That Special Magic 74

That Special Magic
-by: the Yarnspinner-
the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com
http://strands-of-moonlight.my3gb.com
-or- http://strands-of-moonlight.6te.net
A Sekkushiaru Roman
featuring characters from the anime "Sailor Moon"

> Chapter 74 - Crystal Shock <
       Attorney Okawara Tatsuo was jolted awake by the ringing of his cell phone. Blinking, he looked at his clock, which read 4:02am. This had better be serious, he thought. He reached for his phone. "Okawara."
       "Okawara-san, this is Yonenaga Minoru, Representative Hino's chief of staff."
       "Yes, Yonenaga-san," Okawara acknowledged.
       "Shortly after midnight, there was a break-in at Representative Hino's home in Ibaraki, and at about two o'clock, an attempt was made on his life," Yonenaga explained. "He is still alive, but the doctors believe him to be severely impaired. Are you familiar with the instructions he has left in file 'Ronin'?"
       Okawara tensed. "Yes, I am," he said.
       "Very good," Yonenaga said. "Then based on his directive in that file, I am instructing you to implement the procedures he laid out in 'Ronin'."
       "I... I understand," Okawara said.
       "A car will be sent to pick you up," Yonenaga said. "It should be there in fifteen minutes."
       "Yes. I will be ready," Okawara said.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Precisely on schedule, two identical navy blue cars pulled into the garage beneath Okawara's apartment building. He stood in the shadows near the elevators with another of Hino's assistants. The other man was identically dressed in a dark gray business suit, with a black overcoat and hat, and carried a matching briefcase. As soon as the cars came to a stop, both men rushed forward. Okawara climbed into the first car, while the other man took the second.
       Even before the doors were closed, the two cars were again in motion, pulling out of the garage. As soon as they were on the street, the cars picked up speed, separating at the first intersection.
       In the back of Okawara's car was another man. "Quick. Trade coats and hats."
       Okawara pulled off his coat and his hat, then pulled on those belonging to the other man. He then opened his briefcase and began moving most of his papers from it to the other one.
       "It's clear we're being followed," the driver called. "As expected."
       The other man nodded. "What do you have for me?" he asked, indicating Okawara's briefcase and the papers that remained in it.
       "A handful of routine documents concerning Hino's trust funds," Okawara replied. "With those is an instructional letter to you to deliver these to his chief of staff. As a courier, you won't be expected to know the precise contents, only the general details, and the name of the person you are to deliver to. Since you are a personal courier for Representative Hino, it is permissible for me to entrust these to you for delivery."
       "Understood."
       "Just about there," the driver called.
       The car raced around a corner and quickly pulled to a stop in front of a parking garage.
       Okawara jumped out and hurried into the parking garage, while the car pulled away from the curb. Safely out of sight, he saw another car speed around the corner and continue on after the one he had just left. Checking his watch, he walked through the parking garage, and quickly found a cab on the next block.
       Twenty minutes and one cab change later, Okawara was in the office of Assistant Prosecutor Suematsu Satoshi.
       "Okawara-san," Suematsu greeted him coldly. "What's so important that I had to drag myself out of bed? I could have expressed my false sympathies for the attack on your client at a more reasonable hour."
       "It is just because of that attack that I am here," Okawara said, setting his briefcase on the table and opening it. "Hino left written instructions to me and to his staff that should he be rendered comatose or otherwise severely disabled by an act of foul play, he wanted his papers turned over to the proper authorities." He handed a copy of the letter to Suematsu.
       Suematsu slipped on his glasses and looked over the letter. Removing the glasses again, he fixed Okawara in his gaze. "So where are the papers?"
       Okawara turned his briefcase around and pushed it toward him.
       "This is everything?" Suematsu asked.
       "No," Okawara answered. "Complete duplicate sets of his files are held in three safety deposit boxes here in Japan. This tells you where, and gives the information and deposit box keys you need to access them. The rest of the papers here are more than enough to prove these files are legitimate."
       Suematsu nodded.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       The first light of dawn was just beginning to spread across the sky over Tokyo when a black car with heavily tinted windows pulled into the underground garage beneath one of the city's office buildings. Five men in business suits emerged from the car, three holding guns, and the other two clearly being escorted against their will. The five men entered the freight elevator and began the slow journey to the top.
       "What is this all about?" one of the two prisoners demanded to know.
       One of the armed men scowled. "The daimyo will discuss that with you personally."
       "The... daimyo?" the prisoner asked, now clearly alarmed.
       The elevator finally reached the top floor. Three armed guards were waiting. The lead guard looked at the leader of the three escorts and nodded. At his nod, the second guard opened one of the double doors leading out into a hallway. The small group walked along the hallway, past the doors of the stairs and the regular elevators where two more guards were stationed, and on to a pair of double doors of dark wood with ornate handles, where another two guards were stationed. The guard on the right opened the door and gestured, admitting the group to a large outer office with several chairs, two couches, and a low table. Beyond those was a desk in front of another set of double doors. Four more guards stood there, and another man sat at the desk. The guards held their guns at the ready.
       One of the three escorts stepped forward. "Kagaya and Noda, as instructed by the daimyo."
       The man at the desk nodded, then picked up his telephone handset and pressed a button. "Kagaya and Noda are here... At once." He replaced the handset. "The daimyo is waiting."
       Kagaya and Noda looked at each other with considerable unease, then were prodded forward by their escorts.
       The double doors were opened by two of the guards, revealing a large executive office. A conference table sat to one side, near the windows, while on the opposite wall was a closed cabinet of dark, lacquered wood with the appearance of a private prayer shrine. At the far end of the room was a large wooden desk. Behind it sat a small woman with pure white hair and silver eyes. Her thin fingers were wrapped around the top of a wooden cane.
       The five men approached the desk and bowed deeply and formally.
       "D, d, daimyo-sama..." Noda began.
       "Be quiet," she snapped, rising to her feet. Despite her small, petite stature, everything about her radiated authority.
       "Yes," Noda responded at once, bowing his head.
       "Do you fools have even the slightest idea of what you have done?" she asked.
       "Daimyo-sama?" Kagaya responded questioningly.
       "Hino Tadamichi," she declared darkly. "It was your brilliant idea to ransack his house and try to kill him... And by brilliant, of course I mean indescribably idiotic and asinine!"
       Kagaya and Noda both flinched.
       "B, but daimyo-sama," Kagaya replied. "Hino has files on much of our organization..."
       "I am well aware of that," she interrupted. "He has served on various sub-committees of the House of Representatives overseeing law enforcement efforts against organized crime for many years, and has passed along everything he has learned."
       "And keeping copies for himself not only of that but of all his dealings with us," Noda said.
       "And knowing that, you still saw nothing wrong with trying to kill him?" the daimyo asked.
       "We were trying to silence him and recover his files," Noda answered.
       "Oh, really?" she asked. "Then why did you ransack his house, when his files have never been there?"
       Kagaya and Noda looked at each other again, bewildered.
       "You really thought he was that stupid?" The daimyo shook her head in disgust. "And what would you have done next, once you had found the files weren't there?"
       "Well... Hino has a daughter," Kagaya said.
       "True, but she knows nothing of value," the daimyo interrupted. "Hino barely knows the girl, has no parental rights, and despite his claims to be a concerned father, the girl is not even on speaking terms with him. It is certain he has told her nothing of his business dealings, and if you had not rendered him comatose, it is equally certain that she would have had insufficient value to him to make her an effective kidnap target."
       The two men looked still more deflated.
       "And you knew none of this?" she demanded, incredulous. "You are utter fools!"
       "We, we needed to locate his files," Noda said.
       "Hah!" she scoffed. "I already know precisely where his files are. Hino made six sets of copies. Three are in safety deposit boxes here in Japan, in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. The other three are abroad, in Singapore, Sydney, and Los Angeles. All three held abroad are in packages clearly marked to be delivered to the Japanese consular authorities, while those here in Japan are marked for immediate delivery to the police."
       Kagaya and Noda both looked shocked.
       "And now, thanks to your stupidity, we believe Hino's staff have turned his papers over to the prosecutor's office," she said. "Now we have no choice but to liquidate large sections of our enterprises to protect the core of the organization." She nodded to the men escorting them. "Kindly take out the trash. I have more important things to deal with." She handed a small slip of paper to the lead man.
       "Yes, daimyo-sama," the first of the escorts answered. He looked at the slip, seeing the names of Kagaya and Noda, each with a black crescent moon stamped over the kanji. He nodded, knowing this was an order of execution. Placing the slip back on her desk, he turned and nodded to the other two, who grabbed Kagaya and Noda by their arms and pushed them back toward the door.
       As the others left and the door closed, she drew a small crystalline globe from her desk drawer. She turned it and a black crescent moon appeared in the center. It was an heirloom of her mother's family, and she now used it as a symbol; anyone who received this symbol from her was not long for this world. Still holding it in her hand, she drifted over to the cabinet on the wall, opening it to reveal a number of photographs of a gray-haired man in glasses who had retained distinguished good looks even with age. At the center of the cabinet was a close-up of the man, a broad smile on his face as he had been photographed in the act of laughing. The woman stood there, scowling at the pictures of her late husband. He had spent almost forty years trying to create this empire, but he had died of a heart attack in the arms of a prostitute. For the men, that was considered acceptable, which was why she refused to entrust any of them to succeed him; no matter how dedicated they might seem, they still spent far too much time thinking with the wrong head. Her husband had left a massive organization that was so fragile, it would completely shatter without real leadership. Thus, she seized power for herself, in the process killing most of his worthless inner circle who had mistakenly considered themselves to be her superiors on account of gender, and had held it ever since. Now, because of the idiocy of those two, she was going to have to destroy much of what she had worked so hard to hold together. She held up her crystalline globe in front of one of the pictures of her husband, once again wishing she had had the pleasure of killing the worthless bastard herself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Atana emerged from his bedroom wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. Akari was already awake and sitting on the couch.
       She turned her head. "Good morning."
       "Good morning, Akari-san," he said.
       "I already turned on the coffee pot for you," she said.
       "Thank you. I could smell it," he said, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup. "May I offer you some?"
       She shook her head. "No, but thank you."
       Atana returned to the living room and switched on the television. At once, he saw a picture of Hino Tadamichi on the screen. As Akari leaned forward to pay attention, he hurried back to the bedroom.
       "Rei," he called. "You have to see this. Somebody tried to kill your father very early this morning."
       "What?" she gasped, jumping out of bed and hurriedly pulling on one of his shirts.
       "... The purported would-be killer is in police custody. His name has not been released, but sources say he is a known hitman who is believed to work regularly for one alleged criminal organization in particular," the reporter said. "Police refuse to speculate, but among the many allegations to have hung around Representative Hino over the years was one of ties to organized crime, although two separate investigations could not establish anything conclusive against him. Sources close to the investigation into the current bribery and corruption charges against Hino state that shortly after the attack on Representative Hino, members of his staff handed over to the prosecutor's office extensive files concerning Hino's alleged criminal connections..."
       "Oh, wow," Rei exclaimed softly. "I can't believe it."
       Akari shook her head. "So, his past finally caught up with him," she said softly. "And now he's in a coma... He certainly can't hurt you like that."
       Rei looked at her for a moment. "Does... that mean you'll be leaving?"
       "We all know I can't stay forever," Akari replied. "I don't really belong here."
       Rei nodded, sighing softly.
       "But I don't intend to depart right away," Akari added. "I'd like to spend more time with my daughter and granddaughter."
       "We would certainly like that," Rei said.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Mamoru softly kissed Usagi's cheek as she slept cuddled next to him.
       She sighed as she felt his presence through their link. 'Mamo-chan,' she sighed, snuggling still closer to the warmth of his body.
       'How are you feeling?' he asked.
       'OK,' she said. 'I can feel the difference without the little extra boost from the ginzuishou... but I don't want it if it's going to do what it did last night.'
       'I agree,' he said. 'So, can I interest you in some breakfast?'
       'Of course,' she said, grinning. She ran her hand over his chest. 'Perhaps a generous serving of warm Mamo-chan?'
       He smiled and kissed her lips. 'Food first. Then we can think about that.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       "The ginzuishou did that?" Luna asked, after Usagi had explained.
       "Yes. It woke us both from a dead sleep. My heart was racing, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and its energy levels were up and down like crazy," Usagi said. "I'm not drawing energy from it now, but I'm worried if I should need to use it again."
       "Yes, of course," Luna agreed. "I've never heard of anything like this."
       "Neither have I," Artemis said. "It doesn't make sense. But this is definitely of much greater urgency than that energy collector Atana found."
       "Certainly," Luna said. "But I'm not even sure where to start. For the Dark Kingdom threat we were at least partially prepared."
       "True," Artemis said. "But first, I think we need to see what the crystal is doing. For that we should have both Ami and Atana here, since we're going to need her scanner and he has far greater expertise with magic than any of us."
       "I agree," Luna replied.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Ami and Ryo arrived at Mamoru and Usagi's apartment, where Atana and Rei were already waiting.
       "Thanks for coming, Ami-chan. Ryo-kun," Usagi greeted them.
       "There was no question of not coming," Ami said.
       Just then, Usagi spotted the ring Ami was wearing. "Say! Have you two now made it official?"
       "Uhm, yes," Ryo said.
       Ami nodded, smiling happily. "He proposed last night, and of course I said yes."
       "Congratulations," Rei said, giving Ami a hug.
       "Yes. I'm so happy for you both," Usagi said.
       "Congratulations," said Mamoru.
       "Yes, indeed," Atana agreed.
       "Thank you," Ami acknowledged. "But you said there was a problem with the ginzuishou?"
       "Yes," Usagi confirmed.
       "Let's sit down in the living room," Mamoru said.
       Luna and Artemis were already waiting for them, sitting on the table. The others sat down around it.
       Ami readied her scanner and nodded.
       "I'm ready whenever you are, Usagi-san," Atana said.
       Usagi smiled uneasily, then nodded and closed her eyes. In just a moment, the ginzuishou appeared, floating just above her chest. Within its pink-tinged facets, there was a barely perceptible flicker.
       "It is definitely pulsing," Ami said. "The readings are very erratic. There doesn't seem to be any clear pattern to it.:
       Atana nodded. "Yes. It is definitely not giving a steady output like I've always seen before."
       Ami looked up from her scanner. "The pulses are getting stronger."
       "Any ideas?" Artemis asked.
       "Not off-hand," Atana replied.
       Suddenly there was a brighter flash from the crystal, and Ryo winced.
       "What was that?" Atana asked, feeling a slight wave of dizziness from the flash.
       "I don't know," Usagi said. "But it felt strange."
       "The readings were getting stronger, and then the output suddenly spiked for about half a second," Ami said, checking her scanner again. "The increase was by a full order of magnitude."
       "Yeah... It was quite intense," Ryo said, feeling like a flash bulb had just gone off in his head.
       "It's still flickering," Ami said. "But the levels have gone back down." She adjusted her settings. "The high end of each pulse is already starting to creep upward again."
       "Another flash, but more powerful, could start to cause serious problems," Atana said. "I need to do some research. My texts in Hawaii don't have a lot of information on magical talismans, and certainly nothing as powerful as yours, but I might be able to find something that offers a suggestion. But until then, I would advise you not to use the ginzuishou at all."
       "I entirely agree with that," Luna said.
       Ami was running numbers on her computer, a grim expression on her face. "Uhm, yes... So do I."
       "Yes, I understand," Usagi answered. She closed her eyes and the crystal vanished.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Northwest of metropolitan Tokyo stood a large manor house behind a thick stand of trees.
       In the basement, multiple tables were set up with an eclectic mix of modern computers and magic crystals. Maps of the different regions of Japan hung along one wall. On another wall were three large flatscreen video units. One of the video screens showed a close-up of a street map of the Minato ward of Tokyo.
       "We have solid triangulation from monitors in central Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chiba, Yusuke-san," a man at one of the computer terminals announced. "Incident location is confirmed as Minato-ku, Juuban."
       Yusuke moved behind him to look at the figures on his computer screen. "The Sailor Senshi?"
       "Magic signature fits," the man replied. "A sudden flare of primal, life magic. The ginzuishou is the only extant power object that projects primal magic."
       Yusuke nodded. "Thank you, Seiji-san." He turned to another operative. "Contact the operations center in Wales, Takamaro-san. Inform them this is established with very high probability as a ginzuishou incident. We believe it to be harmless and it poses no threat to our secrecy, but we have not yet established what the Sailor Senshi may be up to at present. We will report further if more information becomes available. Since they are outside our jurisdiction, we will observe established protocol and not actively involve ourselves unless instructed otherwise."
       "Right away," Takamaro acknowledged.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       "You look uneasy," Rei said, as she and Atana rode down in the elevator.
       He nodded. "She's losing control of it... and uncontrolled the ginzuishou turns into the universe's largest bomb."
       "How bad?" she asked.
       "Well, it would depend on how it releases its energy," he said. "But if it gives off a completely unregulated release all across the energy spectrum, then it is literally a bomb. A comparatively small increase from what it just gave off, but releasing all across the spectrum, and it destroys this building. Perhaps a ten-fold increase beyond that, and most of Tokyo is wiped out."
       "And at full power it destroys the whole planet?" she asked.
       He took a breath and nodded. "At the very least."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       "Atana almost looked spooked," Artemis said softly, still with Luna, Ami, Ryo, Mamoru, and Usagi.
       "He has good reason," Ami said. "We all do."
       "What do you mean?" Mamoru asked.
       "The crystal is so powerful... If it went completely out of control it could destroy the planet," Ami said.
       Usagi gasped softly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Makoto and Shinozaki were walking along the edge of the park, when they saw Minako and Geoff.
       "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Kelley," Makoto called in English.
       At the greeting in English, Minako and Geoff both spun around.
       "Good morning," Minako replied. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
       "It certainly is," Makoto agreed.
       As they continued walking, they saw a cosplay festival going on.
       "I've heard these were big in Japan," Geoff said. "Several friends at university have tried to get me to go, but I just don't get it. I mean, putting all that effort into dressing up like your favorite anime or manga character?"
       "It doesn't do much for me either," Makoto admitted.
       "Yes," Minako agreed. "When you're the real thing, just pretending like that seems rather pointless."
       From off in the trees, they heard more noises.
       "I thought I just saw Sailor Moon," Geoff said. He squeezed Minako's hand. "I wonder if we'll find someone dressed as Sailor Venus."
       As they moved into the woods, they found a group of children playing. A girl, perhaps no more than ten or eleven, was dressed as Sailor Moon, in a better than average costume, including a very well detailed blond wig, while several boys were pretending to be youma.
       "I bet Usagi-chan would get a kick out of this," Makoto said.
       Minako nodded.
       "Evil monsters beware!" the girl cried. "I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice, and I shall punish you!"
       "Do you think we really sounded that corny?" Minako asked.
       "Probably," Makoto said. "But when you're facing a real youma, I don't think it really matters that much."
       They smiled as each boy advanced in turn to be defeated by Sailor Moon, which was signified by being tagged by the girl's wand. After several minutes, the 'fight' was over and 'Sailor Moon' victorious. The children were giggling happily. The boys ran ahead, while the girl picked up her wand.
       As they turned to leave, Makoto happened to look back, suddenly seeing four boys about her own age grab the young girl. The boys covered her mouth with an improvised gag and dragged her toward the bushes. "Uh, oh! Minako-chan, this just got serious."
       The others turned to look.
       Two of the boys had lashed the girl's hands behind her with a scarf and were holding her securely, while a third produced a knife. The young girl's eyes bulged in terror, while the boys laughed.
       "Now it's our turn to 'play' with Sailor Moon," one of the boys declared, as the one with the knife grasped the front of the girl's sailor fuku and began to rip it open.
       "This is about to turn into rape," Geoff said, with alarm.
       Both Minako and Makoto raised their hands, their new star-wands immediately appearing.
       "Venus Star Power... Make up!" Minako cried.
       "Jupiter Star Power... Make up!" Makoto called.
       Energy swirled around both girls as they transformed.
       "Remember to pull your punches," Venus said. "These are just overly horny little boys."
       "I'll try to remember that," Jupiter said with a smirk.
       The boys had the torn remnant of the little girl's fuku down around her knees
       "Now for the fun and games!" one of the boys called, grinning as he began to reach for her panties. Before he could take hold of his objective, he was suddenly grabbed from behind and hurled into a tree.
       A second boy started to turn when a foot impacted his abdomen, sending him crashing to the ground in pain, the wind completely knocked out of him.
       The boy with the knife and his one remaining companion still standing looked at the two Senshi.
       "Who are you two? Big sisters of her friends?" the boy with the knife asked with an insolent sneer. "Maybe we can have fun with you as well."
       Jupiter raised her hands above her head, letting energy arc between them.
       The boys pulled back, now in fear. "Oh, shit! They're the real ones!"
       "I am Sailor Jupiter."
       "And I am Sailor Venus. We protect our companion, Sailor Moon, and the joy and innocence of youth. In the name of Venus..."
       "And in the name of Jupiter..."
       "We shall punish you!" they finished together.
       The two boys still standing turned to run.
       Venus raised her arm, already feeling her energy swirling in a new pattern. "Venus love-me chain!" she cried, a glowing chain made up of heart-shaped links streaming outward to strike a tree branch just over the head of the boy with the knife. The branch crashed down, tangling his feet.
       "Supreme thunder!" Jupiter called, deliberately employing her old attack and weakening it. A blast of lightning burst from her outstretched hands, striking the ground next to the other boy, sending him sprawling. Rushing forward, she snatched up the knife.
       Venus glanced over at the other two boys, seeing them trying to slip away. "Venus love-me chain!" she cried again, this time casting it in a sweeping motion to knock their feet out from under them.
       "Venus. See to our friend, Sailor Moon," Jupiter called. "While I decide what to do with these evil demons." She advanced on the first boy with his own knife. "You know, Sailor Moon always blasts demons into so much moon dust," she said coldly.
       The boy whimpered where he was sprawled on the ground, still trying to extricate his feet.
       "But maybe we should try something different," Jupiter continued. "Say, Venus. Isn't there a song about making the punishment fit the crime?"
       "Yes," Venus called back, having retrieved a coat from the still-concealed Geoff to offer to the little girl. "It's from a show that's actually set in Japan."
       "How very appropriate," Jupiter said, waving the knife blade slightly as she leaned still closer to the boy. "Given what you were planning to do to that girl, I think... castration!"
       "No! No!" the boy whimpered.
       Jupiter slapped him hard across the face. "Then get up off your sorry asses, and go confess to that police officer who is coming this way. Tell him everything you did and tried to do. If you don't, Sailor Venus and I, and our other friends, will know about it... and then..." She released a lightning burst into the ground right next to him.
       The boy gasped in terror. He and his three friends scrambled to their feet and hurried toward the police officer.
       "That takes care of them," Jupiter said.
       Venus was crouched next to the little girl, having untied her and given her Geoff's coat. "Are you OK?"
       The little girl nodded slightly, even as she still trembled and tears ran down her cheeks.
       Venus wiped the girl's cheeks while Jupiter stood behind her. "They didn't get a chance to do more than just rip your clothes, did they?"
       The little girl shook her head. "N, no."
       "That's good," Jupiter said softly. "I'd hate to think I'd been too easy on them... But I think we scared them too badly to try it again."
       The girl was still shaking.
       "You know, a demon tore up my uniform once," Venus said. "Even worse than yours."
       "It did?" the girl asked.
       Venus nodded. "You know what I did?"
       The girl shook her head.
       "I kicked his butt," Venus answered with a satisfied nod. "Just because we girls have more privates to cover than boys do doesn't make us helpless." She leaned closer. "Besides, a boy's privates are much more vulnerable to a good swift kick."
       The girl giggled, clearly understanding enough about male anatomy to get the point.
       "We saw you playing with your friends, before these jerks showed up," Venus said.
       The girl looked at her. "Really?"
       Venus nodded. "You looked really good. The real Sailor Moon would have been proud."
       A grin flickered on the girl's face.
       Venus leaned closer. "But I want to make one suggestion, OK?"
       "What?" the girl asked, her voice barely a whisper.
       "Sailor Senshi almost never fight alone," Venus said.
       "Yes. Always have a friend with you to help out," Jupiter said.
       The girl nodded, finally beginning to smile a little.
       Just then, they heard a woman's voice, seeing her running towards them.
       "Is that your mother?" Venus asked.
       The girl nodded. "Mommy!" she called.
       "Yumi-chan!" the woman called, bending down to embrace the girl.
       "She's OK. Just scared," Sailor Venus said. "The boys didn't do more than rip off the body of her costume. She can keep the coat to cover herself."
       "Oh, thank you," the woman said. "Thank you so much." She hugged her daughter again.
       "Thank you," Yumi said softly. "Please say hi to Sailor Moon for me."
       Sailor Venus nodded.
       "And remember what we said about always having a friend with you," Jupiter added.
       Yumi nodded.
       The girl's mother stood up. "Thank you again. If you care to stop by our apartment later, I can return this jacket." She handed Sailor Venus a card with her name and address.
       "Of course, Fujisue-san," Venus replied with a bow.
       As Yumi and her mother walked over to talk to the police officer, Venus and Jupiter ducked out of sight and transformed back to normal.
       "I feel sorry for that girl," Shinozaki said. "But you did a nice job cheering her up."
       "You know what would do even more?" Makoto asked. "Having Sailor Moon visit her."
       "How are we going to manage that?" Minako asked. "Usagi-chan can't transform into Sailor Moon now that she's pregnant, and you heard how she's having trouble with the ginzuishou..."
       "So maybe she just uses her disguise pen," Makoto suggested. "Yumi-chan won't know the difference. She'll just be thrilled that the real Sailor Moon came to visit her."
       "Can't hurt to at least suggest it," Geoff agreed. "And it probably would be good for that little girl."
       "Right," Makoto agreed, producing her communicator. "I'm going to call her."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Haruka walked back to the parking lot next to the park, where she had parked her motorcycle. She was too young to legally drive but had never let that stop her. Under her helmet and jacket, no one could tell her age, especially when most mistook her for a boy, and she never drove on the street in such a way as to risk being stopped.
       Perching on the edge of her motorcycle, she pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her leather jacket.
       "Hello," Michiru answered brightly.
       "Hello," Haruka said. "I spotted Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter in the park at the cosplay festival. It was nothing to concern us."
       "I understand," Michiru said quietly. "We'll just have to keep searching."
       "Right," Haruka agreed. "Do you want me to meet you at the conservatory?"
       "That's sweet, but no. We've already finished for the day," Michiru answered. "I'll be leaving here in just a few minutes."
       "OK. I'll see you at home," Haruka said. "Bye."
       "Bye."
       Haruka returned her phone to her pocket, put on her helmet, and mounted her motorcycle. With a firm, sure push on the starter, the motor roared to life. Being at least as good at fixing and maintaining these as she was at driving them, she had had no doubt that it would.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Mamoru and Usagi drove toward the girl's house.
       "You're sure about this?" he asked.
       "Sure," she said. "Apparently the girl was attacked because she was dressed as Sailor Moon."
       "That's hardly your fault," he reminded her.
       "Still, no girl that age should have to go through that."
       "Absolutely not," he agreed.
       "If I can help cheer her up, that's great," she said. "Besides, I'd rather be helping someone than just sitting around waiting for Luna, Artemis, and Atana to figure something out about the ginzuishou." She looked over at him. "And you saw when I tested the disguise pen. It still works fine, and it was able to add enough of an illusion effect to the transformation to conceal the fact that I'm pregnant."
       "Yes, I know," he said. He turned at the intersection, and started checking numbers. "We're just about there."
       "There are Minako and Makoto," Usagi said, pointing ahead.
       Mamoru pulled into a parking place. "Do you want me to come up with you, Usako?"
       "No, thanks," she replied. "I suspect she'll be more comfortable if it's only girls."
       He nodded. "I understand."
       She picked up a bag from a store they had stopped at on the way, then opened the door and stepped out of the car. After checking for traffic, she crossed the street to where Minako and Makoto were waiting. "Hi, Minako-chan, Mako-chan."
       "Hi, Usagi-chan," Makoto said. "Thanks for coming. Any problems?"
       Usagi shook her head. "The disguise pen works fine. Just as long as I won't have to actually do anything..."
       "You won't," Minako said. "I'm pretty sure just seeing you will make Yumi-chan's day, and after what she's just been through..."
       "Right," Usagi agreed.
       "What's in the bag?" Makoto asked.
       "I picked up a small crescent moon necklace and a plush Sailor Moon figure for her," Usagi said.
       They entered the building. After making sure there was nobody around to see, Usagi activated her disguise pen, once more appearing in the form of Sailor Moon, while the other girls transformed. Together, they climbed the stairs.
       "This is her apartment," Minako said, spotting the card above the doorbell button that read 'Fujisue'.
       Usagi nodded. She pressed the doorbell button.
       "Yes?" a woman called, shortly before there was a click of the door being opened. The woman's eyes widened. "Uhm, hello."
       Usagi bowed. "Good afternoon, Fujisue-san. I am Sailor Moon. I understand my friends helped your daughter."
       "Oh, yes," she answered, still a bit amazed. "Uhm, please come in. Yumi-chan."
       The young girl emerged from her room, her eyes going wide as she saw who was there. "Sailor Moon!" she cried. She ran to Sailor Moon and gave her a hug.
       "Hi, Yumi-chan. I'm Sailor Moon," Usagi said. "I am very pleased to meet you."
       "Yes. I'm pleased to meet you," Yumi replied, bouncing with excitement. "This is so great!"
       Usagi smiled at the girl's happiness. "I understand you had a rough day today."
       Yumi nodded, her smile fading.
       "That can happen sometimes," Usagi said softly. "Especially for those of us who wear a sailor uniform like this."
       The girl nodded again, then leaned closer. "Has any boy ever tried to do that to you?"
       "No," Usagi admitted. "If anyone ever got close, one of my friends helped out first."
       "And no boy ever tried... to... touch...?"
       Usagi smiled. "Well, Yumi-chan... I have a boyfriend..."
       "Oh," Yumi replied softly. "So... you and he...?"
       Usagi nodded. "He's the only one, and we do things only because we both want to. He's more concerned about me than himself, and I'm more concerned about him than I am about me."
       "That's soooo romantic," Yumi sighed.
       Usagi grinned. "When you're older I'm sure you'll find a boy who makes you feel that way... But you know, I didn't really come here to talk about boys."
       Yumi nodded. "Sorry."
       "I came to bring you something."
       "Really?" Yumi asked excitedly.
       Usagi nodded. She reached into the bag, pulling out the small necklace.
       "Oh, wow!" Yumi exclaimed. "For me?"
       "As an honorary junior senshi, for trying to represent what the Sailor Senshi stand for," Usagi said. "Does that sound too silly?"
       Yumi giggled.
       "With your mother's permission," Usagi added.
       Yumi turned to her mother. "Mommy, is it OK?"
       "Yes, dear. It's just fine," she said.
       "Oh, thank you, Sailor Moon," Yumi exclaimed, as she put on the necklace.
       "And one more thing," Usagi said, pulling out the plush Sailor Moon doll. "Just a little something else to remember me by. OK?"
       "Thank you, Sailor Moon," Yumi said, smiling brightly.
       "How about a picture, Yumi-chan?" her mother suggested. "If that is OK with Sailor Moon and her friends."
       Usagi glanced at Makoto and Minako, who both nodded.
       They all gathered together with Yumi, as her mother took the picture.
       "Thanks, Sailor Moon," Yumi said. "I can't wait to tell my friends all about this!"
       Her mother stepped closer. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I can't imagine anything that could have cheered her up more, especially after what happened."
       "It was a pleasure for me too, Fujisue-san," Usagi said. "Thank you for the honor of coming into your home. And I hope everything stays well for Yumi-chan."
       Yumi's mother nodded. "I think so. Thank you again." She turned. "Yumi, Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter have to go now."
       Yumi gave each of them a hug. "Thank you."
       "We're just glad we could help, Yumi-chan," Minako said. "Good bye."
       "Good bye," Usagi and Makoto said together.
       "Good bye," Yumi called. "Thanks for coming."
       "Thank you," Yumi's mother said again. She was now holding Geoff's coat, which she returned to Sailor Venus. "And thank you for the loan of this coat."
       "It was the least we could do," Venus said. "I'm just pleased to see a smile on her face."
       Yumi's mother nodded, and closed the door.
       The girls walked down the stairs, and after again checking that it was safe, changed back to normal.
       "That was certainly great," Minako said.
       Usagi nodded. "One of my happier moments as Sailor Moon."
       "It's so great to see that little girl smiling like that," Makoto agreed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       "I'm so proud of you, Usako," Mamoru said, as they drove home. "Once again, you remind me that you are at least as beautiful on the inside as on the outside."
       "Oh, Mamo-chan."
       "And I'm glad it made the little girl so happy," he added.
       "Me too," Usagi agreed, still smiling brightly.
       "Of course, she may still have bad dreams for a while," Mamoru said. "But at least you've given her happy memories of today."
       "That's what's most important," Usagi said, nodding. "She should know it wasn't her fault, and that there are nice boys out there who don't do such things."
       "Yes, there are still a few of us left." he said with a grin.
       "Well, I certainly think I've found the best," she said. "I love you, Mamo-chan."
       "I love you, Usako."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Atana had teleported home to Hawaii, and was now back in his Tokyo apartment searching through a stack of books he had brought with him.
       "The ginzuishou just started fluctuating?" Akari asked.
       "That's right," Rei said. "Ami-chan and I noticed something unusual in Usagi's energy pattern yesterday, and apparently Mamoru-kun noticed it the day before. Usagi only began to take it seriously after it woke her up in the middle of the night. She asked Atana to take a look at it, and while we were there, it spontaneously flashed. No apparent reason."
       "That was this morning?" Akari asked.
       "Yes," Atana answered. "Why?"
       "I felt it," Akari said quietly. "It was quite uncomfortable... and for just a moment, I didn't even know where I was."
       "Are you OK now?" Rei asked.
       "Oh, yes," Akari said, nodding. "But I've never heard of the crystal ever behaving this way."
       "Yes. Well, we have to make sure those pulses don't keep happening and become more intense," Atana said. "If they do..."
       Akari nodded in understanding.
       Just then, Kara emerged from her room. "Mommy. You said you'd help me with my new robes."
       Rei nodded. "Coming, honey," she said, standing up. Her grandfather had ordered a new set of miko robes for Kara, after seeing how much she enjoyed wearing Rei's old ones, and Kara was most anxious to try them on.
       Kara was bouncing excitedly.
       "Was I ever like this at her age?" Rei wondered aloud.
       "Yes," Akari answered without hesitation. "I had my junior miko shadow, just as you do now."
       Rei sighed, then knelt down to help Kara change.
       Thirty minutes later, Rei and Kara emerged, both in their robes. Kara's hair had grown a little longer, since she now insisted she wanted it as long as her mother's. In their robes, and with both having their hair combed straight, the family resemblance was unmistakable.
       Akari smiled happily as she looked at her daughter and granddaughter. "Oh, you two look so nice."
       "Yes," Atana agreed. "Let's get a picture."
       "Daddy too," Kara cried happily.
       "Yes, definitely," Akari agreed, picking up the camera.
       Atana nodded, joining Rei and Kara.
       "Smile," Akari said, before pushing the button. "That was very nice."
       "Thank you," Atana acknowledged, so very happy to have his family together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       It was early afternoon as Usagi lay back in bed, wearing just one of Mamoru's shirts. She felt tired and needed the rest.
       Mamoru entered their bedroom wearing just his boxers. He slipped them off and climbed into bed with her.
       'Mamo-chan,' she sighed through their link.
       He could feel her fatigue. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek. 'You don't mind just cuddling, do you?'
       'Of course not, my handsome prince,' she replied.
       'I love you, my beautiful princess,' he said, beginning to unbutton the shirt she was wearing.
       Usagi sighed as he spread open the shirt she was wearing and ran his hand softly and ever so lovingly over the swelling of her abdomen. She smiled, feeling his own thoughts and emotions. It was so perfect that, even though she was not yet fifteen, she was already pregnant with their children and would very soon become his wife. He was everything to her, and with him was the only place she belonged.
       He kissed her again, sensing her joy, which matched his own. This was the happiness their previous selves had been denied, although since they weren't royalty, they would probably get to enjoy their life together more than Endymion and Serenity could have. Mamoru produced a rose, holding it as he filled it with more energy until it softly glowed. He then placed it on her chest between her breasts, still every bit as perfect in his eyes as that night on his yacht when they first made love.
       She felt the rose on her bare flesh, and its energy tingling through her. Sighing happily, she lay still, enjoying this sharing. Neither would hesitate for an instant to share with the other, since their souls were already one and the fates had made them only for each other. Now it was his turn.
       Leaning over her, he pressed his lips to hers. 'I love you, Usako.'
       'I love you, Mamo-chan,' she said softly. As he moved back, she took his hand and placed it on her breast.
       'Are you sure, my love?' he asked.
       'Oh, yes,' she sighed.
       He ran his fingertip gently around her nipple, sensing some of her pleasure through their link. Knowing how they had shared energy in the past, he spread her legs open and moved over her, seeing the crescent moon on her forehead glowing.
       'Oh, Mamo-chan,' she sighed, as he settled between her legs. His tip made contact with her nether lips and she could feel more of his energy flowing into her. She gazed up into his eyes. 'Oh, yes!' His tip was sliding deeper, spreading her channel wide as he again filled her up so perfectly. As he slid in, their link went deeper.
       He groaned as the sensations grew stronger. His shaft was buried to the hilt within her and their lips came together, tongues dancing. Still more of his energy was surging into her, which he knew she needed.
       She swept her hands over his strong back as he began to move within her. Their link was now so deep it was hard to tell where one stopped and the other began, not that she really cared. Being with him was her destiny.
       Taking a breath, he thrust still harder in response to both her need and his own. It felt so incredibly good to be conjoined like this. His life had been empty before he met her, but those days were over.
       She shared his sentiments in full measure, knowing she wasn't complete without him. Just then, his shaft stroked her g-spot, sending her over the edge. She cried out aloud and through their link.
       He struggled to hold on as such intense feelings and emotions crashed over them both. Their lips pressed together again as he resumed his motions.
       She was so blissfully happy, and could feel his energy driving her on. Both their bodies were throbbing and shaking with the force of their beautiful joining, this perfect melding of two into one.
       He looked deep into those large blue pools that were her eyes, seeing them sparkle the same way they had when he had first held her as Sailor Moon. This was fate. This was what they had been made for. Two parts made to form a single, complete whole.
       She embraced him tightly as their bodies teetered on the edge. With his next thrust, that wildly throbbing shaft swelled within her womanhood as his body locked up. His eruption, spraying his seed into her, sent her over the edge and she cried out in orgasm. As his seed poured into her, so did still more of his energy.
       'Usako,' he sighed, when the surges of climax had finally passed.
       'Oh, Mamo-chan,' she whispered. 'Soooo beautiful.'
       'Yes, you are,' he replied. 'My lovely princess.'
       She sighed with delight. 'When our link goes that deep, it feels like I'm already your wife...'
       'And I'm already your husband,' he agreed. 'The ceremony won't change that we've been joined from the very beginning...'
       'It only makes it official,' she completed.
       'That's right... Chiba-san.'
       'Oh, my prince!' She embraced him tightly.
       After several minutes, with their link slowly drawing back to more normal levels, he slowly eased himself out of her, then snuggled alongside her. Looking at her, he saw the rose that had been on her chest had vanished, apparently having been completely converted into energy. 'Feeling better?' he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
       'Oh, yes,' she sighed. 'There is just nothing like making love to you... my husband.'
       He kissed her cheek. 'I feel just the same... my wife.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Ami and Ryo were sitting together in her room. He was trying to focus on the ginzuishou in the hope of obtaining any sort of information that might be at all useful.
       With a sigh, he shook his head. "I'm not coming up with anything."
       She nodded. "Well, it was worth a try."
       "I know." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Oh, your mother's home."
       Just then she heard a car pull into the driveway. "Very good as usual, my love."
       Standing up, he took her in his arms and kissed her. "I guess we'll have to go tell her," he said, indicating Ami's engagement ring. "And we should try to seem surprised when she tells us."
       Ami nodded. "I'm just very happy for her."
       They walked downstairs, finding Noriko and Toshiro removing their shoes and coats in the entryway.
       "Hi, Mom," Ami greeted her. "Hello, Toshiro-san."
       "Hello, Ami," Noriko replied, a very broad smile on her face. "Did you have a good time while we were away?"
       "Oh, yes." Ami grinned as she glanced at Ryo, having noticed the ring her mother was now wearing. "But congratulations to both of you. We're very happy for you."
       "Ami," Noriko protested. "I wanted to be able to tell you myself."
       Ami gave her mother a hug.
       Ryo bowed to Toshiro. "Congratulations, Toshiro-san."
       "Thank you, Ryo-san," Toshiro replied. He caught sight of a glint of light coming from Ami's ring finger as she moved. "But it seems Noriko and I aren't the only ones deserving congratulations."
       Noriko's eyes widened as she saw the ring Ami was wearing. "Ami...? Is that...?"
       Ami nodded, a smile of tremendous happiness lighting up her face. "Yes, Mom. It is. Ryo gave it to me just yesterday... and of course there was nothing to say but 'yes'."
       Noriko looked at her daughter sternly for a moment, then smiled again and embraced her. "Oh, Ami," she sighed. "I know just what you mean. Toshiro surprised me with his proposal, but as soon as he began, I knew that was what I wanted."
       "We had considered it when we were in medical school together," Toshiro said. "But we both felt like we had so many other things we had to do, and I respected your mother's wishes not to discuss it further... That was definitely the biggest mistake of my life, and I was determined not to repeat it." He embraced Noriko.
       "Yes, I made a serious mistake about that," Noriko agreed softly. "But we've been given a second chance."
       "I'm so happy for you, Mom," Ami said softly. "You deserve someone who makes you happy."
       Noriko smiled at Toshiro.
       "And congratulations to you, Toshiro-san," Ami added. "I hope you will make my mother happy."
       "I certainly intend to," he said.
       "I'm very happy for both of you," Ami said. "It is so wonderful to find that special person. And I've found that someone for me. With him is where I'm meant to be."
       Noriko sighed and nodded. "I know that, dear... But I'm pretty sure you can't get married when you're both so young."
       "That's alright, Noriko-san," Ryo said. "We're prepared to wait for the ceremony. This is our commitment to each other. A ceremony can't make us closer than we already are."
       "I know just what you mean, Ryo-kun," Noriko said. She looked at them both for a moment. "It's quite obvious since you moved in with Ami that you two are already acting like husband and wife."
       Ryo slipped his arm around Ami.
       "Well, it is such a natural fit for us," Ami said softly. "He's just the only one for me."
       Noriko smiled at Toshiro and nodded.
       "Uhm, have you decided on a date yet?" Ami asked.
       "Not definitely," Noriko said. "Probably sometime in January."
       "We've decided to just to get the civil license," Toshiro added. "If we decide we want a ceremony for the benefit of family, we can do that later."
       Noriko nodded. "I'm going to be spending the next few days at least at Toshiro's apartment. We came here to give you two the news, but then we'll be going. You two will have the house to yourselves."
       "We can manage, Mom," Ami replied, with a grin. "Have fun."
       "I suspect we will," Noriko said with a smile.
       "Before you go, Mom, we wanted to talk with you," Ami said. "We've come up with some new plans for our education next year."
       "Oh, really?" Noriko asked. "Perhaps we'd better sit down."
       They all sat down in the living room.
       "Our friend Usagi has been looking at home school and correspondence options, since she doesn't want to return to regular classes after she has her twins," Ami said.
       "I can understand that," Noriko said, nodding.
       "In fact, she's planning to not return to Juuban after the end of this term. Since we've all been studying together anyway, she wanted to form a school group of our own," Ami continued. "We've come up with several programs that avoid the rote and repetition method of the regular schools, and which have enough flexibility to allow Ryo and me to move ahead at our own pace."
       "My parents are very encouraged by it," Ryo added. "They were getting concerned that Juuban would very soon be unable to offer me anything."
       "I share that concern," Noriko said. "So you would all be studying at Chiba Mamoru's apartment?"
       "Possibly," Ami said. "Or wherever proved to be most convenient. But the most important thing is that we would have a program that has a study course designed for advanced students like us."
       "And there'd be no need to attend a cram school in addition to regular classes," Ryo added.
       "Yes, I see," Noriko said. "Well, I would certainly want to see some more specific information."
       "Ami and I are researching several programs, and another friend of ours is checking them out with the education department advisors at Azabu University," Ryo said.
       "That makes good sense," Noriko said. "As soon as you've selected a specific program, I want to see it."
       "Of course," Ami acknowledged.
       "But I am very impressed with all this," Noriko added. "You've clearly given this a lot of thought."
       "Well, Usagi-chan did a lot of it," Ryo said. "But it seemed like a good time for all of us to get out of the standard school curriculum and pursue something more suited to our specific needs."
       "Yes, indeed," Noriko agreed. She looked over at Toshiro. "But I think we should be going. I have a shift tomorrow morning."
       He nodded. "And I have classes at the medical school."
       They all stood up.
       Noriko gave Ami a hug. "I have my phone if you should need to call me."
       "We'll be fine," Ami said. "You and Toshiro have a good time."
       Noriko nodded.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Ami and Ryo kissed after her mother and Toshiro had left.
       "I'm very happy for them both," she said again.
       "Me too," he agreed. "But I'm even happier for the two of us."
       She nodded. "Yes. I am so very happy with you."
       He grinned. "I was thinking... maybe we should go up to bed."
       "My thoughts exactly," she said, giggling softly.
       "I guess geniuses must think alike," he said.
       "Or soul-mates," she said.
       "Definitely soul-mates," he agreed, as they started up the stairs.
       As they reached the top of the stairs, she began unbuttoning his shirt, then pulled it free from his pants.
       He kissed her again as they entered her room. "My lovely girl genius," he sighed.
       "I'm all yours, my love," she said.
       "And I'm yours," he agreed.
       "That's the best part," she whispered, running a hand over his chest and then working his shirt off.
       He nodded, unfastening her skirt. "You now, this is probably how your mother is spending her afternoon."
       "I'm very happy for them, but I really don't want to be thinking about that," she said, stepping out of her slippers and her skirt.
       "And I'm pretty sure she'll be pregnant pretty soon," he added, lifting her sweater and pulling it off.
       "So? If they want to have a baby..."
       "And you've been thinking of it too," he reminded her.
       "Yes," she admitted. "But I haven't decided yet."
       "Neither have I," he said. "And the protection of your necklace is still in place."
       She smiled, running her hands over his chest. "In any case, it's not the right point in my cycle yet." She slid her hands down and unfastened his pants. "But in a week or so..."
       "Something for us to think about?" he asked, as he stepped out of his pants.
       She nodded and kissed him, then slid down his boxers. "Yes. Something to think about."
       He kicked off his boxers. Taking her hand, he drew her toward the bed. "But we can think about that later."
       She nodded, grinning. "Yes, we can... But now..." She embraced him and they tumbled into bed together. "I want to make love to you."
       "Oh, Ami," he groaned, his own body yearning for her just as desperately.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Atana looked over the ever increasing notes he was compiling for his research.
       "Anything promising?" Akari asked, bringing him a cup of tea.
       "Thanks," he said, taking the tea. "No. I'm afraid not." He glanced up at her. "Can you remember if anyone other than the queen of the Moon ever used the crystal?"
       "I remember clearly," she answered. "It is solely the property of the Moon queen."
       "So, since Usagi is the rightful heir to that title, she should be the only one who can use it."
       Akari nodded.
       Atana shook his head. "This doesn't make any sense. The ginzuishou breaks nearly all the rules for a talisman."
       "What do you mean?"
       "A talisman generally does just one thing," he said. "The ginzuishou seems to be able to do just about anything."
       "Perhaps it shouldn't be considered a talisman," she suggested.
       He nodded. "I've considered that. But I'm not finding any record of other types of power objects that behave like the ginzuishou either."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Usagi and Mamoru were cleaning up after dinner.
       As his afternoon exertions were catching up with him, Mamoru leaned against the wall.
       "Mamo-chan?" Feeling that he was tired, entirely by reflex she reached for her own energy within.
       "Usako!" he called as he felt the familiar glow of the crystal's energy.
       As she turned, she realized what she had done, but the crystal was already beginning to pulse erratically with rapidly increasing power. She struggled to shut off the flow of energy, but her entire body was beginning to glow. As energy pulsed around her, the building began to shake.
       "Usagi!" Luna cried, as she and Artemis came rushing to the kitchen.
       "Oh, gods!" Usagi gasped, still fighting the crystal.
       More energy was rippling outward, and the tremors were growing stronger. Mamoru could hear objects falling off shelves. Through their link, he could feel the raw power she was struggling with.
       Suddenly, a brilliant flash filled the room, bursting outward. Usagi and Mamoru both fell to the floor and the tremors stopped.
       His eyes were still filled with spots from the intense flash as he reached for her. "Usako."
       In the wake of the pulse, she had finally managed to shut it down. She opened her eyes, for the first time feeling seriously scared of her own power. "Mamo-chan... I... I couldn't control it."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Atana was looking through another volume when the building began to shake.
       At once, Akari fell to the floor in pain. Struggling for breath and fighting against succeeding waves of blinding pain, she could sense that the very order of nature was being completely disrupted by powerful ripples of magic.
       "The ginzuishou," Atana said aloud, rushing to her side as the shaking grew worse. He could tell his own power would be utterly useless to help her.
       The shaking continued, knocking over a floor lamp, and tipping over the small artificial Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the room.
       Moments later a powerful burst of magic swept over them, and Akari screamed in blinding pain.
       Atana could feel that the magic waves were finished. "It's over... At least for now," he said. "Are you OK?"
       Akari opened her eyes and shook her head. "I can barely move... and for a moment... I was being pulled away."
       He nodded in understanding, and lifted her onto the couch.
       "If that should happen again..."
       "If it should happen again, a lot of us may be joining you on the other side," he said grimly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Rei and Kara were leaving the Temple after thanking Rei's grandfather for Kara's robes. Suddenly, the ground began shaking, and they both could sense the waves of magic.
       "Mommy!" Kara cried in fright.
       Rei held her in her arms, even as she realized what was causing this.
       "Make it stop!" Kara cried, as the tremors continued.
       "Just hold onto me, honey," Rei said.
       Kara clung more tightly, tears streaming down her face.
       Rei gasped as she felt the intense surge of magic sweep over them, needing several seconds to realize the ground had stopped shaking.
       "Mommy! It's stopped," Kara cried.
       "Yes," Rei said, hugging the daughter of her past self. "It's over, honey. Are you OK?"
       Kara nodded, her eyes still showing her fear.
       Rei kissed her cheek and began wiping her eyes. "It's OK, honey. It was just a small earthquake. We get those here."
       Kara nodded.
       Rei pulled her cell phone from her purse. After several tries, she managed to get a connection.
       "Hello, my darling," Atana answered, having seen the number on his caller ID.
       "Was that what I think it was?" she asked.
       "Yes, it was," he said. "Are you hurt?"
       "No, we're fine," Rei said. "Just a little shaken up."
       "That's good. Where are you?"
       "We're still on the Temple grounds," Rei said. "I want to check on my grandfather."
       "That's good. Take your time getting back here," Atana said.
       "Why?"
       "The magic ripples really hurt your mother quite badly," he said. "We need to give her some time to recover before Kara sees her."
       "I understand. I'll try to call again before we come back. I love you."
       "I love you," he said. "Bye."
       "Good bye." She put her phone back in her purse. "OK, honey. Daddy's fine. Let's go back and check on my grandfather."
       "OK," Kara agreed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Geoff and Minako were at the small dance club just off the university campus, enjoying a fun night out. The song came to an end, and the crowd applauded. The dj had already set up the next recording, starting a slow number.
       Minako slipped her hands over Geoff's shoulders while he held her waist. She pressed herself against him and they began to sway together.
       "I love you, Mr. Kelley," she said, smiling happily.
       "I love you, Mrs. Kelley," he replied, leaning down and kissing her.
       Just then, the building began to shake and they could both feel ripples of magic.
       "Earthquake!" someone yelled, setting off a mad rush for the exits.
       As the shaking grew worse, ceiling tiles began to fall, bringing down strings of Christmas tinsel with them, and there was a crash as the heavy speakers broke loose from the wall.
       Geoff and Minako were nearly outside when they both felt a surge of intense magic sweeping past them. At the same time, the quake finally ended. They quickly extricated themselves from the crowd.
       "I felt that magic," he told her. "That means it can only be the ginzuishou."
       She nodded. "Usagi-chan must have had another problem with it."
       "Another one like that and a large part of Tokyo is going to be a garbage dump," he said.
       "We should get to Mamoru and Usagi's apartment," she said.
       From behind them, they heard more screams and cries for help. Turning they saw a building on fire and injured people stumbling into the street.
       "I think we're needed more here," he said.
       She nodded.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Makoto and Shinozaki were at his parents' home, having had dinner with them.
       "It's been so nice having you both over," Asagiri Masako said.
       "Thanks, Mom," Shinozaki replied. "It was a great dinner."
       "I assume you haven't heard more about this home-school group your friend wants to start," Hiroshi said.
       "Not yet," Makoto told him. "She's still looking into different programs, and another of our friends is checking them out with some of the education department advisors at Azabu University."
       Hiroshi nodded. "That certainly makes good sense."
       "Well, two of our friends are almost into university level courses themselves, Dad," Shinozaki said. "Usagi-chan wants a program that can accommodate our different levels."
       Just then, the building began to shake, and Makoto suddenly sensed ripples of magic.
       "Earthquake," Hiroshi said, quickly rising to his feet. "Into the central hall. The building is strongest there, and we're still close enough to the front door to get out if we have to."
       As they followed his directions, they could hear items falling off shelves.
       Shinozaki took Makoto's hand, looking at her questioningly.
       "Ginzuishou," she mouthed silently.
       Shinozaki's eyes widened in shock.
       "Now, don't be afraid, you two," Hiroshi said, mistaking the meaning of their expressions. "I can remember worse shakers than this one."
       Makoto stiffened as she felt a very powerful surge of magic sweep past, and then everything was still.
       "See? Told you," Hiroshi said. "OK, let's split up and make a quick check of the house for serious damage, then we can go out to see if anyone else needs help."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Clad just in his boxers, Ryo was in the bathroom, about to start a bath for him and Ami, when he suddenly sensed something very strange. His psychic sense went crazy, leaving him completely disoriented. He fell the floor, unable to tell if the shaking was real or not.
       "Ryo-kun!" Ami cried in alarm, rushing into the bathroom. She could sense the powerful ripples of magic that went with the earthquake, but her immediate thoughts were on him. The shaking was growing worse as she held him in her arms. "Ryo."
       "Ami," he gasped breathlessly.
       She heard the sound of objects falling to the floor, and of breaking glass.
       He gasped in pain as an intense wave of magic swept over them both, seeming to turn everything inside out. Feeling Ami holding him, he clung to her as his only anchor to reality.
       She felt the surge too, and realized that the earthquake had stopped. Gently, she kissed him. "I love you," she whispered.
       "Oh, Ami," he groaned, his senses finally beginning to return to normal.
       "Are you alright?" she asked.
       "Getting there," he answered quietly. "Everything went crazy all at once..."
       She nodded.
       "It was the ginzuishou," he said.
       "I know," she said softly, his unease mirroring her own.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       In the manor house northwest of Tokyo, Yusuke sat in his office with Takeyuki, his deputy.
       "We haven't found any definite reports concerning the Sailor Senshi," Takeyuki said. "There is an unconfirmed report of Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter at a cosplay festival, but the report is too vague for us to have any confidence that it refers to the genuine Senshi and not simply better than average imitators. The festival was in the Juuban district, but the reported sighting appears to have been after the ginzuishou flare."
       Yusuke nodded.
       "Whatever they were up to with regard to the flare, it doesn't seem to have drawn any attention either from the media or from our observers in Minato-ku," Takeyuki continued. "At least when they were engaging the Dark Kingdom, we were able to observe enough of their activities to have a rough idea of what they were doing."
       "Yes, I know," Yusuke replied. "But there were also plenty of incidents then for which our only evidence was a flare of magic."
       "True," Takeyuki conceded.
       "But why was there just a single spike from the ginzuishou and nothing else?" Yusuke wondered. "That doesn't fit with..."
       Suddenly, the entire building began to shake and both wizards could sense the ripples of magic. An alarm signal on the wall began to flash.
       "Downstairs. Now!" Yusuke directed.
       The two men struggled to their feet and, as the building continued to shake, made their way down the stairs, moving slowly and bracing themselves against the continued shaking. As they entered the monitor room, an overwhelming surge of magic swept over them and all the magic equipment in the room blacked out.
       "What happened?" Yusuke called.
       "Powerful magic ripples, with accompanying seismic disturbances," the duty officer reported.
       "Ginzuishou?" Takeyuki asked.
       "We think so," the duty officer replied. "The ripples were definitely primal magic, and they originated in Juuban. The incident seems to have ended with an intense magic wave, which has knocked out all our monitors. At least some of our stations across the east-central region of the country are also blind. We don't have complete information as yet. Magic communications are out. We have to do complete restarts on our communication units to restore them. Those stations that have reported have done so by telephone."
       "Do we have communications with the operations center?" Yusuke asked.
       "Not at the moment," another officer answered. "We just initiated a restart on that unit, so it should be back up shortly."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

       Michiru and Haruka were just leaving a restaurant when the ground began to shake and they both could sense the ripples of magic.
       "That's it," Haruka said softly.
       Michiru nodded.
       They stood together as the tremors shook the city.
       "It's not that bad," Haruka said.
       "Yes," Michiru agreed. "That means we still have time."
       A powerful surge of magic swept over them and the tremors stopped.
       "It's over," Michiru said.
       "But the next one could be much worse," Haruka said.
       With a grim frown, Michiru nodded. "We have to make sure there is no next one."

< To be continued >

* * * * * * * * * * * *
NOTE: Yes, I admit to a little borrowing as to the imagery of the ginzuishou flare, although my treatment of the cause is completely different.

Hopeless Romantic and I now have a message group to notify our readers when we post new stories/chapters. Those who are interested can sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/strands_of_moonlight/ .

Always remember, good gentles, that a yarnspinner works from and within existing legends and stories. The characters of "Sailor Moon" belong to others. In spinning my yarns, I do not seek to infringe on their rights of ownership, but merely to join with other fans to spread the legend still further. "The moonlight carries a message of love." Enjoy.

-12.18.2012