BD Nostalgia-Fanfic-03

By Metalgear 1

2

Chapter 1 The Light of the Moon

3

I

opened my eyes and found myself in a hotel room. I had fallen asleep on my couch: at least I could blame the Japanese cartoons I had been watching for my vivid dream. I tried to remember the throne room, the Queen, and the Princess, but the details had slipped away by the time I opened the curtain window. I saw the Tokyo skyscrapers in front of me, covering the setting sun. I’d never been to Japan before: it was such a beautiful sight. I still daydreamed of getting a job and visiting here once in a while, but I was just a visitor for the week. I hoped to find somewhere quiet to eat and enjoy the sights without the usual hustle and bustle. Unfortunately, the closest place that I could find in a Texas-style Western BBQ...not exactly the sort of place I came a long way to visit...

“Howdy, partner! My name’s Serena! Can I rustle ya sumthin’ from the ole waterin’ hole?” The waitress who greeted me was a perky blonde with buns, long hair and blue eyes. I guessed she was in her late teens or early twenties - definitely younger than I was, but at least she didn’t call me ‘sir’. Her ‘Southern’ accent definitely needed some work: it sounded like a mix of German and Japanese.

I didn’t want to admit I was having some trouble reading the menu. “Could I have another minute?”

She gasped and bobbled her head up and down as if she had overdosed on caffeine.

“Sure! Are you American? I went to university in America for a year! I didn’t finish though, the teachers there are so strict! One of them failed me just for sleeping in class!

I didn’t want to go home and make my parents cry and listen to my friend Raye be like ‘I can’t believe you failed again, meatball head!’ So I got a job here, and the owner said I could sleep in the basement, and I have all the benefits of being in America without going to an American school! It’s so great, right? Oh - and don’t call me meatball head!

Please!”

I returned her grin with an awkward smile. Most people probably would have run out of the restaurant at that point, but it had been a while since I had a full conversation with someone. I hadn’t expected to make any friends while I was here.

A cat pressed itself against the window and meowed. “LUNA! Get off the window!

I’ve cleaned it enough times today!” Serena yelled at the black cat. I noticed a strange crescent moon-shaped bald patch on the cat’s forehead. “I’m gonna have a talk with that cat! Not that she talks back to me, because that would be crazy! I’ll be right back!”

Just as Serena rushed outside, I noticed a man hovering ominously over my table, wearing all black and tilting his head so that his hat covered his face. Things got weirder when the music came to a grinding halt and everyone else dropped face-first into the tables.

4

“Come with me. It’s time for our first mission,” said the sinister man. Given that no one else was conscious, he had to be talking to me.

“You didn’t spike the ol’ waterin’ hole now, did ya?” I asked sarcastically. I glanced out of the window trying to find see Serena, but she had already removed Luna from my window. I hoped that she had gone to get help and hadn’t just run away.

“That wasn’t a request,” the man leaned in. I tried to look him square in the eye to convince him I wasn’t afraid (which I was), but I saw something strange swirling around in there: like dark energy. I must be having another dream, I thought.

“My waitress hasn’t taken my order yet. I wouldn’t want to run out on her. She seems nice,” I told him. Serena rushed through the front door just as the man tried to grab me.

“Hey! Don’t mess with Texas! And don’t mess with my customers!” Serena screamed and pointed.

“Moon...Cosmic...POWER!” she shouted. I just stood there wide-eyed as she...transformed in front of me. I was fixed on all the pretty colors as a tiara, white gloves, red boots, and a white uniform with blue laces and a red bowtie took form upon her. At least the scene proved I was dreaming - I should NOT have spent my first day watching TV. “Sailor Moon!” the man smirked. “It’s been a while!” Sailor Moon...the name sounded familiar. I heard of Sailor V and the Sailor Scouts many years ago, but I wasn’t sure how much of it was real news. I thought it was mostly entertainment.

“I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice!” she posed. “On behalf of the moon, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you! She corrected herself when she realized she was pointing at me. “Not you, him! You seem nice! Not that I’m trying to influence any tip you were thinking of giving me -” Sailor Moon was interrupted by a blast of dark energy that threw her into the back of the restaurant. Not thinking, I tried to tackle my attacker, but he pushed me off and grabbed my by the shoulder. “Moon...Tiara...MAGIC!” Sailor Moon cried and threw what looked like frisbee of white light at him. He flinched as it hit him, but refused to let go. Although she was badly hurt by his attack, she charged into us and screamed “get your hand OFF OF HIM!” The next thing I saw was a massive burst of energy that sent us flying out of the restaurant. I barely felt myself hit the floor before I blacked out. When I woke up, I noticed Sailor Moon lying unconscious nearby. I crawled over to her but ducked my head just as a projectile flew at me. It was a rose: a figure wearing a white mask and black clothing leaped down off the restaurant roof.

I presumed he was another “recruiter” for whoever was responsible for all this. “Tell whoever you work for that I’m not interested,” I snarled.

“I am Tuxedo Mask!” declared the figure. “I ‘work’ for the forces of truth and justice.

I’m here to protect the lovely Sailor Moon from the likes of you!” Before I had the chance to explain anything, Tuxedo Mask threw a punch at me. I got out of the way and 5

Tuxedo Mask charged for another strike, so I pushed his arm to the side and punched him square in the jaw as hard as I could.

“STOP!” a female voice screamed out. It had come in the direction of Serena’s cat Luna, who was perched on the sidewalk near the restaurant, but I saw no one else in her direction. “He did not attack Sailor Moon! She was protecting him!”

Great, now animals are talking to me! I must have hit my head!

“My name is Luna. No, you are not hallucinating or dreaming, I really am a talking cat!” It was an awkward way of introducing herself, so I likely wasn’t the first. “I sensed something the moment I met you, and what I saw confirms that we are on the same side.

“On the same side?” asked Tuxedo Mask. “Do you mean he’s a...”

“No, not exactly,” answered Luna. “I will explain but right now, we have to get Serena to safety.”

“To her house?” asked Tuxedo Mask.

“No, there is another place we can go.”

“Fine, help me carry her,” ordered Tuxedo Mask. I still didn’t trust him, so I stepped back.

“Look, I’m sorry I attacked you. My real name is Darien. I’m her boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” I muttered without really thinking.

“It comes as a surprise to most people but yes: she has a boyfriend,” he answered.

Based on the look on his face, I could picture him asking himself: is he just surprised that she has a boyfriend, or is he disappointed? I saw him rubbing the side of his face where I had hit him.

“Hurry, we have to get her to safety,” urged Luna. We took Sailor Moon under the arms and ran after her...

6

7

8

Chapter 2 Queen Serenity’s Shadow

9

L

una guided us to an old temple: it looked like it was closed for the night, except for one dilapidated building. Waiting for us was another white cat who possessed the same crescent moon on his forehead.

“Luna! What happened?” he asked.

“Artemis, you must awaken Raye and tell the other Sailor Scouts to come here as quickly as possible!”

“I’ll move as fast as I can!” Artemis dashed out the door.

“I thought we could use this space as a headquarters if the Sailor Scouts needed to be called again...even though it needs some fixing up,” said Luna after we had set Serena down on a rickety bed in the ‘Inner Senshi’ room.

“She’s breathing normally. She’s just knocked out. Let her rest,” Tuxedo Mask assured us.

“Good thing Amy came to visit, she can take a look at her later.” I could sense Luna watching me. “Something’s bothering you,” she niticed.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the strange dream I had before. “I dreamed of a teenage girl dressed in white, with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes...most of the details are still fuzzy, but she looked just like her,” I said as I looked down at Serena.

“That confirms my suspicions,” said Luna. “We came from Silver Millennium, the Moon Kingdom that was destroyed over a thousand years ago. Our mission was to protect the Silver Crystal and help the people of Earth progress. Queen Serenity sacrificed her life so that her court could be reborn on Earth. Sailor Moon was her daughter and leader of the Sailor Scouts. Years ago, we secured the Silver Crystal and protected Earth from evil. But evil comes in many forms, as did the protectors of Queen Serenity.”

I thought to sit in an old wooden chair, but I stood up as soon as I heard it creaking.

We were lucky Serena’s bed was in better shape. “Are you saying I’m a Sailor Scout?”

I asked.

“N... no, not a Sailor Scout, but you were one of the Queen’s agents on Earth. Your job was to monitor the progress of civilization on Earth and report on any possible threats.”

“He was a spy?” asked Tuxedo Mask. Luna cringed at the thought. I could tell she thought highly of her mission and her fallen kingdom.

“Their mission was purely benign at first. When Queen Serenity learned that a dark 10

influence was corrupting them, she expanded their mission and her agents became the Shadows of Silver Millennium. You learned how to wield the same dark magic as our enemies in order to disguise and protect yourselves. But I thought that none of your kind was left.”

“The man in the restaurant wanted me to come with him. He said it was time for my first mission,” I admitted to Luna. I saw Tuxedo Mask glance quickly towards me, but he quickly turned his eyes back to Serena.

“He can sense the dark taint that resides within you, faint as it may be. No doubt he wants you to join his cause...which would pit you against the people of Earth and the Sailor Scouts,” said Luna.

“I got the feeling he’s up to no good. Maybe I could spy on him for you guys,” I suggested.

“I did not expect you would be so quick to offer your help,” Luna admitted after a moment of awkward silence. “Knowing what we’re up against and what they’re planning would certainly aid us, but it would be dangerous. If they suspect that you’re helping us, they may destroy you.”

“Maybe there’s training or an artifact you can give him to help him resist their influence,” suggested Tuxedo Mask.

Luna hung her head. “Unlike the rest of our group, you carry the taint of the dark magic you once wielded inside of you. It is not a matter of resisting our enemies’ power...it is about learning how to control your own.”

“I can use dark magic? What sort of powers did I have?” I asked.

“The dark magic users we have encountered could disappear from sight and strike without warning. They could drain energy from others and manipulate their minds.”

Invisibility might be cool, but the rest sounded much less benevolent, I thought. What if I could not control it? I began wondering what I had gotten myself into...

Luna must have noticed that I was having second thoughts and gave me a moment of pause. Using dark magic does not make you an evil person, but the temptation to use it for selfish and destructive purposes will be strong, even for you.” “You have a choice.

You can stay with us regardless of your decision. We can keep you safe until the Sailor Scouts have dealt with the threat.”

I looked at Sailor Moon again, covered in sheets. She had risked her life protecting me. I have to do something, I told myself. I could not just sit by. It was as much a feeling as it was a thought, but I managed to put the words together: “Sailor Moon couldn’t defeat him. You need to know what we’re up against, and this is our best chance. Who knows how much time we have?”

Luna nodded. “If only Serena had been as enthusiastic when I told her she was Sailor Moon. Very well, but first, we must be certain that you can handle dark magic.” Luna 11

leapt into the air and did a backflip. A black shard fell to the floor.

“We’ve encountered forces that have used the Dark Crystal and dark magic before, but this shard is pure. Its power rivals that of the Silver Crystal from which the Sailor Scouts draw their own powers. Pick it up,” ordered Luna. “And remember your heart.”

I was unsure what she meant, but with some hesitation, I knelt down and reached out for the shard.

The shard’s edges that were sharp to the touch. Staring into it was like staring into a black hole. My hand burned while the rest of my body went cold. I saw darkness swirling around me. In an instant, I could see myself siphoning energy from my bullies and watching them collapse to the ground while others watched on in horror. I could see myself tearing buildings to their foundations and throwing cops aside like ragdolls.

And then I saw myself finishing my fight with Tuxedo Mask: I ripped off his mask and choked him as Sailor Moon begged me to stop...

In horror, I threw the shard aside. I realized what a terrible mistake I would be making. Whatever threat we faced, I would become something much worse.

“Throw it away. It’s too dangerous,” I begged Luna. I backed up into a corner, put my hands on my knees and sat there looking at the floor. I was in a cold sweat.

“The stone shows you what you CAN do with your powers, not what you WILL do.

The fact that it scares you proves that you have a good heart.” Luna spoke in a gentle tone as she pushed a silver bracer in front of me. I noticed a slot for the shard, but I could not bring myself to hold it again. “This will help you focus and control your dark powers. I trust you to use your powers responsibly. Now, you have to trust yourself,” Luna explained.

“I know you can - um, I didn’t catch your name,” asked Tuxedo Mask.

“Yes! You’re going to need a new name! Like the Sailor Scouts, you should take measures to protect your identity so you will be able to walk the city freely until we need you,” realized Luna.

I picked the bracer up off the ground - it was surprisingly light to the touch, yet sturdy.

It slipped onto my arm perfectly. “What would you call me?” I asked. “...Charon,” Luna said after a moment of contemplation. “That will be your name.”

“Well, you guys named me, so I guess I have to take this,” I quipped. I reached for the dark shard and shoved it into the bracer as quickly as I could. Although the shard was jagged and uncut, it fit perfectly. My arm grew hot for a few seconds, but nothing near like it was before. I saw another brief ‘vision’...this time I was wearing two silver bracers with a magical chain holding them together, like handcuffs...but the image quickly faded.

“What is your real name, anyway?” asked Tuxedo Mask.

I smirked. “I’m a spy, remember? I can’t tell you until you earn my trust.”

12

“Luna!” Artemis had returned. “Something’s going on in the city, I was able to find - whoa.” Artemis paused in the doorway and stared at me. I could hear others coming behind him...

13

14

Chapter 3 Colliding with the Inner Senshi

15

A

young woman around Serena’s age with long black hair and white robes with a long red skirt followed behind Artemis. She did not look very pleased to see us and I could see the lines in her face tighten when she saw me.

“Intruder!” I was startled when she screamed and pointed at me. “Get out of here before I-” “Calm down, Raye! He was an agent of Queen Serenity! He’s offered to help us figure out what’s going on!” cried Luna.

I saw three other girls file in behind Raye. The first had short blue hair and glanced away from me as she walked by. The second had green eyes and hair tied into a ponytail, held by a hair tie with two green round jewels. The third looked startlingly like Serena, except that her long blonde hair was straight with a red hair ribbon. They were all plainly dressed in civilian clothes - they must have been hanging out when Artemis found them - but they were still pretty.

“Are you sure he’s on our side? He’s dressed like a bad guy,” said the one with brown hair. I looked down and was surprised to find that I was now wearing a gray robe with black outlines on top of some kind of undersuit. Except for the silver bracer, there was no sign of the clothes I had been wearing before.

“Your bracer and the dark shard allows you to transform and activate your powers instantly, but watch your emotions carefully - you must have gotten nervous when Artemis and the others came,” explained Luna.

“Luna - did you say dark shard?” asked Artemis.

“Yes, he’s a Shadow. He was a member of a secret order that infiltrated the forces of evil on Earth,” answered Luna.

“I thought there were none of them left. But things are a mess outside. It’s a welcome change of pace, usually when someone new appears they’re not on our side!” said Artemis. Maybe now the others would welcome me, I thought...

“Now hold on!” Raye interrupted again. “He’s not a Sailor Scout, right? It’s bad enough you didn’t tell me about this base of yours, Luna, but bringing him here has put my grandpa and the rest of us in danger! How do we know he’s not here to spy on us?”

“He’s not a spy, Raye!” shouted Luna.

“Calm down, everyone!” yelled the blonde with the red hair ribbon. “Amy, maybe you should take a look at Serena?”

The blue-haired girl nodded and joined Tuxedo Mask by Serena’s bed side. But it 16

didn’t take long for tempers to flare up again: “Darien, what happened to your face?” Amy asked Tuxedo Mask.

“Look, Charon - the new guy and I - had a misunderstanding. I thought he attacked Serena, so I attacked him, and he defended himself - “ “See?! This proves he’s dangerous!” yelled Raye. “I don’t know why the rest of you are defending him! He won’t even defend himself - he hasn’t said a word since we got here!”

I’d had enough by that point. I turned to Luna and tried to pretend there was no one else there as I said, “I can meet the recruiter on my own, find out what I can and report back.”

“I would not advise that you go alone. The Sailor Scouts should be nearby in case our ruse does not work or you run into any trouble. We have to know why they are interested in you and what they plan on using you for,” warned Luna.

I turned to Raye and the other two Sailor Scouts behind her. “You’re right, I’m not a Sailor Scout. I can’t make you help me, but I don’t need your permission either.”

“Well, I’m their leader, and I’m coming with you.” I heard Serena call out just as I was about to walk past the three Sailor Scouts. I saw Amy and Damien trying to push her back down, but she insisted on sitting up. “He’s my friend, and I’m not leaving him out there without backup.”

The others looked at me, then back at Serena. “I’m with you too, I think you’re a good guy,” said the other blonde.

I saw Amy nodding. The brown-haired girl turned to Sailor Mars. “He’s got a plan, Raye. Let’s help him with it.”

Sailor Mars turned her head away...not just from me, but from everyone else...and closed her eyes in disappointment. “I should check on my grandpa. I hope this plan works.”

“Come on, Raye!” the brown-haired girl called after her. “I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name’s Mina,” the other blonde smiled. “Any chance you’ve heard of Sailor V?” I had the biggest crush on her EVER, I thought. But instead I said, “Yeah, I’ve heard of her.”

“That was me!” she said excitedly. A lump formed in my throat.

“Yeah, yeah, what have you done for the world lately, Venus?” mocked Serena.

“Hey!” Mina yelled back.

“So, Artemis, where’s Rini?” Serena asked. Mina whispered to me that Rini was 17

Serena’s daughter from the future. Compared to everything else that was going out that day, that really didn’t phase me.

“Rini couldn’t come, she’s grounded,” Artemis admitted awkwardly. You saw Serena mutter ha ha.

“Any luck, Sailor Jupiter?” Amy asked the brown-haired girl upon her return. I saw no sign of Raye behind her.

“Looks like it’ll be us for now. She’ll come around...eventually,” lamented Jupiter.

“So what’s the plan? Are you gonna ditch those robes and bracer?” she asked.

“I’ll tell him the Sailor Scouts tried to recruit me to their cause, tried to get me to use the power of the Black Shard against their enemies, but I decided that being evil is way cooler and escaped,” I answered.

“That’s risky, but his superiors will definitely be more interested in you. Remember, if you think you’re in danger of being discovered, you have the power to disappear,” said Luna.

“Or just yell for us and we’ll come running!” said Sailor Moon from her bed.

“But discover as much as you can about them - their numbers, their goals, their leaders and if they use the same dark energy. I don’t know of any other source that would trigger a reaction like I saw when you two collided with Sailor Moon.” Luna flipped into the air again and a wrist watch with a crystal star on the cover fell. I was a bit embarrassed to pick it up. “Use this so that we can listen in on your conversations and you can call us if you need help. I’m sorry I don’t have anything more...appropriate for you.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Raye and her grandpa, make sure they’re OK,” said Artemis.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be in good hands,” he said to me...

18

19

20

Chapter 4 The Impostor Kingdom

21

I

left on my own, but I heard chatter over the communicator indicating that the others were watching me from a distance. The police had set up a perimeter around the restaurant when I returned. I could see them carrying people out - some were badly hurt, but thankfully they were all walking. I figured out how to ‘think’ my robes off and was wearing regular clothes again; I did not want to attract any unwanted attention.

“Sir, there’s been an explosion,” the officer stated briskly.

“I’m looking for someone who was here. A man wearing all black, including a black hat,” I asked. I saw the officer flip through a notepad.

“I may have seen him, can you give me more details?” he asked.

“I spoke to him earlier, he wanted to recruit me for something important,” was what I said. The officer gave me an odd look, but said he would find out and walked towards the restaurant. Minutes later, everybody just collapsed on the floor. I felt a chill down my spine and the arm with the bracer grew hot again.

“I don’t like the looks of this, we should grab him and question him ourselves,” I heard Jupiter faintly mutter over the communicator.

“Stick to the plan, stay quiet,” I heard Sailor Venus answer back. I could see the figure grinning as he came closer. I resisted the urge to step back as he stopped inches away from me. I noticed that his skin had a purple hue.

“You have returned, acolyte. For your own sake, I hope you were not foolish enough to lead Sailor Moon here,” he sneered.

“She didn’t. She tried to recruit me to her cause, but I escaped,” I explained. I raised my arm and showed him the silver bracer. He reached out to touch it, but did not.

“Your powers are strong,” he smiled, “and you are learning how to use them on your own. We studied the Scouts’ previous missions and found the means to resist their powers, but we did not think they would try to turn you against us. But I have accounted for the other Shadows - tell me, what led you back to us?”

“Sailor Moon was really annoying, she seemed like a huge brat. And her friends were jerks,” I answered back. I figured the best lies were close to the truth, but I knew Sailor Moon was going to make me pay for that later...

“I expected that reaction from them,” he smiled. “Queen Serenity and her court were always arrogant. But a second Ice Age is coming to this planet and Silver Millennium shall be rebuilt upon its surface!”

“But I thought the Sailor Scouts were the enemy! They’re the ones who want to re22

store Silver Millennium!” I asked. No doubt the others were also confused.

“That’s what any tyrant would want you to believe: that they ARE the Kingdom, not merely its rulers! Their hubris did not only turn the people of Earth against them, acolyte! Our plan was set in motion long before the Moon Kingdom was destroyed! The only wrinkle left in our plan...is you!”

This time, I stepped back from him, trying not to let my ‘cloak’ magically activate itself. “Wait! I thought you were recruiting me! I can help you find Sailor Moon!” I ‘pleaded’. Hopefully the others knew that I was trying to buy more time and coax more information out of him.

“Your powers are strong, acolyte, but they also make you a liability. By the time the Scouts find another way to stop us, it will be too late. I assure you: your sacrifice will guarantee the rebirth of our Kingdom and the end of the Sailor Scouts!” I flinched as he reached in my direction. When I opened my eyes, I realized that my cloak had activated. He reached in my direction and smirked; although he didn’t know exactly where I was, he sensed I was still in the area.

“You can’t hide, acolyte!” I tried to run when I saw him summon a ball of dark energy in his hand and throw it at the floor. He raised a fog of black smoke with energy particles surging through it. I felt as if I had been electrocuted and fell to the ground in agony.

“Mercury Bubbles...Blast!” The dark fog was blown away by a clear mist, giving me some time to get on my feet and run into the street.

“Back for your pawn, I see! Or was he yours all along?” I heard the recruiter scream behind me. He was still pursuing me.

“Venus...Crescent...Beam!” The recruiter dodged Sailor Venus’ attack, but the distraction gave me a chance to run into the alley.

“Mars...Fire...Ignite!” I heard Raye’s voice - she had come to help us! I saw a wall of fire behind me, blocking the recruiter from pursuing me any farther. I leaned up against the wall and sat on the ground.

“Charon, are you alright?” Tuxedo Mask ran up to me, followed by Luna.

“He said he could...resist their powers,” I said, trying to stand back up.

“He might not expect YOU to attack him,” suggested Tuxedo Mask.

“How?” I asked.

“Get close to him and use the same attack against him! Stay focused on him and remember: you’re fighting to protect the Sailor Scouts! The rest will come!” said Luna.

I could see things were going badly for us when I approached the alley. Whenever the Sailor Scouts’ attacked him, he would disappear like a ghost, only to reappear near them and deliver a close blast of dark energy. This was a trained Shadow in combat...

23

what I could become if I could master my powers...

“Run,” Sailor Mercury pleaded as she lay on the floor. Only Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon were left standing.

“Venus...Love Chain Encircle!” Sailor Venus launched her chain attack right at him, but he was dodged the initial strike, grabbed the chain and rode it back to her.

“Venus!” Sailor Moon shouted as he knocked her to the ground. The recruiter turned around and smirked when he saw me.

“Go! I can deal with this!” I shouted to Sailor Moon.

“But - “ I nodded and Sailor Moon understood. She ran to Venus and Tuxedo Mask went to help the others.

“See how quickly your ‘friends’ desert you. You were foolish to betray us,” taunted the recruiter.

“At least they didn’t try to kill me when we first met,” I retorted. I was focused on what Luna told me, trying to summon dark magic like the recruiter had earlier.

“I would have given you a quick death acolyte. Instead, I’ll take my time...” He vanished from sight, surely to attack me up close, just as the ball of dark magic formed in my hand and I threw it to the floor. The cloud of smoke may not have been as dense as the one he had summoned before, but it was enough to stop him in his tracks. He reappeared, coughing and shaking helplessly.

“How? No...you’re a...” he cried.

“He’s vulnerable! Sailor Moon, finish him!” cried Luna. Sailor Moon raised a pink rod with a tiny gold crown, topped with a gold and red heart-shaped towards the Moon.

I grew dizzy watching her spin the rod and herself around.

“Moon...Spiral...Heart...Attack!” she yelled. If the dizziness hadn’t finished off the recruiter, then the enormous pink heart that smashed into him surely did. I made a note to myself to be careful about teasing Serena.

I could see that the people the recruiter had previously rendered unconscious were beginning to stir.”Hey, Sailor Moon’s back!” I heard a voice yell from down the street.

“It wasn’t just us,” smiled Sailor Moon as she flipped her hair. “We have our newest team member to thank - hey, where did he go?” she looked around frantically.

I had disappeared from sight and was watching the scene from a nearby rooftop. I heard Tuxedo Mask slip in behind me. “Camera shy?” he asked. I nodded. “It’s OK, they can handle the attention. We’ll see them back at the Temple...”

24

25

26

Chapter 5 Trust is Earned

27

D

amien and I found an old TV in the Temple and managed to hook it up, so we could sit back as we waited for the others. Luna and Artemis joined us minutes later and told us the Sailor Scouts had returned. They were exhausted after their last fight and Luna decided everyone should get some rest. I hoped that wasn’t a sign that Serena was mad at me for something. Damien flipped through three channels before settling on the Sailor V movie.

“I thought you two would want to watch something else. Didn’t you have enough real fighting earlier?” chastised Luna.

“That cat looks nothing like me,” lamented Artemis. Luna sighed.

“The dialogue is almost completely different from what I remember,” I said to Damien.

“They cut out a lot of scenes in the version I watched, like most of the romance parts and the grenade scene. She didn’t really hit anybody either, it’s like you would see her hand move and her target would just drop.”

“Why would they do that? Sounds like they butchered it,” replied Damien as Sailor V fought her way through a group of masked criminals.

“They made it more kid-friendly, but it still had its charms,” I answered.

“So, how does the real Sailor V compare to the movie version?” asked Artemis.

I answered, “she looks better without the mask.” I did not understand why none of them brought up what we had just experienced, so I changed the subject. “Were there any rebellions in Silver Millennium?” I asked Luna.

“Not that I remember,” replied Luna. “I know that the recruiter said troublesome things about Silver Millennium, but you can’t let him fill you with doubts. Queen Serenity was a kind and just ruler. She sacrificed herself to give us another chance at life.

Try to put it out of your head for now - we will talk in the morning, after everyone else has rested.”

“I’ll look around for a while, and then get some rest. Good night,” I left the room and took a walk through the Temple grounds. Before that night, I might have enjoyed the serenity of the trees and empty buildings. Instead, I repeatedly checked over my shoulder to make sure there were no other recruiters or rogue Shadows sneaking up behind me. When I slid the door open to the main shrine, I saw Raye praying to the fire in the robe and dress she wore when we met.

“Hey,” she called just as I was about to slide the door shut and leave. Maybe she thought I was one of her friends.

28

“Sorry, I was just leaving. I’m glad everyone is alright,” I muttered. I noticed two black crows sitting beside her as I slid the door closed. But she reopened the door and followed me.

“Even with the five of us, we still couldn’t beat him. If you hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have been able to stop the Shadow recruiter,” she admitted.

I turned to her; I hadn’t expected to see this side of her, but here she was: apologizing.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come back,” I said to her.

“I came back to help the others, but later I realized that I was wrong about you. I hope you’ll stay around?” she looked up and asked.

“He mentioned another Ice Age was coming. A lot of innocent people will die if that happens, so yeah - I’ll stay. Maybe we can stop it, or at least buy some more time,” I answered. She smiled, but I could see her eyes were still somber. “You all seem close.

I wish I had a group of friends like yours,” I added.

“You do,” she answered. “We get on each other’s nerves all the time - especially Serena - but we’re all there for each other when it matters. I’ll talk to you later, I need to make sure Grandpa’s still in bed.”

“Sure, let me know if you need help with him,” I offered and started walking away.

“Hey! What’s your name? Besides Charon?” she asked.

“Logan,” I turned and answered. “You’re the first person I’ve told.”

She smiled again. “Good night, Logan.” I returned to the personal quarters for bed when I saw Darien whispering into one of the rooms.

“We were watching the movie the entire time. He would have gotten suspicious if I insisted he stay there!”

“I don’t like holding secret meetings about him behind his back, Darien.” I could make out Serena’s voice whispering back to him. Knowing that they were talking about me behind my back made my blood boil.

“You won’t have to keep this secret for long,” he assured you. Copying another of the Shadow recruiter’s move, I disappeared and reappeared directly behind Damien.

“No, you won’t,” I made Damien jump and Serena gasp. “You can tell me right now.”

“Luna wanted us to wait for the right time to talk to you...” began Serena. I could see her eyes starting to fill with tears.

“Serena, the others are sleeping! She cries easily.” I could see her fuming as Damien continued. “That recruiter was a Shadow, and he said the others were ‘accounted for’.

There are sure to be more on his side! We can’t just ignore that!”

“You can’t ignore the fact that you need my help either,” I answered. “And it’s going to be hard to trust any of you knowing that you’re talking about me behind my back.”

29

Serena and Damien hung their heads. I started feeling bad: they were my closest friends here so far. But I knew that keeping secrets from me wasn’t right.

“Nobody said anything bad about you at the meeting. Not even Raye, which is something,” offered Serena.

“The others just don’t know you yet. Maybe tomorrow, we can all try to get to know each other better - “ suggested Damien.

“Ooohhh! SHOPPING! WE NEED FOOD AND VIDEOGAMES AND -” Serena yawned “and sleep. Lots of sleep.”

“We’d better get some sleep while we have the chance,” said Damien. “Tomorrow will be a better day, I promise.” I decided to drop it for now.

“Oh, while you’re here!” Serena called to us and went back into her room. She returned to her door with a stack of Sailor V manga. “Our welcome gift for you. Mina thought you would like it - although I’m not sure if she wanted you to know it was her idea, so forget I said that!”

“Uh...thanks,” I said awkwardly as Serena slid her door closed.

“See? They’re trying. I...uh, mentioned we were watching the movie. I think Mina has a crush,” Damien mentioned awkwardly.

“Was the part of the movie where she was in love and had to give him up true?” I asked.

After a moment of silence, Damien responded, “Mina’s a romantic, but she doesn’t have a lot of experience with relationships.” We returned to our private quarters, although I wasn’t expecting to get much sleep...

30

31

32

Chapter 6 The Spymaster

33

W

hile his agents had spread throughout the city, the Spymaster of the Shadows had settled in the outskirts of Tokyo. Rather than surround himself in a fortress with armed guards, he spent most of his days in a dilapidated house.

At night, he could be found kneeling alone among the trees, incanting unintelligible phrases of reverence towards the moon. His subordinate quietly approached him from behind and kneeled beside him.

“Spymaster, my agents report that the recruiter has gone missing. He last reported that he was seeking the final acolyte.”

“I see.” The Spymaster’s eyes remained closed and his body remained motionless.

“How many agents have you tasked with finding them?”

“With respect, Spymaster, the disappearances of a single low-ranking Shadow and a single acolyte do not warrant the resources that I have dedicated to finding them. Our Shadows are ready to commence gathering energy from the humans, starting today.”

“You will find out what became of our missing men, Commander,” ordered the Spymaster calmly. “The human media has reported that the Sailor Scouts have re-emerged.

Do you assume that the Sailor Scouts’ return and the disappearance of our two Shadows are coincidence?” he asked.

The commander turned to face his superior. “We anticipated that the Sailor Scouts would return, Spymaster. We studied their fighting techniques, honed our powers to resist theirs - “ “The arrogance of Queen Serenity led to the destruction of the Moon Kingdom and I implore you not to make the same mistake,” the Spymaster urged the Commander.

“Our enemies have proven themselves in battle time and time again. Unless your agents can convince me otherwise, we must assume that they have found a way to counter our advantages over them.”

“Yes, Spymaster,” agreed the Commander.

“We must make adjustments to our original plan. You will begin conducting energy-gathering operations today, but your ulterior motive will be to draw the Sailor Scouts out into the open. The humans are attracted to outward displays of personality and bravado; you will use that to your advantage. You will conduct larger and more public operations - fewer if necessary. If possible, you will capture a lone Sailor Scout for interrogation: find out what happened to our missing agents.”

“Respectfully, Spymaster, our plan was to gather as much human energy as quickly as possible to bring about the Second Ice Age. We simply do not have enough men to do as you have ordered and remain on schedule. Dedicating some Shadows to drawing at34

tention and others to reconnaissance will slow the operation by weeks, if not months.”

The Commander was uncomfortable with his new directive and was frustrated that the Spymaster would never look at him or give any verbal cues to indicate that he was listening.

“We are accelerating a natural process. Silver Millennium WILL be reborn on this planet. Our aim is to guarantee that it shall be under our tutelage. All memory of the Sailor Scouts and the royal court shall be wiped away, along with most of this planet’s population. But remember Commander - human extinction is not our objective. Once the Kingdom has been reborn, we shall continue to guide those who remain.”

The commander chiseled at this particular order; he viewed the humans as an obstacle and had desperately tried to pursue a better source of energy to fuel their plan. But he bowed and muttered, “as you wish, Spymaster.” He stood and stared at the moon where the ruins of the fallen Kingdom still stood before he walked away...

The Following Morning...

Damien and I waited outside the girls’ quarters that morning. Mina was turning everyone’s rooms upside down trying to find something. Eventually, the other Sailor Scouts got impatient and dragged her out of there.

“Just give me 10 more minutes to search! I remember putting them right here in the corner!” pleaded Mina.

“Oh - the Sailor V manga? I gave them to Charon last night. Oh - and I accidentally mentioned it was your idea,” answered Serena.

“What?! I was just going to leave it on his table! Why did you tell him it was from me?!” Mina’s face turned red when she saw us standing a few feet away from her. “Oh, hey guys! I didn’t see you there! Serena can be a real ditz sometimes!”

“Takes one to know one,” mumbled Serena. Mina crossed her arms and turned her back on Serena.

“Thanks for the manga?” I awkwardly smiled to try to defuse the tension, but it didn’t work.

“Hey, since Charon’s visiting, I thought we could split up and meet for breakfast later,” Damien suggested.

“I call these two!” Serena grabbed me and Mina by the arms.

“I’m still not talking to you,” muttered Mina. Serena sighed.

“Don’t worry Serena, I’ll take good care of your boyfriend for you,” Raye teased and winked. Serena made an angry face. We walked down the Temple steps together and split up as we headed into the city...

“Don’t tell me both of you are giving me the silent treatment!” complained Serena half an hour later. She had acted as the tour guide, introducing the sights, including 35

their old high school. I was enjoying the scenery. Mina WAS still a bit mad...

The sight of the arcade across the street caught my eye. “I haven’t seen one of those in a while,” I commented. The other two stopped and looked.

“You mean you don’t have arcades back home?” Serena asked.

“Well, they’re for little kids. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in one,” I answered.

“That reminds me,” Mina chimed in, “last night I saw that Amy had one of those square black things that people used to put in computer slots...”

“Floppy discs?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s what they were called!” answered Mina.

“Ah, the good old 90s,” stated Serena.

Meanwhile...

Behind the three of us, two Shadows disguised in civilian clothing watched ominously. “I recognize those two from the news. Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus. I sense something strange about the one standing next to them,” said the male shadow.

“Our orders are to take one of them for interrogation,” the female Shadow remembered. “This could be our best chance; there’s only two of them with that nobody.”

“Why don’t we drain their energy first? We could host some kind of videogame competition,” the male shadow suggested.

“Videogame competition?” she asked.

“Yes, you remember the briefings? You know how human energy rises when they’re competing? We can offer the winner a prize and while they’re trying so hard to win, we drain all the contestants’ energy! And then we take one for interrogation! We can work on two mission objectives at the same time!” the male Shadow explained excitedly.

The female Shadow shook her head. “All of our training and dark magic abilities and you want to defeat our enemies by hosting a videogame competition? Seriously, that’s the lamest plan I’ve ever heard!”

“Hey, the bad guys - I mean, Queen Beryl’s commanders came up with schemes like that all the time, remember?” he complained.

“And look how well that turned out for them,” she crossed her arms and shook her head. “We don’t need a stupid scheme to collect energy OR capture one of the Sailor Scouts. Here...give me that leather flap human males carry around with them...”

He reached into his pocket. “My wallet? Seriously, you think this is a better plan?” ...

“HELP! MY WALLET!” A man screamed behind us. I charged after the woman who 36

stole it. She was fast and moved through the crowds with remarkable precision. I nearly lost her several times during the chase, but I could sense her up ahead. I pursued her into an alley. Thankfully, it was a dead end, giving me a second to catch my breath.

A out-of-breath cop ran up behind me. “Ma’am...your...under...arrest!”

An even more out-of-breath Serena followed. “Charon...you alright?” she panted.

“Charon?” asked the cop. “What kind of name is...ugh...”

I felt a tingling sensation, but I wasn’t feeling as tired as the cop and Serena suddenly looked. I saw that the mysterious woman was draining their energy...and she was trying to drain mine too...but the process was moving a lot more slowly...

“You ARE different!” she realized. “There’s only one way you could resist my energy drain...you have dark magic! You’re supposed to be one of us!”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” I replied. She tried to disappear, but I beat her to it...I reappeared behind her, curb-stomped her right thigh, and punched her in the face. She fell to the ground in shock. I looked over to the cop and Serena and I realized that Mina wasn’t behind her.

“Serena, where’s Mina?” I asked.

“She stayed with that guy that she mugged,” Serena answered. I realized that this was her plan all along.

“Was that guy with you?” I asked the downed Shadow. I grabbed her collar when she cracked a wide grin. “Was all this to capture our friend?”

She leaned up off the floor to answer. “Even if you destroy me, you won’t be able to hide your presence from us for long...”

37

38

Chapter 7 A Wild Mini Moon Appears!

39

M

y first thought was that Sailor Moon and I should destroy her. She was the enemy: if we let her go, she was sure to report back to the others...and come back for revenge. But when I turned back and faced Serena, still lying on the ground, I saw a look in her eyes that said she knew what I was thinking...and she was afraid that I would say it. The Shadow was awake, but there was no indication she would be able to threaten us any time soon. So I left the Shadow where she lay on the ground with the police officer, helped my friend to her feet, and walked away.

“Are we just going to leave her?” she asked. Maybe she didn’t know what I was thinking after all...or maybe she thought that leaving her wasn’t enough.

“What are we supposed to do? Either we leave her, or...” I didn’t finish my sentence.

If there was any doubt before, she definitely understood when she closed her eyes and shook her head. Serena didn’t want to deal a finishing blow to the Shadow if she was no longer a threat to us. Maybe I could have convinced her it had to be done, but we still had to save Venus. All we could do was leave her for the police and hope we wouldn’t regret it later.

“Loan me your communicator,” she changed the subject. I pulled out the communicator Luna had given me. “Amy, come in!”

“What’s wrong, Serena? Are you OK?” responded Sailor Mercury.

“A Shadow drew me and Charon away from Sailor Venus. Do you still have that computer? We need to find her,” asked Serena.

“Of course I do! It’s been a little finicky since I rewrote the firmware, but I should be able to track her location...found her, she’s in the arcade! There I am getting faint readings of another presence in the room...Serena, there’s another Sailor Scout in there with them!”

“Rini!” shouted Serena. “She won’t be able to take him on by herself! We have to hurry! Um...ahem,” she cleared her throat when I started running. “I’m not much of a sprinter, as you already know! And that energy drain took a lot out of me!”

“What do you want me to do, carry you on my back?” I asked sarcastically. Serena put her pointer fingers together and made puppy eyes at me. “Wait, you’re serious?!

Don’t you have a boyfriend for this sort of thing?”

“Well, he’s not here and Venus needs our help! We should get moving!” I sighed, turned around, and bent my knees so she could climb on my back. This would easily be one of the worst rescues ever...

“Hey, you didn’t mention anything I said at the restaurant, did you?” Serena asked as 40

I dashed through the crowds like a madman. Of course, people were staring.

“No,” I mumbled. I was running out of breath, but we were almost there. “They don’t,” I stopped for breaths in between, “know?”

“I haven’t told anyone else yet. Oh, they’re going to be so disappointed. I’d still be in the Eighth Grade if it wasn’t for them,” she cried. Somehow, I didn’t doubt that. I don’t know how I made it there with Serena on my back at full speed, but we did. When we finally reached the arcade, we could see everyone in the immediate vicinity was lying on the floor unconscious. With a brief flash of energy, my robes formed around me.

“OK, we’re here, that wasn’t so bad,” she said as I held my aching back and gasped for air. “We can’t wait for the others. You sneak up behind him and I’ll attack from the front, just like last time!”

“Alright,” I answered.

“Moon Cosmic POWER!” she shouted and transformed. I never got tired of watching her do that...

“Why are you standing around?! There are two Sailor Scouts in there counting on us!” she yelled after she was in full costume.

“I needed time to catch my breath,” I semi-lied. “You’re heavier than you look.”

Sailor Moon put her hands on her hips. “That’s not a very nice thing to say! Maybe YOU’RE not as strong as you look!”

“I thought we were in a hurry,” I said. She snickered and we slipped in through the front door, taking cover behind the arcade machines. We could hear the Shadow interrogating Mina in back. He had not heard us, so we took opposing sides of the building and approached them as quietly as possible.

“This is your last chance to tell me what I want to know and spare yourself pain, Sailor Scout.” I could see the Shadow had pinned Mina to the wall with dark magic cuffs around her arms and legs. He was a tall figure and wore a dark brown cloak, pacing back and forth as he interrogated her. “What was the outcome of your fight with two of our men?”

Sailor Venus looked over and saw me behind one of the arcade machines. “OK, OK! I’ll tell you! We fought both of them. We destroyed one of them and the other ran off!”

“We watched you for years, learning your tactics and unlocking the means to resist your powers! You never could have destroyed one of us without help!” I looked for Sailor Moon on the other side but she was nowhere to be seen.

Sailor Venus hesitated when she saw I wasn’t moving. I shook my head. “OK fine, it was all me!” she babbled to keep the Shadow distracted. “I’m Sailor V, remember! Half the arcade machines in here have my face on them!” I finally saw Sailor Moon pop her head up behind an arcade machine on the opposite side and nodded to Sailor Venus.

“Well, maybe not half of them anymore, closer to a quarter, but still!” I left the cover 41

of the arcade started moving up behind the Shadow as quietly as I could when I heard some strange but oddly-catching music start playing...

“Pink Sugar Heart ATTACK!” a girl’s voice shouted from behind me. I turned to see a pink rod with a heart-shaped crystal at me. I was able to disappear in time to avoid the attack, but the steady stream of pink heart-shaped energy rays landed on Serena’s face.

“OWWWWW RINI STOP IT OWWWW!” she cried. The enemy Shadow knocked Sailor Moon away with a blast of dark energy.

I was able to get a better look at the girl who attacked us: she was a small, young preteen with pink hair in a style that resembled rabbit ears on her head. Her uniform was similar to Sailor Moon’s, except her skirt and boots were pink. She turned her back to me and pointed: “I’m Sailor Mini Moon, the champion of justice and love! But I fight evil here and now - and that would be YOU!” “Don’t attack him, Mini Moon! He’s on our side!” Sailor Venus shouted. The Shadow turned his head back towards her.

“Clearly, he tricked you! He looks just like the others!” Sailor Mini Moon charged and tried to tackle me. I jumped out of the way, but she quickly recovered and launched a flurry of punches in my direction. She was fast and managed to land a few blows.

“Mini Moon, stop! We need his help!” Mina shouted again. I saw the Shadow put his hand around her neck and lean in close to her. Mini Moon finally stopped fighting me, staring at Venus with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“You turned one of our acolytes against us? How?! How has he been helping you?!”

As he demanded answers from Mina, I jumped out of Sailor Mini Moon’s way, vanished, and teleported directly behind the Shadow’s back. I summoned dark energy to my hand and grabbed the recruiter’s shoulder. I could see him convulse and spasm, kneeling to the ground in agony. The chains holding Mina fizzled out and dissipated.

“Let’s just say your recruiter didn’t make a good first impression,” I told the Shadow.

“You betrayed the memory of Silver Millennium...for what?” he asked.

“You have it backwards. You’re the traitors! The Sailor Scouts stand for justice and keep the people of Earth safe from the likes of you!” I argued with him as Sailor Moon, Mina and Mini Moon watched on.

“The Sailor Scouts helped Queen Serenity keep us all in chains! We will keep Earth safe AND free!”

“After how many people die during the second Ice Age?!” I asked.

“Earth needs a fresh start...just like the Moon Kingdom did...”

I turned to the other three Sailor Scouts. They gave me the same look that Sailor Moon gave me in the alley before, their eyes pushing out any thoughts I had of finishing our defeated enemy off. “If you tell us how to stop your master’s plans and promise you 42

won’t return to the Shadows, we’ll spare you,” I offered.

“Betray Silver Millennium? Never!” he muttered. He kicked me back, clutched a necklace around his neck and enveloped himself in dark energy, taking on the form of a black dragon. He spread his wings, shrieked and flew straight towards me. I ducked out of the way as he shattered the glass door of the arcade. As we ran out after him, he perched himself on the roof of the opposite building and roared, spewing dark blue and black fire.

“Charon? I don’t suppose you know how to turn into a dragon, too?” asked a visibly terrified Sailor Moon. I shook my head. We were in for a tougher fight than last time...

43

44

Chapter 8 Misplaced Sentiment

45

M

-maybe it’s like in the movies...if we stand really, really still he’ll just fly away, suggested Mini Moon. Her theory was quickly disproven when the ‘dragon’ opened his mouth and an enormous ball of dark magic flew towards us. We scattered and the ball left a giant crater in the road.

“Sailor Venus, maybe you can give me a boost up there with that love chain of yours?”

I asked.

“Alright! Keep them busy, you two!” she said to Sailor Moon and Mini Moon. “Venus Star Power!” she shouted and transformed. As much as I would have enjoyed watching, I had to keep another eye on that dragon to make sure we weren’t incinerated. Fortunately his attention was on Sailor Mini Moon as she ran around and screamed at it. Venus pulled out her chain and I grabbed it as she threw it into the air. I let go when I flew above the dragon, channeled dark magic, and placed my hand on the dragon’s back as I landed on top of him. My attack caused a counter-explosion that only succeeded in throwing me back. I landed into another building and only had a clothesline to break my fall into the alley below.

“Ow, my back,” I complained. “Where’s Tuxedo Mask when you need him?”

“Ahem!” he cleared his throat behind me. Tuxedo Mask had arrived with Luna, Artemis, and Sailor Scouts Mars, Mercury and Jupiter.

“We came as quickly as we could! Are you alright?” asked Sailor Mercury. Before I could reply, the dragon lifted into the air and nearly blew us away as he flapped his massive wings.

“A dragon?! As if fighting a Shadow wasn’t hard enough!” shouted Jupiter.

“How about a Shadow that can turn into a dragon?” I asked. I could see the other Scouts starting to turn pale. “He repelled my attack. Either we have to find a weakness, or a way to turn ME into a dragon,” I joked...as inappropriate as the timing was.

“I’ll try to analyze it,” said Sailor Mercury. A visor appeared over her face when she pressed her right earring. She pulled out a light blue compact computer and tried to follow the Dragon’s movements with it as he flew in circles overhead. Sailor Moon’s tiara boomerang and Sailor Venus’ crescent beam attacks had no effect when they managed to hit him. “I can’t get a reading on him while he’s flying around!” said Sailor Mercury.

“Sailor Scouts, avoid his attacks if you can but keep him as still as possible!” ordered Luna. The other three Scouts charged to join the others as Sailor Mercury reopened her computer and began typing again. The Dark Dragon saw the other three Scouts emerge from and launched a dark energy fireball at them. He aimed the shot too high and it flew behind them - towards me and Sailor Mercury. I pushed her out of the way just as 46

it flew through the alley, scorching everything in its path.

“Thanks! I think I have something.” Sailor Mercury resumed typing and pointed the computer at the Dragon as the Scouts drew his attention away with their attacks.

“Found it! Energy oscillations in the creature’s hide! If you launch a quick flurry of dark magic attacks rather than a single powerful strike, you’re bound to hit him when he’s vulnerable!”

“Charon, I know you’ve seen the other Shadows perform a limited number of moves, but you can do this! Just stay focused and the rest will come to you!” promised Luna.

“Tell Sailor Venus I’m gonna need another boost up!” I shouted to Sailor Mercury as I ran out. I ducked back into a side alley when the Dragon flew overhead, then I charged out into the street. Sailor Mercury followed behind me, then split up to help the others. I could see the other Scouts spread out, launching magic attacks at the Dragon and running between the buildings before it could get a fix on them. They were all still standing, but I knew that they were getting worn out. Eventually, I found Sailor Venus near the Arcade.

“Ready to give it another shot?” she called out when she saw me. I nodded and up we went again: she threw her chain out, I grabbed it and launched right into the air as the Dark Dragon sat on the road and roared. As I let go of the chain, I managed to summon shards of dark energy at the creature and throw them at him. The first three throws caused ripples in his ‘hide’, but the fourth managed to penetrate. The dragon roared in pain and I landed on a rift in the creature. I summoned more dark magic to my right hand and reached into the Dark Dragon, causing him to shudder and scream.

“Finish him off!” I shouted and jumped off.

I could see Sailor Mars holding a piece of paper between her fingers and toss it into the air. “Mars Firebird Strike!” she shouted as she interlocked her hands and shot a fireball that took the form as phoenix as it hurtled towards the Dark Dragon.

“Jupiter...Thunder...Dragon!” Sailor Jupiter shouted. She unleashed a storm of lightning that took the form of another dragon. As their attacks smashed into the monster, the Dark Dragon raised his head towards the sky, screamed, and disintegrated. There was no trace of the Shadow.

Everyone else emerged from cover; the Sailor Scouts were visibly exhausted. Some had torn uniforms, dirt, and scrapes. I wasn’t feeling great either, but I held myself together long enough to walk up to Serena and whisper “that wasn’t so bad.” She gave me a hateful glare.

“We’ll never beat the other Shadows like this,” sighed Sailor Jupiter as we all gathered in the middle of the road. Miraculously, it didn’t look like anyone else had been hurt.

“At least we know we can beat them.” Sailor Venus’ words were upbeat, but she was breathing heavily. “We make a pretty good team, don’t we?” she said to me. But something else was on my mind: I did not feel any sense of accomplishment defeating this 47

Shadow, only regret...

“I thought that maybe some evil force was controlling the other Shadows, but he really believed that he was doing the right thing,” I said without looking at anyone. “I know he didn’t give us another choice, but...” my thoughts trailed off.

“Even if he really believed in what he was doing, that doesn’t meant that he was right, Charon,” Sailor Mercury said later.

“You gave him a chance to help us. A lot of innocent people are going to suffer if they win. You said it yourself, back in the arcade,” added Sailor Moon.

“Why haven’t other Shadows defected to our side, then?” I asked.

“Maybe there were others, but they didn’t get the same chance to join us. Look, you chose to help us because you knew what they’re doing is wrong, and we respect you for that” Sailor Mars answered. But the thought still nagged me: what if Queen Serenity really was a tyrant? What about the side that I was on, then? Was I just fighting for the lesser of two evils?

“Charon, I understand that you’ve been with us a short time and you’ve had very little time to process everything you’ve heard and seen,” reassured Artemis.

“And he’s probably tired and starving, I know I am!” complained Sailor Moon.

“Serena,” Sailor Mars began to complain, “...actually, I’m hungry too.” The growling stomachs, giant craters and formerly unconscious civilians beginning to stir all helped defuse the situation for the time being. But I still wondered if sharing my doubts with them had been a mistake...

48

49

50

Chapter 9 Bonding and Brawling

51

W

ell congratulations, Mr. Go-Easy-On-Me-Because-I’m-the-New-Guy! Darien threw his cards down after I won a game of cards, but he was laughing along with the other Sailor Scouts sitting at the small wooden table in the middle of the light green room.

“Aw, don’t be such a sore loser, Darien!” laughed Mina.

“You’re just lucky you weren’t playing against Amy, she would have wiped the floor with you!” Darien taunted me. “We’re gonna find something to beat you!” I smiled and shook my head; Sailor Mars was the only person there who knew my original name, but the others were curious. So we made a game out of it. Mina suggested we race at the arcade: Mina came close, but I barely edged her out. Then Damien challenged me to a game of cards: it was a bit cheap for me to act like I’d forgotten how to play at first, but he could have pulled out a win if he had caught on sooner.

“I have an idea: how about we spar, one on one?” Darien stood up, stretched his neck and flexed his muscles. “I took karate, and you look like you learned how to fight long before you met Sailor Moon.”

“Yeah. I’ve been picked on before. You’d be surprised how many people just stood there and watched me get beat up. But once I learned how to protect myself, the bullies left me alone,” I answered sincerely.

“We can’t have you two brawling in the middle of the Temple grounds” said Lita.

“Besides, it’s Raye’s turn.”

“That’s OK - he already told me his name.” Raye boasted.

“You told her and not me?!” Serena shouted at me. “I thought I was your friend, you traitor!”

“Maybe his parents were two of those Hollywood celebrities that give their children weird names, that’s why he doesn’t want to tell us,” suggested Lita. “Something like ‘Choco Stick’ or ‘Tuna’...”

“It’s probably something we’d never guess, like ‘Vassili Cosmovich Patronymich Pavel!” joked Mina.

“If we all lose, then maybe we could call him ‘Turtle’,” suggested Rini.

“Why ‘Turtle’, Rini?” asked Amy. I feigned more interest in my cards so no one would see the disapproval in my face.

“Because when the waitress came to take our order, he huddled up and hid behind the menu when he was ordering, like when a turtle climbs into his shell,” Rini explained.

52

“You know we’re just teasing you, right Charon?” smiled Mina. “Although we are gonna have to call you something else in public!”

I wasn’t used to people trying this hard to get to know me. I’d had friends before, but never a group as tight as this. It was a nice feeling.

“If Raye’s skipping her turn, then I get a rematch!” Darien said eagerly. “Come on, Charon, let’s find a better room!” I followed him as he slid the door open, only to feel someone put me in a choke hold by placing her left arm around my neck and the other hand at the back of my head. My robes materialized around me as I bumped her back, elbowed her and flipped her over my back. My attacker had short light brown hair and also wore a tiara with a navy blue gem as well as a navy blue choker around her neck.

Figures...another Sailor Scout mistaking me for the enemy.

I looked up and briefly caught a glimpse of another Sailor Scout with sea-green hair before she surrounded herself in a water wave. “Neptune Deep Submerge!” She shouted and sent a ball of light blue energy at me...

“Neptune, no!” Darien jumped in the way of the attack and was thrown over my head.

“Darien!” shouted Serena when the other Sailor Scouts ran outside.

“You two are back?!” exclaimed Lita as Rini ran over to Darien.

“He’s on our side! He helped us defeat the others!” Mina shouted at Neptune. Then she put a finger on her cheek and muttered, “we really should have sent out a memo.”

“That would have been thoughtful! How many more of you do I have to look forward to meeting?” I yelled back before the Scout I had subdued kicked me back and propped herself back up.

“We’re here to protect purity and goodness from harm,” the light-brown haired Scout wearing navy blue declared.

“Your kind betrayed us once before! We won’t give you a second chance! We will destroy you before you can master your powers!” declared Sailor Neptune.

“We told you, he’s been helping us defeat the Shadows!” yelled Serena. “His powers are the key to stopping them!”

“And how many of them have you stopped on your own? Two? There are DOZENS of them!” Sailor Neptune told them.

“We know you sent the guardian cats to find a way to shield yourselves from dark magic, but we already found a way to destroy the Shadows in one fell swoop! Trust us, putting him down now is an act of kindness!” The Scout in navy blue raised her hand over her head and began gathering streaks of energy: “Uranus World Shaking!” I jumped out of the way when she hurled a planet-shaped sphere towards the ground that steadily rose as it moved in my direction.

“Moon Cosmic Power!” Sailor Moon shouted and transformed during Uranus’ attack.

53

“That’s enough!” she commanded. She stepped in between me and the rogue Sailor Scouts. “What do you mean you found a way to destroy the Shadows?”

“We found an artifact that can destroy them from the inside! We just rest of you Scouts help us channel our energy into the artifact - their magic resistance to our powers won’t protect them from this!” answered Sailor Uranus.

“How does it work? And what about him?” Serena pointed at me and asked.

“It only affects those who wield dark magic. You and the other Sailor Scouts haven’t been exposed to enough to threaten-” “I asked about him, not me!” I could feel Sailor Moon reach behind and grab my hand.

Sailor Uranus turned to the rest of our friends as they watched from the sidelines.

“Your leader is not thinking objectively! What’s the life of one traitor worth compared to saving the entire planet?”

“If this is how you treat your allies, then you’re no better than the Shadows!” I shouted from behind Sailor Moon.

“We’ll just have to find another way to beat them!” shouted Sailor Moon.

“Even if there is one, this is the fastest way!” said Sailor Neptune. She also turned to the other Sailor Scouts: “I know we’re asking for a lot Sailor Scouts, but you need to restrain Sailor Moon! This has to be done!”

I wasn’t sure what they would do when the others transformed. I sensed that even Sailor Moon was a bit nervous. But they made their decision clear when they walked over to me and Sailor Moon and faced the other two Scouts.

“He’s our friend too,” said Sailor Mars. “You two have overstayed your welcome.

You should leave before this gets ugly.”

Sailor Uranus scoffed. “You’re bluffing. Get behind them, Sailor Neptune!” she ordered.

Even I thought that the Inner Senshi might have been bluffing. But Sailor Jupiter crossed her arms over her chest and shouted “Supreme Thunder!” The skies darkened and a rod extended from her tiara as lightning came down from the sky.

At the same time, Mina shouted “Venus!” and sparks appeared spinning around her right hand. At the same time Sailor Jupiter sent the electricity she had gathered flying back at Sailor Uranus, Sailor Venus kissed the palm of her hand and shouted “Love and Beauty Shock!” A group of small yellow hearts circled around her, eventually gathering into one large yellow heart that struck Sailor Uranus and knocked her to the ground.

“Amara!” cried Sailor Neptune from behind. She cradled the injured Sailor Uranus in her arms. “OK, you made your point! I’ll try to talk her into giving you guys more time. I hope you’re not making a serious mistake.” She gave me a look as she carried 54

Uranus off the temple grounds.

“We are not making a good first impression, are we?” sighed Sailor Moon. I could hear Darien stirring in the background. Sailor Mini Moon and Mercury ran over to him.

“My name is Logan,” I told Sailor Moon. “Thanks for standing up for me.”

“What are friends for, right? Logan...could we call you ‘Turtle’ anyway?” Sailor Moon teased.

“Depends - can I call you ‘Meatball Head’?” I retorted. Sailor Mars, Venus and Jupiter started giggling as Sailor Moon pouted.

“No you cannot.” Sailor Moon turned to the Temple stairs. We could still see Neptune carrying Uranus back towards the city. “I hope Luna and Artemis find something...”

55

56

Chapter 10 In Another Castle

57

L

una and Artemis returned late in the afternoon. At least they looked optimistic.

“Good news!” panted Luna. “I believe we have located Charon’s abandoned hideout in the forest!”

“How do you know it was mine? Or that it’s still abandoned?” I asked. The others listened in the room behind me.

“I sensed the same dark energy that I did when we first met,” answered Luna. “Even the other Shadows wouldn’t be able to access your hideout, only you.”

“What makes you sure the answers are in there?” I asked. Artemis turned nervously to Luna. She nodded.

“You were once the Spymaster of the Shadows, Charon. You were their leader, so if there is a way to help the Sailor Scouts defend themselves against their dark magic, you have it,” Artemis answered.

I closed my eyes and tried to recall the dream I had on the night that I met Serena. The image of Princess Serenity - Serena in the white regal dress - lingered, but I remembered nothing else. “Besides that dream, I don’t remember anything,” I replied.

“Going back to the forest may jog your memory,” suggested Artemis.

“Hold on a second!” shouted Raye. “Why didn’t you tell us he was their leader earlier?”

“The identity of the Spymaster was kept secret, even from the other Shadows. Many doubted that the Shadows even existed, and very few people besides Queen Serenity knew who he truly was. I wasn’t sure until I sensed his energy in the forest,” Luna answered.

“Luna, Sailor Uranus and Neptune were here. They said that they had an artifact that could destroy anyone with enough dark magic inside of them. Could something that powerful actually exist?” asked Serena.

Luna paused for a moment. “There were stones and artifacts whose powers rivaled that of the Silver Crystal. We should not waste time searching for Charon’s hideout.”

“Hold on...if I remember correctly, a certain someone needs to get home soon because she’s GROUNDED!” Serena mocked Rini and stuck her tongue out at her.

“You’re in trouble too, Serena! You didn’t call during finals week and you haven’t even visited since you came home!” Rini yelled back.

58

“Oh, I uh...” Serena hesitated. Everyone turned their attention to her now.

“I can tell them if it’s too hard for you,” I suggested. I thought I was helping, but the glare she gave me could have burned a mark on my face. A lump in my throat formed when I realized that everyone else was staring at me now.

“Look, we don’t have time for this,” said Damien. “I’ll take Rini home, the rest of you search for the hideout.” Damien took Rini towards the city while the rest of us headed into the forest and followed Luna...already in uniform, just in case.

“Logan, you know why Serena hasn’t been in touch with her family?” Sailor Mercury asked before we entered the forest. We were already far behind the others, and she slowed down walking as if she intended to remain out of their earshot.

“Yeah, but if she doesn’t want to talk about it...” I trailed off.

“I’ll be discrete, I promise,” she assured me. I trusted her.

“She dropped out of college and she’s working at a Texan restaurant. She’s been living there.”

Sailor Mercury was quiet for a few seconds. “She was never gifted academically. We had many study sessions together.” She became starry-eyed as she reminisced. “But we all got busy and we drifted apart somewhat. She did well during her first year at university and she wanted to go to school in the US. I’m sure she feels guilty that her parents sacrificed so much.”

“She didn’t want to disappoint all of you, either,” I told her as we entered the forest.

“Thanks for telling me, Logan,” she smiled.

“Hey Logan!” Sailor Jupiter had stopped to wait for us to catch up. “Have you and Mina talked about...well, you know? Your feelings?” she asked.

“Feelings?” I pretended I had no idea what she was talking about.

Jupiter smirked. “Come on, pal. She hasn’t exactly been subtle. Unless...you’ve had your eye on someone else.”

I knew who she meant, but when I looked at her I could tell she was only teasing me.

I found I had to think about what she asked for a few seconds. “With everything going on, I haven’t really thought about how to handle it. I had a crush on Sailor V, but I don’t know really know her personally. She seems nice, though.”

Sailor Jupiter and Mercury laughed. “I’ll tell you right now: if you get the flu, lock your windows and doors and don’t eat anything she makes you. She’ll try to take care of you. The key word is TRY,” warned Sailor Jupiter.

“But she has a good heart, and she really likes you. You’ll learn to accept her quirks,” Sailor Mercury added with a smile.

The others stopped ahead of us. “This is where his energy is strongest. Now if only I 59

could narrow it down...” Luna trailed off.

“Maybe we could split into pairs and look for it,” suggested Sailor Venus.

“I wonder who Venus wants to go with,” teased Sailor Moon.

“Clamp your trap, Serena!” shouted Sailor Venus.

My head turned sharply to the right when I heard movement. In the distance, I saw a teenage girl with long blonde hair and a white regal gown run by. Men wearing green uniforms and brown armored plates chased after her with blue energy swords - except one man who wielded a black ivory staff with a red gem stone on top.

“Charon, where are you going?!” I heard Sailor Venus shout after at me when I chased after the girl’s pursuers. “Charon! Slow down!” one of the Sailor Scouts shouted. I climbed into a tree - unusually fast considering I had rarely climbed trees - and maneuvered through the forest with ease as I followed the warriors. I saw the one with the staff shoot a ray of red energy at the girl. She screamed as the blast hit her and she tripped. The four warriors who carried swords surrounded her; one of them kicked her over as she lay on the ground.

“It’s her!” the warrior shouted as I sneaked over to a tree branch just above him.

“Queen Beryl will reward us greatly for capturing Princess Serenity!” exclaimed the dark magician just as I jumped down from the branch and landed on the swordsman below.

The moment that the others heard the noise, I threw a fog of magically-charged black smoke at the dark magician to stun him. When the other three warriors charged me, I teleported behind the one farthest away and hit him with a close-range blast of dark magic. The other two swung their swords at me: I grabbed one warrior’s arm and used his sword to block the other warrior’s strike. Then I kicked the attacker in the stomach, elbowed the swordsman behind me, and kicked the one on the ground in the head. I heard the dark magician that I had stunned earlier incanting: he raised his staff to strike me when I raised my hand in his direction and drained his energy. His own dark magic resisted mine, but ultimately I was much stronger. He cringed and grimaced before he crumpled to his knees and fell to the ground.

I ran to the girl and turned her over. She was the Princess in my dream: she looked like a younger Serena. She also had her hair in buns.

“Princess Serenity...” I whispered instinctively. She was cold to the touch.

“There you are! We’re a team, remember? You can’t just run off on your own like that!” I heard Sailor Moon shout behind me. The other Sailor Scouts caught up behind her. I thought she would understand when she saw the injured girl in my arms, but she had placed her arms on her hips again and her cheeks were flushed red.

“I’m sorry...” Princess Serenity whispered. I turned my attention back to her. She sounded exactly like Sailor Moon. “I didn’t know where else to run...” I barely heard 60

what she was saying before she passed out.

“What’s gotten into you? Logan, I’m talking to you!” yelled Sailor Moon.

“Can’t you see this girl needs our help?!” I shouted at the Scouts behind me.

I watched the anger in Sailor Moon’s face fade as her eyes narrowed with confusion, then widened with concern. I noticed the others peeking over Sailor Moon’s shoulder and glancing back and forth to each other.

Sailor Moon kneeled next to me. “Logan,” she whispered, “there’s no one there...”

61

62

Chapter 11 Home Away From Home

63

A

shudder went down my spine when I realized I that I was cradling thin air. “She was here,” I pleaded with Sailor Moon. “Her name was Princess Serena, and I heard Queen Beryl’s name mentioned!”

“You must be seeing something that happened a thousand years ago. But I don’t remember ever coming here,” Sailor Moon replied after a moment deep in thought.

“I hope it’s just this place that’s making you see things,” Sailor Venus added. Another fear crept into me: what if I kept having these hallucinations?

“Maybe one of us should take Charon back to the Temple.” Sailor suggested.

I shook my head. “No, you won’t find what we’re looking for without my help.”

“Alright, try to give us a heads up if you start seeing things again,” asked Sailor Moon.

As if someone was holding me by puppet strings, I walked towards a tree with a fading crescent moon carved into it.

“Don’t check out on us, Charon. Keep talking to us,” said Sailor Mars.

“This is the place,” I told the others. As if by instinct, I summoned a ball of dark magic in my left hand while my right hand glowed with dark energy. I heard a barely audible clicking noise before the ground opened below me. Fortunately it was not a long fall.

“Good job, Charon,” called out Sailor Mars as the others jumped down. “Let’s not stay here any longer than we have to.”

I expected a primitive cave with some trinkets and artifacts littered around. Instead, I saw a holographic map of Earth with an adjacent computer terminal in the largest part of the cave. There were other rooms carved out into the cave, blocked by dark purple force fields. “Either I’m seeing things again, or my ancient stronghold had a computer,” I noted.

“It’s OK Logan, I see it too. The Moon Kingdom was highly advanced for its time it also had an advanced computer called the Eternity Main System,” explained Sailor Mercury.

The computer terminal hummed as I approached it. A light blue holographic Shadow appeared in the terminal. His head was tilted so that his hood covered his face. “Online.

Welcome back, Spymaster. Be advised, I am currently unable to connect to the Eternity Main System. But I see that you brought friends! Princess Serenity, you’ve grown into such a graceful and beautiful young woman!” The Shadow holocron bowed.

64

“Oh - thank you,” answered Sailor Moon.

“Don’t mention it - I wanted to see the Spymaster roll his eyes! Wait, you didn’t roll your eyes...impostor! Activating defenses!” We all glanced around nervously. “Ha ha ha, just kidding! I was worried the Spymaster was becoming a hermit. He upgraded me just so he’d have someone to talk to.”

“What a charming friend you made yourself, Charon,” Sailor Mars noted sarcastically. At least it confirmed everything I’d seen had really happened in the past.

“Do you have any records from when Princess Serenity was here last?” I asked my computer assistant.

“You ordered me to purge all files before my last deactivation, Spymaster. My personality matrix is somewhat independent, but I won’t recall very much until I reestablish my connection with the Eternity Main System. I did recover the last file you received: an encrypted message from Queen Serenity.”

“Queen Serenity...” Luna sounded emotional at the thought of seeing Queen Serenity - and Serena’s true mother - one more time.

“Let’s see it,” I ordered.

“Replaying transmission.” The hologram Shadow changed instantly into the figure of Queen Serenity: a blonde woman in a white gown, older than Serena.

“Spymaster, first I wanted to thank you for your invaluable reports on Earth. I have never doubted your loyalty and compassion for the people of Silver Millennium, which is why I was shocked when you voiced your intention to resign. I plead with you to return to my palace so we may discuss this privately. I have instructed...” Queen Serenity’s figure abruptly dissolved and reformed into the Shadow that greeted us.

“Apologies for the interruption, Spymaster. I am detecting an energy surge from an artifact unlike anything the humans are known to possess. It’s...” A loud ringing noise burst my eardrums and I crumpled to my knees as I felt myself burning on the inside.

My vision blurred just before I passed out... “...Her prolonged exposure to the Silver Crystal may have amplified the lingering effects of the attack.” My sight returned at the sound of my terminal’s voice. I ran carrying Princess Serenity in my arms and rushed her onto a crude metal table. I realized that I had no control over my actions - I was just along for the ride. I rushed through one of the caves blocked by the dark purple force field and summoned a locket seemingly out of thin air. It was a black, heart-shaped diamond with the image of a silver palace in the middle. The chain and the back of the locket consisted of a gray, smooth rock-like substance like marble. I ran back into the room, placed the locket in my hand, and put both hands on Serenity’s heart.

Serenity began to stir and open her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know where else to go,”she repeated.

65

“They didn’t recognize me,” I assured her. “I’m beginning to think this special friend you keep visiting is a boy. Who else would be worth the risk?”

“What difference does it make?”the girl asked defiantly.

“It’s not safe for you to visit. Many people on Earth are...unhappy with some of your mother’s policies. The men who captured you might have intended to keep you hostage.” We both noticed Serenity losing interest with the politics involved. “But I have something that can protect you.”Serenity’s eyes sparkled when I showed her the locket.

“It’s beautiful!” Princess Serenity snatched it from my fingers but her eyes quickly turned away in guilt over her rudeness. “Are you sure you want me to have this?”

“Your mother gave it to me to protect myself from the magic those men use, but I...I don’t need it,”I explained. I knew the reason: because I had embraced that same dark magic myself instead.

Serenity’s expression fell as her fingers rubbed over the trinket. “Oh...she might recognize it. She’d know I went to Earth without her permission.”She sadly returned the locket to me.

“I think I have something more discrete.” I returned to the room and pulled out lotus-shaped black pins with silver outlines. The back was coated in the same rock-like substance. “Pin this inside your gown. It may not protect you as well, but it can also absorb the magic those men use. I kept a few of these, in case I made any friends.”

“You would have friends if you came home more often,”she stated as she pinned the trinket to the inside of her gown. “But you’re not a researcher are you?”

“I am a researcher. I study the people of Earth and report back to the Moon Kingdom regularly.”As I answered her question, I could feel my presence in the dream growing dimmer, as if I was reawakening...

“But that’s not the whole truth, is it? Friends help each other keep secrets, you know.”

Serenity’s voice became a whisper.

“Maybe I’ll tell you when you’re Queen. For now, the less you know about me, the better...” My sight faded away entirely...

“Logan! You’re awake! We were so worried when you collapsed!” Sailor Mercury’s voice welcomed me back to consciousness. I felt myself lying on the same cold, hard table. Artemis was perched on the counter at the side of the room.

“First I hallucinate, now I just pass out. Great,” I groaned.

“At least we know the cause this time. Your computer tracked the energy pulse; the other Sailor Scouts left to follow up after we brought you here. That computer really is a marvelous piece of technology. It makes me wonder what I can do with my own. I would love to come back to study it.”

“Don’t think you can dissect me, Sailor Mercury!” my computer’s voice bellowed 66

throughout the room. “I wasn’t kidding about having defense systems!”

“Remember Sailor Venus wanted to be the one who stayed with Logan? That would have been disastrous for both of you,” noted Sailor Mercury. I should have guessed.

I abruptly tried to stand up, only to lean against the table when I felt my knees about to buckle. “Slow down, Logan, you’re also dehydrated,” warned Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mercury raised a glass of water and raised it to my lips.

“I had a locket...and pins in my room...” I whispered to Artemis.

“Warning, another energy pulse detected!” interrupted my computer’s voice. Sailor Mercury tried to shield me. My insides were burning again but this time, I hadn’t lost consciousness. “The good news is that pulse was considerably weaker than the last,” briefed my computer. “The bad news...”

“Your bracer.” Sailor Mercury held my arm up: the bracer was cracked around the area that held the dark shard.

“Yeah, that’s the bad news. Not easy to get a replacement for one of those. Should still be functional,” my computer continued.

“You think this is Uranus and Neptune’s artifact?” I asked.

Mercury’s eyes widened. “Come in, Sailor Moon!” she shouted into her communicator.

“I hear you, Mercury,” replied Sailor Moon. “Is Logan OK?” “He’s fine, but there was another energy pulse! His bracer’s cracked - we think Uranus and Neptune’s artifact is behind this!” yelled Amy. “Those two...” Sailor Moon sighed. “We’ll stop them Amy, don’t worry. Find what you’re looking for and get back to us as soon as possible!”

I led Artemis and Mercury into my room - which looked like an empty cave to the naked eye - and found the locket and four pins where I found them last time. Mercury also looked enamored by the sight of the trinkets.

“It contains anorthosite,” explained Artemis. “It’s rare to find in its purest form, but anorthosite easily absorbs most forms of magic, while the cortosis weave draws magical energies towards it. Charon’s bracer is woven from the same minerals.”

“Far more practical than a black dinner jacket and cheap white mask, eh Spymaster?

Unless your plan is to stand on top of a rooftop and throw flowers around while the Sailor Scouts do all the actual fighting,” quipped the computer. “Sailor Mercury updated me on some of the things that have happened the last thousand Earth years. You’ll always be my Spymaster, even if all the other Shadows are trying to kill you sir.”

“We need to get these to the others,” noted Sailor Mercury as she put on one of the pins. “Charon...I know you want to help but considering your condition, I’m not sure 67

it’s a good idea...”

“The Shadows won’t just sit around while Uranus and Neptune try to destroy them,” I protested. “The pins and locket will help but you still need me to stop them for good.”

Mercury nodded. “All right. Stay close to me and let me know if your symptoms return,” she requested...

She walked out of the room, towards the computer terminal and muttered, “it might be handy to know when the next energy pulse is coming. If you could communicate with the Eternity Main System, maybe we can share limited data via my super computer,” she suggested.

“Are you sure you can trust it?” I warned her.

“Oh woe is me, my own master doesn’t trust me!” The holographic Shadow began fake sobbing.

“He’ll be on a very tight leash, Logan,” Sailor Mercury winked and began typing on her keyboard. “ Now, let’s get back to the others...”

68

69

70

Chapter 12 Cross-Purposes

71

I

envy your robes, Charon. I wish we had warmer uniforms. Although we had run all the way from the forest, up the temple stairs, and back down into the city of Tokyo, Sailor Mercury was shivering. The temperature had dipped by nightfall. We passed by few people in the streets; most had taken shelter inside.

“Spymaster, I just detected another energy pulse, but it was so faint that it did not register until it had already been released.” My hologram’s voice rang from Mercury’s supercomputer.

“I didn’t feel a thing,” I assured Mercury when she had stopped running. Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to me: “one of the Shadows we fought before mentioned another Ice Age. Do you think Uranus and Neptune’s artifact is also causing the sudden dip in temperature?”

She nodded. “I thought the exact same thing, Logan. It must not work the way that they intended it to.”

“Their artifact is supposed to destroy dark magic, but I felt stronger in the forest, not weaker. Besides the hallucinations and bracer damage, maybe it’s having the opposite effect,” I suggested. Sailor Mercury and Artemis exchanged nervous glances.

“That’s a scary thought,” said Artemis. “Even if you’re becoming stronger too and remembering how to tap into your powers more effectively, we can’t take them all on.

If we can’t stop Amara and Michelle, we might freeze to death before the other Shadows hunt us down.”

Sailor Mercury pulled her computer back out and pressed her earring, sliding the VR visor across her face.” Looking at your own computer’s scans and combining it with your own data, I found several dark energy clusters on a building adjacent to the source of the pulses. The Shadows must have found a way to drain its energy and repurpose it for their use. That would explain why each energy pulse has been weaker than the last!

Sailor Moon, come in!” Sailor Mercury called into her communicator.”

“Brrr...frozen Sailor Moon here,” stuttered Serena. “We’re nearly at the artifact’s last location.”

“Serena, we found a way to protect ourselves against dark magic, but we believe that the Shadows are draining energy from Uranus and Neptune’s artifact to change the weather!” exclaimed Mercury.

“Like they weren’t hard enough to beat already,” sighed Serena.

“Amara and Michelle are in close proximity to the artifact; you need to stop them from channeling their energies into it or destroy it!”

72

“Luna and I can try to talk down talk them down. You two, try to keep the Shadows preoccupied. Everyone else can head your way to help you out,” said Sailor Moon.

I pulled out the amulet. “Can you get this to Serena?” I asked Artemis. He nodded, so I placed it around his neck and he took off.

“This mission would have been easier if this was still just a fishing village with a few huts,” commented the computer.

“Amy, don’t tell me you brought that thing with us,” complained Sailor Mars over the comm.

“He’s been helpful, Raye. He’s been tracking the energy pulses, remember?” said Sailor Mercury.

The building where Sailor Mercury had detected the Shadows was a gray five-level apartment building standing next to an elevated subway track. Fortunately, there were stairs alongside the building - at least I thought we were fortunate. I could hear Sailor Mercury mumbling behind me. Once we reached the top, I peaked over the roof past the railing and saw three robed figures standing there. I could see that the other Shadows were also being affected by the artifact when I saw a fourth lying on the ground convulsing and mumbling. Two of the standing Shadows had their hands raised in the opposite direction, but their arms and knees were shaking. The final one was walking back and forth impatiently; his robes were more ornate than the others. While the others wore plain gray and black robes, his were emblazoned with gold and silver. His black crescent moon featured many red tally marks; I had the ominous feeling they represented foes defeated in battle. He must have been high-ranking; I wondered if he was their new leader.

“Why has no progress been made?” The high-ranking Shadow stopped pacing to yell at the others.

“The Scouts have stopped channeling their energy into the artifact, Commander. We can only gather trace amounts,” said one of the struggling Shadows.

The Shadow kneeling over his comrade pleaded with the Commander: “sir, Disciple Rezonah needs medical treatment or his mind will be lost forever to these cursed hallucinations!” The Commander walked over to the fallen Shadow, dragged him up with one hand, then dropped him off the roof like a ragdoll. Behind the door, Amy clasped her mouth with her hand.

“Despite what the Spymaster says, weakness will not be tolerated in the new Silver Millennium.” The Shadow Commander spat into the acolyte’s face as he spoke. My heart jumped when he faced the door we hid behind: perhaps he sensed us, but he shifted his attention away when another Shadow teleported in front of him. While her robes lacked the silver colors and red tally marks, her robes were still more adorned than the basic Shadows. As she approached, I recognized her face under the hood: it was the woman that we had left in the alley. As distasteful as the alternative was, I knew it had been a mistake to let her go...

73

“Commander,” she bowed. “The fool Scouts stopped channeling their energy into the artifact because Sailor Moon and her cat advisor are appealing to their consciences and all. They’re arguing semantics with Sailor Moon. It’s rather pathetic.”

“The other Scouts and the turncoat can’t be far behind. I can already sense them... but they shall become irrelevant soon enough. Remain here with the channelers. I will end Sailor Moon’s interference.” I breathed a sigh of relief when he disappeared off the rooftop; he hadn’t sensed me and Mercury spying on them. I could hear footsteps up the fire escape, but I knew if they were Shadows I wouldn’t have heard them. Sure enough, it was Sailor Venus, Mars, and Jupiter...plus one pink-haired Sailor Scout.

Sailor Mercury shook her head. “What are you doing here, Rini? Damien was supposed to take you home!”

“He did,” sighed Sailor Mars. “She sneaked out again.”

“Rini, we appreciate the help but there won’t be much we can do if Serena’s parents find out!” said Sailor Mercury.

“Serena’s parents?” I asked Sailor Mini Moon. “I thought she was your sister.”

Mini Moon looked disgusted with the idea. “No they’re not, so they couldn’t ground me in the first place.” Rini noticed that I was confused; I thought they were sisters by how similar they looked and the way they acted towards each other. “Serena and I told everyone that we’re cousins, but I’m actually her daughter from the future,” she explained. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

I shrugged. “Compared to transforming magical schoolgirls, wizard ninjas and an ancient computer from the Moon Kingdom, that’s not so out of the ordinary. That Commander’s headed right for Sailor Moon, we’d better hurry: I see four Shadows on the roof above us.”

“Good thing we have these.” Sailor Mercury pulled out the other pins I gave her.

“They’ll protect us from dark magic. There are only four of them, though.”

“I’m fast, I can dodge their attacks easily,” bragged Rini. I hoped she was right: I still remembered what happened to Serena. I signaled to the others I was going ahead and slipped up the railing as quietly as I could. The three channelers were preoccupied with draining whatever tidbits of energy they could. The female Shadow was standing at the edge of the building, peering off into the distance. The channeler that I approached turned just when I was about to slip my left arm around his neck, but I punched him in the stomach, placed him in a chokehold with one arm, and used my free hand to send dark magic surging through him.

One of the others heard him convulsing and struggling in my grasp. “He’s here! The turncoat!” he shouted.

“Mercury Ice Storm...BLAST!” I teleported out of the way just as Sailor Mercury sent freezing water in the direction of the Shadow I downed, finishing him off. Now it was six of us against three of them on the large rooftop.

74

“Freezing water - that’s the last thing we need!” complained the other Shadow. I reappeared behind him and struck him up close with dark magic, then used him as a shield when the female Shadow sent a dark energy bolt flying in my direction. She teleported away just as I sent my own flying at her.

“Mars Flame Sniper!” Her fiery arrow caught the downed Shadow just as he was trying to pick himself up, removing him from the fight. It was encouraging to see how easily this fight was going, until...

“Sailor Venus!” Jupiter yelled. I saw Mina fly across the floor and into the brick wall.

I grit my teeth in anger and struck her attacker with dark magic; Sailor Jupiter finished him with a Thunder Smash. Then I ran over to Sailor Venus without a second thought.

“I’m OK Logan, the pin works...well, it hurts a lot less.” Sailor Venus picked herself up off the floor and smiled at me. “Thanks for the concern.” But then I heard the last Shadow materialize behind me. She was about to strike me when I blocked her arm with my bracer and tripped her. She cackled like a maniac when she fell to the ground.

“At least your shackle serves a practical purpose,” she mocked. She lifted her arms towards the sky as if she were surrendering, but as her sleeves fell, I saw that she wasn’t wearing a bracer. Instead, several small pieces of a dark shard had been pressed into her skin.

“That looks like it must have been painful,” commented Sailor Mini Moon. The others looked disgusted at the sight of the woman’s arms.

I turned to the Sailor Scouts behind me: “Luna said I needed the bracer to focus and control my power, but she doesn’t need one...”

“The guy in the arcade didn’t have one either, didn’t you notice?” asked Rini.

“Rini!” Sailor Mercury harshly quieted Rini, but her expression softened when she saw my eyes bombarding her with questions. “Logan, we were waiting for the right time to explain...”

The defeated Shadow laughed once again. “The Sailor Scouts lied to you. The bracer doesn’t help YOU control your powers. It helps the Scouts control YOU...”

75

76

Chapter 13 Broken Friendships

77

J

ust tell me what she’s saying isn’t true, I begged Sailor Mercury and the others. I kept hoping they would deny it, but with each passing second of silence that hope slipped through my fingers.

“You were honest with me, Charon. It’s only fair that I be honest with you.” Sailor Mercury finally answered. “The bracer helps you focus your dark magic to some degree, but its main purpose is to restrict you from using certain powers and prevent you from using your dark magic against us.”

“She’s still hiding the truth behind nice words.” The fallen Shadow’s harsh snickering whistled through her broken teeth. “That bracer can do what the two fools below us thought their Siphon artifact could do: amplify the trace amounts of the Silver Crystal inside of you!”

“It wouldn’t kill you, Charon!” Sailor Mercury blurted out the words as if they were engaged in a political debate with millions watching.

“They use it as pain compliance, like that electrical stun gun I used on the cop that tried to arrest me. You were Queen Serenity’s puppet and her daughter just picked up your strings!” Her mockery made the Shadow the new focus of my anger.

“You had your chance to walk away last time.” The Scouts may be the only ones who can destroy you, but I’m curious to see what a five-story drop will do to you!” I grabbed the Shadow by the arm and started dragging her.

“Charon, if you do this, then you’re as ruthless as Uranus and Neptune!” Sailor Mars cried out.

“Yeah? Well I’m not sure you’re any better than the Shadows at this point!” I shot back.

“Logan!” Sailor Venus’ voice gave me pause just as I lifted the Shadow up onto the railing. “I know you’ve lost faith in us, but I still believe in you! You’re a good person!

Don’t give up on yourself because we let you down!” Venus’ voice melted away some of the rage that had ripped into my heart.

“Do it! Let me be remembered as a martyr to the purified Moon Kingdom!” The Shadow taunted me as if she was scared I wouldn’t push her over. Staring into her jaundiced eyes, her face briefly shifted into Queen Serenity’s. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. Returning to reality, I dragged the Shadow off the railing and dumped her on the floor.

“We’re going after the other Shadow,” I muttered briskly to the others. “I don’t want to talk,” I added when I heard Mercury quietly say my name. That artifact had to be 78

destroyed and the Commander stopped before he could drain Uranus and Neptune’s energy. At least if I focus on stopping them, I’ll have something else to think about for a while...

Uranus and Neptune’s artifact graced the rooftop of another large complex. Known to them as the Siphon, it was a golden tower-like structure ordained with crystals, twice the size of a person. Fighting alongside Sailor Moon, they fared poorly against the Commander of the Shadows as they battled for control of the artifact. He threw Sailor Moon into a brick wall and tossed Luna aside when she tried to tackle him. He caught Sailor Neptune in a headlock when she tried to strike him.

He paraded her in front of Sailor Uranus like a trophy. “You WILL resume channeling your energies through the artifact if you value your partner’s life!” The Commander lifted his head enough so Uranus could see his rotted teeth grinning under his hood.

“Sailor Moon was right...you can’t do what he says...Amara...” Neptune’s voice strained against the Commander’s arm choking the life out of her.

Sailor Uranus’ eyes filled with tears. “All right, I’ll do it, just don’t hurt her!” she begged.

“It’s hard to sacrifice someone you love, isn’t it?” Sailor Moon’s voice pierced the Commander’s bloated ego. Even his mouth dropped as Sailor Moon casually stood in front of the wall she had been slammed into. Uranus hung her head in shame at the stinging truth of Serena’s words.

The Commander recognized the black-heart shaped locket that Sailor Moon wore.

“I didn’t think you would turn one of our own against us. We are more alike than I thought. The turncoat gave that to you, didn’t he?”

Sailor Moon raised her hands in the air as if she were motioning for a truck to stop from running her over. “OK, if we can’t resolve this conflict peacefully, could we at least agree on what to call him? It’s getting hard to keep track of all his names.” She counted his names on her fingers as she quietly mouthed ‘Charon, Logan, Turtle, Traitor, Turncoat, Spymaster...’ She cleared her throat as she heard our footsteps clanging on the fire escape and made her signature pose: “anyway - I’m Sailor Moon and in the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!”

The Commander glared at me when I emerged onto the rooftop. His smirk was replaced by a chilling stare that sent shudders down my spine. “You are an even bigger fool than your successor! By giving the Sailor Scouts the means to destroy us, you have condemned yourself as well! You place far too much trust in your friend: she will betray you just like your mother did.”

I copied his glare onto my face and snarled back, “I don’t have any friends.” Sailor Moon abruptly turned her head as if I had just screamed at her. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth abruptly closed as if I had just slapped her in the face.

“Logan, how can you say that? After everything we’ve been through?” she asked.

79

“He knows about the bracer,” said Sailor Venus.

The Commander’s smug grin crawled back onto his face. Uranus ran over to Sailor Neptune as he tossed her aside like an old doll and marched away from the artifact. “I knew your precious Moon Princess would take after her mother. You picked the wrong side, turncoat. Your name will also be struck from memory when the Silver Millennium begins again!”

Dark energy swirled around the Commander, forming an oval shield around his body and eight massive tentacles of dark energy writhed around him like a massive land kraken. Sailor Mini Moon and I jumped just as he began spinning his tentacles around, but he knocked all the other Sailor Scouts to the ground. I tried to teleport behind the hideous Kraken-Commander to attack, but he flung me across the rooftop. I barely caught the edge of the railing.

“Got you!” I felt a pair of small hands grab my sleeve as Rini pulled me up. “Pink Sugar Heart Attack!” she cried and pointed her wand at the Kraken-Commander. The silence and Rini’s embarrassment stood in awkward contrast to the battle being waged in front of us.

“I think you need a new wand, Rini,” I suggested.

Her face became scrunched. “It’s not like I can just order another one online!” she pouted.

“Charon!” Sailor Uranus called out. “I know I’m the last person you want to talk to right now, but your trinkets won’t help the others stop them!” I saw the Commander grab Sailor Mercury and Jupiter, tossing them around like ragdolls as they screamed.

“He’s still draining energy from the Siphon...” Sailor Neptune muttered weakly. Although he was only drawing small slivers of energy, she was correct.

“Maybe I can channel my own energy through the Siphon. If he absorbs that instead, it might weaken him,”I suggested. Uranus looked nervous when I approached her artifact with hands glowing with dark energy. When I touched the Siphon, the roof shook and the ground cracked under my feet as my power surged through the artifact.

The Commander’s form disintegrated around him as the siphon drew his dark energy away as well. The other Scouts screamed and their hair was tugged by the artifact, but their energy was not being drained. The diamonds adorning the artifact cracked before the entire Siphon shattered. Energy from both the Dark Shard and Silver Crystal shot up towards the sky, creating a vortex that grew larger. After the vortex had grown to a massive size, I motioned towards the Commander and the vortex took the form of a massive nova. The ball of dark energy smashed into the Commander at lightning speed, taking a good portion of the building with him into the alley below. The Commander stumbled out from the pile of rubble just as we raced down to confirm his defeat, but Uranus and Neptune certainly wouldn’t let him walk away...

“Uranus World Shaking!”

“Neptune Deep Submerge!” The Outer Senshi’s powerful attacks struck the Com80

mander of the Shadows full force, destroying him for good.

“If only these things had come with instruction manuals,” sighed Neptune.

“Charon, that was awesome!” Sailor Jupiter called to me. I tilted my head when I faced her so she couldn’t see my face as my rage from before came surging back full force. “Sorry, I forgot you’re mad at us,” she apologized in a completely different tone.

I could hear Artemis call out Luna’s name and hear her assure Artemis that she was alright.

I could sense Sailor Moon move closer to me and tilt down as if she was trying to see my face. I refused to even look at her. “Logan, we wanted to tell you-” All the anger I had suppressed during the fight came billowing out at once as I shouted at Sailor Moon. “But you didn’t! The worst part is that if you had told me what the bracer really did, I still would have helped you!”

“Logan, I’m the one who didn’t tell you the full truth about the bracer, and I asked the others not to tell you. I should have trusted you,” Luna apologized.

“But everyone went along with it!” When I finally looked up, I wished I hadn’t when I saw Sailor Moon was as terrified of me as if I had turned into a dark magic dragon myself. But I couldn’t suppress what I felt: “Serena, I thought you were my best friend here, but you’ve been lying to me this whole time! I can’t trust any of you now.”

“I’m sorry your feelings were hurt, Logan.” Sailor Venus apologized when Sailor Moon remained quiet. Now she was the one who avoided my eyes.

“We didn’t mean to upset you, Logan,” added Sailor Mars.

Sailor Moon closed her eyes. “Logan, you can leave us if that’s what you want. I don’t want you to feel like we’re making you stay.”

“With this thing still on my arm?” I instinctively raised my bracer even though she wasn’t looking.

“Your powers have reached a point where you might accidentally lose control of them,” warned Luna. “The bracer will still help you control them.”

“I really wanted us to be friends, Logan.” Serena’s voice trembled as she said those last words. I could hear her burst into tears and start crying as if she had wanted to for years.

“We’re too different anyway.” I tried to sound as monotone as possible, even though I felt like crying myself when I turned my back on the group I had wanted to be a part of more than anything.

“Charon!” I thought my anger had melted away but it resurged when Uranus called out after me. “Michelle and I are sorry about what happened back there-” “You’re only sorry that your plan backfired,” I growled back.

81

“Before Serena reminded me how hard it is to sacrifice someone you care about, yeah. I thought I could do it if I had to but...Serena cares about you too. They all do.” I tilted my head slightly towards her. I hadn’t expected her to show a softer side. “And if you turn away friends like them, then you’re either a jerk or an idiot.”

I stared at the pair speechless as they walked away. It was like the world had turned upside down: now I was the cold-hearted one. I turned back to where Sailor Moon and the others had been standing, but they were already gone. As hurt as I was, I just couldn’t leave the Sailor Scouts on that note. There had to be some way to fix this.

Maybe I’ll stop by the restaurant Serena worked at tomorrow. Maybe a night apart will help. I just hope it’s only for one night...

82

83

84

Chapter 14 Roses Blossom In Winter

85

S

orry hun, Serena’s not on the roster for t’day, the waitress at the Texas barbeque restaurant told me the following afternoon. The restaurant had been repaired from the damage of my confrontation with the recruiter and it was completely packed.

Snowflakes drifted down from the white sky over Tokyo when I went out into the streets. It had been a miserable day so far: last night kept repeating itself in my head. I couldn’t sleep last night or enjoy the sights this morning. Once again, I felt conflicted: as scared as I was that the Sailor Scouts hated me for all that had been said last night, I couldn’t just leave them. Not only to I heard something rustle one of the bushes near the restaurant. It was too large to be a bird or a small animal. “I know one of you is hiding there,” I said to the bush. Mina emerged wearing a purple jacket and carrying a large brown handbag.

“I’m sorry,” said Mina, “we were afraid you would go home without saying goodbye.”

“I admit, I thought about it,” I confessed. I instinctively looked away when I saw Mina frown. “I thought you guys might hate me for what I said last night.”

Mina stood closer to me so that I could see her smiling. “How could we possibly hate you? We missed you last night!”

I saw Artemis sticking his head out of Mina’s handbag - it looked cozy in there. “Hey Logan. She’s right, it’s become so quiet at Raye’s temple. I heard Serena and Damien had a fight and she hasn’t left her room ever since.”

Deep down, I knew the fight had something to do with my decision to leave. But still...”I don’t think I’m ready to go back just yet. I could see the child-like hope in Mina’s face give way to disappointment as she nodded, but I also noticed she was shivering. I smiled a bit and said, “but if you want, we can still hang out. Come on, it’s warmer inside.” I motioned to her to follow me.

“Serena!” An older man with thinning white hair, a white beard, and wrinkles in his face that contrasted with his youthful enthusiasm waved his arm towards the door. I saw that Mina had followed me in when I turned around. As I would expect from the manager of a Texan-themed restaurant, he wore a black cowboy hat red shirt with a white bandana tied around his neck.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mina smiled and bowed courteously as everyone else in the crowded waiting room looked at her. “I’m not - “ “I know, not your shift t’day but we’ve been swamped since I got the place up’n runnin and word got ‘round the Sailor Scouts were back in the saddle. Plus I ain’t servin tables till I find my contacts! I’ll pay y’overtime, jus’ need ya for an hour! I need ya 86

suited up in 10 minutes, please? Thank y’kindly, m’dear!” The manager tipped his hat, then charged through his waitresses like a bull towards the bustling kitchen.

Mina stared blankly where the manager had gone inside. “That must have been the manager. Hmm, Serena never told us she worked here.” Her thoughtfulness slowly returned to her face. “But the extra cash might cheer her up! You know what they say: a friend in greed is a friend in need!”

Now I was the one standing there dumbfounded. “Um...I’m pretty sure that’s not how it goes...”

“Mina tends to mix up her proverbs,” Artemis explained from inside her handbag. “At least she corrects herself once in a while, now. I was hoping two years of college would do more for her, though.”

Mina rolled her eyes in the direction of her handbag. “I can handle an hour of waitressing! I’m just curious: was he speaking English?” she asked.

“Southern dialect,” I tried to explain. “The other waitresses use it too. It’s a little different. Like instead of ‘you all’ or ‘you guys’ say ‘y’all’.”

“Yuh-all,” she tried repeating.

“One word: y’all. Like yawn,” I corrected her.

“Y’all.”

I smiled. “Perfect! And if a word ends in ‘g’, drop it. Like say ‘walkin’ instead of walking.”

“OK, I got this!” she clasped her hands together and jumped.

I couldn’t help but feel excited about teaching Sailor V something. “Great, now when you introduce yourself, say something like ‘howdy! How bout I rustle y’all up some grub?” My enthusiasm evaporated a bit when Mina’s eyebrows crept towards each other again. There just wasn’t time to explain everything. “That means ‘can I get you something to eat’?”

“You’re having fun, aren’t you Logan?” Artemis asked from inside Mina’s bag.

“Too bad this isn’t a California restaurant. I totally have their lingo down!” Mina pointed towards the roof with her pointer finger, then sighed. “If only we had a disguising pen, then you could fill in for Serena!”

“It would take more than a disguising pen for that to work, Mina!” chastised Artemis.

“Hopefully it’ll be like being a Shadow or a Sailor Scout and it’ll just come to you,” I suggested. Mina and Artemis both sighed. “Well, we don’t want to get Serena fired, so you might wanna mosey on down ‘n suit up! That means go downstairs and get changed,” I explained when she stared blankly.

Mina handed me her bag and went to change. Artemis poked his head out. “Enjoy the 87

show. I can see we won’t be getting a seat for a long time.”

Mina gave me a wink when she reemerged in the same uniform as the other female servers: the cowboy hat, white bandana around her neck, red shirt, white short skirt, and long brown cowboy boots. It was a good fit - albeit a bit snug in certain places - and she looked rather cute in it. Unfortunately, within fifteen minutes of her waitressing, it was clear that the uniform was the only thing that went right...

“Sorry hun, but I’m from Houston and I ain’t got a clue what yer sayin,” I heard one man in the dining room tell her. Figures, what are the odds of someone who’s actually from Texas showing up AND sitting at Mina’s table the one time she’s serving?!

“Miss, you gave me tomato soup instead of tomato bisque,” another customer asked.

I could see Mina pick up the soup - or bisque - and lean in close trying to figure out what was the difference.

“Miss, I ordered a quesadilla. Last time, you brought me nachos and this is a burrito!”

A customer complained.

“Sorry bout that, partner. I’ll fix that up for ya!” she apologized. The customer redirected her towards the kitchen when she started walking the other way and nearly bumped into another server carrying a full tray of food.

“At least they didn’t put her in the kitchen. If they do, just run,” Artemis said.

“At least she’s sort of getting the language right,” I whispered back. My heart jumped when the manager emerged just as Mina asked one of the chefs behind the line what the difference was between a burrito and quesadilla.

“Yee-haw! Found m’contacts!” exclaimed the manager. His smile turned itself upside-down when he saw ‘Serena’. “Y’feelin right, hun? I hear yer all thumbs, t’day, more ‘n usual...”

“This isn’t good. Getting Serena fired will NOT improve her mood!” Artemis exclaimed. I had no idea what to say or do to keep that from happening, but I had to come up with something...

“Y’look different too. Y’got rid of dem buns,” further quizzed the manager. Mina wasn’t saying anything - either out of fear he’d know she wasn’t Serena the moment she opened her mouth, or because she still hadn’t grasped the language.

I marched over like (what I thought) a proud cowboy would do. “Sorry, sir. This is kind of my fault,” I apologized. The manager and Mina both looked taken aback.

“She’s a bit nervous because...well...I asked her out here on a date!”

The manager’s jaw dropped and Mina’s eyes widened like plates as her face turned bright red. Artemis screeched from inside her bag. I thought that the manager was going to pick me up and throw me out the window, but instead a wide grin grew across his face. “Shucks, now I feel awful fer ruinin yer fun! You must be that Damien feller she’s always goin on about!” he asked.

88

“That’s me! Always showing up at the last moment to support my gal! Not one moment sooner!” I laughed. “Well, I should let you get back to work - “ “Y’kiddin?!” the manager grabbed us both and practically threw us into a nearby open booth. “Crowd’s thinnin out, I can take it from here, Serena! Lemme get y’all a free app sampler, on me for yer trouble!” I returned a nervous smile. We were lucky Serena’s boss was a nice guy.

I turned to look across the aisle and placed Mina’s bag on the table. “Now we just need to make sure he never sees Serena with the real Damien. I get the feeling he doesn’t like cheaters.” When I turned back to Mina, I realized that she hadn’t heard a word I said...in fact, I think everything happening around her faded into the background as she gazed at me through widened eyes, with her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her hands. I could see massive hearts flying out of eyes and feel them striking me full force like one of her attacks. It...was actually pretty intimidating.

“And to think, I wondered if you even noticed me.” Her voice took on an airy, floating quality as she spoke. My heartbeat grew so loud, I started worrying about others hearing it.

“Er...I knew,” I stuttered to break the tension. I could see Artemis peeking out from inside the bag. I wish I could have seen his face: I could picture him shaking his head and saying Mina, you know he only said this was a date to keep Serena out of trouble.

But he didn’t. And I was sort of glad he did. It’s not like part of me hadn’t wanted this...

Instead, Artemis was supportive. “Well, I’m glad you finally found the right guy, Mina.”

“I can’t wait for us to go back and tell the others!” Mina brought me crashing back to reality.

“I’m still not sure about going back...” I shrank in my seat as I said it.

Mina reached out for my hand. “They’ll be happy to see you again, Logan. Besides, the gentlemanly thing to do is to walk me home! Like the saying goes: the anticipation of fear - no, that’s not it - the death of - hmm, wait, I got it! The fear of death is worse than death itself! I think...”

“You got it right! Congratulations Mina!” Artemis chimed in.

I awkwardly smiled back at her, but I thought well, if the saying’s true, then at least Serena’s going to kill me when we go back...

89

90

Chapter 15 Snowflakes and Meatballs

91

T

he flurries had turned into a full-fledged snowfall by the time we left the restaurant. I hoped to delay going back to Raye’s temple with a tour of the city, but that wouldn’t happen now.

“It really isn’t fair that the Shadows ruined your vacation,” said Mina as she huddled with me in the cold and trudged back to the Temple. “There’s so much to see around here, but the weather’s just horrible. Hopefully things will turn back to normal when we stop them.”

“On the plus side, if the weather doesn’t change my flight will get delayed. I’m supposed to go home in two days,” I told her.

“Already?!” pouted Mina. I kind of regretted telling her. “Hmm, there must be a way we can keep you here longer, at least until we can come to visit you. Hey, you should try out for star auditions! I could be your coach!” she suggested.

“And do something in front of dozens of people?” I asked.

“Think bigger, Logan! Thousands, millions, maybe even BILLIONS of people, screaming your name every time you walk down the street and watching your every single move! She was entranced by the thought...while I was thinking I’d rather jump into an erupting volcano than stand on a stage with the spotlight on me.

“Or he could just get a later flight and stay with one of us,” suggested Artemis from the safety of Mina’s handbag. “No planes will be taking off in this weather.”

Mina clasped her hands together. “But if we can make him a star, he could stay with us several extra weeks, maybe even months! Or we could go with him - we could be like his roadies!”

“But you still have university,” I reminded her.

“And you’re still breaking out yourself, remember?” said Artemis.

Mina’s mood seemed to sour a bit as she fell back into reality. “You’re right. I got carried away again. Just...think about it, OK Logan? I won’t be ready to say goodbye in two days.”

“I’m not leaving before we stop the Shadows from freezing us to death. Don’t worry,” I assured her.

With each step closer to the Temple, my pace grew slower and slower until Mina was practically dragging me towards a pleasant smell coming from the dining area. Amy and Raye sat at the table as Lita pulled a tray of freshly-baked cookies out of the oven... which were shaped like lips for some reason I didn’t want to know. Mina was right, 92

though: they all smiled when they saw us walk through the sliding door.

“Logan, you came back!” exclaimed Raye.

“I told you he would!” called Amy. “Sorry about what I said last night. I didn’t mean what I said last night, about us not being friends,” I admitted.

Lita smiled. “I know. We’re sorry too. I’m just happy you’re back!”

Mina swung her arm around mine like we were square dancing. “Glad to hear it! I wouldn’t want to see my best friends and my boyfriend ignoring each other!”

Raye’s smile instantly disappeared.”You two are dating?!” she shouted as she placed her fists on the table. Amy choked on her drink and Lita fumbled with the tray of cookies as if the concept of Mina having a boyfriend was completely foreign to them.

Mina was fuming. “Don’t look so surprised, guys! I met him earlier in front of this Texas barbeque. It turns out Serena’s a waitress there and her manager thought I was her, so to help cheer Serena up I did an hour’s work for her!” Mina sped through the words as if she was overdosed on caffeine.

“You impersonated Serena and waited tables for your first date?” Lita asked the words slowly as if she was speaking to us in our second language. The three of them now stared at us wide-eyed.

“I’m sure it was more romantic than it sounds,” Amy tried to give me the benefit of the doubt.

“At what point did the two of you agree to consider this a date?” asked Raye.

“It’s not like we expected that to happen! Let me finish, guys!” Mina pouted. “Anyway, Logan talked to the manager and he was so sweet, he gave us a table and a free appetizer sampler and it was perfect!”

Their expressions softened a bit. “That reminds me of when my last boyfriend - “ began Lita.

“Not another ‘ex-boyfriend’ story!” Raye complained as Amy sighed.

Lita set the tray of cookies down on the counter and faced Raye. “Hey, this one was sweet! We’re just not dating anymore!” shouted Lita.

Amy put her arms on the table and buried her head as Mina, Raye and Lita launched into a shouting match with each other. I noticed Luna appear and perch herself up on the chair next to me. “I wanted to apologize again, Logan. Even though you passed the test, I still felt that we needed to take precautions. You’ve done nothing to deserve this level of distrust.”

I watched the three Sailor Scouts arguing. We didn’t need to keep digging up old wounds. “That’s behind us now,” I assured her.

93

Luna nodded, then shook her head towards the girls as they continued bickering. “I thought two years of university would make them more mature, but every day is the same thing.”

Artemis leapt away from Mina’s handbag and joined her. “Maybe you should try setting a better example for them. You still call me Klutz the Cat,” he pointed out.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t state facts,” she quipped. Artemis and I both sighed, then I turned my attention back to the argument still erupting in front of us.

“Why can’t you be happy for someone else for once, Raye?!” yelled Mina.

“I’m happy for both of you, even though you’ve become such a snob, Mina!” Raye shouted back.

“I can’t sleep with you guys yammering...” Everyone halted their arguing and stared in the hallway as a dreary Serena crept through the door. Her hair was unkempt and her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying for hours. Whatever feelings of betrayal and anger that still lingered evaporated when I saw how miserable she looked.

“Sorry, Serena. Here!” Lita grabbed the tray of freshly-baked cookies off the table. “I made these just for you!”

Serena barely glanced at them before saying “I’m not hungry.” My eyes widened when I saw she wasn’t wearing the locket I gave her to protect her from dark magic.

“We know that’s not true,” said Ami. “You’re not wearing the locket I gave you,” I pointed out.

“I forgot to give it back,” she muttered without looking at me.

I stood up. “Serena, I’m not mad at you anymore. Please put it back on.”

Serena continued looking blankly at the ground. “You should give it to one of your friends instead. Or maybe your girlfriend.”

“Maybe we should give you two some privacy,” suggested Artemis. As the others left, Mina rubbed my shoulder. I caught Serena sneaking a glance. Luna chose to stay behind.

“I’m worried about you, Serena,” said Luna. “Even before Logan showed up, I’ve seen you completely miserable sometimes.”

“Maybe it’s time you told them that you dropped out of school,” I suggested. “Mina found out that you work there.”

“I heard,” she acknowledged. Still refusing to look up, Serena walked slowly towards the table and sat down. “I can’t be Sailor Moon again. How can I lead a team when I can’t even get my own life together?”

“Because you’ve done it before. Several times,” I reminded her. I couldn’t let her just 94

give up.

“Logan’s right, you’ve come a long way from the crybaby I met. Even if you take a few steps back every once in a while,” added Luna.

“We all stumble,” I interjected.

Serena finally looked up at me. She carried that defeated look in her eyes, like she really was about to quit. “I can’t even be a decent friend anymore.”

“You were,” I argued. “You saved me from the recruiter. You stood up for me when the others didn’t trust me. And you protected me when Uranus and Neptune wanted me out of the way. I couldn’t ask for a better friend than that.”

Serena finally smiled. “I thought you wouldn’t come back. I’m glad you did.”

“I went back to the restaurant you worked at hoping we could talk,” I said as I returned her smile. Then I looked down as I told her: “I have a secret to share, too: I didn’t plan on asking Venus out. I just wanted someone to talk to, so I invited her in. But then your manager came along and she wasn’t taking to the job quickly enough. I was worried you’d get in trouble, so I said she was nervous because I just asked her out.”

Serena pondered for a moment. “Do you like her though?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

She smiled again. “That’s the only thing that matters. When I met Darien, we had zero intention of asking each other out. ‘Meatball Head’ was his idea.”

“Really? Nobody thought of it sooner?” I asked.

Serena shook her head. “I’ve been called Bun Head and Dumpling Head too, but they didn’t catch on,” she replied.

“Yeah, Meatball Head has a certain charm,” I teased.

She punched me in the shoulder and smirked. “That’s enough, Turtle. You know, the thing with Lita’s cookies is they get hard pretty fast. Then they don’t taste nearly as good.”

“It would be a shame if that happened...” I agreed.

“My thoughts exactly!” Serena’s mood brightened as she stuffed one of the cookies in her mouth. “I know you’re wondering why she makes them shaped like lips. Usually there’s a guy involved.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better Serena, but Darien wouldn’t be happy to find out you gorged on all these cookies by yourself,” noted Luna.

“Where are my manners? Help yourself, Logan,” Serena offered. The aroma of the cookies and Serena’s clear approval of Lita’s cooking overwhelmed my sense of modesty...but as I reached for one, I caught Darien glaring at us through the door...

95

96

Chapter 16 Serena’s Soap Opera

97

S

erena noticed me staring at the doorway and turned her head in that direction.

“Oh, hey Darien!” Her bubbly demeanor suggested that she hadn’t taken a good luck at his face. His upper lips were curled and the darkness I saw in his eyes rivaled that of the Shadows we had faced before.

“Do you have something you want to tell me, Serena?” I could see one of his hands was clenched as the other pushed open the sliding door. It was as if he was just waiting for her to give him the slightest reason to punch me in the face. I hadn’t known him long, but I could see this was a marked change of character from the Darien I first met.

All the positive reinforcement and light-hearted moments I had given her seemed to fade in an instant as fear crept back into Serena’s face. “Yeah, there is something. Might as well get everyone in here and get it over with, right?” she asked me.

I knew that what Darien had jumped to conclusions and expected Serena to admit to something completely different from dropping out of college. I wanted to try to clue Serena in subtly, or at least give Darien a hint that the scene he witnessed wasn’t what he thought. Unfortunately, Darien cut me off the instant I opened my mouth. “How dare you two just carry on like I’m not even here!” he shouted.

I was experiencing deja vu as Serena gave Darien the same glance of surprise and betrayal she had given me when I told the Shadow Commander that she wasn’t my friend.

I heard a group of footsteps coming towards the door as Serena stood out of her seat to face Darien. “This isn’t about last night!”

“Venus and I are dating!” I blurted out in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Darien from royally screwing up his relationship with Serena as the sliding door opened and Amy, Mina, Lita and Raye came through and joined us around the table.

Ever the easily distracted type, Serena’s old self burst right back in. “That’s right! The Goddess of Love has finally found her man!” exclaimed Serena in a moment of joy.

I mentally patted myself on the back for saving Darien’s relationship, only to see the anger in his face replaced by scorn. The moment he opened his mouth, I realized there was nothing I could do to save him from bringing hell upon himself...

“Serena, I know you were disappointed when I called off our engagement - “ the word engaged rang through my mind like an echo - “but that doesn’t mean you can see me and Logan at the same time. And Mina doesn’t deserve to go through that either,” Darien said firmly. He looked a bit smug as he crossed his arms, as if he were proud of himself, but I could see the curse words flowing through his mind when Serena’s jaw dropped.

“That’s what you thought I was going to say? That I’m cheating on you with Lo98

gan?!” Serena thundered.

I was amazed by how quickly the tables had turned as everyone else in the room gave Darien an icy glare. “She wouldn’t do that to you,” Raye addressed him firmly.

“And how dare you accuse my boyfriend of being a homewrecker, you jerk!” Mina clenched her fist and shouted. I actually felt sorry for Darien at that very moment.

Darien looked bewildered. “Logan was serious about you two dating?” he asked.

Mina overtook Serena for the angriest-looking person in the room at that point. I stood up from my seat and walked back towards the door where I could see everyone, hoping to keep this argument from getting out of hand.

“Princess Serenity and I are just friends. She keeps coming to Earth to visit you.” I assured Darien. Darien’s face hadn’t changed, but his eyes were upon me, confirming he really had heard what I said. I thought that he was just surprised I was so stern with him until I saw the same confusion was now shared by Serena, then Luna, the other girls and even Artemis. It suddenly dawned on me that there was something wrong with what I said, but my brain seemed to freeze as I analyzed and reanalyzed every word I just said...

“You meant to say that Serena kept coming to Earth to visit him, right Logan?” Luna finally corrected me.

“Of course I did,” I answered briskly, but panic set in my mind. Why hadn’t I recognized my mistake on my own? I felt everyone’s eyes burning holes into me as they watched me isolate myself in the corner. Had they even blinked?

“You know we’re in the 21st century, right?” Darien asked me. I took offense to his tone, as if I was a child, and I glared back at him. Catching the hint, he turned to Serena. “ I heard about what happened in the forest. Now he’s calling you Princess Serenity. “ “I haven’t had any hallucinations since the siphon was destroyed,” I asserted. I could see the girls looking at each other as if they were deciding whether to believe me.

“But we don’t know if the siphon caused them,” persisted Darien.

“You’re blowing this way out of proportion, Darien!” Mina jumped to my defense. “It was an innocent slip of the lung!”

“Tongue, Mina” corrected Amy. “Close enough!” Mina replied.

I sensed Serena’s head turned towards me. “You’ll tell us if you started seeing things again, right Logan?” Serena asked. Unlike Darien, her tone was gentle and non-judgmental.

“Of course I would,” I replied as I turned to her.

This time, I had a hard time reading the mix of emotions in Serena’s face, but she 99

turned to the others and said “that’s good enough for me.”

“I can take another look at him if it’ll reassure you Darien,” offered Amy, “but he looks much better than he did yesterday. I think he’s fine.” I could see the others nodding. I implied Amy was the most knowledgeable Sailor Scouts, and the others trusted her implicitly.

“Let’s not forget the original reason we came here. You wanted to tell us something, Serena?” Raye reminded us.

Serena cringed with discomfort after she returned to her seat. “Just promise you guys won’t get mad at me,” she pleaded.

“Of course not,” Lita assured her.

“Why is that promise not a comfort?” sighed Luna. Her comment earned her some angry glares from the others, but I understood her point all too well.

“Alright well the truth is,” Serena hesitated. I caught her glance at me as if she hoped that I would finish her sentence for her, but she pushed the words out: “I flunked out of university.” The others gasped...except for Amy, who already knew.

“Serena!” Raye blurted out her friend’s name in shock. After Lita elbowed her, Raye’s posture and tone became more sympathetic. “I mean, Serena? You did well on your entrance exam and your first year of university. What happened?”

“It was different in California,” answered Serena. “There were so many distractions, like the parties and the games and sitting next to so many cute surfer hunks - “ She broke into an awkward grin when she saw Darien start glaring at her again. “Not that I was romantically interested in them. Some of the professors were really strict, too.

And I didn’t make a lot of friends there. I couldn’t face my parents when I came home, and then I met the manager of the place I work at now. He was so nice, he offered me a job and a place to stay. But I didn’t really talk to anyone about it until I met Logan. I thought you would all think you wasted your time on me.” Darien turned away looking awfully guilty when she finished her last sentence.

“Of course you’re not a waste of time, Serena!” Luna said adamantly.

“I’m sorry that I returned so few of your calls, Serena,” apologized Amy. “I became so busy with the pre-med program that I lost track of time.”

“Similar thing happened to me. I got so caught up with trying to get my foot in the door that I forgot about the people closest to me. I’m so sorry, Serena,” added Mina.

“We all could have done a better job at keeping in touch with each other,” admitted Raye.

“It’s not your fault, guys. I should have been able to make it on my own.” Serena sighed.

“Well, we’re here for you now,” assured Lita.

100

“And you’re always welcome to stay here,” offered Raye.

“And we definitely won’t tell Rini,” promised Mina. I noticed the others nodding in agreement.

A smile slowly made it’s way back on to Serena’s face. I was sure she felt relieved to have the weight of hiding such a large secret from her best friends lifted off of her.

“Thanks guys.”

“I feel so stupid Serena,” admitted Darien. I could see him shaking his head in disbelief that he completely misjudged her entire situation. “I know how hard studying in another country can be. It just never crossed my mind that it would be hard for you, too.

Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

Serena clasped her hands together and gazed towards the sky. “Oh, it’s nothing that a very romantic, very expensive dinner can’t fix!” I could tell she was joking, but Darien was visibly sweating as he forced a smile. “And be nice to Logan,” she requested.

“He’s been a good friend.”

Darien turned to me and nodded politely. “Fair enough. No hard feelings?” Darien turned to me and extended his hand. “I studied in New York,” he added when I hesitated to return his gesture. Everyone else looked puzzled: maybe they thought there was some cultural confusion, but there was something about Darien’s gaze and stance that made me uncomfortable, something that hadn’t been there when I first met him...

101

102

Chapter 17 An Unexpected Lesson

103

D tears.

arian slowly withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” he conceded.

“He’s trying to apologize, Logan!” pleaded Serena. She was on the verge of

I decided to stomach the feelings of discomfort I had for the sake of Serena and the group. “I accept your apology.” I offered my hand and forced myself to look at his face.

His expression was completely blank, like part of him wasn’t even there. I cringed, expecting some nasty surprise, but he shook it without anything happening.

“Why are you two being so weird?” Raye sounded cross.

“It’s OK.” Darien turned to her. I thought I saw him smile out of the corner of his mouth. Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me...

We were not expecting someone to knock on the door and slide it open. Standing in the snow was a man with brown hair and a brown beard. I estimated he was in his late twenties to early thirties and several inches taller than me - easily over six feet tall. He wore a karate gi with a black belt: it was odd that he wore nothing over his uniform considering how cold it was outside. He faced Raye and bowed. “I apologize, Priestess.

My name is Henry. I wish to speak with your grandfather.”

“I regret to inform you that my grandfather has not been well for quite some time.”

Raye informed him. “Please, come inside!”

The karate master stepped into the crowded room. “I’m sorry to hear that. Please give him my best wishes and sincere hopes that he recovers in time for the martial arts exposition.”

“I completely forgot I signed up for that!” blurted out Lita.

Henry’s straight face elicited a small grin. “I’m glad I reminded you. I’ve seen you fight before: you’re very talented.”

Lita blushed, then bowed. “Thank you, Sensei. My name’s Lita.”

“Please, just call me Henry,” he insisted. He glanced around the room at the friendly faces; I saw most of the girls smile when he caught their eyes. “I’ve seen most of your friends with you before, Lita,” he wondered aloud before his piercing green eyes came across me. “But you I don’t recognize...”

“This is my new friend, Logan,” Lita introduced me. “He gets shy around new people, but he’s a great guy,” she added when I instinctively turned away from his look.

104

“He’s a fighter, too!” Mina piped in.

I could sense Henry step towards me closer. “Is that so? Have you taken karate , Logan?” he asked.

I cleared my throat and forced myself to look at him. There was nothing in his face to suggest he meant me any harm; his eyes were filled only with curiosity and his presence radiated warmth. “A little bit...when I was a kid. Though I picked up a lot of it from people who used to pick on me,” I admitted.

Henry’s eyes seemed to burst with the insatiable hunger for knowledge that undoubtedly drove him to become a black belt. “You try to understand your opponents and use their techniques against them. The ability to adapt is the hallmark of a great fighter.

There are a few slots still open. If you’ve taken karate before, you’re qualified.”

“Like Lita said, Logan gets shy in groups,” noted Serena.

“But we’re working on changing that. He’s on his way to becoming a star!” exclaimed Mina, leading the other Scouts to sigh. “Your expo could be great practice for him!” she added, oblivious to their disapproval of her ditziness.

“What Logan’s highly excitable girlfriend forgot to mention is he’s only visiting. He’s supposed to fly home in two days,” said Raye.

“Well, if the weather doesn’t work to our advantage, then maybe I can work something out with the airline so he can stay until the tournament. That’s another week with your friends,” Henry promised.

“Oh yes!” Mina beamed. “Say you’ll do it, Logan!”

Henry must have noticed I still looked unsure as he eyed me. “This was supposed to be a surprise, but I have one more thing to show you: we have a special prize for the winner this year.” Every mouth in the room dropped when Henry pulled a silver bracer out from under his gi. The bracer was exactly like mine, holding the unevenly cut dark shard, in brand new condition. I instinctively lowered my sleeve so that he couldn’t see that I was wearing a similar one. “Beats another trophy, huh?” he asked, oblivious to the true value of the artifact he held.

“Where did you get that?!” Amy blurted out.

“An anonymous donor left it in front of my dojo. Beautiful, isn’t it? Highly resilient, as well.” He stuffed the bracer back under his uniform. Guess I have to do the expo now. I could use a new bracer, anyway, I thought. “How about it, Logan?” he asked.

“If you’re scared about getting your butt kicked in public, I’ll help you train for it, Logan,” offered Lita.

“I have a moment to spar with you outside, if you like,” Henry offered. I nodded in agreement: it was awesome that he was willing to put in the time to train me. “Lita, could you be our referee?” he asked.

105

“We’d better investigate this anonymous donor,” I heard Luna whisper to Artemis. I saw them sprint towards the city as Henry and I stepped outside.

“I’d better check on my grandpa,” said Raye as the others followed us into the cold.

“I’ll go check on him. You deserve a break,” said Darien. After he took off, the rest of the group split up into two groups and aligned themselves on opposite sides of the Temple grounds.

“We’ll go a few rounds, make this a simple fight. Why don’t you go over the competition rules for him, Lita?” Henry asked.

“The idea’s to land as many soft blows on your opponent before time runs . When I say ‘hajime’, the fight starts. Get as close as you can without actually hitting your opponent and be careful what moves you use. Punches, kicks, knees and elbows will score you a point. You can use holds and throws to put your opponent in a vulnerable position, but you need to finish them off with a strike. When one of you earns a point, the referee will tell you to stop and call you back to the center. Repeat until the fight is over,” explained Lita.

“You said your fighting style is heavily improvised, Logan, so you can use whatever moves you feel comfortable with this time. When given a choice between flashy and practical moves, I always prefer the practical ones anyway.” Henry smirked. It seemed a bit odd for me to hear a master seemingly diss his own martial art at first, but I respected him for keeping an open mind.

“Go easy on him, his karate days were a long time ago!” teased Mina. She laughed when I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Just like he was rusty at cards, right?” quipped Serena. “Don’t fall for Logan’s “I’m new so go easy on me” act, Henry.”

“I’d be doing him a disservice if I went TOO easy on him,” joked Henry.

“Fighting stance!” I felt myself shaking a bit in nervous anticipation when Lita raised her arm in the air. I placed my left leg ahead, right foot further back with my foot at an angle, and my fists up. Henry’s stance was very similar.

“Good form, tuck your chin down more to guard your throat,” advised Henry. “We’re ready, Lita,” he said as I took his advice and tucked my chin down more.

“Hajime!” Lita lowered her arm in a forward motion and stepped back. I waited for Henry to make the first move. I ducked out of the way when he sent a low kick and two punches flying towards me, but I nearly lost my footing in the snow. When I tried to counter with my own punch, he grabbed my arm, flipped me over his shoulder, and punched near my stomach after I landed in the snow on my back. Some of the Sailor Scouts winced and groaned. “Break, break!” Lita wedged herself in between us with an arm, pushing Henry off. “Front and center! Henry, one point!” Lita raised her arm in Henry’s direction. I was already panting after one round when I got back on my feet.

106

“Remember to breathe, Logan. And keep your chin tucked in so you won’t hit your head if someone flips you on your back,” advised Henry as we returned to our original stances.

“Fighting stance...hajime!” Henry quickly kneed me in the stomach, wrapped a leg around one of mine and dropped towards the ground, taking me into the snow with him.

Lita called “break, break!” as he coiled a fist over me. “Front and center - Henry, one point!”

“He’s giving you a run for your money, isn’t he Logan?” teased Serena. She’s right: after fighting all those Shadows, I thought I’d hold out better against him. But he’s a master...I guess I should feel lucky I lasted as long as I did.

“Masters wage a constant battle with their own pride. The moment we start thinking we are the best is the moment we stop being masters. Besides, I’m learning as much from our fight as he is,” smiled Henry as we returned to position.

“Fighting stance...hajime!” Lita repeated. This time, I made the first move. He effortlessly jumped over my sweeping kick, then sidestepped a punch I threw at him. I retracted my arm so he couldn’t grab me this time and managed a kick near his stomach.”Front and center!” Lita called. She smiled as she said “Logan, one point!”

“Yay, Logan!” some of the girls cheered.

Henry nodded in approval. “You recognize the patterns in your opponent’s fighting style quickly.” I took that as a hint he was about to change things up.

“Fighting stance...hajime!” I ducked under one of his roundhouse kicks and quickly countered with an elbow strike. “Front and center! Logan, one point!” Lita and the others celebrated.

“Afraid that’s all I have time for,” lamented Henry. “I’m sure our tiebreaker will come some day. Bow to Lita,” we turned and bowed to Lita, who returned our bow. “Bow to each other,” Henry bowed to me and I repeated his gesture. “You fought well. The rest is a matter of learning the rules and building up your confidence. You have a solid foundation - you are easily qualified to take part.”

“Thank you,” I said. It felt good to receive praise from a black belt.

“That was a great fight! Very informative too! Wait...Raye, what’s wrong? Do you have a headache or something?” I heard Serena ask from behind me. The moment I turned to her, I felt Henry grab my arm and pull up my sleeve to reveal my damaged bracer. The same ill feelings I sensed around Darien came flooding back...

“But the Sailor Scouts could have taught you so much more...” My arm grew hot as he rubbed his hand along the cracks near the dark shard. “Instead, they’re holding back until they’ve fully brainwashed you into submission.”

“How come I didn’t sense he was a Shadow?!” Raye cringed through the same pain I was experiencing in his presence.

107

Only when I forced myself to look into the darkness and hunger swirling within his eyes that I realized I recognized this man...the memories weren’t there yet...but I knew what he was now...

“Because he’s not just any Shadow,” I answered as I wrestled my arm away from him.

Serena, Mina, Raye, Amy and Lita stood beside me. “He’s my replacement. He’s the Spymaster.”

As the others gasped, dark energy began swirling around ‘Henry’. The black shroud began taking the form of black robes adorned with silver crescent moons, lines and other strange markings. “It’s a pity that you did not remember more about your past before we met. Our mission was to gather energy and pave the way for the new Silver Millennium, Charon. I did not order the Shadows to destroy you or the Sailor Scouts.

In fact, you may have served a purpose in the new order. But you have taken the lives of several of my brothers. For your sins, you must be punished...”

108

109

110

Chapter 18 A Star Fades Away

111

“How could you be the Spymaster?” Serena asked. “You were so nice and helpful!”

“And kind of cute!” Lita added.

“You have the worst taste in guys ever, Lita!” shouted Raye.

The Spymaster smirked as my own robes finished materializing around me. “Are you surprised because I’m not the caricature of evil you were expecting, with glowing red eyes and pointed teeth?”

“Some of the other Shadows fit that description,” said Serena.

“If you are more honorable than your mother, prove it Sailor Moon. Stand aside and let me face Charon one-on-one!”

“As if! You know that only the Sailor Scouts can destroy you permanently!” replied Serena.

“I realized that,” he admitted. Two Shadows seemingly materialized out of thin air, holding Darien and a short, elderly man.

“Darien!” cried Serena.

“Grandpa!” cried Raye.

“As you see, I have two hostages. If the Sailor Scouts interfere in our battle, I will burn your temple to the ground and scatter their ashes on top,” the Spymaster threatened. Raye’s grandfather began throwing his arms around and chanting incoherently, challenging one of the Shadows to hold him still.

“He’s delirious,” I noted.

“Actually he’s always like that,” commented Serena, earning a hateful glare from Raye.

“There will be no restrictions for this fight, Charon! But stay within the Temple grounds!” he stared at the hostages. “Start us off, Lita!”

Lita grudgingly marched forward. “Fighting stance...hajime!”

I began with my signature move, teleporting behind the Spymaster to hit him with a dark energy strike up close, but he vanished by the time I reappeared. I felt his left arm wrap around my neck as he placed me in a sleeper hold. “Really, Charon? You thought you could sneak up behind me?” he taunted. I grabbed his arm, elbowed him, and flipped him over my shoulder. He quickly countered by frog kicking me and leaping back to his feet.

112

“You and Sailor Jupiter are both formidable hand-to-hand combatants, but like the others, you rely too heavily on magic,” he noted as we slowly circled each other for an opening. “Since your bracer keeps you from fully tapping your powers, that is particularly unwise for you.” I threw a cloud of magically-charged smoke in his direction, but he vanished seemingly into thin air. He teleported again, but I sensed him in time and elbowed him in the face before he could strike me. He moved back and smirked as he wiped blood from his nose. “You’re still a decent opponent, but I honed my skills for years while you lost your touch!” He ducked when I threw a punch towards his jaw.

“You squandered your time in classrooms! Behind computers!” He kneed me in the stomach. “Making friends!” he said with even more contempt as he struck me in the back with dark energy, sending me face-first into the snow.

He turned away from me to taunt the watching Sailor Scouts. “You won’t even cheer for your friend?! Maybe if you spent more time training him and less time making googoo eyes when he wasn’t looking, he would have a chance!” After stumbling, I managed to get back to my feet. “But you still don’t trust him, do you?” I tackled him and swept under his leg to bring him to the ground. He raised his arms to block my punches as I had him in a dominant position. “That makes your blood boil, doesn’t it Charon?” he mocked before he pushed against my throat and flipped me over. From under the quarters building, I saw Luna perched on the rooftop and two crows flying in circles overhead. I knew what I had to do...get the Spymaster right under her...

“Sailor Moon was right, you don’t talk much,” the Spymaster complained. I kicked him away, rose back to my feet, and summoned dark energy to my hand, but stood in place. The moment he teleported behind me, Luna pounced on his head and he thrashed around blindly. Seemingly on cue, the two crows descended on the Shadows holding Raye’s grandpa and Darien. Darien took advantage of the confusion to drag Raye’s grandfather away from the battle and towards safety.

“Thanks, Phobos and Deimos!” Raye called to the crows pecking at the Shadows’ faces. I realized they were her pets.

“Deal with the Shadows first!” Artemis called to the women as he dashed from the bushes and leapt towards the Spymaster’s leg, clawing and biting him while Luna attacked his face.

“Moon Cosmic Power!” Serena cried as she and the others transformed into the Sailor Scouts. I teleported behind one Shadow, struck him with dark energy, and threw a dagger-shaped dark energy projectile at the other Shadow.

“Moon Tiara Magic!” Sailor Moon shouted.

“Venus Love and Beauty Shock!” followed Sailor Venus. The white energy disc and massive yellow heart struck both Shadows. As they disintegrated into moon dust, the Spymaster backed up and shoved Luna into a nearby tree at full force, then threw Artemis off of him.

“Luna! Artemis!” cried Sailor Mercury.

113

“I’m Sailor Moon! The champion of justice! I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you, Spymaster!” Sailor Moon posed.

The Spymaster’s lip curled in amusement. “ Charon gave a speech about justice and triumphing over evil when he was the Spymaster. But then, he was referring to you.”

Sailor Mars held one of her anti-evil ward scrolls between her fingers. “The forces of evil shall not destroy our temple! I call upon the power of Mars to banish you from this place! Mars Fire Bird Strike!” She threw the scroll at him and a firebird streaked towards him. He sidestepped her attack.

“Mercury Bubbles...Blast!” shouted Sailor Mercury. I tried to take advantage of the distraction to sneak behind him.

“Your tactics are pathetic,” he sneered and turned just as I was about to hit him in the back with a dark magic blast. He punched me in the stomach, lifted me over his head, and threw me to the floor.

“This won’t work! We have to attack him at the same time!” urged Sailor Moon.

“You mean-” began Sailor Jupiter.

“Yes! Charon, keep him distracted and be ready!” requested Sailor Mercury as they began channeling energy around themselves. The Spymaster tried to make a rush for the Sailor Scouts but I tackled him and knocked him into a tree. I grabbed his head, kneed him in the stomach, and headbutted him in the nose.

“I’m only finishing what you started, Charon,” whispered the Spymaster as I pinned him against the tree. He raised dark energy to his hand and went for my face, but I blocked his attack with my bracer. My fingers tingled as he tried to drain my energy, but a black rift similar to the one that destroyed the siphon took form over us. It grew larger and larger as it drew his power away.

“Sailor...Planet...Attack!” the Sailor Scouts screamed in unison. Multicolored streams of energy flew into the sky and combined to create a massive white ball of energy, then separated back into colored streak that flew towards the Spymaster. I kicked him away from me as the streaks swirled around with the rift, transforming into an even larger ball of charged energy. With a flick of the wrist, I sent it flying into the Spymaster, leaving a smoking crater in his wake. There was no way he had survived...

“We couldn’t have beat him without you, Charon,” complimented Mars as the Sailor Scouts stood by my side. I couldn’t believe it. We beat the Spymaster. We won. There was just one other thing left on my mind...

“Is it true you all made goo-goo eyes at me when I wasn’t looking?” I teased.

Raye blushed. “We were teasing Venus! Well...most of us were,” she claimed. But as the smoke cleared, the Spymaster jumped out of the crater at lightning speed.

“Watch out!” I screamed. He swung a large silver chain with a weighted ball at the end in our direction. Sailor Jupiter and I jumped over it, but the chain struck the others 114

below their knees, knocking them off balance. The Spymaster quickly swung again, this time towards our chests. I ducked under it, but the chain hit Jupiter in her upper chest and tripped her over. I faced the Spymaster alone.

“I warned you Charon: you left yourselves vulnerable in your moment of pride,” he sneered. The weapon he wielded against us was shaped like the Kusari-gama, a trademark ninja weapon. The silver chain with the weight at one end was attached to a golden handle with a dark energy sickle at the other end. The weapon was larger and the chain was longer than any version of the weapon I had seen before. I dodged the weight when he threw it directly at me, and charged at him, but there was no dodging the sickle...

I still held a ball of dark energy over him with my right hand but the energy fizzled out as I felt the sickle tear into my abdomen and burn my insides. His eyes were cold and his face was expressionless as he looked at where he had struck me, as if he wanted me to see the reflection of blood staining my robes...my own blood... I stumbled and fell on my right leg when he pressed the sickle in further and tore across my right side.

“LOGAN!” A chill ran down my spine when Sailor Venus screamed my name. Her love chain struck the Spymaster and yanked him away from me. Sailor Venus struck him again with the chain and launched a flurry of punches at him before landing a karate chop to his neck. The Spymaster reacted to her last blow but threw Venus off with a dark energy blast. Just as the other Sailor Scouts charged the Spymaster, he teleported behind Sailor Mercury, spun her around, and threw her into Sailor Jupiter. Then he blasted Sailor Mars with dark energy as she was about to launch a fire-based attack. It was like he held back earlier to give us false hope that we could beat him so he could crush us later...

Only Sailor Moon stood between me and the Spymaster as he marched towards us with his Kusari-gama in hand. I tried to get up, but the pain unbearable. I could only watch as Sailor Moon spun her Moon Rod at a dizzying pace and cried out “Moon...

Spiral...Heart...Attack!” As small pink hearts spiraled out of the heart and combined, the Spymaster surrounded himself in a ball of dark energy. He walked through the large pink heart that struck him unscathed. He knocked Sailor Moon’s rod from her hand and slapped her across the face with the back of his hand, forcing her to the ground. The Spymaster hovered over me ominously, but just as he was about to deal the final blow, Sailor Moon threw herself on top of me.

“Get off him!” The Spymaster ordered as she embraced me on the ground.

“NO!” She screamed like a child being ripped away from her parents. “You’ll have to kill me, too!”

“Rini...” I tried to remind her she had a future daughter and husband to care for, but she wouldn’t let go.

“I could kill you both,” threatened the Spymaster, “but you may have a role to play in the new kingdom, Princess Serenity. If you or any of your friends try to interfere with my plans again, I will make good on my promise. I will burn this place to the ground 115

and destroy everyone you love.” My vision grew blurry as he turned his back on us and started walking away...I wasn’t even strong enough to lift my head any more...

“Stay with me, Logan. Don’t close your eyes,” pleaded Serena. I tried to stay awake, but her voice became an echo and grew weaker each time she cried my name. “Logan?...Logan?...LOGAN!”...

IS THIS THE END?

116

117

118

Chapter 19 The Moon Palace

119

I

awoke to find my face pressed against a cold, flat surface instead of the soft snow.

As my eyes slowly opened, I pushed myself off the floor only to realize that I did not feel any pain in my side. “Serena?” Only silence greeted me. I looked around frantically for the others, but all I saw was an array of white arches supported by columns and a glittering, polished floor beneath my feet. “Mina? Raye? Anyone!” I called out again for my friends, hoping someone would answer. The stars seemed closer than ever in the night sky; it was a simultaneously gorgeous and horrifying sight. I started running towards the balcony in the distance, but abruptly stopped when I saw the Earth’s surface creeping over the horizon. I could not believe I had somehow wound up on the Moon all by myself. What if I’m stuck here forever?

I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard a pair of heels click on the ground towards me. Normally, the sound of someone coming up behind me evoked a primitive defensive instinct in me, but this time I was just relieved that I wasn’t here alone. I thought the woman approaching me was Serena when I saw her odango hairstyle, but I quickly realized it couldn’t be her. As she emerged from the shadows, I could also see that her hair was silver instead of blonde and she carried herself with far more grace. Her steps seemed deliberate and perfectly timed. As she approached, I saw that she wore a white dress and had a gold crescent moon symbol on her forehead, like Luna and Artemis, except hers was worn as part of her crown. But it was only when I looked into her eyes - the same piercing blue eyes she shared with Serena - that I finally remembered who she was. And bowed.

“Queen Serenity!” I nearly gagged on the words.

“You never had to bow to me, Charon.” I saw she was smiling when I stood up straight, though still at attention. “I hoped that one day, you would be able to call the Moon Palace your home. And I hoped that you and Princess Serenity would become friends.”

She exuded a wisdom and kindness with her presence that made me wonder how anyone could ever believe she was a tyrant. “You must have hated me to wish I’d have to live with her,” I joked.

Queen Serenity laughed. “I thought of you as a son, so I suppose it would be fitting if you treated her like a sister.”

I finally put myself at ease. Like a long-lost mother, there was so much I wanted to tell her, especially about the last three days. But the warmth quickly faded when I remembered that Queen Serenity had died over a thousand years ago. Unable to put the words more eloquently, I bluntly asked, “am I dead?” Queen Serenity shook her head just as I heard a familiar voice...

120

“Why isn’t this working?!” I rushed to the railing when I heard Sailor Moon scream in the distance, but her voice echoed like when I saw myself saving her in the forest.

“Please wake up, Sailor Mercury! Please help me save Logan!” she screamed again.

“Did you hear that?” I asked Queen Serenity. I feared that I was hallucinating again, or had simply forgotten my final moments. But before she could answer, the Spymaster vaporized in a cloud of black smoke across from us...

“Serenity could have told her daughter about you, Charon. She didn’t want to.” I tried to channel dark energy, but I know longer felt its power inside of me.

“That’s another limitation of the bracer. You couldn’t use your powers within the Moon Palace grounds,” the Spymaster sneered. He lifted his arm to show the dark shard fragments in his arm to Queen Serenity. “I do not have the same limitation, milady,” he sneered. He pulled out his Kusari-gama.

In response, Queen Serenity raised a pink rod with a gold crescent moon at the end.

“You lectured Charon about pride, but you were arrogant to come here thinking I could not defend myself.” She pushed me out of the way when the Spymaster swung his chain around himself and thrust the sickle towards Queen Serenity. She blocked the sickle with her stick and pushed him into a nearby pillar.

“Why aren’t we calling an ambulance?!” I faintly heard Sailor Mars’ voice now.

“They wouldn’t be able to help us! I’ve never seen a wound like this before! Maybe Charon’s computer can tell us why we can’t heal him!” Sailor Mercury yelled back.

“Serenity was ashamed to depend on users of dark magic despite the vaunted power of the Silver Crystal, Charon!” Shaken back to the fight, I watched the Spymaster jumped from the pillar and threw the weighted end at Queen Serenity, but she avoided his strike. “Like the other Shadows, she used you to do her dirty work so that she and her pretentious Sailor Soldiers could maintain their image of purity!”

“Your mission required the highest level of secrecy, Charon! I was protecting you!” argued Queen Serenity as she channeled a beam of energy from her wand. The Spymaster teleported away from the attack. Without my powers, all I could do was watch.

“You claim you were protecting him. Did you remind him why he tried to overthrow you?” asked the Spymaster. He disappeared again to avoid a direct hit from Serenity’s rod. Even in battle, the Spymaster maintained an eerie calm. “Heed my warning, Charon: Sailor Moon will betray you. She will carry out her mother’s plan. Everyone you fought so hard to protect will turn their backs on you.”

“What’s he talking about, Queen Serenity?” I asked. I still didn’t believe I ever could have betrayed her or the Sailor Scouts. She turned to answer me, but the Spymaster threw a dark energy knife at Queen Serenity. Using her rod, she created a translucent sphere around both of us to block his attack.

“What happened, Serena? Is Logan...” This time, I heard Sailor Mini Moon’s voice.

121

“ We’re trying to save him, Rini...” I heard Sailor Moon beginning to sob.

“I’m sorry we didn’t have more time, Charon,” Queen Serenity apologized. “Don’t let him manipulate you again. Please, keep your faith in your friends. Find and protect Sailor Saturn.”

“Yes, Charon. Ask them about Saturn and her power to destroy entire worlds,” the Spymaster shouted from outside Queen Serenity’s dome.

“He stopped breathing!” cried Sailor Mercury.

“Hopefully I will see you again, Charon, and the truth will become clear...” Queen Serenity raised her wand towards me. I saw a round silver crystal form and begin to glow as she placed another hand on my damaged bracer. The Moon Kingdom faded into pitch black, the air grew colder, the Earth beneath me grew softer, and I felt the pain in my right side growing back. Finally, I forcibly inhaled the brisk winter air.

“Logan! He’s alive!” Sailor Mercury’s voice rang in my ear this time. I felt her push me gently back down towards the ground with one hand. I started coughing and thrust my eyes open. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus were kneeling over me. As my vision came into focus, I saw Sailor Moon stand over me and sigh in relief. I felt Venus holding my hand; it made the resurging pain a bit easier to manage. I noticed Sailor Moon’s cheek was red from where the Spymaster had hit her. “The Spymaster gave you a mark, too,” I spoke.

Sailor Moon rubbed her cheek and smiled. “This will clear up soon. Yours will take longer,” she teased.

“My lips feel wet,” I noted. Sailor Moon, Venus and Mercury looked very embarrassed.

“You stopped breathing,” answered Sailor Venus. “We had to give you...you know...”

“Really? Who?” I teased despite the cold air stinging my throat.

“You almost die and that’s the first thing you think about?! Typical male,” Sailor Mars’ voice teased me from out of sight. “Still, I’m glad you’re OK.” “Yeah, we thought we just lost you,” I heard Sailor Jupiter.

“The blade left some kind of negative energy that kept us from healing you,” explained Sailor Moon.

“Fortunately, your computer was able to help,” said Sailor Mercury.

“I could have helped you out sooner, if a certain someone hadn’t muted me,” my computer’s voice taunted.

“Fine, you were helpful this time!” Sailor Mars grudgingly acknowledged.

“Now we can get you to the hospital,” smiled Sailor Venus before her eyes turned to Sailor Mercury then darted down at my arm. “Wait, look at Logan’s bracer!”

122

Sailor Mercury lifted it up. “All the damage is gone! It looks brand new!”

“How did that happen? It’s not like the Spymaster would switch it out when we weren’t looking!” Sailor Moon commented. I remembered Queen Serenity touching my arm. So it wasn’t a dream...that meant... “ Sailor Saturn,” I muttered.

The Scouts looked stunned. “Hotaru?” said Mini Moon.

“Where did you hear her name?” asked Sailor Mars.

“The Spymaster...thinks she can destroy worlds...” I warned them.

“He didn’t say anything about Sailor Saturn. How do you know this?” asked Sailor Jupiter.

“Queen Serenity told me,” I answered. Sailor Venus and Mercury abruptly sat up.

Sailor Moon crossed her arms and looked at the ground. “He said he’d leave us alone if we didn’t interfere...” Her voice trailed off.

“Maybe he came here to distract us while he sent his Shadows after her. I’ll contact Uranus and Neptune.” Sailor Jupiter opened her communicator and stepped away.

“You spoke to Queen Serenity?” asked Luna. I watched her and Artemis walk towards me slower than normal. They were still recovering from their battle.

“Yeah, I was hoping she’d have some stories about you guys, give me some dirt, but there wasn’t time,” I answered. Luna grimaced; she clearly didn’t appreciate my sense of humor.

“They’re not responding. Maybe they went into hiding. We need to look into this ourselves,” Sailor Jupiter called out.

“You’ll need me...” I started trying to lift myself up, but I barely lifted myself an inch off the ground before I crashed back down clutching my side. Venus and Mercury each put a hand on my shoulder.

“You need to go to the hospital, Logan,” asserted Sailor Mercury.

“We’ll find Sailor Saturn and take her somewhere safe. We’ll avoid fighting,” said Sailor Venus.

“Not if they strike first...” I groaned.

Sailor Moon kneeled next to Sailor Mercury and touched my bracer, causing my robes to dissipate. “We’ll come back, Logan I promise,” Serena assured me. “Stay with him, Rini.”

“But Hotaru’s my friend!” cried Sailor Mini Moon.

Venus placed a reassuring hand on Rini’s shoulder. “I know, but someone has to stay 123

with Logan. We’ll call the paramedics to take you two to the hospital. And we’ll keep in touch.” The Sailor Scouts and Guardian Cats took off, leaving me with a pouting Rini.

“You can go with them, I’ll be OK,” I offered.

Rini stopped pouting and shook her head. “No, they’re right. Besides, Hotaru won’t remember me,” I lifted my head waiting for an explanation, but Rini smirked and changed the subject. “You know, if you’re looking for stories about the others, I’ve got plenty. For a price...”

Whatever she meant when she said Sailor Saturn wouldn’t remember her, I took it as a sign she didn’t want to talk about it. I jokingly reached into my pocket and pulled out an American ten dollar bill. “What would ten bucks get me?”

Rini’s eyes lit up. “I could tell you that during breakfast yesterday, Serena and Mina asked Luna if they could change your uniform to a tight-fitting suit.”

“Tight-fitting, you said?” I asked.

“Yeah, Mina said you might benefit from the extra flexibility. Serena said that she stands for justice and there’s nothing more unjust than letting a figure like yours go unseen.”

I could picture Luna and Artemis shaking their heads thinking those girls aren’t in junior high any more. Ten bucks suddenly looked like a bargain. I held the bill out further and said, “you have a deal...”

124

125

126

Chapter 20 Partners In Crime

127

I

f you have more stories like that, $10 each is a bargain, Rini. I’ve never been called a ‘hunkmeister’ before, I said to her. I still lay in the snow while Rini kneeled over me as we waited for the medics to take us to the hospital.

“There’s plenty more where that came from! Most of them are pretty boy crazy!” declared Rini.

“Even Mina?” I asked. Rini hadn’t been there when Mina swung her arm around mine and declared we were a couple.

Rini laughed. “She goes after someone new every week! She even tried to date two guys at the same time!”

“SHE DID WHAT?!” I sat up and shouted.

Rini leaned back in shock before she put two and two together. “Oh no, you’re the guy Mina likes now! And you like her too! I didn’t mean she’ll get bored and go after someone else! Please don’t tell her I told you, she’ll hate me!” Rini begged.

“I’m sure it’s a harmless, funny story.” I tried to give Rini some slack, but inside, my blood was boiling...

“Oh yeah! We laugh about it all the time!” Rini laughed nervously.

“Will you tell me?” I asked.

Rini abruptly stopped laughing. “No!” she blurted out. “I mean, shouldn’t that ambulance be here by now?”

Conveniently, I heard footsteps coming up the temple stairs. Rini smiled when three paramedics wearing light blue jackets and dark blue pants ascended carrying a stretcher. They were followed by two members of the Tokyo police wearing dark blue uniforms. But I knew something was wrong when one of the medics hovering over me immediately pulled out a syringe and the cops took each side of Rini.

“We’re here to take you to Jubaan General Hospital.” The paramedic spoke blankly with no facial expression. “We’ll sedate you so you can rest comfortably on the way there.”

I grabbed the medic’s arm before he could inject me. “You’re not even going to look at my wound first?” I asked.

Rini was grabbed by the cops as she tried to run away. The other medics turned their attention to her. “Maybe we should sedate the girl first,” one of them suggested.

128

“Waaaah! I hate needles!” Rini cried.

“Then tell us where your friend Hotaru is before we stick you too!” threatened the cop.

“They’re with the Shadows!” I shouted to Rini. I bridged my body up so the medic pinning down would put his hands on the ground. Then I grabbed the arm holding the syringe so he couldn’t try to stick me with it, stepped over his foot, and turned him over.

With the cops distracted, Rini was able to wrestle herself away from her captors and shout “Moon Prism Power!” All five agents of the Shadows turned their attention to me as Rini transformed into Sailor Mini Moon. My own transformation didn’t buy me nearly as much time: one of them already held me in a bear hug when Mini Moon’s gold tiara, pink collar, and hair pieces finished forming. Another attacker landed a punch close to my wound before I could kick him away and push back the medic holding me. I didn’t want to risk severely injuring them with my powers since they weren’t Shadows, but fatigue and pain made fighting them hand-to-hand difficult for me.

Thankfully, Mini Moon jumped to my aid when she finished transforming. “Pink Sugar Heart Attack!” Not only did her wand work, she managed to hit two attackers at once. As they yelped in pain, I managed to flip one of the cops over and elbow the other one in the face. But I struggled to take down the last attacker: my sleeper hold turned into a smother and he nearly threw me off him as I struggled to stay on top. Eventually, he crumpled to his knees and I let him go so I could lean up against a tree. Mini Moon’s eyes watched us both fall to the ground exhausted...he eventually passed out.

“We’re lucky they weren’t Shadows,” she said as she clutched her Pink Moon Stick.

“Yeah, but I wonder why they were working for them. It doesn’t seem like the Spymaster to start controlling people after he kept going on about how you guys are manipulating me. And what about our truce?” I wondered. I thought he was more honorable.

Sailor Mini Moon looked cross. “He’ll say anything to get you on his side! This proves he’s a liar!”

“I won’t betray you or the others,” I promised. “It’s just...they still don’t trust me.”

Mini Moon’s face softened. “I know how you feel. They don’t tell me everything either because they still think I’m a little brat. I’m trying to change. That starts by getting you to the hospital!”

I remembered that they hadn’t told Rini about my bracer’s true purpose and I was there when they agreed not to tell her that Serena failed college. I felt caught between Mini Moon and my other friends now. But I turned my attention back to our current situation. “ You’d better tell Serena what just happened. We know they’re after Sailor Saturn for sure now.”

Sailor Mini Moon looked down at her communicator. “Serena, are you there? Can anyone hear me? Serena!” She turned her attention to me. “I can’t get a hold of them!

What do we do?” asked Rini.

129

“We need to find the others. We’ll be safer if we’re all together, anyway,” I decided.

The muscles in her face tightened as she struggled over having to decide what to do.

“I know where they would have started looking. But I promised them I’d make sure you got to the hospital!” argued Rini.

“You promised you’d stay with me,” I reminded her. “And I’m going to find them. I could use something for the pain though.”

“I can check back inside, but I don’t know what to look for,” she admitted as she watched me clutch my side.

“See what you can find, then we’ll ask Sailor Mercury when we find her,” I said.

I watched Sailor Mini Moon go back inside the Cherry Hill Temple, then eyed each of the unconscious pawns like a hawk. Some of them were already beginning to stir.

Please hurry up Rini, I thought to myself...

Meanwhile...

Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts arrived at the beautiful red brick house that the Outer Senshi called home. Amara’s sleek black car was parked outside and the door was open, but they found no sign that anyone was home.

“The food on the table was prepared recently. It looks like they left in a hurry,” Sailor Mercury noted from the kitchen.

“Amara! Michelle!” Sailor Jupiter shouted halfway up the stairs.

“Hotaru! Trista!” Sailor Venus called their names as she peeked into Hotaru’s room.

It was massive, but Venus saw no sign of any personal possessions such as books, playthings, or even clothes.

Sailor Mars rolled her eyes when she saw Sailor Moon peeking under a couch. “Serena, they’re not hiding under the couch! Stop being lazy and try actually helping!” chastised Sailor Mars.

“Hey! They could be hiding under the floor boards! Maybe they have a secret room or a hidden passage!” Sailor Moon shouted. As she spoke to Sailor Mars, her eyes widened and she touched her neck. “I just realized: I never put the locket that Logan gave me back on!”

“You fought the Spymaster without your locket?! Serena!” Sailor Mars walked over to her and removed the pin that Logan had given each of the Sailor Scouts. “Here, you can borrow mine. Just don’t take it off, OK?” “Thanks Raye. I’m going to make sure Logan and Rini got to the hospital OK.” She flipped open her communicator. “Rini, did the ambulance get there yet? Rini?” Serena raised an eyebrow as she pressed another button. “Logan, can you hear me?” She was greeted only by static on the other end. “Guys, can you try to contact Logan or Rini?

My communicator doesn’t seem to be working.”

130

Sailor Mars and Jupiter opened their communicators and shook their heads.

Sailor Venus emerged from the top of the stairs. “I can’t contact them either. Maybe there’s something wrong with their communicators?”

Sailor Mercury emerged from the kitchen. “It’s not just their communicators. I lost my uplink to Logan’s computer, as well. I fear that the Shadows may have found a way to jam our communications.”

Sailor Mars looked down at the floor and grabbed her forehead, wincing in pain as if she were having a migraine. “The Shadows are here. They’re getting closer.”

“Where are Luna and Artemis?” asked Sailor Venus.

“Out back. Let’s get them and get out of here,” recommended Sailor Jupiter. But as they turned towards the front door, two Shadows vaporized in front of them. The Scouts tried to make a run for the back, but two more Shadows appeared.

“You’re looking for the girl, too,” one of them snarled. Like Charon, they all tilted their hoods downwards so that the Sailor Scouts couldn’t see their eyes.

The Scouts stood in a circle and looked around for an opening. They were completely encircled. “Your Spymaster said we had a truce,” challenged Sailor Moon. The Shadows responded with jeers and snickers. The Scouts didn’t need to look into the Shadows’ eyes to see their contempt and hatred of Silver Millennium royalty.

“Looks like he’s the one who can’t keep his word,” said Sailor Mars.

One of the Shadows stepped forward. “His word is the only reason we’re giving you a chance to walk out of here alive, Princess,” he cautioned.

“But we wouldn’t mind if you attacked us first. Give us an excuse to pound some modesty into you overindulged brats,” threatened the second Shadow.

“So consider your next words carefully,” warned the third. “Your lapdog isn’t here to nip at our heels, Princess.”

“Guess again,” called a voice from the shadows. A dark energy projectile flew past a Shadow’s head and impacted the wall behind him. A fifth Shadow emerged from the darkness and stood beside the Sailor Scouts.

“I am Charon!” announced the fifth Shadow. “You call me ‘traitor’ and ‘turncoat’, but you have betrayed everything that Silver Millennium stood for! We were supposed to guide the people of Earth towards a brighter future. But you intend to build a twisted imitation of the old Kingdom atop the frozen wastelands of civilization!”

“Turncoat! How could you have recovered so quickly?!” the Shadow that had been attacked asked in disbelief.

“The disguising pen worked great,” whispered Sailor Venus. ‘Charon’ was actually Tuxedo Mask in disguise.

131

“Yeah, but how does Charon see anything in front of him wearing his hood down like this?”Tuxedo Mask complained quietly.

“Hush, you two!”whispered Sailor Moon. She turned back to the two Shadows in front of her and posed. “I’ll make you the same offer. Leave now, or in the name of the moon - “ “We’ll punish you!” the Sailor Scouts declared together.

“How dare you mock us, parasites! We are the true defenders of Silver Millennium!” screamed one of the Shadows.

But one of the Shadows saw through their charade. A grim smile of rotting teeth appeared on one of the Shadow’s faces. “He’s not the traitor. This guy talks too much.

Why don’t you show us your face, Turncoat?” taunted one of the Shadows.

“Um...because I’m dark, brooding and extra mysterious?” Tuxedo Mask’s voice shook. Sailor Moon awkwardly held her pose as if she had a sudden case of stage fright.

The Shadow that had been attacked went to inspect the ‘dark magic’ projectile thrown at him. “This is just a black rose with a purple stem!” The other Shadow returned holding the proof in his hand. The Sailor Scouts looked around nervously. The four Shadows had them boxed in with all possible escape routes covered.

“Nice try, Sailor Moon,” the lead Shadow mocked. “I see you won’t give us any information you have on Sailor Saturn willingly. We’ll just have to talk to the Spymaster about amending the details of our truce later...”

132

133

134

Chapter 21 At the End of His Rope

135

M

eanwhile...

“I’m sorry Logan. Their house is farther than I remembered. I’m sure we’re almost there,” apologized Sailor Mini Moon after a long trek through the bitter cold from Cherry Hill Temple. The snow was coming down more heavily and was beginning to accumulate on the ground.

“I thought we would have at least found a bus. But I’m fine,” I assured her as I kept clutching my side. The pain was greater than before. I felt as if the Spymaster had thrust his dark energy sickle and pierced my side again.

“You can lean on me if you have too,” she offered.

I stopped in my tracks when I sensed something coming towards us. “Someone’s coming,” I warned her.

“Shadows?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. If they are, run.”

“I said I’d stay with you,” Sailor Mini Moon insisted.

“I mean it, Rini!” I said more firmly as I sensed the figures coming closer.

“You can’t tell me what to do, Logan!” she insisted. She’s as stubborn as her mother, I thought. Two figures were running towards us, but they were way too small to be Shadows. We were relieved to see they were Luna and Artemis.

“Charon! Sailor Mini Moon! You’re supposed to be at the hospital!” yelled Artemis.

“We were on our way there! Why are you two wandering around in the snow?” yelled Luna.

“The Shadows were controlling the people who were supposed to help us, Luna! One of them asked me about Hotaru,” explained Sailor Mini Moon. “Then we couldn’t get in touch with any of you!”

Luna and Artemis cast worried glanced towards each other. “We shouldn’t have trusted the Spymaster would keep his word when he learned about Sailor Saturn,” admitted Artemis. “His Shadows appeared while the others were searching the house.”

“You were right, Rini. He is a liar,” I said to her.

“I loaned them the disguising pen just in case. Tuxedo Mask is disguised as Charon.

They might be able to talk their way out of this,” said Luna.

136

“Can one of you get inside?” I asked.

“I’ll have a look,” offered Luna. Sailor Mini Moon rushed to my side and helped me down when she saw me trying to sit down beside the parked car.

“What if their plan doesn’t work?” she asked.

“Then we rescue them, silly,” I smiled. But Mini Moon frowned and her brow furrowed.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that. We barely got through our last fight,” she reminded me.

“You mean I barely got through the last fight. You did fine,” I told her. She looked down at the ground.

“Rini’s right. You don’t look well, Logan,” said Artemis.

“I know. We’ll come up with a plan,” I assured them. But their wrinkled eyebrows showed me they were both unconvinced.

We looked towards the house for Luna to return. “My grandma...Queen Serenity... what was she liked?” Mini Moon broke the silence.

The pain faded away for a second as I recalled meeting Serena’s mother. “She was kind, beautiful, graceful, and she had an air of wisdom about her. She was everything I wished my own mother was like,” I answered. I didn’t tell Rini or Artemis that I sensed Queen Serenity was also hiding something from me.

“You never mentioned your family before,” noted Mini Moon.

I chuckled. “If you want to hear more about my family, it’ll cost you.”

Luna ran out from behind the house. “The Shadows saw through their deception.

They haven’t attacked yet, but the Scouts are completely surrounded!”

“How many Shadows are there?” I asked.

“At least four,” answered Luna. “You’re not seriously thinking about fighting them in your condition!”

“I won’t charge through the front door,” I answered. I looked up at Sailor Mini Moon.

“You could lure them outside. I’ll have the element of surprise.”

“Are you sure about this?” asked Mini Moon. Her eyes pleaded with me to say no, and when I nodded she looked down. But she came over to lift me when I struggled to stand up. Either she believed I was right, or she accepted that I was going to do something anyway.

“We can leave and come up with a new plan,” suggested Artemis.

“You can’t guarantee we’ll be able to find them again, or that the Shadows won’t 137

torture them,” I said.

Luna straightened her back and glared at me. “It’ll be nothing compared to how they’ll torture you if this plan fails! You can barely stand, Logan! This is crazy!” she chastised.

“If you know any other Shadows willing to help us, I’ll stand down,” I snapped back.

Sailor Mini Moon let me lean on her until we reached the house, then I teleported to the roof above the door. At least I didn’t have to climb up, but I realized that using my powers required a lot more focus with my pain distracting me.

Sailor Mini Moon banged on the door. “IS ANYONE HOME?! There are people chasing us! My friend passed out! Please help!” she begged.

“Mini Moon, run!” I heard Sailor Moon shout from inside.

Mini Moon dashed around the corner as the door slid open. A Shadow ran out directly under me. I slid off the roof and landed on top of him. The shock from the fall sent painful shudders throughout my body, but I struck him with dark magic up close.

I heard another Shadow open the adjacent door, but my body just wouldn’t move quickly enough...

I turned just in time to watch the Shadow’s boot fly into my head and send me facefirst into the snow. “Here’s the real traitor!” he declared. My head pounded and my vision was blurry when I forced my eyes open. “I see you barely have any fight left in you,” he taunted as he lifted me off the ground by dragging me up by the collar.

“Charon!” screamed Sailor Mini Moon.

Although it took considerable effort, I channeled dark magic to my hands and placed them on the Shadow’s arm. He screamed in pain as dark energy burned through his robes. He dropped me on the ground and left me lying on my back.

“Call him off!” I heard one of the Scouts shout to one of the other Shadows. I was so disoriented I couldn’t even tell who it was.

“Stop!” Sailor Mini Moon screamed as the injured Shadow raised dark magic to his hands and marched forward to strike me in retaliation. Mini Moon was pointing her Pink Moon Stick at the Shadow I had subdued. “Let the others go, or we’ll finish them off!” she threatened.

“The traitor’s weak! Now’s our chance to end his meddling!” cried the wounded Shadow.

“Not without permission from the Spymaster. We still have orders not to hurt them too much. And they’ve taken enough lives already,” the first Shadow conceded. “You parasites are wasting your time. Sailor Saturn is the last wrinkle in our plan, and we will find her. Hard to believe you would cling so desperately to power that you would rather destroy this world than give it up,” he sneered at Sailor Moon.

“Whatever the Spymaster told you about us is a lie, just like his so-called truce!”

138

challenged Sailor Moon.

“I bet the Shadows had a much better dental plan under Queen Serenity, too! You don’t have to be a princess to afford toothpaste, you know!” teased Sailor Venus.

“You are the ones who have the history of lying. But we will leave you be for now,” said the first Shadow. “The Spymaster will hear that you interfered with our operation.”

Sailor Mini Moon reached under my arm and helped lift me off the Shadow I had subdued. The Shadows disappeared as she helped carry me inside towards the others. I knew we had gotten lucky that the Shadows had backed down.

“Why aren’t you in the hospital?!” asked Sailor Venus.

“The Shadows were controlling the people who were supposed to help us!” explained Mini Moon. Sailor Jupiter ran over to help her carry me inside and lay me against the wall. “He’s in a lot of pain! I didn’t know what to give him!”

Mini Moon pulled out several medicine bottles she had found at the Temple as I slid to the floor. I was so dizzy I felt like I had been spinning around for hours. Sailor Venus went further inside and Sailor Mercury stepped forward to examine the bottles. Sailor Mercury opened one and poured two pills into her hand. Sailor Venus came back with a glass of water for me as Sailor Mercury handed the pills to me. “Take these,” ordered Sailor Mercury. “My mom’s a doctor. We’ll take you straight to her.” I muttered a thank you to Amy. Sailor Moon crossed her arms and glared at Mini Moon. “You still should have taken him to the hospital, Rini! He almost died an hour ago!”

“I insisted on coming here, Serena,” I said to take the blame off Rini. Sailor Moon shifted her gaze to me.

“When did you become so stubborn, Logan?” Sailor Moon asked.

“When he started hanging out with you,” answered Sailor Mars. Sailor Moon stuck her tongue out at Raye.

“We agreed we’d all be safer together! Besides, you’re lucky we got here when we did!” said Mini Moon.

“PSSST!” We were surprised to see a pair of unique purple eyes belonging to a young child peeking through a trap door in the floor. “We’re playing hide and seek! Are you guys playing?”

“What was that you said earlier, Raye? That I was being lazy searching for hidden rooms?” Sailor Moon asked smugly.

“You are lazy, Serena!” Sailor Mars snapped back.

The girl lifted the hidden door and jumped out. She looked like she was a few years younger than Rini, maybe 7 or 8 years old. She was a cute little girl, dressed in a light 139

purple top with a red miniskirt and white stockings. Her black hair seemed to have a purple hue.

“Hotaru,” Rini said longingly. Even though I could sense Hotaru’s power, I still could not believe such a sweet, innocent-looking girl was the vaunted destroyer of planets that the Spymaster was after. “You probably don’t remember me, but my name’s Rini, and these are my - why are you laughing?” she asked as the girl started giggling.

“Your name will be easy to remember. It rhymes with ‘teeny’,” answered Hotaru.

“Hotaru, you’re not here all by yourself, are you?” asked Sailor Jupiter.

“Of course not,” a woman’s voice answered from under the trap door. Hotaru’s caretaker had long dark green hair and wore a sleek red business suit. She was beautiful, like the others, and tied with Lita for the tallest of the Sailor Scouts. She appeared older than Sailor Moon and the others, closer in age to me and Darien. Her red eyes brightened when she saw Sailor Mini Moon. “I’m glad to see you’re alright, Small Lady.”

“Are you a Scout too?” I asked the woman. The warmth in her eyes seemed to evaporate, replaced by an icy stare that gave me chills. I immediately regretted talking to her.

“Trista, it’s OK! I trust him!” said Sailor Mini Moon. Knowing at least one of the Sailor Scouts finally trusted me made me feel a little warmer.

“His future is a clouded one. And she’s been aging quicker every day. That only means one thing,” said Trista. I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant...

“Are you a ninja?” Hotaru had quietly made her way through the others during our conversation and stood near me and Rini. “That’s a cool costume!”

“Thanks,” I smiled at her.

“I’m wearing the same thing,” said Darien.

“Yeah, but his looks more convincing!” she declared. I got a bad feeling when she noticed the blood stains on my robes where I had been stabbed. “That’s not part of your costume, is it? You’re really hurt.”

“Hotaru! Don’t touch him!” shouted Trista as Hotaru reached towards my wound...

140

141

142

Chapter 22 What’s In A Name

143

W

hen Hotaru held her hand over my injured side and purple light began shining from my wound, I instinctively began crawling back, but my initial fear turned to amazement as I felt the lingering pain subsiding. As I realized she was healing me, I became confused...

I turned to Sailor Mini Moon and asked, “I thought she was...” I stopped short of saying Sailor Saturn.

“She is, Logan. She healed my leg when I first met her,” Mini Moon whispered. Everyone else watched on in amazement. However, I could see that Hotaru was getting tired and glanced over at Sailor Moon. She walked over and placed both hands on Hotaru’s shoulders.

“He’ll be OK. Thank you, Hotaru,” she said. I still felt speechless. The painkillers that Sailor Mercury gave me helped, but I felt a lot better as I stood.

“I’m sorry. You looked really hurt,” Hotaru sadly apologized as she leaned against the wall opposite of me. Rini went over to her.

“Don’t be sorry. You helped me,” I said.

“I thought you’d be scared because I have strange powers. I healed a boy who skinned his knee in the park. He ran away screaming and calling me a witch,” she said.

“Maybe he didn’t know that you were trying to help him,” I tried to explain. In trying to help her understand her situation, I compared it to my own: “When other people don’t have the power that you have, they might get scared because they can’t control how you use it. Even if you use it to help them, I think the fear that you’ll misuse it stays in their minds. Then instead of judging you for who you are, they judge you as the person they fear you’ll become. And you start thinking that no matter what you do, they’ll hate you for it, and you’ll wish you never did anything for them in the first place.”

Hotaru’s eyes were half-open, but she was still listening. The room was dead silent, as if the Sailor Scouts realized I was talking to them as much as I was talking to Hotaru.

I continued: “But what you do has a way of coming back to you, even if it’s not the way you expect. Maybe the boy you helped was scared then, but later he might find someone else in pain and he’ll help them because you helped him. Or maybe someone else saw what you did and was moved by it, even if he was not. And even if nobody remembers what you did, maybe next time people will notice. People should say thanks when others help them, but if we have the best intentions for what we do, then we know getting thanked isn’t the most important thing. It’s knowing that somehow, we’re making a difference.”

144

By the time I finished, Hotaru had fallen asleep but nobody made a sound. I got the feeling that someone wanted to say something, but nobody really knew what to say.

Finally, Luna broke the silence: “Logan, what do you know about your name?”

Not expecting that question, I answered, “I think my mother named me, my father wanted to call me Seamus - “ “I meant Charon,” Luna awkwardly interrupted.

“I think I’ve heard it before,” I answered hesitantly.

“Charon is the largest natural satellite of Pluto,” explained Sailor Mercury.

“So I’m named after a piece of rock orbiting an ex-planet at the edge of the solar system,” I muttered. Sailor Mini Moon’s head reared back and she made a nervous smile.

“Ex-planet?!” Trista finally spoke to me directly. “You think that a group of astronomers can just change the definition of a planet on a whim?!”

“So you’re Sailor Pluto,” I presumed. Now everyone except for me and Sailor Pluto looked as nervous as Mini Moon.

“I never said that,” Trista answered with a chilling voice. Judging by everyone’s reaction, I figured she was Sailor Pluto. But I wanted to be sure...

“Well, I feel sorry for whoever got stuck with that useless lump of ice and rock. Did she draw the short straw when you all chose planets?” I teased.

All of the Sailor Scouts’ mouths dropped simultaneously and their eyes opened like windows, with some of them emitting screaming noises...except for Sailor Pluto, whose eyes narrowed instead as she grit her teeth and clenched her fists. She held her arms at her sides as if she were pretending she was in a straitjacket to stop her from doing something scary.

Their reactions confirmed that she was Sailor Pluto, but Artemis still tried to hint it to me in case I missed it. “Logan...if Sailor Pluto was here, I’d say “please don’t get on her bad side”...”

“And I’d say that you’re socially awkward and often say things you don’t mean!”

Luna blurted out. The others nodded and talked over each other in agreement: “Yeah!”

“All the time!”

“I think he called Serena a genius once!”

“Hey!” It was definitely Sailor Moon who said that.

“He took a kick to his head! It must have done more damage than we thought! He’s usually very respectful!” said Sailor Mercury.

“I thought Saturn was the one who we had to worry about destroying the universe. I 145

bet she knows how to take a joke,” I said.

“But you meant what you said to Hotaru?” Trista finally softened up a bit and asked.

When I nodded, she said, “then we’ll keep this conversation between us.”

Luna sighed. “What I was trying to say earlier is that your name would normally be reserved for a Sailor Scout. When you asked me what to call you after we met, your name came quickly to me. I realized I’d heard someone call you that name before, and then I remembered. I overheard Queen Serenity talking to you when you were one of her researchers. We barely knew you then...but you must have meant a lot to her if she gave you that name.”

“You mean a lot to me too, Logan,” added Sailor Moon.

“And me,” said Sailor Venus.

“Awww,” I heard Sailor Mini Moon sigh.

“I hate being the one to cut this short, but we shouldn’t stay here much longer. The Spymaster might decide to come for us himself,” said Tuxedo Mask, still disguised in my robes.

“I know where we can hide Hotaru, but you might not like it,” I turned to Trista. She was now carrying Hotaru in her arms and eyed me curiously. “My hideout. I’m the only one who has access, so the other Shadows wouldn’t be able to sneak in.”

“Give him a chance, Trista,” pleaded Sailor Jupiter.

Trista looked at the floor as she considered my suggestion. “You’re asking me to put a lot of faith in you, Shadow...but it is the safest place for her. As long as she stays with me.”

“The worst I’ll do is lock you in for a couple hours if you’re not nice,” I teased.

“He’s kidding, Trista!” said Sailor Mini Moon when Trista glared at me again. Sailor Moon face-palmed.

“Amara and Michelle didn’t say where they were going, but they left me the car keys,” Trista spoke past me and carried Hotaru in her arms and carried her off.

“Meet the rest of us at Cherry Hill Temple. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get in touch with them from there” said Sailor Jupiter.

“Hotaru couldn’t fully heal your wound, and you have other injuries. We’ll still take you to the hospital once we know that Hotaru is safe,” said Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Moon and Venus went ahead with Tuxedo Mask and the cats, but Sailor Mars raised a hand in front of me before I could follow them. “Logan, I know you feel like we don’t notice when you help, but we do,” said Sailor Mars.

“And nobody hates you for it. So don’t think you only have Serena and Mina,” finished Sailor Jupiter.

146

“But do you trust me?” I asked.

“We’re trying, Logan. I hope you know that,” said Sailor Mercury.

“Yeah, I do. Thanks,” I said. “We’d better get a move on.”

Meanwhile...

“Sorry, sweetums, Serena ain’t on roster for t’day, either. Wish I had her work schedule.” A cowgirl-dressed waitress at the ever-busy Texas restaurant apologized to two guests at the front of a long line.

One of the guests was a twenty-one year old girl with shoulder-length red hair and a green ribbon in her hair. “Maybe your mom was talking about a different Serena. You still want to eat here?” She spoke with a recognizable City accent when she asked her companion. The other guest was a young man, roughly the same age, with messy brown hair. He lifted his glasses with one finger, but before he could reply, he thought he saw an older man with brown hair and a brown beard waving them over to his table.

“You’re more than welcome to sit with us,” the man offered. Molly thought he seemed friendly and kind of hot for an older guy.

“Oh, thanks but - “ “Yeah, thanks! I’m starving!” the other guest abruptly cut off her boyfriend and went straight over to the man’s table. He was with another young woman with a very pale complexion. She hid most of her face under a gray hoodie.

“I couldn’t help but overhear you were looking for Serena. Your name is Molly, right?” the man asked the guest who just joined them.

“Yeah, Molly Baker, pleased to meet you!” The outgoing girl bowed and smiled warmly. “You know Serena? Long blonde hair with buns?”

“That’s the one,” the man - the Spymaster - smirked. Molly suddenly began feeling faint. Her fingers tingled and her body shook. She quickly realized this wasn’t out of hunger...her energy was being drained...

“No...not again...” Molly whimpered.

“Molly!” Melvin cried as her knees buckled. The woman wearing the gray hoodie reached forward in a lightning quick motion, grabbed Melvin by the waist, and slammed his head against the table. Robes materialized around the two Shadows as four police officers jumped from their table and drew nightsticks.

The female Shadow materialized in front of the door as the guests and waiters started to panic. “Nobody move,” she warned as the Spymaster teleported behind the charging officers, leaving them confused and vulnerable when he appeared behind them. He slammed the one farthest away into a nearby table and into a sitting guest, kicked another into the table, and rapidly drained energy from one officer while holding the last one by the throat.

147

“It’s discouraging to see how little progress Earth has made the last thousand years,” the Spymaster lamented before headbutting the choking officer. He dragged the unconscious Molly and Melvin towards the door. Not one else in the restaurant flinched or even coughed as they watched helplessly.

“With respect, Spymaster,” questioned his companion, “I don’t understand why we’re not going after the Turncoat. Do you think you can turn him back - “ “Your predecessor made the mistake of second-guessing my orders, Commander,” warned the Spymaster. “He may have accelerated our timetable, but because of his haste, he is dead, along with several of our brothers. You were nearly one of them.” He dropped Molly and Melvin down at the new Shadow Commander’s feet. “Today, we are sending a message...”

148

149

150

Chapter 23 The Darkness Within

151

T

oo bad the car wasn’t big enough for all of us, Sailor Moon complained through her shivering as the group - minus Trista and Hotaru - trudged through the cold.

The snow accumulated to the point where it slowed us down and nighttime was beginning to fall. We passed by very few pedestrians and cars in the road. I actually thought Trista was kind of crazy driving in this weather. The only positive was that if the Shadows were tracking us, the weather would make it a bit harder for them. I still kept glancing behind the group for any sign of them...

“Sailor Mercury! Finally, a good connection!” My computer’s voice chimed over her communicator.

Sailor Mercury flipped her VR visor over her face. “Vigil, someone was jamming our communications when we were at the house! We couldn’t contact each other either,” Sailor Mercury informed him.

“Even though I couldn’t contact you, I was still able to track your positions through the energy signatures in the pins that the Spymaster gave you. Except for the locket, looks like someone was in a rush,” my computer answered.

“I swear I didn’t know he could track you,” I informed them. But when I looked around at their faces, none of them were glaring at me.

“It’s alright, Logan, I figured you didn’t,” assured Sailor Mercury.

“You gave my computer a name,” I noted.

“I didn’t want to keep referring to him - I mean, it - as merely ‘your computer’,” she answered.

“Yeah, I’m really bad at naming things,” I admitted. Then again, he probably hadn’t needed a name 1,000 years ago - from my conversation with Princess Serenity, it didn’t sound like I had many friends then.

“I devised a quick software fix that should make it harder for the other Shadows to jam our communications in the future. They’re good, but they’re not particularly techsaavy...at least compared to you, Sailor Mercury,” my computer flattered her.

“Looks like Venus isn’t the only one who just got a boyfriend,” teased Sailor Mars.

Amy blushed.

This time, all our communicators rang. “This is Trista, we just got to the Temple, but it’s probably safer for us to stay in the car, isn’t it?”

“Can you see the Temple from where you are? It’s not on fire or anything, is it?” asked 152

Sailor Moon.

“Uh...no, it looks fine from here.” Trista answered. “Get here soon.”

Sailor Mars’ face wrinkled in anger as it often did when she was talking to Serena.

“Why would you ask her that?!”

Sailor Moon hesitated to answer. “Uh, well, it’s just that the Spymaster said if we interfered he’d...burn your temple to the ground and destroy everyone I love.”

“You didn’t have to repeat him word-for-word,” I whispered to Sailor Moon. She grinned a nervous smile.

Sailor Mars now turned her anger towards Luna. “I wish you had asked me before using the Temple as our secret base, Luna!” Sailor Mars fumed.

Luna hung her head in shame. “I’m sorry, Raye. After we defeated Galaxia, I thought that the worst was behind us. I never thought that we would face an enemy like this.

They’re always one step ahead of us.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about Trista,” I said in a thinly-veiled attempt to lighten the mood. Sailor Mercury cringed, knowing I was about to make another Trista joke, but everyone else looked at me with curious eyes. “Either she’s a Sailor Scout, or she’s a magical nanny and can hide in her bottomless carpet bag if she gets into trouble.”

While some of them sighed and others groaned, they all jumped when Trista asked “what did he just say?!”

“He said wait in the car, we’ll be there in a couple minutes. Bye!” Sailor Mars quickly cut her off and closed her communicator.

“You’re not going to stop until we tell you who she is, are you?” Darien asked in exasperation. I shook my head. I already knew; I just wanted them to admit it.

“Just like Serena. She trained you well,” sighed Luna. Out of the corner of my eye, I happened to catch a figure quickly dart into an alley several feet behind us. “No one was even supposed to know that Sailor Pluto exists, Charon, due to her - what’s wrong?” Luna asked when she noticed me glancing up at nearby rooftops.

Everyone else stopped to look at me. “Keep walking, but I think we’re being followed,” I told them.

The girls cast uneasy glances at each other, betraying their attempts to appear calm and disinterested with what was going on around them. “Maybe we should split up?” asked Sailor Venus.

“Something bad always happens when we split up,” noted Sailor Jupiter.

“We can’t let them stop us from getting Hotaru to the hideout. That’s the most important thing right now,” Artemis looked up and whispered.

153

I looked at Darien. He was still disguised in Shadow robes. He noticed me looking and came to the same conclusion: “They might not know which one of us is the real Charon. Half of you can come with me and take the long way to the Temple. At least we’ll split their attention if they are following us.”

“And if anything happens, Vigil can track you using your pins,” I added.

“Rini and I don’t have pins,” Sailor Mars informed us. “I loaned mine to a certain someone who left her locket behind.”

“You two are with me, then,” I said. Sailor Mini Moon looked back at me and smiled, but Mars looked uneasy.

“I’d feel more comfortable if Sailor Moon went with you,” Sailor Mars said.

“The Spymaster would expect me to stay with Charon,” disagreed Sailor Moon.

“I’ll take care of her, don’t worry,” promised Darien.

“Artemis and I will go with you too, Charon,” volunteered Sailor Venus.

“I’ll come back to the Temple for the rest of you when Hotaru’s safe,” I assured Sailor Moon and the others.

“You’d better,” teased Sailor Moon. We split up after we passed the arcade; we took the direct route to the temple while Sailor Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Luna and Darien turned right.

With less of a need for secrecy, Venus slowed her pace down until she was walking right beside me. “Picked quite a time to get together, didn’t we Logan?” teased Venus.

“Seems like we’ve barely talked since lunch.”

Sailor Mini Moon stopped and turned towards us. “Awww, you didn’t tell me you two were already together!”

“Just since lunch,” I told her.

“You have to tell me how it went! It must have been so romantic,” said Mini Moon.

I tried my hardest to suppress laughing. “We didn’t really plan - “ “It was, Rini!” I didn’t need to look into Sailor Venus’ eyes to see that she was lovestruck again. Her voice became floaty as she babbled, “we went to the Texan barbeque restaurant and shared an appetizer sampler after the manager mistook me for Serena and asked me to wait tables, but he was so sweet after!”

“So that’s where Serena’s been,” noted Rini. Sailor Mars glared at Sailor Venus. Venus blushed when she realized her mistake: they had promised not to tell Rini that Serena had failed school and was now working at the restaurant.

“Maybe we should tell her,” I said to Sailor Mars and Venus. “She’s our friend too, and I feel bad about keeping this from her.”

154

“Don’t feel bad, Logan. I know she was failing university,” said Sailor Mini Moon.

“Her counselor accidentally left a message on our home phone. I tried to delete it, but her parents found out and that’s why they grounded me.”

“Serena thought you’d rat her out if you found out she failed. She’s staying at the restaurant because she’s worried her parents will be mad at her,” said Sailor Mars.

“Disappointed, maybe, but they wouldn’t exactly be surprised,” said Mini Moon.

“They’re worried about her.”

“Well, I’m sure Serena would appreciate knowing you tried to cover for her, Rini,” said Sailor Venus. Our communicators’ alarm went off as we stood at the base of the temple stairs.

“Hey, it’s us,” said Sailor Mercury. “We just learned that the Spymaster appeared at the Texas barbeque restaurant within the last half hour.”

“Was he looking for us?” Sailor Mars asked.

“We don’t know. Apparently he and another Shadow transformed in public and kidnapped two of the guests. We’re going to check it out,” Sailor Mercury answered. I can’t say I liked the idea...but I knew Serena would want to find out what the Shadows were doing there.

“Be careful,” cautioned Sailor Venus. “He might decide to come back. Any word from Uranus or Neptune?”

“Not yet, but Vigil picked up some strange readings on the outskirts. We should check it out once Hotaru is safe - though we still need to take Charon to a doctor, too,” Mercury reminded us.

I habitually covered my communicator with the sleeve of my robe when I opened it to speak to her. “I’m OK. We’ll check the Temple first to make sure it’s safe.”

“Keep in touch,” said Sailor Mercury before she signed off.

“Luna and I have been meaning to get you another communicator, Charon.” Artemis called to me as we climbed the temple stairs. He must have noticed me covering my communicator “I don’t suppose any of the Sailor Scouts have ever been boys?” I asked.

Sailor Venus paused and turned to me. “Not unless you count the Starlights,” she said.

“No! Definitely not!” Sailor Mars shouted defensively.

“Starlights?” I asked.

“It’s kind of an awkward topic, Charon. We have a lot to get you caught up on when we’re settled,” recommended Artemis.

“I still haven’t finished those comics you gave me,” I smiled and admitted to Venus.

155

She smiled back. “I know you’ve been busy,” she answered.

“We’d better make sure the Temple’s before we call Trista. Don’t forget Serena’s locket,” Sailor Mars told us. Venus and Mini Moon went into the girls’ quarters while Mars and I walked through the Temple grounds and examined the outside of the buildings. I noticed the paint starting to peel off on some of the buildings. Sailor Mars slid open the door to the main shrine and peeked inside.

“I don’t sense any dark energy here. I wouldn’t expect visitors in this weather,” she said. She opened her communicator: “Trista, the temple looks clear.”

“Good. Hotaru’s awake, she’s getting a little restless. Be there soon,” replied Trista.

Sailor Mars looked around the shrine. “This place is coming apart,” she noticed. “I couldn’t wait until I was finished with school and I could help out around the Temple myself. But then grandpa got sick. It became a lot for me to handle on my own.”

“I don’t fully understand these other powers you have,” I told her.

Sailor Mars turned away from me. “I’ve been able to commune with the spirit world since I was little. I had visions of the future long before I was Sailor Mars, though the visions aren’t always clear. People were cold towards me because of my powers... except for Serena and the others. Did you notice anything...different, about you before you learned you were a Shadow?”

I had to give it a bit of thought. “I felt invisible, like nobody even noticed I was there.

I hardly considered that a power, though.”

Sailor Mars smiled a bit. “I would have gladly traded with you. That’s a handy power to have if you’re a Shadow, though.” But I grimaced when I sensed dark energy coming closer...

“I felt it too,” said Sailor Mars. Racing to the temple steps, we saw three figures approaching below.

“They’re ordinary people,” noted Sailor Mars.

“They might be under the Shadows’ control,” I reminded her. “We’d better hide.”

We ran back to the quarters where the girls were staying. Trista was already there holding Hotaru in her arms. Sailors Mini Moon and Venus were sitting as well. Like my quarters with Darien, it was an open white room with no obvious hiding places.

“Someone’s coming,” Sailor Mars cautioned. “We should wait for them to leave.”

“I don’t think they’re just visiting in this weather,” noted Sailor Venus. She and Mini Moon moved closer to Trista and Hotaru.

We heard footsteps coming towards us. “Do we have a better room to hide in?” I asked Sailor Mars.

“They’re just like this one!” she answered and pulled me inside. There was no time 156

for us to relocate. The others couldn’t disappear like I could. There were many other rooms to peek into, but if the Shadows’ pawns looked into this one, we’d have to fight our way out...

“Looks like we’re playing hide and seek again, kiddo,” Trista said to Hotaru.

“I want to play something else,” Hotaru pouted.

“Just one more game, Hotaru. Try to stay quiet and still,” Trista requested.

“Is anyone here? We come seeking aid and guidance.” The man outside spoke in a monotone.

“He sounds just like the ones that attacked us,” I said to Rini.

She nodded. “Definitely with the Shadows,” she confirmed.

“Trista, this is boring!” Hotaru complained as I heard the man’s footsteps walk past the room at a steady, almost rhythmic pace.

“Rini, help me calm her down!” pleaded Trista.

“Hey, want to see my toy?” asked Mini Moon. Her Pink Moon Stick briefly interested Hotaru, but Rini tugged it back when Hotaru tried to pull it away. The man outside froze...

Sailor Mars motioned for everyone to move to the left side of the room from where the door would slide open. As the man approached, I remembered Luna telling me that dark magic masters had the power to manipulate minds. If the Shadows had the same power to control these people, then I could do the same...it was only a matter of remembering how. As the door began creaking open, I decided to give it a try. It was that or fight our way out of here...

“Charon!” Sailor Mars whispered my name when I grabbed the man’s arm, pulled him in, and grabbed him by the collar with my other hand.

“LOOK INTO MY EYES,” I commanded the pawn. I could see my own reflection in his eyes: my hood still shaded the top half of my face, but my eyes now glowed red and my irises were now yellow with snake-like slits for pupils. His mouth dropped and he shuddered as he stared at me in terror, as if he was free of whatever spell the Shadows held him under. But I had to make sure everyone left safely: “TELL THE SHADOWS WHO SENT YOU THAT YOU FOUND NOTHING, THEN FIND YOUR LOVED ONES AND LEAVE THE CITY,” I ordered.

His irises once again went blank and he closed his mouth. “Yes, Spymaster,” he blankly replied and left.

“That was scary, Logan,” Mini Moon whispered. I glanced up long enough to see Trista burying Hotaru’s face in her shoulder. I was scared to see Venus and Mars’ faces.

“You know I only did it to protect us, right?” I asked Mini Moon. I walked over to her 157

and instinctively reached for her shoulder, but retracted my hand when I noticed she was avoiding my gaze.

“Y...yeah, I know,” Rini nodded, though she still looked down at her feet. She pushed herself to look at me with her bold red eyes and saw the disappointment in mine. “I trust you,” she added.

“I’ll take a peek outside. Get ready to move,” I said. I saw the pawn report to a pair of Shadows.

“I don’t trust these pawns. There should be a dozen of us searching the Temple,” one of the Shadows said to the other. I motioned for the Sailor Scouts and Trista to sneak around the back while they were distracted.

“We don’t have the numbers anymore, and the Spymaster is reluctant to recall our brothers and sisters from other parts of the world,” answered the other Shadow.

“We should burn this worthless temple to the ground,” said one of the Shadows. I could hear Sailor Mars stop in her tracks.

“Not without the Spymaster’s order. Besides, there’s a chance that the Sailor Scouts could return. It will be very difficult to retrieve Sailor Saturn if the Turncoat moves her to his base.” With that assurance, Sailor Mars started moving again. With the others gone, I followed closely behind.

“You were right about them following us,” Sailor Mars said to me. “At least the temple is safe for now.”

“I thought the bracer was supposed to keep him from doing something like that. He can control minds now?” said Trista.

“Charon might not be able to control them on a large scale, but the bracer may allow him to influence an individual person,” admitted Artemis.

“He only did it to protect us,” argued Sailor Venus. I knew she’d have my side.

“Just remember what Luna said. Don’t misuse your powers,” reminded Sailor Mars.

We gathered on the path behind the Temple that would take us into the dark forest below. “Let’s not waste any more time...”

158

159

160

Chapter 24 Sanctuary

161

“I feel like we’ve been going in circles.”

S

ailor Mars finally broke the silence after nearly half an hour of wandering around the forest. Except for Hotaru expressing curiosity once in a while at owls and rabbits in the distance, everyone had been suspiciously quiet. I knew that part of the reason was to avoid attracting unwanted attention, but I worried that the others were afraid of me after I ‘persuaded’ the Shadows’ pawn to report he didn’t find us. Sailor Venus and Mars still had faith in me, and Trista hated me as usual, but I feared that Mini Moon was still afraid of me.

“I don’t remember it being this far. Are you sure we’re going the right way, Logan?”

Sailor Venus finally asked. I didn’t want to say it, but I wasn’t 100% sure. With Sailor Venus and Mars watching me like a pair of hawks, I hoped that I wouldn’t start seeing things from the past again. But my visions were what guided us to the hideout last time.

“It’s close. Maybe we could stop for a while, set up a campfire,” suggested Artemis.

But his shivering betrayed his opinion.

“I don’t want to stop. It’s getting cold,” said Hotaru riding on Trista’s shoulders. Trista nodded in agreement. Stopping wasn’t an option for us.

“Hey, Hotaru! I have another toy I haven’t shown you or Logan yet!” Sailor Mini Moon exclaimed. I was relieved to hear that she wasn’t avoiding me out of fear. She reached behind her and pulled out a backpack-sized black rubber ball that looked just like Luna’s head, except its eyes were blue instead of brown and it had an antenna on her forehead. Hotaru laughed when the smiling toy jumped out of Mini Moon’s hands and hovered around her.

“I didn’t see you bring Luna Ball with you from the future. I thought you might have outgrown it,” teased Sailor Mars.

“No way! She’s still my closest friend and besides, she’s really useful! Watch! Luna-P Illuminate!” Upon Mini Moon’s command, the rubber ball’s eyes and the light on top of her antenna lit up the forest. I even felt a bit warmer.

“The light will certainly help. Luna’s famous enough to have her own line of toys in the future?” I asked. Rini closed her eyes and giggled.

“She thinks it doesn’t look like her,” sighed Artemis. I couldn’t understand why she would think that. Thanks to Luna-P, I caught a silhouette dash away in the distance.

“I saw someone,” I whispered in Sailor Mars’ and Venus’ direction, unsure if I was seeing things again or if they were really stalking us.

162

“Wait here, guys,” I heard Sailor Mars call back to Rini, Hotaru, and Trista as they kept having fun with Rini’s toy. I darted off after the figure, but he didn’t go far before stopping, giving Sailor Mars and Venus a chance to catch up to me. When the figure stopped, I could clearly see they were wearing Shadow robes.

“I see a Shadow over there,” I whispered and pointed to where the Shadow stood in wait. I hid behind the tree when he started glancing around, but I noticed Sailor Mars stared ahead without flinching.

“I don’t see anyone. It’s not good that you’re seeing things again, Logan...” Sailor Mars lamented just as the ground ahead of the Spymaster opened and another Shadow stepped out. I realized that the figure was me. There, I found the tree with the crescent moon that marked the spot.

“Good news is I found the hideout. Bad news is the Spymaster was here. If he doesn’t remember yet, he will eventually,” I told them.

“I’ll get the others,” said Sailor Mars. I shifted over to a tree in front so I could hear the Shadows - or me and ‘Henry’ - speaking to each other. Although Henry’s back was still turned to me, I could see my own figure cross his arms and shake his head.

“I’ve never even heard of Sailor Saturn before. I never thought that Queen Serenity would order her to destroy all civilization on Earth,” my figure said.

“That’s not all. Once Queen Beryl’s forces have been dealt with, all remaining Shadows will be forcibly cleansed by the Silver Crystal or banished to the Negamoon. I’m sorry Spymaster, but the evidence is conclusive,” answered pre-Spymaster Henry.

My figure turned his back on Henry and faced the tree. “There has to be another way to stop this. We could appeal to the other Sailor Scouts. They stand for justice - “ “They stand for themselves,” Henry sneered.

Sailor Venus patted my shoulder and shook me out of my trance. “Logan, you’ve been staring at that tree for a while. Are you alright?” she asked.

I nodded and looked back to where the two figures stood, but they had disappeared and the ground had closed. “I think I know why I resigned. Henry - the Spymaster - told me that Queen Serenity ordered the destruction of Earth to stop Queen Beryl. And then she was going to cleanse the Shadows with the Silver Crystal or banish them to the Negamoon. Like we were just tools...” my voice trailed off.

Sailor Venus turned towards me and put her hand on my shoulder. She broke my stare by gazing into my eyes with her beautiful blue ones.”Henry’s the one who manipulated you. You quit because you thought it was the right thing to do. But Sailor Saturn’s not what he made her out to be.”

“I didn’t think Queen Serenity would do something like that, but when I met her, I knew she was hiding something,” I admitted to Sailor Venus. I heard Sailor Mars’ heels patter on the ground as she rejoined us. The others were following from a distance. I 163

could still hear Hotaru’s laughter as she played with Luna P. “I know she wasn’t evil, Logan. Hopefully we’ll get to hear her side of the story,” said Sailor Venus. I rubbed her hand before I approached the tree and opened the passage to my secret hideout by summoning dark magic like before.

“You lived here?” Sailor Mini Moon asked as she and the others jumped in after me.

“Yeah, it’s a downgrade from where you live in the future, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Uuuhhhh...” Mini Moon’s voice trailed off and she looked away; I could tell she didn’t want to answer that one. “It’s warm,” was the one positive she could think of.

I noticed that Hotaru was the only one admiring the place when I turned around.

Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open in childhood wonder. Everyone else had scrunched their noses like they smelled something bad and peered around the dark cave formations and crudely-dug out rooms. I could imagine they weren’t excited about the idea of being stuck here for days, weeks, maybe even months of hiding from the other Shadows...

Once again, my computer drew my guests’ attention when it hummed to life and Vigil’s holographic Shadow form once again appeared in the terminal. At least everyone seemed mildly impressed to see him.

“Welcome back, Spymaster. You brought some new faces! Hmm...no profiles, but I can detect the energies of the Silver Crystal on them. Sailor Scouts?” he asked.

“Yeah, but one of them doesn’t want to admit it yet,” I explained. I heard Trista huff behind me. “Tone down the sarcasm around her, she has no sense of humor.”

“Logan!” Sailor Mini Moon didn’t like me teasing Trista.

“That’s Sailor Mini Moon, and the other girl is Hotaru,” I introduced them. Trista carried Hotaru into the same room that I carried Princess Serenity.

Vigil’s hologram leaned in closer to examine Rini. “Mini Moon? I knew it! You look just like your mother. Except for the ears...you have the Spymaster’s ears! I told you the Princess would fall for you one day, Spymaster!”

I could feel the eyes of every Sailor Scout in the room on my back. “Uh...Rini ‘s not my daughter. Princess Serenity is with someone else. I’m dating Sailor Venus,” I explained.

“Oh! Of course - you look so much like Princess Serenity, I must have just mixed you two up!” Vigil laughed, but Venus held her arms firmly to her sides and clenched her fist as she made a pouty face. I could see she also got a bit jealous...

“When was the last time you heard from the others?” I changed the subject. At least we had business to distract us.

“I told them about the Shadows following us and told them to keep an eye out,” an164

swered Sailor Mars. “Amy said they were busy. I’ll try them again,” said Sailor Mars.

“They’re still in the restaurant. They’ve been in there a while now,” noted Vigil.

“Vigil, are there any other entrances and exits to this hideout? The Spymaster’s going to find out we’re here,” I asked my computer.

“There are plenty of unmarked ways in and out of this base once you know where to look. I was wondering why you came all this way. But don’t worry about the fake Spymaster just hanging out in the forest, waiting for you guys to pop out,” he answered.

Our communicators started bleeping. When Sailor Mars opened hers, Sailor Jupiter’s image came up on the computer screen. “Hey guys. Sorry we cut things short last time, Raye. We found out why the Spymaster came here. They kidnapped Molly and Melvin.”

“Serena’s friends?” Sailor Venus asked in alarm.

“Yeah. Serena’s really upset about it. We checked on Amy’s mom and Raye’s grandpa at the hospital. They’re fine,” said Sailor Jupiter.

“We got Hotaru to Charon’s hideout, but the Spymaster might remember where it is.

There’s other ways in, but you guys had better get back here soon,” said Sailor Mars.

“I’m glad Hotaru’s safe. At least that’s some good news. We’ll grab some last-minute supplies and meet Charon soon,” said Jupiter.

“Hold on!” Sailor Mars looked at me with discomfort before shying away and facing her communicator. “Something else happened earlier we didn’t tell you guys about...”

“Sorry to interrupt, Sailor Mars!” Vigil’s voice rang out. “I got a signal from the Eternity Main System. It’s back online!”

“That’s impossible,” said Sailor Venus.

“The signal’s being bounced around, so it’s not coming from the Moon. I think someone wants to talk to you,” Vigil informed me.

“It’s the Spymaster,” I sighed. “Who else would be able to get in touch with me here?”

“Darien, tell Serena and Amy to open their communicators!” Sailor Jupiter called out.

“I’ll grab Trista!” said Sailor Venus.

“Is it safe for us to talk to him?” I asked Vigil as Venus ran into the room Trista had taken Hotaru.

“Got you covered, Spymaster. He’s waiting on the other end,” said Vigil.

“What do you want, Henry?” I snarled. The Spymaster’s face came up on the screen; he also tilted his hood so that I could not see the upper half of his face, but I recognized the brown beard covering the lower half.

165

“I see you’re back on your feet, Charon. Good.” I rolled my eyes at the Spymaster’s insincere expression of sympathy. “I understand there’s been some confusion regarding the truce. Given the nature of Sailor Saturn’s abilities, I’m sure that your ‘friends’ will understand we need to take precautions first. They made you wear a bracer, after all.”

“Sailor Saturn isn’t who you think she is,” I snarled back to him. “And it doesn’t matter. We’re not turning her over to you.”

The Spymaster smirked. “What are you planning to do? Hide in your cave and wait us out? That’s not a strategy, Charon: that’s cowardice. You’re making things unnecessarily difficult for yourselves.”

“I heard we’ve been making things hard for you too,” I said. “That’s why you’ve resorted to controlling humans.”

His smirk dropped, quickly replaced by a frown. “I never wanted to resort to these methods, Charon. I hoped humanity would have become more progressive between the fall of the Moon Kingdom and our reawakening. But eventually they’ll realize that we are guiding them to a better future. We’re giving them a fresh start,” the Spymaster said.

“You’re still trying to turn Charon against us! It’s not going to work! He’s our friend,” shouted Mini Moon.

The Spymaster’s frown quickly reversed itself. “You’re Sailor Moon’s daughter, visiting from the future. Tell me: did you ever see Charon’s face in Crystal Tokyo? Did your mother or the Sailor Scouts of the future even mention him?” asked the Spymaster.

I saw poor Rini’s face scrunch up as she tried her hardest to remember something about me. “There’s lots of reasons why she might not have seen or heard about me,” I intervened.

“Yeah! Besides, the future can be changed!” added Sailor Venus.

But the Spymaster remained nonchalant. “Charon’s fate is one thing that can’t be changed. Sailor Mini Moon shares his fantasy: she thinks he’ll finally be treated as a member of the family after you’ve won. Maybe you have your own version of that dream, Sailor Venus. But Sailor Moon would never let any of you get that close to him as Queen. She’ll cast him aside when he’s no longer useful, just like her mother did.”

“I never cast my friends aside, Henry!” Sailor Moon’s voice challenged him.

A voice behind the Spymaster called to him from behind a door. “We’ve started rebuilding the capital on the outskirts of Tokyo. The new Palace looks magnificent. I’d invite you to visit, but you sound determined to remain in your hole underground. All four of your companions are already here,” he claimed.

“Four?” asked Sailor Venus.

“Yes, Sailors Uranus and Neptune recognize there’s no need for this civil war. Your friends will not be harmed, Sailor Moon, provided you do not harm another Shadow.

166

But if you delay surrendering Hotaru, I’ll have to consider alternative methods.” he threatened. The Spymaster’s face vanished from the screen.

“I don’t believe him,” said Trista. “Amara and Michelle wouldn’t betray us. Again,” she addded.

“Again?” I sneered. “Sounds like I’ve been held to a double standard.” I saw the lines in Trista’s face soften before she looked down. She almost looked ashamed.

“Nobody’s been trying to hurt your feelings on purpose, Logan,” said Artemis sincerely. “I’m also worried about this city he said he’s building. Those must be the energy signatures we detected earlier. They’d need a lot of energy to build a city that quickly.”

“I’m worried too, we need to investigate,” said Luna’s voice over the communicator.

“No offense, but subtlety isn’t a strong suit for the Sailor Scouts,” said Vigil.

“Tell me about it. Just how many times have we been caught spying on each other?” sighed Sailor Mars.

“I’ll go on my own and see what I can find out,” I suggested. Sailor Venus, Mars, and Mini Moon exchanged nervous glances suggesting they didn’t like the idea.

“We’ll meet you nearby. I don’t want to think about what they’ll do to you if you get caught, Logan,” admitted Sailor Moon over the communicator.

“So don’t get caught,” teased Vigil. We noticed the girls behind me glaring at him.

“Sorry, I’m trying. He’s the Spymaster, sneaking in and out is his thing,” he said with more sincerity.

Trista approached Sailor Venus, and dropped the car keys in her hand. “I need to stay with Hotaru, but if you’re going with him, you can take the car if you need to.”

We heard Artemis beginning to sob. “You guys are growing up so fast.”

“Oh Artemis,” sighed Sailor Venus. She tapped me on the elbow: “come on, Logan.”

“What about me and Raye?” Sailor Mini Moon called to us as Luna-P still hovered around her.

“You two should stay with Hotaru, help keep her company,” suggested Sailor Venus.

She smiled at Mini Moon, but Mini Moon faced me with wide eyes and a frown. I tried to think of something more reassuring to say than ‘I’ll be fine’ or ‘I’ll be back before you know it’, but the words didn’t come.

Mini Moon turned towards Luna Ball. “Luna-P, I want you to go with Logan. Protect him, just like you protect me,” she asked. The light on Luna-P’s antenna began flashing.

“Rini, you don’t have to give her to me. I know she means a lot to you,” I said. Luna-P’s antenna stopped flashing and the cat-faced rubber ball flew towards me.

“Please take her with you! She might be able to help!” pleaded Sailor Mini Moon. “If 167

you need something, say ‘Luna Ball Kitty Magic!”

“That’s so sweet of you, Rini,” said Sailor Mars.

I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t expected Mini Moon to entrust her closest friend to me. “I’ll bring her back safe, I promise,” I assured her...

168

169

170

Chapter 25 The Crystal Prison

171

O

n the way to Pluto’s car, Sailor Venus told me about her time battling thugs and monsters in London...the real version of it, since I didn’t finish the Sailor V comics she gave me the first night we met. She did most of the talking, but she didn’t seem to mind. Mina had so many stories and hadn’t even gotten to when she and Artemis joined the other Scouts. I wished I had been a part of all that. The line between good and evil seemed so clearly defined then. And the bad guys seemed a lot more creative. Thanks to Artemis, I didn’t get to hear more stories once Sailor Venus started driving...

“Mina, slow down! You’re swerving!” Artemis leapt between the front seats and cried.

“I’m not swerving! He’s such a backseat driver!” Venus complained. “Sweetie, could you see if there’s a map in the glove compartment?” she asked me. I opened it up and found one. “Good, can you throw it in the back? There, you can navigate, Artemis!”

The map only bought us five seconds of silence. “There’s a left turn coming up, you should have signaled earlier! And you’re holding the wheel too tight!” Artemis’ hairs stood up as she went into the turn. “Go easy on the brake! And turn gently, Mina!

You’re driving like a madwoman!”

“Artemis! If you don’t stop complaining, I’ll pull over and throw you out of the car!

We’ll see how much you like walking the rest of the way in the snow!” fumed Venus.

“Maybe you could let him take the wheel,” I teased. Artemis stayed quiet the rest of the way, but he jumped out of the back seat and landed eagle-spread into the snow when she stopped.

“Hey, guys!” Sailor Venus called out to the others. Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter were waiting for us up ahead. “Raye and Rini stayed with Trista and Hotaru. I wish Artemis had stayed too.”

“The Spymaster’s teaching a class at his dojo. Luna stayed behind to keep an eye on him. Darien went ahead to look for ways in,” said Sailor Jupiter.

“That’s Luna Ball!” noticed Sailor Mercury. “How come she’s following you, Logan?”

“Rini loaned Luna Ball to him. Isn’t she sweet?” Sailor Venus beamed.

A mischievous smile crawled onto Sailor Jupiter’s face. “Somebody’s growing a crush,” she teased.

Sailor Moon was not amused, however. She raised a fist and shouted. “That little weasel! First she hogs all my time with Darien, now she’s got her sights on Mina’s 172

boyfriend!” she fumed.

Jupiter waved an arm in the air as she tried to retract her joke. “Calm down, Serena!

I was kidding!”

I looked past the other Sailor Scouts and down the hill overlooking the Spymaster’s version of the palace. When I saw the white domed mausoleum, flashes from the same recurring dream I had just before I met Serena came back to me. “I didn’t grow up in the Palace,” I said to myself, but I said it loud enough to attract the attention of the others. “I was old enough to remember the first time I saw it.”

“It would have been suspicious if royalty started disappearing for months or years at a time,” said Artemis. “The Shadows must have been recruited from...”

“Non-royalty?” I asked when he struggled to come up with the right word. I got the feeling he was looking for something nicer to say than ‘common people’.

“Yeah, non-royalty,” he agreed.

“I figured, they don’t seem to like us too much,” sighed Sailor Moon. She faced me and said, “we don’t remember much about our past lives, either. Just a few bits and pieces here and there.”

Darien darted up the hill. He had ditched his disguise in favor of his usual black tuxedo and cape. “I couldn’t find another way in. Their version of the Palace has no windows or balconies, it’s like a prison.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go alone, Logan,” suggested Artemis. “We have no idea what’s in there.”

“I’m not alone, I’ve got Luna Ball,” I pointed to Rini’s toy hovering around me, but everyone traded nervous glances. “I have the best chance of getting in and out undetected if I go in by myself,” I elaborated.

“Uranus and Neptune may have been captured - or worse, the Shadows may have found a way to control them. Either way, we need to find out what happened to them,” said Artemis. I saw Sailor Venus uncomfortably holding her elbows: we hadn’t told them that I had figured out how to control minds, too. I knew we had to tell them eventually, but I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation...

Sailor Moon handed me a photograph of herself with another pretty girl in their school uniforms. She had wavy brownish-red hair, blue eyes and a green ribbon in her hair.

“That’s my friend, Molly. The Spymaster said Melvin’s here too: he’s a genius with enormous glasses and brown hair that he’s allergic to combing. But I understand if you don’t have time to look for them,” Sailor Moon frowned.

“I’ll keep an eye out for them,” I promised.

“What if you run into Shadows? You can’t beat them on your own,” Sailor Jupiter reminded me.

173

“I don’t need to. I can stun them long enough to get away,” I answered. “Did Luna leave the disguising pen with you guys?”

“You want me to disguise myself as a Shadow again? I thought you were going in alone,” said Tuxedo Mask when Sailor Moon pulled out the pen.

“You can follow me more closely. We might find another way in, and I might need a distraction,” I suggested.

“So I’m just your doppelganger now?” he asked.

“Oh I get it: you only want to help beautiful women,” I taunted.

Tuxedo Mask opened his mouth, but before he could object, Sailor Moon clasped her hands together and beamed. “Logan, you’re so sweet! Darien, do whatever he says!”

“Unbelievable,” sulked Tuxedo Mask.

“You’d better get moving. Good luck, Logan,” said Sailor Mercury.

“We’ll be here if you need us,” offered Sailor Venus. To get down faster, I dropped to the edge of the hill and slid down. I realized halfway through that this was something I never would have done before I learned I was a Shadow; I hated heights. I tumbled into the snow below and scanned my surroundings for possible ambush points and hiding places. It looked like a clear run to the palace, but I crouched just in case.

As I approached the Palace, I noticed strange light blue energy beams adorning the dome, like crystal skyscrapers spiraling upwards. A single spire towered the highest, like a rocket ship pointed towards the moon. When I came across the frozen lake in front of the palace, I had another flashback from my first visit to Silver Millennium, over a thousand years ago according to the others...

Like phantoms from the past, I saw transparent, ghost-like figures ice skating on the lake. I was mesmerized when I first saw them, like I had never seen so many people happy at any point in my life before. “Silver Millennium is everything I dreamed it would be!” I recalled myself saying. “How could anyone hate this place?”

I cringed when the Spymaster’s voice answered me: “Not everyone in Silver Millennium lives in a Palace.” Thankfully, it was just a memory. Even then, he was trying to get inside my head. “Wait here. If anyone talks to you, bow and be polite. Do not tell them you’re from Earth, and don’t mention Beryl’s name.”

The thoughts came together in my head: I was born on Earth at a time when personal relations were forbidden between the people of Earth and the Moon Kingdom. That’s why Princess Serenity kept sneaking around to visit Prince Endymion. But with each answer, I only found myself with more questions, like what made me special enough to bring to the Moon Palace. I figured they were questions for another time.

I stood on the frozen lake and tried to walk slowly across. I wobbled and landed flat on my face, embarrassing myself in front of dozens of royals. First I heard a girl laugh174

ing, then I could see a transparent pair of white ice skates glide over and stop right in front of me as I lay face-first on the ground.

“Skating without skates? Sounds like something Princess Serenity would try!” the girl said with a faint echo. Princess Serenity...I remembered that was what they called Serena back then. I crooned my neck to look up at the figure greeting me. “I haven’t seen you around the Palace before. What’s your name?” She was a blur, but her blonde hair, blue eyes and fair complexion slowly came into focus...

“You’re shy, aren’t you? It’s OK. Queen Serenity’s waiting for you. Your friend in the robes told me where to find you!” Sailor Venus’ younger apparition grabbed my arms and started lifting me off the ground. So I met Mina the first time I came to Silver Millennium. Either she was on the verge of or had just reached the start of her teenage years at the time. So I met two of the Sailor Scouts before...

“Get up, Charon!” another woman’s cold and commanding voice jolted me back to reality. The transparent, ghost-like figures all vanished. I stumbled up and swung around to face her, only to find a fizzling ball of energy where Luna-P used to be. Trista’s less-than-welcoming figure stared me down through it.

I threw my hands up in the air at the sight of her. “And you were worried about ME spying on YOU?!”

Trista looked down and glared at me. “I am trying to help you, Charon,” she said in a frustrated tone.

“What happened? Is Logan OK?” Rini - dressed back in civilian clothes - rushed in to join Trista’s side.

“I just fell,” I said.

“You were lying there for a while,” said Trista.

“I’m fine!” I insisted.

“I forgot to mention we could stay in touch with Luna-P. Sorry,” apologized Rini.

“It’s OK. I’m not mad at you,” I said to reassure her. Being more careful to keep my balance, I crossed the frozen lake, walked past the white marble-like fountains, and stood before the main door. Noticing a keyhole, I thought of using dark magic to burn a hole through the lock, but I realized that would make noise. If there was anyone inside, not being heard was as important as not being seen.

Noticing a keyhole, I turned to Luna-P and asked, “I don’t suppose you can turn into a lockpick?” Luna-P’s smiling face just stared back at me blankly. I tried to recall the words that Rini had told me to use if I needed something form her. “Luna...Ball...Kitty Magic!” I called out. Luna Ball jumped up into the air, burst into a cloud of pink smoke, and a golden hook pick fell onto the ground. I picked it up and began raking the lock.

Ugh, this only takes a second on TV, I should have asked for a key, I complained to myself. After a few seconds I was able to turn the keyhole and slowly pushed the heavy 175

door open. I scanned the corners as I opened the door slowly, careful not to make a sound, then looked up to see if there was a Shadow perched above. There was no sign of anyone...

“You’re lucky you ran into Princess Venus first,” Henry’s voice echoed in my mind again when I entered the Palace. “Other royals might take offense if you don’t answer them.”

“It’s no trouble at all, really! He can get away with it because he’s cute,” Venus’ voice echoed in return. I shook my head. I had to stay focused on the present.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a figure decked out in silver armor down the corridor to my left. Fortunately, his back was towards me. My eyes darted around the white, marble-like columns, then I dashed behind one of the columns. I saw an open courtyard with some green plant life sticking up through the snow with the darkening sky above, but an energy field glimmered over it. I saw a second floor and balconies surrounding the courtyard overlooking the garden. The roof was raised too high to jump onto it from the balcony, so it wasn’t an escape route. Still, the energy field is too high to keep someone from getting in, I thought.

As quietly as I could, I ran across the garden and hid behind another white column, stopping when I saw another figure wearing silver armor to my left. Neither of them looked too heavily armored or armed, but I didn’t want to take any chances fighting them and ran for one of the white doors. I was able to turn the handle without picking the lock and I opened it just enough for me to slip through. I flipped open my communicator. “I found an open courtyard. I won’t be able to climb out of it, but you might be able to come in through it.”

“I’ll check it out, Logan,” said Tuxedo Mask over the communicator.

“I saw two figures wearing silver armor,” I said. “I think the Shadows are using them as guards. Probably under mind control.”

“Henry’s sick,” muttered Sailor Jupiter’s voice. “Are you sure you still want us to hang back?”

“No Shadows yet,” I said as I sneaked through the marble-white halls. “I can handle the guards.”

“If he’s still got it, no one will ever know he was there,” Vigil chimed in. “Uranus and Neptune are nearby. It’s hard to get an exact fix tracking their communicators, but it looks like they’re on the second floor.”

“Thanks Vigil,” I replied. I sneaked over to another column. There were no guards on my floor, but I saw one standing on the second floor near the spiral staircase. There was another overlooking the handrail on the second floor across from me. When he turned around, I was able to climb high enough on one of the pillars to dangle on the edge.

After peeking up to make sure no one saw me, I was able to lift myself up and climb over the rail.

176

The guard in front of me turned around just as I darted into a nearby room with Luna-P following close behind. I opened the door and leaned against the wall as I heard his footsteps approaching. He gasped when he noticed that the door was open, so I gave him a quick karate chop to the neck. Stunned by the blow, he only made a quick ‘oommpphh’ sound before I grabbed him under his right arm and placed my right arm behind his head, flipped him onto the ground lying on his back as quietly as I could, then covered his mouth with one hand before ending his muffled screams with a blow to the head.

I peeked outside the room to see the other guard had turned away from me. I noticed there was a larger pair of doors at the end of the hallway. The guest room, my instinct told me. That had to be where Sailor Uranus and Neptune were ‘staying’. As I opened the door, I saw the edge of an armored guard facing me in the marble white room adorned with golden furniture. I quickly abandoned stealth in favor of speed: I grabbed the wrist of his right hand, kneed him in the stomach, then sent him to the ground with a headbutt. From behind the guard, Sailors Uranus and Neptune turned around in shock.

“Charon!” exclaimed Sailor Uranus.

“Are you here by yourself?” asked Sailor Neptune. Her voice carried full emotion, and neither of their eyes were glazed over. There were no dark magic force fields or torture devices holding them either. Either Uranus and Neptune sneaked in (which, as Vigil said, wasn’t their strong suit), or they were staying here voluntarily. If the latter was true, I was in serious trouble...

177

178

Chapter 26 Cat and Mouse

179

“I was looking for you,”

I

told them. I decided to let them think I was alone. “The others thought you might have been captured or were under the Spymaster’s control.”

Sailor Uranus retained her composure and straightened her back, as if she were the one interrogating me. “We thought that the Shadows were a threat to the Moon Princess. We wondered why they didn’t hunt us down when they had the numbers.”

“When we learned that he spared you back at the Temple, it was very confusing. Then he reached out to us,” finished Sailor Neptune. I didn’t like where this was headed...

“He cares about the Shadows under his command. He doesn’t want to lose any more of them. With his forces weakened, he might be open to compromise ,” said Sailor Uranus.

“Compromise?!” If any of the Sailor Scouts were thinking of compromising, these were the last two I expected to raise the option.”They came to your house looking for Sailor Saturn!” I told them.

“We know. He thinks that shortly before Queen Beryl destroyed the Palace, Queen Serenity fashioned a bracer that could restrain a Sailor Scout’s powers the same way that your bracer restrains yours. If there is a way...she might finally have some semblance of a normal life. He told us there was still a place for the Sailor Scouts in the new Kingdom,” said Sailor Uranus. This has to be a trick, I thought. They can’t seriously believe him. But there is a point to what he told them...

“The Spymaster said that Sailor Moon might be useful to him later. After all that talk about how you guys are using me, he wants her as his puppet!” I realized.

Uranus’ eyes narrowed. “You would have gone a lot farther if you were still the Spymaster, Charon.”

I threw my arms up in the air and shouted “Of course I’m still the bad guy! But what happens to everyone who isn’t a Sailor Scout? Like Raye’s grandpa? Amy’s mom?

Serena’s parents?”

The two Scouts turned away from each other. I thought it might be a sign they really didn’t believe what they were saying, or were at least unsure. “Maybe a new start wouldn’t be such a bad thing, Charon,” said Sailor Uranus. “You have to admit, there’s a lot of messed up things in this world. There’s only so much we can change as Sailor Scouts.”

Sailor Neptune leaned over to one side. “Luna Ball!”

180

Luna Ball once again turned into a sphere of light blue energy to reveal Trista, Raye and Rini watching from inside my hideout. “We heard everything you just said!” shouted Trista.

“I can’t believe you two would abandon Hotaru!” Rini’s voice cried.

“We’re not abandoning her!” cried Sailor Neptune. “Things in the future can stay exactly the same if we just go along with his plans!”

“He didn’t offer to make peace! He threatened us if we interfered with his plans,” shot back Raye. “Even if he keeps his word, we’ll all be living in fear! Did you forget what we stand for?”

“It’s easy for you to keep riding on your high horse, Sailor Mars!” shot back Sailor Uranus. “We stayed vigilant while the rest of you put your duties on hold for your personal lives!”

I barely heard him, but I turned around just as a Shadow teleported behind me. I punched him in the stomach, flipped him onto his back, and stuck him with dark energy.

Another Shadow appeared to take his place behind me as my would-be attacker shuddered like he had been hit with a stun-gun...though he wouldn’t stay down for long.

Uranus and Neptune just stood there and watched.

“Looks like you’ve picked your side,” I said to the traitorous Sailor Scouts.

“We knew you would come for them, Turncoat!” the Shadow taunted. My senses reached out...like echoes, I heard their footsteps patter through the halls, lying in wait for me to leave the room.

“You can’t fight your way out on your own. And you can’t attack Sailor Scouts as long as you’re wearing the bracer,” recalled Sailor Uranus.

“If you surrender, we can protect you, Charon,” offered Sailor Neptune. I knew she didn’t believe that...I threw a ball of magically-charged smoke in the direction of the Shadow blocking the hall. I charged him, grabbed his wrist, and flipped him over my back and off the railing. I jumped over the handrail and ran back towards the courtyard.

A Shadow was perched on the balcony above me when I barged through the door. I sensed him about to come down down on top of me, so I teleported out of his way and spun him into the wall headfirst, knocking him out. With few hiding options, I hid in the plant life as a pair of guards decked in silver armor and two Shadows ran past. Uranus and Neptune appeared later with two others as I began low-crawling away from the center.

“He disappeared!” exclaimed Sailor Neptune.

“What did you expect him to do? Stand in the middle of the hallway and give an opening speech?” quipped Sailor Uranus. Neptune rolled her eyes at her partner.

“You two guard the exit,” the Shadow in charge sneered to the Sailor Scouts. Her robes were adorned in silver and gold, like the previous Commander. I recognized her 181

voice; it was the same Shadow we had spared twice! Next time I get a chance, you’re finished, I thought to myself.

“What makes you think you can order us around?” Sailor Uranus snapped back.

Whatever arrangement they had made with the Spymaster, it was clear they still didn’t get along with the others.

The new Commander stood an inch away from Uranus’ face. “Has the Spymaster shown you his sickle yet? I’ll reenact what he did to Sailor Moon’s pet if you don’t help us find him!” she smirked. Uranus and Neptune glared back, but ultimately complied and left.

I sneaked closer towards the pillars, trying to make as little noise as possible as I crawled on the ground with Luna-P closely following. I opened my communicator and whispered, “is anyone there?”

“Logan, we heard everything too,” said Darien. “I found a way up to the courtyard, the others are on their way.”

“Find him! NOW!” the Commander screamed to at least two robed figures. One ran in Uranus and Neptune’s direction, the other started combing the grounds in my direction. I heard a few doors open above me; they were checking the upper floor as well.

“Can you see how many there are?” I asked him.

“Hmm...four Shadows and three of those guards. Only two of them are searching the garden, the rest went to the second floor,” said Darien.

“I can pick them off one by one,” I said. Hopefully, the Sailor Scouts would get here before the Shadows I subdued woke up. “If I can draw Uranus and Neptune away from the exit, we can get out on our own.”

“They never saw eye-to-eye with Sailor Moon and the others, but I thought they were still on our side,” he whispered.

I looked up at the balcony above. I could hear the figures combing the garden getting closer to where I was hiding. “I need you to tell me when I’m clear.”

“Can’t you just teleport up their?” he asked.

“Too high. They knew what they were doing when they designed this place,” I answered back. My eye caught one Shadow farther ahead of the other, so I crawled towards the right until I was directly in front of him. He must have sensed something just as he walked over my legs, but I quickly wrapped them around his right leg and tripped him. I lifted his head and slammed it into the ground again to make sure he was out.

“Go!” whispered Darien. I climbed up the pillar and watched the Shadow combing the grounds behind me; it was the new Commander, but she was looking off to the side.

The door I opened in front of me led to a hall with several rooms - perfect for ambushes.

“Can you lead them in, Darien?” I asked. I heard the Shadow Commander scream 182

that I was in the halls as Darien ran in through the other side. I heard the two Shadows upstairs give up their search of the rooms and hastily charge outside towards the way I came in. I hid in the door closest to the hallway entrance,. After they charged in, I charged out and tackled the closest Shadow, kneed him in the stomach, and threw him into the wall. The second Shadow charged his hand with dark magic, but Darien threw a rose at his arm. The distraction was enough for me to get him in a sleeper hold and subdue him. One of the silver-armored guards appeared behind Darien, but Darien pulled out his cane and struck the figure square in the chest, sending the guard to the ground.

“Logan, it’s Molly!” exclaimed Darien. Looking over the figure, I realized he was right: it was the brownish-red-haired girl in the photos.

“Hide her! There’s only one Shadow still conscious!” I urged him. But when I ran to the balcony, I saw dark energy swirling around her like a fog around a city. The last guard standing pulled out a sword pulsating blue energy, like the one Beryl’s troops had used.

“You think sparing me was a kindness, Turncoat?” she screeched. “You shamed us!”

“Luna Ball, distract her!” I cried out as the Shadow’s eyes started glowing red. She was transforming, like the Shadow in the arcade and the previous Commander did. The last thing we needed right now was a dark magic dragon, land kraken, or any other monster to deal with. Luna Ball flew forward and burst like a water balloon, interrupting her transformation sequence and stunning her. I charged forward and threw magically-charged smoke in her face to keep her distracted as I charged the guard. I easily dodged his clumsy swing, wrapped my arm around his and elbowed him in the back of the head. I grabbed his sword and threw it at the Shadow Commander. She screamed in pain as it flew into her shoulder. I charged both my hands with all the dark energy I could muster and flew into her, sending her to the ground.

“Did you get the same lecture on pride?” I asked as she convulsed and twitched. “You underestimated me,” I taunted before she passed out. I ripped away a pendant in the shape of a full moon hanging around her neck. A transformation pendant, I suddenly remembered.

“Uranus World Shaking!” I heard Amara shout. I barely jumped out of the way in time. I thought she had turned against the Commander, but the ball of energy didn’t even come close to hitting her. It was directed towards me.

“Uranus! Darien is here with Molly, and the others will be here soon! Just let us walk out of here!” I pleaded from behind one of the pillars. “You’re not traitors!” But Sailor Uranus was about to charge another attack when I heard a pair of footsteps fall to the second floor just above me. I saw bubbles fly in Sailor Uranus’ direction. She jumped out of the way, but the bubbles turned into streaks of blue light and flew towards Uranus. The streaks turned into a wave that smashed Uranus against the pillar directly across from me.

“Leave him alone!” Sailor Mercury’s voice shouted. She jumped down to the court183

yard, followed by Sailor Moon.

“Sorry it took us a while to get here,” Sailor Moon apologized when I slipped from cover. “We ran into some guards, and then it took us a while to climb up.”

“One of us took longer than the others,” added Sailor Mercury. Three guesses who, I thought.

“Sailor Moon! Mercury!” Sailor Neptune left her position at the main entrance to investigate. Sailor Venus jumped from the balcony above her and wrapped her love chain around the green-haired traitor. Sailor Jupiter jumped down after her.

“Serena, I can explain - “ began Sailor Uranus. At first, I thought Sailor Moon raised her hand in the air to motion her to be quiet, but then it came down hard across Sailor Uranus’ face.

“You should have yelled ‘Sailor Slap’!” taunted Vigil’s voice from Luna-P. “Not the time, Vigil,” I whispered back.

I caught a glimpse of rage burning in Sailor Moon’s eyes, something I never would have expected to see in Serena’s. Sailor Moon turned her head back towards Sailor Uranus. “I already heard your explanation! You’re the real Turncoats!” shouted Sailor Moon. I watched her remove her tiara...

“I really thought there was a chance for peace, Serena! The Shadows aren’t like the enemies we faced from the Negaverse! But I see that the others are different from the Spymaster!” pleaded Sailor Uranus.

“We realized we made a mistake listening to the Spymaster before, but we had to help them capture Charon to keep our cover! This is our best chance to find out what they’re planning!” added Sailor Neptune. But Sailor Moon said nothing as she clutched her tiara while the others continued glaring. I wondered if she was about to execute Sailor Uranus and Neptune...

“Serena,” I called gently to her. “I don’t think they were going to betray you. You don’t have to do this,” I said.

“They almost killed you. Again,” Sailor Moon answered without looking at me.

“They won’t listen to us, and they don’t respect me as a leader.”

“Of course we do! You’re the Princess of the Moon! We might not always agree, but we respect your decisions! And it’s clear you don’t want us cooperating with the Spymaster!” said Sailor Uranus.

“He trusts us. We’ll find a way to keep him off your backs until we find out what his plans are for Hotaru. Then we’ll help you stop them, we promise!” offered Sailor Neptune.

Darien appeared from the second floor, holding Molly in his arms. “Please, Sailor Moon. Give them a chance to redeem themselves.”

184

Sailor Moon turned her head slightly in my direction. Unsure if she could see me, I nodded anyway. “You’re lucky that Logan trusts you.” I saw Uranus breathe a sigh of relief as Sailor Moon placed her tiara back on her head. “But if you try to hurt Logan, or any of us, you’re dead to me,” she threatened.

Sailor Jupiter stayed behind to survey the damage Uranus’ attack caused as the rest of us left for the main entrance. “Good luck explaining this,” she sighed before she ran to catch up with us.

I came up alongside Sailor Moon. “Hey, are you OK?” I asked her.

“I was just about to ask you,” she said as she turned to face me. The anger had vanished, but I knew she was still hurt. “You’ve proven that I can trust you over and over again, but it still took me a while. This isn’t the first time they’ve stepped out of bounds, but I still trusted them,” she confessed.

“I think they mean well, they just don’t always go about it the right way,” I said.

Sailor Jupiter mumbled “that’s an understatement.”

“Appearances can be deceiving, right?” added Sailor Venus.

“Mina! It’s - wait, that’s right. Sorry, I got used to automatically correcting you,” apologized Sailor Mercury.

“I’m glad you trust me now. And I need to trust you won’t throw me out, like the Spymaster said,” I told Serena.

“Never,” Sailor Moon finally smiled. “Molly! How is she?” she called out when Darien joined us.

“She’s OK! She’s still out from - “ Darien paused when Sailor Moon stared at me.

“Actually it was me,” he admitted. “I can take her someplace safe.”

“I know they didn’t give you guys much of a choice back there,” acknowledged Sailor as we all marched back into the bitter cold, hoping not to run into Henry or any Shadows returning. “We should stay together tonight. It’s gonna be a tight fit.”

“Don’t worry about space, the Spymaster loved his secret rooms,” quipped Vigil over Sailor Mercury’s communicator.

“I’d better take another look at your wound before we turn in, Logan,” said Sailor Mercury. “My mom’s shift at the hospital is over, but we can’t ignore put it off until morning.”

“I feel fine. I was able to fight, no problem. But yeah, another look won’t hurt,” I admitted.

“You did well tonight, Logan. Those Shadows are going to be embarrassed when they wake up,” added Sailor Jupiter. I wonder what the Spymaster will do to them when he finds out, I wondered. “Though if Uranus and Neptune change their minds again, that 185

bracer’s going to be a problem,” she noted.

“Right - you can’t attack any of us while you’re wearing it, traitor or not,” said Sailor Venus. “I hope it has adjustable settings. No way we’re cutting him open and filling him with Dark Shards.”

“We’ll talk to Luna and Artemis about it later,” suggested Mercury. “Vigil said there’s a tunnel entrance near where you parked.”

“You know, you shouldn’t leave Amara and Michelle’s car here,” Sailor Jupiter suggested to Venus. “Why don’t you take Logan for a spin? We’ll bring the rest of the supplies inside and get everything ready.”

“Artemis goes with you,” Mina insisted. We made our way back up the hill. Sailor Moon and the others brushed snow off their boxes and bags of food and other supplies before directing me to another tunnel leading to my hideout. I slid back down the hill again and quickly found another tree with a crescent moon etched into it. I opened it for the others and Sailor Moon said she would see us in a couple hours. I noticed her wink at Venus before she tugged me back up the hill towards the car.

“I heard Uranus mention the Negaverse?” I asked Sailor Venus.

“It was the universe that Queen Beryl once ruled,” she answered as she climbed in the car and put the keys in the ignition.

“Negaverse...that’s a stupid name,” I commented.

“Oh yeah? What would you have called it?” she asked when she started the car.

“I dunno, the Dark Kingdom?” I answered back.

Mina smirked. “Real original! You do suck at coming up with names!” she teased.

She laughed when I stuck my tongue out at her. Everything after that became a blur...

“Lo-gan! Wake up, sleepyhead!” I winced when Venus started tickling my side.

I groaned in response. “Did I fall asleep?”

“Yup! Don’t worry, I was watching you the whole time - er, I mean I was watching out for you!” she grinned uncomfortably. “You looked like you could use a nap.”

“I’m sure I’m not the only one,” I said to her.

She nodded, but she looked peppy as usual. “Come on, the others are waiting for us,” she chimed as we got out of the car. It was pitch black outside and the snow was still coming down. Conveniently, the lot where Mina was parked held another secret tunnel entrance, this time next to an old power transformer. I looked around to make sure there was nobody watching before I opened the door.

“Have any interesting dreams?” Venus asked as we jumped down.

“Not this time,” I said with some relief. “I did before though - I met you my first day 186

in the Moon Kingdom.”

“You did?” Mina asked excitedly.

I nodded. “You were ice skating on the lake. You brought me to meet Queen Serenity.”

“I wish I remembered that,” she wished.

“I’m kind of glad you don’t, I embarrassed myself a bit,” I admitted. She smiled back.

It was close to midnight when Sailor Venus and I reached the end of the tunnel. “Vigil, why aren’t the lights on? Don’t tell me someone’s been billing me for electricity the last thousand years.”

Vigil’s hologram didn’t appear in the terminal. Serena exited one of the rooms, wearing a jean jacket over a pink shirt. “Everyone’s gathered in the dining...er, cave. We fixed this place up a bit, but I wish my mother had given you a bigger budget,” said Serena.

“I get the feeling that Queen Serenity saved the best stuff for the Sailor Scouts,” I taunted and lifted my sleeve to show my hand-me-down communicator. “I guess we need to talk about Uranus and Neptune,” I remarked.

“We’ll get to that,” said Serena. The darkness helped hide her face from me, but I noticed she was avoiding eye contact. “Logan, I found out there’s something else that you haven’t told us about yourself.”

I felt a lump forming in my throat. My eyes were glued on Serena, looking at her face for any hints as to what this interrogation was about, but she was doing an uncharacteristically good job at hiding her feelings. “Just ask me, then. What do you want to know?” I asked.

“Something very important is going to happen in a couple of minutes. Vigil told us, and Amy confirmed it. I said I trust you, but it’s hard for me to believe you’d just forget. “ she chastised.

I was completely stumped. “I...I don’t know what he’s talking about,” I said.

“Logan,” she said my name more firmly, “this is something you knew long before we met.”

Now I was even more confused. “Serena, if this has anything to do with the Shadows or Silver Millennium, I don’t know any more than you! I just have a few pieces from that dream that didn’t make sense!”

“Serena, you’re scaring him!” said Sailor Venus. Her words were serious, but I noticed her voice quiver as if she was trying to keep herself from laughing.

“I had to make sure you weren’t holding out on us...” I saw the corners of Serena’s mouth lift as a smile crept on her face. “Because no matter what, we’re still celebrating.”

“Celebrating?” I asked. Before that word had finished leaving my lips, the hidout 187

suddenly lit up. I saw all the other Sailor Scouts (minus Uranus and Neptune of course) and Guardian Cats gathered in the back room. The were mischievously smiling and laughing after witnessing the whole scene. Only when I saw them all together did I realize that I hadn’t been keeping count of the days. Then they all shouted in unison: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN!”

188

189

190

Chapter 27 The Coming Harvest

191

S

erena laughed while Mina wrapped her arms around my back. “I’m sorry! I didn’t want to spoil the surprise!” Mina whispered while everyone else cheered. My face turned bright red when she planted a kiss on my cheek. That made two welcome surprises...

“Admit it, I’m a good actress!” Serena teased. I was relieved to see that Serena was wearing the locket that she had left behind at the Temple earlier.

“Yeah, yeah. You got me, jerk,” I teased her back. Serena laughed, came forward and gave me a hug too. Darien came forward and extended his hand.

“Happy birthday, man!” he smiled. The friendly and easy-going Darien that I met my first night in Tokyo had returned, replacing the jealous and insecure version that I had become accustomed to. But that wasn’t enough for Serena...

“Darien!” Serena playfully slapped his arm away before I could shake his hand. “It’s your new best friend’s birthday! You can give him a hug, you know!”

His face wrinkled with discomfort at the idea, so I said, “you don’t need to do that.”

His smile came back. “See? He only wants hugs from beautiful women!” he teased.

Well, he was mostly teasing.

“Oh, you two!” sighed Serena. “I remember when Logan first joined us. You were so excited to have another guy to hang out with!”

Mina gasped. “That gives me an idea!”

“Oh no! One of Mina’s ideas!” cried Artemis.

“How about a double date with Serena and Darien tonight? If it’s OK with you two, of course!” Mina practically shouted in my ear. The thought of going on a ‘real’, planned date with Mina was scary enough: having Serena and Darien watching us too made the idea even more terrifying. But I had the feeling that unless I wanted to be single again, she wasn’t really giving me the option of saying ‘no’...

“We certainly are, Venus!” Serena beamed and swung her arm around Darien’s. “Relationship guru Serena and Prince Charming at your service! We’ll be happy to share our secrets to eternal bliss and happiness!”

Yet again, an awkward silence hung over the room. “It might be wise for us to limit our time outside this base. Our enemies are still watching us,” Luna advised.

“Don’t be a party pooper, Luna! Let’s have one night of fun!” exclaimed Lita.

192

Raye leaned over and placed her hand over her mouth to whisper into Lita’s ear. “Do the words ‘double date with Serena and Mina’ set off any alarms?” Raye asked.

Lita glanced at Raye for a moment in thought before her green eyes widened. “Oh...”

Lita groaned as if she had just watched me and Darien get kicked in the nuts. She must have seen any remaining enthusiasm drain away from my face because she tried to change the subject. “Good thing you fell asleep, I was able to bake you a cake!”

Hotaru ran forward and grabbed my hand while Lita went behind the others. “Rini and I decorated! Raye and Trista helped too! Do you like it?” She dragged me into the main cave; with the lights on, I could see the multi-colored balloons and the words ‘Happy Birthday’ strewn across.

“They were the best we could find,” admitted Rini when I saw the handful of rickety-looking, blackened chairs for us to sit in and the makeshift stretcher they were using as a table. Besides Hotaru and maybe Trista, nobody else looked thrilled to be in my cave. At least it was warm and dry in here.

“Of course I like them, thank you!” I said to Hotaru and let go of the excited child’s hand. I walked over to Rini and turned back to Luna Ball. “Thanks for loaning her to me, Rini. She was helpful,” I said. Luna Ball flew towards Rini and resumed hovering over her friend.

“Guys, can we please start on the cake already?! I’m starving!” complained Serena.

“Of course you are! You have two modes: hungry and sleepy!” I teased...though my growling stomach betrayed me. The square white-frosted cake that Lita baked was practically screaming at me to blow out the candles and eat it already.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!” Rini and Hotaru started singing off-key. The others laughed and joined in singing the rest: “happy birthday dear Logan!

Happy birthday to you!” Everyone clapped when I blew out the candles and grabbed a knife to start cutting it.

“How old are you now?” Trista began mockingly singing. Even she managed to crack a smile...I could tell by her tight, forced grin that she wasn’t used to smiling, but I didn’t say anything since she was trying to be nice now.

“It took him a day to tell us his name! It’ll be at least a week before he tells us his age!” Darien teased. I saw Luna hop off Serena’s lap and leave the room.

My taste buds exploded after a bite of Lita’s cake as we sat around the room. “This is the best cake I’ve ever had Lita, thank you,” I said. I heard a couple ‘mmm’ sounds in agreement.

“Is there anything you want for your birthday, Logan?” Amy asked me.

I shook my head. “You guys don’t have to get me anything else. It means a lot that you guys did all this for me.”

“But we’re still getting you a present for your birthday. Duh!” teased Rini.

193

“I already started making you something!” proclaimed Mina.

“You’re...um...making him something, Mina?” Amy asked nervously. She made it sound like the thought of Mina making something was the only thing scarier than her double date idea.

“Do you want me to help you, Mina?” Lita followed suit. She also tried to phrase her question as an innocent inquiry, but her voice shook with concern as she asked.

“No thanks! I got this, Lita!” Mina sounded a bit defiant before she turned back to me and smiled. “I’ll give it to you tonight!”

“To tell you the truth, I’d be happy with another kiss,” I said. She leaned over and gave me another on the cheek, sending butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. I saw Hotaru turn away, stick out her tongue and go ‘ewww!’ She was still at the age where girls thought boys were icky.

“Oh wait, I have a shift later!” realized Serena. “But at least it’s payday, which means I’ll have a present for you too!” Serena brightened up.

In Luna’s absence, Raye took it upon herself to chastise Serena. “You’re not seriously thinking about going back there, are you?” she asked. “That restaurant is cursed!”

“Please, just come home Serena!” cried Rini. “We miss you!”

A mischievous smirk poppet onto Serena’s face. “Who’s WE, Rini?”

Rini looked down at her half-eaten slice of cake. “You know - your mom and dad, even your brother!” she said more reservedly.

“The word ‘we’ includes ‘you’, you know!” teased Serena. Rini’s face scrunched up and turned away from Serena.

“Come on,” I said to Rini, “my birthday wish was for you and Serena to become best friends!”

Serena and Rini squinted and frowned at me. “Seriously?” asked Serena.

“You wasted your wish on that?” added Rini.

“Of course not. I wished for a ride on a unicorn,” I joked. But Serena gave Rini a very serious look.

“Rini might be able to help you with that...” said Serena. Rini knows a real unicorn?

That is SO badass! I thought.

“I don’t know if he’d be OK with that. I haven’t seen Pegasus in such a long time,” Rini answered sadly.

“I’m sure he’ll visit you again, Small Lady,” comforted Trista. “Alright Hotaru, it’s time for me to tuck you in.” I saw Hotaru clutch her empty plate and start yawning, but she waved at me as Trista carried her off to bed.

194

“Now that they’re gone, I have to ask,” chimed Vigil’s voice, “are we saving Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune any cake?”

Serena and I exchanged unsure glances. “I think there has to be some kind of punishment for what they did,” I teased.

Serena smiled. “I completely agree!” she snatched another slice of cake off the table.

“Uh, Serena,” called Amy, “I didn’t want to say anything before, but your Scout clothes are starting to look tight on you.” Serena stopped halfway through her second slice of cake and glared at Amy. “The great American college diet will do that,” I said.

Rini yawned and stood out of her rickety chair. “See you all in the morning. Happy birthday Logan,” she said sleepily and rubbed her eyes as she left.

“Too bad everyone’s tired. I had ideas for some games!” said Mina.

“Maybe later, Mina,” said Amy. “Logan, I’d better take a look at your wound before we turn in for the night.”

“I’ll go check on Luna and Molly, Princess,” Darien also stood up and kissed Serena on the forehead.

“How is she?” I asked Darien.

“Last I saw, she was still sleeping. Luna’s keeping an eye on her. I’ll take her somewhere safe when you and Amy go to the hospital. Hopefully, we’ll find Melvin too,” said Darien.

Amy motioned for me to head outside with her while the other girls stayed and chatted, with Luna and Artemis staying with them. We returned to the medical room where I had laid Princess Serenity down. Reaching for a medical kit laying off to the side, Amy lifted up my blue civilian shirt - which was still ripped and stained with blood and pulled out a bottle.

“This is going to sting,” she warned. She was right - when she poured liquid on my wound, it burned. Compared to everything I’d experienced the past four days though, it was almost a nice change of pace.

“Hotaru did a good job of healing it. When we take you to see my mother in the morning, we don’t have to tell her you got stabbed,” Amy suggested. “Not that I like lying to her,” she added. Amy pulled out a clean bandage and applied it to my side. “Logan, I need to warn you...when Sailor Saturn returns, Hotaru might become...different, towards you.”

“You mean she might try to kill me?” I asked.

“I hope not. I doubt she encountered you in the past and hopefully she’ll remember you were her friend. I just don’t want you to feel hurt,” she said. “There, you’re all set 195

for now.”

Raye knocked on the wall behind us. “Hey, Logan...I know you and Amy are going to the hospital tomorrow. While you guys are there, I want to go to the Temple and tend to the Great Fire.”

Amy and I exchanged looks. “I don’t like the thought of leaving you there on your own,” I said.

Raye crossed her arms. “You know how important it is to me,” insisted Raye. Like Mina, I could tell she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

After some thought, I answered, “all right, I’ll open the passage for you in the morning. Just...I’d feel easier about it if there was someone with you.”

Raye nodded. “Thanks Logan.”

“Hey,” I called out before she turned and walked away. “Did you tell the others about what happened earlier?” I asked Raye.

“We did. We told them you did what you had to do to keep us and Hotaru safe,” said Raye. Amy nodded in agreement.

“There’s one other thing.” I pulled out the full moon pendant that I had taken from the Shadow Commander earlier. “I think it’s a transformation locket.”

Amy reached for the pendant, lowered her visor, and scanned it using her computer.

“Unlike most Shadow artifacts, this originated from Earth. There are markings on the back,” she explained as she turned it over. I saw what looked like worn hieroglyphics etched into the back. “Do you mind if I hold on to this for the night? I’d like to take a closer look at it, if you don’t mind,” she asked nervously.

“I understand if you want to hold on to it so I don’t turn into a three-headed, fire-breathing dragon,” I teased.

Amy smiled back. “We trust you now, remember? I just want to examine it with Vigil, Luna and Artemis to make sure it’s safe for you to use it. And if it does turn you into a three-headed dragon, try to give us a heads-up,” she teased back. She packed up her medical kit and said goodnight. I meant to get up and check on the others, but my eyelids felt heavy. I decided to close my eyes. Just for a few minutes...

“Leave me alone!” I heard Hotaru’s voice echo as she screamed. When my eyes opened, I found myself perched on a second floor balcony wearing Shadow robes.

The room’s layout was similar to the Palace courtyard, but the walls and balconies appeared more crystalline in appearance and were draped in purple. Titan Castle: Princess Saturn’s palace, the thought occurred to me. A girl with short purple-black hair ran out from under me. She was wearing an elegant purple dress and desperately pushed against the massive door in front of her to no avail. I felt myself jump off the balcony and land on the ground behind her. When she turned around, I saw Hotaru’s face, though she looked like she was slightly older.

196

“Sailor Saturn. I admit, you don’t look like a mass murderer.” My words pierced the poor girl like a cold knife. It was my voice, but my tone mimicked the Spymaster’s enough to send chills down my own spine. She screamed and her distinct purple eyes widened in terror when she faced me. I realized that once again, I had no control over anything I said or did.

“There is no Sailor Saturn! Please, just leave! I won’t tell anyone you were here, I promise!” she begged.

“Liar! Your powers haven’t fully manifested yet!” I snapped back. She abruptly halted pushing against the door to jump out of the way just as I charged her in a full sprint.

I heard her running into a room on my right after I recovered from tackling the door.

She closed the door, but when I kicked it down, she rushed towards me holding what looked like a black fireplace poker. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her opposite shoulder in towards me so the pointed edge of the poker faced away. She screamed when I kicked her in the back of her thigh.

All I could do was watch myself attack the poor girl. It really wasn’t a fair fight. I wanted to scream for him...for me...to stop, that he didn’t understand. But the words came out as mere thoughts. I saw Sailor Saturn’s symbol - shaped like a lowercase h - glowing purple on her forehead when I turned her around to face me again. She screamed when I charged my hand with dark magic and pressed down on her forehead.

“Is this how far you’ve fallen, Charon? Terrorizing a defenseless girl?” I finally let the poor girl go as I confronted the voice behind me. It was Queen Serenity herself standing there, still dressed in white and carrying a pink rod. But her face was taut like a stone, just as it was when she confronted Henry.

“She’s not defenseless, just like the other girls you hide behind! But you’re alone!

Couldn’t risk them finding out the truth, too?” I snapped back. I heard a slight clank and turned just in time to witness Princess Saturn ramming her makeshift weapon into my side...

I screamed in pain when I woke up. The side that the Spymaster had pierced with his blade was hurting again. I hoped that what I just saw was a dream, not a memory. If it was a memory and Hotaru didn’t want to be my friend when Sailor Saturn returned, I wouldn’t blame her...

197

198

Chapter 28 Charon’s Past Revisited

199

A

shining light blinded me as I sat up. “The time for my return draws near,” a young woman’s voice called to me. Her glowing figure came into focus as my eyes recovered. She was transparent, like the people in my hallucination of the Moon Palace, but she glowed with a purple hue. She was dressed as a Sailor Scout, with a purple and white uniform and laced-up purple boots. Unlike the others, she carried an intimidating bladed polearm weapon.

I froze in terror when I looked into her face and saw a teenage Hotaru wearing the golden tiara.”S-Sailor Sat-turn...”

But Sailor Saturn smiled and her eyes filled with affection. “I have not come for revenge. I have been watching you. You were kind to Hotaru and helped keep her safe.”

Her words were meant to comfort me, but they confirmed that I really had attacked Princess Saturn. “I tried to hurt her a thousand years ago. I betrayed Queen Serenity,” I admitted.

“You have only seen fragments of your past. Soon I will restore Hotaru’s memories.

I have come to restore yours.” I notice Sailor Saturn raise her left arm and point at me.

A white magical orb grew around her finger.

I instinctively leaned away as she approached me. If I had more memories of betraying my friends, I didn’t want them. “You are afraid,” she noticed. “You cannot doubt yourself now. The Scouts need you. Close your eyes,” she ordered. “And remember...”

“Queen Serenity, your guests have arrived.” Princess Venus’ voice welcomed me back to the Moon Palace, before the fall of Silver Millennium. Once again, I stood beside the future Spymaster and my nemesis, ‘Henry’. Unlike before, the figures were not transparent and their voices did not echo...these really were my memories. Once again though, I could only watch the events unfold through my own eyes.

Queen Serenity, a magnificent sight in her regal white dress, stood in front of a silver throne with her back facing us. I felt the Spymaster’s cold hand press against the back of my neck as he pushed me into a bowing position. My heart raced when Serenity turned to face me again. “I am honored to welcome you to the Palace, young one.

Thank you, Princess,” she replied gracefully.

Princess Venus bowed to her, then turned towards me and Henry. “It was my pleasure to meet you both.”

“You too.” I could feel myself pushing the words out. I half expected the future Spymaster to slap me on the back of the head.

Princess Venus smiled. I shyly looked away when she focused her brilliant blue eyes 200

on me. “I hope you’ll tell me your name next time,” she said with a wink. I felt my eyes look up and follow her as she walked away from us.

The Spymaster and I both stood before Queen Serenity wearing plain gray robes, devoid of the crescent moons or other Shadow symbols. “She’s growing into a fine young woman, isn’t she? A good role model for my daughter,” commented Queen Serenity. I heard the Spymaster whispering an order for me to look at her.

“She is, your highness.” She smiled at my answer, but a puzzled look fell on her face when I asked, “did you know my father?”

“Your father said he was from here?” She was facing the Spymaster instead of me when she asked.

“He told me stories about how wonderful Silver Millennium was. I never understood why he left.” I felt my younger self fighting to suppress tears. “That’s why they killed him.”

“Who?” Her previously calm and measured voice was now filled with alarm.

“Soldiers! They served...”

“Queen Beryl.” The Spymaster finished my sentence. “The situation on Earth is far worse than we feared, your highness.”

“I was there,” I sobbed. Queen Serenity walked to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to shudder. “They said my mother was a traitor and she had to kill him, or they would kill us both. Then they separated us...” my voice trailed off.

“Do you know where they took her?” Queen Serenity asked me. I shook my head. She turned her attention to the Spymaster. “Did you know about this?” she asked.

“I did, Queen Serenity. When I told you I found a potential inside source, I considered his background irrelevant - “ “YOU THOUGHT HIS FATHER’S MURDER WAS IRRELEVANT?!” Queen Serenity shouted. “I can’t send him back there!”

I looked up in terror at the Spymaster. “You said you would take me away from there!”

“And I kept my word!” the Spymaster snapped back. “Queen Beryl has been hunting our informants while turning the forces of Earth against us! The same soldiers who killed your father and imprisoned you are loyal to her.”

“What do you need me for?” I asked.

“In the fortress where I rescued you, there is a powerful Warlock serving Queen Beryl. We need you to steal something from him. You’ve had far less exposure to the energies of the Silver Crystal. It will be harder for them to detect you,” Henry explained.

“We’ll find another way! I will urge the royalty of Earth to take action!” insisted 201

Queen Serenity.

“They will do nothing! They claim that Beryl rose to power out of nowhere, but they were simply oblivious to all the signs! If we do not act now, their forces will attack us here! They will burn this Palace to the ground and scatter our ashes!” shouted the Spymaster.

“I don’t want her to destroy the Moon Kingdom,” I said quietly as Queen Serenity opened her mouth to argue. “I’ll help if I can.”

Queen Serenity knelt down and looked into my eyes. “Are you sure?” she asked. I nodded and said, “I don’t want them to kill anyone else, like they killed my father.”

“My cover has already been blown. We can use that to our advantage, Queen Serenity. He can bring me back to the Warlock’s fortress as his prisoner. There, we will find the Warlock’s bracer and bring it here.” After explaining his plan to Queen Serenity, the Spymaster turned to me. “The Warlock is developing a magical bracer that helps the wearer master dark magic in days instead of years. It’s a crude device, but if Beryl equips an entire army with these bracers, we will have no chance. We need to put an end to the Warlock’s research.”

“Give him as much training as you can before you return him to the fortress. I want him back here safe,” Queen Serenity commanded the Spymaster. Queen Serenity went back to her throne and returned holding the same locket that I would later give to Serena. She lifted it over my head and placed it around my neck. “You have an incredible heart. I want you to have this locket as a reminder: there will be a home for you here once peace is assured.

A wide smile stretched across my face. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“The only thing left to decide is what to call you, in case you run into Princess Venus again,” she teased. After pondering for a moment, she pointed her finger in the air. “I know! Charon!”

I turned to the Spymaster and said, “you never told me your name.”

“Because you don’t need to know,” he answered coldly.

Queen Serenity laughed. “He was always paranoid, Charon. With our agents being hunted, I suppose we can’t be too careful. He will train you well.” Queen Serenity’s smile dropped from her face and she turned to the Spymaster. “Could I speak to you privately?” she asked him.

“Wait outside,” he ordered...

After several minutes standing alongside the silver-armored guards who stood in front of the Queen’s chambers, the future Spymaster emerged from the door to the throne. I looked around for Princess Venus, but sadly I didn’t see her before we left. When we returned to Earth, I did not ask him any more personal questions and he did not waste any spare time instructing me. With only a dilapidated wooden house for shelter, he 202

taught me the basics of stealth: how to move while making as little sound as possible and how to exploit a person’s blind spots. He tried to teach me to climb through trees, but I lost my grip and fell constantly. He also tried to teach me hand-to-hand, but every exercise ended with him landing a successful blow or throwing me to the floor.

After a few hours of training and a meager meal of tea and leaves, he whispered it was time. He allowed me to hit him several times to make it look like there had been a struggle, but he ended up throwing himself into trees to make his bruises look more convincing. Then I tied him up and led him through the dark forest to the obsidian fortress I had been held for one week. Its black towers spiraled upwards at an angle, like swords pointed at the moon. Inside, their goal was to indoctrinate their captives to serve Queen Beryl and hate the Moon Kingdom. They never told us why we were supposed to hate them, yet most of their captives came to believe they did eventually.

Two soldiers wearing light green armor stopped me in front of the fortress. I was not sure if they were shocked to see I had subdued one of Queen Serenity’s spies, or if they were shocked I had returned. Either way, they opened the gates and escorted me through the bleak black halls, full of miserable subjects wearing robes and armor, until I found myself face-to-face with the Warlock. I had seen him walking through lines of prisoners, drawing glee from our misery. His menacing yellow eyes widened with surprise at my return. I thought my face would be easily lost among the dozens of captives here. Not anymore...

The Warlock’s appearance was strikingly similar to the Shadows; his black and gray hooded robes were missing the crescent moons and a handful of small insignia. He carried an obsidian staff similar to Saturn’s glaive, with a sharpened dark shard tip.

“I heard that someone had escaped!” I saw the Warlock’s rotted yellow teeth as he spoke. “But you have returned...with a Lunarian spy!” The guards forced the battered Spymaster to his knees so that the Warlock could look him over like cattle. “I am looking for an apprentice. I planned to select the first inductee that gained enough prestige through deeds and favors...but you have already bested them all!”

“That’s not fair! He wasn’t part of the process!” A teenage boy screamed behind him.

I glanced around the Warlock and saw five grizzled teenagers behind him wearing simple black cloaks and green armor. The Warlock vanished in a cloud of black smoke, appeared in front of the boy, and placed his hand around the defiant teenager’s neck.

As the boy gagged, the Warlock’s hand simmered with a black-purple hue. The boy screamed in agony before he abruptly fell silent. I felt myself wince when the Warlock simply released his grip and let the body drop to the ground with a thud.

“Would anyone else like to challenge my decision?” he asked the remaining four teenagers. All of them backed away in terror. “Take them back to the pit,” he ordered the two guards. The Warlock grabbed the Spymaster by the collar and dragged him towards his dungeon. I followed them into a dark and empty cell. The Warlock dropped the Spymaster onto the ground, then kneeled down to pull out one of the bricks in the ground. He pulled out a small wooden box and opened it to reveal a brown bracer.

203

“Put this on, my new apprentice” he ordered. It looked like it was made of worn leather. As I turned it in my hand, I could see the dark shard crudely shoved in. The bracer irritated my arm and was more uncomfortable to wear than the one that Luna would give me 1000 years later. I coughed and gagged as dark magic swirled around me: when the smoke cleared, I saw I was wearing the same robes as the Warlock himself.

“This prototype is my life’s work, my apprentice. If we succeed, Queen Beryl will be able to raise an army of sorcerers and warlocks in weeks! The Moon Kingdom’s stupid queen has horded the power of the Silver Crystal for herself and a select few. They will be powerless to stop us!” he declared. “Now, harness your inner pain and test your new powers on this Lunarian spy!”

The Spymaster started crawling on the ground away from us when I walked towards him and flipped him over. “Do what he says”, he mouthed quietly. After a few seconds of concentration, I channeled dark energy to my hands and pressed against Henry’s chest.

“Yes! Yes!” the Warlock screamed in delight as the Spymaster grimaced in pain. “But put more effort into it acolyte! Make him suffer as much as you have! Just like we will make Queen Serenity and her pompous court suffer!” he jeered.

Seeing that I understood how to use the bracer, the Spymaster nodded to me. I teleported behind the Warlock and struck him with the same attack. I caught the Warlock off guard, but he quickly recovered and swung his staff at me. I grabbed the his wrists and pushed him into the wall, but the Warlock headbutted me and grabbed my forehead.

“No crescent moon,” he noted. I teleported away to strike him again, but he kept his guard up and elbowed me in the face, knocking me off balance. “But I sense something about you. Could it be?” I tackled him, grabbed his wrists again, and kicked him away with enough force to loosen his grip on the staff. The Spymaster leapt forward and took the Warlock’s staff, although the Warlock brushed him aside like a pest.

“Surrender,” I commanded. I stood before him with an orb of dark magic in my right hand, warning him to back down. The Warlock’s dark shard-tipped staff glowed and I just barely managed to roll away from a dark magic sphere that blew a crater into the wall behind me.

The Warlock cackled like a maniac. “You’re a half-breed! Do you think you’ll be welcome in Silver Millennium? What did your companion promise you? A Palace? A date with a Sailor Scout? Did he tell you that the Moon is made out of cheese and you can eat to your heart’s content?” he mocked. His laughter was silenced when the Spymaster slammed his staff into the back of the Warlock’s head, then turned the pointed edge towards the Warlock’s body on the floor and ran him through.

“Did you have to kill him?” I asked uncomfortably. The Spymaster let go of the staff and left it in the Warlock’s body.

“Yes; now he will not be able to recreate the bracer for Queen Beryl. But I wonder...”

Henry reached out towards my bracer and touched the dark stone inside. I saw the dark 204

hunger swirling around in his eyes like a tornado. “If Queen Serenity is unwilling to commit to direct action, we can use their own magic against them.”

“It sounds like that’s her decision to make,” I answered.

He snapped out of his trance and took his fingers off the dark shard. “We must leave quickly. I have an escape route.” He raised his hand in the air when I began to unbuckle the bracer. “Keep it. You’ve earned it.” His rare moment of praise was followed with a discomforting half-smile. I could tell he wasn’t used to smiling either.

When we returned to the Palace gates, I felt myself reach down, grab a fistful of Moon Dust, and open my mouth. Here was one moment I really wished I could control myself during my flashbacks...

“What are you doing?” asked the Spymaster. I gagged when the dust landed on my tongue.

“The Moon does NOT taste like cheese.” I bent over and spit the rest out of my mouth, only to see it landed disturbingly close to a pair of red high heels. I looked up to find a puzzled Sailor Mars wearing them and staring at me. At least I was sort of bowing...

“We didn’t need a researcher to tell us that,” she remarked. She examined me from top to bottom. “Does everyone on Earth dress like that?” she asked.

“Not everyone,” I answered. “Have you been there?”

“No! Why would you ask me that?!” Sailor Mars fumed.

“I meant - I didn’t - I’m sorry!” I babbled...though at the time, I didn’t realize what was wrong with my question.

Sailor Mars’ face softened. “I think Venus mentioned you earlier. She said you were a bit awkward. I’ll let it go this time,” she gently cautioned.

“I am the Queen’s High Researcher on Earth, this is my new apprentice. He gets... enthusiastic about his work,” explained the Spymaster. Now I had my official cover.

Mars crossed her arms and stared at me. “No wonder Venus is fond of you! Queen Serenity is waiting in the throne room.” We found Queen Serenity gently stroking Luna’s fur as the guardian cat lay across Serenity’s lap. Henry and Mars bowed. This time, I remembered to bow with them. Luna leapt off of Queen Serenity’s lap and followed Mars outside, casting me a quick glance before Mars closed the door. I found the buckle that held the crude bracer to my arm and removed it for Queen Serenity to see.

She smiled warmly as she stood from her throne and approached us. I couldn’t resist smiling back. “You’ve done Silver Millennium a great service, Charon. I’m very proud of you.” I extended my arms so she could take the bracer from me. She ran her fingers across the brown leather until she touched the dark shard itself. I could see her eyes fill with terror and she dropped the bracer to the ground.

“Your highness!” shouted the Spymaster. She must have seen the visions of herself 205

doing terrible things with dark magic, like I did when Luna gave me the dark shard to hold 1000 years later.

“I’m alright!” assured Queen Serenity after we both rushed to her side. She picked the bracer up off the ground by the leather strap. “I hope you can find a way to shield our informants. I don’t feel comfortable having a dark shard in the Palace,” she noted.

“Your highness, Charon helped me defeat the Warlock using this bracer. He was able to wield dark magic almost immediately after putting it on. Perhaps our own agents will be able to use it, as well,” suggested the Spymaster.

Queen Serenity looked utterly appalled by his suggestion. “The use of dark magic is strictly forbidden!” she shouted.

“We can take measures to ensure that no one using the bracer can use dark magic against us! Even a handful of agents wielding the dark shard’s powers can tip the scales against Queen Beryl, your highness!” the Spymaster insisted.

Queen Serenity placed her head in her hand and turned her back on us. She paced back and forth before facing us again. “We have to consider who can know about this very carefully,” she decided. “Tensions are already high between us and the Kingdom of Earth. If they found out we were spying on them and breaking our own laws in the process...”

“I can have the bracer broken down and replicated without anyone learning its true purpose, your majesty,” the Spymaster promised after Queen Serenity trailed off.

She turned back towards me. “Charon, there is something I meant to tell you before you left but I decided to wait until after you returned. It’s about your father.”

“What about my father?” I asked.

Serenity became sullen as she knelt in front of me. “Before you were born, your father broke one of our most important laws. As punishment, he was exiled from the Moon Kingdom.”

I felt my eyes swelling with tears again. “What law did he break?” I asked.

Queen Serenity turned away, so the Spymaster answered: “personal relations between the people of both Kingdoms are strictly forbidden. Your father openly violated the law by bringing your Earthborn mother here. Because she was pregnant, Queen Serenity had your parents exiled as quietly as possible.”

I glared at Queen Serenity as she still couldn’t bring herself to look at me. “But you brought me here! You broke your own law!”

“Contact with the people of Earth is permissible under certain circumstances,” noted the Spymaster. “In your case, it was necessary to ensure the protection of Silver Millennium.”

“You’re saying she didn’t break the law because she only used me to get the bracer?

206

Now I know what the Warlock meant when he said I wouldn’t be welcome here!” I snapped.

Queen Serenity finally turned with sorrow flooding her eyes. She placed her hands on my shoulders, but now I refused to look at her. “I share the blame for the loss of your parents, I know that. Even as Queen, there are few things I can change on my own, but I will keep my promise to give you a home here. Silver Millennium still needs you.

Princess Venus and Mars need you. Please...”

207

208

Chapter 29 The Boy With The Hood

209

A

s I lingered in the past, I became less aware that I was observing events. I remembered when I found out the Sailor Scouts had lied to me about the bracer in the present and how close I came to walking away from them for good. Once again, I remained loyal to Silver Millennium. But after Queen Serenity told me that she exiled my father, I felt my veins filling with ice water again. She no longer appeared as an angel to me: I still saw her as a surrogate mother, but she had laid the foundations of my doubts.

I returned to Earth with the Spymaster to train as the bracer I had stolen for Silver Millennium was being copied and improved. I climbed and fell from trees until I could traverse an entire forest without touching the ground. I sparred with him until I surprised him with a karate chop to the neck or an open palm to the chest. I waited for hours until he let his guard down and I came up behind him. Occasionally, one of Beryl’s patrols wandered near. Her forces grew stronger and more numerous with each day.

During our few moments of free time, the Spymaster asked me how I felt when I wielded the bracer. I told him it was hard to explain: it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I saw the dark kernel that was in the future Spymaster’s eyes, but it hadn’t sprouted. He still held a grudging respect for Queen Serenity and the Moon Kingdom that he had devoted his life to. Maybe he even started to care about me, in his own way.

The rare moments I was separate from him, my thoughts drifted back to my parents.

I wondered if my mother was suffering in a horrible black fortress like the one I had visited, or if she had found peace with my father. I tried to picture my return to Silver Millennium with my father. Would he have been proud of me for defending the Moon Kingdom? Or would he have despised the fact that I served the woman that cast him out?

These thoughts became a burden and the Spymaster noticed I was falling behind on my training, so I tried to banish them. Instead, I thought of Queen Serenity and Princess Mars. I thought the most about Princess Venus and finally becoming the charming and social prince who would sweep her off her feet. When I remembered Queen Serenity saying that she had a daughter I tried to picture her. I thought she would be beautiful, poised, graceful and wise beyond her years.

Boy, was I off the mark.

Weeks later, Queen Serenity told us to return to the Moon Palace. Sailor Mercury stood guard at the throne room door. “Queen Serenity will be with you in a minute,” she told us. For the first time, it seemed like a Princess was more afraid of me than I was of her. She also seemed shy, but she summed up the courage to look at me and 210

smile politely. “You’re the boy with the hood. Sailor Mars and Venus told the rest of us about you.”

“They did? How many of you did they tell?” I felt myself shaking a bit. Now that I knew them all in the present, I knew they were just excited about a new boy frequenting the palace...but my past self was terrified to think of what they were saying about me.

Seeing me frightened seemed to calm her nerves a bit and her smile appeared more genuine. “Just myself, Sailor Jupiter and Princess Serenity. We’re all very close.” Sailor Mercury then sighed. “I’ve read so much about Earth. What’s it like?”

“It’s far larger than the Moon. It has forests filled with trees and deserts with sand as far as the eye can see. It has cliffs and waterfalls - “ The Spymaster interrupted me with a nudge. I wasn’t supposed to make Earth sound appealing. “B-but there’s also horrible monsters with sharp teeth and jaws wide enough to swallow you whole, plus the weather goes from blistering heat to freezing cold in an instant. Most of the people there aren’t very nice either, that’s why I watch them from a distance.”

“So you didn’t pick up your accent from there?” Sailor Mercury asked.

“I, um, didn’t realize I had an accent.”

“Yes, you do!” she laughed. “Where are you from?”

“The Moon,” I blurted out. What was taking Queen Serenity so long?

Sailor Mercury giggled. “Yes, I know. Where specifically?”

“Eden.” I gave her the answer that the Spymaster told me to give.

“You don’t have an Eden accent,” she noticed. She was still smiling, but I broke into a nervous sweat.

“I didn’t know I had one.”

“Of course you do! In fact, I’ve never heard an accent quite like yours before!”

“My mother’s from somewhere else. Maybe the two of them blended together!” I suggested. The Spymaster turned his back on us: no doubt to get a message to Queen Serenity to hurry up.

“Where is she from?” Sailor Mercury asked innocently. The Spymaster hadn’t gone into detail about the Moon’s geography. I thought of telling her I didn’t know, but the Spymaster told me to always have an answer, so I came up with a name out of thin air.

“Managata!”

One of Sailor Mercury’s eyes grew wider than the other and her mouth straightened out. “There was no Managata on the official census report,” she said.

I made one last-ditch effort to deflect her questions. “You wouldn’t have. It’s a tiny and obscure village far away from here.”

211

But there was just no fooling Sailor Mercury. “The Bureau is very meticulous when it comes to the census. I should tell them that they made a mistake.” Just when I figured I was screwed, her communicator started bleeped and Queen Serenity told her to send us inside immediately. That was way too close.

Sailor Mercury bowed and reintroduced us to the Queen. Mercury smiled at me. Her questions had been completely innocent and she wasn’t suspicious...yet. “It was nice to finally meet you. I look forward to continuing our conversation.”

“Me too, Princess!” I lied and laughed nervously until she left.

Queen Serenity stood from her throne. “I apologize for the wait, Charon. Princess Mercury is a very bright and curious young woman. I’ll tell the Bureau that we’ve discovered a new village!” she teased.

“We should minimize his interactions with the Sailor Scouts in the future,” said the Spymaster. I felt my heart drop as he shattered my dream of making friends in the Moon Palace. I didn’t even get to tell Sailor Venus my name.

“I’m afraid he’s right, Charon. We can’t risk someone from the Palace blowing your cover. Hopefully, I’ll be able to formally introduce you to them when the threat has ended,” assured Queen Serenity. The Spymaster’s eyes lit up when Queen Serenity presented the new bracers to us. The replicas were made out of silver, engraved with cleanly cut dark shards. Cold and smooth on the inside, they were more comfortable to wear than the Warlock’s crude contraption. Considering dark magic was banned, I wondered where Queen Serenity found extra dark shards from. I didn’t ask her, though.

“I took note of your recommendations,” Queen Serenity said to the Spymaster. “Wearing this bracer, you will not be able to use your powers inside the Moon Kingdom or against a member of my court. If you suspect that someone here is under the influence of Queen Beryl or the Negaforce, come straight to me.”

“What’s the Negaforce?” I asked.

“An evil entity that holds Queen Beryl under her power,” explained the Spymaster.

Something about the Spymaster calling something ‘evil’ struck a chord with me. “I will recall our remaining informants to the Moon Kingdom, vet them for reassignment, and take up the responsibility of training them. With the bracer, I should become adept with my new powers quickly.”

“Don’t be too proud to ask Charon for guidance,” teased Queen Serenity. “After all, he is your leader.”

I stared at the Spymaster. “I thought he was my leader!”

“I will support your mission by recruiting future Shadows and leading covert actions when direct force is necessary. But my undercover days are over Charon,” explained the Spymaster. “You have a lot to learn, but you grew up on Earth. You understand your people in ways that even I cannot. Besides, you now have a number of administrative duties that I do not envy.”

212

Queen Serenity laughed. “Remember your cover. You are my researcher, one of very few Lunarians permitted on Earth. You will come back regularly to debrief me on your activities.” Queen Serenity turned her back on me again. “I wish we could celebrate your ascension, but no one outside this room can know your true identity. From now on, you lead the Shadows of the Moon Kingdom, my eyes and ears on Earth. You are the Spymaster. You report only to me.”

“I won’t let you down, your majesty,” I promised...

That became a tough promise to keep. After the Spymaster revealed his secret underground hideout and transferred it to me, he told me that our mission was restricted to gathering intelligence. We were not to take direct action against the enemy. Queen Beryl’s forces had grown bold: they sacked entire cities, burned homes, and made public examples of anyone who refused to swear allegiance to their ruler. But the Kingdom of Earth or Queen Serenity did nothing. My feelings toward the elite beginning to fester and darken: holed up in their Palaces, they had no idea how bad things were on Earth.

It was like they didn’t want to know, or they just saw the rest of us as an inconvenience.

As I lost track of the days, my only consolation was that I had the hideout’s master computer to tinker with. I wanted to act against Queen Beryl on my own, but recruiting new Shadows from the Moon Kingdom was a daunting task. When the time came to compile my first report back to Queen Serenity, I only received a half dozen others...either my companion had only found six new recruits, or someone sent me extra. Queen Serenity did not reply when I sent my report on the rapid growth of Beryl’s forces, accompanied with an urgent request for action. My future successor echoed my frustration and complaints when he visited me to explain his failure to find new recruits.

“There are barely enough soldiers to guard the Palace. Even amongst the lower classes, the Moon Kingdom has become decadent and lazy. First, the majority gave whatever power they had to the nobility in exchange for security, then the nobles gave their power to the Queen so they could devote themselves to partying and dancing!” he complained.

“There are thousands of people just like me imprisoned. If only we could recruit them...”

My companion shook his head. “Queen Serenity declined. You were an exception.

Besides, we have nothing to offer them.”

But I still hadn’t given up on her. “Queen Serenity said things would change after the fighting ended. My father was an exile and my mother was a human, yet she made me Spymaster! Maybe we can change things from the inside!”

“She made you Spymaster out of necessity, not out of a desire for change. But I suppose time will tell,” he conceded.

“We need to take action ourselves.”

“I agree. Queen Serenity is reluctant to intervene directly in the affairs of Earth. But if we can prove that Queen Beryl has infiltrated the royal court, she will have to act. There 213

will be a ball in Elysion tonight. Earth’s Crown Prince Endymion will be in attendance.

I will be able to accompany you and we can search for potential traitors.”

I felt myself roll my eyes. “Beryl’s forces are rampaging in their backyard, and they’re having a party?!”

“It’s the same at the Moon Palace, Charon. Dances and fireworks every night to keep the nobility distracted.”

“Why should I protect the Moon Kingdom if they won’t protect themselves?”

“You volunteered to protect a kingdom that only exists inside your head,” the future Spymaster bluntly answered after I expressed my frustration. “Come, we’ll need to get you a suit...”

The capital of Earth was a beautiful and peaceful place, but I was not filled with the same amazement that I was when I saw the Moon Palace. I was disgusted: how could the people here be so oblivious and self-centered? As I watched them wearing nice clothes, laughing and dancing while soothing music played, all I could think about was the fortress that I had been held and the hell my mother could be going through right now. Queen Beryl’s intentions may have been pure evil, but maybe something positive can come from it. Either the nobles will realize they need to treat people better or they’ll lose all of this...

“Hey! Watch the dress!” cried a teenage girl when I nearly stepped on her gown. I instinctively bowed and apologized, staring at the bottom of her white regal dress. “And people say I’m clumsy!”

Butterflies began fluttering in my stomach when I saw her face. The words “Princess Venus?” escaped from my lips. She also had blonde hair and blue eyes, but I recognized Serena by her meatball head.

She abruptly dropped her frown and arms. “You’re not from the Moon, are you?”

“You’re Princess Serenity!” I realized. Having seen more of her mother, I saw the resemblance.

Serena gasped, then grabbed my wrist and waist and pulled me around. She must have recognized the Spymaster because she used me to hide herself as he walked past.

She whispered “I saw you with Mercury! You’re the new researcher my friends were talking about! I thought you always wore a hood and studied boring stuff like dirt and rocks!”

“This party’s pretty boring, sounds right up my alley!” I joked.

“I could get you in trouble for saying that!” she whispered louder as we pretended to dance.

“I could get you in more trouble by telling your mother that you were here!” I shot back.

214

“I’m just visiting a friend!” she pouted. “I’ll tell you what: you don’t tell my mother and I won’t tell Venus we talked! She’s already jealous that you only said two words to her!”

Damn. Princess Serenity read me like an open book. My face burned red. Prince Endymion - none other than Darien - marched towards us. He wore black and gray armor with a cape and a sword hanging on his side. He politely bowed to me. “Good evening, sir. I would like to ask for this lady’s hand during the next dance.”

If I had control over my actions, I might have burst out laughing at such an easy-going guy like Darien acting all formal. Princess Serenity and I practically pushed each other off. “Of course,” I said. I politely bowed and she curtsied in return. I saw a blondehaired man with piercing blue eyes and a gray military dress uniform eying the Prince from a distance. I had a bad feeling about him, and the Spymaster was nowhere to be seen, so I confronted him.

“Dull party, isn’t it?” he asked me. He was roughly my height, less than an inch shorter. He must have known why had I approached him because he quickly bowed to me and said, “I am Jedite. I am one of the Crown Prince’s guardians and generals.”

I returned his bow. “Hello, Commander.” I found the Spymaster talking to three similarly-dressed figures at the opposite end of the party.

“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I was not watching you. We are always on the lookout for the Moon Kingdom’s spies. These parties make the Prince an easy target, but he will not listen.”

“The Moon’s spies?” I asked. “Are they the most pressing threat?”

“Perhaps you’ve heard rumors about Queen Beryl?” he asked. “I assure you: the stories about her brutality are Lunarian propaganda. She is not our enemy. She is doing Earth a great service!”

“Does the Crown Prince agree?” I asked.

He was so focused on watching the Prince dancing with Princess Serenity, that he was paying little mind to our conversation. “He doesn’t believe that Queen Serenity would spy on him without his knowledge. Lately, he’s been distracted. I think it’s that woman,” he sighed.

The Spymaster tapped me on the shoulder. “I must speak with you.”

“Best wishes to you and the Prince, Commander,” I bowed. He nodded politely with his eyes still glued on Prince Endymion. The Spymaster and I moved away from prying eyes. “They regard us as the enemy, not Queen Beryl! If they’re not in her camp yet, they will be soon!”

“The other three held similar sentiments,” said the Spymaster. “You must report to Queen Serenity immediately.”

“Stay behind and see if you can get any more information out of them,” I ordered.

215

I left the party, ducked into a shrub and transformed into a Shadow. I felt myself looking over my robes, noticing the added tweaks like the addition of crescent moons. I did not encounter any of Beryl’s soldiers, but just before I opened the door to my hideout, I heard a twig snap several feet away from me. In a blink, I teleported behind where I heard the noise. I found myself facing Princess Serenity’s back in a shrub.

“What are you doing here?!” I whispered. She screamed and jumped, but I pulled her back down when I heard chatter in the distance.

“I told you - we’ve all taken an interest in you!” she teased. She picked the worst possible time to follow me: one of Queen Beryl’s patrols was coming this way. I couldn’t leave the Moon Princess out here, even if it blew my cover.

I told her to wait, then quietly opened the underground passage to my hideout. “Come on!” I motioned for her to hurry.

“I take back what I said, I wanna study the ground too!” she naively remarked before I pushed her down inside. The lights came on when we entered the cave.

My computer terminal hummed to life and Vigil’s holographic Shadow took form.

“Online. Welcome back, Spymaster. Ooohhh! Hey, foxy la-day!” he cheered.

I ran over and fumbled for the off button. “ I’m still tweaking my computer’s personality matrix. And the recognition software,” I mumbled.

A mischievous twinkle shined in Princess Serenity’s eyes. “A simple researcher who won’t tell us his name, attends dances with royalty, and has an underground base with a supercomputer?”

Damn. “It’s Charon, alright?! Please, no more questions!”

Princess Serenity’s naive eyes sparkled. “My friends were right! You are hiding something, and we’re going to find out what!”

“I’m sure you and the Sailor Scouts have better things to do with your time, Princess.”

I tried my hardest to feign a disinterested monotone. For her, finding out my identity was like finding out my crush: she couldn’t grasp the seriousness of what she was stumbling into. Then again, the word ‘serious’ likely wasn’t in her vocabulary.

“You can call me Serena if you want to,” she smiled. Like it or not, I finally made a friend from the Moon Kingdom. “And nope, we have plenty of time for mysterious guys!”

I had no doubt that they did. Princess Serenity and the Sailor Scouts were so innocent at the time. I wanted to shelter them; I didn’t want them to have the same experiences I did. But at the same time, I asked myself: would Queen Serenity exile her own daughter if she found out about her secret romance with the Prince of Earth? Or did another set of rules apply to her?

216

217

218

Chapter 30 The Fading Millennium

219

W

ith a flash of white light, Princess Serenity disappeared and I returned to the room where Sailor Saturn had appeared to me in the present.

“Princess Serenity?!” I frantically cried out her name. Sailor Saturn’s transparent figure appeared in the corner of the room. I noticed my own body slumped down where Amy had examined my wound earlier. Great, now I’m having an out-ofbody experience.

“Someone’s coming,” explained Sailor Saturn. “I thought you might want to see.”

“Why are you making me relive these memories?” I asked her. “What am I supposed to see?” “ How you interpret your past is up to you,” she blankly answered before Lita poked her head into the cave.

“There he is,” Lita whispered behind her. Mina and Raye tiptoed into the room with her. All three of them were wearing pajamas. Lita gently lifted one of my eyelids. “He sleeps like a log,” she noted.

“Perfect! I just have to make a few last measurements!” Raye and Lita jumped when Mina pulled a measuring tape bracelet out of her pocket and wrapped it around my wrist. They still cast nervous glances at each other. I wondered how worried I should be that Mina was making me something.

“Have you thought about making him a music CD, Mina? I’m sure he’d love it if you sang for him!” suggested Lita.

Raye crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Like that would be totally harmless!

Remember when we all came down with the flu? Nurse Venus’ “sounds of the sea” tape destroyed my cassette player - which she never replaced, by the way!”

An indignant Mina turned to face Lita. “I offered to replace that antique with something more up-to-date! Besides, you know what they say Raye, it’s the thought that counts!” She returned to her work and wrapped the measuring tape around my ankle.

“Maybe we should have more confidence in you, Mina. You’re getting better grades, you get most of your proverbs right, and you even scored a boyfriend!” teased Lita.

“Speaking of which, has Logan said the ‘l’ word yet?” asked Raye.

I hadn’t said it. Mina withdrew her measuring tape and put it back in her pocket. “No. He’s not the type who...uh, hang on a second...wears his heart on his...not shirt...aha!

He’s not the type who wears his heart on his sleeve. I know that he cares about me...

220

though it would be nice if he said it more often.” Poor Mina.

Lita put the tip of her finger on my bottom lip and gently opened it to make it look like I was talking. “Mina,” she said in a mockingly deep tone, “I love you.”

Raye and Mina covered their mouths to laugh. “Guys, let’s go before he catches us,” whispered Mina.

At first, I smiled after they vacated the room: even after 1000 years, they seemed so innocent. But looking back on the time Mina and I spent together, I really hadn’t told her how much I cared about her. I wasn’t the type of person to share my feelings, even before all this. ButI had so much respect for her: she went so far to make me feel welcome when I found out I was a Shadow. Her heart was always in the right place, and that was the most important thing. She was right; I needed to tell her I cared, and our date was the best opportunity for me to do so. Even if Darien and Serena were sitting across from us making goo-goo eyes as I declared my feelings in a skin-tight suit. Well, at least it would just be the four of us...

“Any idea what that was about?” Sailor Saturn snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned red when the idea as the idea came me. Was this the dreaded skintight suit that they had proposed? I thought it was a joke! “Rini told me that Serena and Mina approached Luna about...modernizing my outfit.”

“Oh.” Sailor Saturn, fortunately, did not pursue the topic. “Are you ready to continue?” she asked.

Part of me wanted to say no and make it stop. I confided in Saturn: “you said you didn’t want me to have any doubts, but all the doubts and ill feelings I had towards the Moon Kingdom are just flooding back. If Serena becomes Queen, how do I know that she won’t make the same mistakes her mother did?”

Just when I began to doubt that Sailor Saturn was going to answer me, she did. “Maybe that is why you are here now. As you remember Charon’s past, don’t forget about Logan’s.”

She was right. I had Logan’s memories too. Sailor Moon and the other Scouts...they could still be idealistic and naive at times, but they were my closest friends now. If some of them still didn’t trust me, they were coming around. They even threw me a birthday party. But were we fighting for the same thing?

“I’m ready,” I told her. Once again, she pointed towards me and a white orb of light formed around her finger...

I returned to Queen Serenity’s throne room a thousand years in the past. This time, there were several nobles with us. Wearing dresses and tuxedos, they looked like they just came from a dinner party.

Queen Serenity addressed the crowd: “I am aware of the rumors surrounding Metalia and the so-called Queen Beryl of Earth, but we are closely monitoring the situation.

221

The power of the Silver Crystal will protect us, as it always has.”

“What if they’ve already infiltrated the Kingdom, your majesty?” one of the women asked.

“There are rumors of Lunarians wielding dark magic, just like Beryl’s forces, your majesty,” added another noble.

“There will always be a few miscreants who experiment with magic for nefarious purposes. Like any other unlawful use of magic, anyone caught using dark magic in the Moon Kingdom will be punished by the Sailor Scouts,” she answered. I felt myself tug down on the sleeve covering my bracer.

“Why do we waste our time trying to guide Earth, your majesty? They’re uncultured and uncivilized barbarians! Use the Silver Crystal to trap them on Earth so they can slaughter each other!” cried out one of the nobles. Queen Serenity looked baffled when most of the crowd starting to cheer. I clenched my right fist. I wanted to kill all of them right then and there...

Queen Serenity stood and raised her hand to silence the crowd. “I granted you an audience with me so that I could address your concerns. I will not tolerate this sort of discussion here! Sailor Jupiter, please escort them out of the throne room!” Her voice thundered and shook the entire moon when she shouted. I had never heard her sound so angry.

“You lied about the Shadows’ existence, your majesty?” I asked after everyone else left.

“We cannot ignore the possibility that Metalia has agents here. Your second-in-command agreed it was the right call.”

“I thought people were nicer here. Guess I was wrong,” I noted.

“I wish we all lived up to what you expected of us, Charon. I really do,” she replied sadly. “To resume our previous discussion, Jedite and the other commanders are Crown Prince Endymion’s close friends as well, Charon. We cannot take action against them without more substantial proof,” Queen Serenity insisted.

“Let me get you proof, your majesty! We can abduct one of them and extract a confession! By the time Endymion finds out he’s missing - “ “I cannot authorize you to kidnap one of Prince Endymion’s aides. Even if you are correct, it would be a violation of Earth’s sovereignty.”

“That stupid law again...” I snarled through gritted teeth. “You are running out of time, your majesty! It’s like you’re burying your head in the sand and hoping this all goes away!”

“We cannot lose the few supporters we have on Earth. Your companion understands this. I am sorry if I gave you the impression I was ‘burying my head in the sand’, as you put it, by not responding to your report. I am discussing what actions we might take 222

with my advisors.”

“Your advisors? Have any of them even been to Earth? I’ll bet they haven’t even done a round guarding the Palace! You have no idea how bad things are there!”

Queen Serenity stood from her throne. “Charon, you think that I have the power to wave my hand and make everything perfect, but that is not true. You heard the men and women who were just in here. I can change the law, but that means nothing if their minds do not change with it. I would be no different from Queen Beryl if I made unilateral decisions and enforced them with threats.”

“Truth and justice are not determined by popular opinion, your majesty. This is not the same as what Queen Beryl is doing,” I insisted.

“All actions have consequences, even well-intentioned ones. We must remain focused on defending our Kingdom.”

“Yes, your majesty,” I grudgingly acknowledged. I did not doubt there was some truth in what she said, but I felt that she was making excuses for the most part. Queen Serenity sounded empathetic, but she was still reluctant to take action. How could she be so stubborn?

I wasn’t paying attention when I pushed open the throne room doors and ran into someone carrying a silver plate with a piece of white cake...which was now mush on my robes. “Hey! That was for Queen Serenity, you klutz!” And it was none other than Sailor Jupiter that I had just carelessly bumped into. I just had to embarrass myself every time I met a Sailor Scout...

“Sorry!” I quickly apologized. Only now did I realize how tall she was compared to the others...she was no more than four inches shorter than I was.

“Oh, it’s you again.” Sailor Jupiter’s tone softened when she recognized me. “I’m the one who should apologize. I made the cake for tonight’s ball and when I saw there was some left, I rushed back so Queen Serenity could try it.”

I reached down with one finger to lick some off. “It tastes amazing.” I tried to offer her some consolation.

“Wanna know my secret? I sprinkled a bit of moon dust in the batter!” I quickly felt bad after I instinctively stuck my tongue out and made a sour face. “I guess I should keep that secret.”

“I had a bad experience with tasting moon dust in front of Sailor Mars,” I admitted.

“But she already told you, right?” Sailor Jupiter didn’t answer me. She stared at me with a slightly gaping mouth and stars twinkling in her eyes...

Wait! Lita liked me back then?! Huh...I guess something was bound to be different. I had not gotten that vibe from her when we met in the 21st century...definitely not when we first met.

My past self took a bit longer to catch on. “Uh, Sailor Jupiter?” I asked.

223

“Huh? Oh...uh...” she fumbled with her words. Her face was slightly pink. Yup, she definitely liked me back then. Poor Venus had competition.

“I didn’t think Sailor Scouts had time to cook,” I remarked.

“Just as a hobby. It was my destiny to become a Sailor Scout so I could defend love and courage!” she proudly declared.

“You sound so sure you’re in the right place. I chose to become a - a lead researcher, but I’m starting to feel like I made the wrong choice,” I confessed to her - well, short of telling her what I really was - for lack of anyone else to confide with. It was hard for me to trust Queen Serenity these days, and the Spymaster was the last person in the Moon Kingdom to discuss feelings with.

“Maybe you didn’t really have a choice. Maybe you’re exactly where you were meant to be, so you don’t need to worry about it!” Her words were meant to reassure me, but they made me wonder: what if I hadn’t said that I would help when I came to the Moon Palace? Would they have respected my choice? Or found another way to make me do what they wanted?

“Hey, um...” Jupiter called to me even though I was inches away from her. This time, I was the one who spaced out. “Did we used to date?” she asked.

The random question startled me. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t...”

“You look like someone I went out with.” Why do I get the feeling that a lot of guys remind her of someone she dated?

I saw the Spymaster glaring at me from behind Sailor Jupiter’s shoulder. I bowed and said, “I need to go. It was great talking to you, Sailor Jupiter!”

“You don’t need to be so formal with us all the time! We know you now! Next time you’re back, we can make something for the next ball together! I’d be happy to show you how to cook!” she offered.

“Sure, I’d love to hang out with you guys more,” I said. I meant it...but deep down I knew I couldn’t. Not for another thousand years, anyway.

“We told you to limit your interactions with the Scouts,” the Spymaster chastised when I rejoined him.

“I couldn’t avoid her. She ran into me with a plate full of cake.” I pointed down at my robes.

For the first time ever, the Spymaster widened with genuine curiosity after I filled him in on my conversation with Queen Serenity.. “Queen Serenity’s unwillingness to take action is unsurprising, but I never had that conversation with her.”

I felt my own eyebrows rising. “Are you sure you didn’t just forget?”

“Anyone attempting to spy for Beryl would be able to glean little that she did not 224

already assume. And frankly, spying does not suit Beryl’s tactics. She wants to crush the Moon Kingdom under overwhelming force and pry the Silver Crystal from Queen Serenity’s cold, dead hands. The lives of her servants are hardly any concern to her.”

“Maybe she just forgot,” I suggested.

But the Spymaster shook his head. “Queen Serenity clearly violating the law regarding forbidden magic by employing Shadows. Revealing our existence would make her look like a hypocrite and sully her image. Meanwhile, you’re too sympathetic to the plight of Earth. She had ample motive to lie to you, Charon.”

No, he had to be the one lying, I thought. Yes, she kept secrets from me but lying to my face was something else. But then I remembered she flat-out lied to the nobles by telling them that dark magic was strictly forbidden right in front of me. Maybe she did...

“Charon, we are only a dozen strong and the new recruits are not ready to conduct operations by themselves. But we can stall Queen Beryl in the meantime,” the Spymaster suggested.

“Go on.”

“Queen Serenity has forbidden us from recruiting the people of Earth into the Shadows, but a woman named Amethyst has risen a formidable army and insisted on remaining neutral. Beryl’s troops have attempted to stamp her out, but Amethyst is said to be able to call the animals of the forests to help defend her territory.”

“We can be pretty superstitious,” I told the Spymaster.

“I think there is something to these rumors, Charon. Before the rise of Queen Beryl, when I was merely an observer, I heard of humans claiming to wield elemental and shamanistic powers independent of the Silver Crystal, yet they were not inherently dark in nature either.”

“Very well. Maybe we can convince her to fight with us. At the very least, we can make sure Queen Beryl does not get her hands on a new form of magic.”

The dark forest sheltering Amethyst’s base was a creepy place, but we were not attacked by any creatures. I started to wonder if we had wasted our time when we finally set foot in the marble ruins of a coliseum. It looked like it had been in use by the royal court of the Earth Kingdom before it was abandoned. A number of tanned civilians in tattered rags sat up in the stands, whispering amongst themselves while the Spymaster and I walked to the center of the grounds wearing Shadow robes.

Four warriors holding crude axes and dressed in wolf skins emerged from the pit ahead to block. I summoned a ball of black-purple dark energy and held it in my hand like an orb. The crowd cheered as the frightened guards stepped back. A hand came around one of the guard’s shoulders and pushed him a way. The hand belonged to a tall and pale young woman with black hair and piercing orange eyes. She wore a tattered Sailor Scout uniform, torn at the sleeves and ripped on one side, with a faded black ribbon, a black skirt frayed at the edges, and muddied knee-high boots.

225

“Where did you get that outfit?” I demanded. “If you killed a Sailor Scout and wear her uniform to mock us, you will answer to Queen Serenity!” The woman gave a familiar blood-curdling, shrieking laugh that grated my ear drums. This was the same woman who I had fought and spared on several occasions! She was the Spymaster’s second-in-command in the present!

“Nothing so dramatic, I’m afraid. I thought Queen Serenity would eventually send an envoy. Neutrality sounded great in theory, but it’s gotten rather boring. We yearn for excitement.” The audience in the stands cheered when she raised a hand towards the crowd. “After we defeated Queen Beryl’s last attack, she sent her own representative.

She made a good offer...but if you can defeat her, I’ll listen to what you have to say!”

She left, taking her guards with her as two soldiers wearing green light armor and holding blue energy swords took their place. A figure wearing robes and holding a black staff emerged from the pit. There was no doubt that they served Metalia and Queen Beryl. When the warlock lifted her hood to reveal her face, a chill went down my spine.

“Mother?” I uttered in disbelief and removed my hood so she could see my face. Out of the corner of my eye, the Spymaster quickly turned his head to face me.

“Son,” she responded blankly. “You’ve betrayed Earth.”

“Mother, don’t you remember what Beryl’s forces have done? We lived in isolation for years until her troops broke down our door and killed father! They held me in a camp for weeks, but Queen Serenity rescued me! I joined her so I could save you and everyone else that Beryl is torturing!”

My mother shook her head. “You misunderstand, my son. I wanted those soldiers to take you away and undo the lies that your father told you about the Moon Kingdom.

I should have called them sooner but...I loved your father. I hoped he would see that Queen Serenity destroyed our lives, but he just couldn’t see how corrupt the Moon Kingdom is. Serenity and Beryl are both evil, my son. The question is who will benefit...and we will benefit greatly by serving Queen Beryl. Serenity will continue enriching the Moon Kingdom at her expense and leave you empty-handed.”

She had been brainwashed. She had to be! There was no way she could believe what she was saying!

“I grow tired of this melodrama!” Amethyst shouted from a podium above the ring.

“Fight!” she commanded. Everyone in the stadium cheered. Before the soldiers could draw their swords, I teleported behind one of them and struck him at close range with dark magic, sending him to the ground. The Spymaster broke the other’s arm and flipped him on his back, leaving only my mother to deal with. She pointed her staff at the Spymaster and sent a flurry of dark purple needles towards him. I grabbed my mother’s staff mid-attack, but she knocked me away with a burst of kinetic energy. The Spymaster concentrated dark energy in his fingers and threw a black-purple bolt of magic at her. When she yelped in pain and turned away from me, I pressed my hands around her neck and began draining energy. She grasped her hands around my wrists and uttered 226

my name...my Earth name...as I went far beyond what was necessary to subdue her. I did not release my grip until the woman...my mother...went completely still.

“I am sorry.” The Spymaster showed me a rare moment of sympathy. “But you did what needed to be done. Queen Serenity may not realize it yet, but we are at war.”

“That woman wasn’t my mother, not anymore. She was one of Beryl’s agents, wearing my mother’s face to mock me and spew lies.” At least, that’s what I wanted to believe. She called my name only so I would hesitate and give her an opportunity to throw me off. I knelt down beside my mother’s head and closed her eyes as the crowd jeered and booed in the stadium. “If my mother was in there somewhere, then at least she’s at peace with my father now.”

“Don’t mind them! They expected a better fight,” said Amethyst. She signaled for her warriors to jump into the fighting grounds and surround us. This time there were over a dozen. “Queen Beryl already made us a pretty good offer, though. She might sweeten the deal if I offer her two of Serenity’s agents!”

“We had a deal, witch!” shouted the Spymaster. I would not accept that I had just killed my mother for nothing. The wretches in the coliseum would help me get revenge on Queen Beryl, or I would slaughter them all...

227

228

Chapter 31 Questionable Methods

229

A

methyst’s warriors encircled me and the Spymaster in the middle of the fighting pit as the civilians in tattered rags cheered on. I recognized the circular transformation pendant necklaces around the necks of the wolf skin-clad fighters. I singled out the closest warrior and leapt towards him, tackling him to the ground, and I ripped off his transformation pendant. I felt a primal energy surging through me as I held the necklace in my hand. The Spymaster was encircled, but the warriors surrounding him began wobbling and clutching their heads as if they had a massive headache, then they fell to the ground. I noticed that both the dark shard in my bracer and the pendant I held were glowing. I was draining the energy of everyone who was wearing a transformation pendant.

The applause abruptly fell silent as the warriors who remained in the podium and Amethyst’s bodyguards collapsed to the floor. Amethyst herself looked around and stood dumbfounded. “Impossible! Queen Serenity would never allow this!” she cried.

I placed the transformation pendant around my neck. “I’m not doing this for Queen Serenity. I’m taking command of your army and turning you in to the Sailor Scouts.”

“No way! I’m not going back to the Scouts!” she shouted back. “Everyone thinks the Sailor Scouts are all like the dainty Princesses who serve at the royal court, but some of them are no better off than Queen Beryl’s prisoners!”

“If you won’t come with us willingly, then I’ll drag you back to the Moon in chains.”

I raised my arms in the air and said, “my warriors, stand with me against Queen Beryl - after we teach this double-crossing witch and her supporters a lesson!” Some - though not all - of the recently unconscious shambled to their feet like zombies, clutching any weapons lying beside them. The irises and pupils in their eyes had completely disappeared, terrifying those who were aware enough to witness the scene. Artemis’ theory was wrong: I could control multiple people at once, even with the bracer. My friends in the present would be terrified if they knew what I was capable of.

Amethyst’s own bodyguards rose to their feet and cornered their former master with their weapons drawn. She pushed her former bodyguard’s axe out of the way, jumped over his back, and leapt into the pit across from me. The Spymaster and I charged after her in a full sprint, with my pawns shambling behind me. When we were close enough, the Spymaster teleported and reappeared directly behind Amethyst, tackling her just before she could reach the exit.

“Please, don’t take me back to Silver Millennium!” she begged when the Spymaster turned her over and ripped a weathered, golden crescent moon compact off of her ribbon. He opened it and showed me a cracked prism inside. “It’s a transformation com230

pact. It’s badly damaged, but she’s telling the truth. She is a Sailor Scout,” he remarked with some disbelief. I couldn’t believe it, either.

“I never finished my training to become a Sailor Scout. I didn’t want to be imprisoned like Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto. I wanted to be free,” she answered.

“Do you know those two?” I asked the Spymaster.

“Their existence is only rumored. The planets Saturn and Pluto have their princesses, but to our knowledge, they are not Sailor Scouts. They are rarely seen outside Titan and Charon Castle.”

“Charon Castle?” I asked.

“Yes...I suppose Queen Serenity named you after Pluto’s moon because the Princess wasn’t around to object,” he suggested. I guess Titan wouldn’t have been a fitting name.

“You don’t know much about the Moon Kingdom, do you?” asked Amethyst. She pointed at my mother’s body on the ground. “That Earthborn is your mother. Why are you fighting for Queen Serenity?”

“I’m the one asking the questions!” I snapped. She recoiled backwards a bit. She was the one who feared me for a change.

“Charon, even if she didn’t complete training, a former Sailor Scout could be a powerful ally,” the Spymaster suggested. “We cannot recruit humans into the Shadows, but Queen Serenity said nothing of Lunarians we found on Earth. Knowledge of the Moon Kingdom and Sailor Scouts could prove useful someday.”

“The people here are hardly better off than they would be under Queen Beryl. She forced them to cheer while I slaughtered my own mother!” I shouted.

“I didn’t force them! They came to me for protection! Then they started fighting amongst themselves, so instead of wasting my energy trying to keep the peace, I gave them somewhere else to focus their bloodlust!”

“More Lunarian arrogance, painting us all as bloodthirsty savages!” I snapped back.

Amethyst held her hands in the air as if she feared I will strike her. “Look...your ally here knows what’s up, and you know that Queen Serenity’s not the benevolent mother of the Moon children that everyone makes her out to be. Especially given what she does with the other Scouts.”

“She has potential. The Sailor Scouts would just have her sealed away as punishment for desertion. With her power, she could become a worthy Shadow,” recommended the Spymaster. Amethyst nodded in agreement.

“She just wants to save her own skin!” I disagreed.

“I’ll join you. You can take my army. Just don’t tell Queen Serenity I’m here and let me stay on Earth after we win. Anywhere’s better than the Moon Kingdom,” Amethyst 231

begged.

I gave a loud sigh. “Fine, take her. But I want you to look into her claims about these mystery Scouts. I want to be sure that she can be trusted,” I grudgingly ordered.

“She’s not getting off easy for what she’s done, I promise you. If she fails any of my tests, or if she lied to us, I will personally drag her to Queen Serenity’s chambers.” The Spymaster sneered at Amethyst. My mother’s body still lay in the middle of the fighting grounds. Now that the action was over, my feelings of guilt were flooding back.

“We cannot match Queen Beryl’s numbers, but we can use Amethyst’s army and their transformation pendants to ambush isolated patrols and instill fear in Beryl’s forces,” commented the Spymaster.

But Charon still had a conscience. I looked back over my pawns as they stood motionless in front of terrified civilians. “This feels wrong. If we force these people to fight against their will, then we’re no better than Queen Beryl,” I lamented as I looked over the coliseum and surveyed my pawns.

“These spineless cowards fled to this dump while their loved ones were dragged off to Beryl’s camp! Then they cheered as they watched you kill your own mother! These people are beneath our contempt, Charon. If war is just a game to them, we will give them their fill! At least this way, we’ll be putting them to use!”

“If they don’t want to fight against Queen Beryl, let them live in fear. But it should be their choice,” I insisted.

“This isn’t just about them. There are thousands of people in Beryl’s camps. The longer you wait for Queen Serenity and Prince Endymion to act, the more people will suffer. We are too few in number to make a difference on our own. We can’t afford to take the chance that most of them will say no,” the Spymaster argued.

“You’re right,” I agreed after a long pause. “This is a temporary measure. Once we have won, we will release them.” If they survive, that is. How could I explain something like this to Queen Serenity? That I killed my own mother and had control over an entire army?

Amethyst’s words echoed in my head: she’s not the benevolent mother of the Moon children that everyone makes her out to be. Even the Sailor Scouts had a dark side to them if they really were treating some of their own like prisoners. Princess Serenity and the Scouts at the court increasingly seemed like the Moon Kingdom’s only redeeming quality...but one day they would grow up and become a part of the system that threw my family to Queen Beryl. And any reason I had left to defend the Moon Kingdom would be gone...

At first, our plan was going well. Queen Beryl’s forces were temporarily paralyzed by stories of mythical creatures ambushing her patrols in the woods and figures dressed in black scaling fortress walls able to take on dozens of her finest warriors in close combat. But as time passed and Queen Serenity still failed to act, Beryl recognized the powerful effects of fear and adopt our tactics for her own. Soon, Beryl started sending 232

monsters of her own to terrorize the few remaining holdouts and gather energy for Metalia...Sailor Venus and the others would later refer to them as Negamonsters or Youma in the present day. She took the most powerful of these monsters - which she ironically called the Shadows - and tasked them with hunting down the mysterious black figures sabotaging her operations...the Shadows of Silver Millennium.

Despite my best efforts to omit the full details of our operations in my reports - including the death of my mother and the use of Amethyst’s army against Beryl - the rumors eventually reached Queen Serenity and she angrily recalled me to the Moon Kingdom.

There were no Sailor Scouts waiting in front of the Palace gates when I arrived, but the Palace guards recognized my outfit by now and allowed me inside. “Queen Serenity summoned me,” I said to the two guards clad in silver armor that stood before the closed throne room doors.

“You will have to wait for the Sailor Scout on duty to escort you inside,” answered one of them.

“Tread lightly in there. Her majesty is in a bad mood,” said the other guard.

A smile appeared on my face when Sailor Venus emerged from behind the doors. This time she wore her white and orange Sailor uniform with the blue bow at the front. Like the others, her uniform was slightly different from the one she wore in the present day: most notably she lacked the star on her orange choker, and she lacked the orange heart at the center of her bow. I noticed Luna and Artemis creep out of the door beside her feet.

“Princess Venus,” I bowed, “Queen Serenity wants to speak with me.”

Her eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth tightened when she noticed me.

Looks like Queen Serenity’s not the only one in a bad mood. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and thinly-veiled anger when she said “nice to see you, too.”

I hadn’t expected that kind of resentment from her. Princess Serenity warned me: Venus was jealous that I barely said anything to her. She must have thought that I blew her off. Princess Venus wasn’t as patient with me as present-day Mina was. “I’m sorry, Princess. I was hoping I would see you again,” my past self added.

“Humph!” Sailor Venus huffed and turned away from me. If I don’t tell Mina how I feel about her in the present, history may repeat itself. Though I have to admit...she looks so cute when she pouts. Without another word, Sailor Venus just opened the door and slammed it behind me after I had walked through. I found myself facing a very different Queen Serenity from the one I first met: one who gave me a cold stare that would make Queen Beryl run behind her throne and shudder in terror.

“I’ve heard rumors about Earth that you failed to address in your reports, Spymaster Charon. Have you grown lax with your responsibilities or did you really think I wouldn’t find out you were acting on your own authority?” she chastised.

I cleared my throat and answered, “I took action because you have done nothing to ease the plight of Earth, your majesty!”

233

An indignant Queen Serenity shouted, “I don’t want to know how you coerced humans and animals to fight for you, but I thought you were a better person than that, Charon! I feared this would happen: you’re becoming more and more like Queen Beryl with each passing day!”

“How dare you compare me to her! You have the power to save Earth, but you just sit there and watch while twiddling your thumbs and warming your seat! Don’t you think that ignoring the suffering of others when you have the power to save them is unjust?”

I shouted back without a single ‘your highness’ or ‘your majesty’. I had run out of patience with her.

Queen Serenity burrowed her head in one of her hands. “I told you that the situation on Earth was delicate, Charon! Now I have to find a way to explain your actions to Prince Endymion and the rest of the Kingdom!”

Someone knocked on the door. Queen Serenity shouted for that person to enter. Sailor Venus slipped through the doors behind me. “Your majesty, you wanted me to remind you about your appointment,” she called.

“I’ll be right there. We’re done, Charon,” Queen Serenity coldly stated and stood up.

I was fed up with them giving me the cold shoulder. I couldn’t suppress it anymore, I had to tell Queen Serenity about my mother...if only so she would stop thinking of me as some hot-shot willfully disobeying her authority for the thrill of it.

“I found my mother, your majesty,” I called to her.

The ice cold stare that Queen Serenity had given me the entire time thawed immediately. She cast a glance to Sailor Venus, but she stood there with her arms across her chest and hands on her elbows as if she were telling Queen Serenity that she wasn’t going anywhere. “How is she?” asked Queen Serenity, hinting for me to try to be subtle in front of the Sailor Scout.

“She’s dead,” I answered bluntly.

Serenity’s eyes widened. “Oh Charon...”

Sailor Venus placed her hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” she gently apologized. My past self remained stiff as a board as she pulled me in and wrapped both arms around my upper body, burying her head in my chest. Recovering from the shock over being hugged by a Princess, I finally returned her hug and placed my hands on her shoulder blades.

“Sailor Venus, tell them I will be delayed,” requested Queen Serenity. When Venus left, Queen Serenity also placed her hand on my shoulder. “Charon, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I tried to bury it,” I admitted. “She told me that she betrayed my father. She wanted Beryl’s soldiers to come to our house and take me away. Then she attacked me and I had to kill her...at least, I thought I had to, at the time. She said my name when I...when I put my hands around her neck...” The more I spoke, the more I began to choke on my 234

words. All the feelings I suppressed and all the rationalizations I came up with to justify killing my mother just crumbled down at once.

I looked up to see Queen Serenity staring at me with the same horror she displayed when I told her about my father’s death.”I never should have sent you back to Earth. I never should have burdened you with so much responsibility.”

“This isn’t about revenge or wanting power, your majesty. I don’t want anyone else to suffer like I did. Please, let me do my job,” I pleaded.

“Charon...I didn’t want to tell you this because I didn’t want to crush your hopes...”

Queen Serenity closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “Our armies are hardly large enough to protect Silver Millennium. The power of the Silver Crystal is not infinite, and Queen Metalia is extremely powerful. Any incursion into Earth would end in disaster and leave us defenseless. I hoped we might find a way, but...there is nothing we can do to save Earth now.”

“So that’s it then?” I asked.

“I’m sorry Charon, but all we can do is prevent them from invading the Moon. Prince Endymion has insisted on staying until we can find another safe haven for the court. I trust him implicitly. We don’t know if Beryl and Metalia can send their forces here, but I need the Shadows to remain on Earth to make sure that they never do.”

“Yes, your majesty,” I answered with a heavy heart. All this really had been for nothing...

Queen Serenity and I ran into Sailor Venus again outside the throne room. “Hey, I’m sorry about the way I acted earlier,” she apologized. “I’m not very good at being a Princess, with all the grace and poise I’m supposed to portray.”

Queen Serenity smiled. “You’re making progress. You two can have a moment to catch up,” She must have noticed the apprehension on my face and whispered in my ear: “This stays between us.”

“I told the others that you barely said anything when we first met and we started competing over who could get you talking the most. But we want you to feel welcome here...even if I make you nervous,” Sailor Venus teased after the Queen had left us alone.

“It’s OK,” I said. I started twiddling my thumbs. “Honestly, Princess Venus, the reason I had such a hard time talking to you was because I...because...I know that you’re a Princess, and we’re both really busy, and you must have dozens of suitors lined up already...” I had just as much trouble getting the words out in the past as I did in the present.

My cheeks burned as Sailor Venus’ face inched closer towards me as I babbled. She blushed when she figured out what I was trying to say. “Oh! You like me too?! Did I say ‘too’? I didn’t think you felt the same way! How could I have been so stupid?!”

235

“You’re not stupid!” I blurted out. We stood there silently for several seconds as if there was no one else around us...though I had no doubt a few nobles would be talking about this at the next party. “So, does this mean you win the competition?” I joked.

Sailor Venus’ eyes twinkled again. “If you escorted me to the ball tonight, that would seal my victory.”

“Oh, well, I, um...”

“Please! It’ll be fun! Princess Serenity is hosting tonight, her mother has matters to attend to outside the Palace, so it’s a chance for us to let our hair down! Well, you don’t have much to let down, but you know what I mean!”

I knew that the Spymaster and Queen Serenity would disapprove: Serena and Sailor Mercury already came close to blowing my cover. But Earth was lost...even without knowledge of the present, I would have known that. Queen Serenity was gone and the Spymaster was running the Shadows on Earth. Maybe a distraction was exactly what I needed...and here was Sailor Venus practically throwing herself at me! Come on - just say yes, Charon!

“Would it be weird if you came in with me? I don’t have a suit,” my past self answered.

A wry smile came across Sailor Venus’ face. “Let me remind you how things work around here: if your name doesn’t start with ‘Prince’, then you pretty much have to do whatever I say! And I didn’t hear anyone call you ‘Prince Charon’!” she teased. You got him, Mina.

A smile broke over my face. “Guess I have no choice, Princess!” Oh yes!

“Great! I’ll meet you at the usual place and time!” I felt my face turn red when she planted a kiss on my cheek. Nice one, Mina...

To Be Continued A/N: OK, so this chapter wasn’t the end of the flashbacks after all. I did say there was a 10% chance it wouldn’t be :P I decided I’d rather release what I had so you guys could enjoy it instead of waiting until I was done with part 2. The good news is that I already have about 800 words of the next chapter written, so expect it in a few days!

I hadn’t planned on the ball scene but I wanted to have Charon with the ‘classic’ Sailor Scouts one more time and I wanted another Charon and Sailor Venus moment.

I worried about people not identifying with Charon because he is an introvert, so he doesn’t “wear his heart on his sleeve.” His personality fits his role as a spy, and it mirrors my own personality a bit: hopefully it helps him come across as a more believable and relatable character. At the same time, he is realizing that he needs to open up to Sailor Venus more and tell her how he feels. Gaining the trust of the Sailor Scouts was the theme of the first part of the story; now he has to learn how to trust them.

236

237

238

Chapter 32 What Might Have Been

239

I

should have asked what the ‘usual place and time’ was. I ended up hiding behind a pillar all day until I saw nobles in dinner jackets and dresses walking arm-in-arm towards the banquet hall. My Shadow robes were useful for sneaking around a dark forest at night or blending against the backdrop of Beryl’s fortresses, but they attracted too much attention at the Moon Palace. Thanks to my heightened sense of awareness, I caught nobles discussing how odd my uniform was for a researcher and how tacky people dressed on Earth. Pretentious Lunarians.

I saw a group of them stop and gather to form a semi-circle in the Palace courtyard.

I gently pushed through them to catch a glimpse of Princess Serenity, with her back turned towards us as she spoke to someone in the distance. “Such a beautiful child, conceived by Queen Serenity and the Silver Crystal!” one of the noble women leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“The Silver Crystal?” I instinctively asked. What about her father? I realized that I had never heard Serena’s Silver Millennium father mentioned, in the past or in the present. Was she truly a virgin birth? Before the noble woman could answer, Princess Serenity turned around and started waving in my direction. The nobles frantically glanced around trying to figure out who she was calling until most of their eyes fell upon me.

One of them pushed me away out of the crowd and they dispersed as she came near.

“Hi!” Serena warmly greeted me. With her regal white dress, she wore white barrettes in her hair. She still had the gold crescent moon on her forehead. The nobles were right: she was beautiful.

“Hi, Princess - I mean, Serena.” I bowed, but not as low as I usually did. I was beginning to see her as more of a friend. “No Prince Charming yet?”

“He’ll be here, later.” I turned away from her to stare off at the stars and Earth in the sky. Serena playfully nudged me. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

I smiled at her. “No,” I admitted. “I’m not used to talking to anyone other than my parents. We didn’t go out much. They were all I had growing up. Now they’re both gone...”

Serena’s warm smile faded away and she stared at the sky with me. “Venus told me about your mother. I don’t know what I would do if I lost mine. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now.”

I didn’t lose my mother. I killed her with my bare hands. I could feel myself mouthing the words. But I remained silent, so Serena - as usual - filled it.

“I never met my father. My mother told me that he was an adventurer. She used to tell 240

me all sorts of crazy bedtime stories about him. When I got older, she admitted they were just for fun. I was so disappointed.”

“I heard you didn’t have a father. One of the nobles said you were immaculately conceived by the Silver Crystal,” I told her.

Serena gave a half-hearted laugh. “My mother never told me that one. I wonder if that’s true. Disappointing to think I might not have a dad out there. I imagined that he would return one day and he would be just like my Prince.”

“Serena!” Darien’s voice called to her from behind me.

“Prince Darien! You’re here!” she excitedly called out. He was dressed as Tuxedo Mask, with the black suit, white dress shirt and the white mask to cover his eyes.

My eyes squinted at Tuxedo Mask in confusion. “Darien? I thought you were Prince Endymi - “ “Shhh!” Serena raised her finger to her lip to silence me.

Right. He’s not supposed to be here. “Sorry,” I apologized and bowed to them.

Serena’s smile returned. “My friend Charon gets so uptight around royalty!” she teased.

Tuxedo Mask bowed to me. “I remember you from the ball in Elysion! Good to see you again!”

“I’d better go looking for Princess Venus. I don’t want her to get mad at me again,” I said to them.

“That’s a good idea,” teased Princess Serenity. Wandering back into the clusters of nobles, I found them lined up in the dining hall with men on one side and women on the other. Venus was standing among them, dazzling as ever in an orange dress and white gloves. Stars twinkled in her eyes when she saw me.

“Sorry. I spent so much time on Earth I forgot what the ‘usual time and place’ was,” I joked.

I worried she would be mad again thinking I stood her up, but Venus just smiled and the lights in her eyes refused to dim. “Just don’t make a habit of keeping the Princess waiting. We have the first dance!”

“Wait - we have to dance?! In public?!” I was just as alarmed in the past as I would be in the present. Hadn’t I embarrassed myself in front of enough nobles?

“Why? Would you rather dance with the lights off so you won’t have to see my ugly face?” Venus placed her hands on her hips.

I felt like my face was going to melt when the pair in front of us turned their heads towards us. “Of course not! You are the Goddess of Beauty, after all!” I smiled back.

I admit, I didn’t like referring to the Sailor Scouts as Goddesses: it made them sound 241

like they were full of themselves. But I was willing to compromise if it got me out of trouble...

Venus smiled. “Haven’t the others told you to lighten up already? Don’t worry, I know you’re not a noble.” Venus took my right hand and held it up. “It’s not as hard as it looks. Just follow my lead.”

We walked side-by-side into a white room with massive glass windows, a beautiful green marble floor, and lines of nobles watching from the sides as an orchestra began playing. Venus guided me to the left as the line of dancers parted. “Face me,” she instructed. Butterflies fluttered around my stomach when her fingers rubbed the side of my head as she reached for the sides of my hood and lowered it.

She held my right hand up towards the ceiling and used her left hand to lift up her dress. “Now, put your left hand on my back,” she instructed. I instinctively put my hand on her shoulder blade. “Lower,” she corrected. “Much lower,” she laughed when my hand barely slid down. “Not THAT much lower!” she yelped when my hand slid low enough to feel her...curve. Charon, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?! I abruptly moved my hand up on the small of her back. “Perfect!” she beamed. She caught me glancing around trying to follow the other nobles and whispered, “it’s just you, me, and the music.” Once I focused purely on her beautiful eyes and the solo piano playing, I immediately felt a lot calmer.

“Do you like this song? Serena calls it ‘Heart Moving’. It’s one of my favorites too,” Sailor Venus’ sigh made my heart want to leap out of my chest and fly away.

“It is beautiful,” I admitted...especially when the violin started playing along with the piano. I ran into Princess Serenity earlier,” I told her as I mirrored her movements, turning and side-stepping with her. “You told her about my mother.”

“I hope you don’t mind. You know, if there’s going to be a service for her, maybe I could go. I’m sure at least one of us can make it.”

“She wanted a private ceremony,” I lied. I had to...that or tell them my true parentage and invite them to Earth. “But thank you. You all barely know me and you’re going out of your way to help me.”

“It’s what we’re supposed to do,” she answered after my voice trailed off. “You’re our friend, but even if you weren’t, we’d want you to feel better.” If only the other nobles lived up to the standard these Scouts placed for themselves.

“Are you and I friends?” I shyly asked Princess Venus.

Her face blushed and one corner of her mouth lifted. “Well, maybe you and I are more than friends.”

My smile fell when I remembered Sailor Jupiter’s face as I talked to her: the starry eyes, the gaping mouth...she liked me too. “I hope I didn’t hurt Sailor Jupiter’s feelings.”

242

“Why would you think that?” Venus asked.

“I think she liked me too.” I remembered how hurt Venus felt after I barely spoke to her. I had been so caught up in the moment that I hadn’t thought how Jupiter would feel if she saw me and Venus here together.

“She did start acting strange when I said you were my escort,” Venus admitted. “I thought she was just kidding, but she said she’d be hiding in the kitchen.”

“She’s here?” The thought of her confronting me at a fancy party surrounded by royalty made the night a lot more terrifying.

She nodded. “Sailor Mercury and Mars too. I thought this was our chance to finally hang out together.” Oh no, Mercury too?! Venus gazed deep into my eyes and tried to assure me. “Hey, all this happened so fast. It’s not like you tried to hurt her feelings on purpose. We can check on her once the dance is over, OK?” I nodded. I instinctively mumbled ‘sorry’ when my back bumped into another pair dancing. I noticed that everyone else hadn’t moved from their original spots, but Venus and I were on the other side of the room with a massive space between us and everyone else.

“The truth is I can’t dance very well myself,” confessed Venus. “I just make it up as I go along because almost everyone here is too scared to correct me!” She turned her eyes towards Princess Serenity dancing with Darien and sighed longingly. Serena and Darien still loved each other in the present day - anyone could see that - but here, they danced as if they did not have another care in the world.

“Do you think we could be like those two one day?” I asked Venus.

“Yes, I do,” she answered. “The dance is almost over. Let’s check on Jupiter.” Venus took my hand again and led me off the dance floor, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Sailor Mercury standing in the kitchen with Sailor Mars. They also wore dresses that matched the primary color of their respective uniforms.

“On second thought, maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” I said to Venus. Sailor Mercury’s promise to continue our conversation from last time filled me with dread. If anyone was going to figure out that I was really one of Queen Serenity’s spies on Earth, it would be her.

Venus smirked and tugged my arm. “Are you afraid of Sailor Mars?”

“Um...” Well, that too. I had to admit, she scared me a bit the first time I met her.

Sailor Venus laughed. “Oh, come on! She’s sweet once you get to know her!” She practically dragged me into the kitchen, adorned with silver pans, immaculate white counters, and the same delicate green floor. There were bowls of soup and plates of food on the table aligning the right side, with a space left for dessert. Mercury and Mars smiled when they saw me: the Sailor Scouts seemed to be the only ones in the kitchen.

I caught Jupiter glance at me for a split second, then refocus her attention back on frost243

ing the massive cake for the guests. Yup, she was avoiding me.

“Charon! I’ve never seen you at the ball before! I’m glad you finally made it!” chimed Sailor Mercury.

“Looks like you two had fun on the dance floor,” remarked Sailor Mars. Sailor Jupiter snarled as she grabbed a bottle of icing to finish off the decorations. Sailor Mars then brushed alongside me to stand guard at the door when a group of nobles started hovering around the kitchen door to peek inside. No doubt Venus and I were the source of their curiosity.

“Are you jealous about Charon dancing with me, Jupiter?” Venus confronted her.

“Not...even...a...LITTLE!” Jupiter’s calm persona disintegrated upon her last word, causing her to squeeze the bottle tight enough to create a mountain of icing on the cake.

“Hey! You’ll have to wait for dinner like everyone else, Cassiopeia!” Sailor Mars chastised a young noble who had pushed his way through. He looked like he was the same age of the Sailor Scouts.

“Ugh, not him again,” Sailor Venus complained under her breath.

“One of your suitors?” I teased. Venus rolled her eyes at me, bobbled her head from side to side, and muttered ‘ugh’. That means ‘yes’.

“You deny me the right to come back here after letting this peasant wearing that gaudy Earth outfit spo; the Moon Palace?!” the indignant noble complained and pointed at me.

“He’s Queen Serenity’s high researcher! Show some respect!” demanded Sailor Mercury.

The Prince was unphased. “He’s still just a peasant! Like anyone believes he stayed on Earth to study dirt and rocks! Why don’t you tell us what you’re really doing there, hoodie?”

“Ask Queen Serenity,” I nonchalantly answered and shrugged.

“You don’t have the right to harass him just because Queen Serenity won’t listen to any more of your father’s rants!” shouted Sailor Mars.

He ignored Sailor Mars’ question and continued rambling at me. “At least put your hood back on! You insult the Goddess of Beauty by standing across from her with that ugly mug of a face!”

I knew that Sailor Venus was not about to let him get away with calling me ugly...or insulting her taste in men. “Jupiter, we should bring the cake out,” she suggested. She picked up Sailor Jupiter’s cake and unceremoniously dumped it on the unsuspecting Prince. “I’m so sorry! I forgot I’m not as strong as Sailor Jupiter!”

Princess Serena passed through the crowd holding Darien by the hand. “Hey, we’ve been looking for you - oh! What a waste of fine cake! I’ll go do some damage control!”

244

She ran back out into the dancing hall.

“This isn’t a masked ball, you know! Who are you?” the indignant Prince asked Darien.

Darien ignored his question and said “I’ll get you a spare jacket,” then turned and followed Serena out. Some of the noble women outside started fawning over him.

“I got cake all over your nice suit! Let me clean that up for you!” Venus tore off Prince Cassiopeia’s jacket - and the white shirt under it - and threw them into the large pot of soup cooling on the table. “Oh no! Is that the dinner jacket you spent all night talking about when we were at your house? The one that was custom-made by the best tailors in the Moon Kingdom?”

The other Sailor Scouts looked as horrified as the now bare-chested Prince...although I caught Sailor Jupiter repressing a smirk.

“You’ll pay for humiliating me, Princess Venus!” he shouted at her.

Princess Venus put her hand in front of her mouth as she gasped in mock indignation.

“How could you threaten a Princess?! Everyone around here knows that I can be a ditz sometimes! And we all know the Sailor Scouts would never engage in such petty and childish behavior,” Venus smugly replied. She reached over to the pot where the Prince’s jacket had landed and picked it up. “Too bad about the shirt and jacket. You can have them back - oops!” She dumped the pot of soup over his black pants.

The Prince pointed a menacing finger at me. “She’s a Sailor Scout, so I can’t touch her! But I can get back at you and your family!”

“My family’s dead,” I answered back coldly. Go ahead, touch me and see what happens, you smug idiot.

“Good riddance! We don’t have to worry about them polluting the Palace,” he snapped back.

Sailor Mercury and Mars exchanged angry looks. If they weren’t in on Venus’ plan before, they were now. “Look, you still have some cake on your shoes. Let me wipe that off for you,” snarled Sailor Mars. The Prince screamed when she slammed her foot down on his. Sailor Mars stuck her tongue at him as he put the soaked jacket back on and walked towards the exit, covering his face as nobles started to point and laugh at him.

“Wait!” The Prince stopped when Sailor Mercury called him. “Don’t forget your goody bag!” Sailor Mercury hurled a clear plastic bag filled with sweets in his direction, hitting him dead center in the face.

“Nice shot,” Venus whispered to her as the nobles’ laughter grew louder.

The Prince growled. “I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE! ALL FIVE OF YOU ARE BANNED FROM MY FATHER’S MANSION!” 245

Just as he was finally leaving, Serena ran through the crowd holding a cream pie and proudly declared “I solved the dessert situation!”...before she ran into the Prince and accidentally pushed the pie into his face. “Oh, uh - sorry!” she naively apologized as he stood there with fisted arms at his sides and white cream dripping from his face.

“DON’T EVER SET FOOT IN MY MANSION AGAIN, PRINCESS SERENITY! YOUR MOTHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!” he threatened. He shoved Prince Darien out of the way as he stormed out.

Darien stood there dumbfounded with the extra set of clothes. “I would have offered to loan him my mask if he was so embarrassed.”

“What’s he so worked up about? And why isn’t he wearing a shirt?” Serena asked.

“He insulted me and Charon, then he said that he was glad Charon’s parents are dead,” Venus pouted.

Serena’s face turned scarlet with anger. “That rotten scamp! I am going to go out there and give him a piece of my mind!” Serena shouted and waved a fist in the air.

“I think he’s had enough for one night,” I laughed.

“His mansion isn’t so great, anyway. I never met anyone so obsessed with the color beige,” Serena sighed.

Sailor Venus gasped when the orchestra began playing again. “Oh, I love this song!”

“Yeah, it’s time for a break,” said Sailor Jupiter. I instinctively squirmed away from her, but she turned to me beaming and said, “and that cooking lesson offer is still good if you’re interested.”

“I am,” I smiled. “And I owe you a dance...if Venus is OK with it.”

Venus winked at me. “Of course, you coming?” she asked. Sailor Jupiter, Serena, and Tuxedo Mask raced out past her.

“We’ll be out in a minute,” Sailor Mars placed a hand on my shoulder and Venus left.

“Charon, Mercury and I want to talk to you.” What could this be about?

The hairs on the back of my neck straightened when Sailor Mars peered at me and said, “Charon, I don’t presume to know all the details of your position.” But her tone was not threatening...her voice was gentle, like Queen Serenity’s had been at first. “I’ve been having bad...dreams about Earth. I sense that there is some truth to all the rumors.”

“I...uh, just, l - “ “Don’t worry, we’re not asking you if they’re true. We know that Queen Serenity would never deceive us,” assured Sailor Mercury. But they knew there was something she wasn’t telling them. “You have the right to resign from your position as researcher,” Mercury continued. “We would miss seeing you around the Palace, but we want you to be safe.”

246

I knew they weren’t stupid. They knew that Queen Serenity had me doing more than she was letting on, and they were afraid that I would not come back from Earth.

“None of us would think any less of you if you quit. We can speak to Queen Serenity on your behalf if it will help your case,” assured Sailor Mars.

I reached into my pocket and held the locket Queen Serenity had given me - and that I had tried to give to Serena - in my hand. “Queen Serenity told me that I would have a home at the Palace once my mission was complete,” I told Mercury and Mars.

The faces of both Sailor Scouts lit up. “That’s wonderful, Charon!” said Sailor Mercury. “I’m sure that Queen Serenity would let you stay with us regardless!”

“I don’t think she’ll let me keep the robes,” I joked. “She’ll have me scrubbing floors or archiving history texts - “ Sailor Mercury frowned. “Why does no one want to hang out with me at the archives?

It really is a fascinating place - “ “That wouldn’t matter to us,” Sailor Mars interrupted as the music came to an end and applause erupted from the hall. “We’d know you were safe! And we’d get to see you more often! It’s worth asking her...if that’s what you want.”

Mercury and Mars led me outside to join Venus, Serena, Jupiter, and Tuxedo Mask.

As if on cue, someone started playing high and fast but soothing notes on the piano in the dance hall. I felt as if the universe was sending me a sign. “They’re playing a new song!” Serena declared. “I think I’ll call this one ‘Revealed Identity’. It makes me think of you with your mask, and Charon with his hood,” she said pointing at Tuxedo Mask’s chest.

“This is what I want...” I whispered to myself and nodded as the violinists from the orchestra joined the pianist. I leaned over to whisper to Mercury and Mars. “All right.

I’ll return to Earth to finish my final report and then I’ll tell Queen Serenity I want to resign.” I glanced over at Serena, Venus and Jupiter and whispered “don’t tell the others just yet. We’ll make it a surprise.”

Mercury and Mars returned my smile. “They’ll be so excited when they hear that you’re coming to live with us! Especially Venus!” Mercury beamed.

“Yeah, she spent all afternoon babbling about dancing with you tonight. There’s definitely something between you two,” teased Sailor Mars.

As happy as I was, I did feel a twinge of guilt over the idea that I was abandoning Earth...but I realized that I hadn’t done what I had set out to do. I became a Shadow to save people from suffering under Queen Beryl. Instead, I was forced to choose between watching their pain or ‘becoming more like Queen Beryl’ in an attempt to save them.

Maybe time away from Earth would be the best thing for me. At the very least, I might find a better way to help them from here.

I knew that if Beryl and Metalia did attack the Palace, I would not want to be stuck 247

on Earth. My place would be with Serena and the Sailor Scouts. They represented everything that my father had told me the Moon Kingdom would be. Queen Serenity promised me that I would have a home on the Moon Kingdom, and I would hold her to that promise. I wanted my friends, I wanted my Princess, and I wanted my chance to have a fairy tale ending. This would be a new start. For the first time since my father was killed and I was dragged away to Queen Beryl’s camp, I really did feel optimistic about my future...

But then Logan’s thoughts returned. They told me that my Silver Millennium story would not end happily ever after...

To Be Continued A/N: And here we are, another flashback chapter I hadn’t planned on! I am really enjoying fleshing out Charon’s relationships in the past (though I did cut back on Tuxedo Mask’s parts to focus on his relationship with the Inner Scouts, especially Sailor Venus). Writing this chapter was bittersweet for me, knowing how the flashback part of the story will end. I may not envision Silver Millennium as a perfect place, but its fall is still a tragic thing when you see what it was to some people and what might have been.

Please review and let me know how I’m doing if you can! It’s greatly appreciated!

The next part is coming later this week! I have started writing it, and yes - it will end the Silver Millennium part of the story ;) PS: The songs that Princess Serenity “names” are actually on the Sailor Moon OST, with “Identity Revealed” being a Sailor Moon Crystal soundtrack. The music really seemed to fit the scene as it was in my head. Credit, of course, goes to the original creators!

248

249

250

Chapter 33 Queen Takes Pawn

251

F

or the past three days, my heart sang as I put the finishing touches on my final report to Queen Serenity and composed my request to resign as Spymaster. I had never caught myself smiling to myself and dancing solo around my hideout so much before. The computer that I spend most of my free time tinkering with noticed.

The holographic Shadow in the terminal mimicked my movements to make fun of me. The morning that I decided to send my last report, he claimed that I mumbled the word ‘Venus’ seventeen times in my sleep. When I questioned him, he played back the recording for me...I made sure to wipe all his logs afterwards.

There had been no doubt in my mind that Queen Serenity would accept my resignation and let me live with the Sailor Scouts as she promised. But the morning after I sent the report, Spymaster requested an urgent meeting with me. Not only had he confirmed that Amethyst’s revelation about Sailor Saturn was true...she had the power to destroy an entire planet. And Queen Serenity had decided to use that power to wipe out civilization on Earth. She would save the Moon Kingdom, but at a horrific cost.

I shook my head as the Spymaster told me just outside the cave. I couldn’t believe it.

She may not have been perfect, but she had a kind heart. I understood why the Moon Kingdom adored her. Even after our recent quarrels, I still looked up to her the way that I once looked up to my parents. All her professed fear of hatred and dark magic, yet she had something far worse all along. I could not believe that she would ever allow such destructive power to exist, let alone wield it for her own ends.

“I’ve never even heard of Sailor Saturn before. I never thought that Queen Serenity would order her to destroy all civilization on Earth,” I said to the Spymaster.

“That’s not all. Once Queen Beryl’s forces have been dealt with, all remaining Shadows will be forcibly cleansed by the Silver Crystal or banished to the Negamoon. I’m sorry Spymaster, but the evidence is conclusive,” he answered.

No...whatever she felt about dark magic, she would never betray us like this. And she would never break her promise to me. I turned my back on him and faced the tree.

“There has to be another way to stop this. We could appeal to the other Sailor Scouts.

They stand for justice - “ “They stand for themselves,” he sneered.

“Not the ones at the Palace, and not Queen Serenity,” I retorted. The Spymaster scoffed, but I had absolute faith my friends would stand with me whatever the truth was. “I can’t believe the Queen would do this,” I sighed. “She promised me a home...”

“You think her promise meant anything, Charon? Do you think that if you had refused to help us when I brought you to the Moon Palace, she would have just let you walk 252

away?” I clutched the locket she gave me as his cold words pierced my heart. “We’ve become a liability to her,” the Spymaster continued. “She can no longer suppress the rumors, and once she finds out that we have uncovered the Moon Kingdom’s darkest secrets, she will consider us a far greater threat than the Negaverse ever was!”

“If we don’t go to the Sailor Scouts, what else can we do?” I asked. “The only force powerful enough to overthrow Queen Serenity is the Negaverse, and we will never deal with Queen Beryl or Metalia.” I paused...there was something about the Spymaster I had been curious about for some time, and now was my chance to get a confession.

“Perhaps we could take hostages and hold them on Earth to give her pause?”

I did not mean what I asked - not unless I had exhausted every other possible alternative to save Earth - but the Spymaster placed his hand on his chin as he considered the idea. “The only person that I know Queen Serenity truly loves is her daughter. Everyone else is expendable,” he answered coldly. “And I know you would never endanger Princess Serenity.”

I inched closer to him and stood up straight. “That’s a plan. We kidnap Princess Serenity and hold her hostage on Earth. I’m surprised you haven’t proposed that yet.”

Charon...no...you would never threaten Serena...I would never...

The Spymaster’s calm demeanor rarely fell apart, but it disintegrated in an instant and he exploded in a fit of rage. “Leave Princess Serenity out of this!” he screamed wide-eyed.

I smirked. “You’re right. I would never put the Moon Princess or her Guardians in danger. You don’t know me as well as you think...but you taught me how to read people well. Why do you care about Princess Serenity?”

“I don’t care about her!” he snapped back and tried to plaster his emotionless facade back on his face. “If you were going to take hostages, there are far more useful targets!

If Queen Serenity makes no attempt to rescue them, then perhaps others will pressure her!”

“That wasn’t professional concern you showed earlier.” I crossed my arms. “Queen Serenity told Serena that her father was an adventurer. I see the way that you look at Queen Serenity.” I said to him. Wait...no...he couldn’t be...it wasn’t possible...

The Spymaster actually writhed in discomfort with his eyes darting around the forest as I asked: “you’re Princess Serenity’s true father, aren’t you?”

Deny it. PLEASE, deny it! There was no way that the Spymaster was related to Serena or Rini!

The Spymaster clenched both his fists and glared at me...I could see his eyes squint as the thought of hitting me crossed his mind before he pushed the idea out. “Queen Serenity needed an heir, but she had no intention of sharing power with anyone. The woman was so arrogant, that she attempted to conceive a child using the Silver Crystal!

When that failed, she sought me out. I loved her before she ascended to the throne and 253

became drunk with power...and I was not a noble, so I was invisible. Once she became pregnant, she exiled me to Earth with your father. She sought me out again as the threat of the Negaforce loomed over her domain...and she needed you to get the bracer for her.”

Serena...Rini...the Spymaster’s daughter and granddaughter. How could that be possible?

“You thought that if you helped her, she would take you back and let you see your daughter?” I asked. But I already knew the answer. He had the same fantasy that I did, that when all this was over, he would live happily ever after at the Moon Palace as part of the family.

The Spymaster opened his mouth to argue, but hesitated and swallowed. “I hoped... just like you. But clearly she has no intention of honoring her promise. Queen Serenity and I agreed that keeping you away from the Sailor Scouts as much as possible would allow you to focus on your mission, but I also knew that they would not be dependable allies if Serenity turned against us. No matter what evidence you show them, they will always stand with their Queen. Even if it pits them against the people and principles they claim that they are protecting.”

“We have to stop Sailor Saturn at all costs,” I asserted. “But we cannot ignore the war on Earth. Queen Serenity knows that we cannot just cower on the Moon and hide from the coming darkness. You will continue our operations here. If the Moon Kingdom cannot be saved...perhaps we could start over here.”

The Spymaster smiled. He would not admit it, but he liked the idea. “Amethyst may be able to gain access to a number of artifacts in the possession of the Sailor Scouts.

Perhaps there is another way to wipe out Queen Beryl’s forces with minimal collateral damage,” he proposed.

“Look into it, I will focus on Sailor Saturn.”

The Spymaster grabbed my arm when I turned my back on him. “Your bracer prevents you from using dark magic against a member of the royal court. You will not be able to use your powers against Sailor Saturn while you are wearing it.”

“The bracer is only a training aid. If I can remove it, I can tap into the power of the dark shard directly,” I told him. I turned my arm over looking, fingering the black engravings on the silver bracer as I examined it for some kind of latch or button that would let me remove it. “If Queen Serenity was so worried about protecting themselves from us, she must have designed it so that only a royal could remove the bracer.”

“There is always another way,” the Spymaster reminded me. The locket that Queen Serenity gave me...I wondered...I pulled out the locket and held it very close to the dark shard in my bracer. After several seconds, both of them started glowing. I lifted the dark shard out with little effort. Inside the hole was a small lever that clicked and opened the bracer, allowing me to take it off. As my shackle clanked onto the ground, I clutched the dark shard tightly until it cut into my skin. As my hand bled, I felt its dark magic 254

flowing into me, stronger than ever...

The Spymaster smirked. “I will inform the others that we are no longer taking orders from the Moon Kingdom. Sailor Saturn is at Titan Castle. She is kept in isolation, but there may be guards outside. Sailor Saturn may appear to be a delicate Princess like the Sailor Scouts at the Palace, but remember: she is a weapon. The fate of Earth and the future of the Shadows will rest upon your actions. Do not hesitate to destroy her if necessary.”

I nodded in agreement. This had to be done. Once the Sailor Scouts knew what Queen Serenity was planning, they would understand my actions. As powerful as I felt, I knew I would need more dark shards if I were to become powerful enough to defeat Sailor Saturn alone. I opened the door to the cave, but stood outside, fingering my locket. As much as I never wanted to let it go, I would return for it after I dealt with Saturn. Despite what the Spymaster said, I was not giving up on my dream of reuniting with the Sailor Scouts once again. I clung to the hope that I would see their smiling faces again, that Venus and I would dance again and we all of us could still have our fairy-tale ending, even if the Silver Millennium would change...

Massive stairs led up to the main gate of Titan Castle, orbiting the planet Saturn. The entrance was guarded by eight Silver Millennium guards fully decked out in silver armor with dark blue undersuits and carrying menacing gray spears. Sailor Saturn had to be destroyed no matter what, but I wanted to avoid killing the guards. They were fully armored, so subduing them using nonlethal means would be difficult. I clutched my transformation locket and closed my eyes as the magic of the dark shards puncturing my skin merged together with the shamanistic power of the moon-shaped pendant. My robes dissipated as dark energy swirled around me. I felt my bones shifting inside as my shoulder blades protruded into wings, my nails became claws, and I stretched towards the night sky. My vision turned red as a long dragon snout extended in front of me.

The guards had gathered around me with spears drawn to investigate the rustling, but they backed away as my grunts became growls and a loud roar. I must have been towering at least twenty feet over them when I looked down on the bewildered soldiers. “By Selene...a dragon?!” shuddered one of the silver-armored, fully-plated guards.

“It’s dark magic! Subdue it!” ordered their commander. I roared at them again and flapped my wings, pushing them backwards. I leaned forward, opened my jaw wide, and slammed it down on one of the guard’s legs. He screamed when I tossed him in the air like a ragdoll and sent him flying into the wall. I spun with my tail and sent three more guards flying. The remaining four quivered in terror. One of them started running towards the door but the commander yelled for him to come back. Whatever composure they had left them when I flapped my wings, lifted up into the air, and soared towards them breathing dark blue fire. They jumped out of the way, so I flew back around, picked one of them up in the air, and threw him towards the other guard. The last two guards standing dropped their weapons and ran away screaming. I could find them later if it turned out one of them had the key to the castle.

I gave one last roar towards the sky beforeI felt myself shrink back to normal size.

255

The wings slowly descended back into my shoulders, my snout retracted into my face, and my vision returned to normal as my bones reassumed their proper place. The transformation process had been exhausting, but the guards were alive despite the bruising I gave them. The way they were panicking, they might need to clean out their suits when they wake up, though. I found the golden, heart-shaped key on the Commander’s unconscious body and opened the massive black-purple door just enough for me to slip through.

“Is someone there?” a girl called from the second floor balcony, draped in purple banners. I disappeared out of sight and hid behind one of the pillars. The girl calling from above with purple-black hair and a purple regal dress had to be Princess Saturn; she looked to be eight or nine in Earth years.

She was just a little girl. Even with so much at stake, how could I bring myself to hurt a child? But the Spymaster’s words echoed in my skull. I remembered Queen Beryl’s torture camps and fortresses. What was hurting one girl compared to saving millions of lives? I had to stop her at all costs. If Queen Serenity used her to destroy Earth, I could never live with myself knowing that I might have stopped her. Hopefully, I could forgive myself - and the Sailor Scouts would understand - when all of this was over...

256

257

258

Chapter 34 Queen Takes Pawn

259

“Q

ueen Serenity? Is that you?” Princess Saturn called out into the throne room below. She gasped and nearly fell over backwards when I teleported onto the balcony beside her. “You’re not supposed to be in here!” she shouted. She sounded like an innocent girl...but I knew better.

“And Queen Serenity’s not supposed to have weapons of mass destruction, but here you are,” I snapped back. Saturn turned away from me, fleeing down the stairs and towards the massive doors, but I had already sealed them tight. The Castle had been designed to keep her locked in...she had no other way out.

Saturn glanced back in terror as I lurked above her. “Leave me alone!” she screamed.

I jumped off the balcony and landed behind her.

“Sailor Saturn. I admit, you don’t look like a mass murderer.” Her purple eyes widened in terror when she faced me.

“There is no Sailor Saturn!” she cried and banged against the doors in vain. Even if the two soldiers who fled earlier returned, they would not be able to let her out. “Please, just leave! I won’t tell anyone you were here, I promise!” Saturn begged.

“Liar! Your powers haven’t fully manifested yet!” She jumped out of the way as I sprinted towards her. She was fast enough to get out of the way and sought refuge in the room to my right. She slammed the closed but I easily kicked it down. She charged me with a black fireplace poker that had a very sharp point. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her opposite shoulder in towards me so the pointed edge of the poker faced away. She screamed when I kicked her in the back of her thigh to get her on her knees.

I saw Sailor Saturn’s symbol glowed purple on her forehead when I turned her towards me. She screamed when I charged my hand with dark magic and pressed down on her forehead to suppress it. There was no escape for her now...but could I bring myself to kill her? My head and my heart argued with each other: It has to be done.

But she’s just a girl!

How many girls are there on Earth? How many children will she destroy along with the planet? DO IT. There has to be a better way! Maybe I can take her to the Moon Palace...maybe the Sailor Scouts can seal her away or strip her of her powers, anything other than this!

You can’t take the risk. There is too much at stake. Kill her, Charon. KILL HER NOW! 260

“Is this how far you’ve fallen, Charon? Terrorizing a defenseless girl?” Queen Serenity’s voice shook me out of my monologue. I could not believe that she had come to defend Sailor Saturn herself. She was still dressed in regal white but carrying the pink crescent moon wand I had seen her carrying before.

“She’s not defenseless, just like the other girls you hide behind! But you’re alone!”

Why would she come alone? Wait...of course...I knew why. “Couldn’t risk them finding out the truth, too?” I snapped back. I heard a slight clank and turned just in time to watch Princess Saturn stab me in the flank with her makeshift weapon. I pushed the spear away from her and shove the girl to the side. Queen Serenity created a translucent defensive barrier around Saturn.

I lowered my hood to show Queen Serenity the dark shards that I had pierced my body with. She recoiled in disgust. “I know what you’re planning to do to Earth! You feared that my powers would make me as evil as Queen Beryl, but you are on the same path!” I snapped.

“You ARE as evil as Queen Beryl now, Charon!” Serenity quickly fired a beam of white light at me with the moon wand, but I was able to dodge the thin stream of magic easily. She was not calling out her attacks. She could have trying to counter my attacks with speed instead of power...but it was also possible that her intention was not to kill me.

“You should try harder to destroy me, your highness,” I sneered. “I will not stop until I’m dead, or Sailor Saturn is!”

I teleported out of sight and instantly appeared beside her. I wrapped my right arm around her right elbow with her facing the opposite direction, but she grabbed my side with her right hand and slammed the back of her head into my jaw. I swung around and rammed my knee into her in the stomach, but she quickly recovered to sweep aside one of my punches and threw my head into a nearby pillar. She was standing on the far side of the room when I turned around to face her again.

“Look into Princess Saturn’s eyes, Charon!” Queen Serenity commanded and pointed at the child. “Is that the face of the mass murderer you are looking for?”

I turned my head in Saturn’s direction, but my eyes darted away as if they refused to look, but I forced them back on her. I saw her shuddering before I focused on her wide purple eyes. They were not the cold and heartless eyes of the people who tortured us in Beryl’s fortresses and camps. They were not the eyes I expected to find in a mass murderer, utterly blank or radiating pure malevolence for all life. I saw the eyes of a frightened little girl who did not understand why the man in front of her hated her so much...just like the prisoners...and just like me before the Spymaster brought me to the Moon Palace.

“No,” I shook my head and admitted. I can’t hurt a child...but if I can’t hurt a child, I can’t let Queen Serenity destroy a planet either. “Days ago, I was ready to walk away from all of this,” I told Queen Serenity. “That’s why I resigned. I just want the life that you promised me when I came to Silver Millennium. But I have to stop you! If you 261

can’t bear to watch me or Saturn die, then how can you condemn millions of people on Earth to the same fate?” I asked.

“You were wrong about me, Charon. I do care about the people of Earth!” I thought that this would be the part where she denied everything that the Spymaster said, where she would reveal his lies and manipulation to me. But in the split seconds that her face tightened when she opened her mouth to speak, I realized that different words were about to come out. “When I brought you to the Palace, I really believed that we would find a way to save them! But you confirmed that Earth was already lost...and the Moon is next. We cannot hide forever, Charon.”

My mouth hung in shock at a loss for words for several seconds. She stared blankly at me...the Queen Serenity I faced now seemed much colder than the woman I once considered a second mother, and a far cry from the woman the rest of the Moon Kingdom adored.

“There is always another way!” I repeated the Spymaster’s words.

“But rarely enough time to find one, Charon. This was the hardest decision I have ever made, but I steeled myself for what needed to be done,” she answered.

“Have you? You never went to Earth, you just read my reports! Do you think that ordering their deaths from the Moon Palace and never looking at the results makes it any less horrible?” I asked her.

She turned her eyes away from me and towards the floor. She knew she was wrong.

“We will save the Moon Kingdom and Earth can begin anew, but rebirth cannot happen without death,” she stated matter-of-factly as if she had repeated the same lines over and over until she stopped thinking about them.

“You’re trying to rationalize something that your heart is telling you is wrong...just like I did,” I admitted. “Not everyone on Earth is in Beryl’s army! There are still good people there. Just like the Moon Kingdom, even if the only ones left are the Sailor Scouts and Princess Serenity! Your daughter would inherit a throne stained with the blood of millions!”

“I knew you wouldn’t understand.” Despite her doubts, she had made her decision... and she was past listening. Queen Serenity inserted the Silver Crystal into her crescent moon wand and held it towards me. “I will not kill you...” I teleported beside her and attempted to wrest her wand away from her, but she threw me towards the other side of the room with unexpected strength. Her throw reignited the pain that Saturn’s attack had caused.

“But the existence of Sailor Saturn must be kept secret...even if I must strip you of your powers and seal you away.” She stated those words blankly as if she had repeated them over and over in her mind as well. If I was going to stop Queen Serenity...I couldn’t hold back. Only one of us would leave Titan Castle alive. I clutched my transformation pendant and dark magic began swirling around me just Queen Serenity pointed her Crescent Wand shouted “Moon Cleansing Absolution!”

262

The light of the Silver Crystal shined over me like a massive lamp, causing my skin to glow and turn white-hot. I cringed in agony as the dark shards I had planted into my body were pushed deeper inside, tearing through my muscles and every single organ as they went further in. No sounds came out when I opened my mouth to scream. Once the dark shards had burrowed deep inside me, they fragmented and shot out at lightning-fast speed, shredding my insides like shotgun pellets. Princess Saturn screamed when I collapsed to the floor with a thud. Gurgling noises and drowning screams came out of my mouth as I desperately gasped for air.

“Charon! I never meant for THIS! The Silver Crystal was supposed to cleanse you of dark magic! How could this have happened?!” Queen Serenity’s voice sounded hysterical. I heard dark shard fragments fall to the ground like drops of hail as she screamed.

I tried to open my eyes...but I wasn’t even sure if I had any left to open or if dark shard fragments had torn them out.

“Please...don’t destroy Earth. Don’t become like Queen Beryl,” I begged. My vision came back slowly. I Queen Serenity and Princess Saturn were leaning over me, with Saturn’s hand glowing white. They were trying to heal me and relieve my pain...but I could feel my own dark magic resisting their powers, fighting to keep my wounds open.

They were only delaying the inevitable.

Queen Serenity’s eyes filled with tears. “I can’t destroy Earth, Charon. You were right...I couldn’t do this even if I knew it would save the Moon Kingdom. I knew in my heart that this was wrong and you would never stand for it. I thought that not telling you would make this easier for me. If I had trusted you, none of this would have happened!”

I tried lifting my neck to look around, but it sent my whole upper body recoiling to the ground in agony. I saw the red splatters on Queen Serenity’s dress. She had been standing so far away. I didn’t want to think about the bloody mess I looked like after she tried to cleanse me with the Silver Crystal. At least the Sailor Scouts wouldn’t see me like this. They would remember me as the cute boy in the hood who never returned from Earth.

I would never see them again. That caused me pain that the Silver Crystal would never heal. “Venus...Serena...Jupiter...Mercury...Mars...” I choked on more of my blood as I whispered their names. When I looked at Princess Saturn, I saw that her dress was also stained with splatters of my blood. “Maybe I deserved this...” I whispered to her. I could never ask her to forgive me for what I almost did to her...

Saturn grabbed my hand. “No, you never deserved this. I want you to see your friends again,” she sobbed through her words. For a girl with so much destructive power...she had a big heart.

“You deserved a better life than the one I gave you, Charon. I would have treated you and the other Shadows like criminals after everything you have done for us.” Queen Serenity started breaking down again. The woman who comforted me after my father’s death had returned...if only she had come sooner. “How will I tell the Scouts what I’ve done to you?!”she screamed.

263

I didn’t know how...or even if...I would tell them either. If Serena and the others ever found out what Queen Serenity had done, they would despise her. They wouldn’t care that it was an accident or that she regretted everything up to this point. All they would see was Queen Serenity standing before my mutilated corpse, with her white dress covered in my blood. They would call her a murderer and a liar...which was exactly what the Spymaster wanted.

Queen Serenity closed her eyes and her lip quivered as she stroked my forehead. “You will see your friends again, I promise you.” Queen Serenity paused for a moment in thought. “You mentioned Serena’s name.”

“I met her,” I gagged. I could feel my own blood pouring into my throat. “Serena... her father...my second...?”

She nodded slowly. “His name was Tithon before he insisted on becoming nameless.

I exiled him for helping your father break a law that I never considered just,” she confessed. “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. The man that you met is a shell of what he was. I thought I could make amends...but he was already gone. He died on the day that I broke his heart...”

She and Saturn looked towards the main door when a pair of muffled footsteps approached us. At first, he attempted to walk lightly to avoid being heard, but his steps grew louder as he stopped caring. Queen Serenity and Saturn looked at the figure and stood up, but I could not turn my head enough to face him.

“Tithon,” Queen Serenity muttered to herself. The Spymaster - now his official role - had arrived. “How did you get in here?” she asked. I had been wondering the same thing...I had the only key.

“As I told Charon, there is always another way,” he answered blankly. He took a few steps closer towards me. Saturn inched towards him instead of recoiling as if she sought to protect me. “So this is how you intend to repay us for our service,” he snarled at Queen Serenity. “I used him too, but even I would not have discarded him as thoughtlessly as you have.”

“I never meant to kill him,” Queen Serenity began sobbing again.

“Keeping my daughter from me just wasn’t enough for you, was it?!” the Spymaster’s voice thundered loud enough to shake the throne room.

“It was...an accident!” I cried out, coughing harshly afterwards. Saturn gently placed a hand on my chest to help calm me.

The Spymaster leaned over my head, glaring down at my bloodied face with contempt. “Even after she tears you inside out, you embrace her lies for whatever meager comfort they provide you. Her pawn to the bitter end...” But the Spymaster’s harsh expression quickly softened. “But I helped make you that way,” he spoke more gently in a display of regret.

“Please...help me save Charon and the Kingdom. I don’t know how,” Queen Serenity 264

begged him. He turned towards Queen Serenity and stood straight, holding his arms at his side and balling his hands into fists.

“I never had any love for the Moon Kingdom, with all its hypocrisy and decadence,” he snapped back. “You threw away every reason I had to stay by your side. The Shadows have their own mission now.” He menacingly glared at Saturn. This time, she leaned away from him. “And it starts with the girl!”

“No!” I cried. He didn’t understand. I had to stop him. I had to protect Saturn...but the slightest twitch caused unbearable pain to sear through every part of my body. Even breathing had become agonizing now as I cringed every time my chest lifted and rose.

The Spymaster was determined to see the mission I had started complete...and I was helpless to stop it.

Queen Serenity drew her crescent moon wand at lightning speed and knocked the Spymaster’s arm away when he reached towards Sailor Saturn. Serenity tried to strike him again, but he teleported out of sight and rushed towards her from the other side of the room like a ray of light, slamming her into a pillar far away from us.

Even with all the chaos happening just feet away from me, despite the severe pain I still had to endure, I suddenly felt...peaceful. Off in the distance, as if I had heard it in a dream from a past life, I heard a piano playing. “Revealed Identity,” I whispered when I recognized the notes.

“What?” Saturn asked gently. She briefly turned her head towards the Spymaster and Queen Serenity as they remained locked in combat.

“Serena named that song...at my last ball,” I answered her faintly. “I hear it...playing.

When I told them...I would stay...” At the Moon Palace with them. But it would never happen now.

“Please, stay with us! You can still make it!” Saturn pleaded with me to hold on to my life. But I heard her gasping for breath as hard as I was. And when her eyes met mine, fresh tears flowed down her cheeks again. She already knew: this was the end for me.

When I closed my eyes and inhaled, I could see the faces of the people I loved the most: I saw Mars and Mercury smiling back at me when I told them I was coming to live with them...Jupiter’s star-filled eyes when we first met...Serena staring at the sky with me as she comforted me over the loss of my mother...and Venus’ blue eyes gazing into mine as we danced...our first and last time. I could feel her pressing her head into my chest and letting me hold her in my arms...for a brief moment, the warmth of Venus’ body pressing itself against mine drowned out all the pain.

I held on to my memories of Serena and the Sailor Scouts for as long as I could. I tried to picture all of us together at the Moon Palace one last time...the dream that would never come true. But they slowly slipped away...and when the memories faded, I found myself surrounded by darkness. Alone.

265

266

Chapter 35 Full Circle

267

T

he faint sound of a woman’s voice awoke me from what felt like an eternal slumber. I felt warm again...I no longer felt like I was lying on the hard floor of Titan Castle or cold emptiness. I slowly lifted my eyelids and found myself staring up at a white ceiling, free of any pain. I realized that all my wounds had miraculously disappeared when I pressed down. I was lying on a bed, covered by a white sheet, without a single drop of blood on them.

“You’re awake! How are you feeling?” This time, I recognized the woman’s voice.

She was sitting beside me...but it couldn’t be...

My eyes filled with tears when I recognized the woman sitting next to me. She looked about five or six Earth years older now, but there was no mistaking the short blue hair, the fair features, the blue eyes...I couldn’t believe she was really here! “Princess Mercury?”

“Sounds like someone had an interesting dream!” That was Prince Endymion’s voice!

“I can’t believe you’re here!” I couldn’t help myself: I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around Mercury. I felt her! This was really happening! Prince Endymion leaned forward and stared at us in surprise. I saw the same blank stare on Mercury’s face when I loosened my grip and leaned back.

“You were unresponsive when I tried to wake you up for your appointment, so we brought you to the hospital. Your pulse was so weak...we thought you were...” Mercury’s voice trailed off.

Hospital? I felt sunlight on the left side of my face. I saw a window to my left and watched snowflakes falling towards the ground. There was no mistaking it: we were on Earth.”Why did you bring me here?” I asked Mercury.

“Where else would we have taken you?” Prince Endymion asked.I looked over Mercury’s shoulder to see him sitting in a chair in strange clothes: a jacket in the same green color as Beryl’s soldiers and dark colored pants. And Venus’ suitor called my robes gaudy.

Still, I could hardly contain my excitement: “Did we stop Beryl? Did we save Earth?”

I asked. Queen Serenity found a way...she must have! And she abolished the law forbidding personal relations between the people of the Moon and Earth! We won!

But Mercury and Endymion did not share my excitement. In fact, I could never picture Mercury looking so confused or speechless before. “Queen Beryl? Why are you talking about...” Mercury’s eyes widened when the answer came to her.

Endymion sat up straight and stared at me. “I was afraid this would happen...” he mut268

tered. They were both acting so strangely. If I wasn’t dead and we didn’t stop Queen Beryl, then what other explanation was there?

“Mom!” Mercury called out to a woman in the doorway. She wore a white coat, carried a brown board in one arm, and wore rimmed glasses resting on her nose. The woman was followed closely by a girl who appeared slightly older than Saturn. Although the child had pink hair shaped like bunny ears and red irises, her other features bore an uncanny resemblance to Princess Serenity. I wondered if they might be related.

“Hello, Logan! My name is Doctor Anderson!” the woman greeted me. She had similar facial features to Mercury. Logan...that was a name I had not heard in a very long time. Logan was the voice in my head who gave me hints about the future. Sometimes his voice called out events and other times he mentioned things that I did not understand. I had a feeling it might all make sense one day.

“He’s still a bit out of it. Plus, he’s shy,” said Endymion when I went several seconds without answering.

The woman smiled. “I’m Amy’s mom! I work in the E.R. but I came to check in on you. I’m glad she’s making friends, I worry that she’s burying herself in her studies!”

Who was Amy? “Mom!” groaned Mercury. Princess Mercury was Amy? Why was she going by that name? Were we undercover? Or maybe there had been some bizarre social change occurred while I was unconscious: it would explain why they all wore such strange clothes.

Mercury’s mother glanced down at her clipboard and flipped through several pages. “We ran some tests and a CT scan while you were asleep. Everything checks out, though I’d strongly recommend against participating in that martial arts tournament. I have half a mind to call the police on the people you were practicing with. I recommend that you rest here for a couple of hours, but then you’ll be good to go!”

“Ha ha, you won’t get out of your double date that easy!” laughed the girl who had followed behind Doctor Andersen. Double date? The girl spoke as if she knew me...

Doctor Anderson noticed me staring blankly at the pink-haired girl and her friendly demeanor faded. She began staring at me a lot more closely. “Logan, do you recognize her?” She was calling me Logan...but I thought that Logan only existed inside my head.

I was Charon.

The girl’s previously sunny disposition also disappeared. Her eyes grew as wide as the Moon and her mouth gaped open. “I’m your friend Rini, remember?”

“Rini?” I repeated. Then I remembered that Logan mentioned her name with Serena’s, like they were somehow connected. The girl’s eyes filled with disappointment. I wished I knew who she was...

Mercury’s mother anxiously stared down at your clipboard. “Logan, do you remember where you were born?”

269

“Eden,” I replied automatically. Tithon - who undoubtedly took my place as Spymaster - told me to give that answer. The woman ‘s face wrinkled as she stared down at her clipboard. She seemed nice, but Mercury cast me a worried look that told me that she didn’t want me talking to her mother.

“Are you sure?” her mother asked with a quivering voice. I had given her a wrong answer.

“No...I don’t remember,” I hesitantly answered..

“How old are you?” she asked.

“I’m...not sure.” At least that was honest.

“Maybe we should run another CT scan.” Mercury’s mom began writing on her clipboard.

I heard footsteps rushing towards the door. Half of a head peeked in and called, “Doctor Anderson, we need you back in the ER!” “Let’s just give him some time to remember, mom. Like Darien said, he’s still a bit out of it.” Mercury suggested. Darien...Prince Endymion’s alias on the Moon Kingdom. He still went by that name.

Mercury’s mother clutched her clipboard. “All right. Keep a close eye on him in the meantime. Surrounding him with familiar smells, playing familiar sounds, and showing him familiar faces might jog his memory. He may recognize his other friends. I have to run.” She rushed outside the door.

“I don’t think this is brain damage. Does the name ‘Charon’ ring a bell?” Endymion asked after I could barely hear Doctor Anderson’s footsteps thump against the ground.

“That’s my name,” I nodded. Rini and Mercury looked at each other. I could see the disappointment lingering in Rini’s eyes. “She mentioned other friends.”

“Yes. Mina - Venus, Mars and Jupiter are also here,” Mercury answered. All this seemed too good to be true...

“OH YES! WOO-HOO!” That was Venus’ voice! When I heard someone running towards my room, my heart began pounding so fast that I felt like it was going to fly out of my chest. And there she was, standing in the doorway...exactly as I remembered her, down to the long flowing blonde hair, ocean-blue eyes and the red hair bow. She really looked like the Goddess of Beauty...even with the weird clothes and the brown bag.

“Amy, I have the best - Logan, you’re awake!” My face flushed with color when Venus’ eyes focused on me before she closed them and smiled.. “Guess what? All flights for tomorrow...CANCELED! You’re staying with us!” she sang.

I saw Mars and Jupiter also peeking through the doorway. “Logan, you’re crying.

What’s wrong?” noticed Princess Mars. Venus opened her eyes and her bright exposition faded when she looked at my face again.

270

I opened my mouth, but it took me a while to push the words out. “I thought I would never see any of you again...I missed you so much...” Now, the three of them looked just as confused as Mercury, Endymion and Rini.

“He doesn’t remember anything about being Logan. He didn’t even recognize me.”

Rini answered sadly.

All three girls looked shocked, then joined in Rini’s sadness. When Venus turned her eyes back onto me, they reflected the disappointment that Rini’s eyes carried.

“But I met you all before! At the Palace, and then the Ball - don’t you remember?” I asked. I just wanted us to get back to where we were before.

“We barely remember anything about the Silver Millennium. Just a few bits and flashes. I’m sorry...I wish we did,” apologized Venus. My heart dropped. She talked about the Silver Millennium as if it was over. But still...it was really them. Maybe they would remember...

“Do you remember Queen Serenity and the Moon Princess?” I asked.

“Yeah,” answered Jupiter. “This might sound odd to you, but Princess Serenity is at work.”

Work?! That could only mean one thing: “Beryl’s forces enslaved her?! We have to rescue her!”

I jumped out of bed, but Mercury helped me lie back down when I started feeling dizzy. “No, Charon, she wasn’t captured. She’s working voluntarily. I know there wasn’t a Sailor Moon in your time, but she is a Sailor Scout now too. She can protect herself,” Mercury explained.

“She insisted on going, so Luna - her guardian - went with her. Serena is so stubborn,” complained Mars. Luna? Another name Logan mentioned...

“I can’t picture the Moon Princess as a Sailor Scout...or doing work voluntarily,” I said. Venus and Jupiter put hands over their mouths and laughed.

“Well, one of us hasn’t changed in the last thousand years!” replied Mars. “But yes, she is our leader.”

“Try to think: do you have any memories that seem out of place with the rest, or any strange dreams?” Mercury asked me.

I closed my eyes and tried to recall my time on Earth. “There are pieces that don’t fit, like they belonged to someone else who lived during another time,” I told them. I put enough pieces together to make sense of one: “I remember one strange dream. I was looking down at a man in strange clothing who looked just like me. He was lying down in my hideout. Jupiter, Venus, and Mars came into the room and Venus started wrapping his arm with some kind of tape.”

Jupiter, Venus and Mars began sweating when the other three stared at them. “Wow! 271

That was one crazy dream!” exclaimed Venus. She gave a high-pitched laugh I never would have expected from her. It would have been terrifying if she wasn’t so adorable.

Princess Mars leaned towards Jupiter, lifted a hand to cover her mouth, and whispered, “you said he was fast asleep, Lita!” Lita...was that Jupiter’s other name, like Amy was Mercury’s?

“He was! You saw!” Jupiter whispered back. Venus was still laughing.

“I can’t believe the three of you sneaked into his room while he was sleeping!” Mercury sighed. “I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised.”

“It never bothered you before! It sounds like Logan isn’t the only one who lost his memories!” Princess Venus had stopped laughing to tease her. I saw Mercury lower her head and back away slightly.

“You girls haven’t been walking in on me while I was sleeping, right?” asked Prince Endymion. All of the girls gave him nervous smiles.

There was more to that dream. Venus wanted me to tell her that I loved her. Venus and I...were we...was she my...could it really have happened? It was like Mars said...there was something between me and Venus! Or at least...she felt something for Logan now.

She wanted Logan to tell her that he loved her. Was there a difference?

“What about Queen Serenity? Can I see her?” I asked them. My heart rose at the thought that I would see her again, even if she did not remember me either. But it started to fall again when they all closed their mouths and frowned at each other.

“I’d better explain this part,” called a somewhat scratchy voice from somewhere in the room. A white cat with the golden crescent moon on his forehead peeked out of Venus’ bag. I’d seen him before. “Hey Charon, I’m Artemis. You’re not hallucinating - I really am a talking cat.”

“I’ve seen you before. I don’t remember speaking to you though. Nice to formally meet you,” I said.

Artemis looked dumbfounded. “Well, you took that well. Most humans think they’re dreaming or going nuts when animals start talking to them. Anyway, Luna and I were Queen Serenity’s advisers. Now we work with Sailor Venus and the others.”

“You WERE one of the Queen’s advisers?” I asked.

Artemis hung his head. “Charon, there’s no easy way for me to tell you this...the Moon Kingdom was destroyed by the Negaverse a thousand years ago. The Palace is gone. Queen Serenity used the power of the Silver Crystal to seal our enemies away and send the royal court here to be reborn in the future...but it cost her life.”

My head fell back down to the bed. “No...” I cried. I knew that saving Earth could mean the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, but I couldn’t believe Queen Serenity or Silver Millennium were really gone. She sacrificed herself to give us a second chance...

272

Venus came forward and kneeled at my bedside. “But she came to you yesterday! And you brought proof!” Venus reached into her bag and pulled out a silver bracer with the dark shard. “She fixed this for you!”

I stared at the bracer in horror. “Do you know what this is?” I asked Venus and the others.

She nodded. “Yes, Charon. We don’t know much about the Shadows that served Queen Serenity, but we know that you were one of them. You’ve been using the power of the dark shard to help us fight the others.”

At least I didn’t have to hide that from them anymore. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep that secret from all of you. But...you said the others?” Could she have meant the other Shadows?

“We made sure Queen Beryl and Metalia would never come back,” said Mars.

“And we kicked tons of other Negatrash to the curb after that!” added Jupiter.

“But the Shadows returned a few days ago. They consider us the enemy. They want to capture Sailor Saturn, blanket the snow in endless winter, and take over the Earth,” explained Venus. They really were carrying out the plan I had set in motion a thousand years ago...

As you remember Charon’s past, don’t forget about Logan’s. Those weren’t my own thoughts...Saturn said those words to me...but I didn’t remember when she said them.

The dreams...the pieces of memories that didn’t fit with all the rest...they weren’t mine.

I wasn’t Logan. What would happen if I did remember? Would Logan take over my body and I would disappear forever? Or would we merge into a different person? So many questions...it made my head hurt.

“Guys, we should give him some time to process all this,” said Mercury when I raised a hand to my forehead. “I’m sure this is all very confusing for him.”

“But we need to find out as much as we can about the Shadows while he still remembers,” replied Mars.

“And who knows what he can tell us about the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity, even our own lives before,” added Artemis.

The thought made me shudder...I could tell them how close we were before. But how could I ever tell them what Queen Serenity did in my final moments? I still loved her as a mother...I knew she was a good person and she did what was right in the end...but would they understand? I wished that she was here to tell me what I should do...

“We’re supposed to be helping him! He can tell us about the bad guys after he remembers who he is!” cried Rini. She was still upset I didn’t remember her.

“Rini, the Spymaster easily defeated us, even with all of our combined power. If Charon knows how we can beat him, we need to know,” said Princess Mars.

273

I wondered...if we were all reborn, was Tithon still the Spymaster? I knew how to beat him...Queen Serenity showed me that they could cleanse him with the Silver Crystal.

But it meant a brutal death...he didn’t deserve that...and how would Serena feel when she found out he was her father?

“But I want my friend Logan back! Don’t you?” Rini’s shouting snapped me out of my thoughts.

Mars put her hand on Rini’s shoulder. “He’s still the same person inside, Rini.”

“You know what? You sound like you don’t care about Logan at all! You’re just using him!” Rini slapped Mars’ hand away and yelled at the raven-haired Princess.

“That’s not true! Rini!” Mars called out when the pink-haired girl turned her back and ran out the door sobbing...

274

275

276

Chapter 36 Thousand Year Romance

M

ars faced me while Darien stood up and went after Rini. “I care about you,” Mars said quietly. “I was never good at showing it to my friends.”

“Neither am I,” I admitted. I knew that she cared...I remembered how happy she and Mercury were after I told them I was coming to live at the Palace with them.

Mars smiled back...but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Venus frowning at the floor.

No doubt she felt like the person she loved was gone, replaced by the stranger lying in his hospital bed.

Artemis leapt out of Venus’ handbag and his footsteps pattered along the floor. “Raye, why don’t you catch up with Darien to make sure Rini’s OK?” After Raye nodded and left, Artemis said “I’m sure Charon’s hungry.”

“Yeah, mom warned me about the hospital food,” smiled Mercury.

277

“Why don’t you and Lita pick up something to eat?” Artemis suggested.

“Why do I need to go too?” asked Jupiter. Artemis gave her a firm look. Jupiter glanced me. “Oh - gotcha!” she winked at Artemis.

“Mina, would you like us to get you something?” Venus didn’t respond when Mercury asked her. “Mina?”

“Huh?” Mina looked up, but wore the same spaced-out look on her face. “Oh...no thanks, I’m OK. Artemis?” She called out the talking white cat’s name when he started following the others out the door.

“I thought you’d want some privacy,” he admitted.

“It’s fine. You can’t go wandering around the hospital,” she said. After several seconds of quiet, I glanced at Artemis, who turned his head towards Venus. I’d have to be the one to start talking.

“You were the first person I met at the Palace...on the Moon, actually” I told her.

Venus faced me, but her eyes carried the inquisitive look reserved for complete strangers. “Yeah, you mentioned that earlier. I got the feeling you were too embarrassed to tell me the whole story.” Both times she said ‘you’, I saw her mouth forming to say ‘Logan’ before she corrected herself.

“I’d never seen ice skating before, so I tried walking on the frozen lake and fell down in front of everyone. You laughed when you saw me, then you introduced me to Queen Serenity...but I was so shy that I barely said two words to you,” I told her.

At least now, Venus was smiling. I could see her trying to picture the scene in her head. “Then we went to a ball at the Palace together and everyone was there: Serena, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and even Prince Darien. It was the best night of my life. Queen Serenity told me that once we defeated Queen Beryl, I could come live with all of you at the Palace. But then...”

Mina and Artemis stared attentively, fidgeting as they waited for me to finish the story. I wasn’t ready to tell them about what Queen Serenity did...at least, not yet. “But I went on a mission and things went horribly wrong,” I continued. “It broke my heart knowing our first dance was also our last one,” I told them.

Venus’ eyes twinkled. “Well, we’ll have to fix that!” She extended her hand towards me to help me stand out of bed. Artemis backed up into the door to close it. Venus reached into her pocket and pulled out a strange white, rectangular-shaped object that fit easily in her hand. “Let me see if I have any dance-appropriate music on here.”

278

She pressed a button on the device and music started playing: “I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world - “ “Ugh, why did I keep this one?” She pressed the button again.

“I like big butts and I cannot lie - “ “You’re not dancing to that! You call that music?!” Artemis frowned, clearly disgusted. I’ll say one thing for the Moon Kingdom: they always had better taste in music.

“I just kept them in case I needed inspiration for writing songs, OK?” sighed Venus.

She pushed the button and the music changed.

Venus gazed at the screen when the sound of a drum and piano started playing from her device. “I...didn’t know I still had this one,” Mina said. Artemis looked up at her.

“Open that door the rest of the time - “ I recognized that was her voice singing the words. Her thumb hovered over the button that changed songs.

“Wait! This one’s perfect,” I said before she pushed it.

Venus looked surprised. “Do you mean that?” she asked.

She blushed when I nodded. I raised my right hand in the air and held my left towards her side. She held them, but we just stood there looking in each other’s eyes for a few moments as the music kept playing. Not that I minded...

“I thought you were going to dance,” Artemis finally asked after Venus’ song had played for thirty seconds without either of us moving.

“You told me to follow your lead, last time,” I told her. The left side of Venus’ face tightened. “You said you made it up as you went along.”

Venus’ face brightened. “I can do that!” She alternated between lifting my left arm and right arm in the air, then started shaking me from side to side. I nearly flew out the door when she started twirling me around the room. Artemis groaned and placed his paws over his eyes. OK, so we look ridiculous...but she finally started laughing.

“That was a great song,” I told her when the music ended. “Why wouldn’t you want to keep it?”

“I made it to the final round of star auditions with that song...but the Scouts needed my help. Four years later, it seems like I’m no closer to making my dream come true.”

Venus sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I would never turn my back on my friends for anything...but sometimes I wonder if that was my last chance. I’ve been wondering if it’s time for me to look for something else.”

“Don’t give up, Mina. You can still make your dream come true!” Artemis had peeked out from under his paws to provide some encouragement. He then turned to me and explained, “we’re trying to keep their identities as Sailor Scouts a secret on Earth... though the Spymaster already knows who we are. He’s been watching us.” I had to make a point of remembering their ‘other names’...and my own.

279

“I thought that Logan and I could form a duet!” Mina announced to the white cat.

“But I’ve never heard him sing. And I never asked what kind of music he likes. What if he doesn’t even listen to music?” She must have realized that she was talking about Logan as a completely separate person from me because she looked at me sadly. “I wanted you to open up, but now that I think about it...there are so many things I never told you either.”

“You only started dating him yesterday, Mina. With everything that’s going on, you two haven’t had much time to yourselves,” said Artemis.

“It just...feels like we’ve been dating a lot longer.” Mina gazed longingly into my eyes...perhaps she was looking for Logan. “We didn’t trust you at first. “When I met you I saw this shy, cute, really brave guy with a big heart that I had to get to know,” Venus made me blush. “But you were also a Shadow. Artemis warned me a long time ago that if I fell for a guy, I had to make sure that I liked him for who he truly was. Not who I wanted him to be.”

“He was right. That’s great advice,” I told her. I caught Artemis smiling.

“But I didn’t stand up for you as much as I should have,” she lowered her head. “I wasn’t a very good friend...and I haven’t been a much better girlfriend, either.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Mina,” said Artemis.

“I know you care. I can see it in your eyes when I talk to you,” I said to her.

Venus gazed at me longingly again. “We didn’t tell you that your bracer also restricted your powers and prevented you from attacking us. When you found out, you left because you were so angry at us for not trusting you. The others told me that I needed to give you space and let you make your own decision...but I felt like I had lost you before. If I couldn’t convince you to come back to the group, I wanted to know that you were safe. So I followed you.”

“But I came back,” I asked.

Venus smiled. “Yeah. You were scared that the others would be mad at you too, but you came back with me. That’s when we started dating.”

“Maybe you feel like we’ve been dating a lot longer because we have,” I suggested to her. “I thought about you every day.”

Venus gently pulled me towards her and leaned in closer. “When you woke up and told us that you didn’t remember everything, I thought that my boyfriend was gone. But now I see that Raye was right: even if we don’t remember the same things...you’re still the guy that I...that I...” She took both of my hands, interlocking fingers as she leaned even closer towards me. She tilted her head so that her lips were facing mine and closed her eyes halfway.

“Um, are you sure you don’t mind me staying?” Artemis asked. Venus wasn’t listening. She was in another world...another time...

280

I knew exactly what she wanted me to do. I was slightly afraid to kiss her at first... maybe Logan - if he was a separate person - would have been even more afraid. But then my final memories played again in front of my eyes. I remembered lying in Titan Castle, clinging on to the memory of the ball as everything around me faded into darkness. What did I have to be afraid of if I kissed her? I had more to fear - and regret - if I did not. I gently pulled her towards me, closed my eyes, and allowed my lips to touch hers...

“OK then,” said Artemis blankly as he watched. The moment our lips came together, I knew everything about it was right. Maybe I feared that she wouldn’t feel the same way, like she was cheating on her boyfriend for kissing me, but that didn’t happen. Her body pressed against mine and she held my hands even tighter as if she wanted to hold on to me forever. And I never wanted to be separated from her again.

I heard the door behind Artemis creak slightly, barely enough that I could hear it...and saw one green and one blue pair of eyes peeking through.

“Someone’s watching,” I whispered to Mina after our lips had parted.

Mina charged at the door and swung it open. “Amy! Lita! GET BACK HERE!” she screamed into the hallway. “I’ve gotta hunt down those two!”

“I hope Rini’s OK,” I said to Mina.

“Hopefully Darien and Raye caught up with her. They might be in the lobby. I’m sure it would mean a lot if you talked to her.” Mina pointed behind me. When I took her hand, she smiled and gave me a light kiss on the lips. “I can’t wait to give you your present.”

“Present?” I asked myself when she charged down the hall in the opposite direction.

“Oh no, I’d forgotten about that,” sighed Artemis. “Today is your birthday. All of us tried to convince her to get you a gift card or write you a song, but she wanted your present to be...” Artemis shuddered, “special.”

“Daddy! Raye!” Artemis and I both heard Rini’s voice screaming down the hall.

“Mina still has your bracer! Find a place to hide, I’ll get the others!” Artemis ran in Mina’s direction. But Rini’s screams reminded me of Sailor Saturn’s...I couldn’t let another child get hurt, not again. Especially if she was my friend.

“I don’t know where she is! I’m not going anywhere with you!” cried Rini. I crouched down the hall until I found the lobby, where I took cover behind a blue couch. I peeked over to see three Shadows back Rini into a corner. They wore the exact same robes that we wore 1000 years ago. Even though the others told me they were the enemy, I still couldn’t believe I would have to face down my former allies, even if I never met most of them. I found Darien and Mars lying unconscious in the chairs next to her.

A black cat-faced ball bounced off the head of one of the Shadows. “Get that stupid thing away from me!” The Shadow swatted it a way and yanked Rini’s pink hair, making her scream. “Stop whining or I’ll knock you out, you spoiled brat!”

281

That’s it! Bracer or no bracer, I’m not letting them torture her! “I’m over here!” I came out of cover and shouted to them.

The Shadow smirked. “The Spymaster finally ordered us to bring you in after your little stunt at the Crystal Palace!”

“Come and get me then,” I taunted.

“No! Run, Charon!” Rini shouted.

“I said shut up!” He pulled her pink hair again. The other two Shadows vanished and reappeared right next to me, but I quickly grabbed one of them by the arm, flipped him over my shoulder, and ducked under the other one as he attempted a dark energy punch.

I then kicked him into the wall. I didn’t feel as physically fit as I was 1000 years ago, but I was adequate.

The Shadow that had been tormenting Rini stared at the downed Shadows in abstract shock. He pulled out a dark energy sickle with a weighted chain at the end. “Remember this, turncoat?” Rini ran to the side of the room and shouted ‘Moon Prism Power!’ The Shadow swung the weighted chain in my direction, but I was able to jump over it. I quickly saw that it was a feint: he was coming towards me with the sickle end. I stepped off to the side, grabbed both of his wrists, forced both his arms together, and twisted him around to spin him to the ground. His grip weakened enough for me to wrest his weapon from him.

“Moon Tiara Magic!” That was Serena’s voice! She appeared from another hallway and threw what looked like a disc of light at the Shadow I had head-slammed into the wall earlier, knocking him over. The others had told me she was a Sailor Scout before, but it was still a shock to see her wearing the uniform. I was even more shocked when I saw Rini dressed in a pink and white version of the same uniform.

“Luna-P Attack!” cried Rini. The cat-faced ball slammed into the other Shadow’s head, knocking him to the ground as well. Luna-P...that name sounded familiar. I remembered I had something similar...but that was another memory that didn’t fit with the rest.

“I’m Sailor Moon, the champion of justice! On behalf of the Moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil...and that means you!” Serena posed as she gave her speech and pointed at the Shadow behind me. I had to wonder if the whole routine was really necessary. Serena stared at me as if she just noticed I was there. “Hey, you’re up!

And you’re kicking their butts without the bracer!” she exclaimed.

“You’re not the turncoat! He never would have been able to take us without his bracer!” jeered the Shadow whose weapon I had taken.

“Who else would I be?” I taunted.

“Charon, here’s your bracer!” Venus appeared behind Sailor Moon. She tossed a silver bracer with the dark shard towards me: everything down to the engravings was identical to the one I had worn before. The same black and gray Shadow robes formed 282

around me in a flash of blue light. The three Shadows were now completely cornered by the Sailor Scouts, with Raye and Darien beginning to stir.

“Last chance to surrender!” warned Serena. Sailor Mercury tossed me another item that I hadn’t expected to see: a transformation pendant in the shape of the Moon. I placed the necklace around my neck.

“You won’t humiliate us like you humiliated the others at the Palace,” the Shadow sneered. I saw him reveal his own transformation pendant and clutch it. I held my own pendant and raised my bracer arm towards him. He stood there paralyzed with shock when pendant became encased in dark energy and flew towards me. I channeled my own energies into it and sent it back flying towards him, taking the form of a black screeching bat as it crashed into him.

“Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!” Sailor Mercury summoned a watery harp that fired a water blast after she finished playing it. She hit the stunned Shadow that had attempted to transform, slamming him into the wall and causing him to disintegrate into shards of ice.

“You’ll regret that, parasite!” screamed one of the remaining two Shadows. Before he could attack any of the Sailor Scouts, I teleported out of sight and charged into him like a streak of light, slammed him into the wall on the opposite side of the lobby.

“Jupiter Oak Evolution!” She spun around and sent leaf-shaped shards of green energy towards him after I jumped out of the way, destroying him.

“Venus Love Chain Encircle!” Sailor Venus trapped the final Shadow after he recovered and teleported behind me.

“The Spymaster could have destroyed you all, but he showed you mercy. He offered you peace, and you so readily - “ I teleported to the third Shadow and grabbed him by the collar before he could finish his rant. He glared at me through yellow eyes, and his skin had taken on a dark purple hue.

I remembered how angry Tithon became when I ‘suggested’ using Serena as a hostage...now I was sure that he was the Spymaster. “Can you send a message to the Spymaster?” I asked the Sailor Scouts.

They stared at each other warily. Sailor Moon looked especially confused...they must not have told her yet. “Uh, he usually hacks our communicators when he wants to talk,” Jupiter explained and held up her arm to reveal a bracelet wrapped around her wrist with a crystal star face. I rolled up my own sleeve and realized I was wearing the exact same model.

“You will take a message to the Spymaster. If he wants me, he can come for me himself,” I told the last Shadow.

“What?!” exclaimed Serena. The others looked petrified.

“If he’s truly wants peace, then I’ll meet with him one-on-one,” I said.

283

“Charon, you can’t!” begged Sailor Venus.

“I know him,” I told her...but my words didn’t seem to ease the lines of tension written on her face.

“What makes you think you can demand to speak with him, traitor?” the Shadow snarled...but not loudly enough for the others to hear him.

I leaned into the Shadow’s ear and whispered, “tell him I know who his daughter is.”

The defeated Shadow breathed heavily and clutched his throat when I dropped him to the ground. “Now go!” I ordered.

The black guardian cat with the crescent moon forehead came forward after he left.

I’d seen her before with Queen Serenity...she must be Luna. “I haven’t seen any of the Shadows we’ve faced use attacks like the ones you just used. Where did you learn them?” she asked.

“Charon remembers everything that happened during the Silver Millennium, including his training and experience. He knows how to use his dark magic more efficiently,” explained Artemis. “With the other Scouts, we might have a chance against the Spymaster now.” Other Scouts, I wondered.

“You remember the Moon Kingdom? That’s so cool!” exclaimed Sailor Moon.

Darien and Raye had returned to consciousness and joined the rest of us, rubbing their foreheads. “There was a tradeoff. He lost his more recent memories,” explained Darien.

Serena eyed me closely. I still couldn’t believe that she was a Sailor Scout. “How recent? From a couple of hours ago? Yesterday?”

“More like a thousand years, give or take,” suggested Sailor Jupiter.

“WHAT?!” Serena’s eyes started filling up with tears. “You mean...you forgot about all the talks we had?”

“I’m afraid so,” I answered.

“All the romance advice that I gave you?” Serena’s lip started quivering.

“Half of which you probably ‘borrowed’ from my routine!” Venus pointed her index fingers towards the sky to make quotation marks when she said ‘borrowed’.

“I wonder where you got all that from since your relationship experience was zero until Logan came along!” taunted Sailor Jupiter. Venus held her arms at her sides, made fists, and fumed in Jupiter’s direction.

Serena’s eyes shook like a pair of dams about to give way. “What about...the twenty dollar tip you promised me?”

“I know he never promised you that!” challenged Raye as Serena sniffled.

“He didn’t even get a chance to order anything, Serena!” added Luna.

284

“What do you mean by ‘tip’?” I asked. Serena gasped, then the waterworks began...

“WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Serena came down on her knees and began wailing loudly while the rest of us watched in embarrassment.

“I remember Princess Serenity being more...dignified than this,” I told the others as tears flowed from Serena’s eyes. Now I knew she wasn’t ready to hear the truth.

“Hopefully, Princess Serenity will wake up in Serena’s body one day,” sighed Rini.

“To her credit, she doesn’t cry every time something dramatic happens anymore,” said Sailor Jupiter.

“It’s still really embarrassing when she does!” Raye stared down at the Moon Princess as she continued her tantrum. “You’re twenty years old, Serena!”

“But I was his best friend! WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Either Logan and I had completely different personalities, or he also wondered how that happened...

285

286

A

Chapter 37 Sailor Saturn Returns

fter Serena finished bawling her eyes out in the hospital, we left to check on Raye’s Temple as we waited for the Spymaster to contact us. “ Mars breathed a sigh of relief when we got there. “Here we are. It’s a complete mess, but it’s still standing.” Some of the buildings looked like they would collapse if someone leaned against them; the snow piling up surely wasn’t helping. “I need to tend to the Great Fire. Charon, could you come with me?” she asked.

“We left a few things here. We’ll meet back in a few, sweetie,” assured Venus. We attracted a few stares from the rest of the group when she put a hand on my shoulder and kissed my cheek. I noticed Rini and Tuxedo Mask were following me after the rest of the group split up.

“Charon, I have to ask what you were thinking when you requested to meet the Spymaster,” said Tuxedo Mask. I stopped in my tracks as Sailor Mars bent down to pick

287

up a small pile of wood outside the main shrine. “He crushed you all in your last fight.

Sailor Mini Moon and I won’t be enough to even the odds in the next one.” Rini - or Mini Moon as Darien had called her - stared at me with quivering eyes. She was also afraid at the idea of fighting the Spymaster. He didn’t just beat us and walk away.

Something else happened...

“We can’t count on Uranus and Neptune for their help either,” sighed Sailor Mars.

She must have noticed I looked confused, so she explained: “they’re Sailor Scouts too, but...they don’t really listen to Serena. We’re not even sure if they’re on our side anymore.”

“I only met you four Guardians and Princess Serenity at the Palace,” I told them. “I heard there were others. I know about Sailor Saturn, and I heard rumors there was a Sailor Pluto.”

Sailor Mars nodded as she opened the door to the main shrine. The fire was indeed still burning. “You’ve been helping us protect Sailor Saturn.” That was a relief...at least this time I was on the right side...but how would she feel about seeing me again?

“But Saturn’s powers haven’t returned yet,” added Tuxedo Mask as Mars threw the logs onto the fire. “Trista - Sailor Pluto - is with her right now. I have to warn you: she’s been pretty hostile towards you.”

If she knew that I had attacked Saturn, I wouldn’t blame you.

“She’s not so bad, Darien!” said Mini Moon. “She promised to be nice to Logan for his birthday!”

“Hotaru doesn’t remember anything about being Sailor Saturn, either,” said Sailor Mars. Mini Moon’s face fell to the ground again. Perhaps they had been close friends too. “Does any of this look familiar to you?” Mars asked.

I shook my head. “There was one other Sailor Scout,” I told them. “She went by the name ‘Amethyst’ on Earth.”

The others exchanged glances. “All of us are accounted for, Charon,” said Sailor Mars.

“She wore a Sailor Scout uniform and she had a crescent moon compact,” I explained.

“It was badly damaged, but it was authentic. She didn’t want us to take her back to the Moon Kingdom, so we recruited her into the Shadows.”

“A crescent moon compact...sounds like the one Artemis gave Sailor V,” commented Darien. Sailor V...I remembered that name...

288

“From what I remember, he crafted that specifically for her,” answered Sailor Mars.

“It’s obsolete now; it has to be frequently recharged by moonlight in order to use it. But if Amethyst managed to get her hands on something like that, she could transform into a Sailor Scout - or something similar.”

Mars winced and started clutching her head. I put a hand on her shoulder and asked “are you OK?” “It was faint, but...I sense a dark presence in the room with us,” she answered. The others glanced around frightened when we heard a familiar, blood-curdling laugh above us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Shadow teleport next to me. I quickly grabbed her arm and threw her outside the shrine. I pinned her down on the snow-covered ground and stared into those familiar, menacing orange eyes...

“The Spymaster and I were so excited to hear you have all your memories back! Now we can talk about all the fun times we had!” she cackled.

“Amethyst.” She smiled when I said her name. She had the same pale complexion and black hair under her hood, but her teeth were rotted and there was a dark hunger swirling in her eyes. Tithon...is this what the Shadows have become under your command?

“We fought her before! Are you sure that’s her?!” asked a shocked Sailor Mini Moon.

“I’d recognize that laugh anywhere,” I answered.

“You finally remember me!” the Shadow taunted and...started rubbing my hand. “I feel all tingly inside when you hold me down like this!”

“That’s disgusting!” cried Rini.

“I don’t remember her flirting with him before,” concurred an equally disgusted Tuxedo Mask.

“You’re one of those guys who attracts all the crazy girls, aren’t you Charon?” commented Sailor Mars.

“I heard that, Mars!” Sailor Venus and the others stood in the snow across from us.

“Sorry Venus, but it’s true!” sighed an unapologetic Sailor Mars.

“The point is, he’s taken!” Sailor Venus directed at Amethyst.

Amethyst rolled her eyes at me. “I never understood why you picked that one. The tall brunette would have been a better fit for you!” Fortunately, no one on my side called out Sailor Jupiter when her face turned scarlet.

“You and I were never friends, Amethyst,” I snarled.

She smirked. “I thought you were trying to be friends with all the Sailor Scouts.

That’s too bad. I have something I thought you’d want to see.” I followed her eyes as she tilted her head to the right. Lying in the snow next to us was the exact same crescent moon compact she had carried 1000 years ago, all beaten and weathered. It emitted a 289

bright flash, blinding the rest of us long enough for Amethyst to flip me over and escape out from under me.

When my vision returned and the light faded, she was holding the compact up with one hand as she dropped her hood with another. Her long black hair flowed out as her Shadow robes glided to the ground. Her Sailor Scout uniform was now immaculate, with the same black ribbon, black knee high boots and black skirt as before. Her skin was permeated with dark shards.

“Charon was right! She can transform just like us!” said Sailor Mars. The other Scouts gasped.

“Your old friends Uranus and Neptune helped me fix my compact! They’re really not so bad once you get to know them!” she laughed.

“Figures - those two walked right into her hands!” shouted Sailor Jupiter. Most of the Scouts looked disgusted.

“So did they help you willingly or did you take their help? What happened to them?” demanded Sailor Mars. Amethyst ignored them and kept laughing.

Sailor Mars put one hand on her hip while the other lay at her side. “If there’s one thing we all hate, it’s a bogus Sailor Scout dragging our names through the mud!” I sense another routine coming...

“The clothes we wear and the powers we wield aren’t what make us Sailor Scouts!” added Sailor Jupiter.

“Being a Sailor Scout requires integrity, courage, and compassion!” said Sailor Mercury.

“We’re real Sailor Scouts!” declared Sailor Venus.

“And we stand for love and justice!” added Sailor Mini Moon as she stood back to back with Sailor Moon. Amethyst yawned.

Sailor Moon posed like she did back at the hospital, raising one arm in the air and then repeatedly crossing them. “We will right wrongs and triumph over evil!”

The other Sailor Scouts made different poses, with Jupiter and Mercury kneeling on one knee, Mars making fists and holding them at her sides, and Venus raising an arm in the air. Then they all pointed at Amethyst shouting “and that means YOU!” Amethyst shook her head. “Don’t you ever get sick of those stupid routines?! They were half the reason I went to Earth!” I had to admit, it was a little drawn out...

“I am Tuxedo Mask - “ “OH, FOR THE LOVE OF - CAN WE PLEASE JUST GET THIS OVER WITH?!”

Amethyst threw her arms up in the air and shouted, then abruptly lowered them and pointed at me. “Or can we at least skip to his routine?”

290

I turned my head in Sailor Moon’s direction. “Do I have to give a speech?” I asked her.

Sailor Moon stared back holding her pose. “I didn’t want to put you on the spot before since you were so shy. Do you want to say something before we get started?”

“No!” Public speaking was one of the few things that made me sweat.

“It’ll be good practice for you!” chimed Sailor Venus. “We can work on a routine together after we trash this phony!”

“The others weren’t so outraged when you were running around as ‘Sailor V’!” charged Amethyst. Sailor V...I recognized that name. “And what makes you so sure I’m fake, anyway? Let me guess - you think Queen Serenity was this goody two-shoes who pampered everyone?”

“Don’t even think about insulting my mother! We’re turning you into moon dust this time!” threatened Sailor Moon.

“She’s becoming exactly like her mother, isn’t she?” Amethyst casually chatted with me as if I were a long-lost friend. “But you haven’t told her yet, have you? They wouldn’t have believed you, anyway. Let me take care of it!” Amethyst pointed her compact at me, opened it, and shouted “Prism Field!” I was encased me in a shimmering energy prism and lifted several feet into the air.

“Charon! Put him down!” screamed Sailor Venus. The others watched in horror from below.

“The Spymaster wanted me to make sure that the Scouts don’t interrupt your meeting this time. I’ll keep them company!” Amethyst sent me hurtling through the forest below...

After several miles, my crystal prism shattered when it flew into one of the trees, sending me towards the ground. I grabbed a tree branch, but it buckled under the weight.

My robes were nicked and torn by branches that gave way during my descent. After I recovered from falling several feet to the ground, the Spymaster hurtled towards me at lightning speed. I teleported out of the way just in time, causing him to slam into the tree. “I said I wanted to talk,” I snarled.

Besides a slightly larger beard that showed a few gray hairs, he looked exactly the same when he faced me. “If you can’t talk and fight at the same time, then I failed you as a teacher!” Fighting was his way of reading people: combat was the language he understood best. He charged me and threw a flurry of punches in my direction, but I was able to dodge them all.

“No...you trained me well,” I admitted. I grabbed hold of him and kneed him in the stomach, following up with a karate chop to the back.

The Spymaster quickly recovered. “I see you remember. You’re not floundering around as much as last time!” He created a dark magic bolt in the air and threw it to291

wards me. I teleported and managed to strike him in the back with a dark energy blast at close range.

“So you could have destroyed us all, but you didn’t. I think you had meant to, but you couldn’t bring yourself to kill your own daughter. You won’t hurt Serena and you know she’d never forgive you for killing her friends. You’re biding your time until you find a way to make her see the world the same way you do: a place devoid of love and hope, where strength is the only quality that holds value.” I stood across from him to witness his reaction, looking for any sign that I was weakening his resolve...

The Spymaster’s mouth and facial lines remained perfectly straight; he was making a conscious effort to hide his emotions from me. “Logan had one advantage over you, Charon: he didn’t try to psychoanalyze me. You caught me off guard one time with the question of Serena’s father. I won’t make that mistake again.” I leapt out of the way when the Spymaster shadow-charged me, then he ducked under my dark energy punch.

“It seems that while you remember your past, you have forgotten the present...just as I hoped.”

The Spymaster shadow-charged again and slammed me into a tree. He smiled when I channeled dark magic to my hands. I realized too late that I was leaning against the tree with the crescent moon carved into it. This was exactly where we met 1000 years ago... the entrance to my hidden base. He tricked me into opening it for him.

“Thank you for letting me into your hideout, Charon. Then again, it WAS mine first.”

I heard an audible click and the ground gave way to reveal the entrance to my hidden base. The Spymaster threw me headfirst into the tree. I began stumbling after him when I heard someone running through the snow...

“Charon!” Luna had to leap through the snow to reach me. “I was able to escape, but Amethyst captured the others!” Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the opened entrance to my base. “Sailor Saturn and Pluto are down there!”

Sailor Saturn! The image of her screaming and wincing in terror when I grabbed her came to haunt me again. I had to save her! Luna and I jumped down and ran through the tunnels.

“Logan! You’re back!” A chill ran down my spine when I heard Saturn’s voice in the tunnel...there was no way she could have seen us from here.

“That isn’t Logan! Hide, Hotaru!” shouted Luna.

“Get away from her!” I heard another woman shouting in my cave. I didn’t recognize her voice...it must have been Sailor Pluto. Hotaru scream when I heard the sound of sparks and glass breaking, followed by someone (likely Sailor Pluto) being thrown into the cave. Luna and I found the Spymaster grasping Hotaru’s forehead as she screamed, suppressing the symbol of Saturn on her forehead.

I shadow-charged to slam him into the wall of the cave. “Leave her alone! She’s just a child!” I shouted.

292

The Spymaster shoved me away from him, giving Hotaru a chance to run. “Her powers must be suppressed, Charon!” he snarled. “Or else Sailor Moon will abuse them just like her mother did!”

“Trista! We need Sailor Pluto, now!” cried Luna.

“Pluto Crystal Power!” the woman shouted behind me. I caught a brief glimpse of her planet-shaped transformation rod before it turned into a purple orb of energy. She encircled herself in a whirlwind of energy as she spun around. Sailor Pluto emerged lifting a much larger gray rod in the air, shaped like a key with a red orb at the top. Her skirt, choker and collar were black with a dark red ribbon at the front, and she wore maroon earrings in the shape of a downward arrow.

Sailor Pluto raised her rod towards the ceiling and once again became encircled in a whirlwind. “Pluto Deadly Scream!” The wind gathered into the orb of her rod to create a massive purple sphere of energy. Sailor Pluto spun once holding the rod and sent the planet-shaped sphere hurtling towards the Spymaster. It tore through everything in its path, but he easily dodged the attack.

“Not fast enough, Sailor Pluto,” dismissed the Spymaster. “Your face is difficult to read. I wonder if you know the future but act to disguise it from the others.”

“I don’t need to look into the future to know your fate, Spymaster. You will be stopped,” Pluto answered coldly. She swung her rod at the Spymaster, but he sidestepped her attack and delivered a karate chop to her neck before turning his attention back to me and Saturn.

I threw myself between Saturn and the Spymaster to block one of his attacks. He charged his hands with dark magic and tried to press them down on me, but I held his arms away...barely. “Queen Serenity was just like her daughter once, Charon! She became drunk with power just like Sailor Moon will! The only way to prevent her from abusing that power is to keep it from her!” He ducked when Sailor Pluto attempted to strike him from behind with her rod and punched her hard in the stomach, forcing her back. Luna pounced at the Spymaster’s face, but he swatted her away in mid-air.

I head-butted the Spymaster in the nose and pushed him off. The Spymaster created a massive dark energy bolt in the air and threw it in my direction...

“Saturn Silent Shield!” Hotaru’s voice cried out. A transparent barrier like the ones Queen Serenity summoned in the past blocked the Spymaster’s attack. When I looked over at Hotaru, Sailor Saturn stood in her place. She was several inches taller and returned my glance with more somber purple eyes. I had never seen Saturn as one of the Scouts...but the purple and white uniform, the planet-shaped and diamond-tipped earrings, the bladed polearm weapon she held behind her back...it still looked familiar to me...

“Broken free from the silence, I’m Sailor Saturn! Protected by the planet of destruction, your plan ends here!” Sailor Saturn declared.

“You have no hope of escape, Tithon,” I warned him...even if I knew he would never 293

surrender.

The Spymaster smirked. “You forget that this was my hideout before you became Spymaster. You were always so idealistic, charging into Titan Castle with little hope of success. I always have an escape plan!” He raised an orb of black-purple energy and threw it to the ground, surrounding us with magically-charged smoke that electrocuted and blinded us. When the smoke cleared, we saw a massive hole in the wall behind the computer. The four of us only saw bottomless caverns below.

“Are we safe anywhere?” sighed Luna.

“If he came here for Saturn, why would he flee?” Trista pondered out loud.

“The others were captured. The Spymaster acted as his own diversion!” I realized.

Amethyst was going to tell them everything. She sought to turn the Sailor Scouts against everything they were fighting for!

I went to examine the damage Tithon had done to my computer. The interface had been shot out with dark energy and occasionally sparked. The dented terminal lay on the ground. Poor Vigil...wait, I don’t remember giving my computer a name!

“Amy’s going to be disappointed when she sees this. She was getting attached to that computer of yours,” commented Sailor Pluto.

I stood the dented terminal up. “I can fix it, but we don’t have the time. Is there any other way we can track the others?” I asked Luna.

“He must have taken them to the Crystal Palace!” she exclaimed.

I turned back towards Pluto and Saturn. “Let’s go before he - “ I stopped midsentence when I saw multicolored words that read ‘Happy Birthday’ strung across the entrance of the cave behind them. I walked into the room and found small floating balls of different shapes and colors pushing against the ceiling.

Artemis had told me it was my birthday. “This was for me,” I muttered to myself as I grabbed one of the balls and held it in my hands.

“What’s going on with you?” Pluto asked impatiently. Darien was right...the tone of her voice suggested she didn’t like me very much.

“He relived his memories during the Silver Millennium, but he remembers nothing of the present day,” explained Luna.

Sailor Saturn joined me in the cave. “I’m sorry you don’t remember any of this. We needed you at your best...once I knew that I could trust you.”

“Stay focused, Charon. The others are counting on us,” Sailor Pluto crossed her arms.

“We’ll help you sort through everything once this is all over,” Saturn promised. She smiled when I faced her, still holding the air-filled ball. “I am happy to see you again.”

“I must look better than last time,” I teased. “I’m sorry we met the way that we did.”

294

“You made up for it,” she nodded. “You are loyal to your friends and have compassion for others. As long as you retain those qualities, we will always be on the same side. Now, we must hurry...”

Miles away, Sailor Venus awoke to find herself face-first in the snow. She stirred at the sound of her own voice laughing in the distance...but she recognized the voice sounded much younger. When she lifted her head, she saw a transparent, ghost-like version of her teenage self standing on the ice. Her figure skated over to a robed boy that was lying flat on the ice as well-dressed nobles stared blankly at him.

“Skating without skates? Sounds like something Princess Serenity would try!” her apparition teased.

“Mina, are you OK?” Sailor Venus found Artemis’ head sticking out of the snow right next to her.

“Artemis, tell me you’re seeing what I’m seeing.” Artemis’ eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

“I haven’t seen you around the Palace before. What’s your name?” the girl asked the boy.”You’re shy, aren’t you? It’s OK. Queen Serenity’s waiting for you. Your friend in the robes told me where to find you!” When her apparition lifted the boy up by his arms, Sailor Venus immediately recognized the boy’s face...

“That’s Charon! This was when we first met! It’s happening just like he said...” Affection flooded Venus’ eyes.

“Careful, Mina. This could be one of Amethyst’s tricks. We need to find the others!

Mina?!” Artemis warned Sailor Venus, but she was so enamored that she followed the two apparitions towards the Crystal gates without a second thought...

295

296

A

Chapter 38 We All Fall Down

fter a long trek through the bitter winter, I stood over the hill overlooking what the others referred to as the Crystal Palace with Sailor Pluto and Saturn. So much snow had fallen that I had to carry Luna in my arms.

“It looks...different,” noted Luna. My heart dropped when I saw the shimmering dome mausoleum: it was a mirror image of the Moon Palace.

I looked at the base of the cliff; it was high, but there was enough of a slope for us to slide down. Pluto looked a bit nervous. “Quickest way down,” I said and led the way.

Sailor Saturn laughed as she and Pluto slid down after me.

Luna screeched when I forgot I was holding her and fell into the snow stomach-first at the sight of figures in the distance. “I see people on the lake. How could anyone be outdoors in weather like this?” asked Trista.

297

Remembering details like appearances and clothing was still not one of my strong suits...but I could never forget my first day at the Moon Palace. They were dressed exactly like the nobles.”They look...transparent,” I noticed when I got a closer look and saw through them.

“They could be mirages created by Amethyst’s compact. What could she be up to?” wondered Luna. She jumped out of my arms and shook herself off after she fell deep into the snow. “I’ll check up ahead to make sure!”

“The snow is too thick for you to walk, Luna,” Pluto pointed out. She turned to me and said, “stay back with Sailor Saturn.

“Yes, Princess,” I agreed.

Sailor Pluto stood and crept forward, but abruptly halted, turned her head, and stared at me like this was the first time she had seen me. “Wait! Did you just call me ‘Princess’?” asked a baffled Sailor Pluto.

Confused, I lurched up on my elbows and turned to Sailor Saturn. “Was I not supposed to?” I asked.

“Why are you being so respectful?” asked Sailor Pluto. “Ever since you returned from the hospital, you haven’t made one snide remark or belittling comment about Pluto!”

Why would she expect me to say things like that? “I’ve never even been to Pluto. I would have liked to visit!”

“Really? Even with people out there calling it a ‘useless lump of ice and rock’ and arguing that Pluto is not even a planet?” Pluto mirrored the same confused look that everyone in my hospital room gave me when they realized I didn’t remember ‘anything about being Logan’.

“Queen Serenity said it was a planet! Don’t people in the twenty-first century have anything better to talk about?” I asked Trista.

Sailor Pluto smiled down at Sailor Saturn. I could tell by the lines of tension in Trista’s facial muscles that Pluto didn’t smile often. “Does Charon really need his present day memories back, Hotaru? Maybe we should keep him exactly the way he is!”

“You are so mean sometimes!” pouted Sailor Saturn.

“I was joking, Hotaru!” laughed Trista...though the words sounded forced. She really meant it.

“You never make jokes, Trista!” called out Saturn. I lowered my face so Pluto wouldn’t 298

see me smirking.

Sailor Pluto glared at Saturn, but turned away to shake her head. “We sound like the Inner Scouts. Wait here, I’ll go ahead,” said Sailor Pluto.

“I never thought I would see the Moon Palace again...” I said to Luna and Hotaru as Trista went ahead.

“I never saw the Palace before it was destroyed.” Sailor Saturn looked up at the illusions in front of us and a sad glaze crept over her eyes. “I rarely left Titan Castle.”

“I still don’t think it was right for Queen Serenity to hold you there, you were her prisoner,” I said to her.

“Queen Serenity took care of me. She even came to visit. They took care of me... though I did get lonely sometimes,” Saturn answered sadly.

I could relate, I thought before Sailor Pluto crept towards us. “It’s safe. Come on.”

The transparent images of nobles dancing on the lake were oblivious to our existence.

The Crystal Gates of the illusionary Palace were closed when we passed the icy lake and the frozen fountains. I channeled dark magic to my hands and pressed against the gate, but I could not burn through them.

“The door seems to have some kind of refractive coating,” commented Luna.

“Wish we still had Luna Ball,” I said.

“Why?” asked Sailor Saturn.

“I...” Wait...why had I said that? “I...don’t know. In the past, I kept hearing a voice that gave me hints about the future and said things that didn’t make sense. He mentioned Rini’s name, even though I didn’t know who she was at the time. It’s like he was talking again.”

“Logan,” realized Sailor Saturn.

“Yeah,” I admitted.

“Let’s keep the fact that you heard a voice in your head within the group, OK Logan?” advised Luna.

I nodded. “Hearing voices in your head wasn’t a good sign a thousand years ago, either.”

Pluto turned our attention back towards the gate and raised her rod in the air. “We don’t have time for subtlety. Pluto Deadly Scream!” Sailor Pluto’s attack dented the gates enough for me to push it down. There were still transparent nobles hanging around the halls, dressed in gowns and dinner jackets like they were going to a nightly ball.

“Stay focused, there might be Shadows hiding among the illusions!” warned Luna before she was interrupted by the sound of Amethyst’s shrieking laugh.

“Show yourself!” Sailor Pluto demanded. All of our heads darted around the halls for 299

any sign of her.

“Nuh-uh!” taunted Amethyst’s voice. “Your friends haven’t finished their stroll down memory lane yet! Wanna take a guess where it ends, Charon?”

Sailor Saturn and I exchanged a tense and fearful glance. We both knew the answer: Titan Castle.

“Amethyst, this is between you and me! Leave the Sailor Scouts out of this!” I demanded.

Amethyst cackled again. “Sheltering them from the truth, just like Queen Serenity.

Look where it got them!” Amethyst dropped from the ceiling and nearly struck Saturn from behind before I pushed her out of the way. Sailor Pluto swung her Garnet Rod and struck Amethyst in the head, causing her to recoil backwards. We noticed the mirages of the nobles flicker in and out of existence.

Sailor Saturn spun around and pointed her weapon - the Silent Scythe - at Amethyst’s neck. Amethyst teleported away and tried to fire a dark magic bolt at us, but Sailor Saturn reacted quickly. She spun her scythe in Amethyst’s direction and held it horizontally, yelling “Saturn Silence Shield!” Amethyst’s projectile bounced off of Saturn’s barrier. I teleported away and struck Amethyst with a close-range dark energy blast... but was pushed away by a flash of white light.

“Charon!” Sailor Saturn shouted as I flew several feet into the air and slammed into one of the pillars. Electricity surged through my body, numbing my hands and feet.

I sensed Amethyst stumbling over to me as I lay face-down on the ground. “Now you know...what happens...when you attack Sailor...Scouts!” Amethyst mocked me even as she coughed through her words. She abruptly turned when Sailor Saturn screamed and stabbed Amethyst in the flank with the Silent Scythe. “AAARRGGHH!” she cried and stumbled away from me.

Amethyst backed away from Sailor Saturn with blood dripping from her wound at an increasing rate. Saturn stood over me with her weapon pointed at Amethyst’s chest. Her determined purple eyes dared the fallen Scout to attack again.

Amethyst smirked at me. “The girl is loyal to you, Charon. I wonder if the others would do the same once they see what you truly are!”

“Charon’s attack still hurt you!” shouted Sailor Pluto. Amethyst snarled at her through gritted teeth.

The mirages flickered again. “I know you have to recharge that compact of yours. I bet it’s nearly out of energy,” I taunted.

“We’ll just have to cut to the chase!” When Amethyst held up the compact and opened it, our surroundings changed from the white marble appearance of the Moon Palace to the crystalline, dark purple walls of Charon Castle. By the time we turned our eyes back to Amethyst, she had disappeared.

300

“I know what you’re planning to do to Earth! You feared that my powers would make me as evil as Queen Beryl, but you are on the same path!” From the end of the hall, I heard my own voice shouting back at Queen Serenity...the moment that I confronted her at Titan Castle was repeating Outer Scouts and I found ourselves stuck on the upper balcony with another one of Amethyst’s transparent barriers blocking us.

The Inner Scouts, Mini Moon, Artemis and Tuxedo Mask stood below with their backs turned to us...with mirror images of myself and Queen Serenity standing in front of them. “Sailor Moon! We’re up here!” I shouted and banged against the barrier. The others did not flinch as the illusion of Queen Serenity fired a beam of white light at mine with the moon wand.

“If you can’t bear to watch me or Saturn die, then how can you condemn millions of people on Earth to the same fate?” my past self told Queen Serenity.

“They can’t hear us from their side!” Sailor Saturn thrust the pointed end of her glaive into Amethyst’s barrier, causing it to shimmer without giving way. I tried pressing down on the barrier with dark magic, but my energy dispersed and crackled across the entire shield. Pluto thrust the opposite end of her Garnet Rod into the shield, but she and Luna had their eyes glued to the scene occurring below us.

“You confirmed that Earth was already lost...and the Moon is next,” Queen Serenity answered back. “We will save the Moon Kingdom and Earth can begin anew, but rebirth cannot happen without death,” answered Queen Serenity.

“Amethyst cut out so much of our conversation,” I realized. Sailor Saturn nodded.

“She’s vilifying Queen Serenity! We had to get in there!”

“Mother, please listen to him!” we heard Sailor Moon screaming as Saturn and I desperately pounded against the crystal wall blocking us from all of them.

“This is a memory! She can’t hear you, Serena!” Sailor Mars realized what was going on.

“Not everyone on Earth is in Beryl’s army! There are still good people there. Your daughter would inherit a throne stained with the blood of millions!” My past self argued with Queen Serenity as I pressed down on the shield again channeling all the dark magic I could.

“I knew you wouldn’t understand.” Queen Serenity’s image dropped the Silver Crystal into her crescent moon wand and held it towards my apparition.

“Mother, no!” screamed Sailor Moon.

“The shield is weakening!” exclaimed Sailor Saturn as she thrust her scythe into the area I had been channeling my energy. I could see the barrier starting to crack...

“Moon Cleansing Absolution!” We were too late...Queen Serenity had uttered the words that had sealed my fate.

301

“Look away!” Pluto and Luna could barely hear me as I choked on words. Sailor Saturn buried her head in my chest and hugged me with her left arm: neither of us wanted to witness my death again. Chills ran down my spine when the scream of Princess Saturn in the past was joined by the frantic screams of the Sailor Scouts in the present day.

Sailor Pluto gagged as if she were about to throw up. She was covering her mouth when I opened my eyes. If she had foreseen this...she was doing a good job at acting as if she hadn’t.

“This didn’t...this never...my mother...no...” Sailor Moon sat on the ground and stared blankly where our apparitions had just shimmered away. I heard some of the Scouts crying my name, paralyzed with horror over what they just saw. Sailor Venus was kneeling on the ground with her hands covering her mouth, with Artemis sitting right next to her. Tuxedo Mask was holding Sailor Mini Moon in an embrace...but he was shaking as much as she was.

“There has to be an explanation. There HAS to be,” whimpered Mercury.

“What possible explanation is there?!” cried Jupiter. “Queen Serenity murdered our friend!”

“He wanted to stay with us,” Mars crossed her arms and looked at the floor. “Mercury and I heard...but he never...got to...” her voice trailed off and she looked between Serena and Mina as they remained on the ground.

“Such terrible things never would have crossed Queen Serenity’s mind...” Luna’s eyes filled with tears as she slowly turned her head up towards me. “Ordering the destruction of Earth...killing you...what horrible lies!”

“She didn’t mean to kill me. It was an accident, “ I told her. Saturn lifted her head away from my chest.

Luna’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “You are not saying...no! NO! “ “She realized that she made a mistake! She never meant for any of this to happen!” I tried to explain. But like Serena, Luna was in complete denial.

“Queen Serenity shared EVERYTHING with me and Artemis! EVERYTHING, CHARON!” Luna shouted. “She never told us about any of this because she never even considered it!”

No she didn’t, I thought...but I dared not say it.

“I was there, Luna,” Saturn gently told her. “I’m sorry, but even though there was more to the story...this really happened.” Luna hung her head and began sobbing. Sailor Saturn faced me as I watched Luna. “There was nothing we could have said to prepare them for this,” Saturn gently assured me.

Sailor Pluto put a hand on my shoulder. “Charon, we shouldn’t keep the others waiting,” Any animosity she might have held between me or Logan had disappeared from her eyes. She almost looked glad I was standing in front of her right now. With Pluto 302

and Saturn’s help, I finally broke through the crystal prism and jumped down.

Relief spread over Mercury and Jupiter’s faces when they saw me. Tuxedo Mask also saw and whispered to Mini Moon: “Charon and Hotaru are here. They’re alright.”

Sailor Mini flew out of Tuxedo Mask’s arms and embraced me. “I’m glad you’re both here! I can’t believe grandma did that to you!”

“She couldn’t have, Rini! I know she didn’t!” assured Darien. Sailor Mars wrapped an arm around Sailor Venus and helped lift her off the floor. When Venus looked at me, I saw streaks of makeup on her face where she had buried her head in her hands and cried.

“Amethyst didn’t tell you the whole story!” I blurted out as everyone’s eyes bombarded me with questions. But every sign of relief faded from the Sailor Scouts’ faces. Even Sailor Moon, who looked so happy to see me a moment ago, now gave me a cold stare.

“None of it was true, Logan. My mother wasn’t like that,” Serena insisted...almost to the point where she was threatening me.

I took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to be easy... “Those parts did happen. Queen Serenity ordered Sailor Saturn to destroy Earth. I went to Titan Castle to stop her - “ “She never ordered the destruction of Earth, Charon!” Artemis cut me off.

“You misunderstood! My mother would never have done that!” shouted Serena.

“I’m sorry you all had to find out like this. I should have told you sooner. I thought there would be a better time...” Serena’s mouth hung wide open when I said that, like she didn’t believe it just happened.

“That’s right, Charon! Fill in the blanks for them!” Amethyst’s voice sneered from the distance. Only then did I realize. She wanted me to confess to the Sailor Scouts all along...on her terms. I had been tricked...again.

“Damn you, Amethyst!” I cursed her.

“Amethyst is vulnerable! Come with me, Saturn!” said Sailor Pluto. The Outer Scouts ran for the stairs leading up to the other side of the throne room. Sailor Moon grabbed my arm and dragged me back towards her when I turned in their direction.

“You’re not going anywhere until you tell us the truth!” demanded Sailor Moon. Everyone else stopped in their tracks.

“Let’s get Amethyst! We can talk about this later!” Sailor Jupiter said. But Serena held my arm in a firm grip.

“Just how were you planning to stop my mother and Sailor Saturn?” Serena’s ice-blue eyes bore holes into mine.

There was no avoiding it. I could lie...but even if Amethyst didn’t show them the truth on her own, they would see through it eventually.

303

“I couldn’t let her destroy Earth,” was all I could say.

Sailor Moon let go of my arm and the others now stared at me in horror. “You weren’t going to...attack her, right?” Mini Moon asked as she backed away from me.

“Of course he attacked her! He wanted to kill her!” bellowed Amethyst.

“Why are you all just standing there?! Cover the other side of the Palace!” shouted Sailor Pluto from the upper level.

“I couldn’t kill her! Even if she had the power to destroy Earth, I just couldn’t!” I pleaded with the others, but they remained fixed in place. Venus and Mini Moon were the only ones looking around the room; everyone else had their eyes laser-focused on me.

“There’s one more detail he left out!” Amethyst bellowed. Two mirror images of myself and the Spymaster appeared behind Serena. Swear words that never existed during the Silver Millennium ran through my mind as everyone else finally looked away from me to stare at the transparent figures...

“Queen Serenity told Serena that her father was an adventurer,” my mirror image asked the Spymaster’s. “I see the way that you look at Queen Serenity. You’re Princess Serenity’s true father, aren’t you? You thought that if you helped her, she would take you back and let you see your daughter?”

“I hoped...just like you. But clearly she has no intention of honoring her promise,” the Spymaster explained. Serena’s mouth fell open and she stared at me as if I had just punched her in the face. Even though I had known Princess Serenity and Sailor Moon for a short time, I could never picture them looking angry before. That changed when the images disappeared. Unlike when she was watching the recreation of my death, her body was completely straight.

Serena leaned towards me with her hands balled into fists. “Is that true, too?! You knew ever since you woke up at the hospital and you never told me?!” she screamed.

“I was waiting for the right - “ I tried to answer.

“You’re worse than the other Shadows, Logan!” she screamed.

“Serena, you don’t mean that...” Venus held an open hand toward Serena.

“YES I DO!” Serena snapped and pointed a menacing finger at me. “HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!” “Amethyst got away!” Sailor Pluto shouted at us from the upper balcony. She might have snapped her Garnet Rod if she squeezed it any harder. “Her blood trail stopped!

If you had covered your side of the Palace, she wouldn’t have been able to escape!”

Sailor Moon turned to snap at me when Pluto pushed herself away from the balcony and disappeared from sight. “This is all your fault, Charon!” she screamed again.

“No it’s not! The rest of us should have helped Sailor Pluto!” Sailor Venus looked like 304

she was ready to cry again.

“You ALL should have helped Sailor Pluto!” chastised Artemis.

But Sailor Moon would not relent. “You tried to kill Sailor Saturn, you kept the truth from me, AND you picked the worst possible time to start this argument!”

“You’re the only one yelling, Serena!” Venus pointed out.

“You always take his side, no matter what he does! It’s scary!” Sailor Mars yelled at Venus.

“Please, stop fighting you guys!” pleaded Sailor Mini Moon, but now the three of them were shouting over each other.

“Look what you’ve done, Charon!” Jupiter was glaring at me now. She was in on the fight, too.

“Is there anything else you want to confess, Logan or Charon or whoever you are?”

Serena stood an inch from my face and started bombarding me with questions without giving me any time to answer. “What other secrets are you hiding from me? Next, you’re going to tell me that Queen Beryl was my sister, right?” Meanwhile, Venus and Mars had erupted into a full-fledged argument of their own: “You were there, Raye! You know he was protecting us!” insisted Sailor Venus.

“So he said!” dismissed Sailor Mars. “But maybe he saw the other Shadows controlling minds and wanted to give it a try!”

“How dare you!” Sailor Venus snapped. “You said you were trying to be his friend but you keep throwing the bus under him for helping us!”

“Mina - “ interrupted Artemis.

“I’M TOO ANGRY TO CORRECT MYSELF!” she yelled back at him.

“I wasn’t going to - “ Artemis was cut off as the two of them went at it again. Rini looked helplessly back and forth in between the arguing sides with eyes full of tears.

“And I know you’re talking about me behind my back, just like when you told Sailor Mercury that I failed university after I asked you not to!” Serena bellowed at me.

“I figured it out on my own and asked him! He told me because he was worried about you, Serena!” Mercury cut in. But Serena paid no attention to Amy or anyone else.

Her words seemed to blend together into one high-pitched scream, all directed towards me...

I remembered Logan...me...with Serena in the diner...talking about all her problems in Raye’s temple. The memories...the jagged pieces that didn’t fit...they were coming together...at least, the parts with Serena were.

“Are you alright?” Sailor Mercury put a hand on my shoulder and turned me towards her when she saw me close my eyes and cringe.

305

“So you’re keeping secrets from us too, Amy? It’s like you and Mina have your own team with him!” Jupiter dragged Mercury back into the argument.

“I’m not ganging up on him for trying to spare our feelings! If you want to get mad at me for not telling the rest of you, go ahead Lita!” shouted Mercury.

“What is going on?!” demanded Sailor Pluto when she and Saturn rejoined us.

“Serena? SERENA? I was there when...” Sailor Saturn tried to tell them that she also knew who Serena’s father was, but she grew quiet as her words were drowned out yet again.

“THIS is why you couldn’t beat the Spymaster! You’re bickering like you’re still in junior high!” yelled Sailor Pluto.

“Hotaru’s trying to talk to you, Serena,” Tuxedo Mask put a hand on Sailor Moon’s shoulder. Even through the mask, I could see he was also in distress, but he was desperately trying to maintain a sense of inner calm. “Please, take a breath and - “ Serena took one quick breath and then shouted, “How could you even think about hurting a child, Charon? Just how far WOULD you have gone?!”

“YOU WANT TO JUDGE ME?! AT LEAST QUEEN SERENITY NEVER RAN AWAY FROM HER PROBLEMS!” I finally screamed back at Sailor Moon after she had been yelling at me nonstop. Sailor Moon leaned back and stared at me in shock as all side conversations ground to an immediate halt. I didn’t entirely understand what I was saying, but the words just flew out...

“YOUR FRIENDS NEVER LEFT YOU BEHIND, YOU PUSHED THEM AWAY! THEY WOULD HAVE DROPPED EVERYTHING THE MOMENT YOU ASKED FOR HELP! INSTEAD YOU QUIT SCHOOL, WASTED YOUR PARENTS’ MONEY AND HID IN THE BASEMENT OF SOME CRAPPY RESTAURANT BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T FACE THEM!” “Please Charon, that’s enough!” Tuxedo Mask tried to cut me off, but I wasn’t finished. The room had become so quiet, I could hear everyone else’s mouths drop open.

Serena turned her eyes away from me and shuddered with each breath she took.

“NO SANE PERSON WOULD WANT YOU AS THEIR QUEEN, SERENA! YOU’RE A TWO-YEAR-OLD TRAPPED IN THE BODY OF A TWENTY-YEAROLD! THE MOMENT YOU HAVE TO FACE ANYTHING BY YOURSELF, YOU JUST RUN AWAY!” I shouted at her.

Serena’s eyelids rapidly fluttered to hold back tears. “Sounds like Logan’s back,” she choked. “Did you always hate me that much?” she asked. She turned her back on me and started crying...

306

307

308

I

Chapter 39 Mending Broken Glass

heard Sailor Moon crying as she turned her back on me and started crying.

She did not make the same high-pitched, wailing noise she made back at the hospital when she found out I did not remember her. She was much quieter, gasping for air in between, as if her heart had just shattered into thousands of pieces and tore through her chest. Even after all the terrible things she said to me, even if she was no longer the refined and graceful Princess that I called my friend 1000 years ago...my heart ached.

Tuxedo Mask put an arm around Sailor Moon’s shoulder and guided her towards the heart of the room. I felt even worse when Sailor Mini Moon followed the Princess without so much as a glance at me. Sailor Mercury and Venus stood by my side, while Sailor Pluto stood in the corner with crossed arms while Sailor Saturn’s eyes went back and forth between me and Serena. I thought that Sailor Mars and Jupiter would turn

309

their backs on me to join the Princess, but they stopped to glare at me with pure anger in their eyes. I could feel Sailor Venus grasp my shoulder more tightly as she prepared for round two.

“That was pretty harsh,” Sailor Mars snapped at me.

“Shut up, Raye!” ordered Sailor Venus. Sailor Mars shot back a dirty look at her. I was tired of arguing...but I didn’t want another fight.

I looked Sailor Mars in the eyes and allowed my face to tighten itself to show my frustration with them. “If I had told you what Queen Serenity was planning to do, would any of you have believed me?” I asked Sailor Mars. She automatically opened her mouth to answer...but it remained open and her eyes went blank. She knew that they wouldn’t have. They would have branded me a liar or thought that I was losing my mind.

“I know you’re confused about who you really are, but you still should have told us the truth, Charon,” insisted Sailor Jupiter. “We were all friends. We’re supposed to trust each other.”

“He made the same decision that we did when Luna told us about the true purpose of his bracer,” said Sailor Mercury. “We met behind his back and agreed not to tell him until the time was right. Who are we to judge him?”

They had admitted that they did not trust Logan - me - at first, but to picture them meeting behind my back and debating how much of a threat I posed to the group was a heart-wrenching thought. Maybe in their hearts they were the same...but they had changed so much from the innocent Princesses I met at the Palace years ago. Their experiences had hardened them...even Sailor Venus. For the moment, I saw Jupiter and Mars returning to their old selves as the anger in their faces faded away. Whatever happened before, Mercury’s point was settling in.

“The difference is he kept the truth from us because he knew that it would hurt Serena. We didn’t tell him the truth because we didn’t trust him,” Venus added.

Sailor Jupiter relaxed her arms and let her face sink to the floor. Sailor Mars looked away from me, but I saw her mouth take the form of an upside down U. “You and Serena wanted to tell him the truth. The rest of us outvoted you,” Sailor Jupiter reminded Venus.

“But we still went along with it.” Venus looked at me sadly as she said it. I remembered what she said before about not standing up for me in the past...and I could see that this was one moment she truly regretted.

310

Jupiter’s emerald eyes fell upon me. “I felt terrible when you stormed out on us after you found out, but now I understand why you were so upset. I’m sorry, you guys.”

“I’m sorry too,” apologized Sailor Mars. “ When I saw Serena get so angry, I flew off the handles. Rini and Mina were right: I’ve been awful to you ever since the night you came to us, Logan. It wasn’t fair for us to get so angry at you.”

“But Logan, does this mean you remember everything?” asked Sailor Mercury.

I had hoped to avoid that question a while longer. I closed my eyes, trying to put everything I had said to Sailor Moon back together...but I couldn’t. I shook my head towards Mercury. “I remember times when she wasn’t a Princess...but the words just came flying out before, like when I heard my own voice in the past...Logan’s voice.

Those memories could have been mine, but it still doesn’t feel like it was my life.”

“You’re making progress though.” Artemis had perched himself on Mina’s shoulder.

“Give it some time. It’ll come back to you.”

Hopefully not due to Sailor Moon screaming at me. Of all the things that triggered those memories to return...Serena was still buried in Tuxedo Mask’s arms and shuddering, with Mini Moon at her side. “I still don’t remember being friends with Rini...but it hurts to think that she’s ignoring me,” I admitted to Sailor Venus.

Sailor Venus put a hand on my shoulder and gave a small smile. “I know she’s not.

She thinks the world of you.”

“Of Logan, maybe,” I said.

“Don’t read into it too much,” Sailor Jupiter said gently.

After engaging in their own discussion, Sailor Pluto and Saturn approached us. “Charon, I’m sorry. I tried to tell Serena that I also knew who her father was,” apologized Sailor Saturn.

“It’s OK. I didn’t want you to get in the middle of all that,” I replied. It suddenly occurred to me: Luna was nowhere in the room. “Wait, where is Luna?”

Everyone who heard me started glancing around the throne room. “The last time I saw her was on the balcony, after...” Hotaru’s voice trailed off.

“LUNA?” I shouted towards the upper floor. Out of the corner of my eye, Sailor Moon peeked her head over Tuxedo Mask’s shoulder. “LUNA!” I called out again as I ran out into the halls.

“I guess we should spread out and look for her,” sighed Trista. Her voice shook with frustration...no doubt she was still angry we had let Amethyst escape.

“Wait...I think I know where we can find her.” I felt as if a strange force was guiding me in her direction. The other Sailor Scouts followed me up to the second floor and towards a familiar pair of double doors. “I feel like I’ve been here before.”

“You were. You slipped into this place last night to find Sailor Uranus and Neptune,” 311

answered Sailor Mars.

“It is strange that there were no other Shadows here,” noted Sailor Mercury. “They must be up to something.”

“I just hope we don’t run into Uranus and Neptune again,” Sailor Venus fumed. I was about to ask her why, but I noticed that the door was slightly ajar. When I pushed it open, Luna was sitting in the marble room between a pair of bed. A handheld mirror with a golden frame was lying face down on the ground.

“We were looking for you Luna!” said Artemis.

“I...I’m sorry I ran off,” Luna looked towards the mirror on the ground, tugging at the handle with her paw.

“What happened to all of you in the last four years? Can any of you stay focused on stopping Amethyst and the other Shadows?” My instincts were correct: Sailor Pluto had run out of patience with us. Nobody answered her. Amidst the silence, I leaned down to pick up the mirror and turned it over. A small piece of the glass had been removed, with small cracks along the sides.

“Part of the mirror is missing,” Mini Moon noticed even though she was standing in the doorway, in front of Serena and Darien. They were still keeping their distance from us, but it was the closest Rini had come to talking to me ever since she hugged me before hearing the truth. “I didn’t think anything could break the Deep Aqua Mirror.”

“Looks like that missing shard is just big enough to fit Amethyst’s compact,” sighed Sailor Mars.

“Hold on, that doesn’t prove they betrayed us,” said Sailor Jupiter. “Maybe the Shadows forced her to give it up, or maybe they broke the mirror themselves.”

“I doubt that even the Shadows have magic powerful enough to break a Crystal Treasure, Jupiter,” said Luna.

I was distracted when I noticed a transparent image beginning to take form in the mirror. It was a woman’s face. As her features took form: the black hair, followed by the bulging orange eyes, followed by...my hands around her throat...I recognized her. My mother’s face. Her dying screams echoed through my mind...and I dropped the mirror.

Venus immediately grabbed my shoulder to shake me back into reality. I could feel everyone’s eyes burning holes into my back. “Did you see something?” asked Mina.

“I...” The coliseum. Where I met Amethyst. It was near here...and Amethyst might be there. “I think I know where we can find Amethyst is.” I shuddered and took shallow breaths as I answered them. “It’s where we met...” Everyone’s eyes - including Venus’ remained fixed on me. They knew there was more.

“What happened?” she asked. I wanted to lie and tell her nothing really happened... but I couldn’t hide the truth. Not anymore.

312

The words “I killed my mother” tumbled out, as if they had been waiting to burst out of my mouth for the past thousand years.

“Amethyst made you kill your mother?” Sailor Jupiter’s anger bubbled to the surface as she spoke. I could have said ‘yes’ and ended the discussion there...but that wasn’t the truth...

“No,” I confessed. I saw my own terror reflected in Jupiter and Venus’ eyes. “My mother was loyal to Queen Beryl. One day, soldiers broke into our house. My mother killed my father in front of me and the soldiers took me away. I thought that she loved us and that she had been forced to kill my father...but my mother admitted that she betrayed us. She was there when the Spymaster and I came to recruit Amethyst, and Amethyst made us fight. My mother pleaded with me when I had my hands around her throat...but if I let her go, she would have killed me too. At least...that’s what I told myself at the time.” I lifted my head expecting to see the same anger and judgment passed on me like before, but I only saw sorrow on the faces of those who looked back at me.

Serena, of course, still couldn’t look at me. “Maybe Sailor Moon was right. I am as bad as the other Shadows.” I looked away from the others.

“No, you’re not.” I turned my eyes back towards Serena when I heard her voice. I hoped someone would say that...but I had not expected it to come from her. “I said a lot of awful things to you. That was the worst. And it’s not true.”

She wasn’t avoiding my gaze out of anger...it was out of guilt. “I said a lot of awful things to you too,” I said.

She turned her head towards me, but her eyes remained fixed towards the floor. “But you were right. I was hiding from the truth. I wanted you to tell me that what I saw never happened so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. I got so angry with you when you didn’t and everything just came out at once. But now that I think about it...I never knew my mother at all.”

“She was not an evil person, Serena.” Once again, her eyes shook like a pair of dams about to break open as she forced herself to look up at me as I slowly walked towards her. She followed my eyes down to the locket around her neck. “Queen Serenity gave that to me to remind me that I always had a home at the Moon Palace. She gave me hope for the future even after my entire world fell apart. She may not have always made the best decisions, but her heart was always in the right place.”

I thought that my words would comfort her, but Serena’s body began shaking again.

“Even if Amethyst didn’t show us everything that happened between you and her, how could she have gone so far? Did she ever tell me who my father was? Did she tell anyone else about the Shadows?” Serena asked.

“We knew that Queen Serenity had agents on Earth, but most of their records were sealed. We only found trace references of them in the archives, mostly related to the bracers that were crafted for the Shadows,” explained Artemis.

“It seems that Queen Serenity shared very little with me and Artemis after all,” Luna remorsefully added.

313

“I wish I could answer all your questions, Serena,” I told her. “The Spymaster interrupted us when your mother started telling us about him,” I admitted. “I know there was more to the story. As for the rest...she was protecting the Moon Kingdom the only way she knew how. She chose not to destroy Earth, but it cost us the Moon Kingdom. You are the heir to her throne. The decisions you will have to make will rarely be as simple as choosing right over wrong or taking action versus doing nothing. You might find that someone will get hurt no matter what decision you make, and you will have to choose between what your heart says is right and what you know is best for the Kingdom.”

Sailor Moon looked away from me and shook her head. “I don’t want to be Queen! I don’t want to have to make those decisions!”

Tuxedo Mask put an arm around Sailor Moon. “Neither of us are ready. I was the Crown Prince on Earth. I should have done something to stop Queen Beryl! ANYTHING! How could I have been so blind to what was happening in my own kingdom?”

“I know you have a lot to consider, Prince and Princess, but we need to follow up on Charon’s lead,” interjected Sailor Pluto. “Saturn and I will follow him.”

“What about the rest of us?” asked Sailor Venus.

“The Spymaster was able to find a way into Charon’s hideout. We will need to find somewhere else to stay,” noted Sailor Saturn.

The others exchanged worried looks. “If Charon’s hideout isn’t safe for us anymore, then where else can we go?” asked Sailor Jupiter.

“How did he even get in?” asked Sailor Mars.

“He tricked me,” I admitted. “All of you were right...I was careless.”

“He tricked you because you didn’t remember,” said Luna. “You cannot blame yourself. Your mission was to keep Hotaru safe, and you did.”

“We don’t all need to search for a new place to stay,” said Sailor Mercury. “Some of us could - “ “We do not need your help,” Trista answered bluntly. “We need you all to get your act together. We cannot afford any more distractions.”

Venus’ eyes flooded with tears again. “You saw what happened to Charon before, Trista! I can’t lose him again! Please, let me come with you!” begged Sailor Venus.

“When Amethyst starts recharging her compact, I will be able to trace her energy signatures to her exact location. The Shadows have attempted to block our communications before. I should come with you too,” added Sailor Mercury.

“Please take them with you, Sailor Pluto,” pleaded Sailor Moon. “The rest of us will stay out of your way.”

Sailor Pluto glared at Sailor Venus. Venus clasped her hands and widened her eyes, silently begging Trista to let her come. “Fine, but you had better stay focused on the 314

task at hand,” Sailor Pluto conceded. “That goes double for you, Venus!”

Venus’ eyes lit up. “You can always count on me, I’m always foc - “ “Just nod ‘yes’, Mina,” sighed Sailor Mercury. Sounds like staying focused wasn’t Mina’s strong suit. Sailor Venus closed her mouth and nodded.

“We’ll stay in touch,” Sailor Saturn promised Sailor Moon.

Jupiter, Mars and Tuxedo Mask left, but Sailor Moon and Mini Moon remained behind. Sailor Moon ran towards me and threw her arms around me. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

As different as she was from the Princess Serenity I remembered...the familiar warmth and comfort I felt when I saw her in the past returned. “Me too. We’ll talk later, OK?” I assured her. She quietly nodded, wiped away her tears and let me go. Mini Moon stayed behind for a while, but she wasn’t looking at me...she was looking at Hotaru and Trista.

Just when I accepted that Mini Moon was still avoiding me for whatever reason and turned my back on her, I caught Saturn and Venus quickly turn their eyes away from me.

“Mini Moon! Why don’t you come with us?” Sailor Venus called out after Rini turned to follow the others with Luna Ball hovering close behind. Venus and Saturn caught me watching her.

Mini Moon looked a bit surprised that they had invited to come along. “Are you sure?

I don’t know how helpful I will be,” she admitted.

“You can come with us if you want to, Small Lady,” offered Sailor Pluto. For all her apparent disdain of the Inner Scouts, she carried affection for Mini Moon.

“Come with us, Rini! It’ll be like old times!” Saturn happily agreed.

“Hey! I’m not THAT much older!” teased Mini Moon.

“I thought you were in a hurry to grow up, Small Lady!” Sailor Pluto teased back.

Sailor Mini Moon looked back at Sailor Moon. Serena nodded to her, then left my sight.

“Earlier, we were trying to get through the front gate and Charon said he wished that we had Luna Ball with him. Any idea what he meant?” Sailor Saturn asked Mini Moon.

Mini Moon smiled at me. Venus was right...my fears about Mini Moon avoiding me had been unfounded. “Luna Ball helped you sneak in here the first time. Do you remember?” she asked.

“Not completely, but I think it’s coming back.” I bent down on one knee when I noticed Rini’s smile fade a little. “I was hoping you and I could be friends...at least until Logan comes back?”

“You’re still the same person inside. You helped protect me and Hotaru, just like you did before you lost your memories. You’re still my friend, even if you don’t remember,” she answered. I was relieved to hear her say that.

315

“Tell us where we can find Amethyst, Charon. Do you know how far it is from here?” asked Sailor Pluto as she led the rest of us out of the guest room and down the stairs.

“Amethyst wanted to remain neutral during the conflict with Queen Beryl. She took shelter in an old coliseum. I think that the royal court of Earth used it before it was abandoned,” I answered.

“We haven’t seen any ruins like the ones you described,” Sailor Mercury noted.

“Anyway it’s not far from - “ I stopped in my tracks when we the snow piling up in front of the entrance of the main gate.

Sailor Venus shook her head. “This won’t be a fun walk...”

316

317

318

T

Chapter 40 The Apprentice of Love

he leafless trees and blanket of snow left the dark forest unrecognizable, but the eerie feeling that clung to me as I jumped from tree to tree removed any doubt we were in the right place. The wood was brittle: I feared each branch would give way before I reached the next one. But the snow was thick enough to cushion any fall, and walking through the snow would have slowed me down too much. I felt bad for the Sailor Scouts as they trudged through the ground below.

All traces of air had been stolen on my lungs when I came across heaps of snow towering over the arctic wasteland...I had reached our destination. I originally planned on surveying the area before the others caught up, but I just managed to catch my breath by the time they caught up.

319

“I wish Logan had worked out more,” I muttered. Venus, Mercury, Pluto, Saturn and Mini Moon were all panting with similar exhaustion. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any trace of what was here before under the snow. Had it really been a thousand years since I last set foot here?

“I am getting strange...” Sailor Mercury had to stop for air mid-way. She seemed to be the most exhausted of all of them. “...Readings,” she finished. “Pluto told me about Vigil. You said you could...fix him, right?” she asked.

“We’ll have to make sure it’s safe to go back,” I reminded her. “The Spymaster knew how to escape, I’m sure he left a way back. But I should be able too.”

“Good,” sighed Mercury. “I know a bit about Moon Kingdom technology, I might be able to help you. I really miss having him around for situations like this.”

“Sure, Amy. You miss him because he’s USEFUL,” teased Venus. She raised her fingers in the air to make quotation marks, but abruptly dropped her arms when Sailor Pluto shot her a dirty glare.

“Seriously guys, we need to start talking about winter uniforms,” shivered Sailor Mini Moon. Their Sailor Suits offered them little protection from the elements...or anything, it seemed.

I was certainly glad my uniform came with pants and boots as I pushed through to the center of the coliseum...but I stopped when I reached the middle, where I fought my mother. I instinctively eyed the mountains of snow for jeering crowds. “It was here that I...that I...I don’t remember if I said goodbye,” I admitted to the others as I choked on my words.

“We shouldn’t stay out in the open,” said Sailor Pluto, though her voice was sympathetic.

“Trista, give him a minute,” asked Sailor Saturn.

I knelt down by the spot, even if it meant partially burying myself in the snow. “Mother,” I whispered to the ground, steadily brushing the snow off the ground as if I expected to find her under there. “It was you in the coliseum that day. I saw it in your eyes.

Maybe you were a casualty of war, like Tithon said. Maybe you would have betrayed me if I let you live. But even if I knew that was true...I would not hate you, mother.

Wherever you are, I hope you and father have found it in your hearts to love each other again. Maybe one day we will be reunited, and we will no longer be alone. We will be part of a new family: the one I found in the Moon Kingdom, and the one here with me now. Goodbye, for now, mother.”

320

When my hand brushed off the last of the snow, I noticed that the ground felt unusually hard and solid underneath. It was solid gray, as hard as the material the Moon Palace was made of. My fingers pressed against a slot cut into the ground: it would have cut my skin if I had not been wearing gloves.

“Maybe Luna Ball can open it for us,” suggested Mini Moon.

“I have another idea,” I suggested. It looked like the right-sized blade would open.

I reached behind my cloak and pulled out the silver weighted chain and handle I had taken from one of the Shadows in the hospital.

“I didn’t realize you kept that.” Mercury sounded nervous: she would have preferred I left it behind.

“Just be careful where you swing it,” added an equally nervous Sailor Mini Moon.

“Don’t worry. Tithon - the Spymaster - trained me to use weapons, including this one,” I explained. “ I prefer not to: we have dark magic for when we need to hurt someone and our hands when we don’t. But I knew we might need this.” I turned back to the slot and clutched the silver handle of the kusari-gama. A dark magical blade simmered and cackled with energy, causing the door to abruptly open beneath my feet when I placed it in the slot...

“Charon!” Sailor Saturn’s voice shouted after me as I slid down a cold gray, winding shaft before I finally hit the hard floor underneath. The room I entered was cold and damp, with a distant lantern sitting on a box providing the only source of light.

“I’m al - “ Mid-shout, I heard faint footsteps behind me. I swung around and found myself face-to-face with a frightened young teenager, wearing a light version of the silver armor worn by Moon Kingdom soldiers that left his face exposed. The sight of a small and skinny boy carrying such a large axe seemed almost comical. The startled boy leapt back...he had attempted to sneak up on me. Another ‘soldier’ swung his weapon in my direction, but I ducked under him and roundhouse kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. When the boy who tried to attack me earlier raised his axe and charged screaming, I rolled to the side, spun around and landed a karate chop to the side of his neck. As the stunned boy dropped his weapon, I grabbed his leg and flipped him over my back. Two more frightened teenagers rushed forward, brandishing weapons as Sailor Mercury and the others slid in the middle of our fight.

“It’s the Sailor Scouts!” One of the teens was a young girl, looking even more outof-place with the uniform she wore. What were you up to, Tithon? Using teenagers as soldiers, dressing them as Silver Millennium troops?

“It’s alright! He’s with us!” explained Sailor Mercury. The teens left standing glanced at me, then breathed a sigh of relief as they lowered their weapons.

“Amy...” Another voice called out behind the other two, but he sounded older. A young man, around the Inner Scouts’ age, with dark brown hair and brown eyes like mine emerged from between the others.

321

“Greg...” Sailor Mercury sighed longingly. Greg and Amy stood across from each other without a word.

“I thought you were keeping your identities a secret,” I whispered to the others.

“Greg figured out who she was long before I joined the rest of the Inner Scouts,” Sailor Venus whispered back. “They went to junior high together for a little while before his family had to move, but they moved back just before we finished high school.

They’ve been together ever since. Just like a fairy tale.” She added the last line with a smile.

“It’s been a long time, Greg. I’m sorry I haven’t kept in touch,” Mercury finally broke the silence.

“I know how important becoming a doctor is to you, Amy,” he answered flatly. Mercury ran forward and hugged him. He grabbed her upper arms as she let go, as if he was simulating pulling her off of him.

“The robed figures you fought on the news are here. Looked like half a dozen,” Greg told her. “They’ve been bringing prisoners down here and putting them under mind control. We just woke up on the floor, wearing these uniforms. We found our way back here and waited for someone to come. Any chance you have a way out?”

Sailor Mercury lowered a visor and started typing away on a small, light blue computer. “It’s hard for me to get readings in this place. I’m getting heavy interference. I know you’re not trained for combat, but your best bet is to hold this position until we find a way out of here,” she recommended.

Greg looked down at the two captives I had subdued, lying motionless on the ground.

“We need to stay with them anyway. I wish I could tell you where they were holding the others, but I don’t remember anything.”

“It’s alright. However they lost control, I’m glad you’re safe,” assured Mercury.

Again, Greg looked away when Sailor Mercury hugged him, waiting several seconds before raising his arms to pat Mercury’s.

“You said there were only six Shadows here,” noted Sailor Saturn. “Did you see anyone else with them? Any...Sailor Scouts?”

“I did,” admitted the teenage girl. “Until Greg recognized you, I was nervous when the rest of you showed up because I saw two women dressed like Sailor Scouts with them earlier. I was wondering what that was about...”

“Did they look like they were prisoners?” asked Sailor Venus.

“What about the Shadows? Did you get a look at their faces?” I asked, wondering if Tithon or Amethyst were among them.

“I didn’t see their faces,” she admitted, “but the two dressed like Sailor Scouts didn’t look like they were in any kind of distress. They just walked in with the others.”

322

“There’s our answer,” sighed Sailor Venus.

“Maybe not,” said Mini Moon. “We shouldn’t judge until we find them.”

“Mini Moon’s right,” agreed Mercury. “Stay safe, Greg. We’ll be back soon.”

We walked out into the poorly-lit, circular hallways with scattered pillars and large stones lying around. “We’ll be easy targets in these tight corridors,” said Sailor Pluto.

“Communications are still working, and I might be able to map the coliseum interior despite the interference,” suggested Mercury. After some more typing, she raised the screen to Sailor Pluto.

“Saturn and I will go this way,” Pluto pointed at the screen. “We’ll search for an exit and contact you if we find Uranus and Neptune. If we run into trouble, we will regroup with your friends at the entrance.”

“That leaves you and Charon to watch the other two, Rini,” teased Sailor Saturn. Pluto glared behind me as if to say she was serious.

“Remember Charon, Sailor Uranus and Neptune are unaware of your recent memory loss,” added Sailor Pluto. “Let us handle the talking.”

“Be careful, guys. This place is like a sewer,” Venus commented with disgust at our surroundings.

Pluto and Saturn split from our group as we went separate ways. My thoughts drifted back to what I had seen back at the entrance. Sailor Mercury had been so happy to see Greg: she hadn’t noticed him pulling away from her. Should I tell her? Letting Amy know she needed to have a talk with her boyfriend seemed like the right thing to do... but I still remembered how Serena reacted to the truth. Sailor Pluto told us all to focus on the mission...but Mercury was my friend. She would be hurt to know that I didn’t prepare her. Queen Serenity...there were times when I thought you were indecisive, reluctant to make the difficult choices. Now, I could understand why...neither choice seemed like a good choice. I hoped that if I held off, a better option would present itself.

Or better yet, disappear. But that rarely seemed to be the case...

“Wait for us, Charon!” Mini Moon’s childish laugh broke me out of my thoughts as she raced after me. I didn’t notice how far ahead I was of the others. I cracked a small smile when she caught up with me, but not fast enough. The brightness in Rini’s face gradually faded after she caught the look on my face. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

I glanced back to make sure we were out of earshot of Sailor Mercury. I had to tell someone. “Greg didn’t look too happy to see Amy,” I admitted.

“I wouldn’t be happy if I woke up in this place either,” she observed.

“You would think that would make him even happier to see her,” I asked.

Mini Moon pondered what I said for a moment. “Maybe he is mad at her. Serena said that Amy stopped returning calls and messages. I heard that her mom even called the 323

school a few times just to make sure she was alright. But I’m sure Amy and Greg can work it out. They were meant for each other.” Mini Moon’s smile returned. “Like you and Mina.”

“Charon, what did you say about me?” Mini Moon and I stopped dead in our tracks when Venus joined in on our conversation.

“We weren’t talking about you!” I blurted out. Mercury looked a bit puzzled by my reaction, and Venus smirked: the words had come out more defensive than I intended.

“Spill, Rini! You said my name!” Venus demanded with a smile on her face.

Mini Moon interlocked her fingers behind her back, rocking forward and back on her heels. “We were talking about one of my friends. I just mentioned you at the end, honest!” she insisted.

“One of your friends, huh? Is he the one you have a secret crush on?” Venus teased.

“Secret crush?” I smiled at Rini. Maybe it was all the time I had spent with Sailor Venus...but I found the thought of Rini pining after someone to be adorable.

“She’s scared to admit it because she thinks his girlfriend will get mad!” teased Venus. Mini Moon’s face turned as red as her front bow before she abruptly turned her head away from me.

“Aw, I’m sorry Rini!” I tried to comfort her, but she refused to face me as she squirmed uncomfortably. “What’s he like?” I asked her. Mini Moon stared at the floor as if she were hoping she would melt into it and did not answer me.

Sailor Venus was all too happy to answer: “He’s cute, and he’s so sweet! He’s a bit shorter than Darien but he still towers over the rest of us - except Lita, of course! And you can tell by looking at him that he’s been getting a workout over the last few days!”

“It almost sounds like you’re the one with the crush on him,” I teased. “So, you know him?”

Venus smiled, with her head bobbling up and down in an uncontrolled nod. “I sure do! He’s a...mutual friend. We’ve only known him a few days, but he’s pretty much an honorary Sailor Scout! Hey, there’s an idea, Amy!” she called back to Sailor Mercury.

Mini Moon had slowed down so that she was now behind Sailor Mercury.

I leaned in and whispered to Venus: “Are you sure you can trust him? Especially since you’ve only known him for a few days? He could be one of Tithon’s spies.”

Sailor Mercury made a sour face when Venus winked at her. “Oh, I’m sure he can be trusted. Besides, Rini’s so sweet to him! You should have been there when he came to breakfast with us, he made her giggle when he hid behind his menu as the waitress took our orders! And later, the way he squirmed when she nicknamed him turtle was adorable! Oh - and the sweetest thing...she let him borrow her favorite childhood toy!”

Mini Moon squealed and ran into Sailor Mercury, wrapping her arms behind Mer324

cury’s waist and burying her face in her back. Venus stared at Mini Moon, startled by her reaction. I was too...until I remembered Mini Moon loaned Luna Ball to me. I was the Spymaster of the Shadows...reading people was supposed to be my specialty! How could I have not realized they were talking about me this whole time?!

“Wh-what did I say?” stuttered Venus.

Mercury rubbed Mini Moon’s wrists as they clutched her waist for dear life. “I don’t think she wanted him to know, Mina,” said Sailor Mercury.

“I was being subtle!” said Sailor Venus.

“You were about as subtle as a jackhammer,” sighed Mercury.

I shifted around Sailor Mercury and leaned down besides Mini Moon. She must have sensed it was me, because she shifted away and squeezed Mercury’s waist even tighter.

“Hey, having a crush is nothing to be ashamed of,” I gently assured her.

A single eye peeked from behind Sailor Mercury. “But now we can’t be friends anymore,” she answered sadly.

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

Sailor Venus leaned down on Mini Moon’s opposite side. “Rini, I hope you know that I would never try to stop you from being friends with Logan. In fact, the three of us are going to be spending a lot more time together from now on!”

Mini Moon blushed again before she ducked back behind Mercury. “What do you mean?” I asked Sailor Venus.

Venus smiled and pointed a finger in the air. “Besides being an idol, my other dream was to become a teacher!”

“You had us completely fooled! She was Serena’s exam make-up buddy in high school.” Mini Moon again partially emerged to explain that to me. I was homeschooled...but I remembered Tithon’s training all-too well. I would have loved an exam buddy.

“Mina...I’m glad that you’re taking this so well, but are you sure this is a good idea?

This seems like something Serena and Darien should discuss with her,” Mercury suggested.

Sailor Venus raised her thumb, pointer and middle finger in the air and twirled around.

“It’s one of the best ideas I’ve ever had! Her mother sent her here to learn from us, remember? I am the Goddess of Love and Beauty! It is my duty as a Sailor Scout to set Rini on the path to ultimate happiness!” Venus dashed over to me, grabbed my arm, and pressed her side against mine. “And who better to assist me than my boyfriend, with his chocolate-covered heart?” The thought of Logan standing in my place and rolling his eyes entered my mind...

“Why did I even ask?” sighed Mercury.

325

Sailor Venus put a hand on Mini Moon’s shoulder when she finally let go of Sailor Mercury’s waist. “When you find the right guy, you’ll know exactly what to do, Rini.

I’m going to help you understand your feelings and teach you everything I know about love. We’ll do our best to set an example for you, right Logan?”

“Right,” I nodded, though being called ‘Logan’ still felt strange to me. Why do I have the nagging feeling this isn’t going to work out as well as Mina thinks?

Mini Moon finally let go of Mercury and turned in my direction, though she was still too shy to look at my face. “I just remembered: I meant to give this back to you!” Mini Moon pulled out a crumpled bill with green and yellow shading cluttered with images.

The parts that caught my eye first were the words ‘the United States of America’ in the upper right hand side, the large portrait of a man with the name ‘Hamilton’ written on the bottom, and the background image of a torch on the left side.

“What was this for?” I asked as I took the bill from her.

“You gave it to me in exchange for a story. The only reason I charged you was because I didn’t want you to know ...” Mini Moon’s face turned bright red again when she paused. “Well, now you know, but I meant to give it back sooner since we’re friends now.”

“Aww! What story did you tell him, Rini?” Venus asked.

A devilish smirk broke onto Mini Moon’s face. “I told him that I overheard two of his friends talk to Luna about changing his uniform to a tight-fitting suit!”

“Mina, tell me that’s not what you made for - MMMPPHHH!” Sailor Venus sprinted across to clamp Sailor Mercury’s mouth closed, giving me an awkward grin as she did.

“Now that we’ll be spending more time together, I have plenty of stories to share with you!” cheered Mini Moon. She faced me with closed eyes and a wide smile. “Last time, you were interested in the one where she tried to go on a date with two guys at the same time!”

Venus grit her teeth, bent her arms and held her hands towards Mini Moon as if she wanted to strangle the girl. “YOU LITTLE WRETCHED - “ Venus stared at me with her mouth in an ‘o’ shape as if she just noticed me standing next to them. She closed her eyes, lowered her arms, and smiled. “OK Rini, you got your payback. It is a good lead-in to your first lesson: never kiss and tell!”

“But you and Serena talk about it all the time!” said Mini Moon.

“The expression has a...slightly more complex meaning, Rini,” explained Mercury.

“It does?” asked Sailor Venus.

“I’ll explain it later,” sighed Sailor Mercury...

326

327

328

O

Chapter 41 Imprisoned Dream

ur conversation was interrupted when Sailor Mercury’s communicator started beeping. She waved her arm to motion for us to go ahead before she answered, but we heard her answer the caller as ‘mom’. We occasionally glanced back trying to get a fix on what her mother was going on about.

I pieced together that her mother noticed I was no longer in my room after the attack on the hospital, but I also picked up bits about Serena’s mom and Rini.

“I’m in big trouble, aren’t I?” asked Sailor Mini Moon after Mercury shut her communicator closed and ran to catch up with us.

“I’m afraid so,” answered Sailor Mercury. “I said that you were concerned about your friend and wanted to stay with him, but you were scared to tell her. My mom was angrier at the rest of us for taking Logan out of the hospital - she’s still convinced his

329

memory loss was due to an undetected brain injury.”

“Did you tell her it’s his birthday? We couldn’t leave him in that cramped hospital room!” exclaimed Sailor Venus.

“She wants him to stay overnight for observation, then run more tests in the morning.” Mercury answered.

“Oh, boo!” Venus turned her head to the side, closed her eyes and puffed her cheeks.

Her pouty face reminded me of the time she was mad at me for supposedly snubbing her back at the Moon Palace. “Hey Rini, do you remember when everyone else caught the flu and we nursed them back to health?”

“Yeah, that was fun!” exclaimed Mini Moon.

“Hey, if Logan gets sick, Nurse Venus can give you a refresher course! I know I still have my outfit somewhere in my closet!” Sailor Venus beamed with her finger pointed in the sky.

Mercury leaned in and whispered “don’t get sick” into my ear, but she fixed her gaze on my eyes when she backed away. “You look like something’s bothering you. You know you can talk to us, right?”

Mercury...she was always so perceptive. She nearly blew my cover the first time we met. When she did find out Greg’s feelings, she’d know I kept it from her...

“Did Greg seem a little distant to you?” I asked her, trying to make it sound like a casual question. My attempt to soften the blow had failed: she looked just as surprised as she did when I asked her about Queen Beryl after I woke up.

“He was upset about a number of things, like his dad was struggling to hold a job.

He didn’t finish telling me because I had to go to...wait, it couldn’t have been that long ago,” Sailor Mercury placed a hand on her forehead and started pacing back and forth before abruptly turning back to me. “It has been a while since we sat down and really talked! We kept having to cut our conversations short and change our plans because of our schedules! I called him when I returned from Germany but then Artemis told us about your first encounter with the Shadows! I tried calling him after that but he didn’t pick up!”

Sailor Venus and Mini Moon gave each other looks of worry. “He been watching the news. He understands we’ve been busy fighting the Shadows,” suggested Venus.

“And he’ll understand that you tried to call him,” added Mini Moon, but the quivering in their voices suggested they weren’t convinced themselves. Maybe it wasn’t the right 330

time to say anything to Sailor Mercury...

“It sounds like he’s stressed out about a couple things, Amy.” I still felt uncomfortable calling them by their new names - or being called Logan - but I wanted to make her feel at ease. “You just need some quality time together once we’re out of here.”

Sailor Mercury stopped pacing, dropped her hand and nodded. “You’re right. Greg’s been very understanding and supportive so far. We need to stay focused on finding Amethyst and the Outer Scouts. Once we’re out of here, he’ll have my undivided attention.”

We came to the end of the maze and found ourselves in a damp, dimly lit stone room.

I noticed a wooden support column leading up to a second floor above us. I raised a finger to my lips when I heard whispers above us. I lifted myself up onto the support and pulled myself onto a decrepit wooden platform. I stuck to the floor when I saw metal bars covering the room in front of us. Sailor Venus leapt up to the platform in a single bound with Mini Moon in tow, followed closely by Mercury.

I crawled over to the bars and peeked inside: the platform overlooked a fighting pit with platforms and planks above for looking down. There were three figures conversing below us. I immediately recognized the cackling voice of the Shadow: Amethyst had covered herself back up with Shadow robes, but was still clutching her side. Two Sailor Scouts were with her - or at least, there were two women also wearing the uniforms. Both Scouts had their backs turned to me: one had short blonde hair with a dark blue and gold uniform. The other Scout wore teal and cerulean had flowing sea-green hair past her shoulders.

“It’s them: Uranus and Neptune” whispered Sailor Mini Moon. “ She pointed at each of them as she said their names. The rogue Scouts and Amethyst’s voices grew steadily louder until we could hear them. Whatever they were talking about, their conversation was turning sour...

Sailor Uranus shrugged after Amethyst had finished complaining. “Whatever. The point is your compact works now. Finding a bigger battery for it is your problem.”

Sailor Neptune cast her partner a glance, with one eye squinting and the corner of one mouth raised. “Look, we fulfilled our end of the bargain. The Spymaster won’t be happy if he finds out about our arrangement,” she turned her attention back to Amethyst.

“Pluto, we found them,” Sailor Mercury said into her communicator. I heard Sailor Pluto’s voice replying to her. Sailor Mercury said to the rest of us “they’re almost here.

She and Saturn want to speak with Uranus and Neptune first.”

“Wait - Logan, you’re still wearing your bracer,” Sailor Venus grabbed my shoulder gently.

I reached back and rubbed Venus’ hand. “Don’t worry about that.” I turned my attention back to the conversation below. “Sounds like the Spymaster doesn’t know Amethyst repaired her compact. Maybe Uranus and Neptune are trying to pit her against 331

him. We should listen to them a bit longer.”

None of the other Scouts showed any relief at the possibility Uranus and Neptune hadn’t betrayed us. “They’ve hurt us before, Charon. Especially Saturn and Pluto. They won’t wait,” Sailor Venus told me.

Sailor Uranus crossed her arms and glared at Amethyst. “Quit stalling! We want the artifact the Shadows are using to change the weather!” Why would they be interested in that?

“Well...it’s like you said. The Spymaster will notice if a cornerstone of his plan to bring back Silver Millennium is missing. I thought I would hold on to it until he decides what he wants to do with the rest of your friends, just in case he asks for it,” a smug Amethyst answered. One person hadn’t changed in a thousand years...she was still a snake.

“That wasn’t the deal! Give us the artifact like you promised, NOW!” shouted Sailor Neptune. Her demeanor had turned as icy as her partner’s.

“The others told me you disdain our routines, impersonator. So we’ll get straight to the point.” Pluto’s voice thundered from above the meeting. Sailor Pluto and Saturn made their entrance on the platform across from us and leapt down.

“Trista! Hotaru!” said Sailor Neptune. Looking past their shoulders, I saw both of their former companions return the exact same icy stares they had given Amethyst earlier. Venus held a hand in front of me to remind me not to intervene yet.

“You two will never change,” Sailor Saturn chastised the rogue Scouts. “Have you really betrayed us this time? Or did you forget what happened the last time you plotted behind our backs?”

“Or the last time you idiots went artifact-hunting?!” Sailor Pluto shared Saturn’s anger. “Remember your magical Shadow-killing artifact?” Shadow-killing artifact?

“Not only have your reckless actions endangered the entire planet, you sought to kill Charon even though you knew he was on our side! I would sacrifice everything to save my friends. You two would never sacrifice each other, but you would toss everyone else aside on a whim!” lectured Sailor Saturn.

“You really believe that, Hotaru?” asked an indignant Sailor Neptune. “Amara and I stayed behind to help Trista take care of you! Rini went back to Crystal Tokyo, Raye stayed in her Temple and everyone else went to university! You have no idea how much we gave up so the rest of you could have normal lives!”

I rubbed Mini Moon’s shoulder when I noticed her head drop to the floor. Below us, Saturn’s cold purple eyes remained fixed on her former companions. “If you were so bitter about staying behind, you could have left me with my father,” answered Saturn.

“We’re not bitter, we just wish you were a little more grateful!” shouted Sailor Uranus. She winced and cast an uncomfortable glance at Amethyst before saying, “we swore to defend the Princess of the Moon to our dying breaths. You may not agree with 332

our methods, but we would never betray her!”

Sailor Pluto raised Sailor Neptune’s mirror, with the missing shard. “Then explain THIS!” “I might have...taken a peek at your mirror without asking,” mocked Amethyst when Sailor Neptune started feeling herself, apparently unaware she no longer carried it. “I can be forgetful, sorry!”

Uranus and Neptune looked across Amethyst at each other with open mouths and questioning eyes: either they knew they had committed an act of betrayal, or they were reluctant to share their motives in the presence of Amethyst. “Amara and I never meant to hurt your feelings,” apologized Sailor Neptune. Uranus said no words, but uncrossed her arms and looked away from Sailor Pluto.

“But you have. Again and again. The line must be drawn somewhere.” Pluto shook her head then glanced towards the rest of us.

Venus, Mercury and Mini Moon dropped down to surround the three rogue Scouts.

I teleported to a support column above Amethyst and prepared to pounce on her from above...

“You know what? I’ve had a change of heart regarding our deal, Sailor Neptune!”

Amethyst shrieked. “He’s all yours!”

“He?” asked Sailor Neptune. Amethyst raised her crescent moon compact in the air and opened it in my direction, creating a blinding flash of light that illuminated the massive room. I blocked the light with my sleeve and hastily jumped off the column to strike Amethyst from above. Instead, I fell on top of something moving and landed on the ground.

I saw what had interrupted my fall when I looked up: a massive unicorn-like creature with its wings stretched out, as black as the empty void of space. When it turned its head towards me, I caught a glimpse of its menacing orange eyes and a red teardrop-shaped jewel on its forehead beneath its golden horn. The unicorn screeched towards the roof then hurtled towards me with its golden horn pointed directly at me. I teleported out of its way, summoned a dark energy bolt in the air, and threw it at the twisted creature. It reared on its hind legs when my attack struck it, making me quiver in fear when it gave a blood-curdling neigh.

“Charon, go after Amethyst! We’ll deal with this!” Sailor Pluto ordered. I glanced around and saw Amethyst cling to another wooden support column to hoist herself up, then jump into the sewer above. When I dashed after her, the dark unicorn lifted itself into the air with its wings and swooped towards me for another attack. It landed in front of me and blocked my way. When I teleported to the support column Amethyst had hoisted herself on, the monster flew forward and knocked me to the ground.

“You will pay for enslaving the minds of innocent dreamers, Spymaster!” Although the unicorn’s mouth did not open as he spoke, his damning voice echoed in my skull.

He reared up on his hind legs and attempted to trample me, but I teleported out of the 333

way and struck him on the side with dark magic. Before he shoved me away and sent me flying into the wall, I noticed the creature appeared starved and beaten. I reappeared behind him and laid a hand on his form to send dark magic surging through his body, but it only seemed to further enrage him. He turned his head towards me and his horn began to glow...

“Venus Love Chain Encircle!” Her golden heart-shaped chain wrapped around his neck and tugged him away from me. He finally turned his eyes away from me and sneered at Sailor Venus. Venus’ blue eyes widened with fear as the unicorn sent an energy beam surging towards her instead. She still clung to her chain as the monster reared his neck and sent her flying towards the roof...

“Mina!” I screamed. I watched her fall onto the platform above and I did not see her get back up. The unicorn took advantage of the distraction to brush me to the ground with one of its wings.

“Uranus World Shaking!” The Scout unleashed an orange, planet-shaped energy sphere in the creature’s direction. The unicorn trembled and wobbled on his knees, proving that Uranus’ attack had affected him. But the unicorn paid no attention to the Scout and remained fixated on me. At the very least, he did not react to Sailor Mercury leaping over to Sailor Venus.

“She’ll be OK!” Sailor Mercury shouted as Pegasus lifted up into the air and circled around for another attack. “Mercury Bubbles Blast!” From the upper level, Sailor Mercury unleashed a spray of bubbles that should have left Pegasus disoriented, but he continued glaring at me through the mist. He completely ignored Luna P crashing into his face before it bounced back to Sailor Mini Moon.

“He’s completely focused on Charon. He is barely paying any attention to the rest of us,” I heard Sailor Pluto note as I rolled out of the way of Pegasus’ next charge and besides Sailor Mini Moon.

“He spoke to me. He called me the Spymaster and said I enslaved the minds of dreamers,” I told Mini Moon. She gasped as if she had just been punched in the stomach.

“It can’t be...” she stared at the dark unicorn. His eyes narrowed even more and he huffed in our direction, as if seeing me with Mini Moon made him even more angry.

Sailor Neptune lifted her arms above her head and summoned a massive aqua orb in her hands. “Neptune Deep Submerge!”

“Pluto Deadly Scream!” Sailor Pluto joined Neptune’s attack. Two planet-sized spheres, one purple and one aqua, flew in the dark unicorn’s direction. They kicked up dust and rocks as they tore through the floor and slammed into him.

“Guys, stop attacking him!” Mini Moon pleaded with the others as he shuddered in pain once again.

“What else are we supposed to do, Rini?” asked Sailor Saturn.

“Pegasus! Don’t you recognize us?!” “Pegasus! Don’t you recognize us?” Mini Moon 334

cried at the black unicorn as he flew around for another attack.

“Pegasus?!” repeated Sailor Mercury. “What happened to him?”

“I waited so long for you to return to me, Pegasus! I was worried about you when Serena and I lost your power, but I thought I heard your voice telling me you were safe!”

Mini Moon pleaded.

The unicorn’s orange eyes finally lifted away from me and faced her. “Rini... I thought the Spymaster was controlling your mind.”

“No, Pegasus! We’re fighting to stop him! Whatever he’s done to you, we can fix it, Pegasus!” Mini Moon begged.

“Then help me destroy him,” the dark unicorn replied in a grim tone. Mini Moon’s eyes followed his glare towards me as he thrust downwards again. I pushed Mini Moon out of his way and attempted to drain Pegasus’ energy to subdue him, but it trickled away too slowly.

“He’s not the Spymaster anymore, Pegasus! He’s been helping us fight the other Shadows!” pleaded Mini Moon. Pegasus reared on his hind legs and slammed his forward ones to the ground, running towards us again...

Sailor Saturn spun her glaive in circle around her and shouted “Saturn Silent Prism!”

When she lifted her glaive in the air horizontally, a series of smaller walls formed a prism around Pegasus, leaving him trapped inside.

“Good thinking, Saturn!” called Sailor Pluto. But Pegasus cast Saturn a death glare from inside the dome. Pegasus seemed to become transparent as he merely passed through, unimpeded by the barrier. He quickly shifted back to physical form and unleashed another beam of dark energy in her direction. Saturn held out her glaive in front of her but was sent flying background...

“Hotaru!” cried Mini Moon as Saturn and her weapon fell to the ground.

“STAY AWAY FROM HER!” I instinctively shouted at Uranus when she flinched in Sailor Saturn’s direction. I didn’t want her or Neptune anywhere near her until I knew they could be trusted.

“Trying to imprison him only seems to make him angrier!” called out Sailor Neptune.

Pegasus dashed towards me with even greater speed than before, rearing up and pushing me to the ground with his front hooves. He tried to impale me with his horn, but Mini Moon tugged at his mane and pulled him to the side.

“PEGASUS, STOP ATTACKING MY FRIENDS! LISTEN TO ME!” Mini Moon started to cry.

“Your dream light had faded for a time. I sensed the darkness enclosing around you when I saw it again, but it was a trap set by the Spymaster,” Pegasus answered.

“It wasn’t Charon, Pegasus! He’s been helping us this whole time!” Mini Moon cried 335

to her fallen friend again.

“You and your mother are too trusting, Rini,” he chillingly answered. I held on to Mini Moon when he flapped his wings again in our direction, trying to blow us away.

“How dare you touch her, Spymaster! How dare you turn my precious one against me!”

“We need to slow him down, Mini Moon!” Sailor Mercury crossed her arms and spun around. Drops of water surrounded her and gathered in her hands when she raised her arms in the air. “Shine Aqua Illusion!” She sent the swirling mass of freezing water towards Pegasus. Although he paid no attention to her, the dark unicorn was left shaking, struggling to balance himself once again. Pegasus began running towards me, but he tripped and finally fell out of exhaustion. On the ground, he still inched towards me, trying to crawl on his side.

“He trapped me inside his dream of the Moon Palace, with the Queen and Sailor Moon. On the surface, it was a beautiful dream...but it was tainted by his own selfish desire for control! He tortured me with his nightmares and turned me into a monster!” shouted Pegasus.

“Look more closely at his dream, Pegasus! He’s different from the Spymaster!” begged Rini.

Pegasus paused and stared at me, as if Rini’s words had finally broken through. I tried not to look into his orange eyes, but I could sense his animosity slowly fading away. “There are...others in your dream. Sailor Venus...Mini Moon...the other Scouts are there with you.”

He cast a glance at Sailor Saturn still lying on the ground, with Sailor Pluto seizing on the opportunity to check on her. Sailor Mercury had brought Sailor Venus down from the second floor. “She’ll be OK,” she assured me as she leaned Venus up against the wall. I saw Mina beginning to stir, her eyelids fluttering open. “Thanks for helping us,” Mercury said to Sailor Uranus and Neptune.

Uranus gave her a slight nod, but Pluto still clutched her Garnet Rod tightly. “You still had better have a good explanation for giving Amethyst part of the Deep Aqua Mirror,” she warned them.

Pegasus turned his eyes back to Mini Moon as she stroked his nose while he lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Her transformation brooch began glowing as his hair slowly changed from black, to gray, and finally to white. “My precious one...I made a terrible mistake.”

Mini Moon gave a small smile. “I made the same one. I thought he was the bad guy when I first met him too. Now he’s one of my best friends,” she told him.

“Your transformation brooch...”Pegasus pushed his nose against Mini Moon’s brooch.

“Sailor Moon lost her powers too. The others weren’t affected,” she told him.

“I can restore your powers, but I do not know what effect the Spymaster’s dark magic had on me. It may be dangerous,” he told her.

336

“Don’t worry about that now. I’m just glad we’re not fighting anymore,” smiled Mini Moon. I was also glad: only after I had stopped did I realize how tired I was. My muscles ached and my breathing had not steadied. I was lucky the fight ended when it did... at least that’s what I thought until a Shadow manifested in a whiff of black smoke behind Sailor Mercury just after she turned her back on Sailor Venus...

“Amy!” Venus tried to warn her, but it was too late. She only managed a yelp before she was knocked back with a blast of dark magic. The hooded figure of Tithon had appeared directly behind her. Venus pressed an arm against the wall and tried to stand, only to be sent back to the ground with a karate chop to her neck.

“That’s him, Pegasus!” shuddered Sailor Mini Moon. The Spymaster waved his hand in Pegasus’ direction: his golden horn became surrounded by a cloud of dark magic.

The Spymaster lifted Pegasus’ head in the air, then slammed him back to the ground with a motion of his hand.

“Uranus World Shaking!”

“Neptune Deep Submerge!”

Sailor Uranus and Neptune launched massive orange and blue energy shaped-spheres, but I quickly realized that they weren’t headed for the Spymaster...

“Pluto!” My warning came too late as the rogue Scouts attacked slammed into Sailor Pluto’s back. She gave a loud cry as she was shoved into the wall, collapsing next to Sailor Venus.

“No!” cried Mini Moon. “I thought you were helping us!”

Uranus’ stern expression fell into sorrow when she looked at Mini Moon. “Sorry about this, kiddo.” Pegasus tried to stumble to his feet as Uranus raised her arm in the air to attack again...

“Stop!” The Spymaster shouted at Sailor Uranus. “The girl is no threat to us!” He’s sparing her...like he spared Serena. The Spymaster turned back to me and sneered. “Restrain her and keep an eye on the others. Charon is mine...”

337

338

S

Chapter 42 Point of No Return

ailor Uranus heeded the Spymaster’s orders and grabbed Sailor Mini Moon’s arms. While Rini struggled to break away, the Spymaster vanished from sight and teleported behind me. I ducked under his arm when he swiped at me, but he followed up with a dark magic charge that sent me through the wall.

The dust and smoke left me disoriented and stumbling around. He tried to pounce on me while I was distracted, but I blocked his strike with my bracer.

Back and forth we went, disappearing and reappearing right next to each other, trying to gain the upper hand as the dust cleared. I finally grabbed a hold of him and kneed him in the stomach, then threw him towards the ground. During the brief respite, I realized that I had lost track of my surroundings. He had led me far away from the room with Pegasus and the other Scouts, leaving me standing at the edge of the sewer. I saw a long drop below: he had backed me into a corner, but that could quickly be reversed...I

339

unveiled my kusari-gama and spun the weighted chain in the air horizontally.

“I thought that you disdained weapons, Charon,” he blankly noted.

“You’re the one who taught me that killing is sometimes necessary,” I reminded him.

Unimpressed, the Spymaster unveiled his own kusari-gama and spun his chain vertically. “This entire conflict with the Sailor Scouts was unnecessary. I thought Sailor Moon would have dropped her naive and delusional world view by now, but she still clings to it like you held on to that trinket Queen Serenity gave you. She is fighting us because she is too stupid to realize that she is the one who will benefit the most from our mission here!”

I shifted away from the edge and threw the weighted end of my weapon in his direction. He leapt back and out of the way. “Don’t claim this is all out of the goodness of your heart, Tithon! You should have known that Sailor Moon would never accept your methods! She has a good heart!”

“Millions believed the same thing about her mother. You heard Serenity in the Palace, condemning the horrors of dark magic even as she used us! Queens do not value love or friendship, Charon...they only value loyalty. Today, Sailor Moon might see you and Saturn as friends, but one day she will only see you as threats to be contained.”

I thought I heard a brief, rare twinge of sorrow in his voice before he lunged forward with the black-purple dark energy sickle in the air and attempted to bring it down upon me. I moved under him and struck him in the face with the blunt end of the sickle, but he vanished from sight before I could bring the sharp end into his face.

“Queen Serenity almost did a horrible thing, but she realized that she was making a mistake! You can still turn away from this path!” I called to him. It was a wasted effort...even Queen Serenity said he was an empty shell. When the Spymaster came in for a second blow, I caught him under the arm with the sickle end and tripped him over with one leg. He fell on his side, but quickly rolled out of the way and jumped back to his feet. I saw a red puddle slowly growing on the part of his robes that I had struck, but he acted as if he had felt nothing. Once again, he disappeared from sight.

Only after I had stopped did I realize that my last attack left me out of breath, but the Spymaster knew better than to let me recover. His voice beckoned me from the darkness: “Destroying Earth was only half of her plan, Charon. She planned to cleanse Silver Millennium of so-called ‘rogue’ magicians to ensure no one could oppose her.

Left unchecked, Sailor Moon will follow the same path!” I stayed on my guard, but I could feel my arms starting to tremble as I loosened my grip around the kusari-gama.

Tithon picked that split-second of vulnerability to emerge from darkness. He threw the weighted end of his weapon towards me vertically: the hard metal ball slammed into 340

the left side of my chest and stole whatever air was left in my lungs.

“Your hate...for Serenity...drives you...” I panted as I gasped for breath on one knee.

I laid my weighted ball on the ground and feebly clutched the sickle in one hand. With the other hand, I felt where the Spymaster had struck me: I did not feel any blood but I knew I had been bruised when I pressed down. My already torn robes were now ripped in that spot.

“Bringing out your weapon was a mistake, Charon. You were already tired,” taunted the Spymaster as he dashed towards me again with both hands grasping his sickle. My aching arms screamed for me to abandon my weapon, but I summoned enough mental will to push that thought aside...at least temporarily. I rapidly spun my chain in the air and wrapped it around both his arms, pulling him to the ground towards me. I moved parallel to him and placed my elbow on the opposite side of his throat, but he pushed up beside me, pulled away and circled around my back to wrap the rest of his chain under my arm and around my shoulder. It was at that moment my strength left me...

The Spymaster’s glance remained fixed on me in a victorious gaze as he tightened his chain and pushed me back towards the edge of the sewers. When I tried to teleport away, I could feel the chain siphoning away my power. “One thousand years ago, you would have been a match for me. But your second life on Earth made you weak and complacent, just like the Moon Kingdom!” All I could do was hold both my hands over my throat to prevent him from strangling me, feebly clutching the sickle in one hand and holding the chain in the other. I had no chance of beating him in this position...

I heard the light pattering of footsteps over the Spymaster’s shoulder. Sure enough, the head of my pink-haired savior appeared over his shoulder. Sailor Mini Moon found us!

At first, I thought it was unusual for the Spymaster not to notice Mini Moon charging him from behind. Maybe he thought she was farther away, or maybe he forgot his own lesson and grew careless in his arrogance...

Sailor Mini Moon raised a small golden wand with a heart-shaped jewel on top and music started to play as she began spinning around with her wand in the air “Pink Sugar Heart…Attack!” A stream of pink heart-shaped energy beams flew from Mini Moon’s rod on her command.

The Spymaster barely seemed to flinch as energy beams continued bouncing harmlessly off the back of his hood. He smirked and held his breath as if he was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. He had noticed her...he just didn’t consider her much of a threat.

“It’s too bad you no longer have your Crystal Chime. You could have tried hitting me on the head with it.” The Spymaster sighed as if he felt bad for saying it. Behind him, Mini Moon’s irises seemed to grow smaller and her mouth opened as she stared nervously at her wand.

The music emitted by her wand made it easier for someone else to charge us. Before I could hint to Mini Moon, Sailor Neptune appeared and tackled her into the ground.

Mini Moon held her Pink Moon Stick tightly, which continued to play music and emit 341

attack beams into the ground. “Let me go!” she screamed at Neptune.

Pegasus thundered behind Neptune and leaped into the sky, but he was followed closely by Sailor Uranus. The blonde Scout unsheathed a jewel-decorated sword with a golden handle. Her talisman, like Neptune’s Deep Aqua Mirror.”Space Sword Blaster!”

Sailor Uranus’ glowed and unleashed a wave of energy when she swung it in Pegasus’ direction, knocking him back to the ground. He lay there shimmering in and out of transparency.

“GRANDPA! STOP!” Mini Moon screamed when Tithon turned his attention back to me and held his sickle against my chest...

“Grandpa?!” Sailor Neptune repeated. Sailor Uranus’ mouth dropped open. Even the Spymaster was shocked his granddaughter had addressed him as such: he shifted his head in Mini Moon’s direction and pulled his sickle away.

“I never thought I would hear you call me that,” the Spymaster admitted, though he abruptly turned his eyes back to me when I shook in the chains. It would take more to distract him enough for me to get away.

“I don’t believe it! You’re Serena’s father?!” asked Sailor Neptune.

“How come you never told us?!” demanded Sailor Uranus.

“It’s not like you tell him everything, either!” jeered Mini Moon. The Spymaster once again pulled his gaze away from me.

“Shut it, Rini!” snarled Sailor Uranus.

“Don’t listen to her! She can be manipulative, Spymaster!” Sailor Neptune shouted and raised a fist in the air.

“I’ll decide that for myself!” Tithon snapped back. “What did you hear, Rini?”

I noticed one corner of Mini Moon’s mouth lift before she answered him. She planned this...either to buy time or pit them against each other. I hadn’t expected that from her... well-played, Mini Moon. “Sailor Neptune gave Amethyst a piece of her talisman to repair her compact in exchange for releasing Pegasus!”

Neptune winced. “She’s lying! Amethyst stole my mirror! I don’t know how she - “ “Spare me your lies!” shouted the Spymaster. “Destroying the Shadows was not enough for Queen Serenity...destroying all forms of magic that she did not control was her ultimate goal. I suspected that some of you knew about her plans: I should have known she would turn to you two. Without an army at your back or the support of the other Scouts, you sought to destroy us from within and steal our artifacts from under us!”

“You don’t realize how much you screwed up with your big mouth!” Sailor Uranus snapped at Mini Moon. I noticed that Pegasus had completely disappeared from view.

Even from the brief time I knew him, I knew he would never leave Rini...but the others 342

seemed to have forgotten about him...

“You know Charon is one of us now! We’ll never let you hurt him!” Mini Moon mimicked Sailor Moon’s routine as she spoke: “I don’t care if you’re Sailor Scouts, or if Queen Serenity put you up to this, or if all I have is this dumb wand! In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!”

“Uranus and Neptune are correct about one thing, Rini...Charon has to be put out of his misery.” said the Spymaster blankly. Mini Moon turned to stare at him in complete shock as the Spymaster held the sickle of his blade to my side. She thought she had reached him...

“But I thought you wanted to be my grandpa! Sailor Moon can heal you from your hatred! You can leave the Shadows behind!” cried Mini Moon. To my surprise, Sailor Uranus and Neptune hadn’t taken the opportunity to leave when they had the chance.

Did they have a change of heart about Mini Moon? Or did the Spymaster have something else they wanted?

“Heal me?” scoffed the Spymaster. “You and Charon misunderstand. At first I did blame Queen Serenity for Silver Millennium’s failings, but now I see that she merely embodied the old kingdom’s hypocrisy and weakness! I would never leave the Shadows: our new Kingdom will need us to check the power of whoever holds the Silver Crystal. We will be the invisible hand that guides the new Silver Millennium!”

“NO!” Mini Moon screamed just as I felt the cackling dark energy burning against my robes. She jumped onto the Spymaster’s arm, trying to pull his sickle away from me.

“Not this time, Mini Moon!” he threw her away from him but the distraction was enough. I pushed myself backwards into the Spymaster and slammed the back of my head into his nose, then circled around to wrap the chain of his kusari-gama around his neck. Before the others could react, I leapt off the edge of the sewers and pulled him to the floor…either he would let go to save himself from choking, or I would take him down with me.

“Let go, Rini!” I heard Sailor Neptune shout from above as I dangled from the Spymaster’s chain. There was no way I could get hold of the wall if they dropped me...

“Just go away!” Mini Moon screamed at them.

“We’re only doing this for your mother!” Uranus snapped back. Whatever they did, the Spymaster also went tumbling off the ledge. He dropped his weapon to grab hold and leap back up, sending me plummeting into the dark abyss below...

I heard Pegasus neigh and caught a glimpse of him flying towards my side before he transformed into a ray of energy and collided with me. I felt myself hovering down slowly towards the floor. When I was no longer blinded, I stared blankly at the transparent white unicorn when he appeared at my side…I had not expected him to come to my rescue.

“We drew Uranus and Neptune away from the others. Then Rini drew their attention 343

away from me while I recovered my strength,” Pegasus answered as if he had read my mind. Venus...Mercury...Pluto...I hoped they were safe.

“She’s not safe with them!” I heard the sound of fighting above, but there was not even a ray of light to guide me to the top. I tried to grab hold of the side of the wall to climb, but my arms trembled in refusal and dropped me back to the ground.

“On our own, we are not strong enough to rescue the others,” noted Pegasus. “But Rini trusts you, and your desire to protect your friends is admirable. If we combine our powers, there may be another way for us to rescue the others.”

“If the three of us can’t beat him...if the other Scouts couldn’t beat him, how will combining our powers help?” I asked.

“The Spymaster imprisoned me inside his dream using dark magic. He still holds my body in his lair. You might be able to bind the Spymaster to Uranus and Neptune’s shared dream, at least for a short time.” He lifted his head and gazed off in contemplation. “I can grant you my power, but invading a person’s dream and binding someone else’s spirit to it is worse than controlling their mind. You must not misuse this power…”

“I will only use it to save the others,” I assured him. “But why Uranus and Neptune’s dream instead of the Spymaster’s? My bracer prevents me from harming the Sailor Scouts,” I told him.

“The Spymaster’s dreams are similar to yours; I fear you would also imprison yourself. Remember that you seek to escape, not harm Uranus or Neptune from within. With my help, you will be able to do this,” Pegasus told me. His eyes pierced into mine for several moments, as if he was looking for any last-second reason to reconsider trusting me. “You have my power...the rest will come to you when it is needed...”

Sparkles flew from his horn towards my bracer. The silver bracer began to glow around my piece of the Dark Shard as Pegasus transformed into a ray of light and lifted me back into the air...

Pegasus’ energy propelled me into the sky. The Spymaster, Neptune, Uranus and Mini Moon all followed the beam of light with their eyes, shielding their eyes when I soared towards the roof. Neptune was lying on the ground, clutching her side. Uranus clutched her sword: she must have been dueling with the Spymaster, with her sword across from his sickle. Mini Moon was wrapped in the Spymaster’s chain: he was stopping them from taking her.

“Who is that?” asked Sailor Neptune when I landed on the ground in front of them.

With my bracer hand on the floor in front of me and one knee on the ground, I saw that my sleeves and trousers were now midnight blue in color. My boots and gloves were a lighter shade of gray, nearly silver. My silver bracer had taken on a more polished appearance with gold engravings around the Dark Shard.

“Charon! Your robes!” Sailor Mini Moon noticed. I could see my own reflection in the bracer: my hood was also shaded in light gray, and draped over my chest was a sur344

coat of the same color. I now wore a leather-like wrap bracer around my other arm with a golden crescent moon around the forearm and dark leather waist wrapping.

“Interesting...Pegasus chose to trust you with his powers. His choice of colors is hardly intimidating, however,” the Spymaster coldly observed.

“I’m surprised you’re both still here,” I snarled at Sailor Uranus with my head still lowered towards the ground.

“Same here! They probably think they can come crawling back to us since the Spymaster ditched them,” said Mini Moon. Sailor Uranus rolled her eyes. Whatever their motives, I would need their dreams to hold the Spymaster...I raised my bracer arm in the air and created a black hole above their heads, shimmering with multiple colors in the air as gusts of wind circled around it.

The others braced themselves, but the Spymaster sneered. “I’m surprised Pegasus helped you do this, but it was rather short-sighted of - “ He stopped mid-sentence when two streaks of black lightning shot out from the sphere, siphoning energy from Uranus and Neptune’s tiara. Their brooches glowed like my bracer had when Pegasus infused it with his power and began flashing. They screamed and covered themselves as they seemed to partially de-transform, their uniforms shimmering white as they separated into ribbons covering their bodies. The sphere kept growing larger and larger until the entire room was trapped inside. Then it imploded upon itself...

My eyes snapped open when I felt the frigid air around me. Snow was falling, the sky above me glowed crimson red, and black crystals protruded from the ground. This couldn’t be Uranus and Neptune’s dream world.

“Rini? Pegasus?” I called out as I glanced frantically around me.

“I am sorry, Charon.” Pegasus’ voice answered to my relief. “I still do not fully understand the nature of your powers. The power to enter dreams is innate within you, but separating yourself from them requires training I cannot provide you.”

“Do you know where we are?” I asked.

“We are also trapped in Uranus and Neptune’s dream. But all is not lost. We may still be able to trap the Spymaster and escape.”

“I thought dreams were supposed to be happy places!”

“Their dream is a world only with each other, though not entirely out of selfishness.

They carry such guilt over their actions, that they have banished the others from their dream.”

“Like betraying Sailor Saturn and Pluto,” I recalled.

“Yes. In their minds, they have accepted this is how it must be and all they can do is spare themselves pain...but their hearts weigh heavily upon them. More than the others 345

realize...”

“You surprised me, Pegasus,” the Spymaster’s voice taunted us, but it did not come from nearby. His voice was more of an echo, like when Pegasus spoke to me. “Powering up Charon and imprisoning me inside Uranus and Neptune’s dream. I did not think you would trust Charon enough to do so, or find a way to disable the Sailor Scouts while wearing your bracer. But Rini is here with us too...”

“You wouldn’t dare to hurt her, Tithon!” I shouted back.

“I watched the Sailor Scouts for years. You should have seen the torture they endured...but they are as naive and delusional as ever before. But I think I have found a way to make them see...”

He had to be bluffing...even in a dream, Tithon wouldn’t torture her...would he?

346

347

348

Chapter 43 Running the Wrong Way

349

“T

he Spymaster cannot hear me speaking with you,” Pegasus assured me. “He has manifested himself here just as I have, but he is not a part of this world. You and Sailor Mini Moon are powerful enough to banish him for a short time. But you must hurry: he is growing stronger,” explained Pegasus.

“Do I need Mini Moon’s combined energy to seal him away?” I asked him.

Pegasus hesitated to answer. “He has trapped Mini Moon in his own dream pocket. If you banish him without finding her first, you risk imprisoning her with him. She will be trapped with him and the Spymaster will break her...as he broke me.”

“Let’s not waste any time, then. How will we find her?”

“The line between memories and dreams is a blurry one. You will need to search through Uranus and Neptune’s memories...and regrets. We will find Rini through their memories of her.”

“But you said he’s growing stronger...we might not have that kind of time.” I caught Pegasus lowering his head as I turned and paced. He regretted telling me...but I knew whatever extra time we would gain banishing the Spymaster was not to be squandered.

“You promised me that you would use the power I granted you to save the others,” Pegasus did not speak harshly, but his voice was stern. “You came here prepared to risk everything to save Rini, now you would just leave her?”

“He showed her mercy before. I don’t think he really wants to hurt her. It will buy us time, give us a chance to find his hideout. We can save countless others now and save her later!” I said.

“The Shadows will not place their mission on hold in his absence, Charon. You will have abandoned Rini for nothing,” he warned.

“I care about her Pegasus...I really do. But I have to think about the others! Sailor Moon, Venus, the countless others under the Spymaster’s control!”

“I trusted you because she did,” Pegasus lamented.

I’m sorry Saturn...Sailor Moon...everyone. I thought that I might find redemption in keeping Rini and Hotaru safe in this life. But if I had a chance to stop the Spymaster...

“This is the right thing to do. Forgive me.” I closed my eyes and channeled dark magic to my hands, trying to summon the power to seek out the Spymaster and lock him away here. But instead, I found Logan’s fractured memories of Rini beginning to piece themselves together...

350

I saw her following my eyes towards Pluto’s cold stare as I slumped on the ground, wounded. “Trista, it’s OK! I trust him!” I remembered how long Logan had waited to hear one of the Scouts say those words...

I saw her eyes fill with worry when I told her I was sneaking into one of the Shadows’ bases to find Uranus and Neptune on my own, then turning to her most cherished possession: “Luna-P, I want you to go with Logan. Protect him, just like you protect me...”

My memories as Logan faded, but I remembered what she had said to me just before we left for the coliseum...”You’re still the same person inside. You helped protect me and Hotaru, just like you did before you lost your memories. You’re still my friend, even if you don’t remember.”

I stopped channeling magic and dropped my hands to my side. I could live with the others hating me for the choices I made. I could accept that my dream world will be as empty as this one if I knew what I did was right. But Rini went back for me even when she knew she could not defeat the Spymaster. We had a chance...and I was leaving her.

I could not live with that.

“You and Sailor Mini Moon are more powerful here because you have not given up on your dreams. You still have time.” Pegasus hadn’t given up on me after all.

I made up my mind. I made enough decisions for the ‘greater good’ that I regretted now. “Even if I fail and we are all imprisoned with the Spymaster...I’ll do what my heart says is right this time. I’m not leaving her with him,” I said to Pegasus.

“Her trust in you was not misplaced,” assured Pegasus. He appeared in Uranus and Neptune’s dream world as a translucent unicorn. Pegasus led me toward a forest that slowly shifted into the inside of a building...

I stopped dead in my tracks when I found Serena, Mina, Amy, Lita and Raye inside waiting for me. Serena and Mina wore blue and white uniforms with red ribbons similar to their Scout uniforms. The others wore the oddly-paired, loose-fitting regular clothes of the 21st century, surrounded by rectangular electronic machines that looked like they were used for gaming.”They are unaware of your presence. This is a memory,” explained Pegasus’ voice. With a closer look, I saw that they looked about five years younger, closer to the age they appeared when I first met them in Silver Millennium.

“Hello!” Neptune and Uranus, also wearing strange clothing, approached the other Scouts.

“What’s up, Michelle?” Serena greeted Sailor Neptune.

Mina gasped at Sailor Uranus, standing next to her partner. “No, it can’t be! Is it you, Amara?”

“Of course!” answered Michelle. Mina’s eyes widened and her face turned red. Was Amara one of her previous suitors? Well...I heard Queen Serenity was open-minded about these things...

351

Mina groaned when Raye jumped on top of her and started looking around side-toside. “Where? Where? I wanna meet this hunkster!” Hunkster?

Lita shamelessly piled on top of Raye. “Radar! Radar! Where’s the fox? Radar! Radar!” Is this how they acted when they met Logan?

“We give up!” declared Mina. The girls’ eyes fell back on Amara and then my undignified future girlfriend started screaming.

“He’s a hunksterette!” observed Raye.

“He’s a her!” added Lita.

“Sorry if it bursts your bubble that I’m a girl!” Amara ‘apologized’. I knew that the Sailor Scouts were not Princesses in the present day, but I had not expected them to be so...lacking in social graces.

“I’m out a Prince! WWWWWAAAAHHHH!” Mina began wailing like Serena. Putting my initial shock aside, I accepted that Logan likely had a relationship or two before Mina too. And even if they were no longer Princesses, I was certain that the Sailor Scouts had dozens of male suitors and could not afford to have their time wasted. Why else would Mina to court two men at the same time?

“Take care not to lose yourself in their memories, Charon. Stay focused on finding Rini.” Pegasus’ voice snapped me out of my trance. That is what happened to Logan...I could not let the same thing happen to me, for Rini’s sake. I knew I would not find what I was looking for here. The images faded as I continued my search for the Spymaster’s ‘dream pocket’...

“Thanks for your help...” My heart leaped when Mini Moon’s voice welcomed me into the next memory, but I recognized that it was higher-pitched. I found her sitting on the grass in the next memory in front of Uranus, Neptune, and a fourth woman lying face-first on the ground in green robes. Sailor Mini Moon was indeed shorter, with the physical appearance of an eight year old.

“We didn’t really come here to help you,” Sailor Uranus coldly addressed the young apprentice Scout in front of them. Rini’s cheerful disposition quickly faded.

Meanwhile, Sailor Neptune handled a pink crystalline star in her hand. “Too bad. This time again, it looks like there’s no pure heart crystal.”

“Then I failed...” As the red-haired woman with a black star collar backed away, Sailor Uranus and Neptune began walking away as well. They took one look at Mini Moon, who still held her arms and legs straight out in a fighting stance. For a moment, I thought they would turn back and help, but they continued walking away. I clenched my fist at the sight of them leaving her behind...but as the memory faded once again, I remembered: I had nearly done the same thing. Even if our reasons weren’t the same.

“Charon? Pegasus? Where are you? Where am I?” My heart leaped when I heard Rini speak again, this time with a deeper tone.

352

“Rini!” I called out. “RINI!” She did not answer me, and I remained surrounded by darkness.

“We still need to pass through their memories, Charon...but we are on the right track,” Pegasus’ voice assured me. “The Spymaster’s presence makes it difficult for me to maintain myself.”

“I am curious how you found out I was your grandfather, Rini.” She gasped and I flinched when the Spymaster’s voice called to her. “I am not physically here with you; I manifest this world much like your friend Pegasus does...though the last time you two saw each other, he promised you more than just friendship.”

I glanced around for Pegasus, but he was nowhere to be seen. “I’m missing something here...” I mumbled to myself.

“Why do you care how I found out?” Mini Moon snapped back.

“I suspect Charon told you,” the Spymaster answered. “Did he tell you how he found out? He threatened to hold Serena hostage on Earth to dissuade her mother from destroying the planet.”

“You’re lying! Charon would never hurt Serena!” Mini Moon snapped back.

“That was my first thought. But I also doubted he could bring himself to kill his mother. I never thought he would mind control hundreds of Amethyst’s warriors to send on suicide missions against Queen Beryl’s minions. I expected more resistance from him on forcibly recruiting Amethyst into the Shadows.” After a moment of silence, his voice added, “I suspect you never did either, Sailor Mini Moon. But he did all those things.”

“We’re nothing like you!” she shouted back.

“Come on, where are you Pegasus?” I muttered.

“It is unfortunate that Queen Serenity’s influence persists long after her death. She groomed Charon to be the family pet. You and Serena even coddle him like a lovesick puppy. Even after her death and the fall of the old Moon Kingdom, he clings to her empty promises and delusions of grandeur. He needs to be put down...”

I heard Mini Moon snicker. “You just admitted you barely knew Charon. I know he has a genuine heart, and no one can take it away from him!”

“You are like me in a lot of ways, Rini. Pity you share your mother’s stubbornness,” his voice beckoned. “Pegasus is weak, and Charon always puts the mission first. He will take the first opportunity to banish me the first chance he gets. And you will be banished along with me. But we don’t need to waste any time.”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Sailor Mini Moon screamed.

“RINI!” I did NOT come all this way for nothing! I ran forward fumbling blindly in the dark when a flash of light blinded me...

“I’m so frightened Amara...Please keep me safe!” Hotaru’s voice echoed as the dark353

ness above me cleared to reveal a black and red sky with dying stars above.

“It’ll be alright, Hotaru. We won’t let anything happen to you,” Sailor Uranus’ voice echoed back. I sat in front of a woman dressed in gold sitting on a throne with a nefarious grin. Sailor Galaxia...the others mentioned her before...the one who nearly defeated Sailor Moon and conquered the galaxy. I turned to find the Outer Scouts behind me, standing in fighting positions. Uranus and Neptune stood together on one side: both Scouts wore a pair of golden bracelets with green and purple gems. Pluto and Saturn stood across from them with their legs spread apart and hands clenched in fists.

“Why are you doing this?!” Pluto’s voice cried to Uranus and Neptune in shock. She and Saturn were bruised and scraped: they had been fighting Uranus and Neptune. And they were on the losing side.

Neptune and Uranus wore the same callous smirk as Galaxia. “You know why!” answered Sailor Neptune.

“This is how we fight!” Sailor Uranus throwing a punch in Sailor Saturn’s direction.

Sailor Neptune followed up with her own punch towards Sailor Pluto.

“Pluto?” called Sailor Saturn.

“Yes, I sense it too. They’re serious!” she answered. I tried to pull myself away from the memory, but I felt compelled to remain...as if a presence was physically holding me there.

With Neptune and Uranus grinning callously back, Pluto and Saturn resumed their fighting stances. “Then we won’t hold back!” declared Sailor Pluto.

“Until our lives burn out!” finished Saturn. But this battle was already over...

“Now let us see...” began Uranus.

“Your Star Seeds!” Both traitorous Scouts lifted their arms around the air. Their bracelets fired balls of golden light. Pluto and Saturn closed their eyes in acceptance of their fates as the balls converged upon them. But Uranus and Neptune’s smirks dropped from their faces. Even when I remembered Saturn and Pluto were still with me in the present, I could not help closing my eyes as well...

“Do not lose faith, Charon. We are nearly there,” Pegasus’ voice urged me to open my eyes. He was the only figure I saw in the darkness.

“Where were you?” I asked.

“I had to leave you in order to regain enough strength to help you push through. They relive the moment of their betrayal every day. It holds such a powerful grip on them...”

Pegasus paused. “I can feel his dark magic coursing through me again.”

“He’s going to do the same thing to her! He had a sense of honor before, he never would have tortured his own granddaughter!” I turned away from Pegasus in shame.

“If I had left her - “ 354

“You did not,” Pegasus cut me off. “But we must keep going. I fear that your power alone will not be enough to banish him at this point...”

“You pretended to be my soldiers while looking for an opening?” an unfamiliar voice beckoned. Galaxia’s voice...

“We’ve dirtied our hands with the blood of betrayal...” Sailor Uranus’ voice lamented...

“Trista! TRISTA!” Amara’s voice called. When Pegasus and I emerged from darkness, we saw Amara and Michelle ran after Trista in a park where cherry blossoms fell. Again, they were dressed in 21st century clothes. Trista carried a sleeping infant wrapped in a blanket around with her. “Is that Hotaru?”

“Why would you care? I thought you only cared about where you were taking your next vacation.” Trista did not even look at them as she spoke.

“I know you’re still mad at us for not letting you in on the plan - “ began Michelle.

“We had no chance of defeating Galaxia head-on! You know that!” said Amara.

“We saw an opportunity to defeat Galaxia without endangering the Moon Princess further. If we had told you and Hotaru about our plan, would either of you have refused to take part?” pleaded Michelle.

Trista glanced down at the resting infant cradled in her arms. “No. We would have done our duty. So why did you keep us in the dark?”

“There was no room for failure. We couldn’t risk her seeing through our deception.

We had her, but then...” answered Amara.

Trista sighed. “Sailor Moon defeated her in the end. That’s all that matters.”

“Just tell us how we can make it up to you,” pleaded Michelle.

Trista looked down at Hotaru. “It is not safe for me to leave Hotaru back with her father, not yet. I could use your help looking after her so I can return to fashion school.

But this is your LAST chance,” Trista warned them. “No more plotting behind our backs.”

“Of course,” answered Michelle. They must have known they would not be able to keep that promise...

“And if you ever betray the Moon Princess, I will execute both of you myself. Understood?” Trista turned her eyes to Hotaru as she began to awaken from her slumber.

“Understood,” Amara nodded. Baby Hotaru stopped crying and reached to her. Amara took the stirring infant from Trista’s arms. “Good to see you again, kiddo...”

I felt a growing sense of sympathy for them...they may have lied to Trista when they promised not to plot behind her back, but their apology sounded genuine. They honestly believed they were acting in Serena’s best interests...but I had to put my thoughts 355

about them aside. “How much longer, Pegasus?”

“Their memories of Rini are the key to entering the Spymaster’s dream pocket. The next one should take us there...”

356

357

358

Chapter 44 Tough Love Parenting

359

S

tars finally pierced through the darkness in the sky above. I hoped this would be the last of Uranus and Neptune’s memories to sift through before we could save Rini. In the distance I saw...myself wearing my original gray and black Shadow robes. We WERE getting close: this memory was from a few days ago. The Inner Scouts and Mini Moon stood across from Logan while Uranus and Neptune watched from a distance. As the image came into focus, Logan’s voice MY voice - grew louder and louder until it erupted into a full shout...

“Serena, I thought you were my best friend here, but you’ve been lying to me this whole time! I can’t trust any of you now.” Sailor Moon was on the verge of tears, just as she was the most recent time I yelled at her. The others stood back, glancing at each other frequently as if they were hoping someone else would know what to say.

“I’m sorry your feelings were hurt, Logan.” Sailor Venus apologized when Sailor Moon remained quiet. But Logan remained tense.

“We didn’t mean to upset you, Logan,” added Sailor Mars.

I realized that this was when Logan...when I learned the true purpose of my bracer.

Except for Mini Moon, the other Scouts had met in secret and agreed to leave it on without telling me why. I remembered how hurt I was when Queen Serenity told me the truth about my father...I could understand why I felt like the Scouts had used me back then. But knowing how close we had become, and how hard keeping the secret had been for them, made witnessing my reaction hard to watch.

“Logan, you can leave us if that’s what you want. I don’t want you to feel like we’re making you stay.” Sailor Moon’s eyes remained fixed to the ground.

Logan angrily thrust his bracer arm in the air. “With this thing still on my arm?” he shouted.

“Your powers have reached a point where you might accidentally lose control of them,” Luna cautioned softly. “The bracer will still help you control them.”

“I really wanted us to be friends, Logan,” cried Sailor Moon. Sailor Mars put a comforting hand on Serena’s shoulder as she began sobbing uncontrollably.

Logan’s finally began to lose his carefully-held composure. “We’re too different anyway.” He tried to sound unemotional, but I could hear his voice quiver with sadness.

One by one, I could see each Scout’s heart break in their eyes as Logan turned his back on them.

“I’m a terrible person,” Sailor Moon choked through her tears. Sailor Mini Moon hugged her, and Jupiter turned her shoulder to start leading her away. All of the others’ 360

eyes followed Logan as he walked away, with Sailor Venus staying back to watch him the longest before rejoining the others. But the Outer Scouts remained.

“Charon!” Sailor Uranus suddenly raised her arm and shouted in Logan’s direction.

Neptune placed her hand on Uranus’ shoulder to tug her back, but she ignored it and ran after me. “Michelle and I are sorry about what happened back there-” “You’re only sorry that your plan backfired,” Logan snarled. This was also after Uranus and Neptune tried to activate the ‘magical Shadow-killing artifact’ Sailor Pluto referred to earlier.

“Before Serena reminded me how hard it is to sacrifice someone you care about, yeah. I thought I could do it if I had to but...Serena cares about you too. They all do.”

Logan arched his back and stared at them, as if he couldn’t believe Amara of all people was pushing him to rejoin his friends. “And if you turn away friends like them, then you’re either a jerk or an idiot.”

Uranus and Neptune kept walking as Logan turned his head and shifted his eyes to where the Inner Scouts and Mini Moon previously stood. “You shouldn’t have urged him to go back to them,” Sailor Neptune whispered to her partner.

“I know,” admitted Uranus. She looked back and saw Logan had realized that the others were no longer there. “But I felt bad when I saw their faces...especially Serena.

Besides, Mina looked like she was getting ready to stalk him back to his place. He might have calmed down by the time he catches her.”

“Still, we should have let him leave. You know our mission: ALL of the Shadows and their knowledge of dark magic must be destroyed. We can’t risk him turning into the next Queen Beryl,” cautioned Neptune.

Uranus nodded and frowned. “I know. The others are going to hate us whether he goes back to being friends with them or not. And Trista is going to blow a gasket when she learns we did not tell her about our mission.”

“Queen Serenity trusted us with this mission alone. When Serena becomes Queen, she won’t have to worry about Earth rebelling against her again. Still...he seems like a decent guy. It is a shame,” sighed Neptune before all sympathy drained from her face.

“We need a new plan. We can’t waste time hunting for a magical solution to the Shadow problem, and we can be sure the Inner Scouts won’t help us...”

They WERE acting against the Shadows on Queen Serenity’s orders. But my past life ended before the Moon Kingdom fell. Surely, she rescinded the order!

“If I had wanted to destroy the Sailor Scouts, I could have done so years ago, Rini.”

The Spymaster’s voice snapped me out of my trance. The darkness around me finally gave way to a dimly lit, windowless gray room. It was made of marble, but colored gray like the stone, with receding walls. I barely made out the shape of mirrors, tables. This could have been a torture chamber in Beryl’s fortress. But it shared the Moon Palace’s walls...

361

“I never had any great love for Silver Millennium’s institutions, but I recognized the purpose they served. We all understood that the Negaverse, Galaxia and the other threats you faced had to be destroyed,” the Spymaster continued. As he spoke, I caught sight of Sailor Mini Moon held in a circular tube pulsating with dark energy to keep her inside. But when I ran forward, I was repulsed and thrown to the ground by an invisible field.

“Not another one of these!” I cursed.

Once again, Pegasus appeared in this world and pointed his golden horn towards the Spymaster. “I sealed off their dream pocket so the Spymaster could not attempt to strike you before you made it here,” answered Pegasus. “The Spymaster can project himself throughout this realm. He will not let you banish him without a fight.” I expected as much...

“I don’t remember any of you offering to help us!” Mini Moon spoke back, but her voice sounded weaker than before...

“Your grandmother kept Princess Serenity and the Inner Scouts blind to the truth.

They were unable to defend the Moon Kingdom from Metallia’s forces because Queen Serenity kept them weak. At first, I thought it was out of a misguided sense of love... but now I see it was out of contempt...” The Spymaster sneered.”

“Hurry, Pegasus!” I urged. His horn began to glow brighter and brighter, but I saw dark purple ripples shimmering in front of us, resisting Pegasus’ efforts. Sailor Mini Moon looked in our direction and smiled; she must have seen the ripples as well.

“You said they wouldn’t come back for me! Again, you were wrong!” she mocked.

The field surrounding her began to charge, and I heard the crackling noise of static before she began screaming...

Pegasus’ light finally shattered the invisible barrier blocking our way. The dark magic field holding Mini Moon also dissipated. As I ran towards her, the dark energy reformed around me and attempted to draw me into the ground. I teleported away just in time and threw a dark magic bolt at the Spymaster’s shapeless, shadowy form. He merely dissipated and absorbed himself into the walls.

Sailor Mini Moon ran towards a large silver door and tugged at the handle, but the only visible escape route in the room would not budge. “How do we get out of here?!” she cried. I saw pieces of the wall next to her disintegrate in a line, as if a snake had tunneled into the walls and was crawling in her direction. I teleported over to her and pulled her out of the way before the Spymaster, now in the form of a dark magic snake, emerged from the walls and snapped its jaws over where Mini Moon had been standing.

“How are we supposed to fight him like this?!” Sailor Mini Moon cried. She glanced down at the Pink Moon Stick in her hand and shook her head. I instinctively pulled Mini Moon’s head into my shoulder before a flash of white light temporarily blinded us, still illuminating the room once our sight recovered.

“I can contain him for a short time, but our only chance of escape lies in banishing the 362

Spymaster,” explained Pegasus’ voice. “His power has increased, but both of you are still more powerful here because you have not given up on your dreams. I have little choice now, Sailor Mini Moon...Charon will need your help to stop him.”

Pegasus’ transparent form appeared in front of us. He pointed his glowing horn in Mini Moon’s direction: her brooch started glowing and shifted into the form of a diamond heart. Pink energy ribbons flowed from her brooch and covered her partially ripped uniform. The ribbons enclosed upon her and rescinded into her brooch. With another flash, her Scout uniform had changed. Her collar was still pink, but its stripes and her choker were now yellow and her shoulder pads were translucent like the wings of a dragonfly. She wore a yellow belt with a second pink heart-shaped brooch around her waist and gained crescent moon symbols on the top of her boots. Her long white back bow was visible from the front, and her pink skirt was now white with a yellow and pink border.

In a flash of pink light, Mini Moon’s Pink Moon Stick transformed into a golden cupshaped bell with a pink handle in the shape of a heart, held together by a winged crown.

A second item, a pink scepter with a heart-shaped knot around the hilt and winged edges, appeared out of thin air.

Our eyes turned back to Pegasus as his form steadily began to fade. “Charon, focus your magic into her Mini Rainbow Moon Wand. Wait for the right...moment...”

“Pegasus!” she cried out after he had completely disappeared. We stood back-to-back and glanced around the room for any sign of the Spymaster about to strike.

“Wait...did he say I have to hold your Wand with you?” I asked her with slight discomfort.

“No,” Mini Moon answered. I saw her frowning slightly when she turned her head in my direction. “Why? Are you avoiding me now?”

She thought this was about her crush on me! “No! Of course not!” I motioned towards her Mini Rainbow Moon Wand clutched in her small hand. “It’s just...it’s pink.”

Mini Moon furrowed her eyebrows and made a sour face at me. “Pink isn’t just for girls anymore! I got you a pink dress shirt for your birthday!”

“You did?! GGGRRREEEAAATTT...” I said with one of the most forced plastic smiles I had ever fixed onto my face. I was almost relieved when the Spymaster picked this as the moment to strike. A streak of shapeless dark energy flew towards me and Rini, but we jumped out of the way in time. I knew we had our best shot when he retreated into a mirror...

“NOW!” I called to Sailor Mini Moon. With her left foot forward, she extended her left arm with an open palm towards the Spymaster’s mirror and drew her right arm back, holding her scepter vertically. I knelt beside her and place my right hand on hers as she held her wand, channeling my power into it. I held her shoulder with my left hand to brace her. Sailor Mini Moon’s Wand began to glow in her right hand, shimmering white and dark purple as it began charging with both of our energy. Just as the 363

Spymaster’s shadow appeared to attack us again, she extended her right arm and pulled her left back. A sphere of purple and black energy appeared at the tip and grew in size...

“Super Moon Target!” After Mini Moon called out her attack, the sphere flew towards the Spymaster. It shattered into shards resembling broken glass, hitting his visage head on and striking the object he had appeared from. The Spymaster was pushed back and faded away as the object shattered as well.

Mini Moon dropped both of her arms to her side. “We beat him.” She turned around and her eyes sparkled when she looked in my face before pulling me in for a hug. “We really beat him!”

I thought about how we would get out of the dark corner Uranus and Neptune’s dream world without Pegasus’ guidance, but I was startled when Mini Moon suddenly pulled away from me. “I guess I shouldn’t hug you anymore,” she said sadly.

I gave her a smile. “Venus won’t mind.” I noticed the scene around us fading to black as I pulled her back in.

“I told her about the shirt. She said you can wear it when you finally go on that date!” she whispered in my ear. Even with my limited experiences with girls, I knew that meant I had to...

“I can’t wait to try it on!” I forced another smile on my face. This time, there was no Spymaster to distract Mini Moon from analyzing my face...

“You’re a terrible liar!” she pouted. “You’ll thank me when everyone tells you how great it looks on you!” Why couldn’t Logan have come back for this part?

Sailor Mini Moon and I were still embracing when the scene around us changed back to the sewers of the coliseum. This time, she smiled lightly as we gently let each other go. Our uniform changes remained with us, and the Spymaster was nowhere to be seen...we had succeeded. Sailor Uranus lay face-down on the floor, and Neptune was still unconscious with her back against the wall.

“We should leave before they wake up,” suggested Mini Moon.

“We’re just going to leave them here?” I asked as she stood up.

Rini’s forehead crinkled. “They betrayed us, remember? Besides, they’ve abandoned me before!”

“Rini...” I remained on my knees and lowered my head. “I almost abandoned you too.

Pegasus told me that the Spymaster was weak enough to banish myself, and he warned me that I risked imprisoning you too. I thought about it - “ “I knew you THOUGHT about it. You WERE a Shadow after all.” There wasn’t a single hint of anger or shock in Mini Moon’s voice. “But we know you better than you think we do.”

“I’m not so different from them or Tithon, Rini...I just made a few different choices.”

364

I still could not bring myself to look up at Mini Moon, so she knelt down in front of me.

“Those choices made all the difference in the world,” Mini Moon said. “They would have killed Sailor Saturn. They would have left me behind. Although you’re the only one crazy enough to date Mina.” Earlier today, I might have taken offense to that...but I was beginning to think she was partly right...

“Uranus and Neptune care about the rest of you...even if their world view is completely twisted,” I told her.

Sailor Mini Moon looked at their unconscious figures, just as they had looked back at her before leaving her to fight on her own years ago. “Well, I’m not leaving you alone with them. But I’m not strong enough to carry one of them out on my back,” she said.

“I guess trying to drag them both out myself would be just asking for trouble,” I admitted.

“They might have some hard feelings about you invading their dream world, too” warned Sailor Mini Moon. I saw Uranus’ fingers begin to twitch. “The others have to be up by now. Let’s get out of here. I hope Pegasus is OK...”

“If the Spymaster had him, we would have lost the powers he gave us,” I assured her.

Sailor Mini Moon smiled again and took a few paces back into the damp halls when I stood up. “Lead the way, Pinky Bunny!” I called out after her.

She stopped, made a 90 degree turn, and glared at me. “Pinky Bunny?”

“Venus said you nicknamed me turtle.”

“I called you that once!” We both noticed Sailor Neptune stir and make a low-pitched moaning sound. “Let’s agree not to give each other nicknames,” Rini suggested as we picked up the pace...

365

366

Chapter 45 Castaways

367

“I

hope the others found a way out of here,” remarked Sailor Mini Moon.

The damp hallways of the coliseum had become so dark, we mostly had to feel our way around. I carried the sinking feeling that it wouldn’t take much for millenial-old structure to fall on top of us...

“I did not realize how far the Spymaster led me away from the rest of you,” I sighed.

There was just enough light for me to notice Mini Moon’s smile when she looked up at me. “At least you look more like one of us now. Maybe everyone will stop mistaking you for the bad guy!”

The instant we turned the corner, a rose whistled past my ear and impaled itself in the wall behind me. The caped silhouette of the thrower stood there awkwardly with his arm still stretched out. “Tuxedo Mask!” Mini moon pouted.

“Sorry, Charon! I didn’t recognize you in that outfit!” apologized Tuxedo Mask. I heard the faint sound of heels pounding against the ground in the distance, growing increasingly louder. “We found the others surrounded by mind-controlled warriors. They just collapsed halfway through our fight. Sailor Moon and the others remained behind to tend to them.”

My heart leaped when Sailor Venus turned the corner, followed closely by Sailor Saturn. “Charon!” Sailor Venus threw her arms around me.

“Rini!” Sailor Saturn accordingly held Mini Moon in a tight embrace.

“Sailor Mini Moon and I sealed the Spymaster for the time being,” I told them. “She and Pegasus saved the day,” I smiled.

Rini returned my smile. “We wouldn’t have gotten this far without your help.”

“That would explain why they just passed out. And the change in outfits,” smirked Venus.

“I’m proud of you, Sailor Mini Moon,” said Tuxedo Mask.

Mini Moon crossed her arms and smirked. “See what you miss when you make a habit of showing up at the last second? You were too late this time!”

“I have to admit: your timing was always a bit too convenient, Darien!” teased Sailor Venus.

“I told you: it’s not like I just stand there and watch you fight until the opportune moment comes up! It’s pure coincidence!” insisted Tuxedo Mask.

368

“Mmm-hmm,” Sailor Mini Moon sarcastically nodded.

Tuxedo Mask leaned over to look behind us. “Where is Pegasus, by the way?”

Mini Moon’s smile fell. “Uranus and Neptune attacked him, Darien. He used his remaining energy to power up me and Charon so we could escape. We trapped the Spymaster in their dream world.”

A vengeful look cast itself over Sailor Saturn’s eyes. “Were they trapped with him?”

“No, we left them back that way.” When Mini Moon pointed in her direction, Sailor Saturn brushed past her and raised her Scythe in the air. “Hotaru!” Mini Moon called out after her friend.

“Venus, I know we talked about this, but - “ “We can’t let them betray us again,” Sailor Venus cut off Tuxedo Mask. Mini Moon and I took off after Sailor Saturn. I didn’t remember Silver Millennium or Queen Serenity carrying out executions...being sealed away was the worst punishment I remembered. But I wouldn’t bet on it...

“Hotaru, wait!” Sailor Mini Moon pleaded with her best friend. Uranus and Neptune remained where we found them, but both of their eyes were open. Sailor Neptune weakly turned her head towards us. Sailor Neptune pushed herself up off the ground just in time to watch Saturn point the sharp tip of her weapon against Uranus’ neck.

“Uranus and Neptune, you are both guilty of deserting the Sailor Scouts and committing high treason against our Princess.” Sailor Saturn’s voice, as empty of emotion as the void, froze the entire corridor.

“Hotaru, please...” Neptune wobbled up to her feet and approached Uranus slowly.

“STEP BACK!” Saturn screamed and pressed the tip of her weapon against Uranus’ throat. Neptune abruptly halted. “As Sailor Saturn, the Sailor Scout of Destruction, I sentence both of you to death!”

With only a split second left before Saturn cut Uranus’ throat, I blurted out “QUEEN SERENITY ORDERED THEM TO DO THIS!” “What?!” Although Saturn’s eyes remained fixed on Uranus and Neptune, she pulled her Scythe back slightly.

“It was an act,” I explained to Saturn, Venus and Tuxedo Mask. “Queen Serenity ordered them to destroy the Shadows, along with our artifacts and knowledge of dark magic, so that no one else would be able to use it. When they saw the rest of you wouldn’t help them, they pretended to ally themselves with the Spymaster.”

“So you WERE poking around in our heads!” Sailor Uranus’ tiredness quickly gave way to anger.

“You didn’t leave us much of a choice! I’m not surprised there was a torture chamber in your dream world!” shouted Mini Moon.

369

Sailor Uranus crossed her arms and stared at Sailor Venus. “Nothing we did matters now anyway, thanks to that blabbermouth - “ “You promised there would be no more secrets between us!” Sailor Saturn shouted to Uranus and Neptune.

“We agreed on what to do if Uranus and Neptune fought against us. We never agreed to execute them, Saturn!” said Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Venus cast her eyes downward.

“How many more chances are you going to give them to betray us?!” asked Saturn.

There was a time when I might have agreed that keeping Uranus and Neptune alive was too dangerous, even if they were acting on Queen Serenity’s orders. But after seeing their dream world, after seeing their regret as they did what they thought was right, I could no longer make that argument.

Sailor Venus flipped open her communicator. “This doesn’t feel right, Saturn. We’ll regroup with Sailor Moon and the others, decide what to do from there.”

“I thought you understood! First they attacked Charon, then Trista, and they would have done the same to Rini!” Saturn turned her head to yell at Venus. Her weapon shuddered in her hands, even as it remained fixed on Uranus’ throat.

“Hotaru, we never - “ “Shut up!” Saturn interrupted Neptune.

“Sailor Moon and the others are finished tending to Amethyst’s warriors.” Sailor Venus informed us after she removed her finger from her communicator. “We’ll meet them halfway towards the exit, Hotaru.”

“Hotaru, you can’t blame yourself for what they did,” said Sailor Mini Moon.

“Move, Uranus!” Sailor Saturn refused to even look at her best friend. “You weren’t there when they betrayed me and Trista, Rini!”

Uranus and Neptune stood up and walked around Sailor Saturn. They followed Venus and Tuxedo Mask leading from the front, while Rini and I stayed close to Hotaru. She kept her Scythe pointed squarely at Uranus’ back, taking her eyes away only to glance at Neptune.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard they betrayed you, even if it was for Serena,” admitted Sailor Mini Moon. “But I was there when they tried to kill Charon. I heard them admit they considered handing you over to Gran - to the Spymaster. And they attacked Pegasus when I tried to help Charon.”

“So why are you two defending them?” Saturn demanded to know.

“Because they care about you and Trista,” I answered. “And I know you still care about them. We don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later.”

“They have to answer for what they’ve DONE, Charon. How they feel about their crimes doesn’t matter,” Saturn snapped back at me.

370

“We can show them things don’t have to be this way, Hotaru. They’ll still answer for what they’ve done. The Inner Scouts care about their friends very much,” Mini Moon assured her.

“We’ll see,” Hotaru answered blankly. I heard other footsteps in the distance approaching us. The closer we came to the old fighting grounds, the better the lighting became. She was unconvinced...but as angry as she was, she would not kill Uranus and Neptune. At least, not without permission.

After what must have felt like the longest walk of Uranus and Neptune’s lives, Sailor Moon and the others appeared in front of us. I saw them eyeing my new uniform at first, but their eyes became fixed on Uranus and Neptune.

“Logan, Rini, I’m glad you’re OK,” began Sailor Moon. Her blue eyes seemed to transform into ice when she cast them upon Uranus and Neptune. Something told me that Logan had never seen the renegade Scouts look so terrified either.”I don’t know where to begin with you two.”

Sailor Pluto clutched her Garnet Rod and glared at the rogue Scouts being held before them. “I do! You can’t help yourselves from attacking me the instant I turn my back, can you?!” she yelled.

“Charon said they were acting on your mother’s orders,” Sailor Saturn told them.

“Venus told us that part,” Sailor Moon nodded slowly. My death had been an accident...she understood that...but her mother had kept more secrets from them. “You’d better explain yourselves, Amara and Michelle.”

“Queen Serenity swore us to secrecy!” answered Sailor Neptune. “We were supposed to lead an army to scour Earth for those who practiced illegal magic. Not just dark magic,” answered Sailor Neptune. “If they would not submit to cleansing by the Silver Crystal, we were to seal them away or banish them to the Negamoon.”

The other Scouts cast each other looks...except for Sailor Mercury. She didn’t take her eyes off the ground when she asked “was Amethyst part of your army?”

“We didn’t know her personally back then,” explained Sailor Uranus. “But yes. She was one of the ‘Lesser Scouts’.”

“So she was a Sailor Scout?” asked Mini Moon.

Artemis and Luna wedged themselves beside Sailor Moon’s legs. “Not exactly,” answered Artemis. “That was their unofficial name, but they were empowered by Queen Serenity to carry out certain tasks. Much like Sailor V.” “They only had a fraction of your powers, and they weren’t as well known throughout the Moon Kingdom,” finished Luna.

“Why would Queen Serenity give you this mission?” asked Sailor Pluto. “Your were supposed to guard Silver Millennium from threats outside our Solar System!”

371

“There was no one else. You were stationed at the Door of Space-Time, Sailor Saturn was confined to Titan Castle, and the Inner Scouts were busy with their ‘duties’ at the Palace,” answered Uranus. Even now, she made no effort to hide her contempt for the Inner Scouts.

“Queen Serenity feared that the rest of the Kingdom would not understand. She wanted Princess Serenity and her guardians to be completely blameless so they could rule unhindered by her actions,” Sailor Neptune explained with more sensitivity.

“There were laws strictly regulating the use of magic. The Earth Kingdom was more lax about enforcing its own rules, but I suppose that changed with Metalia,” said Artemis.

“Exactly,” agreed Uranus. “Metalia would not have amassed such a powerful force if she had not manipulated so many sorcerors on Earth. And then the Shadows started acting outside Queen Serenity’s mandate. She realized that they were becoming too powerful to control. She planned to stop Queen Beryl by destroying Earth, then round up any surviving Shadows. Including Charon,” finished Sailor Uranus.

“So it was true,” Luna muttered to herself. Serena glanced sadly at me, as if to repeat that she was sorry.

“The Spymaster was right. She was just going to throw the Shadows away when she was done with them,” sighed Sailor Mars. But when I first met Queen Serenity at the Palace, she meant it when she said I would have a home there one day. When did she decide not to keep her promise?

“I can’t believe this is Queen Serenity we’re talking about. She sounds like a completely different person,” cried Luna. I noticed Sailor Mercury staring off to the side.

She was listening, but her mind was elsewhere...

“But she decided not to destroy Earth!” Saturn pleaded with the others before glaring back at Uranus and Neptune. “And she would be horrified to know that you tried to kill Charon in the present!”

“She’s right! Queen Serenity may have given you this mission, but that does not justify your later actions!” yelled Artemis.

“Look, you all made your feelings about Charon pretty clear,” Uranus snapped. “But Queen Serenity’s attempt to cleanse him of dark magic clearly failed. He’s been back with you a few days and he’s already powerful enough to control minds and invade dreams!”

“This is what your mother feared,” Sailor Neptune addressed Serena. “He’s becoming too powerful for the bracer to control. If you keep him by your side, you’ll be implicitly allowing the use of dark magic.”

“At least she won’t be a hypocrite like Queen Serenity was!” yelled Sailor Mini Moon.

372

“Do not insult your grandmother, Small Lady! She gave all of us a second chance!

She made sure we wouldn’t have to worry about another Queen Beryl rising against us - “ began Sailor Uranus.

“And she nearly became one herself!” shouted Sailor Moon, breaking into tears as she said it. “How can I accept that she killed my friend and nearly destroyed a planet in my name?!”

“We’ll make even more enemies if we mistreat those who help us,” said Tuxedo Mask.

“We shouldn’t forget that Charon and the other Shadows turned to dark magic to help us protect the Moon Kingdom,” added Sailor Jupiter.

Sailor Uranus held an open palm in front of her. “Charon’s original intentions may have been honorable - “ “And they still are!” Sailor Moon clenched her fists, dropped her eyes to the floor, and closed her eyes. “Amara...Michelle...I don’t care what my mother told you to do anymore. Whatever you were planning, it’s over.”

Uranus and Neptune stared intensely at the Moon Princess as she entered a long period of silence. “Alright, Serena. The Shadows are weakened, and they have no way to restrain Hotaru’s power. At least as far as we can tell,” Neptune answered gently.

“We’ve always been on your side, Serena,” assured Sailor Uranus.

But Sailor Moon would not open her eyes. “As the Moon Princess. Not as a friend. I can forgive you both for not respecting me, for thinking I’m a useless crybaby - “ “Serena...” Neptune called gently.

Uranus and Neptune leaned back when Sailor Moon’s eyelids flew open, revealing that her ice-cold stare had returned. “But you attacked my friends and put the entire world in danger with your reckless behavior. Everything you’ve done goes against what we stand for as Sailor Scouts! As Princess of the Moon, I relieve both of you of your duties!”

Sailor Venus stepped forward and looked at Rini. Mini Moon simply glared at the now ex-Scouts. “We talked about this before, though you and Charon weren’t here.

Does anyone object to Sailor Moon’s decision?”

Silence fell upon the dark corridor. “Amara and Michelle, you’re both getting off easy. A Moon Spiral Heart Attack or five to the face would have been fair enough,” interrupted Sailor Pluto.

I caught Sailor Venus roll her eyes. “Then it’s final. Amara and Michelle, you must surrender your transformation sticks to me. If you refuse, I will have to take them from you,” demanded Sailor Venus as she extended her hand. Uranus and Neptune looked around as if they were praying someone would support them, but everyone else’s eyes remained coldly affixed on them.

373

Uranus’ cast her eyes downward when she saw Neptune pull out her transformation wand: a sea-green stick with a pink heart, sea-green crescent moon, and gold six-point star. Her Scout uniform gave way to civilian clothes when she placed the wand in Venus’ hand. “If you feel that you no longer need our help, then we respect your decision Serena.”

“I wanted things to be different this time,” Sailor Moon wept. “But real friends trust each other, and I just can’t trust either of you anymore.”

“I understand.” Sailor Uranus followed suit, pulling out her own transformation wand and handing it over to Sailor Venus. As her transformation faded away, she also pulled out the sword that she had used against Pegasus to give to Venus. “I guess you want this, too.”

Everyone’s eyes followed the former Scouts’ backs as they walked past Sailor Venus...although Mercury’s quickly turned back away. “We know the way out. You know where to find us if you need us, Sailor Moon,” said Uranus.

“Good luck against the Spymaster, Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. And Charon,” added Sailor Neptune. Even Saturn and Pluto’s stern demeanor melted away.

“We had to do it, right? We had to draw the line somewhere,” Sailor Jupiter spoke quietly after Uranus and Neptune were out of earshot.

“We did. They should have known their own plans rarely ever work,” answered Mars...though she sounded unconvinced.

“We should have done this after Galaxia,” said Sailor Pluto, but even her voice was quivering. “I have to admit, Venus...you sounded like a real leader.”

“Thanks,” said Venus. I felt her place a hand on the back of my shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.” The other Scouts slowly began clearing out, following in the direction of Uranus and Neptune. Everyone except for...

“Sailor Mercury?” Her eyes remained glued to the floor. I caught some of the Scouts glancing back at me. They had noticed something was off with her too. “Amy?” I called out again.

“Huh?” Mercury looked at me as if she had just noticed I was in the room. “Sorry.”

“You were pretty quiet the entire time. Are you alright?” Mercury briefly nodded her head, but abruptly stopped and shook it. “Venus, we’ll catch up with you in a minute!”

I called to my other friends.

Sailor Mercury was quiet for another second. “It seems like everyone here was freed from the Spymaster’s mind control.”

“How is Greg?” I asked her.

“He’s fine,” she briskly answered. “We still need to find Melvin. And we heard earlier there were other Shadows with Amethyst - “ 374

“She probably sent them away. But Amy, I know this isn’t about the mission. And I don’t think this is about Amara and Michelle either.”

Sailor Mercury sniffled. “With everything else going on, I shouldn’t let other things distract me like this.”

I put my hands on her shoulders. I was always nervous about touching people in social situations, and I never would have touched a Princess before she touched me, but something told me it was the right thing to do in this case. “That’s exactly why you need to talk about it, Amy. What’s wrong?” I asked her more firmly.

Mercury sniffled. “You were right about Greg. I called to tell him where the exit was and he just wanted to get away from me as quickly as possible - “ “What exactly did he say?” I asked her. I shuffled slightly to the right to cover her when I sensed the others hanging around, staring at us.

“I asked him what was wrong and he just brushed me off. He said it had nothing to do with me, but he’s not acting like himself. I don’t know what to do!”

I hated being right, but I hated seeing her so helpless. “There’s a lot of reasons he could be acting this way. Just give him a little more time and then...maybe I could try talking to him.” Talking to someone I barely knew about their love life was something I wouldn’t have done in the past either.

“You do seem to have a way of reading him that I don’t.” To my surprise, Mercury hugged me. “Thank you. You’re a good friend.”

“Hey, are you feeling better, Amy?” Sailor Jupiter called back. Sailor Mercury leaned sideways and nodded, motioning for me to join the others. We had all spent long enough in this crumbling heap.

“Sorry all this had to happen on your birthday,” Sailor Venus called back just as the others started walking again.

Sailor Moon stopped in her tracks. “I completely forgot!”

“Sailor Moon, after everything that happened, I can forgive you for not remembering my - !”

“I broke the rule, Charon!” Sailor Moon became frantic. “I got mad at you on your birthday!”

“Yeah...we blew your day big time, didn’t we?” Jupiter sadly agreed.

After everything that happened...to get so upset over...I glanced at Sailor Venus. “Is it really that bad?”

“Of course it is!” yelled Sailor Moon. “You NEVER get mad at someone on their birthday!”

“You always get mad at me on my birthday!” shouted Mini Moon.

375

“Because it’s also MY birthday! You get away with being a pest the other 364 days of the year! Besides, the rule doesn’t apply to flamingo heads!” Sailor Moon snapped back.

“I’m sure it doesn’t apply to meatball brains either!” Mini Moon yelled back. Sailor Moon stuck her tongue out at Rini, and Mini Moon returned the gesture. The other Scouts groaned as Sailor Moon and Mini Moon stuck their tongues out at each other like bickering children.

“Wait, Serena - remember we made a reservation at Jiro’s?” Tuxedo Mask put a halt to Sailor Moon and Mini Moon’s squabbling.

Sailor Moon looked down at her communicator. “I do! And the night is still young!

Yay Darien, you saved Logan’s birthday!” She wrapped her arm around a visibly embarrassed Tuxedo Mask.

“We’re no closer to stopping the Shadows now than we were before we recovered Pegasus! How could you think about going on a date at a time like this?!” asked Sailor Pluto.

Sailor Moon and Venus stared thoughtfully at each other, wrinkling their eyebrows as they deeply reflected upon Trista’s point. “We’ve still gotta eat,” answered Sailor Moon. Venus nodded in agreement.

“It will give me and Luna some time to pick up the Spymaster’s trail, decide what we should do next. Maybe Pegasus will return with some guidance for us,” suggested Artemis. Luna, on the other hand, simply buried her face in one of her paws.

“These are our future leaders...” Sailor Pluto shook and clutched her Rod. “If Amara and Michelle had stayed for this, they would have thrown their transformation wands at you and run away screaming. Let me get far away enough so I can’t hear you, or I might do just that!”

“I know the way out, Trista!” Sailor Saturn cast an uncertain look at Mini Moon, then followed Sailor Pluto.

“I was an intern at Jiro’s just after they opened. The food there is good, but it’s SO expensive! They won’t even let you in for dinner without a reservation!” exclaimed Jupiter.

Tuxedo Mask’s eyes narrowed. “That’s exactly why we chose it!”

“What about the rest of us?” asked Sailor Mars. “We’re starving too, you know!”

“Sorry Mars, couples only tonight!” gloated Sailor Venus. Mars clenched her fists by her sides and glared at Mina.

“Oh, here we go!” Sailor Moon groaned when Mini Moon tilted her head to the right side and looked at Tuxedo Mask with widened eyes.

“Daddykins? Can I please come to the restaurant with you and Logan?” Mini Moon 376

folded her hands in front of her heart.

Tuxedo Mask’s face cringed and twisted in agony. He wanted to say yes to Rini’s adorable face SO badly...I would have said yes...but he couldn’t. “I was only able to get a table for the four of us. I’m sorry, Princess.”

Sailor Moon was completely untouched by Rini’s performance. “We should change her name to ‘Mini Spymaster’!”

Sailor Mars placed her hand on Mini Moon’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Rini! We’ll take Logan somewhere cooler than their snooty, overpriced restaurant!”

“And you three won’t be invited!” Sailor Jupiter snapped at the Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon and Venus.

As the other girls stomped away from us, Tuxedo Mask leaned into my ear and whispered “I’m so happy they have someone else to fight over now...”

377

378

Chapter 46 Double Date Part 1

379

T

he sky above had started to clear up when we found our way out of the coliseum and emerged on the outskirts of Tokyo. Although the outside remained bitterly cold, and several inches of untimely snow blanketed the countryside, releasing Pegasus’ spirit led to some improvement. People had started to emerge from their homes, with makeshift plows on large, four-wheeled machines pushing the snow out of the street.

Ever since Raye and Lita’s “argument” over being left out of dinner plans, there had been little conversation between the Scouts. Sailor Pluto briskly mentioned that she and Hotaru were leaving by the time we reentered the city limits. Shortly after, I overheard Darien offer Rini the keys to his apartment and tell the others that they were welcome to stay there while we were at Jiro’s restaurant. Rini muttered a brief ‘OK’ and Raye mentioned that they would try to get some dumplings from a small place around the corner. Besides that, the other Scouts seemed to have little interest in his offer.

Darien turned to me as Raye, Lita, Amy, and Rini trudged their way to the other side of the corner. “We’ll need to wear something a bit more upper-class. I have an extra suit I can loan you, although it might be a bit loose.” Dressing up again...just like my days spying on Endymion’s court.

“Wait!” Rini had left the others and came running towards us. “Darien, you can give Logan my present now! I already told him what it is! At least it’ll fit him.”

“Thanks Rini,” I said. The pink shirt. It WAS from Rini...it’s the thought that counts...

Rini ran back after the other girls, leaving me with Darien, Serena and Mina. “The others aren’t upset about us leaving them out of our plans, are they?”

Serena raised her hand in the air and flicked it downwards. “Don’t read too much into what Raye said. She and Lita are a bit edgy because they haven’t been on a date in ages.”

“They don’t?” I had to admit, that was surprising. “You mean they don’t have suitors serenading them through their windows every night?”

Serena and Mina chortled to suppress their laughter. “N-no, Charon, they don’t!”

Serena answered, snorting a bit as she said it. “Not anymore, anyway!”

“It sounds like dating’s changed a bit since your time,” commented Darien.

“I assumed it was the same as courtship,” I answered.

“Dating is a bit less formal. Don’t worry, this is just dinner,” explained Darien. “Come on in, I’ll get your suit.”

380

“What about you two?” I asked when Darien motioned for me to follow him...

Serena pulled out a pink pen with a gold ring and red gem at the top. “Don’t mention this to Artemis or Luna, alright?”

Even in this weather, the restaurant was nearly packed when we were led to our seats near the back. The table next to us was receiving their food when we arrived, with the waiter apologizing for the delay. One of the diners received an enormous slab of meat on a plate. “No wonder we’re as fat as the Moon people now,” I muttered to myself.

“What was that, sweetie?” smiled Mina. She looked absolutely stunning in her orange dress...almost exactly like the one she wore to our first ball. Princess Venus and I...it took another thousand years but here we were, back to where we should be.

“I...um...have you been here before?” I asked Serena and Darien. Serena shook her head; she wore a more puffy, light blue dress but still...it was hard to look at her and not think of Princess Serenity.

“I heard the onion soup is good,” suggested Darien.

Mina traced my eyes back to the man indulging himself on the slab of meat. He looked like he was wolfing up a piece of concrete. “Darien, you’re not pushing him towards the cheaper stuff, are you?” Mina teased.

Darien became wide-eyed.” No, of course not! Get anything you want Logan! It’s our treat!”

“Does it still feel weird when we call you Logan?” asked Serena.

I shook my head. “I’m getting used to it.”

Mina placed one hand on my forearm and another on my shoulder. I felt all warm and tingly inside. “You can get comfortable, you know. This isn’t the Moon Palace,” she assured me.

“Say Logan, I really like that shirt! How come I haven’t seen you wearing it before, Darien?” exclaimed Serena when I removed my dinner jacket.

“It was actually from Rini,” I told her. Serena wasn’t just saying that to be nice...she meant it. I should trust Rini’s fashion sense from now on.

But Serena’s smile fell off her face when I said Rini’s name. “Oh. Never mind then.”

“I can’t wait for you to see my gift!” Mina leaned in closer. “Well, I have to be honest: I had some help making it.”

“That’s a relief, maybe now it won’t explode,” sighed Serena. Mina narrowed her mouth and eyes, shooting the other blonde a dirty glare.

“Who helped you Mina?” asked Darien.

“Luna, Artemis, and Rini’s friend Hiroki!” Mina answered excitedly.

381

Serena’s eyes grew wider than the plates in this restaurant. “Rini’s friend Hiroki?!

Didn’t we help him build a plane?!”

Mina angrily raised her finger to her lips when Darien’s eyes followed suit. “You’re spoiling the surprise, Serena! It’s a good thing I didn’t go with a new suit, you blabbermouths would have ruined it!”

“Just make sure the rest of us are on hand before you open it, Logan,” suggested a visibly worried Darien.

“We still haven’t recovered from the last time we watched you die a horrible death,” added Serena. They weren’t teasing Mina...they really were terrified.

Our own waitress came to the table and hovered over us, looking down at me as she scribbled away in her notepad. Mina went ‘awww’ when I covered my face with the menu. I heard the faint sound of a girl laughing, but I knew it wasn’t Serena. I found a giant potted plant behind Darien, a couple feet away from the wall on his right side. I could have sworn that wasn’t there when we came in...

“I can come back in another minute or two,” the waitress said to me.

“No, I think he had his eye on the filet mignon. He was just too modest to order it,” Mina poked me in the ribs.

“We told you Logan, don’t worry about it!” Serena smiled, but she crossed her arms when the waitress left. “Little Miss Piggy maxing out your credit card, Darien?”

“No. Your mom raised her allowance, remember?” Darien said. They mentioned Queen Serenity had not been reborn on Earth. Serena had different parents in this life.

Did that mean I had another family waiting for me somewhere too?

“SHE DID?! GGGGRRRRR...” Serena’s growling snapped me back to the table.

“Aw, lighten up on her Serena. She was grounded because she was trying to cover for you but your mom caught her,” Mina told her.

Serena dropped her frown. “She never told me that. Maybe you’re right; mom’s sure to give her enough of an earful when she goes home. She hasn’t been so bad lately.”

“Rini seems pretty happy considering everything that’s happened.” Darien said to her before he looked at me. “I was with her when she bought your shirt. You would have thought she was in a candy store,” Darien smiled. I turned away so he wouldn’t see my own awkward smile forcing its way onto my face.

“Darien and I thought this would be the perfect chance to get to know you better, Logan. I was never sure if you were just quiet...or if you were shy around girls!” teased Serena.

I felt my face glowing red. “Both really,” I admitted. “Though Logan’s life is still mostly a blur to me.”

“That’s alright!” smiled Serena. “So, were your schools still torture halls back then?

382

Did they still have homework and detentions or was it more bearable then?”

Torture halls...that reminded me of the three weeks I spent held by Queen Beryl’s forces... “I was homeschooled,” I answered. “Your father finished the rest, though we focused on training.”

Serena’s smile began to slowly fade away. Maybe I shouldn’t have referred to the Spymaster as her father. “It sounds like you knew both my former parents well. Did they...get along back then?” she asked.

“They seemed to. He was always cold...we were never friends, but he had his human side back then. Not anymore,” I answered. Serena and I stared sadly across from each other.

“Uh...we really shouldn’t talk about that here,” warned Mina. She plastered her smile back on. “I have a question for you: are you ticklish?”

Serena and Darien smiled. “I don’t think you need to wait for an answer,” Serena noted as I writhed around, Mina’s fingers relentlessly poking against my side. When I wriggled away, I noticed a large bottle rack sitting on the right side of the potted plant.

A hand-painted picture frame lay beside it. I knew THOSE weren’t there when we came in either.

Mina broke out in a short but sweet version of her high-pitch laugh. “OK! Question two: what kind of music do you like?”

“Um...well...we didn’t have much in the way of music back then. They had an incredible orchestra at the Palace, but I only heard them once,” I answered. My mind was now on the bottle rack...which was now a few inches closer to the potted plant than when I last saw it. At least it wasn’t the Shadows...Tithon trained us to be way more discrete than that.

“The girls used to be crazy about a boy band called the Three Lights,” Darien told me.

I caught Mina blushing as she turned her face away from me.

“You said ‘used to be’,” I noticed.

“They turned out to be Sailor Scouts from another planet,” answered Serena.

“Another planet?” I asked. “I always thought that only women could become Sailor Scouts.”

“That’s true.” Mina sighed with her face still turned away from me.

It took a few seconds for what they said to fully process in my head. “Oh...” I said absent-mindedly.

“It’s a very touchy subject for us,” Serena told me.

“Right! Sorry I brought it up,” apologized Darien. This was shaping up to be a very awkward dinner...

383

“Excuse me? We’d like to get some drinks!” Darien flagged down a waitress accompanied by a younger girl who wore the same suit, carried a notepad, and was the exact same height as Hotaru. The waitress pushed the girl away by the shoulder and turned her head away to ignore Darien, but I could still see the green hair tucked into her cap.

“The service her was supposed to be good,” complained Darien.

“You see her new trainee?” asked Serena. “I swear the kids are getting shorter and shorter every year. The girls coming from the high school look like they just started junior high!”

Now the bottle rack was directly beside the potted plant, with the painting conveniently leaning against it. Our uninvited guests were killing me right now. “Do you mind if I went to the...?”

“Bathroom? Sure, go ahead, sweetie! Just don’t get lost!” smiled Mina. I walked past the tables and veered off to the side against the wall...the potted plant was still within view on the left. I rolled up my sleeve and looked down at the bracer. I could use teleport without fully transforming. But what if someone saw me?

Nobody noticed the gigantic potted plant or wine rack being moved around. They don’t have the attention span to notice you disappear out of thin air.

That sounded more like one of Logan’s thoughts...like he was in my head again. But it was a good point: people in the twenty-first century paid very little attention to what was happening directly around around. I teleported from where I stood and reappeared behind the wine rack. Sure enough, Amy, Lita, Rini and Raye were crouched behind it.

“Rats! Now Serena’s just going all mushy over Darien while Mina’s ogling and taking notes!” complained Raye in front of me. None of them noticed me standing over them and shaking my head. They shouldn’t have left so much space behind them...

“Logan had to leave just after we got the rack up here! The bush would have worked if Rini hadn’t started shaking around!” said Lita. Subtlety really wasn’t in the Sailor Scouts’ repertoire. No wonder the Moon Kingdom needed the Shadows.

“I wasn’t shaking around! You were pushing me around trying to get a view!” Rini looked up at Raye and complained...but I was outside her peripheral vision.

“No way this bush would have covered all of us for the duration of their date,” explained Amy. “This is so immature, you guys! We’re not in high school anymore!”

“It’s not like we tied you up and dragged you along!” said Raye.

“I don’t want to stay in Darien’s apartment by myself,” she claimed. But I suspected that wasn’t it. Maybe she needed something to think about other than Greg...nah, she would have come along anyway. I could have teleported back and returned to my table...but now I was curious to find out how long I could stand behind the peeping Scouts before they realized I was there...

Raye smiled at Rini after a short pause. “So Rini, now that Pegasus is back, did you 384

two talk about your future together? I remember he promised himself to you!” said Raye.

I knew it...Pegasus did mention his body was trapped. Perhaps he had a human form.

Rini clung to the edges of the bottle-less cylinders. “We didn’t get a chance to talk,” she sighed.

Raye’s smile fell a bit. “You like someone else...”

“It’s just a crush. He already has a girlfriend,” Rini answered sadly. Poor Rini.

“Awww! You said he already has a girlfriend, so he’s older?” asked Lita.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Rini. Look at Serena and Darien!” Raye’s face broadcast a flicker of disgust in their direction before facing Rini again. “So this boy you like...is he in junior high?”

“Older,” Rini whispered. I leaned in just a little closer...

“High school?” asked Lita. Rini still didn’t answer.

Raye and Lita’s eyes grew wider now. “Has he been to university?” Raye asked while she and Lita stared at each other.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about himself much,” answered Rini. “I guess I should tell you before Mina hints at it.”

“So we know him?” Raye asked. Rini nodded uncomfortably. “Take your time, Rini.”

“She knows Melvin goes to university, so he’s out,” Lita whispered to Raye.

“Ugh, I hope it’s not Chad!” Raye whispered back.

“You mean the guy who used to work at the Temple and got super jealous of any guy who looked at you?” asked Lita, leading to a prolonged glare from Raye. A light bulb seemed to go off in Lita’s head. “What about Andrew?”

“Andrew? From the arcade?” asked Raye. “I dunno, I feel like we’re missing someone more obvious...”

“Like Greg?” whispered Lita.

“Maybe, but she said she didn’t know if he went to university, remember?” Raye whispered back. I thought at that point, Lita and Raye might have noticed me, but they rejoined Amy and Rini for the spying session. Meanwhile, I had been crouched behind them the entire time without them noticing. I decided to be more brazen: I walked up beside Lita and peeked on the opposite side of the wine rack. I saw Mina lean in and whisper to Serena: I could barely hear what she was saying until...

“YOU AND LOGAN KISSED?! ON THE LIPS?! AND YOU’RE TELLING ME JUST NOW?!” I caught a few of the patrons staring at Serena after she shouted at 385

Mina. Serena muttered a quick ‘sorry’ to the table next to her.

Mina blushed and nodded. “It was at the hospital just after he woke up. He saw that I was upset, so we started dancing to music and then...it just happened!”

“Rini, are you alright?” I heard Amy ask. I heard Rini sniffle.

“Of course I am!” Rini answered, but her voice quivered as she spoke. Poor Rini.

I heard Raye gasp. “Lita, you acted like you didn’t know!” She might have caught me watching over Lita’s shoulder then, but Lita turned to face Raye and covered me in the process.

“What are you talking about, Raye?” she asked, genuinely confused by Raye’s anger.

“You were mocking her earlier! Remember what you said when Mina told us that Rini gave Luna Ball to Logan!” she snapped.

After a short silence, Lita finally understood. “I was only joking! Oh Rini, I really didn’t know!”

“It’s OK. I’m happy for him and Mina, I really am!” said Rini.

“Logan likes you a lot, Rini. I could see it,” Amy assured her. She was right...I did.

So did Mina.

“You see? Something great came out of it,” smiled Lita.

Peeking back from behind the wine rack, I noticed that some of Mina’s enthusiasm had faded. “I just worry...what if he forgets everything again?”

“Even if he doesn’t remember, your feelings for each other will always be there,” answered Serena. “He and Rini became friends all over again.”

Mina smiled. “You’re right, Serena. You’ll be thrilled to know that the Goddess of Love and Beauty has taken your daughter under her wing!”

Serena and Darien’s smiles instantly evaporated from their faces, replaced by blank stares. “WHAT?” they asked together.

“Oh brother,” sighed Rini from behind the wine rack. I thought that I should go back to cut Mina off...but my gut feeling was that there was nothing I could do to help Rini at this point...

386

387

388

Chapter 47 Double Date Part 2

389

S

erena and Darien’s faces remained twisted and distorted after Mina announced that she would be taking Rini ‘under her wing’. Still unbeknownst to them, the rest of us were crouched behind a bottle rack...although the others were still not aware that I was crouched next to Lita. I risked a peek to see that Lita’s face was also twisted, while Rini was pressing her face uncomfortably against the rack.

After a period of awkward silence, with Mina’s ocean blue eyes glancing back and forth between Serena and Darien, Rini’s future dad finally opened his mouth to speak.

He forced out the words “so Rini’s your...assistant?”

“Oh...so now you have someone to call when you need somebody to fetch your remote or take Artemis for walks when he gets lazy?” Serena nodded slowly.

“Hmm...I hadn’t considered that...” Mina raised a finger to her chin and glanced towards the ceiling deep in thought, but quickly shook her head. “But, no Serena - she’s not my servant! You know how becoming a teacher was my other dream?”

As if Serena’s face could not become any more distorted, she returned to her initial facial expression. “Uuuhhhh...NNNNOOOO. Remember when we helped Rini and her friends at the Kindergarten? The principal’s brat said he didn’t think you liked children at all, and then you chased him around the room, destroying the - “ Mina sighed “I remember, Serena.”

“Anyway, I thought your first dream was becoming a star and your other dream was finding a hunkster boyfriend!” said Serena. Hunkster?

Mina smiled. “OK, so having a student was my OTHER other dream! But I like hanging out with her, and she’ll be thirteen before you know it! I would be honored to be her guiding light, illuminating her heart as she stands on the cusp of blossoming into our future Priness!”

Darien’s jaw remained hanging open, his eyes darting around as his brain raced to process just what Mina had said. “Mina, no offense but your love advice has been...well it’s...you haven’t had the...”

Mina’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ shape. “What about my love advice?”

“I think he’s trying to say that you don’t have much practical experience to share with her.” Serena looked down at her wrist watch. “It’s hard to believe, but it’s only been thirty-eight hours and twenty seven minutes since Logan told me he got together with you!”

390

“She’s your biggest fan,” smiled Darien.

“Oh, I know Serena, but technically we were together during the Silver Millennium too!” Mina clasped her hands together and stars twinkled in her eyes as she gazed towards the sky. “I can just hear him serenading my window every night, taking me to balls and dances...who knows, maybe we double-dated with Princess Serenity and Endymion too!” Right now, I was glad I wasn’t there to tell her that we had only met three times...though they were really nice times! Hopefully she wouldn’t bring that up again...

“I’m glad we didn’t eat here. They STILL haven’t gotten any food!” Raye whispered to the others. They were STILL oblivious to the fact that I was hiding there with them.

I felt like jumping up and down while waving my arms.

“And Logan still hasn’t come back from the bathroom,” Amy observed. At least SOMEONE remembered I wasn’t there.

“Maybe he’s enjoying the scenery. It’s a beautiful place,” said Rini.

I couldn’t help myself anymore: still unaware I was kneeling next to her, I whispered into Lita’s ear, “what’s a hunkster?”

“I wouldn’t copy Serena, nobody talks like that anymo - “I could see the hairs on the back of Lita’s neck stick up the moment she realized who she was talking to.

“Uh, Lita...who are you talking to?” asked Raye. At least they recognized my voice... even though Raye sounded like she was hoping she was wrong.

“Guys...I don’t think he ever went to the bathroom,” said Lita. Raye, Amy, and Rini’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads when Lita leaned back, revealing me crouched right next to her. NOW they knew I was there.

“Oh, err...he-hey, Charon! H-how’s it going?” Raye stuttered while the others looked on. How’s it going? Really?

“Hey buddy! I couldn’t wait to see you wearing my shirt!” Any other feelings I had melted away when Rini spoke to me, though her voice was higher-pitched than usual.

Her cheeks were rosy, and she had a wide grin covering the lower half of her face, but I could see her cracking heart barely holding together in her eyes. She said she was happy that Mina and I were blissfully together...I knew she was trying to convince herself that she was...but deep in her heart she had hoped that something else would happen. I just wanted to see her smile...genuinely smile...again.

“You were right about the shirt,” I admitted with a little smile. The corners of her mouth raised slightly when she looked down, and her face was still a light pink. I succeeded in cheering her up, for now...so I could get down to interrogating them. I directed my question to Raye, Lita, and Amy: “Is spying on your friends during dates a twenty-first century tradition?”

“Oh yeah, everyone does it all the time!” Lita tried the same plastic smile, but she 391

leaned backwards when I continued staring blankly at her. “OK, so it’s more of a Sailor Scout tradition. Serena and Mina spy on us too!”

“They made it sound like they don’t get to spy on you and Raye very often,” I told her, causing Amy to close her eyes and gag. Raye and Lita abruptly turned back to the empty holes, suddenly becoming more interested in the conversation unraveling in front of us...

Mina was leaning into Darien, with her hands balled into fists, narrowed eyes and a straight-lined mouth. It seemed they had been arguing.

“Rini’s still too young to have a boyfriend,” Darien said to Mina. “I was hoping that she would stay focused on school.”

Serena cast her own dirty glare at her boyfriend. “Worried she’ll turn out just like me, are you?”

Darien’s eyebrows and mouth twitched. “What? No, Serena, that’s not what I said!”

“I get what you’re saying, but you didn’t have to be so blunt about it!” A large drop of sweat seemed to collect to one side of Darien’s forehead when Serena crossed her arms, closed her eyes and turned her head away from him.

“They’re so awful. Even Darien’s embarrassing me,” sighed Rini.

“Darien and Serena are just being protective of their only daughter. And Mina’s trying to help in her own warped and crazy way,” comforted Raye. Oh, you think Mina’s the crazy one?!

“I get the feeling that spying from behind a potted plant would be crazy in any century,” I shot back. “You guys realize that a stampeding elephant would have gotten back here and you wouldn’t have noticed?”

“Well, excuse us Mister Ex-Spymaster!” Raye fumed. “Nobody else has found us here yet!”

“I noticed. If we’re still here after a thousand years, it’s only thanks to the Silver Crystal,” I sighed. “Not that Trista and Hotaru trying to pass themselves off as waitresses helped - “ “Woah, back up!” Lita flinched when she realized how loud she was while Amy, Rini and Raye stared at me in complete shock. “You said Trista and Hotaru are here?! In this restaurant?!” Lita whispered.

Their surprise had caught me off-guard. “So...they’re not with you?”

“Of course not! You heard Miss High-And-Mighty back there! ‘Oh, you Inner Scouts are so immature! Go ram a stick up your butt so you can be just like me’!” Raye held her fingers up in the air as she mimicked Trista.

You’re not doing a very good job of disproving her point right now, I thought...though I didn’t dare say it out loud, because I feared Sailor Mars when she was angry since our 392

Silver Millennium days. Besides, Trista probably just lost her right to judge...

“And besides, we wouldn’t dress up like waitresses! We wouldn’t get to hear anything!” added Lita.

“Amateurs!” Rini chimed in. At least she sounded like she was feeling a little better.

“Oh, first Rini and now Hotaru. We’re really not setting a good example for them. We should get out of here and let Logan eat in peace,” Amy turned away from her place in the bottle rack with her eyes closed. But the moment the other three girls turned their faces back towards the dinner table, Amy joined them.

“So how did you come up with this idea, Mina? Does this have to do with Pegasus returning?” Darien’s tone was calmer, with him and Mina both slumped towards each other slightly. They were past the initial argument phase...though more likely, they were just tired.

“Pegasus will always be very special to her. But she’s...well, she’s taken an interest in somebody else,” answered Mina.

Peeking through the empty spot, I saw Darien sitting up in his chair. “So that’s why Rini has been on cloud nine the last couple of days. She has a crush.” Serena, who was still turned away from Darien, suddenly opened her eyes and leaned back in.

Mina’s cheeks began turning slightly red themselves. “She’s not looking for a serious relationship. He’s very nice to her, but he’s only visiting...for now, anyway.” Oh no, she just had to add that last line. Maybe I should get in there...

The moment Darien lifted his eyebrow, I realized it was too late for me to intervene once again. “Visiting? From another country? Like, say...the States?”

“Oh no...” Rini sighed.

“At least you’re not up there with them. But I’m sure they won’t get too worked up over a crush,” Amy patted Rini’s shoulder...but the look she cast me and Lita suggested she knew better.

Meanwhile, Mina was starting to sweat. “Oh, um, I’m really not sure. I get accents mixed up all the time! Actually, I think he might have been German, he just spoke really good English! That’s right! I’m pretty sure he came here for, uh...Smorgas...Borgas Fest!”

Serena’s eyes widened. “I didn’t hear about Smorgas Borgas Fest! If Logan’s still here, maybe the four of us can go together!”

“She’s already talking about double date number two! Just what we need!” sighed Raye. I couldn’t help agreeing with her on this one.

Unfortunately for Mina, Darien wasn’t as easily sidetracked. “You seem to know Rini’s crush pretty well, Mina.”

“Oh, well, uh...I was there when she met him! Just a couple of times! He’s uh...very 393

VERY expressive and he’s always talking about his past, his hopes and dreams, and his highly intelligent, extremely beautiful girlfriend who’s on track to become a major star!” Mina stuttered. We’d have to work on this for future dates.

Serena’s eyes narrowed: it had taken her longer than Darien, but she was putting the pieces together. “You haven’t hung out with Rini since we met Logan and this business with the Shadows started.” Her eyes suddenly burst wide open and she pushed herself up from the table. “It IS Logan, isn’t it?!”

Mina was done. “OK, so she has a teeny, tiny crush - “ “Mina, you’re the girlfriend of Rini’s crush! Do you realize how awkward that would be for her?!” exclaimed Darien. Still disguised as waitresses, Trista and Hotaru came back into my sight as they steadily inched towards our side of the restaurant, ignoring at least three other tables calling them over.

“AWKWARD IS HER MIDDLE NAME!” Serena clutched the table cloth. “I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN RINI WOULD START PINING AFTER LOGAN! FIRST SHE HOGS DARIEN, THEN SHE HAS MY FAMILY FAWNING OVER HER LIKE A LOST PUPPY, NOW YOU’RE JUST OFFERING YOU’RE BOYFRIEND UP TO THAT LITTLE THIEF ON A SILVER PLATTER!” Now, it was Mina’s turn to pound her hands on the table and stand. “CAN YOU HEAR YOURSELF RIGHT NOW, SERENA?! YOU REALLY THINK I’M GOING TO HELP HER STEAL MY OWN BOYFRIEND?!” More and more customers were beginning to turn their heads in Mina’s direction...

“Wouldn’t be the craziest thing you’ve done!” Serena snapped back. The two blondes stared maliciously into each others’ eyes.

“Rini is not stealing anyone’s boyfriend, especially at her age!” declared Darien. One of the waiters stopped dead in his tracks to stare at the table.

“I totally ship Venus and Charon! I would do everything to save your relationship, even from you!” Serena sat down and crossed her arms once again.

Mina also returned to her seat and closed her eyes. “I’m more than capable of protecting my own relationship, Serena! You’d think that I would be the one flipping out over Rini’s crush, but I’m not! It’s you two!”

“I’m surprised they haven’t gotten kicked out of the restaurant yet,” I whispered to Raye.

“The only thing missing is the popcorn,” commented Raye. As she pointed out, the other patrons were sitting around watching the double date implode. Some of the staff had even stopped what they were doing to gather around. What a strange time to be alive...

“Bet you’re glad you’re hanging out with us, eh Charon?” Lita whispered in my ear as Mina and Serena entered a silent contest. Rini was clutching the wine rack and leaning downward. No doubt she felt even more embarrassed that she was the center of their 394

entire argument.

“Maybe I should talk to her,” I confided in Lita. “I knew she liked me, but she looks like she just had her heart broken.”

“She’s still a kid,” Lita smiled. “It’s really sweet that you care about her feelings so much, but girls don’t want to be treated like they’re too fragile. You’ll only scare her if you spaz out about it.”

“Logan would defend me if he was here! He’d tell you I’m not being crazy!” shouted Mina. I was pretty much hiding from my own party at this point.

“Oh, I don’t know if Logan would ever tell a whopper THAT big!” Serena snapped back.

Darien also stood up from his chair. “I’m going to find him. We need to talk about this!” Lita was right...I was glad I sneaked off before the date imploded.

“He probably bailed when he heard us arguing and you know what? I don’t blame him one bit!” said Mina. Lucky for me, Mina understood.

“Maybe we did scare him off. You know how shy he gets, Darien. This was supposed to be his night,” said Serena.

Darien was the last to return to his seat. “We’ve all been really stressed out. Tonight was supposed to be our chance to unwind. I could use a drink, do you mind?”

Serena shook her head. Darien happened to turn in Trista’s direction and raised his arm, smiling towards her. Again Trista turned her way, but she didn’t turn her young protégé around quickly enough...

“HOTARU?!” Serena called out. She stood up once again and waved her fist in the air. “Hey, lady! We have child labor laws, you know!”

“It’s me, Serena!” Trista took off her cap and allowed her green hair to flow downward, then she pointed down at Hotaru. “This was her idea - “ “No it wasn’t!” Hotaru crossed her arms and pouted with her notebook in her right hand. “She said that I had to apologize to Rini! But she isn’t even here!”

“We had a bit of a fight over Amara and Michelle,” Rini whispered when Lita and Raye looked down on her.

“Face it Trista: you’re a closet Inner Scout!” declared Mina after Trista actually squirmed. “But you’re always welcome to come to me for advice on romance!”

“Oh please!” Trista sneered. “Mina, you’d better not be trying to set Rini up with another boy just to get her away from you and Logan!” The moment Trista finished her sentence, I could hear Rini’s already-cracked heart fall out of her chest and shatter into thousands of tiny shards on the floor...

I saw the shock in Mina’s face when Trista made that suggestion. “You all know I 395

would never do that to them! They’re best friends, and Rini’s my friend too!” shouted Mina...but Rini had already stopped listening.

Rini sniffled non-stop and balled her hands into fists, shuddering as if she really did just have her heart torn out. She stood in place like a statue when Raye tried to pull her towards her for a hug.

“I was there when Mina said she wanted to help you! She meant it, Rini!” Amy tried to assure her and rubbed her shoulder. But Rini wasn’t crying about what Mina or Trista had just said anymore. Since the day she met Logan and found out that Mina wanted him, she had been wearing a mask. It had slowly been unraveling, and unbeknownst to the group at the dinner table, they had just yanked it off of her.

“Rini...” I kneeled down in front of her. “Why don’t we go hang out somewhere? Just you and me?” I reached for Rini’s hand when she didn’t respond. She continued holding her eyelids shut, angry tears staining her rosy cheeks. “Rini, please say something...”

“You and Mina are just being nice,” she finally answered through her sobbing. “I know that even if I was older, Mina’s your soulmate and everyone else thinks I’m just a little kid who doesn’t really know how she feels!”

“Rini...” Lita also reached out towards Rini, but she wasn’t looking for someone to comfort her...

“Everyone said talking about it would make me feel better but it only made things worse!” I nearly recoiled when I saw the pain in Rini’s eyes. “You don’t need my help against the Spymaster! You and Mina would be happier if I just went away!”

“Rini, no!” I pleaded softly, but she pushed the other Sailor Scouts aside, shoved the painting out of the way, and charged for the exit.

“RINI?!” I heard Serena and Mina call from the table across from us. I heard Darien call out that we would get our food to go while the rest of us chased after Rini. I lost sight of her as she pushed her way through the crowd of people clustered up by the entrance, and there was no sign of her by the time we reached the exit.

“Does anyone see her?!” I asked frantically. Amy, Lita, and Raye glanced furtively across the snow-covered city limits.

“You just had to snoop on us, didn’t you?” Serena snapped at Lita and the others.

“We’ve had more than enough fighting for one night! We need to split up and find Rini!” said Darien.

Amy’s pocket computer beeped. “Guys...Rini just sent me a message.” Her hand was trembling as she read it. “She said she’s sorry she ruined Logan’s birthday and...she’s going back to Crystal Tokyo!”

Raye pointed northwest. “That’s the park where we saw Rini off last time!” That was the only tip I needed to sprint in that direction. I leapt into the first tree I found and leapt through the forest. At least she had pink hair...she wouldn’t be hard to see from far 396

away. But it was even easier to see from a distance the flash of pink light...

“Moon Crystal Key! Take me home to the future!” It was Rini’s voice! A growing pink orb hovered upwards, creating a pink beam of energy reaching towards the sky...

“RINI! WAIT!” I screamed into the forest...

397

398

Chapter 48 Come Back, Small Lady!

399

A

powerful wind rustled through the leaves and bushes, tugging me in the direction of the pink energy beam summoned by Rini’s Key. I couldn’t believe she was this close to leaving us...possibly forever. Rini had every right to be upset about what happened at the restaurant...but how could she abandon us with the Spymaster and Amethyst still lurking in the Shadows? How could she think this was what I, or Sailor Venus, or any of the others wanted?

“RINI!” I cried out to her again after sprinting through the forest. I saw her back turned towards me when she stepped into the beam, which had expanded wide enough to accommodate her. I did not know whether she hadn’t heard me or refused to look back at me, but she continued looking at the clouds as she hovered upwards into the sky. I knew that once she had time to think about what she was doing...once she remembered our friendship...she’d realize that she was making a mistake. But there was no time to wait for the others. As the clouds opened to embrace Rini, I jumped forward and teleported into the energy beam...

With a flash of white light, I found myself surrounded by a white fog obscuring everything around me. With each step, I felt as if I was about to fall through the cloudlike floor barely holding my weight. Rini’s shirt and the suit that Darien had loaned me offered little warmth againt the damp and chilling air. Whether or not this was the future, there was no turning back now. An ominous dark figure several feet taller than me seemed to appear out of thin air.

“Don’t move, trespasser!” a high-pitched, rather unintimidating voice squeaked at me after I started walking towards it. The dark figure in front of me came into focus: it was a white door decorated by the phases of the moon. Whoever warned me not to approach sounded like a young girl...too young to be a guard.

“I’m looking for a girl that came this way!” I called out to the voice after I halted. I thought the young guard’s voice came from directly in front of me, but I could not see anyone standing in front of the door...

“Only those deemed worthy of - hey, I’m down here!” the squeaky voice called out when I started glancing around to search for her. I stopped turning my neck and squinted at the door again, but there was still nobody there. “HERE! LOOK DOWN HERE!” she yelled again.

I heard the sound of a bell jingling as I looked lower...and lower...AND LOWER... until I found the ‘guardian’ jumping up and down in front of the mysterious door. She was a small gray kitten with pointed ears and a red collar with a bell around her neck.

Her red irises - just like Rini and Trista’s eyes - pierced through the fog. Above those eyes, I noticed the golden crescent moon on her forehead also borne by Luna, Artemis, 400

and members of the Lunarian royal family that I had met in the past. I was in the right place...she must know Rini.

“Uh...hi,” I awkwardly greeted the cute kitten.

“Hi! My name is Diana!” The kitten’s first instinct had been to smile and greet me warmly, but then she shook her head and narrowed her eyes in an attempt to scare me.

“I mean, I am here on behalf of the Guardian of Time! You are not allowed here!”

“I’m just looking for my friend Rini,” I attempted to explain.

Her ears lifted when I mentioned Rini’s name. “Why would you come here looking for Small Lady?! That was a poor attempt to fool me, intruder! All who violate the taboo must DIE!” she squeaked.

Well, this was the cutest death threat I ever received, I thought before she pounced in my direction. I sidestepped out of her way, but then I heard an object whistling towards my head. With barely a thought, my Shadow robes automatically shimmered over my suit as I ducked. The second attacker was far better prepared to guard the mystery door: she quickly followed on her missed strike and swept me off my feet with her staff.

By tucking my chin in to prevent myself from hitting my head when I fell, I caught a glimpse of the familiar rod I had just been struck by...

“Sailor Pluto!” I called out to the figure as she pointed the blunt end of her staff towards my chest and prepared to ram it into me.

Sure enough, it was the tallest of the Sailor Scouts hovering over me, her red eyes wide with suspicion and curiosity as she moved her rod parallel to her body. “Charon?!

What are you doing here?”

“I went after Rini. She ran off, remember?” I found myself puzzled by her surprise when I rolled up off the ground.

Sailor Pluto shook her head. She held a straight face and spoke with purpose as she answered me: “I remember you from the past. You stand at the Space-Time Door...and the pathway from your time to Crystal Tokyo.”

“So...you’re the future Sailor Pluto? You’re the guardian of time,” I realized.

Sailor Pluto nodded. “I apologize, I could barely see you from a distance.”

“So you ARE Rini’s friend! We really should do something about all this fog!” sighed Diana...clearly the polar opposite of Sailor Pluto.

I shrugged at the gray kitten after she reminded me why I had come here. “I thought I was Rini’s friend. But she just went back to Crystal Tokyo without saying goodbye.”

Diana frowned after I answered her.

“How did you follow Small Lady?” Sailor Pluto asked. I noticed future Sailor Pluto making a more conscious effort to hide her emotions from me: she maintained the same blank facial expression throughout, though she continued to eye me closely.

401

“I saw her use her Moon Crystal Key and I jumped in after her,” I answered sadly.

“She was very upset when she left. I wanted to make sure that she’s alright.”

Sailor Pluto dropped her stern demeanor long enough to flicker a small smile...I could see that she STILL wasn’t used to the expression. “Your concern for Small Lady is touching. I can assure you that she returned home safely. She regrets leaving you all so abruptly, but she had her reasons.”

I felt myself growing angry at Rini when Sailor Pluto told me that. Rini had thought it through...and she decided to leave anyway. She just left, without even trying to talk to me or anyone else.

“I’d love to hear those reasons,” I snarled at Sailor Pluto.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Small Lady made it clear that she wishes to be left alone.

You have my sympathies, but I cannot let you pass through the Space-Time Gate unless you are here on an official matter.”

“It’s OK, Plu.” My heart jumped when I heard Rini’s quiet voice from behind Sailor Pluto. Her face was still red from crying when she emerged. At first, I was just relieved to see her again...but then she refused to look at me. “You have to go back, Charon. The others still need you.”

“How could you say that after you just ran off?!” I shouted. Pluto leaned into me and clutched her rod when I raised my voice at ‘Small Lady’. I expected Rini would be upset, but she spoke to me as if I was a complete stranger.

Rini shrugged her shoulders, just as I had when Diana asked if we were friends. “It’s better this way. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

“And that’s all your sorry for? You could have talked to me first! I thought we were friends, but now you’re acting like you barely know me!” I vented. And Rini’s attempt at indifference fell apart when the word ‘friends’ left my lips...

“It won’t be the same if I stay, Charon!” Rini shuddered again after her outburst. “Everyone’s just going to keep fighting because of me! You and Mina will be happier with me out of your way!”

“Are you sure you did this for us, Rini? Not because you were hurt that I kissed Mina, or you think we’re pushing you away?” I tried to soften my tone when I asked her, but Rini clenched her fists and glared at me.

“I thought you understood me, but you’re just like the others! You all treat me like I’m some stupid kid who doesn’t know how I feel!” she shouted.

“You want the others to treat you like a grown-up? Then don’t run off like a spoiled Princess because things didn’t go your way!” I snapped back.

As hurt as I was, I had to remember why I was here...I wanted Rini to come back. As Rini stood there breathing heavily, I took a deep breath myself and continued: “Rini, I care about you a lot! Why else would I be here?”

402

Fresh tears flowed down Rini’s face again. “I never wanted anyone to know, Charon!

I thought that I could be your friend and ignore how I felt about you, but everything’s so complicated now! I’m doing this so you and Mina can be happy, why is that so hard for you to believe?!”

“Because I know that our friendship still meant something to you, Rini!” I felt Diana and Sailor Pluto watching us from the sides. Rini turned her eyes away when I tried to look into them: but I kept speaking: “As much as I care about Mina, I can’t be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t trust me. If I thought that Mina was trying to get rid of you, I would have ended our relationship right then and there!”

With that, Rini’s jaw fell open. She stared at me in complete shock: she knew I meant it. “You can’t break up with her! I know she wasn’t trying to get rid of me!”

“Then you know she doesn’t want you to leave either! Amy shared your message with the others, they were right behind me when I went after you!” Rini began sobbing again after I told her. “Nobody is going to be happier if you leave, Rini. You’re hurting all of us...and I know you don’t want to leave.”

Rini wiped her fresh tears away, but in her eyes, I saw the reflection of a familiar figure wearing Shadow robes appear behind me. Before I could react, it blasted me at close range with dark magic and sent me flying backwards. “You should have known that the Sailor Scouts are bad for your attention span, turncoat!” taunted a familiar voice...

“Amethyst!” cried Rini.

The fallen Shadow unveiled her crescent moon compact, pointed it in my direction and opened it. Streaks of light poured through the hollowed ground under me and pinned me to the surface, stopping me from getting up. I felt the bonds zap my energy away when I tried to teleport out of my restraints.

“No!” Rini jumped in between us and raised her arm in the air. “Super Moon - “ Before Rini could finish calling out the phrase that would transform her into Sailor Mini Moon, Amethyst teleported behind the girl and wrapped her arm around Rini’s throat. “It was adorable how you threw yourself in front of him, even after your big fight!” Amethyst swiveled her hostage around to face me.

“How dare you come between two friends!” Diana squeaked at Amethyst. “I am the apprentice to the guardian of time, and you are not permitted here! Those who violate the taboo - “ Diana halted and cringed when Amethyst unveiled a smile of rotted teeth and launched into her signature howling cackle. “Did they post you up here when goldfish started getting past Sailor Pluto? What’s next, a cat as Spymaster?”

“You’re only drawing out your suffering, Amethyst! Unhand Small Lady now!” demanded Sailor Pluto. Amethyst responded by tightening her grip around Rini’s throat, causing her to make choking noises. Rini helplessly clawed Amethyst’s forearm while 403

the rest of us were left to watch helplessly...or risk Amethyst’s reflexes being faster than ours.

Amethyst pulled out her own Space-Time Key and dangled it in Rini’s face. “Don’t worry munchkin, this wasn’t your fault!”

Sailor Pluto’s careful guard over her body language broke when she saw the key.

“Where did you get that?” she demanded.

“You act like you’re surprised to see me, Sailor Pluto,” she laughed, causing Pluto to wince uncomfortably. “You used to carry several of these on a chain around your waist, remember? Could the all-knowing Sailor Pluto have misplaced one or two?”

“How could you have been so careless?” I couldn’t resist asking. I earned a cold glare from Sailor Pluto that pierced holes through my heart. I got the feeling that Logan had received the same look from her many times before.

“Sailor Pluto, I always wondered if you were different from Sailor Uranus and Neptune! “I know simplicity is not a Sailor Scout virtue, but all you have to do is let me pass through the Space-Time Door and I’ll let her go!” taunted Amethyst.

Once again, I struggled to break free of my shimmering restraints to no avail. I couldn’t believe I was so vulnerable to her Scout powers...it hadn’t been dark for long on Earth.

She hadn’t had much time to charge it...but then when was she taking such a high risk?

“If you enter the Space-Time Gate, you won’t emerge alive, Amethyst!” cautioned Sailor Pluto. She wouldn’t allow Amethyst through the Space-Time Door, would she?

But I could ask myself the opposite question: she wouldn’t take a chance with Rini’s life, would she?

“If you’re so sure, then what’s the big deal with letting me through? It’s not like the King and Queen would have any trouble covering up my visit to the future! And I can tell you what’ll happen if you don’t let me through!” Amethyst tugged Rini’s head and made a sound to simulate neck snapping.

“If you lay a hand on her, the Spymaster will take your head!” I shouted from the ground.

“He doesn’t scare me anymore. Truth be told, being a Shadow was more fun when you were in charge. You got my hopes up when you turned on Queen Serenity. Now I gotta take my own revenge on your pampered princesses,” Amethyst sighed as she tugged at Rini’s hair. “But I suppose I can’t start with this brat. She wasn’t even around back then. I’m perfectly fine with letting them go if you let me through, Pluto.”

Pluto’s eyes tightened. For a moment, I thought she was going to ignore Amethyst’s threat and attack anyway. But then she blinked. “Step aside Diana,” Sailor Pluto ordered.

“Trista...don’t...” Rini suffocated through Amethyst’s grasp.

Sailor Pluto and Diana took opposite sides of the Space-Time Gate. Lightning struck 404

Pluto’s rod when she raised it in the air and spun it over her head. Multicolored bubbles flew from her rod and entered the golden keyhole to open the Gate for Amethyst.

“Smart choice, Sailor Pluto...though what will the King and Queen say when they hear you gave up so easily? I suppose I can ask them myself!” Amethyst sneered and dropped Rini on the ground next to me, strutting towards the light blue glow emitted from the open Gate.

“PLUTO CHRONOS TYPHOON!” Sailor Pluto lifted her rod into the air as soon as Rini was clear, unleashing a tornado of wind that emerged under Amethyst’s feet. Her attack was much faster than her Deadly Scream, catching Amethyst completely offguard and sending her flying into the air. The prism cuffs tying me to the floor fizzled and started to fade away, but not soon enough. Amethyst teleported and wedged herself between the Space-Time Door before it could close on her.

“Now THERE’S the Sailor Pluto I expected!” Amethyst smirked. “My compact is running on fumes at the moment, but hopefully it’s a full moon over Crystal Tokyo! I can’t wait to show you what this compact can do!” Amethyst let go and disappeared into the Space-Time Gate.

“Sorry I couldn’t help,” I muttered to Rini while she gasped for breath on her hands and knees.

“Maybe you’re more vulnerable to her powers because of your bracer,” Rini suggested. But she glared at Sailor Pluto when she stepped closer. “Plu, I can’t believe you let her go through!”

“I am YOUR guardian as well, Small Lady. My duty is to protect you,” she answered sincerely.

“But now Amethyst is going to attack Crystal Tokyo!” cried Rini. “She’s going after my parents!”

“On her own? Hoping that she can recharge her crescent moon compact, or else she’ll have to fight with no army and barely any chance of escaping? That’s pretty poor planning from somone who used to lead an army,” I said to Rini.

“She’s crazy, Charon!” insisted Rini.

But Sailor Pluto nodded in agreement. “Even considering her combined powers, your parents are well-protected, Small Lady. Charon is right...she intends to distract us while she pursues another target.”

“But what else could she want?” asked Rini.

Pluto lowered her eyes to the floor. “I have my suspicions. Diana, I want you to stay here with Small Lady while I investigate further.”

“You can’t take on Amethyst by yourself, Plu. I’m coming with you,” insisted Rini.

“Amethyst may hate the Sailor Scouts, but she’s a coward. I would not expect her to 405

sacrifice herself like this...and I’m not leaving you and Rini to fight her by yourselves, either” I insisted. “If I catch her off-guard, my attacks can still weaken her.”

Pluto cast me a long glance. “You could not have expected everyone would remain the same after a thousand years, Charon.”

“You haven’t changed much,” I noted. “And I’d say this counts as an official matter.”

Sailor Pluto gave me another small smile. “Both fair points. Your help would be appreciated...although I suggest you and Small Lady make peace BEFORE we enter the time warp.”

She remembered the first time we tried to destroy Amethyst...and she escaped while we were arguing amongst ourselves. Rini and I stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak first. So I began: “Rini, I know what happened at the restaurant was really embarrassing for you. I wish we handled it better...”

Rini gulped and slowly nodded after my voice trailed off. “There was another reason I left. I...I don’t want to meet someone else. At least, not yet.” She wasn’t ready to move on. That was why she was so upset...

“You shouldn’t feel pressured to move on so fast. We can talk to Mina about taking things more slowly.” Rini looked up at me with her eyes...still filled with longing for something different...but she was understanding. So I tried to lighten the moon a bit: “I think if I were more like Logan, I’d say that getting over me won’t be as hard as you think. I’m not THAT special.”

Rini smirked. “You wouldn’t say that. Logan would act all full of himself!”

“I don’t think he was acting, Small Lady!” teased Sailor Pluto.

After rolling her eyes at Sailor Pluto, Rini extended her arm and held out a hand towards me instead. “Truce?”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Pluto crack another small smile when Rini and I shook hands...before a terrifying thought entered my mind. “Wait - who’s going to guard the Space-Time Door?”

My worst fears were confirmed when Sailor Pluto and Rini both turned to Diana.

I couldn’t be the only one who thought this was worse than Pluto’s decision to wear Moon Crystal Keys dangling around her waist...

“I know you’re still in training, but you’ll alert me if anyone approaches the SpaceTime Door, Diana?” Sailor Pluto asked the kitten. That put me slightly at ease. Slightly.

Diana’s ears perked up. “Of course!”

“And remember, it’s ‘all who break the taboo must be ELIMINATED’,” continued Sailor Pluto.

“But my version works too, right? I scared you, didn’t I Charon?” I melted when Diana looked up to me. Was it worth making such an adorable kitten frown, not to 406

mention risking another glare from Sailor Pluto?

I started sweating as Diana waited for an answer. “Uuuuhhhhh...”

“Please, just stick to the routine,” sighed Trista. I felt Rini take my hand as Sailor Pluto opened the Space-Time Door again. “Concentrate on our destination, Charon. Stay close to me and Small Lady: we can’t risk losing you in the Time Warp now...”

407

Coming out soon, Digimon

Heroes Wear Green