The Senshi screamed all in unison as they saw their friend Mercury jump off the cliff. But, they noticed, there's was a scream louder than all of them put together... a manly scream... a scream of agony. They all closed their mouths, and looked closely at the edge of the cliff. They saw as a shadow jumped to the edge, and kneeled on it. They saw a long and thin thing that stretched out of it, and disappeared on the other side. Their worries forgotten, the tried to identify whatever was there, appearing to be holding something.

Tuxedo Kamen thought to himself: It looks like a human... a man. But, what's he doing there? I don't think he could have been able to reach her on time, now could he? His thoughts were interrupted, as the shadow stood up, and his arm reappeared, another black thing hanging from it. They all gasped in surprise as they saw a light-blue flash, and knew it was Mercury. "MERCURY!" they yelled, and ran to the figure. As they did, they saw as the shadow took their friend, and held her against his body. Only then did they notice the rain had stopped.

The clouds on the sky had started clearing, and a crescent moon appeared on the sky. It seemed to shine directly over the figure, and only then did they see who, or better said, what, it was. A young man, with brownish hair, and the most beautiful pair of green eyes they had seen on their entire life. He was wearing a pair of jeans, and a white T-shirt. He was wet, and the shirt clung to his chest, showing a muscular frame, which was strong enough to defeat four men, but not bulky. They saw as he was hugging Mercury, cleaning her face from the rain water. His face was very near to her, and his eyes scanned her, trying to find any trace of wounds. Also, his mouth was moving, as if he was whispering things into her ear, trying to soothe her.

Then, he did something that startled them the most. He moved her head, leaving her neck to the full view. He seemed to search for something, though there was nothing there. At least, for the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen to see. But, he seemed to be sure of what he was looking for, and found it at last. With his index and middle finger, he pressed a spot on her neck, which made her whole body stiffen, and seem to enlarge. Then, he kissed her. Directly on the lips. As their mouths made contact, they heard a sizzling sound. It was very low at first, but it kept increasing, until it was so loud they had to cover their ears. But, that didn't stop them to look at what was going on. They saw as Mercury's body became surrounded by darkness. A black blur engulfed her. But, the kiss kept going on. The black cloud seemed to concentrate on her face, then on her mouth, and at last, a thundering explosion swept through the air.

They all covered their eyes, and were blinded for a few moments. A light stronger than any of them had ever seen completely enveloped the cliff, and they had to close their eyes tight. When they could see again, they saw a strange picture. Mercury was still unconscious, hanging loosely of the stranger's arm. But, he was with his hand on his mouth. His index finger and his thumb were barely inside his lips; it looked like if he was tapping his teeth. Then, carefully, he seemed to pick something from inside, and then took his hand out. They were expecting anything, but weren't prepared for what came next. He was holding a black crystal on his hand. It was a tiny, not bigger than his little finger. But, it shone and crackled with evil energy. It looked like a fish taken out of water. It crackled and swirled black evil energy, giving it the aspect of a dying enemy.

They saw as the stranger whispered something, which Mars could have sworn was: "You'll hurt no more." Then, he quickly closed his hand, and a shattering sound was heard, as if a glass had broken. Then, he opened his hand, and in it there was nothing, but pieces of shattered glass. The wind blew them away, and they all could feel as the evil energy was blown away too. The man turned his gaze back to Mercury who was still fainted on his arms, and when he was sure she was alright, he smiled for the first time, and looked at them: "She scared the hell out of me" were the first words he spoke.

Sailor Moon gasped, and said: "Who... who are you? What did you just do? What relation do you have with Mercury?." They saw as the stranger smiled, and said: "Wow, wow, Tsukino-san. One question at a time." Five jaws stretched at the point of breaking, as their leader's true name was revealed. "How... How do you know her real name?" asked Jupiter, her fist clenching in an unconscious move. "Hey, take it easy Kino-san. I wish no harm to you, as you are Reiko's friends. Oh, I believe you know her as Ami, don't you?." Wide eyes were the only answer he got. "Well, I bet you want some answers, don't you? But, they'll have to wait. I must take her to a hospital, she's badly injured, specially on her right foot. I think she broke it."

"Broke it? How can it be broken? She jumped more than any of us have ever done, at amazing speed, and with such quick movements I thought she wasn't human!" said Venus. They all saw as a smile which looked like one of pride appeared on the stranger's face. "I taught her that." "What? You taught her? Who are you?." A hundred and a million questions popped on every Senshi's head, but the man waved his hand. "I already told you. Everything on it's proper time. All you need to know now is that my name is Inoue Hiroshi. Now, I'm going to the hospital. She needs medical attention urgently. We'll meet at the Tokyo Central Hospital." "What do you mean with 'we'll meet'? Aren't you coming with us?" asked Mars, a puzzled look on her face.

"No. I can reach the hospital much faster by my own methods. Besides, you've got to detransform before you get there. Meet you there!." Then, Hiroshi hugged Mercury closer, and in a flash of white light, they were gone. Everyone blinked several times before realizing they had really left. "Man, how did he do that?" asked Tuxedo Kamen, as he changed back to Mamoru. "What I'm really wondering is where did Ami-chan met such a gorgeous guy like that" wondered Venus aloud. A big sweatdrop appeared on everyone's foreheads, and a unison groan was heard. But, they were stopped by their transformations returning back to normal. Usagi, Mamoru, Rei, Minako and Makoto stood on the cliff, where just some seconds ago the warriors of love and justice were.

Without anymore words, they ran to the hospital, longing to arrive soon, so their questions could be answered...

They were huffing and panting heavily as they reached the front door of the Tokyo Central Hospital. The window door slid noiselessly at their running, and they reached the reception quickly. They made quite an spectacle, but they didn't care. Mamoru, being the older one, took the word. "Excuse me Miss," he said, talking to the surprised receptionist, "can you help us?" The woman took her glasses and put them on. She looked at them carefully, as if she was scanning them. They seemed to pass the test, because she then said: "Yes, what can I do for you?" Mamoru felt as the girls sighed in relief behind him, and continued: "We were wondering if you could tell us if a girl named Mizuno Ami entered this hospital some time ago?" The receptionist turned to her computer, but before typing anything, asked: "Are you relatives of her?" Mamoru shifted uncomfortably, without knowing what to say.

Could we please at least see her?" She adopted her already patented Usagi-cute-look, and added some sobs to it. The receptionist's heart melted, and she said: "Ok. But only for a minute. Let's see. What did you say was her name?" "Mizuno Ami," answered Mamoru. The woman pressed some buttons on her key-board, and mumbled: "Hmm, Mizuno, Mizuno... Masano... Mahon... Mikami... Moshase... I'm sorry, but there's no Mizuno Ami registered." "What? No Mizuno? That can't be! Please check again Miss," said Makoto, a worried look on her face. What if this Hiroshi was a pervert? Where could he have taken Ami? But his eyes weren't evil... they were strange, but not evil.

The woman checked again, and nodded her head. "I'm sorry. There's no Mizuno Ami." Minako asked, still unsure: "Everyone who enters this hospital is registered there, right?" "Indeed. There's no one in this hospital that doesn't have her/his name in this file." Then, an idea in Rei's head clicked. "Excuse me, Miss. Could you please look for Suiseki Reiko?" The rest of the group looked at her, first with a questioning look, then understanding. A strange look crossed through the woman's face, but said nothing. "Let me see. Suiseki, Suiseki... Yes, here she is. She entered the hospital about thirty minutes ago. She had a severe wound on her right foot, and was extremely pale. According to what it says here, she was taken into surgery." "NANI?? SURGERY??" "Calm down. She wasn't in any mortal danger, though it looked like she had been drained of all her energy, and there was a small itch on her neck. The doctors couldn't figure out what it was."

Makoto breathed deeply, and asked: "Where is she now?" "On room 647. But, she's still unconscious by the antibiotics the doctors gave her. Someone is with her though, a young man. He said his name was Inoue Hiroshi. Do you know him? Hey... where are you?" The receptionist leaned off her desk, trying to see where those strange young teens had gone... the only thing she could see was a sliding door, which looked like it had being hit by an earthquake, and was waving back and forth, interrupting the quietness of the health center...

Hiroshi sat quietly by Reiko's side, resting his hand over her own. He was thinking... thinking about so many things... yet, all focused on one simple subject... the girl sleeping next to him. He remembered when they used to work together, and longing for the old times came to him. She looked so helpless in there... so easy to kill... but he would protect her, even if it took his life... again. She was pale, part for the energy drain he had made her suffer and part for the emotional stress she went through. As he scrolled his view up and down her, he made a mental note: She looks very pretty with short hair, but I wouldn't trade that long blue waving silkiness she used to have as hair for nothing. She was paler, and thinner. "It must have been all these years of having to act like someone else," he thought, taking her hand on her own.

It took me so long to find you... without even knowing it, you made my search more difficult by running away... although I always knew you never liked being ordered. I could feel you tense whenever they gave us our next mission, or scolded us for having failed the previous one . . You were so good at that, you amazed me sometimes. I remember the first time I saw you, you were crying, but yet, your inner strength showed anyhow. That's why I decided to take you under my care, because I knew you'd be perfect... and I wasn't wrong... that, and those blue eyes of yours... you now have them closed, as if punishing me with not seeing them...that day, even though they were shadowed by the tears, they were so... I can't describe it... they were so innocent, asking for someone to help you... those are the eyes I always longed to have... the true mirrors of my soul... the light that would shine forever...

Then, he heard running on the hallway and a few puffs and huffs. He smiled, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear: "Your friends are here." Just as he was retreating, the door burst open, and the group of girls and the young man were there, panting on the door frame. "Welcome," he said, standing up, "It didn't took you as long as I thought to arrive." Mamoru regained his breath, and asked: "We... we need some answers." "Come in. I know you do. Just sit down, and I'll be able to explain everything to you." The girls entered one by one, gave a quick look at their friend lying on the bed, and sat on the four chairs which were inside the room, as Mamoru leaned against the back wall. Hiroshi waited for them to finish, and said: "So?." Usagi went first. "Who are you? And this time, I want more than your name."

He smiled, and answered: "My name is Inoue Hiroshi. I'm 22 years old, was born here in Tokyo, I'm an orphan and I live on my own on the south part of the city. Is that alright?." "Much better," said Usagi, her confidence returning. No one who had evil intentions could talk like that, less had taken an injured enemy to a hospital. "What relation do you have with Ami-chan?" asked Rei.

"Ami? Oh, you mean Reiko. Because that's her real name, you know? Well, I can say we were partners some time ago." "Partners? In what?" insisted Rei, still not sure if she could trust this stranger. She couldn't feel evil vibes from him, but that didn't mean anything. She had failed other times, and they had cost them a lot. She saw as Hiroshi's eyes darkened a bit, and answered: "In a job we had together. If you want, I can tell you about it, but you'll have to swear never ever tell anyone about it." "We do," they all said in unison. "Ok, but let's see if anyone has any questions left." Mamoru raised his hand, and asked: "How did you do that flashy-disappearance trick on the cliff?"

Hiroshi grinned, and answered: "Ah, that. Pretty simple. Magic. You're not the only ones with power in this world you know? It's just that you seem to be far more popular than we do." "We? Who's we?" asked Minako. "Don't worry, everything will come clear when I tell you what happened four years ago, in September 1992. But, wait. You need to see this before I continue." He lifted his hand, and searched in his pocket. After a little bit of wriggling, he took his hand out, and showed it to them. It was the pendant. "Does any of you recognize this?" he asked, waving it in front of every of their faces.

Minako jumped, and said: "Yes! I found it at her house, tonight. I believe inside there's a picture isn't it?" "She showed it to you?" asked Hiroshi, a puzzled look on his face. "No, well... actually I kinda started browsing through her room while she wasn't looking, and I found it." Everyone groaned, and a big sweatdrop appeared on Hiroshi's face. "Well then, Aino-san, consider yourself lucky for still being alive. Did she tell you who this was?" he finished, as he opened the pendant, and let everyone take a good look at the picture inside it. "She told me it was her twin sister, which had died four years ago." "WHAT??" yelled the Senshi, "Ami... I mean Reiko-chan had a twin sister??" Mamoru took the pendant, and looked at it closely. "To say the truth, she does look a lot like the girl in the bed, don't you think?"

A giggle interrupted him. He turned around, and saw Hiroshi, who has laughing quietly. "What's so funny?" he asked, a bit angry. This guy wasn't much older (if he was) than he, and he had no right to laugh at him like that. "Good girl. That was an amazingly good explanation. Not even I could have thought of something better. Twins... who wouldn't have believed that?" Minako asked: "You mean it's not true?" "Of course not. Reiko-chan never had a sister, less a twin. The one in the picture is Reiko herself."

"What??" said an almost fainting group of girls, and a guy with a big headache by now. "She had long hair?" asked Rei, trying to make a picture of Ami with long hair on her mind. "Yes. Very long, and really pretty too. She wore it on a ponytail, longer than yours, Kino-san." The brunette looked surprised. "Longer than mine? And I that thought Ami-chan was born with short hair...." "Can I give you a good advice? This goes for all of you," said Hiroshi, a twinkle of sarcasm in his voice. "What?" answered Usagi, who had been really quiet, trying to get all this new info on her brain. "Never, ever, call her Ami again. She gets a fit immediately, and it's very difficult if not impossible to stop her when she's angry. Call her by her true name, Reiko."

"So she wasn't crazy when she started beating me," wondered Makoto aloud. "Well, I should start now. As I had said, all this story began four years ago, in September of 1992..."