Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kazu Starskimmer sat alone in the cavernous basement underneath Jack’s upscale Tokyo mansion. His feet rested on a massive desk that was home to a keyboard and large, curved monitor attached to a supercomputer. Along the wall next to it sat numerous toolchests and a pristinely organized workbench. Across the room was a holopad. For the last year, he, Jack, and Xinnaa used it to keep in touch with the other members of the Immortals who were holding the fort back in the Skyriver galaxy. In the background, a stereo quietly played jazz music.

Holding a nearly empty glass of scotch in one hand, Kazu flipped through a folder in his lap. He reached the end of the pages within, threw it onto the desk, and took a sip of the drink. He removed his feet from the desk and placed the glass next to a CD case. Leaning forward, Kazu pressed a key on the keyboard.  A map of Tokyo appeared along with several dots over various locations in the city. He pressed another key, causing a new dot to appear over the waterfront.

Kazu sat back, folding his hands over his stomach. He studied each point on the map, trying to make sense of what was seemingly random. A radio station, a parking garage, a cram school, a bus stop by a Shinto shrine, among others. And now a rusted-out cruise ship that, according to the police report laying on the desk, people claim had been not only in pristine condition earlier that night but had set sail for a couples’ cruise.

He picked the glass of scotch back up and looked at the case for the jazz CD that was playing on the stereo. Yusuke Amade’s most recent album, it bore the title Moonlight Lady with cover art of a crescent moon, four stars, and the silhouette of a woman standing on the moon with a hairstyle identical to that of the Serenities. The inside booklet said it was dedicated to “the girl who fights for justice.”

He rubbed his forehead and took another sip. It was strange. And frustrating. He’d come to Earth a year earlier after finding out he’d been searching the wrong galaxy for any sign of his past life in the Silver Millennium and only weeks after coming up short studying the history of the world, rumors start of a hero calling herself Sailor Moon start popping up from people swearing they’d been saved by her. Then came a Sailor Mercury. And a Sailor Mars. But not one person had been able to get a photo of any of them. The only thing that came close was the cover art of Moonlight Lady. These people were more elusive than the American northwest’s Bigfoot. And that thing was captured on video in the 1960s.

Kazu shook his head before closing the map of the city. He finished the scotch and got up from the chair, turned the stereo off and made his way to the stairs. There had to be a way to find out where they were going to pop up next. As he ascended to the first floor of the mansion, he wracked his brain for ideas.

*          *          *

Deep in a darkened lair, a man with short, blonde hair wearing a sharp purple uniform and brown knee-high boots stood at attention. Directly in front of him sat a tall woman with waist length, red hair in a flowing, purple dress and stone earrings. Unmoving in her rocky throne with a black orb resting in a standing scepter before her, she stared menacingly at the man.

“This is your last chance, Jadeite,” she stated with malice and venom. “Either you annihilate the Sailor Guardians or face the consequences of your continued failures.”

“Yes, Queen Beryl,” he responded with a bow before disappearing.

Beryl continued to sit in silence for a few seconds before turning her head slightly at a faint noise behind her. She stood, took the scepter, and walked out of the gloomy, sinister throne room. Making her way into a dimly-lit corridor, she stopped in front of a carved out section of the wall obscured by darkness. A pair of vibrant green eyes penetrated the shadows.

“Where have you been?”   

“Does it matter? I’m here now,” came a voice belonging to a woman. “More importantly. Do you really believe Jadeite will do it? The man has not once been successful since we reawakened.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t expect Sailor Moon will have the nerve to finish him off, either. When he does fail, kill him.”

Silently, the pair of eyes descended into the darkness. Beryl stood for a moment longer before continuing down the hall, grumbling to herself.

*          *          *

Kazu stepped out onto the rooftop balcony of Jack’s mansion, closing the sliding door behind him. He made his way over to a table in the middle and sat in the open chair across from a pale human with a singular braid of dark yellow hair draped over her right shoulder.

“Don’t think you need to wear the disguise right now, Xi. Most people aren’t going to pay attention to a couple of people on a roof at this time of night.”

“Maybe I just like having hair?” she shrugged, picking up a bottle from the table and drinking from it.

“Hah! Right. Hair,” Kazu laughed. “I chop some of this off and I look funny before it grows back in a week or two,” he went on, tugging at some of his hair. “Chop that braid off and you lose the ability to talk for a few hours.”

“I’d still be smarter than you,” she smirked, the braid slipping off her shoulder and moving over to her left side, closer to him. “Better looking, too,” she added with another swig. “You get anything from the cruise incident?”

“You’d think, but no,” he responded, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. “Dozens of couples on a derelict ship magicked into working order and not one person had a camera. Not even a disposable.”

“Low-tech people in a low-tech world, I guess,” she shrugged, setting the bottle down on the table.

“You’re not wrong. But I have to think of something to get near this ‘Sailor Moon.’ See whether or not she’s Princess Serenity or just stealing her hairstyle. How would you feel about attacking me in broad daylight without the disguise?”

Xinnaa silently gave Kazu a disapproving look while the braid slumped off her shoulder.

“Kay. It was an idea.”

“So was chasing Lucinda alone.”

“How many times do you want me to apologize for that?”

Before Xinnaa could answer, the sky filled with the sound of malicious laughter. Kazu stood and slowly walked toward the balcony’s railing.

“I know that laugh…”

A mass of swirling dark energy filled the night sky and in seconds dissipated, revealing the image of the upper body of a blonde-haired man.

“Hear me,” it started. “I am Jadeite. Now, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars: Come to Haneda Airport at one a.m. tomorrow night. Be at Runway F. If you aren’t there…”

The image reared back and blew a blast of fire down, engulfing the city below in flames. A moment later, he snapped his fingers and the fire disappeared.

“That fire was merely an illusion. But if you’re late, I’ll turn Tokyo into a sea of flames for real,” it finished, leaning in before dissolving.

“Well,” Xinnaa said, getting up from her chair and walking up to Kazu, “I guess we know where she’s going to be now.”

“That’s not all we know,” he said, spinning on his heels to face her. He had a wide grin and his eyes were filled with energy and resolve. “That was Jadeite. One of Endymion’s bodyguards who betrayed him. Sailor Moon has to be Princess Serenity!” he yelled, grabbing Xinnaa’s shoulders. “Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars have to be two of the other princesses!”

He started laughing wildly, letting go of Xinnaa and marching back into the mansion.

“My search is over!”

*          *          *

The next night at about half past midnight., Kazu rolled up to Haneda Airport’s arrivals lane in a black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am with Xinnaa sitting in the passenger seat. No other cars were around and the airport looked completely deserted.

“You’d think there’d be more cops,” Xinnaa said, looking around.

“Probably put out a skeleton crew,” Kazu said. “I heard on the radio that the police department told people the image of Jadeite was a group of pranksters. If I know Commissioner General Otsuka, he probably doesn’t actually expect anything and put out just enough officers to make it look like they do. Not like it would do them any good anyway. Seems like Jadeite’s already made his first move,” he finished, pointing to a downed officer by the entrance.

Kazu jumped out of the car and hastened over, checking the officer’s neck.

“He’s still alive,” Kazu said to Xinnaa who had followed. “Guess Jadeite decided to be nice.”

“You know this guy better than I do, Koz. What’s the plan?”

“Jadeite’s an arrogant idiot,” he said, starting to pace. “Chances are he’s concocted what he thinks is a foolproof plan to kill the princesses that’ll inevitably backfire from monologuing about how he’s better than them. I never knew Princess Serenity to be a fighter but based on what I’ve been discovering lately, she seems to be following in her mother’s footsteps there. I want to see what she’s capable—”

Before Kazu could finish, a train rolled into the airport’s station. He grabbed Xinnaa and dove behind a nearby planter. They watched two girls in school uniforms, one with blonde hair and buns and the other with short blue hair, and a third wearing the dress of a shrine maiden with long, black hair, spill out and head for the entrance. A black cat with a crescent moon spot on its forehead followed them.

“…you’re really such a crybaby, Usagi,” the shrine maiden said as they got closer.

“I wouldn’t cry so much if you weren’t so mean to me, Rei!” the blonde retorted.

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t be so mean to you if you didn’t cry so much!” the one named Rei countered. “Ami,” she went on, turning to the one with blue hair, “what’s the fastest way the runways?

“Through here,” she answered, pointing to the nearby entrance. The three hurried through.

“That sound anything like you remember?” asked Xinnaa once they were gone.

“Princess Serenity was never a crybaby. Unsure of herself sometimes but I never knew her to be a whiner. The other two seemed pretty similar to the Princess Mars and Princess Mercury I remember. And I know that cat. Her name is Luna. She talks. The girls’ names though … Every answer I get just raises further questions. Anyway,” he said, standing and looking around. “I was saying I want to see what these girls are capable of. We need to get on the roof. There’s a pair of macrobinoculars in the glove box. You got a scope?”

“One of my rifles is in the trunk.”

“Don’t need the gun,” he said, tossing her his keys.

Xinnaa left to get the equipment and Kazu shuffled off to the side of the terminal entrance. He found a fence and sized it up, tracing the top to an awning nearby it and its distance from another awning in front of the terminal and the gap between the two of those. Humming with approval, Kazu scaled the fence and jumped off to the first terminal and hopped to the other just as Xinnaa returned.

“What’d you find?” she asked, tossing him the macrobinoculars.

“That fence to that awning to this one,” he said, pointing out the two spots. “Then over to the terminal,” he added with a leap to the building.

She followed his instructions and, once next to him on the terminal building, they walked over to the other side overlooking the runways. Xinnaa went prone and Kazu kneeled.

“You see them?” Xinnaa asked, looking through her scope.

“Runway F is at 10 o'clock… there’s Jadeite on a hangar and… there’s the girls,” he said, pointing. “One o'clock. Jadeite must have missed a few cops, I see. Wait… what’s Mercury doing?”

They watched as the blue haired girl transformed followed by the dark haired one and the blonde.

“Kay…so they need to transform into these Sailor identities. Interesting.”

Sailor Mercury brought up a visor and Mars attacked the group in front of them with fire, burning them to ashes.

“Never mind. Jadeite created fake guards. And I guess they can’t use magic unless transformed? Then why can I create fire at will? They just noticed Jadeite… and it looks like Serenity and Mars are arguing again.”

Jadeite waved an arm, causing airplanes to chase after them.

“You sure you don’t want to go down and help them?” Xinnaa asked as the Sailor Guardians got closer to the water’s edge at the end of the runway.

“Might have t— wait. The plane stopped. Is that a rose? Is that… Is… Is Endymion really wearing the masquerade costume from the night of the attack? Why?”

The two of them watched a masked man in a tuxedo confront Jadeite and begin fighting in the air, eventually tumbling into the water below.

“That was weird,” Kazu breathed.

“This whole thing is weird, even by our standards.”

“There’s no way that killed— no, no. There’s Jadeite. And there go the planes again. Oh, fascinating.”

Sailor Mercury caused misty fog and Kazu saw Sailor Mars do a chant with a small protection charm, causing the planes to begin chasing Jadeite.

“Could she do that before?”

“She meditated, chanted, and could sense things but I never saw that. What Serenity is doing with that tiara is new to me too. I’ve seen enough.”

Kazu stood and headed back to the front of the terminal.

“I have no idea what’s happening,” he continued as Xinnaa stood and followed. “It seems like they were reborn not knowing who they were. They transform into alter egos to fight Beryl’s forces, but Serenity has a completely different persona. And they have different names,” he said, hopping onto the ground and walking back to his car. “None of this makes any sense. Why was I resurrected with my memories? Why was I born in a different galaxy? Why can I use magic and they can’t unless transformed? Why didn’t Jadeite recognize any of them as the princesses they are? So many questions and no answers.”

“What are you going to do?” Xinnaa asked as they got into the car.

“For one, we’re going to wait for them to leave the airport and follow Serenity to see where she goes. I know everything. They know next to nothing. There has to be a reason for that. Maybe it’s Queen Serenity’s doing for not finding out about Beryl’s scheme in time. Maybe she cursed me with knowledge that they’ll never have. Maybe she wants me to be a pariah for my failure. There’s only three of them, maybe Jupiter’s going to show up soon and this means we can’t restart. Maybe—”

“Breathe, Koz,” Xinnaa interjected. “I like the idea of finding out where this Usagi girl lives. But you might be overthinking. There might be something coming that jogs all their memories. We don’t know. Until then, you have the brace with the armor, use that Marven Braxxar identity. Help them without revealing yourself. We don’t know why you were born with your memories, maybe Queen Serenity wanted you to know so you could help them like this.”

“I’m not calling myself Marven again,” he said. “I need a better name. Oh! Duck.”

The two hid themselves in their seats as Usagi, Rei, and Ami left the airport. Happily chatting amongst themselves, they walked down the street toward a waiting taxi. They got in and the car started driving away.

“What about… Captain Sun?” asked Xinnaa with a grin as Kazu started the car and began following the taxi.

“Too on the nose. And a bit silly. I'll think of something. Or maybe... I don't even give myself a name. Remember the language I made for me and my spies? The Ancient Romans got ahold of it somehow, called it Latin. Maybe I should use the word for nobody," he laughed.

*          *          *

Crumpled against the hangar he had mocked the Sailor Guardians from earlier, Jadeite struggled to catch his breath. He tried to stand but couldn’t, his leg giving out. Outrunning and dodging the airplane he had originally set against them had worn him out.

“Queen Beryl might not punish me,” he said to himself. “After all, I found out their identities. That has to account for something.”

Grunting, he felt the presence of someone standing over him. Jadeite looked up and saw a scowling woman clad completely in black. Her long brown hair blew in the wind and her deep green eyes pierced into what little of a soul he had left.

“You,” he grunted.

The woman crouched down and stared him in the eyes.

“Beryl has tolerated your failures long enough, Jadeite.”

“It’s-it’s-it’s not a complete failure,” he stammered. “I found out who they are! I know their identities.”

The woman cocked her head to the side and studied his face.

“You’re lying.”

“No!”

“You know, I used to watch as people were immolated for their wrongdoings. Granted, they had plenty of chances and eventually got enough rope to hang themselves. But, I remember cleaning up those charred corpses. The smell gets to you. So don’t worry, I’m not going to burn you to death. I don’t have fire magic anyway. No matches either.”

“I’m not lying, I know who they are! We can go back to Beryl, I’m sure she’ll listen.

“Beryl has had enough of you,” she spat. “And at this point, so have I. Let’s see… I could just stab you but that’s not much fun…. Ooh, I know,” she smiled, looking to the side.

The woman stood and dragged Jadeite by the collar over to the water’s edge.

“You tried to drown Tuxedo Mask. It only seems apropos,” she added with a laugh.

The woman shoved Jadeite into the water and grabbed his head, holding him down. She fought against the struggling that eventually lessened as did the bubbles. Soon, there was no movement and only the occasional bubble. She removed her hand and watched as Jadeite’s corpse sank into the depths.

“Rest in piss, you pretentious asshole.”

Chapter Text

Kazu sat at a granite island in the middle of the mansion’s kitchen, eating from a bowl of cereal and poring over that morning’s edition of Mainichi Shimbun. He took a bite and turned over to the crimes and accidents page when Jack walked in.

“Anything interesting?” she asked, pulling a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

“Tax reform is progressing, the emperor announced he’s awarding the Order of Culture to a philanthropist, and Sailor V stopped a bank robbery,” he responded after taking another bite. “How was Louisiana?”

“Won a couple thousand on horse races,” she said, taking a drink. “Found some good land in Baton Rouge for a possible building project, and started talks with people form Portugal. Those should produce in a few months. Anything new with these Sailor girls?”

“Nothing since the airport,” he explained, stirring his spoon in the cereal. “I’ve got Xi staking out Seren—er… Usagi’s house, and following her. I’d be trying to track Jadeite, but he hasn’t shown up either. If anything, those girls probably took him out.”

“So, apart from Xinnaa keeping an eye on one of them, what’s the plan here?” Jack asked, sitting at the island.

Kazu scooped up the last of the cereal from the bowl and looked up in thought as he ate it.

“Not sure,” he said with a swallow. “There’s three more shitennou out there and they’re probably still being led by a reawakened Beryl. Personally, I want to find Kunzite and make him a corpse. I’ve thought of so many ways to do that over the years too,” he snarled, leaning foward. “He’ll die and I’ll be the one making it happen.”

*          *          *

A tall, muscular man with long, flowing black hair stalked a stony passageway with a scowl on his face. He came to an opening in the rocky wall and descended into an even darker hallway. After continuing down it for several seconds, he slowed and stopped.

“How long have you been following me?” he asked with a turn of his head.

“Long enough,” replied a woman’s voice behind him. “I hear Beryl has you gathering energy now that Jadeite’s dead. I hope you’re more successful than he ever was, Nephrite. He had so many chances and so many failures. It’s a wonder Beryl didn’t have me take care of him sooner.”

“Jadeite was an overconfident moron,” Nephrite stated, fully turning to face the green-eyed brunette now in front of him. “And you’ll do well to not underestimate me, Lucinda,” he went on, glaring at her. “That did prove to be your downfall in the past, didn’t it?”

“He’s not even around. I’m not worried about him,” Lucinda responded. “And even if he was, I’ve learned from my mistakes. But enough about that irritating bastard. How do you plan to gather energy for our great ruler?”

“Simple,” he said. “Jadeite tried to focus on too many people, gathering all their energy at once. It was a waste of time and effort. I, on the other hand, will target a single person when their energy is at peak.”

“You’re going to search for the one person with the most energy out of everyone else?” came another voice whose owner materialized next to Lucinda. He was a thin man with auburn hair in a ponytail. “You’re going to waste your own time and effort finding the right person,” he continued, leaning on Lucinda’s shoulder as she gave him a side-eye.

“I do not need to explain my plan to you, Zoisite,” Nephrite seethed. “Nor you,” he added, pointing to Lucinda. “My success will be apparent in due time,” he concluded, turning around and disappearing.

*          *          *

Back in the mansion’s basement, Kazu sat typing away at the supercomputer while Jack crouched over some unfinished tech on the workbench next to the arm brace that contained the Mandalorian-style armor.

“You might just have to settle for bog standard arm blades in the suit,” she said after a few seconds of silence. “I figure I can turn them into a sort of ripping chainsaw, but the speed they’d need to be would cause the track to fail and I can’t promise they wouldn’t fly through the armor and tear you apart. I was able to incorporate your .357s into it though. You’ll have the pair of Pythons for sidearms instead of the blasters it used to have.”

“Fantastic,” Kazu said, leaning back. “Blasters and energy weapons are fine, but no matter how many fights I get into over the years, low-tech toys and fire have never proven me wrong.”

“Yes, you’ve certainly taken the first piece of advice I ever gave you to heart,” she said with a smile. “Never would have thought the flamethrower I suggested would be a magic one though.”

Kazu laughed as his personal datapad assistant pinged. He took it out of his pocket and read the message.

“Xi says there’s strange happenings with a tennis player,” he said. Some guy touched her racket, gave her some advice and her whole personality changed. She got a picture of the person who did…”

He paused for a second and Jack looked over to see him staring at the device.

“Yeah?”

“Guess I was right. Jadeite is probably dead and this guy most likely replaced him,” he said, showing her the image. “His name’s Nephrite. Not as arrogant as Jadeite, but insufferably proud. It’s half the reason Jupiter left him before she and I got together. That and the cheating. Anyway,” he carried on, typing a response to Xinnaa, “I’m going to have Xi stick to the tennis player for the time being.”

*          *          *

The next day, Xinnaa sat in the bushes outside of a tennis court, watching a girl in a tennis uniform and sporting ponytailed black hair angrily outmatch all of the boys who dared to take her on. After each victory, she grew more and more contemptible, as if she was annoyed to have so many people to match up against.

A rustle in the brush behind her caused Xinnaa to turn around and see Kazu slowly edge his way up.

“How are things going?” he asked in a low voice.

“Not great,” she answered in a similar volume. “Whoever that guy was, he did something to cause this girl to turn from having a happy, competitive spirit into this sullen misanthrope. I think I heard her name is Rui.”

“The guy is another Shitennou. Nephrite’s his name. I think he’s trying to suck her dry of energy if the conversation the mic in the Shrine picked up is anything to go by.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“See what happens,” he said, pointing to Usagi running onto the court with another girl. “I think Sailor Moon’s about to make another appearance.”

The two of them watched Usagi and the other girl try to talk Rui down, an attempt that was met with her slamming her racket down and unleashing a wave of energy that threw them into bushes on the opposite end of the court. She collapsed and a black-clad monster with a red pendant in her torso and an even redder collar along with orange, flat hair emerged from the tennis racket and laughed.

“Now all your energy belongs to the Great Ruler!” it exclaimed.

“Huh,” breathed Kazu, moving his hand onto the brace that housed the armor. He stopped just shy of donning it as he heard Sailor Moon’s voice.

“Monsters aren’t allowed to score an Ace!”

He looked over to see Sailor Moon pointing at the monster.

“How dare you use tennis for your evil ends. Even Navratilova would be upset!”

“Why is she monologuing? Eh, let her keep it distracted, I’m going to the other end to try and get behind it.”

Kazu activated the brace and donned the armor while Sailor Moon continued to chastise the monster, only for it to turn her into a giant tennis ball and smack her around the court.

You need a better strategy than just yelling at something and hoping it doesn’t attack, he thought as he crept around the court.

He took another position and began to make his move only to find a rose interrupting the monster’s attack.

Oh, he’s alive, he kept thinking as man he recognized as Endymion but who Sailor Moon called Tuxedo Mask leapt up and struck the monster with his cane, causing the giant tennis ball to vanish. But the respite was short-lived as the monster attacked both of them with a volley of fireballs.

Sailor Moon tripped as a giant fireball barreled right toward her.

Here’s my cue, he thought leaping up and hurrying over.

Kazu got between Sailor Moon and the fireball, putting his hands out and absorbing the heat and flames. He struggled as its might pushed him backward but he stepped forward and leaned in, taking the brunt of its force. After several moments, he took control and threw the mass of fire back toward the monster, causing it to stumble and fall.

He turned toward Sailor Moon.

“Now would be a good time to use that tiara, Sailor Moon.”

“Y-yeah,” she agreed, taking it off and throwing it at the monster. “Moon Tiara Action!”

Kazu watched as the attack vaporized the monster before starting to walk away.

“Wait!” Sailor Moon called after him, causing him to stop. “Who are you.”

Kazu turned and looked at her: the reincarnation of his former best friend’s daughter, the reborn princess he’d once promised to serve in another life, one of five people he had spent decades searching for. And she didn’t even know who she was.

“Uh,” he stammered before finding his voice. “Nemo,” he said before quickly heading into and disappearing into the nearby brush.

*          *          *

Later that night, Usagi and Ami knelt behind Rei who chanted and held an ofuda in front of a roaring fire. As she finished, it grew in intensity before receding back to its normal level.

“The spirits are in disagreement,” she said after couple seconds of silence. “I sense an evil in conflict with itself and they cannot pin down this new person. I am unsure whether or not he can be trusted.”

“He did save me,” Usagi said. “Tuxedo Mask saves me too.”

“But we can’t know if we can truly trust him either,” Rei said, turning around. “We don’t know what he really wants and what his true intentions are.”

“Did he say anything to you, Usagi?” Ami asked.

“I asked him who he was, he just said ‘Nemo.”

“Hmm…” Ami replied. “Nemo is Latin. It means ‘nobody.’ In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus pokes the cyclops’ eye and says the same thing when it asks who he is. We’re dealing with someone who doesn’t want us to know his true name, who wants us to think of him as no one.”

“What do you think, then?” Rei asked. “Do you think we can trust him?”

Ami remained silent and looked down and to the side before looking back up at Rei.

“I don’t know.”

Chapter Text

Once again alone in the mansion’s basement, Kazu paced in front of the supercomputer. Occasionally he’d glance at a progress bar on the screen, checking to see how long until the connected mass spectrometer was finished with its analysis. On the computer’s desk lay a letter with its bottom half clipped off. Suddenly, his ears perked up to the sound of a door opening and descending footsteps. Soon, Jack and Xinnaa emerged from the stairway.

“Shouldn’t you be watching Usagi?” he asked, looking at Xinnaa.

“She’s at school. What could possibly happen there? You know, other than her getting detention again.”

“I don’t know, monsters are showing up everywhere,” Kazu replied with a shrug. “Nephrite’s been targeting people at an alarming rate. This though,” he went on, turning his head toward the paper on the desk, “might be a sign of desperation. If he’s sending every home in the district this letter to Sailor Moon pretending Tuxedo Mask wrote it, I’m willing to bet he’s on borrowed time with Beryl. It’s a last ditch attempt to figure out Sailor Moon’s identity and show Beryl that he can gather the energy she wants.”

The computer pinged. The three of them looked at the screen to see the progress bar full. Kazu moved to sit in the chair and brought up the results.

“The paper is normal stationery. Amazing. Did he go buy enough to cover Juban? How much yen could that have cost? Anway, it has no results for the ink. Rather, it thinks it’s a blank sheet of paper. Fucker bought enough paper and magicked the writing.”

“You have any ideas?” asked Jack.

“Don’t know how many girls are going to show up just out of curiosity,” Kazu responded, looking up and scratching his chin. “Luna would probably advise Usagi against going but she’ll probably go anyway.” He stood and turned around. “Once school’s out, you go back to your post. I’ll keep an eye on the mall. We’ll probably run into each other. And you,” he said, looking at Jack. “Trixie said she was going to have an update on the Rambax case soon. I’d say just keep an eye out for her call.”

The two nodded as Kazu walked toward and began ascending the stairs. Xinnaa followed and Jack sat down and began typing away at the computer.

*          *          *

Beryl strode alone through the dimly lit halls of her hidden lair, making her way from the throne room filled with useless, loyal sycophants to the inner chamber where rested the formless Metalia. Coming to the steps up to the room, she paused and steeled herself. Metalia was sure to not be pleased with Nephrite’s progress of capturing enough energy for her to grow in strength. First it was Jadeite’s constant failures. And now Nephrite’s. Their inability to gather energy put a black mark on her efforts to take over the pitiful world they found themselves in. 

“Trying to put a positive spin on things?” came a familiar voice behind her.

Beryl turned to see Lucinda leaning on one of the passageway’s rocky walls with her arms crossed.

“Stop. Doing. That,” Beryl growled. “And where do you keep running off to?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lucinda replied. “You’ve got enough to think about with the dismal amount of energy Nephrite’s managed to wrangle so far. Might I make a suggestion?”

“Does it matter if I say no?”

“Not really,” Lucinda went on, pushing off the wall. “Tell Metalia that she’ll get the energy you’re going to promise her. Only,” she continued, standing in front of Beryl, “if Nephrite fails this time, let him be the victim. Drain his energy and while I finish him off, present it to Metalia. It’s a win-win, really,” Lucinda smirked, “you don’t make us look weak, you make another example of failure, and good energy doesn’t go to waste.”

Beryl chuckled and looked up the steps to Metalia’s chamber.

“That might work,” she said, looking back at Lucinda. “You know, for all the hatred you harbored for that prince, he really rubbed off on you.”

Lucinda snorted and hocked a wad of spit on the ground. Beryl cackled again before ascending the steps.

*          *          *

Hidden in one of MS Mall’s vents, Kazu listened and watched for any sign of life, whether it was Nephrite, Sailor Moon, or a curious girl who didn’t know any better. In the distance, he heard the mall’s main clock turn another hour and strike midnight.

“Xi,” he said into his earpiece, “it’s quieter than a graveyard in here. What’s your status?”

“Usagi’s on her way. She’s alone though.”

“Mercury always had the most common sense. Maybe Ami talked Rei out of going.”

“From what I gathered, Rei is sick in bed.”

“Whatever works. I’m just—hold up, someone’s coming.”

Through the slits in the vent, Kazu watched Nephrite dressed as Tuxedo Mask walk by, humming to himself with a pleased grin on his face.

Kay… let him get a little further away and…

Carefully, Kazu pushed the vent cover off and crawled out of his hiding place, donning his armor once clear. He followed Nephrite from a distance, using all the corners and obstacles as cover while maintaining visual contact. He hid in the inlet to one of the stores as Nephrite stopped in front of an escalator.

“Koz,” came Xinnaa’s voice from the earpiece, “Usagi’s almost on your position.”

“Understood,” he whispered in response.

A couple seconds later, Nephrite raised an arm and spoke to someone below him.

“Here I am!” he exclaimed, stepping down the escalator. “I’m glad you came.”

Kazu edged forward enough to see the lower level but instead of Usagi or Sailor Moon, he saw Nephrite heading toward a girl he’d seen hanging out with Usagi a few times before, though he was unsure of her name.

Oh, not good.

“I know that voice,” the girl said, with an excited look. “I was right all along. It’s you, Mr. Sanjoin.”

“You recognize my voice?” asked Nephrite.

“I’d know your voice anywhere and no mask or hat can hide your beautiful face or hair.”

Shit. Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit.

“Are you genuinely that in love with this Masato Sanjoin?”

“Yes! Ever since this afternoon, all I could think of was you! I am madly in love with you Mr. Sanjoin!”

I’m gonna murder him.

“Enough of this charade!” he yelled, leaping from the escalator. “Cut the acting and reveal yourself! I know who you are, you’re Sailor Moon!” he shouted, thumping a finger into the girl’s chest.

“What’s wrong Mr. Sanjoin?”

“Spare me your lies, just transform already!”

Kazu broke from his cover and rushed down to where Nephrite and the girl were.

“I don’t get what you’re saying.”

“But, you have to be Sailor Moon, why else would you come to meet me?” he asked, moving his finger from her chest to her head.

“For love,” the girl replied as a mass of energy left her body and came to rest in Nephrite’s palm. “Mr. Sanjoin…” she said weakly, passing out. 

Nephrite gasped and laughed. Kazu jumped and hurled his fist into Nephrite’s head hard enough for him to drop the girl and stumble backwards. Kazu hurried to catch the girl and eased her onto the floor before staring at Nephrite.

“Who-who are you, now?” Nephrite asked, rubbing his face and twirling his energy-laden hand, making it disappear.

“Fuck you.”

“How dare you dress up in a tuxedo and toy with an innocent girl’s feelings!” came a voice to the side.

Kazu and Nephrite turned to see Sailor Moon standing in front of them.

“I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice,” she said, striking her usual poses. “I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I’ll punish you!”

“Enough with the monologuing, Sailor Moon!” Kazu shouted.

“Nemo! What are you doing with this imposter?”

“Looking for a good place to stick a knife.”

“You’re not with him?”

“With me?” Nephrite laughed, leaping into the air. “Nobody is with me,” he went on, discarding the disguise.

“You’re Masato Sanjoin!”

“No,” he explained, “I am Nephrite. One of the Dark Kingdom’s Four Kings of Heaven. I came to destroy you once and for all Sailor Moon, and that’s just what I intend to do.”

Nephrite began to summon a monster and Sailor Moon turned to Kazu.

“Nemo, get Naru to safety.”

Kazu nodded and scooped up the unconscious Naru, running away from the commencing battle to the Mall’s entrance. He made it outside and ran past Xinnaa who started following.

“Isn’t that one of Usagi’s friends?” she asked.

“Yeah, her name’s Naru,” he responded, rounding the corner to the back of the mall where he’d parked his Trans Am. “Nephrite took a lot of energy from her, but she’ll survive.”

He made it to the car and gingerly placed Naru in the passenger seat.

“You’ve been following Usagi, where’s this girl live?”

“There’s a jewelry store called Osa-P on Juban 3-2-6. She lives above it.”

“Help Sailor Moon if she needs it,” he said, getting in and driving away.

Kazu tuned into a police scanner on his dashboard and sped through the empty streets toward the jewelry shop, blowing past any red lights that stood in his way. He flew through a straight stretch and jutted down another alleyway to avoid a police car. He turned left, turned right, turned left again, another left. In minutes, he found the jewelry shop and parked in front. He took Naru, lifted her onto his shoulder and carried her to the back of the building. He looked up at a balcony.

Damn this city and its lack of fire escapes.

Pointing his fist up at the balcony, he shot off a small grappling hook which caught onto the railing and started walking up the side of the wall. Making it to the landing, he tested the sliding door and found it open. Kazu walked in.

Looks like this is her room.

He crept over and placed Naru on her bed, checked her pulse and smiled under his armor.

You’re a resilient little girl.

Kazu turned around to make his exit, stopping when he heard Naru stir.

“Mr. Sanjoin?” she asked weakly

Ugh.

“No,” Kazu said turning back to face her. “Call me Nemo.”

“Where’s Mr. Sanjoin?”

“Not here. You’re safe now.”

“Safe?”

“That Neph—er… Mr. Sanjoin is bad news, kid,” Kazu said, backing up to the window. “Trust me. He’s not your friend. Stay away from him.”

Without another word, Kazu backed up onto the balcony and closed the sliding door before jumping back down into the alleyway. He doffed the armor, got into the car, and drove away.

*          *          *

The next morning, Kazu and Jack sat in the basement with a holoprojection of Xinnaa in between them and the rest of the Immortals projecting on the nearby holotable.

“She’s not going to listen to you, Koz,” Trixie said. “There’s enough kidnappings, missing persons, and predatory cases between the two of us alone to know that kids her age are stubborn and hardheaded. Especially when their infatuation is with someone older than them.”

“Need to do what I can to keep Naru from becoming a statistic,” Kazu seethed.

“Careful, Kazu,” Teek chimed in. “I’m sensing a violent dance between the light and the dark.”

“He’s harming a teenage girl who doesn’t know any better, Teek. The dark can have its way with me if it means I can save her. If we just knew where Nephrite was holed up, I’d put a stop to this right now.”

“But we don’t,” Jack said. “And this is a city of tens of millions.”

“I scoured a galaxy of quadrillions for one person.”

“Dire consequences.” So’lia said.

“So’s right, Kazu,” Saa’na said. “That search didn’t end well. Not for anyone.”  

“Fair,” he sighed. “Kay… Xi, you stay on Usagi. Jack, you and I will figure out where Nephrite is. The sooner we end this little affair, the sooner I can go back to plotting my revenge against Kunzite.”

*          *          *

Queen Beryl once again sat in her stone throne, staring at Nephrite who stood before her. Behind him was Zoisite with a smile on his face. Lucinda was at her side.

“Queen Beryl, Nephrite swore to defeat Sailor Moon,” Zoisite said. “Yet he failed once again.”

Lucinda chortled and unsheathed a dagger from a scabbard on her back.

“Ordinarily, I’d agree,” Beryl answered. “His sentence would be swift and without mercy. But this amazing energy he stole earns him a reprieve.”

“But… my Queen,” Zoisite started while Lucinda glowered at Beryl next to her as she slowly put the dagger back.

“This discussion is over,” Beryl said before her hair flared with magical fury. “You, Zoisite should remember your place and your own mission to bring me the Silver Crystal!”

Immediately, Zoisite bowed and left. Soon after, Nephrite did the same.

“Don’t be too bloodthirsty, Lucinda,” Beryl said with a sick smile. “Remember what happened the last time you were so eager to kill.”

Without a word, Lucinda spun on her heel and stormed out of the throne room, leaving Beryl with the rest of the bootlicking parasites who served her.

Chapter Text

Wearing a sleek, sage-colored dress and a pair of pointed glasses, Jack Baudelaire hugged the wall of the ballroom she found herself in with a drink in her hand. As the rest of the dancing dignitaries enjoyed a masquerade ball, she scanned the room and smiled as she found her target. Pushing off the wall, Jack walked over to a woman in an orange dress.

“Madame Secretary,” she said as she came closer. “How wonderful to see you. Seems like nearly every ambassador turned out tonight.”  

“Hello, Baudelaire,” the woman replied, turning to face Jack. “Can you blame them? It’s not every day Princess Diamond decides to show her collection to the world.”

“I guess not,” Jack said with a small laugh. “It does make for some good business opportunities though,” she added with a grin. “I don’t suppose you saw JadeStar’s bid?”

“Oh, we have,” the secretary said. “And considering the systems you provided us in the past have worked out splendidly, we were excited to see such a promising offer. I can’t necessarily reveal anything yet, but you might find yourself on the shortlist of finalists.”

“Excellent,” Jack smiled. “You know, we just came into some land for a new factory. Could speed up production considerably.”

“Would you look at that,” the secretary smirked, holding her glass up. “I think Thales just dropped out.”

“Merveilleux,” Jack breathed, clinking her glass with the secretary’s.

As they were about to drink their toast a blonde girl with buns in her hair backed into the secretary, causing her to splash the drink onto the girl’s dress.

“Oh no, my gown!” the girl moaned, rushing away into another room.

“Well, anyway,” Jack said, looking back at the secretary. “I should let you get back to enjoying the party. Your country really knows how to throw a shindig.”

“This is nothing. You should see the galas the king and queen put on back home.”

“Why, Secretary Berköz, is that an invitation?”

“You know, Miss Baudelaire, I think it was.”

“I just might have to take you up on that,” she smiled, walking back to her spot on the wall. Halfway there, she turned her head toward the balcony to see a man speaking with a young girl. They matched Kazu’s descriptions of Nephrite and Naru.

Huh. Intéressant.

Changing course, she scooted over next to the open doors and pretended to watch the reveling dignitaries.

“…this is turning out to be the best night ever,” Nephrite said.

Naru hummed happily then made a confused noise.

“Are you okay, Naru?”  

“It’s just… I think you’re wonderful but… my friend Usagi thinks I should stay away from you. I feel like I dreamed that someone named Nemo told me that too.”

Écoutez-les. Elle est ton amie et il est intelligent

“Maybe she’s jealous of you. And he was just a dream.”

“I… I guess so.”                              

“You sparkle like a star gleaming in the sky.”

Je vomis.

“Please, look at me, Naru.”

“All right.”

Jack turned her head and watched out of the corner of her eye as she gazed up at him in full infatuation. He smiled, raised his hand and cast a shadow into the girl. Nephrite laughed.

“You will now do anything I say, Naru Osaka.”

The two turned to walk back into the ballroom and Jack looked away, taking a drink from her glass. She watched her follow him through the room before raising her own arm and speaking into a watch on her wrist.

“Koz, we’ve got a problem.”

*          *          *

Kazu sat at the basement supercomputer with a glass of scotch in his hand listening to the third track of Journey’s Escape album. He took a sip and looked at the glass. With a short hum and a pensive look, he slowly let go of the glass. It hung for a couple seconds before he pointed with an open palm to the desk. The glass gingerly glided through the air and landed on the surface. Kazu stared at it and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” came Xinnaa’s voice from the stairs behind him.

“Nothing,” he said, quickly standing and picking the glass back up. “Just thinking of a joke So once told me.”

“She used enough words to tell a joke?”

“Eh-if you want to get technical,” he shrugged, taking a drink. “Sa wouldn’t stop talking one time and her retort was hilarious. You really had to be there.”

“Uh-huh,” she replied with a disbelieving look. “I know you’re a better liar than that.”

“That’s because I’m not really trying,” he said with smirk.

“Scudsucker.”

“And don’t you forget it,” he said, keeping the smirk and pointing at her.

“Koz, we’ve got a problem,” came Jack’s voice over a commlink on the desk.

Kazu reached over and picked the device up.

“Yeah, I know. You hate fancy parties. You did this to yourself. I’m not saving you.”

“Crétin. Nephrite and Naru are here and he’s… I think he hypnotized her or something.”

“All right,” Kazu sighed. “Tune the watch to radio two. I’m on my way. Try and keep an eye on both of them, but stick to Naru if you have to choose. Do not engage Nephrite.”

Kazu tossed the commlink back on the desk, walked over to the workbench and slipped his bracer on before looking back at Xinnaa. He reached in his pocket, tossed up his keys and grabbed them in midair.

“Time for work.”

Kazu rushed up the stairs while Xinnaa moved over and set up shop at the supercomputer. As he ran through the ground floor of the mansion over to the garage, he donned his armor.

“Radio check,” he said, getting into his car, opening the garage door, activating the police scanner and driving off. “Nemo en route to Kingdom of Diamonds Embassy.”

“Hearing you,” came Jack’s voice. “Naru’s just meandering at the moment, Nephrite broke off and left the ballroom.”

“I got you,” Xinnaa said. “The embassy is on Akasaka 1-10-6. Right between the ones for the United States and…Lichtenstein. Weird.”  

“Copy that,” Kazu responded. “Not hearing much from the scanner. How’s traffic and police presence, Xi?”

“We’re in luck. Looks like there’s a problem in Shinegawa. Most of Minato’s officers are either there as backup or assisting at the embassy.”

“Fantastic,” he said, stepping on the gas, maneuvering between a couple cars and blowing a stoplight.

Kazu spent the next several minutes navigating the streets at high speeds, swerving between what few drivers there were and breaking enough traffic laws to get put away for several decades.

“Almost there,” Kazu said. “Jack, status.”

“Whatever possessed Naru took over Princess Diamond. Naru’s out cold in my back seat.”

“Least she’s safe,” Kazu said, turning one last corner and seeing the embassy come into view. He could see Nephrite on the front lawn looking up at Usagi on the balcony struggling against a girl with a box. “I see him! Who wants to find out what a solid steel frame does to a grown man at 60 miles per hour!?”

*          *          *

Nephrite stood with his arms outstretched in front of the Kingdom of Diamonds embassy, smiling as he watched Princess Diamond get ready to throw her kingdom’s legendary treasure down to him. His smile faded into a snarl as a young girl’s attempt to stop her resulted in a struggle, ending with the girl going over the railing and getting caught by Tuxedo Mask.

“Tuxedo Mask, you pest” he seethed. “Consider it your lucky n—wha?” he blinked as he became bathed in blinding lights.

Nephrite turned to see the source and found a car barreling toward him. A car driven by the helmeted interloper who punched him in the face not too long ago.

“Oh, shit.”

*          *          *

Kazu braced for impact and slammed on the brakes. The car made contact and thudded into Nephrite, sending him flying into a brick and mortar base under the embassy’s iron fence.

Kazu let out a wicked laugh before turning the car off and stepping out. He sauntered up to the front and looked at the indented hood. He turned his gaze on Nephrite who was struggling to stand, paying no attention to Usagi and Tuxedo Mask floating to the ground holding an umbrella behind him. After a second, Kazu strode over to him, turned and kicked Nephrite in the chest with the flat of his boot.

“You damaged my car,” he said, drawing one of his Pythons. “I’ll damage you.”

“Careful,” Nephrite grunted, trying to move. “If you kill me, she dies too,” he said, motioning his head to a possessed Princess Diamond who was now on the lawn staring down the Sailor Guardians.

“You’re lying.”

“Are you sure?”

Kazu stared at him for a moment before growling.

“No.”

He bent down and struck him with the handle of the revolver before running over to the Sailor Guardians.

“What’s your play here?”

“This!” Sailor Mars shouted, taking out an ofuda and chanting. “Evil spirit, be exorcised!”

The ofuda flew onto Princess Diamond’s back, causing her to pass out and a shadow of Nephrite to appear from out of her.

“It’s Nephrite!” the three Guardians gasped in unison.

“Can’t shoot that!” Kazu yelled.

The shadow blasted the four of them with dark energy. They braced defensively.

“Got any more ideas!?” Kazu yelled.

“I’m going to try something!” shouted Mercury. “Cross your fingers!”

With a Bubble Spray, Mercury made a defensive barrier against the dark energy.

“To pull such a mean trick like that on Princess Diamond is shameful!” started Sailor Moon to the shadow. “In the name of the Moon, I’ll punish you! Moon Tiara Action!” she continued, throwing her tiara.

The shadow vanished and the girls cheered. Kazu looked at the wall he launched Nephrite into. He was gone.

Damn.

He looked back to see the Sailor Guardians and Luna attending to Princess Diamond who was searching for her glasses.

“I wonder,” Luna said. “Do you think it’s possible that you could be our princess?”

They’re searching for… but she’s right in front of you…

Princess Diamond found her glasses and put them on.

“Well? What’s your answer? Are you the princess we’ve been looking for?”

Princess Diamond shrieked and fainted.

“Oh well, it looks like she isn’t our princess after all.”

You don’t say.

Sighing, Kazu strolled back over to the Firebird and opened the door.

“Wait!”

He looked up. The three Sailor Guardians were staring at him.

“This is the third time you’ve shown up,” Sailor Mercury said.

“You saved me, you helped Naru, and you keep attacking Nephrite,” Sailor Moon said.

“Can we trust you?” asked Sailor Mars.

Kazu looked at the three of them, sat down in the car and closed the door.

“You can’t afford not to.”

He started the ignition and drove away.

“Jack, how’s Naru?”

“She woke up a few minutes ago. Seemed to be fine. I let her back into the party.”

“Kay.”

After driving for several minutes, making turns at random. He checked the mirrors to see if there was anyone behind him.

“Anyone around, Xi?”

“Not seeing anyone.”

“Good.”

Kazu pulled into a nearby alleyway and doffed the armor. He breathed in a long breath of air and slowly let it out before exiting the car. Looking next to him, Kazu kicked a trash can and picked up another, throwing it down the alley. It crashed to the ground and echoed in the night. Kazu shook his head and walked over to the front of his car. He pounded on the hood and screamed.

“Why do I remember!? Why don’t they!? Why!?” he yelled again, kicking the fender. “Serenity,” he breathed, dropping to his knees in front of the car. “Why did you do this to me? I did the best I could.”

Chapter Text

Walking out the doors of JadeStar Technologies’ Tokyo branch, Jack Baudelaire headed for the side parking lot and her 1965 Bentley S3 Continental when in the distance, she spotted Nephrite leaning against a red Corvette.

Magnifique, she thought, changing course and heading toward him.

As she got closer, Jack took a small notebook out of her suit jacket’s inside pocket and pretended to flip through its pages. She slowed her speed the nearer she drew to him. Coming next to the car, she pretended to trip and dropped her notebook.

“Wah!”

Nephrite and turned to see her kneel down to retrieve the notebook.

“Are you okay, miss?” he asked.

“Never better,” Jack replied, grabbing the notebook and putting a hand on the corvette’s wheel well to steady herself as she rose back to her feet. “Just lost in my own thoughts,” she went on with a smile.

Brushing herself off and straightening her suit dress, Jack put the notebook back in her pocket and continued down the sidewalk. As soon as she saw he was no longer paying attention to her, she ducked into an alleyway and watched him stick around for a few more minutes. Eventually, he got in the car and drove away. Chuckling to herself, Jack restarted the path back to her own car.

*          *          *

Later that day, Xinnaa sat in a coffeeshop booth, nursing an iced coffee and eavesdropping on a conversation in the booth behind her. She was talking with two boys about Naru’s infatuation with Nephrite. One of them, a blonde named Motoki she’d seen her talk to at the nearby arcade, was encouraging her to let things be. The other, a dark-haired guy named Mamoru who Kazu swore was Endymion’s reincarnation, encouraged her to be honest with Naru if she valued their friendship.

Hearing that Usagi was still unsure as to how to approach things, Xinnaa took a sip of her coffee while her braid slumped off her shoulder. She hummed sharply, stood and turned to face the booth the three were in.

“Hi. I don’t mean to be rude, but I couldn’t help overhearing the problem you were having with this friend of yours. May I interject?”

“Yeah, sure,” Usagi replied.

“I agree with this guy,” Xinnaa said, pointing to Mamoru. “Sometimes you have to have these hard conversations with your friends. Like he said, if you value your friendship, you’ll tell her. At the same time, if she really values your friendship, she’ll at least hear you out. From what you’re saying, this Masato Sanjoin really is bad news. If I was infatuated with the kind of person it sounds like he is, I know I’d want my best friend to warn me. And I know he would too because that’s the kind of friend he is. It’s probably not the tie-breaker you were hoping for but that’s my advice. Letting it go like this idiot said,” she went on, shooting Motoki a look, “makes you responsible if anything were to happen to her. Because you knew about him beforehand. Also, you can hem and haw all you want about whether or not you’re going to tell her but remember this: if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”

Without waiting for a response, Xinnaa moved back to her booth and downed the rest of her iced coffee before taking out enough yen to cover the drink and leaving.

*          *          *

As she slowly scooted her car through an unpaved yet smooth path in a shadowy forest made darker by the night, Jack occasionally glanced at the datapad in her passenger seat. The tracker she’d placed on Nephrite’s car showed that he’d not only come this way but was idle nearby. She turned a corner and found the corvette parked further up the road in front of a creepy-looking house. Looking around, Jack found a large enough gap between some bushes and drove off the road, hiding the Bentley behind some trees.

Sneaking through the brush, Jack came up to the house and stuck close to the wall, moving underneath a nearby window. Carefully, she rose and looked through it to see Nephrite looking at another man sporting a ponytail and sitting in the air.

“…I will acquire the Silver Crystal and I’ll rub it in your face.”

“How dare you! Finding the Silver Crystal is my job!”

“It may well be your job but whoever finds it first wins! If I get hold of that crystal I’ll be able to redeem myself.”

“Nephrite,” the other man seethed, disappearing. “You’ll pay for this.”

Jack continued to watch as Nephrite summoned dark energy that allowed him to look at the various planets before the vision enveloped into a massive ball of even more energy. It shrank and turned into a dark crystal. Nephrite picked it up and studied it before it glowed and emitted a picture of Naru.

Smiling, Nephrite pocketed the crystal and walked out of the house to his corvette. Jack edged along the wall and watched him take out a phone from the car and make a call.

“Yes, my name is Masato Sanjoin. I’d like to speak to Naru,” he said, starting to lean on the car. “Naru,” he continued after a few seconds. “I need to see you. Can you meet me at Sanpaku park? Great. Yes. See you soon.”

He hung up, got in the car and sped off.

Jack stood and hurried back to the bushes where she hid her car. Getting in, she grabbed the datapad and typed out a quick message before turning the ignition and driving back to the city.

*          *          *

Kazu sat in the garage in front of his car, a power drill in his hand and a brand new front bumper by his side. He took his finger off the trigger and a screw fell onto the ground. He picked it up and placed it in a container next to him.

“How’d you find a new bumper so fast?” came Xinnaa’s voice as she entered the garage from the inside of the mansion.

“Got lucky. An American car parts shop in Chuo happened to have one in stock,” he replied, pulling off the dented bumper. “I was getting worried I’d have to head out to Kyushu and talk to the dealership. Didn’t want to take the time to drive to Nagasaki and back.”

“It’s a nice drive though.”

Sure,” he said, grabbing the new bumper and positioning it. “But we’ve got more important things to do.”

“Speaking of which,” Xinnaa started, leaning on the driver’s side door of the car. “I broke cover and talked to Usagi.”

Kazu looked up at Xinnaa before returning his gaze to his work.

“Did she recognize you?” he asked looking up at her again.

“No, the night at the mall, I had ditched the disguise and she didn’t end up needing my help anyway.”

“Kay,” he responded, looking back at the car. “I can have Jack start tailing her. You know where she is? She said she had a meeting at the company’s branch office today and she hasn’t come back yet.”

“That’s it? Just a look and an ‘okay?” Xinnaa asked. “Thought you’d be more upset.”

“Xi,” he said, driving one of the screws into the bumper, “We’ve worked together long enough for me to know you’re not going to willingly blow your cover for a stupid reason. Hell, I’ve never seen you get made. Can’t even say that about myself and I’m a master of disguise,” he continued, scooting over and driving another screw into the other side.

Just then, a ping came from Kazu’s datapad in his front seat.

“Can you get that?” he asked, reaching for another screw.

Xinnaa grabbed the device and looked at the message.

“Jack says Nephrite is on his way to meet Naru at Sanpaku park.”

“Right now?” he asked, looking at his watch. “It’s the middle of the night. All right,” he went on, standing. “I’ll take the bike and finish this tomorrow.”

*          *          *

“Naru’s mom didn’t say where she’d gone to meet him,” said Sailor Moon, standing on a street corner and looking around. “She could be anywhere.”

“Can’t the shields on your buns locate her?” asked Luna at her side. “They did that one time. Or can they zero in on Nephrite’s magic?”

“They could, but I don’t know how they did it the first time. It’s never happened again either,” she said shrugging.

“Wait,” Luna said, craning her neck and turning her ears toward the sound of an approaching motor. “You hear that?”

Suddenly, a black and gold 1980 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle rounded a nearby corner and headed straight for them. Sailor Moon saw a familiar armored figure riding it.

“Nemo!” Sailor Moon yelled, attempting to flag him down.

The motorcycle slowed just enough for Nemo to reach out and grab Sailor Moon’s arm, lift her up and seat her directly behind him. Once she was seated, he zoomed away, leaving Luna to run after the motorcycle.

“Talk to me, Sailor Moon!”

“Naru’s gone missing!” she explained, holding onto him. “Her mom says she stole a crystal from their shop and went out looking for Nephrite!”

“I know where she’s going! You have any idea what he wants with a crystal!?”

“No!”

“Probably nothing good!” he yelled as the motorcycle shot through the night to Sanpaku Park.

*          *          *

Nephrite gazed at the gem in his palm, working his own dark crystal over it to no avail. Naru stood next to him, waiting with anticipation.

The dark crystal isn’t reacting, he thought. It’s just an ordinary crystal. Wait, what’s this? He asked himself as the dark crystal began pooling light toward Naru. The dark crystal is reacting to the girl. But… why? He looked at Naru. Perhaps this girl can still be of use to me.

“There’s something else I want you to help me with,” he said, moving closer to Naru. “Would you come with me for a little bit?” he asked, putting an arm around her. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Sure,” she said, starting to walk with him.

“Hold on,” he said, stopping at the faint sound of an engine. “Do you hear that?”

The hum grew louder until a motorcycle jumped through the park’s tree line, landing on their pathway. Its riders were the armored menace and Sailor Moon. It sped closer and she jumped off toward them.

“Hold it right there!” she yelled, landing with the vehicle skidding to a halt next to her. “How dare you take advantage of a young girl’s love! I’ll arrest you on the charge of romantic fraud!”

“That’s… not a real crime, Sailor Moon,” the man in the armor breathed with annoyance.

“You better back off,” Nephrite snarled.

“I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I’ll punish you.”

The one in the armor watched her pose and monologue and silently hung and shook his head.

“Sailor Moon?” asked Naru. “Why are you here?”

“Don’t be fooled by him, Naru! Masato Sanjoin isn’t human. He’s Nephrite, a member of an evil group known as the Dark Kingdom.”

“No way! He isn’t that type of person. He’s very kind. Right, Mr. Sanjoin?” she asked turning to him as his face grew dark. “Mr. Sanjoin?

Nephrite raised his arm and shot a ball of dark energy toward Sailor Moon. The armored man on the motorcycle grabbed her and drove the two of them out of its path.

“Stars of the universe, lend me your power,” Nephrite said, causing more dark energy to fly toward them.

The energy balls hit the ground, kissing the back of the motorcycle, causing its driver to swerve to stay upright.

*          *          *

“What are we going to do!?” yelled Sailor Moon as Kazu straightened the motorcycle.

“You can start by attacking him!”

“Fire Soul!” came a voice from nearby that summoned a ball of fire toward Nephrite.

Kazu stopped the motorcycle and watched the fire careen toward him, only to miss as he dodged out of the way. He looked behind him to see Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars by the trees.

“So, all four of you decided to show up,” Nephrite said, on his knees. “Now I’ll get rid of you all at once.”

Sailor Moon hopped back off the motorcycle and grabbed her tiara, starting her own attack.

“Moon Tiara Action!”

But as the tiara sped toward Nephrite, Naru ran to put herself between him and the attack.

“Mr. Sanjoin! No!”

“Y-you’re still here?” he asked. “What are you doing?”

“I won’t let anyone hurt Mr. Sanjoin!”

“Naru!” yelled Sailor Moon, her eyes wide with fear. “What are you doing!?”

Naru closed her eyes and braced for the attack to hit her.

“Moon Tiara Attack, stop now!”

Just before the tiara made contact, it ceased spinning and dropped to the ground.

 “Kid!” yelled Kazu, getting off the motorcycle and stomping over to her. “What do you think you’re doing!”

“Stop trying to hurt Mr. Sanjoin!”

“We can’t let him get away with what he’s done!” Sailor Mercury shouted.

“Move out of the way!” Sailor Mars demanded.

“Step. Aside,” Kazu growled.

“Never!” she shouted defiantly. “You’ll have to kill me to get to him!”

Kazu stood in front of Naru, staring her down through his helmet.

“Either you move,” he growled. “Or I will make you move.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“Do you know how many people have said that to me over the years?” he asked, leaning in. “Want to know how many of them are still alive?” he added quietly.

Naru wavered slightly but remained standing between the four of them and Nephrite.

“Why are you risking so much to protect that man?” asked Sailor Mercury.

“Because I love him,” Naru answered. “I love him with all my heart.”

“You’re not in love,” Kazu seethed. “You’re in love with the idea of love. And it’s starting to border on psychotic.”

“Psychotic or not,” Naru said. “I’ll defend him even if it winds up costing me my life.”

Without warning, Nephrite’s dark crystal glowed brilliantly. He picked it up and stared at it.

“Does this mean the dark crystal also responds to kind hearts as well? The sacrificing of oneself? I think this could be what humans call love.”

“Is that the legendary Silver Crystal?” asked a new voice.

They all turned to see a figure dressed like in a traditional mask and robe rush in from the side and attack Nephrite. While defending himself, he dropped the dark crystal and Naru crouched to pick it up.

“Hand that over to me!” the new interloper demanded, reaching out to her.

Naru screamed and passed out.

“Naru!” shouted Nephrite, raising his arm again and sending a ball of dark energy toward the attacker.

The energy blasted off the figure’s mask to reveal a hideous horned monster.

“Curse you, Nephrite! Why are you protecting a human!” it shouted, lunging toward him.

Suddenly, a shot rang through the air. The monster stumbled and fell to the side of Nephrite. Everyone turned to see Kazu holding a smoking Python.

“N-Nemo,” breathed Sailor Moon.

“Why did you save me?” Nephrite asked.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Maybe I wanted to be the one to make your head into a canoe.”

“It’s… going… to take… more than that… to bring me down…” the monster heaved, struggling to reach its feet.

“Need something stronger than a bullet,” Kazu said, turning to Sailor Moon.

“Moon Tiara Action!”

The monster screamed, turned to stone and blew apart.

Standing back up, Nephrite looked at the crystal that Naru had given him and placed it in her hand. He made to leave before Sailor Moon stopped him.

“Hold it, Nephrite. Why can’t you try to understand the feeling that Naru has for you.”

“He uh… he did save her from the monster, Sailor Moon,” Kazu said, walking over. “It’s the only reason I didn’t shoot twice.”

“Is that it though?” Sailor Mercury asked. “Have you ever thought of anyone else’s feelings?”

“I guess you can’t when you have no heart.” Sailor Mars added.

“You’re all so naïve,” Nephrite said. “When I finally get ahold of the Silver Crystal, the entire universe will belong to the Dark Kingdom. Just know that you four won’t be able to play hero for much longer. But feel free to keep blabbering on about your silly love and justice. Farewell,” he added, disappearing.

*          *          *

Kazu leaned on the mansion’s balcony, staring at the city that remained unaware of the battle between good and evil that had just transpired moments before. In his hands was a glass of scotch. Jack and Xinnaa sat at the table behind him.

“Two things,” he said turning around and taking a drink. “Beryl and her minions are looking for the Silver Crystal. I guess after Serenity used its magic to send everyone to the future, it disappeared. We need to either find it, or make sure the girls find it, before the Dark Kingdom does. The bad news is we don’t have any leads on where it could be. The good news, though, is neither do they.”

“How do we find an eons-old crystal on a planet with millions of potentially similar looking stones? Jack asked.

“Not sure,” Kazu answered. “It gets better too. The damn thing can shapeshift. I don’t even remember what its normal form looks like.”

Xinnaa groaned and hung her head, both her lekku slowly rocking back and forth.

“What’s the other thing?” she moaned.

“I think Nephrite may have broken through the enchantment Beryl cast on him all those years ago. It’s slight. But it might be possible to widen that crack.”

“And then what?” Xinnaa asked, raising her head.

“Keep him away from Naru, use him as an inside man against Beryl, and then once she’s taken care of, we ship him off to Skyriver,” he explained, taking a drink. “He could be useful. Somehow. Not as an Immortal but… adjacent maybe. We just need to know where he’s hiding.”

“You know,” Jack said with a slight laugh. “I think I can help with that.”

Chapter Text

Sitting in the one chair that made up the spacious, yet otherwise empty room of his forest hideout, Nephrite shifted in his seat. He leaned forward, putting his arms on his legs, closed his eyes and sighed.

“I don’t understand,” he said to himself quietly. “She’s nothing but a human. A young one at that. Why does she care about me? Why did she stand in the way of Sailor Moon’s attack?” he continued, bringing up his hand and summoning a ball of energy that morphed into a star map. “The stars… I’ve used them for guidance for so long, but they can’t even tell me.”

Nephrite wiped the ball of energy away and stood, moving over to the nearby window. He looked out int the dark wilderness that hid the house he used as a base outside the ever-watchful eye of Beryl and the other members of the Dark Kingdom.

“None of this makes sense,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back. “I’ve done nothing to cause her to love me. But she shielded me anyway.” He looked down. “And why did I save her? That monster would have killed her. I could have just let it happen. It would have been easy. So why didn’t I?”

“Because you’re remembering what it means to be a human, you ignominious muppet,” came a voice behind him.

Nephrite spun on his heels to see an armored figure standing in the doorway on the far side of the room. It was the one who had shown up to help Sailor Moon on multiple occasions calling himself Nemo. The one who had hit him with a car and threatened to shoot him at least twice.

“You!” Nephrite shouted, raising his hand and summoning another ball of dark energy. “How did you find me!?”

“I’m a detective,” Nemo said, walking forward. “Finding people is what I do.”

“You come any closer and I’ll blast you!” Nephrite shouted, the energy swirling in his hand.

Nemo stopped and stared at him, looking up at the energy in his hand and back to his face.

“Yeah,” he said, continuing. “I don’t believe you. Maybe you would have before that episode in the park. But if you still had the guts for that, you would have done it by now. Nah,” he added, stopping in front of him. “You won’t attack me. Not unless I attack you first and I’m unarmed,” he said, showing off the empty holsters on his waist.

“So why are you here?” Nephrite spat, lowering his hand. “And what do you mean I’m remembering what it means to be a human? How do you know anything about me?”

“Again. Detective,” Nemo said, moving over to stand next to him and look out the window. “It’s my job to know things. Like, for instance, I know you were once a famed bodyguard and general who served a great prince but was bewitched by Beryl to usurp him and follow her instead. And now you’re breaking through that bewitchment. As misguided as Naru’s infatuation with you is, it seems to have caused the never-ending hatred and malice you’ve probably been feeling for eons to give way. You’re remembering what it means to care for someone. You’re starting to love again. Not in the romantic way either. In the selfless, sacrificial kind of way. Like what she thinks she feels for you.”

Nephrite gave a short, tutting laugh.

“Pity it had to be now,” he said, turning around to look out the window again. “You are right. I did once serve a great prince. But... I'm starting to understand now. My pride. My... selfishness, as you're calling it. A princess once tried to love me but I sought gratification elsewhere. She left me and in the most ironic of all ironies, ended up with a prince who had been well known for his lecherous ways. She changed him. Tamed the beast.”

“Kind of like what Naru is doing to you now.”

“I suppose,” Nephrite responded, looking over at Nemo. “You never answered my first question though. Why are you here?”

“The way I see it,” Nemo started, “If you’re questioning love and kindness towards a human, it stands to reason that you might be having doubts with Beryl’s ideals and what she wants with this world. Personally, I’d like to keep it from falling into her hands. I’ve thrown my hat in with Sailor Moon’s cause. It’s noble and just. It could use someone like you. Maybe think about it,” Nemo said, pulling a device with a single button from his belt and handing to Nephrite. “If you want to join the cause, just press that button and I’ll find you. It only works one way though,” he said, turning around and walking away. “So don’t think you can use it to find me.”

Nephrite studied the device before pocketing it and turned to watch Nemo leave.

“Hey!” he called out as the man was halfway across the room. “Really, how’d you know I wouldn’t attack you?”

Nemo turned around again and pointed at the floor where Nephrite was standing. He looked down and saw a red dot by his feet.

“Y-you…” he stammered, looking back at Nemo who was backing up to leave.

“I may be on Sailor Moon’s side. I may believe in her ideals. But I also have a plan to kill everyone I meet.”   

Nemo turned back around and left the room. Minutes later, Nephrite heard the ignition of an engine and the sound of a car drive away.

*          *          *

Later that night, after dropping Xinnaa off at Jack’s place, Kazu drove up behind the Osa-P jewelry store. Still wearing the armor, he got out of the car and climbed up onto the balcony attached to Naru’s bedroom. As quiet as he could, he opened the sliding door and crept into her room, making his way over to her bed where he leaned on the wall.

“I don’t want to wake you up,” he said softly as she slept. “But I also wanted to tell you something and now seemed like the best time. Maybe you’ll dream what I’m about to say. That might be for the best.”

He slid down the wall and sat next to Naru’s bed, taking a deep breath.

“Not a lot of people would stand between someone and Sailor Moon’s tiara. I do want to apologize,” he said, looking away and watching the sliding door’s curtains rustle in a slight breeze. “I know I can be intimidating in this armor. It was originally meant to be a sort of signal of doom to whatever criminal saw it coming after them. All that to say, between the tiara and staring me down… you’re a brave girl, Naru. And I think your bravery is causing a change in Nephrite. I still say your affection for him is misguided and misplaced,” he continued, looking down, “but your selflessness toward him has potentially made a bad person question everything about himself. I went to see him earlier. He seems to not know what to do with himself right now. I’m hoping my talk with him can push him in the right direction. You’re a good kid, Naru. I think you should be with someone more your age. Whoever that ends up being would be lucky to have—” Kazu stopped as he looked back at Naru who had turned over. Her eyes were open and she was staring at him.

“Eh…heh,” Kazu breathed. “How long?”

“The whole time.”

“Oh. All right,” he said, standing and walking back toward the sliding door. “I did mean all of that.”

“Nemo,” she started before he could leave. “What happens next?”

“Well, I’m hoping he fully sees the light and helps Sailor Moon and I bring down the people he works for. After that… I’m not sure. But I don’t think he can stay on this planet.”   

“But—” she sounded, getting cut off as he brought up his hand.

“It can’t work,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

Not waiting for a reply, Kazu walked through and closed the sliding door. He jumped down from the balcony to the ground, got back in the car and drove back to Jack’s mansion.

*          *          *

Lucinda Ravenard walked down a darkened hallway made decrepit after several centuries worth of lack of maintenance. She entered a room and looked at a skeleton she had preserved and hung on the wall.

“Sailor Moon is a rather pernicious little pest,” she said at the skeleton while moving over to a corner with a sliver of light peeking through a blackout curtain shining on the wall. “Jadeite couldn’t take care of her but that was no surprise. Nephrite seems to be proving too weak too. If Zoisite and Kunzite can’t pick up the slack here, I might have to make my own moves much faster than I planned,” she added, leaning on the wall with the light streaking across her face. “Beryl thinks she can outwit Sailor Moon and the other girls. She thinks I don’t know she’s only giving Metalia a fraction of the energy and saving the rest to betray her. She’s much too stupid and out of her depth here. I don’t know… what do you think, Pheebs?”

The skeleton hung in silence.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she answered after a moment. “Kazu would continue keeping a low profile and following orders. He’d look for the right opening. Maybe it’s after Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite have failed and I’ve killed them for it. She wouldn’t dare risk unleashing Metalia to take me out. It would make her much too strong. Beryl would never be able to take power then. There’ll be an opening,” she heaved, pushing off the wall. “I just need to wait for it.”

As she strode out of the room, the garnet inside a ring on her finger started flashing. She sighed in annoyance and waved her hand, opening a portal which she walked through that took her into one of the dark and gloomy stone hallways that ran throughout Beryl’s base. She closed the portal and quickly made for Beryl’s throne room. On the way, she ran into a man with long, flowing white hair down to his shoulders who turned to walk alongside her.

“Beryl’s been looking for you,” he said. “She’s in quite a mood too. Just where do you keep going?”

“Why does everyone want to know my business?” Lucinda responded, giving Kunzite a dirty look. “I show up every time she summons me, don’t I? I do what she asks of me, don’t I?” she seethed, stopping, turning and pulling a knife from inside her sleeve, putting it to Kunzite’s throat. “Who are you to question my loyalty? If it weren’t for me, the four of you would have died trying to defend Endymion. Don’t ever forget: I was the one who told her to make sure you joined our side. I was the one who figured out how to shatter the strength of the Sun. Now, why don’t you go back to doing whatever it is you need to do? Or I might have to convince Beryl that you need to be liquidated next.”

Kunzite glowered at Lucinda, the point of her knife digging into his throat, threatening to put a hole in it. He snarled before backing up and turning around to walk away. As she sheathed the knife in the scabbard on her arm, she could hear him grumbling something about trusting traitors and double agents. Sneering at him behind his back, Lucinda resumed making her way toward Beryl’s throne room, breaking into a grin at the thought of eventually watching the life flicker out of Kunzite’s eyes.

Chapter Text

Beryl descended the stone stairs leading to Metalia, landing on each step with unflinching deliberateness. Things had not been going her way. A trio of Sailor Guardians had risen to challenge her, one of the four generals she had brainwashed to be her lieutenants had outlived his usefulness and now she was having problems with a second. He had not only deviated from his assignment but seemed to have broken through her enchantment. And then there was the matter of her right hand who had a habit of disappearing unexpectedly, though she would always show back up if summoned like a loyal b—

“You seem distracted,” came a voice that snapped Beryl out of her thoughts, bringing about a realization that she had been standing at the base of the stairs. The voice, she discovered, belonged to that right hand, leaning against the stone wall with her arms crossed and smirking. “Did you forget that you wanted to see me?”

Beryl turned her head to look at the woman who had been instrumental in her attempted takeover of Endymion and subsequent attack on the Moon Kingdom all those years ago. It probably would have succeeded had she simply gone for the kill instead of insulting the heir to the that monstrosity orbiting Sol. Without his interference, that vile Venusian vixen would have met a bloody end and then it would only have been a matter of dealing with that white-haired tyrant and her bastard daughter. 

“I didn’t forget,” Beryl seethed after a second. “I just had to give Metalia an update and since you never seem to be around when I need you, I figured there was time for it while I waited.”

“Well, here I am,” Lucinda replied, waving her arms outward. “What do you want?”

“This pathetic world to grovel at my feet, its useless inhabitants to serve me as their empress, and those infernal Sailor Guardians dead and decorating my wall.”

“And I wanted to be the queen of Sol. But you of all people should know you can’t always get what you want. So, within reason, what do you need from me?”

“Nephrite. He seems to be acting on his own accord now.”                     

“Is it finally time?” Lucinda asked with a gleeful chuckle. “Got a preference?”

“Any way you want,” Beryl responded her voice dripping with malice. “Poison him. Drown him. Bash him on the head. I don’t care how you do it. Just do it and do it now.”

*          *          *

Once again sitting alone the empty house he was using as a base, Nephrite leaned forward with his arms on his knees.

“I could maybe find another person,” he muttered to himself. “Another person with enough energy to present to Beryl. That would definitely redeem myself in her eyes to give me a few more days. But Sailor Moon would… I’d need something to distract her and the others. Something that would even confuse Nemo.”

He stood and started pacing.

“But I don’t have time to find the right person and wait for them to reach their energy’s apex. Wait,” he went on, stopping, “Naru had so much energy that one time. She could again. Or… maybe the reason she lived the first time… maybe she has so much is because the Silver Crystal is inside her…”

Nephrite reached inside his pocket, feeling the signal Nemo had given him along with the Black Crystal. He grabbed the crystal, took it out of his pocket and stared at it.

“Only one way to find out…”

*          *          *

 Lucinda stood on the roof of a building overlooking a section of the Juban district, the moon looming behind her. She walked over to the edge, put one foot on the lip and leaned in, scanning her surroundings.

“I know you’re here, Nephrite,” she muttered to herself. “I can sense your presence. But just where are you specifically?” she asked, lifting herself up and slowly walking along the edge. “You can hide all you want, but I’ll find you.”

Lucinda stopped and turned her head at a sound coming at her from below. She found the source to be an oncoming car, one driven by her quarry.

Fortuitous.

*          *          *

Nephrite stood in front of the sliding glass door separating Naru’s bedroom from her balcony. He could see her sleeping through a gap in the curtains. Taking the black crystal out of his pocket, Nephrite looked at the item and then back up at her. He placed his other hand on the door, ready to open it but the hand slowly descended down the glass.

It could be in her… but if it is, extracting it could kill her.

He looked slightly to the side and focused on his reflection in the glass.

So what? You could get rid of this hanger-on and get back in Beryl’s good graces. It’s a win-win.

Nephrite focused back on Naru.

But, could I live with it? She’s just a girl who doesn’t know better.

He turned around and looked up at the night sky.

And why am I thinking about that? Why do I care what she would think?

Nephrite slowly let go of the crystal, letting it drop to the balcony floor where it rolled off the edge. A second later, he heard it hit the ground in the alley below. Another second passed and he reached into his pocket, grabbing the device.

“Nephrite?” came Naru’s voice behind him. “What are you doing?”

“Naru,” he started, turning his head, “I came here hoping that you might have something I’ve been looking for. But I couldn’t bring myself to even check, I didn’t know how it would affect you.”

“Then… you’re not as bad as Nemo says.”

“Bad? I’m probably even worse than he thinks. I’ve lived in a world of hate and malice for so long, a world where things like love and kindness were stamped out long ago. But you’ve shown me what it means to feel those things again. And I don’t… I can’t bring myself to hurt you…”

“Nephrite…”

“I need to leave,” he stated, jumping down to the ground below where he got in his car and sped away.

*          *          *

About a half-hour later, Kazu Starskimmer rolled up to the entrance of Sanpaku Park in his Trans Am, wearing the Mandalorian-style armor. He parked, got out, and headed inwards toward a bench where Nephrite was sitting.

“You rang?”  he asked, sitting next to the man.

“I think,” Nephrite sighed, leaning forward, “I think you’re right. I was going to use that Black Crystal to check if the Silver Crystal was inside Naru but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. I kept thinking about whether or not I could live with myself if it killed her.”

“That’s good.”

“So… I think…. I can’t do what Beryl wants like… like… like this…”

“It’s called having a conscience. Congrats. It sucks sometimes.”

“You’re telling me,” Nephrite breathed. “So, what now?”

“Well, first, we find Sailor Moon and tell her that you’re switching sides. That might be easier said than—”

“Nephrite!” came a voice in front of them.

Both men looked up to see Sailor Moon standing at the entrance to the park with her arms crossed, a piece of paper scrunched in one of her hands.

“Never mind,” Kazu laughed.

“Just what did you do with Naru?” Sailor Moon asked sharply, marching toward the bench.

“I… I talked to her and then left,” Nephrite explained. “I came here to talk to him,” he continued, pointing at Kazu.

“He wants to defect,” Kazu said, standing and getting between Nephrite and Sailor Moon. “Naru’s infatuation with him seems to have brought back his humanity. He’s joining us against Beryl.”

“Then explain this!” Sailor Moon yelled, showing the two of them the paper in her hands.

“Where’d you get it?” Kazu asked, taking the paper.

“Naru called me after you left, said she was worried. But she wasn’t around when I got to her home. That paper was on her pillow. I started looking around, found your car over there, and saw you talking to him.”

“…got your little girlfriend…” Kazu said quietly, reading the paper. “…value her life… kill her in 12 hours… come alone… no funny business… ‘L?” he asked Nephrite, pointing to the letter as a signature on the bottom.

“Beryl’s attack dog,” Nephrite answered tersely. “Probably one of the most loathsome people you could ever meet.”

“Great,” Kazu said, crinkling the paper in his hands as he clenched them, turning back to Sailor Moon. “This is a trap. He doesn’t go, this ‘L’ kills Naru. He does go, they kill them both. I’ll get Naru back safely, but I need you to let me do it my way. Please trust me on this one.”

Sailor Moon stared at Kazu for a moment before nodding and giving a short, affirmative hum.

“Thank you,” Kazu said, grabbing Nephrite’s arm and walking toward his car.

“Why are you—” he started.

“This is your fault, you’re helping me,” Kazu said.

“Fair enough.”

“Jack,” Kazu said into the radio inside his helmet once they were far enough away from Sailor Moon, “Beryl’s wise to Nephrite. Naru’s been taken hostage. You and Xi converge on the car, we need to come up with a plan.”

“Got it.”

“So, just who is this ‘L?” Kazu asked Nephrite as they got in the car.

“Her name is Lucinda.”

“Lucinda Ravenard?”

“You know her?”

“Know her,” Kazu said, turning the ignition for the car. “Killed her twice. Guess I got to do more than throw her down a black hole.”

He threw the car into drive and sped out into the night.

Chapter Text

Speeding through the lonely night streets, Kazu and Nephrite made their way toward where Lucinda had taken Naru. They soon found themselves nearing where she had told Nephrite to go: an abandoned diner. Kazu drove his car into the opposing alleyway and turned the engine off.

“My team should be here soon,” he said. “We can plan something then.”

“Hold on a minute,” Nephrite answered, turning to Kazu who was suited up in his Mandalorian-like armor. “What do you mean you’ve killed Lucinda twice?”

“Kind of self-explanatory, isn’t it? I dropped her out a window the first time, who knows how long ago. Threw her out an airlock into a black hole the second time about a hundred years ago.”

“A hundred years ago!? We only reawakened less than a year ago! There’s no way you could have met her last century.”

“Huh. Interesting.”

“She did mention getting kicked out of a window once but then you’d… you’d have to be… to be…” Nephrite looked at the man next to him who was now staring at him through a faded gold and gray helmet. “You have got to be kidding me,” he added, putting a hand over his face. “Of all the people I could have had that conversation with, it had to be you.”

“If it helps, I think Jupiter would have been happy with the person you’re turning into.”

“It really doesn’t,” Nephrite answered, his hand sliding down his face.

“Fair enough,” Kazu said, turning back to look at the diner across the street. “But no matter what happens here, you’re definitely not going back to Beryl. Sticking around here doesn’t work either,” he went on, crossing his arms. “She’ll keep going after Naru to draw you out.”

“The only other option is you kill me,” Nephrite sniped, giving him a sour side-eye.

“No, it’s not. But we can figure that out later,” Kazu said as a black van drove up and parked in front of them.

*          *          *

Sitting in a dusty corner behind the counter of a long-abandoned diner, Naru repositioned herself to allow the ropes that were digging into her skin to shift and tried not to pay attention to the lady rapidly pacing in front of the counter. Every now and then, she’d grumble to herself about something or other. Occasionally she caught Nephrite’s name along with the names of who she assumed were other people he knew. She didn’t know how long she’d been tied up as the woman’s prisoner, but knew it couldn’t have been longer than a few hours. After all, the sun hadn’t come out yet.

Moments later the woman in front of the counter stopped pacing and leaned against the surface, giving her a menacing look.

“You know,” she started in a tone dripping with sinister malice, “I did tell Nephrite that I’d give him 12 hours to show but,” she continued, producing a small, thin knife the size of her palm from her belt, “I could say you tried to escape and I ‘accidentally’ got a little too rough stopping you. What do you think?” she asked with a twisted smile.

Naru’s eyes widened, she shook her head and tried to make a sound through the gag the woman had tied around her mouth but couldn’t other than some grunts.

“That’s what they all say,” she jeered.

The woman readied to heave herself over the counter when a noise came from behind her, causing her to turn around and Naru to look beyond her.

She could see Nephrite standing in the doorway, glaring at the woman. and tried to call out to him though the gag continued to prevent her from making anything other than a muffled groan.

“Took you long enough,” Lucinda said, crossing her arms and repositioning the knife in her hand. “I made sure that note was right in the open, too. You couldn’t miss it.”

“I didn’t find it,” Nephrite said sternly. “Sailor Moon did.”

“Ah, so,” Lucinda responded, looking up. “I’m assuming you didn’t take her or any of the Guardians on or else you wouldn’t be here. But since you know about it, Sailor Moon must have shown it to you. Getting chummy with Sailor Moon,” she went on, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Beryl was right,” she added, opening her eyes. “You’ve not only outlived your usefulness, you’ve sided with the enemy.”

As the two were staring each other down and engaging in a battle of words, Naru noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She gingerly moved her head to the side to see the door connecting the back of the counter and the kitchen slowly opening to reveal an armored figure she recognized as Nemo army crawling out and moving toward her.

Once he got close enough that Naru could almost see the shape of Nemo’s eyes through the helmet, he knelt and began looking her over. After a second or so, he took the gag out of her mouth allowing her to quietly breathe a sigh of relief. Seemingly satisfied, Nemo slowly and silently picked her up and started backing out the way he came.

“Hey!”

Naru looked away from Nemo to see Lucinda staring at both of them with a wild frenzy in her eyes.

*          *          *

“You’ve not only outlived your usefulness, you’ve sided with the enemy.”

Nephrite stood stolid in front of Lucinda, occasionally glancing behind her to see Nemo creeping up to Naru.

Keep talking

Nephrite lowered his head to continue glowering at Lucinda.

“What makes you think I didn’t kill Sailor Moon and take the note off her body?”

“Because,” Lucinda seethed, “if you were capable of doing so, you would have done it by now.”

“Weren’t you trained by one of the best minds in espionage the Solar System has ever seen? Didn’t he ever teach you the advantage of knowing your enemies’ weaknesses? What if I told you I’ve been humoring them to figure that out?”

“I’d say you’re a terrible liar,” she said, her voice beginning to rise. “You think I spent that long suffering as his assistant to not know when someone’s lying to me? Hell, do you know how hard it was to stare him in the face day in and day out and not have him suspect anything? Don’t you begin to lecture me,” she went on, uncrossing her arms and pointing the knife toward Nephrite, “on what I did or didn’t learn back then. Because if I’m not mistaken, none of you were all that fond of Prince Kazu either,” she spat, giving an extra dose of venom on the name.

“I don’t think any of us particularly liked him, though out of all of us, I think Kunzite probably hated him most.”

“Hah,” Lucinda snorted. “I remember. Hey kid,” she said, starting to turn around. “Before I kill you, you want to hear the dumbest—”

Uh-oh

Though he was unable to see her face, Nephrite saw Lucinda’s shoulders tense up and her grip on the knife tighten hard enough for her knuckles to go white.

“Hey!”

*          *          *

Kazu snuck through the back door and snaked his way through the abandoned kitchen up to the dividing door between that area and the back of the counter. He slightly opened the door and peeked through it to see Nephrite walk in and Lucinda turn to face him.

“Took you long enough,” he could hear Lucinda say as he got prone.

Careful to make no noise, Kazu slid along the ground, opening the door with his helmet and looking to see Naru along the far wall. Not paying attention to what Nephrite and Lucinda were saying to each other, he crawled over to her.

A little banged up, he thought, reaching and examining her while moving to a kneeling position. Doesn’t look like she did anything lasting though. At least not physically.

Kazu took the gag out of Naru’s mouth. The sigh was quiet but he could hear the alleviation in its reticence. He moved to stand on both feet and picked her up and began to slink back the way he came while resuming listening to the conversation.

“I don’t think any of us particularly liked him, though out of all of us, I think Kunzite probably hated him most.”

Lucinda snorted and laughed. As she started to turn around, Kazu attempted to pick up the pace but barely made it to the door before she had fully turned around. He stopped and stared at a much younger Lucinda than he had faced back at the Maw. Her eyes were vibrant, her hair was full, her skin was healthy, and he was just now realizing that she sounded like she did during the Silver Millennium. She didn’t have the voice of a woman who had smoked four packs of cigarettes every day for 50 years.

“Hey!”

“Uh,” Kazu said, staring at her. “Hello.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“You mean you don’t recognize me?”

“Should I?”

“I guess not? Either way, they call me Nemo.”

“This was your plan?” she asked, giving Nephrite a side-eye. “Hoping I didn’t turn around?”

“Part of a plan,” Kazu responded with a shrug as Nephrite began edging back toward the door.

“It have another part to it? I hope it’s better than this.”

“It’s got a couple,” Kazu said, taking a small sphere from a pouch on his belt. “I think they’re good.”

He flicked the sphere over toward Lucinda. It bounced off the counter and landed by her feet, broke apart with a small pfft and a plume of smoke poured out.

“Hold on,” Kazu said to Naru.

He felt her grip around him tighten as he made for the counter, jumped on, and pushed off through the smoke toward an open door that Nephrite had already run out of. Using his shoulder, Kazu burst through the door. To his left was the Firebird parked along the sidewalk and to his right, the back door to the van closed and began to drive off. He headed over to the car and placed Naru in the passenger seat as Lucinda exploded through the door, leaving a trail of smoke behind her.

“Where—ah!” she yelled, looking at the van that was heading away from her. “Clever!” she exclaimed raising a ring-studded fist. “But not clever enough!”

Lucinda pumped the air and a gust of energy mixed with flames streamed from the ring fast enough to catch up to the van. It hit the bumper and caused the vehicle to flip onto hits roof. The flames began to spread over the undercarriage. Oil was leaking out of the engine. She laughed to herself  and began sauntering over to the van, once again brandishing the knife and twirling it in her hand.

“Stay here,” Kazu said to Naru before starting after Lucinda. “Hold it!”

“Oh, you think you’re going to stop me?” Lucinda said, half turning while still making toward the van. “I’ve killed people far more resourceful than—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Lucinda was cut off by the fire igniting the oil and blowing the vehicle up. The flames spread all around and grew higher. The frame was practically nonexistent and one of the doors was on the other side of the sidewalk.

“Nephrite!” Naru yelled, opening the door to Kazu’s car.

“Stay in the car!” Kazu yelled, looking back and pointing. “Are you happy now!?” he shouted back toward Lucinda who was looking at the flaming wreckage.

“Believe it or not, yes,” she said, sheathing the dagger back on her belt. “I’m feeling generous, too,” she said, turning back and walking over to Kazu. “I’ll let you live. It’s not like she’s going to do anything and, well, your plan just literally blew up in your face.”

Lucinda waved the hand with the ring again and a portal opened.

“Maybe I’ll see you again in the future,” she said, walking through the portal that closed behind her.

“Or in the past,” Kazu huffed under his breath.

He walked back to the car where Naru was curled up in the seat, crying.

“W-we have to s-save him,” she sobbed.

“We can’t,” Kazu said, getting into the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry, Naru. But nobody’s surviving that.”

“How do you know!?”

“Experience,” he stated, turning the ignition.

Kazu put the car in gear, turned around, and drove back to the Osa-P jewelry store.

Minutes later, after taking several side streets, the two of them pulled up in front of the store where the Sailor Guardians were waiting.

“Naru!” yelled Sailor Moon who bounded up to the car as it parked.

“Sailor Moon,” Naru whimpered, getting out of the car and returning the hug Sailor Moon had given her.

“Where’s Nephrite?” Sailor Mars asked through the car’s open T-Top.

“Gone,” Kazu said, looking at the embrace between Naru and Sailor Moon. “Plan went a bit south. He definitely won’t be a problem anymore.”

“How do we know we can trust you?” Sailor Mercury asked.

“Sailor Moon trusted me enough to get Naru back. You all have trusted me enough up until now. I think I’ve earned a little bit more.”

“He’s right,” Naru said quietly, leaning away from Sailor Moon. “They tried to split up but the lady who took me, she…” Naru trailed off and looked down. “There was a van. She blew it up. He really is… he really is dead.”

“If you can’t trust me, trust her,” Kazu said. “Naru,” he added, looking at her. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Wait!” demanded Sailor Moon as Kazu began to shift the car back into drive. “Just who are you?”

Kazu looked up at her and over to Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury.

“I told you all before,” he said, fully shifting gears. “I’m Nemo.”

Wordlessly, he merged back onto the road. Making a few turns, Kazu began driving the direction from which he came.

*          *          *

Lucinda marched through a stone corridor, having just informed Beryl that Nephrite had been taken care of. She stopped at a fork in the path and checked to make sure nobody else was around. Satisfied, she opened another portal and walked through into the room with a skeleton hanging on the wall.

“Two down,” she said, leaning against the wall and sliding down. “Three to go. Then it’s the Sailor Guardians. And that new guy,” she continued, looking up at the skeleton. “He called himself Nemo. Heh. Who calls themselves that?”

The skeleton continued to hang in silence.

“Guy’s intelligent though. His plan was pretty thought out and he’s using a dead language to hide who he really is. Wants people to think of him as nobody. Almost sounds like… like something… he… would… do…”

Instantly, Lucinda stood and leapt toward the skeleton, rearing her fist back and lunged it forward, hitting the wall right next to the smiling skull.

“You think you’re so smart, Kazu,” she hissed, turning around. “I made you pay once for choosing that whore over me and I’ll—wait,” she breathed, looking slightly upwards, “she hasn’t even shown up. Maybe I can… entice… him to join me. He did choose me once, after all… Yes…” she said with a malicious laugh. “Come back to me, Kazu. Come back to me or die…”

*          *          *

 Kazu continued driving and after a few more turns, he wound up heading down a small road at the end of which, Jack was leaning against a fence.

“This isn’t where we planned to meet back up,” he said, slowing down enough for her to get in the car.

“Yeah, well, we didn’t plan for the van to blow up either,” she said acridly as she got in.

“You look fine,” he said, pressing the button to doff the armor.  

“I still feel pain, Koz,” she shot back. “You know how long it felt to have to wait for her to leave and then you two to drive off before I could crawl out of the wreckage and get pieced back together, for my blood to slither back into my body, and for the burns to heal? Let’s stick you with a cattle prod a see how long a second feels like to you.”

“All right, all right. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she sighed. “Normally it doesn’t bother me. But normally I can just get away and heal. I don’t usually have to wait. And I didn’t know how long it would be until anyone important showed up.”

“Speaking of which, how are we going to explain to whoever comes around investigating why a van registered to you blew up on a city street?”

“It’s a JadeStar delivery van,” she explained. “I reported one stolen a month ago and after you told me to come to you, I put on the plates that were ‘taken.”

“Heh,” he chuckled. “Smart bit of fraud.”

“I did learn from the best,” she said with a sly smile.

The two continued to drive further and further away from the heart of the city into the outskirts of Tokyo. Eventually, the two drove up to a slatted, steel gate that was buttressed by a high barbed wire fence with a security panel in front. Kazu reached out and punched in a code that produced a hand scanner that he put his palm up to.

“Welcome… Kazu Starskimmer,” a robotic voice sounded before the gate opened.

Kazu drove through and up to a massive building with a large sliding door. He stopped in front of it and Jack got out of the car and walked up to a door with another security panel. She punched in a code of her own and showed her eye for a retinal scan. Kazu watched her walk in and a second later, the door slid up enough for the car to pass under. He drove through and found himself facing the stem of Sol’s Specter. He parked the car along the starboard side wall behind his motorcycle as Jack closed the door and walked up and Xinnaa emerged from the ship’s gangplank.

“How long you think it’s been?” Jack asked.

“I’d say about an hour… 90 minutes at the most,” Kazu said, looking at his watch and moving to the trunk of the car.

“He’s probably not very comfortable,” Xinnaa said with a low chuckle.

“Don’t know,” Kazu said, putting his key in the trunk’s lock. “How you feeling?” he asked as it opened to reveal a folded-up Nephrite.

“Humiliated.”

“That’ll pass,” Kazu said while Nephrite began to unfold and climb his way out of the trunk.

“I could have taken her,” Nephrite seethed.

“Oh yeah,” Kazu said, putting his hands up in a shrug. “Let’s totally fight her. There’s no way whatever magic Beryl gave her is strong enough to lay you out. Let’s not even think about collateral damage and spillover.”

“You blew up a car!”

“To be fair,” Kazu said, crossing his arms, “it would have blown up eventually. I just needed it to happen before she realized you weren’t in it.”

Nephrite took in a deep breath and clenched his fists before letting it out slowly.

“So,” he said with another sigh. “What happens now?”

“Well,” Kazu started, looking up. “Naru and the Sailor Guardians think you’re dead. But so does Lucinda and she’ll tell Beryl you are. Zoisite and Kunzite will think you are too. That means you can’t stay here. Everyone will find out and that will continue to keep Naru in danger. Like I said earlier, she’ll keep being targeted to draw you out. The only thing left is that,” he said, pointing to the Specter.

“What… is… that?” Nephrite asked, turning around.

“My spaceship.”

“How do you have a spaceship!?” he asked, turning back to Kazu.

“I won it in a card game.”

“That just raises further questions!”

“Fine. I’ll explain. My reincarnation happened differently for some reason. I was born in another galaxy and had to come back to this one.  That galaxy, called Skyriver, is much more technologically advanced than here with life on several of its star systems. You can’t stay here. But there’s nothing stopping you from starting a new life in Skyriver. How you do that… and what you do with that… is up to you now.”

“I can’t fly this thing!”

“You’re not going to. She’ll fly you,” he said, pointing to Jack. “And if you think you’re alone with all these people thinking you’re dead, you’re not. I used to be somewhat of a celebrity over there. Nearly the entire galaxy thinks I died in a black hole 100 years ago. Want to know what people think of me? Ask them about the Star Skimmer.”

“If you’re in a cantina,” Xinnaa added, “someone might start singing.”

“So, you’re just going to drop me into a galaxy I don’t know and just hope I survive?”

“Hardly,” Kazu said, walking over to the motorcycle. "Jack can provide the resources to get you set up and my team will help you if you need it. All you need to do is ask.”

Kazu grabbed the bike’s handlebars and walked the vehicle over to the door Jack originally walked through. He opened it but before exiting the hangar, Kazu looked at Nephrite who was rubbing his head with one of his hands and talking to Jack and Xinnaa.

“Hey!” he called out, causing Nephrite to look at him. “Good luck,” he said with a quick two-finger salute.

Kazu left the hangar and put the helmet dangling from the handlebars on his head before mounting the bike. He started it up and left the airfield, heading back into the city.

This isn’t how I wanted things to go, but it was the only way. He gets to live while Naru stays safe. Still… she was attached but he started caring for her in a way beyond romantic love. Here I am, trying and failing for the last century to find the woman I love, and now I’m ripping love apart. It’s almost poetic.

He stopped at a red light and looked down before the noise of an engine broke the still silence around him. Looking up, Kazu saw the Specter zoom overhead before flying upward into space. He sighed as the light turned green and he hit the accelerator.

Depressingly poetic.

He sped up and snaked his way through the streets toward the mansion as the skies overhead grew dark and the sound of thunder clapped in the distance.

Chapter Text

Drrrriiiiiiiinggggg!!!!!

Drrrriiiiiiiinggggg!!!!!

Drrrriiiiiiiinggggg!!!!!

“Mmrph…”

Sunlight poked through half-closed curtains, partially illuminating a somewhat tidy bedroom whose only occupant was doing her best impression of a turtle, trying to ignore a ringing alarm clock on the bedside table.

Drrrriiiiiiiinggggg!!!!!

Drrrriiiiiiiinggggg!!!!!

It wasn’t working.

From out of the lump on the bed under the blanket came a raised hand that fell on the clock, stopping the hammer from hitting the bells. Slowly, it dragged the device under the covers where another hand shut the clock’s incessant ringing up. The first hand then returned the clock to its original place and the other pulled back the blankets to reveal a teenaged girl, taller than most her age, with ruddy brown hair reaching down to her lower neck.

Makoto rose and turned to sit on the edge of her bed, trying to remember the dream she had while rubbing the goop out of her eyes. Thankfully, it wasn’t the dream with the airplane. Those were few and far between unless it was late July or early August. No, this one had him in it. She could never remember his face, or even his name, but he always had the same black hair and he always made her feel safe and wanted. Makoto didn’t know why exactly, but she loved those dreams and hated waking up from them. In this one, they were on a balcony, sitting against its doors and holding each other while staring out into a starry night sky.

She heaved off the bed and checked the date. Makoto sighed upon confirming that it was indeed her first day at Juban Public Middle School, a punishment she’d incurred after fighting one too many times at her old school. It had been a month since that last incident, a fight she ended after coming to the rescue of another student who’d caught the wrath of a known bully, and she’d had plenty of time to think about it and the fallout. She didn’t like having to change schools, but Makoto still thought it was the right thing to have done.

She didn’t have many thoughts as she moved to her apartment’s bathroom for a quick shower. All she thought of throughout the whole process was of her only friend, Shinozaki. He’d been there for her every time a boy broke up with her over something stupid. Now they weren’t even going to be at the same school.

The idea of a new beginning rushed into her head as she got out of the shower, dried off and dressed in her brown and white school uniform. But it soon left once she realized her reputation had probably already reached Juban. She sighed again before giving herself a once-over in her mirror, leaving the bedroom and grabbing her lunch from the kitchen before heading out the door. She didn’t know anyone who went to Juban but it was a sure thing that nobody was going to want to know her. Not unless they were painfully oblivious to rumors and tried to be friends with everyone.

Makoto walked out of her apartment building and saw Shinozaki leaning against the building’s mailboxes.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, walking over to him. “You know what day it is right? I’m going to Juban now.”

“Nothing says we can’t walk together until we get near Minami,” Shinozaki said with a smile, pushing off the mailboxes.

“You’d get to school way earlier than you need to,” she said, changing directions once he got near.

“More time to study,” he said, sidling up next to her. “My grades could probably use it.”

“Your grades are better than mine, dingus,” she said with a smirk and a side-eye.

“That’s not something I would be proud of, Makoto,” he shot back with a smirk of his own.

“I wonder what I’m going to do now though,” she stated, down. “It’s not like I’m going to be able to ask you for help when we’re in two different schools.”

“You can always ask the genius,” he responded.

“The who?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Juban Public Middle School is where Ami Mizuno goes to school. Word is, she’s not only top of her class but also the smartest student in Japan.”

“Oh, come on,” Makoto huffed, crossing her arms. “I seriously doubt someone like her is going to help someone like me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can guarantee you rumors about me have already gone and swept the school. They’re going to treat me like I have a red number four on my head.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Neither do you.”

“I—you---eh---okay, you got me there,” Shinozaki said with a shrug. “This is where I split,” he added, pointing down a side street, “but at least try to be optimistic.”

“Right, optimistic,” she said under her breath as he walked away. “Like you and those dreams aren’t the only good things I have in my life.”

Makoto kept walking, trying not to think about the eventual stares and whispers from her new classmates when she heard a commotion from around the corner in front of her.

“Sorry about that!”

“You broke my leg! I heard it snap like a pretzel!”

“At least it’s not at school,” she said to herself, hurrying to round the corner.

Makoto found a fake-looking tough guy trying to stare down a scared-looking girl who had a black cat by her feet. The guy had two friends on her other side. One of them was sitting and holding his leg and the other was kneeling next to him.

“Hey, watcha gonna do now?” the guy staring her down asked.

“She said sorry,” Makoto said, causing all of them to look at her. “I saw the whole thing, boys,” she went on, glaring at them. “She barely bumped you. That’s pretty low, trying to con an innocent girl.”

“What’s that?” the guy next to the girl asked, fully turning to stare her down through cheesy shades.

“How dare you!” the crouching one said, standing and walking over to her. “No one ever talks to us like that!” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Before his hand could touch her, Makoto grabbed the man’s wrist, shifted her weight and threw him on his back.

“Why you!” the one in the shades yelled, starting for a punch.

Makoto sidestepped and kneed him in the stomach.

“Oh, wow,” the girl breathed.

A second of silence fell, followed by the one who claimed to have a broken leg getting to his feet and running away.

“Are you okay?” Makoto asked the girl.

“Uh, sure.”

“You take care,” she said, resuming her walk toward the school.

*          *          *

“I am out of ideas!” yelled a frustrated Zoisite, pacing back and forth with his hands in the air in front of Kunzite who was seated on an outcropping with his arms folded. “I’m no closer to finding the Silver Crystal than I was before Nephrite went native.”

“Keep your voice down,” Kunzite said, looking beyond Zoisite down a darkened hall.

“And I can’t go and tell Beryl,” he continued, pointing down the hall, “because I know what happens if I do!”

“Zoisite,” Kunzite said, standing and trying to grab the man to cut him off.

“She’ll set that… that… sociopath on me just like she did to Jadeite and Nephrite,” he said, ignoring Kunzite. “Do you know what she did to them!?”

“Eh,” he sounded, giving Zoisite a stern look.

“I drowned the misogynist and I blew up the traitor,” came a voice from behind Zoisite that made him pause.

“Master Kunzite!”

“I tried to tell you,” Kunzite replied flatly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to blab to Beryl,” Lucinda said, walking up to the two of them. “And I have something that might actually help you,” she went on, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the Black Crystal she had found while kidnapping Naru. “Nephrite was using this to draw energy from certain people,” she said, handing it to Zoisite. “I think he used it to see if that girl he was fond of held the crystal. Obviously, she didn’t. But maybe you can use it to point you in the direction of whoever has it. Or maybe a piece of it. I remember Serenity once saying it had the power to split apart into several separate crystals. There were those seven people the Great Ruler had Beryl set aside to turn into special monsters. It would be kind of funny if the crystal worked its magic, broke apart, and hid itself into who they ended up becoming.”

“Why do you want to help me all of a sudden?” Zoisite asked.

“Maybe I’m just feeling generous,” Lucinda said, turning around and walking away before stopping. “Oh, by the way,” she added, turning her head, “I’m not a sociopath. I’m a psychopathic narcissist. Learn the difference.”

*          *          *

Later that day, once introductions to her new classroom had already happened and things had finally settled in, Makoto found a nice, secluded spot next to a tree in between a bush and a flowerbed in the schoolyard for her lunch.

About what I expected, she thought to herself, taking a bite of her food. Word always travels fast. Glad I can just enjoy some peace right now.

It didn’t last long though as she felt someone looming over her.

Great…

“Who’s there!?” she demanded, turning her head to see the girl she had saved lurking behind the bush.

“Why hello again,” the girl nervously laughed.

“Oh, it’s you,” Makoto said with a smile. “So you go to school here too, huh?’

“I do. I’m Usagi.”

“So, care to join me?” Makoto asked, scooting over to give Usagi some room.

“Sure! Thanks for helping me this morning.”

Makoto chuckled before noticing Usagi was staring at her food.

“Oh, would you like to have some?”

“Huh? Well, actually, I’m not really a big eater. But since you offered,” she said, accepting and taking a bite of the food.

“I’m sure glad you came by. You know, for some reason everyone at school here seems to be afraid to talk to me.”

“Well, Mako,” Usagi started, causing Makoto to give her a look. “Sorry, is it okay if I call you that.”

“Sure.”

“Mako, your mom packs the best lunch I’ve ever tasted.”

“Oh. Actually, I made all this myself.”

“That’s amazing!” Usagi replied. “You’ve got to teach me how to make these, or you can make them for me.”

I don’t believe it… painfully oblivious to rumors and tries to be friends with everyone… Maybe Shinozaki was right.

*          *          *

Kazu strolled out of a convenience store with a bottle of scotch in one hand and a pork bun in the other. He took a bite of the bun before washing it down with some of the alcohol when he heard a ping from the datapad in his duster pocket.

He hummed and put the bottle in the jacket’s inside pocket, took out an earpiece that he placed on his head and hit a button on the datapad.

“And how is our mutual friend doing?” he asked, taking another bite.

“Not bad,” replied the voice of Jack. “Bit of a… culture shock, for lack of a better term. But he seems to be adapting pretty well.”

“Good to hear,” he responded. “Naru doesn’t seem to be doing too well though. Xi says she hasn’t gone to school in about a week. I’m planning on paying her a visit tonight. Maybe I can help… somehow. Still, that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you,” he added, taking out a notebook from another pocket and flipping it open.

“I’m going over the notes Trixie sent us,” he said, taking a bite of the bun. “Let her know I want the building surveyed on a constant basis. We need to know if Rex is using it as a base or for storage. And if he’s storing something there, we need to know… for…”

Kazu trailed off as he looked up and saw a tall young woman running toward him. He stepped out of the way to give her enough space to get by. As she passed, he noticed her green eyes and brown hair tied in a ponytail. He watched as she kept running down the sidewalk for a few seconds.

“Koz?” came Jack’s voice on the other end of the earpiece. “You there?”

“Yeah,” he said, taking another bite of the bun, still looking in the direction she was heading. “Base or storage, figure it out.”

He took out the earpiece and stuffed it in his pocket before taking the last bite of the bun and walking after the woman. He kept his distance while walking at a brisk enough pace to see her turn a corner. He followed and almost turned it himself before noticing that she was looking into a storefront next to Usagi who had Luna on her shoulder.

That was quick, he thought, peering around the corner.

“…he reminds me of the guy who broke my heart,” he heard the woman say.

Maybe it isn’t her. But the resemblance is uncanny.

Kazu saw Usagi whisper something to Luna but couldn’t make out what it was. A few seconds later she yawned.

“Really, you can go on without me if you’re too tired.”

“Oh, no.”

Something inside the building made the two of them perk up.

“He wants you to go in!” Usagi said.

“What do I do?”

“You gotta stop talking and get going!” Usagi exclaimed, grabbing the girl’s arm and pushing her in. “Come on, now. There’s no waiting for love, now get in there. Good luck!”

The woman disappeared into the building.

I swear, he thought, continuing down the street, if this is another Tiffalie thing…

Kazu passed Usagi, making sure to have his face buried in his notebook, and walked into he coffeeshop, sitting down at a booth in the corner where he could see the woman. She was sitting with someone in a hoodie and a backwards cap.

Hmm.

“Anything sir?” asked a server.

“Cup of black coffee would be great,” he said with a smile.

He pretended to study case notes while watching the two of them talk about some sort of crane game, smiling at the server who came back with his coffee. He took a drink as the man pointed an open palm at an ashtray and lifted it.

Jedi? He doesn’t look like one… but then again… neither did—oh, no. They’re quick too.

Kazu saw Zoisite walk up and toss the two of them and one of the booth’s seats aside with a burst of energy. The coffeeshop’s other patrons fled.

No one’s looking…

Kazu pressed the buttons on the arm brace and suited up in his Mandalorian-style armor. He walked up behind Zoisite who was towering over the man, grabbed him, and flung him through the coffeeshop’s window and into the street. Kazu followed, climbing over the broken glass.

“Wha!” yelled Usagi as he hit the sidewalk.

Kazu turned his head and looked at Usagi, gave a slow nod, and resumed walking toward the downed Zoisite.

“You’re not who I want,” he said as the man got back to his feet, “but you’ll do.”

*          *          *

Usagi stood in the coffeeshop’s doorway, watching Nemo make his way over to the man he’d thrown out the window.

Does he know who I am?

Her attention was brought back to the coffeeshop when she saw movement at her feet out of the corner of her eye. Usagi looked down and saw Jou trying to crawl out the door.

“You’re crawling away and leaving Mako behind!?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

*          *          *

Kazu grabbed Zoisite’s collar and pushed him out of the road onto the opposite sidewalk.

“Just what do you want with either of them?”

Zoisite didn’t answer but turned his head back toward the coffeeshop. Kazu looked over and saw the man running down the sidewalk.

“Stay out of this!” Zoisite yelled, extending his hand and pushing a wave of dark energy toward Kazu.

He braced and leaned into the wave, allowing Zoisite the window he needed to teleport to the other sidewalk and begin following the man.

So, he’s not after her…

*          *          *

With night descending on Tokyo, Makoto ran down the sidewalk in hot pursuit of Jou, behind the man who had interrupted the two of them in the coffeeshop. She tailed the two of them into a park, stopping at a path’s split just in time to see the man using some sort of crystal on Jou, pulling a red gem from out of his body.

“Hold it, you!” came another voice from further down the path that made Makoto turn.

“Sailor Moon!”

“You’re a little too late, Sailor Moon,” the man said, turning his head toward the heroine.

“Just who are you anyway?” he asked.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” the man started, rising into the air in a seated position. “I am one of the Dark Kingdom’s Four Kings of Heaven, Zoisite.”

“What?”

“I think I’ll let Monster Gesen take care of the rest of this,” he finished before disappearing with laughter in a swirl of rose petals.

Makoto looked back at Jou only to find he had been replaced by a red monster wearing scattered pieces of arcade-like armor.

“Ah!” yelled Sailor Moon, “Jou turned into a monster!”

The monster extended his arm and produced a mallet from a bracer and swung. Makoto dodged it by jumping backward but the monster continued to target Sailor Moon. She dodged a few more times but had tripped, allowing it to come up on her.

I have to help her, Makoto thought, running toward them.

She got behind it and grappled.

“And just what do you think you’re trying to do to my hero, Sailor Moon?” Makoto asked, heaving the monster above her head, taking a deep breath and throwing it into the bushes.

In a quick burst of recovery, the monster stood and produced a claw that shot out and grabbed Sailor Moon.

“Hold on!” Makoto yelled, starting to leap forward to break the connector but stopped at a voice behind her.

Makoto turned and saw Usagi’s black cat standing behind her with a small, ornamented cylinder in front of her.

“Mako! You’re Sailor Jupiter!”

“You can talk?”

“To help Sailor Moon, hold this transformation pen and shout out Jupiter Power Makeup!”

*          *          *

Still in his armor, Kazu ran down the sidewalk after the young woman who was following Zoisite and the man.

“You’re sure it was her?” Xinnaa asked through his helmet radio

“Almost positive.”

“So, how does this jive with you hiding yourself?”

“Depends on if she remembers or not,” he said. “She probably doesn’t. None of the others have but I can hope, right?”

He ran after them into the park and found Sailor Moon being constrained by a monster with the woman holding a transformation pen, looking at Luna. She turned her gaze toward Sailor Moon and the monster before holding the pen up in the air.

“Jupiter Power Makeup!”

A split second later, she had turned into a Sailor Guardian. Her skirt was dark green, the bows were pink, and she had ankle-high green boots.

“No doubt about it!” he yelled, running forward in time for the monster to send out a second claw which she dodged and destroyed with a blast of Supreme Thunder along with the claw holding Sailor Moon.

Kazu bodychecked the monster, sending it flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. He closed the distance and pinned it against the bark.

*          *          *

Sailor Jupiter reached Sailor Moon and helped her to her feet just as the monster made contact with the tree.

“One more blast should do it,” she stated, readying to strike again. “Hold him steady,” she added to the armored figure holding the monster.

“No, wait!” yelled Luna “That monster still has a human heart. He used to be a human being,”

“Then how are we supposed to stop him?” Sailor Moon asked, watching the monster struggle against Nemo holding him against the tree.

“You have to turn him back to his original form,” Luna said, producing a pink stick with a crescent moon resting on top.

*          *          *

Moon Stick! Kazu thought, pressing his weight against the monster to keep it held against the tree. He smacked it with his elbow.

“Moon Healing Escalation!” Sailor Moon yelled, holding the stick above her head.

The monster turned bright white and screamed before turning back into the man he had been before Zoisite made him transform. Kazu released his grip and the me man fell to his knees and on his back.

What now? he thought, looking at the other two. After a century and a half, I finally found her. Should I.. should I talk to her? It doesn’t look like she remembers either. Should I still keep my distance? Should I let it all out?

“Koz,” came Xinnaa’s voice. “I know what you’re thinking and if she doesn’t remember, the answer is no. Besides, don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Mm. Right,” he said, turning and disappearing into the night.

*          *          *

“This is… this is amazing,” Sailor Jupiter said, looking herself over and walking over to Sailor Moon. “I do have one question, though. Who is that?” she asked, pointing to the armored man staring at them.  

“We’ve asked. He just says he’s ‘Nemo.’ Sailor Mercury says it means ‘nobody’ in a different language and that he doesn’t want us to know who he is.”

“Whoever he is, he needs to quit staring,” Sailor Jupiter, shooting Nemo a disapproving look.

“Mm. Right,” he said quietly before turning around and leaving.

“Mako,” Luna said once Nemo had left. “You are the fourth Sailor Guardian, Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Moon, listen. Now that we’ve found all four guardians you will lead the team to find and protect our princess.”

*          *          *

About an hour later, Kazu found himself back at the Osa-P jewelry store. He swung back behind the building, climbed up onto Naru’s balcony, and opened the door. Kazu watched her turn over in bed to look at whoever was walking in and make a sad noise upon seeing it was him.

“I know I’m not who you wanted to see,” he said, walking over next to her bed and sliding down wall to sit while she sat up. “But I think I’m who you need to see.”

“How do you know what I need?”

“You’re not the only one who’s lost someone they care about,” Kazu said, looking down. “A long time ago, the woman I love died in my arms. Before that, both my brother and sister were taken from me. Years ago, a friend of mine went with me on a search for someone that I never found until recently. He died when an enemy I’d made targeted me,” he said, looking back at Naru. “You’re not alone in what you’re feeling. But you can’t let it take over your whole being. I’ve heard you haven’t gone to school or even left this room since that night. You can’t let this sorrow keep you from living your life. Nephrite wouldn’t have wanted that.”

“I know,” she sighed. “But I don’t know how to do that.”

“I don’t think anyone really knows how,” Kazu said. “I don’t think there’s a right way to do it, either. But, like a good friend of mine once said, ‘things have changed, they’ll never be the same, but we must keep moving.”

Naru looked away from Nemo in silence. A few seconds later, she looked back at him.

“I never got to thank you for the other night.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “You don’t have—”

“Can I see your face?”

“What?”

“I’ve seen you so many times, but I’ve never seen your face.”

“I—I don’t… I don’t see why not,” he said, putting his hands to the helmet and twisting it to take it off, revealing his disheveled black hair and deep grey eyes.

“You look just as kind as you’ve been.”

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in a long time,” Kazu replied with a grin. “But I know what you’re thinking. I’m no replacement goldfish,” he said, standing. “My heart belongs to someone else. But, just think about what I said. Put one foot in front of the other, keep going. You’ll find someone. Someone who probably won’t start out as such a bad person,” he went on, walking back toward the sliding door. “Anyone your age would be lucky to have you.”

Kazu opened the door and began to leave.

“Nemo,” Naru said, stopping him.

He turned his head to look at her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Naru,” he said, putting the helmet back on.

Kazu stepped outside and closed the door behind him before jumping back into the alleyway and heading home.

*          *          *

I don’t think today could have gone any better, Makoto thought while getting ready for bed. Sure, some people stayed away and stared but who knew Usagi wouldn’t? And she’s friends with the genius Shinozaki mentioned.

She climbed into bed, got comfortable and closed her eyes.

Nakamura just wanted to wash his hands of me but… but he made my life better, she thought with a smile, drifting off to sleep.

Once again, Makoto found herself dreaming of a strange bedroom. She stood in front of a mirror wearing an emerald-shaded dress that transitioned into a darker, juniper color on the bottom with black lace frill on the edges.

A man whose face she couldn’t make out appeared behind and embraced her, kissing her on her neck.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“That’s not a fair question,” he responded, kissing her neck again. “You look beautiful. But then you could be wearing a torn dishrag from the kitchens, and I’d be saying the same thing.”

Chapter Text

Dressed in his Mandalorian-style armor, Kazu stood in the middle of a graveyard facing a sight he’d seen only once before in his past life: a monster with bird legs and wings but a human’s torso and head wearing fighting gloves and a bell on its belt. It was shadowboxing while staring him down.

“Yeah, you’re fast,” Kazu said, tossing his gauntlets off. “But I’m faster,” he went on, raising his bare hands. “I’m so fast!” he yelled, sidestepping a lunging punch by the monster. “I can hit the light switch and be in bed before it gets dark!”

Kazu threw a jab of his own that connected with the monster’s upper torso, causing it to stumble backward and shift.

“I am the champion!” it yelled, righting itself and throwing its own roundhouse hook which sailed over a ducking Kazu.

“Not much of one!”

The monster chuckled and smiled before its wings spread out and launched itself into the air.

“Float like a butterfly,” Kazu mused, watching the monster rise.

“Lovely Punch!” it yelled, sending one of its gloves toward him.

Kazu dodged out of the glove’s path but when it made contact with the ground, the burst of energy surged into an explosion that sent him flying through a gravestone into the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Sting… like a bee…,” he breathed, attempting to stand back up but only making it to a knee.

The monster belted out a deep, hearty laugh and landed. It turned to face Kazu and readied to strike again.

“I am the King of Kings.”

“No!” came a voice that belonged to Naru who ran in between the two of them. “Please turn back into the kind pastor!”

“I’ve heard enough of your yapping!” the monster yelled, throwing another energized glove toward Naru.

Shit, Kazu thought, still trying to get to his feet.

Out of nowhere, a young boy with glasses ran up, grabbed Naru and moved her out of the way of the fist as it collided into the ground with another explosion. They slid to a stop away from Kazu and in front of Sailor Moon who had been trying to dodge the monster.

Oh good, he sighed, falling back against the tree. He pressed up against it, using the trunk to help him to his feet. He pulled a stun grenade out of a pouch on his belt. You want to fight dirty, asshole? Let’s fight dirty.

Kazu reared back to throw the grenade but hesitated upon seeing Tuxedo Mask save Sailor Moon from one of the monster’s attacks and hearing Sailor Jupiter transform in the distance.

I think they got it.

He put the stun grenade back and gingerly slinked into the depths of the graveyard, away from the fight.

*          *          *

“You did… what!?”

Kazu plodded through one of the mansion’s many hallways toward Jack’s main sitting room with an undisguised Xinnaa close behind him.

“I said I tried to fistfight a monster,” he said, entering the room and making a beeline for the liquor cabinet. “To be honest, I probably would have won if it hadn’t cheated and started flying.”

“But… but… why?” she asked as he poured himself a glass of scotch. “You got your guns, your knives, your arm blades… at least three different kinds of grenades and all the other things Jack’s made for you. Not to mention the literal magic fire that you can summon at will… why try and fight it with your bare hands?”

“It, uh… it’s not a very smart reason,” he explained, putting the bottle away and moving over to a cushioned chair. “Remember how you felt when you saw me after I came back from the Maw?”

“If you mean when I figured out it was you and not another robot? Yeah,” she responded tersely, fixing a drink of her own.  “I still can’t believe you thought that would be a good idea.”

“Yeah, well, hindsight and perspective and everything,” he reasoned, taking a sip of the drink. “Like I said afterwards, I wasn’t thinking of how you saw the whole thing. That and a hundred years isn’t all that long to me, having once lived to be almost six thousand. But anyway,” he went on, leaning forward. “That monster slowed me down during the attack on the Moon. I ran into it before I got to Jupiter. Kunzite is who I want revenge on,” he said, looking down, “but if I had gotten to her in time, then maybe…”

“Koz, Kunzite was waiting for you,” she said, leaning on Kazu’s chair. “A few extra minutes wouldn’t have mattered. And even then,” she said with a drink, “From what you’ve told me, I think it would have all ended the same anyway.”

“I think deep down, I know,” he said, taking a sip. “Seeing that one again though… it just kind of brought out a rage I hadn’t thought about for a while.”

“Well, if anything, maybe this’ll make you aware of yourself and keep you from being an even bigger idiot when you see Kunzite for the first time.”

“Nah,” Kazu chuckled with another drink. “He’s a gut shot,” he continued, making a gun with his hand and pretending to shoot. “Once to put him down and then two more times after I make him regret what he did to Jupiter. Eventually, I’ll put him out of his misery,” he said, standing and facing Xinnaa, “but his suffering will only end once I allow it.”

“Do you hear yourself?” Xinnaa asked, crossing her arms. “You’re starting to sound like Khondo. I get wanting your revenge but I don’t have to be Teek to see where you’re headed talking like that.”

Kazu stepped back, cocked his head diagonally, and took a drink.

“Maybe,” he said after a few seconds. “Maybe not. Either way,” he continued, looking back at Xinnaa. “If the darkness takes me, I know you’ll be there to pull me out. You and Jack”

“Or put you down.”

“That too.”

*          *          *

The next morning, Luna paced in the courtyard of Hikawa shrine while Rei, Ami, and Usagi sat on the shrine’s steps and Makoto leaned against one of its support pillars.

“The Dark Kingdom has one crystal, Tuxedo Mask has another.,” she said. “There’s still five more. We need to be more careful and more aware. We cannot let either get any more of them, not if we want to keep the Silver Crystal out of their hands. Meanwhile,” she added, stopping and looking toward the girls, “just what do we do about Nemo?”

“I do keep sensing evil when he’s around,” Rei started. “But he hasn’t actually done anything evil. Not that I’m aware of anyway.”

“He doesn’t seem to be after the Rainbow Crystals either,” Ami said. “He’s only fought the monsters that their humans turn into.”

“And he left just as I got to the graveyard,” Makoto added.

“That begs the question,” responded Luna, looking down. “Does he just want to fight the Dark Kingdom? Is he just someone with a grudge against them?”

“I think he might know who I am,” Usagi said quietly.

“How’s that?” Luna asked.

“The day Zoisite showed up while Mako was talking to that Jou guy and Nemo threw him through the window, when he stepped out, he looked at me and nodded.”

“That means he could know who we all are,” Makoto said. “I’m not sure I like that.”

“But if he was against us,” Ami replied, “you would think he’d show up and try to attack us when we’re not transformed.”

“Maybe he wants to get the Dark Kingdom out of the way first,” Rei said. “It could also be why he’s so insistent that we trust him. He could be trying to give us a false sense of security.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why he’s not after the Rainbow Crystals,” Luna said. “If he had the Silver Crystal, he could wipe them out without much effort.”

“I keep going back to how he’s acted toward Naru,” Usagi said after a moment of silence. “He was really helpful during that whole thing with Nephrite. He took her home when her energy was drained, he shot that monster, he helped save her when she was taken hostage… Naru’s said he’s been nothing but compassionate and helpful toward her. I’m… I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“You would say that, Usagi. You’re just hoping there’s a cute guy under that helmet,” Rei said with a smirk.

“C’mon, Rei,” Usagi shot back. “I’m serious.”

“She does have a point,” Ami stated as Usagi and Rei began sticking their tongues out at each other. “He has been incredibly helpful when it comes to Naru.  And if he is waiting to turn on us until after the Dark Kingdom is defeated, then we cross that bridge when we get there.”

“Is that something we’re all okay with?” asked Luna with all four girls nodding in response. “Then it’s settled. The enemy of our enemy is our friend. For now.”

*          *          *

Stuck in traffic, waiting for paramedics to deal with an accident, Kazu pulled out a finished tape from his car’s tape player and stuck it in its case. He tossed it in the glove box and pulled out a new tape which he inserted into the player. But as the opening riff to “War Pigs” started, he heard someone yell.

“Thief!”

Kazu looked forward to see someone in a ski mask running in his direction with a handbag dangling from his hand. Waiting for them to get closer, he unlocked the car door, shifted, and kicked it open, slamming the door into the person’s body, knocking them backward onto the ground.

“You know,” Kazu said, getting out of the car. “You can tell a lot about a woman from the contents of her purse,” he added, stepping on the person’s chest and pinning them to the ground. “But I don’t think this is what they had in mind.”

He kept weight on the person’s chest for a few moments before he saw a couple police officers running toward them.

“Gentlemen,” he said, taking his foot off as one dropped down and grabbed the thief. “If you need a statement,” he said to the other, “I heard someone yell, saw him running, and stopped him.”

The officer nodded and Kazu started to get back into his car before a voice spoke behind him.

“Thank you.”

He turned around to see a young woman with long, blonde hair that went down to her thighs with a red bow nestled in it, a uniform similar to Sailor Moon’s, and opaque red glasses on her face.

“Sailor V,” he breathed, looking her up and down. “Thought you’d be taller.”

“Well, you know what they say, the camera adds ten centimeters,” she said with a smile.

“I think you mean ten pounds.”

“Ah, whatever,” she smiled, joining the officers. “Thank you again. We were chasing this one for blocks.”

“Sure,” he chuckled, getting back in the car.

Kinda flighty, he thought. And a bit young, he went on, looking back at her helping the police with the thief. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she… she was… Usagi’s… age…

A flash crossed the corner of his eye. Kazu turned his head toward an alley to see a cat peering around the corner at the scene. A white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead.

No fuckin’ way…

Chapter Text

Makoto Kino walked down the sidewalk with purpose, intent on making it to school on time today, something she hadn’t done for the last couple of days. It didn’t have anything to do with her mission as a Sailor Guardian, but she did wonder if awakening as Sailor Jupiter played a part. Ever since that night, the dreams with the mystery man were getting more frequent. Makoto still couldn’t figure out his face but with how at ease and loved he made her feel in them, she didn’t want to wake up.

She had to though. She had a life to live and an alter ego to be.

Still, it was a better life than she had previously. Before becoming Sailor Jupiter, she had one friend. One friend who was always there for her in the good times and the heartbreak when the guy she was with inevitably dumped her, though being in two different schools was making it hard to keep that friendship up. But one girl dared to approach her at the new school: Usagi Tsukino. Usagi’s boundless optimism and unceasing kindness made the change more bearable. It also meant Usagi’s friends became Makoto’s. What’s more, Usagi and two of the others, a genius by the name of Ami Mizuno and a shrine maiden named Rei Hino weren’t just friends. They were teammates in a struggle for the fate of the world.

Now, if they could only figure out who Tuxedo Mask and Nemo were and what they wanted.

Turning a corner, Makoto saw Usagi at the end of the stretch of sidewalk before her peering out from behind the fence separating the walkway and the house on the other side. Luna was pacing by her feet, no doubt giving her a lecture about snooping or something.

“…even if it was, do you even know what you’d do when he comes out?” she heard Luna say as she got closer.

“Uh… transform and confront him?” Usagi said, shrugging and looking at Luna.

“Are you sure antagonizing him is a good idea?”

“Hey, Usagi. What’re you doing?” Makoto asked, getting closer to the two of them.

“Oh, hey Mako!” Usagi said, smiling. “Look at this!” she added, pulling Makoto over to the corner.

Looking around it, Makoto didn’t really see anything out of the ordinary. On the other side of the alley was one of the main roads with a car parked on the far side.

“What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”

“That car!”

Makoto looked closer. It seemed like an ordinary black coupe.

“Usagi, I don’t…”

“She thinks it’s Nemo’s,” Luna explained with a sigh. “Ami was here earlier and tried explaining the odds of it actually being his, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“No, it is. I’m sure of it,” Usagi said confidently.

“Ami’s right, Usagi. Of all the American cars that have come to Japan, Pontiacs have always been really popular. At least that’s what one of my ex-boyfriends told me.”

“You dated a car guy?” Usagi asked, looking at Makoto.

“Car guy wannabe,” she said with a short laugh.

“Looks like someone’s walking up to it,” Luna said, causing Usagi and Makoto to snap back to watching the vehicle.

The three of them watched a pale girl with braided, yellow hair put a bag in the car’s trunk before getting in the front seat and driving away.

“See?” Luna said, looking up at Usagi. “It wasn’t him and now you’re going to be late for school because you spent this whole time watching the wrong person’s car.”  

“Oh no!” Usagi yelled, sprinting away. “Haruna’s gonna kill me!”

“What’s one more day?” Makoto sighed, following and passing a man with his nose in a notebook.

As she passed him, she took a quick glance at what she could see of him: messy black hair. She stopped again and took a better look before shrugging and continuing on her way.

The man looked up from his notebook and turned to watch her make her way down the sidewalk.

“That’s odd,” Kazu said, putting the notebook in one of his duster’s pockets. “It’s almost like she thought she recognized me. Like her subconscious is telling her something.”

“You got that from a look?” asked Xinnaa from an earpiece on his head while he started walking in the same direction as Makoto.

“It’s an educated guess.”

“More like an educated wish,” she said in a tone that Kazu could tell involved a smirk. “You still don’t even know her name.”

“Yeah, all right,” Kazu said with a grin of his own. “Thanks for picking the car up. How was the meter?”

“Expired. And just past the endpoint for street parking. You’re lucky traffic enforcement didn’t show up.”

“No. Jack’s lucky,” he replied, putting his back against a wall and peering around the corner. “But if anyone can afford a 15,000 yen fine, she can.”

“It’s your car, scughole.”

“Ad all the money I have on this planet is hers.”

“You’re such a mooch, Koz.”

“Better than you calling me an alcoholic,” he breathed, resuming his path down the sidewalk.

“You are an alcoholic.”

“Here we go,” he muttered under his breath.

“No, that’s it. I’m not saying anything else. I don’t need another argument right now.”

“You just know you’d lose.”

“Whatever, Kazu,” she sighed. “I’m hanging up. See you when you get home.”

The line went dead and Kazu put the earpiece back in his pocket while continuing to keep his distance from the girl. Suddenly, she stopped, causing him to freeze, look to his right, and jump into a nearby convenience store. Peering out from the doorway, he watched her turn and look behind her before hurriedly heading into an open courtyard leading into a large building he recognized as the district’s middle school.

Oh, he thought, stepping out of the doorway and nearly collapsing onto the outside wall. She’s… tall for being a middle schooler. Then again… Jupiter was also really tall…

His hands shaking, Kazu reached inside his duster and took out a flask from the inner pocket. He twisted it open but bringing it to his lips, discovered it was empty. He bounded back into the convenience store and made a beeline for the alcohol in the back. Wasting no time, he picked up a bottle of single grain whiskey, paid the clerk, and left. Quickly walking the way he came, he opened the bottle and started drinking.

Kazu aimlessly weaved through the streets for what seemed like an eternity, continuously taking swigs of the whiskey. Eventually, he found himself in the park where the girl had first turned into Sailor Jupiter. Kazu sat down at a bench and took another drink.

It has to be a punishment at this point. Can’t think of any other reason. I was born in another galaxy in another time. The only reason I’m even alive is because I spent a century escaping a black hole. The only reason I’m even in this galaxy is because of Jack. I can’t even talk to her. Or else I’d be as bad as Nephrite.

He shifted and lay back on the bench, closed his eyes and took another drink. After a couple seconds, he opened them to see a familiar woman with green eyes and brown hair looming over him.

“Gah!” he yelled, heaving himself off the bench while dropping the bottle of whiskey. It crashed to the ground and broke upon impact while he put a hand on his brace.

“Figured it out, did you?” he growled.

“You’re making really detailed plans, trying to hide who you are, and using a language that we created together,” Lucinda said, crossing her arms and glaring at him. “I’d hope I could put it all together. After all,” she said with a sick smile, “you trained me.”

“And you thanked me by killing my siblings and working with the enemy to bring the kingdom down.”

“Aw,” she said, moving her head back, “you’re going to hold a grudge for something that happened in another life?”

“You’re working with them now!”

And you put hits out for me last century…

“Only pretending to,” Lucinda said, putting her hands behind her back and starting to walk in a circle around Kazu. “In case you forgot, I killed Nephrite. And Jedite before him. Both were on Beryl’s orders, sure, but their time would have come sooner or later. Zoisite and Kunzite are bound to piss her off enough to have me kill them, too. And after that,” she continued, still circling while Kazu kept turning to keep her in his line of sight, “I betray her.”

“It’s what you’re best at isn’t it?” Kazu responded, glaring at her. “Who wants a spy with no loyalty?”

“Loyalty!?” Lucinda laughed. “Look who’s talking! Even when we were together during the Solar Wars, you’d go carousing and philandering while I’d be in the Manor faithfully waiting for you to come back. And when you finally did figure out how to be monogamous, you left me for—”

“Keep her name out of your mouth,” Kazu grumbled tersely.

“If you ask me,” she said, ignoring him, “I showed you the same loyalty you showed me.”

“Did… did you just tell me that you killing Hayate and Misaki and helping Beryl destroy the kingdom was my fault!?”

“Guess I did,” she replied, shrugging while still circling. “But,” she added, stopping and looking Kazu square in the eyes, “I can forgive you. If you come back to me.”

“What?”

“Beryl’s not that bright,” Lucinda said, shrugging. “She’s never going to take over the world, much less the galaxy. Help me string her along,” she added, putting her hand out. “And when the time is right, we kill her,” she continued, balling her hand into a fist and bringing to her chest, “and do what she can’t. Think about it, Koz,” she smiled, “You and me, ruling this planet and taking over the galaxy, being together, like we were always meant to. You as king and me, by your side as your queen. After all,” she crossed her arms again, “it’s not like you can be with the reincarnation of your former distraction. She’s too young.”

Lucinda stayed looking at Kazu who remained silent for several moments before he started slowly walking toward her.

“You know,” he started, “You’re not the first to try and tempt me with taking over and ruling a galaxy. But you,” he said, reaching her and putting a hand on her cheek. “You’ve got a way with words the other guy didn’t.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she said coyly.

“My answer is no. And you have three seconds,” he stated, putting his other hand on her other cheek, “to get out of my face before I burn the fluid in your eyes.”

In one swift motion, Lucinda grabbed the ring on her finger, opened a portal and fell backward through it. She fell on her back in a darkened room just as a stream of fire burst through and closed the portal, cutting the flames off.

“So, she’s still poisoning your mind, huh?” she said to herself, picking herself up and moving for a nearby open doorway. “Fine. I’ll kill Beryl and her other minions myself. But after that, you’re next. I can rule this galaxy myself.”

Chapter Text

Laying on her bed with an open manga in her hand, Usagi Tsukino flipped to the book’s next page and burst out laughing just as Luna walked in the room.

“Luna!” Usagi said, sitting up and showing her the page, “You have to check this out! It’s hilarious!”

“Is your homework done?” Luna asked, hopping onto the table in front of Usagi’s bed and shooting her a look.

“Yeah, yeah,” Usagi answered, waving her hand. “I finished it hours ago.”

“Okay,” Luna said, jumping over to the bed and onto the second windowsill. “If you feel like you’re ready for your exam tomorrow,” she added, looking out into the night sky.

Usagi looked at Luna for a second before closing the manga and laying it behind her.

“Is something bothering you?” she asked, scooting closer to Luna.

“It’s just… I find it interesting,” Luna started, looking at Usagi, “we decide we’re going to trust Nemo and then… he just disappears. It’s been a couple weeks since the fight in the graveyard and since then, we’ve fought three more of the monsters carrying Rainbow Crystals. Tuxedo Mask has shown up, but Nemo hasn’t. With how fervently he went after Nephrite and was going after Zoisite, I can’t help but wonder where he went. Or if he might know we suspect that he’s going to turn on us and disappeared so he can ambush us later.”

“You think that really was his car the other day? Maybe that had something to do with it.”

“Probably not,” Luna sighed. “I just wish we knew what his deal is. It would make some things so much easier if we just knew what he wanted.”

*          *          *

Lucinda walked through an open portal into a dimly lit, stony hallway. Just a little further ahead in the hallway, Zoisite was walking away from her, humming. She closed the portal, put her back up against the wall, crossed her arms, and put a foot against the rocks.

“Hey.”

“Wha!?” Zoisite gasped, pointing at her and then at the path down the hall he had just come from. “H-how did you? I just… You weren’t there three seconds ago!”

“You teleport in a swirl of rose petals,” she said, pushing off the wall and moving toward him. “I do it swiftly and silently.”

“Okay… well… what do you want?”

“Just to ask you something, make sure I heard you right. That guy in the armor who’d been fighting us. He really hasn’t shown up since you released Boxy?”

“Haven’t seen him since,” Zoisite said with a smile, putting his hand against his chin. “Guess I’m just too intimidating for him,” he added, turning around and continuing his path.

“Right,” Lucinda said under her breath.

You couldn’t intimidate a ham sandwich, she thought. Still… did I actually scare you, Kazu? It’s not like you to just… avoid a fight.

*          *          *

Xinnaa walked into the mansion’s living room with a basket of laundry under her arm when the sound of a woman’s unsettling scream over the melodic playing of a piano echoed through the room. She looked toward the door to the basement.

It was open.

She sighed, dropped the basket, and headed into the doorway, grumbling all the way down the stairs.

The screaming faded out until there was just piano and that too ceased. Xinnaa reached the bottom of the stairs to the sound of cash registers chiming. On the far side of the room, she saw the chair in front of the supercomputer occupied by what looked to be a disheveled Kazu. One foot rested on the computer desk and several bottles were scattered over the floor around the chair and desk. One was in his hand.

“Koz?”

No answer. A guitar overtook the cash registers.

“Kazu.”

Still no answer except from the song’s vocals.

“Hey! Scughole!”

Slowly, Kazu’s other hand rose, holding on to a remote control. One finger hit a button and the music stopped. His head swung to the side to look at Xinnaa with a dulled, near emotionless expression.

“Hng.”

“You know,” she started, crossing her arms, “I could deal with you being all quiet, sullen, and moody for the first couple of days. I figured something was on your mind and you’d talk when you were ready. But… this…” she said, motioning to the sight before her, “…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go this hard.”

Kazu stared at Xinnaa before opening and stretching his mouth. He then took a swig from the bottle in his hand.

“Have before.”

“When?”

“Past life. ‘sides,” he said after another swig, “why d’you care?

“Y-oh,” Xinnaa said, putting a hand on and pinching her forehead, “You did not just ask me that.”

“S’pose I did,” he answered, shifting in the chair. “M’life’s pretty shitty. Dunno why you still hang around.”   

Xinnaa slid her hand down her face while her other hand clenched so hard her skin turned almost aquamarine. She started toward Kazu, stomping and glaring at him before getting halfway to the chair and easing up.

“Okay,” she said, reaching the desk, pushing the keyboard back and heaving herself up to sit on it and face Kazu, “let’s say you’re right. Why is your life so shitty?”

Wordlessly Kazu stared at Xinnaa before silently gesturing, throwing his hands to his sides.

“Jus’ e’erthing,” he slurred. “Nothin’ e’er wen’ right my entire life.”

“Right,” she stated, giving him a sarcastic look. “I think that’s a load of bullshit because I’m still alive.”

“Uhm,” he coughed, looking down.

“So, get to the point,” she said, leaning in.

“I uh… foun’ somethin’ out ‘bout Sailor Jup’ter.”

“What did she do time or something?”

“Nah, worse… foun’ out she goes t’ Usagi’s schoo’”

“And that’s driving you to drink yourself to obliv—oh…” she replied, leaning back.

“Yeh,” Kazu said with a drink. “She’s a kid n’ I’m… almost 40… I ben tryin’ t’ figure out somethin’ since I foun’ out. I got—”

Kazu was interrupted by a ping from the supercomputer. Xinnaa hopped off the desk and brought up a message.

“Jack’s back in the system. Says she’ll be in the hangar in a couple hours.”

“Tha’ll do it,” Kazu said, standing.

“What are you—” she started, turning back to Kazu.

“Xi… th’ one thought tha’ kep’ comin’ t’my head,” he said, waving a finger in her face, “was th’Maw.”

“I don’t…”

“Don’ ye get it, Xi?” he asked. “I spen’ a few hours in the hole n’ a hun’red years pass. If I go back, spen’ a li’l less time… enuf time’ll pass… we c’n be t’gether…”

“Kazu,” she said, grabbing his hand. “Why don’t you take a shower, drink some water, and get some sleep. We can talk about this when you’re rested. And sober.”

“M’mind’s made up, Xi,” he said, pulling his hand away from hers and starting to walk away. “I got to do this.”

“No!” she yelled, jumping onto the chair and using it as a springboard to leap onto Kazu’s back.

“Geroff me!” he shouted, stumbling forward and trying to wriggle his way free of Xinnaa’s grasp. “I need t’do this!”

“I am your friend! And I am not going to let you do this!”

“Need… to…” he grunted, shuffling forward toward the stairs.

“No, Kazu,” she repeated, wrapping her legs around his waist. “You are not going to Kessel.”

“Y’can’t… stop… me…”

“Yeah?” she asked, shifting her weight behind her.

Kazu tried to put one more leg in front of him but Xinnaa’s shifting pulled him back. He waved his arms trying to stay balanced but careened backward. The two made contact with the floor and Xinnaa heard a crack in her shoulder. She grimaced in pain.

Ignoring the pain, she pulled a pair of handcuffs out of a pocket in her pants and put them on Kazu’s wrists.

“That’ll take a day,” she breathed, standing up and rubbing her shoulder.

She watched Kazu attempt to right himself, even trying to kip up but ended up falling flat on his back.

“You’re a menace,” she said to herself, walking over to one of the workbenches and grabbing a pair of leg-sized stuncuffs from a drawer.

Xinnaa bound his legs before grabbing one of them and his arm and hoisted him onto her good shoulder.

“Least you didn’t try to kiss me this time,” she said, making her way up the stairs.

*          *          *

“Queen Beryl,” Zoisite said with a short bow, “I am pleased to tell you I have found another who possesses a Rainbow Crystal.”

“That is excellent,” Beryl replied, sitting on her sinister stone throne. “With one more in our possession, we will have four of the seven. And after locating the final one, it will only be a matter of defeating the Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask for theirs. Our time is coming, Zoisite,” she smiled. “We will have the Silver Crystal. We will bring this world to its knees! Go! Capture it!”

“Yes, My Queen,” Zoisite said with another short bow. “I shall leave immediately.”

*          *          *

Slowly opening his eyes, Kazu found his face pressed against a pillow though his head felt like several Bantha had stampeded over it. A quick scan revealed he was in his bedroom. The lights were off and it was dark outside. However, as he attempted to move, he discovered his wrists and legs were bound.

He grunted and tried to move into a sitting position, ultimately wriggling his way to enough momentum to heave himself up, overestimating and falling onto the floor.

“Ow.”

He took a deep breath in and out, waiting until the pounding in his head had gone back to a dull thudding.  He breathed in again.

“Xi!”

Silence.

“Xinnaa!” he called again, expelling all the air in his lungs.

Kazu took a few seconds to catch his breath.

I hope I didn’t try to kiss her again.

“Xinnaa!”

“Stop yelling, I’m coming!” came Xinnaa’s voice from outside the room and down the hall.

In seconds, the door on the other side of the room opened. He twisted to see Xinnaa in the doorway holding a glass of water. 

“Why are you on the floor?” she asked, setting the water and a small white circle down on his dresser and moving toward him.

“Why am I cuffed!?”

“It was the only way to stop you,” she said, getting the keys from out of her pocket.

“From what? Did I try to kiss you again!?”

“Worse,” she stated, unlocking the handcuffs and moving to the stuncuffs on his legs. “You wanted to go back to the Maw and use the hole’s relativity so you and Sailor Jupiter could be the same age.”

She unlocked the stuncuffs and Kazu picked himself up off the floor.

“How drunk was I?” he asked, sitting on his bed and rubbing his head.

“Well, you didn’t drink all that much the first week. You just wouldn’t talk and did nothing but listen to sad music and browse the Holonet. I think you really started going off the rails about six days ago.”

“What!?” 

“Well, you only drank for four of them,” she said. “I found you moping in the basement listening to Dark Side of the Moon. When Jack told us she was back, you were so insistent about going to the Maw that I had to jump on your back and restrain you. That was two days ago.”

“I slept for two days!?”

“You needed it.”

“You’re probably right. But now this hangover’s splitting my head open,” he said, grabbing the side of his head.

“That’s what the water and aspirin are for,” she said, pointing to the glass and pill on the dresser.

“Thanks, Xi,” he said, smiling. “I’m probably going to take a shower and go out for some food Where’s Jack?”

“She said she needed to call her Houston branch. Promise me you’re not just telling me you’re getting food and actually planning to fly out to Kessel.”

“Xinnaa,” he said, standing and putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m thinking clearly. This age thing sucks and I don’t know what I’m going to do. But I’m not going to do something that stupid.”

*          *          *

Two hours later, Kazu was walking down a sidewalk with an open to-go container full of pork teppanyaki in one hand and chopsticks in the other. He came up to a bus stop and sat down on its bench. Continuing to eat, he looked up at the stars.

It sucks. It really sucks. The woman I spent years looking for, the only woman in this entire universe who I ever wanted to be with… I find who she turned into and I’m twice her age. I shouldn’t even be alive right now anyway… If it weren’t for the black hole, I’d have died a long time ago.

He looked into the container and picked up another piece of pork just in time for someone to sit down on the bench next to him.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” he heard a female voice say next to him as he went back to looking at the sky while chewing.

It didn’t sound like Lucinda’s. Or Jupiter’s. But it did seem familiar.

“Mmhmm,” he answered, swallowing. “I’ve seen a lot of night skies in my time, too. I hope loving the grandeur and beauty of it all never go away.”

“You do have to admit though, it really was better a long time ago, back on the Moon, wasn’t it?” 

Slowly, Kazu turned his head to look at the person next to him. She was a younger girl with long, blonde hair in which sat a red bow. Her head was tilted and she was smiling at him.

“Sailor V?” he asked quietly.

“My name is Minako. Minako Aino.”

“And I’m still Kazu.”

“You’re going by your old name?”

“It’s the only name I’ve ever had,” he said, taking another bite of food “Let me ask you this: when were you born?”

“1978. Why?”

“1860,” he stated with a swallow. “Though were I’m from, it’s more like 533 years after the Battle of Yavin.”

“What do you mean where you’re from?”

“I was born on a different planet, Minako. In a different galaxy. The only reason I’m even able to be here right now is because a black hole bent time around me and a friend of mine who came from here to there, both things that just happened. And I had my memories the entire time.”

“The entire… I’ve only had mine for the last year or so.”

“Well, that’s great,” Kazu sighed, looking down. “Like I needed another reason to think it’s Queen Serenity’s way of castigating me for failing her.”

“She was your best friend, Kazu,” Minako said, crossing her arms. “You really think she would do that?”

“It’s the only thing I can think of,” he said, eating the last of the food. “And I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.”

“You ever think it could have been the Silver Crystal’s doing? That’s probably why Beryl, Lucinda, and the Shitennou are alive again too.”

“No, I hadn’t thought of that. It makes sense though, that thing pretty much has a mind of its own. It only ever responded to Tranquility and Serenity. Never me or my family. How’d you know about Lucinda?”

“I saw you talking to her in a park a couple weeks ago,” she replied. “I thought I recognized you when you stopped that thief but when I saw the two of you, and you shooting fire at her, I knew it had to be you. And that you had your memories.”

“Makes sense. Now we just need to find the Crystal so the others can get their memories back.”

“You say that like it’s going to be easy.”

“Easy no. But not impossible either.”

“I like your optimism.”

“It’s all I got right now,” he said, looking back up at the stars. “You’re all just kids and I’m in my 30s. I hoped to restart what I had with Jupiter for so long and now I can’t. Revenge and stopping Beryl is pretty much what’s keeping me going.”

“At least someone you had feelings for didn’t curse you to never find love again.”

“Kunzite cursed you? I’m sorry.”

“Not him, somebody else. But it’s okay. My duty to the princess and as Sailor Venus is far more important than romance.”

“Then why are you still calling yourself Sailor V and working alone?”

“Because I didn’t want to call myself Venus until everyone else awakened. But now, I figured I’d let the rest fight and distract the Dark Kingdom while I find their base.”

“Any luck?”

“You think we’d be having this conversation if I knew where it was?”

“Fair enough,’ he said standing up. “Maybe it’s time you stopped trying to go it alone. At least give it some—”

A rustling in the trees on the other side of the bus stop cut Kazu off. He and Minako looked toward the noise that started including laughter and was getting closer. They then looked at each other. He pushed the button on his brace while she transformed into Sailor V just as Zoisite flew through the brush with his back to them.

“Haha, I got it,” he smiled, holding up a small indigo crystal. “And I managed to shake off Tuxedo Mask, too.”

The two of them ran toward Zoisite who turned at the last second to get Kazu’s elbow in his stomach and Sailor V’s knee in the face. Zoisite flew backward, his hand letting go of the crystal which bounced onto the ground. Kazu pounced, diving onto the sidewalk and scooping it into his hand.

“Damn it,” Zoisite seethed, picking himself up. “I just got done dodging Tuxedo Mask and I’m not in the mood to fight either of you. Whatever,” he added, as a swirl of rose petals circled around him. “We have three and there’s one more. You can have this one for now,” he said, disappearing.

“I should probably go give this to one of the others,” Kazu said as Sailor V turned back into Minako. “Thanks for the talk, Minako” he continued, walking down the sidewalk and waving goodbye. “It helped more than you know.”

*          *          *

Sailor Moon stood in the middle of Hikawa Shrine, breathing heavily with the Moon Stick at her side. Next to her was Luna and in front of her was Rei who was holding her grandfather who had just been transformed back to his normal self after having just been a monster.

“He’s okay,” Rei said shakily.

“Good. I’m glad,” Sailor Moon said with a smile. “Rei,” she went on, walking toward her friend, “I really just wanted to say—”

“Hold on,” Rei interrupted, looking up toward the entrance. “I sense someone else coming.”

Sailor Moon turned her attention to the same direction and braced, raising the Moon Stick and getting ready for another fight.

It took a second, but she heard footsteps and eventually, saw a familiar helmet rising on the shrine’s steps.

“Nemo,” she breathed. “You’re back.”

Silently, Nemo made his way over to Sailor Moon and stopped in front of her. Without a word, he reached out and took her hand, dropping an indigo crystal in her palm.

“Sailor Moon,” he said before turning his head toward Rei. “Miko.”

He then turned around and left, just as quietly as he arrived, leaving the three of them staring at the path he had taken. Only Sailor Moon spoke up.

“Huh.”

Chapter Text

Enjoying a bright, sunny day, Kazu, Jack, and Xinnaa strolled down one of the Juban district’s many residential paths with Jack peering and periodically scrawling in a notebook while the other two chatted away.

“…look,” Kazu said, raising his hands in a half-shrug, “I’ve listened to a bit of his work. It’s really not bad.”

“Are you really going to look me in the face and tell me you, of all people, want to listen to minimalist ambient music?”

“I mean,” he explained, putting his hands behind his back, “I’m not saying I’d sit down and listen to it if I was in the mood for music. However,” he went on, tilting his head toward her, “if I’m trying to think about a difficult case and no one’s around to talk to, the last thing I want is something like Kate Bush or Figrin D’an. A minimalist soundscape is really good for letting my brain relax and wander its way to a connection I hadn’t thought of.”

“If you say so.”

“He does have a point,” Jack said without looking up. “But some people do find the stark musicality distracting. Like me. It’s why when I want music in the lab, I normally go with speed and thrash metal. If I want ambient noise, I go for a walk.”

“What are you working on right now?” Kazu asked.

“A client asked me about an orbital weapons system,” she answered. “I’m figuring out specs I know are within their budget and that keep damage contained.”

“We talking here or in Skyriver? There’s a lot of destructive ground between ‘rods from god’ and a Death Star.”

“You serious?” she asked, glancing at him. “You know that rail gun over Quarmendy? That’s mine. I designed it. The circle I’m trying to square is making it work while being low-tech enough for this planet. And before you say just ‘invent’ something,” she added, looking at Xinnaa, “the added attention I would get from doing that is not something I need or want.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Xinnaa said with a smirk.

“Sure you weren’t,” Jack countered with a smirk of her own.

“Uhm,” Kazu coughed, causing the two of them to realize he’d stopped walking and was looking down an intersecting path they’d just passed. “That is a lot of cats.”

Jack and Xinnaa backtracked and looked in the direction Kazu was facing. A small army of cats was gathered around a wall on top of which a rather fat cat perched with Luna in its mouth. The three of them watched the fat one fall onto a manhole cover that slid open, dropping the two of them into the sewers.

“Welp,” voiced Kazu, activating the brace on his arm and donning his armor. “Least there won’t be a Dianoga in this one,” he said, heading over to the now open manhole and jumping in after them.

“You, uh… you want to follow him?” Jack asked after a second.

“Not really.”

“Want to head to where it drains into the riverbed?”

“That sounds better.”

*          *          *

Dazed, Luna shook her head and rolled off the fat cat that saved her from the gang of other cats but still managed to pull her into a sewer.

“How are we going to get out?” she mused to herself quietly as the other cat got to his feet and walked up behind her.

Suddenly, a thud behind her caused Luna to turn around and see Nemo standing up from a three-point landing on the sewer walkway.

“Why are you here?”

“I saw you two fall in. Figured you’d like some help out of here,” he said, walking over.

“Right,” she responded, backing up. “Like I’m going to let you carry me out of here. Let’s go, Rhett Butler,” she said, turning around and heading down the dark walkway with the blue cat in tow. All of a sudden, the path before her lit up with light pushing several meters down the tunnel.

Luna looked back at Nemo who had an arm up with the light coming from a spot on his wrist.

“Can I at least offer you a light? And my computer says the egress to the riverbed isn’t too far away,” he said, looking at a small monitor in his arm.

“You really don’t give up, do you?"

“Never really been known for it, no.”

Luna stared at Nemo for a moment before stepping aside toward the sewer wall while still keeping an eye on him.

“All right, but you’re going first. I want to keep an eye on you in case you try anything.”

“Kay. Fair enough,” he said, passing the two of them to lead the way.

The three of them walked in silence for a few minutes, making a turn here and there before Nemo broke the uneasy silence.

“So… that cat’s name is Rhett Butler, huh?”

“I guess,” Luna replied, looking at the blue cat by her side. “His owner is a little girl.”

“Huh. Wonder who let a little girl watch Gone with the Wind enough times to make her want a cat with that name. See, if I was going to name a pet after a Clark Gable character, I’d have gone with Devereaux Burke. You know? From Lone Star? That’s a fun movie. Plus, it’s got Ava Gardner.”

Luna failed to stifle a laugh that caused Rhett Butler to look at her.

“Something funny?” Nemo asked over his shoulder.

“It’s just… whenever you show up it’s always hectic and tense. This is the first time I’ve really seen you be kind of normal.”

“Is it enough to trust me a little bit?”

“Um… well…” Luna stammered, looking down.

“Thought not.”

“Well, the rest of the Sailor Guardians did agree to,” she responded, looking back up. “But I still… I don’t know…”

Nemo stopped at a fork in the path and sighed.

“Look,” he added, turning around and squatting allowing Luna to have a better face-to-helmet view, “all I want at this point is revenge. After Zoisite, there’s one more stooge under Beryl: Kunzite. I have been planning my vengeance against him for decades. I hate Beryl more than you know, but he’s the one who took everything from me. Once he’s dead and once Beryl’s gone, you won’t ever have to deal with me again.”

“Really?” she asked, giving him a quizzical look. “So you don’t care about the Sailor Guardian’s identities?”

“Not anymore,” he said, standing. “I don’t even know who Sailor Jupiter is. And at this point,” he continued, looking at his arm and heading down the correct path, “I don’t care.”

Luna watched him continue down the path until a noise from the other way drew her attention. Looking over, she saw a small rat scurry by. Then another. And another, followed by the faint sounds of terrified screaming that grew closer. Soon, Zoisite emerged from out of the darkness being chased by a grey wall of rats.

“Run!” she yelled to Rhett Butler before making a break down the straightaway. “Nemo! Behind you!”

*          *          *

With the sun on its way down, Jack leaned with her back against the railing overlooking the riverbed while Xinnaa faced it, her arms crossed on the railing. Her braid slowly swung back and forth.

“Might want to stop that,” Jack whispered, leaning in and motioning her head toward Xinnaa’s braid. “There’s not enough wind to justify it moving and we’re not alone anymore.”

Xinnaa raised her head and looked around to see Rei further down the sidewalk also leaning against the railing and looking into the riverbed.

“Wonder what she’s doing here?”

“Who knows anymore?” Jack said. “Koz cut the mic in the shrine off a while ago and he hasn’t had us follow any of them in a long time.”

Xinnaa said nothing in response but sighed and looked back down.

“I get it. Sort of. He spends so long with one thing driving him and it just… evaporates in front of him. I’d be depressed too.”

“I sense a ‘but.”

“You weren’t there for the four-day bender,” she said, looking at Jack. “You got back right after I put a stop to it. He’s doing what he always does only… it seems more intense this time.”

“Well,” Jack said, turning around and leaning toward the riverbed, “we’ve never given up on him before. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to start now.”

“Where do you think he’d be without us?” Xinnaa asked, grinning.

“Probably dead,” she chortled. “Either that or he’d have taken Khondo’s offer.”

Xinnaa chuckled before something drew her attention back to the riverbed.

“Hey, look at that,” she said, pointing.

Jack looked down to see several rats pouring out of the drainage access followed by Luna and the blue cat shooting out. Then a gray mass of what could only be more rats exploded out with an armored Kazu struggling to stay near the top.

“What happened in there!?” Xinnaa asked, taking a small, retractable scope out of her pocket and looking through it.

*          *          *

Attempting to tread the rats like they were water, Kazu let the wave of rodents take him out the drainage access and passed Luna and Rhett Butler who got knocked off their feet and into the riverbed. Eventually, he managed to wriggle free and dove out onto solid ground. Getting to his feet, he watched most of the mass continue down the waterway and looked back to where the cats were. But all he could see was a tall column of swirling rats.

Doubt that’s a real rat king, he thought, hurrying to get near.

“It looks like a disaster has turned into my good fortune,” came a voice from inside the swirl. “And in the end, everything has worked out to my advantage.”

Then suddenly, he heard Sailor Mars shout an attack that sent fire to the mass’ base. The mice dispersed to reveal Zoisite.

Close enough.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Sailor Mars asked from the top edge of the riverbed. “Interrupting someone on a date is just unforgiveable. Even when they’re cats.”

What?

“You’ve got it all wrong!” Luna shouted up at her.

“What do you mean?” Mars shouted back. “You mean you two aren’t in love?”

“Heh, you’re all idiots,” Zoisite said, launching himself in the air.

Kazu watched him materialize the Black Crystal and point it toward Rhett Butler.

“Oh. That’s not good,” he said, looking at the crystal then over to Rhett Butler. “Grab the cat!”

He made a break for Rhett Butler but as soon as he passed Zoisite, he was knocked against the nearby wall by a wave of dark energy. He hit the surface and fell forward onto his hands and knees. Looking up, he saw the cat in the air with a violet crystal exiting out of his body and in seconds it transformed into a tall cat-like beast with claws as long as knives and a mess of purple fur all over its back that reached down and became its tail. It wore a wide golden necklace that dangled to its chest, golden bracelets, and golden greaves.

“Hoo,” breathed Kazu, getting to his feet. “Big ugly.” 

He brought his arms up, extended the hidden blades in the gauntlets, and started to move toward the monster.

But wait.

Kazu stopped and looked back to Zoisite who was grinning and calling the crystal over to him. He repositioned, retracted the blades, and ran, leaping to where the other man was in the air. Kazu grabbed his boot and yanked. He brought Zoisite down and punched him in the face. The crystal fell and bounced into what little water there was in the riverbed.

“How dare you!” Zoisite yelled, stepping back and rubbing where Kazu had struck him.

“How?” Kazu said, staring him down. “Very easily.” 

“That crystal is mine!” he screamed, jumping down the embankment toward the running water.

“Want to bet!?” he countered, following him into a mist that rose up without warning. “Oh,” he said, landing, “guess Mercury’s here.”

“I’ll find it even with your tricks! Aha, there it is!” he said, reaching for something in the water.

Suddenly, something whizzed by Kazu’s helmet and struck Zoisite in the hand that made him recoil. Kazu looked over to see a rose embedded in the concrete.

“Nice of you to find the last Rainbow Crystal,” came Tuxedo Mask’s voice from above them. “But I’ll be taking it now,” he added, landing on their level.

“No, it’s ours,” said Sailor Mars, bounding up and getting in a fighting stance. 

“I don’t care who gets it as long as it’s not him!” Kazu yelled, pointing at Zoisite.

“Where’d it go?” Tuxedo Mask asked, looking around the water.

Zoisite scrambled around, looking underneath him.

“Is that it?” he asked, bending over.

“No, that’s my boot,” Kazu said, kicking him in the face, sending him backwards.

“I’m not seeing it either,” Mars said, looking around at the ground as Zoisite recovered.

“There!” Tuxedo Mask voiced, pointing in the water.

Zoisite, Mars, and Tuxedo Mask leapt toward the ground, slamming into each other. Kazu watched them scratch, hit, and roll around on the ground as they clamored for the Rainbow Crystal. Exasperated, he threw his hands up and started to turn around toward the monster.

“I got it!” he heard Zoisite yell, causing him to turn and see the man leap back in to the air. “Nice try fools!” he added, disappearing in a swirl of rose petals.

“Nice job, Larry and Moe,” Kazu said, looking back at Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask. “If you two would have just worked together, I could have distracted Curly long enough for you to find the crystal.”

“Larry and Moe!?” shot back Mars, getting in Kazu’s face.

“Maybe you’d prefer The Marx Brothers?”

“I’d prefer you take that helmet off!”

“Not happening,” he said, backing up and making his way out of the riverbed. Looking over, he saw Sailor Moon standing in front of Rhett Butler with the Moon Stick in her hand. He nodded, smiled, and took off for the nearest alley.

*          *          *

Appearing in a darkened, rocky tunnel, Zoisite tried to laugh but immediately moaned and held his jaw.

“Damn it,” he seethed. “Tuxedo Mask got me good. But I came out in the end,” he added with as much of a grin as he could muster while he reached into his pocket. “I got the last crystal,” he said, bringing an enclosed hand up to his line of sight. But opening his hand, he just found a grey blob.

“Gah!” he shrieked, dropping the rat’s body and backing up against the wall.

Zoisite breathed heavily for a few seconds before composing himself.

I doubt Sailor Mars and that meddler found it. Tuxedo Mask was suspiciously quiet. He has to have it.

*          *          *

Tuxedo Mask landed on the edge of a tall building’s roof and smiled.

Zoisite fell for the rat, he thought, reaching into his pocket. Luckily Sailor Mars and the other guy didn’t question anything, he went on, unfolding his hand as he brought it out only to see that he had accidentally grabbed hold of a rock that looked like the Rainbow Crystal.

“I… What….” He stammered, looking at the stone before throwing it down onto the roof. “Sailor Mars must have been feigning her anger,” he continued, crossing his arms. “She must have grabbed it in the scuffle and kept fighting to throw Zoisite and I off.”

*          *          *

“Last time I saw Zoisite, he said they had three crystals. Now they have four,” Kazu said, descending the stairs into Jack’s basement with her and Xinnaa in tow. “I’m pretty sure Tuxedo Mask has one and the Sailor Guardians have two,” he went on, sitting in front of the supercomputer. “The Dark Kingdom always seems to have the advantage. We need to figure out how to get those four before they get the other three and summon the Silver Crystal.”

“What happens if they do?” asked Jack.

“They’ll be practically unstoppable. I don’t think Beryl would be satisfied with just the Solar System either. We could theoretically retreat to Skyriver but she’d eventually set her eyes on it. A Beryl with the Silver Crystal would make short work of the Order too.” 

“So…”

“So, we stop her now,” Kazu said. “Or we don’t stop her at all. Easier said than done though,” he added, clasping his hands and touching his fingers to his chin.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Xinnaa said, walking over to and leaning against the desk.

“How’s that?”

Wordlessly, Xinnaa said, reach into her pocket and pulled out and placed in front of Kazu a small, violet crystal.

Kazu stared at the Rainbow Crystal for a few seconds.

“So, whatever Zoisite thinks he has…” he started, picking it up. “How?” he asked, looking at Xinnaa.

“By being a good detective,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning in with a devious grin. “And an even better sniper.”  

“The water was moving. I didn’t think it was going fast enough to carry it, though,” he said, looking back at the crystal. “Either way… I gave Sailor Moon the other one I managed to get. But, if I hold on to this one…”

Chuckling to himself, Kazu grabbed the keyboard and woke up the computer.

“Ladies,” he said with a smile. “We have the advantage.”