Legal Gig: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is property of Toei 
Animation and Takeuchi Naoko. Project: Sailor Earth and The 
Utopian Chronicles are property of Tory L. Brown Any reference 
to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental, or the author 
just lost her mind for a second or so...

Characters: Sailor Earth/Sailor Utopia/Takanera Moshi, 
Tenchino Miko, Tenchino Moshi, Sailor Neo Earth, Sailor 
Paradise and Tenchino Hoshi belongs to Tory L. Brown.  
Should they be used without her permission, I just hope 
your insurance is paid up.

Arc Notes:
What the hell is going on? You ask.  I have no freaking
idea whatsoever!!

This one goes out to all the Mamo-chan fans.  Hey, that's me!

Mamoru: ^^;
Usagi: We're never going to hear the end of this.
Moshi: AT least you won't be living with him through this. -.-;

*  *  *


                   ::T h e  U t o p i a n   C h r o n i c l e s::

                                By: Tory L. Brown 
                              (tory_brown@yahoo.com)

                           
     ::A r c  S e v e n t e e n::

	And a Partridge in a Pear Tree... 


	"Oh my goodness!" Hoshi gasped as he slowly walked towards 
Sailorutopia.  The ghostly form of the Senshi wavered slightly as 
she put her hands up as if warning him not to step any closer.

	"Moshi," Hoshi said, his voice wavering. "What happened to 
you? Why can I see through you?"

	The ghostly figure shrugged.  Her sleeveless shoulders 
drooping sadly.  By the way she was acting, it was as if she 
couldn't speak.

	Hoshi's nose twitched as he thought for a second.  "Wait, 
are you really Moshi?"

	The ghost shook her head in no, but quickly started to nod.

	"Are you, or aren't you Moshi?" Hoshi asked, becoming more 
and more confused by the second.

	She did the same again, shaking her head no, but then 
nodding quickly with a yes.

	"Yare, yare," Hoshi said, feeling totally confused.

* * * *
	
	Desperate and growing more fearful by the second, Usagi 
scrambled to try and get Moshi situated on her bed before she 
placed a worried call to Mamoru. While Luna was struggling in 
Moshi's grip, Usagi hopped around the room as the phone at 
Mamoru's was ringing.

	"Moshi, moshi," a female voice came through the receiver.  
"Chiba desu."

	Usagi paused for a moment.  That wasn't Moshi answering 
the phone.  Moshi was here at her house knocked out!  "Dare ka!? 
Doko wa, Mamo-chan!"

	The girl on the other end paused.  "Usagi-sama?"

	"NANI?!" Usagi screamed, nearly throttling the phone in 
place of the girl's neck.  

	"Mamoru-oj-er-san is unavailable at the moment," the 
mysterious girl, who happened to sound like Moshi, supplied.  
"He's seem to taken ill."

	"Kami-sama!" Usagi exclaimed.  "I'm on my way!" She hung 
up the phone and rushed to the doorway.

	"OI! USAGI-CHAN!" Luna cried.  "What about us!?"

	Usagi grumbled and rushed back to Moshi's side and tried 
moving her.  When the limp form refused to budge, she leaned 
against the bed and sighed.  "I'm gonna need some help."

* * * *

	Makoto had just finished her nightly ritual of cleaning 
her apartment.  She wiped the sweat from her brow and commented 
on how she was glad that there was no school the next day.

	She's just settled down in front of the TV with the 
television guide when her phone started to ring.

	"Moshi, moshi," Makoto said after picking up the receiver.  
"Kino desu."

	"Mako-chan!" Usagi's worried voice came through.  "I really 
need your help! Mo-chan's passed out and Mamo-chan's sick and some 
girl is at his apartment!"

	"Whoa!" Makoto exclaimed.  "Calm down, run that by me again!?"

	Usagi explained what she said again, this time somewhat more 
slowly.  "Something VERY weird is going on and I need your help!"

	Makoto sighed.  "Give me twenty minutes, I'm on my way."

	"Arigato!" Usagi exclaimed and quickly hung up.  One Senshi 
down, three more to call.

* * * *

	Mamoru took another sip from his cup of tea that Miko made 
for him.  "So what you two are telling me is, if you don't stop 
what's happening, everything's changed?"

	Shi nodded, putting her teacup down.  "That's why we are 
the way we are now, because of that one simple change.  I don't 
have my power level of Tuxedo Kamen anymore!"

	Miko added, "I have yet to become Supersailorearth and I 
don't think I ever will now."

	Mamoru put his teacup down and put a hand under his chin.  
He was willing to bet that whatever was going on, Moshi was the 
eye of the entire storm.  He noted that lately he'd been feeling 
a bit uneasy himself.  He wondered if this involved him as well.  
It had to.  He was the first person her children sought out when 
they reached the past.

	His nose twitched. Things were really screwed up, especially 
after what they told him.  He fought the urge to shudder again. 
It took a few cups of tea to snap him from his stupor.  

	The phone started to ring.  Before Mamoru could get up to 
answer it, Shi was at the table in a flash, picking up the 
receiver. "Moshi, moshi. Chiba desu."

	Mamoru watched as the solemn expression on the girl's face 
wash away to a visage of terror.  It had to be Usagi on the phone.  
When the loud wail reached his ears, he then KNEW it was Usagi.

	Miko started to panic, stalking around the apartment as she 
wrung her hands together.  She waited until Shi hung up before 
starting to talk.  "We've really done it now!"

	"Chikuso!" Shi cursed loudly.  "Usagi-sama said she's on 
her way! We can't have her showing up with US here looking like THIS!"

	Mamoru's face paled a few dozen shades.  If Usagi caught 
him here with these two... he'd rather not think about it.  "Your 
best bet is to tell her the truth."

	"No!" Miko exclaimed.  "No one is supposed to know we're 
here.  If Sailorpluto even had a suspicion.  We-"

	"No!" Mamoru interjected.  "It's obvious you two need more 
help than I can give.  Let Usako help.  It's only a matter of 
time before somebody finds out!"

	Shi cursed again, this time hitting a palm with a fist.  
"Mi-chan, iku yo." She reached into her pocked and pulled out 
a henshin pen.  "Paradise Power, make up!"

	Miko quickly followed suit and transformed.  "Neo Earth 
Transform!"
	
* * * *

	With the other Senshi's help, Usagi ushered Moshi's 
unconscious body to Mamoru's apartment.  It really didn't seem 
that hard to do, Moshi was walking but with her head down and 
eyes closed.  It seemed she was barely functioning.

	When they reached the complex, Usagi held the door open as 
Minako and Makoto led Moshi through the doorway.  The second she 
entered, Moshi pulled herself from her friend's hands and walked 
over to the elevator.

	Cautiously, the others followed waiting to rush out and grab 
their friend if she started to collapse.  They watched in shock as 
Moshi entered the elevator, waited for the others, and then pressed 
the button for the tenth floor.

	"Am I the only one thinking that this is really weird?" Minako 
muttered to Rei.

	Rei shook her head as the doors opened and Moshi walked into 
the hallway.  "You're definitely not the only one thinking that."

	With Usagi behind her, Moshi dug into her pocket, pulled out 
a key, and opened the door. The second she entered the household, 
Moshi crumpled to the floor and started snoring heavily.

	Usagi nimbly skipped over Moshi's body and stormed into the 
household.  "Mamo-chan! Where are you!" she exclaimed, looking 
around the apartment.  "Who was that girl that answered the phone?"

	"Gomen nasai, Usagi-sama," a voice said.  "I believe it was me."

	Usagi looked up angrily and saw a tall blonde come around 
the corner.  Usagi took a step back, for a second she felt she was 
looking in a mirror.  The blonde had her hair done in the same 
style as Usagi, but there was something cold about her violet eyes.  
The girl was dressed in a sailor fuku, the fuku of Sailorparadise.

	Usagi gasped as the realization hit her.  "Shi-chan?"

	Paradise nodded.  "Mi-chan is here with me too."  As she 
said this, Neo Earth peered from behind her and waved slightly.

	Makoto blinked.  "Wait, if you're Chibimo and Miko, why 
is your hair blonde? Hoshi-san isn't blonde!"

	"Neither is Mo-chan," Minako supplied, looking at the girls 
with large eyes.

	For the first time since everyone dropped in, Mamoru appeared.  
"That's why they're here.  You girls might want to sit down, they 
have a story they need to tell."

	"I have a bad feeling about this," Rei huffed under her breath 
as she and Makoto hustled Moshi over to the couch.

* * * *

	The ghostly figure of Sailorutopia was slowly leading Hoshi 
towards the Azabu apartment complex.  For blocks, she would walk 
ahead and wait for Hoshi to catch up.

	Catching his breath from chasing the ghost, Hoshi leaned 
against the side of a building holding his side.  "I take it 
we're heading back to your house?"

	Utopia nodded and flashed a come-hither smile.  She walked 
on without pausing to see if Hoshi was following.

	"This is gonna be a doozy!" Hoshi commented as he rushed on 
to catch up.  As he passed the high wall circling the complex gardens, 
he felt something sharp as knives strike him below his ribcage.  
With a loud groan, he doubled over expecting to see blood.	

	A white mist hovered above his head as long thin tendrils of 
smoke started to go into his nostrils.  The once green eyes turned 
a flaming red as saliva started to ooze from between his lips.  

	Utopia heard Hoshi's gasp of pain and she turned around, 
rushing to his side.  She tried to touch him, but her hands went 
through him as she watched in horror as he became possessed.

	When he finally looked up, eyes flaming red, spittle sliding 
down his jaws.  "I am Lus Tii.  You are very pretty, come here!" 
he roared, lunging at the frightened spirit.

	Horrified, Utopia sped away towards the complex, heading 
back to her body.

* * * *

	Rei's eyebrows twitched furiously as she took in what Neo 
Sailor Earth said to her.  "She...what...why?!"

	Makoto's jaw rested against her chest as she stared at 
Paradise with wide green eyes.  "I don't understand it!"

	Of everyone, Usagi took a little bit longer to actually 
understand, but when she finally did, her own eyes were huge 
as saucers.

	Ami, of course, tried to rationalize it all, until her own 
jaw fell in complete shock.

	Minako, on the other hand was completely understanding.  
"Hey, if it was me, I would have done the same thing!"

	"Minako-chan!" everyone chastised.

	Minako turned red in the face and hung her head.

	"Now you see why we're back," Neo Earth said, reverting 
to her civilian form.

	Paradise did the same and settled down on the couch next 
to her sister.  "If we don't do what we can, this is the result," 
she said, pointing to one blonde odango.

	Mamoru, who was still shuddering from his own shock, looked 
over at Moshi who was still unconscious. "I'm worried, how long 
has this actually been going on?"

	Paradise shrugged. "As far as we know, could be days or 
weeks. Only she and whoever else was involved knows."

	"I bet it was Hoshi-kun," Mamoru stated.

	Before anyone could say anything else, the front door banged 
open and a chill wind filled the room.  Everyone screamed and huddled 
together in fright, with Mamoru lying across Moshi, protecting her 
from the chill.  As sudden as the chilly onslaught began, it ended 
with the door slamming loudly.

	"What the hell was that?" Makoto said, sitting up and 
arranging her shirt.

	Mamoru felt Moshi start to move beneath him as a loud groan 
escaped her lips.  He moved over and saw that her eyes were wide 
open.  "Midget?"

	"Hoshi's in trouble!" Moshi exclaimed, trying to get to her 
feet.  As fast as she wanted to move, she couldn't.  Her body was 
still tired. Using the last resources of her strength, Moshi 
propelled herself to her feet, nearly falling flat on her face.

	Mamoru grabbed his sister and steadied her.  "You're in no 
shape to be vaulting around! Let us handle it!"

	Moshi struggled against Mamoru's grip while protesting.  
"I can't just sit here while he's in trouble! I know you'd do 
the same thing if Usagi-chan was in trouble!"

	"Fine," Mamoru conceded.  "We'll all go, but YOU take it 
easy," he stated, glaring at her with one hard blue eye and 
giving her a slight shake to get his point across.

	Moshi looked at her older brother with moist violet eyes.  
"Arigato, Ru-chan."

	"Minna!" Minako called.  "Ikuyo!"

* * * *

	Upon reaching the outside, the Senshi quickly scanned the 
area for the erstwhile Hoshi.  Relying on Moshi's intuition, 
they headed back towards the downtown area.  With help from 
Mamoru, Moshi scanned the area, searching for the spike she 
recognized as Hoshi's life force.

	"Mo-chan?" Usagi asked, appearing on Moshi's other side.  
"How are you tracking him?"

	Moshi blinked for a second.  "I'm searching for his life 
force, whenever I'm near Hoshi, as corny as it sounds, I can 
sense Stars."

	Usagi sweatdropped at Moshi's answer.  "Let me guess, you 
sense rabbits when you're near me?"

	The small laugh Moshi emitted was Usagi's answer.  "You're 
getting more and more psychic," Moshi said.  "You need to quit 
hanging around Rei-chan."

	"Minna!" Makoto's voice interrupted the conversation.  
"I see him!"

	Everyone rushed over to where Makoto was standing.  
They'd found Hoshi all right; he was chasing women all over 
the downtown area with flaming red eyes.	His particular target 
at the moment was a short dark-haired woman who was trying to 
keep him at bay with an umbrella.

	"All right, minna! Henshin yo!" Luna cried.

	Various cries of transformation filled the air as each 
Senshi transformed.  That is, until it was Moshi and Mamoru's turn.

	"Ano..." Moshi stared at the Wand of infinity with disbelief, 
she couldn't transform again!  "I can't transform!"

	"Me neither," Mamoru added.  "No matter how hard I 
concentrate, I can't become Tuxedo Kamen."

	"Oh dear," Paradise said, venturing over to her future 
uncle and mother.  "It's continuing.  I don't know why, but 
you two won't be able to transform for a bit."

	Moshi's face scrunched in anger.  "Hoshi's in trouble, 
I can't just sit here like a lump!"

	"Mo-chan," Jupiter said, putting a hand on her friend's 
shoulder.  "Let us handle this.  I promise you, we won't hurt him."

	Faced with no choice, Moshi hung her head sadly.  "Do what 
you can, just make sure he's ok."

	"Hai," Jupiter answered.  "Minna, let's do this!"

	Mamoru and Moshi watched as the Senshi bounded off to trap 
the possessed Hoshi.  

* * * *

	Using the umbrella, she tried her best to keep the crazy man 
at bay.  With a swat here and a poke there, he skittered backward 
away from the weapon.  

	Salvia oozed from his lips as he stared at her as if she was 
a pork chop.  "Pretty woman, look like Moshi! Kiss me, kiss me!"

	"Stay back, you monster!" she yelled, batting at him with 
the umbrella again.

	A golden chain came from the darkness and wrapped around 
the crazy man, pinning his octopus arms to his sides.  One firm 
yank on the chain slammed him onto his butt.

	The woman released a sigh of relief.  "Arigato, whoever 
you are!" she called out.  Turning, she fled the scene.

	Hoshi struggled against his bonds, feeling the magical 
golden chain bite into his flesh.  "Let me go!" he roared.  
He opened his eyes and saw five women in very short skirts 
standing above him.

	"Nope, we're going to leave you just like that," the 
one in orange said, who was holding the end of the magical chain.

	The red eyes opened wide as he saw legs of different 
lengths and skin tones before him.   "Pretty girls! Legs!
Pretty girls and legs!"

	"Oh goodness, let me guess," Mars stated with a sigh.  
"He's possessed with Lust?!"

	Jupiter grinned.  "It would seem so."

	"Well, at least it's Hoshi-san and not Venus," Mercury 
said with a laugh.

	Venus had the grace to blush.  "I'm not that bad!"

	"Sailormoon, are you almost ready?" Mars asked, looking 
over at her fellow Senshi.

	"Hai," Moon answered, bringing her tier to bare.  
"Stand back."

	Before Sailormoon could even begin her attack, a surge 
of strength surged through Hoshi and in a hail of pieces of 
magical chain, he rushed forward and tackled Sailormoon, 
sending her tier flying.

	"Sailormoon!" the Senshi cried, rushing to her aid.

	Moshi saw what happened and started moving forward at 
a slow pace. "They're going to hurt him, Ru-chan! Come on!"

	Feeling cold lips on her face, Moon struggled.  She 
had to remember this was her best friend's boyfriend. She 
couldn't hurt him like she wanted to.  "Get him off of me!" 
she cried, putting one gloved hand across his mouth to fight 
off the seeking mouth.

	Jupiter was the first to reach the pair.  She grabbed 
Hoshi by his upper arms and flung him off Sailormoon.  He 
rolled a few feet and came to a halt.  Standing up, he 
shook his head and surged forward for his next target: Mercury.

	Moshi's eyes grew wide as she saw Mercury power up for 
the Shine Aqua Illusion.  "IIE! Mercury, DON'T!"  She tried 
to hurry, but Mamoru ran past her and jumped before the attack.

	At that moment, Moshi collapsed, Moon screamed and 
Mercury let out a cry of shock.  The icy waters covered 
both Mamoru and Hoshi.

	Ice skittered up Mamoru's spine as he blacked out.

* * * *

	"Son, son?" a voice reached Mamoru's ears.  Opening 
his eyes, he saw a face with dark hair hovering above him.

	"Nani?" he asked as his eyes came into focus.  The 
worried gaze of Gaia was on him.  "Okaa-san?"

	"Ah, you're awake now," Gaia said, helping Mamoru 
to his feet.  Looking around, he saw he was near the old palace.

	"What's going on?" he asked in confusion.  One moment 
he was downtown and now he was at his old palace.

	Gaia put an arm around her son's shoulders.  "It's 
time for you to learn about the Legacy."

	"The legacy?!" Mamoru asked.  "What's that?"

	Without words, Gaia pointed to an open field.  In 
the middle of this field was a large rock with a cross 
adoring the top.  Near the rock stood the figure of a man, 
his violet cloak billowed in the air behind him like a floating wave.
The man turned, his dark hair gleaming in the sunlight.  His 
sharp face was adorned with a mustache and goatee.

	Instantly Mamoru recognized this man, it was almost as 
if he was looking into a mirror of his future self.  "Papa?"

	Gaia nodded.  "Hai, it is your father, King Seikai of 
the Golden Kingdom."

	Stumbling, Mamoru walked through the field, as he neared 
Seikai, he noted that he could see through him, as if it was a ghost.

	"Papa?" Mamoru called again.  He stubbed his foot against 
a rock.  Looking down, he noted that he was dressed in the 
regalia of Prince Endymion.

	"Endymion," the deep voice said.  The king turned around 
fully to face his son.  "It has been a millennia since I've seen you."

	Mamoru's chest clinched as he suddenly remembered the 
last time he saw his father alive.  "I'm sorry, I had 
forgotten about you."

	"I haven't forgotten about you.  For a millennia I 
have waited at this spot, until it was time for you to 
inherit your true power as the last royal member of the 
planet Earth."

	Mamoru's blue eyes blinked.  "What do you mean? I'm 
going to power up or something?"

	Seikai turned his own blue eyes on his heir.  "Much 
more than that.  You see this stone here?" Seikai said, 
pointing to the large rock adorned with the cross at the 
top.  When Mamoru nodded, Seikai continued.  "This is my 
final resting place, inside you will find my body and 
my Legacy."

	"Your legacy?" Mamoru said with a shudder at the 
thought of being near a dead body.  "Wait, you mean I 
have to go in there?"

	Seikai nodded.  "Inside you will have all your answers."

	Before Mamoru could ask another question the figure 
of the king faded to a violet puff of smoke.  Turning to 
Gaia, he gave her a questioning look.  Gaia nodded, 
pointing to the tomb.

	Shuddering, Mamoru walked to the opening and pushed 
the dark purple velvet curtain aside and stepped in.  The 
second he stepped in the curtain vanished, leaving him in 
total darkness.  He waited for a second to let his eyes 
adjust before moving on.

	Once able to see, he spied a set of stairs that led 
to the lower levels of the tomb.  The walls were decorated 
with velvet paintings depicting the final battle of the 
Earth King and Queen.  Mamoru paused before the tapestry 
showing Queen Gaia dressed in the armor of the Utopian Knight.

	He put a hand on the soft material and sighed.  "So 
this is how Midget became the knight, she inherited from Gaia." 

	As he walked on, he saw different tapestries showing the 
entire lineage of the Earth Kingdom, there were even a few 
showing Moshi in her former life and how she became a Senshi. 
When he came to the last stair, the tapestry above the archway 
was blank.  When he peered at the nameplate, it was a blank 
gold slate.

	"Why is this blank?" he questioned with a cocked eyebrow. 
Could it be because this hasn't happened yet?

	At the end of the stairs there was a long tunnel lit by 
floating orbs of light.  As he moved, one orb hovered along 
side of him, lightning the floor for him.  At the end of the 
tunnel was another dark purple curtain of velvet.

	"That must be where he's resting," Mamoru muttered, 
surprising a shutter that threatened to break out.

	Expecting a smell of decay, he pushed the curtain back 
and stepped in.  More orbs covered the wall, lightning the 
body that sat at the throne made of gold in the center of 
the room.

	Seikai's body sat on the throne, looking as it did 
the day he died.  A serene expression was on his face as 
his eyes were closed.  He was dressed in the formal attire 
of the King, chest decorated with all types of medallions 
and medals.  The large hands that gripped the armrests were 
decorated with rings of various precious stones.  A large 
sash decorated with more medallions was across his chest.  
Around his waist, there was a scabbard, but no sword was 
inside it. 

	Mamoru's eyebrows rose a half inch above his eyes.  
How could the body still be intact after all this time? 
It didn't even seem as if he was dead, just taking a slight nap.

	Before the throne, a long sword with an elaborate 
handle was stuck in a stone.  A gold nameplate decorated 
the stone with the words, "Seikai's Legacy," written across it.

	"That's the Legacy he was talking about!" he exclaimed, 
rushing forward and grabbing the handle.

	The moment his hand touched the handle of the sword, 
the corpse suddenly jumped up and placed a hand on Mamoru's 
chest, causing him to scream and jump backwards.

	The eyes opened and focused on Mamoru.  "Here is my 
Legacy," it said with a deep hollowed voice.

	A cold sweat broke out on Mamoru's face as he felt 
the cold hand touch the center of his chest and the sword 
being thrusted into his own hand.  Looking down, he saw a 
golden light surround the hand as life energy poured into 
his soul.

	Like golden honey, it slid into his body and solidified, 
filling him with more power.  "This is what life forces are 
like," Mamoru thought, remembering the time when Moshi 
transformed him into Sailorearth.  He could feel his ears 
physically perking up as if his sixth sense was growing in 
strength.

	As the energy flowed into Mamoru's soul, the body of 
King Seikai slowly started to decompose before his very eyes.  
Before long, it was just a skeleton dressed in a dusty suit.  
Seconds later, it fell to the ground in a pile of dust and age.  
A slight wind touched his ears as he heard his father's voice.  
"This is my Legacy..."

	Mamoru collapsed to his knees, feeling his soul burning 
with the life force of his father.  "I understand," he whispered 
as warm tears slid down his flushed cheeks.

	The ground gave a loud groan as the walls began to 
tremble underneath some unseen force.  Mamoru jumped to his 
feet, making sure he had Seikai's Legacy.  Somehow, during 
the transfer his old sword vanished, making room for the new 
blade in his scabbard.

	He ran for the archway where the blank tapestry hung.  
Pausing to look up, it now sported a picture of he and Moshi, 
standing in a large field back to back, both in full armor 
wielding swords. The way they held the swords forced the two 
blades to cross one another. In her hand was the Dawnbringer 
and in his, Seikai's Legacy. The golden nameplate now said, 
"Fighting As One."

	"That's why we couldn't transform, we're somehow tied 
together in power," Mamoru mused.

	The loud groaning reminded him why he was running.  
Turning, Mamoru headed back to the opening, up the long path 
of stairs.  He didn't stop until the bright sunlight stung 
his eyes as he made it outside.  When he turned around, the 
large tomb was gone. There was nothing but open field 
surrounded him.

	He looked for Gaia and heard a voice next to him.  
"Prince Endymion."

	He spun around and saw the golden eyed priest, Helios 
looking at him with a solemn expression.  "Helios?"

	"It's time, my prince," Helios said as he extended one 
hand and tapped Mamoru on the shoulder.

	Mamoru felt his eyes grow heavy and he felt his body 
pitching forward.  "Helios?"

* * * *

	When Mamoru came to, he saw a pair of gloved arms, 
wrapped around his neck from the back.  "Usako?" he whispered, 
feeling the arms clinch tighter with relief.  He looked up 
and saw Hoshi entrapped in a hug by Moshi, who was sobbing 
quietly.

	"What happened?" Mamoru asked, looking up into the 
concerned blue gaze of Sailormoon.

	"It doesn't matter, you're both ok," Moon said, hugging 
him tighter to her body.

	Moshi stood up and limped over to Mamoru, falling to 
her knees.  "Ru-chan, daijoub--" she was cut off as she 
touched his hand and felt the jolt of energy.  "You've..." 
she trailed off, staring at him with large eyes.

	Somehow, Moshi sensed it.  Now he knew they were really 
tied together in power.  "Hai, I saw father."

	A breath escaped her lips before speaking.  "King Seikai?"

	He nodded.  "I'll tell you about it later, but for now 
Hoshi seems to be a bit cold."

	Moshi looked over her shoulder and saw Hoshi shuddering 
in his nearly frozen clothes.  "Hai," she said with a nod, 
getting back to her feet stiffly.

	Hoshi waited for Moshi to make it back to him before 
he pulled her close in a hug.  "Whatever you do, keep them 
away from me!" he whispered in her ear.  

	Moshi giggled and hugged him back tight.  "It's ok, 
you were slightly possessed at the moment.  It's better 
now.  I'll always be here."

	From afar, Mercury watched with happiness. She was 
glad that her attack didn't cause too much damage, just 
enough to knock the possessed spirit out of Hoshi long 
enough for Sailormoon to kill it.

	She jumped when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.  
She turned and saw Mars looking at her.  "Let's leave 
them alone, ne.  They need it."

	Mercury bobbed her head in a nod.  "Hai, I think 
we've done enough for one night."

	"That's for sure," Venus stated as the remaining 
inner Senshi left with Paradise and Neoearth following.

* * * *

	From a building across the street, a group watched 
was took place before them. 

	"We've waited too long," Ainako groused, thumping 
a palm with a fist.  "They've started powering up already!"

	Hei twisted one strand of dark purple hair.  "Just 
a second, how did he power up, we didn't see it!"

	Toshi resisted the urge to slap Hei as usual.  
"Didn't you feel his power level spike greatly?! So far, 
he's now the most powerful one!"

	Kichiru nodded, his dark blue hair flopping over 
one eye.  "We don't have much time.  We need to get the 
others and quickly."

	"I agree," Taruka said with a flip of his blue hair.  
"If things keep going this way, we won't have the chance 
to do Perenity's work."

	Toshi looked at Moshi, her black eyes glittering 
eerily in the night.  "When she hears about this, 
Perenity's going to want to come here herself."


Oshimai, da yo!

Next Arc: Feathers in Flight


*** JAPANESE USED IN ARC SEVENTEEN ***


-kun,-chan,-sama -- honorifics denoting, respect and/or affection.

Arigato -- Thank you
Chikuso -- Damn
Dare -- Who
Doko -- Where
Gomen nasai -- I'm sorry.
Hai -- Yes.
Henshin -- Transform
Iie -- No.
Iku -- Let's go
Ja ne -- til then!
Kami -- God.
Minna -- Everyone
Moshi moshi -- Hello (said on the phone)
Nani -- What
Ne -- Said to elicit a verbal response. Sort of like Eh?
Okaa -- Mother
Yare yare -- Equivalent of Oh boy.
Yo -- emphasizing a point like an exclamation.