"Turning inside out so I can see
The part of you that's drifting over me
When I wake you're, you're never there
And when I sleep you're, you're everywhere
you're everywhere
Just tell me how I got this far
Just tell me why you're here and who you are
Cuz every time I look you're never there
But every time I sleep you're always there
Cuz you're everywhere to me
and when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know that makes me believe
I'm not alone whoa-whoaaa
I'm not alone
I recognize the way you make me feel
It's hard to think that you might not be real
I sense that now the water's getting deep
I try to wash away the pain away from me
Away from me
Cuz you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know that makes me believe
I'm not alone whoa-whoaaa
I'm not alone
When I touch your hand, it's then I understand
The beauty that's within, it's now that we begin
You always light my way, there never comes a day
No matter where I go, I always feel you so
Cuz you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know that makes me believe
I'm not alone whoa-whoaaa
Cuz you're everywhere to me
And when I catch my breath it's you I breathe
you're everything I know that makes me believe
I'm not alone whoa-whoaaaaa
You're everyone I see
So tell me, do you see me?"
~Michelle Branch
"Everywhere"
******************************************************************************************
High above the sky, sitting atop a cloud, sat a lone figure in flowing white robes. Now,
one would expect that anyone sitting atop a cloud in billowy white robes was an angel.
Indeed, the woman who sat upon the cloud was angelic looking. Chocolate hair and eyes to
match, porcelain white skin, slim fingers, and a perpetually innocent looking face. Her
name was Anastasia. Anastasia may have looked innocent and beautiful, but deep down she
was a maniacal, self-serving, cold-hearted, power-hungry, raging bitch. She was almost
as old as time itself. And ever since the day she was born on the barren planet of Pluto,
on the same exact date that the sigil of Pluto appeared on Setsuna's brow, she had wanted
nothing more than pure power. She found various magical skills to keep her alive. The
simple spell she finally settled on consisted of sucking the youth out of a mortal to keep
her alive for another 100 years. But now, Anastasia had gained so much magic that she was
considered a sorceress. A damn good one too. And she had found two items that could bring
her eternal life and unimagined power. She had searched very very hard and finally located
one object, frozen inside of a glacier. The other was attached to a seemingly innocent
looking schoolgirl. But Anastasia knew better than that. The one problem was, the other
object she was searching for could only be used by one individual. Anastasia had racked
her mind for days and days and days upon her cloud. And finally, she knew exactly what
she must do. So, she cast a difficult spell and waited for her results. The individual
she was stalking had too much power. She needed a way to keep the individual alive, and
still be able to use her presence. The spell she had hit upon was a time changer spell
that involved sending an individual back in time to a former life. The only thing needed
was a trigger object. So, Anastasia had created the illusionary family and sent it
hurtling down to Earth and watched as her victim fell unconscious, a cruel smile twisting
on her pretty lips.
"Minako!? Hey are you okay? MINA?!" Ken was becoming more and more desperate as
Minako's breathing suddenly and inexplicably slowed down. He quickly grabbed
her communicator out of her pocket and contacted the four other girls by pushing the
emergency signal. Holding tightly to her cold hand he tried to sort out what had
happened. *Okay, right we were talking and being all lovey and then she stared at
something and said some weird word and passed out. Yeah, well that explains everything
doesn't it Ken?* "What did she say, what did she say?" mumbled Ken, trying desperately
to remember. Adolf. *Yeah that's it, she whispered the name of one of the worst men
ever to live, just for the hell of it before she passed out stone cold.* "Okay," said
Ken, trying again. "Umm....Adine? No...Adonnie? No. ADONIS!" he yelled triumphantly.
"Hold it right there evil Doer, I...am...Sailor... What the hell? Where are the icky
monsters?" Eternal Sailor Moon began to pout as she looked around for any sign of a
bad guy. "Umm...Ken, care to explain?" said Mars, her eyes glowing dangerously. "Well
pookie, he seems to have hit the emergency button on the communicator and scared the
hell out of everyone making us think of...what did you call them? Icky monsters?" said
Jadeite, materializing at her side. Mars side armed him in the stomach. "I told you not
to call me that!" she hissed. Mercury was, meanwhile, checking Minako. She rapidly hit
keys on her mini-computer while everyone else looked over her shoulder, breathing down
her neck. "Odd... she whispered to herself, "Very odd..." "Care to explain or are you
just going to be vague?" asked Jupiter sarcastically. Mercury turned around, still
crouching next to the prone Minako. "Well, she's breathing steady again, only it seems
At that moment, Minako opened her baby blue eyes blearily, glanced around in confusion
and screamed long and loud at the top of her lungs. Everyone present was so scared that
they yelped and jumped away from her; All except for the Generals of course. They screamed
like little girls and ran behind a tree while Ken could only stare at the wailing banshee
next to him. Minako, meanwhile was still screaming and had fallen of the bench, her hands
gesturing in a strange way that looked as if she was warding them off. "Minako?" said
Sailor Moon timidly. "Who are you? What do you want? What have you done with my
temple?" "Your temple?' said Nephrite, raising an eyebrow. "someone thinks pretty
highly of herself" muttered Zoicite. "Holy crap!" said Mercury breathlessly. "What?"
said Tuxedo Mask, his eyes still on the cowering Minako. "Guys, this isn't Minako!"
"What?!" said Ken, whirling around to face Mercury. "This isn't her, but it is. This
girl has Minako's life readings, but not her Sailor Venus core. I can see a faint outline
of gold, but it is very very very faint. This isn't our Minako!" Everyone turned to stare
at this girl that looked exactly like Mina, but at the same time was not. "Who is
Minako? Where am I? Who are you people?" she sobbed. "We were going to ask you the same
question," said Tuxedo Mask gently. The girl's eyes lost some of their fear. "Can you
tell us your name?" continued Zoicite crouching down next to her. The girl's eyes
suddenly lit up. "Adonis!" she yelled and wrapped her arms around him. Mercury looked
just about to breathe fire. "Anyone care to tell me who the hell this Adonis guy is?"
said Ken angrily, hands on his hips. "Not a clue" wheezed Zoicite as he desperately
tried to break the girl's death grip from around his waist. "Oh Adonis, I'm so glad
you're here too!" she said, looking into his eyes. She then looked puzzled. "But,
your eyes, theyre different, and so is your face. Adonis?" she questioned, puzzled.
"Umm, no" said Mercury, her face a little red. "My name is Zach" said Zoicite, "and
I'm not sure who this Adonis fellow is. But how about we get you somewhere a little
more private and see if we can sort this out...what was your name?" "Persephone" she
said, dusting grass off of her knees. "Per- excuse me?" asked Nephrite. "Persephone"
she repeated looking back up at them. ~Author's note- pronunciation is Purr-sef-oh-knee~
"Right..." said Mars. "Yeah we're gonna have to shorten that one" said Jade. "Okay
Persepo-, Persuf. Okay girl, hold on tight" said Jupiter as they jumped to the rooftops
and headed towards Nate's mansion. High above them, Anastasia grinned.
"Your temple is large" said Persephone, her eyes growing wide. "Right, yeah" said Nate
as he detransformed. Everyone else followed suite. Persephone screamed and cowered on
the floor. "Are you Gods?" she asked, awe-struck. "Some of us think we are" muttered
Rei, staring pointedly at Jared. He shrugged and grinned. "Cool! I wish I was a goddess!"
Usagi chirped enthusiastically. Ami sighed and shook her head. "No, we're...well its
kind of hard to explain. Let's say we protect the Gods," said Mamoru as he plopped down
next to Usagi on the couch. "Oh" said Persephone, her eyes growing bigger. "But enough
about us. Can you tell us about you?" asked Zach, staring at her intently. Persephone
blushed. One could almost see the smoke pouring out of Ami's ears. "Well," she began,
"I am the temple priestess for the shrine of Venus. It is the largest shrine in all of
Rome. But the Roman Empire is growing away from the Gods. My temple is in danger. I was
praying to the Goddess when I felt like I was being picked up. I looked down and saw
my body, lying on the ground. I thought I had died. And then I woke up here."
Persephone looked up to see 9 jaws on the ground. "Oh my god" said Makoto, "You're
from the past!" "Who is this Adonis guy?" asked Ken, not to be easily deterred.
Persephone blushed again and averted her eyes, remaining silent. Ami suddenly had a
brain flash, as Ami almost always does. "Persephone," she said, "look into this mirror
here. Is this what you look like?" Persephone stood up and stood in front of the
mirror. And gasped. "Why, it's me! What strange clothes" she continued. "Where am I?"
she asked again twirling around to face the group. "You are in the future" said Usagi
quietly. Persephone smiled slightly and then fainted. "If she's here, than that must
mean Minako is..." Ken sat down in his chair, awestruck. "How are we going to get her
back?" asked Rei, voicing the thoughts of everyone present. "I haven't a clue," said
Ami, "Not a clue." Ken silently prayed to himself, *Minako wherever you are, be okay"
Meanwhile, a couple centuries prior to this little episode, Minako Aino woke up to find
herself on a very stony bed. "Ouch, my head" she grumbled. But what came out of her
mouth did not sound like "Ouch, my head." In fact the words coming out of her mouth
sounded like nothing she had ever heard before. And yet, she understood them. Sitting
up Minako opened her eyes and looked around to the most beautiful and strange sight she
had ever seen. It looked a little like Rei's temple, except it was in white marble that
seemed to sparkle. She was sitting in front of a stone sculpture that looked a lot like
her. Squinting, Minako read the odd characters under it, that she somehow understood.
They said "Goddess of Love and Beauty, Venus we worship you and pray for your approval
and your guidance. Bless those in love for they are your children." "Oh man" said Minako.
She stood up wobbly and walked towards the open door. And promptly fainted as a chariot
full of Roman soldiers sped by. "Persephone! Persephone!" yelled a male voice. Minako
thought this man had a voice of gold. She blearily opened her eyes. "Oh thank the Gods,
you are all right!" the man yelled. Minako still only vaguely comprehended what he was
saying. She smiled stupidly. Then the man wrapped his arms around her and kissed her
deeply.
Her eyes popped open in surprise. If she hadn't been awake a few seconds ago, she was now.
She pushed the man away and yelled "What do you think you are doing?" She then caught sight
of where she was and quickly shut her mouth. The man looked at her, puzzled. "Persephone?"
Minako said nothing as her brain rapidly tried to figure out what the hell was going on.
*Okay definitely not in the park, not with Ken, not in Japan. I don't think I'm even in my
time. Oh shit. How did this happen? Okay breathe. Molester boy is looking at you. This has
got to be the work of someone evil. Okay. So, best transform. Here we go. You don't kiss me
strange guy and get away with it no matter how cute you are!* Minako took a deep breath then
jammed her hand into the air and yelled "Venus Star Power!" Nothing happened. The man was
looking at her very funny now, as she stood in front of this building, with her hand jammed
in the air, one foot off the ground. *Ahem* "I...uh...needed to stretch" she said and
quickly put her hand down as she tried to think some more. The man kept staring at her
concernedly. *Okay, don't panic, possible evil and you can't transform. That's okay you
can still kick some ass. Worry about that later. First find out where you are, who he is
and who you are. Umm, feign amnesia. Right. Should I say over or something? Nah*
"I...um...think I hit my head pretty hard. Everything is so unclear. Who am I? Where am I?
Who are you? Why am I in the past?" *DOH! Smooth move. Way to act natural huh? And what
the hell language am I speaking and why do I understand it? Weird.* "Umm I mean I can't
remember what happened this past umm day? Yeah this past day" She smiled hopefully. The
man moved closer and said "You are Persephone. We are in Rome in front of the temple of
Venus, in which you are the priestess. I am Adonis. Your one and only." *WHOA! Can you
say forward?* "Okay, hold on there bucko, I don't know what kind of girl you think I am,
but for your information I am very much in love with K-..." Minako stopped mid-tirade.
*Oops* She tried again. 'Im very much in love with you of course. Tee-hee. Oh, right
now I remember. Some stuff. You'll still need to help me though. Everything is foggy.
Oh woe is me" she peeked through her cupped hands to see if he had bought it. "Love.
Oh my poor love. Those soldiers!" he burst out, rather loudly. Apparently he had bought
it. Suddenly three large figures clomped up behind them. "What did you say about us boy!?!"
said a deep, gravelly voice. Minako turned slowly around to see three men roughly the size
of elephants, all in full ancient armor with some funky looking swords. The man turned and
stared at them, his eyes smoldering. "I said maybe you should be a bit more careful of how
you drive your stupid chariots you brute!" he stared defiantly at them. Minako knew she was
pretty new to the whole Roman thing, but she had an idea that that was not what would be
considered the right thing to say to a soldier, especially three heavily armed giant soldiers.
"You will pay for that one peasant, you and the girl." *Hey what'd I do?* thought Minako
angrily. Suddenly she felt herself picked up. "Umm...put me down. Please?" asked Minako
looking at the brute that held her, as she heard Adonis thrashing beside her to escape.
The man examined her robes and his eyes caught sight of the medallion on the shoulder of
her robe. "Herthamis! We have a priestess!" yelled her captor. The man called Herthamis
stopped using Adonis as a punching bag and looked up at her interestedly. He strode over
and yanked the medallion of her robe, almost tearing the fabric. Again, Minako knew she didn't
know much about Roman society, but she felt that that was probably a big no no. And she was
pissed.
The man laughed at her and her captor laughed along. Minako smiled at both of them.
"What are you laughing at girl?" sneered Herthamis. "Oh," she said flippantly, I was
just imagining you and your little goons after I kick all your asses for that insult."
The man looked positively pissed. Minako flipped out of her captors grasp and beckoned
with her hands, as if to say come and get it. Herthamis and his companions drew their
swords and raced directly at her bellowing fearsomely. Minako yawned theatrically which
enraged them more. Suddenly and swiftly she dived out of their path and delivered a crippling
low kick to one of the soldiers. Minako heard bones breaking as the men went down hard.
She delivered a high kick to another of the soldiers that stopped him mid swing and had
him kissing concrete with a broken nose, a concussion, and a few teeth missing. Minako
whipped around and looked at Herthamis, smiling. He didn't look so cocky anymore. Minako
charged and sent her fist directly into his stomach, doubling him over as she sent a
power drive with her knee right into his crotch. As he toppled forward she delivered a
high kick into his chest, breaking a few ribs and knocking all the wind out of him. He
passed out cold on top of his friends. Minako grabbed a gibbering Adonis and shoved him
into the shrine as she kicked the three thugs down the street a little ways more and into an
alley filled with sewage. She spat on Herthamis face and grabbed her medallion back. She ran
back into the temple, pushing Adonis back inside. "You okay?" she asked him. "Who the hell
are you!!!!?????" he yelled backing away from her. *Uh-oh!* Minako had blown her cover.
*Think Minako think!* "It was then that Minako had a thought. A not-so-good thought. *Oh
dear Lord. How does this affect the timeline?!? If I blow my cover like that again, I could
totally screw up the future of Crystal Tokyo!* Minako began to panic as she thought of the
consequences of her actions. She panicked even more when she imagined Setsuna's face when she
saw just how badly Minako had screwed everything up. *Ooookay. Now would be one of those
times where my acting skills come in handy. Hello Improv. All right make it good baby or say
bye bye to Broadway. Hope this works...*
"So you're saying that this 'Minako' is in my body living my life?" asked Persephone, her
hands on her denim-clad hips. "Yes. Well...I think so. I'm not sure. But it's very highly
possible..." stuttered out a bewildered Ami. Persephone lifted an eyebrow in a very
Minako-like gesture of sarcasm. "K. So how do I get back to my own time?" questioned
Persephone as she looked expectantly around the room. She was greeted with a very definite
and uncomfortable silence. "YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW!?!?!?" she shrieked, in a very much
like Minako, drama queen fit. "Okey dokey" said Jared, grabbing her arms, "just chill out
okay? Ami is working on it. We'll figure this out alright?" He gave her his 'reassurance'
smile that he bragged could placate any woman. As usual it had no effect. "But my shrine!
She won't know how to appease the Goddess! And the soldiers are everywhere, looking for
me. I don't doubt that she's already dead! I need to be..." she stopped in mid-hysterics
as Jared yelled "Hold up! Rewind. What freaking soldiers?" "Pardon?" asked Persephone,
puzzled. Ken grabbed her arm and yelled "What soldiers are out for your blood?"
Persephone, scared shitless, stuttered, "The Im-im-imp-imperial soldiers. They wish to
crush religion in favor of politics. They have done away with so many shrine maidens as
it is. I know my way around them but it's only a matter of time before they get her.
She has no protection!" Persephone broke down sobbing. Makoto stood up and comforted
her gently while the poor girl sobbed her little heart out. Everyone else looked
extremely worried.
Usagi pulled Ami, Ken, and Jade aside. "Ami-chan, what are the odds Minako-chan still has
her powers?" Ami shook her head. "Not good huh?" said Ken grimly. Ami chose not to answer.
"She's still alive!" said Jared fiercely, his fists clenched. "I know" said Usagi gently.
"But until we can figure out a way to get Mina-chan back before she gets hurt, we have to
make sure Persephone doesn't get hurt. "What if we ask Rei if she can do a fire reading
for us, or ask Nate to do the stars? Not like that ever gets any definite answer from him.
Damn mystical prick," said Zach, coming over. "Heard that!" yelled Nate across the room as
he showed Persephone his precious religious artifacts: the remote, the DVD player, his
collection of every single Rocky movie ever made. She didn't seem impressed. "Hey Rei? Can
you do us a favor? Rei? Hello? REI!?!" Ami started to walk in the spaced out priestess's
direction. Rei suddenly looked in their direction, her eyes pupil-less. "Evil," she
whispered, "Too strong. Closer. Closer. Here she comes." Usagi saw in slow motion as Mamoru
suddenly dived from his chair straight at her and Jared threw a dazed Rei on the floor as
every single window in the spacious living room was blown out by one fiery blast.
"Why Adonis, it's me. Persuf...Parsoph...Parsofinni...it's me." Minako contorted
her face into a look of concern and puzzlement. Adonis was still looking at her
as if she had sprouted tentacles out of her ears. "How did you do that to those
soldier pigs," he asked skeptically. *Whoa boy. Make it good sister. Think Roman
priestess. What the hell do Roman priestesses think!?!?!* "Um, I don't know. It just
uh...it...uh...it felt as though a presence entered my body. Yes, a presence. The
presence of...uh...VENUS!" Minako quickly clasped her hands to her chest and looked
skywards. Venus saved us Adonis!" she exclaimed loudly. She cracked an eyelid to see
if he was buying it. He still had the tentacle-sprouting look on his face. *Go for it
baby!* screamed Minako's permanent inner prima donna* She dropped to her knees and
began praising Venus, hoping that it sounded convincing. Apparently it did for she felt
Adonis' hand on her shoulder as he kneeled across from her. She opened her eyes to
see him gazing into her eyes lovingly. "Thank the goddess" he said quietly. He leaned
in for what looked like a soul-exchanging, heart-wrenching, earth shattering kiss. At
the last second, Minako turned her cheek so that he made contact with her cheek instead
of her lips. She tried not to imagine just how pissed off Ken would look if he could see
exactly what was going on in the room. "You're bleeding" she said quietly, touching the
side of his head, where a steady stream of blood trickled down his side. "Not so bad,"
he replied. "Let me clean the wound," she said, rising quickly. She walked towards a
basin of water in the corner near the door. She dipped the hem of her billowy toga into
the water and walked back towards a waiting Adonis. By the door, her foot hit something
hard and metallic that skittered across the floor. Minako picked the object up only
to find herself looking at a gold medallion with the sign of Venus, imbedded in a heart
glittering back up at her. She fixed it back to its rightful position on the shoulder of
her robes. She walked back towards Adonis and then began to gently dab at his wound. She
looked into his eyes, intending to smile and assure him, but quickly averted her eyes
as she saw the emotion clearly in his face. The look of total adoration disquieted Minako,
for she could see he was willing to do anything for her. Even die...
Usagi tried to sit up, coughing, but found a heavy force on top of her. Mamoru was coughing
as well but as he checked Usagi over, making sure she wasn't injured. Usagi smiled. It
never ceased to amaze her how her Mamo-chan managed to protect her. In a split second he
had dived on top of her shielding her from a very powerful blast. She started to get up
as she heard signs that her friends were all okay. Ami was removing a very large chunk of
glass from Zach's arm as he made a joke to her. Rei was yelling at Jade to get off of her,
but then checked him over tenderly, making sure his injuries were minor. Makoto was patting
Nate on the back as he assessed the damage done to his once beautiful and stylish living
room. "My living room!" he moaned. "Hope you have good insurance" quipped Zach, cradling his
arm. "Dude, I think it's time we find a new hang out place," said Ken wryly as he pulled
Persephone to her feet. A sultry feminine laugh echoed through the house. In a flash of
rainbow light, Persephone was surrounded by the warriors she had seen earlier that day.
The last thing she saw was Eternal Sailor Moon's panicked face. Then everything went dark.
"Whoa. Where'd she go?" asked Jadeite as he turned around the demolished room. The laugh
sounded again, this time from outside. The entire group made a synchronized dash
towards...somewhere, following the echoes of the laugh. It led them in the direction
of the pool. Halfway there, they stopped dead. Standing before them, on Nate's perfectly
pedicured lawn stood an angel, complete down to the billowing robes and the angelic
looks. The only contrast to this scene was the malicious grin on her face and the fact
that she had Persephone in a strangle hold while her hand glowed blood red. "Not cool"
said Zoicite. "Drop her!" yelled Kunzite in his most manly, authoritative voice.
Anastasia smirked and then with a casual flick of her hand sent Kunzite crashing into
the wall so hard, he left a Kunzite-sized dent in it. "I'm not through assessing her
yet," said Anastasia tersely to his prone form.
It was at this moment Persephone began to come around. It took her all of about
4 seconds to determine that the position she was in was not a good position to
be in. So she began to try and pry herself loose. Big mistake. Anastasia tightened
her grip on Persephone's throat, mercilessly squeezing out all her air as she gasped
desperately for air and began to turn a sickly blue shade. Anastasia threw her down
to the ground. "Bah! You're not ready yet! I have to go farther..." Anastasia's
thoughts were broken by a sudden, emboldened step forward by Eternal Sailor Moon.
"Okay, what you did was very very wrong and I'm going to have to punish you even
though you scare the living shit out of me because you just beat the crap out of
Kunzite and he's no pushover. I mean, he used to use me as a punching bag so you
can see why..." Sailor Mars cleared her throat theatrically. "Nevertheless,"
yelled Sailor Moon, "I will punish you!" Anastasia stared at her for a moment
and then began to laugh. Everyone in the lawn involuntarily shivered at the sound.
"You foolish children. Don't meddle where you are not concerned. I need but one
thing from you, and without it, you are all better off dead. So say good bye Eternal
Sailor Moon as I grab half of my prize and become closer to my goal." With this
chilling statement, Anastasia reached forward with her glowing red energy and ripped
the Ginzshou from Sailor Moon's fuku, making her revert back to Usagi in a flash of light.
Anastasia laughed and then with a swipe of her hand, sent Usagi blasting across
the lawn and into the wall next to Kunzite. "NO!" yelled Mars and Tuxedo Kamen,
rushing towards Anastasia. She sent them both flying into the pool where they hit
the bottom with a crack. Mercury and Jadeite rushed to help the two out while Jupiter,
Nephrite, and Zoicite sent their attacks hurtling towards the demoness on the lawn.
She brushed them off like flies and then sent all three blasting across the lawn and
into the open garage door, where they landed with a crash, setting off Nate's car
alarm. Anastasia turned around deftly to catch Jadeite's flying tackle in mid-flight.
As a reward for his failed sneak-attack, Jadeite was sent flying to the roof and into
an ill-positioned satellite dish that did nothing to ease his landing. Anastasia
turned and smiled evilly at Sailor Mercury, who was determinedly typing away on her
computer. Anastasia picked her up and sent her hurtling over the perimeter fence
and onto the unforgiving asphalt. Finally turning to her initial prey, Anastasia
leaned close to Persephone's ear and whispered, "I'll be back for you later when
you've powered up. We're nowhere near done." With this she gave Persephone a power
kick to the stomach and disappeared with an evil cackle that resounded throughout the
battlefield.
Minako dabbed gently at the freely flowing blood at Adonis' temple. "I'm sorry,"
said Minako softly as she continued to dab at it. "I wish Ami was here," she
muttered as she inspected the gash on his head. "What was that?" asked Adonis through
pain-clenched teeth. "Nothing" said Minako quickly. "Adonis, those soldiers will
be back soon. And I highly doubt they will want to discuss our differences like
reasonable adults." "We shall protect the shrine together, or die trying. Our fates
are in the hands of the Gods," said Adonis resolutely. *Okay, not sure I'm liking
that particular scenario* thought Minako grimly. "Persephone, I think Venus was
sending us a message today. A sign Persephone!" "Mm-hmm" mumbled Minako, as she
dabbed at the cut. *Why won't this thing stop bleeding!* "I think that Venus was
trying to tell us that united, the two of us can do anything, even fight off those
soldiers!" said Adonis enthusiastically. Minako snorted. *You mean I can fight
them off. You were too busy being that one guy's personal punching bag.*
"Mmm-hmm" she muttered again. *Okay, enough with the blood already. Will it ever
stop? It's like a crimson tide or something. Hey, isn't that the name of some American
movie? That was a good movie. Well that's what Usagi said. But her idea of a good
movie is anything that involves cutsie bunnies. Which explains the Bambi fixation...*
"Persephone, let's get married!" yelled Adonis, grabbing her hand. Minako smiled
stupidly and then passed out face-first into the floor.
"No Doctor, I don't need a shot in my butt. I'm fine, I'm not sick..."
muttered a badly beaten Jadeite. "I said no! What the..." he said, flipping over
and getting a good look at his butt. Sticking out of it was a mini-satellite dish.
That took a few seconds to comprehend. Then... "GET IT OFF GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OFF! OFF! OFF! OWWWWWWWWW OWIE!" screamed Jadeite clawing
at the dish as he ran to and fro across the rooftop, finally dislodging the dish
and sending it smashing to the ground. "Hey watch it," yelled Kunzite blearily as
the dish smashed into bits near his very sore head. "Sorry," yelled Jadeite back
down. "Well besides the fact that Nate isn't going to be watching much HBO in the
next week, how is everyone else faring?" "Oh we're just great, Jared, just peachy
keen down here" yelled Mars sarcastically as she wrung out her hair and gingerly
probed the lump on her head. Tux, with an identical lump on his head was wringing
out his cape. His hat was floating around in the deep end with some rubber duckies.
"What's that blaring noise?" asked Kunzite, as he helped a shaken Persephone to her
feet. A long, loud, heartbroken scream split through the air from the garage. Jupiter
and Zoicite came bolting out of the open door, she pulling shards of glass from her
leg and he nursing his arm. The scream sounded again. "Nephrite's convertible got
trashed when we landed on it. He's coping right now," said Zoicite grimly. There was
the sound of someone kicking metal and a BMW hubcap came whizzing out the open door
followed by loud obscenities. "I think he's taking it quite well" said Jade cheerfully,
as he emerged from the house. Mercury came limping in view, very scraped and bleeding
quite a bit, but otherwise ok. Nephrite emerged from the garage, limping slightly and
walking very stiffly, fists clenched. Everyone regarded him tentatively. "That
is the second car in 2 months. What do you freaky people have against my cars!"
he yelled shaking his fists at the sky. Jupiter patted his back soothingly, her function
of the day. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Kamen was helping a dazed Usagi to her feet. She wobbled
unsteadily, looked at each of her friends and then collapsed, sobbing into Tux's arms.
"She stole the Ginzshou! She stole my powers!" Her heartbroken sobs pierced through the
hearts of all there. Persephone walked tentatively forward. And then, in true Minako
fashion, enveloped her in a warm and comforting hug. "Thank you" whispered Usagi, wiping
away tears. "Was that crystal thing important?" asked Persephone. "Very important Perse"
said Jadeite as he detransformed. Persephone scowled at the unflattering nickname as the
others detransformed. "Ow my head" moaned Rei as Jade helped her sit down. "What did she
want from me? I don't even know her!" exclaimed Persephone. "We're not quite sure. But
you can help us find out. I didn't catch what she said to you on account of the fact I
was smashed in the wall. Can you help?" said Ken, as he rubbed his sore head.
Persephone nodded. "She said something about me not being ready and then she said it
wasn't over and she'd be back. Then she kicked me and that really hurt." Here Persephone
rubbed her stomach, where a nasty black and blue mark was forming. "Okay, that really
didn't clear anything up. Lets try again, why did she want the Ginzshou?" asked Nate.
"Duh Nate, the same thing every other evil wench wants. Unimaginable power, mass
destruction, and all that jazz. Just like almost every other witch we've dealt with.
You'd think they could be a bit more original," said Rei sarcastically. "Not like
every other witch Rei. This one has brains," said Ami looking up from her computer
where she was analyzing the battle. "Yeah, Bitchy Beryl didn't have a quarter of the
brains that chick had," said Zach reflectively. "I wonder what Persephone wasn't
ready for yet?" said Mamoru. "Maybe it had something to do with..." Before Persephone
could clue in her new friends to what was going on, she suddenly fell flat on her
face, completely unconscious, into Ken's arms.
Someone was gently patting her face. She didn't like that. The patting got
harder. "Stop," she whined, turning away from the light. Her groggy mind heard someone
say something about leaving. "No, I can't," she murmured, "I have to go get married now
in my pretty toga." She was abruptly dropped flat on her face. "OWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
she screamed, still too groggy to flip herself over, despite the indignity.
"Persephone! Get up, you're not getting married or wearing a toga." Ken's voice floated
through her semi-conscious mind. "Oh no Ken not you too!" she said groggily, "Listen I
hate those togas. I want jeans back. Ow, what the hell? My stomach hurts!" Ken blinked.
"Minako?" he asked. "Duh," she replied through a mouthful of grass. It was then
that her senses came back full force. She flipped over to see all her friends staring
at her, their eyes wide. She jumped to her feet and straight into Ken's waiting arms.
"MINAKO-CHAN!" screamed Usagi, Jade, Makoto, and Rei joyously. "Just when I was
starting to get used to Persephone" said Zach in mock sadness. Minako had a fleet
glimpse of all her friends before Ami forcibly ripped her out of Ken's arms, slammed
her down on the grass and whipped out her computer. *Damn, she's strong for such a
tiny thing* thought Minako, trying to stop her head from spinning and her butt from
hurting. "TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Ami screamed maniciacally. "Uh-oh" mumbled Zach as he
recognized the glint in her eye. They'd be there for hours... Actually, it was only
two hours to get both sides of the story. Not too long considering the fact that Ami
had grilled the Generals about their reappearance for 5 consecutive hours. So everyone
felt that they got off relatively easy this time. Currently, each couple was
respectively cuddled in various cuddly armchairs in Nate's den while his housekeeping
staff worked at repairing the damage done. It was relatively quiet while Ami went over
the data in her computer. It amazed Ken that the girl wasn't blind, what with the amount
of time she spent staring at that tiny screen. "Minako-chan," she said suddenly. "Uh,
yeah Ami?" said Minako sleepily from Ken's arms. "You said you were unable to transform
while in Persephone's body?" "Yup" said Minako matter-of-factly. "Will you try for me
now?" asked Ami. "Sure Ami-chan," said Minako as her body reluctantly obeyed her
brain's command. She drew her wand and yelled (in a less than chipper voice) "Venus
Star (yawn) Power!" A sudden flash of golden light blinded all present. When it subsided,
Ami began to gibber incoherently and strangle Zach in her happiness. "WHOA!" screamed
Makoto, falling out of her chair. "How the hell am I Eternal?" yelled Venus, now fully
awake. Ami suddenly stopped gibbering and strangling, much to Zachs relief, and drew
her wand, yelling her transformation phrase. When the blue light stopped dancing in
front of everyone's blinded eyes, they could clearly see Eternal Sailor Mercury tapping
away at a whirlwind pace on her mini-computer. Rei and Makoto took the hint and
transformed, leaving red and green spots in front of everyone's eyes. Sure enough,
Eternal Sailors Mars and Jupiter were standing before them in all their feathery
glory. "Is it me or is this wrong?" asked Zach as he walked around Mars. "Ami?"
said Mamoru, looking for an explanation. Mars did an abrupt 180 to see what Mercury
had to say, giving Zach a mouthful of feathers and thwacking him towards Jupiter.
"Okay I got it!" said Mercury, very enthusiastically, "About damn time!" yelled
Jupiter pumping her fist in the air, her wings giving Zach a little souvenir and
sent him flying right into Venus' back, looking very dazed. "Well," began Mercury,
"Since Usagi no longer has the Ginzshou, she no longer has access to her powers,"
here Usagi gave a little sob and everyone looked at her consolingly, "Therefore the
powers we gave to her are no longer 'needed' by her so they have been returned to us.
So technically this loss is actually a very big gain for us! With the four of us in
Eternal, we have more chance to kick this witch's ass!" Venus did a little twirl of
victory, giving Zach the impression of being in a fluffy revolving door. He finally
stopped spinning and landed smack dab in the middle of all the celebrations, which
was the equivalent to a feathery mosh pit in his case. Finally he regained his balance.
"OKAY!" he yelled. Everyone stopped dancing to stare at him. Usagi had to suppress
a giggle. Zach began spitting feathers out his mouth. "As much as I enjoy seeing you
all in Eternal mode, ENOUGH WITH THE FREAKING WINGS ALREADY!" As he spoke, feathers
flew out of his mouth. 3 seconds later everyone was on the floor laughing, the four
girls detransforming in the process. "Okay okay, more news" said Ami as she managed
to get back on her feet. "It is my belief that once Usagi gets the Ginzshou back, we
will all resume our Super modes and Usagi will go to Eternal." "The question," said
Mamoru, "is how do we get the Ginzshou back?" Silence as everyone went into what looked
to be a long night of brainstorming.
"I dunno Ken, it's really odd." The two were outside in the garden, taking a break from
the strategic session going on inside. "What's odd?" he asked as they settled down on to
a bench. "Well, while I was in Persephone's body, I felt like I did before I found out I
was Sailor Venus. Like a normal girl. Except for this ache that kept growing that I just
couldn't recognize. But as Persephone I recognized that ache, it was Venus trying to
break free of my memories. Only in Persephone it wasn't that strong. It was like she was
growing at a very very slow pace. But I could feel her, a tiny glimmer." "And..."
prompted Ken, twirling her hair. Minako smiled, it had only been a little over two months,
and they knew each other so well already. Minako had a sudden, quick image of Adonis,
leaning in to kiss her. She shook her head and continued. "Everything there felt so familiar.
The people, the places, the prayers, the layout of the shrine. Everything. It's like
I'd left on vacation and come back to something I knew quite well but hadn't seen in
awhile." Minako trailed off and looked up at Ken expectantly. He kissed the tip of her
nose and said "Maybe it wasn't new Miko-chan." "Maybe," she replied, losing herself
in her thoughts. Ken let her ponder silently for awhile. "Okay Mina, we better get
back inside and help brainstorm," he finally said, getting up. They walked hand in
hand back to the kitchen where everyone was still seated, racking their brains for
answers, coffee cups and soda cans littering the floor. Minako coughed gently, and
Usagi, who was jittery due to caffeine overload (she'd had 3 espresso's and 4 cups of
black coffee) jumped five feet in the air and straight onto Mamoru's lap. "I think it's
time we got Luna and Artemis here. They are our strategists after all. And Setsuna,
if she'll come," Minako said quietly. Hey, yeah. Where are the fur balls anyway?"
said Nate. "Setsuna took them to one of her country estates to give them some R&R.
They were pretty tuckered out after Diana and Chibi-Usa's last visit," Usagi said.
The 'last visit' Usagi was referring too had been a particularly tiring one for the
cats. Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa had decided to spend a day at the fair. Luna and
Artemis, after seeing the look in their daughter's eyes had grudgingly given in and
decided to go along. Amongst various small disasters, Diana had somehow gotten stuck
at the top of the Ferris wheel and had to be rescued by Artemis, who, after catching
hold of his daughter, had lost his kitty footing. Diana landed quite unharmed in a
cotton candy sellers wagon. Artemis had landed in the lion's cage. What followed was
a 5 minute chase of cat and...er...cat. After much cursing, Artemis finally got out
of the irate lion's cage and stole its dinner as penance. Mamoru and Usagi were
subsequently banned from the fair. Mamoru shuddered, recollecting the incident and the
image of the porky fairgrounds police officer yelling at him, spit flying all over
his face.
"Well then," said Minako, clapping her hands half-heartedly, Guess I'll contact
Setsuna." She grimaced inwardly at that thought. "Uh too late Sis," said Jade, his voice
small and his eyes huge. Minako turned slowly around to see Eternal Sailor Pluto with
the two cats at her feet and a look of utter fury on her face. Minako tried very hard
not to faint in fear.
*How quaint* thought Anastasia, as she examined the Ginzshou. She marveled at the fact
that the trinket in her palm was not only part of the key to her ultimate immortality,
but a key to her downfall as well. *And those Sailor Brats haven't a clue what is going
on!* she laughed lightly, the kind of laugh that makes little children cry and small
animals scamper away. She sighed. This had been the easy part of her plan. Phase Two
was difficult. She did not hold immortality nor power in her hands. What she held was
simply a vehicle to power and immortality. It was useless to her without the second key.
Anastasia pondered her next move. *I will need more energy* she thought shrewdly. She
set the Ginzshou in a chain around her neck, the heavy stone looking very odd indeed
as a necklace. She disappeared with a wave of blood-red light.
"Um, uh, hi ya Sets!" said Jade cautiously. She glared at him and he shrank down into
his stool. Pluto collapsed into a chair, massaging her temples. "Someone has been
manipulating the timeline," she said acidly. Everyone looked at each other grimly.
Artemis scampered up to Minako's lap and Luna ran to comfort Usagi. "There is only
so much I can tell you. So here goes," said Pluto, standing up and beginning to pace.
"Alright, Minako. Persephone is one of your reincarnations. Each of us, excluding
myself of course, was reborn several times before we finally got to this time and
this body. As I have said many times, Usagi, your mother wanted each of you to have
as normal of a life as possible. Well, you had them in your reincarnations. You were
reincarnated until you were best able to handle your position as Senshi. Okay, next
thing: Whoever switched Minako and Persephone is a very powerful person. I can't do
that without dying. This is not someone to be screwed around with. Analyze her
carefully, she still needs something from us." "How do you know that Sets?" asked
Rei quizzically. "Because if she didn't need anything more, we'd all be dead right
now," said Pluto darkly. Rei's eyes got wider. "Right. Last thing is this: Usagi you
are to be nowhere near a battle. Shush!" she said as Usagi opened her mouth to protest.
"You are completely powerless. You are to stay with Luna and Artemis until we can get
you the Ginzshou. No but's about it Princess. I mean it." Pluto stopped pacing and
looked at each of them. Sighing she said "Good luck little sisters. You'll need it."
With this she walked towards the door. As she passed Minako, Pluto grabbed her arm
and whispered in her ear "Be on the lookout Minako and use your head. You are the
key to her plan." And then she disappeared in a flash of black and garnet sparkles.
"So whos in the mood for a game of Scrabble?" said Jade sarcastically, his eyes
still wide. Luna gave him a piercing look. "Now, would any of you mind telling us
exactly what happened?" she said, annoyed. Minako sighed as everyone looked at her
expectantly. *Here we go again* she thought sagely.
Anastasia reappeared in a dark alleyway in Chicago, Illinois. She walked casually
towards the brightly-lit street, looking for a victim. She smiled as a cop on his
beat told a bum to keep moving. She quickened her pace and rushed towards him,
close to tears. "Oh, officer!" she simpered, latching on to his arm. "Thank goodness
I found you. I was walking down through there and dropped my purse and it's just
so dark I can't find it. My whole life is in that purse!" "Calm down Miss," said
the officer, peering down the alley, looking for any threats. Anastasia smiled.
Little did he know the threat was currently latched to his arm. "Will you help me?
It's so frightening down there, she said, close to tears. "Of course" he said
softly and walked down the alley. Anastasia followed, her eyes glowing red.
"Wonderful" she said evilly, her lips curling into a predatorial smile. The screams
of the dying man echoed down the broad avenue, as his life was literally sucked
out of him. "Why thank you officer, you've been most helpful," said Anastasia, as
she stood up, feeling refreshed and powerful. She smiled coyly and blew the corpse
a kiss before disappearing in her telltale wave of blood red light. She left behind
her one dead body and a street full of evil. Far away, across an ocean and nestled
in an oversized chair, Usagi shivered in fear. "I don't think we've seen the last
of her" she whispered fearfully. Famous last words...
******************************************************************************************
Whoa. Sometimes I surprise even myself. Scary huh? So anyways this is the first
chapter. I warned you it was going to be screwy. I hope you enjoyed it, I really
do. Special thanks to Ara-chan, Selene, Yosh and Warrior of Ice. My own little support
network. Feedback would rock my world (yes I just used that term. Leave me alone it's
early in the morning) so send lots. Hope you enjoy!! I'm starting on Chapter 2 soon! Right
after I pick up that dreaded Psych book. I think it's cursed...
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