Alone No More: Minako's Story
by Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 19

It was almost a half-hour past midnight when Minako suddenly woke up from a fitful sleep, 
her breathing ragged and her hair messily drapped in front of her face as she bolted 
upright and stared straight ahead at nothing, while trying to calm herself. Her pajama top 
was lightly soaked with her sweat as she stared down at where her hands were clenching her 
blankets.

The nightmare was horrible. There were more enemies there than she or Ryoku had ever faced; 
more than she could have imagined. She could see their hatred in their eyes, their 
bloodlust obvious. And it was their blood they wanted. Of course, they had put up a valiant 
fight, but in the end, they were overwhelmed. She could hear Ryoku's screams of pain as 
they had advanced on her....

Wearily, she made her hands let go of the blanket as she started to lie back down again, 
but she stopped as she realized that sleep at that moment was more than likely going to be 
impossible. Well, she might as well change her pajama top since Ryoku was asleep, and since 
it was dark, she could change her top without him seeing.

"Nightmare?" she heard him ask as soon as had removed her pajama top.

She reflexively covered her chest with her arms, even though she was wearing a bra and 
there was only the light of the stars to see by, but she dropped them when she realized 
that he couldn't see her anyway.

"Must've been a nightmare," he continued. "You're all sweaty."

Minako stared down toward the area he usually slept in while covering her chest again. How 
could he see in such darkness? He must have really good eyes.... The sound of fumbling in 
the darkness, followed by something suddenly hitting her in the head, surprised her.

"Gomen, Minako-chan," he said apologetically as he settled back down into his blankets on 
the floor. "I can't see much of anything right now." He paused for a moment. "I only hope 
I got a matching top for you; we'll have to see in the morning if the colors match." He 
laid back down with a soft laugh.

In the darkness, Minako frowned in confusion as she put the dry pajama top back on. "If 
you can't see me, how did you know I woke up all sweaty? How did you know I even had a 
nightmare?"

There was a short silence before he spoke. "I've been awake for the past three hours, 
staring at the ceiling while thinking. When I heard you sitting up and breathing hard, I 
had a feeling I knew what the problem was. I was about to say something when I heard you 
taking off your pajama top. Why else would you take your top off, unless it was all 
sweaty?"

"So, you didn't see me without my top on."

"Unfortunately, that is true," he replied humorously. "It's too bad, though. I'm sure it 
would've been a sight to see."

Minako was about to reply to that when what he had said earlier hit her. "You've been up 
almost the entire night?" she asked concernedly. "Thinking?"

"That's right."

"About what?"

"Everything."

Minako blinked in confusion. "Everything?"

"Our upcoming final battle," he explained. "Our previous battle. Alan and Katrina. 
Mako-chan. Home. Artemis and the search for our allies. The Dark Agency. The Dark Kingdom." 
He was quiet for a long time, then spoke in a quiet murmur so low that she almost hadn't 
heard him. "You... and us."

There was something different in his voice when he said those last few words. She was about 
to ask him what he meant when he said us when she suddenly remembered something. "Ryo-kun," 
she began tentatively, "after that last battle, you acted as though you recognized Gale's 
real name. Keiko, I think he called her."

Ryoku gave a long sigh. "It's a very long story, Minako-chan. One that I'm not very fond of 
remembering."

"Why's that?" she asked and immediately regretted it. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ryo-kun. You don't 
have to tell me if you don't want to...."

"That's all right. You are my best friend, Minako-chan. I don't need to keep any secrets 
from you.

"Keiko... was the name of my last... and only girlfriend. Hisakawa Keiko."

"Oh.... So, that's why you acted as though you had seen a ghost," she realized.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "Oh. I see. Mako-chan must've told you the story 
already."

"Are you upset, Ryo-kun? That I found out from your sister before you could tell me? 
Mako-chan told me the story herself; I never asked her about it."

"No, I'm not mad," he said after a while. "I guess it saves me the trouble of having to 
go through painful memories again."

"I'm sorry, Ryo-kun...."

"There was a time when I would've told you to keep your sypmathies to yourself, or said 
that sorry wouldn't bring Keiko back, but I think I'm over that now. Do you remember how I 
was when you first met me, Minako-chan?"

"I remember," she replied with a small smile. "You didn't seem to want to talk to anyone, 
except for me or Hikaru-chan. You tended to avoid people, even when they obviously wanted 
to talk to you." Ryoku nodded in the darkness. "However, as Hikaru-chan and I got to know 
you, you began to become more friendly. More... normal."

Ryoku laughed softly. "Oh, so I wasn't normal, then?"

Minako laughed as well. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I know. But, you're right. I became more normal, as you put it. I began to smile and laugh 
again. Do you know why, Minako-chan? It was because of your friendship. Yours and 
Hikaru-chan's, but mostly yours.

"Your bubbling enthusiasm and cheerfulness was very infectious when I first met you, which 
was perhaps what drew me toward you. You had an abundance of the happiness that I had lost 
a long time ago. Whenever I was around you, I began to feel that happiness seep inside of 
me, slowly filling the empty void that had grown since I lost Keiko.

"But that wasn't it. The more I got to know you, the more I began to like you. Not only 
that, but I also began to feel a certain... familiarity with you. As if I used to know you, 
or someone like you." He gave a quick laugh. "Of course, that was before I found out that 
you were Sailor V, or that I was Masked Knight."

"Ryo-kun... can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Back at school in Tokyo, I remember seeing you turn down girls who had asked you to go on 
dates with them. Why?"

Ryoku was silent for a very long time.

"Ryo-kun?"

There was another silence before he finally spoke. "I used to think that it was because I 
felt as though I didn't want to betray Keiko's memory by going out with another girl and 
forgetting about her, but now.... I'm not sure, Minako-chan, but I think it's because I 
know that in a way, Keiko's watching over me, waiting for me to find the right girl."

"The right girl?" she asked, slightly confused. "How would you know if you had found the 
right girl?"

"I don't know for sure, but I'm sure that there will be some kind of sign... or maybe I'll 
just... know. Kind of like in volleyball when you are going to spike the ball and you just 
know that it's going to score. You know what I mean?"

"I think so," she said as turned to look toward where he was lying on the floor.

"Minako-chan, I've been meaning to tell you...," he began suddenly. Minako quickly turned 
to look anxiously at him, wondering what he was going to say.

"Yes, Ryo-kun?"

"I haven't been completely honest with you."

She swallowed suddenly. They had been talking about how he had been looking for the right 
girl, and now this. Was he going to say that he had feelings for her?

"I..."

"Yes, Ryo-kun?"

"I... have been contacting Artemis back home ever since I got our communicators to work."

She almost facefaulted. She was sorely tempted to, but that would give away what she was 
thinking. She knew him, he was quick and his insight was sharp. He would certainly know 
what her facefaulting at that point would mean.

"You mean...."

"If you want, we can talk to Artemis right now," he told her. "After all, he might be able 
to tell us if he's found any more of our allies back home. And, we can tell him that we're 
about to begin what could be the biggest fight of our lives."

"Ryo-kun, you said 'any more of our allies'," she said suddenly. "How many do you already 
know about?"

He sighed as he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner, but Artemis and I 
thought that you didn't need to worry about this until our fight with the Dark Agency was 
over."

"Who's idea was it?" she asked. Her voice wasn't harsh, but it wasn't very happy, either.

"Both," he admitted. "Mostly his, but I had some part in it as well."

"I see.... So, how many allies do we have back home?"

"Well, first, Artemis said that his contact, Luna, had found Sailor Moon. Luna is the one 
who's actively searching for our allies, by the way. Then, Luna found Sailor Mercury, then 
Sailor Mars. Since we know that we are Sailor Venus and Sailor Knight, that leaves only 
Sailor Jupiter as the last of our allies to be found."

"When did you last talk with him, Ryo-kun?"

"Not too long ago. A few days, maybe."

"Do you think you could contact him now?" she asked, sitting up and moving her legs so that 
they were resting on the floor. "It should be day back home, ne?"

He nodded as he moved to retrieve his communicator, which was resting on the floor not too 
far from his pillow. "Do you want me to turn on the light?" he asked as he sat up and 
turned on the communicator.

"No," she replied as she pushed herself off the bed and sat down next to him. "Ryo-kun, do 
you mind if I borrow part of your blanket to put over my legs? I don't want to drag my own 
blanket down here since that'll make it harder for me to set the bed in the morning."

"I don't mind," he replied and moved over so that she could flip the blanket over her legs. 
"Your feet are cold already," he remarked as her foot touched his leg.

"It's colder than usual tonight, ne, Ryo-kun?" she said as she glanced down at him fiddling 
with the communicator.

"Hmm...," he replied as he adjusted the communicator so that he would be able to reach 
Artemis back in Japan. "Ah, got it. Now, we wait until he answers his end...."

"Moshi moshi?" Artemis answered in a slightly groggy tone. "What is it, Ryo-kun?"

Minako stiffled a giggle. "Catnapping in the afternoon, Artemis?" she asked. "How very like 
you."

"Mina?!?" Artemis said in surprise. "Wha...? How...? Where's Ryo-kun?"

"Right here, Artemis," he replied.

"Uh... hi, Mina," Artemis said in a chagrined voice. "It's nice to hear from you again."

"I'm going to have a long talk with you when we come back home," she said sternly. 
"Honestly, keeping your communications with Ryo-kun a secret from me. How could you do this 
to your owner?"

"Um... well...," he floundered as he tried to come up with an answer. "Uh, gomen nasai?"

"Artemis, Ryo-kun tells me that you have found almost all of our allies."

"Actually, Luna has found them," he corrected. "Ryo-kun has already told you about Luna, 
right?"

"He has. So, have either you or Luna found the last one? Sailor... Jupiter?"

"Actually, Luna had just found Sailor Jupiter last night," he informed them. "All that's 
left is for you two to finish your task in England and you can join up with them."

"That's great!" she said happily. "So, do you know who they are? Do you know their names?"

"Luna has yet to tell me," he told them.

"Oh...," she said disappointedly. "Oh, well. We'll have plenty of time to find out about 
them when we return."

"Right," Artemis agreed. "At any rate, how are things there in England?"

Minako and Ryoku exchanged glances as they recalled the grim news that they had to tell 
him. They were grateful that he couldn't see their faces since it was so dark.

"Minako-chan and I are going to attempt to break into the Dark Agency's main base and 
finish them off for good," Ryoku told him. "We have a feeling that they might try something 
big if we don't stop them now."

"Are you serious?" he asked gravely.

"Very. The day after tomorrow, it will be them or us."

Artemis went silent as he took in the situation. "Are you both ready for this?" he asked. 
"It will be the most dangerous fight you've ever been in. One or both of you may die."

"We know, Artemis," Minako replied as she held onto Ryoku's arm for emotional support. Her 
voice might've been steady, but inside she was scared. The nightmare that had awakened her 
so abruptly began to replay in her mind. "But, we have to do this."

Ryoku put a comforting hand on her hers, but she felt him shiver slightly, even if he 
didn't show any signs of it. He was just as frightened as she was. It made her feel 
relieved and even more scared at the same time. Relieved, because she knew that she wasn't 
worrying over nothing; the threat was very real. More scared, because if HE was 
frightened....

"Don't worry, Artemis," he told him confidently. "Neither of us will die. We'll take care 
of the Dark Agency and be back in Japan before you know it."

"Of course," Artemis replied, some of his earlier concern eased slightly. "As long as you 
both look out for one another, you'll both be fine."

"It's getting late over here, Artemis, so Minako-chan and I are going back to sleep. Is 
there anything else you need to tell us before we go?"

"Just one more thing. Good luck, both of you. Come back safely. Oyasumi nasai." With that, 
he closed his end of the connection.

As Ryoku set the communicator back down on the floor, he realized that Minako hadn't let go 
of his arm yet. He turned to look at her, even though he wouldn't be able to see her very 
well due to the darkness. "Minako-chan?"

"Are you frightened, Ryo-kun?" she asked, her voice a whisper as she looked up at him. He 
could see that her eyes held a measure of nervous fear. "Do you think that we'll be able to 
defeat the entire Dark Agency all at once, by ourselves?"

"There shouldn't be that many left," he replied as his hand gently squeezed hers 
reassuringly. "Don't worry. Now, get some sleep."

"Ryo-kun...," she said earnestly, her tone pleading as she stared into his eyes.

He closed his eyes as he looked away, but he could still feel her holding onto his arm, 
waiting for his honest answer.

"Yes," he said in a soft murmur so low that she would've missed it if she wasn't listening 
for it. "I'm scared, too. This isn't going to be anything like any of our previous fights, 
Minako-chan. The possibility of dying will be very high since we're going into unknown 
enemy territory. They have a high advantage in this upcoming battle and they know it. I can 
guarantee that they will take full advantage of it.

"But, even though I'm scared, I know that as long as I have you with me, I'll survive. We 
will make it, Minako-chan. We will win. We have to. Everyone is counting on us, even if 
they don't know about it."

"I know," she agreed as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I know we'll make it, 
Ryo-kun. It's like you said, as long as you're by my side, I know I'll make it through. We 
have relied on each other through countless battles with the Dark Agency. This one won't be 
any different."

"That's right," he agreed, nodding. "Do you feel better, Minako-chan? Do you think you can 
go back to sleep now?"

"Can I ask you a favor, Ryo-kun?" she asked hesitantly.

"What is it, Minako-chan?"

"Can I...? Do you mind if...? Would you mind if I...?"

"Yes?"

She felt her cheeks flush as she thought about it, but if worse did come to worse....

"Ryo-kun, can I sleep down here? With you?"

She suddenly felt his entire body stiffen in shock. "Nan... NANI?!?"

"I... I just want you to be near me, Ryo-kun," she told him. "That's all. I had a nightmare 
where you were...." She trailed off as she shook her head sadly. "I don't even want to 
think about it. It's just... I feel so much better when I'm near you like this," she said 
as she hugged his arm. "Safer. Please, Ryo-kun?"

She could feel him slowly relax himself as he turned his head to look down at her. Finally, 
he sighed slowly as he laid back down in his blankets. Since she hadn't let go of his arm 
yet, she laid down beside him as he pulled the blanket up over both of them.

"Oyasumi, Minako-chan," he said quietly as he settled in to go back to sleep.

"Oyasumi, Ryo-kun," she replied as she rested her head on his shoulder again and felt 
herself drift back to sleep.

The last thought that Ryoku had before falling asleep was wondering what Alan would think 
if he came into their room and saw them sleeping together like this. He fell asleep with a 
small smile on his face.

            **********************************************

Damn Quartzite and his plans! If it wasn't for him, she could devise a better plan to bring 
Ryoku to her. But now, she had to come up with a plan on the fly. She wasn't very good at 
spontaneity; she was better at making plans carefully. The only thing was that the only 
opportunities she had for making plans was when she was plotting to convert Ryoku to her 
side.

Tempest clenched her teeth and snorted in frustration. For all she knew, Sailor V and 
Masked Knight could come at any moment and here she was without a well thought out plan 
ready. Oh, she had a very good idea of what she wanted to happen, but it was just an 
overview. An outline. It lacked the small details and that was always what killed a great 
plan. Lack of attention to the small details. Unfortunately, she didn't know how much time 
she had left to work on those accursed small details. And that was what was going to wreck 
her plans.

Damn that Quartzite! If only she had some prior warning!

Well, complaining wasn't going to get her Ryoku, even if it was only in her mind and to 
herself. She had to get ready for when those two would attack.

She went over to check on Kage and Chimei, but changed into her Gale disguise before doing 
so. She still needed that disguise if she was going to have any chance to turn Ryoku. Kage 
was perfectly fine; all of his injures from the last fight were superficial, so they were 
all gone now. He was fully rested and ready to fight once Sailor V and Masked Knight showed 
themselves.

Chimei was quietly staring at her as she approached her. "You are disguised," she stated 
as she watched Tempest approach. "Why?"

Tempest considered Chimei for a moment. She was perhaps their most dangerous warrior since 
she had a great deal of strength and intelligence combined. There were two reasons why she 
had never used her, though. One was for an emergency like this, when the enemy was 
threatening to invade their home base. The other reason....

"Did you not hear me?" she asked again. "Why are you disguised?"

Chimei was... arrogant. She knew she was their most powerful warrior. Her power was just 
under her own, which didn't make her feel any better whatsoever. However, she did know her 
place, but she couldn't help but keep pushing the limits, just to see how far she could go 
and what she could get away with.

"It is none of your concern, Chimei," Tempest said coldly. "You are to obey my orders. That 
is your only concern."

"And who are you?" she asked haughtily. "You come to me in disguise and expect me to follow 
your orders? Unless you are Master Quartzite - which I VERY highly doubt - or Tempest, you 
are of no consequence to me."

She hated Chimei. Of course, Chimei was perfectly obsequious to Quartzite. Hell, she'd 
probably bed the guy if he asked. However, she always gave her a hard time, even though she 
had to forcefully make her acknowledge her superiority at first. A small smile curved her 
lips. Yes, perhaps that was just what was in order right now.

With a wordless scowl, she reached out and grabbed Chimei by the throat and released a 
small, steady flow of power from her hand into her. It was small at first and Chimei merely 
laughed, but that was what she wanted. Slowly, she increased the power until she had 
stopped laughing and started looking at her with an expression of surprise. As she 
increased the power even further, she began to struggle in her grasp as she tried to free 
herself. However, she had her now and she wasn't going to let go until she begged.

"All right! All right! I yield!" she all but screamed.

Much better.

"Who...? Who are you... Mistress?" she asked. "Are you... Tempest?"

She was almost tempted to tell her that she was indeed Tempest, but that could wait until 
later. Right now, she needed Chimei to know her as her new identity.

"My name is Gale," she told her in her most icy voice. "And you will never speak to me in 
such disrespectful tones again. The next time you do, it will take you days to heal. And 
the next time will take you weeks. The next after that will take months." She gave her a 
cold stare that threatened to freeze her soul... if she had one. "You most certainly do not 
want to go any further than that."

"Yes, Mistress!" Chimei nodded emphatically and Tempest grinned inwardly. She had never 
seen her so cowed since she thought that she had affronted Quartzite. She was almost 
tempted to reveal that she was Tempest just to see what reaction she would get.

"Good," she said in satisfaction. "Now, rest up and be ready. We are expecting our enemies 
to attack at any moment."

"Mistress Gale, if I may ask, what happened to Tempest?" Chimei asked.

"You mean, 'Mistress Tempest'?" she asked pointedly. "I take it that you seem to have a 
problem with speaking to your superiors without their proper titles?"

"No, Mistress Gale!" she amended quickly. "I meant to say, what happened to Mistress 
Tempest, Mistress Gale?"

Oh, this was so much fun.

"Tempest has been sent back to the Dark Kingdom for some additional training," she told 
her. "And that is more than you need to know." She didn't really need to add the last bit, 
but it couldn't hurt. The chastened look on her face was more than worth it, though.

With that out of the way, she turned and left, feeling very pleased with herself. Even if 
her problems with Ryoku were still there, she still felt a little bit better. Maybe now she 
could think and plan her way out of this corner she was in.

            **********************************************

The night before the final confrontation with the Dark Agency, Minako had several 
conflicting thoughts and feelings. After she had sparred with Ryoku and worked on her 
fighting techniques as Sailor V, she and Ryoku had a long talk with Alan and Katrina, 
mostly going over what was going to happen the next day.

Apparently, she and Ryoku, along with Katrina and several other Interpol officers, were 
going to surround the warehouse complex and attempt to infiltrate it. It sounded easy 
enough, but they knew it was going to be different. Before they could get to the Master, 
they had to go through Kage, Gale, perhaps Tempest, and who knew how many other Dark Agency 
warriors were left.

Ryoku and Katrina were mostly concerned with how they were going to try to take down the 
Master with as few casualties as possible, but Minako was only concerned with the safety of 
her 'big sister' Katrina and Ryoku. Sure, she didn't want any of the other Interpol 
officers to get hurt either, but her main concern lay with those two. And Alan, of course, 
but he wasn't going to be there. That was a small consolation, though.

After the inital planning was done, Katrina said her goodbyes and told them to meet her at 
the appointed place by five the next day. It would be close to dusk by then and they would 
have the cover of oncoming darkness to hide their approach. Or, so the other Interpol 
officers thought. The four of them knew better, though.

She was feeling scared again, so before they went to bed, she had asked Ryoku to leave his 
bedroll rolled up and to sleep with her in the bed like they did last night on the floor. 
It was easier after last night and since it would probably be the last night that they 
would spend at Alan's house, it seemed... right, in a way, for them to spend the night 
together like this.

Minako thought through all of the arrangements that they had made on the off-chance that 
they would die tomorrow. They had already been transferred out of the school that they had 
been attending and where scheduled to go back to their school on the following Monday. 
Their personal items were all packed up and ready to be sent back home. The next day, after 
Alan would check their items in for them on the flight that they were scheduled to take 
back to Tokyo, Artemis would arrange for their luggage to disappear and for them to be 
reported as kidnapped from the airport. It was the best they could do; they didn't want 
Alan to take any of the blame for what might happen, which was why he and Katrina were to 
remain silent on what had really happened to them.

All of those thoughts began to eat at her mind until she found herself worrying again. She 
pulled Ryoku closer to her as she fought the fear that was bubbling up inside her.

"Mmm... don't worry, Minako-chan...," he mumbled in his sleep as he shifted onto his side 
and unconsciously threw an arm over her in semblance of some sort of half-embrace. "I'll 
protect you.... I won't let them... hurt you...."

Minako blinked in surprise as she found her face mere centimeters away from Ryoku's. His 
slow breath warmed and tickled at her neck, easing her anxiety just as much as his words - 
carelessly mumbled in his sleep, but meaningful nonetheless - did. She reminded herself 
that there was nothing to worry about; they would succeed and return home with fond 
memories of Alan and Katrina and the time that they had spent here together.

With a fond sigh for her slumbering partner and best friend, she turned over and scooted 
herself further into his embrace, allowing the feeling of his warm breath on her neck to 
relax her into a deep sleep. Her worries could wait until tomorrow.

            **********************************************

As Katrina watched the sun go down past what she could see of the horizon, behind several 
of London's many buildings, she turned toward the two who were waiting patiently behind 
her and sighed.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this," she said reluctantly.

"I know, Katrina-oneesan," Sailor V said sadly. "I wish we could stay a little while 
longer, but after we take care of things here, we have to go back. We're needed back home."

"Do you think you could stay just one more day?" she asked hopefully. "Abrupt goodbyes are 
just too sad."

"Unfortunately, some goodbyes have to be that way," Masked Knight remarked quietly. 
"Sometimes, we have no choice. But, at least we have plenty of fond memories to cherish 
after we go."

"Don't worry, Katrina-oneesan," Sailor V said with a smile and a wink. "Perhaps we'll see 
each other again."

"I would love that," she said with a fond smile for the both of them.

"Katrina, everyone's in position," one of the Interpol officers reported as he hurried up 
to them.

"Good," she replied with a satisfied nod. "Have everyone prepare to move in thirty minutes."

"Right," he replied and hurried off to relay the message.

"That should give you both enough of a head-start," Katrina told them after he had left. 
"Be careful, both of you."

"You, too," they both replied and took off running.

Katrina watched them until they were out of sight. "And, good luck," she whispered as she 
turned to wait for the thirty minutes to expire. No matter what, once that time was up, she 
would find them. Ryoku and Minako were like a little brother and sister to her and she 
would make damn sure that they made it out of there alive.

            **********************************************

Since the sun was already down, there were many dark shadows around the warehouses they 
were searching. Within one of them, the Dark Agency had their home base.

"Which one do you think it is?" Sailor V asked as she glanced from one warehouse to the 
next.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Masked Knight replied as he turned and started toward one. 
"How about we try this one?" After seeing her nod and get ready for the possibility of an 
ambush, he reached out toward the doorknob and turned it.

It was locked.

"Hmm," he said as he tried to turn it again, then tried to peer through the small, round 
glass window on the door. "I guess this one might not be it."

"What makes you say that, Knight?"

"There's nothing but crates in there," he told her. "No room for anything else."

"How about we try another one?" she suggested as he moved any from the door.

"Which one?"

Just as she was about to pick a warehouse, a shadow suddenly flickered into motion just 
slightly out of their sight, but close enough to be noticed.

"Did you see that?"

"I saw it, Venus. I think we're being watched. However, we're definitely in the right 
place."

Sailor V grimaced. "That's nice to know."

"Welcome, Sailor V and Masked Knight!" a voice called out from within the shadows.

"Gale! I recognize that voice!" Sailor V shouted angrily. "Come out! Show yourself!"

"Are you joking?" she laughed. "Do you really think that I'm going to give up my hiding 
place, just like that? If you want me, come and find me. Wait. Let me give you a little... 
hint."

"Look out!" Masked Knight shouted as he dove to the ground and pulled Sailor V down with 
him. Above them, a large blast of black energy flew past where their heads once were.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gale laughed. "Did I almost hit you?" The laughter cut off as her voice 
turned hard and cold. "I have the advantage here. Your coming here was a foolish mistake on 
your part. A foolish... and fatal mistake."

"Come on, Venus!" Masked Knight shouted as he started running toward where the blast 
originated from. "If we hurry, we can catch Gale!"

"I'm right behind you, Knight!" she said as she started running after him. Just moments 
after she had taken to her heels, she felt something tackle her from the side and knock the 
wind out of her.

"Venus?" Masked Knight said as he slowed down and glanced over his shoulder to see if she 
was all right. As soon as he glanced over his shoulder, he felt something tackle him from 
the other side, sending him flying through the air and hitting the ground hard.

"Where're you going, little boy?" Chimei asked as she walked up to him and stepped on his 
head, forcing his face back down into the ground. "Mistress Gale says that you're not to 
interrupt until she's finished killing your little blonde-haired partner." She shoved his 
head back into the ground again before taking her foot off his head and using it to lift 
his head up so that she could stare down at him. "You should be grateful, little boy. 
Mistress Gale says that she'll let you see your partner again before she kills you as well. 
Of course, she'll be dead by then. Pity."

With a angry growl, Masked Knight pushed himself up and leaped to his feet. Just before he 
could run past Chimei, she spun and kicked him in the head with a powerful roundhouse kick 
which knocked him down to the ground again.

"No, no, no," she said in a sweet, chiding voice as she shook her finger at him. "I told 
you that you are not going to interrupt. Didn't you listen to me?"

He replied by kicking out and sweeping her legs out from under her, knocking her to her 
feet. However, just as he was getting back to his feet, she had lashed out with a powerful 
blast of red energy which sent him flying through the air and crashing head-on into the 
wall of the nearest warehouse.

"So," Chimei said as she stood up and walked over to where Masked Knight had landed. "I 
take it you wish to be difficult?" She smiled maliciously. "That's wonderful. I love it 
when they're difficult. It makes things more... interesting." She spread her arms out wide, 
as if inviting him to take a shot at her. "If you want, you can try again. I must warn you, 
though. Even though Mistress Gale order me not to kill you, she never said I couldn't hurt 
you." Her smile turned colder than the fiercest Arctic wind. "Once I'm done with you, 
you'll be begging her to end your tortured existance.

"Now... shall we get started?"

            **********************************************

The attack had done more than knock the wind out of her. She was now separated from her 
partner, yet again. It seemed as though the Dark Agency was determined to pick them off one 
at a time, and she always seemed to be the primary target. In a way, it made sense. After 
all, she was the first person to fight the Dark Agency. Masked Knight came much later. She 
must be their primary target.

As she pushed herself back to her feet, she realized that the attack had pushed her into 
a different area from where she and Masked Knight were running beforehand. It wasn't as 
widely spaced out as where she was before and there were many shadows in which her enemies 
could hide.

"Are you prepared to die, Sailor V?" Gale's dieembodied voice haunted her from everywhere 
at once.

"Where are you?!?" she shouted angrily again as she whirled around, trying to locate either 
the source of the voice, or Masked Knight. She could see neither. "Crescent beam!" she 
shouted firing a shot into one of the shadows. It hit nothing.

"Not there," Gale said mockingly as Sailor V shot another beam at a different shadow. "I'm 
sorry; not there, either." Again, a shot and a miss. "You're not very good at this game, 
are you?" she taunted. "Oh, well. I suppose I should be a little more fair. Kage, please 
offer Sailor V some... assistance."

At her word, one of the shadows behing Sailor V began to move and coalesce into the more 
solid form of Kage. Sailor V spun around to see Kage approach her, but she was too late to 
avoid the attack she knew was coming. Kage swung an arm up to her head struck her across 
her face, knocking her backward and off her feet. As a follow-up attack, he spun around and 
kicked her hard enough to slam into the warehouse wall furthest away from them. For good 
measure, Kage gathered up enough energy to fire a thick beam of black energy at Sailor V's 
unprotected back, holding her up against the wall with nothing but the bar of energy. Once 
Kage ceased fire, she crumpled to the ground in a mass of pain.

"Very good, Kage," Gale said in a pleased voice. "Now, would you be so kind as to help 
Chimei escort our other guest here? I want him to watch as I execute his partner before his 
very eyes." Kage bowed and left to carry out her command.

Gale stepped out of the shadows behind Sailor V and grabbed her by her neck, just as she 
had with Chimei before her. She effortlessly lifted her up and backed her against the 
warehouse wall as she smiled in anticipation. Soon. Very soon, she would finally extinguish 
this girl's life and have the fuel for turning Ryoku to her side in the process. Everything 
was finally falling into place.

            **********************************************

Masked Knight's Star Sword was out, but it wasn't doing him much good. Chimei was very fast 
and agile, avoiding all of his sword swipes with contemptable ease. By mistake, he had 
lunged too far in one of his attacks, and she had retaliated by kicking the sword out of 
his hand and elbowing him in the gut, stopping him cold.

"My, but you are a stubborn one, aren't you?" she asked as he collapsed to his knees, 
coughing as he tried to suck air back into his battered lungs. "But then, that's what makes 
you so much fun! Well, when you're ready, you're more than welcome to try again. Just try 
not to kill yourself before Mistress Gale has a chance to do that for you."

"Where... is... Sailor... V?" he gasped between ragged breaths as he glared at Chimei.

"Sailor V?" she asked, blinking thoughtfully as she pretended to consider the question. 
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm afraid I don't know. You see, I've been so busy beating the life 
out of you that I've totally forgotten. How unfortunate. Well, I suppose it's your fault 
for distracting me, but I'm not upset. How can I be upset when I'm having so much fun 
beating you senseless?"

"Damn... sadist," Masked Knight growled furiously as he pushed himself to his feet again.

"Oh? A sadist, am I?" she asked with a fake shocked expression, then grinned. "I suppose 
that makes you a masochist, doesn't it? I mean, you seem to be such a glutton for 
punishment."

"Shut up," he growled as he knelt down to pick up his sword without taking his eyes off of 
her.

Chimei's grin turned catlike as she tilted her head, as if considering him for the first 
time. "You're just going to keep coming until you die from all these injuries, aren't you?" 
she asked. "I can tell. As much as I would love to let you continue on your self-destructive 
path, Mistress Gale has ordered me not to kill you until she is ready for you." She sighed 
regretably. "I guess this means no more fun. Oh, well. I guess I have to put you down 
before you force me to kill you."

After having said that, she rushed forward and struck him with a knee to the stomach and 
an elbow to head at the same time. As soon as he hit the ground, she began to gather energy 
for a very strong, but just a hairsbreadth away from lethal, attack.

"Wait, Chimei," a male voice interrupted just as she was about to fire.

"Kage?" she said in surprise as she let the attack dissipate. "What are you doing here? 
What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Mistress Gale sent me to help you bring Masked Knight to her," he informed her.

"Oh?" she replied, arching a cool eyebrow. "Well then, there he is," she said as she 
pointed down toward Masked Knight. "Do you think you can handle him by yourself, or must I 
assist you?"

Kage wordlessly grunted a reply as he bent down to grab Masked Knight and haul him to his 
feet, taking a moment to wrench the sword from his hand and stick it through a loop in his 
dark clothing that he had made appear by thought. He gave Chimei a flat look as he dragged 
Masked Knight along with him while she followed with a very amused smile on her face.

            **********************************************

"Here he is, Mistress Gale," Kage announced as he stood behind her and forced he head up 
with his free hand. "We've brought Masked Knight, as you commanded."

"Good," she said, satisfaction palpable in her voice as she turned to took at him.

'Look well, Ryo-chan,' Gale thought as she tightened her grip on Sailor V's throat. 'Watch 
as I terminate your dear partner's life before your eyes. Watch and hate me. Despise me. 
Yearn for my blood. I want to see the desire to kill me blaze in your eyes! Then, I can 
appear before you as myself and help you kill 'Gale', binding you to me as I give you the 
vengence you will undoubtedly hunger for and securing our love once again!'

"Masked Knight," Gale said in the grim tone of a judge passing sentence. "You and your 
partner, Sailor V, have been a nuisance to our cause for much too long. I will now correct 
what many before me have failed to do by ending your lives, starting with hers."

Just as she had done with Chimei, Gale began to release a small, steady flow into Sailor V. 
She had the satisfaction of hearing her gasp in pain. She could see her wince slightly as 
she began to struggle again.

"Venus!" Masked Knight shouted as he tried to go to her, but Kage and Chimei stopped him. 
Chimei quickly punched him in the stomach, which promptly halted his struggling, but Kage 
had to pull his head up in order to force him to watch Sailor V's execution.

Slowly, carefully, Gale raised to flow of power. Not too fast or the fun would be over too 
soon. She wanted to savor this. She now had them both at their mercy and there was no way 
for them to escape. Their fate was sealed.

Sailor V was now beginning to scream in pain, but she was far from finished. More power. 
More pain. More agony. She wanted to hear Sailor V's screams dwindle away as her life 
finally left her body. She could almost feel her pain, just as she could see the pain on 
Masked Knight's face as his struggles continued, albeit considerably weaker than before.

Enough. It was now time to end the game. Sailor V would die now.

Gale raised the power flow as high as she could manage, bombarding Sailor V with all of her 
power. Her screams began to become louder and louder as the pain continued to increase. It 
was only a matter of time until it would be all over.

A loud explosion suddenly rang out a short distance away, followed by a second and a third. 
Behind her, Kage roared in pain as something struck him the side. Beside him, Chimei also 
shrieked in pain as something struck her in the leg. A third something rapidly sailed past 
her head, just in front of her eyes.

She recognized that noise....

A gunshot.

While keeping up the power flow on Sailor V, she turned around in order to see what had 
happened to Kage and Chimei. When she turned around, she was just in time to see Masked 
Knight draw the sword that Kage held and perform a spinning slash attack, taking off Kage's 
head in the process as the rest of Kage's body turned to a pile of dust. She was so shocked 
at his rapid recovery that she didn't notice his kick to her head until it was too late. 
The attack freed Sailor V from her grasp before she could finally kill her.

No! How could this have happened? Everything was under control! She had Sailor V AND Masked 
Knight! How could she fail?!? As she rose up from the ground, she saw the person 
responsible for freeing Sailor V and Masked Knight, the gun still held up in both her hands.

It was that woman she saw with Sailor V and Masked Knight at that restaurant where she had 
first appeared as Gale.

'Damn! Damn!!! DAMN!!!' she thought in enraged frustration. A part of her mind chided her 
about forgetting, once again, about the small details such as this woman, who was obviously 
a local law enforcement agent. That small detail had killed what was perhaps the best plan 
she had ever devised, so close to being perfect.

"Venus! Are you all right? Can you speak?" Masked Knight asked worriedly as he knelt down 
next to his partner.

"I... think... so," Sailor V murmured as she struggled to stand up. "How about you, Knight?"

"I'll live," he replied with a smile of relief on his face. "Katrina saved our lives," he 
told her as he pointed toward where the Interpol officer was standing as a few more 
officers began to come around the corner and into view.

"Remind me to thank her," she told him, then glared at Gale. "Now, how about we take care 
of unfinished business, Knight?"

"My pleasure, Venus," he replied as he turned to glare at Gale as well.

"This is not over yet!" Gale announced as she retreated into the shadows. "We still have 
our strongest warrior yet! Chimei! Kill them!" she ordered as she disappeared.

"I owe you both for my leg," she said coldly as she turned toward them and began to gather 
energy for her attack. "Allow me to return the favor!" she shouted as she fired a large bar 
of red energy at them.

"Look out!" Masked Knight shouted back to the Interpol officers as he and Sailor V dived 
toward the side. Everyone else managed to avoid the attack as well as the bar of red energy 
struck a warehouse and caused it to explode.

Masked Knight held his sword up and prepared to charge while Sailor V prepared a diversion. 
"Crescent beam shower!" she shouted, firing her attack at Chimei. She dodged the attack, 
which was what Masked Knight wanted.

Just as Chimei was landing after leaping away from the attack, Masked Knight attacked with 
a hard jump kick to her head, followed by a second kick to her chest as he was landing, and 
finished with a swipe of his sword, which cut off one of her arms. Chimei roared in pain as 
she lashed out at him, striking him in the chest with a tremendous force.

As Masked Knight was knocked away, Sailor V quickly attacked with as much power as she 
could channel with her battered body. At the same time, Masked Knight also began to focus 
his power, even as he struck the ground.

"Crescent beam shower!" she screamed, unleashing all her power in the blast.

"Volcanic flare explosion!" Knight screamed as he rose to one knee, unleashing all his 
power in the blast.

Both attacks struck Chimei at the same time, resulting in a huge explosion. Wind generated 
from the force of the blast washed over them, picking up dust, dirt, and small objects like 
pebbles, scattering them everywhere. Sailor V and Masked Knight both threw up their arms in 
order to protect them from the flying debris as it flew everywhere. When the dust settled, 
and they lowered their arms to see what had become of Chimei, they discovered no trace of 
her. Not only that, but the small pile of dust that was what was left of Kage was also 
gone, blown away by the winds of the blast.

"Is.... Is it over?" Katrina asked quietly as she walked over toward them.

"Not yet," Masked Knight said as he stood up.

"Gale got away and the Master is around here somewhere," Sailor V said seriously. "We have 
to find them."

"I think I know where they're at," Katrina told them. "We have one warehouse completely 
surrounded on one side with nothing but the water behind them and no boat. They can't get 
away. I told everyone to make sure no one escapes while I went to go find you two. This is 
your mission, after all. You two should be the ones to bring in the Master."

"Let's hurry, then," Sailor V said as they all hurried toward the warehouse Katrina pointed 
out.

As they approached the warehouse, everything was quiet. No one spoke as they silently made 
their way closer and closer to the entrance of the warehouse. As Sailor V and Masked Knight 
reached the entrance, they both signalled to Katrina that they would go in first and that 
she should wait for three minutes before following them in. Katrina nodded her 
understanding and the two partners entered the warehouse together.

It was dark and quiet inside the warehouse and even though there didn't seem to be anyone 
present inside the building, they could almost sense someone waiting for them.

"So, we meet at last, Sailor V and Masked Knight," a voice said from the back of the 
warehouse. "I wish I could say I was honored, but I honestly cannot. You see, you two have 
destroyed the final remains of what I had salvaged from the Dark Agency and rebuilt with my 
own blood and sweat."

"So, you are the Master?" Masked Knight demanded.

"Indeed. However, all of this is now of little consequence to me. The Dark Agency is now 
defunct, all thanks to your tiring interference. But, I do not care to try to rebuild it. 
It has already served its purpose.

"I am now preparing to depart for Japan, back to more familiar environs. I cannot help but 
wonder.... If you two are powerful enough to halt my Dark Agency, then what could four of 
you accomplish? Furthermore, what of all six?" The voice of the Master stopped as if he was 
contemplating something. "Perhaps I will take my musings to the Dark Kingdom... that is, if 
someone would be willing to listen to what I have to say.... But, it does not matter. At 
least, not to you. You see, your life is about to end here."

As soon as the Master finished speaking, Sailor V and Masked Knight spotted a pair of 
figures standing near the far side of the warehouse, one male and one female. The Master 
and Gale. When the Master came into their view, he suddenly dropped a pair of round, 
metallic objects, then turned to leave with Gals following him. As they walked away, they 
slowly began to fade from their sight until they had vanished completely.

"What are those?" Sailor V asked as she began to head toward one, then froze.

Those were grenades.

And the pins were gone.

"Venus!"

"Knight!"

They both shouted in frightened unison as they turned and ran for the closest exit they 
could find.

And then, the grenades exploded.

            **********************************************

The explosion blew Katrina off of her feet and sent her sprawling on the ground. She was 
fortunate that she had only counted up to two and a half minutes or else she would've been 
caught in the blast.

That was when she realized that Sailor V and Masked Knight were inside when the explosion 
went off.

"Minako-chan!" she shouted in fear as she scrambled to her feet. "Ryo-kun! Minako-chan!" 
She glanced around, looking for any sign that they had escaped. "Ryo-kun!"

"Katrina!" she heard a male voice shout from behind her, faintly, but increasing in 
strength as the voice approached her.

"Ryo-kun?" she called out hopefully, but saw that it was only Alan. "What...?"

"I couldn't help myself, so I drove down here and waited across the street to see if you 
all were okay," he explained, then turned toward the now burning warehouse. "What happened 
to Minako and Ryoku?"

"Minako-chan...," Katrina said as she began to cry. "Ryo-kun...."

Alan's expression turned despondent. "Keep yourself together," he told her as he embraced 
her. "I'll be by your side."

"Alan...," she sobbed quietly as she began to cry quietly into his chest. Alan silently 
held her, offering her all the consolation he could give her, all the while feeling just 
as grief-stricken as she did.

            **********************************************

"Venus! Venus! Minako-chan!" she could hear a voice call out to her as something violently 
shook her. "Please wake up! Don't leave me, Minako-chan!"

"R... Ryo-kun...?" she murmured weakly as she slowly began to regain consciousness. 
"What... happened?" From what she could see, they had been thrown into a small alley-like 
passageway between the warehouse they were previously in and the one next to it. There was 
glass all over the ground from the window that they had been blown through, and there was 
barely enough room for both of them to stand shoulder to shoulder... if they even had the 
strength to stand.

"Minako-chan!" gasped in relief as he hugged her. "Arigatou, Kami-sama! For a moment, I was 
afraid that you had...." He trailed off as he gently moved back a little in order to look 
at her face. She could see that he had been crying; there were tears on his face, but he 
didn't seem to notice.

"Your... mask...," she murmured as she realized that his eyemask was now gone. His fuku was 
singed everywhere; even the edges of his ponytail were slightly frayed from the blast.

He reached up to feel his face and found that it was indeed gone. "Yours is gone, too," he 
told her as he dropped his hand to his side. "Some other things were damaged as well." He 
reached behind him and revealed what was left of her compact. "I'm afraid that this is 
damaged beyond repair."

She opened up her compact to find that the glass inside was completely shattered. The 
plastic casing was melted and thouroughly warped in several places, and in other places, 
there was nothing but blackened slag.

With a gasp, she quickly searched herself, patting herself down in several places. She 
sighed in relief when she not only found her transformation pen, but also found it 
undamaged.

"We'd better go find Katrina," he said as he started to stand up. "She must be getting 
extremely worried by now...."

"Minako-chan! Ryo-kun!" they heard Katrina shout as she searched for them.

"See?" he said as he smiled down at her. "Now, come on, Minako-chan...."

"Katrina!" called another voice.

"That's...," she gasped in startled recognition.

"Alan?" he said in surprise as they turned in the direction of the voice.

"I couldn't help myself, so I drove down here and waited across the street to see if you 
all were okay," they heard Alan explain. "What happened to Minako and Ryoku?"

"Minako-chan...," Katrina said as she began to cry. "Ryo-kun...."

"Keep yourself together," Alan said as they watched him embrace her. "I'll be by your side."

"Alan...," Katrina sobbed quietly as she began to cry quietly into his chest as Alan 
silently held her. They watched the tableau for a few more moments, then moved back into 
the passageway.

"He... loves her," she said quietly in slight shock.

"It does seem that way," he replied quietly. "But, it is for the best, I suppose."

"Do you really think so, Ryo-kun?" she asked, her expression crestfallen.

"You really liked him, didn't you, Minako-chan?" he asked.

"I...," she began, then shook her head. "I suppose it was just another hopeless love," she 
told him as she sighed longingly and hung her head desolately. "You should know me by now. 
Just one hopeless love after another, my heart breaking again and again." She sniffled as 
she slowly began to cry. "It's just like he said, Ryo-kun...."

"Just like who said?" he asked as his expression became sympathetic.

"Ace!" she all but shouted, even though he was the only one there who could hear her. "Do 
you remember what he told me before he died? He said my love would be hopeless for all 
eternity!" As he put his arms around her, she flung herself into his chest and began to cry 
in earnest. "He was right, Ryo-kun! My love is hopeless! Everyone I fall in love with is 
always wrong for me! Motoki-oniisan, Higashi, Saitou, Wakagi, Otonaru, Kaitou Ace... and 
now, Alan! Every one of them, all hopeless! None of them would ever love me back! Even if 
Ace did love me, he was really Danburite! Part of the Dark Agency! My enemy!" She sobbed 
again. "It's always my duty to fight as Sailor V... as a Sailor Senshi. But, it's always 
duty over love. Oh, Ryo-kun, why can't I fall in love? For real? Why must it always be 
hopeless?!?"

He looked down at her for a long time as he gently stroked the back of her head and waited 
for her crying to subside. He made gentle soothing noises as he rocked her back and forth, 
waiting for her emotional breakdown to finally settle.

"There," he said after her crying had subsided. "Do you feel better now, Minako-chan?" She 
only nodded in reply. "Now, do you truly believe that your love is that hopeless? Just 
because you've made a few bad choices? Do you really think that you could never fall in 
love, without that love being hopeless?"

"Can't you see, Ryo-kun?" she replied piteously. "You've seen me fall in and out of love 
so many times. That's the way my life is fated to be. My fate is to continue fighting, 
forever, with no hope of true love."

"Nonsense!" he retorted firmly. "Utter nonsense!"

"Is that right?" she shot back sullenly. "What makes you think that I can find true 
love...?" She trailed off as she noticed that he was staring into her eyes in the same way 
that he did during that time in the restaurant during Katrina's birthday. She saw that his 
expression was considering, as if he was having an internal debate with himself. His 
expression suddenly changed, as if he had come to some sort of decision, and she began to 
close her eyes as their lips came together in a deep, heartfelt kiss.

"Because," he said after he had pulled away in order to look her deeply in the eyes, "I 
love you... Mina," he said, using the nickname that she had always heard Artemis call her. 
However, it sounded different when he said it. It sounded... intimate.

"You... love me?" she asked as her heart raced from the combination of the kiss and the 
profession of his love for her.

"After everything we have been through together, I now know for certain," he told her as he 
took her hands in his. "You are the right girl for me."

She started crying again, but this time, the tears were those of joy. "Oh, Ryo-kun...," 
said as she hugged him with all of her strength. "Ryo-chan...," she amended, deciding to 
use the same name for him that his sister used, since she had told Makoto that she would 
get him to 'see the wonders of love again', as she had told her. In a way, those words were 
almost prophetic. She had done exactly as she had said, only it was herself that she had 
helped Ryoku fall in love with.

"Ryo-chan," she began again, holding him with all her strength, as if he would disappear 
once she let go and make her love hopeless once again, "I love you, too."

"Ryo-chan...," he repeated quietly to himself. "Only three people have ever called me that 
in my life, and two of them are dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ryo-k...."

He cut her off with a silencing finger on her lips. "Let me finish," he chided with a 
smile. "As I was saying, only three people have ever called me 'Ryo-chan'. My sister, 
Makoto; my mother; and Keiko." His smile turned soft and gentle. "All three of them are 
people that I love and people who loved me in return. I would love to hear you call me 
'Ryo-chan', Mina. That tells me that you love me, just as I love you."

"Ryo-chan...."

He sighed reluctantly as he pulled away and stood up, then helped her to her feet. "As much 
as I enjoy having you in my arms, Mina, we should go tell Katrina and Alan that we're all 
right."

She shook her head sadly. "No. It's better this way. He loves her, not me. I would just get 
in their way."

"But...."

"Sailor V and Masked Knight are dead now, Ryo-chan," she told him. "It's better for us and 
them that they think that we're dead. What if the Dark Kingdom tries to use them against 
us? If they don't know we're alive, then they're safe." She looked at him pleadingly. 
"Please, Ryo-chan?"

He sighed as reluctantly nodded his acquiescence. "All right, Mina. I suppose you have a 
point. At least our plane for Japan leaves tomorrow morning. All our stuff will be on it, 
just as we had planned. All we have to do is sneak aboard without Alan seeing us."

"Too bad my compact was destroyed," she said regretfully. "It would've been useful."

"I know," he agreed, then sighed. "Well, at least we're finally on our way home again. Even 
if our host thinks we're dead." He blinked as a thought suddenly hit him. "I guess we're 
going to have to sleep outside tonight, since we can't go back to Alan's."

"But it's cold...."

"You're the one that wanted to play dead, Mina," he reminded her.

"Very funny, Ryo-chan," she said flatly, then smiled and winked at him. "Then again, as 
long as I sleep next to you, I think I'll be warm enough."

He laughed as he scooped her up in his arms and leaped up toward the warehouse roof. "I 
guess so," he replied as he started leaping from roof to roof, being careful not to make a 
lot of noise so no one would notice their escape. "So, how does Hyde Park sound to you?"

"I hear it's lovely this time of night," she replied with a giggle as she hugged him and 
held on tightly as he made his way over the rooftops of London through the nighttime sky.

            **********************************************

"We made it, Ryo-chan!" Minako said happily after disembarking the plan and leaving the 
gate. "We're back home!"

"I'm just grateful to be back on the ground!" Ryoku moaned sickly as he followed her 
out of the gate. "So, where's your family?"

"I don't see them yet," she replied as she searched the terminal along with him.

"What?!?" he exclaimed in shock, then calmed down just as suddenly. "Oh. Never mind."

"What's wrong, Ryo-chan?" she asked, then jerked back in shock. "No way!" Just as he 
did, she calmed down just as quickly.

"Mina?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Ryo-chan," she told him. "I just though I saw Tempest in the crowd of 
people. Who did you think you saw?"

"I... thought I saw Keiko...," he said with a small pensive frown.

"Oh," she said softly as she reached out to take his hand in hers.

"Excuse me," a kind voice called out to the both of them. They turned and jerked back in 
surprise at the blue-haired girl that had approached them.

"You...," they both murmured in shocked unison, then turned to look at each other 
questioningly.

"I'm... sorry," the girl said in confusion. "Is... something wrong?"

"We're sorry," he said apologetically. "We just mistook you for someone we knew."

"Oh, that's all right," she replied understandingly. "I just wanted to ask you if you 
are Aino Minako-san and Kino Ryoku-san."

"Do we... know you?" Minako asked curiously.

"Oh, so you are Aino-san and Kino-san?" she asked with a smile, then turned to wave at 
some friends of hers. "I'm so sorry," she said suddenly. "I'm being rude, aren't I? My 
name is Mizuno Ami. I'm a friend of Kino-san's sister, Makoto."

"You know Mako-chan?" Ryoku said with a perplexed frown. "That's strange. I don't 
remember seeing you the last time I visited the bording school. Are you new?"

Ami laughed. "Well, yes and no," she replied. "I am slightly new, but I don't go to any 
boarding school. I attend Juuban Junior High."

"Juuban? In Tokyo? Mako-chan doesn't go there."

"She just transfered there about a week ago," Ami explained as she turned to leave. "If 
you would please follow me, I can lead you to where Mako-chan and the others are waiting, 
along with Aino-san's parents."

"Please, just call me Minako," she told her.

"And you can call me Ryoku, or just Ryo-kun, if you want," he added.

"It's nice to meet you both, Minako-chan and Ryo-kun," Ami said with a friendly smile. 
"Let me introduce you to the others," she added as she reached the rest of her friends. 
"This is Tsukino Usagi," she began as she gestured to the blonde-haired girl wearing her 
hair in twin odangos, "and Hino Rei," she said as she gestured toward the dark-haired 
girl. "Usagi-chan, Rei-chan, this is Aino Minako and Kino Ryoku."

"Please, call me Minako."

"And call me Ryoku, or just Ryo-kun."

"Minako-chan! Ryo-chan!" they heard Makoto shout as she rushed toward them with her arms 
wide open in greeting. She immediately leaped at her brother, who caught her and twirled 
her around just as he did the first time Minako had met her. Behind Makoto, she saw her 
mother and father coming up along the same path the Makoto had ran from.

"Mina!" her mother and father called out as they saw their daughter. Minako ran up to 
them and hugged them both. As she hugged them, she gestured for Ryoku to come join her. 
"Mom, Dad, you remember Ryoku."

"We remember," her mother said as she smiled down at him. "I see you've been taking 
good care of our daughter while she was in England, Ryoku-san. We're grateful to you."

"Mom, Dad, Ryo-chan and I are in love," she told them as she smiled back at him.

Ryoku nodded his agreement as he stood beside Minako. "I would like permission to date 
with your daughter," he asked as he bowed respectfully.

Out of the corner of Minako's eye, she could see Makoto grinning widely at her.

"You love Mina?" her mother asked as she studied him carefully.

"Yes."

She suddenly smiled as she stepped forward and hugged him. "It's rare to find such a 
respectful young man," she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder and Minako's 
shoulder and pushed them toward each other. "You have my blessing."

"And mine as well," he father added.

"Way to go, Ryo-chan!" Makoto shouted joyously as she cheered for the both of them. 
The other girls just glanced at Makoto, exchanged looks, and sweatdropped.

"All right, all right!" Ryoku exclaimed suddenly. "Can we all just leave this place 
and go home? I've had enough airplanes to last me the rest of my life!"

            **********************************************

"That's her?" Sailor Venus asked. Since Artemis had told them that the time wasn't 
yet right for them to meet with the other Sailor Senshi, she and Sailor Knight had 
bought new eyemasks for themselves to keep up their Sailor V and Masked Knight 
disguises, even though the original pair were already 'dead'. After some 
experimentation, and a hint all but forcefully weaseled out of Artemis, she had 
discovered that her pen would now allow her to transform with the phrase 'Venus power, 
make up!' However, since her compact was destroyed, the only power she had left was 
her Crescent Beam. Sailor Knight, on the other hand, didn't have to worry about changing 
phrases, but his powers, which were semi-linked to hers, had diminished as well. All he 
had left was his Earth Thrust. Their fukus had changed as well, but at least they were 
somewhat similar to what they were used to.

"Yes, that's Luna," Artemis replied as he pointed out the black cat leaving the Crown 
Arcade at midnight.

"So, it's almost time?" Sailor Knight asked.

"That's right."

"I'll be glad when the time comes," Venus said eagerly. "I can't wait to meet our new 
allies."

"Same here," Knight agreed. "So, what now, Artemis?"

"We stick close to them," he told them. "We'll know when the time is right to announce 
ourselves."

            **********************************************

"Say your prayers," the blonde-haired woman in the gray uniform sneered as she raised 
her crystalline sword and prepared to run the tuxedo-clad man through. They had watched 
her and her silver-haired partner trap the rest of the Sailor Senshi in a dark, rapidly 
shrinking dome of energy which was slowly crushing them to death outside near the cranes 
on the pier. Now, inside one of the harbor warehouses, their only remaining ally was 
about to die as well.

Not if they could help it.

"Crescent beam!"

"Earth thrust!"

Both attacks struck each of the woman's hands, causing her to drop her sword. As the 
woman growled and glared in their direction, they allowed the woman one brief glimpse 
before they disappeared, but not after the tuxedo-clad man had a chance to escape as well.

Back at the dome with the remaining Sailor Senshi, they found that the woman had already 
beaten them to the dome. Well, that was how is was with the denizens of the Dark Agency; 
they could teleport at will, which was certainly an advantage on their part.

"It's no use struggling," they heard the woman say tauntingly. "It is very important to 
know when to give up."

"No!" both of them exclaimed at the same time. "Don't ever give up, no matter how hard 
the fight is!"

"Those voices!" the woman exclaimed. "It's those same voices again!"

The Senshi whom the two took to be the leader saw them first and pointed them out to the 
other Senshi. "Look...," she murmured in a weak voice. "Up there...."

"Who's there?" the silver-haired man shouted irritably.

They both exchanged glances, nodded, and leaped down to the ground before the surprised 
onlookers and removed their eyemasks.

"Sailor Senshi, I am Sailor Venus!"

"And I am Sailor Knight!"

"Here we are at last!" they declared in perfect unison.

"Crescent beam!"

"Earth thrust!"

Both attacks struck the silver-haired man's hands, breaking his hold on the barrier and 
wounding his hands, while shattering the barrier at the same time.

"The barrier's gone!" the woman exclaimed, alarmed at the turn of events.

"Sailor V?" the leader asked in shocked surprise. "Masked Knight? Aren't you both Sailor 
V-chan and Masked Knight-sama?" The other Senshi turned to look at them with some surprise.

"Masked Knight-sama?" Venus said, laughing as she looked at Knight.

"Anou... I don't think I'm worthy of being called '-sama'," he said as he put a hand 
behind his head in chagrin.

"Yes, they are also known as Sailor V and Masked Knight," Artemis explained from atop a 
stack pipes. "But their true identities are Sailor Venus and Sailor Knight." He then hopped 
down off the pipes and landed facing the black cat. "Long time, no see, Luna."

"Artemis," Luna greeted in return.

"How dare you!" the woman sneered. "Kunzite-sama, please leave them to me. I will handle them!"

Venus and Knight stood ready to fight the two members of the Dark Kingdom, when they suddenly 
halted and turned to stare at something behind them.

"Queen Beryl?" Kunzite said in surprise.

Venus and Knight exchanged confused glances. They had neither heard nor seen anything.

"Why is that?" the woman demanded, then winced as if being chastened.

"We have no choice," Kunzite said reluctantly.

"But, Kunzite-sama...," the woman complained petulantly.

"Sailor Senshi, we will meet again," Kunzite stated as he and the woman disappeared.

"Tuxedo Kamen?" the leader called out after they left.

"You mean that guy in the tuxedo with the cane?" Knight asked. "We had to help him get away 
from that blonde woman that just left."

"That was Zoisite," the tall brunette told him. "Anyway, we made it, thanks to you two."

"The six Sailor Senshi and the two guardian cats have come together," Artemis said as he 
and Luna sat between Venus and Knight, and the other Senshi. "That means everyone's here 
now."

"Sailor V and Masked Knight... or rather, Sailor Venus and Sailor Knight," the tall brunette 
said excitedly. The others seemed excited as well.

"Sailor Venus, are you the Moon Princess?" the leader asked suddenly, breaking the awed 
silence that had fallen.

The Moon Princess. Artemis had told them about her after they had returned from England. 
"No, I'm not," Venus replied. "Knight and I are warriors sworn to protect the princess, 
just like the rest of you."

"It's nice to meet you, everyone," Knight said as he and Venus extended their hands toward 
the leader. She clasped their hands with both of hers while the others placed their hands 
on top of theirs. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but which one of you is which? Artemis 
neglected to mention that to us."

The leader smiled. "I'm Sailor Moon."

"I'm Sailor Mercury," the blue-haired girl in blue added.

"I'm Sailor Mars," the dark-haired girl in red told them.

"And I'm Sailor Jupiter," the tall brunette in green finished.

"By the way," Sailor Moon said as she looked at them curiously, "you both remind me of 
a couple of people I've met before. I just can't seem to remember who...."

"Hey, now that you mention it, those two do look familiar," Jupiter said as she stepped 
forward and peered directly at Sailor Knight. "Especially you. You remind me of someone 
I know very well."

"Don't tell me he reminds you of your 'long-lost senpai'," Mars said flatly.

'Long-lost senpai?' Knight thought as he glanced back at Venus in surprise, who seemed 
just as surprised as he was. 'It... can't be...,' he thought in shock. 'No way....'

"You remind me of someone as well," he replied. "My sister, Mako-chan."

Jupiter's eyes widened in complete shock. "R... Ryo-chan?!?" she gasped as she stared 
at him in disbelief.

Knight nodded as he reverted back into his normal form. "I can hardly believe it myself. 
My imouto-chan, one of the very allies we have been searching for."

"It IS you, Ryo-chan!" Jupiter shouted as she changed back and hugged him. "And Venus? 
Is she...?"

"It's me, Mako-chan?" Venus said as she changed back as well.

"Minako-chan!" Makoto shouted as she gathered her up in a hug as well. "I can't believe 
it! Everyone! It's Ryo-chan and Minako-chan!"

By then, the other Sailor Senshi had reverted back into their normal forms. Minako and 
Ryoku were surprised to find that the other three Senshi were the very three friends 
of Makoto's that had greeted them at the airport that day. Ami was Sailor Mercury, Rei 
was Sailor Mars, and Usagi was Sailor Moon.

Luna and Artemis couldn't help but grin at the display as the six Sailor Senshi met each 
other again for the first time.

"Look at them, Artemis," Luna said. "I've never seen them so excited." She turned to him 
with a serious look on her face. "But, do you think that they are ready to help us face 
the Dark Kingdom?"

"From what those two have been through together, they can handle anything the Dark 
Kingdom could throw at them," he replied seriously, yet fondly. He smiled again as he 
watched Ryoku put his arm around Minako's shoulder as all six Senshi began to leave as 
they listened to him and Minako tell them all about their struggle with the Dark Agency.

"There's no doubt in my mind, Luna. No doubt at all."

            **********************************************

Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective 
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch 
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This 
story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you
would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else. 
Thank you.

The Question and all stories included are:
Copyright © July 6, 2001 Jason C. Ulloa. 
All Rights Reserved.