Hey, welcome back.  All standard disclaimers are still standard.  All 
non-standard disclaimers are still non-standard.  And I'm still at
Jendra@aol.com if you want to write to me.

Sailor Moon Universal B

Chapter 4


"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" the girls yelled, almost in chorus as they came over
to where Serena and her mother are sitting.

"How did she find out?" Raye asked, almost ignoring Mrs. Tsukino.

"Why is Reenie here?" Lita asked in concern.

"Why did Travis call this meeting?  Was it to discuss Reenie?" Mina took
her turn.

"How's your shoulder?" Amy asked, trying to examine it.

"Like Reenie said, she saw us transform this morning," Serena started
answering their questions in order. "The future seems to be majorly
messed up, and you'll have to talk to Reenie about it, maybe you'll get
more out of her than I did.  Travis has an announcement, and planned to
call the meeting even before Reenie showed up, and my shoulder's fine,
thanks for asking," she said all that in one breath, before turning to
Reenie.  "Why don't you tell us what's going on, Reenie?"

"I `can't' tell you too much! I can't!  Puu said I wasn't supposed to
tell anyone in the past about the future."  Reenie looked torn between
telling everything and getting their help, and obeying Sailor Pluto to
make sure the future didn't get even `more' messed up.

"Then we'll start with what we know already," Travis said, coming over
and settling down next to his niece.  "We know the future's been
changed, so much so that Crystal Tokyo no longer exists, Sailor Pluto
isn't guarding the Gate of Time, and you were born in 2005."

There was dead silence for a long moment.  "That's not possible," Amy
was the first to speak.

"None of it's possible, but it's happened," Serena said impatiently.
"There's no way Pluto would ever leave the Gate, but if Reenie says
she's not there, then she's not there."

"That's not what I'm referring too," Amy replied shaking her head.
"It's impossible for Reenie to have been born in 2005, not and still be
Reenie."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked, confused.  "She's here, she's Reenie,
and Diana is sure that's when she was born."

Diana opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"Go ahead, dear," Luna said comfortingly.  "It's all right."

Diana's mind went back over the past day.  It had started with being
woken abruptly.  After Serena and Reenie had gotten up, Luna had settled
back down to sleep.

"Shouldn't we go with them?" Diana asked hesitantly.

"Have you ever gone shopping with them before?" Luna asked in a long
suffering voice.  "It's not something you want to do when you're tired,
or for that matter when you're well rested.  It's exhausting.  Besides,
I think you need to learn your way around town, and not to the mall.
I'll show you around after I get some more sleep."  With that Luna
settled back down.

Diana thought longingly of settling down beside her mother, but her
hunger and curiosity about her new home overrode it and she set out.

She stealthily explored every part of Serena's room.  She sat and stared
for a long moment at a picture of Serena, Darien and Reenie in a rabbit
frame, and one of Serena and Travis with Luna and Apollo in a sun and
moon frame.  She pounced on several of the stuffed rabbits that took up
many corners of Serena's room.  She jumped several feet into the air as
one rabbit, a pink one with a drum, started moving as she touched it.
She hissed and growled at it until it became still.

When she had explored all of that room, she pushed the door open with
her nose and sneaked out of the room.  She slinked down the hallway
until she reached Sammy's room and slowly eased open that door.  Sammy
was lying on bed, talking to himself.

"It's not fair!  A little girl we don't even know is moving into this
house.  Mom was supposed to take me to the store to get the parts for my
science project, but does she even remember?  No-oo, of course not.
There's a cute little girl who needs new clothes, and that's more
important.  I'm surprised they're not asking me to move to Bobby's so
they can give her my room."  He looked up at the sound of a bell and
scowled.  "Plus she has a cat!  Serena has a cat, but will they let me
have a pet?  No, you need to be a little more responsible Sammy.  As if
Serena is responsible, but she gets a cat!  It's just not fair."

Diana moved out of the doorway quickly. *That's Sam?  The one I thought
was Serena's father, Sam?*  She shook her head before moving off down
the stairs.

Diana thought she heard a funny sound from the kitchen.  She raced in
there and slid to a stop against Mr. Tsukino's leg.  "Whoa there," he
said in a kind voice, scooping her up into his hand.  "You're just a
little thing, aren't you?  Would you like some milk?"

Diana meowed quietly in agreement and purred against his hand as he set
out the milk.  After drinking, she climbed the stairs once more and
hopped up on the bed next to the still sleeping Luna.  Luna started
purring as she felt the warm body settle down and Diana's purr rose in
counterpart.

Luna awoke and looked at the kitten lying next to her.  She started
washing the milk off of her whiskers, before moving on and giving the
little kitten a full bath.  Diana's purr jumped up several notches as
she woke up.

"Good morning, Kitten," Luna said once she knew Diana was awake.  She
didn't stop washing though.

"Morning, Mama," Diana answered after looking to see that no one was
nearby.

"Ready to go visit people?" Luna asked after completing her own bath.
Luna jumped to the windowsill and from there onto a branch of a nearby
tree.  Diana stood on the windowsill trembling.  She had never made a
jump so high above the ground before.  Luna turned around and saw the
way she was standing.  With a bound, she was next to the little kitten.

"I'm sorry, Mama, it's just so high," Diana mewed.

"It's okay," Luna said, looking at her intently, "but you'd better hope
this is instinctual."  With that, Luna gently took her neck in her mouth
and picked her up.  Holding her gently but firmly, she jumped to the
tree, and then down to the ground.

Luna showed her all over town, told her about the Scouts as they passed
their houses, and stopped to say hello to Apollo who told them of the
fight and Serena's mother learning about the Scouts.  Diana cowered away
from the eagle at first until she became convinced he was safe.  Luna
became snappish for awhile, mainly because she hadn't learned of it
first.

Diana had lived all of her life in a time and place where what you said
was regulated, what you did was regulated.  Cats were disliked by the
youmas who patrolled the streets, so it was very rare that she was
allowed to leave the house.  To be able to walk down the street in broad
daylight, stop in at the arcade for a pat from Andrew, or at a nearby
restaurant for a helping of tuna was totally new and wonderous to her.
She stared at everything she came to, taken aback by the friendliness
she was shown, and her mother's penchant for talking in broad daylight
with humans in eyesight.  Her natural curiosity soon helped her overcome
her timidity, and by the time of the Scout meeting, she was talking a
little more often.


Still, it took reassurance from her father as well before she would
speak.  "It's okay, kiddo," Artemis muttered kindly.  "They all know
you, there's nothing to worry about here."

She took a deep breath before beginning.  "She was!" Diana agreed in a
very soft voice, from where she was sitting between her parents, seeming
to try to almost burrow into them.  A lifetime habit of silence was very
hard to throw off.  "She grew up as Serena, until one day she said she
was Reenie, and was asking where her parents were."

"She grew up as Serena?" Lita asked.  "What do you mean?"

"I've been with her since she was two, and she was always called Serena
until that day when she said she wasn't," Diana replied.

"Don't tell them too much Diana," Reenie warned.

"How much is too much?" Diana asked inquisitively.

"Too much is the fact that the Reenie of your time was raised by Sammy
who was killed by a youma..." she covered her mouth with her hands at
Mrs. Tsukino's cry.  "Oops," she said shamefaced.

"You're making about as much sense as the Meatball Head here usually
does!" Raye started.  She looked at the distraught Mrs. Tsukino.  "Not
to mention having about as much sensitivity."

"Well, I didn't mean to say it!" Reenie answered back.  "Don't worry,
Grandma, I'm going to make it better.  I'm going to make it go back to
the way it should be.  I promise."

"Raised by Sammy?  Why would you be raised by Sammy?  Why weren't you
with me and Darien?" Serena asked.

Reenie looked up mutely.

"Were we... dead?" Serena asked in a choked voice.

"I don't know!  I just don't know!" Reenie cried.  "Nobody would tell
me!  Nobody would talk to me about it!  Not even Amy."  She burst into
tears once more and Darien gathered her up into his arms.  Serena
burrowed in next to her.

"`Not even Amy'?" Amy asked in confusion.  "So I was still alive.  So I
was still fighting, right?"

Reenie shook her head.  "No, you didn't fight.  None of the Scouts did.
Lita was alive too, but I don't know about the others."

"I didn't fight?" Lita asked in disbelief.  "I'd never give up the
fight!  Never!  Why didn't I fight?  Where were the Scouts?"

"I DON'T KNOW!!" Reenie screamed.  "I don't know anything!  And I've
already told you too much."  She buried her head in Darien's shoulder
and refused to move.  Darien rubbed her back soothingly.

Serena looked up at Darien.  "I'm scared," she whispered.  "I don't want
to know what could take out the Scouts and make them give up."

"It will be okay, Serena," he whispered back.  "You'll see, it will be
okay."

She nodded and burrowed closer, clasping one of Reenie's hands in hers.

"You know, I don't understand any of this," Mina admitted.

"Join the club," Lita answered.

"Okay, so the future has changed big time, and you're here to try to
change it back, right?" Darien asked, trying to clear things up.  At her
nod he continued, "Well, then, when is the point that's going to be
changed?"  Everyone else listened eagerly.

"I `don't' `know'," Reenie bit out.

"What do you mean, `you don't know'?" Lita asked gently, not wanting to
set her off again.

"I don't know when it changed. I've just got to stay here until it
does," Reenie said.

"So you have to change an event in the past when you don't know what it
is, when it is, or what changing it will do, right?" Raye asked.

"Right," Reenie agreed, looking up.  "You'll help me, guys, right?"

The Scouts dropped their heads into their hands.  "This is going to be
impossible," Raye muttered.

"Nothing's impossible, only hard," Mina disagreed.

Artemis opened his mouth and then closed it.  "She got it almost right,"
he muttered.

Amy had been tapping furiously at her computer trying to find an answer
to another question that had been bothering her.  At least it was a
question she could find an answer for.  "What's the matter, Amy?" Lita
asked.

"It's not possible," she answered.  "It is statistically impossible for
Reenie to have been born in any year but the one she was originally
conceived in."

"Why?" Serena asked, confused.

Amy thought about how to explain it so the others would understand.
"You have over three million genes in one cell.  The genes are what give
you your characteristics, such as the color of your hair, whether it's
curly or straight, the color and shape of your eyes, even how many
freckles you have.  It also determines part of your personality and what
you're good at.  A child gets half of her genes from each parent.  Are
you following me so far?"

Darien nodded immediately, he had understood what she meant even before
she started explaining.  The others nodded as well, but Serena couldn't
resist adding a question, "So what genes control pink hair?" she asked,
running her fingers through Reenie's hair.

"I don't know, but that's just it.  The genes have to be `exactly' the
same.  Each and every gene must be exactly the same as it was in her
original time.  That's three million chances for it to be different, but
as far as my computer can tell, she is exactly the same as she was when
she came here last.  And that simply is not possible!"

"I can tell you why," Mina put in.  The others looked at her in
surprise, now that Serena had started shaping up, she was the one with
the worst grades.  She looked at them and shrugged, "It's magic."

"Sounds good to me," Serena agreed, almost grinning.

"Best reason I can think of," Lita replied, also grinning.

"But... but..." Amy started.

"Hey girlfriend, not everything needs explanations," Mina said, going up
and putting her arm around her.

"And there are more important questions than how is she alive," Travis
put in.  "Like, can she change the future back to the way we believe it
should be?  What caused the change?  And how do we keep my uncle from
finding out who we are and writing a story about it?"

"WHAT?!" everyone but Serena, Darien and Mrs. Tsukino asked in confusion.

"My uncle has decided to stay home and write a story on the Sailor
Scouts," Travis answered.

"If he knew it was you, he wouldn't write anything," Mrs. Tsukino
answered confidently.

"I wish I could be so sure," Travis answered in a low voice.  "Besides,
we can't tell him for the same reason we would never have told you, it's
too dangerous."

"It just means we'll be meeting over here all the time again," Raye
shrugged, "Grandpa and Chad will never guess. They don't pay attention
to anything but training and trying to get cute girls to join the
temple."

"So Chad has joined your Grandpa in doing that too?" Serena asked,
interested and trying to get her mind off of what they had heard.  "I
told you that if you didn't start paying some attention to him he would
find someone else, didn't I?  Didn't I?"

"He has not!" Raye started angrily, also happy to have something else to
think about.  She continued, "Besides, what do I care what that
talentless layabout does?  It's not like he means anything to me."

"Yeah, right," Serena grinned.

"Mother!" Reenie yelled.

Serena turned around with an embarrassed look on her face, "Sorry,
Reenie."

Mrs. Tsukino carefully hid her smile as she watched the two girls
interact.  It was exactly the same tone of voice that she used when
Serena was acting that way, usually with the same response.  So far she
had barely spoken at all, but was storing up questions to ask later.

"The problem is, I see no way to pinpoint the physical or temporal
location where the change occurs," Amy began.  "The change would have to
occur within the next ten years, but without more information I can't
even estimate, much less with any degree of accuracy."

"Raye?" Lita asked.

"I'll ask the Great Fire, see if that will give us any information,"
Raye answered.

"And the rest of us will just have to try to think of how it can happen
that Crystal Tokyo doesn't exist, but Reenie does," Darien spoke up.
His arms curled around Serena.  "The only way off-hand I can think of
for Crystal Tokyo not to exist, is for Serena to die, but then Reenie
wouldn't be born either."

Serena leaned back against him.  "That still wouldn't explain why Sailor
Pluto wasn't at the Gate.  She doesn't leave the Gate, it's against the
rules or something."

"Who says?" Mina asked.

The others thought about it for a long moment, then Lita opened her
mouth.

"I say," Luna put in before she could say anything.  "Pluto is not
supposed to leave the Gate, even for as long as she came to help us in
Crystal Tokyo, without an extremely good reason.  As Serena said, it's
against the rules."

"Who made the rules?  And why doesn't she break them if she wants to?"
Lita asked.

"Yeah, standing there alone all the time must be majorly boring," Mina
added.

"No one could blame her if she left to have some fun," Serena agreed.
Thinking that was a lot better than thinking about what could kill Pluto
or force her from her post.

"She wouldn't do that," Amy said with complete conviction.  "Her duty is
far too important for her to leave without a good reason."

"Yeah, Puu wouldn't leave!  Not with the Gate wide open like that,"
Reenie agreed.

"So, what do we do?" Lita asked after several moments of silence.

"What `can' we do?" Travis answered.

"We can watch out for trouble, keep our eyes open for some change,"
Apollo answered.  Mrs. Tsukino started, but hid it quickly.  She had
just started getting used to the cats, the falcon would take a bit
longer.

"There's got to be something else that we can do!" Reenie insisted.

"I'm sorry, Reenie, but without more information there is very little we
can do.  Like Apollo said, we'll just have to keep our eyes open," Amy
said gently.

"I'm going to see if the Great Fire can tell me anything," Raye said,
getting up.  She turned to Reenie, "Don't worry, Reenie, we won't let
the future be changed."

Lita got up as well, then bent back down to give Reenie a hug.  "Yeah,
sprout, we're the Sailor Scouts, we've never been beaten, and we never
will. Right now though, I need to go get a workout.  You coming, Mina?"

"Be right there," Mina answered, "I'm glad you're back, no matter why
you came," she murmured to Reenie.  "We'll go shopping some time, 'kay?"

"Okay," Reenie agreed, "I'd like that."

"After the shopping spree today, she won't need any more clothes for a
thousand years," Mrs. Tsukino said humorously.  "What?" she asked as
everyone looked at her.

"Oh, nothing," they chorused.

"I'll keep scanning for anything out of the ordinary," Amy said, "I'll
call you if I find anything."  She threw a smile at Reenie as she went
down the steps.

"I've got to go too," Travis admitted.  "I forgot when I set this
meeting up that I had a study date with Crystal this afternoon."

"A date?" Serena and Reenie said simultaneously.  They looked at each
other, "Travis has a girlfriend, Travis has a girlfriend!"

"We're studying!" Travis yelled back over his shoulder to the two
singing girls.

"Travis has a girlfriend!" they answered before collapsing in laughter.

They calmed down as Travis left at a run.  Serena looked up at Darien
and Reenie.  "I can't imagine anything that would make the Scouts give
up," she said.  "They don't give up, Darien. They never give up."

"I know," Darien agreed.  "Try to get your mind off of it, Princess,
everything will work out.  We'll find the point where it got changed,
and change it back."

Serena nodded absently.  "If the future can actually be changed, it
gives us a lot more to worry about, you know.  I thought my future was
destined, after all Reenie here was the proof, but if it's not..."

"If it's not, then we will do whatever we have to to make sure that it
is the future we live to see.  Okay?"

Serena stood up.  "Right," she nodded, determined.

Reenie stood up as well.  "Yeah," she said.  "We'll make it our future."

"Well, Reenie, since we can't do anything about why you're here right
now, what do you want to do today?" Darien asked.

"Can we go to the zoo?" Reenie asked.  "All of us?"

Darien and Serena looked at Mrs. Tsukino.  "Well, Mom, do you want to go
to the zoo with us?" Serena asked.

Mrs. Tsukino looked at the three, she wanted a longer look at the young
man who would be the father of her granddaughter, and spend more time
with the granddaughter who wouldn't even be born for ten more years.  "I
would love to go to the zoo with you," she agreed.  "Besides, I have a
few more questions for you.  Like what is Crystal Tokyo, who is Sailor
Pluto, and what date Reenie was supposed to be born in?  And what is
this future you're talking about?"

Serena and Darien sighed.  It was going to be a long day.


Travis raced toward the park.  *I can't believe I forgot about it!  Now
I know how Serena used to feel.  I wouldn't be surprised if Crystal has
already left.  I am `so' late!*  Travis vaulted down the three steps
into the park, not even touching them, and kept running.

He looked ahead at the table where they were supposed to meet and
started to slow down in relief as he saw she was still there.  Then his
footsteps sped up again as he saw she was packing to leave.  "Hey
Crystal!" he yelled.  "Wait!"

She looked up and seemed to hesitate for a moment, before putting her
books down and sitting again.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Crystal," Travis panted, "We had unexpected
company."

"I thought maybe you were with Serena," Crystal said quietly, frowning
slightly.

"I was," Travis said, perplexed.  "Her cousin has come back to visit.
I've missed the little Rabbit."

Crystal turned away.  "You love her, don't you?  Serena?"

"Well of course I do," Travis agreed.  "She's my..."

Before he could finish, she was standing up.  "I don't feel like
studying, Travis, I'll see you later."  With that she left the picnic
table, almost running, and leaving all of her books behind her.

"Crystal!  Wait!" Travis cried from behind her, but she paid no
attention.  He gathered up her books and took off after her.  "Crystal!"

*It's all her fault,* she thought wretchedly, running blindly.  *Why
does he have to love her?*  At the sound of a lion's roar she looked up
to see she was near the park's zoo.  Looking toward the gate, she saw a
girl with her hair up in two balls and ponytails.  She barely even
noticed the three people with her.  Without thinking, she followed them
into the zoo grounds.  Travis followed as quickly as he could.

Crystal seethed even more as she noticed Serena with a young man.  She
tended to hang on him as they watched the animals.  Not that he seemed
to mind.  *It's not enough that she's got the cutest boy in class in
love with her, she has to have a college boy as well.  I don't see what
they see in her.*

"Crystal?" Travis came up behind her.  "You left these behind. Is
something the matter?"

"No, nothing's the matter.  What could be the matter?" Crystal asked
scathingly.

"I don't know, you tell me," Travis answered, following her gaze to the
group below him.  "That little girl with the pink hair is Reenie, the
cousin that's visiting."

"Who's the boy?" Crystal asked almost against her will.

"That's Darien, Serena's boyfriend," Travis answered smiling.

"Serena's boyfriend?  But... but... I thought..." Crystal stuttered to a
halt.

"Come on, I think it's time you meet them," Travis took her by the hand,
and moved her books to a more comfortable position in his other arm.
With her protesting vociferously, he led her down towards the group.

"2989?" Mrs. Tsukino was asking in shock.  "How is that possible?"

"Aunt Ellen," Travis said before she could say anything else, "have you
met Crystal yet?  She's been in school here about two weeks."

"No, I haven't," she said, smiling as she looked at the girl, "but I've
heard a bit about her.  How do you do?"

"`Aunt' Ellen?" Crystal asked in confusion.  She turned to Travis, "I
didn't know you had an aunt."

"Well, I don't, not really, but since she is my sister's mother, I have
to call her something," Travis grinned.

"Your sister's mother?  What the heck are you talking about?"  Serena
and the group with her had very surprised expressions on their faces.

"She `doesn't' know!?  How is that possible?  I thought everybody in
Tokyo knew by now!" Serena exclaimed.

"Knew what?!" Crystal almost shouted, not understanding what was going
on.

"Crystal, may I introduce my twin sister, Serena Usagi Tsukino," Travis
said formally.

She looked between them quickly with a shocked expression on her face.
She had always seen a resemblance between them, but when she found out
that they had different names, she had assumed it was just a
coincidence.

"How?" she asked weakly.

Serena came up on one side of her, and Travis on the other.  "Well you
see," Serena started, leading her away.

"Serena!" her mother called.  "I think your brother can handle it. You
still have some questions to answer from me."

"Yes Mother," Serena sighed, letting go of Crystal's arm.  Travis
grinned at her and she stuck out her tongue as she walked away.

"Come on," Travis said, still grinning, "I'll tell you all about the
Atons, the Watsons, and the Tsukinos.  With extras by Darien Jacobson,
Darien Chiba, and Serenity Moone."

"Who?" Crystal asked with a completely disoriented expression on her
face.

Ten minutes later Crystal still had that expression on her face.  "So
your family consists of your biological twin sister and her adopted
brother who you consider somewhere between a cousin and a younger
brother.  Your adopted second cousin who you think of as your uncle
sometimes and sometimes as your father and is your guardian.  Your
sister's adopted parents, who you call Aunt and Uncle.  Your blood
brother, who's your sister's boyfriend, and, finally, an adopted cousin
of your sister, who you think of as a cousin as well.  Is that all of
them?"

"Well, except for our biological parents and my adopted parents, yes,"
Travis agreed.  "But since they are dead, they don't count.  And
assorted adopted cousins who don't even know I'm adopted."

"Didn't your biological parents have any relatives?" Crystal asked.

"Well, if they did, the courts weren't able to find them," Travis
admitted.

Crystal shook her head.  "Maybe we should work on Calculus, I'm sure I'd
understand it better."

"When it comes right down to it, your family consists of the people you
love," Travis answered.  "That's what Serena says, and she's right.
Which are biological, which are adopted, and which are blood bonded,
doesn't really matter, they are all my family.  Heck, my falcon Apollo,
and Serena's cat Luna are part of the family."  *More than you know,* he
thought humorously.

"So how come I never heard of this?" Crystal asked.

"I honestly don't know," Travis admitted.  "We announced it at our
fifteenth birthday party about three months ago, and it's been gossip
ever since.  I don't know why you didn't hear it."

"The only gossip that's really been going around lately is that Molly
and Melvin were seen together in the park after ten o'clock and that
Serena got an A on her last Math test."

"Yes, I was very proud of her for that.  So was Darien.  I think it was
the reward from him that made her go for an A, she's usually happy with
B's.  Of course, she used to get F's so you can't really blame her.  But
you didn't get the run down on every one in the school from Melvin?  He
usually knows everything and tells everything, even when you don't want
to hear it."  Travis suddenly looked closely at her.  "He did say
something about you being violent... were `you' the one that broke his
glasses?"

"He surprised me, popping up out of nowhere like that, and I did offer
to get him some new ones," Crystal shrugged.

"Why did you run off like that?" Travis suddenly changed the subject.
"Once you found out I had been with Serena..." his voice trailed off and
he looked closely at her.  "Were you... were you jealous?"

"Jealous?  Why would I be jealous?" Crystal asked, not looking at him
and so she missed his crestfallen expression.

"I don't know, it was just a thought," Travis shrugged now.  When
Crystal looked up at him, he was grinning at her again.

*I mean just because I was a little mad that you had spent time you had
promised to spend with me, with her instead, doesn't mean I'm jealous,
does it?* Crystal thought to herself.  She shook her head.  "Thanks for
bringing my books, weren't we supposed to be studying?"

Travis was surprised at this turnaround, but agreed.


By the time the Tsukinos got home, Serena was wrung out.  Her mother had
asked questions about everything, from how many times she had been hurt,
to how far her relationship with Darien had gone.  There were several
things that had shocked Ellen Tsukino to the core, like the fact that
her daughter would one day be Queen of Crystal Tokyo and her
granddaughter wasn't supposed to be born for a thousand years.  Serena
had been afraid of another fainting spell a number of times but it
hadn't happened.  She would have toned it down if she could, but her
mother had asked for her to be totally truthful, and she had agreed.

Reenie went upstairs to get changed into some of the new clothes they
had dropped off there earlier.  She came running back down.  "Where is
it?  Where is it?" she cried in a panic.

"Where is what, Reenie?" Serena asked.  Her eyes went wide.  "The Key?"
she asked in a whisper.

Reenie shook her head.  "Mi'a Doll!  Where is Mi'a Doll?! I left it on
your bed and it's not there now."

"You mean that broken doll?" Sammy asked, walking in.  "I threw it
away," he shrugged, "It's face was falling off.  Besides, I'm sure
Serena or Mom will buy you a new one."  He shrugged, an unconcerned
expression changing as he saw the way his mother was glaring at him.
Reenie had given a small cry and was already out of the room.

"That was very wrong of you, Sammy.  You have no right to throw away
another person's things, especially not a guests."  Mrs. Tsukino was
angry, she'd seen the anguish in the little girl's face.

"But it was just a doll," Sammy tried to explain himself.  "And it was
broken.  It couldn't be that important."

"It was to her, Sammy," Mrs. Tsukino said.  "Go to your room!"

"It was just a stupid doll," he muttered, kicking the wall on his way
out.  Reenie glared at him as he passed while holding the saved doll
protectively.

He glared back before noticing the tears that were bright in her eyes.
"Sorry, Spore," he muttered.  "I didn't know it was special."

Reenie nodded slightly.  She couldn't really be mad at him, her memory
of him dying in the future was too strong, but the doll had been given
to her by a woman who cared for her like a daughter, even if it hadn't
been `her' that had been given it.  *He called me Spore!  Same old
Sammy.*  She walked into the kitchen, still holding the doll.  For the
first time, Serena and her mother were able to look at it closely.  It
looked handmade and very well taken care of.

"Sammy has this friend, named Mika, who makes dolls," Serena said to
her.  "Maybe if we take Mi'a Doll to her, she can fix it."

Reenie looked sad for a moment before smiling shyly.  "I'd like that."

The front door opened before anything more could be said and Mr. Tsukino
walked in.  "Good evening ladies," he said boisterously, obviously in a
good mood.  "You would not believe what happened today."

Before he could continue, Serena's watch started beeping.  She and
Reenie looked up in surprise, and Mrs. Tsukino in worry.  She hid it
quickly.  "Have a good time, dear, and try to get Reenie back before her
bedtime."

Serena looked at her for a long minute then smiled.  "I will.  Thanks
mom.  Come on, Reenie."  She pecked her dad on the cheek as they ran by.

Reenie carefully put the doll down, then ran after her.

"Can't you even stay for my news?" he asked.  His only answer was the
slamming of the front door as the two girls ran out of it.  "What was
that all about?" he asked his wife.

"Oh, they just had something to do with the girls," she said breezily.
*Be careful Serena.*  "So what's your news dear?"


Serena and Reenie ran down the steps.  "Having Grandma know is pretty
nice," Reenie said.  "Now you don't have to pretend about it."

Serena threw a grin at her before raising her communicator to her mouth.
"What's going on?" she asked.

"A youma is attacking Mina's school, demanding that Sailor Moon and
those pitiful Scouts come fight her," Amy said.  "Her words, not mine.
I don't like this, she doesn't even seem to be trying to drain energy,
she's just destroying things."

"It's probably a trap," Lita replied.

"There's not a trap made that can catch the Sailor Scouts," Serena
replied.

"How many times have I told you not to become overconfident?" Luna's
irritated voice asked and they looked over to see her and Diana running
next to them.

Reenie bent down and picked Diana up, settling the kitten down on top of
her head, between the cones of her hair.

"Is she safe there?" Luna asked in concern, from her new perch on
Serena's shoulders.

"Sure, she rides here all the time," Reenie answered.

"I do?" Diana squeaked in a small voice as she hung on tightly.

"Any chance we can let the youma do a little more destruction before we
take it?" Mina asked.

"No, Mina, we're not going to let her destroy your school just so you
can get out of going," Raye answered.

Serena and Reenie met the others a block from the school.

"It's nice having some warning about these things," Darien remarked,
patting the communicator he had received at the twins' birthday party.

"You should have seen Grandma when Serena's beeped," Reenie piped up.
"She just said, `Have a good time'."

"Any word about Reenie's problem?" Travis asked.  Everyone sobered
quickly.

"Not a thing," Raye said in disgust.  "If the fire knows, it's not
telling me."

"What if this is the place where everything changes?" Reenie asked
worriedly.

"Then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't,"  Lita answered
confidently.

There was a loud crash from the direction of the school, reminding them
of why they were there.

"Transform everyone!" Artemis called out.

"SUN STONE POWER!"
"MARS STAR POWER!"
"VENUS STAR POWER!"
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER DUO!"

Tuxedo Mask took to the rooftops as the Scouts raced towards the
rampaging youma.

It was large.  That was the first thing they noticed.  It was several
feet taller than the tallest of them and covered in muscles.  At the
moment, it was occupied with tearing down one of the school's
outbuildings.

"Not the gym!" Sailor Venus cried.  "That's the only class worth going
to!"

The youma turned to face the Scouts and Sailor Moon got ready for her
speech.  "SOLAR FLARE!" Sailor Sol called out before she could say
anything.

The youma picked up a large block of stone, and threw it in the
direction of the attack.  The block blew up, but the youma was unharmed.

"A school is a place of learning, not a place of violence.  Especially
the gym," Sailor Moon began, grinning at Sailor Venus as she added that
last part.  "I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Love and Justice.  In the
Name of the Moon, I will Right Wrongs and Triumph over Evil.  And that
means you!"

As Sailor Moon stood in her pose, the youma picked up another block of
stone and threw it at her.  She hurriedly threw herself to one side
before it could hit.

"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" Venus called, sending her heart chain
towards the youma.  It too destroyed a block of stone before reaching
the youma.

"Let's do this together," Sailor Jupiter called to Mars.  "JUPITER
THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"  The two attacks raced
in together, and again were stopped before they could get close.

"What do we do," Jupiter asked in disgust, "attack until it uses up all
of its ammunition?"

"No," Mercury replied, "from opposite sides.  Come on Moon, Sol,
Crescent Moon.  Spread out."

The four Scouts spread out in a circle around the youma.  "MERCURY ICE
STORM SPLASH!" "MOON TIARA MAGIC!" "SOLAR FLARE!" "CRESCENT MOON TIARA
MAGIC!"  From four sides the attacks flew in.  The youma threw a block
at Sailor Moon's tiara, stopping it.  Then it threw another block
towards Sailor Sol's fire, also stopping it, but Mercury's ice attack
came in while it was busy, freezing its leg.  Crescent Moon's tiara hit
the same leg, shattering it.  It roared as it fell to the ground.

"Now Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury called.

"I know!" she answered pulling out her scepter.  "MOON SCEPTER
ELIMINATION!" dusted the monster.

"Did that strike anyone else as extremely easy?" Sailor Sol asked.

"Yes," Tuxedo Mask answered as he came up.  "You didn't even need me.
By the way, I'm not so sure I like waiting until there's danger before I
show up.  Since I now know when there's a fight, I think I should join
in, that waiting is getting to me."

"We agreed it was best to have someone in reserve, and you were the best
person to do that," Mars answered.  "You'll get in on the action, they
can't all be this easy."

"At least this wasn't the place that changed," Crescent Moon answered
quietly.

Sailor Moon laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.  She nodded at her
brother.  "It was even easier than the one this morning."

"Now that's something I don't like," Mercury said.  "I don't think we've
ever had to fight two in one day before.  And why wasn't it trying to
drain energy?  It doesn't make sense."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out," Sailor Moon said.  "We've got to
get home."

"See you tomorrow," the others answered as they split up.

Serena and Reenie walked home together.  "You know, Small Lady, there's
very little about the future you haven't told us. I don't think whatever
there is left is going to hurt much, and we do need to know."

"Let me think about it, okay?  And me and Diana need to talk," Reenie
asked quietly.  She knew she had said too much, but it was too late to
take it back now.

"All right, Reenie, if that's what you want," Serena didn't seem too
happy with the answer, and Reenie reached up hesitantly to grasp her
hand.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be," Serena answered, "you've got to do what `you' think is
right, not what I do."

"Thanks," Reenie said, squeezing her hand.

"You're welcome.  Now, let's get home, Mom's probably really worried."

Mrs. Tsukino looked up as they walked into the house, and blinked.  "Do
you usually carry your cat on top of your head?" she asked in
surprise.

"Uh-huh," Reenie agreed.

Mrs. Tsukino checked quickly to see where her husband was before pulling
the two girls into a hug.  "Are you alright?  Were either of you hurt?"

"We're fine, Mom. This youma was really easy, nobody got a scratch,"
Serena tried to reassure her.

"Once you left, I started thinking of all the things that could go
wrong, what if you got hurt?  What would I do?"

"Mom!  Nothing happened.  I've been doing this for awhile now you know.
I know what I'm doing."

"I don't," her mother admitted.  "I don't know anything about being the
mother of a superhero.  I worry too much."

"So do I," Serena answered, "I worry every time Reenie fights, heck, I
worry about all the Scouts.  But I also know they can do what is
necessary, and that if anyone can do it they can.  You're a perfect
superhero mother, Mom, because you're my perfect mother."

"A perfect mother, hmm?" Ellen Tsukino said in a lightened tone, "Then
as a perfect mother, I should be saying something like... Don't you have
homework to do, young lady?"

"But Mo-om, tomorrow's Sunday!" Serena whined; they all laughed.

"I'm scared, honey, I wish you weren't Sailor Moon."  Her mother's voice
was serious again.

"Sometimes I wish it too," Serena agreed very quietly, "but I am, Mom,
and that's not going to change."

Ellen Tsukino kept them in a hug for a few moments longer, making sure
Serena couldn't see the tears, of pride mainly, that were in her eyes.

"Dinner's almost ready, why don't you two go set the table," Mrs.
Tsukino changed the subject.  She suddenly realized she was adding more
worries to a fifteen year old already overburdened with them.  Her
daughter had such responsibilities as she could never have imagined.
She knew she wouldn't be able to keep from worrying, but decided to try
to keep it from her daughter as much as possible.

Serena looked surprised at the request, but went to do as she was asked.


"Well, it worked," Spessarite mused, looking at the ball of energy that
had already been collected.

"I told you it would," Quartz said sullenly.

"I know, dear," he answered, watching her shudder in revulsion at the
word.  "But I had to be sure.  You should be glad it did, you wouldn't
like what would happen if you misled me."

"Look, skimming it off the top at parties and concerts is the best way
to get energy, and sending a youma down to distract the Scouts was a
good idea too," she finished in a sullen tone.

"Yes, it was a good idea of mine, wasn't it?" Spessarite preened.

*Of course the fact that I practically had to spell it out is going to
go unmentioned,* Quartz thought snidely.  *Settle down girl, you can't
go underestimating him like that.*

"You had better be correct about this plan of yours, Quartz, or you know
what will happen."  Quartz was too caught up in her own thoughts to
reply.  Spessarite whipped out a hand and slapped her.  "Pay attention
to me," he said forcefully, "or I'll make sure you can't do anything
else."

Quartz nodded once, not even raising her hand to wipe the blood off of
her lip.  "It should take about a week to gather the energy we need,"
she said without expression.

"Good, good," Spessarite gloated.  "In a week, the Scouts will be
finished."

--------------------
Well, that's it for this Chapter.  Will the Scouts find out what Spessarite
is doing?  And what is Quartz's plan?  Find out in Chapter Five.

Jendra@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/Jendra