SMAV (Sailor Moon Alternate Vision)
Book One - Four Pawns and a King
by JP Buckner
ajaff@srv.net
http://onewest.net/~ajaff/manff.htm

Naoko Takeuchi created Sailor Moon. It wasn't me. Really.

Chapter One - Coming Out Party

Serena couldn't quite believe it. She and her friends had 
survived another threat. She thought Rubeus had them good. The
Scouts were out of commission while Tuxedo Mask was not with them 
on the ship. In order to defeat Rubeus and rescue the
Scouts she had needed the aide of Rini, the young girl she had 
derided so often.

She looked down at the child in question. Sometimes the youngster 
could be quite nice, and she was quite helpful against Rubeus. 
But there were times.

Still, there was a part of Serena that wanted to reach out to the 
girl. There was something about her. There was a bond that
Serena could not explain.

Serena and her friends looked out over where Rubeus' ship was 
just a moment ago. The girl who would be princess looked down 
towards Rini and smiled.

"Rini, you were great up there! I'm so proud of you. You're 
pretty okay in my book."

Rini looked up towards Serena's face and beamed, "Really, Sailor
Moon? You really think so?"

Serena nodded, "You bet!"

Rini looked at the other Scouts, and up at Darien. Each one 
nodded and added their comment.

Sailor Venus, "You were so cool."

Sailor Mercury, "I knew you had it in you."

Sailor Mars, "You were better than some people I know." Rei shot 
a glance towards Serena.

Sailor Jupiter, "Yeah, you handled him like a pro."

Darien, "Rini, see what you can do if you try?"

A huge grin covered the child's face. "Thanks, guys. Sailor
Moon, you were pretty good too."

Ami spoke up, "So how about we head back home, and treat 
ourselves to some victory ice cream?"

Serena began to jump up and down with joy, "Ice cream! Now that's 
a plan I like. Letsgo, letsgo, letsgo!"

The Scouts began to head towards home, but all of a sudden
Sailor Mars stopped dead in her tracks. Luna noticed this, and 
asked the Scout of Fire, "Sailor Mars, there is something wrong?"

Rei closed her eyes and shook her head, "I'm not sure. I seem to 
be picking up some strange...sensations.. I'm not sure what it 
is, but it seems pretty strong. Maybe we should go investigate."

"But the ice cream? We've done enough for one day, and I'm so 
hungry."

Rei's eyes shot open, "Sailor Moon, the ice cream will wait! I 
wouldn't be bringing this up if I didn't think it was important!
Can't you think with something other than your stomach for once?"

Serena began to pout, and was about to respond when Luna piped 
up. "Mars is right, Sailor Moon. We'll have plenty of time for 
ice cream later, but Scout business comes first."

"Oh, all right. But this had better not take too long, or I'll 
just die of starvation."

Multiple eyes rolled, after which all heads turned towards
Sailor Mars.

"Okay Mars," Artemis spoke up, "show us the way."

Rei closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the feelings she 
was getting. After a couple of moments, she turned to her left.
She lifted up her right hand and opened her eyes. A second later 
she pointed.

"It seems to be coming from this direction."

Slowly she began to walk. The others followed her, allowing her 
to lead, but not letting her get too far ahead.

For a few minutes it went like this. Rei would walk, stop for a 
moment, get her bearings, and then continue on. From time to time 
she would turn off onto a different street.

Eventually they arrived near a side alley. Rei stopped, and when 
the group caught up with her, she stated, "Down there." She 
pointed down the alleyway. "It's coming from down there."

Nervous glances were exchanged among those present. Words did not 
need to be said. Everyone needed to be ready for just about 
anything. Considering what the group has faced in the past, 
nothing could surprise them.

Or so they thought.

Slowly, they headed down the alleyway. The alley seemed awfully 
quiet. After about 20 feet, the group stopped.

"What... just what is that?" asked Sailor Venus.

Nine pairs of eyes, seven pairs of human eyes and two pairs of 
the feline variety, were all looking at the item in question. It 
was large; just over six feet long, and was about a foot and a 
half in both width and height. It was dark green, and appeared to 
be organic in nature. There were a few wrinkles in it, but 
otherwise seemed fairly smooth. It was rounded at the ends. One 
almost might say it looked like a giant...

"It looks like a giant cocoon," Jupiter voiced what the others 
were thinking.

"Don't be silly, Jupiter," Sailor Moon spoke up. "I mean really, 
a cocoon?"

Everyone eyed the thing in question. Eventually Sailor Mercury 
brought her hand up to her ear and activated her visor.

"This is... astonishing!" was all Mercury could say.

"What is it Mercury?" Luna asked, noticing the surprised look on 
Ami's face.

"It is... I think... it does appear to be a cocoon of some sort.
I'm picking up some life readings from inside, but I can't make 
out just what they are."

"Why not, Mercury? Surely your visor and computer should be able 
to identify it, right?" Mars was just a little worried. Ami 
always had the answers.

"There is some kind of strange energy readings surrounding 
whatever is inside. I can't make out any details because this 
energy is too strong to see anything past it."

"This could be bad." Venus mused. "Maybe it's a demon that Rubeus 
sent down here before the ship crashed. This could be a dangerous 
enemy."

"I don't think so, Venus." Mercury still had a strange look on 
her face. "The energy... it's not the same type of energy that 
Rubeus or the sisters used. In fact, it looks like..." Ami 
paused, unsure if she wanted to continue this thought.

"Looks like what, Mercury?" Darien spoke up.

"The energy, it looks like... The signature readings resemble the 
readings I see when one of us transforms. The energy seems to be 
that of the Moon Kingdom."

No one said a word on that. Everyone thought about, in their own 
way, just what those words could mean. Sailor Moon began to 
shiver.

"I don't know why, but all of a sudden, I'm getting a real creepy 
feeling."

"Snap out of it, Sailor Moon!" Mars barked. "If Mercury says it 
seems to be from the Moon Kingdom, that makes it good, right?"

Mars paused. "Right?"

Everyone looked at each other for any sign of agreement. Mercury 
turned back towards the cocoon and exclaimed, "Whatever it is, 
we'll find out soon. I think it's going to hatch!"

Everyone sent his or her utmost attention to the 'cocoon' lying 
in the alley. For awhile, nothing happened. Even Sailor Moon and
Rini kept close attention, even as the minutes passed, and short 
attention spans were asked to be broken. For all intensive 
purposes, everyone was watching a pot, waiting to see it boil.

After what seemed like hours, but wasn't, a crack appeared on the 
cocoon. "So, I guess it's too late to leave this alone now, 
right?" Sailor Moon asked. But no one answered, for everyone was 
paying rapt attention as more cracks began to surface.

Eventually, the cracks came quicker and with more force. After a 
few moments, the cocoon cracked open, split in two. And a figure 
was seen lying inside. A human figure. A female human figure.

Her eyes were closed, as if in a deep sleep. She looked to be 
about the same age as the other girls in attendance, except of 
course for Rini. Her hair was jet black, sprayed out and hanging 
down to her shoulders. Her figure was trim, and seemingly 
athletic.

Artemis went over and whispered to Luna, "It's her! It's the 
other princess."

Luna gave Artemis a knowing look. "Yes, I was beginning to wonder 
if we would ever see her again."

None of the Scouts heard this exchange. Each was intently eyeing 
the young woman in question.

Mars spoke up first. "She looks just like Sleeping Beauty. I 
wonder if the kiss of a handsome prince will wake her up." Mars 
then gave Darien a wink.

Sailor Moon did not find this in the least bit funny. "Don't... 
even... think... about... it!"

Darien shook his head. "Sailor Moon, get this through your head 
once and for all. We are no longer a couple. Period. End of 
story."

Tears formed in Serena's eyes. "Darrrrrrrriiiiiiiieeeeeennnnnn".
Everyone winced. Sometimes Serena's voice could get a tad... 
annoying was one word that came to mind. "You still care for me,
I know you do. Why are you doing this to me?"

Darien's head shot back as though he was slapped. He hated acting 
this way to Serena, but he could see no other way, considering 
the vision he had. He could be rough on her yet again, but 
instead he felt he needed to change the subject.
"Sailor Moon, let's deal with this first." Darien pointed to the 
young woman lying in the cocoon, and as he did, he noticed that 
this strange young girl began to move.

"I think..." Lita had her mouth agape as she tried to spit out 
the words. "I think she's waking up."

All eyes watched as slowly, slowly, the young woman began to 
move. Eventually, her eyes opened, and she sat up.

She had brown eyes, very deep brown eyes. And there was something 
more. The eyes, they had the slightest touch of silver to them. 
It gave her an almost exotic look. None of the Scouts could 
remember seeing eyes quite like that.

"Hello?" The young woman began to speak. "Is someone there? I can 
see some shapes, but everything is a little blurry."

"Are you all right?" The words came from Venus, but they were on 
everyone's lips.

"Am I all right? That's an odd question, considering. I mean what 
kind of welcome party is this? So tell me, am I in heaven, or is 
this hell? Don't drag out the suspense, I've been through enough 
as it is, thank you very much."

"Heaven? Hell? Whatever do you mean?" Lita was more than just a 
little surprised by all of this. She wasn't alone.

"Look, I'm in no mood for this. Just cut to the chase. Where am
I?"

It was Venus who answered. "You're in Tokyo, Juuban Ward."

"Tokyo? You have got to be kidding me, right? I mean..."

The young woman stopped cold. Her eyes were beginning to focus, 
and she could start to make out the details of those in front of 
her. Slowly, she stood up, and brought her right hand to her 
face, covering her mouth. Her eyes got wide as saucers.

"No! It can't be! But it is." Her head slowly shook from side to 
side; tears began to form around her eyes. She couldn't take it 
any longer and ran towards the Scouts at full speed, eventually 
grasping her arms around one of them, crying heavily while doing 
so.

"Ami? Is it really you? I can't believe after all this time, I'm 
seeing you again. I don't care if this is heaven, hell, or just a 
dream. I can't believe it's you!"

Sailor Mercury was in deep shock at having this stranger's arms 
crushing the life out of her. Not to mention that fact that she 
seemed to recognize her, even in her Sailor form.

"Do I know you?"

The woman shot back for a second, her eyes seemingly lost. "I 
know it's been a while, but I thought... that's why you're here, 
right, to guide me to my destination?"

Looking around at the other Scouts, she addressed them one by 
one. "Serena? Lita? Rei? Mina? I can't believe it. You're here.
I'm so happy to see you all again."

Darien stood in shock by all of this. "I can't believe you know 
all of us. Who are you?"

The girl turned her gaze towards Darien.

"I don't know you."

The Scouts all glanced at each other at this. She had recognized 
all of them, but not Darien? True, they were all in Sailor form 
right now, and he wasn't Tuxedo Mask, but still... This was 
definitely very odd.

"Child, you recognize the Scouts?"

The young woman looked down, to where the voice was coming from, 
and as she did so her eyes opened wide, and her mouth flailed 
about. Eventually, she spoke.

"Ami, did that cat just speak?"

Finding no words to say, Ami just nodded her head. This was 
getting stranger by the moment.

Luna once again found her voice. "So, you know the Scouts, but 
you don't know Darien or me?"

The newcomer just shook her head. "One of you is a ventriloquist, 
right? I mean, cats don't speak.

"What do you mean, the Scouts?"

Luna wasn't quite sure what was going on, but decided to answer 
truthfully anyways. "The Sailor Scouts. Surely you've heard of 
them?"

"But..." The young woman seemed totally in shock right now.
"That's not possible. I mean, the Sailor Scouts are just..."

She brought up her head, and once again looked at Ami. "Ami, 
you're a Scout? That makes you Sailor Mercury, right?"

Ami again nodded.

Closing her eyes, the young woman seemed deep in thought. "And
Lita is Sailor Jupiter, Mina is Sailor Venus, Rei is Sailor Mars 
and Serena..."

Opening her eyes, she turned towards Serena.

"Serena is Sailor Moon."

A great smile covered Serena's face. "Yep, that's me all right.
Sailor Moon, defender of justice, Princess of the Moon Kingdom, 
and enemy to evil-doers throughout the universe."

Mars' eyes rolled at this. "Come on, Sailor Moon, could you get 
any more hoaky if you tried?"

The new young woman continued on. "Then this young man is
Darien, also known as Tuxedo Mask, right? And the cats, Luna and
Artemis?"

Luna picked up the conversation. "That is correct. And you, young 
lady, are Sailor Saturn."

"Wha... That is NOT possible. I am NOT a Sailor Scout. And
Sailor Saturn, I mean..."

Stopping dead in her tracks, the young woman's face took on a 
look of sheer horror. "If Serena is Sailor Moon, and Ami is
Sailor Mercury, and I'm Sailor Saturn, that means my name is... 
no it can't be."

Breaking herself from Ami, the woman looked around, and ran to a 
nearby window. She looked at herself in the reflection of the 
glass, and broke down, crying and yelling at the same time.

"No! It can't be! I can't be her, I just can't be! It's not fair, 
it's just not fair!"

Rini walked up the woman and asked. "Are you all right?"

Breaking away from her own reflection, the woman looked down at 
the young child. "No, you can't be here, you can't.... Wait, 
you're not her, you're Rini, right?"

The young child nodded.

"If you're Rini, then..." Turning back to the Scouts, the woman 
asked. "What has just happened? You're in Scout garb for a 
reason, right? What just happened?"

Serena found the words coming out of her mouth. "We just defeated 
Rubeus. We were on his ship, and we escaped, but we took his ship 
down."

"Rubeus? You just battled Rubeus?" All of a sudden, the woman 
began to chuckle. The chuckle eventually turned into a full-
fledged laugh.

Mars couldn't believe this. "What are you laughing about? We just 
won a major victory. What is so funny?"

Stopping before continuing, the woman said, "Victory? A major 
victory? You think you've just won a major victory? Oh, you have 
no idea what is going on here, do you?"

"What are you babbling about? Rubeus was a major problem, and now 
with him out of the picture, and the sisters living here as our 
friends, what is left to worry about?"

The woman caught herself before answering. "Idiots. Rubeus was 
just a pawn."

"A pawn?" Artemis, like the others, was quite curious about what 
the young woman was talking about.

"Yes, a pawn. He and the four sisters were just pawns that have 
been removed from the board. There are still four pawns out 
there. Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond and Wicked Lady.

"If you thought Rubeus was tough, you haven't seen anything yet! 
To truly win this battle, and it is a battle let me assure you, 
you must remove each of the pawns from the board. Then, and only 
then, will you face the Black King. And on that battle, 
everything will be resolved, the fate of this world, now and in 
the future. And it will be a far tougher battle than anything you 
have ever dealt with before."

Ami asked the question. "How do you know all of this? And just 
who are you?"

A smile graced the young woman's face. "As to the first question, 
you wouldn't believe me if I told you. And I have no desire to 
tell you right now. As far as the second question, well if I'm 
supposed to be Sailor Saturn like Luna says, I guess you can call 
me Jai."

"Jai?"

The young woman bowed, deeply, before the Scouts. "Tsuriaino
Jai, if I remember it correctly."

Venus was shocked. "What do you mean, if you remember it 
correctly? Don't you remember your own name?"

A low chuckle escaped from Jai's lips. "Like I said before, you 
wouldn't believe me. I'm not sure I believe it myself."

"Well, then, now that that is covered, let's get down to 
business, shall we." And with that, Luna leaped, and produced a 
transformation stick. Taking it into her mouth, she walked over 
and presented it to Jai.

"Umm, no thanks."

Massive facefaults hit the surrounding personages.

"What do you mean, no thanks?"

Jai looked around. "I don't want it. I don't want to be Sailor
Saturn."

Sailor Moon was beside herself. "You... don't... want..."

Mars continued on. "How arrogant are you? This isn't a question 
of want, you know. Did any of us ask for this? We do this because 
we have to, because it is who we are. If you are truly from the 
Moon Kingdom..."

"She is," Artemis interrupted.

Mars picked her thoughts up. "Then you have no choice! Being a 
Scout is your destiny! It is a part of who you are."

Jai's eyes flared. "Destiny? Listen to me, Scout of Fire, I will 
make my own destiny, do you hear me? If I say I don't want this, 
then I don't want this, and none of you can make me change my 
mind."

"But why?" Mercury was confused. There was something about this 
young woman that seemed somewhat familiar to her now, and she 
knew, she could tell, that there was a good person behind the 
facade.

"I have my reasons. And I don't have to share them with any of 
you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to leave, I have had 
quite enough of this, thank you very much."

Jai turned around and began to walk away. But before she did,
Ami asked one more question.

"Where will you go?"

Jai stopped dead in her tracks on that. She turned around and 
looked at the Scouts.

"I... I don't know."

Ami picked up her line of thought. "You were surprised to be in 
Tokyo. Do you have a home anywhere around here? Do you know 
anyone?"

Jai shook her head.

"Then stay with me."

"Wha..." Jai was stunned by Ami's offer.

"Stay with me. I have a big apartment, and my mother is gone a 
lot. There is plenty of room. And I would like the company."

"Please, stay." The pleading voice came from Rini, who looked up 
at Jai with hopeful eyes. Jai took one look at that face, those 
eyes, and she knew she couldn't refuse. But still...

"I've just turned down being a Scout, and you still want me to 
share your apartment with you?"

Ami nodded. "I don't understand why you're refusing, but I'm sure 
you have a good reason. I don't know why, but I trust you."

"Well, *I* don't. Ami, are you sure you want HER living with 
you?" Rei was none too happy with this turn of events. Frankly, 
the Scout of Fire found this stranger's attitude too 
disconcerting.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Jai looked down at Rini one more time, then over to Ami. She went 
over and picked up the Saturn stick from where Luna had dropped 
it.

"Ami, here take this."

"Huh?"

Jai smiled. "Take this, and keep it with you. Just in case."

"Does this mean?"

Jai shook her head. "I'm not changing my mind about being a
Scout. But if you still don't mind me living with you, I accept."

Ami smiled. There was something definitely here with this young 
woman. Just what it is, Ami couldn't put a finger on, but there 
it was.

Together, the five Scouts, Darien, Rini, two cats and a newly 
born teenage girl headed out, towards... home.

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

"So, Rubeus has failed."

Prince Diamond looked down towards the two people standing before 
him.

"Yes, my Prince. He was a fool, and not worthy of this honor. If 
you allow me the task of getting a hold of that brat, I will not 
fail you." Plus, Emerald thought to herself, such a victory would 
make me look good in Diamond's eyes. Soon I will be his Queen, 
and the two of us will have a happy life together.

"Emerald, Rubeus failed because he underestimated the Scouts. Do 
not make that same mistake." Sapphhire found Emerald's arrogance 
troublesome. But then this woman had always thought so much of 
herself.

"You think I'm going to let a bunch of foolish Earth girls defeat 
me? Rubeus was a fool to let the sisters defect, let alone 
allowing the Scouts to defeat him so easily. Shame about the 
sisters, though. I never thought the four of them would turn 
traitor. Especially that one that you used to hang out with,
Sapphire, what was her name again? Are you so little of a man 
that you couldn't keep this woman from joining those foolish 
Earth people?"

Sapphire began to blush at this rebuke. As he did so, his brother 
spoke up.

"Enough of this bickering! If we are to learn the location of the 
Crystal, we can't spend all of our time at each others throats. 
Do the two of you understand?"

Emerald and Sapphire nodded in agreement.

"Good, now Emerald, what plans do you have of dealing with this 
problem."

"My Prince, I have given Sapphire instructions on the creation of 
a key to flood vital areas of Tokyo with dark energy. These keys 
will make it easier for us to go in, open the dark gate and give 
us the power to finish this war once and for all. Not even the 
Crystal can withstand the power of the dark gate, when it is 
open. Wiseman has told me so."

"He has told me this as well. And the Scouts? Not to mention the 
brat?"

Emerald grinned and began to laugh. "Oh ho ho! They will not be 
able to deal with the dark energy that I release. And soon I will 
have that brat, and we will learn of the location of the
Crystal."

"Good." Diamond was pleased with this news. "Brother, how long 
will it take to manufacture the keys for Emerald."

"Not long, brother. I should have the first batch ready to give 
her in a few days."

Diamond nodded in approval. "All right then. Until the keys are 
ready, we will try another approach. Grim Man, your Prince 
summons you!"

All of a sudden, a figure appeared next to Emerald.

"I hate it when he does that," she muttered to herself.

"Yes, my Prince." The new figure bowed to Diamond.

"You tell me you have a plan to retrieve the Crystal? How soon 
can you put this plan into effect?"

"Hey!" Emerald was none too happy. "It's my turn next, Your
Highness."

Diamond gave Emerald a harsh look. "And your plan won't be ready 
for a few days. Until then, Grim Man has his chance. So, Grim
Man, can you begin soon?"

"Yes, My Prince. It will not take long for me at all."

"Good, now get going."

The Grim Man once again bowed towards Diamond, and vanished as 
quickly as he came.

"And that goes for the two of you, as well. You have much to 
prepare for, whether or not his plan works."

"Yes, My Prince."

"Yes, brother."

Sapphire watched as Emerald left the chambers. Arrogant woman, he 
told himself. She really doesn't see the Scouts as much of a 
threat. That was Rubeus' undoing, and it will be hers as well.
He grinned to himself. I'll make the keys for her, but what she 
doesn't know is that is not all I am doing. Eventually, she will 
fail, and I will deal with the Scouts myself. Thinking about his 
plan, he once again smiled. They will never know what hit them.

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

Jai looked around Ami's apartment. "This is really nice, Ami. And 
quite roomy. This place must cost a fortune."

Ami smiled. "Thanks. Mother, being one of the more respected 
doctors in Japan, makes a nice living. The sad part of it is that 
she has to spend so much time traveling from place to place, and 
doesn't spend much time here."

This saddened Jai. This place would be quite lonely for a teenage 
girl living alone most of the time. "I still can't believe I'm in 
Japan. I mean, eventually I'll start speaking
Japanese and everything."

Ami shook her head at this. "Huh? What do you mean soon? You're 
speaking Japanese right now."

Jai's mouth opened wide. "Wha... that can't be right. I only know 
a few words and phrases in Japanese. Certainly not enough to hold 
a meaningful conversation with."

Ami asked, "What language do you think you're speaking?"

Jai smiled. "English is my mother tongue. I know some French and
Spanish too, but all this time... You're right, though. Now that 
you mention it, my speech patterns and such seem different. I 
wonder why I didn't notice it before. And why am I able to speak
Japanese now?"

Ami shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it was a side-effect of the 
cocoon you were in."

Jai looked around before answering. "Could be. I can't think of a 
better explanation. That would be the least of the changes I went 
through."

Ami's eyebrows shot up at that. "What other changes did you go 
through?"

A grin came to Jai's face. "That would be telling. So, now what 
Ami? I'm here at your apartment, now what?"

Ami thought for a second. "Do you have identification?"

"Huh?"

"You know, an I.D., birth certificate, anything like that?"

Jai shook her head side to side. "Nope. All I got is what I came 
out of the cocoon with, in essence nothing."

Ami smiled. "Well, then, let's do something about that, shall 
we?"

Ami walked over to where her computer (not the Mercury computer, 
mind you) sat. Booting it up, her fingers started moving quickly 
across the keyboard.

"What are you doing?"

Ami turned her head back to Jai for a second. "Getting you an 
identity, silly."

As Ami turned her attention back to her computer, Jai could see 
just what Ami was up to.

"Ami! You're breaking into the central databanks! This is highly 
illegal!"

"Yes, it is. And if you won't tell, neither will I.

"Ah, here we are. Now your name again, Tsuriaino Jai."

"Well," Jai thought for a moment. "It is technically Tsuriaino
Jaijo."

Ami began tying in this name into the databanks.

"But I always thought Jaijo sounded too southern for my tastes.
I much prefer Jai."

Ami smiled, and changed the name she had typed accordingly.

"Wait, you can do that?"

Ami giggled. "Of course. Since I'm giving you a whole new 
identity from the very start, might as well do it right."

"Yeah, but..." Jai thought about this for a second. Maybe this 
means... if this can be changed, why not... Shaking her head, she 
realized she had much to think about.

"Birthdate?"

Jai thought about that for a second, and smiled. "Well, since 
today was the day I was actually reborn here, let's use today's 
date. Minus, how old are the rest of you?"

"Sixteen years."

"Today minus sixteen years, then."

Ami typed this information in, and smiled. "Happy birthday, by 
the way."

A giant grin crossed Jai's face. "Thanks. Sweet sixteen today, 
and I certainly had quite a party earlier today."

Ami chuckled at this. "Can't think of one quite like it. Blood 
type?"

Jai opened her mouth, and was about to respond, when she stopped. 
"I could tell you what my blood type was, but it's possible that 
has changed, thanks to the cocoon and all. Probably should check 
it first."

Ami nodded. "Makes sense. Next of kin?"

This time a frown graced Jai's face. "None, as far as I know."

Ami's eyes shot up at that. "As far as you know?"

Jai nodded and replied. "Yeah, as far as I know."

Ami looked at her computer and stopped for a moment. "This is a 
start. I have some supplies of mom's around; we can easily test 
your blood type. Plus, eventually I'll have to create a more 
detailed background for you, medical records, school records and 
the like. I can probably test you on school subjects, it will 
give me a good idea of where you would stand academically for 
when you go to school."

"School? As a student?" Jai couldn't help but laugh at this 
thought.

"Is there something funny about that?"

Jai collected herself. "Inside joke, sorry."

Ami grinned. "Anyways, congratulations. As of right now, 
Tsuriaino Jai exists."

"Thanks." Jai was about to say more, when the doorbell rang.

Ami went over, and opened the door, to find Rini standing there.

"Hi, Ami!"

"Hi, Rini. What brings you here?"

The small child grinned, and replied, "I wanted to see how Jai 
was doing."

"I'm doing just fine, Rini."

Rini ran into the room, and gave Jai a giant hug. "Cool. So even 
though you're not going to be a Scout, you'll be my friend, 
right."

A tear escaped from Jai's eyes. "Of course, young lady. I would 
very much like to be your friend." 

"All right! You seem so much nicer than Serena."

Jai smiled at this. "Don't judge Serena too harshly, Rini. She 
does like you, she's just a little too immature at times to show 
it."

"Yeah, sometimes she can be such a pain. Hey, I want to go see
Darien, will you come with me?"

Jai thought about this for a moment. "Okay, Rini. I have a few 
things I want to say to him anyways."

Jai turned to Ami. "I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me.
Maybe you should start preparing some of those tests you want to 
run me through." Jai gave Ami a wink at that.

"All right. You two behave yourselves now."

"Of course we will, won't we, Rini?'

"You bet!"

Ami watched as the two left her apartment. Ami still didn't know 
why she felt close to this young woman. The more time she spent 
with her, the closer she felt to her. Just what is your story, 
Tsuriaino Jai, just what is going on?

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

"I don't care what Ami thinks, I still don't trust her!"

Serena, Lita and Mina all rolled their eyes at this. Rei had not 
stopped her tirade on Jai once they returned to the temple.

"Come on, Rei," Lita said, "Jai must be okay. Ami's a good judge 
of character."

"Oh, and I'm not, is that what you're saying?"

The Scouts kept quiet. It was obvious that Rei was not going to 
be convinced so easily.

Out of hearing distance of the Scouts, Luna and Artemis were also 
talking about the newcomer.

"I don't understand her, Luna. This is so unlike her."

Luna sighed. "It is so unlike the Princess we once knew. But 
remember, she's been through an awful lot. You know what Queen
Serenity had to do, for her own safety. Who knows how that 
affected her?"

Artemis nodded. "Yeah. We have no idea what might have happened 
to her since we last saw her. It's odd how she recognized the
Scouts, though. I wonder what that was about?"

Luna grinned. "You noticed that she and Ami seem to bond almost 
immediately? I guess some things never change, do they?"

Artemis agreed. "Those two were always close. Almost as close as 
Jaijo was with..."

Luna interrupted Artemis' thought. "Yes. I hope one day, they can 
be that close again. I hope one day it will be safe enough to 
bring them together, the way they are meant to be."

Artemis sat back, in quiet contemplation. Shaking his head, he 
finally said, "It's good to see her again, but something is 
wrong. Something is horribly wrong. I've got this bad feeling."

"Me too, Artemis, me too."

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

Darien answered the door, and was surprised to see Rini there, 
along with the strange young girl he had met earlier that day.

"Well, are you going to invite us in?"

Darien smiled, and moved aside to give the two room to get by.
As Jai walked by, Darien's hand inadvertently touched Jai by the 
shoulder.

"Ahhhh!!!!" The touch set off something in Darien. He started 
seeing... visions were the best way he could describe it.

First, he saw Jai in a Scout uniform. He saw a deadly blast 
heading towards her, and saw her escape the blast at the last 
second.

Second, he saw her again, in her Scout garb, sitting in what 
seemed to be a garden of some sort. And she was crying.

Finally, he saw her laying down, this time not in Scout gear.
She looked to be seriously injured, and he noticed both Serena 
and Rini by her side, looking concerned. He saw Jai raise up a 
hand, and wipe away a tear from Serena's face.

After this, the visions faded, and Darien was back in real time 
again. He looked, and noticed that Jai gave him a curious look.

"Darien, I understand that you can see things about people by 
touching them. From the look on your face, it's true, isn't it?"

Darien nodded sadly.

Jai smiled. "Don't fret, I am far more aware of my own future 
than you are. Remember that a glimpse out of context can be 
something different than what you think it is. Or it could be 
exactly what you think it is. Who's to say?"

Jai looked down at Rini. "Do you think you can give Darien and me 
a moment alone? I have some things to talk to him about."

Rini nodded. "All right, I guess." And with that, Rini headed 
towards another room in Darien's apartment.

Jai looked straight into Darien's eyes, and stated, "I know what 
you are doing with Serena, and why. You are playing a dangerous 
game, you know."

Darien shot back. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Jai shook her head. "Correct me if I'm wrong. You split up with
Serena because of a vision you had. You think that if the two of 
you are together, she will be in grave danger."

Darien slowly nodded.

"Moron. Didn't I just tell you that visions out of context can be 
too dangerous to trust? Have you never heard of the story of 
Oedipus?"

"Oedipus? Greek mythology, right?"

Jai nodded. "Yes. When Oedipus was born, his father was told that 
Oedipus was destined to someday kill his father and marry his 
mother. In order to prevent this, his father sent him away, to be 
killed."

Darien shook his head. "I don't get what this has to do with me."

"Look, by trying to escape the prophecy, his destiny, Oedipus' 
father put into motion the chain of events that led to the 
prophecy coming true. Haven't you considered that maybe by 
breaking up with Serena, you are dooming her to that vision of 
her that you had?"

Darien just stood there dumbfounded.

"Look, Darien," Jai continued, "Serena is in grave danger. That 
is a given. The question is, how best to help her. Trust me when
I say this, but the only way for Serena to be saved, the only way 
for this world to be saved is by true, honest feelings. Only 
love, and possibly even sacrifice, will be able to save this 
world, and Serena as well."

"I hear you, but I'm still unsure..."

A look of concern graced Jai's face. "Look, one day soon,
Serena's love for you will be tested. If she does not truly 
believe that you care for her, she will be forever damned."

Darien hung his head down. "You have given me something to think 
about."

"I know. Just remember, when all is said and done, true feelings, 
true love is the greatest power that there is. Now, there is one 
question I would like to ask you."

Darien's eyes shot up. "What is that?"

Jai's eyes turned down. "I was told I was a member of the Moon 
Kingdom. I don't remember anything about that. I have no memories 
of me or of any of you there. I want to know, do you? Do you have 
any memories of me?"

Darien paused for the longest time before answering. "Yes."

Jai looked at him quizzically.

"Not much, mind you, just three small snippets of memory. I 
always wondered about who that girl in those memories was."

"And what do you remember?"

"Three things, actually. First, I remember seeing you in an regal 
dress of some kind. We were outside, and you gave me a courtesy."

Jai nodded.

"Second, we were inside the Palace of the Moon Kingdom. It was a 
fancy occasion, and I saw you, flanked by Ami and Rei at the top 
of a staircase. All of you were wearing fancy gowns. You looked 
in my direction, smiled, and the three of you headed down the 
stairway."

"Okay."

"Finally," Darien waited for a second before finishing this, "I 
think it was the same occasion, you were still wearing that gown, 
and we were..."

"What?" Jai's curiosity was now at a fever pitch.

"We were dancing."

Jai shook her head. "That can't be right. I mean, you were 
engaged to Serena, the two of you were supposed to be 
inseparable, especially back then."

Darien nodded. "I know. That's one reason that has been haunting 
me for some time."

Jai shook her head. "Like I said before, out of context, who 
knows what any of that means?"

Darien nodded, "Yeah, I guess you have a point there."

In the other room, Rini had her ear pinned to the door, listening 
to everything being said. She smiled. I like Jai, Rini told 
herself. I like Jai much better than Serena. Maybe Jai and
Darien... Rini smiled at the prospect.

All of a sudden, Rini started feeling a little faint. She was 
becoming dizzy. She teetered a bit, and before you know it, fell 
unconscious to the floor.

Darien and Jai heard the sound of Rini's fall from the other 
room. They found the young girl lying there. Jai tried to revive 
Rini, tried to comfort her, but to no success.

"No," she cried, "not now. Please, don't let this start now."



End Book One, Chapter One