus saw Capricorn holding up Umino.  "GURIO!!!!!" she 
screamed.  She tried to break out of the trio of people attacking her, 
but had no luck.  "GURIO!!!!!!"

	He glanced over.  "She knows you.  Well, everyone has their weak 
point."  He turned to Odysseus.  "Surrender, or the boy gets it."

	"Put my friend down!" Sailor Moon shouted.  "I won't let you hurt 
him!"

	Capricorn yanked Umino into a position where he could snap Umino's 
neck.  "You can't stop me."

	Odysseus sagged.  "I can't let you hurt him."

	"No, keep fighting!" Umino shouted.  "I've died before for you.  I 
won't let them take you!"

	"You're brave, boy," Capricorn said.  "But it's the stupid kind of 
brave.  Well, Odysseus, do I break his neck?"

	"You cowardly BASTARD!" Jupiter shouted.  "Put him down and fight 
us!"

	Umino's mind raced desperately.  The Zodiac could draw the power 
out of those who had their sign.  Could those who were of their sign do 
the same to them?  He didn't know how, but he didn't really have any 
other options.  He closed his eyes and tried to will Capricorn's power 
to flow out of Capricorn and into himself.  He could feel his skin begin 
to tingle.

	"What the..."  Capricorn blinked.  "You're a determined one, boy," 
he said to Umino.  "Unfortunately for you, you don't have the training 
or the link to the Star Force to do that right.  Still, I'm impressed 
that you..."  He felt himself shiver.  There's actually a little bit of 
a power drain, he realized.  Not much, but...

	Umino felt the tingle build.  I need to become the White Knight, 
he thought.  And then he felt the air around him begin to shimmer.

	Odysseus' eyes widened, and then she nodded.  She put her hand on 
her brooch.  Let the White Knight be called forth, she thought.  I 
choose Umino as my champion, now and forever.  Unfortunately, this left 
her vulnerable to Scorpio blasting her where she stood.  She screamed as 
she fell.

	Umino's eyes snapped open, and he gave himself over to rage.  
"NARU!!!!!!!"  And then Capricorn glowed with a nimbus, and the nimbus 
ripped itself loose from Capricorn, flowing into Umino.  There was a 
small explosion, and the White Knight lept to the ground, leaving 
Capricorn to lie dazed on the ground.  He whistled and his horse charged 
out of the nearby trees.

	He charged past Sagitarius, lashing out and slashing Sagitarius' 
bowstring with his sword, then charged straight at Scorpio, leaping his 
horse right over Odysseus as she lay dazed.  Scorpio fell back before 
his onslaught.

	This distracted Libra for a few seconds, and Jupiter brought her 
staff around, whacking Libra in the head, then shouted, "JUPITER OAK 
EVOLUTION!"  This threw Libra back away from her, though it didn't hurt 
her too much.  

	Then two dozen teenagers with strange guns charged forward.  
"Invaders from another evil dimension!" one of them bellowed through a 
megaphone.  "Return to your dimension of choice immediately or prepare 
to be terminat...Daichi, what does this mean?"  Hikaru scratched her 
head.

	"Extreme prejudice," he said.

	"But what does prejudice have to do with it?"

	This is going to hell, Libra thought.  I can't afford to bring in 
our marines where so many people could see them, and most of the rest of 
us aren't strong enough right now to be of much use.  I could call in 
our Istarii, but most of them are only half-trained.  And now these 
meddling kids...  She sighed.  There will be more chances.  "Withdraw!"

	The Zodiac teleported out.

	Jupiter leaned on her staff.  "That woman was good."

	"But not good enough to beat us!" the White Knight crowed.  He 
paused.  "You know, it's hard to breathe with this helmet on."  He began 
fumbling to try to take it off.

	"Mom's going to kick my ass," the Junior Pluto said.

	"Well, maybe we can convince them all that we can't quit, even if 
we wanted to," Sailor Moon said.  "My parents were about ready to let me 
go back to full time fighting anyway, I think."  She turned to Odysseus.  
"Are you okay?"

	Odysseus nodded. "Only hurt in my pride.  We'd better all go 
vanish and turn back to normal before our teachers figure out we're 
missing."  She thought a moment.  "Sailor Moon, I think we need to think 
about bringing Yuki in as an Auxillary.  The Dark Kingdom and the Zodiac 
may end up targetting her, and well..."

	"And Capricorn got a very good look at her," the White Knight 
said.  "But we'd best discuss this later."

	They scattered to resume their normal lives.

*******

	Mamoru sighed as he watched the fire fighters put out the burning 
hall.  He said to Setsuna, "I got suckered by Anthracite."

	"You should have called and let us know," Setsuna said.  "But I'm 
sure he counted on you playing the lone wolf."

	He frowned at her.  "Pot to kettle."

	"Touche."  She shook her head.  "We cannot fight a two front war 
forever."

	"I'd almost think they coordinated against us," Mamoru replied.  
"We need to strike the Dark Kingdom and take it out.  They have the Orb 
of Stars, which Odysseus needs to finish the Zodiac."

	"Soon," Setsuna said.  "The final battle comes swiftly.  Still, I 
have to wonder if Anthracite really intended to win this one."

	Mamoru blinked.  "What makes you wonder that?"

	"Perhaps he simply overestimated his ability to trick me.  Or 
perhaps he seeks to lull us into a false sense of security."

	"Or perhaps he's an obsessive moron," Haruka said.

	"Time will tell," Setsuna said.  "Come, Haruka, Michiru.  Time for 
you to get back to school.  And for you to go home, Hotaru."

	"Thank you for your help," Mamoru said.

	"You're welcome."  And then they teleported out.  

*******

	Ami and Dia continued their experiments.  As Ami continued to pore 
through a lore book, Dia asked, "I assume your mother has no special 
mental defenses?"

	"What???"

	"Well, it seems a simple attitude adjustment spell should do the 
trick for getting her to let you resume your duties as Sailor Mercury."

	Ami frowned.  "I don't want to warp mother's mind unless I have 
to."  She closed the book.  "I don't think looking for past parallels is 
going to work.  These creatures are on a completely different set of 
principles."

	"As you like," Dia said.  "I see no other way to convince a woman 
so stubborn as you describe."  She peered through a lens at a small jar 
of green slime.  "Hmm.  Since this stuff is all alive, perhaps we can 
convince it to reproduce."

	Ami slapped her forehead.  "Yes.  It is biotechnology, after all.  
I can't remember how they did it, but..."

	"Well, triggering a reproductive cycle will require some 
adaptation, but yes, I think we can figure it out in a few days or maybe 
weeks."  

	"Good thinking, Dia," Ami said, smiling.  "If we work it out, 
maybe we can bribe Mother with it."

	Dia laughed.  "Perhaps so."

*********

	"Whatcha thinking about?" Minako asked Steven as they looked up at 
the stars.

	"Just wondering about why Tilerna did what he did.  How far he 
saw, and what he wanted to achieve."

	"And about Gwynnaefael?"

	"A little, yeah," he said, putting an arm around her.  "I hope 
she'll be okay.  After waiting so long..."  He sighed.  "I told you that 
I'd have a hard time forgetting about all that if we did...something 
like what we did."

	"I don't mind," she said.  "I think about some of my past life's  
lovers sometimes.  And I trust you.  Do you trust me, Steven?"

	"I trust you," he said.  "I love you.  I may go insane trying to 
rein you in until you calm down, but I can put up with it, if you can 
put up with me."

	"Just don't think it's going to happen again," Minako said.  
"Unless you and Ryo develop a burning passion for each other so the four 
of us can get together, anyway."

	"Not too likely," Steven said.  "Even if I liked men like that, 
Ryo wouldn't be my type."

	"So, who would be, hmmm?"

	Steven tinysweated.  "Uhh...Haven't really thought about it."

	"C'mon, tell me.  There has to be some guy who you'd like, if you 
liked guys."

	"Most of the guys I know, you wouldn't even recognize."

	"C'mon, tell me."  She began to tickle him.

	And then two shadows loomed over them.  

	Minako looked up and froze in fear.  "Uh oh."

	Her mother glowed red.  "Someone forgot their chaperones, I see."

	"AAAAAHHH!!!  I knew I forgot something!"

	Steven gulped.  "How did you get here?"

	"That nice Derith boy remembered we'd been planning to come too 
and got us," her father said.  "Not a minute too late, I see."

	Minako decided she would kill Derith later.  Once she survived her 
parents, anyway.

********

	Dia peered into the bottle.  The jelly-like organisms were turning 
purple and crumbling to dust again.  She sighed.  "You really need to do 
something about Earth's mana levels, Mercury."

	Ami glanced over and frowned.  "Are you sure that bottle actually 
simulates Earth conditions?"  They'd been working on this for weeks of 
Arcadian time, and had little to show for it.  She wished she'd retained 
more of Quinina's knowledge of how these organisms worked, but only bits 
and pieces remained.  

	"It may be that the use of magic to accelerate their growth so we 
could results in the time we have is leaving them dependent on that 
magic to survive."

	Sighing, Ami slumped against a large cabinet near her.  "It's 
going to take us years to figure out everything we need to do in order 
to get these to reproduce AND stay alive on Earth."

	"Well, you're welcome to stay longer," Dia said, coming over and 
perching on a stool.

	"I can't.  It's getting into the late afternoon back on Earth."  
She frowned.  "But we have at least learned some stuff I can tell 
Professor Tomoe."

	Dia sighed.  "Ami, if you go back..."

	"You fear I'll die."

	Dia nodded.  "I have seen things...the omens are not good."

	"The omens...the omens can bite me," Ami said defiantly.  "I've 
died before, and I'll probably die again, but I won't turn away just 
because I might die.  I'll make my own destiny, thank you."

	Dia sighed.  "I hope you are right."  She paused.  "Do you 
think..."

	"No, I can't," Ami said.  "It's much easier to refuse something I 
haven't had.  Even if you invite both of us again."

	Smiling, Dia came over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
Ami carefully restrained herself from giving any sign of the thrill she 
got from that or the memories it evoked.  "Oh, just once wouldn't hurt."

	Ami leaned over and kissed Dia on the cheek.  "Maybe some day 
you'll find out what it's like to be with just one person."

	"I hope not," Dia said, smiling.  "It has been wonderful to have 
you here, though.  I had not realized how much I had missed you until I 
saw you again."

	"I'm surprised you could remember me at all after so many years," 
Ami replied.

	"Elves remember what they need to and forget the rest until they 
need it again."  She shrugged, then sighed.  "How soon do you leave?"

	"In about two more days, I think," Ami said.  "Well, I think we've 
done enough here for one day.  How about if we all go boating together?"

	Dia smiled.  "That sounds like an excellent idea.  Let's go." 
	
********

	"Oh, I have a simple solution to your problem, honey," Minako's 
mother said to her.

	"What is it?" Minako asked.

	"I'll follow you around with a stick while you're here, and whack 
you in the head when you get out of line, until you're over it," her 
mother said sweetly.

	"Everywhere?  All the time?"

	"Well, your father and I will take turns.  Operator conditioning, 
you know."

	"Operant," her father said.

	"Whatever," her mother replied.  

	"Does it have to be a stick?" Minako asked pleadingly.

	"The bow," Steven said.  "There's a good use for it."

	Minako grabbed Steven's shirt.  "For the love of all that's holy, 
we can't let Mother hold that bow!  She'll USE IT!"

	"And that's different from now, how?" Steven asked, laughing.

	"CIVILIZATION IS DOOMED!" Minako screamed.

	"Now, now, honey, you've got to get a grip on yourself," her 
father said.  "Luckily, your mother and I took some time off from work, 
so we can stay here with you for as long as you need, even if we have to 
spend years here getting you to calm down."

	Minako twitched.  "Years."  Years of my parents breathing down 
my....  She sighed.  "Then again, given the use I've made of the bow, 
Mom might make better use of it."

	"Third time is the charm in theory, but let's not find out," 
Steven replied.  "Really, though, you've gotten somewhat better the last 
few months."  He shook his head.  "It's going to be hard going back to 
school when this is all over."

	"Well, it gives us more time together, and that's good," Minako 
said.

	Steven nodded.  "I just hope everything goes well for Ami when she 
goes back tomorrow."

	"Oh, I'm sure her mother will see reason.  One way or another."
	
********

	Dr. Mizuno watched the news reports.  "I take it that this 'riot' 
was actually a monster attack, Ami?"

	Ami nodded.

	"And did you disobey me by getting involved?"

	"I should have, except you've been pushing me so hard I ran away 
to Avalon for several months instead," Ami said flatly.  "I had a hard 
time convincing myself to come back."

	"..."  Dr. Mizuno felt her stomach dive down into her legs, 
heading for her feet.  Just the sort of thing I was worrying about 
earlier, she thought.

	"Mother, I love you, and I admire you, and I want to be a doctor 
like you, but I don't want to BE you.  But the way you've been treating 
me, you've come very close to making me forget about all those things.  
And I have duties I can't ignore just because they scare you.  My 
friends could have used me today, but I had to run away from you instead 
because I couldn't take it any more."

	"But they DID win without you.  And there's no way you can 
possibly get through medical school while doing this, even if it was 
your duty.  And you lied to me.  How can I trust you if you keep lying 
to me?"  

	Ami winced.  She had lied to her mother, and she couldn't blame 
her mother for being angry about that.  But her senshi duties were 
something she couldn't neglect.   "You're right.  I lied to you, and you 
have a right to punish me for it.  And I can't...I understand why you're 
having a hard time trusting me.  But...my senshi duties have to take 
priority.  And I can't study all the time.  Not any more. I just can't 
stand it."

	"You can, and you will!  I'm going to make you get your discipline 
back, or you'll never get through medical school!  And I'm not going to 
let you throw your life away in this stupid fighting!  And if you run 
away again, I'll..."  She didn't know what she would do, really.  She'd 
already tried everything she could.  

	Ami sighed.  "Is shouting a sign of discipline?"

	Her mother winced as if she'd been slapped.  "I'm just looking out 
for what's best for you!"  I am, she told herself.  Someone has to make 
the hard choices, and if Ami can't do it, it's my job.  

	"I'm not an infant who can't make choices for herself any more," 
Ami said.

	"As long as you live in my house, it's my duty to make the hard 
choices for you if you can't make them yourself," her mother said.  
You'll never make it through medical school while trying to fight 
monsters and having a boyfriend, she thought.

	Ami sighed.  "Will you at least talk to Pluto about this?  There 
are things about the future I've seen, that I think you ought to see to 
understand why this is so important to me."

	"Time travel is impossible."  Her voice was more certain than she 
actually felt about that, with all the strange things she'd seen.

	"I've done it."

	"Even if you did show me an alleged future, I don't trust that 
shyster counsellor enough to believe any of it.  I'm sure that's how she 
conned you into thinking all this monster fighting is something you 
should be doing."

{Perhaps Dia's solution is best,} Athena said, sighing.

	[I won't mind control my mother,] Ami replied.

	"Aren't you even curious a bit?" Ami asked, trying another tack.

	"Of course, I'm curious, but I don't trust that woman one inch."

	"Please.  I can ask Hime-chan to do it if you don't trust Pluto," 
Ami said.  "Just...please."  

	Miaka sighed.  "Alright.  I'll give you this chance to convince 
me."  Best to expose whatever it was as a fraud, she thought.  So Ami 
will know she's been decieved.  And she had to admit, the idea of 
travelling to the future was a little enticing, although she was sure it 
had to be some kind of trick.  

	"I'll call Hime-chan, then."

*********

	Dr. Mizuno had to admit it all seemed rather real.  She knew that 
hypnosis was rarely capable of the sort of hallucinatory mindwarping 
many people thought it was, and that she herself was very resistant to 
it.  Barring that, it was hard to imagine a way in which a door to some 
other place could open in the middle of her living room which had 
previously not existed, short of very advanced technology or magic.  

	Now she stood in a great city of crystal; it was greatly 
beautiful, but also looked rather fragile to her.  People bustled about, 
and the life of the city unfolded around her.  Nearby, her guide, the 
girl Himeko, was consulting with a woman who looked like an older 
version of herself.  The older Himeko said to Dr. Mizuno, "I will be 
your guide."

	"And you're supposed to be the grown up Himeko?" she asked.

	"I am Sailor Pluto the younger, born Nonohara Himeko," the woman 
replied.  "This is the city of the future, the land we seek to create, 
which your daughter is a part of creating."

	It all seems so real, Dr. Mizuno thought.  Surely they couldn't 
mock up this whole place just to fool me, and yet...  "If this is really 
the future, you already know if you'll convince me or not."

	"If I simply told you that you would come around, would it bring 
you around?"

	"No."

	"Then we must play this out, whether or not we know the end in 
advance."  She turned to her younger self.  "I'll bring Dr. Mizuno home 
when all this is over."

	The younger Himeko nodded, raised her staff, and vanished.  The 
elder Himeko turned to Dr. Mizuno, "What would you like to see first?"

	"I want to see my daughter."

	The younger Pluto nodded and took Dr. Mizuno's hand and 
teleported.  They landed in what Dr. Mizuno could easily recognize as a 
hospital, despite the differences in decor and equipment from her own 
time.  

	Her breath caught as she gazed upon her grown-up daughter.  Ami 
wore a simple white tunic with a blue belt; the tunic was pinned in 
place with golden brooches with the sign of Mercury upon them in blue.  
She had grown into the full bloom of maturity, though she still looked 
younger than her mother.  Smiling as she talked to a young boy patient, 
she seemed unaware of her mother's presence.

	"I know the medicine tastes disgusting, but it's good for you," 
Ami urged the young boy, as she held a small cup of red liquid near his 
head.

	"Do I have to?"

	"Well, if you don't want to stay sick forever, you do," Ami said.

	The boy screwed up his face and drank it.  

	"Now, you'll be good and drink what the nurse brings you, won't 
you, Tanaka?" she asked the boy.   

	He made another face.  "Do I have to?"

	Ami nodded.

	"Okay," the boy said, then yawned.  "I'm sleepy."

	Ami pulled up the covers and watched him fall asleep, then picked 
up a crystal slate and stylus from the nearby table.  She turned and her 
eyes widened.  "Oh, is this happening today?  You said you'd tell me, 
Hime-chan."

	"It's more fun to watch you be surprised," the younger Pluto said, 
grinning.

	"But our suite is a mess, and we haven't gotten all the pictures 
chibi-Ami drew on the walls erased yet and..."  Ami sighed.  "I'm sorry, 
Mother, but our home is a disaster area right now.  I was going to clean 
it up this weekend, but...well, you know how it is having children."

	Dr. Mizuno laughed.  "I remember you trying to draw dinosaurs on 
the living room walls.  And I caught your father helping you too."

	Ami said, "Let me call Ryo and tell him to get off work early, 
then."  

	"I thought I'd take Dr. Mizuno over to see the museum, then you 
can have dinner with her when you both get off work."

	Ami gave a sigh of relief.  "Thanks, Hime-chan.  I've got lots 
more to do today."

	"It's a busy job," Dr. Mizuno said.  "Being a doctor.  Hard to 
find time for other things."

	"I know, I know," Ami said.  "I do my best, but it's not easy.  
I'm more a researcher than a doctor proper these days, but still...well, 
it gives me more appreciation for what you went through."

	Dr. Mizuno smiled.  It felt good to know Ami would understand 
that.  "I always wanted to spend more time with you."

	"I know, Mother.  And I know you did your best."

	One of Ami's blue crystal bracelets buzzed.  Ami sighed.  "I'll 
see you this evening, okay, Mother?"

	"Okay," Dr. Mizuno said.

***********

	Dr. Mizuno stood and watched the Moon Kingdom burn.  It horrified 
her beyond belief.  It couldn't be real.  Things like that didn't 
happen.  And yet, it felt like she was right in the middle of it.  

	Is that really the Tsukino girl, she asked herself.  And all the 
others, all here, and that red-haired woman...

	And then the VR tape ended, and reality returned.  She took off 
the helmet and the gloves and shuddered.  "What was that made from?"

	"Pluto's memories," Ryo said.  He had grown into a dignified 
maturity, Dr. Mizuno had seen.  She'd never imagined him helping to run 
a museum, but it seemed to suit him.  "That's a fairly simple VR tape.  
There are more sophisticated ones where you can actually interact, and 
not just watch."

	It was all starting to be a little too much for Dr. Mizuno.  There 
was no way this could all be fake, and yet if it was real, she didn't 
know what to believe in any more.  All this magic and high technology 
intertwined, magical civilizations on the moon, monsters...

	"So how far in the future am I?"

	"A thousand years," Ryo said.  "Roughly."

	Now I know what a samurai would feel like in modern Japan, Dr. 
Mizuno thought.  "You and Ami have been married...a thousand years?"

	"Well, we slept through most of it."

	"..."

	"It's a long story."

	"I have time," Dr. Mizuno said.  
	
	"Well, it's best not to know too much about the future, but, it 
all began in the late twenty first century..."

*********

	"I can't believe that girl rules the Earth," Dr. Mizuno said as 
she walked through the halls of the Palace with Ryo.  The younger Pluto 
had gone off, saying she would return later.

	"Neither can she, sometimes," Ryo said.  "But we all have hidden 
depths."

	He opened the door and walked into the living room of their suite 
of rooms in the palace.  His little eight year old daughter launched 
herself at his legs.  "DADDY!"

	He picked her up and hugged her.  "Hello, little one," he said.  
"How was your day?"
	
	"Hermes made me wash all my pictures off the walls!  He's a 
meanie!"

	Hermes came into the living room.  "Hello, Ryo.  Hello...Is that 
you, Dr. Mizuno?"

	"Hello, Hermes," Dr. Mizuno said weakly.  

	"I'll get cooking," Ryo said.  "Is Ami home yet?"

	"She says traffic is bad today," Hermes replied.

	The house really wasn't that messy, Dr. Mizuno thought.  Other 
than a few child toys scattered about.  Though possibly she'd called 
Hermes and had him and little Ami clean up.

	"Hello, Ami," Dr. Mizuno said to chibi-Ami.

	"Grandma!"  Chibi-Ami ran over and hugged her grandmother, who 
picked her up.  "Did you bring me lots of presents from the past?"

	"I'm afraid no one told me to bring any," Dr. Mizuno said.  "Or I 
would have brought you some nice ones."  

	"I guess crying won't help?" chibi-Ami asked hopefully.

	"Not at all."

	"You're going to stay with us, won't you?" chibi-Ami asked 
hopefullly again.

	"Just for tonight."  

	"Well, tell me lots of stories, okay?  I never get to go back in 
time."

	Dr. Mizuno laughed and carried her over to the couch.  "What sort 
of story would you like to hear?"

	"Hmmm.  Did you ever meet any dinosaurs?"

	"I'm not that old, Ami-chan," Dr. Mizuno said, laughing.  

	"How about dragons?"

	Dr. Mizuno thought for a minute.  "How about if I tell you about 
the time your mother hid all the canned goods all over the house?"

	"Okay!"

********

	Dr. Mizuno put down her fork.  "What do you call this again?"

	"Tylasta.  It's a Juraiian dish," Ryo said.  

	She took another bite of the stuffed bread.  "Is this wheat?"

	"It's a kind of Juraiian grain."

	Dr. Mizuno frowned.  "So I would have a hard time making this when 
I go back."

	"Well, most of the items can be substituted for.  But it won't be 
quite as good," Ami said.  "I'll write out the recipe for you, mother."

	"Thank you," she said.  She took a sip of wine.  "This is all just 
a bit overwhelming."

	"The future always is," Ryo said. 

	"It's just hard to believe anything this nice could exist," Dr. 
Mizuno said.

	"Well, nothing lasts forever," Ryo said.  "But good times do come, 
when people work for them.  It wasn't easy making this future."

	Dr. Mizuno nodded.

	Chibi-Ami said, "It wasn't easy scrubbing the bathroom, either."

	Dr. Mizuno laughed and patted her on the head.  "Have you been 
studying hard, Ami-chan?"

	"Hermes bites me if I don't."

	"I do not!" Hermes said.

	Chibi-Ami giggled.  "I'm trying."

	"Good.  You'll be glad he made you, one day," Dr. Mizuno said.  
"So you'll grow up smart like your mother."

	Ami blushed a little at that.  

	"Will I be able to go back to the past when I get big?"

	"Why do you want to go?"

	"Chibi-Usagi shouldn't get all the fun," Chibi-Ami replied.

	Dr. Mizuno laughed.  "And who is that?  The Queen's daughter?"

	"Yes, she is," Ami said.  "It's a long story."

	"You don't really time travel all the time, do you?"

	"Just the Plutos.  Or when it's really important," Ami said.

	Dr. Mizuno said, "Is my decision really that important?"

	"You saw everything in the museum," Ryo said.  "It is."

	"We're a team.  We need each other," Ami said. 

	Dr. Mizuno looked at Chibi-Ami, who was now eating again.  "Could 
you really send her into battle?"

	"I wouldn't want to, but the Queen herself had to send her own 
daughter into battle at this age.  In fact, poor little Chibi-Usagi had 
to go back in time by herself with just her Luna ball at Ami-chan's 
age."  Ami sighed.  "I hope Ami-chan doesn't have to grow up so fast, 
but power brings responsibilities.  And she will be Sailor Mercury one 
day."

	Her mother nodded and took a sip of wine.  "It terrifies me."

	"It scared me too, Mother," Ami said.  

	They ate in silence for a while, and then Dr. Mizuno said, "This 
doesn't change that you lied to me about all of this."

	"I know, Mother," Ami said.  "And my past self understands that 
too.  But I think you overreacted."

	"Maybe I did," she said softly.  "I will have to think about 
this."

	"Well, let's enjoy your visit while we can," Ryo said.  "This 
doesn't happen every day."

	Dr. Mizuno nodded.  "Let's enjoy it."

**********

	Later, as the evening wound down, the younger Pluto took Dr. 
Mizuno home, then came back to Ami and Ryo's quarters a few seconds 
later (by their reckoning).  "You did well," the younger Pluto said.

	Ami sat on the couch, now close to crying.  "Mother...I haven't 
seen her in so long.  And now, just like that..."

	Ryo put an arm around her.  "At least we got to see her again," 
Ryo said.

	"I couldn't let her stay longer," the younger Pluto said. 

	"I know, but I wish she could.  I had forgotten how much I miss 
her until I saw her again," Ami said sadly.  

	"It was fate," Ryo said.

	"Stupid fate," Ami said, leaning against her husband.  

	The younger Pluto started to say something, then decided it best 
not to press her point.  "At least you did get to see her again for a 
little while."

	Ami nodded.  "Thank you."

	"Don't thank me.  I only did it because it had to be done.  It's 
not a good idea to send people jaunting all over time just because, 
whatever chibi-Ami thinks."  The younger Pluto sighed.  "I miss my 
mother too, sometimes."

	Ryo yawned.  "We'd best get to bed, dear."

	"Goodbye," the younger Pluto said, now feeling a bit melancholy.

	"Goodbye," Ami said.  

	And then the younger Pluto left, leaving Ami to cry with her 
husband, and wishing there had been some other way.

*******

	At breakfast, Dr. Mizuno said to Ami, "Alright.  After what I've 
seen, I can't say no to you being Sailor Mercury."

	Ami gave a sigh of relief.

	"But you're grounded for another month for deceiving me about it.  
And you'd better keep your grades up, or I'll have to take measures."

	"Alright," Ami said.  "That's fair."  I can handle a month, she 
thought. 

	"We'll work out a schedule later, alright, honey?"

	Ami smiled.  "Alright, Mother.  I'd better get to school."

	Her mother smiled.  "No school today, dear."

	"..."

	"Well, that's a good sign, I think," her mother said.  "Time for 
me to go to work.  I'll see you later."

	"Goodbye, Mother."

********

	"Anthracite, you have failed me," Jadeite said sharply.

	Anthracite and Hematite stood before Jadeite, who sat upon his 
throne, looking displeased.

	"It would have succeeded if Pluto had not proven more callous than 
I realized."

	"It would probably have worked better if you'd kidnapped her real 
lover, instead of trying to trick her with a shoddy fake," Hematite 
said.

	"The man hardly ever comes out of his fortress without her," 
Anthracite replied.  "And we couldn't take the risk of there being 
alarms or other security measures chewing up valuable forces."

	"Which meant she could easily check and see if you had taken him," 
Hematite replied.

	Anthracite fumed.  "It worked on Endymion," he muttered.

	"Why did you not inform me of Anthracite's plans?" Jadeite now 
demanded of Hematite.

	"When I learned of it, he was still planning it.  And I have not 
seen you between when I learned of it and now.  I assumed he would 
inform you of it before attempting it.  It was just a probing attack, he 
said."

	"I assumed that you were approving of it when you didn't tell me 
not to do it!"  Anthracite snapped back.  "And it could have produced 
vaulable results."

	Jadeite frowned.  "It yielded nothing."

	"I would not quite say that, my lord.  It showed us the Senshi are 
vulnerable during the hours of school, because they cannot easily 
respond to aid one another and keep their identities secret.  A weakness 
to be exploited,"  Hematite replied.

	Anthracite blinked in confusion, surprised Hematite had said 
anything good about his work.

	"That and the Zodiac's foolish obsession with the Star Princess.  
Should we strike the Senshi while the Zodiac is attacking them, our odds 
of victory will greatly increase."

	"I believe that was the Zodiac's plan, but with us as the 
patsies," Jadeite said.  "And I want to know how they could have 
foreseen this.  I must speak with Marcasite.  See what you can find out.  
Anthracite, there are to be no attacks without my approval except to 
defend operations already in place."

	"Yes, Lord Jadeite, I will remember that," Anthracite replied.

	"Yes, my lord, I will," Hematite said.  "With your leave?"

	"Go."

	They departed to their bases, leaving Jadeite to sit alone and 
plan.

*********

	Libra sighed.  This was not my finest hour, she thought.  And soon 
it would be Scorpio's turn as Ascendent One.  Not much time to make less 
of a fool of herself.  Perhaps we should have stayed and fought, she 
thought.

	But that risked everything, and the results were unclear.  Libra 
didn't like things to be unclear.  

	Perhaps we will have to risk it all to claim the prize we seek, 
she thought.  I don't think they could fight everything we have at once, 
and yet...if we fail even then, we are done for.

	She sat at her desk, trying to put her thoughts back into balance, 
but no inspiration came.

*********

	Minako lay on her bed, working on her homework.  I feel much 
better, she thought.  A little vacation is good for the soul, and I 
think my brain is finally no longer on the fritz.  

	Himeko came in.  "Hey, Minako," she said.

	"Hey," Minako said.  "You feeling any better?"

	She nodded.  "Yeah.  How about you?"

	"I haven't had any mad impulses to seduce people or dress up as 
Xena today, so I guess a few months at Dia's has done me some good.  
Although I still don't feel quite totally normal, like I used to be."

	"You were never normal," Himeko teased.

	Minako laughed.  "Well, I feel better, and Steven and I spent lots 
of time together, and his old elven girlfriend didn't steal him, so all 
ended well."

	"Old Elven girlfriend?" she asked.

	"Okay, it goes like this..."  Given Minako was no great 
storyteller, this took quite a long time to explain.  And even then, 
Himeko wasn't sure she understood.  

	"Well, all's well that ends well," she says.  "I think Hikaru and 
I finally buried the hatchet."

	"Good," Minako replied.  "Now we just have to figure out how to 
keep her safe without mounting a perpetual guard."

	Himeko sighed.  "I know, I know.  I'll keep thinking about it."

	Minako nodded.  "Well, back to homework."

	"Have fun."

	"Not likely, but I'll do it anyway."  And Minako went back to 
work.

*********

	Usagi sat at her desk, struggling with her homework.  "Stupid 
earth science," she muttered.  "I hate writing these lab reports."

	Rei walked in and boggled.  "You're doing homework when there's no 
shool today?"  

	Fumi-no-Kami followed her in, leaping up to sit on the bed.  
"Hello, Usagi," he said.

	"Part of my deal with Mom," Usagi said, sighing.  "It's no fun at 
all.  But I'll be done soon, Rei-chan, so we can do something fun."

	"Well, Grandpa's accepted things to the point of giving me a 
lecture on how to hunt monsters this morning," Rei said, sitting on the 
bed.

	Usagi laughed.  "I've been thinking about Yuki.  She really helped 
us out yesterday."

	"I heard," Rei said.  "Sometimes I wonder if she knows our powers 
better than we do."

	"I'm not sure if we really should tell more people.  The more who 
know a secret, the more who can blab," Luna said from the floor.

	"Hey, Luna," Rei said, picking her up and petting her.  
	
	"Hmmph," Fumi-no-Kami said.

	"You already got cuddled this morning," Rei replied, laughing.  
"What do you think, Fumi?"

	"From what I heard, it sounds like she'd be a useful ally, 
especially for situations where we can't go, like school."

	Usagi nodded.  "Given how much she knows, she's probably figured 
us out already, anyway."  She frowned. "I just hope Capricorn doesn't 
try to do something to her."

	"I think the final showdown is coming," Fumi-no-kami said, leaping 
up to the window and looking out on the city.  "Soon."

	"I think you're right," Rei said.  "I can feel it in the wind."  
She wondered again if there was some way to save Jadeite from himself 
the way Naru had saved Nephrite, and whether she would have the strength 
to do it.  Can I kill him if I have to?  She didn't know the answer.

The End (Until the next chapter, anyway...)

**************

Dia Says:

[We see Dia looming over John, who is seated at his computer]

Dia:  Why didn't I get any sex with Athena like you PROMISED ME?

John:  Well, Minako didn't get her mad foursome either, so you're even.

Dia:  I am not interested in getting even.  I am interested in many long 
passionate nights with Athena!

John:  It kept getting pornographic, so we cut it.

Dia:  How was I supposed to have a long passionate night with Athena 
without it getting pornographic????

John:  That's not my problem.

Dia:  Can I at least have a 20 page flashback of me and Athena 
[censored]?

John: ...

Dia:  Well?

John:  This is a family show.  No on-screen nookie.

Dia:  Hmm...

John:  You could always try leaning on Jeff. 

Dia:  How about if I just turn you into a turnip and write the next 
episode myself?  Then I could have all the sex I want.

John:  Don't make me powergame all over you.

[Dia turns John into a turnip]

Dia:  Okay!  I'm going to change a few things around here...

Minako:  [comes in]  Or not.  You still owe me a favor, you know.  And 
since you didn't have to help with Ami's mom, I'm going to make you turn 
him back to normal.

Dia:  But if we leave him a turnip, you can have a harem of your very 
own and he can't stop you.

Minako:  Ooooh....

Minako's Mother:  No harem for you, young lady.  Not until you clean 
your room.

Minako:  But Moooommm....

Dia:  You want to be a turnip too, lady?

Minako's Mother: [whips out a CD]  Get back or I'll use this!

Dia:  No, HANSON!!!!!!  [runs screaming into the distance]

Minako:  Not bad, Mom, but it does leave John turned into a turnip.

Minako's Mother:  Hey, I'm just supporting cast.  Don't expect me to 
solve all your problems for you.

Minako:  And today's moral is...

Minako's Mother:  Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for you taste 
good with ketchup.

Minako:  Turnips and ketchup?  Ewwwww.


************

Closing Credits:


     "My road leads me far away."

     We see Nephrite telling Juno that he must go soon for a great 
conflict is about to begin.

     "Though my heart tells me to stay,"

     We see Princess Serenity clinging to a worried looking Endymion.

     "When my duty calls, I must go"

     We see Pluto appearing in the midst of the ballroom at the Diamond 
Gala.

     "'Twixt worlds of fire and worlds of snow."

We cut to a shot of the solar system, with the nine planets and 
the moon lined up from the Sun at the left to Pluto at the right, with 
the Senshi and Prince Endymion standing on their planets as shadowy 
figures.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see the White Knight galloping down a Tokyo street on horseback.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see Tuxedo Mask tossing a red rose into the barrel of a gun, 
which backfires and explodes.

     "But this message will I send,"

     We see Rei picking up a blue crystal, which starts to play back a 
message.

"Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see Naru waiting for someone outside a restaurant.

     "Do not forget the love we share"

     We see Princess Serenity and Endymion tearfully bidding each other 
farewell.

     "Though I must leave, my heart will stay."

     We see Naru crying as Nephrite dissolves away in her arms.

     "Do not think I ceased to care"

     We see Beryl implanting crystals in the foreheads of the four 
Guardians and cackling maniacally.
                               
"When my duty took me away."

     We see Steven waiting at a restaurant, then sighing as he checks 
his watch.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see the Sailors using the Sailor Teleport to travel to the ruins 
of the Moon Kingdom.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see Umino trying to fight a monster in "Tuxedo Umino Kamen" 
mode.

     "But this message will I send,"

We see Luna trying to use a dial only phone.

     "Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see Umino leap to his feet as Naru comes running up the sidewalk 
to him with Usagi and company.

     "I have only my heart to give"

     We see Haruka and Michiru sharing a quiet moment.

     "For my life is not my own."

     We see the baby Saturn in a crib.

     "It is for others that I must live"

We see Pluto having a frustrating time trying to counsel a young girl.

     "But it is for you that I come home."

     We see Mamoru following a trail of smoke to Usagi in his kitchen.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see Capricorn vanishing through a portal.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see a chamber with stars for a ceiling and a horoscope on the 
floor.  A man stands in grey robes in the center and stares down at the 
horoscope.

     "But this message will I send,"

We see Usagi listening to a message on the phone, her eyes getting big.

     "Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see a closing tableux of the Sailors, Umino, Naru, Steven, 
Tuxedo Mask, and twelve shadowy figures standing on a Zodiac wheel.

    Source: geocities.com/telraven/Fanfics

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