Sakura sat on the balcony outside of Mamoru's apartment a few hours after she had left Usagi's. The sky was dark and she watched him toss and turn trying to get some highly needed sleep. He had been busy and he was worried about Tyler, the friend he had gone to see in Kyoto. The injuries and been pretty substantial. The accident occurred at night on slick roads and the driver in the car didn't even see Tyler's motorcycle pull out until it was too late. He had been thrown 20 feet and his helmet, doctor's believed, saved his life, but he was still struggling with a concussion, two shattered femers, and broken left arm.

When the EMT's arrived Tyler had been unconscious. He came to on the way to the hospital but could not remember who he was or what had happened and shortly after arriving at the hospital, he slipped into a coma. They had found Mamoru's name and phone number on a bloodied scrap of paper in his pocket.

When Mamoru had left, Tyler had been upgraded to fair condition after he had come out of the coma. Mamoru headed home with instructions to call him when Tyler was being released.

Sakura knew all this. She had taken advantage of the opportunity.

It was a perfect plan, she thought. Now all I have to do it find the kid. She thought back to when she was a little girl living on Astera with her father. He was so powerful. He could move things with his mind and make warriors out of dirt. He was her best friend.

His words replayed in her mind: "The rebels of Earth were weak, Sakura. They were defeated and rightfully sent to Nemesis. We are not weak, and we will triumph. You will be the Queen as you so deserve." But he had been wrong.

Memories of the battle were blurred in her memory. All the stories about the female warriors of Crystal Tokyo were true in her eyes. The princesses were not worthy of their titles and they would lie, cheat, and even kill to get what they wanted: "They are cruel and vicious," her father had said, "You can't trust them."

They were cruel. They had unmercifully killed her father and destroyed her home and now she sought the revenge her father had sought. She remember the night he had come into her room. It had been the day before the final attack and she sensed the darkness of the whole event but she assumed it was from the moon and the evil people that lived there.

"Do not cry my child," he had said, "you are a strong fighter. You can survive." The next day he had sent her and her guardian Demitrius to Nemesis. Two weeks later she received word he was dead and Astera had been destroyed.

He came to her in her dreams every night. He taught her in her sleep what he couldn't continue when he was alive and he showed her through visions what had happened during the battle. He had begged for mercy but the evil ruler of the moon kingdom would not hear him and she has violently destroyed all that Sakura loved.

"Help me daddy," she had said to him one night, "help me kill them all."

A light appeared inside her and she gasped. She felt a sinking feeling and cried for her father to stop what he was doing.

"Do you want revenge?" he had yelled.

"I want revenge," she had cried as the stinging pain filled her whole body.

"Then give me your trust and give me your spirit."

She had felt immense pain like no other pain that had been felt before. The absence of her being seemed to envelope her in a dense darkness shattered by the light that was shining from her spirit. It was blinding, both the pain and the light, and it reached to a climactic point where Sakura simply wished to die. Then all went dark.

On Mamoru's porch, Sakura remembered all this. She reached into her pocket and once again took out the amethyst she carried. It was the last thing he father had given her. She found it the next morning after the agonizing dream and she had not dreamt again since except for the night before she'd left for the past.

She had sensed her duty and returned to the past to destroy the senshi who had destroyed her life. She came back to kill. Now all she had to do was waken her generals. To do this, she needed a little help from Mamoru. She watched him with an uneasy feeling as he lie in bed half cover by the thin blue sheet. She could make up the outline of his body and tried to envision it without the sheet there.

Mamoru stirred and sat up in his bed. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and caught a chill. It's impossible to sleep this early, he thought.

He decided to just get up and forget about getting rest. To Sakura's disappointment and enjoyment, he had been lying down in boxers. He left the room and headed immediately for the bathroom to take a shower. This was her opportunity.

The sliding glass door to the room was locked but this did not pose a problem. She pulled a key out of her pocket and slipped it into the keyhole. As she entered his apartment, the warmth engulfed her and Mamoru scent was all around her. Sakura immediately forgot her mission.

The unmade bed was a few feet from the door and she climbed in under the sheets. She could feel the warmth of his body that was now only a room away. It was cozy and she smiled. She pressed her face against the pillow and drew in a deep breath, then curled up and was almost asleep when the shower shut off.

Sakura jumped up with a start and slid under the bed. Her heart was pounding.

He came out of the bathroom and entered his room again. Beads of water clung to his hair and chest and the light blue towel was snugly wrapped around his waist. He opened the top draw of his dresser and took out a new package of razors then went back to the steam-filled bathroom.

Sakura, still shaky, quickly went to his dresser and looked through the various papers on it.

I must not be so easily distracted, she thought. She rummaged through the mess and piled the useless papers together. Then she found what she was looking for not on the dresser but on the night stand. Tyler Chiki, Kyoto Regional Hospital, Room 210, she read as she looked at the notepad on the nightstand. She immediately turned to leave but a framed picture on the dresser caught her attention. She hadn't noticed it when she was there before.

It was a picture of Mamoru and Usagi holding hands underneath a cherry tree. She gingerly picked it up and traced the outline of his face with her finger and admired his gorgeous blue eyes. She opened the frame and slid the picture out then put it in her pocket with a smile.

As she left his apartment, heading for the train station, she threw the frame on his bedroom floor. The glass shattered.

* * *

"What are you talking about Rei?" Ami asked. "Who's her?"

"I had a vision," she said, "I saw that girl!"

"What girl Rei-chan?" Makoto asked as she handed Rei a towel to dry her dripping hair.

"The girl that was on my stairs that morning at the temple," She replied.

"You mean Sailor Astera?" Minako asked.

"Yes, I saw her, only it wasn't her." Rei remembered the vision this time, it was a clear as if it had happened yesterday. Indeed it even felt like a memory being replayed, yet it was less than a memory.

"What did you see?" Asked Luna.

"I saw Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymon. She was calling for a full attack. There was fire and destruction all around them and it was night. Then I could see many warriors slaughtered and dying on the ground. They were crying out for help.

"It wasn't a place I recognized and the people weren't those I knew. Then I saw the leader of the enemy army. She sat on a tall black horse and her cascades of black hair swirled around her." She paused.

"But Rei, I thought you said it was the same girl that was at your temple?" Artemis asked.

"It was," She replied.

"But the girl at your temple had blonde hair Rei-chan," Luna said.

"It was the same girl though. Her hair was different but the eyes were the same. They were deep violet and sad; she was crying. Then I saw a brilliant flash and in silence, from a great distance, I witnessed a planet explode. It was amazing!" She stopped.

"And that's it?" Minako asked.

"Then I got water dumped on my head." She looked at Makoto and narrowed her eyes.

"Hey I was just trying to help!" She said raising her arms in defense.

Suddenly she remembered something else. "Oh Luna!" she said, "There was a cat on the horse with her!"

"A cat?" She asked.

"Yes, like you but he was brown. And he had the moon on his forehead."

They all gasped.

"A crescent moon?" Artemis asked. "And it was golden, not black?"

"It was gold all right. Her cat had the mark of the moon kingdom." She said.

"Lets go scouts," Luna said, "we have to find Usagi."

They all got up and ran out.

* * *

Sakura met Demitrius outside of Mamoru's apartment.

"Why took so long?" he asked, his brown tail swishing around behind him in aggravation.

She scowled at him, "Oh shut up! I got the room number, that's all that matters." She wondered if her guardian was suspicious of her crush on Mamo-chan. That was foolish, she thought, I shouldn't have been so sharp. He would not approve of my feelings.

But Demitrius didn't ask. Sakura changed the subject, "So which way is the fastest way to the train station?"

"Well, I think we can take the road to the gardens then cut through there. It should bring us out right there," he replied.

"Sounds good," she said. They proceeded with no further conversation. Sakura toyed with the picture in her pocket.

* * *

Mamoru came out of his bathroom and walked into the bedroom. The shower had cleared his mind and he looked forward to a peaceful night sleep. He stopped in the doorway and looked at the shattered frame on the floor. He walked over to it and picked up the oak frame and looked at his dresser on the other side of the room. He turned the frame over with a puzzled look and was surprised to find the picture missing.

He didn't understand what had happened. He searched the house for any intruders and found none. That's odd, the thought. How could it have fallen? He sat on his bed and looked at the frame. The actual oak was unharmed and he thought it would be easy to find a new piece of glass for it. But where'd the picture go? he thought. Usa-ko, why did I leave you alone?

His pattern of thought was broken by the phone ringing. It was the hospital; Tyler could go home tomorrow. It was after ten so Mamoru went to bed. He woke up in a cold sweat many times that night.

* * *

Usagi sat on the curb looking up at the moon and listened to Mamoru's footsteps as he walked away from her down the cold, concrete sidewalk. She did not take her eyes off the sky for a long time after the last steps faded. Her mind was blank and although something inside her was deeply affected by what had just occurred, she was not outwardly upset.

With little thought to the cold weather, she stood up and began to walk down the street opposite the way Mamoru had gone. She had a sweater on but it didn't keep her as warm as Mamoru could have if her was with her. She began to thoughtlessly count the sideway cracks as she walked. No one was out and it was peaceful so she just kept walking with no goal in mind.

Subconsciously, however, she had a goal. She was heading to where she could really sit and think: the rose gardens. She always went there when she had that falling, depressed feeling. Only you can do this to me Mamo-chan she thought, Why must you do this? Why must you be the one to make me sad? She began to really feel the pain of what he had done. She didn't understand what she had done to make him want to leave. After walking aimlessly for about an hour she entered the gates she fought back stinging tears and fought them until she reached the clearing in the center of the garden. There, she sat on the low wall around the marble fountain and let the tears come as they wanted.

Over her quiet sobs almost a half hour later she heard a voice, "It's almost ten, are you sure this is the fastest way to her house?" Usagi recognized the voice, it was Rei. She stood up and wiped her eyes and tried to seem composed.

"Sure I'm sure," Ami replied, "it's the fastest way to cut through the city."

"Yeah but I'm sure she's in bed by now," Minako offered.

Makoto was the first to enter the clearing and see Usagi, "Oh! Hi Usa-chan! You're here!"

"Hey guys!" Usagi said trying to sound cheerful, "Where are you all going?"

"Usagi," Luna said, "Rei had a vision about the new scout."

"I think we should discuss what we can do to stop her from what ever she's trying to do." Minako said.

"Yes, we need a plan," Ami stated. Usagi nodded. She didn't quite trust her voice to hold out.

"And we have something new from Rei's vision," Artemis said, "we think this new scout has a guardian cat and might be related to the Moon family."

"Like you two? But how could that...? I mean..." Usagi's voice trailed off in confusion and she was careful of her tone as her nose was still a little stuffy.

"That's what it seems," Luna replied. "I don't know how but..."

Something suddenly dawned on Minako and she interrupted, "Usagi?" she asked, "Why are you out here?"

Usagi was silent for a while trying to think of an excuse other than the real story. As she was about to say something Rei interrupted her.

"Who's there?" She said harshly looking with narrowed eyes into the shadows of the clearing. "Show yourself!"

The girls all turned on guard as Sakura stepped out of the shadows and smiled, "Hi Usagi." She said quickly and in the meekest voice she could manage. Her heart was pounding.

"Oh hi Sakky-chan! Guys this is my new friend, Sakura!" The rest of the girls smiled politely and mumbled some hellos. Luna and Rei caught a glance and exchanged the same thought with their eyes, I'm getting some bad vibes from her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all." Sakura began to back away towards the shadows and the path leading to the station. "I really have to go." A thought suddenly occurred to her, Should I destroy them all now? They're all right here in front of me. But she rethought the odds and decided 7 to 2 wasn't really in her favor.

"Why are you in such a hurry? It's kinda late to be wandering around." Rei spoke in a slightly mocking tone and Usagi caught it. She looked at Rei.

"Sakura's new here Rei," she said bitterly then turned back to Sakura, "Are you lost? I know these gardens can be like a maze!" She was the old one who laughed and it died out quickly.

Makoto stepped forward, "Who's with you Sakura?" she asked, peering into the shadows.

"It's uh, just my cat..." she mumbled.

"I didn't know you had a cat!" Usagi ran over to her and bent down into the shadow lifting the cat over her shoulder and petting it's back. "Aw, he's so soft."

The other girls all saw it at the same time, the golden crescent moon on the brown cats forehead shown bright.

"Usagi!" Rei yelled, "Drop the cat!"

"Why?" she asked as she pulled the cat off her shoulder to look at it. "Iiiiiieeeeee!" she screamed as she dropped the cat on the ground and backed up into Ami.

Demitrius ran to Sakura and they both turned down the nearest path at full sprint. Makoto began to chase her but Ami stopped her, "Wait," she said, "we don't know anything about her yet! It could be a trap!"

"But she knows who we are!" Makoto argued.

Usagi blankly sat on the ground and closed her eyes.

She ran down the path quickly, so fast that Demitrius had some trouble keeping up. When she finally got out of the gardens and was sure no one was following her she slowed down.

"Demitrius!" she said in a harsh, low voice, "Why didn't you run from her?"

The cat made no reply and she slammed her fist against the building beside her.

"This takes away and important aspect of the plan you know," she finally said, "this means they don't trust me anymore. They know I wrote that note. I don't know how but I can feel it."

"You can't play off their friendship anymore," the cat said.

"That's right," she replied. They were rounding the last corner before the bus station. There were a few people around but the place was pretty much empty. She took a brown paper bag out of her jacket pocket and unfolded it. No one took any notice of her; she was just another face in the crowd.

"Get in," she said to Demitrius as she pointed to the inside of the bag. He obediently did what he was told and by these means, was able to board the bus. It was nearing eleven when they finally reached the hospital and some of the people on the bus had even fell asleep.

Sakura didn't fall asleep and as she stepped off the bus she bade a good night to the driver. He nodded his reply and drove off. The parking lot was desolately empty. Sakura let Demitrius out of the bag and they walked around to the emergency entrance. There they waited for what felt like hours.

This is perfect, Sakura thought to herself. With Kuzreo at my side and Thyuri soon to follow, I will be untouchable. Her mind drifted and she remember the great generals that had served by her father's side. Kuzreo and Thyuri were loyal and courageous; they died protecting her father but that wicked queen had been to powerful, even for Yukio, the great warrior of Astera. The Imperium Silver Crystal, it was the source of all evil and hatred. She had enough strength in her Amethyst to bring herself to the past to find it and destroy it and it's owner but there was no one she could trust to come with her. In a dream the night before she was to leave for the past, she had seen a figure cloaked in shadow. At first she was afraid but the voice was so soothing that she began to trust it. Could it have been her father once again?

With the power from the crystal, the cloaked figure told her, she could return with the spirits of the two generals but they couldn't be put on earth in human form. She knew she could trust them but if only in spirit, what could they do? The shadow figure told her to find weak humans who were incapable of sustaining themselves, those who had suffered a great traumatic experience. The spirits of the general could posses the bodies.

A home body for Thyuri had been easy to find. A weak little boy that had suffered years of emotional and physical challenges. Sakura searched for another weak person for Kuzreo to posses and when she came to Tokyo she had found Tyler lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He was dead already but when Kuzreo's spirit entered him he was revived. He then was patched up by doctors and continued his normal life, all the while with a powerful energy sleeping inside him. A thought occurred to her.

"Demitrius? Why didn't we wake the generals when we first got here?" she asked as they sat behind a cement wall.

"The bodies they were in were too weak. You were not ready to fight. I was not ready to let you go off with thoughts of revenge and no power to back it up." He was quite blunt.

She didn't reply.

Finally a siren came screaming though the night, getting louder as it approached. Sakura took out her transformation pen. It had been a gift from her mother. Sakura didn't know her mother, for she had died when she was born, but her father saved it and gave it to Sakura as a gift to remember he mother by. She had discovered it's power after seeing Sailor Moon transform with a similar pen. She had learned a lot for these scouts. She knew their weaknesses and their strengths. She even knew who they liked. After watching them for so long, she was almost trained as them for she learned everything Luna had taught them.

"Make me and EMT," Sakura said as she lifted the gift. With all the rush and confusion she figured she could sneak in with the medical team.

The ambulance pulled up to the emergency door and Sakura jumped in and helped lower the stretcher to the ground. The medical bag over her shoulder was full of cat.

Once they were inside the building Sakura dropped off into a hallway. He made her way to the nearest elevator where she found a chart that listed room numbers. For convenience, the room numbers corresponded with the level they were on. Therefore, room 210 was on the second floor. She pushed the up arrow beside the elevator doors.

The doors slid open and two doctors in the midst of conversation brushed past her with less attention than a nod. Sakura proceeded to the room without encountering anyone else until she reached the nurses station.

As she was walking by the nurse looked up. "Miss?" she said politely, "I'm sorry Miss but visiting hours are over. The patients are all asleep. Could you please come back tomorrow?"

Sakura turned around and causally brought her medical bag to the nurses attention, "Oh I'm on duty." She said with a smile.

"Oh!" The nurse said, "You must be new! I'm terribly sorry, I thought Naika was on tonight. I'm Corisa." She said over the desk.

"Nice to meet you," Sakura said, "I am Elane." She lied. "Well, hopefully I'll see you around again but I really must go now." They said good-bye and Sakura continued.

When she reached the room she let Demitrius out of the bag and returned to her normal clothes. Then pressing down the door handle, she entered. It was dark in the room with the exception of the blue light emanating from the bedside nightlight.

Tyler was asleep in his bed, totally unaware of the woman in his room. She admired his charming boyish looks for a moment while he was trapped in the innocence that sleep gives the face. She believed you could really see the true face of a person only when he is asleep. In Tyler, all she saw was Kuzreo, the warrior.

He opened his eyes and peered into the darkness. It was broken by a glow beside him and the nightstand. It was a faint and violet light and his eyes took a moment to adjust and see it's source. It was a rock of some sort. He reached over a touched it lightly and the light grew stronger. He recoiled.

Sakura laughed quietly in the darkness at his reaction. "Do you like it?" she asked.

Tyler looked up startled, "Who's there? Who are you?"

Sakura stepped into the light of the amethyst. She was wearing a low cut shirt and her golden pendant fell in a seductive manner above her bosom. He notice the stone on the pendant was similar to the one on his nightstand so he asked her once again who she was.

"Oh Kuzreo, do you not recognize me?"

"Why do you call me that?" he asked, "I think you are mistaken. You have the wrong room perhaps." The light began to dim again.

"I am not in the wrong room Kuzreo," she paused, "Tyler."

He sat straight up and the hair on his neck raised. He went to stand but he couldn't get his legs to move right. "Why don't I know you?" he asked. "What do you want from me?"

She looked at the stone on the nightstand and he followed her gaze. She did not say a word as he reached for it again but did not actually touch it. When it began to glow bright once again he turned to her. "What is this then? Will you at least tell me that?"

He wanted to be angry with her. He wanted to tell her to leave so he could rest. But he wanted to know who she was. Who was this beautiful woman that had made her way into his hospital room. He waited for her reply.

"It is a present," she finally said, "for you."

He touched it and it lit up once again but this time he did not pull back. It was warm to the touch and as her picked it up he felt secure and safe. Then, suddenly, the light grew immensely and became blinding. He tried to put the stone down, or throw it away, but it was impossible. He tried to scream and found he had no voice; the light was suffocating him.

"Kuzreo," Sakura said softly, "wake up."

The light filled the room with a blinding glow and even Sakura had to turn away. Demitrius who had been watching, covered his eyes with his paws. At last the light was cut off and Tyler's body fell to the bed. The amethyst hit the floor with a loud clank.

Sakura reached down and picked it up. It was hot. She walked to the hospital bed and reached down for the seemingly lifeless hand; when they touched that hand suddenly became alive again.

He opened his eyes and sat up: "Mistress," he said as he kissed her hand.

***

Mamoru sat up and shut off his alarm clock. He had been dreaming but he could not remember what it had been about. He found that happened often. He knew he dreamt every night but no matter what it tried the dreams seemed to evade his memory in the morning.

These dreams, he thought, Why do they give me such a bad feeling? He opened his closet and pulled out the tan khakis and blue shirt he had bought the week before. He had decided to look nice this day because he was going to take Tyler with him when he and Usagi went out that night. He struggled to remember the dream as he got dressed. It seemed to linger just beyond the reaches of his mind.

The broken glass in the barrel caught his attention and he frowned. It really bothering him, there were so many things about the night before that lead him to believe someone had been in his house. When he found it, the frame that broke was far from the dresser it had been on and even worse the picture was gone. He had searched the apartment for an intruder but there had been no one. To his surprise however, he did find something most interesting. His balcony door had been unlocked.

There were other things that bothered him. The fact the other pictures on the dresser we untouched, each in their place with a thin layer of dust collecting in the corners.

But whoever it was broke the one of Usako and I, he thought, And they took it as well. I do not like that. What guy would? He sighed, She could be in trouble.

He wanted to go see her right now but he had to go pick up Tyler. He hesitated as he glimpsed at the phone before her left. It was only seven and for that reason alone he did not call Usagi right then. She would be asleep in her warm bed and he didn't wish to disturb her dreams and possibly make her forget them.

I'll call he from the hospital, he thought, It's all right, we have plans already. She'll be fine. Besides, he figured, I will know if she is in danger.

The streets were calm as he stepped out of the building into the fresh morning air. The sun had lifted some of the evening chill off the city and Mamoru contemplated walking to the station to take the train. He changed his mind when he thought of Tyler and how much he loved the car Mamoru drove. He smiled.

As he drove down the quiet roads his mind drifted aimlessly through the past day or two. He had hoped to return to a peaceful Tokyo when he and Usagi could be together and not have to worry about the Dark Moon Kingdom or any other evil. Since he returned though it seems that more and more strange things had begun to occur. He thought that maybe he should have just stayed in Kyoto.

No, he thought, no, I came home to see Usagi. He had been so worried about her the whole time he'd been away, yet somehow now that he was home he felt he should stay away from her. Why am I doing this to us? Why am I staying away? He hit the steering wheel. I came home to see her so what is stopping me? He remembered when he had arrived at her house. He had given her a hug and had smelled the sweet smell of her hair against his face. He had longed for nothing more than her kiss right then but something had stopped him.

It was that girl, he realized. Her eyes...they were so... He snapped out of it. Could it be that I... He was confused. He had never been so transfixed on anyone's eyes except for Usagi's.

His mind was filled with these twisted and senseless thoughts as he pulled into the hospital lot and got out of the car. He went into the building and to the front desk. From here he was directed to the second floor nursing station. A young lady was there typing diligently at a computer. She did not even notice him approach until she looked up to check the time. She was due for a break soon.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "I didn't see you sir! How may I help you?"

He was looking at the ring on the woman's delicate finger, it was a gold band mounted with a heart shaped amethyst stone and he gazed into the stone.

"Are you all right sir?" the woman asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he blushed slightly. "I'm here to pick up Tyler Sullin, room 210." He tried to keep himself from looking at the stone. It was enchanting, like it held some meaning more than just a simple piece of jewelry.

The nurse typed a few things it the computer and finally looked up after a moment or two. "I'm sorry sir, it seems Mr. Sullin was discharged last night."

Last night? he thought. "By whom?"

"I'm sorry sir but that's classified information."

He sighed, "All right, thank you." He walked down the stairs and into the lobby. He was about to leave when he stopped for a moment. I should call Usagi, he thought. He turned and walked to the pay phones. He hoped she would be up by now. On the third ring she picked up.

"Moshimoshi," her voice came through the phone.

"Usagi, it's me," he said quickly. "I'm sorry but I have to cancel our plans for this afternoon."

"But Mamo-chan, you promised!" she whined.

"I really and sorry but Tyler's gone home already and I want to go see him. I'll probably spend the day with him so I'll call you tonight." He paused for a reaction but Usagi didn't say anything.

"I promise I'll call as soon as I get home."

"But are your promises really true, Mamoru?" she asked. "So be it." He heard the click on the other end of the line. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the phone. I should go see her... But he did not.

* * *

She slammed the phone down and flung herself on her bed in a fit out pouts.

"Does he hate me?" she asked the empty room. "Did I do something so awful that he does not even wish to see me?" She moped around her room for a while before she went outside and walked to the playground. There were lots of children there laughing and playing. Enjoy your simple life, she thought. She went to an empty section of the playground near the edge of the gardens.

She spent so much time in there now just thinking about life and where it leads. She had begun to doubt destiny and fate; she had even lost faith in herself. She was indeed falling into a deep state of depression that she felt could not be lifted. Yet she had nothing to attribute such feelings to. I must be overreacting, she thought. However that didn't soothe her.

She heard voice coming from around the corner of the garden wall. The voice was a familiar one, was it Sakura? Usagi jumped behind the slide and held her breath. When they came around the corner Usagi almost cried out. It was Sakura but she was not alone. Tyler was with him! No, she thought, I am not seeing this! Mamo-chan would not lie to me! But the evidence was plain and simple to her, Tyler was right there before her eyes. So what is Mamoru doing? She was almost so wrapped up in these fears that she almost forgot what had happened the night before.

Sakura! Oh no! She jumped out.

"Tyler!" she shouted, "get away from her!" They both looked to her with surprise. Then a slight smile came over Sakura's face.

"Usagi," she paused, "my friend." A slight laugh barely escaped through her lips. "Why are you all alone Usagi?"

She realized her mistake but she couldn't let Mamoru's friend be harmed. She repeated her warning. "Tyler, step away from her! She's no good!"

She didn't understand why he wasn't running. Didn't he believe her?

"Oh silly girl," Sakura said, "You silly little pathetic girl. Can't you see? Kuzreo is with me now?"

"What did you call him?" Usagi was awfully confused.

He stepped forward and bowed to Usagi. "Queen," he said with a voice so unlike the one that had belonged to that body, "a pleasure to meet you once again."

She looked at him with wide eyes, "I do not understand... how do you know?"

"But you don't have to understand, your highness," he spoke the words with a bitterness that stung.

"Enough taunting, I am in no need of your assistance right now. Now that she is alone..." She reached into her pocket and took out a shiny amethyst stone. She kissed it and Usagi backed up to the wall behind her. "You shouldn't wander by yourself your highness. Now I shall have my revenge! Amethyst Crystal Power!"

She held up the stone and it released a bright flash of light that engulfed Sakura.

A gust of wind flew around her and raise her golden hair to the sky. In a flash it turned black and a senshi outfit of purple and black formed around her. There was another flash of light and a golden crescent moon appeared on her ivory forehead. Finally she opened her violet eyes and when she did, Usagi saw the bright flash of an exploding planet. When the transformation was complete she stood in front of Usagi looking down on her with hatred.

"I am Sailor Astera! You destroyed my home, my life, and you killed my father! I shall not forgive you." She walked up close to Usagi slowly and in a voice so that only she could hear she said, "And for my revenge, I shall destroy you." Tyler was no longer there. In his place stood a man of seven feet with dirty blonde hair and olive green eyes. He watched the scene unfold and wondered what the ridiculous drama was for.

* * *

Ami and Derek walked along the street side by side holding hands. They were heading to the park where they hoped to catch a moment alone.

Makoto and Minako were too busy flirting with Ken and Andrew to notice them when they walked by the arcade. Rei noticed however, and got the love struck girls' attention.

"Hey, that was Ami-chan," Rei tugged on Minako's sleeve. They were giggling and hanging all over the guys but Andrew's boss called for him to get back to work.

"Well, I better go," he said.

"Yeah, me too," Ken said, "I have to go work now anyway." The girl's said their good-byes and went outside.

"So what should we do now?" Minako asked.

"Well, as I said earlier, Ami-chan just walked by with Derek," she made a face, "but you two were too busy drooling!"

They both blushed; Artemis was waiting for them outside.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's follow them," Rei suggested.

"You mean spy on them?" Makoto asked with a raised eyebrow. Rei looked at her with a smirk and the three girls ran off in the direction Ami had gone. Artemis followed behind shaking his head, "Girls..."

They got to the gardens just after Ami and Derek. They waited until they'd gone in before they followed. They were walking arm in arm now and Ami was resting her head on him shoulder.

"They look so adorable," Minako whispered.

"Shh! Keep it down Mina-chan!" Rei said.

Artemis butted in, "This is silly, I don't understand why you girls do this."

Ami and Derek sat on a bench and continued their low conversation.

Minako climbed on a bench nearby and peeked over the shrubs. Rei tried to climb up behind her but their balance was off and they both toppled to the ground. They were giggling hysterically all the while. Makoto too could not keep the laughs under control. They all tried to hush each other but this simply made them laugh all the more.

Ami looked up in the direction she'd heard a noise from. Derek felt her tense under his arm.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, "I just heard something." He smiled at her. My little Ami-chan, he thought, afraid of being seen showing intimacy.

"There are other people in the city," he said with a slight laugh, "I will protect you." He lightly touched her chin and turned her face up to his. Her crystal blue eyes faltered and her cheeks flushed a little.

Rei, Minako, and Makoto were climbing all over each other trying to see.

"He's gonna kiss her!" Makoto said.

"Our Ami-chan's in love!" Minako whispered.

"That's my foot!" Rei said in a harsh but low voice.

As Derek's face grew near to Ami's she closed her eyes. Her hands were shaking and she almost got up and ran, but she held herself in place. Just as the suspense was becoming unbearable for Ami as well as her hidden audience, a high pitch scream broke the garden silence.

Derek jumped and Ami almost fell off the bench. Rei jumped back into Makoto who swung her arm back and knocked Minako off the bench. She landed on Artemis who let out a horrible yelp.

Derek and Ami had already begun to run in the direction of the scream by the time the others had reorganized themselves. The spies were right behind them within a few moments and they all came running into the playground. Usagi was lying beside the swing set rolling on her side. Above her stood a woman in senshi outfit She had a wicked smile on her face and looked down on Usagi as if she was dirt. Rei was the first to notice the broken girl on the ground was Usagi.

"Usagi-chan!" she cried as she ran towards her. But Astera turned.

"Amethyst Dynamic Burn!" she shouted as a bright purple beam shot from the crystal she held in her hands. Rei jumped to the side but it caught her shoulder and she fell to the sand wincing in pain.

Makoto went to step forward but Derek's voice came first.

"Who are you?" he asked as he stepped in from of Ami. "What do you want from these girls?"

Astera laughed with an evil echo, "My dear Thyuri, you are still so blind."

He scowled at her, "I don't care what you call me! Just get away from here!"

She calmly walked up to him and stared his stern face right between the eyes. He stood strong and tried to stare her down but the deep violet of her eyes took hold of his mind. Her lavender scent was all around him.

Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him! Ami cried out and tried to slap her out of spite and jealousy but Sakura was quick and caught Ami's arm. Derek fell unconscious to the ground and Ami struggled to free her wrist from Astera's grasp.

"Jupiter Star Power!" Makoto yelled out.

"Venus Star Power!"

"Mars Star Power!" The three girls henshined and in a flash became the pretty suited sailor senshi Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. Each stood tall and proud, gazing at Sakura as though she were a thousand miles below them. Sakura flung Ami across the sand to Usagi who was still mumbling incoherently on her side.

"I don't know what kind of senshi you are but you're not one of us!" Mars said.

"You picked the wrong girls to mess with," Jupiter hissed.

"We are the Sailor Senshi and we vowed to protect the Princess," Venus announced.

"Petty, empty threats," Astera scowled. "I am Sailor Astera, sworn to destroy the Moon Princess and her pathetic royal court. Let me introduce General Kuzreo." The man with the dirty blonde hair and olive eyes appeared beside her. "Destroy them," she said, "I'll be back for the Princess. Remember, she's mine!"