>

		         Strike Fiss
		_-_-------->--))`<---------_-_
		  Ninja Crowbotics CEO, 1996
		     ncrceo@ccinet.ab.ca


                                    Sailor Moon AR
                                  ALTERNATE REALITY
                                
                   		Part 1: " Rei Of Sunshine"
                                
                                
                                
                   		  Created By Strike Fiss
                  		   Ninja Crowbotics, 1996
                                
                                
                                
                            Prologue
                                
     A lonely figure lay on the top of his bed, wide awake.  It was four in the morning,
Mountain Time, and the light of sunrise began to glow over the horizon.  The view out 
the window was quite beautiful and the figure got up and took a deep breath.  
     Suddenly, a brush-like object moved past his foot, scaring the hell out of him.  He 
looked down to see his pet hedgehog looking back up at him.  "Hi, Beavis..." the boy 
said, reaching down and petting his companion's quills.  
     He had too much on his mind.  Too much would be happening in only a few hours.  
He sighed loudly and flopped back down on his bed.  "I don't believe I'm finally going to 
Japan..."
     Chris Stover was part of the local Student Exchange program.  His marks were good, 
he was a nice person, and he didn't have much to leave behind, making him a perfect 
candidate. 
He snorted at that fact.  No one to leave behind.  At least his best friend was coming as 
well. 
Chris didn't know if being set up to a whole new school of possible assholes was worth it 
unless Mo was coming.  Maury Sillery, his full name, was just as much of a fan of Japan 
as Chris was. 
They'd love to sit down and watch translated Anime and Manga.  Maury hinted he liked 
oriental women, and Chris was entranced with the samurai and their legends.  
     But right now, Chris was scared shitless.  He had no way to know what to expect. 
They'd be alone in a new environment, away from the only people they cared about.  
Their families and one or two more friends.   Neither had girlfriends, nor masses of 
buddies to call
their own.  
     Geeky reputations were the cause.  Chris loved computers.  Hated sports except for a
few.  Didn't hang with anyone cool.  The real reason was because he was different.  Not 
really physically, or mentally...but he loved being weird.  Maury was practically the 
same.  They loved being  complimented' as being weird, and were pretty much the 
strangest people you'd ever meet.  They weren't crazy, or part of some cult, but they hated 
following the masses and peer-pressure.  If they didn't know better, they could be 
brothers.  
     And so, despite the ridicule from assholes at school, the two took the assignment.  A
change of pace was mandatory, before, as Maury put it: had a nervous breakdown and 
killed all the punks at school.
     Chris shut the blinds to his window and eventually went to sleep, despite the day 
ahead.



                           Chapter 1

     Rei silently swept the hallway, following the same routine she followed every 
weekend. 
Cleaning the temple.  It was annoying and tedious to go over every square inch of the two 
main buildings, but she was used to it.  Her baggy temple dress caught air as she finished 
the area and walked over to the kitchen for a break.  
     Grandpa was there, talking with Chad.  The two seemed to be making plans and were
discussing something on a booklet they were leafing through.  "Hi, Rei!" Chad beamed 
happily. 
"Did you want any help with the chores today?"
     Rei shook her head and got a glass of water.  "That's okay, Chad.  It's summer, and I'm
just making sure I don't get lazy like last year." she flexed her hand slightly.  "Gotta keep
motivated."
     Grandpa nodded.  "You wouldn't believe what I had to do, Chad!  She would barely 
get out of bed!  It was like she was up all night fighting crime or something."
     Rei coughed as she took a sip of water. 
     Grandpa continued.  "Eventually, I had to threaten to show all my friends some of 
those cute baby pictures I have of her all naked in the..."
     Rei gasped.  "You told Chad about the PICTURES?"
     Grandpa replied with a devilish grin.  "No, I showed them to him."
     Rei growled and almost crushed the glass in her hand.  "I'm going to clean the spare
rooms.  If you two perverts don't mind..." she stormed off.
     Chad paused for a second.  "What pictures?"
     Grandpa still had his grin on his face.  "She HATES people calling her a cute-little-
baby, etcetera." he suddenly looked worried.  "Did she say she was cleaning the spare 
rooms?"
     Chad went wide-eyed.  "Oh NO!"
     The two boys were half way out the door when Rei found out what they were 
discussing earlier.  "GRANDPA!  Get OVER HERE!" she ordered.
     Grandpa and Chad slunk over to her.  Rei was pointing into the spare room.  "What 
the hell is this?  What's going on?"
     The spare room, normally used for storage, was now a guest bedroom, complete with
four cots, dressers and a coffee table in the center.  Grandpa took a deep breath.  "Oh, did 
I forget to tell you?" he started.
     Chad nodded.  "Didn't you hear about the exchange students that were coming from
Canada?"
     Rei nodded.  "Yes, I did, but why are they staying HERE?"
     Grandpa sighed.  "Don't give me that look.  They're staying here because the Temple
will get a cash compensation and a donation from your school board."
     "They're staying here because you're too CHEAP to hire new help!  And you want to
drag volunteers into doing the chores!" Rei yelled.
     Grandpa shrugged.  "That's just a fortunate happenstance!" he said happily.  "Don't
worry, I'm sure they won't call you a  cute little cherry blossom' like your grandma did."
     Rei shuddered at that name.  "Uhg.  If I hear that ONE MORE TIME..." she growled,
then stormed off.
     Chad was laughing his head off.  "Cherry blossom?"
     Grandpa nodded, shutting the spare-room's door.  "Yes.  And if you REALLY want to
piss her off, I have this friend who calls her  Dumpling Cheeks.'"
     
     "Uh, miss?" Chris asked with an evil grin.  "Can I have some more peanuts?"
     The stewardess glanced over to him and rolled back her eyes.  "Fine..." she said, 
literally tossing three bags of airline peanuts at him.  
     Chris and Maury had about fifty packs between them and were laughing 
uncontrollably. 
The two had been hoarding peanuts for the entire eight hour flight.  "Sweet delicious!  
Honey roasted goodness!" Maury said, milling a ball of peanut packs in his lap.  
     A few passengers nearby had asked to be seated somewhere else.  The rest watched in
some amusement as they began to try and seduce the peanuts.
     The captain came over the intercom suddenly, causing the speakers to beep.  Chris
promptly tossed peanuts out of his arms, acting like he was startled.  
     "Good evening, passengers.  We are making our final approach into the Tokyo
International Airport landing lane, and I'd like to personally thank you for flying United
Overseas.  We should be on the ground in fifteen minutes, so I'll wish you in advance a 
very pleasant day."  The speaker beeped once more and was silent.
     Chris smashed his head on the window, making a thunk.  "Coooo!  You can see 
Tokyo!"
     Maury dropped his peanuts and peered out the window of the 747, checking out the 
view.
"I wonder if we'll hit any birds on the decent."
     "ARRRGH!  THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE WING!" Chris yelled, grabbing and
vibrating in his seat.
     Everyone gasped and looked at him in horror.
     "Oh!" Chris said.  "Silly me...it's the engine."
     The plane banked once more and began descending into Tokyo.  "Hey...nice 
terminal..." Maury said, pointing to the approaching airport.  
     Suddenly, a jolt of turbulence hit the plane.  The power went off and the engines 
strained desperately as they tried to stay running.  Luggage started pouring from the 
overhead compartments.  Slowly, the plane pulled up and regained power.  Everyone, 
including Maury, was shaking in horror.  Chris remained calm, though and smiled.  "This 
must be the place."
     Maury shook his head.  "You've been watching too many  X-Files'."
     "Oh, come on.  Nothing's going to happen when I've got my lucky dashio with me."
Chris said proudly, pulling out two little good-luck sword charms from his pocket.  
     "You brought your swords?  What about the little finger-puppet of Jay Leno?  I 
thought you had enough good-luck charms."
     Chris shrugged.  "The Leno is for the house we stay in.  Besides, this is my first plane-
ride in ten years.  I was a bit nervous."
     Maury sighed.  "I would have brought my collection of knives if it wasn't for the 
stupid security and x-ray machines getting all mental about them."
     
     The plane landed and taxied up to the gate, letting it's passengers off.  Maury whistled 
at the stewardess and winked before taking off down the ramp.  Chris followed, running 
down the hallway, helping Maury carry his stuff.  "Have to whistle at the chicks, don't 
you?" Chris gasped, carrying Maury's suitcase.
     Suddenly, they heard someone call out behind them.  "Oh, shit...that's right."  Maury
said, stopping suddenly.
     "HEY!  WAIT UP!" the voice behind them called out again.  "Slow down!"
     Chris and Maury turned to see the two other exchange students running after them.  
Chris and Maury sighed and kept walking.  "I can't believe it.  Half a year, cooped up 
with those two spuds." Maury said.
     Chris nodded.  "If you say it like  six months' it doesn't sound as long..."
     "Hey dudes...wait up!" the one named Trevor said, trying to act cool.
     Acting cool for him was no easy task.  Trevor was even lower on the geekness scale 
then Chris and Maury.  In fact, much lower.  Even they couldn't stand him. Or his little 
buddy, Damien, who was the last exchange student.  
     In fact, Trevor had only been accepted into the program because his mother had said 
his father had just been killed by a heart attack.  The school board felt sorry for him and 
let him go. 
Everyone knew this was a lie, except the board, but knew it could be true.  His entire 
family were overweight, overprotective assholes, not that being overweight was bad or 
anything, but  saying Grace' in their household was chanting:  Deep Fat Fry!'
     Damien had been accepted legally, but was just as bad as Trevor.  He ran up to Chris 
and Maury. "Hey!  The school board said we should stick together!  Why were your plane 
tickets in fist class when we were in coach?"
     Chris smiled evilly.  "Maybe there was a computer error?"
     Maury looked at him with a smile.  "You hacked an airline computer?"
     "Hey, Trevor...I saved you some peanuts." Chris said, tossing twenty or so packs of
complimentary nuts at him.
     To their surprise, Trevor caught one and started eating.  Damien returned his attention 
to Chris.  "Hey!  I'm reporting you to the police!"
     Chris sighed.  "I didn't hack it.  It was really an error.  I was surprised as you two 
were." he smiled.  "Besides, you can't prove it."
     The four high-school students continued down the terminal, dodging the huge, milling
crowd, common in most areas of Tokyo.  Amidst all the hustle and bustle, they eventually 
saw a group of people holding a sign that read  Canadian Exchange Students.'  Maury 
body checked his way through the crowd and the four students eventually reached the 
Japanese school board officials.  
     "Welcome to Japan." a woman speaking rather good English said warmly.  "Get ready
for an unforgettable few months."



                           Chapter 2

     Miss Chi, as she introduced herself, handed each of them some papers and information
booklets.  "You'll be going to the  T&A Private' school." she said, highlighting some of 
the information.  "School starts on the third of next month, and I'll be mailing all the 
registration forms to you as soon as they're available.  The school hours are a bit longer 
than what you may be used to, but you're not obligated to excel at your studies or 
anything.  Basically, we are aware you can't read or speak Japanese, and are interested in 
more of a cultural exchange."
     They were now in a limo, driving in to the heart of Tokyo.
     The four nodded in understanding.  Maury cleared his thought.  "So where will we be
staying?"
     Chi smiled.  "I was saving the best for last.  You'll all be staying at a friend of mine's
temple."
     They all blinked.  
     "It's called Cherri Hill temple.  It's a Shinto shrine on the outskirts of town.  Are any of
you religious?"
     Trevor nodded.
     Chi nodded.  "Well, don't worry.  You'll be under no spiritual obligations at the 
temple. 
The man who runs it is actually pretty goofy himself."
     "Sounds cool." Chris said happily.  He pulled out a small, black device from his 
leather bag and started passing it over the papers she had given him.
     "Uh, what's he doing?" Chi asked.
     Chris looked up.  "Scanning."
     "He has a laptop." Maury explained.  "Little computer freak here saves any documents 
he gets on disk so he doesn't loose them."
     "Oh." Chi continued.  "You'll all be sharing a room.  I trust that's satisfactory."
     Before Maury could complain about being in the same room as Trevor and Damien,
Chris interrupted.  "So, Miss Chi.  How do you know this temple man?  A friend?"
     Chi nodded.  "Well, his granddaughter and him helped put together the last School
Festival."
     Maury and Chris smiled.  "Granddaughter?" they asked simultaneously.
     Chi smiled.  "Yes.  Actually, she's almost your age.  I must warn you, though.  She has 
a bit of a temper.  I don't think she was happy to know you four were coming."
     Their smiles faded.  As Chi continued, Chris leaned over to Maury's ear.  "Great.  
We're bunking with a punk."
     Maury nodded.  "Probably one of those preppy bitches who thinks they're the center of
attention."
     "So far, this sucks..." Chris said, slumping in his seat.  "Except the limo." he added.

     Grandpa nodded.  "Okay, we'll be expecting them, say hi to your husband from me!" 
he said into the phone.  "Thanks again, Miss." he hung up.
     Rei walked in, wearing casual attire.  "Who was that?"
     Grandpa sighed.  "Miss Chi is bringing over the exchange students right now.  She 
called from a few blocks down."
     Rei was about to walk away when a thought hit her.  "Are any of them guys?"
     Grandpa's squinty eyes narrowed further.  "They're all guys...why?"
     Rei gasped.  "Omygod!  I have nothing to wear!" she ran into her room, almost 
slipping as she rounded the corner.  
     "Rei!" Grandpa called after her.  "I told you!  You're not allowed to date!"
     "Don't try that old routine again!"  Rei called back.  "You said I could date when I was
sixteen!  That was three months ago!"
     Grandpa thought for a second.  "Damn, she's right..." he said under his breath.  "Well! 
You're NOT allowed to date any company!  Is that clear, young lady?"
     Rei sat on her bed, shirt half-pulled over her head.  "What?!?"
     Grandpa nodded.  "That's right.  This is a Shinto Temple.  Not a  Motel Six'!"
     Rei growled.  "I don't care what he says.  I can date if I want to."
     Grandpa was a nice guy, but he was stubborn.  He constantly tried to shield Rei from 
life, even though she could more than take care of herself.  She looked in the mirror she 
had on her wall.  She knew that others noticed how beautiful she was.  Other girls envied 
or complimented her.  Boys couldn't close their mouths.  Maybe that was the reason 
Grandpa was overprotective. 
He didn't want her to end up with the first dead-beat who asked her out.  
     She smiled to herself.  "Grandpa?" she pulled a shirt on quickly.
     Grandpa came in.  "Listen, Rei.  I'm sorry...it's just that..."
     She gave him a hug.  "I know, I know...You love me.  Don't worry, I'm just curious
about who's going to be your new slaves."
     Grandpa smiled.  "Well, they're not here yet.  Go give their room a dusting, and make
sure that lazy good-for-nothing, Chad has found them some clothes."
     Rei sighed.  "You never give up, do you?" she said, walking out the door.

     Meanwhile, fifty miles from the North Pole, three teams of dog sleds flew over the
terrain.  They were going for a world record, trying to reach the pole in the fastest time on
dogsled from a point near the Sea of Okhotsk.  The leader, a British man by the name of 
Philip Rimmer stopped the convoy with a whistle.  "What the smeg is THAT?" he yelled 
out over the howling wind.
     The other two in his team brought their sleds beside his.  "Holy shit!  It looks like 
some sort of icicle from hell!" his buddy, Dave, said, pointing to a huge, spiky structure 
in the landscape only a few miles away.  
     It was huge.  Even from that distance, it dwarfed nearby mountains.  It was the only 
thing left over from when the Sailor Scouts had destroyed the Negaverse base that Queen 
Beryl herself was using two years ago.
     The last member of the team, Beatrice, smiled.  "Well, the dogs are due for a rest.  
You want to hike over to it on foot and check it out?  I hate to say it, but my curiosity has 
gotten the best of me."
     The team pitched up some shelters for their dogs and set out for the strange ice crystal. 
The top, where Princess Serena and the spirits of the other Scouts had once stood, was 
now eroded away from the snow and wind.  Also nearby was the remains of a strange 
volcano, as well as two more icy structures where Mars and Mercury were forced into 
their last, fatal battle.  
     Nobody on Earth really knew what had happened on the North Pole that day, but there
were lots of rumors.
     Rimmer and his team approached the tower of ice very cautiously.  "What do you
suppose made this thing?"
     "It looks like an explosion thrust all this ice into the air, then it froze in it's current
state." Beatrice said, finally touching the hard, glassy surface of the ice.
     "Maybe an earth quake did this.  After all, that looks like a volcano over there." Dave
said.
     "Hey!  What's that over there?" Rimmer pointed over to a frozen-over pond.  A large 
ice crystal was sticking out of the ice...and a hand was visible inside it.
     The three ran over to the frozen form stuck in the ice.  "Beatrice!  Run back to the 
sleds! 
We have to get the poor chap out of there!" Dave said as he and Philip started clearing 
away snow and loose ice.
     As the person inside the ice became more visible, they gasped.  "That's the strangest
bloody uniform I've ever seen." Rimmer said.  "It looks like it's off of Star Trek or 
something."
     The form seemed intact inside.  One eye was even open slightly.  They recognized the
person as a woman.  Blonde hair.  She was wearing a strange, green-trimmed, gray 
uniform with leather boots that could have been from a Nazi trooper.  Also frozen in the 
ice were tiny pink petals from some sort of flower, that surrounded her in a cylindrical 
pattern.
     "Do you think she's an alien?" Dave asked hopefully.  "That uniform isn't like any I've
seen!"
     Rimmer shrugged.  "I don't know.  She looks human to me...maybe she's from the 
future or something?"
     Beatrice came running back with some ice-picks.  "Would you two stop watching
science-fiction?  Get her out of there!"
     "Do you think she's alive?  Like one of those cavemen?" Dave asked.
     "Cavewoman." Beatrice corrected.
     "It doesn't matter, being left to die in an ice-cube is hardly a fitting burial." Rimmer 
said solemnly.  "We should dig her up, see if she can be revived, and if not, put up some 
sort of tombstone."
     
     The limo pulled up to a tall flight of stairs.  They lead up a hill, and a temple could be
seen over the rise.  "Looks like the Temple Of Doom." Chris smiled.
     The four students got out and started up the stairs with their luggage.  Chris happily
flaunted the fact he only had his one bag as the others struggled with their suitcases.  
"You're staying for six months!  And you only brought one bag?" Chi asked.
     Chris shrugged.  "I wasn't sure what to pack.  Besides, I can always transfer money 
over here from my parents.  They said that way I could save the headache of translating 
my money into yen."
     Maury sighed.  "You're going to hack a bank.  Aren't you?"
     Chris shook his head.  "No.  Remember, I never steal or hurt people with my hacks."
     Maury smiled.  "I still say you'll hack a bank."
     "Not a bank." Chris said.  "But Microsoft can spare a dime or two!"
     "Oh."
     They finally reached the top of the stairs.  An old man ran up to them.  "Hi there!" he
beamed, shaking all their hands.  "Welcome to Cherri Hill."
     Trevor took a step forward.  "When's dinner?"
     Grandpa blinked.  "Oh!  Of course.  You're probably hungry after your flight.  I 
imagine they only gave you peanuts."
     Chris and Maury smiled evilly.  "Would you like some?" they both said, pulling out
handfuls of peanut packs from their pockets.
     Grandpa smiled.  "Ah.  A sense of humor!  I like that!"
     Chris put away his nuts, pardon the expression, and picked up his attache case.  "I'm
Chris, A.K.A. Commandant Buckwheat, A.K.A. Strike Fiss, A.K.A. Bob, A.K.A. Geek, 
A.K.A. that weird freaky kid.  This is Maury, my equally-strange buddy."
     Maury waved.  "And this is Eggbert the Third, and Spudlicker." he pointed to Trevor 
and Damien.
     Grandpa walked over to Trevor.  "Ahhh, so THIS is Eggbert." he said, looking him 
over.  
     Trevor frowned.  "I'm not Eggbert!  My name is..."
     Grandpa walked off.  "Come on.  I'll show you your room." 
     Chris and Maury smiled as they were passed Trevor, who was desperately trying to 
tell his correct name to Grandpa.  "This guy might not be so bad after all." Chris said.
     
     Chris sat on his bed, unpacking his stuff.  "So, Mo...whatcha think so far?"
     Maury was in the closet, hanging up his clothes.  "I like it.  You think he'll teach us 
judo or something?  I saw a dojo in the back."
     "I don't know." Chris hung his good-luck Jay Leno on the wall above his bed.  He then
whipped out his computer, checking on it's battery.
     Trevor, thinking he might be friends with Chris and Maury, who normally avoided 
him, came up to Chris.  "Wow.  What's that?" he asked, motioning to his computer.
     Chris looked up from it's screen.  "Maury...how simple should I explain it to him?"
     Maury laughed.  "So he can understand it."
     "Oh dear..." Chris frowned.  "Well, it's a magical box with a pretty screen on it that 
lets you do complex work really fast!  It even runs on electricity...just like your vibrator!"
     Trevor sneered.  "Oh, shut-up.  I'm just trying to be nice."
     Chris sighed.  "Fine.  It's a Micron P-133 Transport with four speed CD-ROM and 
forty meg of RAM.  Pipeline Burst cache and a two gigabyte EIDE enhanced hard drive.  
It is complimented by a Canon BJ printer and a seven-twenty DPI scanner.  Got it?"
     Trevor blinked.
     Chris shrugged.  "See?"
     "It's an IBM, Trevor, now sit down." Maury added.
     Trevor sat back down.  "What did he just say?" he asked Damien.
     Damien smiled.  "He's just a computer nerd."
     Chris frowned at them.  "That's right.  And if either of you EVER touch my computer,
they'll never find your bodies."
     Maury nodded in agreement.  "And I'll help."
     Trevor sighed.  "I thought that old guy said he'd have supper ready soon."
     A knock on the door filled the room.  "Yes?  Come in?" Maury asked.
     Chad and Rei walked in.  "Hi!  I'm Chad." he introduced himself.  "I just dropped in to
see if you needed anything."
     Chris didn't hear a word he just said.  He was staring wide-eyed at Rei.  She was
amazing.  Her long, slender legs were crossed slightly in an almost model-pose.  His eyes
ventured further up.  Her white jeans were close fitting and left Chris wishing they were 
off.  Her slender hips went up to her large, pert breasts, hidden behind a fuzzy sweater.  
He lingered there for a bit, but was suddenly drawn to her eyes.  She was beautiful.  
     Rei, however, was staring at Trevor.   What the hell is that?' she thought, sneering
slightly.
     Chad walked over to the closet.  "I tried to find some temple clothes to your sizes, but 
all we got is three types."
     Rei finally noticed Chris and noticed his glare.  Chris turned away quickly, hoping he 
just didn't blush.  She walked over and sat down next to him.  "Hi.  I'm Rei." she 
extended her hand. 
He seemed nice, and had a warm smile.  This might not be such a bad six months, she 
thought.
     Chris blinked. Her beautiful, plumb-tinted hair was tied back slightly, and he 
desperately tried not to venture lower. "I'm Chris.  You work here too?"
     Rei nodded.  "I live here.  Grandpa's MY grandpa."
     "Cool." he squeaked.  "Uh, that's Maury, Trevor and Damien."
     "Well, supper's on the table if you all wanna eat." she said, standing back up.  "See 
you later, Chris.  Nice meeting you." she smiled, then left.
     Chris realized he'd been holding his breath.  "Holy shit..."
     Chad tossed Chris a set of clothes.  "Here you go." he said happily.  "We usually dress 
up for dinner...otherwise, Grandpa get's kinda mental." he added, leaving the room.
     As Chad left, Maury finished putting on his outfit.  "Cool.  Check it out..." he said, 
doing a spin.
     Chris smiled.  "Oooo, you look so pretty!"
     "Oh, I'm so fat!  Nobody loves me..." Maury said in a girly voice.  
     "So...whatcha think of Rei?" Chris asked.
     Maury shrugged.  "I dunno.  She's a ten on the babe-o-meter, but she's probably going
out with that Chad guy or something."
     Chris sighed, flopping back on the bed.  "You're right...shit."
     Trevor snorted.  "If she isn't, I got dibbs."
     Maury laughed.  "YOU?  I thought Damien was your boyfriend."
     "No way!  I'm not gay!" Trevor yelled.
     Chris smiled.  "Oh-oh...hey Maury.  This guy's a homophobic.  You heard how 
repulsed he was."
     "I don't hate gay people!" Trevor insisted.
     "So you love them." Chris added with a smile.
     "Yes...I mean no!" Trevor corrected as Chris and Maury burst out laughing..
     Before the insult could go on, Grandpa yelled from the dinning room.  "SUPPER'S 
ON!"
     Trevor was out the door before Grandpa said  on'.  Chris and Maury sighed.  "Here we
go..." Maury said.



                           Chapter 3
                                
     Philip Rimmer sat in the tent with the other two members of his team.  They also had a
guest.  The block of ice around the mysterious ice-woman was being melted by an 
emergency heater the team had handy.  He stroked his beard.  "Well, even if she's good 
and dead, we get a break from the cold anyway."
     Dave nodded.  "I got the adrenalin needle ready." he said, tapping on a cardiac
hypodermic needle in his hands.  The block was directly over the fan, supported by rope.  
The entire thing hung from the tent's ceiling.  
     Beatrice sighed.  "She's been frozen an awfully long time.  Do you really think it will
work?  I mean, it's just a simple cardiac jolt."
     "Oh, Bee.  We still have to try.  It's what any decent folk would do for us." Rimmer
replied.  "You never know, we could get sucked into an arctic lake like this poor bird 
did."
     Suddenly, the last centimeter of ice cracked under the pressure of the woman inside.  
The form shattered free as it hit the ground.  
     The three gasped as she let out a long moan.  "What the..." the woman gasped, spitting
out ice.  She was covered in a strange, clear gel, that seemed to be unfrozen.
     "She's alive?!?" Rimmer gasped.
     The woman looked around quickly.  "What happened?  Where am I?"
     Dave brought over a blanket.  "You're near the North Pole.  We found you in a frozen
lake.  Who are you?  How did you get all the way up here?"
     "Who am I?" she repeated.  
     "Yes, can you remember?  What's your name?" Philip asked, crouching down to her 
eye-level.  
     Her brain seemed half-frozen, and it took her a second.  "I remember!"
     Beatrice smiled.  "Good girl.  So?  What's your name?"
     The woman smiled, flexing her arms.  "Zoicite."

     Luna and Artemis looked around the dark street.  "It's clear..." Artemis said, walking 
up to the closed arcade.
     Luna nodded and snuck through the security mesh that was guarding the door.  "Does
Central have a new update?"
     "I don't know..." Artemis shrugged.  "But if we don't check in, they might get 
worried."
     "Who the hell IS Central?" Luna asked.  "All I know is I report back to a certain
frequency."
     Artemis nodded his head.  "All I know is that it must be some sort of moon-based
artificial intelligence computer or something."
     The two cats jumped up onto the Sailor V Video Challenge game.  It's screen flickered
into life.  "Welcome to Sailor V..."
     Luna pressed the  Fire' button.  "This is Luna and Artemis, checking in."
     "Enter passwords." the game replied.
     "Kitty is high on cat-nip." Luna announced, pressing her paw on the screen for
identification.
     Artemis did the same.  "White cats kick Lassie's ass."
     Luna frowned.  "THAT's your password?"
     "What?" Artemis smiled. "It was the best I could think of!"
     The screen flickered again, showing pictures of Chris, Maury, Trevor and Damien. 
"What do you know of the Canadian exchange students?"
     Rei had mentioned them to the group earlier.  "Not much." Luna said.  "We haven't 
even seen them yet."
     Artemis nodded.  "Yeah.  Mars only knew about them a few hours ago.  The Scouts 
were going to go over and see them tomorrow."
     "Good," Central replied "while you're there, be on the lookout for any strange activity. 
One or more of them are expelling large amounts of energy."
     "Are they from the Negaverse?" Luna asked.
     "The energy could be good, OR evil.  And we believe not all of them are expelling it. 
This could mean another Sailor Scout."
     "But, they're all male." Luna said.
     Artemis shrugged.  "Remember?  Tuxedo Mask?"
     Luna nodded.  "So you think they could be on our side!"
     Central interrupted.  "We're just saying to be careful.  The energy is just as strong as a
Sailor Scout and if they're from the Negaverse, it could mean doom."
     "Right." the cats agreed.
     "One more thing." Central said.  "There may be Negaverse activity in the North Pole 
yet again."
     "What?  We destroyed the base that was there.  Why would they return?" Artemis 
said. 
"No way I'm going up there again to get my butt frozen."
     "The negative energy we sense could only be some old reactors going critical, but we
decided you should be warned." the screen said.
     Luna nodded.  "By the way, Central...who are you?"
     The screen paused.  "A friend..." it said simply, then blipped off.
     Artemis smiled.  "Ooo, spooky."
     Luna whopped him upside the head.  "Come on...we better get back to the Scouts."
     "So, do you actually think we could be getting more help?" Artemis said hopefully.
     Luna thought for a second.  "I doubt it.  Especially if the Negaverse is active at the 
pole again."
     Artemis sighed.  "Well, I hope not."
     "We'll just have to keep an eye on them."
     The two cats were quiet for a second.  Luna smiled.  "I wonder what else will turn up
from the other planets."
     "I don't know.  But all this talk about the Moon brings back a lot of memories."  
Artemis said, jumping off the control board.
     Luna jumped down too.
     Artemis smiled.  "What ever happened between us, anyway?"
     "What do you mean, Artemis?"  Luna said, blushing slightly.
     "Lookin' good, kitty-cat."  He said, quoting an old memory.
     "Hey!  I was drunk!  Someone put wine in my water dish!"  Luna said, blushing even
redder.
     Artemis smiled. "I know."
     Luna slapped him.  "That's for getting me drunk!"  She said, storming out the door.
     Artemis just smiled.  "It was the only way you could loosen up."
     They both padded home without saying another word.  

     The other three were asleep as Chris pulled out his laptop.  On his watch, it read four
thirty, Japanese time.  Right about now, he'd  usually be up, over in Canada.  He lived in
Calgary, home of rodeos and dinosaur parks, not Tokyo where the time difference was 
eight hours behind.  
     He hooked his computer up to a cellular device and went surfing over the World Wide
Web, looking for a nice place to hack.
     His mom and dad had given him about two thousand dollars for clothes and spending
money, but for what he wanted to get, he'd need ten times that.  For Chris was fascinated 
with Japanese swords.  And today, he was going to go out and get one.  At least, once the 
sun rose.
     He couldn't concentrate, though.  His mind lay on his one-minute first encounter with
Rei.  He knew he should have said something or done something, but he didn't know 
what.

     Rei lay on her bed, thinking.  Chris seemed nice enough, and was even fairly attractive 
to her tough expectations, but she wasn't sure what to do.  Grandpa could be right.  
Maybe she shouldn't date any guy she found cute and waited for the infamous  Mr Right.'
     There was something about him, though, that she just couldn't grasp.  Almost like she
had seen him somewhere before.  Some strange feeling in the back of her mind.  She also 
had the same deja-vu type experience when she saw his friend, Maury, but it too was 
indescribable, and even more faint.
     So, she lay in bed, wide-awake, puzzling over Chris.  

     Zoicite accepted the cup of coffee with an odd smile.  "So, you three are exploring? 
Why?"
     Rimmer nodded.  "Actually, we're trying to make it up to the North Pole in record 
time."
he said, taking a sip of his own mug.
     The former Negaverse general seemed puzzled.  "Why bother?  Your satellite system 
has already charted your entire planet?  Why waste energy to see who can move around it 
the fastest when you won't find anything new?"
     Dave smiled.  "Why not?"
     Zoicite giggled her trademark way.  "I like that trait in you humans.  Every once and a
while, I'll meet one who can come up with a snappy quip like that."
     Beatrice frowned.  "What do you mean by:  you humans'?"
     Rimmer nodded.  "Yes, we've been meaning to ask you.  Are you from the future or
something?"
     Zoicite smiled.  "You mean you don't know?"
     "Well...no, actually."
     Her smile faded.  "Then I assume the Sailor Scouts won." she swore under her breath.
     "Sailor Scouts?" Dave blinked.  "Aren't they those Japs who fight crime like some sort
of super-heroines?"
     Zoicite nodded, the frown on her face getting deeper.
     "Are you a Sailor Scout?" Rimmer asked. 
     Zoicite smiled evilly.  "No.  I'm not one of those giggly little bitches.  I am Zoicite. 
General, first rank of the Negaverse and former attache' for Queen Beryl."
     Dave gasped.  "Bloody hell!  We dug up one of the blokes trying to take over Earth!"
     Zoicite nodded happily.  "And I must thank you.  Even though I managed to escape 
with what remained of my life when the Queen directed her wrath on me, I was locked in 
that damn ice when the base was destroyed by the Sailor brats."
     Rimmer looked over to Dave.  "What do you mean?  Is she evil?"
     Zoicite continued.  "That's right.  It's all coming back to me now..." she dropped her
coffee.  "I transported just before I died into the lake.  We were storing regenerative fluid 
there.  It was my backup plan...Then, before I had healed, the base...and the Scouts..."
     Dave suddenly picked up one of the ice-picks.  "We have to destroy her!  NOW!"
     Before Dave could react, Zoicite leapt up and shoved her hand against his face.  
"ZOI!" she yelled, blasting his head apart with her force-spell.  
     Beatrice and Rimmer gasped as they saw their college's brain hit the sides of the tent 
in bloody clumps.  "NO!" Rimmer gasped, picking up a pick of his own.  Zoicite, now 
free of her blanket, extended her arm and made her sword appear.  
     "You really should have limited your questions to my name." she said, snapping his
weapon in two with a swift slice.
     Rimmer and Beatrice huddled together as Zoicite advanced on them.  "Now, you two
will never see another warm day.  And all the days after this will belong to the 
Negaverse." She said, then began carving them up, relishing in their screams.  
     Outside of the tent, the only sound was her cackling laughter, and the dogs growling at
the evil they sensed.



                           Chapter 4

     Chris awoke to the sound of Maury sharpening his knife.  "Hey...I thought you said 
you couldn't sneak any weapons through customs!"
     Maury shrugged.  "I didn't want to say anything at the airport.  What time did YOU 
get to sleep?  It's almost noon!"
     "Hey, it's summer.  That's good time for me." Chris said, putting on his housecoat.  "I
was up on the Web all night.  I found the Tokyo yellow-pages and I'm going shopping 
around a little later."
     Maury nodded.
     "I also found the personal checking account of Bill Gates." Chris smiled.  "He's a
generous man.  He donated fifty thousand to a known Mafia agent."
     Maury blinked.  "No!  Really?  He's part of the Mafia?"
     Chris nodded.  "In good conscious, however, I liberated twenty grand from that sum to 
be used by the forces of good."  He paused.  "Namely me and you."
     Maury high-fived him.  "Right on!  Did you get caught?"
     Chris shrugged.  "I don't see me wearing cement shoes yet."
     "Cool." Maury agreed.  "Can I have some?"
     "No problem!" Chris said.  "You get half."
     Suddenly, Rei came in, holding a tray with cups on it.  "Good afternoon, boys..." she
paused when she saw Chris in his housecoat.  Her heart started beating faster, and she felt 
her face start to blush.  He looked great.  Tall, handsome, and half-undressed.
     Chris looked down and gasped.  He promptly slid into his covers.  "Sorry.  Just woke
up."
     Rei looked kinda dazed.  "Oh, sorry.  I should have knocked first."
     Maury went up to her.  "Tea?"
     She nodded.  "Yeah, I made some for you all.  Hope you don't mind."
     Chris was now under his covers, getting dressed, struggling around.  They all watched 
as various appendages made this weird, rolling shape with the blankets.  Eventually, 
Chris jumped
out, fully clothed in his new temple attire.  "Sorry."
     Rei couldn't help but smile.  "Well, I'll let you wake up a little more." she put the tea 
on the table.  "I hope you don't mind, but a couple of my friends are coming over and 
want to meet
you."
     Maury instantly saw the opportunity to meet more babes.  "Oh, no problem.  When?"
     "Half an hour." Rei said, walking out the door.  "See you later!"
     The door was shut.  Chris gasped.  "Damn!  I probably looked like some stupid lazy 
bum or something!"
     Maury shrugged.  "I dunno.  She had that look in her eyes when she saw you like 
that."
     Chris frowned at him.  "You're crazy.  She'd never be interested in me."
     Maury smiled.  "I only tell what I saw.  She was undressing you with her eyes...scary
thought..." he added "...but still."
     "Sure.  Right." Chris sighed.  "Rei is too hot.  She was probably dating five years 
ago."
     Trevor suddenly laughed.  "You CAN'T be serious."
     Damien nodded in agreement.
     Maury went over to Chris.  "Hey, I say, fuck what the  Spud Twins' over there think 
and go for her, dude!"
     Chris shook his head.  "You know I'm not like that.  Any time I like a chick, I usually
just shut my mouth, try to not look like an idiot, and watch from afar."
     Maury patted him on the back, leading him to the tea.  "Come on.  If you're so hung up
over her, you gotta say something.  We have six months, remember?"
     Chris picked up a cup of tea.  "I don't know." he sipped it.  "Every time she's near, I 
get all slack-jawed."
     Maury nodded.  "Yeah, I noticed."
     Damien decided to try and get in the conversation.  "You're right to be worried, Chris. 
She's probably slept around so much by now, she could be a lethal injection supplier."
     Chris shrugged.  "She makes one hell of a tea.  And what do YOU care, Damien."
     Damien shrugged.  "She's Japanese.  Those inter-cultural relationships are nothing but
trouble."
     Chris frowned.  "Shut-up you racist asshole.  Okay, name one?"
     Damien was silent.
     "See?" Chris said, sipping his tea.  "If you're so much of a bigot, why the hell did you
come here?"
     Maury smiled.  "His boyfriend, Trevor was coming.  He couldn't live without him."
     Trevor and Damien sneered.
     Damien shrugged.  "Don't say I didn't warn you." he said, then returned to unpacking.
     "Fucking assholes.  They're worse than we thought." Maury mumbled.
     Chris nodded.  "I don't believe it.  You really think she'd be interested in me?"
     Maury rolled back his eyes.  "You're mental for her, aren't you."
     
     Outside the door, Rei got up from her crouch.  "Bad Rei...you have GOT to stop
eavesdropping..." she smiled to herself, then went down the hallway.
     She thought back to Damien's comments.  "I'll have to ask Grandpa to give him extra
chores." she growled.

     Serena happily rung the doorbell to the Temple.  "Ooooh!  I can't wait to ask them if 
they have Sailor V comics in Canada!"
     Lita sighed.  "We're not here to dissect their way of life, Serena.  Luna and Artemis 
said they might be evil, remember that."
     "Just one or two of them." Serena countered, then continued to hop up and down.
     Ami smiled.  "I wonder how smart they are.  I've always heard they have crappy 
schools over in North America...compared to us, at least."
     Mina patted her on the back.  "Don't worry.  I'm sure you can beat them all at chess."
     Ami frowned.  "I didn't say I was competing..." she paused.  "You think they even
KNOW how to play?"
     Mina sighed.  "Ami, you may be the genius, but not everyone else is stupid, you 
know."
     Grandpa opened the door.  "Hi girls!  Nice to see you again."
     Lita smiled.  "How's that recipe for stew I gave you?"
     Grandpa let them in.  "Good. Made Chad sick!"
     Lita gasped. 
     "I love food that does that." he smiled evilly.  "REI!  YOU'RE FRIENDS ARE 
HERE!" he yelled.
     Rei came around the corner.  "Hi, guys."
     Serena leapt at her. "Where are you hiding them!?!"
     "Uh, I guess I should take you to the exchange students, right?" Rei said, peeling 
Serena off her kimono. 
     
     Chris and Maury were having a game of Mortal Kombat on his laptop when Rei 
opened the door and let in her friends.  "Hi, guys.  Allow me to introduce..."
     The two looked up and gasped as Ami spotted the laptop and literally dove toward it. 
"WOW!  A P-133!" she gasped, clawing at it as she landed on the bed, knocking Chris 
and Maury out of the way.
     Chris finally managed to pull it away from her hands.  "What the hell!?!"
     Rei smiled.  "I see you just met Ami."
     Ami looked around.  Everyone was gawking at her reaction.  "Oh, sorry." she returned 
to her normal self.  "Nice to meet you." she shook Chris' hand.
     Chris glanced over to Maury, who held up nine fingers.  Chris nodded.  He was back 
to rating chicks on his babe-o-meter.  
     Lita was about to introduce herself when she saw Maury.  Maury also saw her.  They
were instantly entranced with each other.  "Hi...I'm Lita." Lita swooned over to Maury's 
position and shook his hand.
     "Holy shit...I mean..." Maury shook his head.  "I'm Maury...a pleasure to meet you."
     Chris smiled.   Geeze...even I wasn't THAT bad...' he thought.
     As Mina and Serena introduced themselves, Luna snuck past them and hopped up onto
the table.  The readings she felt were too strong to be classified as good or evil, and the 
Scouts always made interference when they were near, which made it harder to say who 
was emitting the force she felt.  
     As various discussions developed, only Ami and Mina stood by and observed.  
"What's wrong, Ami?" Mina asked.  "You haven't gone over there and flaunted your 
intellect yet."
     Ami ignored her comment.  "What do you think of the one with the computer?  
Chris?"
     Mina shrugged.  "Naw.  He's okay, but I wouldn't go out with him or anything..." she
smiled.  "Why?"
     Ami shrugged.  "Never mind.  Maybe I will go talk to him.  That kicking computer is
probably going to waste." she giggled to herself.  Her intelligence was one of the few 
things she could brag about.  Her presence on the battle field was basically only tactical, 
and she wasn't regarded as the hottest babe at school.  
     "Hey, Chris.  Mind if I see your computer?" she asked.
     Chris raised an eyebrow.  "Uh, sure, I guess."
     He passed it over to her.  She opened it up and pressed the power button.  It booted up
happily, then asked for a BIOS password.  "A password?"
     Chris smiled.  "You can't be too careful these days.  Here..." he typed in what looked 
like  SID'.
     "Sid?  What's that?" she asked in amusement.
     "Oh, it's just a low-level password I have.  My computer's name is Sid six-point-
seven."
Chris explained, letting Windows 95 boot up.
     Ami began typing.  "Ask me a question."
     Chris blinked.  "What?"
     "Go ahead.  Any question." Ami smiled.  "I'm just testing to see how good your
educational system is."
     Chris swallowed.  "Oh, I'm not really the one you should ask."
     "Go on.  Anything!  I'm just curious.  It's not a test." Ami said, enjoying the situation.
     Chris shrugged.  "Okay, something I learned in school, right?"
     Ami shrugged.  "No, I mean anything.  This is a general culture question."
     To her surprise, he smiled evilly.  "Give the exact, non-scientific name of a small, 
quill-bearing mammal who lives in various places of the middle east, Europe and Africa, 
and is a household pet, that is made up of over thirty distinct species.  And is of the genus 
of Erinaceus."
     Ami paused.  "Well, that's easy.  A porcupine."
     Chris shook his head.  "No.  They live in North America as well.  The answer is
hedgehogs."
     Maury shook his head.  "No fair.  You have one as a pet.  Ask her a different 
question!"
     Chris shrugged.  "Okay, what's the atomic number of Einsteinium?"
     Ami was silent again.  "I don't know..."
     Mina patted her friend on the back.  "Ami?  Don't you know?"
     Ami regained her smile.  "Ask me something about computers."
     "Gladly." Chris said with an evil grin.  "You know what an OS is, right?"
     "Operating system." Ami replied confidently.
     Chris smiled.  "What computer company made Irix?"
     Rei sighed.  "We should place bets on this."
     Maury started singing Jeopardy music.
     Ami cringed.  "Uh, I know!  Microsoft!"
     Chris shook his head.  "Silicon Graphics."
     Ami sighed.  "Shit...I knew that."  She looked up.  "Ask me another."
     Chris sighed.  "Do I have to?"
     "Yes." Ami replied coldly.
     
     At the end of that evening, Chris had asked a hundred questions.  Ami had gotten 
twenty right.  She had then forced him into a game of chess.  Chris was holding his own 
despite Ami's years of practicing.  He wasn't as good, but was giving her quite a 
challenge.
     "Ami...maybe we should leave.  It's coming up on seven." Mina sighed, already 
knowing what her answer would be.
     "Just a few minutes more..." Ami said, moving a pawn.
     Chris countered.  "Tell you what, Ami.  I'll ask you ONE more question.  If you win, 
you get my computer.  If I win, you kindly stop pitting your intellect against mine, who I 
must say, is falling asleep."
     Ami smiled.  "Okay, but you have to make it hard, not like the last five."
     Chris nodded.  "I intend to."
     Grandpa and Chad had even been curious why Rei or the others were still visiting and
had come in to watch the chess game.  Chad smiled.  "Come on, Ami!  You can do it!"
     Grandpa shook his head.  "I'll bet you five hours extra chores he'll stump her again."
     Chad and him shook hands.  
     Mina smiled.  "Let's make this interesting.  Everyone with Chris, walk over to his side. 
Everyone with our genus Ami...over here."
     Rei smiled.  "What are the stakes?"
     Mina shrugged.  "The loosers have to chip in five bucks each to the winners."
     The room shuffled around.  Grandpa, Maury and Rei went onto Chris' side.  Chad, 
Mina, Serena, Lita, Damien and Trevor all went towards Ami.
     Chris woke up slightly and realized he just bet his computer.  His mind searched for a
fresh, insolvable question.
     Ami seemed centered on book-smarts.  Computers were another semi-literate area.  
Chris wanted something she'd never get.  But, in all fairness, he had to pick something he 
knew as well.  "Fuck it." he thought.
     "Okay..." Chris said.  "I got one."
     Ami nodded eagerly.  
     "How many nuts are there in each pack of United Overseas airline complimentary
peanuts?" he said, glancing over to Maury.  Maury grinned evilly.
     Ami gasped.  "Wait...that's too simple...ask a scientific question!"
     Chris pulled out a pack of peanuts.  "You said a hard question.  I know the answer and
I'll prove it right now.  Do you know?"
     Maury smiled.  "I love it."
     Ami glanced over at the crinkled package.  She couldn't see how many were inside.  "I
don't believe this." she finally said.
     Grandpa smiled.  "HAHA!  I knew it!"
     "How many, then?" Mina retorted.  "BEFORE you open the pack!"
     Chris nodded.  "Ten.  All factory sealed."  He ripped open the pack.  "One," he popped 
it in his mouth.  "Two, three, four..." he continued munching down on them.  "Eight,
nine...and...oh-oh!"
     Everyone gasped.
     The bag didn't produce anymore than nine.  Ami smiled.  "HAHA!  I just got a new
computer!"
     Chris looked on the floor.  "Oh!  Here's the last one!"
     Inside the corner he tore away was the last peanut.  He popped it in his mouth.  "Ten."
     Ami couldn't help but smile.  "I'll return for a second match." she got up and left as 
part of the deal.
     The looser side was forced to pay each of the winners five and a half bucks.  "There 
goes my allowance..." Serena wailed. 
     Chris sighed.  "Here, Serena.  I just wanted her to go home." he said, paying her back.
     Serena smiled.  "Thanks.  I better go home before anyone takes any more money from
me!"
     Everyone but Rei left the room.  Rei walked over to Chris.  "Peanuts?"
     Chris grinned.  "I love my life."
     Maury blinked.  "No way!  You risked a five grand laptop on the whereabouts of a
mystery tenth nut?"
     Chris sighed.  "She's gone, isn't she?"
     Trevor flagged down Chris' attention.  "Don't I get my five bucks back?"
     Chris frowned.  "No."
     Rei sat down next to Chris.  Chris started sweating.  "Ami's not usually like that.  She
just doesn't often get a chance to show off."
     Chris was fully aware of the situation, despite Maury's odd smile.  "Uh, thanks, Rei. 
Say..." he thought for a second.  "Could I ask you for a favor tomorrow?"
     Rei shrugged.  "Unless it's helping you finish off your five-hundred or so 
peanuts...sure."
     Chris smiled.  "I have no idea where to shop around here.  Could you show me?"
     Rei looked at her watch.  "Well, we could go out now.  There's still two or so hours 
left until stores start closing down."
     Maury, who was behind Rei's back, nodded quickly, urging Chris on.  Chris smiled. 
"Sure."
     Rei and Chris were soon out the door.  Maury smiled.  "Finally.  I can quit worrying
about getting him a date, and can concentrate on that babe, Lita."
     Trevor and Damien were still mad at loosing five bucks to him.  "Oh, shut-up." they 
both said.
     


                           Chapter 5

     Rei pointed to the bus schedule.  "The secret is, run to the next possible stop.  That 
way, you can catch any bus to anywhere, but not have to wait for fifteen minutes."
     Chris nodded.  "I just can't read the text."
     Rei blinked.  "Oh, that's right.  I'll have to write them down, I guess..."
     "How'd you learn to speak English so well?" Chris asked.  "I mean, you grew up in a
Japanese temple with your grandpa.  Why didn't he just teach you your own, traditional
language?"
     She smiled.  "When I was really young, I saw this movie, called Ran.  It had subtitles 
on it for English viewers."
     Chris blinked.  "I saw Ran too!  I loved it!"
     Rei nodded.  "Me too.  So I asked my grandpa what all the weird squiggles at the 
bottom were.  He told me that they were for people who couldn't speak our language, and 
that they read along to the words that were spoken.  I got curious to see how one word 
could look and sound so different in English.  Grandpa was in World War II and picked 
up English overseas.  He taught me himself."
     "Cool." Chris said.  "The only Japanese I know is from Christopher Lambert movies."
     Rei smiled.  "I'll teach you some.  Come on, I've gotta show you the mall."
     Chris followed happily, looking around.  Rei, who was out in front, smiled widely.  
Here was a guy who didn't see her as  that physic girl at the weird temple' or anything like 
that.  Sure, Chris hadn't even heard that yet, but it was still refreshing.  "So, Chris.  Tell 
me a bit about yourself." 
     Chris blinked.  "Me?  I don't know.  I'd like to think I'm pretty smart.  I love 
computers, as you probably guessed.  I'm a self-proclaimed weirdo."
     Rei nodded.  "Yeah, I sorta guessed with the Jay Leno on the wall."
     Chris smiled.  "I'll never forget Ami's face when I asked her the peanut question."
     Rei nodded.  "How about your family?  Friends?  You know, that sort of thing."
     "Normal family, but we're all kinda weird.  Especially my sister.  She's cool.  I'd say
she'll be weirder than me one day.  Standard upper-middle class, I guess." Chris said 
happily. 
"As for friends?  Maury's my best friend.  And I hang around with a couple of other kids 
at school, who are basically like us."
     "Us?" Rei added with a smile.
     Chris shrugged.  "We band together so assholes won't touch us.  We're not too popular
back home." he explained.  "I've been threatened a couple hundred times, yet have never 
been in an actual fight." he said proudly.
     "Any girlfriend?" Rei asked.  She was a bit surprised to hear that escape her lips.
     Chris blinked, also surprised.  "Uh, none.  Like I said.  I'm not too popular."
     Rei nodded.  "Well, here's the mall." she said.  "Race you there!" 
     Chris gasped as he saw Rei shoot ahead of him.  "Wait!" he said, trying to catch up.
     She smiled inwardly.  It was going to be an interesting summer.
     
     Zoicite fished around in her pocket for a crystal as she finished off eating the food
supplies the three trekkers had.  If the Negaverse had lost, was Malachite dead as well? 
Unbeknownst to her, but beknownst to us, he was.  She had a feeling, deep down that he 
was gone.  After all, he'd fight the Sailor Scouts to the finish.  She finally found her 
Gateway Crystal. 
A tiny shard of woven magic that facilitated transportation from the Negaverse to the 
Universe. 
"Gateway Crystal!  I command you!" she yelled, holding it out in front of her.  "Open a 
portal to my home."
     The crystal obeyed as usual and formed a black vortex in front of her.  She stepped
forward, already knowing what awaited her.
     
     To get away from the crowd, Rei suggested they sat down in one of the restaurants. 
Chris agreed weakly, knowing this was turning into a full-fledged date.  Chris didn't 
know weather or not to be happy as they were seated in a secluded booth.  
     Rei had ordered a plate of rice and vegetables, and Chris asked for some egg-roles.  He
wasn't prepared when he saw how fancy they were dressed up on his plate.
     "Sorry, this is sort of a formal restaurant." Rei smiled.
     Chris shrugged.  "No problem."
     The were quiet for a while.  Chris decided he should say something.  "So?  What about
you?"
     Rei shrugged.
     "You know.  Family, friends?" Chris urged her on.
     "Well, I actually don't know my mother." Rei said solemnly.  "She died, I think, when 
I was one or two."
     Chris blinked.  "You mean you're not sure?"
     Rei nodded with a sigh.  "Grandpa keeps telling me he'll explain when the time is
right...but I've been waiting for fourteen years now."
     Chris looked down to his plate.  "I'm sorry...it must be hard.  What about your dad?"
     "He's a politician." she said coldly.  
     Chris realized she was now pissed off.  Politicians weren't looked upon too highly in 
the Shinto religion.  "Oh." he changed the subject.
     Rei sighed.  "I try not to let it get me down.  Basically, the gang you saw today are my
family." she smiled.  "You see, I can kinda...see into the future, and it scares most other 
people."
     Chris looked up.  "Cool!"
     Rei blinked.  
     "No!  That's cool!  Really!" Chris said.  "I wish I could do that."
     She smiled.  "Well, it's not like concentrating and  poof', there it is.  I have to sit down
and meditate for a while in front of fire."
     Chris raised an eyebrow.  "Well.  I usually spook people when I get all hyper on air 
and start yelling  bleah!' and running after people."
     Rei held her face in her hands.  "Now why would anyone be spooked by that?"
     Chris shrugged, stabbing the egg roll with a chopstick.  "So, who's that Chad guy?"
     She sighed.  "Chad?  He's some unemployed singer.  Says he's afraid of the stage.  
We're friends, I guess...not really, though.  He really gets me steamed.  And if he ever 
offers to sing, politely refuse if you want to avoid ear damage."
     Chris smiled.  "I think I killed it."
     Rei glanced down to his food, which was now DOA.  "Nice.  You still going to eat 
that?"
     Chris glanced around to make sure nobody was watching.  "Hell no.  I'm going to
DRINK it."
     Rei sat and watched, chopsticks hanging from her mouth, as Chris shoveled the 
mashed egg roll and garnish into the glass of milk he ordered.  He took the straw and 
started mixing it. 
"You were saying..." Chris looked up and smiled.
     Rei glanced over to the cup of mysterious colors.  "Ugh.  Well, Grandpa's actually 
kind of neat." she said.  "He's who-knows-how-old but he keeps kicking.  He runs the 
entire temple and still has time to torment me and Chad."
     Chris sniffed the glass.  "Maybe you're right.  I won't eat this after all." he said, 
shoving it aside.  "Your grandpa seems like a cool guy.  You two get along?"
     Rei sat back in her padded chair.  "Well, most of the time.  But he's so stubborn.  
Won't follow his doctor's advice, even though he's not as far as he thinks from a heart-
attack, and he didn't let me date until a month ago, and that was just taking Chad over to 
the mall so he could buy new shoes."
     "Well, this is much better than buying shoes.  Thanks, Rei." he said, looking around.  
     Rei looked down.  "It was my pleasure." she said happily.
     Another awkward silence gripped the two.  Chris looked over to his watch.  "Well, we
have another half an hour."
     Rei smiled.  "What's that?" she asked, pointing to his chest.
     Chris looked down to his good luck charm.  His two little swords hung around his 
neck. 
"These?  They're my good luck charms." he said, holding them out to her.
     Rei leaned closer.  "It's beautiful." she said, holding them and giving Chris an excuse 
to edge closer across the table.      
     Chris shrugged.  "I'm not dead, or broke, or sick...so they must be working."
     Rei looked up and smiled.  Their faces were only two inches apart.  "Must be." she 
said softly, eventually sitting back down.  
     Chris shivered slightly and sat back down.  "You..." he squeaked, then coughed.  "You
want to go back now?"
     Rei nodded.  "Yeah, the stores are closing anyway." she got up and left after paying 
the waiter.
     Chris sat there a moment longer.  "I can't believe it.  She likes me." he said, believing 
it for the first time.
     Rei turned back and motioned for him to come.  Chris smiled to himself and followed. 
As the two walked home without another word, she couldn't believe what was happening.  
She was falling for the weird young man from Canada, that just happened to come to her 
temple thanks to a scheming grandpa.  
     Chris walked her to her room and bid her a good-night.  She smiled.  "Thanks for the
wonderful evening."
     As the door closed, Chris smiled back.  "My pleasure..."




                           Chapter 6

     "Out late last night?" Serena giggled as Rei yawned again.
     Rei sneered at Serena's comment.  "I couldn't get to sleep.  That's all." she explained,
yawning again.
     Luna and Artemis coughed.  "Are we ready?" Luna asked, annoyed.
     "Sorry." Rei said.
     "Why'd you drag us out of our warm, cozy beds THIS time, Luna?" Serena 
complained. 
"I was having a wicked-cool dream where the world was made of..."
     "Sailor Moon!" Luna yelled.  "SHUT-UP!"
     Serena gave her a mean look.  "Fine."
     Artemis nodded.  "Luna's been investigating the problem a little more closely.  She
managed to track down a specific energy signature."
     Luna nodded.  They had all gathered at Ami's house for a change of pace, and also 
they weren't discovered by the new possible enemy.  "It's that Chris guy.  He's the one." 
Luna said.  "I followed him around all day after you girls left the temple, and the 
strongest source of the energy was always around him."
     Rei blinked.  "Wait...what are you saying?"
     Luna sighed.  "I think he's from the Negaverse."
     Artemis nodded.  "We recived information from Central a night ago about a possible
return of Negaverse activity in the North Pole.  The two events of this, and the strange 
energy from Chris are too closely related and appeared about the same time, making it a 
pretty damn odd circumstance."
     "No..." Rei shook her head.  "He's not from the Negaverse.  At least not a warrior, 
even if he is."
     Ami nodded.  "She's right.  There had to be civilians in that demention.  This one 
could be like a refugee or something.'
     "And we can't just kill an innocent civilian.  It would be murder, and even our Sailor
Scout DNA can be traced." Mina cautioned.
     "Just because you girls have gotten to know him a bit doesn't make the situation any 
less dangerous." Luna insisted.  
     Mina shrugged.  "What about the possible second energy you said might be there?"
     Luna sighed.  "I couldn't get a fix on anyone else.  It's possible that Chris is just one
really powerfull Negaverse general or something."
     "You don't get it." Rei persisted.  "The guy hates violence, has never throwen a punch 
in his life, and he acts almost exactly opposite from any Negaverse lacky we've 
encountered, even when they're undercover in our society."
     Artemis nodded.  "You know, she's got a point, Luna.  This could still be a good-guy."
     Luna frowned.  "I don't like it.  Like you said yourself, the North Pole becoming active
again coinsided with the arival of the exchange students."
     Rei sighed.  "Fine.  I'll keep an eye on him."
     "I'm comming over tommorrow." Luna said.  "I'll search through his stuff for clues."
     Ami shrugged.  "I'll come over and we can search through his computer."
     Mina smiled.  "I'm sure that's a task you're dreading.  You were literaly drooling over 
it, yesterday."
     "Do what you have to do." Rei said.  "I'm going to do a fire reading before I start
accusing him of being from the Negaverse." she slammed Ami's door behind and left.
     "What's got her so pissy?" Serena asked.
     
     Chris looked at the sheet of paper he had printed out.  He was on the right street.  He
walked past the early morning crowd on the sidewalk, exchanging friendly nods with
pedestrians.  "This place might not be so bad after all." Chris said to himself.  "Ah, here 
we go."
     On the side of a nearby shop, a sign, in both Japanese and English, said: The Samurai
Shop.
     Chris opened the door and was greeted with a gust of warm, dusty air.  As his eyes
adjusted from the sunny day outside to the evening-like atmosphere, he saw the walls 
were lined with swords.  "Cool..." he said with a wide grin.
     Pounding could be heard from the back workshop room.  "No way...hand made?" he
asked himself.  
     He dropped his leather pack and walked over to a sword set.  He was just about to pick 
it up, when something caught his eye.  A blue sparkle.  He looked deeper into the store 
and saw another sword.  This one was stunning.  Chris walked over to it, feeling like a 
little kid who found a hoard of Playboys under his older brother's bed.  
     He looked around, not really sure if he was allowed to touch it.  He slowly lifted it 
from it's wooden stand.  It was lighter than he expected.  The blue that had caught his eye 
was reflected from the hand-guard.  He looked closer at it.  It was decorated by a strange 
symbol, wraping around the handle.  The guard was almost see-through, and appeared to 
be a crystal. 
     Not waiting any longer, he started to withdraw the blade. 
     "Hey!  What are you doing!" a gruff voice asked. 
     Chris lept back, almost dropping the sword.  "I-I was just looking!"
     From the back room, an old man, similar to Grandpa, only with black hair, came out 
of the shadows.  "I must warn you, that's the most expensive sword in this shop.  You 
break it, you buy it." he said, whiping his hands with a greasy towel.
     Chris nodded.  "Can I look at the blade?"
     The man smiled.  "Sure.  I see you have an eye for swords."
     Chris blinked, taking out the blade.  "How do you know that?"
     He walked over to the sword Chris was going to pick up before he saw the crystal-
guarded one. "This sword's made of aluminum.  Light.  Its for show.  The one you have 
there is the real item."
     Chris nodded and whistled as he saw the blade of the one he was holding.  It reflected
better than a mirror.  Not wanting to look like he was going to wreck it, he put it back on 
the stand.  "It's beautiful.  Real?"
     The man nodded.  "I'd say you could make it through walls with that thing." he 
extended his hand.  "I'm Henery Yamato.  You?"
     Chris shook his hand happily.  "Chris.  Did you make all these swords?"
     Yamato shook his head.  "Most of them...but a few I've traded over the years...and I
accually found that one you just looked at."
     Chris looked back to the sword.  "You FOUND it?"
     He grinned widely.  "Yup.  Personaly, I estimate it's a good thousand years old.  That
means it plays havock with the history books, and it still could slice a Massisumi blade in 
half."
     Chris looked at the innocent looking sword with respect.  "How much?  I'm afraid to
ask."
     Yamato shrugged.  "It's priceless."
     Chris sighed.  "Where did you find it?"
     "Over in Canada, accually." Yamato said, walking over to the sword.  "Place near
Calgary, Alberta."
     Chris almost fell over.  "You're kidding...right?  That's where I'm from."
     Yamato shook his head.  "I bet you wish you found it before I did! Ha!"
     "Well..." Chris said, walking over to his bag on the floor.  "I can offer you ten 
thousand, American...right now in cash.  How  bout it?" he asked hopefully.
     Yamato whistled.  "That's a mighty fine offer, but priceless MEANS priceless." he 
said.  
"However..." 
     Chris blinked.  "What?"
     "You say you're from Calgary?  I found this sword probably the same year you were
born...you're seventeen, right?"
     Chris nodded.
     "Well, that's very good luck." Yamato smiled.  "Ancient samurai used to be given a
sword the day they were born."
     "Yeah, I know." Chris said.  "I like Japanese culture."
     "If you can find this sword's wakizashi, you can keep it."
     Chris went wide-eyed.  "What?"
     Yamato motioned to the store.  "If you can find the sword to match this katana, I'll 
give you it for free."  He shrugged.  "I woudn't dare sell it, anyway.  If you have a 
samurai's spirit, you deserve it."
     "You're serious about this, aren't you?" Chris asked.
     Yamato smiled.  "I have a feeling about you, Chris.  Besides, I've grown too used to 
my own sword to use it myself."
     Chris smiled widely.  "So, it's somewhere in this store?"
     Yamato nodded.  "One other thing...no touching anything, untill you're sure you found
it."  He giggled, obviously liking the game.
     The walls were covered with hundreds of swords.  Chris realized this may be a bit 
harder than he thought.  "And what if I loose?"
     "You have to buy one from me!" he smiled.  "A nice one, too."
     Chris nodded.  "Is that all?  I was going to do that anyway.  You're on."
     He began looking at the racks and racks of swords.  A couple looked really close, and 
he was about to grab one, when, he stopped.  Out of instinct, he went back over to the 
thousand year old sword and picked it up.  He began feeling it's scabbard.  It was a dark, 
deep red color, and had a curious end.  It almost looked like another handle.  Chris 
realized the other sword was hidden inside the opposite end of the katana's sheath.  He 
smiled and to Mr Yamato's dissbelive, pulled out a second blade.  Two hand guard spines 
sprung into place, and it matched the katana.
     "How did you know?" he gasped.  "It took me three years to accidently find that!"
     Chris smiled, putting it back in.  "Here, I'll give you whatever I have.  It's the least I 
can do..." he reached into his wallet.
     Yamato shook his head.  "Don't worry about it.  I'm working on a million-dollar deal 
for a martial arts film.  Keep your money."
     Chris looked around.  "Well, then...I'll buy a case and some books.  I gotta pay you 
back somehow!" he said happily.
     Yamato sighed.  "Okay..." he smiled brightly.  "Come with me..."
     Chris held his sword in his hand.  It felt great.  Suddenly, he realized something.  He
flipped the sword around to look at the hand guard again.  "You know..." he called after 
Mr Yamato.  "This symbol looks like the one for Saturn..."

     The door opened quietly to the spare room.  Ami poked her head through.  "Clear..." 
she whispered.  
     Inside tip-toed Luna, Artemis, Mina, Serena, Ami and Lita.  Ami promptly went over 
to Sid 6.7, Chris' laptop, and opened it.
     Luna kept a lookout.  "How long is this going to take?"
     Ami popped her knuckles.  "Not long." she bragged.
     The first password screen came up.  She remembered it's code from yesterday and 
typed it in.  A loud sound filled the room.  "Welcome to the tunnel of doom!" the 
computer said. 
"Cute." Ami said.  "A start-up sound."
     Things were quiet as everyone looked around the room.  Mina finally sighed.  "All his
stuff is in his bag.  He never leaves it alone, though."
     Lita, who was getting even more convinced Chris was an enemy, nodded.  "I bet it has 
all his magical crystals and spells.  Hell, he's probably carring around one of those 
Negabombs that almost toasted the temple."
     Ami whistled.  "I found his personal diary file...but..."
     "But what?" Artemis asked.
     "It's encrypted."
     "Can you break it?" Mina asked.
     Ami sighed.  "It's a Word Perfect encryption.  And, it's been compressed eight 
different times.  Each level could have a new password."
     Artemis translated.  "It's going to take a few days.  You better save it to disk, then we
can use Ami's home computer."
     Ami nodded, popping in a disk.  "Copy to  A' drive..." she narrated.
     Suddenly, Chris' computer made a warning noise.  "You have tried to copy a protected
file.  High level encryption.  Enter top-secret level one password." it said in a digitized 
voice.
     Ami blinked.  "Shit!  Quick!  Gimme a password!"
     The computer kicked in again.  "Too late.  This attempted hack has been recorded." a
pause  "Have a nice day!" it added happily.
     A blue skull animation came up on the screen and began laughing at them.  It then 
shut down.
     Ami swallowed hard.  "We're in shit."

     "So you used your own steel?" Chris asked, accepting a cup of tea.  "I thought you 
would have used a block of that traditional stuff."
     Yamato nodded.  "Too expensive.  Can you keep a secret?"
     Chris nodded.
     "I use elevator cable." he smiled.
     Chris nodded.  "I heard of that.  Makes for some really cool temper lines."
     A bell rang out.  Chris realized it was a clock.  "Oh, geeze!  I'm sorry!  I didn't realize
how long I was here.  I better leave you to work..."
     Yamato shrugged.  "No problem.  It was nice talking to you."
     "You too." Chris smiled, picking up his bag and new sword, now in a black, hardwood
case.  "Thanks again."
     Yamato lead him to the door.  "The thing I don't get, is I keep thinking I know you 
from somewhere." he smiled.  "I'll talk to you later, maybe?"
     Chris nodded.  "You can count on it." he said, shaking his new friend's hand.
     The door closed.  Chris looked at the street.  It was dark, but he didn't really care. 
Accross the street was park.  "Perfect."  He pulled out a pencil from his case and waked 
over to a bench.

     Rei sat in a pile of her own sweat, her clothes drenched from sitting infront of her
meditation fire all night.  She had been concentrating constantly for five hours now.  The 
flames had still not given her an answer.  
     A hand on her shoulder almost gave her a heart-attack.  "AHHH!" she screemed, 
startled out of her meditation.
     Mina was at her side, wide-eyed.  "Rei?  You okay?"
     She looked around, wiping her forehead.  "Wh-what time is it?"
     The blonde looked at her watch.  "Uh, two in the morning.  Ami tripped off Chris'
computer, and now he'll know someone was looking around."
     Rei's mind put the peices together.  "Ohmygod..." she gasped.  "I still don't know if 
he's evil or not..."
     Mina sighed.  "We have to do something."
     Rei was quiet.  "What would he be hiding on his computer?"
     "Rei, we have a plan." Mina said.  "We'll need your help.  It's too risky to keep all of 
us around.  You'll have to find out on your own." she looked at Rei's clothes.  "You better 
get changed first."
     
     Chris walked up the steps to the temple at three in the morning, still wide-awake.  He 
had on a long-sleaved dress shirt, so the cool air didn't really bother him.  Tommorrow, 
rather today, he had chores to do.  They all did.  Grandpa promised to teach them some 
martial arts if they helped out.  All four agreed, even Trevor and Damien to his suprise.
     The door slid open easily and Chris walked into the temple.  Everyone seemed to be
asleep.  He went to his room and slid his new sword under it while getting undressed.  
His laptop sat on his dresser, open.
     He turned it on and found that the security options had been tripped.  "That's odd..." he
thought to himself.  With Maury there, Trevor and Damien wouldn't dare touch it, and 
Maury knew all the passwords anyway.  "Ami." he said quietly.  "Damn."
     He began resetting all the systems and passwords. "Something weird's going on." he
thought.  "And it's not the kind of  weird' I like."




                           Chapter 7

     Chris was still on Calgary time and woke up at seven.  Everyone else was still asleep, 
so he went into the kitchen for some tea.  Just as the water for his tea started to boil, he 
heard someone comming.  He took the ketle off the burner and ducked under the counter 
to see who it was.
     Rei walked in, yawning widely.  She had on only a nightgown, to Chris' delight.  Rei 
had been at the fire all night again, with nothing to report.  She was starting to believe she 
could be wrong.  But, she thought, I'm not going to worry about that now.  She went to 
the cupboard and grabbed the Japanese equivalent to  Fruit Loops' and poured herself a 
bowl.  
     Chris was stunned.  He'd only seen her in sweaters and loose shirts so far.  She was
beutiful, and looked better with nothing more than a silky nightgown and her underwear 
on, and her incredible tight ass produced a lovely curve beneath the silk..  She had her 
back turned to him, but would turn ever so slightly to give him a view of her side.  She 
sat down on a raised table, accross the room, and started munching on her cereal.  Her 
back was turned toward him.
     Sensing the opertunity to reveil his presence without making it LOOK like he'd been
hiding, Chris quietly stood up and snuck closer to the entrance, making it look like he'd 
just come in.  "Rei?" he asked sleepily.
     Rei gasped, spitting colorful hoops everywhere.  "Chris!  Geeze!  You scared the hell 
out of me!"  She looked him over.  He was in his dark blue housecoat again.  "Uh, good 
morning."
     Chris smiled happily and walked over to finish heating the water.  "So, what did I miss
last night?  Anything cool?"
     Rei remembered he could be from the Negaverse and adopted a serious mood.  "Not
much.  Where were you?  You were gone  till midnight at least." she asked, adjusting her 
own sleepware so it was less reveiling.  
     "I got myself a sword, accually." Chris stated proudly.  "I promised myself that's the 
first thing I'd do when I got here.  Turns out, I made a friend too." he paused.  "Just 
curious, but was Ami here last night?"
     Rei's mind went into a panic.  If he was evil, he was very calm and collective.  He took
his time and didn't reveil too much.  He was the worst possible kind.  "Accually, she 
called from her house, asking me if I wanted her old geometry set for when school 
started.  That's all I heard from her." she said, rather proud of herself for thinking up the 
answer.  Two can play at this little game of chess she thought.
     Chris nodded.  "Cool.  Say, Rei?" he asked, getting nervous.  "You wanna, I don't 
know, go see a movie later?"  He looked around.  "I know it's kinda early, but I just 
wanted to make sure you didn't have plans or..."
     Rei, a bit surprised at the question was speechless.  "Um, I don't know." she said
eventually.  "I mean, most the stuff in Tokyo is in Japanese anyway...and..."
     Chris cursed himself for being so forward.  "Oh, it's no problem." he said. 
     Rei sighed.  "Listen, Chris.  I'd like to, it's just that..."
     Chris' face, still turned away from Rei, went blank.  He'd heard this before.  "No, no
need to appoligize.  I understand." he said forcefully.
     "Okay." Rei said, getting up.  "Well, I've got chores to do." she left.
     It took Chris a second to realize it was over.  He'd ask too much, too fast, and it
happened again.  Any normal person would be able to get away with asking her out, but 
not me, he thought.  He was the reject.  The guy who was happy and smart, but alone as 
usuall.  "Shit."
     He turned off the stove and left the kitchen, maintaining his blank expression. 
     
     Zoicite sat in her equivalent of a living room, watching a playback crystal as it showed
the last few recorded seconds of Queen Beryl.  She'd been catching up.  Her house was 
still there, protected by her servent drones as the Negaverse began crumbling from Beryl's 
death.  
     "I don't belive it." Zoicite shook her head as Tuxedo Mask threw his final rose through
an oncomming ice crystal, then Beryl's chest.  "Cape-boy and his little fan club finaly 
won."
     But, the other Sailor Scouts were killed.  And the battle outside the base looked as if
Sailor Moon had used the crystal.  Why would they still be alive?  Zoicite smiled to 
herself. 
"Maybe I'll get my revenge after all."
     A drone named Opeea came up to her.  "Master?  I have new news from the Neganet
sensor readings."
     Zoicite nodded.  "Yes?"
     "The Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask ARE alive, and it has been confermed all over 
the Earth by their own news and information sources."
     Zoicite nodded.  "Very good."
     "Also," Opeea continued "a new energy has been detected.  It doesn't conform to any
known pattern, but could be a Rainbow Crystal morph."
     Zoicite raised her eyebrow.  "Where?"
     A Rainbow Crystal morph was basically an old Negaverse monster who got 
reincarnated as a human as the side-effect of being blasted with the Imperium Silver 
Crystal, but didn't nesecarly have a crystal inside of it's body like a Rainbow Crystal 
Carrier.  Zoicite, as well as three other generals she knew were like this.  She was never 
reborn on Earth, but doctors told her it would have been possible.  
     It was also possible, that this morph could be a new colluge.  
     Opeea checked her map.  "Quadrent three of Tokyo.  Cherri Hill temple."
     Zoicite smiled.  "If I remember, Jedite used that place to collect energy.  He got Sailor
Mars introducing herself instead."
     Opeea nodded.  "That's correct.  Shall I go to conferm the new energy reading?"
     Zoicite nodded.  "Yes, but this new reading might not be on our side.  If it isn't, kill it. 
The last thing I want is another Scout to deal with."
     Opeea vanished out of the Negaverse promptly, using another Gateway Crystal.  
Taking all her fangs, legs and weapons with her.

     Maury woke to see Chris, sitting on his bed with a blank look on his face.  "Hey, 
Chris. 
What's up?
     Chris sighed loudly.  "Nothing.  That's the problem."
     Maury nodded.  "Rei?"
     Chris nodded back.  Then, he thought for a bit.  "Just asking, but did you see anyone 
on my computer last night?  All it's security stuff was tripped."
     Maury shook his head.  "I played some chess on it, but that was yesterday.  Trevor and
Damien didn't go near it."
     "Weird." Chris said, laying back on his bed.  
     Maury smiled evilly.  "So, what happened with you and Rei?"
     Chris shrugged.  "I asked her out to a movie, she said no then walked off.  She looked
like she was avoiding me."
     Maury sighed.  "Sorry, man.  Anything I can do?"
     Chris shook his head.  "We got chores after dinner.  Let's see if Grandpa will give us 
that free lesson he promised."
     Maury watched as Chris reached under his bed and pulled out his new sword.  "Wow!"
he said simply.  "You got that yesterday?"
     Chris smiled weakly.  "Best thing that happened to me in eighteen hours, at least."
     "Let's go." Maury said, getting dressed.  "Don't wanna wake the spuds."
     Trevor and Damien lay asleep as the two left the room.  
     A few minutes later, a small black cat peered in the window, conveniently located 
above Chris's bed.  His bag was unattended, but the two other students were still in the 
room.  She'd have to come back later.

     Grandpa smiled as Chris and Maury came in the dojo.  "Ah!  I see you've come to get
thrashed after all!"
     The two entered and bowed to the mats despite Grandpa's comment.  "Good morning."
Chris said politely.  "You any good with a sword?"
     Grandpa nodded.  "I see you got one of your own.  Very well..." he went over to a rack
and selected his own sword.  "I'll teach you."
     Chris smiled.  "Thanks."
     Maury went over and picked up one of the other swords, unsheathing it happily.  
"Cool."
     Grandpa led them over to some bambo targets.  "Okay.  The object of this is to make a
forty-five degree diagonal cut, slicing off the top of the bamboo chute."
     The old man promptly lept up and swung his sword around, slicing the bamboo 
perfectly. He landed and smiled happily.  "It takes practice, but you two look like you 
learn fast.  Try it."
     Maury smiled evilly.  "He-ya!" he yelled out, bringing around his sword.  He hit the
bamboo at an odd angle, making his sword rebound off the target and into the far wall.  
     As everyone got back up to their feet, Grandpa started laughing.  Maury frowned.  "It 
was my first try, okay?"
     Maury went to retreive his sword.  Chris lined up with his target.  In a sudden, 
blinding swish, the blade was on the other side, and the top of the chute was flying away 
from the cut.  It took Chris a moment to realize he did it.  "Cool..."
     Grandpa was bug-eyed.  "Uh...not bad?" he returned to his normal self.  "Beginner's
luck.  Try again." he said confidently.
     Chris smiled.  "There can be only one..."he said, slicing the target in two, then 
adjusting his grip and bringing the blade back to cut the chute off it's support dowel.  
     As the peices landed, Granpa frowned.  "You never told me you practiced."
     Chris shrugged.  "I don't.  It's my first sword."
     Grandpa whipped his sword around in a suprise attack.  Chris instinctivly crouched 
and blocked with his own sword.  "Then where did you learn that?" Grandpa asked.
     Chris blinked.  "Shit...this sword's posested!"
     Grandpa exchanged swords with him.  "Let's find out.  Cut another target."
     Chris obeyed and succeded in slicing up the other two targets.  Not as impressively as
with his own sword, but he succeded nonetheless.
     Grandpa gave his sword back.  "Defend yourself!"
     Chris gasped as the small man leapt at him, brandishing his katana.  Chris lept back to
avoid his attack.  "Wait!  I keep telling you I don't know how to fence!"
     Grandpa charged.  Chris dodged again, but Grandpa swung his sword around, slicing
Chris' baggy pants.  Maury could do nothing but watch in amazement as the fight went 
on.  Chris finally started blocking with his sword.  Grandpa was clearly trying his best to 
cut through the defense, but was not succeeding. 
     "I told you!" Chris said.  "I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT!" he yelled, swiping around his
katana.
     Grandpa's sword connected, but didn't stop it.  The strange, thousand-year-old blade
smashed through, causing the younger blade to explode into pieces.
     Grandpa was thrown backwards from the hit, having only a broken handle in his hand. 
Chris stood in the middle of the room, holding out his sword across his eyeline.  He 
promptly put it back in it's scabbard.  "Shit..."
     Grandpa looked at the remains of his sword.  "How did you do that?" he asked, 
flicking a piece of ex-sword from his arm.
     Maury looked over to Chris.  "Highlander movies?"

     Rei walked by the fire-reading room on her way outside.  She stopped and 
backtracked.  I must find out...this situation's killing me! She said to herself. 
     She locked the door and kneeled before the fire.  "Okay, fire.  This one's for all the
marbles.  You got it?  If you don't tell me, I'm going to go crazy.  I don't care what the 
outcome is, as long as there is one." she said out loud to the flickering flames.
     She concentrated.  "Great fire of Mars.  Tell me...is the new force around this temple
evil?  Is it from the Negaverse?  Tell me in three...two...one."
     An electric shock went through her body and she looked up into the fire.  A simple 
text-character message floated in the flame.  It was the Japanese character for  yes.' 




                           Chapter 8

     Rei walked into Chris' room with a mean look.  Chris looked up from his book about
abstract science called: The Great Mambo Chicken, and looked at her.  "Hi Rei!"
     Basically, Rei had planed to come in and thrash him until he admitted being from the
Negaverse, then call the others to vaporize his ass all over the island of Japan.  
Unfortunatly, she smiled to his greeting and lost her urge to kill.  "Uh, hi."
     Chris put down his book.  "Hey, if Grandpa says he's going to kill me, please talk him
out of it."
     Rei blinked.  "Why?  What happened."
     Maury, who she noticed for the first time, snickered.  "Ninja-boy over here shattered
Grandpa's sword!  He just wound up and cut through it!"
     "But...those swords are practicaly indestructible!" she gasped.  
     Chris shrugged.  "Mine is, at least." he said, taking out his new sword and showed off 
the fact it never receved a scratch.  
     Rei, now convinced, but aware of Maury's presence, nodded weakly.  "Uh...I'm going
to...to...do chores...sweep...yeah..." she left.
     The two boys shrugged.  Maury looked over to the sword.  "You know, that symbol on
the guard looks like the one on that National Geographic book."
     Chris nodded.  "The one I have back home about the planets?"
     "Yeah.  Isn't that Uranus or something?"
     Chris smiled.  "Maybe YOUR anus."
     "No," Maury smiled.  "You know what I mean."
     Chris nodded.  "It's Saturn, I think.  Weird, huh?"
     Maury motioned to the door.  "You know, if you were SMART, you'd go after her and
try and make up for whatever you said."
     "I know, I know..." he sighed.  "Think it'll impress her if I do the chores?"
     Maury shrugged.  "You're going to do that anyway."
     "No..." Chris smiled.  "I have something different in mind..."
     Suddenly, a loud clang filled the room.  Chris looked down in horror to see his sword's
hand-guard had fallen off.  Maury was also wide-eyed.  "Well, it IS a thousand years 
old..."
     Chris picked up the blue crystal disk.  He slid it back on over the blade.  For some
reason, it locked in place.  Then, he pulled it off again like a magnet.  "It's magnetic!  
Geeze! Scare the shit out of me!"
     Maury nodded.  "Why didn't it come off during battle?"
     Chris shrugged.  "I was just thinking it would be nice to take off and look at the 
symbol closer, and it popped off.  It's like it read my mind or something..."
     Maury smiled goofily.  "You're loosing it, man."
     Chris pocketed the disk.  "I better keep this with me untill I can get it fixed."
     Maury nodded.  "So, what was your plan about the chores again?"  
     His friend put away his sword and smiled.  "You'll see."
     As Chris explained his plan, the blue-tinted crystal in his pocket glowed softly.
     
     Rei growled as she swept the stairs leading up to the temple.  "How could I be such a
blind fuck-head?  I'm suposed to be the untrusting serious Sailor Scout in the first place!" 
she said to herself, ignoring the worried looks of pedestrians fearing she'd leap on them 
and eat them alive.  
     "I don't belive I accually LIKED him!" she mumbled rather loudly.  "Well, he's going 
to pay for trying to get me in the sack."  She paused.  "Wait...he only asked me to a 
movie...but sex is what all those Negaverse assholes probably want in the end." she 
continued fuming.
     She smiled to herself as she imagined blasting a hole through his head with a fireball. 
She had thought about calling the others, but she was really pissed off.  THIS one was 
personal...
And it was getting dark.  Chad and Grandpa would be asleep soon, and then she could 
waste this Negaverse trash in secrecy.
     She was almost suprised to see that she had finished sweeping the steps in record time
while being distracted.  She walked over to the temple to get a rake and start on the lawn, 
but she realized there were no leaves.
     She looked down to her feet.  Only grass.  Yesterday, the entire feild around the 
temple was covered with orange and yellow.  Now, it was a plesent green.  "What the 
fuck?" she said bluntly.
     Indeed, there were four gardening bags full of leaves lying against the far wall.  Rei
shrugged.  "Chad must have done it."
     She didn't quite belive that, though.  Unless Chad was trying to get Grandpa to get off 
his back or something.  She walked inside the temple and her mouth dropped.  The floors 
had been washed as well.  She knocked on the spare room.  Maury answered.  "Yeah?"
     "Who's been doing all the floors?" she asked, peering around for Chris.
     Maury shrugged with a grin on his face.  "I dunno, but I haven't seen Chris in a good
seven hours."
     Rei nodded and left.  Maury smiled.  "Right on, Chris."
     Trevor snickered.  "Hey, I don't give a shit as long as we don't have to do anything!"
     Maury scowled at him and promptly chucked his pillow into Trevor's face.  "Nobody
said you could speak."

     Chris, who was now exhausted from doing hard-labor for most of the day, collapsed 
onto the bench in front of a small pond the temple grounds had.  "Shit...even if I don't win 
Rei back, I'll kick Martha Stewart's ass at gardening and washing floors."
     Rei stood behind him, far down the feild.  She lifted her watch to her mouth.  "Scouts?  
I need some help.  I have Chris cornered, and he's from the Negaverse." she paused, 
ignoring a tear rolling down her cheek.  "Hurry before I change my mind."
     "We're five minutes away!  Hold on!" Lita's voice answered.
     Rei nodded and closed her communicator.  "Okay, Negaverse lacky...time to pay for
messing with fire."
     
     Chris was about to doze off to sleep when a giant spider appeared from behind a 
nearby bush.  He blinked.  "Now THAT's a weird dream..." he finally said, half asleep.
     Opeea crawled up to Chris' location.  "Opeea needs confirmation."
     Chris blinked.  "Uh..." 
     The weird spider with a woman's face came closer.  "I've been watching you for a day
now.  Why haven't you contacted Lord Zoicite?  The Negaverse needs you."
     "Pardon me?" Chris asked, now fully awake.  "What the fuck ARE you?"
     Rei watched from a distance, undetected.  "What's going on?  A meeting?"
     Chris stood up.  "I don't know what you're talking about, spider-chick." he said, almost
amused.  "Now, who's controlling you?  Maury?  Did you go to that special effects shop I 
told you about?" he called out.
     Maury wasn't hiding in the bushes with a remote control, however.  Chris looked back 
to the spider-chick.  "Who are you?"
     Opeea smiled.  "I am Opeea.  A Negaverse servant.  Please come with me.  We need 
your help against the Sailor Scouts."
     "Sailor Scouts?" Chris asked.  He had heard rumors of the so-called  Pretty Soldiers'
even over in Canada.  "What do they have to do with anything?"
     Opeea paused.  "I'm sure your memory will return once you get back to the 
Negaverse."
     Chris raised an eyebrow.  "You're kidding, right?  What the fuck is a  Negaverse'?"
     Opeea realized Chris wasn't a morph.  She looked at him closely, scanning his life-
signs. 
He wasn't a morph.  "You must DIE!" she said suddenly, leaping at him.
     Chris yelped and jumped out of the way.  Rei gasped as she realized what was 
happening. 
"I've got to save him!  Mars Star POWER!" she yelled, whipping out her power-stick.
     The giant spider monster ran toward Chris, extending fangs from it's mouth.  Chris 
was still gasping after he hit the ground and couldn't move.  "DIE SAILOR SCOUT!" it 
yelled, jumping up in the air and rocketing, fang-first, towards Chris.  
     Suddenly, a huge jet of flame smashed into the side of the monster, blasting it back 
and into the pond.  Sailor Mars stood proudly on the other side of the hill, finger 
extended.  "Eat that, Negatoad."
     Chris glanced up.  At first, he didn't recognize her in her Sailor Scout uniform.  Most
people didn't.  Suddenly, it hit.  "Rei?" he coughed, getting up.
     "Opeea MAD..." the spider growled, emerging from the pool with one side of her face
almost burnt off.  "Revenge!"
     Before Rei could react, Opeea launched herself at Chris, knocking him to the ground 
and making him skid for a good three meters on his face.  Rei no longer had a clear shot.  
Opeea was directly behind him.  A firebird or scroll would take too long.  "Chris!  Fight 
back!" she yelled.
     Chris lifted his face from the dirt, spitting out a rock.  His forehead sending out a 
bright blue copy of the symbol on his sword.  The reflection of Saturn's symbol was 
visible in the glassy part of his wristwatch, and he realized the disk was some sort of key.  
He desperately reached into his pocket as Opeea came closer.  Rei gasped as the spider 
picked him up and chucked him into the water.  "Come on!  You're ready to transform!"
     "Opeea will finish this!" the monster growled, leaping into the water as well.
     Rei ran forward, but was again helpless to do anything.  
     In the water, Chris finally found his disk.  Let's see what this does... he thought, 
holding it up.
     Before he could say anything, a set of powerful jaws grabbed his arm and threw him 
into the pond's bank.  Chris crawled out onto dry land desperately as the spidery monster 
followed close behind.  "Fuck this!" Chris yelled, again, holding up his disk.  "Get ready 
to RUMBLE!"

     


                           Chapter 9

     Instead of the crystal disk spinning around, it grew into his new sword.  Matching blue
scabbard this time.  The weapon spun around him in a wide, helicopter like motion,
transforming him into new clothes.  "Saturn POWER!" Chris yelled out as a blue sphere 
of light enveloped him, then disappeared to reveal his finished costume.
     Dark dress pants, brown leather jacket, and, instead of a mask, a sharp pair of 
sunglasses. 
Rei realized she was stareing.  He looked great.  Better than great.  "I'm in love..." she 
sighed despite herself.
     Chris looked down at his suit.  "What the hell?  When did I get chucked through a
 Fashionable Male' store window?"
     Suddenly, the reason why he just transformed came barreling out of the water at him. 
"DIE!  DIE!" Opeea screamed, extending a series of nasty spines from her back and 
pointing them at Chris.
     "Nice blades, sucker..." Chris whipped out his sword and leapt at Opeea like he had a 
jet-pack on.  
     His sword connected cleanly with all four of her right legs.  Opeea landed on her 
bloody stumps and flipped over sideways before rolling to a stop.  Chris stood up from 
his landing crouch.  "I don't like giant killer crazy-spider chicks." he said, lining up 
another strike.  
     "Opeea will return..." the monster said weakly, fizzling out of sight to the Negaverse.

     Chris took a deep breath, relaxing his grip on his sword.  He turned to Rei.  "Excuse 
me, Rei...but what the hell just happened?"
     Rei couldn't help but laugh.  "I don't believe this."
     Chris slumped, sword extended.  "What?  The fact that I'm a super-hero or something?  
I could ask you the same thing."
     "I was about to kill you an hour ago, you know." she said, sitting down on the bench,
relieved. 
     Chris looked her over.  "Mars, right?  Red suit, red planet?"
     She nodded.  To Chris' surprise, she started crying.  "Hey..." he put away his sword 
and walked a bit closer.  "What's wrong?"
     Rei wiped her eyes clear.  "Sorry, it's just that I've been meditating on the subject so
long, and I haven't got much sleep.  Plus the fact I never thought the fire meant it was 
another creature that was evil.  I almost killed you for fuck sake!" she yelled.
     Chris blinked behind his glasses.  "Is that why you've been all pissy towards me?  You
thought I was from this weird  Negaverse'?"
     Rei nodded.  "Thank god it's over."
     Chris looked around.  "You mean, I did a weeks worth of chores in an afternoon for
nothing?"
     Rei smiled widely.
     "Why were you so intent on proving I was innocent anyway?" Chris asked with a 
smile.
     Before Rei could answer, a brilliant flash of lightning slammed into Chris, knocking 
him against a tree.  His sunglasses fell off and he hit the ground in a smouldering heap.  
Rei gasped. 
"WAIT!"
     Jupiter and the others came soaring down from their hiding places in nearby trees. 
"That'll teach the Negaverse not to corrupt..."
     Mars gave Jupiter a mean look. "I hate to interrupt your speech, but he's on OUR 
SIDE!"
     Jupiter blinked.  "Oh, sorry..."
     Venus walked over to him, checking for a pulse.  "He's fine.  Just knocked out."
     Chris groaned, regaining consciousness.  "W-what the hell was THAT?!?"
     Jupiter smiled guiltily.
     Chris, a bit crispy from her attack, smiled.  "Well, Maury's going to be happy he's in
love with a super heroine."
     Artemis hoped down from another tree.  "See, Luna?  You owe me five bucks."
     Luna sighed.  "Yeah, yeah...I don't have my wallet with me."
     Chris looked around.  "And talking cats too?  This keeps getting better and better..."
     
     Zoicite sat in her chair, watching the playback of the fight on a recorder crystal.  
Opeea was now useless to her, and Zoicite killed her without haste.  "Worthless 
servants." She commented as she saw the fight through Opeea's eyes.  

     Chris walked into the room, dripping water from his wet clothes.  Maury, Trevor and
Damien simultaneously bugged out their eyes.
     "What the HELL happened to you?" Maury asked as Chris flopped down on his bed. 
     Chris held up his hand.  "No comment..." he gasped, exhausted.  He went to sleep a 
few seconds after.
     Trevor blinked.  "It looks like he fell in the pond."
     Maury shrugged.  "Maybe he was trimming seaweed."




                           Chapter 10

     The room was cold.  That's the first thing he noticed.  The floor and walls were 
actually made of ice.  Chris looked around, but noticed his view was from a shorter 
perspective.  He was a child.  About ten years old.  He looked to one of the walls.  His 
sword was on it.
     He walked up to it, but was suddenly transported outside.  He was a bit older now. 
Sword in hand.  He was following movements an older man ahead was teaching him.  
     The ground and landscape consisted of ice.  Over the horizon, stars, even though the 
sun was still visible in the distance.  On the opposite horizon was the looming beige ball 
of Saturn.
     I'm on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons! Chris realized.
     And so, he followed his instructor's teachings, back when the Silver Millennium was 
the ruling force in the Solar System.

     "WAKE UP!" came a sharp British accent.
     Chris gasped and sat up, sending Luna across the room.  Serena smiled.  "Good shot,
Chris!"
     Chris looked around to see all the Sailor Scouts crowded around him.  "Geeze!" he 
said, but then realized he wasn't undressed from last night.  
     The others weren't there, which was probably why Luna had talked.  Chris stood out 
of bed weakly.  "How long was I out?"
     Ami pretended not to notice his laptop on his dresser.  "A good twelve hours." she
answered.
     Luna crawled back up onto Chris' lap.  "Sorry for the hasty introduction last night,
Chris." Luna said.  "Artemis bet me five bucks you were good.  I thought you were evil.  
I'm Luna."
     Chris smiled.  "Yeah, I remember...so what's going on?"
     A new face, Darien introduced himself.  "I was the only male member of the team 
until
you arrived.  Nice to have you aboard."
     Artemis coughed.  "Besides me.  I am Artemis.  Chief advisor of Sailor Venus and the
Sailor Scouts.  Former advisor to Queen Serenity and the royal Court." he said officially.
     Darien rolled back his eyes.  "Okay, Artemis.  He get's the point."
     Chris took out his disk.  "So, I'm like, a Sailor Scout?  Better than a Care-Bear, at 
least."  He took a deep breath.  "This is all a little sudden.  Am I  Sailor Saturn'?"
     "Well," Darien said "I'm actually Tuxedo Mask.  It sounds kinda fruity being called
Sailor Earth.  Or Prince Earth."
     Serena, who was hanging all over him nodded.  "He looks so CUTE in his tux!"
     Chris nodded.  "I don't remember what the hell I'm called." a grin crossed his face.  
"So, I can like, pick a name!"
     The Scouts all exchanged glances.  "I guess so..." Artemis finally said. 
     Chris nodded.  "Then, you may address me as Strike Fiss."
     "Huh?" they all said.
     Chris smiled happily.  "Actually, it's my alias over the world wide web."
     "I still don't get it." Mina said.
     "Chris rhymes with Fiss.  A fish.  Therefore, a sleek torpedo object, or a missile, hence
the  Strike' part from a missile launched from a F-15 Strike Eagle."
     They were all quiet.
     Rei smiled.  "I like it.  It will catch the enemies off guard, then we can pound them."
     Chris nodded.  
     Lita smiled.  "Just make sure you introduce yourself last, otherwise the attack is 
wasted as the rest of us transform."
     "So, Lita, are we like, allowed to tell anyone we trust?" Chris asked.  "I mean, Maury
kinda likes you, and my parents..."
     Lita went wide-eyed.  "He likes me?" she turned to the others.  "Cool!  He looks JUST
like my old boyfriend!"
     Luna coughed.  "We try not to tell ANYONE.  Unfortunately, a few people know, 
either by accident or by being involved."
     Rei smiled.  "Most people who find out who we are end up dying.  It's like Superman. 
The minute someone finds out and is about to tell the world, Lex Luther comes up and 
kills them.  Me and Mina have a little count going."
     Mina nodded.  "Yes, so far, we guess we've gotten rid of three Negaverse generals, 
right after they found out Sailor Moon's identity."
     "It's because they realize Sailor Moon is such a ditz, and laugh themselves to death." 
Rei added.
     Serena shot her an evil look.  "Oh, shut-up, Rei."
     Rei coughed suddenly, "Well, Chris is fine, and I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of him
later.  So if you don't mind, we have chores to do."
     Everyone shuffled out the door, leaving him and Rei alone.  Chris was looking out the
window.  "I'll have to ask Darien where he got his jacket.  It looks pretty cool." he said to
himself.  Are Serena and him a pair?"
     Rei nodded and sat down on Maury's bed.  "So, feel different?"
     Chris shrugged.  "I guess so."
     She smiled.  "I don't know if I should think that's a good thing or not."
     "So.  Ami was searching on my computer to see if I was from the Negaverse." Chris 
said.  "She actually got farther than I expected."
     "Why do you have so much security on that thing, anyway?" Rei asked.
     Chris smiled.  "Well, I have a collection of twenty nasty viruses that don't show up on
any virus scanners, a program that can override the Hubble Space Telescope and crash it 
into the White House if I wanted to, and the passwords to almost every FTP server on 
Earth...not to mention how to make plastic explosives out of Hubba-Bubba bubble-gum 
and some model rocket engines.  I like to make sure it doesn't fall into irresponsible 
hands.  Like I said, Ami was better than I expected."
     "She'll be happy to know that." Rei said happily.  They were quiet for a moment. 
"Aren't you scared?  I mean, I know you're not the type to go around chopping up 
monsters..."
     Chris sat down across from her on the table.  "I'm completely freaked out." he sighed. 
"But, it sounds like an exciting job."
     "Well," Rei sighed, standing "I better go and..."
     Chris intercepted her and their lips touched in a tender kiss.  "Thanks for not kicking 
my ass." he smiled.
     Rei closed her eyes and they embraced in another kiss.  "Yeah, no problem..." she said
softly.
     Chris watched as she left.  "Oh yeah!" he said, moon-walking and spinning around.  
     As Rei closed the door on her way out, she noticed Chad, leaning on the opposite wall. 
"Hi, Chad.  Grandpa wanted to see you about the dojo.  I think you're supposed to pick up 
all the little bits of his sword."
     Chad nodded.  "On my way, Rei." 
     Rei smiled and left.
     Chad just glared at the door.  "Lucky little punk." he said, finally leaving.



                             Chapter 11

     The sun shined lazily through the fluffy clouds of the afternoon.  It was a perfect day. 
Not too much wind.  Demos and Phobos hung around Rei as she was changing.  "You 
crows better not like this." she commented as she put on her bra.  "Wait, you two are 
females...right?"
     Her crows cawed.  They were often hanging around like little escorts.  When she was
attacked by Jedite and transported into the Negaverse, they had followed their master 
faithfully, helping out.  
     Just then, she realized that it was just over two years ago when she first found out she
was Sailor Mars.  All the fuss over Chris's new identity made her think back to what it 
was like. 
Rei had been thrilled.  She felt like it was a new job, with the best benefits in the world.  
She instantly gained two friends, new powers, and an even greater sense of purpose.  
Before, running the temple had been her goal.
     Of course, she had been all ready to kick ass, when a week later, Serena was holding
them all back because she was going on merry-go-rounds.  She's decided not to take it as
seriously as she first did, but always to be ready.  
     A sudden  caw' alerted her to the door knocking.  She quickly finished wrapping her 
top up around her body and tied up her pants, holding it closed.  "Yes?"
     Chad opened the door with a smile on his face.  "Hey, Rei.  Sorry to bother you, but I 
was wondering if you wanted to go shopping this afternoon?  I'm finished all my chores, 
and wanted to..."
     Rei blinked.  "But...I didn't win any bet, did I?  Why?  Do you WANT to follow me
around carrying my stuff?"
     Chad shrugged.  "Sure.  I just wanted to treat you to a day of shopping."
     That was too good for her to pass up.  "Uh, sure.  Let me get changed, I'll meet you 
out front."
     Chad nodded happily.  "Cool!" he closed the door.
     She had seen this before, when she was dating Darien.  Chad always tried to make his
presence a bit more recognized.  Probably jealousy.  "How'd he know about Chris? *I* 
barely knew..."
     
     Chris stood at one end of the hallway with Maury.  "I saw this on a cartoon when I 
was a little kid." he said.
     Maury watched as Chris strapped two brushes to his feet.  "Cool...give me some
brushes!" he said.
     Soon, thy both had scrubbing brushed on their shoes.  They had decided to do chores 
in their normal clothes today, and were wearing jeans to make sure it wouldn't hurt if they 
wiped out.
     As Maury finished tieing his brush on with some rope they'd found, Chris decided to
have some fun.  "So, how's Lita?"
     Maury smiled.  "I wish I knew.  I haven't seen her since she came over and you and 
Ami had that  Jeopardy' game."
     Chris nodded.  "She likes you, you know."
     Maury stood up.  "You're kidding."
     "She told me." Chris confirmed.  "Rei's buddies came over today while you were out."
     Maury's jaw hit the floor.  "She likes me?"
     "It just slipped out that you liked her, and she said:  He likes me?'" Chris said happily. 
"I say you have a good chance with her!" he lied.  Lita wasn't just interested, she was 
ready to bear his children.  Maury's chances were 99%.
     Maury's face turned to a grin.  "Man, she's hot.  Did you see that shirt she had on 
before? Low-cut or what?"
     Chris rolled back his eyes.  "Yes, I saw.  Remember?  I'm concentrating on Rei, 
though."
     Maury nodded.  "Good.  Lita's mine."
     Chris smiled.  "No problem.  Shall we?"
     Maury looked at the floor.  "Okay, what do we do."
     Chris hopped over to a bucket of soapy water, dunking each brush in it.  He then 
started to skate' along the floor, cleaning it while gliding across.
     Maury shook his head.  "I don't believe it worked." he said, dunking his own feet.
     "Neither," Chris yelled from down the hall, bouncing off the walls.
     Maury caught up on his new mode of transportation.  "This is pretty cool!"
     "Just don't try to stop." Chris said, slipping around as he turned and headed back. 
"They're not that controllable!  HAHA!" he laughed wildly, smashing into another wall.
     Suddenly, Chad was walking down an adjacent hallway, and stepped into Chris' path 
as he slid around the hallway.
     Maury saw the collision and leapt forward, tackling Chris to the ground just before the
two collided.  Chad looked down at Chris in amusement.  "What the hell is this?"
     Chris and Maury got up, grinning widely.  "Washing the floor." they both said.
     Chad looked at their feet.  Soapy brushes replaced their shoes.  "Right..."
     "Well, we should have warned you to look out when we're high on air." Chris 
explained.
     "Or pop, or chicks, or money..." Maury continued.  "That's why we don't need drugs. 
We're too mental already."
     Chris nodded.  "Huh-huh...Just say no..." he said in a Beavis and Butthead voice.
     Chris and Maury high-fived.  "Yeah, we're a  Don't Do Drugs' add from HELL, man!"
Chris said.
     Chad sighed.  "Just don't wreck the place while Rei and I are out."
     Chris raised an eyebrow.  "Ooooo, you two got a date?" he said, then started to 
snicker.
     Maury nodded.  "Don't worry, we'll do YOUR room next."
     "I'll get the C-4." Chris said, taking off the brushes from his feet.
     Chad growled.  "In fact, we ARE going out, Chris.  And don't even TOUCH my 
room."
     Chris looked at him.  "Chad, I hate to rub it in, but she's not interested in you.  She 
told me a few days ago."
     Maury smiled.  "Cool, Chris is fighting over a chick."
     Chris frowned.  "Bite me."
     "Bite me back." Maury confirmed.
     Chad gave up and left.  "See you later, looser."
     The two stood for a bit.  Maury frowned.  "Well now.  He's not very nice, is he?"
     Chris shrugged.  "Must be PMS." they started cackling.
     Maury pointed in surprise as he saw Chad and Rei go outside together.  "Wait a 
second. 
You think he was telling the truth?  They just went..."
     Chris shrugged.  "No way.  Rei said she was a shop-o-holic.  He's probably just 
jealous of having two more males in the temple to compete with, and wanted to take her 
shopping."
     Maury blinked.  "But, there's four of us."
     "Trevor and Damien don't count." Chris said happily lifting the bucket.  "Come on, 
we'll put a piece of ham under Chad's bed."
     "And cheese.  You can't beat cheese for that smell." Maury added as they walked 
down the hall.
     "Or we can see if Japan has  Spam'?" Chris said with a smile.  "I love my life..."

     Darien walked down the street, hands in pockets, Serena hanging off one of his arms. 
"You know, meatball-head, you don't HAVE to hang all over me whenever we're 
together."
     Serena smiled happily.  "Oh, muffin.  I know I don't HAVE to, but I don't mind..."
     "No, it's just my arm's getting kinda numb." Darien smiled.
     "Oh," Serena said, unhooking herself off of him.  "Sorry."  Suddenly, her watched
beeped.  "Oh no!" she looked at it.
     Darien blinked.  "What?"
     "I gotta get home!  It's already nine!" Serena said, leaping up and kissing him on the
cheek.  "See you tomorrow!"
     Darien smiled, waving  bye' as she ran off.  When he was finally alone, he let loose a
sigh of relief.  "Ugh, my arms about to fall off.  Thank GOD she's gone..."
     He WAS happy that they were back together again, but sometimes, it got a little 
intense to have her around constantly.  Also, another fact he never told her, he was 
insanely hot for her, but was forced to hold back because of her age.
     It was a lot easier to ignore his urges when she was gone.  "Well, she'll be  legal' age 
in a year or two...but the way everything keeps getting delayed by the Negaverse is going 
to suck..." he said to himself.
     The street was deserted, so he stretched out his arms to get blood flowing again. 
Suddenly, he noticed another pair of footsteps.  He quickly glanced around, but saw no 
one.  He shrugged it off as hearing things.
     He walked for another few meters, then heard the same footsteps over his, coming 
closer. 
Darien put down his arms and reached into his jacket, slowly grabbing a rose.
     Suddenly, a laugh filled the air.
     THE laugh.
     Darien gasped as Zoicite materialized in front of him.  "You!" he shouted, pulling out 
his rose.
     Zoicite landed on the ground.  "Aw, Darien...for me?  You shouldn't have." she said 
with a wicked smile.
     Darien realized she was still in her joking stage.  "I thought you're boss fired you,
Zoicite.  How was your retirement?" he said with a smile of his own.
     Zoicite shrugged.  "I was half-dead for the first week, then I was caught in an ice burg 
for a year and a half.  Overall, I'd say it wasn't too pleasant."
     Darien tossed the rose at her feet, making it stick in the ground.  Zoicite stepped back 
in surprise.  "Too bad, Zoicite.  I really hope your next retirement's more permanent."
     She stepped on the red flower in the pavement.  "Haven't lost your sense of humor, 
have you, Cape-Boy?"
     Suddenly, voices of a group of pedestrians came from around a corner.  Zoicite floated
up into the air.  "I guess we'll have to finish this later.  I just thought I'd say  hi'..." she
disappeared in a whirl of pink blossoms.
     Darien shuddered.  "Don't EVER call me  Cape-Boy'..."
     To his surprise, Rei and Chad came around the corner.  As usual, Chad was carrying
around stacks of boxes as Rei searched out her next target, which was home since the 
stores were closing.  Darien ran up to her.
     "Darien?" Rei asked.  "What's up?"
     He pointed to the rose he threw.  "We have a problem."




                           Chapter 12

     As Chris and Maury would have said: Dawn broke the next day, coming in through 
the window and smashing on the floor.
     An annoying beam of sun finally got Chris to open his eyes.  On his chest sat a white 
cat with a crescent moon on it's forehead.  "Uh?"
     Artemis looked around to make sure the rest of the room was asleep.  "Get dressed. 
Darien called an emergency meeting."
     Chris nodded.  "Hey, Artemis...I gotta ask you..." he smiled. "do you look up all their
skirts?"
     Artemis shrugged.  "What can I say?  If you're short, use it to your advantage!"

     The entire group was in the fire reading room as Chris hurried in with a long shirt
boasting the logo of Silicon Graphics.  "Sorry I'm late."
     Artemis came in as well, nudging the door shut with his nose.  "Okay, lets start."
     Darien explained the situation.  "Zoicite's alive."
     Everyone except Chris gasped.  "Who's this  Zoicite' I keep hearing?"
     "You've heard of her before?" Rei asked.  "How?"
     "That weird Opeea monster said I was to come back to the Negaverse and help  Lord
Zoicite'."  Chris explained.  "Why?  Who is she?"
     Darien sighed.  "A real bitch."
     Serena nodded.  "That dweezle, Zoicite, almost killed Darien, as well as the Sailor
Scouts.  If it wasn't for Mina and Artemis, she and her little pal, Malachite would have 
toasted us."
     Artemis and Mina smiled.  "We saved all your butts." Mina said happily.
     Darien shook his head.  "ANY-way..." Mina and Artemis stopped smiling.  "You said
Opeea?"
     Chris nodded.
     "When I was brainwashed over in the Negaverse, the only Opeea I knew of was one of
Zoicite's household drones." Darien said.
     Lita smiled.  "So she's basically sending out whoever wasn't destroyed by us, and is 
still under her command.  Sounds like the bitch is desperate."
     "However," Artemis interrupted "she's still a match for most of you, and she's not 
bound by Beryl's orders this time."
     "Oh, Artemis," Serena pouted.  "I'll just hit her with another  Cosmic Moon Power!'"
she yelled, raising her arm dramatically.
     Rei laughed at the rather comical way Serena started leaping about, thrashing an
imaginary Zoicite.  "You really are a ditz."
     Serena and Rei got into another  tongue' contest.  
     Chris smiled.  "So, basically, this Zoicite needs a toasting, right?"
     Darien sighed.  "She's the smartest of Beryl's old generals.  She won't be too simple to
beat again.  Especially now that she wants revenge.  Hate seems to drive her instead of 
blind her to options.  Hate feeds her...In fact she probably eats it for breakfast instead of 
bacon and eggs."
     "What can I do to help?" Chris asked eagerly.  
     Mina coughed.  "Well, she does use a sword.  You could be the prefect person to take
that advantage away from her in close-combat."
     Rei turned away from Serena's face-making.  "He's good, too.  He managed to beat
Grandpa easily, and he was decorated as a grand-master level eight by some judges in the 
U.S."
     Chris gasped.  "He was a grand-master?  He tried to kill me!"
     Rei smiled.  "Yup.  You don't have much luck with my family, do you?  We all try to
kick your ass at one point or another."
     Artemis smiled as well.  "Looks like you came at the perfect time."
     "A week or so earlier would have been better." Luna scowled.  "Then I wouldn't have
thought you were from the Negaverse and lost five dollars to lazy-bones over here."
     Artemis sighed.  "Would you give it up?  I won fair and square!"
     Suddenly, Maury walked in through another door.  He looked around.  "Oh, sorry...I
should have knocked."
     Lita smiled goofily.  "No problem..." she said.
     Maury grinned.  "Uh, well, I better go..."
     Darien smiled.  "Oh, we were just about done here, anyway."
     Lita smiled evilly and got up off the floor, walking over to Maury.  "Uh, so, you 
wanna go for breakfast?" Lita asked, leading him out.
     Making sure they were gone, Rei turned to Chris.  "So far, we don't have any plans.  
She hasn't attacked or tried anything yet.  Just be on the lookout."
     "What does she look like?" Chris asked.
     Darien frowned.  "She has a grey suit with green trim.  Blonde hair, it looks like Lita's
actually.  No chest..."
     Chris smiled.
     "I'm serious." Darien said proudly, to the satisfaction of Serena.  "And really mean,
green, shifty eyes that you wanna rip out and..."
     "He gets the idea," Ami interrupted before he got carried away.
     "Yes, I get the idea." Chris reassured Darien. 
     Darien nodded.  "She can also float, and transports around using a weird swirl of pink
flowers.  And watch out for her  Zoi' attack."
     "What's that?" Chris asked.
     "It's a mean shockwave she can direct from her hands.  She usually will warn you by
saying  Zoi' first.  If she does, get down or you'll fly back into a building or something."  
Darien said, getting up to leave.
     The group stood up and went over to the door to leave.  As Ami opened the door, they
saw Maury and Lita in the middle of a very passionate kiss.  Ami gasped, hiding her eyes.  
The rest just watched happily.  
     Mina nudged Serena with her elbow.  "I guess Lita found the way to his heart without
food for once."
     Lita looked up to see the others.  She and Maury parted.  "Oh, hi..."
     Maury had a goofy grin on as Lita left.  Chris walked up to him.  "Man, if you're not a
chick-magnet, I don't know who is."
     Maury nodded happily.  "She invited me over to her place for dinner!"
     "Do you think that's wise?" Chris asked.
     "Why?"
     "Well, you shouldn't be so serious about her." Chris said.  "You haven't even told her
about your sex-change yet!  It's too soon!"
     Maury blinked.  "HEY!" he began chasing him around the room to Rei's amusement. 
"I'm ALL MAN, ass-wipe!"
     Chris held up his had and they stopped.  "Yeah-yeah." he smiled.  "Except for the fact
you have a..."
     Maury frowned.
     "Just kidding." Chris said with a grin.
     "Anyway, butt-munch, I was going to go and get some school supplies ordered from 
back home." Maury said.  "All the textbooks and stuff are in Japanese.  All the stuff like 
rulers and pens are too.  You wanna come?"
     Chris shrugged.  "Sure, but we still have a week or so until school starts.  I can always
order some stuff over the web."
     Maury smiled.  "Yes, but I have ten thousand dollars to burn.  I wanna go shopping for 
a bike."
     "If you see one like mine at home, pick it up for me." Chris said.
     Maury nodded and walked off.
     Rei blinked.  "How'd he get ten thousand dollars?"
     Chris shrugged.  "Bill Gates was doing some soul-searching and found it in his heart 
to give us money instead of the mafia."
     Rei sighed.  "You're weird."
     "Thank you." Chris grinned.
     Suddenly, Chad walked by, virtually ignoring them.  Rei blinked.  "That's strange...he
wasn't there when Lita left, and I didn't hear any footsteps..."
     Chris nodded.  "Does he know about you?"
     "No, we've managed to keep him out of the loop," she smiled "even though he's been
directly involved with four attacks, he still can't figure it out."
     "Maybe that shaggy haircut get's in his way." Chris suggested. 
     Rei leaned over and kissed Chris.  "I'll see you later.  I'll let you have a day to 
yourself."
     Chris smiled as she got up and left.  "Uh, you don't have to..."
     "I have to get school supplies, anyway." Rei said, out of sight.
     Chris sighed.  "Oh well..."




                           Chapter 13

     Maury walked up to the door, nervously straightening his coat in the cooling afternoon
air.  "Here goes nothing..." he mumbled to himself, ringing the doorbell.
     He was expecting some huge father to answer, but Lita came to the door.  She was in a
cleaning apron and blushed.  "Oh! Maury!  Uh, come in..."
     Maury noticed her apron.  "Oh, if you're busy..."
     Lita pulled him in.  "Oh, no!  Not at all...I was just cooking a bit..." she said, shutting 
the door behind him.  
     Maury looked around.  Her apartment was spotless.  "Whoa..."  Lita smiled happily.  
He turned to her.  "Nice place..."
     Lita took off her apron and hung it up in the kitchen.  "Thanks!"
     Maury was practically shaking.  "Uh, soooo..."
     "So, what brings you over here?" Lita asked.  "How'd you find me in the phone book? 
It's Japanese."
     Maury smiled.  "Uh, I asked Rei, actually."
     "Well, all you had to do is ask me." she said, offering him a seat in by her T.V..  
     Maury accepted her hospitality graciously.  "Well, I kinda forgot to ask while you 
were over at the temple."
     Lita started to blush.  "Well, Maury, what should we do?"
     Maury froze up.  "Idunno..." he said quickly.
     "Well," Lita sighed.  "So, where you from?"
     "Same as Chris.  Calgary, Alberta." Maury said.  "How  bout you?"
     Lita looked around.  "Tokyo.  Been here all my life, actually.  Ever since my parents 
died, I've lived in this apartment."
     Maury blinked.  "Oh, I'm sorry.  What happened?"
     Lita sighed.  "They were in a plane crash when I was twelve.  They left the apartment 
for me in their will."
     "Didn't they try to put you in a foster home?" Maury asked.
     "I managed to convince the jerks I could take care of myself." Lita smiled happily.
     "Wow." Maury said, amazed.  "Weren't you shook up over your parents, though?  
How'd you deal with it?"
     Lita lowered her head.
     Maury swore under his breath.  "Oh, I'm sorry, Lita...I didn't mean to pry."
     Lita shrugged.  "It's not that, it's just that's when I got into my  pissy phase'."
     Maury blinked.
     "I took it out on kids at school." Lita sighed.  "They just started pissing me off, and I
almost killed someone."
     Maury smiled.  "Cool..."
     Lita blinked.  "What, you're not scared of me?"
     Maury shrugged.  "Why?"
     Lita took a deep breath.  "I had such a bad temper at my old school, I had to be
transferred.  Even then, my reputation preceded me, and on the first day, only Serena was 
brave enough to talk to me." she smiled.  "Even the teachers were avoiding me."
     "Sounds like fun." Maury grinned evilly.  "I wish I had your reputation."
     Lita smiled at his reaction. "You're nice, you know?  You make me just wanna hug
something."
     Maury frowned.  "Hey, Barney the dinosaur makes people wanna hug people."
     Lita got up and sat down next to him.  "Okay, then I won't hug you."
     Maury was caught off guard as Lita leaned over and kissed him.  "This is fine..." he 
said simply.
     
     Darien walked down from Serena's street.  Her dad had been home, so she wasn't
allowed out.  Normally, if only her mom was there, she could go out, but her dad seemed 
to have a grave dislike of Serena dating at her age.
     It wasn't like he was going to take her out for a nice evening or anything, he just 
wanted to say  hi'.  But now, he was returning home, out of lack of anything better to do.
     He couldn't help but notice the street was abandoned as Zoicite appeared in front of his
path.  "Scared to be seen in public, Zoicite?" he asked with a grin.  "With a face like 
THAT, no wonder."
     Zoicite smiled wryly at his comment.  "Your mouth just bit off more than it can chew,
Cape-Boy."
     Darien sighed.  "Oh, go home, Zoicite.  You're queen's dead, and the Silver Crystal is
nothing more than jewelry now." he lied about the last part.  Ever since his old buddy, 
Fiole had decided to pay him a visit, bringing with him a nasty flower, they had 
discovered that Serena's Imperium Silver Crystal was still very much active.
     Zoicite laughed, making Darien cringe.  "You think I'm after your crystal?"
     "Aren't you?" 
     She frowned.  "I'm on my own time now, Tuxy.  I'm only after revenge." she said,
extending her arm and summoning her sword into existence.
     "Shit..." Darien mumbled, reaching into his pocket.
     "ZOI!" his opponent yelled, knocking him over with a shockwave from her hand.  
Darien struggled to pull out a rose, but Zoicite was already airborne, sword pointed 
toward his head.  
     Desperate, Darien rolled out of the way at the last second.  Her sword hit the ground 
and kept going another foot into the concrete. Darien leapt to his feet, finally getting a 
rose free from his coat.  
     Zoicite managed to pull her sword out and slice the rose in half before it connected 
with her face.  "Still aiming for my face?" she mused. "How predictable."  
     "I just keep thinking if I cut it up a bit, it would be an improvement." he huffed and
puffed, taking a defensive stance.
     Darien had no time to transform.  Zoicite was in close range, and it took a good five
seconds for him to be battle-ready again.  Zoicite must have planned this, and stayed 
close, sword extended.  
     Zoicite raised her sword.  "Unfortunately, despite your comment...My face will be the
last thing you see."
     "You-hooo!" came a third voice. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare armadillo? 
Would you?"
     They both turned to see Chris walking toward the scene, already transformed as Strike
Fiss.  Darien smiled.  "Yo!  Strike Fiss!  Glad to see ya!"
     Zoicite sighed.  "What IS this?  A Cape-Boy jamboree?"
     Chris looked behind him.  "I don't have a cape."  He shrugged, then smiled.  "But I do
have this..." he said, withdrawing his sword.
     Zoicite smiled despite herself. "You're kidding, right?"
     Darien took this time to transform.  Zoicite looked unimpressed.  "What do you say 
we waste this bitch." Tuxedo Mask said, extending his walking cane, which could hold 
it's own against any sword.
     Chris nodded.  "She doesn't look so tough."
     To both their surprise, Zoicite leapt in the air and formed an ice crystal the size of a
small Volkswagen.  She promptly threw it to the ground, making it shatter into hundreds 
of deadly pieces.
     Darien managed to shield himself with his cape, but got a few nasty cuts along his 
back in the process.  He fell over, gasping for air as the pain registered.  Chris managed to 
jump to the ground, out of range of the flying icicles, suffering only a mouthful of dust 
from the road.  
     Zoicite smiled, both her opponents on the ground, helpless.  She shot over to Fiss, 
sword out.  Chris struggled to get out of the way as she missed by only an inch of his 
head.  "Zoi!"
     Her force-spell pinned him to the ground as she dislodged her sword for a second 
strike. 
Chris looked down to his sword and found it's crystal hand-guard was glowing.  He held 
out his sword and pointed it toward her.
     To his surprise, her attack was canceled by an unseen shield.  Zoicite looked down at 
her hand.  "Hey!" she whined.  "It stopped!"
     Chris got to his feet.  "Cool...it must be a shield too..."
     Zoicite smiled evilly.  "Then I'll just defeat you the FUN way..."
     Their swords hit and a loud clang echoed out.  Chris growled.  "No way, bitch."
     To her surprise, he threw her back with a wedge-like push of his sword.  Fiss then
exchanged his own offensive attack.  Zoicite, used to fighting Darien's cane, was caught 
off guard.  She blocked at the last second and swung her sword forward.  Chris spun 
around, dodging her thrust and exchanged a full blow with her sword's hilt.  It flew from 
her hands and imbedded in a nearby building.  
     She gasped, hand shaking.  "What the fuck?"
     Chris smiled.  "You only get once chance with the Fiss." he brought back his sword to
strike.  
     Zoicite suddenly threw her arm forward, producing a stream of fire.  Chris shielded his
face, making the fire splatter on his sleeve.
     Zoicite was about to launch another when a rose hit her shoulder from behind.  She
screamed in pain, ripping it out of her flesh.  "You bastard!  You'll pay for that!" she 
yelled, turning to where Darien lay, arm extended from the throw.
     Just before she could fulfill her promise to kick Darien's ass, a sickening slurp came
from behind her.
     Chris was there, sword down from a cut.  A green splatter now decorated his shiny 
blade.
"The price is wrong...Bitch."  
     Zoicite reached behind her back, but she could already feel the cut.  It was deep.  She
staggered over to her sword.  "I'll..." she gasped "be back for both of..." she paused, 
dislodging her sword from the wall "you punks..." she disappeared in a swirl of pink 
flowers.
     Darien ran over to Chris.  "Holy shit!  You did it!"
     Chris sighed.  "I only sliced her ass.  She'll live, especially if Negaverse people are
tougher than standard humans."
     Darien shook his head.  "No!  You actually beat her at a sword fight!  She used all her
sneaky tricks, but you managed to survive!"
     Chris smiled.  "I guess so.  But when could she spit fire?" he looked at the arm of his
jacket, which was singed.  "At least this thing comes with some armor."
     Making sure nobody was around, they returned to their normal outfits.  "So, how did 
you know she'd attack me?" Darien asked.  
     Chris shrugged.  "You seemed to have a personal grudge against her.  I had the 
afternoon off.  I heard you were over at Serena's house, so I came over to say  hi', and 
make sure she wouldn't try anything."
     Darien smiled.  "So, you were bored, and reasoned she'd attack me first because we
hated each other's guts?"
     Chris raised a finger.  "Right."
     "Where did you get 'The price is wrong, bitch' from?" Darien asked.
     "A movie.  Happy Gilmore." Chris replied.  "Uh...never mind."

     Zoicite sat on her living room couch, nursing her shoulder and back wound.  Her eyes
were narrowed into nasty looking slits.  She had used every trick she knew with no 
success.  It was time to invent some new ones.




                           Chapter 14

     Chris sat in Darien's apartment, looking around.  "How did you afford this place?" he
said in amazement.  "It's huge!"
     Darien threw him a pop.  "Oh, you'd be surprised what a generous doctor would do.  I
forgot his name, but he took care after me when I was saved from the car crash."
     "Cool." Chris said, looking at the rather impressive projection T.V. that was built into
the wall.  
     "Yeah, he gave my a bunch of money.  I wasn't allowed to spend it until recently.  I 
just chipped in the rest from my job.  Got this cool apartment on a lease."
     "So, what's the deal with you and Serena?" Chris asked happily.  "Why were you 
coming back from her house?  Why weren't you with her?"
     Darien sighed, sitting own at an opposite chair.  "Her dad."
     "Oh?"
     "Her dad hates me." Darien explained.  "Doesn't think she's ready to date anyone as 
old as me."
     Chris took a sip from his can of pop.  "Well, you love each other, right?"
     Darien smiled.  "Yeah.  Very much."
     "Well, why are you letting a simple thing like age bother you?"
     Darien sat back in his chair.  "Yeah, but she's sixteen.  Hell, her father would probably
bring up under-age sex complaints to the police.  She's underage, and I'm twenty, plus.  It 
looks like one of those things on Geraldo or Ricky."
     Chris shrugged.  "But, it shouldn't matter if you really love her.  How many times 
have you kissed?"
     Darien blinked.  "Uh, a dozen or so...?"
     Chris raised an eyebrow.  "You SHOULD have lost count.  After all, she's hot for you,
right?"
     Darien blushed.  "Yeah, I guess."
     "Then go for it, dude!" Chris smiled.
     "Every time we get intimate, though, I force myself out of the situation so it doesn't 
get out of control." Darien sighed.  "It's VERY frustrating."
     Chris nodded.  "Don't worry...Chicks love that.  Playing hard to get makes them hot." 
He lied.  He had no idea.  "She'll get so hot for you, on the morning of her eighteenth 
birthday, she'll leap through your window and strip naked right there."
     Darien got a mental picture and smiled goofily.  "Yeah, I guess you're right."
     "So, it's her dad that's pissy?" Chris asked, taking another sip.  "Maybe I could come
over and  recommend' you."
     Darien shrugged.  "He'll probably just chew you out as well."
     "Hey!" Chris smiled.  "I can take it, and give it..." he said with an evil grin.  "In fact, if
you wanna prank call him, me and Maury are MASTERS..."
     Darien shook his head.  "That's okay...I'll handle it the NORMAL way."
     "Normal?" Chris asked.  " Normal' is a word used by people with no imaginations."
     Darien nodded.  "Yes, but also by people with girlfriends." he smirked.
     Chris sighed.  "True...but I'm working on it...okay?"

     It was five in the morning as Chris got back to the temple.  Darien and him had 
reasoned they'd been friends back in the Moon Kingdom or something.  They talked all 
night, but mostly informing Chris on the enemies and events so far.
     Chris walked down the hallway, tired.  The battle with Zoicite really took it out of 
him. 
He wasn't used to split second jumps and blocks.  "Tea." he mumbled, heading for the 
kitchen.  
     He opened the door to see Lita and Maury, half naked, spread out on the table.  All 
three gasped at the same time.  "Sorry, my fault..." Chris said quickly, closing the door.
     He could here rustling from inside as they got dressed.  Right on Maury! He thought 
with a smile.  
     Maury eventually opened the door with a red face.  "Sorry, Chris...we were just, uh..."
     Chris shrugged.  "Don't worry.  Grandpa's getting up soon, so go somewhere else." he
advised.
     Lita followed after him, waving to Chris as they went outside.  Chris peered in the
kitchen, but he didn't feel like drinking out of cups that could have been...'greased up' or
something.  He turned back to bed.
     Chad was standing in front of him as he turned.  "So, you're back."
     Chris looked at his watch.  "Oh, sorry.   I was out, talking with..."
     "Rei?" Chad asked with a sneer.
     Chris blinked.  Chad looked rather pissy.  "Uh, no.  I was talking with Darien.  Giving
him some advice on Serena's dad."
     Chad refused to quit Chris' path.  "You're sleeping with her, aren't you?" he demanded.
     It took Chris a second to realize he meant Rei.  "I wish." he joked.
     Chad lashed out and pinned his shoulder to the wall.  "Shut-up, you little asshole.  I 
want you to remember this next sentence, so don't interrupt."
     Chris nodded, more curious to why the hell Chad was acting like a  tough guy' than he
was scared.
     "Rei is mine.  Don't go NEAR her." Chad growled.
     Chris smiled.  "You're kidding, right?" he laughed.  "A joke, right?"
     Chad let him off the wall.  "Not exactly.  I haven't taken a year of abuse from her, just 
so some punk like you can steal her away from me.  I love her, and I know she has mutual 
feelings for me."
     Chris's eyes narrowed.  "You're crazy.  I'm going to bed now." he pushed his way 
passed Chad and went to bed.
     Chad just stood there a moment, puzzled.




                           Chapter 15

     Chris had been up long past five.  It worried him that he'd managed to fight so easily 
and naturally with his sword.  It worried him that killing would be second nature.  Doing 
it in the name of good and keenness was fine, but it was still killing.  
     He decided to forget about it.  It was already beyond his control.  If he couldn't forget
how to fight after a thousand years, then it wasn't worth trying now.  He might as well put 
his new found talents to good use.  Zoicite.  She was just like Darien had said.  Their first 
encounter was an accident, and she wasn't ready.  Next time, she'd bee back to full attack.  
     That worried him.  The only reason he lived was thanks to Darien's quick rose to the
shoulder.  
     Then, he began thinking of Rei.  She was still keeping her distance from him.  Chris 
was doing the same.  He honestly had no idea what to do.  Rei was such a beautiful, 
passionate woman, and Chris had no clue what she wanted him to do.

     Rei also lay awake.  She hadn't learned of the latest Zoicite attack, so that was the last
thing on her mind.  She was thinking about Chris.  His ruffed-up, dark brown hair; his 
deep blue eyes; his incredibly warm smile.  She turned over in her bed with a sigh.  She 
knew she was falling for him.  She just wasn't sure if the rational part of her really wanted 
to.  
     In half a year, he'd be gone.  Sailor Scout or not, you can't give your family up for that. 
And Chris had a REAL family.  And it wasn't as simple as visiting him every time she 
felt like it via a  'Sailor Teleport'.
     Plus, school was coming up, and she promised herself she'd concentrate on her studies
this year.  Not hanging out, or shopping all the time.  Plus, she had a bad feeling.
     HER bad feelings were always right.
     About a week before Chris came, she had been meditating at her usual post in front of
the fire, when a strange dream had come to her.

     Rei sat up, looking around frantically.  She realized in horror that she was dead.  She 
was a spirit, sitting in her old body.  She gasped and got to her feet.  Another body lay 
near by.  It's skull horribly smashed in, and it's torso ripped apart.  For some reason, it 
also wore a red Sailor Scout uniform.  Right away, she could tell it was a dream, but this 
was different.  
     She turned to see City Hall in front of her.  The Sailor Scouts in various places in the 
vast courtyard.  The sky was dark with thunderclouds.  
     She heard voices behind her and turned to see Strike Fiss arguing with another figure.
     "I'm going to rip you apart!" he yelled with a passion she never heard before.
     The other figure answered.  "You won't have time.  Enjoy the last...two seconds of 
your life."
     Strike Fiss turned to the center of the court.  Rei also turned.  Suddenly, a flash of light
shot her spirit-body backwards.  A huge pulse of force followed, ripping apart the Sailor 
Scouts, her dead body, and Strike Fiss.
     They were all dead.
     Rei, still in her spirit form, cried out for someone to answer, but there was nobody left. 
Not for half of Tokyo.  

     She woke up, in front of her fire.  She had ran to Grandpa, asking what such a type of
horrible, realistic dream had meant. 
     Grandpa turned pale.  "Rei, are you certain you had this waking dream?"
     "Yes!" she pleaded.  "Tell me!"
     Her grandfather sat and put his chin in his hand.  "I have had one of these dreams 
before.  Not like yours, in front of City Hall..."
     Rei had kept the details vague, but Grandpa guessed at it's seriousness.  "I had one, 
one year before my father died."
     Rei was silent.  
     "It is a warning of a possible future." Grandpa said.  "My father died in the Nissasaka
bomb.  I had foreseen it."
     Rei swallowed hard.
     For the first time she remembered, her grandfather was shaken.  He shook his head, 
not wanting to remember.  A tear came to his eye.  "I watched, standing beside him as..." 
he gasped for air "the man just...disintegrated before my eyes..."
     
     Rei brought herself to the present.  She pushed the dream to the back of her mind.  It 
was horrible, and she never dared to tell anyone about it after that night.  
     She had pretty good reason to have a bad feeling.

     Morning came and Chris got up rather early, despite the late night.  Donning his coat 
and shoes, he made tracks over to a pay phone that was a block away from Cherri Hill.  
He picked up the phone.  
     He punched in a long number, connecting him with a satellite for better reception.  
After three rings, Chris' sister answered. 
     "Hello?" she asked.
     Chris smiled.  "Yo!  Andrea!  Whatsup?"
     "Chris!  Hi!" Andrea replied.  "Nice to hear from you...finally."
     Chris sighed.  "I've been busy."
     "Oh yeah?  You and Maury in jail yet?  For harassing girls?"
     "Ha-ha...no." Chris said, then sighed.  "Have you heard of the Sailor Scouts?"
     Andrea paused.  "Oh!  They're those chicks who fight crime in Tokyo, right?  Find any
cool Anime of them?"
     Chris smiled.  He had to tell his sister.  They were best friends.  "Well, no.  I found out 
a few days ago that I'm one of the team."
     It took his sister a few seconds to get that registered.  "What?"
     Chris nodded.  "I am  Strike Fiss', Prince of Saturn!  And I swear this is true upon all 
the mighty alligators and armadillos!"
     That was a stupid little thing they had made up to make sure the other was telling the
truth.  It was only to be used for such an occasion.  "No WAY!" Andrea replied.  
"COOL!"
     Chris frowned.  "Don't tell the parents...unless I go missing."
     Andrea nodded into the phone.  "Okay.  So!  Tell me more!"
     Chris sighed.  "I can't.  I gotta go.  Just tell everyone I'm keen, and say  hi' for me to
Beavis."
     
     As the conversation ended, a swirl of pink petals a meter above the booth was the only
indication the call had been monitored.  "A sister..." Zoicite said to herself as she 
materialized in her home.  "That is just what I needed..." she smiled.  "Bait."




                           Chapter 16

     "A one, a two...A one two three four!" Chris yelled, pushing the CD-ROM of his
computer shut.  
     Maury and Chris promptly began moshing around to polka music, and received 
strange looks from Trevor and Damien.  "Could you PLEASE turn that down?" Trevor 
asked.  "I thought you hated polka!"
     Chris stuck his tongue out.  "Don't mess with me, man...I'm crazy."
     Maury nodded.  "We only like polka when it's bothering you.  So too bad." he said,
leaping off his bed into the closet for no particular reason.
     Damien blinked.  "We're bunking with Jim Carey and Weird Al."
     Chris and Maury smiled.  "A compliment?  Why, spank you very much." Chris said
politely.  
     Maury grinned as Lita entered the room.  "Oh, hi Maury." she smiled sweetly.
     Maury stopped jumping around to  the Hot Rocks Polka' and went over to her.  They
kissed passionately.  "Ready to go?" he asked.
     Chris coughed.  "Where ya going?"
     Lita giggled.  "We're going to rent one of those boats and go out on the lake for a
picnic."
     Maury hugged her.  "She cooks better than...uh...Martha Stewart!" he said proudly.  "I
promised to show her how to make fish n' chips one of these days."
     Maury had actually spent a good many years of his life on the coast.  He was a pretty
good fisher.  Chris smiled.  "You two kids have fun."
     They left.
     Trevor snickered over the polka in the background.  "I bet he'll get AIDS from her or
something."
     Chris sighed.  That was the problem with Trevor.  He sucked...and he knew how to use 
it. 
"Trevor, unless you can do better, I'd advise you to shut the FUCK up."
     Trevor sneered at him.
     "Lita is a very nice person, and I know they'll be great friends, even if they break up 
later on." Chris said, avoiding the fact he also saw them doing the horizontal mambo on 
the kitchen table last night.
     Damien smiled evilly.  "Yeah, he's at least getting better luck than you are."
     Chris ignored him, and took out a book from his trusty bag.  
     "What's that?" Trevor asked.
     "Noting you need to worry about..." he replied, taking out a pencil.

     Andrea sat in her room, bored to hell.  All her friends were on vacation that summer, 
and with Chris gone, there was not much more to do than watch T.V. and doodle.  She 
had already gotten sick of both.
     She put on her jacket and walked downstairs to the living room.  "Hey, mom.  I'm 
going outside."
     Sandra smiled.  "Okay, just be back before eight.  I'll take you down to the mall.  They
got a sale on..."
     Andrea was already out the door.  Her mom sighed.  "Poor kid."
     Andrea did up her coat in the cold fall air.  It was already morning, the next day,
compared to Chris' location.  The only good thing that had come out of him going over to 
Japan was she was able to take care of his hedgehog.  That, and the news that she was 
related to a super hero.  
     She walked out of the driveway of the crowded, yet high-class house and went down 
the street.  Maybe she could find out when her friend, Angela would be back from 
Florida. 
     Suddenly, a pink, fluttering object set down on her shoulder.  She looked up.  To her
surprise, a woman was hovering above her, cackling wildly.  "What the fuck?"
     Zoicite smiled.  "Hello, Andrea.  I'm going to have to ask you to come with me..." she
shot her down to the ground with a blast of  Zoi' energy.
     Andrea hit the pavement hard, spraining her ankle.  "Shit!  HELP!" she yelled, but
Zoicite quickly grabbed her and was off again before anyone noticed.
     
     Chris typed away at his computer.  The screen had his full attention.  Suddenly, a 
pudgy hand reached behind him and pulled his bag over.  Chris turned to see Damien, 
holding his book. 
"HEY!" Chris yelled.
     Damien gave him a look.  "I'm just going to look."
     Chris tossed his computer aside and leapt for the book.  Apparently, Trevor and 
Damien had planed this, and he tossed it over to his friend.  Chris gasped as they huddled 
in their corner and began to open it.
     Chris, on the floor from the jump, reached under his bed.  "Give it BACK..." he 
ordered, reaching for his sword.
     They ignored him.  "Oh, we won't wreck it..." Trevor giggled, turning to the first page. 
"A sketch book?"
     Damien laughed.  "What a goofy looking alligator..." referring to a cartoon Chris had
drawn.
     Chris took out his sword and cut into Trevor's bed, an inch away from his leg.  The 
two stopped laughing and looked up.
     Chris held his sword down, having sliced straight through the bed.  "I SAID...give it
BACK!"
     Damien closed the sketchbook and passed it over to him, shaking.  "Uh...s-s-sorry..."
     Chris grabbed his book and slid his sword back into his scabbard.  "You are NEVER 
to touch my stuff." he demanded.  "You will no longer go within one meter of my bed or 
dresser. 
You will NEVER look over to see what I am doing on either my laptop, or in this book.  
You will NEVER cause me to draw my sword on you again, unless you intend to try and 
challenge these rules.  If you challenge them, I will use this to my full extent of 
beheading your fat, ugly skulls!"
     They nodded quickly.
     Chris walked over to his bed and put away his sword.  "In return, I will do the same.  
We may have to live together, but I'm not letting you be my  buddies.'"
     That ended the conversation for the rest of the evening.
     A few minutes later, Chris realized he almost killed them.  He started to sweat.  What 
if he became homicidal from all this power?  Even Trevor and Damien deserved to
live...barely...but still...
     Chris suddenly got up, with his book-bag and shot out the door.
     
     Darien walked around his kitchen, trying to remember how to cook curry.  He had it 
on the stove, but he watched it nervously.  It was bubbling.  "Is curry SUPPOSED to 
bubble?" he called out into his apartment.
     Serena was there and walked over to him.  "No!" she saw the pot and gasped, turning
down the heat.  
     Darien watched in amazement as Serena fixed the dish.  "Out of all your talents, 
making curry is the most surprising."
     Serena smiled.  "I can teach you, you know..."
     Darien noticed her sly look and met her lips in a kiss soon after.  "Maybe we can wait
until I teach you a few other things..." he picked her up in his arms.
     Serena giggled, hugging his neck as he brought her over to his couch.  Suddenly, one 
of her pigtails got caught up in Darien's stride, and he fell over, sending her into a plant.
     He looked up.  "Oh!  Shit!  Serena?"
     Serena got up slowly, holding her nose.  "That huuuuurt!!" she whined.
     Darien picked her up from the mess.  "I'm sorry...I'll make it up to you..." he smiled,
kissing her nose tenderly.
     Serena smiled.  "Ooh, that feels better already, muffin..."
     Suddenly, the doorbell rang. 
     Darien looked over to Serena, who was puckering up for a kiss.  "Shit...I better get it."
     Serena sighed as he answered the door.
     Chris stood on the other side, shaking.  "Can I come in?"
     Darien nodded, letting him in.  "You okay, Chris?"
     Chris shook his head.  "I almost lost it and killed Trevor today." he sat down, holding 
his head.
     Serena blinked.  "What happened?"
     Chris swallowed hard.  "They just pissed me off, and wouldn't listen to me.  I got fed 
up and took out my sword.  I almost sliced off their heads."
     Darien sat down.  "Woah...that's not too good."
     Chris nodded.  "I'm just not the killing type...but I got all this power all of a sudden, 
and it seems like instinct to use it."
     Darien smiled.  "You'll get used to it."
     Chris frowned.  "How do you know?  Did you do the same?"
     Serena laughed.  "We all were like that!" she said.  "I almost gave away the fact I was 
the Moon Princess to my teacher because I wanted her to obey ME for once."
     Chris smiled.
     Darien nodded.  "Hell yes!  You wouldn't believe how many times I thought to 
chucking a rose through someone's head because they looked at me funny...AND my 
physics paper was about the aerodynamic properties of roses."
     Chris ran his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath.  "So it's natural?"
     They both nodded.  "Ask Lita.  She LOVES being a Scout because it's  more exciting'
than normal, everyday life." Serena said.
     Darien patted him on the back.  "Don't worry.  It's good that you're a bit more ready to
fight.  We're in charge with the world's safety, you know." Darien said, standing up and 
getting the curry off the stove.  "You wanna stay for dinner?"
     Chris looked around.  "Are you sure I'm not interrupting?" he said with a smile.
     Darien smiled evilly behind Serena's back.  "Oh!  Don't worry...I hope you like curry!"
     Chris smiled and turned to Serena.  "So, what's it like being Sailor Moon?  I mean, 
you saved the world on a number of occasions!"
     Serena blushed and giggled.  "It's wicked cool."
     Darien handed him a plate and a glass of milk.  "What did they do to get you so pissed
off, anyway?"
     Chris accepted the food happily.  "Well, I might as well show you..." he pulled out his
sketchbook.  "Just, please don't tell Rei..."
     He opened it up to a series of drawings.  Serena and Darien were speechless.  They 
were of Rei.  Darien was bug-eyed.  "Wow...they're great..."
     Chris smiled happily.  "What can I say?  I'm in love."
     Serena looked at the next few pages.  "Hey!  She looks pretty when she isn't such a
snob!"
     Darien was sill wide-eyed.  "I had no idea you felt so passionately about her.  Those
drawings have feeling."
     Chris sighed.  "She's been avoiding me, lately, though.  Even after we got the 
Negaverse thing out of the way, and it looked like we were going to hit it off, she backed 
away a bit."
     Serena shrugged, handing the book back to him.  "She's been acting weird all last 
week."
     Darien nodded.  "She seems a bit shaken, actually."
     Chris took a bite of curry.  "Hey...this is pretty good."
     They both smiled.
     Chris finished chewing and looked up.  "Darien?  I heard you dated her.  Is this 
normal?"
     "Well, unfortunately, no..." Darien sighed.  "She was basically all over me from the 
start. 
She may have gotten more sedate about dating, though."
     Chris sighed.  "I hope so."

     They all finished eating, talking a bit about dealing with their powers.  Chris thanked
them for a great evening and left.   Darien sighed.  "He's a good kid."  He said.  "I hope 
he'll be okay."
     Serena hung off his arm affectionately, watching the door, long after it closed.  "He 
will.  He's got you as a friend, after all." she said sweetly.
     Darien smiled.  "Now, where were we, my sweet meatball-head?"




                           Chapter 17

     Rei sat up in her bed, gasping.  It took her a second to realize what had just happened. 
"Oh my god...the dream..."
     The same, eerie, death of the Sailor Scouts dream had started.  She had been so 
terrified, she woke up before it got to the part where she looked down at her mangled 
body.  Her breathing became regular again and she lay back down.  "I can't watch that 
again." she said out loud.  
     Moonlight fell in through the window.  She glanced at her watch.  It read midnight.  
She got up and put on a sweater.
     Rei walked outside to clear her head.  The dream was so horrible, and she knew sleep
was impossible for another few hours.  She decided to help out the process.  
     She had sat down on the bench before she noticed Chris was there also.  He smiled.  
"Hi Rei.  Bad dream?"
     Rei nodded.  "Why are you here?"
     Chris shrugged.  "Just thinking, actually."  He said, hiding his sketchbook.
     They watched the moon reflect off the pond for a moment.  Rei smiled.  "Hey, there's
Mars."
     Chris looked up.  "Yeah.  Saturn's right next to it."
     Rei strained her eyes.  "I don't see it..."
     "Oh, it's not visible tonight." Chris explained.  "But I try to know where it is now...it
gives me a sense of home."
     Rei nodded.  "Me too.  It's nice to look back to the moon kingdom.  They were happy
times until the last month or so."
     Chris was desperately thinking of something to say.  Rei looked over, behind his back.
"Oh!  You draw?"
     Chris was about to say  no' when she grabbed the book.  "Uh..."
     She flipped through the pictures.  Then, she got to the sketches of her.  Her face 
changed.  Chris couldn't tell if it was for the better.  She looked almost shocked.  
     They were quiet for a long time.  Rei eventually handed him the book.  "I-I'm
flattered..."
     Chris smiled weakly, but her reaction wasn't exactly what he expected.  Was she mad? 
Was she embarrassed?
     To his surprise, she stood up and took off her sweater.  Rei smiled at his reaction as 
she exposed her chest-tight bra.  "Chris?  You okay?"
     Chris was shivering at the sight of her rather large breasts and firm stomach.  "Holy
shit..."
     Rei slid out of her baggy temple pants.  "Sorry if I've been avoiding you, lately." she 
said softly.  "I just wasn't sure what to do with my feeling for you..."
     Chris swallowed hard.  "You're gorgeous..."
     Rei smiled and sat on his lap.  "You're not bad yourself." She said, kissing him on the
forehead.  
     Chris couldn't believe this goddess of a woman was half naked on his knee, and was 
now undressing him as well.  Undressing him as well??!!??
     Rei couldn't help but giggle as she saw Chris' reaction.  She finished unbuttoning his
shirt and took it off.  "Well, now." She said, kissing him softly.  "How would you like me 
to take off your pants?" she asked, brushing her hand against the bulge in the front of his 
jeans.
     Her bra came off with a touch of his hand to it's clasp.  "Okay..." he said.
     The cool air hit Rei's chest, making her pink nipples swell up and stand out from her
firm tits.  A wet feeling enveloped her crotch, and she realized she was getting aroused all 
over his leg.  Chris didn't mind.  He leaned forward and gently kissed in between her 
mounds, exciting her further.  
     At the back of her mind, she realized her plan to seduce Chris was now in his hands.  
Her nipples ached for his warm kiss, and were not disappointed.  Rei moaned softly as 
Chris took one of her luscious pink buds in his mouth, rolling his tongue around it.  Rei 
had never really tried arousing herself, and was enjoying the feeling of someone else 
doing it for the first time. 
Chris began rubbing his hands along the underside of her breasts, kissing her neck and
collarbone now.
     She remembered her mission, and began unzipping his pants with her hand, while 
gently rubbing her crotch against her silky panties and Chris' leg.
     "HEY!" a voice broke the sweet sound of kissing and clothes being undone.  
     Rei looked up past Chris' head to see Chad, standing over the hill with a flashlight. 
"Fuck!" she yelled, grabbing her sweater.  Chris turned quickly to see Chad coming up 
fast.  He helped her get her pants on and zipped up his fly, pulling his coat over his 
unbuttoned shirt.  
     Chad looked at the two.  "What the hell is going on!"
     "Chad..." Rei growled.  "You really pick the worst times, don't you?"
     Chris nodded with the same frown.  "Geeze, man...get that flashlight outta my face!"
     Chad kept the light in his eye.  "I hear rape offences go into the ten year range, 
asshole."
     Rei gasped.  "Rape?  Who said anything about that?"
     Chris nodded, finally smacking the light away.  "You're really..."
     Chad wound up and flattened him with a punch to the jaw.  Chris looked up from the
grass, shocked.  Chad smiled.  "There, Rei.  That'll teach him not to try anything."
     Rei ran over to Chris.  "Chris!  Are you okay?"
     Chad was definitely a bit stronger and better at martial arts than Chris was, and a huge
bruise was on the side of his mouth.  Chris got to his feet, dazed slightly.  That didn't stop 
him from winding up and connecting his right fist with Chad's eye.
     Chad fell to his knees.  "You fucking bastard!" Chad swung around his foot, kicking
Chris in the leg and knocking him over again.  Chris hit hard, still feeling the first punch.  
"You wanna piece of me?" Chad mocked, getting to his feet.
     Chris looked over to Rei.  She was growling at Chad.  He had been worried she'd be
pissed if Chris tried to kick Chad's ass...but now, he had her blessing.  One phrase went 
through his mind.  Saturn Power!
     He got to his feet as Chad was leaving.  "I don't want a piece of you...I want the whole
thing!" he yelled, running up to him.
     Chad was about to block a possible punch when Chris fell to his knees and slid along 
the grass, ending up in front of Chad.  He kicked upwards into Chad's crotch, connecting 
with a rather mean force.
     It took him a second to realize what had happened.  Slowly, the pain emanating from 
his nads reached his brain.  "FUCK!" he screamed, in a slightly higher pitch than usual. 
     He fell onto his back, gasping for air.  Chris got up off the ground with a smile.  
"Merry Christmas, mother fucker."
     Rei ran over to him.  "He'll live.  You kicked him in an organ he'll never use anyway."
     Chris and Rei embraced in a heated kiss as Chad left, holding his crotch.  

     It was too risky to continue what they had started that night, thanks to Chad, but Rei
came back to his room with him.
     "I really liked your sketches." Rei whispered as they lay together on his bed.
     Chris looked around to the others.  "Are you sure you wanna sleep here?  I mean, it's
kinda crowded..."
     Rei looked concerned.  "Why?  Are you afraid of what the others might think?"
     Chris smiled.  "Hell no.  I can brag now."
     "Oh, sure..." Rei smiled.  "How I stunned you into submission just by taking off my
pants?"
     Chris sighed happily.  "Fine by me..."

     He watched her fall asleep on his shoulder.  Her warm body pressed against his.  Chris
was in heaven, despite a bleeding lip.  He was just about to go to sleep with his new love, 
when a phone rang.
     He looked around to find no phone.  "My computer?" he asked himself, reaching 
behind his bed slowly, not to disturb Rei's sleep.
     His computer had it's own phone line.  Connected to a cell phone.  However, it was 
only for hacking.  His parents were the only people who knew it's number.  He got 
worried.  He popped open his computer and put on a headset.  "Hello?"
     His mom was on the other line.  "Chris?"
     "Mom!  What's up?" he asked, hoping it was just a friendly call.  "It's three in the
morning here!"
     "Chris...Andrea's missing!"
     Chris blinked.  "Oh my god..." he thought back to what Serena had said.  Everyone 
they told was either accidentally involved, or dead.  He had told Andrea.
     "Chris.  We're going to send you a plane ticket so you can come back..." his mom
started.
     "Mom..." Chris interrupted.  "I'll get her back.  Don't do anything."
     "Chris?  Why?" Sandra asked desperately.  "Do you know where she is?"
     "I can find out...give me two days." Chris said.  In his mind, he had one thought.  
Zoicite was going to die.



                           Chapter 18

     "You did WHAT?" Lita growled.  
     Chris sighed.  "I know, I know...I shouldn't have told Andrea...but why would Zoicite
capture her anyway?"
     Rei nodded.  "It's not like Andrea's a threat to her evil schemes just because she knows
Chris is Strike Fiss."
     Lita paced around.  "I don't get it.  I've been dying to tell our secret to Maury, just
because we've gotten so close, but I never.  YOU go out a day after you find out you're a 
Scout, and you blab to your family!"
     "She won't tell anyone." Chris defended.  "She's my best friend.  We used to draw
together all the time.  While most siblings fight over nothing, we're actually nice to each 
other."
     Mina sighed.  "Well, if she won't tell anyone, that's just fine...but she's STILL 
kidnaped. 
What's the plan?"
     Chris and Darien smiled.  "Well, we really pissed her off, so she'll probably try to bait 
a trap with his sister." Darien explained.  "Basically, we wait for a signal from her, and 
then group together and kick her ass."
     Rei nodded.  "I suggest we go on alert and hang out at the temple until it blows over."
     Serena sighed.  "Why do we ALWAYS have to meet at the temple?  It's so far out of
town!"
     "Because it has the most room." Ami said.  "Plus, Zoicite hates crows, and Rei's pets
seem to dislike her even more.  They'll at like a warning system, and keep her away from
spying."
     Rei smiled proudly.  "Demos and Phobos are cool."
     "Huh huh..." Chris replied.  "Cool..."
     Lita coughed.  "Okay, so what should we do in the mean time?"
     Darien shrugged.  "Well, Chris really isn't used to all of our fighting tactics.  Maybe 
we should have a practice session."
     Serena sighed.  "Noo!  Every time you guys practice fight, I always get hurt for 
REAL!"
     Rei smiled evilly.  "We know."
     The two began to stick out their tongues at each other...yet again
     Artemis sighed.  "Okay, Luna and I will get an update from Central in the mean time."
     Chris blinked.  "Who's  central'?"
     "A computer we talk to back on the moon or something.  We're not too sure, actually."
Luna said.  "Queen Serenity told us it would help on the mission.  For a while, Artemis 
was directing it."
     Artemis nodded.  "I just tried to help them while Venus and I came over from 
Europe."
     Chris shrugged.  "Okay.  Sounds cool."
     Rei stopped fighting with Serena for a moment.  "Don't worry, Chris.  We'll get your
sister back."
     Chris smiled.  "On second thought, we COULD just leave her with Zoicite.  Andrea
would annoy her to death within a week."
     
     Zoicite sat in her living room, examining her sword.  "So, Andrea, is it?" she said.  "I
hope you're comfortable."
     Andrea looked out the window, arms crossed.  "Bite me."
     The ex-Negaverse general smiled.  "I must say, you're not like my usual kidnap 
victim."
     "Bite me." Andrea replied.  "And while you're at it, let me go."
     "Now-now..." Zoicite said, standing up.  "You we're doing fine until you asked to be 
let go.  Now, you're just as bad as the rest."
     Andrea glanced over to their captor, eyeing her mean-looking sword.  "Let me guess. 
You're from the Negaverse, aren't you?"
     Zoicite smiled with a nod.  "Well, now.  How did a little girl like you know all about 
the Negaverse?"
     "Duh?  I watch the news, bitch.  They wasted your ass at the North Pole." Andrea said
happily.
     Zoicite's grin disappeared.  "You seem very confident for a lost little girl who'll be 
dead in a day."
     "Bite me." Andrea retorted.
     Zoicite sighed.  "I'm afraid I have another thing in mind than  biting you'.  Let's get
started, shall we?" she snapped her fingers.
     Behind Andrea, another of Zoicite's servants grabbed her and took her into an adjacent
room.  Andrea yelled out for help, but it was no use.
     Zoicite put on a hat.  "Time to get to work..." she giggled.  "Make sure you're done
before I finish phase one of the plan." she told a servant.
     The servant nodded.  "Yes, Master Zoicite.  The process is already half done."
     In the adjacent room, Andrea lay unconscious on a strange operating-type-bed, with a
glowing red orb suspended above her, bombarding her with a beam of light.

      Help' strolled out of a supermarket with a small tub of lemon-pie-filler.  Rei met up
with him from shopping down the street.  "Ugh, what's THAT?" she asked.
     Chris smiled, eating a spoonful.  "Well, it's..."
     "Never mind, I don't wanna know." Rei smiled.  "Besides, it looks good.  Mind if I 
have some?"
     Chris shook his head.  "Go ahead..."
     He was cut off as Rei grabbed and kissed him.  "Mmm," she smiled sweetly.  "Tastes
good."
     "It sure does..." he went in for another kiss.  Rei responded gladly and they embraced 
in the middle of the street.  A few pedestrians whistled.  
     They finally had to break apart as a bus rolled to a stop nearby.  "Shit, the bus..." Chris
grabbed Rei, who was still kinda dazed from the kiss and leapt aboard just before the 
driver closed the doors.
     The two lovers barely noticed the driver was wearing a strange gray suit.  Zoicite 
smiled, putting the bus in gear and driving off.




                           Chapter 19

     Lita stood against the bus stop, growling angrily.  "Freaking late bus driver asshole..." 
she exclaimed, causing the other pedestrians around her to step away to a safe distance.  
"What the hell's keeping the bus?"
     Before anyone could complain along with her, a bus came over the hill.  "Finally," a
couple of people said.
     However, instead of stopping, the bus kept going.  Lita gasped.  In the driver's seat, 
she saw Zoicite.  She dropped her bag of groceries and began running after the bus.  
"COME BACK HERE, BITCH!"
     Zoicite glanced in the rear-view mirror.  A girl was chasing after her at an all-out 
sprint.  'It that Sailor Jupiter?' she thought.   It looks a bit like her...'
     Zoicite had managed to do in the last week what it took Jedite a good two months to 
do. 
Figure out a Sailor Scout's identity.  Rei's, actually.  Thanks to the play backs of her 
servants and the fact any attack at Cherri Hill was answered by Sailor Mars first, Zoicite 
realized she was Rei Hino.  Now, she began seeing patterns in the way the Sailor Scouts 
always showed up.  The girl now chasing her was around when Jupiter first came onto the 
scene.  The first person who ever landed a punch on her.
     Despite the fact she would have loved to get even, Zoicite decided to concentrate on 
her captives.  Mars and the new Strike Fiss.  She sped up slightly, just to make sure Lita 
wouldn't be able to interfere.   
     Lita gasped as the bus roared off around a corner, out of sight.  She stumbled to a halt
and opened her communicator.  "I spotted Zoicite.  Get ready to move." she gasped, short 
of breath.  She closed her wrist communicator and took out her star wand.  Nobody was 
looking, and the street was deserted.  "Jupiter Star POWER!"

     Rei looked over Chris' shoulder as he drew a loose sketch of her as Sailor Mars.  
"Wow, that's great..."
     Chris smiled happily.  "I only started getting good thanks to my sister, actually.  She
taught me how to draw.  Plus you're a great model."
     Rei blushed.  "Well, I try..." she paused.  "Wait a second, this isn't the regular route..."
     Chris put away his drawing stuff.  "Oh shit, did I drag you onto the wrong bus again?"
     Rei looked up at the front.  "No, we're on the right number..." she thought for a 
second. 
"We must be going around some construction or something."
     Chris yawned.  "Well, I'm looking forward to having a nice long sleep tonight.  My
schedule is all weird thanks to all this midnight romping around." he said.
     Rei looked around.  "That's weird...this bus is usually packed."
     Only two other people were on the bus.  One from their stop, and another sitting near 
the driver.  Chris nodded.  "Wait a second...what the fuck is THAT?"
     In front of the bus, a weird black vortex was opening up.  Rei stood up. "Bus driver! 
Stop!  This is an emergency!"
     Zoicite turned around from the driver's seat.  "I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to stop until 
the next Certified Tokyo Mass Transit bus stop." she grinned, flooring it.
     Rei and Chris were thrown back in their seat as the bus launched forward.  The other
passengers started screaming.  Rei's arms were pinned to the seat an she couldn't reach an
ofuda.  "Damn it!  You better not slow down, unless you want shots, Zoicite!"
     Chris couldn't reach his disk either.  "At least she drives better than my old school bus
driver..."
     The bus roared into the vortex, disappearing into the void just as Jupiter rounded the
corner.  "Damn!" she cursed, watching the hole in space slowly start to close.  
     Remembering what Mercury did the last time a vortex almost trapped Sailor Moon 
and Mars, Lita whipped out her wand and pointed it to the vortex.  "Jupiter...POWER!  
Keep my friend's exit open!"
     She kneeled down and concentrated.  A beam of green light shot out from the symbol 
of Jupiter on her wand.  The vortex lit up briefly, then stopped closing.  Jupiter cringed as 
the drain on her power started.  "Hurry up, guys...I can't keep this open much longer..."

     The bus hit the ground in a harsh bump after the fall from the vortex to the ground.  
Rei and Chris looked up from the seat.  They were in the Negaverse.  And, they were 
parked In front of a strange-looking house.
     Zoicite stood up from her driver's seat and turned to her passengers.  "Won't you come
in for a cup of tea?" she sad simply, disappearing in her swirl of petals.
     Chris looked behind them.  "Hey, the portal's still open!"
     Rei smiled.  "It has to be Jupiter.  We better hurry up and find your sister before she 
can't hold it open any longer."
     Chris nodded.  "Why didn't she just crash the bus or something?  She could have 
gotten away, right?"
     Rei shrugged.  "I think she has a personal grudge against you.  She was going to kill
Darien, and you interrupted her.  She probably wants you out of the way, first."
     "Aren't I the popular one..." Chris said, walking out of the bus.
     Rei smiled to the other two cowering passengers.  "Don't worry.  We'll get you home 
in a second." she followed Chris out of the bus and to the front door of the strange 
mansion they were parked before.  
     "This her house?" Chris asked, pulling out his disk.  
     "It looks like it." Rei sighed.  "And how'd she know I was a Scout?"
     Chris pressed his hand on the huge door.  "It's solid bronze or something.  We'd better
change."
     Rei nodded.  "Time to get rid of this bitch, once and for all...MARS STAR POWER!"
     "STRIKE FISS!" Chris copied.  The two transformed in the usual array of special 
effects.
Chris took out his sword.  "Knock-knock..." 

     Zoicite glanced over to the door with a hint of anger as a white flash cut it up into five
pieces, shattering it to the ground.  "It was unlocked, you know..."
     Chris smiled behind his sunglasses.  "I know."
     Rei grinned.  "We just love making an entrance." she got serious and raised her arms 
in her usual intro.  "I am Sailor Mars!  Defender of the innocent and defenseless!  In the 
name of Mars, I'm going to kick your ass!"
     "By the weirdness infested as me...I am Strike Fiss." Chris announced.  "Defender of
African Pygmy Hedgehogs and anything with  bob' in it!  As well as anything else keen!  
Let my sister go, and I'll leave."
     Zoicite blinked.  "Well, you certainly are a colorful pair, aren't you!" she took a sip 
from the tea-cup she was holding.  "You want your sister back?  Fine.  She's served her 
purpose." She snapped her fingers and Andrea came from the shadows.
     "Chris!" Andrea exclaimed, running up and hugging her brother.  "Thank god!"
     Chris smiled.  "Glad to see ya." he hugged back.  "You okay, hooze?"
     Andrea looked at him, perplexed.  "What?   Hooze?'"
     Chris blinked.  "You're not Andrea..." he threw her off and withdrew his sword.
     "What?" Rei asked.
     "I always call her Hooze.  She's not Andrea if she doesn't know what  hooze' means."
Chris sneered at Zoicite.  "Where's my sister?"
     Zoicite sighed.  "So much for that." she snapped her fingers.  The Andrea clone started
mutating into a weird turtle-like creature.  "You're sister's fine.  But you're going to have 
to find her."
     "Easy." Chris said.
     Zoicite smiled.  "Oh, I don't know about that." she pointed outside to the vortex, still
open thanks to Jupiter.  "That vortex is open for now, because my gateway crystal is still 
here." 
She pointed to a small crystal shard on the wall, connected to a glowing orb.  
     Rei gasped.  "A Negabomb?"
     Zoicite smiled.  "It's set on a small yield, so the only thing it will destroy is the 
gateway crystal.  However, once the crystal is gone, the gateway out of here is gone as 
well...with or without your Sailor buddies trying to keep it open."
     Chris and Rei blinked.  
     Zoicite smiled.  "You have ten minutes. When that time is up, you'll be trapped here in
the Negaverse, and you'll have your hands full with all the people you DIDN'T kill last 
time around."
     Rei growled.  "I'm going to shove that Negabomb up your ass and watch you explode
into little greasy chunks of puke, you cunt."
     Chris smiled.  "Cool."
     Zoicite threw her cup of tea at the crystal and bomb.  It ricocheted off from a force-
field. 
"I'm afraid not even I can stop the count down.  You have about nine minutes now." she
disappeared, leaving the two with the turtle-monster.
     "I am Rockgar." the monster said proudly.  "You're about to die."
     Chris snickered.  "He looks like a bad rip-off of a Ninja Turtle."
     Rei nodded.  "Cowabunga, dude." she pointed her finger at the monster's face, then 
shot out a stream of fire.
     To their surprise, the fire just splattered and dissipated off Rockgar's thick, armored 
skin. 
Rei gasped.  "It-it...didn't work!"
     Chris smiled.  "Allow me!" he swung his sword around at the creature's head.  
Rockgar raised his arm and the blade bounced off it's bony plates.  Chris gasped as his 
sword stuck into a nearby wall, out of his hands.  "Hey!"
     "My turn!" Rockgar bellowed happily, smacking his heavy club-like arm into them. 
Chris and Rei were tossed aside like sacks of potatoes and fell into an un-glorified heap 
on the floor a few meters away.
     Rei coughed, trying to regain her breath.  "Damn it!" she got to her feet weakly.  
     Chris got up and ran over to his sword, pulling it out of the wall.  "Okay, that's it.  
Let's waste this asshole."
     "I don't suppose you know any of your special attacks yet, do you?" Rei asked 
hopefully.
     Chris sighed.  "Nope..."
     "Then we're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way..." Rei said.  "Let's 
rumble."
     Rockgar smiled hideously.  "Any time you're ready."
     Chris tightened his grip.  "Well, if Zoicite can do it, I don't see why I can't." he aimed
his sword at Rockgar.  "FISS!" he yelled.
     A blue shockwave shot out along his blade and hit Rockgar.  He flew back five meters
before hitting the ground again and falling on his back.  Rei was a bit stunned.  "That's a 
start!"
She leapt up in the air before Rockgar got up and pulled out a scroll.  "Mars..." she tossed 
it out before her.  "Firebird..." she began her fire spell.  "STRIKE!" 
     The paper ignited and turned into a flaming bird of fire.  It impacted on Rockgar's arm
and exploded.  Rei landed a meter away from the monster, who now had a huge chunk 
missing out of the side of it's body.
     Chris jumped up, sword extended.  He came down with the blade straight down.  
Despite the many inches of thick bone and armor, the blade pushed through and 
punctured Rockgar's heart.  Chris leapt back with his sword as a gush of blood ripped 
Rockgar's chest open.  "Now THAT is really nasty..." Chris said, putting away his sword.
     Rei nodded.  "Come on.  We only have eight or so minutes left, and Zoicite probably 
has more buddies she can use against us."
     They ran off down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, keeping an eye out for 
whatever else Zoicite had planned.  Chris glanced at his watch.  They had seven minutes 
and forty seconds before they, Andrea and two commuters spent the rest of their lives in 
the Negaverse.

     Mercury was the first to arrive at the scene.  "Jupiter!" she yelled.
     Jupiter was almost passed out from the strain of keeping the tiny black hole open.  
"Help!  Mars and Strike Fiss are in there!"
     Mercury took out her own wand and began helping with her own beam.  Jupiter 
regained some strength as the workload was halved and glanced over to Mercury.  "We 
have to keep this open as long as possible.  There's two civilians with them, and if they 
manage to get his sister free, we'll have to keep it open for her as well."
     Mercury nodded.  "I'm all the help you're going to get."
     Jupiter gasped.  "What?"
     "Zoicite sent three of her lackeys downtown to distract the rest of the Scouts.  They're
not doing as well as they hoped." Mercury explained over the roar of the vortex straining 
against the two energy beams.
     "Great..." Lita sighed.  
     Mercury took out her data computer with a free hand and opened it.  "We'll be able to
hold it open for a good half an hour.  But I'm getting some strange readings from inside.  
I'm not too sure what's going on."
     
     "Venus Crescent Beam...SMASH!"  In a blinding flash, Venus' attack hit one of the
monsters and vaporized it, just before it bit down on Sailor Moon's leg.  
     Serena nodded her thanks and returned her attention to the two Negaverse monsters 
who were now working as a team against her and Darien.  In a surprise attack, Artemis 
jumped up onto the face of the one attacking Darien.  It was just a Negaverse version of a 
rhinoceros, but it was fast enough to avoid most of their attacks.  It growled as Artemis 
began clawing at it's insect-like compound eyes.  
     "Whattcha matter?  Loosing to a cat?" Artemis said happily gouging it's eye.
     It's reply was to throw back his head, tossing him twenty feet in the air and into a pile 
of garbage bags.  Despite it's injuries, the rhino kept charging at Darien.  
     He used the time Artemis gave him to take out a good dozen of roses and he began
throwing them at the monster's feet.  "Eat this!"
     A rose finally punctured through the rhino's toe and firmly attached it to the pavement. 
With it's foot stuck, and at it's speed, the servant hit the ground, face first and tore off it's 
leg. 
Venus finished the job with another Crescent Beam severing it's head.
     The last monster was a nasty-looking baboon creature.  It swung it's arm and knocked
Venus to the ground before she could relish her victory over the rhino.
     Sailor Moon threw her tiara at the monster before it could start pummeling Sailor 
Venus. 
It hit the baboon in the head, knocking him away as the tiara returned.   Luna, who was 
standing by urged them on.  "Hurry, Sailor Moon!  Use your scepter!"
     She nodded at the feline and pulled out her scepter.  "Moon 
Scepter...ELIMINATION!"
     Beams of light and sparkles shot out from her staff and hit the monster.  It promptly
exploded in a shower of dust.  Venus, Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask and the two cats 
sighed. 
"Come on, Lita said she needed help over by the North residential block." Serena said as 
they ran off.
     Venus sighed.  "This job was SOOO much easier when I was Sailor V."

     A blade ripped through the other side of the servant, who was already half dead thanks 
to a toasty  Mars Fire Ignite'.  As the two pieces fell, Mars and Strike Fiss stood on the 
other side. 
Zoicite glanced over the burning and sliced up remains of her kitchen staff.  "Impressive." 
She said simply.
     The two Scouts, who were almost out of breath, regained their composure.  "You
finished, Zoicite?" Mars asked angerly.  "I hardly thing killing your gardener is 
necessary."
     Zoicite was sitting on another couch, in what appeared to be the living room.  Andrea
was sitting across, tied up and gaged.  "I agree." Zoicite smiled.  "However, I still have 
one other friend...not the gardener...but rather my home security system."
     They sighed.  Chris flicked up his sunglasses and whipped his forehead.  "For a
Negaverse general, you're sure a pussy."
     Zoicite scowled at the remark.  "Well, now.  I'm afraid you only have two minutes left.  
I don't suggest you anger me, or I may just notify the neighbors that a Sailor Scout is 
here.  They really hate you bitches."
     Rei smiled.  "Not as much as we hate you."
     Suddenly, a rose streaked In front of Rei's face and hit the ground.  Rei and Chris 
turned to see Darien.  Zoicite smiled.  "Allow me to introduce my home security guard.  I 
call him Cape-Boy."
     "Shit, that's another copy!" Chris said, taking out his sword again.
     The Darien-copy nodded and stepped forward.  "You're going to die now."
     "While Queen Beryl was brainwashing Tuxedo Mask, I managed to get a scan of him
with my little machine that produced that copy of your dear sister." Zoicite explained. 
"Unfortunately," she smiled evilly "the machine can't copy a person more than one per 
day.  I set it on two...silly me...and it's going to overload in a few hours anyway.  So, even 
if you decide to stay here once the portal closes, and not face the outdoors, you'll be dead 
either way."
     The two gasped.
     Zoicite nodded.  "Now, Cape Boy.  I want you to make sure these two will stay for the
next minute or so.  I'm afraid I must be off." she disappeared in a swirl.
     "A minute?" Chris gasped.
     Rei nodded.  "Mars Fire Ignite!" she snapped her fingers at the Darien-rip-off, 
shooting a jet of fire at him.
     Cape-Boy leapt out of the way and tossed a few roses at the two.  Chris reflected them
away with his disk-reflect.  "Get Andrea out of here!" Chris yelled at Rei.
     Rei shook her head.  "We can't get close enough!"
     Cape-Boy smiled evilly and extended his staff.  "Shall we?"

     The REAL Darien stood outside the portal.  "I don't like this.  They're all alone in 
there.  We should go in and help."
     Mercury shook her head.  "I'm getting strange readings from inside the portal.  I don't
think it's safe to go through."
     Venus nodded.  "We can't risk loosing everyone.  We have no idea what Zoicite has
planned."
     Darien growled.  "Then I volunteer." he jumped through before any of them could 
react.   He landed a meter below on Negaverse soil.  A house was a short walking 
distance away, and it had the transit bus parked In front, so he hauled over to it. 

     Chris had just enough time to see the forty-five second mark on his watch.  "Mars!  
We gotta hurry up!"
     Rei nodded.  "I call upon the power of Mars!  Fireballs...CHARGE!" she threw a 
scroll at Cape-Boy.
     It hit and he was frozen in mid-jump.  "Right on!" Chris cheered.  
     Suddenly, Cape-Boy's skin began melting away.  Rei slumped.  "Oh SHIT!  That's like
with the Andrea copy!  There's another monster underneath!"
     Darien suddenly entered the room.  "Hello?"
     Chris smiled.  "Darien!  Get my sister outta here!  We only have half a minute until 
the portal closes!"
     Darien looked around.  "What?"
     "NOW" Mars and Fiss both yelled.
     Darien nodded and picked up Andrea.  "Don't worry, I'll get you outta here."
     Andrea smiled.  "Wow..."
     The new monster emerged from the pile of melted Tuxedo Mask bits.  It looked like
something off of Guyver.  It had smooth armor and forearm spines.  It head was a smooth 
ball-like object with four eyes.  Rei looked over to Darien.  "We'll cover you.  Just get her 
out of here!"
     Darien nodded and ran off out the door.
     The monster nodded.  "I won't let anymore of you escape." it said in a raspy, metallic
voice.
     Darien burst out the front door with Andrea on his back.  He motioned to the two 
people in the bus.  "COME ON!  HURRY!"
     They gasped and leapt out the door to follow.  The four of them all ran at top speed to 
the vortex.  Darien dove through and Venus and Moon helped drag the other two civilians 
into the universe.  
     "Where are they?" Venus asked quickly.
     Darien gasped for air.  "The vortex is about to close.  Everyone get away!"
     "Where are they!?!" Lita repeated.  
     "They're in there fighting a monster.  This thing's going to close no matter what and
they'll be trapped if they don't win in time." Darien explained.  "They only have a minute 
or so."
     
     Rei yelled out as Cape-Boy's forearm-blade connected with her side.  She fell over,
spurting blood from the wound.
     Chris sneered and stepped up his efforts to kill the new monster.  "Dammit!  You'll 
pay for that!"
     The monster just laughed as Chris sliced off one of it's blades.  "You're dead either 
way.  And I am just a humble servant."
     Rei gasped out for air, but the pain in her side was too much.  She curled up in a ball. 
"Chris!  Waste him!  NOW!"
     "FISS!" he yelled, throwing back the monster with his reflect-pulse.  "Dammit!  I don't
remember my attack!"
     "Think!  HURRY!" Rei said, struggling to remain awake.  
     Chris nodded.  He looked at his sword.  Why wouldn't it DO anything?  Was there
something else it needed?  Like Rei's Firebird?  It needed the help of her ofuda scrolls.  
Another thing...like...his second sword...  "I GOT IT!" he yelled.  
     He reached for the end of his scabbard and pulled out his second sword.  Chris brought
them together, forming an 'X'.  He then brought them around from the ground to his head,
forming a sweeping arc of energy around him.  "Saturn Ring Razor...Looks like it's party 
time!"  
He yelled, bringing the swords down, sending the energy ring around him focusing 
through the blades and flying towards the Guyver-wanna be in a glowing arc.
     The arc hit, and for a moment, nothing happened.  Suddenly, the monster crackled 
with energy, then exploded in a grey powdery cloud.
     Chris collapsed on the ground from the effort.  Rei looked over to him.  "Hurry, get 
the hell out of here."
     Chris looked at her.  "You're bleeding too much." he took of his jacket and ripped the
arm off his black undershirt.  He then wrapped it around her waist where she was cut.  
"I'm not leaving you."
     Rei was about to complain when he kissed her.  "But..." she started.
     Chris sighed.  "There's no time left anyway.  I'm not going to be stuck here without
you."
     Sure enough, the Nega-bomb detonated, only half a second off cue.  
     "Chris..." Rei smiled weakly.  "Thanks for staying..."
     Chris nodded and sat next to her as they watched out the nearby window.  The tiny 
speck of light that was their way home flickered out of existence, and the two beams 
keeping it open were cut.



                           Chapter 20

     The Sailor Scouts all were silent as the last bit of the vortex flickered out of existence. 
Andrea blinked.  "No...it's not possible."
     Darien turned away, hiding his face.  "Zoicite is dead." he said quietly.  "That is my
life's vow now."
     Lita gasped.  "Rei?  She's gone?"
     They were quiet for a long five minutes.  Luna smiled weakly.  "Well, maybe the 
portal at the North Pole is still open." she said hopefully.  "We might be able to..."
     Artemis shook his head.  "Luna...it's over.  If the Pole's portal is still open, it's frozen
under hundreds of meters of ice."
     Venus stood up.  "Rei and Chris are still alive.  We have to remember that."
     "We don't even know that." Darien said.  "That monster they were fighting was a nasty
one."
     Serena was in tears.  "Rei?  She's gone, isn't she!?!  She was my best friend in the
world!"
     They all nodded.  Andrea raised an eyebrow.  "Don't worry.  Anyone who can eat a 
liter of concentrated lemon-pie filler and live to tell about it can survive an alternate 
universe."

     Rei slowly got to her feet.  Chris looked over.  "Hey!  You're too weak to stand!"
     Rei nodded.  "Yeah, but that copy-machine of Zoicite's will go any minute, and I'm 
not going to die in her ugly, fucked-up dream house."
     Chris ran over and helped her to the couch.  "I don't think we should leave just yet."
     Rei sat down.  "What do you mean?" she smiled.  "This is hardly the place to get it on
in."
     Chris smiled.  "Well, I know that, but I think she wants us to leave."
     Rei blinked.
     "She was saying the other people of the Negaverse would be outside, waiting to kill 
you and me." Chris said. "But nobody's been near this house.  We seem to be in the  
country' version of the Negaverse.  I wouldn't doubt if we're the only people for miles."
     "What POSSIBLE reason does she have to care where we die?" Rei yelled.
     Chris sighed.  "Okay, I know it's weird, but you gotta give me a chance to think here."
     Rei sighed loudly.  "We only have a few minutes." 
     "Then give me those minutes." Chris said firmly.
     Rei looked at him.  "Shit.  I'm in love.  That's the only explanation why I don't smack
you upside the head."
     Chris smiled.  "Thank you.  Thank you very much."

     Darien walked down the street, cursing to himself for not bringing Rei and Chris 
along. 
"Now, they're lost in the Negaverse, thanks to me." he said out loud as he stopped and 
leaned on a lamp post.  
     Now familiar footsteps alerted him to Zoicite's presence.  "Yes.  It was a pity." she 
said with a hint of amusement.  "You left two very dear friends to their death.  That must 
feel terrible."
     Darien's glare was as cold as ice.  "I'm going to rip out your heart and show you how
small and black it is."
     Zoicite smiled.  "You know, in the Negaverse, that's considered love poetry?"
     Darien growled.
     "If only you weren't such a goodie-two-shoes, I might be attracted to you." Zoicite 
said, smile fading.  "But now, all I hold for you is the desire to kick your ass."
     Darien laughed out loud, surprising her.  "You really are full of yourself, aren't you?" 
he smiled as he saw her reaction.  "You think you're the center of the universe, and you'll 
rule everything after you kill me.  But we've faced worse than you, Zoicite, and we've 
won."
     Zoicite was quiet.  No snappy come back, no flash of whit.  
     "You're trash, Zoicite.  And you're dead already as far as I'm concerned." Darien said,
pulling out a rose.
     Zoicite frowned.  "You forget one thing, Cape-Boy...There is no  we', for you're little
Sailor buddies are not around."
     Darien smiled.  "I don't care.  This is personal anyway."
     Zoicite extended her arm, causing her sword to appear.  "Then let's finish this, once 
and for all.  No tricks, no help, no hope." she grinned.
     Darien nodded, changing into Prince Darien with a sudden flash of light.  He pulled 
out his heavy bastard-sword.  "The REALLY pathetic part about you, Zoicite, is that your 
lover-boy died so much easier that you did.  Tell me, who had the balls in your 
relationship?"
     Zoicite's eyes narrowed into slits.  "Don't you EVER talk about Malichite!" she swung
around her sword in anger.
     Darien blocked.  "One way or another, Zoicite, you're dead.  The Sailor Scouts will get
you, even if I die."
     Zoicite swung around again.  "Die, and then we'll find out..."

     Chris paced around the room for the hundredth time.  Rei watched him, getting 
annoyed. 
"Do you HAVE to do that?"
     Chris nodded.  "Yes."
     Rei sighed.  
     "I got it!" Chris yelled.
     Rei blinked.  "What!  What!"
     "How did she leave the Negaverse?" Chris asked. "If she didn't need that crystal, why
did she have one?"
     Rei thought for a second.  "Well, she might be able to use that spell to transport, but
you're right, she wouldn't even have one if she didn't need it."
     Chris nodded.  "So, she sets up the crystal she used to transport to the Negaverse with 
the bus to explode, so the vortex is gone no matter what.  Right?"
     Rei nodded.
     "Okay, so how does she plan to get back?"
     Rei blinked.  "You're right!  She'd be trapped in the universe as well!"
     Chris nodded.  "She has to have more of those crystals somewhere!"
     "Brilliant." Rei smiled.  "Come on, we have to find them before this house explodes."
Chris was about to start searching when Rei grabbed his arm and pulled him on top of 
her. 
"Well, we have a few minutes..."
     Chris smiled and kissed her.  "Wait until we get home.  Trust me, it will take more 
than a few minutes with what I have in mind."
     Rei smiled.  "Why Chris...here I thought you were all shy and polite."
     They kissed.  "For you, I'd bite the president of the UN in the butt on international 
T.V."
     Rei blinked.  "Uh, that won't be necessary."
     Chris looked around.  "I'll start looking."




                           Chapter 21

     Darien grabbed his shoulder in pain.  "Fucking bitch.  You always gotta hit my 
shoulder, don't you!?!"
     Zoicite smiled.  "I stick with what works, Cape-Boy." she said, barely getting tired.  
"Tell me, how does it feel to be fucking an underaged little brat?"
     Darien growled.  "I haven't  fucked' her.  And if you insult Sailor Moon once more,
I'll..."
     "Oh, please." Zoicite sighed.  "I'm perfectly aware of Serena's identity.  In fact, I plan 
to kill her parents to get to her, but only after I take out Ami and Mina." she smiled.  "I'm 
saving Lita for last, because she'll be easiest to beat when she's angry over the loss of her 
friends."
     "I won't let you!" Darien yelled, swinging around his sword and slicing the lamp post 
in two.  
     She dodged the falling lamp easily.  "I've been planning this with a two year smile 
frozen on my face, Darien.  You have no chance in defeating me.  You're just a human, 
and you can be killed despite your fancy powers and magic."
     Darien gasped, out of breath.  His sword, functional, yet large, was too heavy to 
compete with Zoicite's light, deadly blade.  If he changed back into Tuxedo Mask, he'd 
only have his staff and roses.  In such close combat, it wasn't the better choice.  She'd 
nearly won the last time he was in this situation, and he was lucky Venus showed up at 
the last second.  "Then I'm going to make sure you die now, even if I have to take you 
with me."
     Zoicite smiled.  "Gosh, Darien...that sword looks mighty heavy.  Care to put it down 
and try your luck with fists?"
     Suddenly, a red glow appeared off over the horizon.  They both looked.  "What the 
hell is that?" Zoicite asked.
     The red glow came closer and began defining itself as a series of rings.  Zoicite 
realized too late that it was Sailor Mars' ultimate attack.  "Mars Celestial 
Fire...SURROUND!" Rei yelled, leaping over the horizon, pumping off a second wave of 
deadly fire rings.
     The rings impacted at Zoicite's feet, causing a huge explosion to throw her un in the 
air. 
She regained her senses and hovered in the air instead of falling.  "How the hell did they 
get back!?!"
     Chris smiled, walking closer.  "We found your extra set of keys." he pulled out his
swords.  "Get ready to RUMBLE!" he yelled, clashing the two blades together, then 
bringing them over his head and down in a sweeping arc.  
     The deadly blue energy slash ripped upwards at Zoicite, who barely teleported out of 
the way.  The arc hit the sidewalk and produced a large crater.  Zoicite was wide-eyed.  
"I'm not letting YOU ruin my plans!" she yelled, pointing her sword at Darien.  "This is 
between me and HIM!"
     Darien shook his head.  "I'm not about to pass up a little help for the sake of your
fucking revenge, Zoicite."  
     The three Scouts surrounded Zoicite.  She growled fiercely.  "This isn't over, Sailor
Scouts...don't bet that it is." she disappeared in a swirl.
     Darien fell on the ground, exhausted.  "Thank you."
     Rei smiled.  "Hey, you always showed up at the last second for us...I was just 
returning the favor."
     
     Maury looked up from his book as Lita came in.  "Hi!  Hey Lita, I booked us dinner
reservations at the...what's wrong?" 
     Lita had a strange look on her face.  "Are we alone?"
     Maury nodded.  "Yes, why?"
     Lita swallowed hard.  "I have some bad news."
     Maury blinked.
     Suddenly, Chris walked in behind Lita.  "Hi, Lita.  Whats up?"
     Lita blinked.  "Chris?"
     Chris winked.  "Rei's in the kitchen and said you should come see the new comic she
got.  It sounded urgent."
     "What's the bad news?" Maury insisted.
     Lita was wide-eyed.  "Uh, I dropped my groceries today at the store, so I won't be able 
to make us dinner." she improvised.  "But since you booked us the reservations, it's no 
problem!"
     Chris lead her out the door.  Chris shut it behind her.  Maury blinked.  "What's going 
on.  Is anything wrong?"
     Chris smiled.  "I found Andrea.  She was just lonely and came over on the last flight
from Vancouver."
     Maury's grin widened.  "Great!  Did you call your mom?"
     Chris nodded.  "I'm just about to.  Andrea's just talking to Darien."
     
     Andrea threw another rock into the pond, yet it merely sank with a pathetic  splosh'.
"Damn."
     Darien took a throw, the rock skipping across the water seven times.  Andrea glared at
him.  He shrugged, "Sorry..."
     "So..." she began, "You're supposed to rule the entire universe some day?"
     " Fraid so." he said, rubbing his shoulder.
     "Isn't that scary?"
     He sighed, "Yeah, actually it is.  I mean, making payments on my apartment is hard
enough."
     She laughed, "I can see where the  scary part' comes in."
     Silence.
     "Andrea...?" Darien said simply.
     "Yeah?"
     "You don't seem very disturbed...after being kidnaped and nearly killed and all."
     She sat down on a bench and crossed her legs, "Well, I guess if my brother turned out 
to be COOL, anything is possible.  I felt confident that I'd be rescued."
     He smiled gently, "You and your brother are pretty close, aren't you?"
     "Yup.  He's my best friend."
     Darien cocked an eyebrow, "Funny...he said the exact same thing about you."
     Andrea smiled evilly, "Good...I've taught him well."  Darien looked at her strangely,
"I'm just kidding.  But anyway, my family is like, the most important part of my life.  
What about you?"
     Darien's calmness blew over and he went pale, "I lost my family in a car crash.  I was 
the only survivor."
     Andrea gasped. 
     "I had to stay in an orphanage for a few good years, until I was old enough to get a 
job.  I didn't make many friends there, so I've been pretty independent most of my life."
     "I-" she looked down, "I'm sorry...if I would have known, I would have kept my 
mouth shut."
     He shrugged as another smile crossed his lips, "No problem.  I've got all the family I
need." he motioned to the moon.
     Andrea sighed, "You think an awful lot of Serena...don't you?"
     "Of course I do.  I don't think I could love anyone else as much as I love her."
      Damn.' Andrea thought, but instead responded with, "Oh."
     "Anyway," he stretched before sitting down next to her, "What kind of stuff do you do
back in Calgary?  I don't imagine you hang around Shinto temples, expecting to be taken 
away by some giggling whore."
     She grinned, "I draw."
     He blinked.  "That's it?"
     Andrea blushed, "That, AND I play saxophone.  I, well...don't have many friends back
where I live.  I guess that's why Chris and I get along so well."
     "That kinda reminds me of me at that age." he frowned, "Except MY only friend was a
weird alien that I later thought to be a hallucination."
     Andrea's eyes widened, "How come none of MY friends are aliens?!"
     He pushed a finger to her lips, "Ah, but you're wrong... I don't think the names  Sailor
Mars' and  Moon' are just for show."
     "Oh, right." she said softly, admiring his closeness.
     "In fact, I would say that-"
     She hardly heard a single word he said.  If there was one person who was ever a  
Chick-Magnet',  Darien was it.  Females of many different universes, species and cultures 
just couldn't stay away.  
Andrea was now doing the exact same thing.  This was a guy who was willing to devote 
his entire  life to one woman.  He would very well kill for her, steal for her, even die for 
her.  Andrea just  wished she was  Her'.  She wished she could grab hold of Darien's arm, 
kick Serena in the head and say...
     "Bite me."
     Darien blinked, "Pardon me?!"
     Andrea blushed, realizing what she had just said, "Oh, uh...just thinking of Trevor."
     Darien rolled his eyes back, "Ugh.  The Twinkie.  You know, something about that 
spud and his boyfriend really ticks me off."
     "That's what most people say..."
     Darien unexpectedly found himself staring at Andrea, "I wouldn't doubt it."  
     Andrea snuggled up next to him, "I'm cold." she said rather bluntly, mainly to use as
cover.
     He lifted up part of his coat, putting his arm around her. She smiled, wrapping an arm
around his chest.  They both sighed simultaneously, as the sun completed its decent in the
horizon.
     "I hope you get to nail Zoicite." she said supportively.
     Darien's eyes narrowed slightly, "That makes two of us."
     Andrea closed her eyes, "Thanks for saving me.  You're really great."
     He rubbed her back slightly, almost the way you'd comfort a child, "You're not so bad
yourself, kid." He smiled as she fell asleep curled around him, "And I'll be sure to watch 
out for you..."

     Lita walked into the kitchen.  "Rei!  How'd you get out..."
     "Long story." Rei shrugged.  They hugged happily, but Rei winced.  "Not so hard.  I 
just got this stitched up."
     Lita looked at the wound.  "Well, the others are waiting out side if you wanna go out 
and say you're still alive." she said.  "We thought you were dead!"
     Rei smiled.  "Well, I can't let you guys take it easy on that slacker, Serena, can I?"
     Lita sighed.  "I was just about to tell Maury his best friend was dead, for fuck's sake! 
Come on, I need a drink."
     "You don't drink." Rei said.
     Lita nodded.  "I know.  But his seems like a perfect time to start."

     "She's with YOU?" Sandra gasped over the phone.
     Chris sighed.  "She said she mentioned her brother was in Japan, and the kidnappers
decided it was a good idea.  Turns out they got nailed by the Tokyo police as soon as they
landed." Chris lied.  "They're wanted in eight countries, and we'll never see them again."
     Andrea smiled.  "How do you come up with that shit?"
     Chris covered the receiver with his hand.  "Haven't I made it abundantly clear in the
fourteen years we've known each other that half the time I'm just talking out of my ass?" 
he grinned.  "I'm a good liar."
     Andrea nodded as Chris and their mom continued their conversation.  Maury smiled. 
"So, whatcha think of Tokyo so far?"
     Andrea looked around.  "I like it.  Really peaceful." she said, carefully avoiding the 
fact Chris was now a super hero and she had been kidnaped by a freak who could 
disappear in a swirl of pink weeds.
     Maury knew something was up, but he was being a good sport about it.  "Cool.  At 
least with you here, Trevor and Damien will be out numbered...despite how large they 
are."
     Andrea nodded.  "So, I hear you've been busy chasing Lita around." she said with a
smile.
     Maury stretched out on his bed proudly.  "What can I say?  I'm a babe-magnet."
     "Yeah, mom.  It's no problem with our hosts.  They invited her to stay, anyway." Chris
said.  "Andrea's more than welcome to stay, and it's better than being bored over in 
McMurray."
     "I don't know.  School's starting in a month, and I'd like her back." Sandra said.
     "Well, Andrea always wanted to visit Japan, and it saves you the plane ticket!  I'll be
back in six months anyway!  She can study here and count it as extra credit!" Chris 
pleaded. 
"I'll even talk to Mrs Chi and see what the options are."
     "Well..." Sandra smiled on the other end.  "Okay.  You take care of her, though."
     Chris put down the phone after talking another few minutes.  Andrea looked over to 
him. 
"Well?  Can I stay?"
     Chris extended his hand.  "Welcome to Japan, Hoozem."




                           Chapter 22

     That night, Chris and Rei were out for a walk.  "So, how's your side?" Chris asked.
     Rei nodded.  "Fine.  It just stings a little.  Doctors say it should heal without any scars.  
It was really clean." she smiled.  "That's the third time you asked me how I was doing 
tonight."
     "I'm just making sure." Chris defended. 
     Rei looked over to him.  "You know, I just realized how cute you are." she said with a
smile.
     Chris swallowed hard.
     Rei held onto his arm.  "Seriously.  You look really sharp, especially in your jacket 
and pants." she giggled.  
     "Well, you look sharp in your mini-skirt and body-suit." Chris smiled.  "I bet you get 
that a lot."
     Rei shrugged.  "A bit, I guess.  But not from anyone as sweet as you." she kissed him 
on the cheek.  
     Chris took a deep breath.  "So, what do you think of my attack?"
     "Pretty impressive." Rei smiled.  "But you keep saying different things to start it."
     Chris shrugged.  "It's almost like the one off of Pizza Cats.  I think I'll call it the  
Saturn Ring Rumble'.  It's catchy, don't ya' think?"
     Rei blinked.
     "Oh, a cartoon called Samurai Pizza Cats.  I think they have it in Japan under a 
different name." Chris explained.  "The leader, Speedy, has two swords like mine and 
does a similar attack." he smiled.  "Mine's cooler, though."
     "I'll take your word for it." Rei said as they walked up the street.
     They walked quietly for a few blocks.  
     Rei suddenly grabbed him and hugged him tight.  "Chris, I was so scared.  I thought I 
was going to die in that goddamned Negaverse all alone."
     Chris nodded.  "Me too.  But it's okay now."  He smiled.  "Here..."
     Rei dried her eyes.   "What?"
     Chris reached into his coat and pulled out his little lucky swords.  "I wasn't you to 
have these."
     Rei shook her head.  "No, I can't accept this..."
     Chris pushed the necklace into her hand.  "I'm already lucky enough.  I don't need
anymore."
     Rei sighed, "I know I was kinda joking the last time I said it, but I..."
     He leaned down and pressed her lips closed.  "I love you too..." they kissed.
     Rei nodded.  "Come on." she grabbed his hand and lead him across the street.
     "Uh?  Why are we going to the park?" Chris asked, wide-eyed.
     "Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not going to loose my virginity in the middle of a 
public street." she smiled coyly.
     "What?!?!" Chris asked nervously.

     Lita watched Maury from across the table.  He had been quiet all evening.  "Are you
okay?" she asked finally.
     Maury looked up from his plate.  "I don't know...it's just..."
     "What?" Lita asked with a smile. 
     Maury sighed.  "What's going on?  I mean, everyone's been acting strange.  I'd say it's
because I'm not used to Japan, but even Chris has been a little strange since he got his 
sword."
     Lita wasn't sure what to say.  "I'm sure it's nothing." she said finally.  "I haven't 
noticed anything...maybe Chris is just getting into his relationship with Rei."
     Maury stared at her for a long time.  "Well...maybe you're right..." he went back to his
dinner.
     Lita smiled.
     Maury took a bite of sushi.  "Hey, this isn't bad." he said to Lita's delight.  "You going 
to cook this at your restaurant you said you were going to open?"
     "If you like it, I will." she replied.  "But sushi isn't cooked."
     "Whatever." Maury shrugged.
     Maury and Lita gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, enjoying the romantic
atmosphere of the classy restaurant.  "I still think you're up to something." Maury smiled.
     Lita shrugged.  "You have no idea." she fed him another piece with her own 
chopsticks.
     
     Darien stared out his apartment's windows at the bright Tokyo skyline.  A lot was on 
his mind.  How many more little things had they missed when they destroyed Queen 
Beryl?  It was true Zoicite was crafty and smart, but there had to be more like her.
     Serena had fallen asleep on his couch a long time ago, complaining he was too quiet,
even compared to his usual, calm demeanor.  He had phoned her mom to let her know she 
was okay.  With his conscious cleared, his thoughts returned to Zoicite.  
     Was she really his nemesis?  The ultimate person that would be his ultimate match? 
Would she best him?  After all, if battling the Negaverse taught him one thing, it was that 
good didn't always win.  "Why can't this all be over?" he sighed.




                           Chapter 23

     Sunrise saw Rei and Chris, sitting under a park bench umbrella in the rain.
     Rei adjusted the umbrella above the picnic table.  "What's Grandpa going to say?"
     Chris smiled.  " WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU TWO..."
     Rei shook her head.  "It was a rhetorical question.  It doesn't matter, it was worth
missing breakfast over."
     Chris suddenly turned back to his normal, quiet personality.  "You do realize, you 
could do much better than me."
     Rei frowned.  "Chris, you're too modest.  I'm surprised we're so...close!  I thought 
you'd think me too...out of reach."
     Chris leaned back.  "You were.  LOOK at you!  You're smart, stunning, have a cool
grandpa and job, absolutely sexy," he leaned forward.  "Have a wonderful smile, sense of
 weirdness', your kind, passionate, you're a super-hero..."
     Rei laughed quietly, sniffing in the light drizzle all around them.  "No, I'm just some
ordinary girl who happens to speak to magical cats, and is from another planet."
     Chris stood up.  "You're also modest.  One thing, though..."
     Rei raised her eyebrow.  "Wait, if you're saying I'm not an experienced lover, well..."
     Chris laughed.  "Hell no!  That's what I was about to ask you!"
     Rei smiled, one of her killer smiles.  "You sure about that?"
     "I'd prove it to you right now, but we'd probably get arrested."  Chris said, kissing her
hand tenderly.
     The rain beyond the shelter of the umbrella started to stop.  "Another beautiful day."  
Rei sighed happily.  
     Chris stretched out and took a deep breath of cool morning air.  "Ahh!  Makes me 
wanna migrate or something."
     Rei walked over to him and held his face in her hand.  "Feel free to migrate over to my
room tonight...or the next..." she flashed a sexy smile.  "Or the next...or the..."
     Chris kissed her hand.  "I get the idea."
     Rei was just about to pull him in closer when a stray pink blossom hit her face.  She
turned to see Zoicite standing a few meters away, walking closer.  "I applaud the way you 
two got out of my little trap, but I'm sick of you interfering in my plans."
     "Don't you evil villains ALWAYS say that?" Chris sniffed.  "STRIKE FISS!" he 
yelled, pulling out his disk.
     "Mars Star POWER!" Rei followed.  
     Zoicite kept her glare.  "I have a showdown with Tuxedo Mask, and I WILL have it, 
no matter how many of you I have to kill!" she produced her sword from thin air.
     Rei sighed.  "Another beautiful morning with a man I love completely ruined by a
Negaverse slut."
     "Not completely ruined, Miss Mars...after all, we get some target practice!" Chris said,
pulling out his sword.
     Zoicite pointed her sword at Fiss.  "Who the hell are you anyway?  You're just some
fucking exchange student.  Why do you think you're so special because you're a Sailor 
Scout?"
     Chris smiled.  "I'm special.  Huh-huh...like mental...you know...'special'."  He spun
around and made a loud chop in the air with his sword.  "I just hate bitches like you.  
That's all. 
Nothing personal."
     Zoicite raised an eyebrow.
     "Oh, waiiit!"  Chris said, stepping forward.  "I almost forgot.  You kidnaped my sister! 
NOW it IS personal!"
     Rei pulled a scroll out of her skirt.  "I don't like it when my friend's family are used as
bait."
     Zoicite just kept her hideously evil smile plastered on her lips.  "Bait.  That's a good
word for your little band of merry-men.  Or shall I call you the Failure Scouts?"
     Chris sneered.  "That did it.  You psychopathic Care-Bare.  You wanna rock, or 
what?"
     Zoicite laughed.  "After I kill you and the rest of you Sailors, I'll pick up the Silver
Crystal and turn this city into a parking lot for Negaverse war-machines."
     "The crystal?" Rei smiled.  "It's been changed.  It no longer exists in that form, and it's
powers have been depleted.  It's nothing more then Sailor Moon's broach now."
     "Rei, I'm disappointed." Zoicite said, rubbing in the fact she now knew Mars' name.
"First you settle for this...chimp, as a boyfriend, and now you expect me to believe your 
little story?"
     Rei sneered.  "Actually, Saturn here could waist Malachite easily, in any area you
choose."  She kissed Chris to his surprise.  "ANY area."
     That got Zoicite.  "You better watch what you say about Malachite." she said coldly.
     Rei gave Zoicite the finger.  "You wanna know how we killed him?  I can assure you 
it was a nice, undignified death.  He vaporized while holding his shoulder, blubbering 
like a baby.  We even turned his own weapons against him, and he never got a welt raised 
on us.  It was quite ironic, don't you think?"
     A tear came to Zoicite's eye.  She said nothing for a moment, trying to hold back her
sadness.  
     Chris lowered his weapon.  "Come on.  You know it's useless to do anything about it. 
You're already dead.  Just go back to the Negaverse and join a club, or something.  Find
something to do, other than fight until you die again."
     Rei sighed.  "We'll just let you go.  No questions asked.  Find another man, settle 
down, and have a great family.  Have a good life.  For excitement, you can come to Earth 
again and go in a shooting range or something.  We'll even let you cheat, using that  Zoi' 
thing of yours."
     Zoicite actually seemed to consider it.  Finally, she returned to an evil smile.  "You
humans don't get it, do you?  You're right.  I'm already dead.  Because of you.  Now, I'll 
get my revenge on you little pukes, then the rest of this fucked up planet!"
     She launched forward before they could react and Chris had no time to reflect her 
back. 
Their blades clanged in a shower of sparks.  Chris regained his footing and threw her 
back by pushing his left hand along the dull edge of his own sword.  "Oooo!  Nice try, 
but no cigar!"
     Zoicite growled.  Rei put her hands together to use her fire, but before she could 
finish, Zoicite made a quick gesture with her hand.  "ZOI!" Rei was launched back into 
the bushes.
     Chris growled.  "Oh, NOW it's on!" he yelled, catching Zoicite off guard with a 
sudden attack.  
     She recovered and began blocking as Chris struck her sword three times in rapid
succession.  "You'll have to do better than that!" she laughed.
     Chris looked over to Rei, who was getting up slowly, holding her side again.  She had
landed on her wound, she was struggling not to yell from the pain.  Rei Hino, the 
beautiful young woman he had fallen for the second he saw her.  And she loved him too.  
It was like one of those overpriced romance novels involving people named  Kiki' and  
Fabio'.  Only this was better.  Chris wasn't about to let it end.  "I'm getting just a bit sick 
of you, bitch!" he yelled, concentrating into his attack.
     Zoicite got ready to block.  "I'm ready, freak..."
     "Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" Rei pumped off a dozen deadly rings of fire at Zoicite
before she even knew what hit her. They hit her arm, causing her to spin about, holding it 
with her good, sword arm.  
     The smell of burning flesh reeked out from Zoicite as she put out her own arm.  To 
their surprise, she kept coming.
     Chris brought his sword down in a blinding flash.  Zoicite was thrown back as her 
sword exploded from the hit.  She lay on the grass, stunned.  Finally, she got up and 
looked at her stubby blade.  "You fucking BASTARD!"
     Chris blinked, then smiled, putting away his sword.  "I'm done here."
     Zoicite got up to her feet.  "Oh, just because you destroyed my sword, doesn't mean 
I'm letting you give up now!"
     Chris shrugged.  "I'm giving up.  I'm done fighting you."
     Rei nodded.  "Yup," she smiled. "We're just going to stand here."
     Zoicite growled.  "What?" she shook her head.  "Fine!  If you want to be slaughtered 
like lambs, be my guest!" she started forming a nasty ice-crystal in her hand.
     "Oh, we won't." Rei said.  "You forgot one thing."
     Zoicite grinned evilly.  "Oh yeah?  What's that?"
     Chris raised his hand.  "Oh!  Can I tell her, Rei?"
     Rei nodded.  "Be my guest."
     "WHAT?!?" Zoicite demanded, sick of their sudden calmness.
     Chris cleared his throat.  "You don't have eyes on the back of your head."
     A rose struck her back as the thought registered in her brain that someone was behind
her.  She gasped as the rose embedded itself in her spine and shattering two of her 
vertebrae. 
"Nooooo!" she yelled, falling over.
     Darien stood behind her, arm extended from the throw.  "I've been saving that rose for
you, bitch."
     Zoicite reached behind her back and pulled out the deadly flower.  "Damn you, Cape
Boy...I'll see you in hell if I die!"
     Darien looked up to Chris and Rei.  "Thank you for letting me the final blow." he 
bowed his head.  
     They smiled.  "You deserved it." Rei said.
     "Do me proud!" Chris cheered.
     Darien took out his staff and extended it to about a meter's length.  "For the last time,
Zoicite..." he raised it above her head.  She struggled to move, but she was paralyzed 
from the rose.   Darien continued.  "My name isn't  Cape-Boy'...!"
     He brought the walking staff down as hard as he could.  It smashed into Zoicite's skull,
killing her...this time...for good.

                             Prologue
     Darien and Serena happily cuddled together in front of the fire.  "Oh muffin..." Serena
giggled.  "You'll always be my hero."
     He shrugged.  "True, but I must admit, Chris is pretty mean with a sword.  And Rei
managed to distract her until I got close enough too...It was a team effort."
     Mina and Ami nodded happily.  "Teamwork is always our secret weapon." Mina said.
     Artemis lay on her lap, basking in the fire's warmth.  They were outside of the temple,
having a midnight picnic.  "Yes, and now, we're bigger than ever." he said sleepily.
     Luna smiled.  "I'm just glad for once I was wrong."
     "You're almost ALWAYS wrong." Artemis retorted.
     Luna frowned.  "Oh YEAH?  Who found only ONE Sailor Scout?  YOU!"
     Artemis growled.  "You wanna make something of it?"
     Mina sighed happily.  "That's teamwork for you!"
     Rei looked over to the picnic basket.  "HEY!  Who ate all the cookies!  There were
twenty of them!"
     Serena burped.
     Rei shot her an icy look.  "You better buy the next picnic's food,  cause I'm not 
chipping in ever again!"
     Serena and Rei began another argument.  

     Meanwhile, over the other hill, Chris, Andrea, Lita and Maury walked by the pond. 
Maury sighed.  "Okay?  What did you want to talk to me about?"
     Chris smiled.  "Well, you know how some people have split personalities?"
     Andrea nodded.  "Yeah, and are all phyco and stuff?"
     Lita frowned at them.  "What we're trying to say is...here, you better sit down first."
     Maury sat on the bench.  "What?  You all super heroes or something?"
     Andrea frowned.  "Well...not ALL of us..."

     

                         THE END...




                                   OR IS IT?


     A small, metallic pod flew past the surface of Pluto.  It looked like a strange sunflower
seed, only with a shiny, glassy surface.  A small jet fired on it's starboard side, adjusting 
it's course to a tiny blue speck called Earth.
     
     And it was being watched.  



                    END OF SAILOR MOON: AR #1
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________

     Thanks for reading!  Hope you enjoyed it!  For anyone wondering, yes, Zoicite is now,
clinically and forevermore dead.  This is not a Marvel comic.  She can't keep coming 
back because she was a cool bad-guy.
     I used my alias in this story because I picked it for the same reasons as the  Chris'
character in the story.  I love F-15 Eagles, and my grandpa actually came up with the 
word Fiss instead of Fish.  Long story.  Just go with the name and nobody gets hurt!  It 
rhymed with Chris, so thought it would be a good name.
     I tried DESPERATELY to spell-check this story, but it get's hard after 80 pages.  
Please forgive any mistakes, and send me an E-Mail with the paragraph/chapter and the 
mistake outlined with little stars. (*mistake*) That way, I can send a revised update to 
people.
     Anyway, here's some teasers for PART 2!!  It should be converted in a month or so.  
Stay tuned!  Same bat-time!  Same bat-channel!

     -Why does Ami feel so weird around Chris?  Will her need for questioning result in a      
	new Sailor Moon trivia game?
     -Now that Maury knows who his friends are, will he be like the others who know their      
	identities and be killed by an unknown force?
     -Is there an ultimate power in the universe?  Could it possibly reside on Earth?
     -Why is there a glassy seed hurtling though space in the first place?  
     -What will become of Trevor and Damien?  Does anyone CARE?
     -Can Rei's crows be taught to kill on command?
     -Will Chad comb his hair and try to win back Rei?
     
     -And, perhaps, most importantly...Will I get off my lazy butt and write the next story?
     

ONLY TIME WILL TELL!


We are Samurai...The Keyboard Cowboys...


                   Strike Fiss
          _-_-------->--))`<---------_-_
            Ninja Crowbotics CEO, 1996
               ncrceo@ccinet.ab.ca

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