This is my fourth Sailor Moon fan fiction short story.  It
mostly takes place shortly after the end of the Nephrenia story
in the Sailor Stars series (fifth and last season).  There are
some spoilers, though I have tried to keep those to a minimum. 
There are only minor references to events in my previous
stories, it is not necessary to have read them to understand
what is going on.



The story contains characters and situations created by Naoko
Takeuchi.  All the usual fanfic disclaimers apply.



Ken Wolfe    ken_wolfe@mbnet.mb.ca





Under a Cloud



	Walking past the OSA P jewellery store reminded Kasukabe that
he hadn't gotten his wife's birthday present yet.  He checked
the time.  Wouldn't hurt to pop in for a few minutes, at least
have a look.  He still had a few days, so he didn't necessarily
need to get anything just now.

	The glass doors slid aside for him and he walked in.  It was
pretty busy, there were women browsing at all the counters. 
Lots of schoolgirls too, surprisingly many for an upscale place
like this.  In fact, as he walked over to the nearest display
case he was beginning to think this might be rather too rich for
his blood.  He had been passed up for the promotion to section
chief last month and bonuses weren't like they had been in the
bubble economy.  Even with their tiny apartment, it was all they
could do just to make ends meet.

	Mind you, some of the items seemed to be drastically marked
down.  He was looking at a really dazzling broach for just
30,000 yen.  No, at that price, those *couldn't* be real, could
they?  Was he seeing things?  He blinked, suddenly finding it
hard to focus his eyes.  Pushing myself too hard as usual, he
decided.  Well, welcome to the Nineties.  He closed his eyes to
rest them for a second, but that just seemed to make things
worse.  He leaned on the display case for support.  Wouldn't do
to keel over in front of all these people.  He opened his eyes
again, hoping that would end his dizzy spell.

	Half the people in the shop were slumped down on the floor. 
The rest looked as if they would soon follow suit.  *What the
hell?*

	The briefcase slipped out of his fingers just before his knees
gave out.  He slid down against the display case, thinking this
felt something like the last time his buddies at work had
managed to get him severely drunk.  He felt he should either
look around to figure out what was going on or maybe just catch
some sleep right here.  But either looking around or closing his
eyes entaied movement, and right now it was so nice to just lie
here not moving.  It was like all the energy had been drained
out of him.  All the energy.

	Some time passed.  Maybe lots of time, maybe not.  Then
something happened that seemed worth the effort of turning to
look.  Hard to see.  An angel?  An angry, avenging angel.  She
had come for somebody.  Not for him, it seemed, she was talking
to somebody else.

	Suddenly he had some of his energy back and somebody was
telling him that the angel was very bad and he had to go help
punish her.  He didn't understand, but somebody was telling him
this so it must be true.  He rose clumsily to his feet and
shuffled over to her.  She showed fear, so she must be a bad
angel.  She ran.  She was very quick.  But there were many
others to help him, so they would get her.  He got very weak
again a couple of times, and nearly fell down.  But they finally
trapped her, there was nowhere for her to run anymore.

	The angel screamed.  His mind shattered.  Blackness.

*****



	Kaori helped the girl to her feet.  "Thank you, officer," the
girl said wearily.

	"You're welcome," she replied with a comforting smile. "Would
you like something to drink?"

	"No, thank you.  Um, can I go now?"

	"The paramedics had a look at you, right?" Kaori asked, knowing
they had.

	"Yes.  They said I was okay."

	"Well then, if you feel okay you can just leave your name and
address with the officer over there.  We might be around later
to ask a few questions, okay?"

	"Okay.  Thank you."  The girl bowed politely and went over to
where Kaori had pointed.

	Kaori had another look around the OSA P shop.  Other officers
and paramedics were busy processing the people who had collapsed
here.  She could see the lieutenant interviewing the shop owner.
 The poor woman had been bound and gagged in the basement, she
looked very distraught.  Her daughter looked even more spooked,
like she had seen a... well, Kaori had already interviewed a
couple of the other women, this was going to be a dammed strange
report.

	She noticed a young man in a suit and topcoat, seated at a
chair nearby, staring blankly into space.  She was sure she had
seen the paramedics examine him, but... something about the look
in his eye prompted her to go check up on him.

	She leaned down in front of him.  "Good day, sir.  Have the
doctors been to see you?"

	He nodded, still staring at nothing. "Yes," he said in a blank,
low voice.

	She had thought she should let him recover a bit from...
whatever it was, before interviewing him, but somehow leaving
him alone in this state didn't seem right.  "If you feel up to
it I'd like to ask you a bit about what happened here.  Could I
just get your name?" she asked, flipping open her notebook.

	He finally looked at her with those vacant, haunted eyes.  He
shook his head slowly.  "I don't remember," he breathed.



*****



	Nomura looked at the plate he had just developed in the
darkroom and his heart sank.  Was that a flaw in the film?  Oh
God, anything but that.  It had taken him months to get some
time booked on the hundred centimeter scope.  Of all the luck!

	He took a magnifying glass and had a closer look.  He knew the
Aquarius constellation like the back of his hand by now, there
should be two bright stars *there* and *there*.  In fact, if he
looked closely there were no stars at *all* in this part of the
picture.  But he had seen what pictures from flawed film looked
like, this just didn't fit.

	Something occurred to him.  No, couldn't be that.

	He went to the archive room and switched on the lights,
illuminating rows of file cabinets.  It was eerily quiet, nobody
else was about at this hour.  A few minutes of searching got him
what he wanted: plates from a survey of that part of Aquarius
from a few weeks ago.  Then more from a few months ago.

	"Just checking," he muttered to himself as he took the plates
with him.  No, it couldn't be that.

	Some time later he had three plates up against the backlit
glass panel, side by side.  Seen together, they told the story
vividly.  A hole in the sky, slowly opening up, expanding. 
Heading right for them.

	Aquarius.  Should I go look up...?  No, do some rough
calculations first.

	Booting one of the workstations and a visit to an American
internet site got him the programs he needed.  But he still had
to adapt them to what he needed to calculate.  Two pots of
coffee later, he stared bleary-eyed at the results of his
labors.  A date.  Well, a month actually.  And even that was
basis a lot of assumptions.

	*Now* I'll go look it up, he thought.  He went to the
Miscellaneous cabinet.  Yuki would probably know exactly where
it is, she had been at the observatory much longer than he had. 
Hell, she would *be* here soon, it was that time of the morning
already.  He started leafing through the files.  "Ah-hah."  He
grinned.  Two thick folders labelled "Cranks, Harmless," and
"Cranks, Scary."  Simple, direct, to the point.  He took out the
former and started flipping through letters and newspaper
articles.  *There.*  A letter dated... over a year ago!  Had it
been that long?  Funny the little things that stay with you,
Nomura thought to himself as he read the letter.

	He came to the important part, and his jaw dropped down. 
Suddenly, it wasn't funny anymore.



*****



	"Tell your fortune, young lady?" Rei asked politely, her
fingers steepled in front of her.

	Makoto grinned.  "No thanks, you've probably stacked the deck,"
she replied, tapping the deck of tarot cards sitting on the
table at Rei's booth.

	"Oh ye of little faith," Rei said, feigning indignation.  She
got up and stretched.  "Just as well, I'm bushed."

	"Plenty of customers this time?" Makoto asked.

	"Mm Hmm.  It was a good festival."  She looked around to see
that a lot of other booths on the school grounds were being
dismantled.  The school festival was winding down.  "I never get
to see much of it, of course, too busy guiding everyone's quest
for love and fortune."

	"Need any help closing down?"

	"No, they'll come around for the table and stuff later.  The
setup for my booth is pretty simple," Rei said, waving the
little box of tarot cards then pocketing it.  "So can you still
come over to the temple and help me with the pickling?"

	"Oh, I've made a point of setting aside the time.  Otherwise,
you'd probably have Minako coming to help instead."  They shared
a knowing look.  That batch had been positively inedible.

	"Then I guess we can go," Rei said.  She brushed at the shrine
maiden robes she'd been sitting in all day, trying to make them
more presentable.  Then she came around from behind her booth
and they both started heading for the gate to the school grounds.

	"I've always wondered how you managed to get a tarot card
reading booth approved at a Catholic school.  Don't the Sisters
consider that... I don't know, pagan?"

	"Well, as long as I don't do it in the chapel," Rei answered,
and they both laughed.  "As far as they're concerned, it's all
just good fun.  Besides, being in this country, they have to be
pretty flexible.  How does the saying go... we're born Shinto,
get married as Christians and get buried as Buddhists."

	"Yeah.  We've just got schitzophrenic souls.  Say, that reminds
me, do you remember Riko?"

	"Sure."  Riko had been a good friend of Makoto's in her old
junior high school, but they had lost touch after Makoto was
transferred to Usagi's school.  They had gotten reacquainted
when they both entered Juban High School a few weeks ago.  Rei
had met her once or twice.  "Why do you ask?"

	"She's been telling me about some new church out in Shibaura
that she and her mother just joined."

	"Shibaura?  That's not exactly a short commute from here."

	"Yeah, I thought it was kind of odd, them going to a church way
out there.  But get this.  They call themselves the Church of
the Silver Millennium."

	Rei stopped dead in her tracks.  "You're joking!"

	Makoto stopped and turned to smile at her. "That's what she
told me.  I just about fell over.  Pretty strange, huh?"

	Rei pondered this for a moment.  "Well, I guess it's not too
wierd.  I mean, all sorts of new churches have sprung up in
Tokyo over the past few years, a lot of them are called
Millennium this and Millennium that."

	"That's true," Makoto said, more serious now.  "Lots of wierd
cults and stuff have started up too."

	*Ah-hah.* Rei had suspected this was leading up to something. 
"Did she tell you much about this church?"

	"No, not really.  Just that their Minister makes some
predictions about the future. Sounds like it's pretty small. 
She hasn't exactly asked me, I think she's too shy, but I can
tell she'd like me to go out there.  It sounds like she and her
mother are pretty fired up about it."

	"And that's what worries you," Rei said simply.

	Makoto looked down, embarassed. "I used to sort of watch out
for her, I felt kind of guilty about not keeping in touch.  When
she told me about this... well, it sounds kind of wierd and I'm
worried."

	"Do you think she would mind if I tagged along?"

	Makoto scratched the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. 
"Gee, am I that transparent?"

	"You should give up on being subtle, Mako-chan.  You're far too
honest for it."

	"Well, since you put it that way I don't feel so bad. 
Seriously, I would be grateful if you could come along with me
and check the place out."

	"I'd be happy to," Rei said, her warm smile then becoming more
mischevous.  "It never hurts to check out the competition."



*****



	It turned out that Riko's mother suddenly had to work that
evening.  Trying to raise a child by herself she was hardly in a
position to refuse overtime.  Riko was beside herself thanking
Makoto and Rei for coming with her, she hated making the trip by
herself.  They got on the subway and conversation soon drifted
to other matters.  Rei's first impressions of Makoto's friend
were simply being reinforced.  She was a nice enough girl, but
she sure could relax a bit.  Very high-strung and unsure of
herself.  Perfect candidate for a cult.  She could see why
Makoto was worried.

	It was a long train ride and a long walk, so it was getting
dark by the time they arrived.  And a good thing Riko is here to
guide us, Rei thought.  The address would have been a challenge
to locate even for a native Tokyoite.  Even once they got here,
the only thing indicating they were at the right place was a
little sign at the door listing all the occupants of the
nondescript little commercial building.

	Two flights of stairs brought them to a hallway down which Rei
could see a set of double glass doors wedged open.  As they went
through the doors, Rei glimpsed a symbol painted on the glass
just above the church name: it was a round crystal that looked
very familiar to her.  Crystals are a maintstay of New Age
churches, she reminded herself.  It didn't mean anything.

	The anteroom they entered was obviously intended as the
entrance to an office or business, though some work with wood
paneling had been done to try and make it warmer, more like the
entrance to a church.  Several umbrellas in the rack to one side
indicated that others had already arrived.

	On the other side of the anteroom was another set of open
double doors.  There was a young man in a suit standing there,
hands clasped in front of him.  He was unremarkable in
appearance, medium height and build, close cut hair receding
slightly.  Rei would have pictured him an accountant or
something, not a minister.  He looked at Riko and gave her a
familiar smile as they approached.  That simple act brought
about a remarkable transformation.  His nervous, harried look
evaporated, to be replaced by the natural ease of a leader
greeting one of his followers.  He must be the minister, then.

	"Good Evening, Sensei," Riko said, stopping in front of him and
bowing.

	"Welcome, Riko-san," the man replied.

	"My mother sends her regrets, she suddenly had to work tonight,
she was very sorry that she could not attend," Riko said very
politely, bowing again.

	"Not at all.  Give my best to her when you see her."

	"Thank you, I will.  I've brought two friends with me today,"
Riko said, managing to sound proud and embarassed all at the
same time.

	"So I see," the man said, glancing at Rei and Makoto.  "I was
about to say how pleased I am to see two new faces... but I
could swear I have met you two pretty young ladies before," he
said, looking at the two girls with a slightly puzzled look.

	"No, I don't believe we've met," Rei said.  "This is our first
time here.  I'm Hino Rei, pleased to meet you."

	"Kasukabe Ryuichi, pleased to meet you," the man said bowing
slightly.

	"Kino Makoto, pleased to meet you," Rei heard her friend say
absently.  She glanced over to Makoto, to see that her attention
had been grabbed by something inside the church.  Rei had been
so focused on this man, on getting her first impression of him,
she hadn't so much as looked in.  She shifted her eyes over,
intending to spare the room a quick glance... and her eyes
locked on it involuntarily as her mind was cast back to another
time.  Marble columns on each side of her, leading to a domed
building like a larger version of the Taj Mahal in the distance,
the Earth hanging like a jewel above it.  Queen Serenity's
palace, the place they had seen in a vision just before their
final battle with the Dark Kingdom.  The place where they had
lived their previous lives, lived and died...

	"What do you think of our little place?" Kasukabe asked,
watching Rei intently.

	Rei blinked, feeling much as she did after coming out of a fire
oracle trance.  "It's... a very striking image," she managed to
say, trying to recover.

	"It's beautiful," Makoto breathed, still staring.  

	Oh boy, it hit her worse than me, Rei thought.  "Riko tells me
you are the founder of the church," Rei said, trying to draw
Kasukabe's attention away from Makoto, give her time to recover.
 He confirmed that he was.  The church had been here for about a
year now.  He claimed about two hundred followers.

	A couple with two small children walked in through the glass
doors, which served as an excuse for the three girls to go sit
down.  Entering the room, Rei could see that the reality was a
far cry from the remarkable vision it had inspired.  The columns
were some sort of big tubes that had been cut in half and put
against the left and right walls at regular intervals, to make
it look like they were embedded in the walls from floor to
ceiling.  They had been painted in a rough attempt to simulate
marble.  The far wall was covered by a mural.  The building in
its center was probably based on a picture of the Taj Mahal
after all, Rei decided.  A few embellishments had been added,
such as little crescent moons sitting on top of each dome. 
Before it was a garden and a great rectangular pool of water
draw in perspective down to the bottom of the mural.  Behind it
were jagged mountains, something like the way everyone thought
mountains on the moon would look like before there were any good
pictures of them.  Above the mountains was a starry sky with the
Earth high to the left.  None of it was particularly well done,
just adequate to the task of depicting an exotic palace on the
moon.

	There were rows of folding metal chairs to each side.  A young
couple to their left waved at Riko, who waved back.  That seemed
to settle where they would be sitting.  As they made
introductions and exchanged pleasantries, part of Rei's mind was
trying to decide how much of what she was seeing here could be
passed off as a remarkable coincidence.

	Presently, Kasukabe took his place at the little podium in
front of the mural, and the murmuring of the various little
clustered groups in the congregation died down.  "I would like
to welcome you all tonight," he began.  "I would especially like
to welcome all those who are joining us for the first time.  I
am very happy to see many new faces before me today.  We have
done much work to spread the word of the Moon Goddess, but much,
much more remains to be done.  I believe that the Moon Goddess
will show mercy to all those who are deserving, whatever their
creed, wherever they may be.  But I also believe that much can
be done to prepare for her coming, to tell people how they can
prepare for her coming.  I believe that those who know of the
coming of the Moon Goddess can do much to make themselves worthy
of her divine mercy."

	Rei listened intently.  It sounded like he was predicting the
coming of a redeemer.  She wished she had decided to grill Riko
at least a little about Kasukabe's predictions on the way here,
to get some idea of what he was about.

	Kasukabe's warm smile broadened.  "Today I would like to share
some remarkable news with you.  As many of you know, around the
time I founded our church I sent a letter out to many
universities and observatories.  In it I explained some of the
vision that the Moon Goddess had granted to me.  I explained how
the Great Cloud would come upon us, when it would come and where
it would come from.  I asked them to watch for the Great Cloud,
so that they might see with their own eyes what the Moon Goddess
had warned us to prepare for.

	"My friends, today I am happy to tell you that this effort has
borne fruit.  We have with us today a man who has seen the Great
Cloud with his own eyes.  He is a man of science, used to
dealing in facts and mathematics.  But when he saw the cloud
appear before his eyes exactly as the Moon Goddess predicted, he
realized the importance of what he was seeing.  He rememberd my
entreaty, and just days ago came to me, telling of what he has
seen.  We owe him a great debt, for he has brought us
irrefutable proof of the truth behind the prophecy of the Moon
Goddess.  The approaching cloud he has seen through his
telescope is a fact that cannot be disputed.  Since I am no man
of science, I would like to have the newest member of our church
tell you in his own words what he has seen." Kasukabe's eyes
settled on a man sitting in the front row.  "I would like to
invite Professor Nomura Ken to come speak."

	Rei's mind was racing.  None of this was making sense.  Her
vision of the Silver Millennium, this innocuous looking man
talking about prophecies of a Moon Goddess, and now this
astronomer come to talk about gas clouds or something, it was
all so surreal.

	The man who took the podium was pale and a bit overweight,
wearing a suit that he might have fit in a few years ago.  He
looked very nervous and uncomfortable as he stumbled through his
self introduction, naming the university and observatory where
he worked.  With awkward fits and starts, Professor Nomura began
to talk about some observations he had made with his telescope. 
He was obviously unused to speaking to a general audience, for
there were whole sections of his talk that were no more than
techno-babble to her.  Occasionally he would realize that he
wasn't being understood, and would apologetically go back and
explain certain points.  Eventually, he got his point across. 
His observations of the Aquarius constellation had stumbled upon
a gas cloud that appeared to be growing.  The only explanation
was that it was headed straight for them, headed straight for
the solar system.  His initial calculations showed that it would
arrive in the vicinity of the sun in a few months' time, exactly
as Kasukabe had predicted in his letter.

	His talk about solar radiation and gas opacity eventually led
to another point, which he delivered in the same nervous
monotone that he maintained throughout his talk.  Once the gas
cloud was here, it would blot out the sun altogether.  Rei
glanced around the room, tried to guage people's reactions. 
There were a couple of people showing subtle signs of their
feelings of incredulity.  Probably other newcomers.  Most people
were absorbing this with no reaction at all, or at most a little
nod of approval here and there.  It was as if this just
confirmed what they knew, as if it were old news.

	Finally, Prefessor Nomura brought it home.  "When
Kasukabe-sensei wrote his letter to our observatory over a year
ago, the gas cloud would have been too far away for any
telescope on Earth or in space to have detected it, even if we
knew exactly where to look.  His prediction is too exact to be
coincidence.  The only explanation is that his vision must be
true.  He could not have made this prediction without divine
guidance.  That is why I am here."  An awkward pause.  "Uh...
thank you."  He was done.

	Kasukabe took the podium again.  Rei only half listened to his
sermon as she tried to make sense of all this.  She didn't know
what to be more concerned about, these uncanny references to the
Silver Millennium or the ominous signs that she had entered a
millennial doom cult.  Kasukabe's words were calm and gentle,
entreating people to accept the coming calamity as the dawning
of a new age, to have faith that the Moon Goddess would protect
them.  He then talked a bit about how they could prepare their
souls for her coming.  His sermon was somewhat unfocused, like
most new religions he was drawing ideas and catch-phrases from
all sorts of places, particularly Shinto.  That was probably
just because, like most Japanese, that was his most promiment
religous background.  His mishmash of derivative ideas on
spirituality was clearly secondary to the primary message in his
vision: the coming of the redeemer.

	The sermon ended with a simple prayer to the Moon Goddess.  On
their way out, Rei and Makoto made their contributions at the
collection box as was required by simple politeness if nothing
else.  As Kasukabe thanked them and gave them his blessing, Rei
could see that same look of deja vu his face had assumed upon
their arrival.  He didn't say anything this time, but he really
looked to be convinced that they had met before.

	Riko was simply bubbling with excitement on the way home, eager
to tell her mother all about the news this astronomer had
brought.  Rei was a little dazed by the experience and she could
see that Makoto was too.  Riko picked up on this, probably
unconsciously, and conversation soon moved to the more prosaic
trials and tribulations of high school life.

	They parted company near the subway station, with Riko leaving
Rei and Makoto to wait at the otherwise deserted bus shelter. 
Makoto looked at Rei, her expression suddenly serious.  "So what
do you think?" she asked, giving up on subtlety and getting
right to the point.

	Rei looked aside and took a moment to collect her thoughts
before answering.  "Well, he's obviously sincere about what he's
saying, I'm pretty sure he's not a scam artist or anything.  If
tonight is any indication, the contributions he's getting would
barely be adequate to maintain even that small place.  He's not
fleecing anybody.  And I didn't get any feeling of danger from
him, I just couldn't imagine him being fanatical, or asking
anyone else to be.  In fact, he still seems rather uncomfortable
with his role there, even after leading the church for over a
year.  I think he'd rather be doing something else.  But he
really does seem to believe in this redeemer he's predicting."

	"Do you think there's anything to it?  I mean, what that
professor was talking about."

	Rei shrugged.  "I couldn't say.  When he started I thought they
were playing some elaborate trick on us, but I don't think he's
any less sincere than their minister.  As for whether there's
any truth to it... well, I'll have to give that some thought."

	Makoto smiled.  "Sure."  They both understood what that meant:
Rei would be spending some time chanting in front of a fire. 
"Oh, and thanks for covering for me when I was gawking at that
church," Makoto continued.  "That really threw me for a loop."

	"Yeah, you and me both," Rei said, smiling sympathetically. 
"I've seen a lot of stuff in new churches that made me look
twice - pictures of temples on the moon and such - but never
anything like that.  For a second I felt like I was seeing that
vision again."

	"I know, I felt the same way."  Makoto laughed nervously.  "But
then I got a closer look and it was a bit of a letdown."

	They both laughed at that.  Rei felt a bit better, getting
positive reinforcement from her friend's observation.  Yes, it
had just been a bad mural that triggered an old memory, she told
herself.  Nothing more than that.

*****



	Rei saw the man approaching down the path to her temple.  She
looked up from her weeding and was about to welcome him when she
suddenly recognized him.  She tossed an uprooted weed into the
bucket and stood up.  "Kasukabe-sensei, what a surprise," she
said.

	"Good day, Hino-san," Kasukabe said, smiling warmly and bowing.
 "I hope you won't think me presumptuous, but I asked Riko a bit
about her friends and she told me all about the beautiful shrine
you work at.  I wanted to come pay my respects, and at least
thank you for coming to visit our humble church."

	"That's very nice of you, Kasukabe-sensei.  Would you like me
to show you around?"  Rei found herself warming to his friendly
manner.  His gratitude was genuine, not just an obligatory
courtesy call.

	"Oh don't trouble yourself, I can see you're busy.  I'l just
take a moment to go pray at the shrine."

	"Well, I'm actually pretty much done here.  If it's okay and
you don't mind waiting a moment, I can put this stuff away and
come join you."

	Kasukabe smiled, clearly pleased.  "Thank you, I'd like that
very much."

	Rei took a moment to lock her bucket and work gloves in the
tool shed and went to join Kasukabe again.  They walked over to
the front of the shrine.  Kasukabe pulled the thick rope that
hung before the shrine to rattle the bells overhead, and they
knelt side by side in silent prayer for several minutes.

	"This is my first visit to Hikawa Shrine," Kasukabe said as
they walked away from the shrine.  "It's rare to find a big,
beautiful shrine in an open space like this in the heart of the
city."

	"Thank you," Rei said, accepting the implied compliment.  "My
Grandfather runs the shrine.  I've lived here most of my life,
so it's very special to me."

	"That's obvious, from the way you've so lovingly maintain it."

	"Would you like to stay for some tea?" Rei asked, deciding she
wouldn't mind listening to more of these compliments.

	"Thank you, I'd love to."  As they walked leisurely towards the
shrine residence, Kasukabe looked around.  "Your friends must
like coming to visit you here."

	"Sure, we have a big house here so it's a nice place for having
friends over."

	"No doubt.  Being used to such beautiful surroundings, I was
just wondering why you and your friend seemed so enraptured by
my humble little place of worship."

	That took Rei by surprise.  "Well, as I said before, it's quite
a striking picture.  Particularly that mural."

	Kasukabe chuckled.  "Oh, I don't imagine you were awed by my
artistic talents."

	"You painted that yourself?" Rei asked, genuinely surprised.

	"Yes, I rendered my vision as best I could.  I'm obviously no
professional, so I'm used to people being underwhelmed by my
work the first time they see it.  You and Makoto-san, though...
it was almost like you had a vision of your own."  He stopped
and turned to look intently at Rei.  "When I found out about
your spiritual background, I was particularly eager to come and
ask you about what you saw."

	Oh great, now what? Rei asked herself.  "I'm not sure what I
saw, Kasukabe-sensei," Rei asked, delaying while she worked on a
noncommittal answer.  Could she just say it looked like a
picture from a Sailor V manga or something?

	Out of the corner of her eye she saw somebody approach.  She
glanced over and recognized them: a woman who had come here a
few days ago.  As then, she was leading her young daughter
firmly by the hand.  The woman was hesitant, but as soon as Rei
made eye contact she smiled shyly and came closer.  Kasukabe
also looked over, becoming aware of their approach.

	The woman bowed to Rei. "I'm very sorry to interrupt you..."
she said hesitantly.

	"Not at all, welcome back to our shrine, Ma'am" Rei said,
unable to recall the woman's name for the moment.

	"I just wanted to come and thank you for helping us find my
little girl's puppy."

	Now Rei remembered more clearly.  She had done a fire reading
for them.  Their dog had gotten away from them in a crowded
station and they were afraid it had wandered onto a subway
train.  Her reading had suggested the Shinjuku area.

	"He was being held by the pound in Shinjuku, just like you
said," the woman continued.  "We would never have even thought
of looking there if not for you."

	Rei looked down at the little girl, who shyly returned her
smile.  She held a little white puppy against her with one arm. 
It looked around with eyes that were... well, puppy eyes.

	Rei crouched down in front of the girl.  "Hello, Natsumi-chan,"
she said, remembering the girl's name now.  "Is your puppy safe
and sound now?"

	"Yes," the girl said, grinning ear to ear now.  "Thank you very
much."

	"You're welcome.  Take good care of him now, okay?"

	"Okay."

	"I won't take any more of your time, then," the girl's mother
said when Rei stood up again.  The woman bowed.  "Thank you,
we're very grateful."

	"I'm glad I could help.  Take care."  

	She and Kasukabe watched as the woman led her daughter towards
the shrine, no doubt to give thanks there as well.  "I see you
have a talent for finding things," Kasukabe commented.

	"I would describe it more as helping to point people in the
right direction," Rei said.  "I guess that's why I'm here."

	"Indeed.  Do you think you could find something for me too?"

	"You've lost something?" Rei asked.

	"I'd like to find out where my memories come from."

	Rei just stared at him, unable to guess what this cryptic
comment was supposed to mean.  "Well, perhaps we could discuss
it over tea."

	They entered the formal tea room, where Rei busied herself
preparing the herbal tea.  When she had served them both,
Kasukabe began his tale.  Over a year ago, he had been caught up
in a strange event at the OSA P jewellery store.  He and
everyone else in the store had collapsed.  When they awoke some
time later, they all told strange tales of a demonic hag, a man
in a black cape and a screaming angel.

	It was all Rei could do to hide her shock.  There could be no
doubt that he was describing Sailor Moon's very first encounter
with a denizen of the Dark Kingdom.

	"I was the only one who didn't have any strange tales to tell,"
Kasukabe continued.  "In fact, I couldn't tell the police much
of anything.  It was a while before I could even remember my own
name.  When my wife came to pick me up at the station, I barely
recognized her.  I had to ask directions to my office the next
day, and when I got there it was like I had never been there
before.  I had no idea what was going on.  It was like most of
my memories had been replaced by somebody else's.  I had all
sorts of visions of other people and places, but I had no idea
who or where they might be.  Only two things were very clear. 
One was a vision of the one I have come to call the Moon
Goddess, talking to me, telling me of the coming of the Great
Cloud you heard me speak of last week.  The other was the vision
of her palace.  You've seen my poor attempt to picture it.  I
would not even attempt a rendering of the Moon Goddess, I don't
think any artist on Earth could do her justice."

	He fixed Rei with that intense, pleading look again.  "So you
see, I have a whole set of memories but no idea where they came
from.  I accept the truth of the visions, but there is more than
what the Moon Goddess told me.  It is like I have also been
given the memories of other people in other places.  But who?
Where?"

	Rei decided she definitely needed to find out more about this. 
"Kasukabe-sensei, would you be free tomorrow evening?"

	"Yes, I can be," he replied, both surprised and eager.

	"If you can come by the temple again, I'd like to hear
everything that you can tell me about these memories.  Then
perhaps a fire reading will tell us something."



*****



	"Mommy, that cat just said something!" the little boy said,
frantically pointing at Luna.

	"Yes, of course it did, dear," his mother said in a bored
voice, dragging the boy towards the cash register by his other
hand.  "Come on, Mommy needs to do some more shopping."

	They departed, the boy squirming and protesting all the way. 
The five girls and the two cats in their usual corner booth at
the Crown Cafe all breathed a sigh of relief.  "That was close,"
Usagi said.  She glared at Luna.  "And you're the one who's
always telling *me* to watch what I say in front of other
people."

	"Well, really," Luna said, her nose upturned, trying to regain
some dignity.  "That little brat sneaked up on us like a thief. 
I didn't even see that he'd crawled into the next booth."

	"By tomorrow morning his whole class will know about the
incredible talking cat of Juban," Makoto teased.  "You'd bette
stay away from grade school students for a while, Luna, at least
until your fame fades a bit."

	Luna gave her the "Et tu, Brutus?" look.  "At any rate, we
should get back to the subject at hand," she said, carefully
folding her legs under her and curling her tail around, in the
feline version of the formal sitting position.  She looked at
Rei encouragingly.

	"Well, Kasukabe-sensei came by yesterday evening, as we had
arranged," Rei continued.  "There wasn't a whole lot more he
could tell me about these memories of his.  Everything revolved
around that palace on the moon.  There was one place inside it
that he did remember very vividly.  It was as if he had spent a
lot of time there, knew every inch of it.  It was a map room of
some sort.  One wall was covered by a chart of the solar system,
showing the planets in a particular arrangement.  That vision
was so vivid that Kasukabe was able to reproduce it on paper. 
He took it to a friend of his who is sort of an astronomy otaku.
 His friend was able to find a computer program to tell him
exactly when the planets will be in those relative positions. 
It turns out it will be a few months from now."

	"So that's how he made his prediction about this gas cloud,"
Artemis surmised.

	Rei nodded.  "That, and a vision of his Moon Goddess pointing
at the chart and telling him where the gas cloud would be
approaching from.  The constellation Aquarius."

	"So you did a fire reading for him?" Minako asked.

	"Yes.  I can just tell you the same thing I told him.  He's not
under a spell and he's not possessed, the memories are genuine. 
They must be from a previous life.  I got no indications other
than that, which suggests this life was lived a very long time
ago and in a place very far away.  I think we can guess where."

	"But why would he suddenly remember all this?" Ami asked.  "Why
would it be triggered by falling under the control of a youma?"

	"It probably had more to do with Sailor Moon's attack," Luna
suggested.  "I never knew she had that particular power, and
since then I've warned her not to use it on possessed humans. 
We have no idea what the effects of that scream of hers might
be."

	"Gee, do you think that's what it was?" Usagi asked.  Everyone
could see that she was upset now.

	"That's our best guess," Luna said, looking up at her.  "Usagi,
is something wrong?"

	"Sure something's wrong!" Usagi shot back.  "What I did to him
screwed up his life!  You heard what he told Rei.  He lost most
of his memories and didn't know what to do.  His wilfe left him,
he lost his job, and now he thinks it's all some kind of message
from God."

	"Usagi, you know you can't blame yourself for this," Makoto
said soothingly.  "It was your first fight as Sailor Moon, for
heaven's sake, you were just acting on instinct."

	Usagi looked down at her clasped hands, still miserable.  "I
know.  But I still feel awful.  That poor man, he doesn't even
understand what happened to him."  Her face was suddenly lit up
as if by some bright idea.  She looked up again.  "I know, why
don't we just go tell him the truth?"

	"How do you mean?" Rei asked.  "What exactly do you want to
tell him?"

	"You know, about Queen Serenity, who she was, what she did. 
Everything."

	"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Rei said, shaking her
head. "He already suspects I'm not telling him everything I
know.  If I were to do that, it wouldn't take him long to make a
connection between me and the Sailor Senshi."

	"Not necessarily," Minako said, taking the straw out of her
mouth and dropping it in the remains of her milkshake.  "You
wouldn't have to mention anything about Sailor Senshi.  On the
other hand, one of us could approach him in our Sailor Senshi
form...  maybe one of us he's never met, just to be on the safe
side.  One way or the other, I agree with Usagi, I think we
should tell him something."

	"But even our own memories are sketchy," Artemis reminded her. 
"He already knows most of what we do about the Silver
Millennium, in fact in some ways it sounds like his memories are
more complete than ours.  I certainly can't remember that chart
room he describes, much less draw a picture of it.  What can we
tell him that he doesn't already know?"

	"I think it would help him just to know there are others like
him," Makoto said.  "I know if I suddenly had that vision of the
end of the Silver Millennium and I didn't have you guys to share
it with, didn't have anybody to explain it, I'd feel pretty
lost."

	"I guess we do owe him that much," Luna said.  "But Rei is
right, we have to be very careful about what we tell him and how
we do it."

	"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ami asked.  She looked
around to see that she had everyone's attention.  "If his
memories are that accurate, then there might be something to
this approaching gas cloud.  It may be a threat, like he says."

	Rei had been wondering when Ami would bring this up.  She was
surprised it had taken this long.  "I guess I had been assuming
he was wrong," Rei said carefully.  "After all, there are other
parts of his memories he's misinterpreted, calling Serenity a 
goddess for instance."

	"And that astronomer didn't sound too confident," Makoto said. 
"Rei says he sounded sincere and I guess I can't disagree, but
he could just be a quack.  I wish you'd been there Ami, you'd
probably be able to tell whether he even knows what he's talking
about."

	"Has he reported his observations to his superiors at the
observatory?" Ami asked.

	"Yes, I remember Kasukabe-sensei saying he had," Rei replied. 
"But that was just a few days ago, I don't know if they've had
time to check over his pictures or whatever it is they do."

	"Maybe I'll go ask Professor Kakeru whether he's heard anything
about this," Ami said half to herself.

	"Professor Kakeru?" Usagi asked.  "Ami, are you telling me you
know him?"  They all knew Professor Kakeru by name.  He was the
astronomer who had discovered the comet on which the creature he
had come to call Princess Kaguya had arrived on earth.  The evil
witch had nearly killed him when she came to collect a piece of
the comet he had retrieved.  The Sailor Senshi had intervened,
but only Luna had really become... acquainted with him.

	"We've only spoken a few times, but yes we know each other,"
Ami explained.  "I met him at a public lecture he gave, I
managed to strike up a conversation with him afterwards.  The
way Luna had described him to us, he sounded like a very
interesting person, I wanted to... Oh!" She suddenly rememberd
she was talking about the man who had been the object of Luna's
unrequited love.  "Luna, I'm sorry, I..."

	"That's okay Ami-chan," Luna said gently.  "That's ancient
history, and in fact I'm glad one of us has kept in touch with
him.  I know you never mentioned it for my sake, but really I
don't mind at all."

	"That's right," Usagi said slyly, "Luna is all caught up in a
torrid romance, so she's got no time to pine over lost loves."

	"Whatever are you talking about," Luna said with an
unconvincing effort to sound bored.

	"I'm talking about mom telling me yesterday you didn't walk
back into the house until Five - A - M," Usagi said, poking Luna
to emphasize each of the last three syllables, looking very
pleased with herself.

	"What?" Minako exclaimed, suddenly sitting bolt upright. 
"Artemis, you didn't get in until six that morning!"  She
started to roughly tousle the fur on his head.  "You devil, no
wonder you looked like you had swallowed the proverbial
goldfish!"  This prompted a series of hoots and whistles from
all around the table, as two cats fended off more abuse from
their respective human keepers with vain attempts to scratch
them.

	"Meeting adjourned," Rei muttered under her breath.



*****



	"Well, I'm certainly glad you've been here before," Ami said as
they walked, their umbrellas open against the light rain.  "I
would probably have gotten lost by now."

	"I thought your computer could access those global positioning
things," Rei said.

	"That doesn't help if all you've got is a street address," Ami
replied.

	Rei looked at her.  "Ami, you still seem a bit nervous.  Are
you really okay about this?"

	"Yes, I'm fine."  She had been to see Professor Kakeru already.
 He had heard of the gas cloud Nomura had discovered. 
Apparently there was a lot more effort being directed towards
collecting more data on it now.  A lot of astronomers were
already quite excited about it, but the initial observations
from several different sites were unusual enough that nobody was
willing to draw any conclusions about it yet.  Nobody, that is,
except Nomura himself.  He had very firm conclusions about the
size, speed and nature of the cloud.  Nobody was saying he was
necessarily wrong, but everyone including Kakeru seemed to agree
that his conclusions were premature.  No reputable journal would
publish them as they were.

	Ami also understood what Kakeru implied but did not say: if
Nomura were to publish himself under these circumstances, it
would ruin his credibility.  Therefore, if Ami wanted to find
out more about his theory, she would have to talk to Nomura
herself.

	"Don't worry, he struck me as a pleasant enough guy," Rei
assured her.  "Just be your charming self and tell him you're an
astronomy otaku, which isn't far from the truth.  I'm sure he'll
open up for you."

	"Rei, you make it sound like I'm here to interrogate him or
seduce him."  Ami tried to sound annoyed, but her amused smile
made its way into her tone.

	Rei chuckled.  "Sorry.  This is sort of cloak and dagger, I was
just afraid you might be uncomfortable about it."

	Ami was silent for a moment before she replied.  "Actually, I'm
a bit more nervous about just going to the church."

	"I wouldn't worry about it.  Like I told you, there's nothing
wierd going on, you won't have to dance or chant or anything. 
As church services go, it's pretty conventional."

	"I wouldn't know what that means," Ami said.  "About the only
religious service I've ever attended was at your shrine."

	Rei had never heard this, she found it surprising.  "Didn't
your mom ever take you to visit a temple on New Year's?"

	"No, she never did.  I'm afraid my mother is a very
in-your-face atheist.  She even arranged to have me excused from
the excursions to temples that my classes went on, I'd end up
touring museums or something instead."

	Rei didn't know much about Ami's mother, except that she was
divorced and she was a well respected doctor.  Rei had met her
once or twice, she was very beautiful and had struck Rei as
being very kind and considerate.  For whatever reason she must
have thought this was best for Ami.  Oh well, each to their own.
 "You know, that explains why you seemed so fascinated with the
shrine when we first met.  You acted as if you'd never seen a
Shinto shrine before."

	"Well of course I'd seen one, but I'd never been on the grounds
before."

	"I've seen you wear a crucifix on occasion, I had thought that
maybe your family was Christian."

	Ami didn't answer right away.  Rei was thinking that she ought
to change the subject, but Ami's reply came before she could
speak.  "Since I became Sailor Mercury, I've seen a lot of
things that made me question my assumptions about the way the
world works.  Then on top of that we saw ourselves in a previous
life, saw proof that we had been reincarnated.  Then we... um..."

	"I know," Rei said gently.  *Then we died* was what Ami
couldn't bring herself to say.  Rei cursed herself for
questioning Ami like this, should have known where it would
lead.  She wanted to go put her arm around her friend, but the
umbrellas would probably get in the way.

	Ami turned to her and gave her a little smile, trying to show
that it was okay.  "I've had to open my mind to all sorts of new
possibilities over the past year.  I've just decided that I
should start giving some thought to the care and feeding of my
soul."

	"I think your soul is in fine shape, Ami-chan," Rei said,
meaning it.

	Ami beamed.  "I'll take that as an expert opinion."  They
continued in comfortable silence for a while.  Suddenly Rei
tried to stifle a laugh.

	"What's so funny?" Ami asked cheerfully.

	"I was just wondering what your mother would think if she knew
that you're an avatar of Mercury."

	And with that, they arrived at the Church of the Silver
Millennium.  When they got upstairs they found Kasukabe standing
at the inner doors, just as he had been the last time.  He
looked at Rei and smiled as they approached.  "Welcome, Rei-san.
 I see you've brought a friend."

	"Yes.  Kasukabe-sensei, this is Mizuno Ami."

	"Welcom, Mizuno-san," Kasukabe said, bowing.  He looked at Rei
again.  "I'd like to thank you again for the reading you did for
me, it was very instructuve."

	"You're welcome, I'm glad I could help."

	"Please go right in."  The two girls entered.  Rei had warned
Ami about what the interior looked like, but even so Ami was
barely able to hide her astonishment.  The place was a lot more
full than the first time Rei had been here, the hubbub a couple
of notches louder.  Rei wondered if Professor Nomura's
revelations were having an impact.

	"Looks like we'll have to sit apart," Ami commented, looking
out over the room, seeing only single vacant seats.  She could
see Riko, but there were no empty seats beside her.

	"Yeah.  Well, Makoto heard from Riko that Nomura is definitely
speaking today, so you won't need me to point him out."

	"Okay.  See you in a while."

	They both went to sit down.  A few minutes later, the service
started.  Kasukabe started off much as he had last time.  But no
doubt because there were so many new people here today, he gave
a more complete introduction, explaining the vision he had and
what he believed it meant.  But that didn't take too long, and
soon he was introducing Professor Nomura.  The astronomer was a
bit less nervous and lot better prepared this time.  He repeated
more or less what Rei had heard the last time, but was a lot
less tecnhical and long-winded about it.  About the only new
news was that he had seen results from a radio telescope that
seemed to confirm what he had suspected: the cloud is slowing
down at the rate he had predicted.  It would come to a dead halt
between the sun and the earth, staying there for he knew not how
long.  He emphasized how the prophecy of the Moon Goddess could
not be a coincidence.

	"She must have sent this vision for a reason," he concluded. 
"I see it as a vision of hope, telling us to have faith that she
will protect us from what is to come."

	Kasukabe thanked the professor and took the pulpit himself. 
"My friends, today I would like to share a new vision with you,
a revelation which came to me quite recently.  I have spoken at
length about the clear vision that the Moon Goddess sent me over
a year ago.  But I have spoken little of the other memories that
accompanied that vision.  These other memories I speak of were
vague and nebulous, and they remain so.  However, I believe I
understand their meaning more fully now.  The vision I had was
simply this: these memories are from a previous life in which I
had the honor of serving the Moon Goddess.  In her infinite
wisdom and compassion, she allowed me to be reborn in this time
and place so that I can once again serve her.

	"I have yet to consider the full implications of this
revelation.  I have faith that the Moon Goddess will reveal that
in time.  For now, I simply want to acknowledge the contribution
of a remarkable young lady with great vision and spiritual
strength.  It was her reading of the sacred flame in her shrine
which allowed me to more fully understand my memories from the
past.  Hino Rei, would you stand please?"

	Rei had been wondering if there was some way she could sneak
out.  This was the last thing she wanted.  But she was caught. 
Hesitantly, she rose to half-crouch, did a perfunctory bow,
managing to smile, and sat down again.  She was getting stares
from a lot of people now.  No, she didn't like this one bit.

	The service continued.  When Kasukabe was done, the hubbub of
the crowd that arose seemed a lot louder and more animated than
the last time.  As Rei had feared, she found herself the center
of attention.  At least of Kasukabe's most devoted followers. 
Everyone wanted to introduce themselves.  Rei was getting a
stream of promises to come visit her shrine.  And a stream of
questions.  "Yes, I do fire readings.  No, I don't tell the
future, I just help find things for people.  Yes, certainly I
believe in reincarnation.  Well, I don't know much about the
Moon Goddess yet, so I couldn't say much about that.  No, I
don't know much about astronomy at all, and I nearly flunked
math.  Well, have you looked for them in your other pocket...
yes, I do that all the time too.  What?  Um, well, I already
sort of have a boyfriend so..."

	Rei managed to spare a glance through the crowd gathered around
her, over to where she thought she had seen Ami.  Sure enough,
Nomura was there with her, excitedly talking with his hands as
much as with his mouth.  Ami had the enraptured otaku look down
pat, Rei could almost hear the obligatory stream of "uh-huh...
uh-huh... " as she hung on his every word.  They looked like
they could be there for a while.

	*Ami, whatever you get out of him had better be worth this,*
Rei thought, holding on to her best smile for dear life.



*****



	Rei walked into the restaurant and had a look around.  *Is he
nuts?  No way can he afford this!*  She smiled sweetly to the
hostess.  "I'm Hino Rei, the reservation is under Kasukabe."

	The hostess checked her book then looked back at her with a
smile.  "Right this way, Hino-san," she said, leading Rei into
the restaurant.  Rei was wearing one of the white dresses that
her father always sent her on her birthday.  This one was from
last year, so it still fit.  They always made her look older
than she was, which was probably why the hostess didn't even
raise an eyebrow.  They sure couldn't be getting a lot of high
school students in this place.

	Kasukabe stood and smiled as she approached.  "Good Evening,
Rei-san, thank you for coming."

	"Thank you for inviting me," Rei said as he held the chair for
her.  "Kasukabe-sensei, this really is too much.  I wish you
hadn't done this."

	"Not at all, not at all," Kasukabe insisted as he went back to
his own seat.  "It's the least I could do to thank you for your
help."  He grinned.  "And to apologize for any embarassment I
caused you."

	"Well, I do wish you had given me some warning," Rei said.  She
still hadn't indicated just how annoyed she was by what he had
done.

	"Oh, I know how modest you are.  You probably wouldn't have
come if you'd known I was going to show off the fire oracle who
explained the meaning of it all to me."

	"Anyway, you grossly overstated my role.  After all, you had
already suspected your memories were from a previous life, I
just confirmed that."

	"It was of great value to me, finding somebody who shares my
vision."

	"You are the one who has the vision, Kasukabe-sensei."

	"I don't think I'm the only one," Kasukabe said, giving her
that intent look again.

	Further conversation was interrupted by the waiter arriving to
tell them what was on the menu tonight.  They were both somewhat
out of their element, so they just went along with his
suggestions.  When he left, Rei eyed Kasukabe suspiciously. 
"You've never been here before either, have you?"

	He smiled sheepishly.  "Nope.  Just read about the place.  I
have very little idea what we just ordered, it will be just as
much a surprise to me as you."

	"I'm sure it will be wonderful," Rei said.  It better be, the
waiter hadn't even said  how much it would cost.  I guess if you
have to ask you can't afford it, she thought.

	He was eying her again.  "You know, you never did tell me about
the vision you saw when you first arrived at our church."

	Rei sighed.  She'd been expecting this.  But this time she was
prepared.  "I've been meaning to talk to you about that, sensei.
 I'm sorry, but I had to be sure that your memories were genuine
first."

	"And you believe they are?"

	"Yes, I do."

	"How can you be so sure?"

	"Because they are very much the same as my own."

	Kasukabe regarded her for a moment, then smiled.  "I was right.
 You did recognize the palace of the Moon Goddess."

	"Yes, I did.  But in my own memory, I know it as the palace of
Queen Serenity."

	"Serenity..." Kasukabe breathed the name like a prayer.  He was
lost in thought for a moment.  "I have thought of that name
before, but I never made the connection.  Serenity.  How utterly
perfect for her.  Do you remember anything else?"

	"Not much.  I know that she ruled a kingdom called the Silver
Millennium that existed on the moon a very long time ago.  And
that I served her there in a previous life, as you did.  I did
see a vision of the kingdom's destruction.  I saw Queen Serenity
take the souls of all her slain subjects, and carry them to the
Earth where they could be reborn."  Rei had agreed with the
others that she would tell him this much, but she had been
adamant about saying nothing about Queen Serenity's death.  She
didn't think he was ready to hear that yet.

	"Remarkable," Kasukabe breathed, hanging on her every word. 
"Then there may be others like us.  Your friend Makoto, for
instance.  She saw the same vision, didn't she?"

	"Sensei, Makoto is my friend, but she also comes to me for
spiritual guidance.  It would be inappropriate for me to talk
about anything she has confided in me."

	"Yes, of course," Kasukabe said apologetically.

	"I can tell you that there are others with memories of the
Silver Millennium.  We are not alone."

	"Yes, I had always thought that there must be more who knew of
the Silver Millennium," Kasukabe said eagerly.  "I had hoped
that others would come forward once I started spreading the word
of the Moon Goddess.  Now that has finally happened!  Rei-san, I
believe our time is short, which is why I was so adamant about
meeting tonight.  I would like to enlist your help.  I now
believe that the true purpose of my vision is to show me that we
must work to bring the servants of the Moon Goddess together
once again."

	Rei frowned.  "Bring them together?  For what purpose?"

	"Why, to prepare for her return, of course.  What other meaning
could the vision have?"

	"Kasukabe-sensei, I'm not sure the visions have any meaning at
all, other than to tell us where we were in a previous life. 
I've always just accepted them as nothing but that."

	"But we have proof now.  The Great Cloud is coming just as she
told me it would."

	Rei was wondering if there was some way she could get him off
this doom prophecy track.  It obviously wasn't going to be easy.
 "I don't know much about astronomy..."

	"Ah, but your friend Ami certainly does," Kasukabe interrupted.
 "She is taking quite an interest in Nomura's Cloud."  That had
now become the object's official name.  "Is that why you brought
your bright friend along with you, to see whether Nomura's ideas
are sound?"

	Rei glared at him.  She felt like she had been meneuvered into
a corner.  "Sensei, I don't think there is anything more I can
do to help you," she said, trying to regain her calm.

	"But I think there is much you can do," Kasukabe said.  "You
are a well respected spiritualist at a prestigious shrine.  If
you add your voice to that of the other servants of the Moon
Goddess, I think it would help spread the word to others like
us, help them understand what their memories really mean."

	Rei couldn't believe this.  She took a deep breath.  "As I
said, I'm not yet sure that the visions mean anything at all."

	"What will it take to make you believe, then?" Kasukabe asked,
becoming more insistent.  "If your friend comes to tell you that
Nomura's words are true, will you believe then?"

	Rei was just about running out of patience.  "Yes, I will
believe.  I will believe that some... gas clould, or whatever it
is, will pass by us, and that Queen Serenity correctly predicted
it.  If it poses a threat, I guess we'll have to deal with that.
 But I have seen nothing to make me believe that Queen Serenity
will be returning to save you or me or anybody else."

	Kasukabe glared at her.  "Then you believe the Goddess has sent
me her warning for no purpose?"

	"No, I don't believe that.  Every vision has a purpose."

	"Then how can you believe that she will forsake us?"

	*Because she's dead!* Rei wanted to shout.  She continued in
the utterly calm voice with the little whiff of danger in it
that always seemed to get people's attention.  "Kasukabe-sensei,
I want to make something clear.  Until I see proof, either in a
clear vision of my own or from something that my friend tells me
is irrefutable, I will not help spread your prophecy of doom.  I
respect your belief, but I do not share it."

	They stared at each other in silence.  Rei could see that
Kasukabe was having just as much difficulty controlling his own
anger.  "I see," he said at length.  "Very well.  I will not
bother you again until I have news that will meet your
satisfaction."  His voice was thick with bitterness.

	They were still sitting in silence when the waiter brought
their first course.  Makoto had introduced Rei to some pretty
exotic stuff over the past few months, but Rei had no idea what
this might be or how to attack it.  Yes, this was going to be a
simply  *delightful* dinner.

*****



	Ami walked up to the big double doors at the front of the
house, rang the bell and waited.  Half a minute later, the door
opened.  Hotaru stood there, her pretty face already glowing
with a welcoming smile.  Evidently she had already identified
Ami through the door's peephole, or more likely through the
closed circuit camera system Ami knew they had here.

	"Hi Ami-chan!" she said brightly.  "Setsuna said you'd be
coming over tonight.  Come on in!"

	"Thank you, Hotaru-chan," Ami said, walking in.  Hotaru gave
her a little hug.  She came up to Ami's chest now.  "I could
swear you've grown some more since I last saw you," Ami said
after giving her a good squeeze.

	Hotaru wrinkled her nose.  "Silly! That was just a couple of
weeks ago," she said.  They had all gathered to give Chibi-usa a
big send off before her return to the thirtieth century.  It had
been an emotional, bittersweet day for all of them.

	"Well, you've been known to grow plenty in less time than
that," Ami teased.  She shuffled out of her shoes and Hotaru
laid out some slippers for her.

	"Setsuna says I won't be doing that any more," Hotaru said. 
She took Ami's arm and led her down the hall.  "I'll just be
growing normally from now on."

	Ami knew this already, of course.  "I'll bet you're relieved to
know that."  Hotaru now looked pretty much as she did when they
had all first met her, before her rebirth.  But she was no
longer pale as death, Ami noted, and was much more energetic. 
And she looked a lot better now that she had stopped wearing
tight fitting black all the time.

	They walked into the enormous living room just in time to see
Setsuna set a tray with tea and dainties onto the coffee table. 
She greeted Ami with a warm smile.  "Hello Ami-chan.  It's good
to see you again."

	"It's good to see you too, Setsuna-san," Ami said.  It was odd
seeing Setsuna dressed casually.  It seemed that every time Ami
saw her she was either dressed to kill or in her Sailor Pluto
outfit.  But she still looked beautiful.  Her long, dark hair
fanned out behind her like a cape as she walked over to Ami. 
She could still swear she saw hints of green when the light hit
it right.  I wonder if my hair would look as nice if I let it
grow long, Ami thought.

	Setsuna took Ami's hand and squeezed it gently.  "I was really
pleased to get your call.  You and the others should come over
and visit more often, you know you're always welcome."

	"It's too bad Haruka and Michiru aren't here," Hotaru said. 
Ami noted that it wasn't "Haruka-papa" and "Michiru-mama"
anymore, Hotaru had outgrown that rather quickly.

	"Setsuna told me about Michiru's concert tonight," Ami said as
they went to sit down.  "It sounds like she's got a very busy
schedule."

	"Yes, Haruka seems to spend half her time chauffeuring Michiru
from one concert hall to another," Setsuna commented.  "It's a
good thing she's so fond of driving that car of theirs."

	"I wish I could go with them more often," Hotaru said as she
poured out the tea.  "I love to hear Michiru play."

	"Well, you're busy with school these days, aren't you?" Ami
said.  Setsuna had told her that they had enrolled Hotaru in a
nearby private school recently.  Now that she was growing
normally again, she didn't need to be cloistered here anymore. 
It was possible for her to get to know other people now.  And it
was easy to see how pleased Hotaru was about that.  She talked
excitedly about the new friends she was making.  And she was
doing exceptionally well in her studies.  In fact, she had to be
careful not to do too well and raise suspicions.  Latent
memories from before her rebirth were allowing her to learn at a
phenomenal rate.

	After a gentle reminder from Setsuna, Hotaru excused herself so
that she could go continue with her homework.  "She seems a lot
happier now," Ami commented after she had left.

	Setsuna nodded.  "It's been hard for her, being cooped up in
here.  But now she can finally take her life back again, or at
least some of it.  It's very important for us, you know, to have
a life connected to the world around us, the people we're sworn
to protect."

	"Yes."

	Setsuna leaned back, draping her arms across the top of the
couch.  "You've been distracted since you got here, Ami.  I get
the impression there's something else you'd like to talk about."

	Ami nodded.  As the Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto had lived
longer than all the other Sailor Senshi put together.  Not much
got past her.  "I'm sorry Setsuna, but this isn't just a social
call."

	"I knew that even before you got here."  Setsuna smiled at
Ami's reaction.  "No, I didn't look into the future.  It's
obvious you have something on your mind."

	Without further preamble, Ami described their encounter with
the Church of the Silver Millennium.  She was very thorough, so
it took a while.  Setsuna listened without comment, just
refilling their teacups now and then.  Ami even told Setsuna
about Rei's most recent and most unpleasant encounter with
Kasukabe, which Ami had just heard about yesterday.

	"It's this gas cloud that has you worried," Setsuna said when
Ami was done.  Her tone indicated some suspicion of Ami's
intentions.

	Ami had expected that reaction.  "Setsuna-san, I want to make
one thing clear.  I'm not here to ask you to look into the
future.  You've warned us about the dangers of doing that and I
accept that.  What I am asking for is your memory of the past. 
Kasukabe claims that Queen Serenity predicted the coming of this
gas cloud.  Do you remember anything at all about that?"

	Setsuna closed her eyes.  She was utterly still, her expression
blank.  Ami just waited.  After a minute or so, she opened her
eyes again.  Then she suddenly smiled.  "He's got it wrong.  She
didn't predict the coming of this cloud.  He did."

	"You *do* remember something!" Ami said, making no attempt to
hide her astonishment.  She had hoped, but she had been thinking
of this as a long shot at best.

	"I knew him in his previous life in the Silver Millennium.  I
don't recall his name, but then again I recall so few names from
that time.  We were probably good friends.  I do remember that
room of his, with all the maps and that great chart with the
planets circling around the sun.  It wasn't just a chart, you
know, it somehow had a link to all the planets.  He could
manipulate it and see all sorts of extraordinary things with
it." Setsuna had a slightly wistful look.  "He was very, very
proud of it.  He used it to predict the coming of this cloud,
among other things."

	"Did he think it was a threat?" Ami asked.

	Setsuna shook her head.  "I just remember him being utterly
fascinated with it.  It was so far away back then, it was
extraordinary that he even knew of its existence.  I doubt he
could have really known much about it.  The rest of us just
found it all very curious.  I'm sorry Ami, I wish there were
more I could tell you."

	"You've told me a lot more than I dared hope for," Ami said. 
"At least we know this man's vision wasn't really a warning from
Queen Serenity."

	"But you still think this cloud might be a threat," Setsuna
said in a leading fashion.

	"I'm still working on that.  All sorts of observatories are
looking at the cloud now, and Professor Nomura has shown me
where I can download all the latest data from.  Everyone is
saying how odd the data is, even Nomura is starting to question
his conclusions.  I want to see if I can get my computer to make
more sense out of it.  In fact, a new set of observations was
supposed to be posted tonight.  I know I'm being rude, but I
really should go home and get a start on processing it."

	"Of course, I understand," Setsuna said, standing up.  "Please
let me drive you home, I know what a long train ride it is."

	Ami made the obligatory objections, but was happy to accept the
favor.  Sure enough, when she got home she found the new
observations ready to download.  She was up most the night
trying to make sense of it.



*****



	Rei waited anxiously as Ami examined the notebook she had just
handed her.  Ami had her best poker face on, Rei could read
nothing in her expression.

	Finally, Ami passed the notebook back and smiled.  "Every
answer is correct, very well done."

	Rei breathed a sigh of relief.  "Thank goodness.  I was afraid
I might be doing it all wrong.  Calculus really makes my brain
hurt."

	"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine."  Rei had been worried
about an upcoming test, so Ami had offered to come over and
check the practice exercises she was doing.

	"Thanks, Ami.  Hey, I got some more Highlander episodes from my
penpal, did you want to watch one?"  Rei was feeling good about
not having needed much of Ami's help after all, she felt like
relaxing.

	"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with a problem
I'm having."

	"Sure.  What sort of problem?"

	"I've been trying to get my computer to make sense of the data
on that gas cloud, but I keep coming up blank.  There are too
many unknown variables.  The computer just can't build a model
of the cloud with what I've got."

	"How do you think I can help?"

	"Do you think you could do a fire reading?"

	Rei thought for a moment about what Ami was asking.  "What
exactly would I be looking for?"

	"It would help if I could get a picture of the cloud, get at
least a rough sense of its shape, what it looks like."

	Rei shook her head.  "I don't know, Ami.  It's just not on a
human scale at all, being so big and far away.  There's nothing
for me to latch on to."

	"Even a rough idea would be okay.  Just one word describing it
might be enough for me to narrow down on a model that fits the
data."

	Rei didn't think she'd be able to do anything, but she could
see that Ami really wanted to try this.  "Okay.  Just give me a
second and I'll go change," she said, standing up.

	"Do you have a spare outfit for me?"

	Rei looked down at her.  "You want to change too?"

	Ami smiled shyly.  "I don't know anything about doing fire
reading.  But I'd like to back you up as best I can.  With a
symbolic act, if nothing else.  Symbolism is a big part of what
you do, after all."

	Rei nodded.  "Yes, it is," she said, her surprise showing in
her tone.  It was such a simple insight, but she hadn't expected
to hear it from Ami.  Symbolism was usually lost on her.  But it
was a pleasant surprise, and she smiled.  "Okay, maybe with your
help I really can find what you're looking for."

	They went to change into the red and white shrine maiden robes.
 Then Rei got Ami to help her prepare the fire.  Rei watched Ami
as they worked.  Ami had helped her with temple chores before,
but had always treated them as just that: chores, or at best
experiences to share with her friends.  But Rei could only
describe the manner in which Ami went about preparing the fire
pit as reverent.  Care and feeding of the soul, indeed.

	Soon, Rei took her place before the fire, with Ami seated
behind and to one side of her.  With practiced ease, Rei began
the chant that would help her project her will into the fire,
make it part of her.  Soon the fire began to move to her will. 
When the time was right, Rei began to cast her thoughts out to
the heavens, reaching deep into the vastness of space, tried to
imagine a stretch of emptiness a million million times bigger
than she was.  She tried to imagine a cloud, cold and dark, that
could swallow her world a million times over, bearing down on
them at a hellish speed...

	The flame flickered, and suddenly she was looking at the cloud.
 It was beautiful, utterly unlike the shapeless blob she had
been expecting.  Immensely intricate patterns of gas tendrils
wrapped around it, making its surface look at once orderly and
chaotic.  She tried to focus on any one part of it, but each
part just seemed like a smaller version of the whole, clouds
within clouds.  Rei soon gave up on trying to make sense of the
dizzying patterns on its surface, tried to plumb its depths, get
a feel for what was in there.

	She cried out at the shock she felt.  The vision disappeared,
and the flame resumed its normal form, happily snapping and
crackling among the split logs.  Rei slumped over to the side,
too stunned to even try and break her fall.

	Ami was at her side in an instant, frantically calling her
name.  She carefully gathered up Rei's limp form, gently
cradling her head, looking into her vacant eyes for some sign of
life.

	Ami was near panic by the time Rei stirred and met her gaze. 
Ami smiled, but there was still desperate fear in her eyes. 
"Rei, please say something," she pleaded.

	"I'm okay, Ami," Rei said wearily, speaking slowly.  "It just
took me by surprise.  It was so strong."

	Ami quickly calmed down.  "All I saw was the cloud," she said,
letting Rei's head rest in her lap.  "What else did you see?"

	"It wasn't what I saw, it was what I felt.  Life.  Incredible
life energy.  Ami, there's something alive in there."

	Ami nodded, suddenly looking introspective.  "So I was right,"
she breathed.

	Rei was taken aback by her comment.  Almost fully recovered
now, she sat up, turned to face Ami.  "What do you mean?"

	Ami looked at her with a haunted expression.  "Rei, I wasn't
completely honest with you.  I had already figured out what the
cloud was shaped like.  All those incredible patterns took me by
surprise... but that wasn't what I was looking for.  I just
wanted you to focus on that, so that I wouldn't be leading you
on.  I had to see if you would find it on your own."

	"You mean you knew there was life there?" Rei asked indignantly.

	Ami hardly reacted to the anger in Rei's voice, still haunted
by some unspoken dread.  "I'm sorry Rei, but I had to find out
for sure.  It was too much of a coincidence, I thought maybe I
was just assuming my conclusions somewhere along the way."

	"What coincidence?  What conclusion?"  Rei resisted the urge to
grab Ami and shake an answer out of her.

	"Nomura is right, something is making the cloud slow down just
the right amount.  It's not going to just pass through the solar
system, it's going to stop right here.  It's going to swallow up
the sun and blot it out."

	"My God..." Rei whispered.  She shuddered, suddenly feeling
nauseus.  Strangely, she wasn't really thinking about the end of
the world.  She was thinking of Ami sitting in her room, calmly
helping her with her calculus questions, all the time knowing
that the end of everything was coming.



*****



	They drove in convoy, Haruka driving Usagi, Minako and the two
cats in her convertible, Setsuna following in her big black
sedan with Rei up front and Ami in the back.  Michiru brought up
the rear with Hotaru and Makoto in her minivan.  Conversation
was pretty sparse in Setsuna's car.  Rei suspected it was no
different for the others.  She could see Usagi and Minako in the
car ahead, both sitting quietly in the back seat, their hair
whipping back like streamers.

	They had just left Rei's temple, where she had done a second
reading.  It had given them all a clear picture of the cloud. 
That would be necessary for what they planned to do next.

	"I was surprised that Usagi decided not to call Mamoru,"
Setsuna suddenly commented.

	"It makes sense," Rei said.  "He won't be able to help us,
where we're going.  She doesn't want to worry him for no reason."

	"I know it makes sense, but I was still surprised.  She used to
be so utterly dependent on him.  It wasn't long ago that she
couldn't even think of facing any crisis without Mamoru at her
side."

	"It must have been a hard choice for her," Ami said.  "She
misses him terribly.  But she must know how he would worry.  He
would probably fly back here from America if he knew what was
going on.  She's trying to prevent that, even though she must
want it desperately."

	He certainly would have something to worry about, Rei mused. 
When she and Ami had explained to everyone else what they had
found, Usagi had decided upon this course of action without
hesitation.  She had made it sound so simple, like a walk in the
park.  We teleport over there and find out what is really
controlling this cloud, what is making it zero in on our sun. 
Then we just deal with whatever we find, change its course or
something.  Piece of cake, really.

	Rei still couldn't figure out whether to be proud of her friend
or scream at her for her naive, child-like bravado.  Naturally
more than one of the Sailor Senshi had expressed concerns about
transporting over such a colossal distance.  "It has been done
before," had been Setsuna's only comment.  So they were all soon
in agreement.

	The iron gate at the front of the walled grounds slid open at a
touch of Haruka's remote control.  Similarly the doors to the
three-car garage slid up at their approach.  When they had all
piled out, Michiru invited everyone inside for some refreshments
before they disembarked.

	The big living room accomodated the nine of them comfortably. 
Rei had only been here a couple of times, would have preferred
to start out from a more familiar setting.  But her grandfather
was entertaining guests tonight, they would not have gotten
enough privacy on the temple grounds.  This was the next best
place.

	Soon they were ready to proceed.  They filed out through the
greenhouse into the big garden out back.  The grounds extended
far out to the sides and the back, and there were big trees all
around, roughly marking the extend of the wall that stretched
around them.  Rei didn't even want to think what it cost them to
maintain this place.  Certainly much more than it cost to
maintain her grandfather's temple.

	They formed a rough circle out on the lawn.  The girls were all
getting their transformation pens out.  Never one to wait on
others, Haruka raised hers over her head and cried out "Uranus
Power Make Up!"

	Rei immediately did likewise.  "Mars Crystal Power Make Up!" 
Instantly, her body was immersed in dazzling red flames.  For
just a heartbeat it always felt as if this time the flame would
turn on her, consume her as it had so often consumed their
enemies.  But the flame was hers.  It danced up and down its
mistress' body, nourishing her, transforming her into the
warrior of fire.  It coursed through her veins like liquid gold,
barely contained, awaiting the merest touch of her will to be
unleashed.  Sailor Mars *was* the fire.

	The inferno subsided as quickly as it had appeared, the rush of
power settling to a slow boil.  It took another heartbeat or two
for Rei to consciously relax the tension that set her limbs
quivering.  So often she had done this in the heat of battle,
just selecting a target and firing was an instinctive reaction
it took some effort to suppress.  She looked around her, to see
that everyone was now in their Sailor Senshi forms.  The
aftermath of their metamorphosis showed in their body language. 
Jupiter and Uranus in particular seemed to respond to it much as
Mars did, they were consciously standing down from their
released combat instincts.  Only Pluto seemed unaffected, she
calmly held her long Garnet Rod as if she had just been standing
there waiting for them.  Rei envied her effortless self-control.
 She wondered if centuries of being a Sailor Senshi would give
her that sort of composure.

	By contrast, Usagi looked to be a bundle of nerves.  Now that
they were ready, it was finally sinking in, the enormity of what
they were going to do.  She looked from one face to another,
perhaps hoping that somebody would try to talk her out of this. 
But Rei just smiled encouragingly at her.  In her Eternal Sailor
Moon form, all in white with the great feathery wings at her
back, she looked so... oh, go ahead and say it, angelic.  When
she was in this form, Rei found it so hard to fault her, even
for the indecisiveness that always made Rei bristle.

	Sailor Moon broke the silence.  "Before we go, I need everybody
to promise me something.  I need you all to promise that you
won't attack anything we find there unless you know it's to save
our lives."  She turned and looked expectantly at Venus, who was
immediately to her left.

	Venus was as much taken aback by this sudden entreaty as
everyone else was.  After a moment, she nodded.  "I promise,"
she said solemnly.

	Sailor Moon shifted her gaze to Uranus, who was next in line. 
Uranus returned the gaze with an expression that was not quite
cool enough to be disrespectful.  It was clear that she knew
what Rei was only now realizing:  Sailor Moon was setting the
ground rules for the Outer Senshi.  Once and for all, my way or
no way.

	After only a moment's delay, Uranus also nodded.  "I promise." 
The tension in the group went down a notch or two.  Sailor Moon
looked at each of them, and each in turn gave the same promise. 
Rei did likewise, but she felt that the meaning of the promise
was quite different than what Sailor Moon intended.  Usagi,
bless her heart, was worried that they might hurt an innocent. 
But Rei could not imagine them being able to harm these beings,
who could manipulate something that would easily swallow their
sun whole, move it to their will.  In her heart, Rei was
promising not to make an enemy where none existed.

	For Rei had touched what was in the cloud, felt their power. 
If they were already enemies, Rei knew what sort of chance the
Sailor Senshi would have against them.

	"Then let's go," Sailor Moon said, extending her hands to Venus
and Mercury.  Everybody joined hands, shuffling about a bit to
make a cleaner circle.

	"I'd love to know where you hide that rod, Pluto," Jupiter
quipped, noticing the sudden absence of her Garnet Rod.  They
all laughed a bit at the running joke, though some of it sounded
a bit forced.  Of course they knew where it was... sort of. 
Pluto had just slipped it into the same invisible space that
Sailor Saturn kept her Silence Glaive, Sailor Mercury kept her
computer, and Sailor Moon kept her sceptre, the space behind
each of them that they simply called a pocket.  Rei smiled a
bit, as she remembered a much more rude and crude name that
Makoto had thought up for it, one night when they had rented
Papillon from the local video shop.  Sailor Uranus' English was
probably good enough to understand the joke, though she might
not appreciate it...

	Sailor Moon closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly.  Rei
did likewise.  She knew they were depending mostly on her to
image their destination.  They had all seen it, had also seen
Ami's computer reconstructions of it.  But none of them could
know it with the same intimacy as Rei, whose fire readings had
all but put her out there with it in the vastness of space.  She
focused on the image of the cloud in her mind's eye.  The image
became sharper, until it was as if she were right there looking
at it.  She tried not to think too much about the scale of the
thing: it was too mind-boggling, it would simply throw her off. 
Just try to picture a spot dead center.  Right there.

	The image leapt out at her.  She knew to expect the vertigo,
the sudden feeling of dislocation, but this time the intensity
of it shocked her.  They had done it.  They were on their way to
meet Nomura's Cloud.

*****



	Sailor Mars panted as the adrenaline rush subsided.  *Falling.*
 Every nerve in her body was screaming at her, telling her she
was falling.  Ami had warned them to expect this.  She had
called it... microgravity, something like that.  The momentary
weightless feeling of the teleport was one thing, this was quite
another.  She could see why Ami had suggested they only have a
light snack before leaving.  Mars was having trouble keeping
even that down.  She did her best to suppress the reaction, to
tell her body that there was noplace to fall.  The way that
Jupiter and Saturn were squeezing her hands, they were fighting
the same reaction.

	She opened her eyes.  The darkness was almost complete.  She
could barely see her companions floating in a circle in front of
her.  There was a dim, shimmering white glow all around them. 
It was familiar, Mars felt its presence as much as she saw it,
could picture the transparent globe that surrounded them,
protected them.  The Sailor Senshi generated it spontaneously
whenever they teleported to a place unsuited to their
terrestrial bodies.

	Mars' eyes adjusted to the gloom quickly, but even then there
wasn't much to see.  It was like being surrounded by dark grey
stormclouds.  Only the whorls and ripples in the gas seemed to
be less chaotic, more orderly than any cloud Mars had seen,
either in the sky or in Ami's illustrated astronomy books. 
There was no visible movement, but Mars could swear that the gas
was *flowing* around her, moved by some force she could not
fathom.  Some of the gas was faintly glowing, which was what
allowed them to see anything at all.

	"Is everybody okay?" Sailor Moon asked, breaking the silence. 
Nods and affirmative answers all around.  Mars could see her
companions' faces more clearly now.  Everybody was tense.  There
were various degrees of fear in their faces, even Pluto showing
it a little.  Rei felt the same fear in the pit of her stomach. 
She felt like a dust mote, lost in the vastness of this cloud,
an unimaginable distance from home.

	"I'll see what I can detect," Mercury said.  She closed her
eyes, knitted her brow, and her translucent blue visor came over
her eyes.  Normally she would activate it with a gesture.  But
they had agreed they should hold the circle if at all possible,
since to break it risked losing the protective globe.  She had
to bring her visor forth by sheer force of will.  She opened her
eyes, and gasped.  Slowly, she looked all around, her face still
frozen in an open-mouthed expression of awe and wonder.  "I
wonder how I can describe it," she breathed.  After a while she
did start to speak, almost absently, as if reluctant to
interrupt her contemplation of the wonders around her with
clumsy words.  "It's like rivers within rivers, going to
infinity in all directions.  There are spots where the rivers
come together, flowing around spinning globes like... like a
hurricane, like the great spot of Jupiter."

	"Could there be... planets or something, inside those?" Venus
asked hesitantly.

	"No," Mercury said, still looking out at the cloud.  "There's
nothing solid.  Some of the gas is incredibly dense and hot,
considering where we are.  But even that would be a horribly
cold vacuum for us."

	"But we know there's something alive in here," Jupiter said. 
"It has to be somewhere."

	"I don't see any sign of it," Mercury said.  "The scale of this
is..." she just shook her head.  "The tiniest feature I can see
is miles across.  But I'm only seeing a tiny part of the cloud
from here.  It could be somewhere else."

	The knot in Rei's stomach tightened.  It was getting to her
again, realizing that the closest things she was seeing was
unimaginably far away.  And yet everything they could see was
just one little wisp in this vast cloud.

	"Maybe we'll have to teleport to different parts of the cloud,
look for whatever is controlling all this," Uranus suggested.

	"We would exhaust ourselves long before we had covered even a
tiny fraction of this place," Pluto said.

	"Mercury," Sailor Neptune said, "Can you see anything
suggesting these rivers of gas are heading to or from a
particular direction?"

	"No.  Rei got the impression the cloud looks more or less the
same throughout.  What I'm seeing seems to confirm that.  Any
direction I look is pretty much the same, just smaller patterns
within bigger ones."

	They seemed to be running out of options very quickly.  "Maybe
I can find them," Rei offered.  "I've already touched the life
that's here, maybe I can pinpoint it now that we're closer." 
*closer,* she reapeated to herself.  That sure is a relative
term.

	"What do we need to do?" Sailor Moon asked her.

	"I'll just need everybody to be quiet for a moment," Mars said.
 She closed her eyes, made her mind go blank, passive, receptive
to what was around her.  Soon she was in the state she needed to
be.  She felt the warm, familiar presence of her companions. 
She cast her mind out further, feeling only immense emptiness. 
It was distressing.  When she went into such a trance back home,
she could feel Mother Earth around her, bursting at the seams
with life.  She tried to cast her mind out further, seek out
that same feeling.  There was something.  A warm, steady glow
all around her.  Very far yet very near.  Very big yet hardly
there at all.  It was stirring, directing its will towards
something, it...

	It was watching her.

	Mars gasped and her whole body spasmed as she came out of her
trance.  It took just a moment to recover.

	"Mars, are you okay?" Sailor Moon asked.

	"Yes, I'm fine."

	"You looked like you saw something," Sailor Uranus said.

	"There's something here.  Something watching us.  I could feel
it."

	"But where?" Saturn asked.  She looked around nervously, as if
expecting to see some storm god peek out from behind one of the
dim grey thunderheads.

	"I don't know.  It seemed to come from everywhere at once."

	"Everywhere at once..." Mercury breathed.  Her eyes focused on
a set of lights that went flashing across her visor.  Everyone
watched her expectantly.  "I couldn't see the forest for the
trees.." she said softly.

	"What do you mean?" Uranus asked impatiently.

	"I couldn't see it for what it was... it was like looking at
background radiation.  The life energy is coming from
everywhere.  The cloud is alive."

	Everyone just stared at her in silence.  Some looked around
them as if seeing their surroundings for the first time.  Mars
heard Sailor Saturn next to her stifle a little whimper.  Mars
met the young girl's eyes, and they had a moment of mutual
understanding, knowing they both felt the same thing.  *In the
belly of the beast.*

	"Mars, do you really think..." Venus' voice broke.  She
swallowed, and continued, the tremor in her soft voice barely
under control.  "Do you think it's... aware of us?"

	"The feeling is unmistakable, I touched something that knew I'm
here."

	"But how could it even notice us?" Jupiter asked.  "I mean,
we're right inside it, and we're so *small*..."

	"We're small, but between us we have more mass and life energy
than everything within thousands of miles," Mercury answered. 
"We probably stand out like a beacon."

	"So what's it doing, trying to figure us out?" Uranus asked.

	"Maybe," Mercury said uncertainly.

	"So how long do we have to wait before it does something?"
Jupiter asked.

	"It could be a very, very long time," Pluto said.  "Something
this big can't do anything in a hurry."

	Rei felt despair begin to gnaw at her.  What could they
possibly accomplish here?  How do you talk to a gas cloud?

	Nobody said anything for a while.  Rei was starting to feel
cold.  The air around them was as warm as it had been when it
teleported along with them.  The globe projected by their
collective life energies was maintaining it just as it should. 
But it felt as if all her warmth were evaporating out into the
cloud.

	"Sailor Moon, are you okay?" Sailor Saturn suddenly asked.

	Mars looked over to see Sailor Moon staring into space with a
vacant expression, eyes half closed.  She started as she became
aware that everyone was staring.  "Um... yeah, I just feel a bit
tired."

	"Your broach is glowing," Venus said.  Mars looked closer. 
Sure enough, the golden heart-shaped broach at her breast was
glowing faintly.  That usually only happened when she was
drawing upon the power of the Ginzuishou.

	Sailor Moon looked down, as surprised as everyone.  "I... I
must have been drawing on its power... to keep us warm or
something.  I didn't even realize."

	"The protective bubble shouldn't take that much power," Pluto
said in alarm.  "Something else must be draining the energy,
forcing you to draw on the crystal."

	"I think it's happening to all of us," Neptune said.  "I wasn't
sure, but I'm really beginning to feel it now."

	"Me too," Mars concurred.  The cold was getting worse.

	"You're right," Mercury said.  "It's slow, but we're definitely
being drained.  I can detect it now.  It's coming from all over,
and it's getting worse."

	"We have to teleport back while we still have the strength,"
Venus said firmly.

	"But..." Sailor Moon's voice trailed off.  She wanted to
protest, but couldn't think of anything else for them to do.

	"Princess, we don't have any choice," Sailor Pluto said gently.
 "The longer we stay, the greater the danger."

	She nodded reluctantly.  "Okay.  Is everybody ready?"  Nods all
around.  "Then let's begin."

	Mars closed her eyes, tried to concentrate.  She wasn't getting
the comforting positive feedback from her companions that she
had felt when they started the process to teleport over here. 
They were all tired and frightened, unable to focus.  She
silently mouthed a comforting mantra to ease her troubled mind,
tried to be the anchor that everyone could gather around, as she
had been on the way here.  Sailor Moon was the only one who
could provide the power for this, but Mars would have to provide
the direction.

	It took a while, but eventually Mars was able to form the image
of where they needed to go.  It clarified, showing her that the
others were finally able to come to her support.  The process
then proceeded on its own accord.  Again there was the dizzying
feeling of dislocation.

	Then suddenly she *was* falling.  Her eyes flew open just in
time for her feet to hit the earth.  She went sprawling, heard
cries of alarm as everyone else did the same.  Sailor Saturn
fell heavily on top of her.

	The youg girl sat up and smiled sheepishly.  "Sorry."

	"That's okay," Mars said, also smiling.  It was another moment
of shared understanding.  The fall was a very small price to pay
for having solid ground under their feet again, to be back home.
 *Any landing you can walk away from...*



*****



	Haruka sighed and put her coffee mug back on the table.  "So
what you're telling us is that we haven't learned anything new,"
she said wearily.

	Ami, sitting on a cushion on the other side of the long table,
shook her head solemnly.  "No, I'm afraid we haven't.  The
cloud's reaction to us was exactly the same as the last two
times.  Teleporting just outside the cloud's perimeter made no
difference."

	They were all still weary from their third trip out to the
cloud, this time starting from Rei's temple.  The four Outer
Senshi and Minako were seated along one side of the table,
everyone else along the other.  This demarcation simply had to
do with preference of beverage, since the tea tray sat behind
Rei and the coffee maker sat behind Michiru.  The teleports, the
slow draining of life energy and the anxiety were all taking
their toll.

	"Rei, did you sense anything more this time?" Usagi asked.

	Rei shook her head.  "No, nothing.  Just the same.  Something
noticed we were there, then the energy drain begain.  No sense
of malevolence, curiosity, anything.  No specific thoughts or
feelings of any kind."

	"I'm beginning to think there's nothing there to find," Ami
said.  "I mean, no consciousness.  It may be reacting to us just
the same way it's reacting to the sun.  It's simply drawn by any
source of energy."

	"I can't believe that," Rei said firmly.  "Every time I reach
out to it, touch it, I feel something more, signs of a soul more
rich and deep than anything I've ever touched.  I *know* there's
something there."

	"But how do we get through to it?" Makoto asked in frustration.
 "We've got to make it understand what it's going to do to us!"

	"There may be no way to do that," Ami said.  "It's just so
different from us, there's no common ground."

	"Or perhaps it's just not interested in talking," Michiru
suggested.  They were all silent for a while.  They had gone
through all this before, everyone could see that they were just
running around in circles again.

	"I think we have to start planning for the worst," Setsuna said
softly.  She looked at Ami.  "Ami, If we can't do anything to
divert the cloud, what can we expect to happen?"

	As Ami began to speak, Rei considered going down the hall to
wake the two cats, who had fallen asleep before the Sailor
Senshi's return from their last trip out.  She decided against
it, so far most of what was being said was just review.  Rei
listened as her blue-haired friend calmly and carefully
described exactly how the end of the world would come about.  In
a few months, the cloud would come between the Earth and the
Sun, very quickly enveloping the sun completely.  The cold gas
cloud would slowly warm up as it absorbed energy.  Even if they
assumed it would absorb just enough energy to send it on its way
again, that would take several months at least.  By that time,
the Earth would have been frozen over, right down to the
equator.  The only things left living would be the tiny
creatures at the bottom of the sea who took their energy from
the Earth's heat, not the Sun's.  Everything else would have
long since perished.  A few centuries after the cloud's
departure, the ice would mostly melt and the climate would
return to normal.  But the Sun would be shining down on a world
strewn with dessicated corpses and maybe a few lucky
microorganisms.

	"Of course, that's being optimistic," Ami concluded.  "If the
cloud stays longer or does something we haven't anticipated, it
could be worse."

	*How the hell could it be worse?* Rei wanted to scream.  Of
course Ami hadn't meant it that way, but...

	"Maybe we can do something," Usagi said.  "Setsuna, we used to
live on the Moon and that's really cold, right?  They must have
done that somehow."

	"The sun shines on the moon just as it does the earth," Setsuna
reminded her.  "The people of the Silver Millennium had many
arcane powers, and they used them to temper the moon's hellish
days and frigid nights.  But they depended on the sun just as we
do."

	Usagi's face fell.  She had looked so eager, so hopeful.  Now
she looked like she was about to cry.  Rei wasn't sure she could
handle that right now... she'd be too tempted to join it.  But
then some new resolve played across Usagi's face.  "Everyone...
I really hate to say this, but maybe we have to think of some
way to destroy it."

	Rei stared at her, dumbfounded.  She had said it in the same
way one might suggest putting a rabid animal out of its misery:
a simple task that nobody wanted to do.

	Haruka snorted.  "If we had any hope at all of doing *that*, do
you think we'd be sitting here debating about it?"

	"Haruka," Michiru said sternly, fixing her partner with a
frosty stare.

	Haruka's expression softened.  She looked at Usagi
apologetically, but said nothing.

	"I'm sorry, but my power would be inadequate."

	They all stared at little Hotaru.  She had said that in dead
earnest.  A chill went down Rei's spine.  Hotaru had actually
been considering using her Silence Glaive.  The weapon that
could shatter the Earth.  The weapon whose use would kill her.

	Usagi gasped, horrified.  "Oh Hotaru-chan, I wasn't even
considering... No! You mustn't even think about doing that!"

	"It's a moot point," Setsuna said calmly.  "The combined power
of the Ginzuishou and the Silence Glaive woud hardly send a
ripple through the cloud."

	"Then we have to keep trying to contact it," Usagi said.  "Rei
says she touched a soul in the cloud.  There must be some way we
can talk to it.  If it's that powerful, it must be able to find
some way of getting the energy it needs here without freezing
the Earth."

	"I don't know what else there is to try," Michiru said,
gesturing meaningfully at her talisman resting on the table. 
She had spent much time gazing into that mirror, looking for
some sign of benevolence or malevolence or *anything* from the
cloud.  She had no more luck than Rei with her fire readings and
meditation.  Haruka had jokingly suggested sending blasts of
energy from the Ginzuishou in morse code.  That was about the
only thing they *hadn't* tried.  Rei had noticed Ami at the
shrine before and after each of her visits here.  She suspected
Ami was taking a stab at praying to Nomura's Cloud.  Not that
Rei hadn't tried that herself already...

	Rei heard footsteps coming down the hall.  They were too heavy
for her grandfather and Yuichirou knew better than to interrupt
when Rei had guests.  One of the wood and paper panels behind
the outer senshi slid open.  Rei just gaped in disbelief. 
Everyone turned to look.

	"Kasukabe-san," Ami said.  He looked like hell.  His suit was
rumpled and he was unshaven.  He was swaying like a drunk.  His
bleary eyes scanned the room, as if he were unsure where he was.
 His gaze was attracted by Ami's voice, but he quickly focused
on Rei.  "Rei-san, we need to talk," he said without preamble.

	Rei shot to her feet, utterly furious.  "Kasukabe-san, what do
you think you're doing?  This is a private house, you have no
right barging in like this!"

	Kasukabe blinked.  He seemed to get a better grip on himself,
realizing what he was doing.  "I'm very sorry, Rei-san.  I know
I'm being rude, but it's important we speak right away."

	"You're damned *right* you're being rude!" Rei shot back. 
Their last encounter had been unpleasant enough but this was the
last straw.  "If you want to see me you can come back when the
temple is open, but I want you out of here right *now*!"

	Kasukabe made no sign of leaving.  He was about to reply when
he suddenly noticed something.  He pointed to some papers in
front of Ami.  "You're talking about Nomura's Cloud, aren't you?"

	Ami self-consciously put her hand out over the astronomical
charts she had scattered in front of her, gathered them a little
closer.  She couldn't think of what to say.

	Haruka suddenly stood up in front of Kasukabe, her face about
level with his just a few inches away.  "Listen pops, in case
you haven't been paying attention the lady of the house just
told you to leave.  Is there some part of 'leave' you don't
understand?"  She cracked her knuckles for emphasis, perhaps her
idea of a subtle hint.

	Kasukabe went slack-jawed.  Rei decided he couldn't have been
more surprised if Luna or Artemis had walked in and spoken to
him.  Perhaps he just had no idea how to react to being
confronted by this tall, androgynous, cross-dressing college
girl.  But there was something else in his expression.  Rei had
seen it before.  Recognition.

	Michiru and Setsuna were on their feet now, standing to either
side of their friend, arms akimbo, staring Kasukabe down.  He
looked from one to the other, utterly bewildered.  Rei had been
worrying about just how unstable Kasukabe might be, maybe they
were pushing him over the edge...

	"It can't be," he said in a hoarse whisper.  "Uranus.  Neptune.
 Pluto."

	"What the *hell* are you babbling about?" Haruka shouted.

	Kasukabe was too enraptured to be intimidated.  He just had
this silly grin on his face.  "Yes, it is you.  It's been
getting clearer.  As the time approaches, things are becoming
clearer.  More memories...  I remember you.  The Goddess' own
warrior angels.  You were often there with her.  To think that I
would meet you here..."

	Haruka turned around.  "Rei, I take it this is that crackpot
you were telling us about," she said, jabbing her thumb back at
Kasukabe.  "Do you want us to go toss him out the door for you?"

	"No, wait," Rei said, raising her hand to stop any further
action.  Her anger had subsided, especially when she saw how
overjoyed Kasukabe was to actually meet friends from his
previous life.  However unpleasant he was being, he deserved
better than just being tossed out.  "Kasukabe-sensei, please
listen.  I know you're confused about your visions, just as I
was when my own memories of the Silver Millennium surfaced.  If
you want to talk about it, we can do that.  But now is not the
time.  You've interrupted a private gathering, and I really must
ask you to leave."

	"I didn't come just to talk about my memories!" Kasukabe
insisted.  "Nomura has more data, he has *proof* about the Great
Cloud, what it will do.  It will be weeks before he can publish,
but we don't have time!"  He looked at Setsuna.  "Pluto, you
were one of her warrior angels, can you not but believe that we
must prepare for her coming?"

	He was becoming more incorent, this was bad.  Setsuna looked
back to Rei and raised an eyebrow, as if asking how Rei wanted
to handle this.  Right now, Rei could think of only one way
short of brute force to defuse this.

	"Kasukabe-san, there is one thing I haven't told you.  I know
that Queen Serenity will not be returning to us.  I know that
because I saw her die.  We all did."

	Kasukabe looked as if he had been struck by lightning.  He
staggered back, shaking his head.  "No, you're wrong.  That
can't be.  If you don't believe, then there are other children
of the Goddess who will.  Once they know the truth, they will
gather to us.  If you will not reveal the truth, if none of you
will, then I will do it for you."

	"That's it, this guy's flipped," Haruka said, reacting badly to
his implied threat.  She turned to Michiru.  "Come on, let's
take this fruitcake out back and explain exactly what's going to
happen to him if he makes any more grief for us."

	"That works for me," Michiru said, and they both advanced on
him.

	Suddenly the room was full of dancing motes of light.  It
looked for all the world like a blizzard of white feathers
filling the room.  There was a gentle sound like the beating of
great feathery wings.  Everyone felt a breeze whip through the
room.

	Eternal Sailor Moon stood where Usagi had been, hands at her
hips, looking sternly at Kasukabe.

	Haruka barely caught him before he fell to the floor.  She
muttered a curse as Michiru helped her ease him down into a
sitting position.

	Sailor Moon jumped over the table.  For a moment she seemed
weightless, as if held aloft by those great white wings.  She
alighted on the floor in front of Kasukabe as if she weighed
nothing.

	"I am the daughter of Queen Serenity," she announced to him.

	"The Goddess..." he whispered.  He would surely have keeled
over if Haruka and Michiru were not holding on to him.

	Usagi suddenly reached back to the table behind her and picked
up a compass Ami had been using on the astranomical charts.  She
brought her arm up and swiped the tip of the compass across it. 
All her friends gasped.  "Princess!" Setsuna called out,
advancing a step towards her.

	"Look!" Usagi cried, shoving her arm in front of Kasukabe's
face.  Blood welled up from the cut she had made, trickled
slowly down her arm.  "I am not a goddess, and neither was my
mother.  We can bleed and die just like you can.  My mother gave
her life so that we would have another chance.  But she can't
help us any more!  She's dead!  If we just sit and wait for her
to come save us, then we'll all die and her sacrifice was for
nothing!"  Her voice was becoming increasingly shrill.

	"Usagi..." Minako had made her way over to where Sailor Moon
stood.  She put her hand to Usagi's face and gently turned her
head over to look at her.  "Usagi, don't."

	Usagi looked back at her.  Her lip started trembling, tears
welled up in her eyes. "Minako..." They embraced each other
tightly.  Usagi sniffled, tried to dry her tears. "Oh God.  I
don't know why I suddenly... I really messed this up, didn't I?"

	"It's okay," Minako said, gently patting her back.  "I think
you made your point."

	Rei looked at Kasukabe.  His wild-eyed look of awe had
vanished.  He was not seeing a goddess any more, but rather a
vulnerable young girl shedding tears over her long dead mother. 
Yes, it looked like Usagi had definitely made her point.

	Sailor Moon disengaged herself from her friend's embrace, and
went to kneel down in front of Kasukabe.  He was having no
problem sitting up without any help now.  "Kasukabe-san, I'm
sorry I shouted at you like that.  I've heard all about this
cloud and I'm kind of upset, I hope you'll understand."

	Kasukabe nodded, still looking a bit bewildered.  "Of course."

	"I'm Princess Serenity, but you can just call me Usagi.  These
are my friends, my... warrior angels.  Queen Serenity let us be
reborn on this earth so that we could protect you.  That's what
we're trying to do."

	"Princess..." Kasukabe began, caught himself, then with an
effort contined. "Usagi-san.  I... I have a thousand questions."

	"And we have few answers," Setsuna said.  Kasukabe looked up at
her, standing over him.  "We are in the same position as you,
trying to make sense out of dim memories of the distant past. 
As the Princess' guardians we are sworn to protect any place she
calls home.  We will do that as best we can.  Just accept that."

	He looked back at Usagi, who smiled warmly.  "Leave it to us,"
she said.

	"What must... what can I do?" he asked uncertainly.

	"Have faith," Rei said.  She had come around the table to stand
beside Sailor Moon.  "Go back and tell your friends what you
have been telling them, to have faith.  Sometimes that's all you
can do."

	Kasukabe nodded.  He got awkwardly to his feet.  "Rei-san... I
am truly sorry for... for having caused you and your friends
such distress.  I had no right.  I will do as you ask.  But I
promise I will reveal nothing of what I have seen here."

	"Thank you," Rei said.  "Are you feeling okay now?"

	He smiled weakly.  "Actually, I haven't felt this good in a
long time.  But I've overstayed my welcome, I should be going."

	"I'll see you to the door."

	Rei saw him out.  He really did look much better than when he
had arrived.  Rei regretted not having told him the whole truth
from the start, it might have saved him a lot of distress.  She
watched him go as far as the stairs leading down the street,
then she went to rejoin her companions.  By this time, Sailor
Moon had reverted back to Usagi.  Ami was beside her, fussing
over her cut arm.   The two cats had joined the group.  Felines
being light sleepers, no doubt they had been woken by the ruckus.

	Luna noticed Rei's return.  She didn't look happy.  "Rei, I
heard about what happened.  Does that man really know your
identities?"

	"If you mean does he know we're the Sailor Senshi, yes, I would
think he's figured that out."

	"Can you trust him?"

	"I asked him to have faith in us.  He promised to keep our
secret, and I accept that."

	Luna nodded.  Once Rei put her faith in somebody, there was no
point arguing about it.

	"I feel sort of dumb, falling asleep while you were all out
there on a mission," Artemis said apologetically.

	"A good soldier sleeps whenever the opportunity arises," Makoto
said, patting his head.

	"Speaking of which, are we done yet?" Hotaru said, punctuating
her question with a great yawn.

	"Oh no, don't do that," Usagi pleaded.  But it was too late,
she barely finished before she yawned herself.

	Michiru kneeled down beside Hotaru and put an arm around her. 
"We're all tired, I think we should be heading home." She looked
at Luna.  "We really don't have anything new to report from this
trip.  I'm afraid we're right back where we started."

	Which was as good a way as any to sum up the day.



*****



	Rei sat in her room, reading the evening paper.  There was an
article on Nomura's Cloud.  More and more astronomers were
beginning to suspect that its passage might have an effect on
the Earth's climate.  It was starting to draw the attention of
the general press.  Ami's extraordinary computer had given her
an edge on them, she thought it would be weeks before they
realized just what a threat the cloud really was.  Nomura's
conclusions were still considered to be premature, but more
people were listening to him.  As more data came in, it was only
a matter of time before the truth came out.

	Rei got up and headed outside, intending to do the last of the
chores before turning in for the night.  She found herself
dreading it.  The daily rituals of maintaining the shrine
usually brought comfort.  But now they just brought on a feeling
of utter futility.  She kept picturing the carefully manicured
grounds crushed under miles of ice.

	She put on her sandals and walked out to the shrine.  In the
fading sunlight she saw two figures kneeling before it.  As she
approached, she was surprised to see that it was Ami and Makoto.
 She hadn't been expecting them.  Ami had been speding a lot of
time at Setsuna's place these past few days.  They were working
on something or other to do with the cloud, though so far they
hadn't said much about it.  Last night Ami had said that she and
Makoto would be spending the night over there, apparently they
were back now.

	Rei stood quietly and let them finish, then walked over to
greet them.  Makoto waved.  "Hi Rei."

	"Hi.  You two must have spent the whole day at Setsuna's."  She
noticed they each had an overnight bag slung over one shoulder.

	"Yeah, we just got back into Juban.  We both sort of felt like
dropping by before we headed home, you know?"

	"Sure," Rei said, understanding fully.  She was glad the shrine
was affording comfort to at least some of them.  "Any news?"

	"Nothing definite," Ami said just a little too quickly.  "We
were just brainstorming."

	Ami was still being mysterious about what they were working on.
 Rei decided not to press the point.  "Listen, it's late and
you've both got your overnight bags.  Since we were planning on
meeting here tomorrow morning anyway, why don't you stay the
night?"

	They both smiled.  "Thanks Rei, that would be nice," Makoto
said.  Ami added a happy "me too" monosyllable.  They both lived
in apartments, so they welcomed any excuse to spend a nice
summer night in Rei's house.  But now more than ever, they could
all just use the companionship.

	Rei showed them into the house, then went to finish her chores
for the day.  When she was done, she went to check up on her
friends.  She peered in through the open door of the guest room.
 They had laid out the futons, and Ami was already in her night
dress.  She was sitting quietly on a cushion in front of the low
table, where a reading lamp provided the only illumination.  She
looked up and smiled at Rei. "Turning in early?" Rei asked.

	"Not necessarily, just getting comfortable," Ami answered.  

	Rei took this as encouragement to step inside and join her. 
She sat down on another cushion beside the table.  "Is this what
you've been working on?" Rei asked, indicating some papers Ami
had piled on the table.

	"That's... some of it, yes," Ami answered, sounding rather
uncomfortable.

	Rei's eye was caught by the page on top of the pile.  It was a
small map of Tokyo.  Three concentric circles had been drawn
over the map with a compass.  "That looks kind of ominous," she
commented.

	"How so?"

	"It reminds me of maps they'd make during the Cold War.  You
know, the ones that showed the effect of an atomic bomb on a
city, where the blast radius would go out to."

	"Yeah, I guess it does," Ami said with a wooden voice.  She was
just looking down at the floor.

	Rei watched Ami in silence.  Eventually, Ami forced herself to
meet her gaze.  "Ami, is there something you're not telling me?"

	Ami had her best poker face on, but her sad eyes told Rei that
she was right.  "It's not something we need to talk about now,
Rei."

	"Ami, whatever it is, how much worse could it be than keeping
me in the dark?"

	"I suppose you're right."  After a pause, Ami continued.  "Rei,
do you remember that butterfly I gave you last year?"

	"Yes, of course."  Ami had adapted her powers as Sailor Mercury
to encase several butterflies in beautiful clear crystals.  She
had given one of these lovely ornaments to each of the other
four Inner Senshi.  Rei's was still sitting on a cabinet in her
room.

	"Do you recall its significance?"

	"I remember what you told me.  It's an experiment.  You were
using a technique something like what that Snow Queen used, the
one that called herself Princess Kaguya.  Her Snow Dancers could
freeze people in crystals, keep them like that indefinitely. 
You wanted to see if you could do the same."

	"That's right.  I wanted to see if I could perfect a form of
suspended animation.  A way to let people be frozen, then
revived again much later."

	Then it hit Rei, and she gasped.  She recalled what Ami had
told her then, why she was interested in doing this.

	To freeze five billion people for a thousand years.

	"My God... that's what you've been working on," Rei breathed.

	"Yes."

	"But I thought... haven't you been working on some way to
contact the cloud?"

	Ami shook her head.  "It's hopeless.  You know we've tried
everything.  We've run out of ideas."

	Rei's heart was racing.  In her blissful ignorance she had just
been assuming that they would find something.  Ami's genius and
Setsuna's wisdom had never let them down before.  "Is there
really nothing else we can do?" she asked desperately.

	"No, I don't think so," Ami said in that same maddeningly calm
voice.  Gods, didn't she realize what she was saying? Rei
wondered.

	Rei shook her head, still recovering from the shock.  "I know
the Snow Queen nearly did this herself, I saw it happening with
my own eyes.  But, it just seems too fantastic, can you really
do it?"

	"I think we can.  I've perfected the technique, at least as
best I can in so short a time.  The Ginzuishou can provide the
power to do it on a mass scale.  But we would all need to work
together.  I have a pretty good idea how much energy Usagi can
draw from it without endangering her life."

	"And it will be enough?" Rei asked, still unable to believe.

	"Yes..." Ami said hesitantly, then averted her eyes.  "Probably
enough to preserve most of Tokyo."

	"*What?*" Rei sat up straight.  "Tokyo?  What are you talking
about?" she snapped.

	Ami regarded her sternly, as if annoyed by Rei's tone.  "It
makes sense.  It's the greatest concentration of people and
advanced infrastructure on the planet.  We couldn't pick a
better place to focus our effort."

	"But what about everybody else?" Rei demanded.  "Why stop at
Tokyo?"

	"Because we have a limited window, we'll only get one chance. 
The technique works properly in a very narrow temperature range.
 That's why the Snow Queen was also causing those snowstorms, it
was in preparation.  We'll have to wait until the sun has
already been blotted out and the temperature has started to
fall."

	"That doesn't answer my question!" Rei said, slamming a fist
down on the table.

	"I told you, we'll only get one chance.  At best, we'll be able
to save a few million people over a few hundred square miles. 
That's why Tokyo is the best choice."

	"Why can't we do the same for everybody?" Rei asked, fighting
the panic and despair she felt.  "The Snow Queen was going to do
this to the whole world, why can't we?"

	"Rei, try to understand," Ami said soothingly, trying to calm
Rei down.  "She had hundreds, maybe thousands of Snow Dancers at
her command, all born and bred to the task.  We are nine, and we
will be performing a task that our powers are not suited for. 
It will be a miracle if we can even save most of the people in
just this city, let alone the rest of the world."

	"But we *can't* do this!" Rei shouted.  She could feel herself
losing her grip, but she was past caring.  "It would be worse
than letting everybody die!  Just save our home town?  It's
genocide!  There must be another way!"

	"There isn't," Ami said in a raised voice, her composure
wavering.  "We've gone over it again and again, this is the best
we can do."

	"How the hell can you sit there and calmly tell me we have to
just watch the whole world die?" Rei shouted, her voice becoming
husky.  She could feel tears of rage and frustration welling up.

	"The numbers don't lie!" Ami shot back, snatching up her little
computer and holding it out in front of Rei.  "The place we can
save the most lives is right here, you just have to do the math."

	Rei lashed out without even realizing it, hitting Ami's wrist
with a vicious backhand that sent the little palmtop sailing. 
It hit the wall with a dull thud just as Ami fell back onto the
futon behind her.  The unexpectedness of the blow rather than
its force had bowled her over.  She lay there, propping herself
up on her arms, looking back at Rei in utter shock.

	"To hell with your numbers!" Rei cried out, her voice shrill. 
"You cold-hearted bitch!  It's just another exercise in
mathematics for you, isn't it?  Those numbers you're playing
with are people, and you don't even care!  You've got no more
feelings than that damned computer of yours!"

	Ami shook her head, trembling all over. "How can you say that?"
she whimpered.

	"Because no human being could ever come up with *this*!" Rei
shouted, hitting the pile of papers on the table and sending
them flying.

	Ami slumped over, buried her face in the quilt and started
sobbing.  Rei started to get up, not coherent enough to know
what she intended to do.

	Suddenly it didn't matter what she intended to do.  Somebody
grabbed her from behind, savagely twisted her arm behind her and
pulled her up to her feet.  Rei's cry stuck in her throat as she
was paralyzed with pain.

	Somebody put their lips right next to her ear.  "We're going to
your room right now," came Makoto's low growl.  "If you give me
any trouble, I'll break your arm."

	The pain had cut through Rei's rage, extinguished it like ice
water.  Makoto pulled her to the door, giving no consideration
to how this would hurt her.  Rei nearly fainted from the pain. 
But she managed to stay on her feet.  She let herself be led
down the hall.  Makoto gradually eased the pressure.  By the
time they reached Rei's room, she was simply leading Rei by the
arm.  Makoto released her when they had entered her room.  Rei
staggered over to a cabinet and leaned on it, panting, waiting
for the pain to dwindle to a tolerable level, for the adrenaline
to subside.  She barely heard the door being shut behind her. 
After a while, Rei stood up straight again, involuntarily
massaging her aching arm.  All the feeling was drained out of
her, she just felt numb.  She turned to face Makoto.

	Makoto stood in front of the door, her arms crossed, glaring at
Rei.  "Well, what have you got to say for yourself?" Makoto
asked bitterly.

	"What do you mean?"

	"What do I *mean*?  What the hell do you think, I'm talking
about what you did to Ami!" Makoto said, her anger barely
contained.

	"Do you know what she's been..."

	"Of course I know!  She told me all about it when we were at
Setsuna's place.  We were going to tell the rest of you
tomorrow."

	"Don't you..." Rei gestured vaguely over towards where they had
left Ami, ignoring the pain that caused.  "Doesn't she even
understand what it is she's suggesting?"

	Rei hadn't thought it would be possible for Makoto's face to
express any more contempt, but the look she gave Rei now made
her shiver, shocked her to silence.  After a few moments, Makoto
began to speak very carefully and deliberately.  "When Ami first
told me about her plan I was just as shocked as you were.  At
the time, she was actually excited about it.  She thought that
she could save everyone.  Then she started to work on the
numbers.  She was at it for hours on end.  I wasn't any help to
her of course, but I was with her just about the whole time. 
Just to be there with her, try to make her feel like she wasn't
facing this alone.  She never said anything, but I could see it
in her face.  The growing realization, the despair.  She was
almost in tears when she told me just how little we would really
be able to do.  She blamed herself entirely.  If only she had
been devoting more time to the experiments before.  If only she
were smarter, if only she could think of something else.  I did
what I could to comfort her.  We all did, Setsuna and Haruka and
Michiru and even little Hotaru.  We tried to remind her of all
the times she's come through for us, all the times she's pulled
off miracles that nobody else could.  By the time Ami and I made
our way here, I thought maybe I had convinced her that it wasn't
really her fault, that she'd done more than anybody had a right
to expect from her.  And then *you* had to come along and..."
Makoto's voice broke, and she turned away, shuddering.  Her
fists were clenched at her sides.  Rei watched in silence as
Makoto fought her pent-up tension, slowly got her breathing back
down to normal.  "I'm just grateful that Minako isn't here.  She
hides it well, but I know she's still in love with Ami.  If she
knew what you did, she'd probably kill you.

	"I'm going back to check up on Ami," Makoto said.  The brief
look she shot at Rei completed the sentence for her: *before I
do something I'll regret later.*  Without another word, she slid
the door open, stepped out and closed it behind her.

	Rei stood there for several minutes, lost in thought. 
Eventually, she went to sit down on her bed.  A tear trickled
down her cheek.  She knew that time healed all wounds, even the
ones inflicted on friends.  But right now, she would give up her
life in a heartbeat if only she could take back what she had
done.



*****



	Rei awoke from a disturbing dream that she did not remember
well.  For a moment she couldn't remember why she felt so
miserable, and why she was so sore.  Then memories of the
previous night came flooding back.  The feeling of shame was
like a knife in her gut.

	She sat up and looked at the clock.  It was late, the others
would be here soon.  She had forgotten to set the alarm.  It had
been very late before she had been able to get any sleep at all.
 She put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and went to wash up a
bit.  Not having seen anyone else about, she went to the dining
room and slid open one of the panels.

	Rei had been wondering whether her friends had decided to go
home.  But Ami sat on a cushion by the long table, dressed as
she had been yesterday.  She looked up from her computer and
smiled shyly.  "Good morning."

	"Good morning," Rei said awkwardly.

	"Makoto went to start up the boiler for a shower," Ami
explained.  "We got here a bit late to have one last night.  I
hope that's okay."

	"Sure."  Rei went to sit down, still very tense.  She gestured
toward the computer.  "That... uh, it works okay?"

	Ami forced a smile.  "Yes, it's fine."  She probably wanted to
say something like *It's been through a lot worse* but chose not
to.

	"Is your hand..." Rei broke down, burying her face in one hand,
shuddering.  "Oh Gods..." She just couldn't dance around it like
this.  She looked back up.  "Ami, can you ever forgive me?"

	Ami averted her sad eyes for a moment, then met Rei's gaze
again.  "Rei, last night I resolved I'd never hide the truth
from you again.  So I'll tell you the truth now.  I was really
hurt by what you said.  But I know you didn't mean it.  I know
it wasn't really me you were angry with.  Of course I can
forgive you."

	Rei sniffed, wiped a tear away.  "Thank you, Ami," she said,
her voice thick.  In a moment, she was able to speak again. 
"Makoto told me about how you worked on this plan, about how
hard it was for you.  You were explaining it all to me so
calmly... but I know you better, I should have known how you
were feeling."

	"Sometimes I have to ignore how I feel," Ami said.  "Detaching
myself from the problem is the only way I can bring myself to
work on it at all.  Especially something like this."

	"It's so unfair," Rei mused.  "I mean, that this burden should
fall on you.  You're such a gentle soul.  That you should have
to juggle millions of lives as if they were just numbers... I
wish so much that I could do it for you."

	Ami smiled warmly.  "You already do a lot to ease the burden. 
I don't think you realize what a comfort you are to me."

	"You can't mean that," Rei said, looking down, unable to keep
the shame and bitterness out of her voice.

	"Rei, look at me," Ami asked.  Rei complied.  Ami's stern
expression was softened by the gentleness of her voice.  "When I
had just become a Sailor Senshi, Usagi and I were fighting the
Dark Kingdom on our own.  I hid it well, but I was terrified. 
The things we were fighting defied all logic, they had no place
in my world.  Things like that just weren't supposed to exist. 
I couldn't cope with it, I thought I would go mad."

	Ami's expression softened as she continued.  "Then I met you. 
Even before you became a Sailor Senshi you accepted the world of
spirits and magic.  You moved about in that world with
confidence.  With your magic you saw things I could never see,
you made the evil go away.  Knowing you were there... that's
what kept me going."

	Rei looked at her friend as if seeing her for the first time. 
It was a bittersweet feeling, hearing Ami say these things. 
Knowing how Ami regarded her, Rei could see how badly she had
let Ami down yesterday.  Rei resolved that it would never, ever
happen again.

	Rei heard footsteps behind her.  She turned to see Makoto enter
the room.  "Morning," Makoto said, eying her cooly.  Her eyes
fixed on Ami for a moment.  Satisfied with whatever she saw
there, she looked back at Rei, perhaps some of the suspicion in
her face gone.  "Shower's free."

	"I'll go later," Rei said, turning back to Ami.  "Why don't you
go ahead, I'll get started with breakfast."

	"Thanks."  For a moment she seemed reluctant to leave, but she
got up and headed for the door.  "I'll come give you a hand
later."

	"How's the arm?" Makoto asked after Ami had left.

	"Just a little sore."

	"You patch things up with Ami?"

	"Yes.  She was very understanding, but I still feel awful. 
Mako-chan..."

	"You don't have to say anything," Makoto interrupted, leaning
against the wall.  "I reacted kind of b