"C'mon Scouts! Head for the doors!"
 Artemis could barely be heard as he shouted over the fierce wind. He didn't know if anyone heard him, but he could not repeat it because he was devoting his concentration on getting to the huge gold doors that could be made out in the distance, without being blown away.
 It was only minutes after the group had used the Sailor Teleport, but what greeted them had blown them away, literally. When they arrived on Io, if it was in fact Io, they were instantly slammed by hurricane force winds that had kicked up the sand on the desert-like ground, causing a massive sandstorm. Each of the scouts could barely see ten yards in front of them, and could hardly hear a thing, thanks to the pounding winds. Slowly the group had managed to find each other in the blinding rage and had forcefully pressed on in a completely random direction, until Rei, and Matt to a degree, had sensed something close and began to move in a different direction. After another minute, what appeared to be the form of some kind of large structure loomed into the distance. As the group had approached, Mercury managed to spot two large golden doors on the front of the building with the aid of her visor. It was the destination the group was heading for when Artemis had yelled out.
 "Oh! I... I... can't!"
 As quickly as she said it, Sailor Moon was suddenly flung backward from the wind. She uncontrollably slammed into Tuxedo Moogle, who had been walking behind her. He stopped with some difficulty, scooped Sailor Moon up into his arms and covered her with his cape, creating a make-shift caccoon. He slowly began to push on again as Sailor Moon clutched his waist and pushed her face into his chest to bury it from the stinging sand. The second she did, another shout raced through the air. This one came from Sailor Venus as a surge in the wind pelted her and flung her back in the same manner as Sailor Moon had been. Unfortunate, no one was behind her to catch her as she plowed into the ground and began to roll backwards, apparently unconscious. As she did, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter grabbed onto each other for support. But instead of support, Mercury collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, pulling Mercury and Jupiter down with her. The trio fell to the ground and stopped moving.
 Tuxedo Moogle had managed to scoop up a limp Luna and a wounded Artemis. Luna appeared to have passed out from exhaustion, while Artemis looked as if he was struck by one of the larger rocks that were twirling through the air dangerously. Tuxedo Moogle wrapped them in the caccoon of his cape he held in his aching arms and continued to move forward until he reached the set of large golden doors. He gratefully dropped to his knees and unwrapped Sailor Moon and the cats. He took off his cape and laid it over her as he set her up against the large doors, using them for some protection from the wind. Tuxedo Moogle groaned in pain and frustration as he rose again and stumbled backwards in the wind. He managed to regain his balance and moved back out into the storm to help the others. He came upon the rest of the fallen group a moment later, scooped them up and carried them to the door one by one. Moogle finally managed to get the entire group to the doors, with Sailor Jupiter being last since she was the heaviest. Moogle sighed a breath of relief and collapsed onto the ground along with the others. Before his body completely gave out, he managed to reach up and slam his fist into one of the large doors, in a vain attempt to let someone know he was outside. Realizing he had no more energy, he slowly nestled his head under his body in a fetal position and blacked-out...

         ****

 A bright light suddenly flashed, causing considerable pain. He quickly opened his eyes to see what happened. He saw nothing but white. As he stared out into the white, a black shadow crossed his eyes and stopped in front of him. He tried to reach out to the shadow, but found that he could not move anything but his eyes.
 "Celina! Quick! The male is coming out of it! Get the medical herbs." the shadow shouted in a light, feminine voice into the white loudly. As she did, the figure's eyes began to focus and clear. When it became clear enough, he looked up. He was staring into the face of a beautiful black-haired woman with bright gray eyes, wearing what appeared to be somekind of nurse's dress.
 "Wha-- What happened...?"
 "Just relax. We found you laying outside the royal gates two hours ago... You were brought here to recover. Your safe here. What's your name?"
 "My... name? My name is Matt." replied the figure dryly. He was inwardly grateful that he could remember his name this time.
 He tried to sit up, but reaching the half-way point he became dizzy and light-headed. The nurse standing in front of him slowly placed her hands on his chest lightly and prevented him rising further. Matt moaned in pain and eventually laid back down.
 "Matt... You just woke up! Your going to have to rest for awhile."
 "I can't. My friends."
 Matt made another attempt to sit up. This time he made it, despite the pain. The nurse watched in wonder as he made the attempt, but did not try to stop him again. He painfully rose and looked around at his surroundings. He was in a white, sterile-looking room. Set around the room were beds with various people in them, all male. Dotting the room were other female 'nurses', all dressed in white mini-suits. One approached him and brought a reddish leaf to his face, placing it on his forehead. The minute it touched, it became attached and began to shoot welcomed coolness through Matt's pounding head. Quickly glancing down, Matt realized he was completely nude. He tossed the sheet over his lap and blushed slightly.
 "Your friends are fine. But, if we hadn't found them when we did..."
 "Where are they? And where are my clothes?"
 "Ok, ok. Just relax now. You need to converse your strength. Your friends are in the female sickroom. The two cats have been sent to the animal healer. He is helping them."
 "Ok... now, could I possibly get some clothes? It's a little drafty in here." said Matt, a small appearing on his face. The 'nurse' laughed softly and smiled also, missing Matt's smile change into a grimace from the pain. "One more thing. I have an odd request. Could you also tell me where am I?"
 "Well, as for clothes, they're coming. You can see your friends as soon as you rest... and welcome to Kingdom of Io."

    ****

 "Matt? What happened? What's going--" Mina suddenly paused as she winced from the pain, "What's going on...?"
 "Shh.. relax Mina. I don't --ouch-- I don't know. But, for now we're safe. I think--" Matt stopped as the pain began to overwhelm him. He became dizzy and stumbled back, but regained his balance and stood straight again.
 He was in the female nursing ward. After working on the nurse on duty outside the ward, he had managed to get her to let him in for awhile. The room was identical to his, except this ward was dotted with male nurses.
 "Figures." Matt thought when he had entered.
 When he entered the room, he had been greeted with the smell of exotic plants that he had never seen in his life. Of course, his memory of his life consisted of the past week or so, but still... the plants did not look like anything close to what he had seen on Earth. As for the scouts, the five girls were all lined up together in 5 separate, adjacent beds. Mina was the closest to him, and the only one awake. All five girls were covered in various bandages, identical to the ones that had been placed on Matt's ribs and forehead.
 "Sure. I feel real safe right now. I don't even know where we are." Mina whispered sarcastically. "Did we make it to Io? Is this it?"
 "Yes, Mina, this is Io. And as for safety, I know how you feel. But, they did save us. Besides, we are here on a friendly little visit. They should have been already expecting us."
 "Your probably right..." Mina said, coughing slightly. Matt smiled and looked around. Ami was beginning to move in the bed next to Mina's. She gave a little moan and opened her eyes. A male nurse quickly rushed over and applied similar leaf to the one that Matt and Mina were wearing. The male spoke something softly to her and moved to check on the still-unconsious Rei, Lita, and Serena.
 Matt slowly crossed to the space between Mina and Ami, and kneeled down facing Ami.
 "Good morning, Ami. How do you feel?" softly whispered Matt as a smile stretched across his pained face.
        "I'm... I'm fine." Ami whispered, becoming seized by a coughing fit. Matt could tell that she was a lot worse than 'fine'.
 "I hate to say it... but you've looked better. Are you sure your all right?" spoke Matt, trying to keep back his own pain.
 "I'll be ok... once I get up and--"
 "No.. you'll be ok once you rest and relax. Your in no condition to do anything else. You should stay in bed and impress the nurses with your looks." Matt softly whispered as a smile appeared. He was trying to make her blush, so she would take her mind off the pain that he could feel flowing through her slightly. It had only been a couple hours since Rei had said she would like to train him, and even less time since she had actually started doing so after the breakfast he, Serena, and Rei had. What took Rei, and Matt, by surprise was the dramatic improvement he made over his ability so quickly. By the end of the 'lesson', Matt was, with help from Rei, able to pick out numbers Serena was thinking in her mind. It was like his ability had just been waiting for someone to give it attention, so it could flourish. At the rate Matt was going, he would be able to pick up emotions and presences was good as Rei could in a matter of days. The astonishing thing was that it took Rei all her life just to hone her ability to her current level. And Matt was in the prospect of beating that, given only a matter of days.
 Pushing his train of thought aside, Matt stood up, leaned over, and kissed Ami's hand. He then turned to face Mina, slowly bent down and kissed her forehead and winced as she reached up and hugged him weakly. He straightened up and moved toward Serena's bed, which was the farthest from him. He looked down at the prone forms of Rei and Lita as he made is way between Lita and Serena's bed. He turned and looked down upon Serena's peaceful face.
 "Serena.. please don't worry." said Matt weakly. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. You don't deserve things that have happened to you recently... no one does. I just hope you can forgive me someday for not being quicker back at the Tokyo Tower. Maybe if I had gone up there earlier..."
 Matt's voiced choked in his throat as he tried to finish his sentence. He just couldn't continue. Everyone who was able to, turned their head as he finished. Mina tried to call out, but was cut off by a gesture from Matt. He slowly laid a hand on Serena's hand and squeezed it.
 "Trust me, Serena... I am going to make sure that what happened to us won't be more than a passing glance to us." Matt softly whispered, barely being able to be heard. "There is no way I am going to let these injuries affect us severely."
 He slowly turned and left. Despite the protests of Ami and Mina, he left the room and closed the door. Where he had been, next to Serena, laid a red rose shining in the soft light.
 Matt slowly closed the door and slammed his hand against the wall. He winced as his hand fill with pain. Shaking it vigorously, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a red rose with his other hand, the rose was completely identical to the one left with Serena. It was time he got some answers to the mystery of Io, he thought, raising the rose above his head. He wanted to know why it was so important that the group had to come and get annihilated. And since Luna was unconscious, he only knew one other person to ask.
 The King of Io himself.

         ****

 "Sire?"
 "Yes? What?"
 "A man... a man is here to see you. He's..."
 "I thought I told you I did not want to be disturbed! So why are you bothering me?!"
 Stepping back slightly, the page pressed on, undaunted.
 "Sir, he is wearing a tuxedo and a mask..."
 "I DON'T CARE WHAT THE HELL HE IS-- Wait. What did you say?"
 "A--a tuxedo and a mask...sir. You said that if someone fitting that description came, I should tell you." The page stammered as he cringed under the King's voice.
 "Is he one of the people we found outside?"
 "Yes, sire."
 "Then it must be him." King Joshua said, speaking to himself. The page just continued to stand under the King's cold stare.
 "Should I show him in, sire?"
 "Yes! Of course!" bellowed the King, his anger flaring at being interrupted. The page turned slowly, trying not to show his fear. The King had changed. And it wasn't for the better. Ever since that day, several months before, that they found him sprawled out on the floor after several loud noises were heard coming from his room. The page remembered the day well, because it had been the same day that weird Baron of Helle, Traquen, had come.
 The page left for a moment, and then reappeared a minute later with someone trailing him. The person was Tuxedo Moogle, his forehead still wrapped up in bandages. The page stopped half-way across the hall, bowed, then left quickly. Tuxedo Moogle paused, and turned to gaze that the departing page. He was almost certain that he detected... fear?... coming from the page. He pushed away the thought and continued forward until he reached the first step to the platform. He stopped and stood straight. As several moments passed, the King continued to stare at Tuxedo Moogle, until finally he yell and jumped to his feet.
 "Are you suicidal? How dare you not kneel and show me respect!" raged Joshua as he began to become red in the face.
 "No, your Highness. I will not kneel. Not until you tell me what you are doing to three of my friends." Matt calmly stated as he held his ground, staring at the angered King.
 "What do you mean, 'What have I done?' I'm not medical personale!"
 "No... but you ordered a change of herbs on them, I saw the report when I was next to one. The ones you ordered are different herbs, and those 3 are the only ones who have not even shown a sign of recovering."
 "What are you suggesting? First you do not pay my reverence heed, and now... you are accusing me of-- I should throw you out of my castle right now."
 Suddenly, a new voice cut through the air from the back of the hall. It was a voice the King thought he'd never hear.
 "Interesting way to treat invited guests, King Joshua."
 Slowly, the two turned to see the source of the voice. Though they both knew who it was before they looked, they were still stunned. It was a female's voice.
 It was the voice of Luna.
 As soon as he saw her, the King's face grew softly and almost pleasant instantly. He quickly spoke out has he stood up. Tuxedo Moogle couldn't help but watch with wonder.
 "Luna! Your awake! Oh my... it's been so long! Come here, Kitty-cat!" King Joshua suddenly leapt from the platform, raced past Tuxedo Moogle toward Luna, and scooped her up in his arms. Matt just continued to stand, watching as the scene unfolded.
 "Luna. When they told me that you were a part of the group that they had found in the front of the castle... I couldn't believe my ears!"
 The look Luna gave to King Joshua rivaled the one Tuxedo Moogle was giving him behind his back.
 "Why should it surprise you, Joshua? You are the one who sent the message saying you found me again and you wanted to see me. So... I came like you asked."
 "What? What are you talking about?" asked King Joshua, a perplexed look appearing on his face. "I... I sent no message. How could I? I didn't even know you were alive until you appeared on my front door."
 "Then who sent me a message, in your voice, saying that you wanted to see me?" Luna questioned, jumping from Joshua's arms.
 "I do not know, Luna." replied Joshua, looking between her and Tuxedo Moogle. "Is that why you came? You thought I sent you a message?"
 "Yes. And you did send me a message. At least... someone did."
 "This is very strange indeed." said King Joshua, turning to Tuxedo Moogle. His eyes suddenly altered again. "Ah, but where are my manners? It's been far too long. Luna, allow me to show you around my home, like you showed yours. And while we do, I'll have people check up on your mysterious message."
 "I'd like that very much, Joshua." said Luna, flashing a look at Tuxedo Moogle. He knew she was trying to tell him something.
 "Oh... of course, you are invited to come also." said Joshua, looking at Tuxedo Moogle.
 "No, that's quite all right. I think I will just check up on my friends again." replied Tuxedo Moogle, coldly.
 "Of course. There are rooms ready for all of you in the north-west tower... and I'm sure the little matter we discussed earlier will get straightened out, so do not worry." said King Joshua, referring to the situation with the switched herbs. Tuxedo Moogle felt a chill run down his spine as Joshua smiled at him. He knew there was definitely something going on.
 "Ok... I'll see you back at the rooms, Luna." said Tuxedo Moogle, moving past Luna and Joshua to leave the Royal Hall.
 "Ok, Matt. I'll be there in a little bit." replied Luna, turning back to King Joshua.
 "Have fun... Matt." called King Joshua as Tuxedo Moogle left.
 A dark smile appeared on his face.
 

         ****

 "Ok, Luna. What was going on back there? He changed moods as soon as he saw you."
 Matt paced to the other side of the room as he spoke, stopping next to an empty chair and pausing. He, and the rest of the group, were in his luxurious room. It was about two hours after the incident in the Royal Hall, and now the group had gathered to hear what Luna had to  say. No matter how pretty the room was, it could not cover up the ill-feeling Matt got from the entire place. Matt slowly looked around the room again. Invitation or no invitation, friend or not... something was just not right about the situation. And the fact that Joshua denied knowing about the message Luna got only furthered the mystery.
 On the other side of the of the room stood Lita. She had a black eye and had a bandaged wrist. She was standing next to Mina, who was sitting in a chair identical to the one next to Matt. She had to sit, because she twisted her ankle and bruised a rib. She continually grimaced in pain as she shifted in her chair.
 South of the two chairs was a lush red couch on which sat Rei and Ami. Rei had a large white band wrapped around her forehead and had several nasty cuts on her face. Compared to her, Ami looked perfectly healthy. But, in reality, she suffered just as much. The only visible signs of injury were the white eye patch and a wrapping on her upper arm. She was struck in the eye by a piece of flying rock, which caused her to lose her sight in that eye temporarily. On her lap sat Artemis, who had a large wrapping around his mid-section. He was now purring at the soft touch of Ami's hand as she petted him.
 The worse of the group was Serena, who was laying on the huge king-sized bed just right of the chairs. She had only received one injury, thanks to Matt, but it was the most severe of all. She had broke her left leg at the hip and currently had a splint around it. Thanks to Io medical expertise, they would all recover in a matter of days, even Serena. Until then, though, they were severely hindered.
 "Ok, It's time I told you the whole story. Artemis knows, because he was there. I would just like to say first of all, that person was in the Great Hall was not the King Joshua I knew." Luna spoke as she stood in the center of the circle of furniture. She was the only member of the group who had managed not to get hurt in the sand-storm.
 As Luna finished her sentence, Matt slowly took the seat next him and stared intently at the black cat in the center of the room. All the scouts had managed to shift one way or another as Luna spoke.
 "Owwww... my llleeeeggg!" Serena cried out, disrupting the concentration of the rest of the group.
 "SERENA! You always pick the worse times to complain! Can you please just shut up?" Rei snapped at Serena before any of the group could say anything. Serena turned her head toward Rei and stuck her tongue out. Accepting the challenge, Rei, in turn, stuck her tongue out.
 "Oh boy... there they go again." Mina moaned as she looked at the duo hamming it out.
 "Scouts, please! This is important!" shouted Artemis as he picked his head up and looked at what was happening. He just sighed and laid it down.
 "Yes, Serena, this is important. Can you control yourself for a bit?" spoke up Luna from the ground.
 "Your always picking on me... can't you see I'm in pain?" Serena wailed as Luna finished talking.
 "Serena could you please stop your crying?!" shouted Lita above the noise. At this, the two stopped and turned.
 "Yeah, Serena... Maybe you should EAT those meatballs on the top of your head. Food always shuts you-- Oh no. Serena I'm sorry..." Rei quickly filled in before she could stop herself. Suddenly, all the noise in the room died. The group turned simultaneously toward Serena. It was the first time since the death of Darien that someone had called her meatball-head.
 "It's all right... Don't worry about it. I'll be quiet, I promise." Serena softly as she looked away from the group, her mind on Darien.
 Matt slowly stood up and crossed over to the bed. He slowly sat next Serena, causing her to look up. Smiling and taking her hand, Matt motioned for Luna to continue.
 "The king and I go away back. All the way back to the time of the Silver Millennium, when all the planets were in perfect harmony..."

         ****

 "So, it is agreed upon that this council will allow a delegate from the moon of Io to come and apply for membership into the Moon Kingdom, as a separate sect from the planet Jupiter. If there are no more questions or comments, this council will reconvene after the arrival of the Iosion ambassador. Agreed?"
 Luna slowly flashed a look around the council chambers, watching as the rest of council members nodded in agreement. She wondered if some of the members would have agreed to anything at that point just to get out of the stuffy, hot room the Royal Council had resided in. She, and the rest of the council members, eventually returned their gaze back to the head of the council, Queen Serenity. Even through hot, heated debate about whether it was proper for a moon of a planet already in the Moon Kingdom to apply for a separate membership, Queen Serenity had managed to retain her cool, calm composure. Her refreshing beauty, no doubt, made it tolerable for some of council members to make it through the entire proceedings. Now, at the end of the convenement, it was harder than ever to keep calm. Luna knew that the only thing holding some of the more green members of the Royal Council from running from the Council Hall and not returning was, most likely, Queen Serenity. Luna, and the other members, looked up towards the rather large table opposite of the sloping rows of chairs in which the council members sat, towards Queen Serenity, who sat at the table, as she spoke again.
  "Now, I realize that most of us, not excluding myself, have sat and listened as the same debate was passed back and forth through all the Council sessions. We are now at a stale-mate between discussions, with the same problem we came to debate still looming over us at the end. True, Io is officially apart of Jupiter and is considered a part of this Moon Kingdom, because it is considered a part of Jupiter. But the reason for all this debate, as you know, is because, even though Io is only a moon of Jupiter... it is no ordinary moon." spoke Queen Serenity, whose soft, melodical voice instantly silenced some of the more rowdy council members. She paused, glancing around the chambers, looking at each person in the room. Her gaze stopped momentarily on Luna, who was near the front of the council, and then continued to look on. "Iosion society, it's government, and it's technology are all vastly different from that of Jupiter. And I believe that the only way to learn if Io is truly different enough to constitute an agreement to its request for membership into the Moon Kingdom is to allow Io to come here and argue its case personally. So..."
 Queen Serenity paused slightly, allowing the realization that she was about to give the final decision on the matter to pass through all the council members. Luna had always admired Queen Serenity's ability to deliver a powerful and dramatic speech. The solar system could have not asked for a better, or more charismatic leader.
 " ...I am hereby granting Io's request to send its delegates to speak on its behalf. Until the delegates arrive... this Royal Council is dismissed. We will reconvene once the delegates have arrived, and are properly prepared. Good day, everyone."
 Luna subconsciously flinched as she prepared herself for the onslaught of sound that was going to erupt from a group that had been almost just been the pinnacle of etiquette, and were now allowed to talk freely.
 Luna's fears did not go unanswered.
 Within moments, the council chambers instantly became a gauntlet of pounding feet and moving bodies. For Luna, the scene was one that, realistically, could critically injure her, considering that she was a less-than-foot tall cat. Guided by a sense that could not be compared to anything in human experience, but was as common as hunger was to some animals, Luna guided herself through the phalanx of shuffling appendages at top speed. Before she realized it, she had reached the doors to the Grand Hall and exploded outward into a reasonably empty hallway. She stopped finally and gave a gasp of relief.
 "And I thought the council could be dangerous when they were all still sitting!" heaved Luna, catching her breath. As she did, she sensed someone was staring at her from behind, through the crowd of smiling and frowning council members. She quickly whirled to face an even-faced Artemis.
 "Nice hundred-yard dash, Kitty-cat." Artemis declared, as he approached Luna. Luna just frowned at him, instead of yelling at him for using the nickname 'Kitty-cat', which she could not stand. He did it just to 'get her goat'.
 "How about we go for some lunch? I'm starved."
 "Artemis..." she responded, in a cold-tone. "When are you NOT starved?"
 Artemis gave her a look of mock hurt, smiled sheepishly.
 "When I'm eating."
 Luna slowly rolled her eyes, and glanced around at the hallway. It was beginning to become congested with council members as they finished their post-meeting conversations with people they really didn't like, but played a delicate dance of political wit and savvy just to impress others who were trying to impress others themselves. Luna never wanted any part of that.
 "Doesn't really matter, anyways, since I can't eat with you. I promised the Princess I would dine with her today." Luna spoke, raising her voice slightly so she could be heard of the din. She could instantly see Artemis's demeanor turn dark. "I'm sorry, but I think its best if I check on her. The fact that Prince Darien has not contacted her in more than three weeks is really getting to her. And with all the reports of violence erupting all over Earth for no reason, I'm not surprised. So, if you'll excuse me Artemis, I need to get going before this hallway turns into another 'hundred-yard dash'."
 Artemis watched with a frown, but said nothing as Luna turned on her heels and began to move off swiftly down the hall. As she disappeared from sight, he turned to one of the windows lining the halls and sighed. After another moment, he turned on his heels also, and began to walk in the opposite direction of Luna, at a much slower pace.

          ****

 "Oh, Luna... I worry so."
 Luna glanced up from her small plate of nutrient-enriched food to a sad-faced Princess Serena. Luna noticed that the Princess had not touched her the food on her plate.
 "I know you do, Princess. I wish I could be of help..." replied Luna, "but... all I can do is tell you that I truly believe that he is all right."
 "I wish I had your confidence, Luna." Serena whispered as she looked away from Luna and into the distance, distractedly. After a moment of silence, she came around from her trance and looked down at the plates of food in front of her and Luna. "Say, Luna... why don't we eat out on the balcony? The view of the Earth above the fountains is simply gorgeous."
 "That sounds like an excellent idea, Princess."
 Within a few moments, the duo was comfortably lounging out on the Princess's bedroom balcony. Beneath the balcony, a view of Royal Guards and residents of the Moon Palace could be seen milling about near the enormous fountains that stretched out in front of the Palace. Luna noticed, not surprised in the least bit, that Princess Serena was not gazing at the fountains or the sight below them, but instead, at the radiant Earth above them.
 "Oh, Luna... love is such a difficult beast to tame. It seems to inflict as much pain as it does giving pleasure." Serena revealed, her gaze shifting from the magnificent-looking Earth to Luna. "Luna? Have you ever known true love?"
 Luna recoiled slightly as the question caught her completely off-guard. She faltered a bit, to Serena's amusement, and finally regained enough composure to manage:
 "H-huh?"
 "Oh, Luna..." spoke Princess Serena, laughing softly. "I asked you if you have ever found a true love."
 Luna couldn't help it but blush and look away from Princess Serena's gaze.
    "I...err... I mean, I..." fumbled Luna, nervousness penetrating her voice. She slowly turned to look at Serena, and sighed slightly.
 "No."
 "Luna, you'll never realize what in life you have been missing out on until you finally fall in love." replied Serena.
 "But, Princess... I... I've been so busy... I don't have the time... I--" floundered Luna, looking for words that were not coming.
 "Listen to me, Luna. You can't go out and hunt down love." cut in Serena, stopping Luna's non-communication. "If, and when, it is true love, Luna... it will find you. It will find you when you least expect it, it will steal your heart from you, and it will run with it."
 Luna could think of nothing to say. She just slowly nodded her head, replaying Princess Serena's words in her mind.
 "...when is is true love... it will find you."

          ****

  "There. There it is..."
 Instantly, the crowd of people turned to look into the sky where one of the members was pointing. For a moment, Luna could see nothing except dark sky. As she squinted and gazed, a flash of light glint of metal in the distant sky where Luna gazed signaled the arrival of the Iosion delegates. It had been a little less than a week after the final meeting of the Royal Council. Luna could hardly believe that the greeting party, consisting of several members of the council with Queen Serenity in the lead, was now welcoming the ambassadorial party from Io when it seemed like only hours ago the council was still debating on even allowing them to come. Luna was almost impatient with excitement as the dark, silverish starship came into view. Should the moon Io be accepted into the Moon Kingdom, it would be the greatest unprecedented event in the history of the Moon Kingdom, excluding the formation of the Moon Kingdom with the five inter-most planets a little more than a thousand years before. The massive starship that was beginning to make its landing on the platform in front of Luna might very well hold the future of the Moon Kingdom within it.
 Luna watched in slight awe as the ship extended three landing legs from it's sleek underside and touched down onto the surface of the moon. A moment later, the starship's main engine and auxiliary thrusters died out.
 The Iosions had arrived.
 Luna looked over the starship's smooth, edged hull as the group waited for something to happen. As the did, Luna's eyes fell upon writing on the hull that told her that the starship was christened the "Firestorm Legend" in Iosion. Luna had made it her first priority to learn as much about the Iosions as she could way back in the beginning of the acceptance discussions. That had including learning some of the basics of the Iosions writing style.
 Luna's thoughts were interrupted suddenly as a loud sound emanated from the "Firestorm Legend." She turned just in time to see a black, rectangle-shaped outline form on a section of the hull. She watched as the part of the hull slowly pulled away from the ship at the top, and swung downward onto the ground, forming a ramp. From the hole in the hull left by it, a bright light emerged, preventing anyone from glimpsing what was inside. Some of the council members shielded their eyes as they watched the ramp come to a stop. Luna took a step forward.
 From the hole in the hull, a black human-shaped outline appeared, silhouetted by the light behind it. It paused for a moment at the top of the ramp, then began to descend down to the ground. As it did, Queen Serenity moved forward to greet the person. The instant the figure reached ground-level, the daylight finally prevailed over the light from the ship, and Luna finally saw the figure clearly. Luna's breath suddenly caught in her throat as she looked on to the figure standing in front of the ship.
 He was the most handsome human Luna had ever seen.
 Luna blinked once, then twice, as the figure took a step up to Queen Serenity. The figure was wearing a beautiful, dark green cloak which hung off his broad shoulders. Beneath the cloak, the figure wore a tunic, a pair of pants, and knee-high boots all the same color as his cloak. Luna raised her eyes from his boots to his head, which had a mane of straight, strand-like, silverish-white hair coming down to the base of his neck. A short strand or two hung down over his face, coming to about his eyebrow.
 "Who is that?" Luna thought, slightly stunned. She watched as the figure approached Queen Serenity.
 "Welcome to Luna, the moon of Earth. I am Queen Serenity." spoke Queen Serenity, her voice calm and even.
 The figure slowly reached out and took Queen Serenity's hand in his own. He slowly brought it to his lips and kissed it softly.
 "Thank you, your Majesty. I bring greetings from the moon of Io." spoke the figure in a soft, soothing tone. "I am Joshua Thelios Derimond, the King of Io."

         ****

  "Wow... so you had a crush on him from the beginning? Oooo... how romantic."
 The group instantly turned to Serena, who recoiled slightly.
 "Serena, please? Luna is trying to tell the story." growled Rei, from her seat.
 "Oh.. yeah. Sorry." replied Serena, smiling foolishly. The group, including Matt, rolled their eyes simultaneously.
 "Please, Luna. Continue." Ami said, once things had settled down again.
 "Well, like I said..." began Luna again, shuffling her feet slightly. "When... when I first saw him, I... I mean, it was just so shocking. I had never felt that way about anyone before."
 Artemis slowly lowered his eyes as Luna continued on.
 "But my first encounter with him didn't last long. After that, Queen Serenity asked him to join her for dinner and to discuss Io's situation. In the meantime, the greeting party, including I, showed the rest of the Iosion delegates on-board the "Firestorm Legend" to their quarters in the Moon Palace."
 "How many were there in all?" questioned Lita.
 "Five... six if you included King Joshua. Once they had been shown to their rooms, I retired to my own room. The next time I got a chance to see him was the council meeting the next morning. He delivered Io's case home with such force and charisma, that it was almost certain that the hold-outs against Io's admittance would give-in. It was after the session that I got my second chance to be near him..."

         ****

 "If there is no further questions, or objections for King Joshua..." spoke Queen Serenity, pausing to see if anyone would act on her offer. Seeing no one wanting to voice themselves, Queen Serenity continued on. "... then this council is dismissed until tomorrow. At that time, we'll cast our final vote for the question of Io's separate acceptance into the Moon Kingdom. Good day, everyone."
 Instead of the pounding rush to get out of their seats like usual, Luna watched with slight amusement as most of the council members rose slowly from their feet, and looked to others with wide eyes. King Joshua had truly made an impression with his speech about the suffering the Iosions suffered just to hang on to existence. Luna was still having trouble believing that the King of Io was real.
 Luna quickly glanced around through the labyrinth of council members, searching for King Joshua. To her dismay, she found him at Queen Serenity's side, chatting and laughing softly. She couldn't believe the feelings that were coming over her as she watched the pair.
 Was she jealous?
 Luna pushed the thought away quickly. No, she couldn't be. In all her life, she had never acted so... so foolishly. And she wasn't about to start now.
 Unfortunately, even as Luna thought the words, her legs began to propel her from her chair and down the sloped ramp which held the mass of chairs in which council members sat, straight towards King Joshua. She stopped after a moment, and firmly told herself that she would not disturb him now. Before her emotions could interfere, she quickly spun around and bolted from the chambers into the hallway outside. Like a bad case of deja vu, Artemis was waiting for her there.
 "Impressive, Luna. Every day I see you, you seem to make that dash in less and less time." smirked Artemis, dryly. Luna just looked at him, breathlessly. "Now, how about that lunch?"
 "Artemis..." spoke Luna, her eyes flickering around in hopes of catching King Joshua exiting the council chambers. "I'm sorry. I can't today. I've... I've got alot of things to do."
 "Oh, ok... I understand." spoke Artemis, trying to sound indifferent about it. Even so, Luna could tell he was hurt. "Yeah... I've got things to do, too. I guess... I guess I'll catch you later."
 Before Luna could utter a sound, Artemis was moving in the opposite direction at a very quick pace.
 "Artemis--!" Luna called futilely. Artemis kept moving, without stopping, until he was out of sight. Luna stood still for a moment, then sighed heavily. The end of her sigh suddenly caught in her throat as she turned around back to the chamber doors and saw King Joshua emerging.
 Alone.
 Luna watched him as he made his way down the hall. After he had put some distance between him and her, she quickly bolted off towards him, trailing him. She watched him as he exited the hall through one of it's open ends and made his way to a large, crystal fountain in the front plaza. He sat down on the edge of the platform and turned his gaze up towards the blue Earth, hanging in the dark sky above the palace. Luna saw it as he chance to talk to King Joshua. She quickly rushed to the edge of the open hallway and stopped. She composed herself slightly, and walked out regally towards the sitting Joshua. She was almost giddy as she reached the edge of the fountain and gazed upon King Joshua intently, who failed to notice her. She realized that up close, he was even more handsome than she had remembered. She finally decided to get his attention, and 'meowed' affectionately. King Joshua instantly whirled around to face Luna, who quickly stopped breathing.
 "Oh! Hello, kitty-cat." said Joshua, a warm smile appearing on his face. His voice was slowly hypnotizing Luna. "What you doing out here today? Have you come to look at the Earth? Isn't it gorgeous?"
 Luna replied by leaping up onto the edge of the fountain next to King Joshua. She was rewarded by an even warmer smile from him. She watched as he laid his hand upon her head, and began to pet her softly. Luna felt like she was going to collapse from excitement.
 "What do you think, Kitty? Do you think that Io has a chance at being accepted into Moon Kingdom?" King Joshua questioned, turning back to look at the Earth.
 Luna decided to make her move.
 "With a speech like the one you gave today? I think your going very happy with the vote tomorrow." Luna replied, a small smile appearing on her face. The look on King Joshua's face when he turned to look at Luna was enough to cause Luna to laugh out loud. He slowly withdrew his hand.
 "Y-you... you can talk!" stuttered King Joshua, his eyes wide. His mouth dropped open slightly.
 "Yes I can, King Joshua." Luna replied, her voice almost a whisper.
 Slowly, King Joshua's surprise wore off, and was replaced with a look of amusement.
 "Do you have a name?" asked Joshua, his voice back to it's normal, soft tone.
 "My name is Luna."
 "Oh! Like this moon!" said Joshua, who received a nod from Luna. "You'll have to pardon me, Luna. Your the first cat I have ever had a conversation with."
 "Don't worry, King Joshua. Your reaction wasn't much different from anyone else I have met when they first find out I can talk." replied Luna, softly.
 "Please, Luna. Just call me Joshua."
 "Joshua..." Luna repeated, in a trance-like state. Joshua looked at her questioningly as she stared off into space.
 "Luna? Are you all right?"
 Luna suddenly snapped from her trance and looked at Joshua. After a moment, she blushed deeply, causing Joshua to smile warmly again.
 "I'm sorry, King... err, Joshua. I was just thinking..."
 "You seem to have alot on your mind."
 "No... just you." Luna thought silently to herself. She didn't know what to do now. She was finally talking to him, but she didn't know what to say. She had to think of something, quick.
 "Joshua... can I ask you a question?"
 "Anything, Luna."
 "I have been studying your culture and people recently, and something puzzles me..." Luna said, actually talking about something she wanted to know. "...there has been people on Io for more than 5000 years..."
 "True."
 "... and the Derimonds have been ruling family line since the beginning..."
 "Also true."
 "... but according to all the information I got on Io, there has only been three rulers, in all. How can that be?"
 King Joshua smiled, and sighed slightly.
 "Let me ask you something, Luna. How old do you think I am?" questioned Joshua, a look Luna could not quite place in his eyes. She looked at him from head to toe, then rested her eyes on his face again.
 "I don't know... twenty-nine, thirty-ish?"
 "Luna... I am 524 years old."
 "What?!" questioned Luna, her eyes wide. She slowly rose to her feet.
 "Why are you so surprised? How long is the royal blood-line of the Moon?"
 "Well... I mean... that's different!" responded Luna, her eyes looking Joshua over again with disbelief. "Our lives are prolonged by the Silver Crystal. But... you have no such thing. How...?"
 "When my grandfather and grandmother, Azrael and Ravana Derimond, left Jupiter with a small group seeking freedom, they fell upon Io. After about twenty years, the group realized they were no longer aging properly. To this day, we still don't know what is causing it, other than the fact that it has to be something about Io itself. Starting with the second generation of Iosions, including my father, Thelios Derimond, the longevity became hereditary."
 "How... how long--" stuttered Luna, looking for the right words that wouldn't sound like an invasion of privacy.
 "How long do we live?" Joshua finished for her. "Well... the oldest age ever recorded was 2,512 years."
 Luna could do nothing but look at Joshua stunned. Even with the Silver Crystal, the royal family's lifeline was only about 1000 years.
 "Let me tell you something, Luna." Joshua spoke, a smile appearing on his face. "No matter old you get, hunger is always going to follow you. I am starved."
 Luna realized that she was hungry, too. The last time she ate was the night before the Iosions arrival, a day ago.
 "Would you care to join me for a little lunch, Luna? I'd be honored if you'd join me."
 Luna couldn't believe her ears. It was dream come true.
 "Of.. of course! I'd love to join you." replied Luna. She realized that she was fumbling around, while Joshua was cool and collected. She took a deep breath and regained her composure. "But... only one condition."
 "And what might that be?" returned Joshua, rising to his feet and stretching slightly.
 "You have to tell me more stories about you and the Iosions." Luna answered, smiling. Joshua laughed softly, and nodded. With a warm smile, he scooped up Luna in his arms and began walking back into the palace.
 "Well... the Iosions came about when a group of people on Jupiter, lead by my grandfather, decided to go and seek out there freedom away from everyone else. Now, as you might have imagined, the ruling line on Jupiter wasn't about to allow us to go peacefully. So, my grandfather hijacked a dreadnought called the 'Firestorm' from Jupiter's small starfleet..."

          ****

 "What did you eat?"
 "What?" asked Luna, looking up towards the bed where Serena sat with Matt.
 "What did you eat?" repeated Serena. She looked around at all the quizzical looks everyone was giving her. "At lunch, I mean."
 After a moment of letting what Serena said sink in, the Luna and Artemis sighed futilely while the rest of the scouts slapped their foreheads.
 "Please, Serena. Why do you ask such non-sense questions? How is she suppose to remember what she ate after more than a thousand years?" called Lita, her voiced showing signs of annoyance.
 "Yeah, Serena..." chimed in Rei, a wicked smile forming on her mouth. "I bet you can't even remember what you ate for breakfast yesterday."
 "Of course I can! I had..." began Serena, boldly. She suddenly stopped in mid-sentence and took on a quizzical look. After pausing for a minute, she suddenly whispered disappointedly:
 "Never mind."
 The group sighed in unison.
 "Well, like I was saying..." Luna began again, flashing a cold look at Serena, who made a tiny 'erk' and stayed silent. "... I had lunch with King Joshua. After that, he went to another private meeting with Queen Serenity. The next time I would see him would be at the meeting the next morning, where, sure enough, the acceptance of Io into the Moon Kingdom was virtually unanimous. To celebrate the historical event, the Palace was going to throw one of the largest parties in history that night. I decided that i could not hang out in the shadows any longer. He was going back to Io soon, and now that he knew me, I wanted to finish what I started."
 The scouts looked on sympathetically, realizing what Luna had gone through, and what she was going through now, reliving painful memories.
 "My mind was racing with ideas on how to get to him at the ball. I had never really attended one myself, so I couldn't just "show up" at this one, because it would arouse suspicion. There was only one thing I could possibly do, so I did it. And now that I look back on it, it is most likely the craziest thing I have ever done in my life..."

         ****

 Luna slowly pushed opened the large double-doors that led into the Silver Crystal's chamber. She couldn't believe that she was actually going to go through with her crazy idea. If she got caught, she'd have one difficult time explaining just what she was doing.
 Realizing that it was most likely too late to turn back now, Luna slowly slipped into the chamber, where her eyes fell upon the glowing Silver Crystal at the other end of the small chamber, resting on a stomach-high pillar. Stomach-high for a human, that is. Luna quickly glanced around the room one more time for peace of mind, and quickly moved up to the pillar that held the crystal. Attached to her back was a rather large package that hindered some of her movement. In the package, were a set of clothes.
 "Silver Crystal..." Luna called up to the top of the pillar, her voice nothing more than a loud whisper. "There is someone who is very special to me here on the moon. But that person will be leaving soon, and my last chance to tell him how I feel will be tonight. I beg you, Silver Crystal, turn me into a human for this night only so I might meet that person and finally tell him how I feel. Please, I beg you."
 Luna fell silent as she gazed at the pillar intently. For a moment, nothing changed. Then, without warning, the top of the pillar exploded with a bright white light. Luna flinched as the light instantly engulfed her. As the light washed over her and the room, she could feel a giddy tingling in her entire body. After what seemed like an eternity, the light finally faded, it's warmth replaced with a dull chill. Luna, looking around her, quickly realized why she was cold. She no longer had fur.
 She was human.
 She was also completely nude. Luna realized, through her haze of surprise, that if someone should come in at that exact moment, it would turn into a very interesting scene real quick. Shaking off her surprise, Luna slowly rose to her feet unsteadily, not use to standing on two feet instead of four, and bent down to the package she had been carrying, which had fallen off. It didn't take her long to get adjusted to her new body, and quickly got dressed in a loose, dark outfit that she had placed into the package. It wasn't very good formal-wear, but until the ball it would do nicely for casual wear. Luna quickly reached behind her neck and grabbed the long, flowing mane of curly blackish-blue hair that dropped down to her waist. She wondered what she looked like as a human, whether she was pretty or not. Putting the mane of hair into a ponytail, using a tie she brought, Luna quickly scooped up the packaging her clothes were in and made for the doors to the chamber. She glanced back at the Silver Crystal one last time, smiled, and ran from the room.
 She had to get ready for the ball.

          ****

 The nervousness was beginning to get to her. She continued to watch, from her vantage point near the buffet table, the large main doors to the banquet hall. Around her, every form of happiness was taking place -- from dancing, to laughing, to romancing, the celebration for Io was one of the largest balls the Moon Kingdom had ever thrown. Unfortunately, Luna had yet to take part in it. She had entered, lavishly dressed in a yellowish dress, and went straight for the buffet table, where she remained waiting for his arrival. She had been waiting a little more than fifteen minutes, and she had already been approached by three different men, which asking for a dance with her. She only hoped that when King Joshua came, he would take as much notice of her as others did. Until then, she would have to just wait and hope.
 Fortunately, she did not have wait long. A moment later, Luna watched eagerly as the doors to the room split apart, revealing a tuxedo-clad King Joshua. Luna smiled as she looked down to his dress shirt under the coat of his tux. Instead of the uniform white almost everyone was wearing, he was wearing a dark-green colored shirt, the same color as the outfit he wore when her arrived on Io. Luna found him incredibly attractive in the suit.
 Slowly, King Joshua began making his way around the hall, greeting people and giving polite, called-for 'hello's. Luna realized that etiquette was such a strange thing. But, if she wanted to impress Joshua, she would need to act perfectly. She was just about to look away from Joshua, when her heart suddenly caught in her throat. King Joshua was beginning to make his way to the buffet table. Luna couldn't believe her eyes, when the impossible happened next.
 "Good evening, my Lady." spoke Joshua, in his soothing voice. He gave a short bow to Luna. After hours of constant practice she put in that afternoon, she automatically flayed her dress and bowed also, without even thinking. Not that she was sure she could right then, anyways. Her mind was racing with excitement. She couldn't believe the luck that King Joshua had actually picked her out of the huge crowd of people.
 "And to you, good Gentleman."
 "I don't believe we met before..." Joshua said, taking Luna's hand in his and kissing it softly. Luna was about pass out. "I am Joshua Derimond, King of Io."
 "Good evening, King Joshua. My name is..." Luna began, suddenly faltering in mid-sentence. She had never thought of an alias for her. She couldn't called herself Luna, for obvious reasons. Her mind quickly raced through all the names she knew in a desperate attempt to find a name before Joshua became suspicious. An instant later, she fell upon the perfect name. It was completely different from her real name, but yet... it was exactly the same. "... my name is Selene."
  "Selene..." Joshua echoed, letting the word roll softly around his lips. "It's a beautiful name."
 Luna blushed slightly, turning away from Joshua slightly. She could get a grasp on the strange feelings that were washing over her. She had never felt like this before.
 "Thank you, King Joshua."
 "Please. Call me Joshua." insisted Joshua, smiling broadly. A moment later, his smile faded into a distant, perplexed look. Luna wondered if she had done something wrong.
 "Are... are you all right, Joshua?" asked Luna, concern in her voice. King Joshua instantly snapped from his trance, and looked at Luna with a lop-sided grin.
 "Sorry. I just had the strongest sense of deja vu..." he said, looking at Luna closely. "Are... are you sure we haven't met before?"
 "I'm... I'm positive." replied Luna, trying to keep her sadness from her voice. She wanted so bad to tell him that it was her, and that she had been turned into a human temporarily for him.
 "Oh, well. Then it looks like I have pleasure of getting to meet you for the first time after all, doesn't it." Joshua said, smiling. He paused and listened as the band finished a sweet, waltz-like melody and prepared for a new song. He quickly turned back to Luna, and extended his hand towards her. "Would you allow me the pleasure of having a dance with you?"
 Luna's blush grew brighter as she watched herself, almost externally, give her hand to Joshua.
 "I'd love to."

         ****

 For her first time dancing, Luna managed to put on quite a display. Through the rest of the evening, the duo danced on and on, Luna reveling in every minute of it. And to her delight, she got the impression that King Joshua was enjoying it almost as much as she was, if not more. At times, it became only her and Joshua on the dance floor, while everyone stopped and admired to two. It was more perfect an evening than Luna could have ever hoped for. Now, only one thing remained. She waited until King Joshua and her decided to take a break, and take a walk out in the lush gardens that surrounded the Moon Palace. By some twist of fate, Luna and King Joshua somehow made their way to the large fountain in front of the Moon Palace where she had first talked to him. She realized that she was going to get no better chance than right then.
 "Joshua? Might I ask you something?" Luna asked timidly, lightly tightening the grip on Joshua's hand that she held.
 "Anything, Selene. Anything at all." responded Joshua, smiling warmly as he gazed into her eyes.
 "Do you..." Luna began, groping for the right words. "Do you think it's possible for two people to love each other, based on what each person was like... no matter how different their exteriors were?"
 "Selene... I believe that love does not discriminate between looks, or beauty, or material possessions. Love is an attraction between two people, that bind them together in a way that truly unique and wonderful. Now, if that attraction of love is based on who those people are mentally, and not physically, then I don't believe that any part of the physical nature of the two could stand in the way of their love, if it is true love."
 "I'm... I'm so glad you said that, Joshua. I--"
 Luna's sentence was suddenly short by an interruption from Joshua. Luna quickly looked up at him.
 "Ah... wait, Selene. You got a chance to ask me a question..." said Joshua, looking at Luna intently. "don't you think it would only be fair if I got the same chance?"
 Luna looked at him perplexedly as she tried to figure out what he was doing.
 "Of... of course. I'm sorry. Ask me anything you like." Luna returned, unsure of what Joshua was going to ask.
 "I just have one small question..." Joshua said, "I was wondering if you always change into a human at night, Luna."
 Luna suddenly recoiled in fear as the realization of what Joshua said to her swept over her. How long had he known? Luna felt like such a fool. Seeing no point in denying it, all Luna could get out as a response was:
 "How--How long...?"
 "How long have I known?" said Joshua, finishing for her. Luna quickly shut her mouth and nodded. "Luna... I've known since the first time I saw you at the ball tonight. Why do you think I homed in right on you through the entire crowd of people? I wanted to find out what you were doing, and why. And now that I know..."
 King Joshua suddenly stopped in mid-sentence and gazed at Luna heavily. Before Luna realized what she was even doing, she found herself in a tight embrace, kissing King Joshua passionately. Luna, for the first time in as long as she could remember, let go off all her worries and inhibitions and just emersed herself in the pool of emotions and feelings that were swimming through her head. It was the most incredible feeling she had ever experienced. She realized now why love was such a celebrated thing.
 As she floated through the depths of her love, she was suddenly yanked back into reality by the sound of Joshua's communicator. Using her willpower, she and Joshua finally managed break off the kiss, so he could go for his communicator. He quickly pulled the small instrument from the coat of his tuxedo and flicked it on.
 "Derimond here..." Joshua called, Luna detecting with some amusement, a hint of annoyance in his voice. A second later, an unfamiliar voice came over the communicator.
 "King Joshua, this is Adius."
 "Yes, Adius. Go ahead..." replied Joshua, rolling his eyes. Luna managed to suppress a small giggle.
 "Listen, sir... we've... we've received an emergency call for help from Io. They are requesting that return at once." said Adius, his voice sounding much younger than Joshua's. He must have only been 200-300, or so. Luna watched as the half-smile on Joshua's face quickly vanished. He slowly sat rigid.
 "What do you mean 'an emergency call'?" questioned Joshua, his voice deadly serious. "What kind of emergency?"
 "I... I don't know, sir. The message wasn't specific. It just send 'emergency' and 'come home.'" the voice in the communicator replied.
 "Damn." sighed Joshua, looking up at Luna in despair. Luna could only look at him with sympathy. "All right... I'm on my way. Get the rest of the group together, and start the pre-flight sequence."
 "Yes, sir. Adius out."
 "Damn." Joshua repeated, shoving the communicator back into his coat with some force. Luna was instantly on her feet and into his arms, as he stood up.
 "I-I don't want you to go..." she whispered, her voice a taunt sob.
 "I don't want to either..." Joshua replied, his soothing voice calming Luna's nerves. "But I have no choice. I will be back as soon as possible. I still have some unfinished business here... and your the most important of it. Luna..."
 "Don't say it... I know." Luna spoke, cutting off Joshua. She quickly kissed him again as a tear ran from her eye onto her cheek. After a moment, Joshua pulled away from Luna, stepped back slowly, turned, and ran from the fountain towards the launch pad. Luna remained in the same position, with her eyes close, as she listened to his footstep move off into the distance.
 "Luna! Tell Queen Serenity I had to go, but I will be back. One week, I promise! I love you, Luna!" shouted Joshua, as his voice faded from Luna's range hearing. Luna slowly opened her eyes and gazed at the night sky with a tear in her eye. Two minutes later, she watched as the dark outline of the 'Firestorm Legend' rise up into the black sky, pause, and fire off with a flash into space. Luna realized, as the 'Firestorm Legend' disappeared, that only one feeling was running through her now.
 Dread.
 Somehow, she suspected that Joshua's 'I love you' would be the last words she would ever hear from him again. And there was nothing she could do about it, except pray that one day she would meet the King of Io again.
 Some day.
 

         ****
 

 "Wow, Luna. We never knew. Now I understand why it was important for you to come..." Rei spoke up, the first to comment as Luna finished.
 "But wait. You said that the person here now is NOT the king? I don't understand..." whispered Matt as he pointed downward. He was pointing to Serena, who had fell asleep during the end of the story. Her eyes were closed and her head was laying against the shoulder of Matt. A part of her arm was also laying against his front, giving her a innocent child-like look.
 Silently, he sat up from laying against the backboard of the bed. He cupped his hand under Serena's knees and wrapped one around her shoulders. With a quick movement, he was suddenly standing with Serena being carried in his arms.
 "I'm going to put her in her bed, I'll be right back." whispered Matt as he turned, opened the door with his foot, and left the room. He returned a minute later rubbing his wounded shoulder. As he sat back down on the bed, Rei suddenly stood, crossed the floor, and climbed onto the bed behind Matt. As he turned to see what she was doing, she slid forward until she was sitting on her knees, three inches behind Matt.
 "What?" Matt asked softly as he tried to turn and see Rei.
 "It's ok... I want to take a look at that shoulder. I have healing powers remember? I thought I might be able to help. So take off your shirt." Rei spoke quickly and she shifted on her knees behind him.
 "Are you sure about this?"
 "Of course! I can't help you unless you let me see the wound..."
 Too bewildered to argue about what she was going to do, he complied and removed his shirt slowly as he bit back the pain. He managed to get it off as she grabbed it from him, and placed it behind her. Slowly, she took a hold of the cloth wrapping on his shoulder and began to remove it. As she continued, Matt forced himself from screaming out in pain as she removed the wrapping. His ribs began to hurt, because the pain was so bad. But, she finally got the wrapping completely removed and glanced down at the wound.
 "Wow. That's some bruise. It must hurt like hell." Rei commented as she began to lightly feel the area around the wound.
 "Yes... ouch... you COULD say...ssss.. say that." Matt spurted out as he winced at every touch that she made that had pressure with it. Slowly she closed her eyes and began to slowly rub her hands along the wound and his neck. He tilted his head forward as she continued, allowing to become totally relaxed.
 "I don't know about you... but that looks more like a massage than a healing ritual." Lita quietly whispered to Mina as she continued to stare at Rei.
 "Lucky girl..." Mina replied as she to watched as Rei slowly moved her hands farther and farther away from the wound and more toward Matt's back.
 Changing the subject, Ami quickly spoke out as she realized she was staring. "Luna... you... you said that that that was not King Joshua? What do you mean?"
 "What I mean is, is that it IS Joshua. I mean, it's him in very sense of the word. But, I sensed something different about him as soon as entered the room. It was coldness, darkness... evil.
 Upon hearing the word evil, Matt picked up his head. "THAT'S what I felt! I could not place it then, but now that you mentioned it, you're right. It WAS evil."
 "Scouts, I think that there is more here then what they are telling. I think we need to figure out what that something is." said Artemis as he looked around the room.
  "Right! Tomorrow, we should split up and see what we can learn. We have got to get to the bottom of this." chimed in Mina, who was continuing to look at Rei and Matt. "For Luna."
 "So it's agreed. Tomorrow we split up and try to uncover the truth. Right?" asked Luna, who was looking at Artemis.
 "Right." Agreed the group in unison.

          ****

 "Hahahahahahaha... fools..." whispered the darkened face of Joshua, as he peered through a hazy portal, which displayed the view of the room with all the scouts. "They'll never realize what has happened to their precious Joshua until it is too late. But... I think I should give them a little hint. Hehehehe... yes... that's it... I'll give them a little demonstration. A demonstration of the power of TRAQUEN!! Hahahahahaha..."
 
 

 *** To Be Concluded... ***
 

continue to Story 2, part 3
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