Nehelenia gazed out at the world from the mirror which had been her home,

her prison, for century after century.

Not much longer, she thought. Soon, the entire world will be mine. . .

She remembered, again, that day long ago, when Cassiopeia and Serenity had

sealed her away. Cassiopeia, who should have named *her* to be her heir. .

.not her *son*. What kind of fool put a *man* in charge of a kingdom when a

capable woman with a legitimate claim to the throne was available?

I'm going to take what should have been mine. . .what is rightfully mine,

she thought.

But she was no longer as completely confident about that as she once had

been. There was a flicker of doubt gnawing in the back of her mind, and

she hated it.

A flicker of doubt which had been planted when the Sailor Soldiers started

showing up.

She had proof that two of them had definitely come back from the dead

somehow. Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter. And there was a new one, a sort of

younger version of Sailor Moon.

Three Sailor Soldiers are no problem, she thought. My lemures can handle

them easily. We've just been using the wrong ones against them so far,

that's all.

But she couldn't silence the voice in her head which said over and over,

"What if it's not just the three? What if *all* of the ones you knew came

back? What if there's other *new* Sailor Soldiers? And what if. . .what if.

. ."

The absolute worst case scenario flashed through her mind, the thing she'd

been most terrified of for centuries. Just the thought of it made her

cringe. If that happens, she thought, we will definitely fail. . .

"NO!" she shouted. "It will not happen! I have made *sure* it will not

happen! I *will* defeat Sailor Moon, and the Earth shall be mine!"

She stalked toward the front of the mirror, determination burning within

her. It was time to summon Zirconia, to plan a new strategy of attack. If

any more Sailor Soldiers were to show themselves, they would be more than

ready for them.

SAILOR MOON SUPERS: THE WAR OF DREAMS PART THREE

A Sailor Moon Sekkushiaru Roman

by Sailor Mac

In Crown Cafe, Raye sat at a booth, idly flipping through a Ribon manga,

waiting for Lita to come back from the ladies' room. She toyed with a lock

of her purple-black hair, her violet eyes scanning the pages. Gushy

boy-girl romance. . .more gushy boy-girl romance. . .a magical girl series

where everything went all-too-perfect for the heroine. . .(Oh, she thought,

if these manga artists knew what having magical powers was *really* like!

Not exactly a day at the beach when you're staring death in the face over

and over.)

What she *really* wanted to do was dig into the *other* manga she'd just

bought - "Boy Heaven" - but she still wasn't entirely comfortable about

reading yaoi in a public place.

I can't wait to see how they deal with Dex's old girlfriend coming back,

she thought. After he swore up and down to Cory "there will never be anyone

else but you. . ." Oooh, this is gonna get good! Maybe I'll just keep it in

the bag and peek at it. . .

As she looked up from the Ribon, she caught movement out of the corner of

her eye outside the window. It was a very familiar form. . .

"Amy?" she said. "But why is she walking like that?"

Sure enough, Amy came in the cafe door, glanced around, and located Raye's

table. As she approached, Raye thought that she was *definitely* walking

funny - as if she had taken a bad fall and landed on her rear.

"Hi, there," she said. "I just wanted to stop in for a couple of minutes

on my way to the library."

Lita came out of the ladies room, headed for the table - and saw Amy's

gait. "Hi, Amy. Oh, Gods, don't tell me. . ."

"Last night. Just like what you and Ken did. And, well. . .it didn't go

all that well, but.. .I learned a lot!"

"Did you take the metal rod out first?"

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind. Amy. . .you don't have to do *everything*, you know."

Amy sat down next to Raye, gingerly. "But my research won't be complete if

I don't!"

Raye was completely baffled. Research? Metal rod? What the hell was going

on here?

"Yeah, but it looks like you're doing *too much* research. Give it a rest!"

"I'll be fine. Really."

Lita leaned over and whispered something in Amy's ear, and Raye caught the

words "KY." She knew all too well what that was and what it was used for.

*Amy* doing something like that with Adam? she thought. Damn, I have

trouble imagining them doing the *normal* stuff!

"Yes," Amy said. "I did. And so did he."

"Then I don't see what you did wrong. You should have. . .never mind.

We'll talk about this later."

Okay, this is getting just plain weird, Raye thought. Lita giving Amy

advice on having Dex-and-Cory-type sex? What the heck next?

"Where's Mina today?" Amy said.

"Volleyball practice," Lita replied. "And Serena and Reenie dragged Darien

to the mall. Shoes Unlimited was having a huge clearance."

"The only thing that's going to be cleared out is his wallet," Raye said.

"He spoils the hell out of both of them."

As they continued to chat about school, about their friends, about the

previous night's installment of "Iron Chef," Raye kept looking at Amy. She

looks normal on the surface, she thought, but this behavior. . .she's

talking about sex, she's doing things that Chad and I wouldn't do. . .this

is *not* her. Is something wrong?

Finally, Lita got up. "Well, I'd better be going. I've got to get dinner

started soon if I'm going to have it ready when Ken gets off work. You take

care of that, Aims."

"I'll be okay, Lita. Don't worry."

Once she was gone, Raye said, "Okay. Do you want to tell me what that was

all about?"

"What what was all about?"

"Your 'research.'"

"Oh." She looked down, and began to turn pink. Okay, Raye thought, now

*this* is like Amy. "I'd just. . .asked her a few questions, that's all.

There's something I've been. . .curious about."

"Curious enough to end up walking funny?"

"I'm trying to do first-hand research as well. I have to cover all the

angles, you know."

Yeah, Raye thought, and it sounds like Adam covered *all* your angles.

Including some the Amy I thought I knew wouldn't want covered.

"So part of your research included talking to Lita?"

"Oh, it's not like I grilled her or anything. It was just something she

felt like telling me. And later on, I just decided to. . .find out more

about it."

"And Adam just goes along with all this?"

"He hasn't turned me down yet."

Good gods, Raye thought, no wonder I haven't seen much of Adam lately.

He's probably laid up in bed with chronic exhaustion.

"So what did you do between school and coming here?" Amy said.

"Went to the bookstore."

"Get anything good?"

"Couple of manga." She was fully expecting Amy to go into a lecture about

how she should read more than manga, that reading manga all the time was

detrimental to her grades. . .

But instead, her friend said, "Oh, did you get that bishounen one again?"

Raye nearly fell off her seat. Now *this* was strange. When Amy had been

over her house and there had been yaoi manga lying around, Amy had shown no

interest in them. In fact, she seemed to go out of her way to avoid looking

at them.

"Um. . .yes."

Amy leaned over the table, and her voice took on a soft, confide-in-me

tone. "Tell me, Raye. . .do you and Chad ever get. . .ideas from those?"

Raye's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "WHAT?"

"Those manga. Do you use them as visual research materials? New sources of

information about ways to give pleasurable stimulation?"

"I don't do *research.* Chad and I don't *need* to do *research*. We're

perfectly happy as we. . .Why am I telling you this, anyway?"

"It's all right, Raye. You don't *have* to tell me, you know. I'm just,

well, curious."

"Well, I'm not!"

Amy looked at her watch. "And now, I have to go meet up with Adam at the

library. I'll see you later." And she got up and began to walk away, with

the same painful gait as before.

Raye just watched her go, in absolutely stunned silence. What the *hell*

is going on with her? she thought. Is this some secret wild side she's kept

hidden until now? They say it's always the ones you least suspect. . .

* * *

At the library, Adam sat at the circulation desk, trying to keep from nodding off.

He was tired a lot lately. And he knew other people had noticed it. One of

his friends had even said to him, "You don't seem like your usual

happy-go-lucky self." And one of the other library aides had said something

to the effect that Adam was losing his touch as the world-champion

speed-shelver.

How often do I get a full night's rest anymore? he thought. Amy's at my

house just about every night now, for at least a few hours. And almost

every night. . .there's more of her "research."

He'd gotten a kick out of it at first, finding out that his quiet, shy

girlfriend had an insatiable curiosity and a willingness to experiment.

He'd gone along with everything she wanted to do eagerly.

But as time wore on, the surprise-of-the-night didn't seem so surprising

anymore. He always knew *something* was coming. Covering each other with

foodstuffs? Doing it in a closet? Position after position after position?

They'd done it all.

First, she'd give an explanation of what she wanted to do. "I saw this in

a magazine I was reading in the dentist's office. It involves the woman

lying on her back and raising her legs up and over her partner's shoulders,

and it supposedly gives strong stimulation to the so-called 'G-spot'." And

then, they would put her ideas into practice, often with her directing the

action as if she were staging a theatrical performance.

A theatrical performance, he thought. That's exactly what our love life

has become. There's no spontaneity anymore. It's as if we're doing it

because we *have* to do it, not because we *want* to.

He kept telling himself, over and over, that she'd get tired of all this

soon, that she'd drop it and take up some other subject to research, and

they'd go back to a more normal life. But it wasn't happening. And he

didn't know how much more of it he could take.

I'm going along with this strictly out of my love for her, he thought. But

does even love have its limits?

A gangly, green-haired young man entered the library and headed for the

main desk. Adam's replacement had arrived; as soon as Amy arrived, they

could go home together. And the whole thing would begin all over again.

"Hey, buddy," the other student said. "How's it going?"

"Okay. I'm just waiting for Amy right now."

The other boy gave a long, low whistle. "You get to go home with that cute

chick every night? You're real lucky, dude."

Am I? Adam thought.

* * *

Raye hung up the phone, a slight frown crossing her face. She'd quizzed

Serena about Amy's recent behavior. Yes, Amy had questioned Serena about

her sex life with Darien. "I dunno, I thought she was just curious," Serena

said. "You know how Amy is."

Okay, Raye thought, Amy's got a brilliant mind, she's always curious, she

always wants to learn new things. We've all seen that, time and time again.

But she's never gone *this far* before. When she became curious about

aerodynamics, she didn't rush down to the airport and sign up for flying

lessons. When she wanted to learn about ancient cultures, she didn't leave

school and sign up for the latest available archaeological dig.

She's always been a "good girl," Raye thought. Maybe too much of a "good

girl." If you even mentioned sex in front of her, she'd turn crimson. When

we went to a movie, if a nude scene came on, she'd always look like she

wanted the seat to swallow her up.

Maybe she got sick of being so goody-goody. Maybe she decided that she

wanted to be bad for awhile, see what the other side of life felt like. . .

But that didn't quite add up, either. Amy wasn't running wild. She was

very loyal to Adam. She wasn't drinking, or smoking, or shoplifting. She

was just. . .asking questions. Too many questions.

Again, the worry arose in the back of Raye's mind. Amy was always burning

her candle at both ends, putting endless amounts of pressure on herself,

striving to be number one at everything she did. . .could she be cracking

under the strain?

I wish I was able to see into her mind and figure out what was going on in

there, she thought. Then, I'd know for sure. . .

And then, an idea came to her. She might not have the power of telepathy,

but there were other gifts she could use that might help her get to the

bottom of what was going on. She got up from her desk and swiftly headed

for the main room of the temple, and its sacred fire.

* * *

In a dark, dingy tent on the grounds of the Dead Moon Circus, Zirconia

sank down into her throne with a heavy sigh that sounded like the creak of

a door that hadn't been oiled in years. Her ancient bones were hurting more

and more nowadays. She'd been able to stave off death for centuries with

her dark magic, but she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to keep

it up.

I have to keep going, she thought. At least until I've paid back all the

hurt that was done to me.

She was beginning to wonder how long that was going to take. Especially

with the three foot soldiers who had been entrusted to her care.

Oh, they were accomplishing the main job Nehelenia had created them for,

all right. They were bringing back plenty of data on human dreams, and the

queen had found it useful.

But then, there was that other, unexpected problem to contend with. The

Sailor Soldiers. Three of them had shown themselves, and all of them had

been allowed to escape. Which, of course, had not gone over well with

Nehelenia.

"I want you to round up our strongest, fiercest lemures!" the queen had

told her. "I want you to tell the Trio that they should be on guard at all

times, and if they see a human who they even vaguely suspect is a Sailor

Soldier, they should destroy her immediately! We cannot take *any* chances

anymore!"

"What else can I do?" Zirconia wheezed. "I've got the best lemures we have

ready to go. I keep those three in line. . ." As well as I can, she

thought. It still rankled at her that she felt her control over the three

former animals was never complete, that they could rebel at any second. And

if they were to do that. . .

"No," she said aloud. "That's not going to happen. I won't let it happen.

I'll step up their dream-gathering activities, so we can have the mission

completed before they get a chance to do anything like that."

She raised her staff, and the winged eyeball on top of it took off like a

bizarre bird, circling her throne before stopping and hovering above her.

It was this thing that had been her closest ally throughout the centuries,

which had always come to her aid when humans - and humans who used to be

animals - had failed her. Her familiar, the demon-being which had emerged

from a cauldron of blood when she was casting one of her first spells, and

had done her bidding ever since. Not to mention listening to her troubles

when nobody else, human or animal, would listen.

Zircon will not fail me this time, either, she thought.

"Go," she told the eye. "I want twice as many prospects as the last time

you went out! And make sure they're good ones! We want the strongest,

richest dreams we can find!"

The thing blinked, slowly, in apparent comprehension, then spread its

wings, rapidly flying out of the circus tent.

Zirconia watched it go. And those three had better make good use of those

targets, she thought. With Sailor Soldiers around, we will not stand for

laziness or carelessness. Nehelenia made them, and she can just as easily

destroy them.

* * *

Raye sat in front of the sacred fire, breathing deeply, stilling her mind,

willing it to open, to connect with eternity. . .

Soon, the world around her was falling away, and she found herself in a

place she'd been many times before - a corridor in the middle of time and

space, with a huge fire burning in a cauldron at one end, and immense

Greco-Roman pillars on either side.

The corridor where she regularly talked with *him*.

Sure enough, she saw a mist emerge from the fire, and begin to take the

form of a tall, muscular, armored young man, a helmet covering his shock of

golden curls, his black eyes looking like blazing coals. Her Guardian

Deity, Mars.

Whenever she looked at him, part of her heart still leapt, still

remembered when they were lovers. Perhaps, she thought, on some level we

will always love eachother. But it's not to be, at least not in this

lifetime. He is a god, and I am a human. . .and there is a human I love

with all my heart as well.

He approached her, and she restrained herself from running to him,

striding across the floor with purpose and dignity. Once they drew near to

each other, he opened his arms wide, and she flung herself into them.

"I am always happy to see you," he said to her.

"And I'm happy to see you, too." She drew away. "You're well aware of

what's been going on. . ."

"Of the new enemies, yes, definitely. But I know it's more than that which

is troubling you."

"Yes. I'm worried about my friend, Amy. She's behaving. . .not like

herself. I'm afraid she may have finally pushed herself too far."

Mars chuckled. "I remember you once describing Amy as having a flat nose

from it being constantly squashed into a textbook."

"You'd better believe it," she said. "Until Adam came along, her entire

life was studying. Now, her entire life is studying and him. Or at least it

was, until. . ."

"Until she began her 'experiments.'" His wry expression told her he knew

*exactly* what the experiments consisted of.

"Yeah." She sighed. "What the hell is *up* with that? That is just so *not

Amy*. She used to blush if one of us said the word *bra* in front of her!"

A gentle smile came over his face, almost like that of a parent reassuring

a worried child. "Amy's going through a period of transition right now,

Raye. She's letting go of a lot of the things which still bound her to

childhood, and that process isn't always easy. Some people out-and-out

rebel, become destructive. . .others use more subtle means. And your Amy is

nothing if not subtle."

She brushed back her hair in a gesture that conveyed nerves. "So, in other

words. . .I was right. She's going off the deep end."

"No, she's not," he said, softly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Eventually, she'll straighten herself out. But she's very sensitive, very

vulnerable right now. She has to face this alone."

She looked up at him with eyes that seemed just this edge of hopeless. "So

there's nothing I can do?"

"Oh, there is," he replied. "Just let her know you'll be there for her if

she ever needs you."

Raye sighed. "And that's it."

"Yes. It's just something that time has to take care of."

She slid away from his touch, began to pace a little. "You make it sound

like she had a bad case of zits."

"In a way, it's the same type of thing. It's a pain for awhile, but it

does go away."

She stopped pacing and abruptly turned to face him. "Okay, if it's a

normal teenage thing, how come *I* never did anything like that?"

He stepped toward her, giving her another gentle smile. "Oh, but you have.

You've been experimenting with new attitudes and new lifestyles yourself.

You're just not as aware of it."

"Yeah? Like what?"

The god got a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Do the names 'Dex' and 'Cory'

mean anything to you?"

She suddenly stepped back away from him, as if he'd taken a swing at her,

fury gleaming in her eyes. "What are you talking about? Hey, my reading

yaoi is *not* like her asking everybody in sight about their sex lives!

It's something I keep to *myself*!"

"But it's something you're *curious* about, isn't it? And isn't that what

Amy's been?"

"Dammit, it's two different things!" she said, starting to pace again.

"It's. . ." But she found herself unable to come up with an argument, and

stopped in her tracks, head down, facing away from him.

"I rest my case." He gave a small smile. "You've always looked beautiful

when you were fuming like that."

She wheeled around toward him. "I'm NOT FUMING!" she snapped.

The god laughed. "Save some of that glorious fury for the enemy, my dear.

You're going to need it."

Raye's demeanor instantly changed, becoming the all-business Sailor

Soldier. "What about the enemy? What do you know about them?"

He paused a second, an expression of puzzlement in his eyes, as if he were

wondering what to tell her. Then, he said, "All I can tell you is this:

Your enemies were a threat to the Moon Kingdom in the past, and have come

back to finish the job they didn't before."

"You mean they're from the Negaverse?" she said, walking back towards him.

"But I thought we destroyed. . ."

"No, not the Negaverse. They are enemies that came from within. And

they're very powerful." He held out his hand, and a wand appeared in it. .

.one that was longer than the one Raye had used before, with a large, red

ball on top. Engraved on the ball in gold were the symbol of Mars and a bow

and arrow encircled by a wreath.

I knew this was coming, she thought. Serena and Reenie got power-ups, then

Lita. . .I guess it's my turn now.

"That's my new wand?"

"Yes, it is. The words to activate your transformation are 'Mars Crystal

Power.' Your new attack is 'Mars Flame Sniper.'"

"Flame Sniper?"

He handed her the wand, and gave her a hug. "You'll know when the time

comes, Raye. Just like you did with the Burning Mandala and the other

attacks. And now, it's time for you to go back."

"One more thing. . .when am I going to have to use this?"

"Soon, I'm afraid. Be on your guard. . ."

The god watched the young woman fade away as she returned to her world,

and felt a pang in his heart as he did so. If only I could join her there,

or she could join me here, he thought. But I accepted a long time ago it

was not to be. And she has a human whom she loves, and who loves her. It's

for the best that they're together.

"You can't let your feelings for that young woman interfere with the task

at hand," said a voice behind him.

Mars turned, and saw a familiar male form. . .the same one which had been

in King Endymion's throne room the night before the fatal eclipse.

"I know very well what's at stake," he told the other. "I have made sure

that she will play her role in the plan, I have done nothing more."

"Good. I cannot stress how important this is. We are not only protecting

their present, we are protecting their future."

The future, Mars thought. Crystal Tokyo. . .when these young women will be

one step below being gods. . .and maybe things might be different for her

and me.

* * *

Raye opened her eyes, feeling the room around her coming back into focus.

She stretched her arms, stood up and walked around a bit, readjusting to

being back in her physical body.

She had gotten her power-up. She was ready to become Super Sailor Mars,

when the need arose. She certainly felt ready for it.

But, on the Amy front. . . She sighed. Just growing pains, Mars had said.

Nothing to worry about. Okay, Raye thought, I'll give him that. She could

have some genuine teenage angst. But I'm still not entirely convinced she's

not cracking under the strain.

She went back into the temple's living quarters, deep in thought - and

didn't notice Chad until she had collided with him.

"Hey!" he said. "Watch it!"

"Watch it yourself!"

"Whoa. . .someone's testy tonight."

She considered putting up a fight for a few seconds. . .then decided it

wasn't worth it. "I've got a lot on my mind."

"School stuff?"

"No. One of my friends. . ."

"Hey, look. Lemme finish what I was doing, then we can go in my room and

you can tell me what's up."

Talking to another human about this might help, Raye thought. Chad may not

be the deepest thinker in the world. . .but he's a good listener.

She went into his bedroom, moved a guitar and amp out of her path, and sat

down on the bed. Shortly thereafter, he came in, carrying two cans of cold

green tea. He handed one to her and sat on the floor below her.

"Okay," he said. "What's up?"

She took a sip of her tea, which was so cold it gave her a mild shock when

it hit her tongue. Just as she liked it. "It's Amy."

"Amy? Geez, that's the last one of your friends I thought would have a

problem."

"She's been acting funny lately. Just. . .*not her.*"

"You mean she's been slacking off?"

"No, it's not that. Not at all. In fact, it's just the opposite. Well,

sort of. . ."

And she began to tell him about what had happened that day at the cafe,

about Amy's sudden excessive interest in sex - and other people's sex

lives.

Chad gave a chuckle at one point. "Sounds to me like Adam is one lucky dude."

"Lucky? I don't know. I have no idea how he feels about all this. I have a

feeling he's worried about her, too."

"Are the others worried?"

"Serena wasn't. Neither was Lita. I don't know why. I haven't talked to

Mina or Darien about this yet."

"Well, if they're not concerned about this. . ."

"But I still am." She looked down into the opening of her can. "I've known

Amy a long time, Chad. Longer than any of the others has, except Serena.

When I first became Sailor Mars, it was just the three of us, and it stayed

that way for awhile. I feel like I have a strong bond with both of them,

you know? Almost like the three of us became a family in that time. If one

of them is hurting. . .it hurts me, too."

He got off the floor, sat on the bed and wrapped his arm around her

shoulders. "Hey, if Amy was really hurting, she'd talk to you, wouldn't

she? Like you said. . .you guys are family."

"Not if it were something she didn't *want* to talk about. There's been a

lot of times when I've wondered if I *really* knew what was going on behind

that perfect front of hers. . .if there's sides of her she doesn't show to

us, or anyone else."

"Well, then. . .maybe you should just talk to her. Get it out in the open.

Just ask her if everything's okay. Hey, what's the worst she can do? Laugh

and tell you you're way off base?"

She had to admit that he had a point there. "Well, maybe I'll go see her

tomorrow, after school. I've got a few things to do on the way home, then

I'll stop by her house."

"Good. Look, you'll feel better after you do. And hey, even if she's got a

problem, you guys would be able to help her, right?"

Yeah, Raye thought, if her problems involved a monster that had to be

killed. If only getting rid of all life's problems was as easy as pointing

at the target and saying the right words. . .

"We'll at least try, right?"

He drew her into a closer embrace. "She'll be okay. So will you."

She felt her own arms tighten around him, and buried her head in his

chest. "Thank you. You're always there for me."

"That's 'cause I love you, silly."

"I love you, too."

They just stayed there for a moment, savoring the feel of being wrapped up

in each other, of feeling the other's warmth, breathing in each other's

scent.

Then, she raised her face to his, and gently kissed his chin, his cheek,

the corner of his mouth. . .He turned his face enough so that their lips

would meet, and the kiss deepened quickly, her tongue plunging into his

mouth for a split second, pulling out, pushing in again. . .and his met and

rubbed against hers. Their arms tightened more and more, as if to pull

themselves into each other.

The heat and friction were so good to her, so very, very good, like a balm

soothing her stinging emotions. She found herself leaning over, topping

them both onto the bed with her lying on top.

When they broke apart, both were gasping. "Whoa," he said.

"Whoa is right. Seems we have something going on here."

"Don't bother me one bit." He gently grasped the back of her head and

pulled her down, and their mouths met again, hotter, wetter this time,

their tongues eagerly seeking and finding each other. Her hand slipped into

his shirt, caressing his chest, and she felt a thrill pass through her as

she felt the strong muscles, the smooth skin. . .When she encountered a

nipple, she brushed her fingers over it, lightly, again and again, until he

was groaning deep in his throat.

She began to kiss down his neck, her fingers beginning to work at his

garments. "You're *wild* tonight," he growled.

"Aren't I always?" She had managed to get everything unfastened, and began

pulling pieces of clothing from his body, flinging them one by one to the

floor until she had him completely uncovered.

"Gods," she whispered, "look at this. You are *gorgeous.*" She began to

kiss his stomach, and he let out a loud groan, tangling his fingers in her

hair. Her lips moved upward, pressing here, then there on his chest,

pausing to nip occasionally, to swirl her tongue a bit.

She drew his nipple into her mouth and began to suck, and he let out a

cry, his entire body starting to writhe with pleasure beneath her. Her lips

drew away from him, only to allow her tongue to flicker across the small

knot, over and over, before she moved her head to its twin and began to

suck again. Her fingers trailed over his stomach, slowly, tickling at the

skin just enough to tease. . .and then, he felt a feathery brush against

his manhood, just enough to make him jump and yelp.

She grasped him in her hand and began to pump, slowly, her mouth still

ravishing his nipple. Chad normally fancied himself a macho guy - but right

now, he was absolutely loving the passive role he was playing, just lying

back and letting his woman serve him.

Raye pulled away from him just long enough to strip off her top and bra,

and she leaned over so her breasts swung right by his face. Eagerly, he

captured a nipple with his mouth and began to suckle, as she had done to

him. She threw her head back and let out a moan, straddling his thigh,

rubbing her covered womanhood against his bare skin - the contact just

enough to drive them both wild, tantalize them with thoughts of what was to

come.

His mouth moved to the other breast, and she ground herself into him,

faster, harder, thinking oh Gods, I could come right here, right now, just

like this. . .but I don't want to spoil it. I don't want it just yet. Not

until he's inside me.

She pulled away from him, stood up, and quickly rid herself of her

remaining garments. Reaching into his bedside table, she found exactly what

she was looking for, and tore the package open with one swift motion. She

sat next to him, and leaned over, running her tongue up and down his

manhood, his moans the sweetest music in the world to him.

"Had enough?" she said. "Or can you take more?"

Good gods, he thought, I think I'm ready to explode any second. But he

said, "I can take all you've got to give, baby."

"Good. Because you're going to get it all." She opened her mouth wide and

began to take him in, slowly, her mouth covering the head, then sliding it

out, then a bit of the shaft as well, sliding out again, a bit more shaft

the next time, then out again, then taking in a bit more of him than

before. . .

Despite his earlier resolve, Chad found himself cracking. He knew it was

going to happen, and soon. "Oh, Gods. . .oh, honey. . .oh, I need you, now.

. ."

She took her mouth away. "That's the kind of thing I like to hear." She

rolled the condom on, then straddled him, positioning him right at her

opening. . .and when she saw his face, she knew he wasn't kidding. His need

was incredibly great. She thrust hard, taking him deeply into her, savoring

the connection, the feel of them as one. . .She began to move her hips,

slowly, and rapidly began to pick up speed.

I'm going to need help if I'm going to come before he does, she thought.

She reached for his hands, grasped one and pulled it toward her womanhood.

He got the message right away, and she felt his fingers begin to stroke and

caress her jewel as she thrust and thrust, the electric sensations coursing

through her doubling, then tripling rapidly. She threw her head back,

letting out one long, low moan after another, thinking she was going to

burst into flames any second.

Chad raised his hips to meet her every thrust, feeling her soft wetness

encase him, suck him in, driving him closer and closer to the brink of a

sweet, divine madness. He cried out her name, over and over, a paean of

love, a plea for release. . .

And then, she felt everything stand still for a split second. . .followed

by everything rushing into frantic motion at once, the fires that had been

held in check bursting into full flower, consuming her, making her shriek

as wave after wave of hot ecstasy pulsed through her. The tightening,

tugging of her hot sheath gave him all he needed to be pushed over the

brink at last, and he let out a strangled cry as he felt floods of

sensation pour through every bit of his body.

She collapsed on top of him, both of them panting and clinging to each

other. He brushed away a few locks of raven hair, stuck to her skin with

sweat, and kissed her lips, softly and sweetly.

"Gods, I love you," he said.

"I love you, too."

She rolled off him just long enough for him to dispose of the condom, and

they snuggled into each other's arms.

"I'm gonna sleep *real* well tonight," he said.

"Me too," she replied. And if it wasn't for you, she thought, I wouldn't

be able to.

With deep, contented sighs, both of them drifted off into slumber.

* * *

Amy put her history book back in her bookbag. She was four chapters ahead

of the rest of the class, and quite satisfied she'd done her part on that

subject for the night.

Now, she thought, what do I do? Do I go on to chemistry? I'm five chapters

ahead on that, do I want to go for six? Or, perhaps. . .my *other* research

project?

Adam was on the other side of the room, intently staring at the screen of

his iMac. He had research of his own to do right now. . .but not quite like

hers.

I wonder why Raye didn't want to talk to me today? she thought. It's not

like I was asking her anything *bad*. I wasn't going to make her tell me

anything she didn't want to. I just thought she'd share. . .information. Of

all my friends, you'd think Raye would be most open about something like

that.

She reached into her bookbag and took out the item she'd purchased at the

bookstore after leaving Crown Cafe. Since Raye had been reluctant to talk

about her experiences with reading yaoi, she'd decided to investigate it

firsthand. It was actually a lot tamer than she'd expected. Mostly a lot of

melodramatic soap-opera type stories, with the occasional scene of young

men naked and wrapped in each other's arms, expressions of bliss on their

faces. One or two of the stories were a bit more explicit, showing activity

which was clearly anal intercourse.

Amy sighed. That last experiment hadn't gone well, had it? She'd

instructed Adam to do everything Lita had said to do. . .but it had still

resulted in nothing but pain for her. Well, at least I know firsthand what

it's like, she thought. And that's why I'm doing this anyway, isn't it? To

learn?

In fact, the last several experiments hadn't gone well. The honey one had

only resulted in a sticky mess. When they'd tried to do it on the stairs of

her house, she'd only woke up the next day with a stiff, sore neck and

back. She'd purchased and tried to wear a thong. . .but that single thin

strap of fabric between her buttocks had only served to irritate her.

But I can't let things like that set me back, she thought. I've set out to

learn all I can about sexuality and I'm going to keep doing it. Learning is

always what I've loved doing best. . .right?

A voice rose in the back of her head, saying, "And what have you learned,

Amy? You've learned that wild sexual experimentation really isn't all that

fun, haven't you?"

Fun was never my goal, she thought. Knowledge, research, satisfying my

curiosity. . .that was always my goal. And I *have* been doing that.

Certainly, nobody can say that I failed to do that.

"If fun wasn't your goal," the voice said, "why did you get so

disappointed when all of those things didn't work out? And why did you

involve Adam? Surely there's enough material in books, on the Internet,

where you could have just read up on things and not *done* them."

Secondhand research is *never* the same thing as first hand, she thought.

I could have done book learning, sure. . .but I'd never know if it were

*true* unless I experienced it.

"And did you go out robbing graves and cutting up cadavers so you could

see *first hand* if the material in your medical books was true?" the voice

said.

That's different, she thought. Medicine is. . .an *exact* science.

Sexuality is. . .less exact. There's a greater need to put it to the test.

"And when is the testing going to end? How far are you going to push it,

Amy? Until he can't take it anymore? Until you can't take it anymore?

Experiments can go horribly wrong, you know. Experiments have left people

insane. . .or dead."

She was now visibly fidgeting, flipping the pages of the manga from one

hand to the other, tapping her foot. I'm not pushing it too far, she

thought. If something was wrong, Adam would tell me and refuse to

experiment anymore. I'm not hurting or endangering either of us. If ever I

feel it's going too far, I'll stop.

"Will you know what too far is?" the voice said. "This is all new to you.

Will you learn to recognize the warning signs of trouble before it's too

late?"

Where are these thoughts coming from? It's as if. . .there's another

person talking to me! She tried to push the voice aside again. . .

"Remember, you're playing with fire here. You have no formal medical

training, no formal psychiatric training. At least not yet. And for someone

with no training to do this. . .it's Russian Roulette. You just don't know

where the danger line is, do you?"

I know my own mind! she thought. I'd know when things were going wrong,

and I'd take care of it before it could!

"*Do* you know your own mind? *Really*?"

Do I? she thought. These thoughts. . .these nagging, seemingly alien

thoughts. . .are coming from my mind, too. . .

She needed to silence them, push these doubts aside. And so, she did what

she'd done since she was a little child in a situation like this. . .she

buried herself in books and research.

Only this time, the book was a yaoi manga, and the research was for

something not taught in class.

Okay, she thought. What do we have here. . .hmm, sex with one partner bent

over the kitchen table. . .we haven't tried that yet. . .I wonder. . .

* * *

Several miles away, three other people were trying to push aside their

problems. Only they were doing it with alcohol.

Tiger Eye, Hawk Eye and Fish Eye sat around a table in the Dead Moon

Circus's bar. As usual, they were the only patrons. It was as if Nehelenia

had intended the bar exclusively for their use. Which was okay with all

three of them. They certainly needed it.

"So now the old bag wants us to collect twice as many dreams," Tiger Eye

said. "Has anyone told her that you can't *rush* these things? Stalking

your prey is an art form!"

"Oh, puh-LEEZ! Spare us!" Fish Eye said, taking another hefty gulp of his

drink.

"Well, it's true! You have to size her up just so. . .figure out her

movements, what she likes to do. . .and then, wait for just the right

moment to strike."

"According to the old bag, that's *exactly* why we're not doing our job,"

Hawk Eye said. "Doesn't she realize this is *hard*? I mean, the kind of

people she sends us after. . .they're supposed to be people with something

special about them, right? Like psychic stuff or hocus pocus or mojo

doohickeys? Even if the Sailor Soldiers don't get us. . .one of the

*targets* might!"

"Try telling *her* that," Fish Eye said. "She'll just tell us we're coming

up with an excuse to be lazy."

"Like I said. . .she just *doesn't understand*!" Tiger Eye replied,

gingerly picking up his glass and taking a well-measured sip. "How the hell

did *she* get that job, anyway? I mean, it's not like *she* ever did

anything that we do."

"Hey, he has a point there," Fish Eye said. "We go out and do all the

work, and she's the only one allowed to talk to the big boss. And all she

does it sit around and play with that eyeball thingy!"

"I'd like to see *her* do the kind of thing we do," Hawk Eye said. "She

wouldn't last a day."

"She wouldn't last an *hour*," Tiger Eye said. "My work requires

intelligence and skill. And she doesn't have either."

"*Your* work?" said Hawk Eye. "What about *ours*?"

"Well, I can't speak for the two of you. I'm talking about *my* style."

"Yeah," Fish Eye said. "A *style* which let Sailor Jupiter destroy your

lemure."

"Hey, how was *I* supposed to know she was going to show up? I've never

even heard of her before! She came out of nowhere!"

"You have to be on your guard against that kind of thing," Fish Eye said.

"You see. . ."

"Hey, let's see how well *you* do against a Sailor Soldier!" Hawk Eye

said. "You're the only one of us who hasn't had to deal with one yet!"

"Yeah!" said Tiger Eye. "You'd probably run away from one!"

"I would NOT! I'd make sure I got her but good! And any helpers she

happened to bring with her!"

"You're so sure of that?" said Tiger Eye.

"Sure, I'm sure! Those Sailor Soldiers don't know what they're dealing with!"

Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye exchanged looks that said, "Yeah, right."

"Okay, then," Tiger Eye said. "If you're so sure of yourself, *you* take

the next target. And if a Sailor Soldier doesn't show up, you take the one

after that, and the one after that, until one *does* show her face. And

*then* we'll see how well you do!"

"All right, then, you've got a deal." Fish Eye literally jumped off his

barstool, his eyes ablaze with purpose. "Where's the targets? I know the

eye dumped some off earlier."

Hawk Eye gestured at the pile of photos on the bar which the three had

deliberately ignored until then, hoping against hope that if they failed to

acknowledge the pictures' presence, they'd somehow just fade away. The

humanized fish grabbed them with both hands, shuffling through them like a

gambler intently studying the cards he'd been dealt.

"Awww," he said. "They're all *girls*! Why can't we get a cute *guy* every

once in awhile?"

The other two groaned and exchanged "told ya so!" looks.

"Thought you were so gung-ho on taking this mission," said Tiger Eye.

"Oh, I am, I am! It's just that, well. . ." He continued to shuffle

through the pictures, studying them intently again, then nodded his head.

"Aha! I know exactly who my target is going to be. Tomorrow, when she's

least expecting it. . ."

"Want to clue us in?" said Hawk Eye.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Fish Eye retorted, curtly. He

tossed the pile of pictures back onto the table, and one slipped away from

the others and skidded across the table a bit before coming to rest in the

exact center of the table. It was a picture of a blue-haired young woman,

her eyes sparkling with intelligence and good cheer. . .

* * *

Elsewhere in the Dead Moon Circus, another figure was contemplating what

was going to happen in the near future.

Whenever he could get up the strength, Helios left his fettered physical

body and let his consciousness wander through the world of thoughts and

dreams. . .sometimes to pick up general data on the state of humans, other

times to monitor a specific person.

He had just been monitoring one of those people. The young man he had once

served during the Silver Millennium.

Prince Endymion has not had an easy time adjusting to life in this time

and place, Helios thought. He seems happy, but his mind is still filled

with conflicts, with insecurities. Something is holding him back.

One of the things he'd sensed was that the prince had gone through a heavy

amount of changes as of late. As if he were undergoing a gradual shift in

attitudes, in self-concept, away from being an unwanted orphan and toward

reclaiming his royal self.

I wish I could help him, Helios thought. But there's not much I can do for

him. Not in this state. Not until I'm released.

He thought again of Reenie, the maiden of his dreams, his visions. . .the

maiden who very well have the power to undo all the harm that had been

done, to help him find the missing piece of the golden crystal, to put the

world right again. . .

You and I will help my prince together, maiden, he thought. In the

meantime, I can only support the others who are giving him help.

* * *

David knocked on the door of Darien's apartment, then picked up the

bookbag he'd dropped to the floor. Lori was at another one of her meetings

tonight, and he couldn't face the idea of studying alone.

Funny, he thought, I used to spend most of my study time by myself before

her. But now, being alone seems. . .well, all the more lonely.

Darien opened the door a bit, saw his friend and pushed it open the rest

of the way. "Hi, come in," he said. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"If you've got a Sprite or 7-Up, that would be great, thanks," David

replied, stepping into the living room. Damn, he thought, how come his

place is always neat as a pin? You'd never know a college student lived

here!

"How was the crosstown trip?" Darien said. "Traffic?"

"Nah, not bad at all." He opened his bag and started to unpack it,

removing books, notebook. . .and a couple of videos. Ah, look, he thought,

Darien *is* human! There's a few CDs stacked up on the table here. . .

"Geez, what's with your depressing taste in music?" he said. "Smashing

Pumpkins? Radiohead? The Smiths? Are there any slit-your-wrists bands you

*don't* have?"

Darien returned with a can of Sprite and a glass. "Those CDs are from a

few years ago. I wasn't exactly happy and fulfilled back then."

"Ah, I see. We all go through that. I know I did. I used to wonder if I

could *really* make a difference, if my being involved in crusades and

causes was all for nothing."

"How'd you deal with it?"

"Just got myself involved in more crusades and causes."

"I dealt with it mostly by just brooding." And asking myself why, he

thought. Why did I sometimes know things were going to happen before they

did. . .why I kept having those dreams of a beautiful princess. . .why I

would feel from time to time that I didn't *belong*, that my true home was

another time, another place. . .

It was a time of his life he did *not* miss.

"But you seem to be over that. You don't seem all that broody to me."

"Oh, yeah." But am I really? he thought. I've come a long way since then.

I no longer think of myself as the orphan at odds with the entire world.

I've found the love of my life, and I have plenty of wonderful friends. And

I've accomplished so much as a Sailor Soldier. . .especially recently.

But I can't help but wonder. . .is there something else? Something

*beyond* what I've accomplished? Artemis says I've yet to reach my full

potential as a Sailor Soldier. . .do I still have to reach my full

potential as a man, as well?

As if to distract himself from the disturbing thought, he focused his

eyesight on one of the videotapes David had put on the table. "What's

that?"

"Oh, some guy-type stuff. Figure we could watch that when our brains start

to melt."

Darien laughed. "David. . .I know you were really into your right-to-porn

crusade, but I'm not into. . ."

"Who said anything about *porn*?" He held up the tape, where kanji

spelling out the word GUNDAM could clearly be seen on the label. "This is

Honkin' Big Mecha anime! Hey, just because I defended porn doesn't mean I

like to *watch* it!"

"You don't?"

"Believe it or not, I've never seen a hardcore porn tape in my life. And I

don't plan to."

Darien sat on a chair opposite David. "Especially not with Lori around."

"Oh, can you just imagine me bringing one of those home? 'Honey, I thought

this would make for a nice hot evening'. . ."

"It would be *hot,* all right. Because she'd set you on fire."

"And then douse me with gasoline."

"How *is* she, anyway? I haven't seen her around the past few days."

"Busy. Her classes have been a bitch, and she's got Women United into full

gear again. They're trying to get a day care center for students with

children built on campus. And that's a cause even *I* have to agree with."

"Have you gotten *your* group started again?" Darien asked.

David picked up his glass of soda and sloshed the liquid around. "No, I

haven't. I really should, but. . .I don't know. I feel like I need a longer

break from all of it than Lori did. Lots of stress to get out of my system

still."

He seems to have gotten rid of most of his stress already, Darien thought.

When we first became friends, he wouldn't have given a single thought to

watching big robots blowing stuff up. He would have said he had no time for

that kind of thing, that he had too many projects, too many things to do.

"Plus, still a bad taste in your mouth?"

"Yeah. I lost a lot of friends over the porn thing. Or, rather. . .saw a

lot of people's true colors. I think when I get back into the swing of

things, I'm going to choose the people I work with a bit more carefully."

"Feel older, sadder and wiser?"

"You hit the nail on the head, buddy." David picked up his chemistry text.

"Well, we'd better get started. I feel like I've got three quarters of a

textbook to read."

Darien picked up his own book. . .and then felt it. The dizzy, queasy

feeling. . .

Not again, he thought. It's been awhile since this happened, why is it

happening again? His breath caught. . .his ribs seemed to constrict. . .his

throat tightened. . .he felt as if he was going to cough, long and hard. .

.

And then, as abruptly as it came, it stopped. The sickness faded away. He

breathed deeply, hanging his head down. . .he looked over at David, who was

too buried in his textbook to notice.

David can't know, he thought. Nobody can know. . .especially not Serena.

Not until I figure out what's causing this, and how I can beat it.

A few more deep breaths, and he felt normal again. He paused, waiting to

see if the sickness would return. . .

It didn't. He was all right. . .at least for now.

With a deep sigh, he took out his textbook and started to work, as if

nothing had happened.

* * *

Reenie walked down the street, around the corner from Darien's place. She

was on her way home from her swimming class. Eileen-mama had offered to

pick her up before she'd left the house, but she'd decided not to take up

the offer. It was a nice night, she wanted to walk.

Plus, she wanted the quiet time away from other people, to think.

I haven't seen Pegasus for the longest time, she thought. Not since the

night I had the dream about the Jack-in-the-Box. Is he never coming again?

I know he's just someone in my dreams, but I want to see him again, so

badly. I don't know why, but he seems so. . .real to me. Not like any other

dream I ever had.

It's strange, she thought. I feel like Pegasus has always been with me. .

.like we knew each other before. She'd heard Serena talk about the Silver

Millennium, about how she and the other Sailor Soldiers had all lived as

princesses a thousand years ago, and all met up again in this life.

Did I live in the Silver Millennium, too? she thought. Did Pegasus and I

know each other then? What am I talking about. . .he's not real, he never

has been.

And that thought made her heart ache. No, he's not real. I feel closer to

him than I have to anyone. . .but he's not real. . .

Suddenly, she had the urge to be hugged, to be cuddled, to be treated like

a little girl instead of the dignified princess she usually tried to

present herself as. And she knew just who could do that. The one person who

was always there for her, who had always given her his full attention. .

.and she was right on his block. She began walking rapidly toward his

apartment house.

* * *

The knock on the door made both boys' heads snap up from their books.

"Who could that be?" David said. "Far as I know, Lori's going to be at

that meeting until at least 10."

"Maybe Serena?" Darien opened the door, and was surprised to see his

future daughter standing there.

"Hi," she said. "I was just walking home from swimming, so I thought I'd

stop in."

"You're always welcome, honey, you know that," he said. "Come in. We're

having a study session right now, but. . ."

We? she thought. As she stepped into the room, she saw the other boy

sitting on the couch. David?

"David," Darien said, "you remember Serena's cousin Reenie, right?"

"Hi, Reenie," David said. "How's it going?"

"Um. . .okay." She walked into the apartment slowly, gingerly seating

herself on a chair.

"Reenie's a straight-A student at her elementary school," Darien said.

"Whoa! Another grind like Darien, eh?" David said.

"Who's a grind?" said Darien, sitting back down.

"Aw, c'mon, Chiba, the whole school considers you a brainiac."

"Thought I was considered 'the best-looking guy on campus.'"

"Well, yeah, they consider you that, too." David turned to Reenie. "Let's

face it, most of the guys at school want this guy dead because they're

afraid he'll steal their girlfriends."

"Not gonna happen," Darien said. "I have the sweetest girl in the whole

world and I don't even want to think of anyone else."

"Oh, so Serena's got you on a ball and chain?'

"Same ball and chain Lori's got you on, my friend. I don't see *you* going

carousing."

"That's because *I'm* not considered the best-looking guy in school." Both

of them laughed.

This isn't like Darien, Reenie thought. Why isn't he just paying attention

to me, like he used to when I came over? Doesn't he love me like a daughter

anymore? This David. . .he's taking up all his attention. Why would he

choose a friend over his own daughter?

She decided to try to get his attention. "Darien, my swimming teacher told

me I'm really making good progress. She said I should be able to go in the

deep end by myself in a month or two."

"Really? That's terrific, Reenie! I'm so proud. . ."

At last, she thought, he's his old self.

"Reenie takes swimming classes at the Sports Club," Darien said.

"Hey, that's where one of Lori's ex-cronies works as a lifeguard! Paula,

Patricia, something like that. . ."

"Pamela?"

"Yeah, Pamela! The one who just walked up to me in the cafeteria and threw

a glass of milk in my face!"

"David used to be one of the generals in the campus war," Darien told Reenie.

"War? More like Armageddon!"

"Hey, something good came of it, remember."

David's expression softened. "Yeah. Good enough to make all that crap

worthwhile."

It's like I'm not here, Reenie thought. It's like I'm not part of his

world anymore, like there's no more room for me in his life. . .

"So, Reenie, can I get you anything?" Darien said.

"No. . .I'm not staying long."

"Are you sure? I've got some of the apple juice that you like."

"I just stopped in to say hi. I have to go home now."

"Okay. Want me to give you a lift?"

"No, I'm all right walking."

"At least let me walk you downstairs," he said, following Reenie to the

door. "David, I'll be right back."

"Okay! I'm not going anywhere."

Darien noticed Reenie's absolute silence while riding down the elevator.

Is something wrong? he thought. She didn't say much while she was there. .

.is something up at school, at home? Maybe she came tonight to tell me

something, but couldn't because David was there?

"Reenie, is there something you want to talk about?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

I'm going to have to give her a call tomorrow, he thought. Maybe she'll

feel more like talking then.

"Okay," he said. "You know I'm always here for you."

Are you, really? she thought. "Okay."

Once they got downstairs, he gave her a hug. "'Night, Reenie."

"Good night, Darien."

She walked slowly, stoically, to the end of the street, not looking back.

Then, she broke into a run.

* * *

She was in the park with Serena, Darien and the other Sailor Soldiers.

They were all tossing one of Mina's volleyballs around, laughing and having

a good time. The sun was shining, the temperature was just right, the

wildflowers around her were giving off a sweet scent. . .

"Give me a boost!" she said to Darien. "I wanna be able to throw the ball

*real* high!"

"Sure thing, hon!" He picked her up, and held her high over his head. . .

And then, another figure appeared on the horizon. It was shadowy at first,

indistinct. . . then, it seemed to take on a distinct form. The form of

Darien's friend David.

Suddenly, Darien dropped her, and she crashed to the ground like a sack of

potatoes, letting out a shriek as pain shot through her small body.

"Darien!" she shouted. "Why did you do this to me?" But Darien was gone,

and the boy along with him.

Reenie began to look around frantically. "Where is everyone? Serena? Raye?

Amy?" But they were all gone as well, and now the sun was hidden by

threatening black clouds, and a strong, chill wind was starting to blow,

bringing the promise of an imminent storm.

"No!" she shouted. "You can't abandon me! You can't! Come back, please!

I'm all alone. . ."

But then, there was a sound of a warm, familiar voice within her head:

"You're not alone. You're never alone."

"Pegasus?" she said, quietly. She looked up, and there, above her head,

was the bell. She snatched it up, jumped to her feet and rang it

vigorously, shouting, "CLARION CALL!"

A ball of light appeared before her, which began to solidify, to take

shape, until the familiar winged horse was standing in front of her. Reenie

ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so, so glad you're

here," she said. "I missed you so much. . ."

"Reenie, what happened today? I could feel you calling out to me in your

mind. Something upset you very badly."

"It's Darien," she said. "I went over there tonight, and he. . .he didn't

act like he used to. He had a friend there, and he was paying attention to

him and acting like I wasn't there. It's like. . .he doesn't consider me

his daughter anymore."

Helios nodded. He thought again of the times he'd looked into the prince's

mind, sensed the changes he was going through.

"Well, Reenie, technically he's *not* your father. . .at least not yet.

Darien's still a young man. There's a lot he has to deal with, a lot he has

to learn for himself, before he's ready for fatherhood."

"But. . .the way he acted toward me before. . .it was like I was his

entire world. There were times when I thought he cared for me more than he

did for Serena." She gave a small smile. "So did Serena. Boy, did she used

to get mad!"

Helios smiled to himself. During his gentle probes into his prince's mind,

he'd gotten glimpses of his recent past, of his relationships with his

wife-to-be and future daughter. He'd sensed his frustration during the

occasions when they'd fought over him like two warlords battling over a

prime piece of land. But he'd also sensed the great love he had for both of

them.

"And he still *does* care for you, Reenie. A *lot*. But the kind of thing

he's going through now. . .he needs new, different friends to help him

through it. Different points of view in his life. Darien has never had a

strong bond with another man in this lifetime. His friendship with David is

something he *needs* right now. By getting to know David, in a way, he's

getting to know himself as well."

"But. . .he acted like David was so. . .important. More important than me.

Is he?"

"Of course not. You and Serena will *always* be important to him. Always."

He smiled. "Do you find Darien any less important to you because *I* came

into your life?"

"No way! But, with you and me, it's. . .different. Different than it's

been with anyone else."

"And it's the same thing with Darien and David. Just let him do what he

needs to do right now, Reenie. . .and know that he loves you." And so do I,

he thought. He felt a small twinge of jealousy toward his prince, for being

able to see and be with Reenie whenever he wanted.

"I will." She stroked the horse's mane. "Thank you so much for being there for me."

"You know I'm always here for you."

"Darien said the exact same thing to me before I left his house tonight."

"There, you see? He *does* care about you." And then, Helios felt the

familiar sensation. . .of the night about to end, of the dream world about

to slip away. . . "It's almost morning. I have to go."

"Please. . .can't you stay just a little bit longer?"

"I wish I could. Goodbye for now, my maiden. . ."

She watched him start to fade away, dissolve back into a ball of light.

She reached for him, but her hand encountered nothingness. . .

And then, she was sitting bolt upright in her bed.

He came for me, she thought. He knew I was hurting, and he came for me.

Her heart filled with warmth, with love. But then, reality intruded. . .He

seems to know everything about me, about Darien and Serena. . .I wonder

how? It doesn't matter though. . .what matters is that he was *there.*

If only, she thought, he would come for me when I wasn't asleep and dreaming.

* * *

Raye left school and headed for the main part of town. I've got to track

Amy down, she thought. I've got to talk to her and get to the bottom of

this. I *have* to find out why she's been acting the way she has.

She'd told her grandfather she'd pick up a bottle of soy sauce on the way

home. Going to Yaohan would take her too far off the route she wanted to

travel, so she headed for the nearest AM/PM Mini Mart. Sure, she'd pay a

bit more money. . .but if she got to solve the Amy mystery, it would be

money well spent.

Just a phase she's going through, Mars said, she thought. Well, if it's

*just a phase*, why isn't anyone I know from school going through something

like that? I sure haven't been bombarded with people asking the details of

what Chad and I do behind closed doors. Okay, so maybe people aren't

exactly going to be asking each other about their sex lives in the halls of

a Catholic school, right under the nuns' noses - but they might when we

have lunch outside on the lawn. And I haven't heard a peep.

She found her bottle of sauce, and grabbed an onegiri out of a

refrigerated case to eat while she was walking - it had been a *long* time

since lunch, and she didn't want to have her stomach start growling at

Crown Cafe. She'd be tempted to eat a Serena-sized pile of food.

As she was digging through her purse for change, an all-too-familiar

feeling began to crawl on the back of her neck, rapidly shooting through

her entire mind, sending cold chills all the way to her fingers and toes.

A premonition of danger.

Impressions began to form in her mind, telling her exactly what was

happening, and who was involved. . .And then, just as the feeling of dread,

the ominous images peaked, the onegiri in her hand burst into flame. She

dropped it on the floor, shouting "Oh, GODS!" and stomping it out. She

dropped the sauce onto a nearby counter and ran full-speed out of the

store.

* * *

A couple of blocks away, Amy was in the bookstore again. She'd always

spent a lot of time there in the past, but as of late, it had become her

second home. Especially the aisle labeled "Sexuality."

As she reached for a book, her sleeve pulled back a bit, and a

black-and-blue mark on her arm was revealed. She frowned. She had several

of those, on various parts of her body - the result of Adam's kitchen table

collapsing.

Another good idea that had not quite worked out.

Well, I did *learn* something from it, didn't I? she thought. I confirmed

my earlier findings about which positions give maximum stimulation to the

G-spot. I found out that shifting positions slightly can bring female

orgasm on faster. And, I found. . .that some pieces of furniture were just

not meant to withstand that kind of thing.

She sighed. Why does it seem, she thought, that we have so much trouble

with the same things that other people have done successfully? Perhaps we

just need to experiment further. Maybe we need to go back and do some of

those things over again, see if we can get it right this time. Maybe one of

these books has the answer, will let us know what we're doing wrong. . .

"Excuse me," said a soft voice at her elbow. "I'm afraid I don't have much

experience with this kind of thing. . .I'm looking for a book for a young

girl about to be married. You know, something that will show her. . .well,

how to be happy and stay happy. Can you recommend something?"

Amy turned, and saw a young woman with long, blue hair, dressed in a very

demure outfit - a lacy, violet drop-waist dress, with hat and shoes to

match. Probably a very wealthy, sheltered woman, she thought.

"Certainly. Can you tell me something about the bride?"

"Well, she's 22 years old, just graduated from college. . .her fiance is

the only boyfriend she ever had. . ."

"Is she a big reader?"

"Novels every now and then. She's not a big bookworm by any means."

"You sound like you know this person very well. Is she a relative?"

"My cousin. We grew up together. She's such a lovely girl."

Amy looked over the volumes on the shelf. Oh, she was intimate friends

with so many of them by now. . .She selected a couple that seemed suitable,

and removed them.

"'The New Encyclopedia of Sexuality' is written in a very colloquial,

easy-to-read style, and it has just about all the information you'll ever

need," she said. "'A Guide to the Male Body for Women' is very

straightforward and spells out a lot of complex medical technology in

layman's terms."

"You sound like you really know your stuff," the woman smiled.

Amy turned crimson. "Well. . .I'm preparing for a career as a doctor. . ."

"I understand. You'd have to know about these things. Thank you *so* much.

Oh, I'm going to be meeting up with my cousin at the tea shop around the

corner after I leave here. Would you like to meet her?"

What a strange thing to ask someone you just met in a bookstore, Amy

thought. She must be a very lonely person. . .well, it would be rude for me

to turn her down. "I'd love to offer her my congratulations."

"Wonderful! Just let me pay for these. . ."

As he headed for the cash register, Fish Eye snickered to himself. Working

like a charm, he thought. Her Mirror of Dreams is as good as mine.

Once he had his books in his bag, he told Amy, "Right this way," and began

to lead her around the back of the bookstore. Odd, Amy thought. . .this

alley technically *is* a shortcut, but very few people use it. Especially

not people who look like her.

"Um, excuse me, but where did you say your cousin was?"

"Cousin?" said the other. "Did I say something about a cousin?" The woman

raised her hand, and something that looked like a theatrical curtain

suddenly appeared in the air above her, dropping down to cover her body. In

that split second, Amy realized what was happening. She raised her own

hand, preparing to call forth her Mercury wand. . .

But the other was too fast for her. Suddenly, there was a grotesque

creature in blue in front of her, looking like a cross between a fish and

the Michelin Man, which shouted, "ONE!" Amy felt something slam against her

back, and realized a wall. . .something that looked like an antique mirror,

dingy from being neglected in an attic for years. . .had popped out of thin

air behind her.

"TWO!" the creature shouted, and steel bands clamped around her wrists and

ankles. Amy shrieked, attempting to pull away, but the bands held her fast.

"And now, little girl," Fish Eye said, "let's see that beautiful dream. THREE!"

* * *

As she finished her transformation, her first into Super Sailor Mars, Raye

stretched out with her psychic senses, trying to pinpoint the spot where

Amy was. She's near, she thought. I know she is. . .but where? I can't zero

in on the spot. . .

And then, she felt a flare of pain in her mind, as if someone were sending

out a call of help, someone who was in unimaginable distress. It's Amy, she

thought. And I can sense where she is now. It's an alley. . .a few blocks

away from the one I'm in now. . .

She took off, running flat-out, feeling the silent scream of distress

getting stronger and stronger. And then, she caught a glimpse of something

going on behind Asahiya. . . She crept closer to the scene, and saw Amy

chained to what looked like a giant mirror, a small mirror in front of her

chest. And something which looked like some weird kind of clown was

grabbing the mirror, thrusting its head into it. Amy let out a scream of

pure agony which tore Raye's heart in two.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" she shouted, charging at the creature and slamming

into it bodily. But the creature remained rooted, clinging to the mirror

like a drowning man clutching a life preserver, and Raye fell to the

ground.

Fish Eye removed his head from the mirror. "What a beautiful dream." He

looked down and added, "Shame it had to be ruined by a pest butting in."

"I'll show you who's a pest!" Raye said, getting to her feet.

No, Fish Eye thought, I'll show *you*. Oh, how I'm looking forward to

this. "Lemure! Come forth and take care of both of them!"

A vapor began to rise from the ground, which slowly began to take shape.

Aha, Raye thought. I'll get it before it's fully formed. She took a deep

breath, remembering what Mars told her. . .that when the time came, she'd

know what to do. A picture began forming in her head, showing her just what

the attack involved.

She held out her hand, and a glowing sign of Mars appeared. "MARS!" she

said, and the glow shot out tendrils of light, which took the form of a bow

and flaming arrow. "FLAME. . ." she said, starting to draw the arrow back.

But then, something shot out and wrapped around her, pinning her arms to

her sides. The formless mass had become a living, rotting tree with

gnarled, decaying branches, three oval-shaped holes in its trunk forming a

face which looked like a Halloween ghoul mask. One of its branches was

wrapped around her.

Those idiots, Fish Eye thought. They just didn't know what type of a

lemure to use against a Sailor Soldier. All it takes is something very

simple, really. Nothing flashy, like they were doing. Just something to

hold them in place, so they couldn't attack.

"Now squeeze them until they're dead!" he instructed the creature. Raye

felt the branch start to tighten around her, bit by bit. . .a glance next

to her confined that the unconscious Amy was being held by another limb,

and was being squeezed as hard as she was. I have to do *something,* she

thought. She struggled, pulling first one arm, then the other. . .nothing

happened, except the branches got tighter, tighter. . .it was harder and

harder for her to breathe. . .

Fish Eye gloated. They're seconds away from death, he thought. My work

here is done. "Nice work, lemure," he said. "Bye bye, ladies!" He snapped

his fingers, and a shimmering wall of water appeared in the air next to

him. He stepped through it, and he was gone.

Raye continued to struggle, feeling weaker and weaker by the second,

feeling like it was futile. . .but she was going to fight until the very

end. If only she could get even *one* arm free. . .

She felt the creature's grasp shift a little, the coils of wood moving

just inches apart. But when she moved her hand around, she realized she

could poke it outside the branch and move her wrist back and forth. It may

be enough, she thought. It may be a shot. . .

And she began to will a magical tool she hadn't used in awhile to appear

in her hand. When she felt it, she drew as deep a breath as she could and

began to chant. "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. . ."

She gathered all her strength, drew as much air into her lungs as she

could, and said in a hoarse cry, "AKUYOU TAISAN!" She flipped her wrist,

flinging the ofuda at the creature. It just barely grazed the trunk. . .but

it was enough. The thing was stunned enough to loosen its grip on both

girls, and they dropped to the ground.

Raye sprung to her feet and, before it had a chance to recover, shouted

again, "MARS. . .FLAME. . ." This time, she had a chance to draw the bow

all the way back. "SNIPER!" The flaming arrow screamed through the air at

the creature, sending showers of sparks flying. It impacted, and the

creature let out an unearthly howl just before an inferno devoured its

entire body, thenvanished as quickly as it came.

Raye stood rooted to the spot, panting, breathing in the smell of smoke,

looking at the pile of ash that was all that was left of their assailant.

A groan told her that her friend was starting to come to. She knelt by

her, gently lifting her head and shoulders. "Amy! Amy, are you okay?"

Amy slowly opened her eyes. What happened? she thought. I remember the

bookstore. . .and the strange woman. . .and walking into the alley. . .

"Raye? Why are you here? And why are you Sailor Mars?"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" She slowly sat up.

"You were *attacked*! By some overgrown tuna! And a psycho tree from hell

tried to kill us!"

"Oh. . ." She stood up and brushed off her school uniform, seeming as calm

as if she'd just tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. "Well, I'm all right

now."

The hell? Raye thought. It's as if absolutely nothing had happened to her

at all!

"Amy, are you sure? What that thing did to you. . ."

Amy looked at Raye with a serene smile. "It doesn't matter now. I'm all

right. Really, I am. Thanks for helping me out, Raye. I have to go meet

Adam now, I'm late."

"Amy, wait!" Raye said. But the other girl was already walking away,

humming happily to herself.

Now Raye was completely baffled. If Amy's behavior had been odd before,

now it was downright frightening. Because she was acting very much like the

Amy she'd known. Almost too much so.

* * *

Amy drifted down the street, feeling like she was walking on air. She was

calm, so calm, more than she'd ever been in her life. She had no worries,

no cares. . .

What was that Raye had said? Something had attacked her? She had no memory

of the incident at all. It couldn't have happened the way she said, she

thought. . .or else I wouldn't feel so *good* right now.

Yes, she felt like she didn't have a care in the world. She'd been really

worried a day or so ago, hadn't she? Talking to herself. . .fighting with

herself, really. She felt like laughing. Over what? she thought. I can't

see where there was anything worth getting that worked up over.

She found herself thinking about what she and Adam were going to do that

night. I think, she thought, it'll be something *extra* special. She

remembered a conversation she and Serena had had once. . .

Yes, she thought. I'll do the same thing. Only I'll be in Darien's place,

not Serena's.

She was passing the lingerie store where she knew Lita went. Ordinarily,

she wouldn't have gone in. . .she'd blush just crossing the threshold. But

not now. She didn't have an inhibition in the world now.

She walked in calmly, knowing exactly what she was going to buy.

* * *

Raye was back at the temple, pacing her bedroom. Okay, she thought. . .so

Amy seemed extra-calm after the attack. So doesn't that mean my fears from

before were groundless? I mean, if she was unstable, an attack like that

would make her flip out instantly. . .right?

But maybe, she thought, she *is* bonkers. . .and the calmness was just a

mask to hide her true feelings. That look on her face. . .it was *not*

natural.

She shuddered at the thought of the monster they had been up against. Damn

thing would have killed us both if I hadn't been able to use the ofuda, she

thought. Amy's lucky she can't remember it.

But when that happened to Lita. . .she had remembered the whole thing. . .

Well, she thought, maybe it affects different people in different ways.

And this is just how it affected Amy.

Maybe I should call her tonight, she thought, make sure she's okay. . .no,

she said she'd gone to be with Adam. Well, if something goes wrong, if she

*does* start to really flip out, he's the person she should be with, I

guess.

But still. . .

It's like her whole personality flip-flopped, she thought. Like it turned

right around, instantly. From on-edge to completely mellow. That is *not*

normal. Even after a monster attack.

Or is it? I haven't been attacked by one of those things. I don't know

what it's like. But. . .Lita has.

She picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. Please be home,

she thought, please, please. ..

"Hello?"

Relief flooded Raye. "Lita, it's me."

"Oh, hi, Raye. I just got in from the laundromat, let me put this stuff

down. . ." There was the sound of something being set on the floor. "Okay.

. .what's up?"

Gods, where do I start? Raye thought. She took a deep breath, and said,

"Something happened after school today. . ."

She poured out the tale of the attack on Amy, finishing by describing her

extra-calm demeanor. "I just don't know what happened to her. Before, she

seemed. . .kinda tense, kinda. . .not Amy. Now she's *Amy*, only it's. .

.Amy to the 10th power."

"She's lucky," Lita said. "What happened to me later wasn't pleasant."

"What happened?"

"I was paranoid. . .I felt powerless, helpless. I felt like I was *not me.*"

Gods, Raye thought, maybe it *did* alter her personality, somehow. . .

"How long did it last?"

"I was all right the next day. Ken was with me, he helped a lot. Do you

know if she's alone right now?"

"She said something about going to meet up with Adam."

"She's in the best place she can be, then, if she's with him."

Yes, Raye thought. . .she is, isn't she? She tried to draw reassurance

from this. . .yes, Adam will be able to help her, like Ken helped Lita. .

.she'll be all right, won't she? Lita turned out okay, right?

"Lita. . .will you talk to her? Since you've gone through this already?"

"Well, if she's with Adam. . .I won't interfere now. But I will talk to

her in the morning."

"I'm just worried about her. . ."

"Hey, this is Amy, right? She's tougher inside than she looks. She'll be

fine. Listen, I've got some more housework stuff and homework to take care

of, I'll talk to you later, 'k?"

"Sure. . .I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Raye hung up the phone and took a deep breath. Sure, she'll be all right,

she thought. But. . .but Lita hadn't been having any problems when *she*

was attacked. Amy, on the other hand. . .

If it *was* a genuine problem. If it wasn't just growing pains, like Mars

said. He's a god, he knows everything, right? But.. .but he's never been a

teenage girl. . .

Tomorrow, she thought. I have GOT to talk to her tomorrow.

* * *

* * *

Adam approached the door to his apartment, key in hand. Amy would probably

be over shortly afterward. And then. . .it was another night of her

experimentation.

He groaned. I have *got* to talk to her about that, he thought. I want our

love life to be our *love* life, not a laboratory. If we keep on going the

way we are. . .it could mean very, very bad things for our relationship.

Love can't survive when it's constantly becoming a theatrical performance.

Well, he thought, whatever she wants, I go along with it tonight. And

then, tomorrow, we sit down and have our heart-to-heart.

When he opened his door, the first thing he was aware of was the scent. A

dark, musky perfume. . .

Stepping into the room, he noticed everything was dark. . .except for the

candles on the mantelpiece, the end tables, the coffee table. What the

hell? he thought.

"Amy? Are you there? What's going on?"

She walked slowly into the room. . .and he gasped when he saw her outfit.

A black corset covered her torso, and below it were a garter belt - which

was holding up black fishnets - and lacy, black crotchless panties. Spike

heels were on her feet, and her hands were covered by elbow-length gloves.

On her face were black lipstick and heavy eyeliner.

"Oh. . .oh, Gods. . ." he said.

"You are not permitted to speak until I give you permission," she said, in

an odd voice, a voice which carried authority. . .yet seemed strangely

spacy at the same time, like someone talking out loud during a dream. "When

you do speak, you are to address me as Mistress. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress." Why the hell did I say that? he thought. Why the hell am

I playing along with this? I should be blowing out those candles, putting

on the lights and insisting we have that talk *now*. This is just too much,

too far, too fast. . .

But he knew the answer to his own question, immediately. This is it, he

thought. She's gone over the top. She's taken it to the limit. Once we do

this. . .there'll be nothing else to do. If I play along with this. . .this

phase of hers will finally be over, and things will go back to normal.

"Now, before we go any further, I request that you remove your clothing.

All of it."

He reached up, his hands moving almost of their own accord, and began to

unbutton his shirt. It landed on the floor, alongside his pants, underwear,

shoes and socks. To his surprise, he realized his heart was pounding. Gods,

he thought. . .am I finding this *exciting*? The very idea baffled him. .

.he sure as hell had never fantasized about anything like this before!

"Very good," she said. "Now, you may approach me."

Slowly, he walked toward her, wanting to run away, wanting more for this

to go on. Why is she doing this? he thought. When he got near to her, he

started to draw her into his arms, brought his lips down toward his. . .

She batted his hands away. "I did not give you permission to touch me!

Now, bend over and take your punishment!"

Punishment? Another surge of strange excitement shot through him. "Yes,

Mistress," he said, leaning over and touching the floor. And then, he felt

her hand smack his bottom, a bracing, stinging slap that made him cry out.

She spanked him again, and he let out another yelp, finding the sensations

strangely exciting.

"Now, are you going to be good?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"You can come with me into the bedroom, then."

As she took his hand and led him out of the living room, a delicious

sensation spread through her, one she hadn't felt before, at least not to

this intensity. The feeling of power. The feeling of being absolutely in

charge. Like in her dreams. . .the dreams of having absolute control over

her life, of knowing nothing at all was left to chance. I can make him do

anything, she thought. Anything at all. Haven't I made him do anything at

all up until now? All the experiments. . .the food, the strange positions,

the kitchen table. . .all my doing, all me.

When she had him at the foot of the bed, she pushed, so he was lying on

his back. Kneeling, she took his manhood in her mouth and started to suck

vigorously, moving it in and out rapidly, reaching under him and grasping

his buttocks. . .She felt him tense, heard him moan.

She raised her head. "Do you like that?"

"Oh, Gods, yes."

"Well, you can't have any more. Not until you serve me." She pulled the

top of her bustier down just enough to expose her breasts and leaned over

him. "Suck," she said. When he hesitated, she gave his side a slap. "I

said, suck!"

He fastened his mouth around a nipple and began to draw, softly, then

rapidly growing harder, faster, sending hot jolts of pleasure shooting

through her body, which was only amplified by her sense of her own

power."Ohh," she cried, softly, "that's nice. Keep it up. . .don't stop. .

."

Adam continued sucking, tirelessly, wanting to please her, to be worthy of

the trust she'd obviously placed in him in living out this, what must have

been her ultimate fantasy. Maybe she's doing it for me, too, he thought.

Maybe she knew I was down, not enjoying our sex life anymore, and she

wanted to snap me out of the funk.

He was now starting to relax, get into it, his previous doubts falling by

the wayside. It was turning him on. *Really* turning him on. He didn't

realize how pleasant it could be having nothing to do, being able to just

lay back, relax, let his partner run the show. . .

"The other," she moaned. "Ohh. . .do the other. . .and put your fingers

down there. . ."

He moved his mouth to the other breast, and let his fingers slide

downward, onto the lace of the crotchless panties. He was tempted to let

his fingers wander all over the folds, to tease and tantalize. . .but he

knew that wasn't what his mistress wanted. He went straight for her sweet

spot, starting to caress, fluttering his fingers over it lightly, then

ringing it with quick brushes and flickers, touching it just long enough to

make her gasp, then going back to circling, circling. . .

Amy groaned, flinging her head back, pulling him closer, encouraging him

to suck harder, caress faster. . .it was all so good, so very, very good. .

.and all her doing. . .she had commanded him to give her this pleasure! She

felt herself getting close, oh, so close. . .but she didn't want to go over

the edge like this. She wanted to consume him utterly.

"Stop," she said. "Stop, right now."

He eased away his mouth, his fingers. "Yes, mistress."

She stood up, and regarded his prone form. "Do you want me to make you come?"

"Yes. Oh, yes, mistress!"

"Hmm. I don't know if you've earned it yet." She reached out and fluttered

his fingers over his manhood. "I may have to think about this, first. . ."

"Please! Oh, please!"

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

"No, mistress."

"On all fours." She watched him get into the position, and smiled to

herself. No matter what I say, he'll do it, she thought. And she spanked

him again, harder than she had before, glorying in his startled jump and

yelp. "Yes," she said. "You really love this, don't you?"

I do, he thought. Oh, Gods help me, but I do! "Yes, mistress."

She spanked him again, and again, and again. . .then bent over and lay a

tender kiss on his reddened buttock.

"You've been punished enough," she said. "Now turn over."

As he did, she went into the bedside drawer and pulled out a condom. Now,

she thought, the ultimate act, my ultimate conquest. . .She rolled it on

him, then climbed on top, thrusting hard, feeling him enter her. . .

Mine, she thought. He's mine, all mine. . .mine to do with what I will. . .

Her hips began to move, slowly, then faster and faster. . .

Yes, all mine. . .to use as I will. . .

To use? Use? But. . .I love him! Isn't using him. . .wrong?

She shoved the thought back, thrusting faster, harder. . .feeling the

pleasure build, and build. . .yes, it's right, it's *right*, we love each

other, and he's all mine, and I can do whatever I want with him, and it's

good, so very, very good. . .I want more, more, more, can never have

enough, because he's mine, mine, absolutely mine. . .

Her hips moved faster and faster, and she moaned as the luscious

sensations coursed through her, getting stronger and stronger and stronger

still. . .she was almost there, almost there. . .

Yes, yes, she thought, I brought this on myself! I control him completely!

My dreams have come true, I'm in control of everything, my life, my

destiny! I have power. . .

I have power. . .that I used against him, to manipulate him. . .

No, no! I didn't! He did it of his own free will!

What free will? You control him completely. . .remember?

She thrust faster, and faster, driving the thoughts away with pure

sensation, wanting to come, to obliterate all conscious thought. . .she

could feel him tensing under her, getting ready. . .

And then, the moment hit, and she let out a cry of triumph as she was

flooded with sensation. . .I did it, I dominated him completely. . .

Dominated him completely. . .

Used him. . .

Used the man I love. . .as a toy. . .as a tool . . .

And then, the full realization of what she'd done hit her, and she let out

a scream, not of ecstasy, but of agony.

I used him. . .I abused his love for me to fulfill my selfish needs. .

.what the hell kind of woman *am* I?

Adam was still in the delirium of his orgasm when he heard her scream. It

brought him back to harsh reality, and fast.

"Amy!" he cried, sitting up and pulling her in his arms. "Amy, what's

wrong? What happened? It was only a game, honey. . .you didn't hurt me."

She pulled away. "I don't want you to touch me any more!"

"Amy!"

"I need to be alone, Adam. . .please, please let me be alone. . ." She

jumped up and ran into the bathroom, where she'd left her clothes, sobbing.

I can't look him in the eyes again, she thought. Oh, Gods, what have I

done? How could I ever make it up to him in a single lifetime?

* * *

The next day, Saturday, Raye finished the breakfast dishes, put out food

for the ravens, then picked up the phone.

Should I try Adam's house first? she thought. No, her mother didn't have

night rounds last night, Amy probably came home to sleep. And she dialed

the very familiar number.

"Amy, it's Raye. How are you doing?"

"All right. How are you today?"

"Pretty good. Listen, Amy. . .there's something I've wanted to talk to you

about."

"Oh? What?"

"Well, lately, I've noticed you've been. . .acting rather unusual. Asking

things that you normally wouldn't ask. . ."

"You mean, the talking to people about their sex lives thing?"

"Yes. Exactly."

There was a bit of a pause, then Amy said, "You don't have to worry about

it anymore, Raye. I'm done with that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it was just something I was. . .curious about for awhile. You know,

I'm always interested in the human body, how it works. . .and sex *is* one

of the things the human body does, you know. And, I figured. . .if I

couldn't ask my closest friends about these things, who could I ask,

right?"

"Well. . .right. . ."

"But I'm done with that. I found out everything I needed to know, and I've

moved on. I've become interested in finding out whether vitamins really do

boost your immune system. So, Raye. . .do you take Vitamin C pills

regularly?"

She sounds like her old self, Raye thought. Not the zombie she was

yesterday. Everyday Amy. Maybe she *did* bounce right back from the attack.

. .I guess she was healthy in the mind after all.

"No. . .I'm more into holistic and herbal medicines. You might try asking

Mina."

"Okay, I will."

"So. . .see you later at Crown Cafe for lunch?"

"Sure! I've got to take a shower and get ready now. . ."

"Okay! Seeya later, then!"

"All right. 'Bye!"

Raye hung up the phone, a mixture of relief and embarrassment flooding her

body. Damn, she thought, now *I* feel like an idiot for worrying about her.

She's fine. Just like Mars said, it was just a passing phase.

She laughed to herself. Who am I kidding? This is *Amy.* Of course she's

all right. She'll always be all right.

* * *

Amy hung up the phone, and let the tears she'd been holding back come out.

I should get an Academy Award for that performance I just gave, she

thought. Pretending that the whole sex thing was nothing, just a passing

fancy. . .

Oh, Gods, what have I done to Adam? And after everything we've been to each other, ever since the Silver Millennium. . .

She remembered the day when she brought his memory back, freed him from

bondage to the Negaverse. . .He literally put his life in my hands, she

thought. Everything he is today, he owes to me. And this is how I treat

him. . .He deserves better than me. Far better.

Glancing over at the phone, she saw the "new messages" light blinking.

Adam had called three times since she'd run out of his apartment the night

before, leaving her "Mistress Amy" gear behind. She hoped he'd burn the

damn things.

How, how could I have done that? she thought. How could I possibly let

things get so out of control?

She remembered what Raye had said to her yesterday about that blank patch

in the day, the time she had no memory of. . .about how a monster had

attacked her. . .maybe the monster attack made me go nuts? she thought. But

no. . .I've been attacked by monsters before. And Lita got attacked by a

monster, and it didn't do anything to her.

Besides, I was letting this sex thing get out of hand long before the

monster attacked me, she thought.

No, it's me. And I can't let the others know about this. I have to act

like nothing's wrong, put on a happy face. . .I can't let the others know

about my shame.

She got up to take a shower, her heart feeling like a lead weight in her chest.

* * *

"So what did the attack do?" Serena asked Raye. The six Sailor Soldiers

and Darien were occupying their usual large, curved booth at Crown Cafe,

huddling over and talking in hushed voices.

"It was an arrow of fire. . .and it completely torched the psycho tree.

Burned it away in two seconds."

"Whoa!" said Lita. "That's *much* more powerful than your old attacks."

"So, I guess that means we're all going Super one by one. Serena and

Reenie, Lita, then Raye. . .guess it's either you or me next, Amy!" Mina

said.

I don't want to be Super, Amy thought. I don't deserve to be Super. But

she said aloud, "Guess so!"

"Hey, now, there's a possibility Darien might go Super, too," Serena said.

"I don't think so, Meatball Head. Remember, I don't even have an official

*first* level of power. I came into that Earth Blade by coincidence. I just

help you guys out."

"Hey, where *did* that Earth Blade come from, anyway?" said Lita. "I don't

think you guys ever gave us the full story!"

"It was Serena's Moon Blade for awhile, wasn't it?" said Mina.

"Um. . .yes," said Serena, blushing pink, remembering the Blade's true

origins. . .a rose he had brushed over her womanhood as they had made love

in magical form, transformed into a magical weapon through the energy they

had released during orgasm.

"Yeah, they never *did* talk about it, did they?" said Reenie.

"And we *won't*," Serena snapped, a bit too quickly.

"Aha!" said Raye. "So this is a story for when it's just us older girls, eh?"

Darien was turning as pink as Serena. "You don't want to hear it. You'll

be bored."

"Bored?" said Raye. "Sounds pretty incriminating to me!"

"You GUUUUYYYSSS!" said Serena.

Amy listened, quietly, wishing she could join in the teasing. But her

heart wasn't in it. She wondered if her heart would ever be in anything

again.

* * *

At the Dead Moon Circus, Fish Eye sat by himself in the bar, sulking. He

didn't look up when his brothers approached him.

"So, it's Mr. I-Can-Take-On-Any-Sailor-Soldier," Tiger Eye said. "Zirconia

FREAKED when she saw the footage of *that* little performance."

"What was it she said?" Hawk Eye added. "She was going to 'make sushi out

of him if he ever did anything like that again'?"

"Shut up," Fish Eye said.

"Now you know how we feel, Mr. High and Mighty," Hawk Eye said. "You got

your butt kicked by a girl, too."

"She didn't kick *my* butt! She kicked the lemure's butt! I'll just. .

.hang around next time, that's all! Make *sure* she's destroyed by the

lemure!" He hit the table with a clenched fist. "But dammit. . .it looked

like such a SURE THING! They were both as good as dead!"

"Exactly what we said," Tiger Eye said.

"Been, there, done that," said Hawk Eye.

"So. . .now what do we do?"

Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye sat next to the third, and all of them heaved deep

sighs.

"Four of them," Tiger Eye said. "With the possibility of more of them

showing up."

"Hey," said Hawk Eye, "maybe the problem is we've only been taking *one*

lemure to each job! We're just counting on there being one victim! We have

to take *one* for the victim, and *one* for the Sailor Soldier!"

"And what if all four show up?" said Fish Eye. "Each lemure gets killed

*twice* over!"

"Um. . .we have reserve troops we can call in?"

"Zirconia's already on our case for wasting lemures," said Tiger Eye.

They all sighed again. "So, there's no easy answers, is there?" said Fish Eye.

There was a pause. . .then, Tiger Eye leapt to his feet. "I got it! We go

on jobs as a tag team! I get the victim's attention with my charm. . .and

then, when she's absolutely mesmerized. . .bam, you two come in for the

kill! Simple, right?"

Hawk Eye and Fish Eye exchanged "oh, GEEZ!" looks.

"You're kidding, right?" said Fish Eye.

"I'm dead serious!"

"It's no wonder we have problems with Sailor Soldiers! What with your ego

as *big* as it is, the lemures have no room to do their work!" said Hawk

Eye.

"Hey, at least *I* get the target's attention!"

"Oh, and I didn't? I was doing very well until those brats showed up!"

"Guys, GUYS!" said Fish Eye. "We're not going to get *anywhere* by fighting!"

The three of them let out deep sighs again.

"You know," said Tiger Eye, "this *used* to be fun."

The other two nodded agreement.

"I wonder," Fish Eye sighed wistfully, "if the *Sailor Soldiers* enjoy

their job."

The other two tried to think of sharp retorts. . .but they couldn't.

Because they were thinking the exact same thing.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my editor, Steve Savage,

who helped me walk a very fine tightrope with this story (especially the

Amy storyline). Thanks again as always, my friend! (You can check out his

original series, Xai, at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/xai. If you haven't

read it yet. . .you're missing a *great* story!)

Thanks also to my friends in Lemon Tree and everyone who's written to me

about my work and left me feedback at Fanfiction.net!

My Web site is at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/sailormac. It's been

updated with a new "links" page and the addition of a Weiss Kreuz section

on the stories page. E-mail me at sailormac@wjjz.com.

Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply. These characters ain't mine, I'm

just borrowing them for a little while.