A Call to Action http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~makoto/actamain.htm By: Mike Koos Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon Crossover ~*~ Chapter Four: Did I ever mention how much I hate Haruka's car? Well... okay, I don't *really* hate it. I just don't like these low-ceiling, no leg-room sports cars that you almost have to curl your knees to your chest or vice versa to ride in. Last time I checked, I was around the same size as Michiru, and I don't see how she can constantly sit up here in the shotgun seat with no complaints. Or how Haruka can stand it, either - she's taller than either of us. I'm glad Haruka had the sense to get something with seats in back, though. Otherwise, all four of us would have to sit in the front seat, and then I would *really* start to hate this car. Oh, well. I've got better things to do than complain about the seating space in here. We'd managed to talk Big Sister and Dad into letting me go straight from the hospital to Juuban with Ami, Haruka and Hotaru, what with any of my injuries no longer a problem and all. First, however, came a quick stop at my house for a change of clothes. Since I'd been wearing my Senshi uniform during the fight, my school uniform wasn't ruined - unless you count the blood I got on it when I lost my transformation. Kasumi tells me blood stains are tough to remove... I'll take her word for it, since I hardly ever go anywhere near the washing machine. I'm still wondering what I'll tell her when she asks why wounds severe enough to draw blood hadn't torn holes in my uniform. I have two spare uniforms for school, anyway. We bought them at the same time we were buying Akane's... two for me, two for her. She goes through her school clothes faster than I do. Yeah... I know I'm letting my thoughts drift. It's either that or concentrate on how cramped it is up here. How in the world *does* Michiru stand it? Fortunately for me, Ami provided a distraction. "I'm surprised that Kasumi didn't make more of a fuss over your coming with us, particularly right after you've been discharged from the hospital." I laughed. "After living in the same house with Akane and Ranma, she probably thinks this is as close to normal as she's gonna get. Who knows? I'm just hoping she believes the story we told her." I've always wondered whether or not Kasumi knows that I'm a Senshi, but now that Ranma and Akane know... "It's not Kasumi I'm worried about," Haruka said in an offhandedly concerned voice. "It's that guy - Ranma." "What about him?" I asked, though I think I know where she's taking this. She stared at me momentarily before continuing. We all learned a long time ago that yelling at Haruka to keep her eyes on the road only makes her turn away from it more. Either that, or she makes a show of taking all the curves and hills at high speed, whenever she can. "Akane, we might be able to trust to a point, but Ranma... I know his type. He'll insist on interfering or getting involved one way or another, even if he isn't gonna tell anyone who or what we are." "Maybe," I spoke before Ami or Hotaru could react, suppressing the urge to draw comparisons between Haruka and Ranma. "Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him. But, knowing him, it'll be hard to talk him out of doing anything." We're all fighters, in a sense, so naturally Ranma'll be curious about the lot of us. "We'll just have to forget about it for now, and then deal with it when the time comes." Time to get back to the subject at hand. I glanced over my shoulder at Ami. "Ami? I know there's some truth to what Ranma said, but can a person *really* develop the ability to heal extremely fast like that simply by training?" "I'm not sure. Has Ranma been training his entire life?" I shrugged. "I guess. We never really asked him." She nodded. "If Ranma has been conditioning his body his entire life, there's no reason why he couldn't do certain things faster or better than a 'normal' person, such as heal faster, metabolize food better, have more stamina, and so forth. You've seen what all we have done as Senshi has done for us." I peripherally caught Hotaru's blink. Before 'awakening' to her power as Sailor Saturn - as both Setsuna and Luna had put it - certain outside influences had caused her to be frail, weak, and somewhat sickly. Once those influences were gone... "So *we* could be healing faster than normal, too?" she asked Ami. "It's possible." Well, if any of us wanted to actually put that possibility to the test, Ami's probably in the best position to do so. After all the trips I've taken, going from Nerima to Juuban and the reverse, there's not that much left for me to find exiting along the way. Going by car *is* faster than taking a bus - especially if Haruka's driving - but I must've seen all this scenery go by through every single window in this car. Even with four people in the car, conversation can only go so far. I guess I've got only one alternative left, then. A time-tested, Usagi-proven alternative. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the words, "Are we there yet?" My alternative? Daydreaming. ~*~ It's been... oh, I guess a little over two weeks since I 'officially' came to live in Juuban. Right after Mako-chan joined us, I'd had the idea that I could try staying here with my aunt Yukemi, and transfer to Juuban Middle School for a while. I brought up the idea at one of our meetings and let everyone show me just how much of it was a decent, workable idea. Makoto offered to let me stay with her at her house - she's a little grateful to me for pointing out that she could reorganize her household budget and have more free money to spend per month. Rei also offered to let me stay in one of the empty rooms at the Shrine, and Ami mentioned that she would have offered, had she not been living in a small apartment. I had to turn down the offers, however. Everyone already knows I visit Juuban all the time to see my friends, when for some odd reason I apparently don't have friends at home or anywhere else. I wanted to convince Dad and Aunt Yukemi that this arrangement was primarily for the benefit of my schoolwork, somehow... and with Ami's help, I did. Oh, sure, her help got me transferred into her homeroom *and* her juku, but... I'd say it could be worse, though I'm not entirely sure how. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of school, even if Ami's always assuring me I've got a lot of potential. My aunt wanted to meet my friends, make sure I hadn't been commuting between here and home just to hang out with the wrong crowd, as I'd expected. Ami, Mako-chan and I cornered Usagi and Rei ahead of time, and made them promise to be on their best behavior. All that was left was hoping my aunt wouldn't be looking into our school records. She was worried, as you'd expect. Why would I go out of my way, coming to Juuban with all the strangeness involving Sailor Senshi, monsters making no end of trouble and other weird things? But then she relented... it had to be our family's stubbornness, she said. According to her, Kasumi, Akane and I are just as stubborn as our Mom had been. I was proof that no *monsters* were going to scare any of us away from doing whatever we're trying to do. Of course, I don't know what she'd think if she found out *I'm* one of the Senshi and *I've* been fighting monsters along with the other Senshi. She doesn't mind me being out late in the evening; attending juku makes my school day longer, and she believes the five of us have the good sense to stay far away from any potential trouble. ...Or make a run straight for it, whichever comes first. Today was Sunday. I'd actually planned to spend most of the day at home for once, going over my work and studying for the math test we were having on Wednesday, but my heart wasn't entirely with it - so when Usagi and Makoto came by in the middle of the afternoon, trying to drag me off to the stores with them, I let them do just that. "Why *do* you spend so much time on your work?" Usagi asked me once we were away from the apartment house in which my aunt lived. "I know you're in Ami's classes and all, but Ami-chan doesn't spend as much time worrying about her homework as you do." "That's because she's a genius," I heard Makoto mutter under her breath. Usagi hadn't seemed to hear the comment. "I told you, it's because my family thinks I'm here to help improve my grades, and not just so I can be here with you guys," I smirked. "They were so impressed when Ami managed to get me into all her classes and her juku. If I don't show any improvement in my grades, they'll make me return home." "You could always cheat off Ami's papers," Makoto offered, wearing a smirk of her own. I snorted. "Right. As if they can't tell when someone's been copying her work." "Even when Ami-chan says you're possibly about as smart as she is?" "I really doubt I'm as smart as she is," I answered Usagi, truthfully. "But..." "Can we change the subject? It's hard to get away from my schoolwork if we keep talking about it." "Oh, all right," Usagi grumped. Then, her eyes abruptly widened. She pointed past us toward one of the shops. "Hey, a pastry shop! Let's go there!" Makoto and I must have shaken our heads in disbelief at about the same time. "C'mon," I sighed. "If we don't keep her from blowing her allowance in there, it'll be all she can talk about for the rest of the week." Am I exaggerating? Maybe, but only a little bit. Actually, Usagi spends more time trying to borrow money from everyone else than complaining she doesn't have any. ~*~ As luck would have it, Usagi had a fondness for one of the cheapest items on the menu - crepes. She'd already bought a small armload of the things before we found her. "This is great!" she said through a mouthful of creme while we found a table. Just like her not to wait until we're seated. "Don't you think this is a great way to start our day off?" I took a sip from the small soda I'd bought. Unlike Usagi, Mako-chan and I had only gotten one or two crepes and a soda to go along with them. At least I have more money to spend, now that I'm not using most of it on bus fare. "Aren't you overdoing it a little bit? You eat too much and you'll get sick again - just like you did last week?" That had been on the roller-coaster at Rainbow Land; she'd thrown up after eating something like one of everything from every blasted food booth in the park. Rei hadn't been at all happy about that, sitting next to Usagi in the car... only a small part of it landed on her pants, yet that was enough. Naturally, it didn't help that the rest of us were peering over the top of the seat behind them, Ami at a loss for words and Makoto trying hard not to laugh while Rei became even more flustered. As for me, I'd decided not to say anything, either. I didn't feel like triggering a comment about how I could buy her a replacement pair of pants since I supposedly had everyone's money, or something else like that. If I were a psychiatrist, I might be able to figure out why Rei insists on taking shots at Usagi and I. Maybe she's attempting to draw attention away from something. Trying to hide something from herself or others. Or any other psychoanalysis that it could be. Usagi hmphed. "There's no way I'm gonna get sick." "You said something like that about ten minutes before we got on that ride!" Makoto was quick to reply. All Usagi gave her in response was a snort. "Okay, then, aren't you afraid we'll tell Luna you've been pigging out again?" I asked, innocently. Since she hadn't gotten anywhere in telling Usagi to eat better and get more exercise, Luna's been asking us to help her convince Usagi - yes, even Rei. Not that we've made much difference... Usagi paused in mid-munch, making a face. "Ah, you're not gonna do that, are you? The last thing I need is another lecture from *her* on how I'm supposed t'eat." She swallowed. "And besides, you know it won't be long before she starts that junk with all of us, not just me." I couldn't help but laugh at the image that thought brought to mind. Luna in a leotard and legwarmers, leading a large aerobics class. Both Makoto and Usagi looked at me oddly. "Sorry," I shrugged. "I had a weird image." "She just wants you to look and act like a leader. Or her vision of one, anyway," Makoto said in a lower voice. She had mentioned that right before giving Usagi the Moon Stick - well, we're not the ones naming everything - that Luna had told her: "The fifth Senshi has appeared, Sailor Moon. It is your responsibility now to be the leader of this team. The Moon Stick is proof of that leadership." Usagi's more of a leader in title at the moment, though. We've been working together as a team, true, but with everyone on the same level. I finished my cup of soda. Blast, I should've bought a large soda instead. "Yeah. You know how some people look up to Sailor Moon. Like your brother." Personally, I find it a little weird that Shingo has a fixation on an obviously female hero... unless he's going through puberty a little early. Heh. Just kidding. But what we can't figure out is how or why Shingo can stare at things like Sailor Moon dolls and *not* make the connection that his older sister happens to look like Sailor Moon. Heck, according to Usagi, she's even *talked* to him once as Sailor Moon. You'd think he would be able to place both the appearance and face. Ami says it might have something to do with him not wanting to believe that his sister could be Sailor Moon. In his opinion, there's no way Usagi can be Sailor Moon, so he conveniently ignores any evidence that says she might be. First I've heard of anyone behaving like that... Usagi snorted again. "Whatever. I'm not a role model... Who'd want to copy me?" "Hey, don't be so quick to dismiss it, Usagi," I suggested. "Look at the following Sailor V has. In about a month *you* could have your own animated television series." "Hmph." The three of us shared a laugh, with Usagi stubbornly holding out for a few seconds before joining in. I hurriedly swallowed the last of my crepes and pushed myself away from our table. "I'm gonna get a large soda like I should've done in the first place. I'll be back in about a minute or two." "As long as you don't think we're going to be surprised when you need to go to the bathroom in the next couple of hours." "Usagi!" I exclaimed, adopting a pained tone of voice. Sometimes, she picks the weirdest things to say at the weirdest times. ~*~ "There you go, miss. One extra large soda. Would you like a receipt for that?" I shook my head. "Thanks, and no," I replied. Why some places insist on trying to give you receipts for what are essentially very trivial items, I'll never know. As I reached for the doorknob to pull the shop's door open, I heard a lot of people outside crying out in surprise. My Senshi instincts instantly settled into place. I couldn't hear the sounds of anyone fighting - yet - so if there *is* a youma out there, Usagi and Makoto have probably already found a place to transform. I'd better see what's going on before I think about doing the same. There was a larger crowd than I thought there might be. Certainly larger than if a youma or something else was attacking; most of these people would have run away by now if that was the case. I couldn't see what everyone was looking at... but I *did* see Usagi and Makoto standing in one of the areas where the crowd thinned, peering over everyone's shoulders. Well, Makoto was, anyway. Usagi's a little too short to do that with ease. "Didja see that?" someone in the crowd near me nearly shouted. "Sailor Moon just saved that guy!" "Yeah! Wasn't that cool? I didn't know anyone could leap that high!" Wait a minute. I can see Usagi from here, and she's definitely *not* transformed. Neither is Mako-chan, nor I. So how can Sailor Moon have saved someone? Unless these people have mistaken Mars or Mercury for Moon, someone's pretending to be Usagi... either that, or Luna's made someone else a Senshi without telling us. I shot another glance at Usagi. She's upset - though from here, I can only guess what she's upset about. While turning back to look at what I assumed was the scene of the 'crime,' something else caught my attention. A girl... maybe somewhere near my age, long blond hair in a style almost like Rei's except for a large red bow pulling some of it back at the top, staring at Usagi from several yards away as if she's surprised to see her. But that's not all. She's holding a cat, one with white fur. And... something on its forehead. I narrowed my eyes for a better look at the cat. It, too, was staring at Usagi. Then, it started scanning the crowd. I pretended to not be watching them - if this cat *is* anything like Luna, crescent-moon mark and all, having either it or the girl catching me staring at them won't help anything. There - well, it does look like the same mark. As much of it as I can see from here and this angle. Now, all I've got to do is find out who the girl and cat are and why they're together. The girl bent forward to whisper something to the cat when she was sure no one was watching, and they began to push their way through the crowd behind them. They were leaving! Blast everything! I've got to know who they are and why they're hovering around here, and the only way I can do that is by following them. Er... 'shadowing' them, I think they call it in the detective and spy business. Well, that sounds about right. If I can stay close to those two... I cautiously weaved through the crowd after them. There's no time for me to stop and tell Usagi and Mako-chan what I'm doing; if I know them, they might be using their communicators already. Assuming that *hadn't* been Mars or Mercury the crowd had seen. ~*~ The girl and 'her' cat were in no hurry to go anywhere... though she did seem to talk to the cat more, now that they were sure they were alone. Not that I'm in a position to hear what she's saying - or if the cat's talking to her in return. Right now, all they're doing is wandering around, I guess. I'm not sure why, unless they're waiting for something to happen. And after that incident outside the pastry shop, something could happen at any time now. As they shuffled along Kawamori Street, I hid behind the corner of one of the walls separating someone's yard from the street, about three or so houses away from them. I was grateful for that distance when my communicator started beeping. Considering that we're supposed to be keeping everything secret, these things beep almost as loud as a pager, if not louder. Which is really a pain when you're in public, unless you *want* people wondering why a girl my age is carrying a pager. I shifted my soda to my left hand long enough to fish the communicator out of my pocket. Heh; if you can't bring along something to eat or drink on those espionage missions, what fun are they? A press of the Call button, and Ami's face appeared on the miniature screen. "...sure where she has gone, if that is the case," she was saying. "Oh, Nabiki-chan, there you are. Usagi said you had left without telling her or Mako-chan where you were going." "I assume she's told you what happened?" "Yes." Ami's face was replaced by Makoto's. "Are you following that fake Sailor Moon?" "I'm not sure," I answered. Actually, I'm relatively sure the girl I'm following isn't the fake. A 'normal' person couldn't get out of a costume and lose it - or simply conceal the costume - then work her way into the crowd *that* fast. Even we have to take a bit of time changing from our Senshi uniforms to our normal clothes for the same kind of purpose. "But I did notice something suspicious, and I'm checking it out." "Like what?" Usagi asked. I peered around my corner again; the girl had almost completely rounded the corner at the other end of the street. "I'll tell you later. I've gotta go," I said hurriedly, shutting off my communicator. Rei'll probably complain about that. Well. Shoving the communicator back into my pocket, I was once more following my target. No, wait. That makes me sound like an assassin or something. I'll have to look up all the related terms later, when I have the time. She was rounding another corner by the time I stepped onto the street, the cat now running beside her on the ground. Uh-oh... guess this means they've got a purpose, now. I can't just keep following her from street to street. I've gotta get close enough to find out if that cat does have a crescent- moon mark. Whether or not she... he... it... can talk. And why it's staying close to the girl, if that's the case. One possibility keeps occurring to me: what if this girl is a Sailor Senshi? The five of us can't be the only Senshi in existence - there *are* other planets, after all. Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Pluto, Uranus, the Sun, all of the planetary moons out there... Who's to say other Senshi aren't running around somewhere on this world? And then there's Sailor V. For all her flash, she could be a true Senshi after all. Luna believes the Senshi are being drawn together to fight the evil of the Dark Kingdom; maybe she'll come to us and we can find out. Or maybe one of these days, we'll learn what Tuxedo Kamen's motives are, or who he is. For now, I've got someone else to follow. She and the cat were both sprinting, so I made myself match their pace. Why did they wait until now to begin running? If they *were* waiting for something... a time, or event, what was it? I had my answer a moment later when she risked an anxious glance toward the sky. The sky? Why is she... Then, I saw it. A semi-distant, expanding smear of purple, gray and black near the horizon. Kind of a 'malevolent darkness,' I think you'd call it. Is the Dark Kingdom up to something? They have to *know* we'd see something like that in the sky and investigate. So whatever they're doing, it could be a trap. The fact that the girl I'm following and her cat are also headed for that darkness is making me nervous. If she's not a Senshi, she could be placing herself in who knows how much danger. I hope Usagi and the others have seen that patch of darkness and are on their way, because I can't stop and call them right now. I've got to stay with this girl and make sure she doesn't get herself in over her head... whatever that cat might have told her to do. Maybe I should've asked Luna if she knew anyone like her with white fur. ~*~ By the time she ducked into a warehouse in the shipping district, the darkness was filling enough of the sky over our heads to make it look like evening. Enough to trigger the automatic street lamps and anything else using electric eyes to tell when it's dark outside. Even though it *always* seems gray or overcast around the docks, for some reason. I noticed an open window near the top of a stack of open crates and climbed up, careful not to make a sound anyone inside the warehouse would hear. I hoped. Transformed, I could simply have bounded up the stack without much noise. But I'm not transformed, so that option's out. "Are you really, *truly* sure they're here, Artemis?" I heard the question as I came closer to the window. A girl's voice. Hers? And 'Artemis...' the cat? It fits the pattern... A snort, then a pause. "You saw what happened to the sky, Mina. I can feel the definite presence of dark energy, here... it's strong enough that *you* might be able to sense it." That had been a male voice. Artemis is a male cat? Weird. But he's right about the dark energy - even though he *is* essentially using Luna's line - after having to fight against the Dark Kingdom all this time, it almost causes goosebumps to form on my arms anytime I get anywhere near it. The source of this darkness or evil must be around here, somewhere. I couldn't see anything through the window except more tall stacks of crates, so it might be safe to creep through this window as long as I don't make any noise. If I lose the glass of soda, first. "I was talking about the other Senshi, NOT the dark energy!" The *other* Senshi!? A longer pause. "I can't be sure. I'm sensing the presence of what might be other Senshi, though they can be anywhere within about a mile of this spot." I realized I was holding my breath and exhaled. Oh, blast - did they hear that? I'd forgotten Luna can roughly sense us by our power if we're close enough. Hopefully, Artemis won't detect me. After waiting for a few more seconds, I dropped from the windowsill and scrambled to climb up another set of stacked crates. Ah-ha! There, leaning against the wall of crates I was currently lying upon, was the girl. Mina, Artemis had called her. He was lecturing her. "You've known this day would come. It's time for you to join the other Senshi, to fight the Dark Kingdom alongside them. The team cannot be complete without you." Okay, I'm confused. Most of that sounds like the usual "It's your destiny"-type speech, but what exactly did he mean by "The team cannot be complete without you?" Is Mina someone important? Could she be the Princess? "Yeah, you keep saying that. But I'm gonna go as Sailor V until I'm sure they're here." *What*? Artemis snorted. "You just want to be able to make one of those flashy entrances of which you're so fond." "Silly cat," Mina said in a tone that implied she was grinning. "It's my style." The cat in question groaned. Before Luna, I'd never heard a cat groan. I guess Usagi's not the only one who can make a cat become exasperated. Mina raised her hand to the air, toward me, and her fingers closed around a pen unlike any of the pens Luna's given us. An eternity seemed to pass before she shouted the words, "Venus Power... make up!" I thought she had finished transforming once she wore the Senshi uniform - a white bodysuit with orange trim, an indigo ribbon at her chest and a yellow one at her back, not counting the red ribbon in her hair - but after a slight pause, her uniform shifted again. Only her elbow-length gloves and jewel-brooch remained the same. Her bodysuit separated into a more padded chest-protector with shoulder flares, from which descended a red and white-striped middy, leaving her midriff exposed. An indigo collar with a lone red stripe rested around her neck - I can't tell if she's wearing a choker from here, certainly not with her hair blocking my view - ending in a large red bow in the center of her chest. She wore a plain, short skirt... blue, with a red stripe outlining the hem. Her shoes and their matching ankle band have changed color, from orange to blue. For the final touch, a woman's red masquerade-ball mask rested curiously upon her face. I know who Mina is. Well, if she's supposed to meet 'the other Senshi,' I might as well make an opening gesture. Raising my hand high, I found my transformation pen. Mina and Artemis both started in shocked surprise when I began my shout, but it's too late for turning back. "Terra Power... make up!" Several seconds later I forced myself to stand on the stack of crates where I had been lying, watching Mina. They had noticed me; Sailor V was staring at me, trying to find her voice. "Who......?" I executed a graceful flip forward from the very top of the crates - well, at least I *thought* it was a graceful flip, anyway. I seem to be a much better gymnast as Sailor Terra than I am as Tendo Nabiki. Encouraging, isn't it? "Sailor Venus, I presume," I addressed her once I'd landed and turned to face her. "Or should I call you Sailor V?" "W-who are you?" she stammered. What? Don't tell me I've taken the great Sailor V completely by surprise... "Me? I'm Sailor Terra," I innocently pointed to myself. "Have you been sitting there," spluttered Artemis, "watching us the whole time?" "More or less. Actually, I've been following you two since I saw you in that crowd in the restaurant district." "That long!?" Artemis looked as if he was about to say more, but a loud noise from elsewhere in the warehouse set the three of us on alert. Mina adopted her stance faster than mine and with more of an edge... I'm not a martial artist, and she's been Sailor V longer than I've been Sailor Terra. A new voice echoed through the empty warehouse, followed by another crash. "You can't escape from me that easily, Tuxedo Kamen- sama!" My eyes narrowed. That particular voice was one I'd come to know well. "Zoisite." I frowned. "Who?" asked Sailor V. "A Dark Kingdom general." I leapt to the top of the next row of crates and started scanning the aisles for Zoisite. "And it sounds like he's after one of our 'friends.'" Sailor V nodded, seemingly missing the edge I'd placed on that last word. Why? We're still not sure if Tuxedo Kamen is a friend or an enemy. "Okay. Then we'll stop him." "Wait a minute, you two!" Artemis interrupted. "You can't just charge in there after a Dark Kingdom general!" I shrugged. "Why not? We've been doing a lot of that lately." Artemis sighed. "Just tell me before the two of you run off like fools - are the rest of the Senshi here or on their way?" "I don't know. I think they may be chasing that fake Sailor Moon, but if they saw that darkness in the sky or traced the dark energy here... they could be." I hope they are. "C'mon!" Mina said, impatiently. "We've gotta help that Tuxedo Kamen... guy?" I nodded. "Yeah." "Right! So let's get over there!" ~*~ From the exchange, we saw that Zoisite had cornered Tuxedo Kamen and... Tuxedo Kamen had lost his mask and hat. I was tempted to move to where I could see who the guy was, but Zoisite would undoubtedly kill our masked 'friend' if we didn't stop him. Mina had suggested we double-team Zoisite. She would approach him from the right, and while he reacted to her, I would attack from the left. "I hope you don't think I'm going to show you any mercy," Zoisite smiled, readying his sword. "A coward like you deserves to die. Always letting those Sailor Senshi fight your battles for you." He laughed. I couldn't see his opponent from where I'd stationed myself. What was Mina waiting for? Dramatic tension? Her attack finally came as Zoisite raised his sword above his head. "Crescent... BEAM!!" A yellow burst of energy skimmed toward Zoisite's hands, clipping them both and causing the man to drop his sword in pain. He pivoted in the direction from which the attack had come, growling, "Who did that? Show yourself!" Time for my half of the attack. I brought my hands together before me, feeling a mixture of sand and power forming in a frenetic, swirling globe between them. My power. It feels so overwhelmingly *right* to use that power to fight for love and justice, in the name of our representative worlds, as Usagi's speeches often say. I sent the globe on its way, to blindside Zoisite and send the Dark Kingdom general tumbling. "Sand... Spiral!" Tuxedo Kamen chose that instant to leap over the fallen man and immediately disappeared among the aisles - no doubt leaving the building - while shielding his face. Why had he been here? To help us, or get in our way? Zoisite stared at where Tuxedo Kamen had been as Mina and I converged on him. "You let him get away! To think that you would dare try to make me look like a fool... you both will *pay* for the mistake you've just made!" He vanished into a human-sized cyclone of cherry-blossom petals. Oh, right - he likes being a bit too overdramatic, too. I made a fist, punching a crate the way Dad had taught me, in frustration. "He ran away, AGAIN! And he accuses other people of being cowards?" "We'll probably have another chance to get him," Mina said, gravely. "I don't think he was here just to kill that Tuxedo Kamen guy. Wouldn't he have had some monster do it for him or something?" I shook my head. "In a one-on-one fight, he's more likely to do it himself. I guessed this was a trap from the time we got here. But for who? The Sailor Senshi? You? Tuxedo Kamen? Or all of us at once?" Screams coming from somewhere outside completely destroyed my train of thought. "Was that...?" Artemis gasped. "Yeah." I headed for the nearest door, having recognized the voices behind those screams. "That was Sailor Moon and the rest of the team." "The rest of the team?" echoed Artemis. Mina fell in beside me; Artemis followed closely behind us. "Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter... they're all here?" I made the facial equivalent of a shrug. "I guess. Oh, and Luna, too." "Luna? Who's Luna?" Mina blinked. "She's a black cat. Like Artemis." A knowing, silly grin crossed Mina's face. "Oh?" Artemis glared at her. "Don't you *dare* think about it." ~*~ The loud, jarring rhythm of a Western metal song blared through the speaker in the door next to me, shaking me rather violently out of my daydream. I turned a withering glare on Haruka, who grinned; she has this infuriating fondness for tuning her car radio to a hard-rock station - which she keeps preset - and blasting the music at high volume if she thinks anyone in the car is falling asleep. Notice that the operative word is 'thinks.' She doesn't bother with making sure anyone's asleep, because she *likes* shocking people awake like that. But only if Michiru isn't in the car. "Did I wake you up?" Haruka's grin settled back into her normal smirk. "I *wasn't* asleep," I pronounced through my teeth. "I was daydreaming." She shrugged. "Same thing." Oh, I'm going to have to get her for this one. "No, it's not," insisted Hotaru, clearly annoyed. Ami, meanwhile, was keeping silent. Guess she knows as much as the rest of us exactly how much of a chance any of us has of changing Haruka's habits. "Whatever. Besides," Haruka added with a glance at me, "seeing as how we're almost there, I thought you'd want to be awake." 'There' being Rei's shrine; Ami had called ahead with the help of Haruka's car phone to set up an informal meeting there, though she hadn't told anyone I would be there. I just get the feeling that she, along with Haruka and Hotaru, wants to see how everyone will react when they see I've finally 'returned.' "Take your own advice, why don't you?" I retorted. "You drive like you're half-asleep." Half-asleep, yes, but with a lead foot. She chose to go along with the joke. "Does that scare you?" "Me? No. Everyone else on the road, yes." Haruka laughed. "Good." I settled back in my chair and pretended to stare once more at the scenery we passed through my window, trying to resume where I'd left off in my daydream. Mina and I found that Kunzite, with Zoisite at his side, was using the other Senshi to force Tuxedo Kamen to give them his fragments of the nijizuishou. That is, until Mina called everyone's attention to us. She removed her mask, shifting back from her Sailor V costume to her Senshi uniform. "Who are you?" demanded Kunzite. "The beautiful Sailor Senshi, Sailor Venus," Mina began. "And Sailor Terra," I concluded, "have arrived at last." Mina loosed another Crescent Beam, clipping both Zoisite and Kunzite's hands in a duplicate of what she had done in the warehouse. Kunzite lost his control over the dome-shaped forcefield in which he'd trapped the others, and it dissipated. We joined the rest of the team. "Is this what you were 'investigating?'" Rei asked me. "Sailor V!" exclaimed Usagi, causing Minako to blink. "Aren't you Sailor V?" Artemis spoke before I did, stepping around our ankles. "Yes. Sailor Venus is also Sailor V." Luna gaped. "Artemis!?" "Hello, Luna," he smiled. Oh, so they *did* know each other. The battle soon unraveled as quickly as Kunzite's forcefield had. Kunzite and Zoisite retreated, and Tuxedo Kamen vanished, giving us a chance to regroup... and Mina a chance to meet everyone. At last, Artemis claimed, the team was complete. All of us were here. "You want me to blast the radio again?" Except for those of us who *weren't* there. "You do, and I'll have Hotaru-chan reset all your station presets when you're not looking," I replied. "What do you say, Hotaru?" Hotaru thought about it. "Okay." "Hmph." ~*~ Despite all our efforts at keeping my return a secret, Usagi had caught me in a hug at almost the instant I stepped from the Shrine's stone front steps into the courtyard. "Nabiki-chan!" she gushed. "You're back! I *knew* you'd be coming back sooner or later!" "Hello, Usagi-chan," I smiled, returning the hug. I suppose it's safe to say all of us have definitely changed since we rediscovered who we are. You'd expect that. Though I wish there was a way for us to access the memories of our former lives. It's really wonderful knowing that one of the people keeping the most secrets from you may just *be* you. Mamoru was the next to approach, having walked toward us from where the others were waiting for us on the deck. He has - in fact - another reason to worry about me, I guess. "Hello, 'little sister,' he said, adding a reserved smile of his own. I laughed. "Hi, 'big brother.'" Mamoru and I refer to each other as brother and sister because we supposedly were, in our previous lives. I'm supposed to be the Princess of the Terran royal family, and Endymion's younger sister, directly reincarnated... just as the other Senshi may have been Princesses of their respective worlds. If only we had some way to make sure whether or not that's true, beyond a shadow of a doubt... Though it did make for a few weird problems at the wedding, since Mamoru and Usagi had arranged for a Western-style wedding, and I was, in a matter of speaking, the only other member of the groom's side of the family present. So, technically, I'm Mamoru's sister and Usagi's step-sister. But the eleven people and two cats standing in this courtyard at this moment are the only ones who know that. "Hey, Nabiki-chan - do you have a boyfriend yet?" was the first question out of Minako's mouth as we approached the deck. Everyone stared nervously at her. "Mina-chan..." admonished Artemis. Rei's expression changed to one of mock disgust. "We haven't seen her in a little while and the first thing you do is ask her if she's got a boyfriend yet?" "Hey, *I* thought it was a good question." "You would." "Well," I said, meeting Minako's gaze, "no, I don't have a boyfriend right now. And no, I don't want you trying to 'help' me find one." "But--" "No." "So does this mean you're back, or just visiting?" Makoto asked. I took a seat on the section of the deck that had unofficially become my usual seat. "Yeah, I'm back. Ami, did you tell them about what happened to me?" Ami assumed her seat - opening her pocketbook computer and setting it down next to her with a command to run a continuous scan on the general area, a little precaution we'd started after it became obvious monsters weren't about to stay away from here just because this is a shrine - but Makoto spoke before Ami finished the procedure. "She did. You fought one of those things we've been fighting, got distracted when your sister and a friend showed up, and ended up in the hospital?" Close enough. "Two of the monsters, actually. You mean you don't know what they're called?" "Not yet," Ami admitted. "The only thing we do know is that some of them have referred to something called the 'Crimson Millenium.'" I nodded. "That's what they told me after they'd possessed Kunou. 'The Crimson Millenium will be reborn on your blood.'" Turning, I glanced in Setsuna's direction. "If they want this 'Crimson Millenium' to be reborn, maybe they're from the past." Setsuna shook her head. Usually, she just stands off somewhere quietly watching the rest of us unless someone asks her a question. "I have found no reference to that name anywhere," she said, pursing her lips. "Not in the Past, Present or Future." "It *could* be their name for a specific period of time in the Past," murmured Michiru. "History is more often seen through someone else's eyes and words. Perhaps the historians knew it by a different name, or never knew some were calling it the 'Crimson Millenium.'" "Perhaps," the Guardian of Time agreed. "I will run a few more possibilities through the historical databases and see what I can find." Those databases, of course, were kept in the computers in Castle Charon. I'll never know how those computers can keep track of events almost everywhere within our galaxy - not that Setsuna will reveal her secrets. One of these days, she'll be able to provide everyone with an unbiased, complete view of the Past... or maybe the world's first completely accurate, giant history book. Imagine having to use *that* in class. Ami's computer suddenly began to beep. My hand instinctively tightened around my transformation pen, and I'm sure everyone else was doing the same. Well... except for Luna, Artemis and my 'brother.' That alarm meant that something suspicious had crossed into the area covered by Ami's scan. She stared at her computer's display. "Someone or something with highly unusual bio-data readings has just leapt from the top of the border wall to a tree within the yard!" hissed Ami. "Could it be another monster?" Rei wondered. "I can't be sure. My computer couldn't match the readings to any known profiles." Rei frowned. "Everybody, get ready. We're going to find out who our new guest is." End Chapter Four