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Mars Fire Ignite
Chapter 6: A Rei of Hope
by Soumitra Choudhury
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The coming of the new day brought very little relief from the trying night the 
scouts had encountered. A gloom of sooty grey clouds settled over the city, 
periodically flashing a tendril of lightning through its midst. The crispness of 
autumn gave way to a mournful, wailing breeze, slipping its way through streets, 
cracks, and bones, sending shivers of despair up and down the spines of the 
population. It just wasn't one of those days one wanted to get out of bed. 
Serena stood at her window, hugging herself to ward off the chill. Luna, worried 
that something was wrong, leaped onto the windowsill. "Serena, are you alright?" 

The princess ignored the cat's question, and continued staring out the window. 
"Don't you feel it, Luna? This isn't right. The air... it feels wrong," she 
muttered after a while. 
Flicking her tail in agitation, Luna merely nodded. She had been told what had 
happened the night before, and it irked her that she hadn't been around to help. 
She had been off with Artemis calling in with Central Headquarters. Now, she 
could only do what she could to help the other scouts defeat this Grell and try 
to get Rei back. 
Central Headquarters had nothing to give on the entity known as the Grell. The 
only person who knew anything was Darien... or the Grell himself. He was a 
shadow, though. No one knew his whereabouts, his hideout, nothing. It was as if 
he was nonexistent. Which, of course, was not true. 
Rei's condition was plenty testament to that. 
What Serena told her of Rei also bothered the cat greatly. She had always 
suspected that Rei had more power at her control than she let on. Every time the 
cat had been present during a fire reading, she could feel Rei building a 
barrier of willpower against something, and releasing only a dribble of energy 
to control the Great Fire. Luna always chalked it up to the rigors of being a 
Shinto priestess, however, a topic with which she had little to no experience. 
It never occurred to her that it was something much more. 
And if Rei truly does have a great deal of power, how will the strength of 
Sailor Mars affect it? Why hadn't Rei come as Mars to deal with Serena and the 
rest? 
Luna frowned as only a cat could. She felt that this piece of the conundrum 
would be very important to consider, but she didn't have enough knowledge to 
explore it. Perhaps Ami could help? 
"Serena, when are we having the scout meeting?" the feline asked. 
"Umm, around one this afternoon. We're going to have it at Mina's house because 
of her injuries." 
Luna nodded. "Alright. We need to talk to Ami before that. I need to ask her a 
few questions about Rei and her powers. Do you feel up to it, Serena?" 
The blonde girl stayed silent for a moment. Then, she squared her shoulders and 
adopted a look of steady resolve. "Of course I'm up to it. Rei needs us more 
than ever. I'm not going to let her down." She turned to her dresser to find a 
suitable outfit. 
Luna beamed with pride. 
* * * * *
"Well, this is what I managed to find out, Luna," Ami replied to the feline's 
question of Rei's powers. "The computer scanned out a chart of her body 
activities, and it seems that her powers are indeed magical in nature. She seems 
to be able to pull the required forces from the very air." 
"Could you pinpoint anything about her powers?" 
"Not any specifics, I'm afraid. I did notice, though, that local weather 
patterns have changed drastically since yesterday. I don't know whether that has 
anything to do with Rei, but the forecast for today was originally lots of sun 
and 45 degrees, not overcast and 20. I can't be sure if it's a coincidence, but 
I've never heard of clouds materializing from nothing over the span of a couple 
of hours." She paused. "I think maybe her pulling so much from the surroundings 
is causing the disrupted weather patterns." 
"Alright. The concern is duly noted. What do you think about the clashing of 
energies of Sailor Mars and her dark side?" 
Ami shrugged. "I don't know. Based on experience, I wouldn't think that a 
transformation would make a difference in her powers other than adding the two 
together. That would make her deadly beyond reckoning." 
Serena frowned. "I haven't followed everything you said, but I get the main 
gist. Now, whenever we transform, there's a sense of goodness that surrounds us, 
a sense that what we are doing is for the good of the world-" Ami nodded at 
this, "-so what happens when Rei tries to transform and she feels this? Won't it 
clash with her dark side?" 
Luna blinked. "Why yes. That's exactly what I meant. Thank you, Serena." 
Ami contemplated this. "Well, I suppose it's possible that she could be confused 
by this, but I have reservations about that. I think she might be too powerful 
to fall to that sense." 
"But somewhere deep down, the true Rei will feel it! It may help in some way!" 
Serena cried emphatically. 
"Perhaps," Ami replied, feeling bad about having to play the realistic guy, "But 
it's a little much to have to weigh all our hopes on, isn't it?" 
The black feline gazed out the window. "It may be all we have, Ami," she sighed 
softly. 
Ami got up from the desk and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, we should eat 
some lunch before we go to Mina's. Do you want to eat here, Serena?" 
The blonde smiled wanely. "Sure, I guess. I'm not too hungry, though." 
Luna was extremely worried. 
It took some time, but Mina finally convinced her parents that she would be okay 
without her parents around. When Mr. and Mrs. Aino left, they got directly down 
to business. 
"Alright, this is the situation, scouts," Luna began in an authoritative voice, 
"As you all know, the Grell has managed to subvert Rei somehow that has to do 
with the mask that she wears constantly. Not only is she a less than nice 
person, Rei now has more power than almost all of us combined, as last night's 
encounters can attest to. Ami, do you want to explain your findings?" 
Ami took up where Luna left off, providing them with all the information she 
could glean from the data she had recorded. She didn't mention Serena and Luna's 
theory about the transformation energy clash until the very end. 
"Wow!" exclaimed Mina, "you really think that's why she hasn't become Sailor 
Mars yet and caused some real havoc?" 
"It's not definite that this could happen, but yes, I think that might be the 
case," the black cat replied. 
Artemis padded out of Mina's lap and into the spotlight. "Still, that doesn't 
explain how we are going to get her back. The transformation may confuse her, 
but that's about it." He shook his head. "Something about this is so familiar," 
he mumbled to himself quietly. Mina stroked his head comfortingly. 
No one could provide a response, so they turned to Darien, who lowered his head. 
"I'm sorry girls, but I have no idea how to defeat the Grell. Remember, we 
couldn't handle him even when magic was prevalent, let alone now when we're the 
only ones who have power of any kind." 
*****
Rei perused over the last musty book, relishing the knowledge that had been 
locked away from Civilization for so long. She now had in her possession some of 
the most sought after treasures of the human race of Earth, the Necronomicon and 
the head of John the Baptist to name a couple. There were even items of 
tremendous magical power from the Silver Millennium, Earth's distant past, and 
other planets and existences, such as the sword Excaliber and something known as 
the Runestone, a fist-sized black pearl inscribed with gold runes. 
"That is the last of the treasures I have kept," breathed the Grell, exhausted 
by his incarceration and having to guide the fire-child around. 
Rei closed the ancient anthology and teleported it to her temple. She had taken 
to sending everything that she wanted to the temple so that she could explore 
their lore later at her own convenience. By now, the prayer room was choked full 
of wealth. "Hmm, then it seems your usefulness is at an end. She raised her 
hands and closed her eyes in concentration. 
"What?!" cried the assassin, but he felt the forces of her power gathering even 
as he spoke. Yelling out obscenities, struggling futilely, the Grell tried 
desperately to escape. He even used what little energy he had left, but it was 
swept away, just as before. 
A gale slammed into him, and he screamed out his hatred and pain. Motes of 
brilliant white light popped into existence around him, forming the outlines of 
an sphere. The gale turned into a hurricane of force, sending the papers, books, 
dust and furniture flying about in a frenzied dance. More and more motes 
appeared, constructing a glowing circular barrier around the evil being. 
In the midst of this all, Rei calmly stood with her arms raised high, eyes 
resolutely closed... until a full shining sphere encased the Grell. Her eyes 
snapped open and she clapped her hands together, spitting out a stream of arcane 
phrases. She finished the last phrase, which encased herself in a shielding 
bubble of clear jade, just as the world about her exploded. 
*****
Suddenly the world shone brilliantly through the windows, and everyone in the 
room snapped their attention in that direction. Leaping to the glass, Lita swung 
the curtains open. What greeted them would remain etched in their memories for 
all time. 
Mina's house resided on a hill of sorts, so it had a fairly good view of the 
surrounding city. Thus, they were able to see the horribly huge globe of 
destruction that hung over the northeastern part of Tokyo, a quarter nestled 
into the ground. Expanding rings of pure flames inclined up the globe and shot 
off into the sky, ripping through the overcasting clouds. A dull rumble reached 
their gathering, and it felt as if a mild earthquake had meandered its way 
through the ground. 
The display lasted for a few minutes, then began to shrink in upon itself. 
Slowly, irrevocably, the rings grew smaller in diameter, the globe collapsing 
and elongating, until a column of pearly light, perhaps no thicker than a tree 
stump, blazed up from the center of the destruction into the heavens. Then, even 
that pillar dissipated away. The shaking of the ground faded. 
All that remained of the magnificent show was a crater a mile wide and several 
hundred feet deep. 
No one said a word, absolutely dumbstruck by the awesome explosion, everyone's 
mouths hanging open. Mr. and Mrs. Aino burst into the room. "Is everyone okay?" 
Mina's mother asked, looking visibly shaken. 
It took a few moments, but Mina voiced their perfect health, and managed to get 
rid of her parents, albeit gently and with utmost care. 
"By the Moon, what was that?!" Serena cried when wits had returned to all 
present. 
Luna and Artemis had the most horrified expressions on their face, and it was 
Amy who first noticed it. "What is it?" she inquired. Internally, her mind was 
calculating and analyzing what kind of power could cause that much of an effect. 
Atomic bomb?... no, too localized. Exploding nuclear power plant?... no, doesn't 
seem to be any radiation. The Grell? Possible. Rei? Dear God... 
Luna curled up into a ball, shivering uncontrollably, and seemed on the verge of 
tears. Artemis nuzzled her gently, then stared up into the confused eyes of the 
scouts. "We remember what Rei is," he muttered miserably. He sucked in a large 
breath, let it out slowly, and proceeded. 
"Back in the days of the Silver Millennium, each of the individual 
principalities where you girls reigned as princesses were known for being 
superior in a certain talent. For example, the people of Jupiter were well 
respected for being the best military minds in the solar system, those of 
Mercury as the most scholastically gifted sages, so on and so forth. Most 
notably, though, were the people of Mars, who were gifted in the lore of magic. 
In fact, before the Silver Millennium even got started, it was the people of 
Mars who forged the magical link the Moon Kingdom thrived upon. This, of course, 
is a generalization, for interplanetary mingling spread the talents to the other 
parts of the kingdom. For the most part, though, each was known for their 
forte." 
Artemis closed his eyes and inhaled again. "Anyway, once in a while, there is 
one born who is extraordinarily gifted in the arcane. He or she is afforded much 
honor, and schooled methodically in his or her talent. The people of Mars called 
this person an Archmagi." 
"An Archmagi had the honor and power to do as he or she pleased, because of its 
rarity. Eventually, one family became the only line in which an Archmagi arose 
from: Mars' Royal Line." 
"So you're saying Rei's an Archmagi," Lita said, not understanding what the big 
deal was. "So what? We're still the Sailor Scouts. We have enough magic to deal 
with her, right?" 
Luna perked up. "No! That's what we are getting at, Lita. Your powers are not 
enough to deal with her alone." 
"She's right," added Artemis, shaking his head. "The Sailor Scouts cannot handle 
a rampaging Archmagi." 
"In the past, an Archmagi almost always came to the court of the Moon Kingdom to 
act as an advisor. He would have been given every right and honor of nobility, 
almost to the rank of a prince, but there was always an understanding. There 
were two reasons he would be kept near the Moon court. First, undoubtably he was 
the most knowledgeable individual in all things magical. With this, the Archmagi 
could advise and instruct the Moon Kingdom from its capital." 
"Second, and most importantly, the Archmagi was kept in the central court so he 
could be watched." 
The scouts blinked, not quite understanding the last statement. "I'm afraid you 
lost us, Artemis," Darien said, voicing everyone's confusion. "Why would he need 
to be watched?" 
"You see, all of your powers come from innate magic that flows through the solar 
system. Each of you can access your own planet's, um, er, 'magic pool' if you 
will. It's based on a lot of theory and scientific jargon that I don't rightly 
understand myself, so take my word on it." 
"An Archmagi, however, has control over a lot more than these surrounding 'magic 
pools'. He or she can actually tap into the weave of magic that spans the 
universe, that is the source of all magic. Thus, the Archmagi has a nearly 
infinite source of power." Artemis could tell he had their attention now as the 
understanding of what they were up against finally dawned upon them. "Because of 
this limitless power, the Archmagi was not only respected, but feared as well." 
"Most of them were kind, gentle, and of considerable help throughout the history 
of the Silver Millennium. They were instrumental in capturing criminal powers 
beyond our means. There was once, however, where one of the Archmagi went 
astray, once long, long ago." 
Serena seemed fascinated. "What happened?" 
Luna piped in here. "Well, you of course know of the asteroid belt between Mars 
and Jupiter, right?" 
Serena fidgeted a bit, looking embarrassed. "Uh, sure Luna. The Asteroid Belt. 
Yeah I remember that." It was clear to everyone that Serena had no clue there 
was an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. 
Sighing in exasperation, Luna continued. "Yes, well, according to history, back 
some one thousand years before the end of the Silver Millennium, one Archmagi 
went on an ambitious rampage of conquest. Back then, there was a planet called 
Muse in between Mars and Jupiter, not an asteroid belt." 
Everyone could tell where this was heading. 
"The Archmagi, one Amos Hanadar, captured Muse and bent it to his will. There 
was a great battle with the combined might of the Moon Kingdom. It cost us 
severely, and in the end, Amos destroyed the planet rather than surrender to 
us." 
Serena gasped. "So many people..." 
Luna gazed at her a bit sadly. "That included your great great grandmother." 
"What?!" 
"Yes, she used the Silver Imperium Crystal to help in the battle, and it took 
too much of her. Even then, the Crystal's power was almost not enough. The 
Sailor Scouts of the time gave as much of their own power to help, and it nearly 
killed all of them." 
Silence filled the small room, and Serena's gaze slid back to the open window, 
and the crater off in the distance. 'Oh Rei,' she thought to herself, 'what's 
happened to you? Was that you who just destroyed all that land, and all those 
people?' A single tear fell from her eye. 
"So," Mina began tentatively, "that explosion that we just saw, that was Rei 
using her powers?" Fear tinged her voice. 
Luna nodded. "I remember seeing those particular types of explosions before. It 
occurs when someone of great power is trying to access and manipulate the Spirit 
Wrack." She had a puzzled expression on her face. "But why would she even want 
to? There hasn't been anyone in there for hundreds of years." 
"Uh, Spirit Wrack?" inquired Ami. 
"Oh, yes. The Spirit Wrack is a magical prison that we used to hold very 
powerful enemies. It was created ... " 
*****
The Cherry Hill Temple rested upon its hillock foundation, remaining vigilant in 
its scans about the surrounding suburbia. Had it been living, though, it would 
have noticed the strange calm that suddenly blanketed the temple grounds. The 
birds stopped twittering, the breeze stopped blowing, the cherry blossoms 
stopped falling. 
Inside, in the main room with the Great Fire blazing its healthy warmth, streams 
of jade light coalesced from the air from all parts of the room, gathering in an 
ever-growing globe of shimmering luminescence. It expanded until it encompassed 
the whole center of the chamber, then blinked out of existence, depositing a 
none-too-healthy Rei nonchalantly upon the wooden floor. 
The young girl groaned plaintively at the impact. Her kimono lay shredded upon 
her form, nearly threadbare and tattered to nonexistence. Her once glossy 
cascade of ebony hair now fell about her in a matted mess of sweat-drenched 
clumps. Even her face, drawn and pale, attested to a dreadfully exhausting 
endeavor that nearly overcame her. Dark circles of fatigue underneath her eyes 
marred her angelic beauty, her teeth pressed together, her breath escaping in a 
hissing rattle. 
The mask, torn and disintegrated, fluttered away to ash when her breath passed 
through it. 
Many minutes passed before Rei finally gained enough willpower to drag her 
chilled and battered body closer to the Great Fire. Her consciousness slipped 
away as her mind considered the numbing waves of soreness sloshing about her 
head and limbs... 
*****
"...And that is what the Spirit Wrack is," Luna finished with a slight shiver. 
Ami's faces pinched up in concentration. Why would Rei try to manipulate the 
Spirit Wrack indeed? It didn't make too much sense. 'Alright, Ami, slow down and 
think this through. The other scouts are counting on you for this sort of thing' 
she thought, calming herself down. 'First, the Spirit Wrack is a prison, a VERY 
STRONG prison, designed for those who would cause massive damage if allowed to 
run rampant.' Aloud, Ami asked, "Luna, you're sure there was no one in the 
Spirit Wrack when the Silver Millennium collapsed?" 
"Almost positive. The chamber hadn't been used in several centuries really." 
'Alright, so Rei didn't use it to release anything. Second, it takes 
considerable energy to realign the facets of the crystal chamber so that it can 
hold someone without killing them.' Ami's features of puzzlement grew. 'Thus she 
had to put someone into the chamber to even bother with it.' A mental click 
echoed through her mind. 
"The Grell," she whispered, still partially lost in the confines of her logical 
deduction. 
Darien started. "The Grell? What do you mean?" The rest of them had been 
discussing the explosion while her mind had whirled away. 
Ami's face glowed with understanding. "Think about it. Why would Rei want to 
open the Spirit Wrack? To put someone in there, right?" 
Hesitant nods filled the room. 
"So, if she needed to open it, she probably had someone to throw in there, and 
who is the only one we know of who poses a strong enough threat that would 
warrant this kind of expenditure of energy?" 
The dawning of knowledge came slowly, but surely, and yet, it didn't quite clear 
up much of anything. 
"But why would she do that?" Luna asked, "unless of course, she's not under his 
control anymore." 
At this, Serena's face lit up. "Then she's come back to us. She's going to be 
well again!" She leaped up into Darien's arms, who tentatively returned the 
embrace, though his countenance showed he was less than ready to believe that. 
"She couldn't have beat the Grell all by herself," he mumbled, astonished at the 
conclusion Ami had reached. The combined weight of Serena's embrace and his own 
lack of comprehension dragged him into a seat. 
"Actually, Serena," Ami stumbled after a moment, "this doesn't mean Rei is back 
to normal. Remember, she still has the mask with her." 
"But, but, that doesn't matter now, does it?" the blonde pleaded. "The Grell 
controlled the mask, didn't he? Now she can get rid of it, right?" No one had an 
answer for her, and her jubilance slipped away once again. "Well, at least we 
don't have the Grell to worry about anymore." 
They were all silent for few moments more, trying to come up with something to 
give them a focus as to what could be done, all except for Darien. 'She just 
tossed him into the Spirit Wrack, just like that,' he pondered to himself, still 
trying to chew it down. 'We spend hundreds of years trying to capture or destroy 
him, and Rei just walk right in and throws him in the most feared prison of all 
time!' Streams of hot anger began to seep their way into Darien's mind. 'All the 
bloodshed, all the deaths, all the destruction!' "And you had the power the 
whole time!" The last came out in a cry of fury that caused everyone in the room 
to jump ten feet. 
Blinking a few times to bring himself back, he rose to his feet. "I...I'm sorry. 
I need to go." He gently shoved his way past the girls, avoided Serena's 
curiously fearful gaze, and virtually ran out the door. 
"Um, I wonder what that was all about," Lita questioned softly. No reply 
answered her. 
*****
Nothing was resolved at Mina's house after that. No one knew where to find Rei, 
or if they even wanted to find Rei yet, especially with Mina down for the next 
couple of days (Mina fought against this consensus, but it was a losing battle; 
she couldn't even get out of bed with help). Thus, the best thing to do, they 
decided, was to rest up, stay alert, keep in touch... and pray for the best. 
Over the next few days, Darien was nowhere to be found. 
For all the hardships that were bombarding the small group of heroines, their 
leader was taking it remarkably well. The seriousness of the situation had 
embedded itself firmly into her mind, and she took another full step to 
maturing. She rarely smiled, finding that it helped to put her carefree attitude 
to the side for the moment. Her dexterity increased threefold, astonishing those 
individuals who had no idea what was going on. She even awoke in the morning for 
school without being pestered and nagged to death. She never once cried about 
Darien's sudden and inexplicable disappearance. She took everything in stride. 
All in all, the girls missed the old Serena. 
*****
"Release me!" 
"Not on your life!" 
"It's your life too!" 
"Well, I like it the way it is!" 
"You can't keep me here forever! The mask is gone, and I will be free again. You 
know I am the stronger of the two of us!" 
"Really? Is that why I still have control of the body, the mind and the power? 
Is that why you can't seem to burst free of a prison that has no walls, no 
barriers, no obstacles? Is it because you are stronger that you float aimlessly 
in your own mind, locked away by your own will?" 
Silence. 
Rei smirked to herself. "Of course not. It's not because you are stronger. It's 
because you're WEAKER. You can't bear to come back now. I've done too much. 
You're ashamed. You're afraid they don't like me anymore, and thus, they don't 
like you anymore." 
Silence, and then... a quiet sob. 
Rei smirked in enjoyment. "You are right, though. They do hate you. The deaths 
you have caused. The pain you have dealt. It's all your fault." She turned to 
walk back to the world proper, vanishing away into the foggy expanse. 
Behind her, she heard Rei crying to herself, dejected and alone in her own mind, 
her own grave. 
*****
It was with great flourish that Rei stretched herself awake. It felt good to be 
conscious. She opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the light 
about her. 
She still lay in the room of the Great Fire, as the everburning fire to her left 
could attest to. All about her were books, treasures, and countless other 
artifacts she had taken from the Grell's hideout. The Grell's former hideout. 
She stood up, feeling the stiffness and kinks in her muscles from sleeping on a 
wooden floor. Wondrously, though, the numbing exhaustion was gone, washed away 
as her energies replenished themselves in her slumber. Already, Rei could feel 
her powers flowing through her once again. 
She chided herself for attempting such a feat as changing the Spirit Wrack when 
she wasn't quite ready. The drain on her had been phenomenal, much more than she 
had expected. Had she not erected a spell to shield her before the feat, and 
also a contingency to teleport her to the temple when the deed was through, Rei 
was fairly certain she would have perished in the aftermath. That notion gave 
her a slight chill of... excitement? 
Shaking her head slightly, she caught a glimpse of herself. Her clothes were 
ruined, her hair, which hung limply, was a mess, and her mask was gone. She 
blinked. 
Her mask was gone. 
Rei reached up with a trembling hand, stroking her face where the mask should 
have been. All she felt was the smooth velvety texture of her skin. "So," she 
mumbled to herself, "that really wasn't a dream. I really am free." It struck 
her as odd, though. Which Rei am I? 
She let her mind wander about for a moment, then returned to the present, 
satisfied with her probing. She was still Rei Hino, Shinto priestess of Cherry 
Hill Temple. Rei Hino, alias Sailor Mars. 
Rei Hino, soon to be Neo-Queen of Crystal Tokyo. 
A malicious grin spread across her face. All in due time. 
There was a slight difference now, though. Before, she was confident that the 
moral Rei was locked away by the powers of the mask, unable to break free. Now, 
however, she could sense a part of her mind inhabited by her good half. It was 
small and it was weak, but it was there, and she would have to keep it under 
control. This didn't worry her too much. She was sure her good half didn't 
really want to come out and play anymore. Shame and embarrassment would keep her 
away. 
Within the hour, Rei was back to her normal, coldly beautiful self, immersed in 
organizing her newly acquired treasures. It would take a few days to gather 
these away, and then she could get on to bigger and better plans. 
For instance, what was she going to do about the Sailor Scouts? 
*****
Three days later, or rather three nights later, a shadowy figure quietly leaped 
down from a rooftop, and silently made his way towards the temple on the hill. 
The familiar lights which usually shone at night and lent an enchanted look to 
the shrine were conspicuously gone, and several people had been turned away from 
it in the last couple of days. 
The figure stepped over to the front doors. Through the windows, he could see 
lights shining from within. Carefully, he slid the doors open, peeked inside, 
and stepped in. He slid the doors back shut. 
Somewhere in the back of the temple, he could hear humming. 
Padding his way through the building, following the sounds of a soothingly 
seductive voice, he entered Rei's bedroom. The singing was coming from the 
adjoining bathroom. 
Rei wrapped a plush towel about her head, another about her body, all the while 
singing and humming a song she had written some time ago. Satisfied that her 
bathroom duties were complete, she opened the door and stepped into her room. 
She was startled by Tuxedo Mask standing across the room, opposite her. 
"I'm sorry, Rei, is this a bad time?" he asked mockingly. He had no intention of 
leaving without getting what he wanted first. 
As the initial surprise wore off, Rei felt a tingling in the back of her mind, a 
feeling of... attraction? Even after all that had gone on? Hmm... 
Smiling coyly, Rei sauntered up to him. "My, my, Darien. You came looking for 
me? In my bedroom? What's the matter? Is Serena not satisfying you enough?" 
Mask clenched his fists and his teeth, hissing in anger, but forced it back 
down. "I need to know something," he grated, stepping away from her. 
Rei arched an eyebrow, still retaining that seductive smile. "And what makes you 
think I'm going to tell you what you want to know?" 
He snapped out a hand and grabbed her wrist. "Because I'm not going to leave 
until you tell me!" It vaguely registered through his haze of rage that she no 
longer had the mask on. 
Rei's smile slipped to a frown at being handled so, but she reigned in her 
initial reaction to blast him through the wall. "Temper, temper, my prince. What 
is it that you wish to know?" She was actually quite curious why this fool would 
come here alone to confront her. 
He breathed in a bit, then calmly asked, "Did you have the power to stop the 
Grell back in the Silver Millennium?" He released his hold on her. 
A twinkle of laughter escaped her at that. "Is that all? Did I have the power to 
STOP the Grell back then? What an interesting question?" She continued her 
crystalline laugh, a laugh that held a serrated edge to his nerves. Through his 
boiling fury, deep in his rational lobe of his mind, he considered the 
consequences of his next action, but, of course, who ever listened to that? 
He reached forward and grabbed her roughly by both arms and pulled her to him. 
"Stop laughing!" he screamed into her face. 
Instantly, her mirth snapped shut, replaced with cold, implacable control. Her 
black orbs locked onto his face, and within those pools, a twinkle of flame 
began to rise out of them, white flames that grew in intensity as they surfaced 
from the wells of her being. 
Twin streams of bright fire burst from her eyes, striking Tuxedo Mask point 
blank in the chest, pounding him back through the air and slamming him into the 
chest of drawers behind him. A multi-spined mass of pain exploded from his 
chest. He screamed out a primal cry of agony like none he had ever cried out 
before... 
*****
Serena sprung straight up on her bed, surprising her black feline to no end. 
"Serena!" Luna hissed, miffed about being woken up, especially having fallen 
asleep a few minutes ago. "What's wrong with you?!" 
The blonde didn't answer. Darien's scream rang echoes through her head, and it 
scared her terribly. Somewhere out there, her love was in dire trouble. 
Leaping out of bed, she fumbled on some clothes, quietly opened her window, and 
carefully made her escape. Once outside, she turned to a concerned Luna, who had 
followed behind. "Darien's in trouble Luna!" she whispered. "I've got to go find 
him!" 
"Call the other scouts then!" came the firm reply. 
Serena hesitated a moment, feeling like this was her battle, but dismissed that 
notion entirely. That was how Rei got caught anyway. Besides, she might not be 
able to handle whatever this was. Especially with the way Darien sounded... 
She pressed the all-call button on her communicator, feeling the mental tug of 
Tuxedo Mask's presence somewhere to the west. 
"Serena, this had better be good," mumbled a sleepy Mina, yawning loudly. Lita 
backed up that sentiment. Ami quietly waited. 
"Meet me at the park, guys. Darien's in trouble." 
That got everyone going. 
*****
Breathing became deadly uncomfortable as the streams of fire tapered off. Tuxedo 
Mask found himself smashed up against a piece of furniture, most of his tuxedo 
burned away, revealing a mildly scorched chest, and he definitely felt humbled, 
gasping like a fish. 
"Don't you EVER grab me again!" Rei screeched, wisps of snowy flames coruscating 
about her eyes. "I will not be trifled with, Darien." She said this last in a 
menacing whisper. 
Turning on her heels, she headed over to her closet, dropped her towel, and 
proceeded to get dressed. Had it been any other situation, Darien would have 
fled the room, embarrassed beyond belief. He didn't rise, though. He barely 
acknowledged the fact. All he could concentrate on was the burning in his chest, 
and trying to get each breath to flow properly. 
When she finished, she was clad in another silk kimono, though this one a deep 
black, matching her hair and eyes... and heart. She threw off the towel about 
her head, manifested a mild fire about her hair, and dried her locks. "You know, 
I don't know if I could have stopped the Grell back then," she offered 
thoughtfully, reaching for a brush. This startled Tuxedo Mask into listening. 
She drew the brush through her mane a few times, just to get the kinks out, 
never truly paying attention to him. She seemed a bit lost within her own world. 
"I knew I had the power, but I didn't really want it." She scoffed. "Or rather, 
my former self didn't really want it. She thought it would be too much, and she 
was scared for the Princess. She didn't want to end up like that one Archmagi... 
the one who destroyed Muse." 
"You mean, she didn't want to end up like you," Mask wheezed out, clutching at 
his chest at the pain of speaking. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to 
verbally jab her. 
She chuckled at that. "If you like, though that seems a moot point now, doesn't 
it? Anyway, she was supposed to get training in the wielding of her powers, but 
alas, the Negaverse made their move. Perhaps a bit too early for her. She may 
have been able to stop Beryl where that fool Queen Serenity could not." Rei put 
down the hairbrush and turned back to Mask. "Now, what to do with you?" 
"Rei, listen to me-" 
"No!" she spat. "You listen to me. I am tired of this ridiculous life that we 
have fallen into. What is happening to us? We wait constantly for another 
monster to show up, and then go fight it, afterwards returning to whatever we 
were doing? What kind of existence is that?" 
Mask raised himself to his elbows. "It won't always be like this." 
Rei sneered. "You're right. It won't always be like this. I am going to change 
things." 
"No." 
Tuxedo Mask and Rei turned to the doorway of her bedroom, wondering who would 
have the courage (or gall, depending on who you asked) to defy the young girl. 
Standing in the threshold stood a wondrously beautiful woman, roughly in her 
twenties physically. Long dark green hair fell down her back to her waist, 
complementing the Sailor Scout outfit of deep blue and purple. In her hand she 
held staff topped with a brilliant fist-sized spherical orb of blood red, 
matching the hue of her calm but stern eyes, eyes that exuded ageless 
intelligence and wisdom. 
Mask did a double take. 'What the hell?' he cried to himself, 'Another Sailor 
Scout?!' 
Rei's own eyes narrowed in irritation. "Who are you?" 
The newcomer stepped forward, into the room. "I am the Guardian of Time, the one 
known as Sailor Pluto," the woman replied matter-of-factly. "Do you remember, 
Rei?" 
As soon as the identity was revealed, a host of images fluttered about the 
Archmagi's mind, images of an immortal scout who stood apart from the rest, an 
enigmatic character who was rarely seen and even rarely heard from, a mystery 
that made her a near legend in the Silver Millennium. A powerful entity, as 
those legends would have it... 
Rei arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" 
"You cannot continue this way, Rei," Sailor Pluto responded. "What you are doing 
is changing the time stream. Even as we speak, your actions are causing the 
River of Time to bend and warp." 
The evil sorceress shrugged. "So?" 
A flicker of annoyance passed over Pluto's otherwise calm face. "The future that 
is destined will be polluted, corrupted, unless you stop. Crystal Tokyo is 
already in danger." 
"So?" Rei repeated, this time with a hint of a smile. 
Sailor Pluto frowned. "I will destroy you if it is necessary to maintain the 
proper path to the future, Rei." The statement held the chill of certainty in 
it. 
Rather than acknowledge the comment, she caught the slight movement of Tuxedo 
Mask as he tried to reach for a rose from within his cloak. Concentrating, Rei 
lifted Mask from his position and sent him hurtling through the air... directly 
at Sailor Pluto. 
Pluto tapped her staff lightly on the floor. The orb burst into brilliance, and 
Mask's momentary flight halted in mid-air. He landed in a decrepit heap at 
Pluto's feet. 
"I warn you again, Rei. Stop this madness. You were not meant to be the 
Neo-Queen of Crystal Tokyo. You are Sailor Mars, Defender of Queen Serenity. 
This power trip will only end up destroying your pride, and quite possibly your 
life." Pluto spoke in a cold but commanding manner. 
Rei bared her teeth at the older woman, taking stock of this powerful foe. The 
fact that she could recall the strength of this enigmatic character did little 
to dissuade her from the need for conquest, but she felt it would be best to 
approach the situation with extreme caution. Afterall, one did not get the title 
'Guardian of Time' and live in near immortality for nothing. In addition, the 
orb Pluto held permeated a strong energy signature Rei had never encountered 
before. Yes, caution was the best solution for this predicament. 
"Do you mind if we take this outside?" Rei muttered, vanishing before she could 
hear a reply, taking Tuxedo Mask with her. 
Sailor Pluto turned on her heels and strode out of the room, and the temple, 
with all the care of a cold slab of steel. 
*****
Minutes later, the remaining Scouts dashed into the park, two felines converging 
with them. "Serena," Artemis yawned, stretching lightly, "this had better be 
good. I don't often dream about lying on a bed of tuna." He deftly leaped out of 
the way of Luna's slashing claw. 
Barely winded at the sprint, adrenaline (and fear) pumping through her body, 
Serena responded, "Darien's in trouble. I heard him scream in my sleep, felt him 
transform into Tuxedo Mask, and we're wasting time." With that, she took off for 
the direction she instinctively knew led to her beloved. 
It was all the other scouts could do to keep up. Even the cats were having 
difficulty. Full speed, Sailor Moon seemed as if she would run forever to get to 
where they were going, and to Ami's perception, they were headed for Rei's 
temple."Um, Sailor Moon?" she inquired, huffing and puffing. 
"Yes, I know, Mercury. Rei's temple," their leader replied, and added an extra 
burst of speed. 'Please let them be okay.' 
They rounded the final corner, and abruptly ground to a halt, wondering if 
perhaps they had made a wrong turn somewhere. The temple on Cherry Hill loomed 
over the surrounding suburbia, dark and foreboding without its typical cheery 
lights to sooth any tortured soul. A few auras of luminescence escaped through a 
couple of windows, but the courtyard and the stairs lay shrouded in a cloak of 
darkness, hauntingly reminiscent of a graveyard. Not even the Moon shone through 
the thick bank of clouds blanketing the sky to illuminate the spiritual grounds. 

A flickering movement of deeper darkness drew their attention to the courtyard. 
Something, or someone was in there. Sailor Moon took a step forward, but Mercury 
placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "No. Let me check it out first." She raised 
a finger to activate her visor, but a globe of incandescence beat her too it. 
A sphere of pale lunar light rose from the temple grounds, bathing the carefully 
manicured grounds with an ethereal brilliance. Twenty feet in diameter, it rose 
to the tops of the cherry trees that lined the grounds, then stopped, shining 
like a second moon. 
Casually standing in the sea of grass that was the temple grounds was Rei, clad 
all in swirling black silk, a shadowy nimbus of hair fluttering about her. At 
her feet lay the weakened Tuxedo Mask, struggling to rise to his feet. 
"Tuxedo Mask!" screamed Sailor Moon, dashing across the street to the courtyard, 
her faithful Scouts one step behind. 
Snarling in irritation, Rei twisted about and brought up her arms in a warding 
gesture, sharply motioning one arm downward in a slash. A flicker of fire 
emerged from her eyes, pulsing bright. 
Moon ran full speed onto the grounds, then slammed into the invisible barrier 
that sprung up between her and the temple lands. Dazed and hurting, the world 
spinning wildly, she fell back, barely caught by Jupiter before Moon could 
strike the sidewalk. "Ohhh, that hurt... bad," groaned the blonde, trying to 
focus her exploding mind. 
Luna and Artemis skidded to a halt, probing the invisible wall, while Mercury 
began a computer scan. "I'm afraid Rei's domed off the whole compound, guys," 
the blue-haired scout intoned, eyes glued to her computer screen. "I'll try to 
figure out how to bypass it, but given Rei's apparent expertise in magic..." she 
left the statement unfinished as her visor came down once again. 
Meanwhile, inside the transparent dome, Rei bent over and touched her forefinger 
upon Mask's brow. A twinkle of foxfire pulsed for a moment, and Tuxedo Mask felt 
his own world slip away as magical waves of exhaustion rolled over him. In 
seconds, he was asleep, snoring softly. 
Satisfied that she wouldn't be disrupted, Rei straightened to her full majestic 
height, waiting patiently for her opponent to show herself. She measured the 
arcane energies her body held within her. 'Hmm, that should be enough,' Rei 
though to herself calmly. She didn't question that she would triumph over this 
evil. 
'Now, where did that phrase come from?' 
She didn't have time to consider the familiarity, or nonsense, of her thoughts, 
for the intruding new Scout stepped out of the temple, brandishing her staff, 
the orb glowing softly. Pluto glanced about once, then fixed her eyes upon the 
fiery young priestess once again. "I offer you one last chance, Rei Hino. Stop 
this foolishness, or be destroyed." 
Rei's answer was a superior smirk. She raised her arms toward the green-haired 
woman, and released her Hellfire. 
*****
"Who in the world is that?!" squealed Venus, witnessing the entrance of the new 
Scout. The other Scouts gawked in silence, except for Mercury, who continued 
trying to analyze the dome. 
A streaking inferno of cleansing flames erupted from Rei's outstretched arms, 
sluicing through the air towards the newcomer. Pluto pointed the orb end of the 
staff towards the fiery gout, and a shrill, lavender sphere of temporal energy 
shot out and met the fire head on. The ensuing shockwave threw the Scouts to the 
ground as waves upon waves of gale force winds blasted away from the temple 
grounds. 
When the Scouts could raise their heads again to see the effect, they saw that 
both Rei and the new Scout were holding their powers against each other, 
maintaining a deadly lock of magical energies. Neither was gaining any ground on 
the other, and both were straining powerfully. The glowing orb of lavender held 
in place, though, against the cylinder of arcane fire erupting from Rei's arms. 
Secretly, however, Pluto's mind boggled at the strength of the attack. 'I can't 
possibly hold this for long!' she yelled at herself, gritting her teeth at the 
tremendous strain on her powers. 'How can this be?! She must be stopped, but 
how?!' 
Even as she scrambled for a plan, Rei's spellfire slowly began to push back the 
temporal orb. Pluto could feel her feet slipping backwards at the forces. 'No! 
This can't be!' 
Mercury cried out. "Now, guys! The dome has weakened a bit! Everyone fire in 
front!" 
The Scouts stepped back, and as one, powered up their most powerful attacks. 
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Blast!" 
"Jupiter Thunder Dragon Crash!" 
"Venus Cresent Beam Shower!" 
Sailor Moon held back. Her attack wouldn't help all that much anyway. 
The three blasts smashed into the center of the area before them. Cracks of 
glass appeared along the dome, spreading outward in a spiderweb as the attacks 
burrowed through, and finally shattered the invisible barrier. 
Just as the dome collapsed, Rei, mildly pushing against Sailor Pluto's attack, 
felt the power of that spell fade, and added it to her fire stream. The whitish 
flames burst into even more brilliance than before, engulfed the lavender sphere 
that was Pluto's power, and blasted the gout into the insolent woman. 
As the flames engulfed her staff, Pluto disappeared in a symphony of light. 
"Rei! What have you done?!" screamed a horrified Sailor Moon, running up to her 
sleeping Tuxedo Mask and hugging his prone body to herself. The other Scouts 
assumed defensive positions around her. 
Rei glanced at each on in turn. "My, how amusing. Sailor Klutz and her gaggle of 
pubescent girlfriends, come to save her dashing hero. Well, it seems you're a 
bit late for Sailor Pluto. Her essence is scattered to ash now." The sorceress 
chuckled. Mentally, she noted how draining it was to maintain that magic, and 
how she was going to handle these fools. 
Jupiter growled. "Rei, if you-" 
The fire-child raised a hand in disdain. "Please, Lita, spare me your bullying 
threats. We all know that none of you are a match for me." 
This really got the Scout of Thunder going, and she stepped forward, swinging a 
closed fist in a roundhouse punch that would knock Rei clear into the next 
street over... had Rei been there to receive it. 
Popping into existence behind Jupiter, Rei circled about, raising a delicate 
foot in the process. With astonishing speed and precision, the sorceress 
performed a perfect circle kick that connected with the green scout's temple. 
The world went black before Jupiter could figure out where her target went. 
Venus, reacting quickly to Rei's sudden teleportation, leaped back. Mercury 
simply raised her hand. 
"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" 
"Venus Love Me Chain!" 
A glowing length of chain wrapped around Rei; simultaneously, she became encased 
in a mass of bubbles, all except her head. 
"Very good, girls. Very good indeed," she applauded, smiling beautifically, 
though she remained entrapped. 
Sailor Moon shuddered, and rose to her feet. "Rei, stop this at once! These are 
your friends! We're all your friends, and you're hurting us!" 
Rei's grin fell to a menacing frown. Her eyes narrowed as she leveled her gaze 
on her once best friend. "I don't need you anymore. I don't want to be your 
'friend'. All I want is to be the Neo-Queen of Crystal Tokyo!" She strained her 
arcane powers, sending a sliver of it down the chains. The conduction carried it 
along to Venus, who couldn't drop the chain in time. A bolt of lightning sizzled 
through her, locking her muscles into places, flaring her hair on end. The blast 
lasted for mere seconds, but Venus was out cold when she finally fell down, 
wisps of electricity snaking about her features. 
Stunned into shock, Mercury missed it when Rei threw off the bubble cocoon and 
began to weave a spell. Only when huge earthen hands raised out of the ground 
and grasped her in an elemental hold did she realize her error. The hands pulled 
her into the ground until only her head remained above. Mercury was effectively 
imprisoned. 
"Stop it, Rei!" Sailor Moon screamed, the speed at which her Scouts had been 
incapacitated scaring her hugely. "These are the Scouts! You're hurting them!" 
"Of course I'm hurting them, you dolt!" Rei yelled back, rage and sanity vying 
for control of her demonic, fiery eyes. "They are in my way!" 
Moon backed away, terribly afraid that Rei had finally lost any semblance of 
stability in her. She reached out for the Moon Scepter, holding it before her 
like a Christian cross, perhaps to ward off her once best friend. 
Disdainfully, Rei flicked a telekinetic bolt at the puny object, sending it 
whirling away. 
Sobbing now, Sailor Moon fell to her knees. She could vaguely hear Mercury 
shouting at her to get away, to save herself, but nothing registered. Her Rei 
was about to utterly destroy her, and there was nothing she could do. She could 
feel hope slipping through her fingers. 
"Use the Crystal!" 
Moon started, realizing the voice came from within her mind. 
"Use the Silver Imperium Crystal, Princess!" 
Rei stopped also, tilting her head quizzically. 'What is this?' she thought 
mildly. She could hear the voice also, a familiar voice... 
"Dammit, Princess! Stand up and use the Crystal against her if you value all the 
lives on the planet!" 
That did it! Sailor Moon threw off the haze of despair that threatened to engulf 
her, and called forth the Crystal from whence it came. Her broach flipped open, 
and a large, fist sized diamond-like gem floated out, flaring into brilliance 
before them. Moon sized up to unleash the awesome might of the Crystal, silently 
praying for Rei's forgiveness. Unimaginable grief and sorrow wracked her as she 
prepared to fend off her close and dear friend, perhaps killing one or both of 
them in the process. 
And Rei began to laugh! 
It started as a chuckle, cruel and mirthless, but it gained in volume and 
emotion, ending in a roar of raging laughter that crushed Moon in its 
superiority. 
"What are you going to do, Serena? Kill me? Blow me away to save this decrepit 
little planet?" Rei asked between guffaws. The blonde princess took another step 
back, feeling her resolve cracking. 
"Here, I'll even make it easier for you!" the sorceress cried, and pointed to 
the ground encasing Mercury. A groaning rumble shifted beneath their feet, and 
the blue-haired scout screamed in agony, gasping pitifully occasionally as air 
was forced out of her lungs by the squeezing earth. 
Tears fell freely down Moon's face. "Please Rei! Stop it!" The screams slashed 
through her being like stilettos, weakening her with sickening grief, and yet, 
she couldn't raise her arms to clasp the Crystal and end it all. 
Mercifully, Ami lost consciousness in a matter of seconds, and Rei released her 
grip. Slowly, Mercury's body rose out of the ground to lay serenely on the 
verdant grass. 
"You see, you can't destroy me, my dear friend," Rei said sarcastically, padding 
over to the pathetic Moon, towering over her. "You're too weak. You still see-" 
she absently waved a few strands of light towards the onrushing cats, wrapping 
them up in a web of magic, "-a human being who used to pick on you, but always 
played as your friend. Another weak human who is forever locked away in her own 
body because she cannot see that being moral, being a goody-goody, will get her 
nowhere! Now, be a good girl and give me the Crystal." 
Moon whispered something between her sobs, something Rei couldn't here. 
"What was that?" 
"Mars. My friend Mars," Serena muttered a bit louder. Her tears slowed a bit. 
"Mars? You want to see your 'dear friend Mars'? Fine, here is your precious 
Mars!" Rei reached into her pocket to retrieve the transformation pen, 
thoroughly missing the slight smile that played at the edges of Sailor Moon's 
lips. 
"Mars Star Power!" 
The familiar rush of flash and flame engulfed the blacked-haired sorceress, 
until once again, she became the Scout of Fire. 
"See? Your Sailor Mars is just another power that I can add-" Rei cut off as 
something pushed against her psyche. She staggered, disoriented and unable to 
keep her balance, clutching at her head. 
*****
In a realm of mist, shadowy grey and insubstantial, Rei shed tears for her 
fellow scouts, for her friends. Shame tied her to this dreary domain, a powerful 
leash against freedom. Everywhere she turned, Rei could see the fruits of her 
failure. The scouts lay unconscious, strewn across the temple grounds. Sailor 
Moon was their last hope, and she couldn't bring herself to destroy the young 
priestess, the devilish girl who had done nothing but pick on the innocent 
blonde, who had mercilessly hammered Serena for every nit-picky slight, every 
mistake, every miniscule lack. Rei's pride shattered under the force of such 
compassion, but it was a little too late. She was indeed too weak to break free 
of her self-imposed prison. Her darker half could bask in the knowledge that it 
had beaten her. There was no way she could face her friends anyway. 
Essentially, Rei had given up. 
That is to say, Rei had given up... until she realized the trick Sailor Moon had 
played upon her darker half. 
As soon as the sorceress uttered the transformation phrase, the mists that 
clouded Rei's mind, the dreary landscape of despair that had become her home for 
much too long, dissipated away in a pleasantly warm breeze. When the fog 
cleared, the essence of a baffled young girl stood in the center, gazing as if 
for the first time at her surroundings. 
The Cherry Hill Temple, standing like a gentle monarch over the urban 
countryside, cherry blossoms fluttering through the air on a warm Summer's 
breeze. 
Lita, humming away as she cooked up a culinary masterpiece, the hint of a smile 
edging out of her blissful face. 
Mina, capricious Mina, modeling out the latest fashion of bathing suits for the 
gathering of girls at a slumber party, flashing her a friendly grin of mirth. 
Ami, smiling quietly as she read over a particularly difficult chapter in 
biochemistry, eyes focused in utmost concentration. 
Cole, her sweet Cole, who meant so much more to her than she thought possible in 
this fantastically abnormal life. 
Serena. 
Serena... 
The Princess of the Moon Kingdom. 
I am her protector. 
I AM SAILOR MARS!!! 
Suddenly, the confused girl was no more. Replacing her stood a proud, 
seductively dangerous young woman, orbs flashing in determination. She thrust 
her willpower like a sword through the heart of darkness that had engulfed her 
for so long, and felt the heart flinch. 
Her eyes were the purest ivory white. 
*****
Wonderingly, Sailor Moon watched as Rei floundered, grasping her head in 
apparent pain. 
"No, no! I won't let you out! You can't come back!" she spouted out through 
gritted teeth, struggling desperately to fight off the piercing will of her 
moral half. Collapsing under the stress, Rei fell to her knees, groaning in 
concentration at the intrusion. Moon took a step forward, fearing perhaps that 
she would hurt herself. 
Off to the side, Sailor Jupiter moaned, approaching consciousness once again. 
Tuxedo Mask stirred under the weakening of the sleep spell that had caught him. 
Moon rushed over to him. 
"Tuxedo Mask! Are you alright? Oh, I thought she had hurt you, I was so scared!" 
she rambled furiously, cradling his head in her lap. 
Groggily, he opened his eyes, gazing up at his beloved. "What... what?-" but 
before he could ask the question, remembrance slammed into him, and he shot up 
to a sitting position. The scouts all looked out of commission, and Sailor Mars 
seemed to be under the effects of a seizure. "What's going on?" 
Moon glanced worriedly at Mars. "I think she's fighting with herself." 
He threw her an oddly confused look, but Moon merely shrugged. 
Meanwhile, Mars suddenly went limp for a moment, then carefully rose to her 
feet. Miraculously, her eyes, once deep onyx all over, now shone completely 
white, with no pupils whatsoever. Tuxedo Mask took a defensive stance in front 
of Moon. 
The Scout of Flame smiled sadly, and waved his motion aside. "That isn't 
necessary, Prince Endymion. I won't hurt the princess. I don't have much time. 
Already, my dark half is pushing through my defenses." As if on signal, she 
stumbled, barely gaining her balance. Her serene smile twisted into a frown of 
frustration. "I must battle her on better grounds, my queen. Can you send us to 
a less populated area? I'm afraid-" she staggered again, falling to one knee, 
"-I'm afraid it will become hazardous." 
The blonde scout paused at the request. "Will you die?" she asked, concern 
gushing in every syllable. 
Sailor Mars avoided the question. "Hurry, Princess. There's no time," she 
hissed, finding it difficult to breathe. 
An eternal second passed as Sailor Moon watched her dearest friend's struggles, 
weighing the planetary need to exile Mars away against her own need to support 
her in her time of need. 
Mars' pupils began to emerge, swallowing out the whites. 
Gulping down the painful lump in her throat, the leader of the Sailor Scouts 
used the Silver Imperium Crystal to teleport Sailor Mars to the only barren 
place she could think of. 
The Moon. 
*****
Desolate, rocky, dusty, bland. These are all words you could use to describe the 
surface of the Moon. Occasionally, you'll find a crater, varying from a couple 
of feet in diameter to several hundred feet, likewise in depth. No wind, no 
breeze, no movement of air. 
No air to move. 
A bright sparkle of light, and there lay Sailor Mars, suddenly in an 
inhospitable environment that literally sucked away her breath. 
Literally. 
Pain burst through Mars' whole being as the air was pulled from her body. Her 
eyes wide at the realization of imminent death, the sorceress enacted a spell 
that enclosed her in a pocket of air. The process took a blink of an eye. 
A wholly black eye. 
Gasping for breath, Sailor Mars groaned painfully, filling her lungs with the 
precious medium, and then groaned in frustration at the oncoming surge of will 
that resided within her mind. 'Not again,' the evil Rei thought as the struggle 
ensued again. 
Moments later, Mars' eyes were pupilless once more. Quickly, hammering out the 
plan that she had begun to think up on Earth, she collected her thoughts to cast 
the profound spell that had wormed its way into her mind as soon as she figured 
out what she needed to do. In a way, Sailor Moon's mistake in dumping her on the 
surface of the Moon worked to her advantage. Continuously fighting one's own 
psyche is draining work, and the lack of oxygen had been just the thing to 
perform the coup without too much straining... straining she would need to do to 
cast this spell. 
*****
"Where is she, Sailor Moon?" Jupiter asked, picking herself off the ground. She 
had caught the tail end of the conversation with the true Sailor Mars. 
"The Moon." 
The Scout of Thunder stared at her, uncomprehending for a moment, then gaped at 
her. "The Moon? The Moon? How are we supposed to get to the Moon?!" 
By now, Mercury had regained a semblance of a consciousness, coughing softly. 
Venus remained firmly entrenched in her state of disrepair. "We could Sailor 
Teleport," the blue-haired scout offered weakly. 
Jupiter whirled on her. "In your condition?! We don't even have Venus to help!" 
"Wait a minute! Why are we going there?" inquired Luna, shaking off the 
remaining strands of clinging magic that still insisted on holding her, even 
after the caster had relinquished the hold. 
The conscious scouts and a masked prince turned disbelievingly to the cat. 
"What do you mean 'Why are we going there?' To help her, of course!" Jupiter 
cried vehemently. 
"With her instability and powers?! Are you nuts?!" The volume between the group 
slid up a notch as the motherly guardian cat professed her concerns. 
"Luna, she's our friend. We have to help her if we can." Mercury always was the 
voice of reason, even though she crawled over to the downed Scout of Beauty. 
Darien stomped over to the Ami. "Mercury! She's gone off the deep end! We can't 
even trust her! And didn't you notice how easily she handled us?! We're like 
toys to her!" 
The discussion rambled chaotically, no one side gaining any ground. Jupiter and 
Mercury insisted that they remain a team and try to tackle Rei again, hoping for 
the best, while Luna and Tuxedo Mask opted for the safer argument of 'waiting to 
see what happened'. That way, they would get a bit of rest, and hopefully think 
up a new plan. 
None of them noticed until too late that Sailor Moon had already disappeared, 
taking matters into her own hands for once. 
*****
Pain. 
Searing knives of agony that race across your skull with millions of serrated 
edges, dashing down your spine, your limbs, your body. 
Excruciating sensations of having your being ripped apart by titanic forces, 
forces too ignorant of feeling to pay attention to your screams. 
The pain of splitting one's essence in two. 
That was the suffering Rei experienced at the completion of the spell. 
A wail of glass-shattering magnitude erupted forth from the kneeling sorceress 
as she thrust her face and arms up into to the cold dark expanse of space. The 
soundwaves didn't make it past the careful shell of atmosphere she had encased 
herself in. Once past, there was no medium with which to carry the soundwaves. 
She began to shimmer then, a form like looking at a mirage. Slowly at first, 
then with increasing agitation, Rei's form liquefied into a wobbling pillar of 
quivering magma, roughly the same height as herself. Next, with great 
deliberation, two tentacles of liquid fire slithered out of the column, each in 
an opposite direction. After a few feet, the 'heads' of the snake-like tendrils 
stopped, but the rest continued forward, forming into two other columns. 
Meanwhile, the central pillar shrunk and shrunk as it lost mass, until it was no 
more, its substance given over to the two cylinders beside it. 
For a long moment, neither of the geometric shapes gave any indication of 
animation. They simply shed a warm healthy glow, similar to molten rock. 
Suddenly, the cylinders began to mold into new shapes. They twisted and wobbled 
some more, flowing and remolding themselves until their were two identical 
humanoids radiating liquid fire. A brief flash of light on both, and standing no 
more than ten feet from each other, were two beautiful young women, both whose 
names were Rei Hino. 
Each beauty gazed at the other in contempt. Both wore silk kimonos as she was 
wont to do in her life, though the Rei on the left wore one of blinding white, 
while the other once again wore a kimono of deepest black, each kimono the shade 
of their owners' eyes. 
"Well, well," snickered Black Rei, "so you've managed to split us into our 
constituents. Whatever is your plan?" 
"I wish to finish this off once and for all, to prove who is the rightful Rei 
Hino," replied White Rei calmly. 
Black Rei smirked. "Really? A duel? My, my. This will be interesting. And what, 
pray tell, are the conditions?" 
If she was irritated at her evil twin's cruel flippancy, White Rei didn't show 
it. "A battle, here, using all of our powers. No running away. No escaping. Just 
you and me." 
"And how do you intend to prevent me from fleeing, IF I needed to flee?" 
White Rei wiggled her fingers, and a silvery cord of light appeared, each end 
wrapping around each Rei's waist. There was enough slack in the middle to allow 
some several hundred feet of running room between them. "With this. It prevents 
any transportation of the body through the use of magic. When one of us 
surrenders, the cord will disappear, but it is fragile. As a rule, magic attacks 
directed against the cord are forbidden. Agreed?" 
Black Rei shrugged. "Sure, whatever. Anything else?" 
White Rei considered for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want to surrender now 
so that my life can go back to normal?" 
The evil sorceress blinked. "What?!" 
"You heard me. Please, Rei. This is foolish. If you win, then you will only be 
hounded for the rest of your life. The Sailor Scouts will eventually figure out 
how to wipe you out, and then neither of us will have won. We both know that I 
am the true Rei Hino anyway. Let it go at that." 
Sputtering in astonishment, Black Rei gaped and blinked repeatedly, trying to 
understand this odd approach. "You're a fool!" she finally spat. "There's no way 
in hell that I'm going to let you win. Just where would I go then?" 
White Rei shrugged. "I'm sure we could come up with some accommodation that 
would be mutually ." 
Black Rei threw up her arms in derision. "What in the universe are you talking 
about?! You have to destroy me! That is the only ending in this outcome! 
Anything less would be pointless because I'd eventually come find you again and 
this will start again!" 
"It does not truly have to be that-" 
"OF COURSE IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY!" Black Rei screamed. "How many Rei Hinos can 
there be in a universe?! ONE!" 
The good Rei pursed her lips, unable to reply. 
A nimbus of darkness coalesced about the being of the Dark One. "A very noble, 
but futile, attempt, sister, but this battle must be fought to the death," Black 
Rei whispered, a vague note of sadness in her tone. Somehow, upon the surface of 
the Moon, a gust of wind began to swirl about the battleground. 
A like aura of pearl white surrounded the Light One as she, too, summoned a 
channel to the weave of magic that encompassed the universe. The gust of wind 
picked up to a wailing gale that stirred up the lunar sands. "Whenever you are 
ready, sister," she replied, a similar hint of empathy in her voice. 
*****
Sailor Moon emerged behind a ridge on the lip of the crater. She shivered 
slightly at the landscape, realizing the Crystal was probably protecting her 
from a great deal of the hostile environment: the extreme cold, the lack of air, 
the awkward gravity. She could feel the jewel pulling on her reserves of 
strength. 
Moon sighed. Once again, she had gotten herself into quite a pickle. 
A flash over the ridge caught her attention, and she strode over to investigate. 
Within the crater, some several hundred feet wide and deep, stood two figures. 
With a gasp, she recognized the twin individuals as her friend Rei. 'How did she 
manage to separate herself like that?' she wondered, her mind stretching to 
grasp the impossibility. 
She had just managed to hear the terms of the duel when the wind picked up over 
the barren wasteland, tossing her trailing pigtails to and fro. The twin figures 
began to glow in shining light and darkness. 
Sailor Moon sat down to watch, concerned for her best friend, the Earth, and the 
Universe in general. 
*****
The last time the heavens had seen such an awe-inspiring display of magic had 
been fifteen hundred years ago, when one Amos Hanadar had obliterated the planet 
Muse in a titanic war against the Moon Kingdom. 
Of course, only a handful on Earth actually knew of such a thing. The rest were 
clueless. 
That cool, dreary night, no one could explain the flashes of spectral 
illumination that lit the overcast sky blanketing the city of Tokyo. They 
chalked it up to the Aurora Borealis, or some other such civilian nonsense. 
There was the observatory on the outskirts of Tokyo, but the scientists their 
were having trouble focusing on the Moon's surface. Every time they aligned it 
correctly, the focus would dim away again, almost magically (not that a bunch of 
scientists would admit such a crock of foolishness). 
One scientist in particular, by the name of Kakeru, stood away from the 
congregation of geniuses, gazing up at the clouds. 
"Princess Snow Kaguya?" he whispered to no one in particular. 
*****
For what seemed the hundredth time, the two sorceresses clashed. 
White Rei raised her arms to ward off the vortex of flames that threatened to 
engulf her. With a flick of her wrist, she split the gout of fire into smokeless 
wisps that sparked away to nothing. Then, she closed her fist and released a 
powerfully concentrated blast of directional force through the ground below her. 

A chasm gaped open, ripping apart as it raced for the black-clad Rei some yards 
away. The evil essence sprouted a pair of glossy black wings upon her back and 
leaped into the air, scoffing at the failed attack. "You will have to do much 
better than that," snickered the black angel. 
"And so I shall," whispered White Rei. Furrowing her brow, she too leaped into 
the air, but she continued to soar into the sky as her form morphed and molded 
into the majestic being of a metallic silver phoenix, fully 40 feet in wingspan. 
Motes of steely light glinted off her polished body, all sinew and grace. 
Diamond sharp talons and beak slashed through the atmosphere as the Rei of Hope 
streaked towards her nemesis, a siren call of fury ripping from her mouth. 
The figure in black dove under the mammoth creature, awe and irritation fighting 
for dominance upon her face. She barely missed the first talon, but caught the 
second in a glancing blow upon her shoulder. 
Flopping and twirling, she spun towards the ground, pulling up and landing 
awkwardly just before a bonebreaking crash. Gasping for air, Black Rei clutched 
her injury, hissing at the pain it gave her. Blood trickled through her fingers, 
seeping into her torn kimono. "Impressive indeed, sister," she called out, 
gritting her teeth. 
The grand phoenix banked gradually, taking the glowing cord to its near limit 
before heading back. "Do you yield?" the silver being questioned in a clarion 
voice that rang over the crater. 
To answer, the Rei of Death traced a collapsing circular rune of bluish 
lightning in the air before her. Instantly, a swirling funnel of wind sprouted 
from the ground beneath the mythical beast and reached up to engulf it in its 
swirling grasp. The tornado tossed the phoenix about, directing her closer and 
closer to the craggy walls of the crater. Then, with a supernatural shove, the 
twister threw White Rei into those same walls with bonecrushing force. 
With an audible snap, one of the creature's wings bent backwards, taking the 
full brunt of the shove as she fell along the cliff walls to the sandy floor. 
With a flutter of silver feathers, the phoenix ground to a halt twitching in 
pain. 
A sunburst glow, and the phoenix disappeared, replaced with a decrepit and 
miserable Rei, her white kimono dirtied and torn, her hair mussed and full of 
sand, and her left arm painfully cradled against her abdomen, a piece of bone 
fragment pierced through her elbow and leaking a dribble of blood. 
Surprisingly, her face remained carefully impassive, though she must have been 
in terrible agony. 
Black Rei smirked maliciously. "Do YOU yield?" 
*****
Sailor Moon nearly shrieked in despair, seeing the superb entity that was the 
good Rei get tossed into the lunar cliffs with such force. She nearly jumped up 
and brought to bear the whole of the Silver Imperium Crystal right then and 
there, but she hesitated long enough to see her dear friend stand back up and 
resume the challenge. 
As much as she wished desperately otherwise, Sailor Moon would not break the 
rules of the duel. She knew this was too important to Rei to interrupt. 
Even if the Universe hung in the balance. 
*****
White Rei stumbled back to the general vicinity of the center of the crater 
while Black Rei watched disdainfully. "Come now, sister. You're badly hurt, and 
obviously in no condition to continue such a foolhardy quest. Why don't you just 
surrender now?" 
Ignoring the taunts, the Rei of Hope staggered closer, fumbling through her mind 
for an edge, a weakness in her double, anything to even up the scenario. She 
could call upon Sailor Moon to catch her opponent off guard, for she had 
glimpsed the leader of the Scouts upon the ridge while in flight. 
She forsook that plan, however. This was her own battle. She would win because 
SHE had to. This was to prove to herself that SHE, the true Rei Hino, was the 
proper individual to own a place among the universe. 
A nonchalant flick of the wrist, and Black Rei launched five bolts of crimson. 
Astonishingly swift, they sped for the weakened sorceress' heart. 
Concentrating desperately, the nearly doomed Rei summoned a shielding wall of 
telekinetic force before her to dissipate the angry missiles. Had she been any 
slower, the five bolts would have torn through her and that would have been the 
end of that. 
As it was, one bolt managed to tear through her, barely slashing past the 
hastily erected barrier. Luckily, the bolt missed all vital organs as it stabbed 
through her lower right side and evaporated away. 
Eyes tearing at the excruciating agony, Rei fell to the ground, hissing loudly 
to prevent herself from screaming. Blood quickly soaked through the remnants of 
her clothing. Using her good hand, she plugged the hole with a finger, thinking 
distantly how utterly disgusting that was. Waves of dizziness and nausea swept 
over her, but she struggled to raise herself to a sitting position. 'My, but 
this is difficult when you hurt and have no arms to help you,' she thought, 
trying to occupy her mind from the recurring discomfort of a broken arm and a 
hole in one's side. 
"Do you yield?" Black Rei demanded, no hint of humor upon her face. 
"I... will... not... ever!" she replied, seeking to raise herself to a standing 
position. She failed. 'Think! She's going to destroy you, and then how will 
Serena ever rule!' 
"Then, I am afraid I am going to have to-" 
"Wait!" 
Black Rei twirled about, searching for the source of the voice. No one. "What 
the hell-" 
And then she noticed magical manipulations in her surrounds. 
She whirled back, stepping away and trying to recall the proper incantation for 
a shield, but it was too late. 
Writhing tendrils of flames emerged from the wounded Rei of Hope, coiling 
quickly about the evil sorceress. Screeching in defiance, Black Rei struggled, 
but she could feel the tentacles seeping away her powers. Already, the nimbus of 
darkness that surrounded her became faint, flickering and unstable. "No! You 
cheated! You summoned someone to distract me!" the evil sorceress screamed, 
fighting with all her strength against the binding tentacles. 
"Wrong," gasped White Rei. She too was struggling, for the tendrils' hold was 
directly proportional to her physical strength, something she was in dire lack 
of. "The illusion of someone's voice and actually summoning someone are two 
entirely different things." 
Frantically, Black Rei flipped through a rapidly diminishing repertoire. With 
the spell draining her of her magic, she had to get away quickly, or nothing 
would be left of her powers. Stopping her fighting, she focused on the cord. If 
she could get rid of that, she could teleport away. She knew, watching her 
double fight to maintain the spell, that she wouldn't be able to hold it for 
more than a few seconds. 
In those few seconds, she could be safely away, plotting for another day. 
White Rei gasped again, her vision blurring with the effort. 
Black Rei spat a thin beam of lightning at the cord, severing it to silver 
sparkles. 
Grinning, White Rei released the spell. She concentrated on one last spell as 
she slumped down in exhaustion and agony. 
*****
Torn between summoning her full fury and allowing Rei die, Sailor Moon stood up 
upon the ridge, releasing the Crystal from its broach. 
'Wait!' cried Rei's voice inside her head. 
Baffled at the command, tears streaming down her face at the obvious pain of her 
friend, Moon held back a moment. 
And then the oddest thing happened. 
Black Rei turned her back on White Rei. 
A slow smile of dawning delight lit up her face as Moon witnessed her friend's 
comeback. The tendrils seemed to truly frighten the evil sorceress by the way 
she struggled desperately against them. 
And then the smile faded. White Rei was not holding her own very well. She 
wouldn't be able to keep the stronger Black Rei from breaking free much longer. 
'Come on Rei! You can do it! Just a little more!' 
The severing of the cord that bonded the duel came as a relatively small shock, 
as did the disappearance of the tentacles. Suddenly, the proper thing to do 
clicked into Sailor Moon's mind just as a voice entered her head once again: 
'Blast her!' 
The Silver Imperium Crystal blazed to life, shining like a second sun. A searing 
multitude of thin silver illuminating beams collapsed within the Crystal from 
the surrounding space, gathering into a supercharged mass of fury. 
As time slowed down to a crawl, Black Rei twisted towards the display, her body 
moving at a snail-like pace. 
White Rei softly dropped to the ground, like the fall of a feather, a giant 
smile growing upon her face. 
Sailor Moon's eyes fixed upon the black orbs of the Rei of Death. "You're 
moon-dusted," she whispered. 
Like a trigger, the words released the mass into a massive lance of power that 
roared at, towards, and through the Dark One. 
Black Rei, seeing her downfall in the rushing bolt, flushed her body of all her 
remaining arcane strength, and erected a defensive barrier. 
Too little, too late. 
For a brief miniscule moment, the shield held the blast back, but an instant 
later, the barrier shattered, and Black Rei was carried away in a maelstrom of 
cosmic energy that pounded her back, slamming her hundreds of feet away a good 
five feet into the crater wall. 
The blast of light held for a few seconds, then dwindled away. 
*****
Darkness threatened to engulf Sailor Moon, but she fought it back valiantly, and 
after a few minutes, the rotating world returned to its stationary norm. She 
would not fall unconscious here of all places. 
Rising to her feet ('when did I fall down?'), the leader of the Sailor Scouts 
let the knowledge sink in. 
Evil Rei is gone. 
Rei's back to normal. 
REI'S BACK TO NORMAL! 
REI!! 
Fearful of what she might see, Moon searched for her Rei, and found her, leaning 
against a collaboration of rocks, unmoving. 
"No..." 
She leaped forward, scrambling down the sides of the bowl, unheeding of her own 
safety and fatigue. Thoughts of how close they were fluttered through her head, 
of how much she could help Rei, of how much she appreciated her, loved her as 
only a best friend could be loved. All of these flashed before her mind's eye as 
she neared the body. 
'She doesn't look too good,' Moon considered with overwhelming concern. Rei's 
kimono was tattered, dirtied, and not very white anymore. It was more of a dusty 
maroon color, the color of dried blood. In fact, not all of the maroon was 
maroon at all. Some of it was a bright, rich red, a wet scarlet of fresh blood. 
Kneeling softly, Moon tenderly cradled Rei's head, bending over to listen for 
her breath. 'Good, she's still breathing.' 
"Do you mind getting your hair out of my face, Meatball Head?" came a weak voice 
beneath Moon's ear. 
"You're awake!" the blonde squealed, squeezing Rei's head to her in delight. 
"Are you alright?" 
The dark-haired girl grimaced. "No, not especially. I hurt pretty much all over. 
How do I look?" 
Tears shimmered in the Moon Princess' eyes. "I don't know. You're bleeding a 
lot, and your arm's broken. I wish Mercury was here. She'd know what to do." 
Rei rolled her eyes. "I don't. The last time she threatened to tie me to the bed 
if I didn't lay still and recuperate. I'd rather die here in freedom than have 
her worrying over me." 
Sailor Moon blinked for a moment, digesting the statement. Suddenly she burst 
into giggles, tears finally falling down her face. Rei smiled slightly. 
After a few moments, Moon calmed down enough to wipe her face. "It's good to 
have you back Rei." 
The priestess brushed the comment aside. "No, we'll have plenty of time for that 
later. Is my double dead?" 
Serena turned towards the hole in the cliff walls where the blasted had carried 
the evil twin away to. "If she isn't, then she's in a whole lot of pain." 
"Help me get over there." 
"Um, are you sure?" 
Rei sighed. "Yes. We need to make sure. We can't have her coming back after us, 
now can we?" 
Sailor Moon gave her a worried look that spoke volumes, giving Rei the once 
over. The sorceress grinned. "Don't worry about me. I'll heal." 'I hope.' 
With utmost care, the blonde leader helped up her wounded friend, cautioning her 
every few moments about not overdoing it or exerting herself. Taking it slow, 
the two scouts stumbled their way across the bottom of the bowl to the cracked 
indenture caused by the Crystal's power. 
"You sound like Mercury!" Rei complained for what seemed like the thousandth 
time in Sailor Moon's ears, but she ignored her, making damn sure that nothing 
would be jarred or torn open. As it was, the hole in Rei's side had already 
tapered to a trickle, an amazing feat considering the extent of the damage. 
Still, Moon kept a piece of kimono tightly pressed against it to keep the 
bleeding down as much as possible. 
"I keep telling you I'm going to be fine, Serena! Stop pampering me!" 
Serena smiled. "Stop complaining, Rei. You're in no condition to do anything 
about it, and I'm not about to pass up a chance to take care of you for a 
change." 
That shut Rei up rather markedly. 
It took some ten minutes, but they finally stopped in front of the hole. Rei 
whistled slightly. 
Within a blasted pit some five feet deep, Black Rei lay propped up against the 
lunar rock. She was covered in blood, all over her face, her arms, her legs, her 
torso, everywhere. All her limbs looked broken in some form or another as they 
twitched slightly in abnormal angles. 
The worst, though, was the crack that ran from the back of her skull around her 
left ear to her forehead. The back of her head had caved in slightly, forcing 
cranial fluids to leak out of the fracture, and a disgusting mix of clear, grey 
and red liquid dribbled down her face. 
Her bottomless black eyes stared back at them, fully comprehending, fully 
alive... fully hating. 
Sailor Moon suddenly leaned Rei against the cliff, ran a few yards away, looking 
deathly pale, and a little green. She bent over, breathing deeply, trying to 
avoid vomiting. She was barely successful. 
As Moon tried to keep herself from being sick, Rei crawled her way over to her 
double, gazing at her with pityingly white eyes. "It didn't have to be this way. 
You could have just surrendered. I would have put you back in my mind. It would 
have been better than this." 
'... no...' 
Rei felt the tickle of the word within her mind, knowing that her evil twin was 
communicating with the last dredges of her magic. "Why not? It's been this way 
for years. What changed this time?" 
"... freedom...' 
Rei nodded. Her imprisonment within her own mind for the brief amount of time 
taught her just that. Freedom was a wonderful thing, so wrongly taken for 
granted, especially with the overwhelming responsibility of power that she 
possessed. Freedom was a double-bladed sword. It could hurt her or help her. 
Either way, it was dangerous. 
"That is why I closed it off all those years ago. It was too much for me, 
especially after the death of my parents. There was no one to teach me at such a 
young age. No one to help me control it. How did you know?" 
'... you've... always... known...' 
Rei shrugged. She didn't quite believe that, but she was too tired to argue. 
Perhaps her darker half had been whittling away the years learning. Who knows? 
Who cares? 
She watched blankly as her double used a brief surge of her miniscule force to 
halt the leakage from her head. "It will be years before you're well enough to 
pose a threat. I could destroy you this instant and save us all that trouble." 
A slight smirk lifted the edges of Black Rei's mouth. '... but you can't...' 
Once again, Rei Hino nodded. "You're right. I cannot. Cold-blooded murder is 
your department, not mine." 
'... then go away... leave me be... it will... be years... before we meet... 
again...' 
The true Rei pierced her twin with a penetrating gaze, a look that scanned her 
soul, a soul that was her own. A taut moment crawled by before she spoke. 
"Stay well." 
Rei removed herself from the indentation, crawling back into the light of space. 
Shakily, she stood up, taking a quick glance at Sailor Moon. The latter was just 
regaining her color it seemed, but didn't look like she had any intentions of 
seeing the evil sorceress again. "Can we go home yet?" she asked plaintively. 
"She can't possibly live through that." 
Rei nodded, but thought to herself, 'Yes she can.' Raising her arms, White Rei 
summoned her magic once again. With a rumbling groan, the lunar rock of the 
crater floor raised out of the ground in a stone slab, closing off the small 
cave. The wall of stone now made Black Rei inaccessible to the Universe... at 
least until either of the Reis regained their strength. 
Sailor Moon rushed over and caught Rei before she could fall to the ground in 
exhaustion. "What was that for? You're not in any condition to be casting spells 
like that!" 
Rei fell fast asleep. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Well, here's where I claim all those disclaimers and stuff. I'm sure you know 
the drill. If you would like to send me comments, compliments or criticisms, 
please email me at: 
meech@mindspring.com