(Why am I doing this?  Well, Digital Moon Remix isn't quite a true
rewrite in a sense... more like the original with a few things
changed and added here and there.  There were some things that had
always bothered me about the original, as well as some things I
changed to make clearer (hopefully :).  But since the original parts
of this story were received so well, I didn't want to alter it *too*
much.  I'm not sure if this new version will replace the version in
the rec.arts.anime.creative archives, but if it does (which is
likely) you can find the original version of this story on my web
pages, along with DMRemix.  
The other reason why I'm doing this is because I'm currently working
on a brand-new story picking up where these events left off (but
still after Thanks for the Memories takes place), and... :) 

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S
Digital Moon (Remix)
written by Mike Koos
-----------------------------

[OP: Moonlight Densetsu]

     Usagi was dreaming again.
     It was, thankfully, one of the relatively few pleasures she had
these days; what with all the responsibilities everyone expected her
to face up to.  But not every girl on Earth could claim she was a
Princess... or one of the Sailor Senshi.  Tsukino Usagi had the
unique honor of being both.
     It meant that certain individuals wanted her to mature and act
far more responsibly and sensibly than she did now.  Of course, she
was proud to be the Princess Serenity, from the Moon - though at the
same time, she wanted to lead the life of any other fifteen-year-old
girl.  Was that too much to ask?  Probably so.
     Few people aside from the Senshi themselves knew Usagi's secret.
Chief among those people was Chiba Mamoru - "Mamo-chan," as Usagi
affectionately put it.  Mamoru was similar to Usagi in a sense: he,
too, was reincarnated royalty.  Endymion, the Terran prince to whom
Princess Serenity had pledged her love so long ago... a love which
had been carried over into their present incarnations, and which, no
matter what happened, Usagi would never let die.  She loved him with
all her heart; the Past, Present and Future held proof enough of that.
     She was dreaming about Mamoru and herself again.  This time,
as *themselves*, not as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, Princess
Serenity and Endymion.  She'd hoped - no, *willed* - that they would
stay together against all odds.  Even if that relationship
experienced a few bumps along the way... They had both received a
clue to their futures in the form of Chibi-Usa, the Small Lady who
would eventually lead them to the Future itself.  It was quite a
boost to know they both lived far into the future and come to rule
over all of Crystal Tokyo, and more... Though any of this could
change or be changed at any time, Ami had warned.  Playing with Time
was always dangerous, and knowing one's own future might be one of
the biggest dangers of all.
     Mamoru turned to Usagi and spoke the words she always wanted to
hear: "We will always be together."  But as he spoke those words, a
jagged wall of pure rock rose up to drive itself between them.  What
could it mean?  
     Usagi raised her hand to transform into Sailor Moon... "Moon
Cosmic Power, make up!!"  
     Nothing happened.  
     She looked down at her seifuku and realized her transformation
brooch was no longer there...

     Luna bleared awake on the floor of Usagi's bedroom.  She didn't
sleep on the bed that often, being the victim of those times when
Usagi slept restlessly.  <Morning, already?>  she asked herself.  A
quick look at the clock perched on Usagi's nightstand told her that it
was one second to...

     RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

     Usagi sat up, rubbed the haze out of her eyes and took a good
look at the alarm clock.  One eye, then the other.  <Three, two,
one...> Luna counted, bracing herself.  She knew all too well what
was about to happen.
     "WAAAAH!!  I'M GOING TO BE LATE!!"  shouted Usagi, bolting out
of the room like her namesake.  Luna sighed, as she did often now.    
     It was the beginning of another average day.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Somewhere along the line, it had become Sakurada Haruna's
expected role to be quite upset with Usagi.  "It's not going to do
any good to place you out in the hall again, Tsukino-san!  All that
does is make you miss even more of the class."  The teacher sighed. 
"Take your seat.  And I hope that this time, you've actually
remembered to do your homework."
     Usagi petulantly dropped into place behind her desk.  "Yes, I
have!"
     Naru, sitting next to her, blinked.  "You have?"
     Usagi's only answer was an abrupt nod.  No one ever expected her
to have her homework ready by the time class began... often, she'd be
sneaking in answers - right or wrong, mostly guesses - right up to
the point when her teachers asked for it.  *If* she had remembered to
bring it with her.
     "You've actually finished your homework on time?  Are you feeling
all right?"  Haruna asked, suddenly concerned.
     "I'm fine!" insisted Usagi.  "Fine!"
     Haruna's expression softened.  No sense in wearing herself out
first thing in the morning arguing with Usagi.  If only the girl
would show an interest in learning what she had to teach... perhaps
picking up an example from her friend, Mizuno Ami, one of the
highest-ranking students in the school, and stop acting so
irresponsible and childish, maybe teaching would be a little easier
from that point on.
     Of course, that would never happen.
     From his seat near the front of the class, Umino glanced at
Usagi, then at Naru.
     Haruna sighed again, and started the lesson.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     If there was one thing Usagi loved about school, it was
lunchtime!  Study period might figure in there somewhere... though
nothing beat losing the books and sitting down to lunch.  No worrying
about school work for at least part of the day!  Goodness knew Usagi
had more than enough to worry about already...
     Usagi chewed happily away at her bento, humming to herself all
the while.  Naru gave her a concerned look and shrugged.  Vintage
Usagi, indeed.
     "Nee, Usagi," Naru began.  "Have you seen that new computer
game everyone's talking about?"
     "Computer game?"  Usagi drew out the words slowly, even more so
since she still had a mouth full of bento.  Ah, computer games were
more along Ami's line than hers; she preferred the traditional
stand-alone video games like the consoles at the Crown Game Center. 
The Sailor V game, for one.  She'd thought about asking her parents
to buy a newer, more up-to-date home game system for her and
Shingo... hadn't they released a version of Sailor V for the Super
Famicom?
     "It's a role-playing game.  It's a sword-and-sorcery-type game,
but you get to play as the Sailor Senshi."
     <Sailor Senshi?>  That caught Usagi's full attention.  She
pictured the Senshi with swords.  To her surprise her image of
Rei-chan fit the picture rather well.  "Huh?  I can't see Sailor Moon
or the Sailor Senshi doing anything like that."
     "I couldn't, either, but the game is done so well.  It's a
shareware game done by some otaku in--"
     Umino chose that moment to pop up from behind them.  "You don't
want to get involved with that game.  There's something evil about
it."
     Speaking of *otaku*...
     Both girls reflexively threw him an angry glare.  "Can't you
approach us like a *normal* person?"
     Umino dismissed the look.  "Don't I?"
     Usagi went rigid with a start.  If *Umino* thought there was
'something evil' about the game... "Evil!?  Like what?"
     "There's been reports of people disappearing while playing it,"
Umino sat at the table, glad that they were finally listening to him.
"Without a trace.  The guy who programmed and released the thing
claims he knows nothing about it.  But I'll bet he does."
     "That's great, Umino-kun," Usagi said with mock enthusiasm.  "Why
don't you go warn everyone else about this, now?  Go on."  Naru tried
to keep from breaking into a smile.
     "But..."
     "We can't waste any time!  Just think, you could be doing the
Sailor Senshi a favor."  
     Umino's glasses took on a dull sparkle.  "You really think
so...?"
     "Yeah!"  Naru jumped in.  "They wouldn't want to have their name
connected to an *evil* game, would they?"
     "I guess not!"  Umino finally left of his own accord.
     "Whew!  I thought he'd NEVER leave!"  exhaled Naru.  She felt a
little guilty saying the words... she was supposed to be involved in
a casual relationship with Umino, yet there still were times when she
preferred to be alone.  A touch of guilt kept coming back to haunt
her, to reprimand her for burying the memory of a past love away.
     Usagi looked at her oddly.  "It *is* getting harder to get rid
of him."
     Her friend avoided the issue by rummaging around in her bookbag
for a small blue disk.  "Here.  I brought you a copy of the game."
     "How did you get a copy?"
     "My mom uses a computer in the shop, so I talked someone here at
school into getting me one.  My characters are almost at level 13." 
Naru beamed proudly.
     Usagi studied the disk in her hand.  She'd been wondering how
she might find a copy... knowing Luna, who would likely want to
investigate this as soon as possible.  
     But all she *really* wanted to do was play the game.  Fighting
monsters on a computer screen HAD to be more fun than fighting them
in real life.
     She gave Naru one of her patented grins.  "Thanks!"

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Unfortunately, Usagi had forgotten the most important fact of
all: Her family didn't own a PC.  Ironic, indeed - like going to the
Center and only being able to watch everyone play games, knowing you
were out of money.
     Which, considering Usagi's grades and spending habits, happened
quite often.  She already owed Naru-chan a few hundred yen...
     She vaguely felt the cars passing by her in the street on her
way home.  What difference did it make, anyway?  It wasn't like any
of those drivers were about to stop and offer her a PC to try the
game on.
     She'd have to ask Ami.  Usagi let out a long, exaggerated sigh;
Ami wasn't exactly known for enjoying an RPG now and then.
     "Usagi!"  
     No, not role-playing games.  Maybe a game of chess every so
often, though that was the only exception.
     "...Usagi!"
     Ami would probably prefer an *educational* game.
     "USAGI-CHAN!!"
     Er, was someone calling her?  
     "Ah... Mako-chan!?"  By far the tallest of the five primary
Senshi - Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako - Makoto was also perhaps
the most tomboyish in the true sense of the word.  She still wore the
uniform of her old school both out of necessity and habit; her long
brown ponytail swayed slightly in the wind as she strode up to Usagi.
     By contrast, Usagi's longer, blond odango tails always liked to
stay where she left them.  She thought about this.  Would Mamo-chan
like her with a different hairstyle?  Minako had nearly talked her
into changing it once before...
     Mako smiled.  "Earth to Usagi."
     Blushing, Usagi told her friend the reason her head was in the
clouds.  "Naru-chan gave me a copy of the new game everyone's talking
about."
     "Isn't that the one that puts us in an RPG?"
     "Yeah, I guess so.  I just don't have a computer to play it on,
though."  
     Mako could almost feel Usagi's spirits sinking.  She fell in
alongside Usagi.  "What about Ami's?"
     "Are you kidding?  She'd never let us play the game on it.  You
know how paranoid she got about 'unknown disks' after the Dark
Kingdom tried to spread their own computer virus."
     "So what are you going to do?"
     Usagi thought about it.  Her response was clear and to the
point.  "I don't know."
     "Couldn't Luna or Artemis get you a computer?"
     "Not one to play a game on, that's for sure."  Not only that,
but the two would be very upset with her if they found out the reason
why Usagi wanted a system of her own.  Luna and Artemis were very
adamant about how Usagi should conduct herself, even after seeing how
Neo Queen Serenity had developed... or rather, especially after
meeting Usagi's future self.
     "I guess you'll just have to hold on to it for a little bit,
Usagi.  We'll think of something."  
     "Hmph," Usagi contorted her face.  "You're just trying to
torture me."
     "Why should I?"  asked Makoto innocently, green eyes studying
her.  "Annoying you is Rei's job."

                            *  *  *  *  *

     That evening, Naru loaded the game into her mother's computer. 
Sure, she had to put up with mediocre sound, only the base amount of
memory and a monochrome monitor, but going from sixteen colors to two
didn't hurt the graphics.  Much.
     It wasn't a real concern at any rate; she was well on her way to
having Level 13 characters.  Five hundred more experience points and
her five Senshi learned an entire new range of abilities.  She was
grateful to have Sailor Moon's Moon Spiral Heart Attack, but wished
she could do a lot more... Even the air around her seemed a bit
charged with the excitement that ran through her.
     The game was asking for it, too.  It was almost as if it were
helping her gain experience levels, by throwing all of these weak
monsters against her party.  Another demon met its end.  She
smiled... only 110 more points to go.
     A goblin blundered into one of Sailor Venus' attacks.  95 more
points to go.
     Sailor Mercury blinded a monster with the Shabon Spray and
Jupiter finished it off.  65 points.
     "Fire Soul!!"  read the text in the small window on the bottom of
the screen.  Sailor Mars succeeded with a Level 1 attack.  <Weak
monsters, indeed,> Naru thought.  
     She had few points left to go, so she ran her characters around
in circles trying to attract the monsters' attention.  Had she known
more about the actual program itself, she would have tried a
different approach.
     One more attacker bit the dust.  <That's it!>  The tinny little
fanfare coming from her computer's tiny speaker told her she'd made it
to Level 13!  Quite a thrill this was; for some reason getting to
Level 13 was a lot more exciting than she had thought it would be.  
     And the part of that excitement that charged the air around
her was still there.
     
     Literally.

     Naru realized in shock that she wasn't imagining the lively
blue-white energy arcing around her and her computer, in between both
and everywhere at once.  Pulling her... but to where?  I-into the
screen!?  Impossible... but the image on the monitor suddenly DID
appear more colorful and animated than it had when her little band of
Sailor Senshi were crossing it a moment ago.
     More lifelike, more inviting...  She couldn't decline the
invitation, not now!  She tried to scream but fainted before she had
the chance.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Naru awoke facedown in the middle of a dirt road.  <A *dirt*
road?>  she asked herself.  There weren't that many dirt roads she
knew of.  Certainly none bordered by a grassy field that extended
- at least as far as she could tell - into the horizon.  The sun was
setting into the nondescript mountain range in the far distance.
     She was alone.  For now.
     <The game!  I'm INSIDE the game!>  it came to Naru slowly.  A
quick glance told her she was defenseless, with only a faded and worn
light-blue peasant frock for protection.  No weapons, no armor, no
food... not even a piece of gold with which to buy such things.
     In no time at all it would be dark.  That was the way many RPG's
worked; the rising and setting of the sun happened considerably
faster in game time than it did in real-time.  Naru would be in even
worse trouble in the dark.  Sticking to the dirt road in the game was
one way to keep from getting attacked, though how the heck was she
supposed to do that in the dark?
     She noticed a thick piece of dry wood lying on the ground next to
the road.  Perfect for a torch, if she could only find a way to light
it.  Maybe... 
     She closed her eyes tightly and concentrated.  
     For a moment nothing happened, though she didn't know it.  Then
all at once her torch lit with a bright magical flame.  Naru felt the
heat from the flame and opened one eye.  <It... worked!?>
     At least now she had a light to travel by.  And she wasn't
completely defenseless: she did have some 'magic' to work with.  But
in RPG's, magic was almost always limited.  Best to conserve her
magical strength for when she truly needed it - and that would be
soon.

     How long would the torch last?

       NARU:  HP (150/150)  MP (85/90)  LEVEL: 01  GOLD: 00000
                        LOCATION: Open Plains

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Usagi awoke to the sound of her mother's voice.  "Usagi?  Wake
up, dear."
     Usagi took a sidelong squint at her clock.  It wasn't even
eight o'clock yet.  What, Mom had actually decided to wake her up
*early*?  Something must be wrong.  "What - what is it?  What's going
on?"
     Mrs. Tsukino tried to hide the note of concern in her voice. 
"Naru's mother just called.  She wants to know if we've seen Naru..."
     That snapped Usagi's mind into the present.  "Naru-chan...?" 
<Neat trick,> Luna watched from the sidelines.  Even she couldn't get
Usagi to wake up that fast.
     "...She hasn't seen Naru since yesterday, in the afternoon,"
Mrs. Tsukino finished.  "Do you know where she might be?  I told Mrs.
Osaka we'd call if--"
     Usagi felt herself gripping the edge of her pillow a little too
tightly and let go.  "No.  I don't know..."
     "Okay," her mother said, heading for the doorway.  "I hope Naru
hasn't become another one of those people disappearing all over
Tokyo."
     What she didn't see, was that Usagi never heard those words;
Usagi had already dropped back to sleep.
     Luna frowned, in as much as a cat could.  She was going to have
to call a meeting of the Sailor Senshi.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Naru never came to fill her chair at school that morning, 
either.
     "Osaka Naru?"  Haruna-sensei called.  She repeated the name.
     No answer.
     Usagi caught Umino giving Naru's empty desk a solemn stare.  She
knew he had a good idea of what had happened to Naru.  
     The disk was still buried in her bookbag.  An exact copy of the
one Naru possessed, if she read computers right.  Usagi wished she'd
listened a bit closer to Ami's explanations of computer processes. 
Instead, she'd wanted to get to the games...!  And now a game may
have taken a good friend from her...
     <Naru-chan?>  she vowed.  <Wherever you are, we're coming to
help!  I promise!>

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Naru froze in her tracks.  For an instant, it seemed as though
she could hear Usagi saying something.  Usagi!?  Here?
     No.  Couldn't be.
     It was completely dark now.  Or more correctly, it had been
dark for far too long.  The whole thing was probably just a trick of
the wind or her imagination.  Neither were helping her right about
now.
     The monsters sure were real enough.  The first that ambushed her
on the road had nearly taken her head off before she blasted it with a
fireball - a weak fireball.  Oddly enough, the thing ran away nursing
its wounds and crying like some sort of frightened child.
     She was no Sailor Senshi, but was starting to get the feel of
the game.  By the fifth ambush she had already gone up two levels and
held a book of spells left behind by one of the monsters she'd
defeated.  With a purse half full of gold pieces, more spells under
her cap and a small sword tucked within her belt, she didn't feel so
defenseless any longer.
     A sign along the road told her she was thirty-two kilometers
from a town named Traldone.  Kilometers?  She couldn't remember how
far one kilometer was, let alone thirty-two.
     It had better not be too far.  Even though she was making good
progress, she knew better than to stay out in the open all night.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Later that afternoon, at the Hikawa Shrine, Ami, Minako, Makoto
and Rei patiently waited in the courtyard for Usagi and Luna.  
Artemis casted a futile glance at the front gate.
     "We'd better start without her," Rei told the others 
impatiently.
     "Rei-chan!"  Ami scolded.  "Don't worry, she'll be here."
     "Luna'll see to that," smirked Makoto.
     "Ah, who are you kidding?  She's probably off at the Center
again."  Rei knew Usagi had a tendency to get wrapped up in a video
game, even when the Senshi had something important to do.  Usagi had
even once done so while Luna was off on her own trying to protect one
of the holders of the nijizuishou from Zoisite... "I'm tired of
waiting for her all the time."
     Whoever had said Usagi and Rei were more alike than either were
willing to admit?
     The sound of footsteps clattering up the shrine's steps came
echoing to them.  "Sorry I'm late," Usagi apologized, trying to
catch her breath.  "Mom was asking me a bunch of questions about
Naru-chan."
     Rei turned her attention to Luna.  "I'll vouch for that," the
cat shifted in Usagi's arms, aware of what Rei was about to ask. 
Usagi let Luna climb down.
     Luna faced the five Senshi.  "As you may have heard, people have
been disappearing from all over Tokyo.  Naru-chan is apparently the
latest person to disappear."  Her whiskers twitched.  "Does anyone
have an idea what might be going on?"
     "Umino said that that new computer RPG was behind it all," Usagi
said all of a sudden.  "And I'll bet Naru-chan *was* playing it the
night she vanished."
     Makoto gave her a curious look.  "The shareware RPG?"  Ami
asked.  "I've heard about it."
     "Yeah, something like that," confirmed Usagi.
     Luna sniffed.  "Hmm... if only we could get a copy of that game
and--"
     "Usagi has a copy," Makoto pointed out, matter-of-factly.
     Ami's eyes widened.  "You do?"
     "Why am I not surprised?"  Rei snorted, her raven-black hair
falling across her robe as she turned her head. 
     Usagi pulled the game disk from her pocket.  She'd had a feeling
she would be needing it.  "Naru-chan gave it to me at lunch
yesterday."
     "So what good is this supposed to do us?"  Minako interjected.
She was understandably upset; she had had to cancel a chance to go
autograph-hunting to come to this meeting.  Idols waited for no
Senshi. 
     "I guess whatever's going on is happening to people who play the
game," Usagi said, almost happily.  "The only way we're going to find
out is if we play the game."
     Rei snorted again.  "Notice how this plan of action
*conveniently* requires you to play a video game."
     "It's a *computer* game."  Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei.
     "Yeah, whatever!"  Rei shot back.
     Makoto, who knew better than to step in between Usagi and Rei
when they were arguing, figured she'd ask the next question: "Ami? 
Can we use your computer to look at the disk?"
     Ami shook her head in a negative.  "I'm afraid we can't.  My
system is in the shop being repaired.  I had to buy a new CPU and
motherboard."
     "Why?  Your old one not fast enough for you?"  Minako smirked.
     "You might say that," the Senshi prodigy spoke in her usual
gentle manner.  "It burned out trying to keep up with my
calculations."
     That brought an ear-to-ear grin to Minako's face.  "Ami-chan,"
she said in an almost singsong tone of voice, "we've got to get you
out more often."
     Ami blushed.
     "So what are we going to do?  If we can't use Ami's computer,
then whose...?" Makoto's voice trailed away.
     Usagi giggled.  "I know whose computer we can use."
     One look at her told the others exactly who she was thinking of.
     "Mamoru?"

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Naru arrived in Traldone around the mid-morning hours.  She was
tired, weary from walking and fighting countless monsters with only
her rapidly depleting magic energy and a larger sword she'd picked up
from a defeated monster to replace the smaller sword she never even
bothered to use.
     The fact that she would never look at an RPG the same way again
was the least concern on her mind at the moment; she wanted nothing
more than to collapse on a bed at the local Inn.  *Then* she would
worry about stocking up or equipping or whatever the heck it was she
needed to do.
     One look at the town told her she'd come to the right place. 
Traldone was a town designed specifically for the weary traveler,
albeit those in horse-drawn carriages or what-not... Naru really
didn't care at this point.
     Passers-by started talking in hushed tones about the stranger in
a motley attire built of items she'd won from fights layered over her
simple peasant frock, making her way toward the Inn.  Naru shrugged
these comments off as well and went inside.
     "Good morning, miss--" the woman behind the counter began out of
habit.  "My goodness!  You look terrible!  Have you been walking the
roads alone?"
     "All night," came Naru's response.
     "Why on earth would you want to do a thing so foolish?"
     Earth - the irony of that statement brought a snort to Naru's
mind.  She dismissed it as quickly as it came.  "I had no choice.  I
was..." 
     Was *what*?  she wondered, mind racing.
     "Someone magically transported me into the wilderness.  I was
just trying to make my way back to civilization."
     "You were extremely lucky to make it back, then.  You're one of
the first people I have seen attempt to walk the wilderness roads
alone, much less at night, and return a survivor."  The woman studied
Naru's 'attire' and decided not to ask a lot of questions.  "It looks
like you are no ordinary traveler."
     "I don't know about that," Naru sighed.  "I'd like to get a room
so I can get some sleep, clean up and take a good look at myself."
     "As well you should," the woman chuckled.  She handed Naru a key
from the rack.  "Here you go.  That will be 120 gold pieces for one
night."
     120 gold pieces?  Petty cash, after all Naru had been through. 
She pulled out the coins and laid them neatly on the counter.  "If
it's possible, can I ask that I not be disturbed?"  

                            *  *  *  *  *

     "What's the meaning of all this?"  Mamoru asked as he looked
over the five girls and two cats standing outside the door to his
apartment.  Which wasn't to say he was blind to what everyone
gathering in one place meant; he merely liked to stay informed.  Or
try to.
      "We need to use your computer," Luna hopped out of Usagi's arms
and trotted into the apartment, saving Usagi the trouble of tripping
over her own explanation.  "We think that the game everyone's playing
may be behind these odd disappearances."
     Mamoru's brow furrowed.  "Mmm... yes, I've heard about them.  So
you're sure there might be a connection?"
     "Naru-chan was the last to disappear, as far as we know,"
replied Usagi.  "And she was very excited about getting to level 13
on the game."
     "Level 13?" Luna and Artemis echoed.
     Usagi waved the thought away.  "Yeah.  Why do you ask?"
     "Some people consider thirteen to be an unlucky number.  In the
United States, there are hotels that don't even have a thirteenth
floor.  A Friday that falls on the thirteenth of the month is
considered to be a very unlucky day."
     Minako's eyes narrowed.  "Exactly what are you getting at,
Artemis?"
     "I see," Luna breathed.  "You think that getting to Level 13 in
the game might be a triggering point for something to happen."
     "Well, yes... though it's just a suspicion."
     Luna drew her gaze up to Mamoru and the Senshi.  "Still, it's
worth checking into.  Ami, Mamoru?  Would you do the honors?"

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Within five minutes Ami and Mamoru had the laptop computer
running and were scanning the disk for computer viruses.  "You're
going to have to tell Naru-chan to have her computer checked," Ami
told Usagi.  "This disk has a weak strain of the Stoned virus on it."
     "The *GAME*, Ami? What about the game!?"
     Had Ami been wearing glasses, she might have pushed them
further up onto her nose to indicate her indifference.  "I'm getting
to that.  I simply thought you would like to have a computer that
wouldn't self-destruct on us while we're trying to play the game." 
She proceeded to purge every last trace of the virus from the disk.
     Ami checked herself.  It looked as if Naru had copied Usagi's
disk straight from her own, virus and all... so maybe, just maybe...
She found what she was looking for with a mere directory search. 
     A file named NARU.SAV, dated two days ago.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     The loud banging on Naru's door jolted her awake.  For a second,
she almost forgot where she was.  "......M-mom?"
     Then reality came barging back into her mind.  This wasn't home,
and her mother probably wasn't on the other side of that thick,
wooden door.  She rolled out of the bed - almost stabbing herself with
the point of her sword in the process, though she still wasn't awake
enough to notice - and stumbled over to the door incredibly much like
a sleepy bear.
     Naru stopped.  Her clothes were a mess.  All she had done was
collapse onto her bed the moment she reached her room, so now she
looked even *more* ruffled than before.  She did her best to make
herself look presentable before opening the door.
     Whoever was there was either impatient or wanted to see her
badly, Naru thought as the banging came again.  They might even want
to hurt her... 
     That's right.  She had left her defenses down, hadn't she?  Yet
who would attack her here?  Naru hadn't seen many RPG's before this,
and she figured no one would dare attack while the players were in a
town, much less the Inn...
     Naru waited for the next knock and forcefully yanked the door
open.  A young girl near Naru's age, with vaguely elven features
and short hair the color of jade - looking for all the world almost
as ragged as Naru pictured herself to be, fell flat on her face.
     "Ah!  I'm sorry!"  apologized Naru.
     The girl stood up and brushed herself off.  "That's okay.  I
should've seen that coming.  I'm just glad I didn't fall onto my
sword."  She studied Naru intensely.  "You're Naru Osaka, aren't you?"
     "Eh!?"  If Naru hadn't been paying much attention before, she was
now.  She made a quick scan of the hallways and then closed the door
behind them.  "How do you know my name?"
     "I heard you were coming," the girl blinked.  "Word had it you
would come to help free our lands from the curse of the demon."     
     "Me?  But how... why?  I'm no warrior.  I'm just a girl... from
another world."  At that she impulsively looked down at herself.  She
certainly didn't look the part.  "Who are you, anyway?"
     "All I know is that the legends said you would come," the girl,
who introduced herself as Liana, stated.  "I never heard nothing
about you coming from another world."
     "'Never heard anything,'" Naru corrected her.  "'Never heard
nothing' is bad grammar."
     "Big deal," spat Liana.  "What are you, some kind of scholar?"
     Naru grinned.  "Sorry.  Old reflex."  To which Liana sighed.
"So why are you here, then?"
     Liana planted herself on the edge of Naru's bed.  "I want to
help."
     "Help?"
     "Why do you echo everything I say?"  Liana's eyes studied her
again.  <This Naru Osaka must be telling the truth when she claims
she's from another world,> decided Liana.  "I want to join up
with you. I'm sure you could use the help."
     "I might," the other began, suspiciously.  "What's in it for
you?  Why are you doing this?"
     "Why,"  Liana repeated, "do you keep asking me so many
questions?"  She rested a hand on the hilt of her sword.  "I'm doing
this because I'm an adventurer, just like you.  Don't look a gift
ogre in the mouth."
     "Gift *horse*."  
     "Whatever."  Come to think of it, that did sound a bit more
sensible to Liana.
     Naru was about to tell Liana that she wasn't an adventurer, but
she thought it over: she had played a dedicated game.  Once in it,
too, she felt a certain desire to continue on, to see what was out
there... "Okay, I guess you're in," she told Liana.  The young
adventurer took on a ridiculous enough grin that reminded Naru of
Usagi; that she wasn't home.
     "Can you use magic?  Or are you only a fighter?"
     "Not as well as you can," Liana gestured to some of Naru's
'clothing.'  "Some of the opponents you've obviously faced can only
be defeated by magic, and strong magic at that."
     Naru felt a bit surprised.  "Really?  All I had once I got here
was magic.  I picked up a sword or two, but I never used them."
     "You ARE a bit of an innocent, aren't you?"
     "Not anymore," Osaka Naru put up a lopsided grin to match
Liana's.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Liana insisted on having Naru enter the weapons and armor shop
first.  Not that it made much of a difference to Naru; she naively
figured Liana wanted her to experience everything without another
body in the way.
     Inside, the shop smelled of strange oils and polished, grinded
metals.  Naru had never known these odors, so she stood there for a
moment, absorbing the scene.  Even the fact that her traveling
companion seemed to be hiding behind her...
     And with good reason.  "YOU!!"  a booming voice startled them
both.  "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU I NEVER WANTED TO SEE YOUR FACE IN HERE
AGAIN!"  The angry shopkeeper strode up to them... or was he only
concerned with Liana, who actually seemed to be *cowering*?
     "What's this all about?"  Naru put on the best adamant look she
could muster, remembering where she was.  Had Liana brought her right
into a situation where they'd have to fight their way out?  She
didn't relish the possibility of having to turn her magic on a normal
person...
     "This girl is a thief!  She stole several of my fine daggers!"
     Naru turned to her new friend.  "Is this true?"
     "Umm... well... uh......," she fidgeted.  "Yeah.  ...But I had no
choice!  I had to find money to eat somehow..."
     "Couldn't you have gone out into the fields and fought a few
monsters for gold?"  To Naru, the question made sense.
     To the shopkeeper, it sounded ludicrous.  "I couldn't afford to
take the risk," Liana points to her rogue-style clothing.  "You've
seen how strong the monsters are in the fields.  And I'm not even
equipped to take on one, let alone several!  They tend to like to
gang up on you."
     Naru had found that out the hard way.  "Okay, okay, I see your
point."  She brought her bag of gold into the shopkeeper's line of
sight.  "I'll pay for what she took.  I'm here to buy some armor and
weapons, if that's possible."
     The shopkeeper saw Naru in a new light.  "You may stay," he
spoke slowly, "but the thief must stay outside."
     "I am *NOT* a thief!!"  insisted Liana.  "A rogue, *maybe*.  But
no thief!"  She glared at the shopkeeper - who glared right back.
     Naru exhaled.  "She's with me," she wondered if she were trying
to convince herself.  "Can she stay as long as she promises not to
take anything and keep her distance from your merchandise?"
     "Hey!" protested Liana, until a quick look from Naru silenced
her.
     "Well... I suppose so."
     
                            *  *  *  *  *
     
     Makoto gave Ami a short tour of the game's displays and options. 
"...These numbers show how much you can get hit before you lose. 
Those... are your magic points, then your experience points.  Down
here's how much gold you have."
     Ami really didn't need the guided tour; she'd guessed what all
the labels on-screen meant and was no stranger to a pull-down or
key-access menu.  Mako-chan's heart was in this, though.  Ami decided
not to spoil her friend's fun.
     She was disappointed that this was only another basic 
'hack-and-slash' - as they called it - role-playing game with the
images of the Senshi pasted in place of generic adventurers.  Whoever
had programmed the game, though, had made a valiant effort to find
out as much about the Sailor Senshi and their attacks as he or she
could.  Ami thought she noticed a slight amount of jealousy in Mamoru
- there was no indication that Tuxedo Kamen existed anywhere in the
game.
     Then again, she never really played RPG's; she always preferred
chess to swordplay.  One person who wasn't disappointed, on the other
hand, was Usagi.  Her eyes widened as she watched Ami start her paces
at the game.  Rei and Minako, each having a different reason to
pretend not to watch, watched from a couple of feet away.  Makoto sat
next to Ami, offering advice and encouragement.
     Mamoru looked upon the scene with puzzlement.  "Uh,  ...if
nobody minds, I think I'll get us all something to drink."  
     No one replied. 
     He sighed heavily and left the room.
     
     If Ami deduced everything correctly, Naru had about five hundred
points remaining before her characters reached level thirteen in her
save position.  Ami felt a moment's nervous pause blanket her like a
shroud.  She shook it off and set her determination to play the game -
Naru's life could very well be at stake, after all!

     Luna suddenly decided she wanted to leave the room as well. 
"Luna?"  Artemis drew his head up.  "What's the matter?"
     "Oh, ...nothing," she replied.  "I thought I would see what
Mamoru is up to."
     "Can I come?"
     Luna looked back at the Senshi.  "Minna?  You won't mind if
Artemis and I go to the kitchen for a little bit, would you?"
     No one gave them a second thought.  "Sure."  "Go ahead."
     
     Once out in the hallway, Luna let out a deep sigh.  "I never
thought we would have to play a video game to save someone."
     "Come on - you mean to tell me you never saw this coming?"
     "Well... no.  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.  As Humankind
makes its own advances, they open up more ways for Darkness to entice
and trap them."
     Artemis frowned.  "Don't let Usagi-chan hear you.  You know how
she acts when you talk like that."
     Luna gave him a confused look.  "It has to be said.  The Senshi
are far from realizing the grand scheme on their own."
     "I've told you before, you can't expect them to realize that all
at once - not yet, anyway!  There are far too many distractions in
the present... and besides, doesn't everything turn out well in the
future?"
     "*Now* who's the one making assumptions, Artemis?"  Luna
scoffed.  "Remember, that's only a *possible* future."
     "Maybe," said Artemis, "but if that future were so volatile,
wouldn't Chibi-Usa risk disappearing from our time at any moment?"
     Luna didn't have an answer for that question.
     "I'd rather not think about it," a new voice entered into the
conversation.  It was Mamoru.  
     "Mamo-chan..." the more dominant of the two cats withdrew.
     "What are you discussing?  The fate of the Senshi, again?"
     "Something like that," minced Artemis.  "I suppose Luna is
simply anxious to see the Senshi regain the status they once had."
     "They will.  But nothing can make it happen immediately.  I
think it's best to allow Usako and the others to develop on their
own time, not a rushed schedule."
     From the other room, they heard the sound of Makoto's cheering
and another of Usagi and Rei's... well, 'heated debates.'
     "That's what I said," Artemis walked over to Mamoru's side.
     The doorbell chimed before Luna had a chance to reply.
     
     Only two hundred and fifty-five more points to go.  Ami narrowed
her eyes.
     "Are these monsters supposed to be *this* easy to defeat?"  she
asked Makoto.
     Makoto watched Naru's party, under Ami's control, defeat another
group of monsters and add 150 experience points to her credit. 
"Er... no.  Not unless... the game's making it easy for us by
throwing weak monsters at us.  Or giving us a lot of points."
     "That's a possibility," Ami thought it over.
     Rei grinned.  "Or maybe Ami's a better role-playing gamer than
she thinks.  Right, Ami-chan?"  Minako nodded her agreement, the
little red ribbon tied in her hair bobbing eagerly up and down.
     "I still don't see what all of you find so interesting about
this type of game."  Ami shouldered her way through a battle with few
problems - the damage her party sustained was quite superficial.  "I
mean, sure, there's something to be said for playing a part in a
fantasy adventure, but--"
     "Oh, geez, Ami, don't try to over-analyze it!"  Minako cut in. 
As a dedicated video gamer in her own right, Minako wasn't about to
let Ami take the fun out of this game... even if it *was* a front for
an evil plan to kidnap people and take them who knew where.
     Makoto had to laugh.  With any luck, they were all about to
embark on another real-life adventure of their very own.

     The doorbell chimed again.  Mamoru maneuvered around the two
cats to get to the door.  "I'm coming!"  He opened the door to find
Chibi-Usa waiting impatiently on the other side.
     "Mamo-chan!"
     "Yes?"  Somehow, staring up into that face defused all of
Chibi-Usa's anger.  She tried to pretend it was still there.  "Is
Usagi here?  Mama Ikuko told me I should try to find her.  She wants
to know where Usagi is..."
     "She's in there with the others," Mamoru pointed toward the room
without thinking.  "They're playing a game that--"
     "A *GAME*!?"  Chibi-Usa's anger returned.  "I'm out looking all
over town for baka-Usagi and she's here playing a GAME?"  She started
to storm toward the room, intending to give the older Usagi a piece
of her mind.
     "Uh, wait!"  Trying to salvage the situation, Mamoru placed
himself between Chibi-Usa and the door.  "You didn't let me finish. 
That game might be the cause of all those disappearances around--"
     This time, it was a scream that interrupted Mamoru.  
     Usagi's scream.  And those of the four others in the room with
her.
     Mamoru threw open the door.  "Usako!!"  
     But they had not come in time.  The last sparks of animate
blue-white energy disappeared into the computer with the ones it had
come to take away.  Mamoru gripped the small keyboard, trying to see
if he could provoke something to happen.  Anything.

     Nothing.

     He set the keyboard down, and his head as well. 
"Usako..........!"
 
     Chibi-Usa stared dazedly at the darkened computer monitor, almost
unable to get a word out.  "Mi-minna...... Usagi......" 
     A solitary tear made its way down her cheek.  Mamoru raised his
head to look at her and put an arm around the girl to comfort her.  
     He put an inquiring glance to Artemis and Luna, but they had
nothing to offer.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Usagi awoke in an undignified position on the dirt road.  
     "It's about time you woke up," Rei frowned at her.  "Why is it
always so hard to wake you up?"
     "You're no light sleeper yourself," Usagi shook the dust from her
blouse.  "Where are we, anyway?"
     "I don't know.  Everyone else is out looking around.  They left
*me* here to keep an eye on you."
     Usagi wondered if Rei was simply being sarcastic or honestly
upset that she'd had to watch over Usagi.  Rei had practiced her act
around Usagi for quite some time and had become very good at hiding
her true feelings.  "Gee, thanks.  Remind me to pay you back for the
favor."
     Rei only turned her face away.
     "We're inside the game world," Usagi decided she would try to
break the charged silence that usually resulted between her and Rei. 
Inside it they were, though it didn't look as Usagi expected it to. 
The landscape didn't suggest any place they knew of, yet at the same
time it appeared oddly familiar, as if they belonged there... A bird
nesting in the tree above them cheerfully trilled its own rendition
of one of the game's BGM pieces.
     "Yeah.  It took you this long to figure it out?"
     "I... no!  I was only... ah, forget it.  Any sign of Naru-chan?"
     Rei looked as if she had no idea what Usagi was talking about. 
"We won't know that until the others get back."
     "How long have they been gone?"  Usagi asked, standing beside
Rei, who paid no attention to her.
     "About ten minutes."
     "How long have we been here?" 
     "Fifteen minutes.  But you've been asleep for *twenty.*"
     For a moment Usagi glowered at Rei for the cheap shot.  "Rei no
ijiwaru..." she muttered sourly, as Rei turned her back.
     That did it.  "*What* did you say?"
     Usagi stuck out her tongue. "Biiiiiiiiiiii----..."
     "Oh, grow up," retorted Rei.  "I don't have time for this! 
Mou...," she cursed softly to herself, "I should've gone with the
others and let you sleep here."
     "And let the monsters get me?  How could you--" Rei grimaced; it
looked as if Usagi were going to start crying again.
     Suddenly, Rei noticed something that made her Senshi instincts
kick in.  "Shut up!  Look!  They're coming for us, NOW!"
     One look told Usagi that Rei was correct.  Ami, Minako and
Makoto were running toward them, but they were also bringing a pack of
monsters close on their heels.  Makoto was bringing up the rear; Usagi
assumed she had tried to stand and fight for a few seconds.  Makoto
had, in fact, until Minako forcefully tried to pull her away.
     It seemed as though Usagi were about to jump out of her skin the
closer the monsters came.  Hiding behind Rei, she checked for a quick
escape route.  There weren't any, naturally.  "What are we going to
do?"  she yelled into the wind.
     "The only thing we *can* do!"  Minako yelled back.
     What the girls did next might have brought pause to a normal
person.  To the monsters, it meant absolutely nothing.

     "Mercury Star Power--"
     "Venus Star Power--"
     "Jupiter Star Power--"
     "Mars Star Power--"
     "Moon Cosmic Power--"

     All five joined voices in unison.  "MAKE... UP!!"

     The Sailor Senshi stood in a circle, facing outward toward the
monsters advancing upon them.  They steeled themselves and waited for
the attack to begin.
     It didn't.  Instead, the monsters stood perfectly still,
watching them.  The sky inexplicably began to turn overcast.  "I don't
recall rain in today's forecast," Sailor Venus quipped uneasily.
     Mars stared intently at the sky.  She'd definitely felt the
presence of something evil, but the next line wasn't hers...
     "So, the Sailor Senshi have fallen into my trap.  I have been
expecting you.  I knew you wouldn't be able to resist coming sooner or
later."
     Sailor Moon snapped her head up.  "Who are you?"
     The voice remained unnervingly calm.  "That, my dear Sailor
Senshi, is something you will never know.  The ultimate blow to the
Sailor Senshi: to be defeated by an enemy they never even knew, like a
storm coming from out of nowhere to wash away everything before it!"
     This was something Sailor Moon wasn't going to stand for;
speeches were *her* department!  "Kidnapping innocent people and
trapping them here in this world... A video game should bring only
fun, not terror and evil!  We cannot allow your evil plans to
continue... In the name of the moon, we shall punish you!"
     The voice laughed.  "You'll have to FIND me, first!"  To the
monsters, it commanded: "Dispose of them!"
     Sailor Mercury took the cue.  "Shabon......... SPRAY!!"  The
entire battleground disappeared under a layer of fine mist.  Next
came Sailor Mars' chance.  A handful of monsters disintegrated under
the care of her Burning Mandara.  "This is too easy," she remarked,
lining another monster up in her sights.
     "Shh!  Don't say that!  Someone might hear you!"  Sailor Moon
urgently whispered back.  Rei was right; these monsters were just as
easy to beat in person than from behind the helm of a computer
keyboard.  Why?
     "Whoever the source of that voice was, she's toying with us,"
Mercury read into Sailor Moon's thoughts.  "She *knows* we're the
Sailor Senshi, and yet..."
     "She keeps sending weak monsters to fight us!"  Jupiter
concluded.  "This is all just one big game to her."
     "You might say that.  She knows she has us trapped in her world
now; it may not even make a difference whether we are alive or not."
     "I'd prefer to be *alive*, thank you," Sailor Venus replied in 
between Venus Love-Me Chain attacks.  
     "Yeah!  Don't say stuff like that!"  There was a note of
desperation to Usagi's voice.  Why couldn't Mamo-chan be here...?
     Or, at least a musician to play better background music for the
battle.  The current music sounded like a mix between pop music and a
rap song gone horribly wrong.  Not only that, it tended to distract
the Sailor Senshi from the fight.  They forced themselves to
concentrate harder and tune out the music.
     They didn't have to for too long.  For their Senshi powers
turned the tide of battle severely in their favor.  With it came a
change in background music.  Now, the music reminded everyone of a
suspiciously all-too-familiar triumphant fanfare.
     "You mean we can tell by the music whether we're winning or
losing!?"  Sailor Mars was tempted to cover her ears.
     "That's the way it looked when Ami was playing," Jupiter
answered.  Who knew they would have to listen to this blasted music
while going through the RPG's battles in 'real life,' too?
     Sailor Mars watched her teammate for a brief moment.  Makoto
almost seemed at home in this world... actually *enjoying* this, Mars
thought.
     Makoto knew exactly what to do.  Calling upon the powers of
Jupiter, she brought the house down upon each and every monster on
the battlefield at once.  All were destroyed... a few even
disintegrating right out from within their armor.  
     Sailor Jupiter wiped her brow.  "*That's* how you do it."  The
others looked at her nervously.  A strange uplifting feeling came
over them; they were advancing several levels in game experience. 
Four or five, from the feel of it.
     "Okay!"  Sailor Moon appeared unshaken.  "Let's go find
Naru-chan!"  Mars, Venus and Mercury nodded their consent.
     "Hold on,"  Makoto told them.  "Remember where we are?  We're in
a role-playing game.  That - whoever or *whatever* she was -'s world. 
We might be able to win a few battles on our own, but we'll probably
have more luck if we play along."
     "Are you sure?"  Ami put the question to her.  
     "Battles in video game RPG's usually happen on a random basis,
right?  I don't think we'll be able to carry on like this through all
that.  Besides, who's to say that *someone* hasn't upped the chances
of us getting attacked?"
     Mercury started.  She'd forgotten completely about the nature
of the game they had been thrown into.  Mako-chan had a point, of
course - even the Sailor Senshi had limits.  "What do you suggest we
do, then?"
     To their surprise, Makoto knelt down and began to poke through
the items the monsters had left behind.  "Grab anything you think is
useful.  Especially anything that looks like gold or money.  We might
even be able to use the armor and weapons... or we can always sell
them at a shop for more money.  I just hope none of it's cursed..." 
She pulled a flask of a clear sky-blue liquid out of an abandoned
leather pouch.  "And be on the lookout for medicine and other things,
too."
     "Like what?"
     "I don't know," came their friend's response.  She grinned. 
"You're the one who's played this game, Ami, not me."
     "......Mako-chan?"  Sailor Mercury asked after a moment's
pause.  The others were still rummaging through the remnants of the
battle.
     Preoccupied at first with a dagger, Makoto lifted her head. 
"Hm?"
     "Tell me - how did you come to know so much about these types of
games?  I would have expected Usagi-chan to know more about a game
before the rest of us..."
     Sailor Jupiter's face flushed red.  Makoto wondered for a second
whether she should tell her story.  "Well..."  She let her voice grow
distant.  "A while back--"
     Makoto cleared her throat and started anew.  "A long time ago,
I... got dumped by a guy.  I was so upset that I went down to the
local arcade and just lost myself in one of the RPG's."  The image
brought a momentary smirk to her face.  "I don't even remember how
much money I spent that day."
     Her eyes drifted toward the sky.  "Ever since then, if I've
needed to forget something or wanted to lose myself, I'd play an 
RPG."
     Ami recalled what little else Makoto had said about her past, and
wondered how many times Makoto had had to 'lose herself' in a game.
     Another voice came to them from the sky.  This time, however, it
was a familiar one.  "...Usako?"
     Sailor Moon haltingly pulled herself up.  "......Mamo-chan?"
     There was nothing for a moment, and then, "We can talk to them!?
Chibi-Usa!  We can talk to them!"
     Sailor Moon turned to Sailor Mercury, who activated her visor. 
"Apparently, the gateways aren't completely closed whenever a person
is pulled through to this world.  Either that, or the gateways
weren't designed to pull five people through at once.  The dimensional
fabric between this world and ours appears to be destabilizing at a
slow yet noticeable rate.  That's why we can communicate with Mamoru
and Chibi-Usa."
     "Don't forget about us," Artemis' voice drifted down to them.
     Mamoru's voice took on a note of urgency.  "We finally managed
to get the computer running again.  That might have something to do
with it, too.  Is it safe enough for us to join you?"
     Ami thought about it.  "Can you see us on the computer monitor?"
she asked, cutting Usagi's "Yes!!"  short.
     "...An overhead view, yes."
     "Perhaps it would be best if you keep an eye on us from there. 
Warn us in advance if there's anything coming our way."
     "What about me?"  Chibi-Usa's voice cut in.  "I want to help!"
     Sailor Jupiter turned her head up toward the sky.  "It's too
dangerous for anyone to join us right now."
     "Yeah!  Besides, Mamoru might need your help!"  Minako had
unwittingly cut off another of Usagi's attempts to get a word in.
     "......Okay," Chibi-Usa slowly replied.  "I don't like this,
though."
     "We don't, either."  Usagi sighed.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Naru and Liana walked out of the shop with an entirely new set
of armor, weaponry and outlook on traveling the countryside alone.
     "I still say this stuff's a little too tight," Liana grumbled,
trying to adjust the leather straps underneath the shoulder plates of
her armor.
     Naru's smile compressed.  "Don't complain.  You picked it out
and I paid for it.  That's all I had money left for after all the
things you chose for me."  Regardless of what Liana thought, the pair
still looked a sight better than when they had checked out of the Inn
earlier.
     "Next shop," decided Liana, "I'm doing all the buying."
     The sincerity in her partner's voice brought a comment to Naru's
mind.  "You sure you don't mean *stealing*?"
     "What!?  No, I *do not*!  I'm *not* a thief!  Have I not told
you that already?"
     "Then why do you keep getting upset every time someone thinks
you are?  Anyway, I always thought a rogue *was* a thief."
     "Perhaps you would get upset as well if everyone always accused
you of being a thief."  Liana left the latter remark unanswered.
     The expression on Naru's face softened.  "I don't think you have
to worry about any of that from me.  So tell me, what are we supposed
to do now?  Where're we supposed to go?"
     Liana's eyes fixed on Naru for a brief second, studying her. 
She pulled a worn map from within her thin armor and unfolded it
while they walked past the edge of town.  They had neglected to stop
and buy cure-all potions or herbs while they had the chance - but
Liana assured Naru that the small stockpile they had between them was
enough, and to save her gold for even more important things.  "See
this road?"  the young rogue's finger traced a route for Naru.  "It
is the road we are on.  I believe we follow it until we reach the
forest... here, and then head northeast to the Temple of Alliene."
     The Temple of Alliene?  Exactly how far had Naru come in the
game?  She recalled reading about the Temple - yet that was
light-years from the point where Naru's characters reached experience
level thirteen.  So long ago... "What do we do at the Temple?"
     "I'm not sure.  We're supposed to look for the Amulet of Ondyre.
 The legends say you will need its power to free our world from evil."
     Now why did it sound to Naru that she had heard those very words
before?  "What's the name of this world?"  she asked, putting the
thought out of her mind.
     Liana answered in the same semi-serious tone.  "Ondyre."
     "I should've known," sighed Naru.  Liana nodded in agreement.
     Evidently, she should have remembered she was back in the open
fields, too.  Her traveling companion's reflexes faster than hers, 
Naru discovered Liana meeting the would-be pouncer in mid-air before
she knew it.  Naru struggled to draw her longsword while Liana
traded blows with the thing.  The two were closer to completing their
arc and landing now.
     Muttering under her breath to herself, "It's just a game.  It's
just a *game*,"  Naru ran through several possibilities in her mind -
racing, equally as fast as her thoroughbred pulse - only one scenario
of which didn't end in both members of her small party getting
killed.  Still, if it was 'just a game...'
     Another part of Naru's mind retorted, <Yeah, you go ahead and
keep telling yourself that.>
     The monster and Liana touched down in a severe roll over each
other, tumbling through the dry weeds closer and closer to the river
that almost ran impolitely parallel to the road nearby.  If it hadn't
been for the attack, Naru reflected, she would never have seen it.  
     Liana could feel the warm breath and sheer strength of the
creature and tried to maneuver it so that it couldn't come out of the
roll on top.  Where, her mind cried, was Naru?  What on Ondyre was
she doing to help?
     Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw Naru straining to
keep up with them as they continued to roll, each desperately vying
to stay on top.
     Had she not been desperately attempting to shove a few hundred
pounds of monster into position, the young woman might have noticed
that Naru was trying to look intimidating exactly the wrong way: by
swinging her sword about in wild, ineffectual slashes.  Liana finally
did catch a glimpse.  "Would you please NOT do that!?"
     That took Naru by surprise.  She stopped dead in her tracks,
lowering her sword to her side.  Unfortunately, stopping to yell also
forced Liana to lower her guard.  The monster - dull enough to
recognize this in her expression - flung her to the dirt and pinned
her.  Liana felt the impact ripple through her rattling armor, yelping
out more in shock than pain.
     "Liana!!"  Naru got the hint and picked up running again.  The
monster had its full attention upon Liana... maybe it hadn't had
breakfast or something, Naru didn't know.  She would be able to get
in a few good blows before it turned its attention to her, giving the
other girl a chance to attack.
     Naru's mind started to form another sarcastic rebuke, but she
willed it out of her mind.
     Her heart already pounding hard and loud enough for her to sense
it inside her ears, she gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands
tighter than necessary and leapt in for the kill.  She brought the
cutting edge of the blade down quickly as she could onto the
monster's unguarded back.
     It bounced off the armor there with the sickening thud of a
low-budget 'B' movie.  Annoyed by the distraction, the monster
reached a paw into her frame of recovery to backhand her halfway
across the field.
     Still, the moment gave Liana her chance.  She brought both her
feet up into the pit of the monster's gut and kicked upward with all
the strength she could muster.  Naru later admitted that Liana's move
had been rather strong; it took the monster a good ten or fifteen
feet of sky to realize its altitude had been changed.  At least none
of the combatants realized how much of an angle Liana had put on her
kick, not until the monster drifted in midair toward the river.
     Naru saw her chance.  She closed her eyes and concentrated on a
magic spell she'd picked up on without even reading a spellbook or
anything.  She had merely found the ancient writings bound into her
own little spellbook as if they had always been there.
     A decidedly heavy block of solid ice formed around the monster's
feet, forcing it down into the water in an embarrassing splash.  Once
the water settled, Naru and Liana rushed to peer in - Naru stumbling
on the way.  Sure enough, it hadn't taken the monster long to break
free of its enchantment and swim back to the surface, ready to try
that pouncing thing again.
     Only this time, Naru blasted it with one of her patent-pending
fireballs.  She had learned how to increase their power and range
compared to when she first stepped into this game... the fireball
that caught the monster was roughly about the size of a medicine
ball.  Perhaps it was Naru's imagination, or a trick of the light,
but she could have sworn she saw the monster break out in a nervous
sweat right before the fireball hit, scattering it to the winds.
     Ironically, there were no winds to be felt, so the char-broiled
remains of the monster simply fluttered down into the indifferent
river.
     "Ashes to ashes," Naru said, recalling a phrase she had once
heard.
     "What?"  asked Liana.
     Naru let the issue drop.  "Oh, nothing."
     "Let me guess," her partner slowly turned to her, gesturing to
Naru's sword.  "You don't really know how to use that sword, do you?"
     Naru blushed in embarrassment.  "No.  I... I don't."
     "Then why would you buy it?  I think you might be better off
with something along the lines of a staff.  Most magic-casters use
staffs, not swords."
     "Gee, and here I thought I was here to make a difference,"  Naru
muttered under her breath.  "One more thing... before we go around
calling everything that attacks us a 'monster,' what *was* that
thing?"
     Liana shrugged.  "How should I know?  *You* are supposed to be
the educated one."
     Osaka Naru, who had once thought of herself as a girl to whom
weird things always happened, threw up her hands in a sigh of defeat.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     "Keep going - I think I see the exit up ahead."  Mamoru polished
off another bitter cup of coffee while trying to help guide the
Sailor Senshi through their latest game challenge.  He let out the
exasperated sigh he'd saved up for moments like this.  He'd long
since forgotten to keep track of time in his world; in the game three
days had already passed.  The Senshi had found a small town to, as
Makoto advised, sell off all the extra gear they kept from battles and
buy the most powerful weapons and armor they could.  Though, contrary
to Usagi's earlier daydream, Rei decided she felt more comfortable
with a staff rather than a sword.  It made little difference...
particularly when none of the girls were truly accustomed to fighting
with swords, staffs and shields.  Magic, perhaps, but that was a
different issue.
     Sailor Moon had had a terrible time adjusting to wearing the
heavy armor picked out for her.  "You're nothing but a big target,"
Rei told her.  "You might as well be a well-protected big target."
     They had puzzled their way through several game challenges. 
Makoto, Ami and Mamoru saw to that.  Between Makoto's knowledge of
role-playing video games, Ami's storehouse of knowledge and the love
of her life watching over them like a god might - although seeing
five girls carry on a conversation with not one, but *four* voices
from the heavens had unnerved a few people here and there - Usagi
felt this was a game they wouldn't lose.  So why did she have a
feeling that disaster hid over the horizon?  Too much listening to
Luna, maybe.
     No, she knew exactly why.  The only way any of them were going
to return the kidnapped gamers to their proper world and leave the
game was to find the one who believed herself in control and deal
with her.
     In the 'real world,' Mamoru pulled down a couple of the window
blinds' dusty slats to hazard a guess as to the time.  Evening was
beginning to set, autumn hues watercolored across the sky.
     Across the room from him Chibi-Usa slept peacefully on the
battered old couch that once belonged to his parents, before that
fateful accident.  The couch that once saw Mamoru's blood the morning
before Zoisite and Kunzite tricked him into giving up the jewels of
the nijizuishou in his possession.  The day he and Usagi each
discovered who the other really was.  An unexpected awakening...
     Tsukino Usagi, Sailor Moon.  Chiba Mamoru, Tuxedo Kamen. 
Princess Serenity and Endymion.  And much more... Chibi-Usa stirred
on the couch.  "Usagi... Sailor Moon...... minna...," she murmured
desperately.
     "Chibi-Usa-chan..." Luna watched over the sleeping child,
despairing over the fact that there was hardly anything she could do.
     *Usagi*.  Sailor Moon's plaintive cry came from the laptop
computer's speaker.  "Mamo-chan?  Are you still there?"  He'd nearly
forgotten he was supposed to help them out of the maze.
     The maze within a haunted forest.  Before he reached his chair
Usagi screamed again.  The speaker failed to do her voice justice. 
He leapt into the chair.  "Usako!?"
     "Oh, lighten up, you big *baby*!  It's just a bush!"  It was
Rei, overreacting over Usagi's overreacting.
     "Oh, yeah?  What about that tree you tried to burn down back
there?"  demanded Usagi.
     "So I couldn't see it with all this fog around.  At least I
don't run and cower every time we hear a little noise!"
     "Please, stop arguing, you two!"  Sailor Mercury said quickly,
automatically placing herself between Rei and Usagi.  Ever since Rei
had been returned to the Senshi Ami found herself playing mediator
for the occasional argument.  "This is accomplishing nothing!"
     Makoto saw that the party was no longer alone.  A group of undead
creatures advanced on them.  "It might attract attention," she
corrected in a near-whisper.
     "Now you've done it!"  Sailor Venus readied her weapon.  "You've
gone and woke up the undead!"
     Usagi made a mental note to tell Minako later exactly what she
thought of that concept.
     "What?  What's going on?"  disembodied Mamoru's voice cut
through the air.  He looked at the world through the eyes of a small
laptop computer monitor, an overhead view in pixels.  The forest was
so dense the treetops obscured Mamoru's view of the party - and the
thick fog made matters much worse.  When the Senshi were completely
out of sight, a flashing square popped up to show their screen
position... a pointless feature, really, since the game always kept
the party in the exact middle of the screen.
     Another, far easier way to bring the party back into sight was
to wait for them to be attacked.  For so-called 'random occurences,'
these happened often.  Occasionally all it took was a single step off
an established path for a monster to jump out at you as if you had
stepped on a hidden land mine.  Even so, most of the monsters proved
themselves pushovers and the Senshi found themselves at experience
level fourteen in no time.
     Usagi tore her eyes from the ghouls to shoot a glance up at the
canopy of trees.  They and their attackers were directly under the
tree cover; Mamoru probably couldn't see them.  Maybe it was just as
well - the ghouls and skeletons scared the ability to run and hide
right out of her.  Rei's evil spirit-ridding techniques also worked
little here.  The only thing the monsters - and the game - seemed to
know was brute force and magic against the same, one on one.  Fight
or retreat.  "You'll have to understand most RPG's don't come with an
option for fancy evasive maneuvers," Makoto had informed everyone
earlier, taking a cue from Ami and someone she recalled from
television.  "Any imagination these monsters have comes from the
programmers, not the monsters."
     But more and more their enemies began to show a high level of
ingenuity.  Sailor Jupiter took it all into account... wondered if
she had been wrong to assume everything that happened to them came as
a result of a computer program.
     Had she but known the truth... What none of the gamers knew was
that the world of Ondyre was one hundred percent real.  Or, at least,
that was what the inhabitants thought.  It was a separate dimension
from the one the gamers came from, the RPG acting as a portal.  But
it wasn't a true portal... it affected everyone passing through it. 
They too saw the world and interacted with it as the RPG did.  It
colored the responses of the people living here as well as those of
the monsters and the gamers 'playing the game.'  
     Only it was not a game.  Some people found themselves fighting
for their very lives, as Naru had.  Some had hidden in the deepest
hole they could find, waiting for the nightmare to end.  Others had
tried to but were brought out by parties of their own.
     The monsters continued circling their prey, eyeing the girls not
unlike a desert predator looking forward to its first meal in a long
time.  Sailor Moon had a mental image of that old Warner Bros.
cartoon character - what was his name, again?  Something 'coyote' or
other... drooling, licking his chops.
     Sailor Mars had had enough.  "Since when do we let creeps like
these stop us?  What these guys need is a little *fire*..." So
saying, she set the undead creatures aflame.  That did the trick -
the bad guys practically went *poof*!
     Far overhead Mamoru saw the party's experience point counters
rise rapidly.  A little more, come on... there, experience level
fifteen!  And still rising - maybe, just maybe... level sixteen!  Ah,
but then his computer screen decided it was time to start fading out
again.
     What!?  Why was the screen fading?  There it was, happening to
him once more.  <No, not again!  Not now!  I thought we had this
fixed...>  Chibi-Usa peered over his shoulder.  "I thought we fixed
that?"  He hadn't even heard her wake up.  "Something's gone wrong. 
Usako?  Usako!"  he cried.  "Something's--"
     The screen turned completely black.
     *Usako*...
     A bright magenta box popped up in the center of the screen.  It
said, "Sorry!"  in blinking white letters.  "This *unregistered*
shareware version of The Quests of Ondyre only allows adventures up to
experience level 15.  If you would like to explore more of the world
of Ondyre, send your registration along with the provided form to..."
     Mamoru clicked the monitor off.  In all the excitement, he'd
forgotten about the game's shareware limitations.  Not that he had
known what they were in the first place.  "We've lost touch with them
again.  Maybe this time, for good."
     "Don't say things like that!"  Chibi-Usa didn't know Mamoru to
be one to give up so easily.  "There has to be another way..."
     For a second, Mamoru met the silent gazes of Luna and Artemis. 
"There just might be... Come on!  We're leaving!"  He rushed to the
door.
     "Where are we going?"  Artemis ran after him.
     Mamoru gave him a curious tight-lipped look.  "To see a man
about a game."

                            *  *  *  *  *

     "......Usako?  Usako!  Something's--"
     Silence.
     Sailor Moon called Mamoru's name.  Once, twice, three times,
four.  No answer came.
     "Something must have gone wrong!"  Sailor Mercury said, watching
the sky.  She had no idea what she was hoping to see.
     Sailor Venus scowled.  "You think?"  she muttered under her
breath.
     "We've got to keep going!"  Rei thought to rally everyone.  "All
we can do is hope Mamoru-san can re-establish contact somehow later 
on.  We weren't expecting to be able to talk to him when we were
first brought here, were we?"
     "That's right!  We have to keep going!  For the sake of all the
gamers who were brought here..." declared Minako.
     "...And Naru-chan," Sailor Moon reminded her.
     "...And Naru-chan."
     "Excuse me," a new voice said.  "Did I hear you correctly?  You
intend to confront the evil presence that plagues our lands?"
     Sailor Moon turned a cautious head left, right, left, right. 
"Who said that?"
     Ami pointed into the clearing barely ahead of them.  "I believe
he did."
     "Who are you?"  Minako switched her attention to the boy.  He
was a wanderer, perhaps about as old as them or older, hair almost as
fair as hers if not for the dirt clinging to each strand.  Probably
an orphan, from his ragged appearance, she surmised.  He looked as if
he hadn't eaten or taken a bath in days.  That, and his pale white
skin suggested he had not seen the sun in a considerably long while.
     The boy's next words confirmed part of that theory.  "I call
myself Corwyn.  Perhaps you know a way out of this forest?  I have
been lost here for quite a long time."
     Lost?  Usagi didn't doubt it at all.  Not in these woods.
     "We stand in an enchanted forest.  If you stand still in one
place too long, or if the spirits decide to have fun with or torment
you--"
     "Take your pick," Rei frowned.
     "Indeed... If so, the paths will not hesitate to change around
you."  Corwyn took a hard look at the surrounding landscape.  "As it
does now."
     Sailor Moon shook off the urge to give in to fear.  Without
Mamoru to point out the proper way from above how would they find
their way out of this scary place?  She'd had just about enough
battles with evil spirits and undead creatures for one day.  One
week, she told herself.  One *month*.  Happening to glance to her
right, Usagi caught a glimpse of Rei keeping an eye on her.
     So, too, was Corwyn.  "You are strangers to our land as well,
are you not?  I have never seen clothing like yours.  The armor and
weapons are familiar.  Who are you?"
     "We are the Sailor Senshi."  Ami did away with the contraction
for added impact.  "I'm Sailor Mercury, this is Sailor Moon--"
     "The *Sailor Senshi*?  Here?"  Corwyn breathed, though Ami
doubted he knew the full meaning of the word *senshi*.  "Then you are
the ones foreseen in our legends!  The ones who truly are destined to
help us free the world of evil!"
     Sailor Jupiter's jaw dropped.  "You're kidding, right?"  To her
this stuff was lifted directly from a few of the form RPG's she'd
played a long time ago.  Yeah, you're the chosen one.  Destined from
birth to lead the fight against evil.  Okay, sure.  Et cetera,
et cetera...
     None of which held a candle to her destiny as a Sailor Senshi.
     "Why would I mislead you?"
     "Never mind."  Makoto pursed her lips.
     "Hey, I don't mean to be rude or anything," Sailor Moon's voice
was subdued, "but couldn't we continue this discussion OUTSIDE this
creepy place?"
     "There's only one way I can think of," hesitated Venus.  "The
Sailor Teleport."
     Of course, the Sailor Teleport!  But would it be able to
teleport Corwyn as well?
     "It worked when we teleported Chibi-Usa off Rubeus' ship," Rei
said.  No one bothered to remind her that Chibi-Usa was a Senshi,
too.
     "Okay, minna, gather around.  Corwyn, you'd better stand in the
middle of our circle.  We're going to try something."  Usagi suddenly
realized she had no idea where they were supposed to teleport to.
     Corwyn answered her question.  The 'evil presence' was holed up
somewhere in the Temple of Alliene.  "Then that," Rei concluded
firmly, "is where we must go."
     The Senshi linked hands to form a circle with Corwyn in the
center.  Calling upon their respective powers, they activated the
Teleport.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     At that very moment Naru was staring up in wonder at the
Temple's ceilings.  Like the walls, the ceilings appeared to be made
up of smooth steel plates roughly about twelve feet by twelve feet. 
The floors, on the other hand, were corrugated plates of the same
thin material.  Which *wasn't* steel, now that she had a closer look
at it.  Liana agreed, except the young rogue hadn't an idea what the
material was.  "I know, I know," Naru waved Liana's reply away. 
"You're a rogue, not an architect."
     "A what?"  Liana asked.
     Naru sighed.  "Never mind.  Let's see if we can figure out
where we're supposed to be going."  She moved toward the mouth of the
corridor.  If it weren't for the miserable lighting in this place,
she would have felt a whole lot better.  At least they could often
see the monsters coming on occasion and bolt well in advance, if the
monsters didn't seen them first.  Everything reminded Naru of a game
or two she'd seen back home - one of those first-person,
three-dimensional corridor games she never paid much attention to.
     "Why not consult the map?"  Liana drew a piece of weathered
paper from her pocket.
     What?  Naru turned abruptly.  "You have a map of this place!?"
     "I... bought it while we were in town," Liana shrugged
sheepishly, already tracing their path.
     Beside her, Naru looked at the map.  "You stole it, didn't you? 
I'll bet it belonged to that guy in the armor shop."  Liana kept
quiet.  After all, what could she say, other than the guy got what he
deserved?  And Naru wouldn't like that at all.
     Naru tried to decipher the map.  Wait a minute - this map was
complete!  Indeed, every corner was mapped down to the tiniest of
passages... including those far too small to be accessed by a normal
Human.  "I thought no one ever made it out of this place alive!  How
in the world can this map be accurate?"
     "It is a *magic* map," Liana protested.
     Oh.  That was supposed to make it better?  Practically
everything on Ondyre - maybe even the world itself - was magic.  So
saying that anything was magic made very little difference to Naru. 
"Are you absolutely SURE we can trust it?"
     "Absolutely; I would trust my life to it, as I did to you." 
Naru had forgotten Liana held her apparent magical nature in high
regard.  Either that, or purely blind faith.  Well, so be it.  If
Naru was going to go down the tubes, she might as well go as far as
possible.
     "See if the place where the Amulet is kept is marked on the map
and get us the most direct route," Naru concluded.
     "Of course it is marked!"  clarified the rogue.  "Why would it
not be?  It is a magic map."
     "Yeah, you said that already.  Humor me, okay?"
     Around the next corner more monsters waited.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     Five Sailor Senshi and one young man rematerialized in the
entryway to the Temple of Alliene.
     Usagi tried to discern the end of one of the endlessly dark
corridors with her eyes.  "This is where that evil lady is holed up?"
     Corwyn frowned.  "From what I have seen, she is definitely not a
Lady."
     Oops.  Her mistake.  "Er - so what's she supposed to be?"
     "None know for sure.  I heard she may be a shape-changer who
tries to assume the form of what you fear the most."
     Evidently there was a lot less variety in fear here than
present-day Earth.  Usagi wondered if she might have a lot less to
worry about had she grown up in the world of Ondyre.  Maybe then
she'd come close to fitting Luna's qualifications for an ideal
Senshi... but then, this world was only an illusion.  A game, right?
     "Well, minna?  Do we go in?"  Sailor Moon asked.
     A pair of screams drifted from the Temple's halls.  "Naru-chan!"
realized a shocked Usagi.  "And another person," Sailor Mercury
thought to add.  "She must have been advised to come here and defeat
the evil... whatever she is in order to return home."
     "Then what are we standing around here for?"  Impatiently,
Sailor Mars ran through the temple's open doors.  The others
followed.
     Corwyn decided on a reluctant shrug.  These five who acted
almost as one were going to take a bit of getting used to.

     The Senshi attempted to sneak through the Temple straightways. 
"It's so *dark* in here!"  Sailor Moon whined.  Why did the bad
guys always pick dark places to hide in or make places that way?
"Isn't there anything we can do?"
     Corwyn pulled out a torch.  "I've got a torch--"
     "Save it," Mercury brought up a gloved hand to interrupt him,
activating her computer visor as she did so.  <Infrared/structural
mode,> she instructed it.  Who needed magical maps when technology
worked as well?  Or... were they the same thing?  Even Ami had to
admit she had no way of knowing - as far as the Sailor Senshi were
concerned - where technology ended and 'magic' began.
     The walls and corridors painted onto the visor's thin
transparency in sharp straight lines for paths and ninety-degree
angles where those paths met each other.  Six humanoid profiles,
shifting through the warm end of the color spectrum, appeared to show
their present location.  Two other humanoids were apparently engaged
in a fight several halls away - Naru and whoever had joined forces
with her.
     "Do you expect us to find our way through these halls in
*complete darkness*?"  spluttered Corwyn.
     "A torch or light may attract monsters to our position.  By
resorting to infrared scans we can find our way there without light."
     Infrared scans?  "Assuming there are no traps along the way."
     Mercury pointed to her visor.  "I can see those with my visor,
too.  We won't need to worry about them."
     Corwyn gave her a strange look she could see through the
darkness.  "You have an answer to everything, don't you?"
     "No," Ami turned to go.  "I don't."
     "Does this mean you know where they are?"  Mars asked.
     "Yes."
     "That's good enough for me," Usagi announced.  "Mercury, lead
the way."
     Sailor Jupiter made an effort to match her stride to Mercury's. 
"Y'know, in a few circles, using that visor in here could be
considered *cheating*."
     Ami blushed for an instant.  "Who's going to know?"

     An eternity ago, a younger Kino Makoto stood in the pouring rain
outside her favorite local arcade.  She stared through dulled eyes at
her drenched reflection in the large window.
     One hour earlier she had met her boyfriend at their spot - the
gazebo in the park - only to hear him utter the words she never
wanted to hear: "I think it would be better if we were just friends."
     He'd left her then, on the verge of tears, standing in the rain.
Shinozaki-kun appeared to save the day, bringing an umbrella for
keeping away both the rain and her tears.  How had he known?  Somehow,
someway, Shinozaki always managed to show up when she needed a dose
of comfort or a guardian angel.  He walked her home and saw her to
her door, try as he might to cheer her up in that curiously
personable charm of his.
     But instead of drying off inside, Makoto had waited patiently
inside the foyer to her house for Shinozaki-kun to leave before
starting off again on her own.  She wandered miserably and aimlessly
down who knew how many streets... cold from the downpour, hot from
the anger she bit back.  The mood of the cloudy, overcast skies
matched the mood in her mind and heart.  Which suited her just fine. 
Anyone who recognized her on the street figured they had better stay
well out of her way.
     She unintentionally wound up at the arcade after a while,
staring into the window.  Okay, so she *had* intended to come here
sooner or later, but she hadn't set out with an actual intent of
ending up anywhere.
     How Shinozaki-kun would worry if he saw her now.  The thought of
Shinozaki throwing a fit over her, soaking wet as she was, turned up
the corners of her mouth.
     Makoto entered the arcade after a few tense moments of
deliberation.  "Oh, Kino-san, good-" the attendant greeted her.  "My
goodness, you're soaked!  Let me see if there's a towel around here
you can use to dry off.  It wouldn't do to have you electrocute
yourself on a game now, would it?"
     She found that despite how miserable she felt, or thought she
needed to feel - or the attendant's partly sick attempt at humor -
all she managed was fumbling a plain 'Thanks.'
     Towel in hand, she dropped her change into the machine.  Oh, how
life would be like if she were a part of this adventure!  How life
would be like if these characters were her friends...

                            *  *  *  *  *

     The programmer's house looked like any other in its lineup along
the darkened streets, nestled securely into its own little nook in
the middle of the street.  An innocent bystander would have a hard
time finding anything wrong with the house, unless he or she were
going to discount chipped paint, a not-so-manicured lawn and windows
in dire need of a cleaning.
     Sailor Chibi-Moon blinked at the normality of the picture.  "I
don't get it.  It looks like any other house around here."
     "Doesn't it?"  Tuxedo Kamen smiled briefly, walking toward the
front door.
     Chibi-Moon wondered for a second what he had meant by that. 
"Hey!"  she called.  "Wait for us!"  She scrambled to catch up with
him, as did Luna and Artemis.
     She knew what was wrong.  There were two police cars parked
alongside the curb - more around the corner, for all she knew - yet
they were both simply abandoned.  Dark and quiet.  As if their owners
had gone inside the house... but never come out.  It gave her a cold
shiver even the two cats could feel.
     Tuxedo Kamen jiggled the doorknob.  The door, in response, swung
open.  
     "I don't like this," Artemis announced.  
     "Nor I," Luna agreed.  "It's like a pre-fabricated trap."
     "Trap or not, that programmer might be the only chance we have
of getting Usa - no, Sailor Moon and everyone else back.  So it's a
chance we'll have to take."  Tuxedo Kamen put a foot around the lower
edge of the door.
     But what if the programmer himself was a demon or monster of
some sort just waiting for one of them to stick their foot inside?
     "It's more likely that the guy's been used by that... demon we
overheard when Usako and the others were transported into the game." 
Then, with a grin, he added, "I don't know of that many demon
programmers."
     The child grumped.  "There's always a first..."
     Nothing interesting happened to his foot, so Mamoru decided to
edge his head into the doorway to take a peek into the room beyond.
     And to jerk it back even faster to avoid being creamed by the
mass of sticky transparent netting shot at him.  <Spider webbing,> he
told himself.
     "I *knew* something was gonna be waiting for us!"  spat
Chibi-Moon.
     "It wouldn't be fun if there weren't."  Tuxedo Kamen forced a
small laugh.  He stepped back a few paces.  The next thing his three
companions knew, he was charging full-tilt into the house.  Tuxedo
Kamen dropped into a tuck-and-roll to avoid the demon's anticipated
web blasts, frustrating it.  As he came to a stop he aimed his walking
stick at the demon and extended its length, catching the demon square
in its would-be gut.
     The demon reeling, Tuxedo Kamen stood and took his first real
look at their opponent.  She was very much a terrifying sight, in
appearance bearing little resemblance to the spider-youma of
Nephrite's that had fought Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars
at a bridal contest.  This demon, too, had a body more like a spider's
rather than a Human's - what foul thing might be produced were there
ever crossbreedings between humans and spiders - but her body was the
black of Evil itself and seem to blend in with the shadows.
     A quote popped into Tuxedo Kamen's mind.  <This just isn't my
day.>
     He could see her bared fangs now, dripping with saliva - or
venom, as it were - and Mamoru didn't want to think of what happened
should the liquid merely come in contact with his skin.  Sure enough,
drops of it fell to the carpet, instantly burning holes he gathered
to be about an inch wide.  <Guess it doesn't matter if she traps
something in a web or not,> he tried to return her stare.
     Close to the computer station at the far wall was a humanoid
trapped within a cocoon of the demon's super-sticky silk.  Whatever
it was started flailing, having realized an event was taking place. 
The programmer, no doubt.  The demon crew still needed him.  Anyone
else could be terminated without a second thought.
     Tuxedo Kamen noticed Sailor Chibi-Moon gaping in initial fear at
the sight of the demon.  So did the demon.  "*Run*!"  shouted Mamoru,
horrified.  He didn't want to lose his future daughter in the
present...  "It's too much for you to handle!"
     The spider turned her spinnerets on Chibi-Moon, yelling a
deafening battle cry; a wad of gooey webbing went *splat!* against a
Sailor V silk-screen.  Another impacted the wall inches above the
cats' heads.  Chibi-Moon had launched into the air, performing a
forward flip for the sake of argument and came down with her Moon Rod
at the ready...
     "PINK... SUGAR... HEART...... *ATTACK*!!"
     Nothing happened.  <No, not *now*...> Sailor Chibi-Moon and the
spider nervously looked at the Moon Rod. 
     The spider was the first to recover, bracing her spinnerets for
another barrage of web-strand.
     Then, the Attack came.  Chibi-Moon blindsided the demon, giving
Tuxedo Kamen an opening to finish the spider off with a special
attack if he so chose.
     He did so choose.  The four breathed a hasty sigh of relief
after the demon spider dissolved into a final, forlorn wail.
     Tuxedo Kamen noted all the web goo draped across the walls and
ceiling, the demon's attempt to make herself feel right at home. 
"It'll be a while before this place gets back to normal."
     Artemis agreed.  "That's for sure."
     The cocoon on the wall flailed uselessly again, louder this
time.
     One quick upward slash of Tuxedo Kamen's walking stick had the
man free.  He immediately collapsed out of the wrappings onto all
fours, seeing if it was possible to put his breath back where it
belonged.  "Thank... you," he tried weakly to place the blur before
him.  "You have no idea how long they've kept me here, made me adapt
that game to their purposes...... I don't think I've eaten in at
least a week."
     <That would mean...> Chibi-Usa marveled at his condition.  Maybe
he hadn't eaten or whatever for a week, sure.  He sure didn't look it.
     "I've trained myself to live for weeks on nothing but coffee and
cup ramen," Hirokazu, the programmer proudly answered Chibi-Usa's
question.  His eyes were beginning to readjust, giving him an
opportunity to take in the sight of a young Senshi.  Young, in
physical appearance, anyway.  "Hey!  You're one of the Sailor Senshi,
aren't you?"  His eyes went excitedly wide.  "I never believed I'd
meet any of you in person--"
     "Later," Tuxedo Kamen interposed himself between Chibi-Usa and
the programmer.  "A lot of people are trapped within that game of
yours.  The rest of the Sailor Senshi have gone in to try to rescue
them.  We were able to help them along until we ran into your
shareware restrictions."  There seemed to be an edge to Mamoru's voice
he hadn't intended to let show.  "We need your help."
     Hirokazu slowly glanced from Sailor Chibi-Moon, to the cats, to
Tuxedo Kamen.  That done, he righted the desk chair and within
seconds was tapping judiciously at the keyboard in front of him -
interrupting the Sailor Moon screensaver in the process.  "All right,"
he cracked his knuckles loudly.  "Let's see where we stand.  Let's see
what we can do."

                            *  *  *  *  *

     The Amulet of Ondyre glittered enticingly bright under what had
to be the only true light in the Temple.  Innocently sitting there,
almost daring Naru and Liana to reach out and take it for their own. 
Liana's face developed a glow much like that of the Amulet.  "There's
the Amulet!  Let's go get it!"
     Having just come from another tiring battle, Naru's senses were
terribly alert.  What was it about this room that reminded her, um,
of that movie featuring an archaeologist with a battered old fedora, a
bullwhip and a large cavernous chamber that just happened to have an
unusually enormous round boulder for a trap?
     She grasped Liana's arm.  "Wait!  It could be a trap!"
     "That might be a welcome change from monster attacks," Liana
snickered, feeling a little silly.
     "I'd rather get rid of the attacks and traps altogether."
     Liana didn't blame her for feeling that way.  "So how do we know
if this is a trap?  I see no magical auras containing it."
     Naru grimaced.  "You can sense magical auras, too?  Is there
anything *else* - any other talents you haven't told me about?"
     "I will only tell you about them when they are needed.  Sort of
adds a measure of surprise and excitement to our adventure, don't you
think?"
     "Liana...!"  <I've had enough of this adventure!>  Naru mentally
protested.  <I want to go home!>  Ondyre was a great place to visit,
as long as one didn't mind the five-second intervals in between
fighting hordes of monsters that would have made the Dark Kingdom
jealous.
     Wait... the Dark Kingdom?
     An image of Nephrite appeared before her in her mind's eye.  She
withdrew temporarily and decided to let the memory of Nephrite give
her strength, not take it away.  There were some battles that needed
to be fought over and over, to remind one of his or her reason to
fight in the first place.  Naru reached a hand out to take the Amulet,
could almost see her reflection in its golden luster...
     "Naru-chan!"  That voice again!  Like Usagi's, it had haunted
her every minute of her exile to Ondyre.  She heard Liana's voice. 
"*Who are you?*"
     It wasn't a dream!  Naru spun about on one foot......
     "Sailor Moon!?"  And the Sailor Senshi, too!
     "Corwyn?  What are you doing here?  Who are those people?" 
Liana demanded of the boy.
     Corwyn shrugged.  "A pleasure to see you again, I suppose.  I am
proud to have the honor to introduce to you the legendary Sailor
Senshi."
     "These are the all-powerful warriors of legend?"  Liana sized
the Senshi up as though she were a jungle predator circling her prey.
"The Sailor Senshi, the ones who would come to save our world?" 
Corwyn nodded.  The Sailor Senshi stood still with sheepish looks on
their faces.
     "Wait a second!"  Naru felt her temper rising.  "If the Sailor
Senshi are the all-powerful warriors of legend who'll come to save
this world..." She took a single step toward her traveling companion.
"...why did you say that saving the world was written in the legends
as MY destiny?"
     This news stunned Corwyn and the Senshi.  "Why have I not heard
of these legends, Liana?"
     Everyone in the room was confronting the rogue now.  Liana saw
she was backing away from the pedestal the Amulet rested upon.  It was
time to come clean. "Okay.  I was hoping you wouldn't find out about
it.  I... sort of stretched the truth a little."
     "You *lied*," Corwyn corrected her.
     "I... *lied*.  I had read about the Amulet in the legends and
figured I could get someone to pay a lot of money for it."
     Naru's brows furrowed.  "That's where I came in."
     "When I saw you come into Traldone, I figured you were the one
to help me get the Amulet."
     Despite her anger Naru's curiosity got the better of her.  "But
you knew my name..."
     "I read your name on the inn's registry."
     Naru decided to take a long glare at Liana, and then the Amulet.
"How *could* you, Liana?  After I believed everything you told me..."
<You've betrayed me!>  "I trusted you!"  She turned her back on her
one-time traveling companion, tears welling up in her eyelids.  "I
must have been so naive to trust you."
     "Uh, Naru!  Wait!"  Liana hesitantly walked toward her.  "I...
I admit that is what I thought of you at first."  There was a
genuinely anxious expression to her face.  Naru wouldn't even look at
her.  "But that changed.  I abandoned that plan.  We've fought
together.  Laughed together.  You defended me in front of that
shopkeeper."  Liana lowered her head to one side.  "We became...
friends.  I think."
     "No!!"  Naru exploded.  "Not this time!"  She ran back to the
pedestal.  The Amulet waited for her to take it... "I'm not going to
let you get your hands on this Amulet!  I'm gonna give it to someone
who can *really* use it!"
     "Naru-chan!"
     "Naru!"
     Naru saw and almost felt an eerie blue glow before her.  It
had to be the Amulet, so close to her fingertips.  The glow filled the
room.
     It wasn't the Amulet!
     "Such a touching drama,"  a familiar voice dribbled like maple
syrup.  "We really *must* charge admission.  It's a pity I don't have
popcorn to enjoy this with."
     "Why don't you show yourself!?"  Sailor Jupiter demanded.
     "As you wish."  The blue glow - and the voice - was alive,
drawing in breathlike wisps to coalesce around Naru, becoming solid. 
An arm formed around Naru's throat.  Realizing what was happening,
she strained to renew her grab for the Amulet.  "Got to... have
to......!"  The fog wouldn't let her, tightening its grip on her
throat so that she had to fight for breath instead.
     A woman who was yet not a woman solidified from the fog, Naru,
still struggling for the Amulet and air casually wrapped in her
embrace.  The whole scene reminded Usagi of a picture of a child
holding a teddy bear in one arm and sucking on the thumb of the other
hand.  "I'm sorry.  I can't let you have that amulet,"  the woman
spoke her first corporeal words.  "You see, it belongs to me, and I'd
prefer not to give it up at this exact point in time."
     Several things she could have said passed through Naru's mind
like leaves drifting past her on the surface of a lazy river.  All
she could manage, however, was a strangled gasp.
     Makoto grit her teeth.  "Are you afraid to face us?  It seems
like you're always hiding behind something!"
     Usagi nervously put up a hand to try to quiet Makoto. 
"Mako-chan!"  she hissed urgently.
     "Yeah!"  Minako added.  "Quit hiding behind that girl and come
on!"
     It was Ami's turn to worry.  "Minako-chan!"
     "What do you take me for, an unthinking video game monster?" 
the woman laughed.  "I am Chelise, the Queen of the video game realm,
and I'm much more stronger and powerful than the likes of you."  To
prove this, she lobbed an energy pulse into the midst of the circle
of Senshi.  They scattered to avoid the blast.
     "Trying to copy my moves, huh?"  Sailor Jupiter forcefully shot
back to her feet.  "Try this!  SPARKLING... WIDE PRESSURE!!"
     Makoto knew that if she tried the direct approach, she might end
up hitting Naru with her attack instead.  So she needed to try a
different approach.  Her Sparkling Wide Pressure projectile
concentrated on the decorative stone column directly beside Chelise.
     The column crumbled, threatening to collapse upon Chelise, who
stood underneath.  Unconcerned, she raised her free hand out in front
of her and force-blasted the damaged column away without an
afterthought.  For an encore she turned ninety degrees and blasted
Sailor Jupiter.
     Makoto caught the brunt of the blast square in her stomach,
which unceremoniously tossed her into an ornamentally chiseled wall at
the rear of the hall.  She unconvincingly pulled herself up, using
what was left of the wall as a guide and wincing at the obvious loss
of hit points.
     No one ever accused Kino Makoto of not being able to take a
punch.  Or return in kind.  Though right about now, she didn't feel
like spouting another cliched comeback like, "Oh, yeah?  Take this!" 
or "That the best you can do?"  She gathered her strength for another
Sparkling Wide Pressure assault... maybe she should have tried a
Supreme Thunder Dragon, she wasn't sure.
     Sailor Venus beat her to the yell.  "Venus... Love-Me... Chain!"
Her Chain whipped around Chelise, circling the long way, for a strike
at Chelise's unprotected rear.  The demon grabbed the chain instead
and watched with bemusement as it disintegrated in her hand.
     Naru's face was slowly turning a shade of purple or blue -
whichever it was, Usagi didn't want to know.  She readied the Heart
Moon Rod.
     Next, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter put up a crossfire of
Sparkling Wide Pressure and Burning Mandara shots, hoping now that
their aim was true.  When the dust and smoke cleared Chelise relaxed
her shield over Naru.  Oh, the girl wasn't to be harmed.  Not *yet*,
anyway.  The Senshi attacks truly hadn't hurt one bit.  Why should
they?  <A bunch of pathetic amateurs, these Senshi,> she thought. 
<I'll show them.>
     "DARK SCYTHE!!"  A sickle-shaped wave of dark energy - so
single-minded terrifying that even the air fled from it - sliced forth
toward each of the five Senshi, Liana and Corwyn, at once.  Seven
warriors were thrown violently into the rear wall.  Ironically,
Makoto found she'd fallen against the same wall Chelise had
originally blasted her into.
     Naru, still struggling against Chelise's death-lock on her
throat, managed to croak two words: "......Sailor ......Moon..."
     "I hate it when they do that," Minako threw in resignedly.
     Sailor Mercury was the first to stand.  "Shabon............
SPRAY!"  Mist swirled outward from Sailor Mercury as a living entity
might to blanket the hall.  Under its precious cover the seven
warriors regrouped.  "What can we do?"  asked Usagi.  "She's too
powerful for us!"
     "Too powerful for the Sailor Senshi?"  Corwyn frowned.  "No evil
is too powerful for the Sailor Senshi to defeat!"
     "Cut it out, would you?  We have got to save Naru!"  insisted
Liana, who wasn't about to let a warm, casual conversation begin. 
"If we strike now, while we are hidden by this fog, we can defeat
that she-demon!"
     Corwyn carefully studied the bold intent in the girl's eyes. 
"You do think of her as a friend, don't you?"
     "Is it not obvious?"  Liana's impatience shone through.  Any
second now Ami's mist would fade away and Chelise would attack
renewed.  "Everything you heard me say to Naru was true.  Don't judge
me before you know all the facts."
     Sailor Mercury decided to change the subject.  "We need to come
up with a different plan of attack.  Straight, simple attacks
obviously aren't working."
     "Oh, girls..." Chelise's voice grated condescendingly, "You
might as well get on with it.  I can wait here as long as you can,
but I don't think your friend here can."

                            *  *  *  *  *

     *What can we do?  She's too powerful for us!*
     "Isn't there a backdoor code or something you can use to pull
everyone out of the game?"  Tuxedo Kamen asked, worried.  Usako's
voice gave him very good reason to worry.  So did the Hit Point
displays on Hirokazu's monitor.
     "No."  Hirokazu's eyes never left the screen.  Mamoru and
Chibi-Usa had seen similar behavior before from Ami, so this was
nothing new.  "She - *Chelise* - watched me closely while I
programmed the game.  She seemed to know a lot about computer
programming... if I didn't know any better, I'll bet she could've
programmed the whole thing herself."  He paused.  "I honestly don't
know what she needed me for."
     The programmer's eyes then rolled back to look at whatever it
was his mind was thinking of.  "The only codes I put in were the usual
debug codes, a couple cheat codes I thought I'd use for a little
fun..."
     Hirokazu nearly fell out of his chair.  "That's it!"  His hands
flew back to the keyboard.
     "What?"  asked Chibi-Moon hopefully.
     "I don't have a code to teleport everyone out of the game -
teleporting people across time and space is beyond my expertise in
programming... I think I made the lowest grade in the class on that
test over temporal studies..."
     "Get on with it!"  Chibi-Moon snapped.
     "Uh.  Well.  As I said, I may not have a code to pull everyone
out.  But I *can* use one of my cheat codes to boost everyone's
levels to maximum."
     "Everyone?"  Mamoru raised an eyebrow.  "Including the Sailor
Senshi?"
     "I sure hope so."

                            *  *  *  *  *

     A sudden change was taking place.  All across the world of
Ondyre, no matter where an adventurer out of his or her home element
fought, stood or hid,  the effect was either exhilarating or
frightening, depending on one's state of mind.  Naturally, those in
the midst of battles thought it was a godsend.  More so since most of
those affected had been alone, completely and utterly, since their
'kidnapping.'  For the relative few who joined forces, they had
become ultimately unstoppable.  And what of the still fewer out of
all those who had even become friends or - quite a dangerous risk for
adventurers in Ondyre - more than friends?
     Only one had experienced betrayal.
     Naru, too, felt the sensation of rising power.  Now, in a
surprising burst of strength, she broke free of Chelise's choke hold.
The Amulet was hers... and for the first time, she actually held it in
her hands.
     "*What?!?*"  Chelise stormed.  Determined not to lose her trump
card she shot after Naru.
     "Naru-chan's free!"  shouted Minako.  "Let's get that demon!"
     Liana noted the sudden change in the behavior of Naru and the
Senshi, but said nothing, or knew what to make of it.  "Good idea." 
She drew her sword.  Corwyn readied his sword while the Senshi
powered up for what they hoped would be their final assault.
     Chelise, attempting to dive for cover behind Naru, stopped
herself cold in midair.  An egg-shaped bubble of cream-colored energy
surrounded Naru, who exhaustedly almost welcomed it.  Chelise backed
away.  A look of fear shattered her firm look of stern determination.
The Senshi found themselves backing away as well.  Usagi was frantic.
"What's happening to Naru-chan?"
     "It must be the Amulet!"  Liana strained to be heard over the
increasing din, shielding her unprotected eyes from the expanding
glow.  "I think she is receiving power from it!"
     <And I thought that power burst a minute ago was enough,>
Usagi's lips formed a thin line.  She noticed Chelise was more
interested in Naru than anything else.  <Now's my chance; if I don't
do it now, we may never get another chance!>
     Usagi gripped the Heart Moon Rod tightly in her left hand. 
"MOON... SPIRAL..."
     That was the exact instant Naru chose to break free of the egg in
a bright, blooming flower of light.
     But she was no longer the same person she had been.  The Amulet
had seen to that.
     Naru wore a reinforced white bodysuit accented by a midnight blue
short skirt, laced high-heel boots that came up to her knees, a
collarto match and gloves trimmed by piping of the same color.  A
bluish-green jewel-brooch in the shape of a heart set in the middle of
an orange bow upon her chest - matching the bow she'd tied in her
hair a lifetime ago - and likewise, a strikingly similar jewel
forming the center of a golden tiara.
     She had become a Sailor Senshi!  "Naru..." was the lone word
heard in a room full of people who at once had nothing better to say.
     Naru's staff had reformed itself - into a long, slender silver
tuning fork of a staff, a jewel orb resting in the inside curve of
the fork and a number of smaller red jewels adorning the metal's
smooth surface, a pattern for anyone who cared to see it.
     Chelise planted herself in front of Naru the Senshi.  "Who *ARE*
you, anyway?"
     Naru set the butt of her staff on the ground.  She opened her
eyes slowly.  "I am the defender of this world.  The defender of its
spirit, and the spirit of all those who live upon it... Sailor
Ondyre."
     <Sailor...... Ondyre?>  the Senshi pondered.  Liana and Corwyn's
faces had changed to expressions of hopefulness.
     Sailor Ondyre leveled the business end of her staff at Chelise
and fixed the demoness with a stare Chelise felt down to her
backbone.  "You are the one responsible for corrupting the
interdimensional balance between our worlds.  You endanger the
lives," Sailor Ondyre narrowed her eyes, "of everyone for your
amusement.  I'm here to put a stop to that."
     "You are, huh?"  Chelise retorted reflexively.  She puffed
herself indignantly up to full height.  "I don't think--"
     Naru's eyes flashed.  "No longer!"  Energy writhed forth from
the inside curve of her staff.  "SONIC... MAELSTROM!!"
     The Maelstrom brought forth the howling fury of an
existence-bending whirlpool underneath Chelise.  Naru bravely stood
her ground although she had no idea what the Sonic Maelstrom was. 
She willed it to put an end to the evil that corrupted the land like
a dark fog that never lifted.
     Chelise understood too well what the Maelstrom *meant*; anything
that yanked her atoms apart in random clusters and, in layman's terms,
*flushed* the resulting pieces down a whirlpool drain into
non-existence couldn't be all that good...
     She screamed as the last remaining parts of her corporeal form
swirled into the whirlpool and met their end.  Her scream followed in
much the same manner.  Naru likened the experience to a warped version
of flushing an unfortunate late goldfish in the toilet.
     Chelise had been vanquished.  All of existence wavered in and
out of reality for a second.  When it returned to solidness the evil
presence in the air was gone.  Presumably following the path of its
evil master, Rei mused.  She turned back to Sailor Ondyre in time to
see her collapse.
     Liana had been standing the closest to Naru.  "Naru!!"  she
rushed to Naru's side.  Naru's body decided to vanish into thin air
instead.  "...Naru?"  She shifted helplessly to the approaching
Senshi.  They, too, vanished.
     That left her and Corwyn alone in the hall.  "What on Ondyre
happened?"
     Corwyn surveyed everything he could see.  His footsteps were
echoed tenfold throughout the now-empty hall.  "I think we have won. 
Everyone must have returned to where they belong."
     "I almost wish they hadn't.  Not until I got the chance to
straighten things out with Naru."  Liana's head drooped.  "I did not
want her to leave while she was still angry with me."
     Corwyn looked at the kneeling rogue in a different light.  "Naru
struck me as the kind of person who would understand."
     Liana frowned.  "Don't give me that!  You always were terrible
at cheering people up."
     "What else can I say?"  shrugged Corwyn.  "I never met her."  He
turned, intending to make his leave of the hall.  "Are you coming,
sister?"
     Liana started to rise.  A glint of light reflecting off something
metallic attracted her attention.  "Give me a moment, brother.  I - I
want to say goodbye to Naru."
     Corwyn's expression softened.  "Very well.  I will wait for you
outside."  He nodded solemnly, leaving the hall.
     Following the glint, Liana heaved aside a fragment of the stone
column Makoto and Chelise had destroyed.  The Amulet of Ondyre lay
quietly upon the debris left behind, its jeweled face curiously
clean.  She quickly scooped it into her palms.  
     To think, this Amulet had been the cause of a great deal of
trouble.  Liana began her journey with the sole intent of duping
someone into going to the trouble of getting the Amulet of Ondyre for
her so that she could sell it at what she thought was a good price. 
That 'dupe' had been Osaka Naru - and although Liana had come to
regard Naru as a friend her original plans ruined that friendship.

     "You ARE a bit of an innocent, aren't you?"
     "Not anymore," Osaka Naru put up a lopsided grin to match
Liana's.

     Liana sighed, stowing the Amulet inside her cloak, close to her
heart.  One day, Naru would return to Ondyre, and Sailor Ondyre with
her.  When that day came, Liana would be there to give her the
Amulet.  This, she vowed.

                            *  *  *  *  *

     "I don't believe it - I'm gonna be late again!"  Usagi whimpered
urgently to herself.  Why couldn't her mother or Luna ever wake her
up early?  They both knew she *never* started the morning early if
she could help it...
     "Usagi!"  a familiar voice rang out.  "Wait up!"
     Usagi turned, nearly losing her small bento sack in the process.
There stood Naru, exactly the way Usagi remembered her, dressed once
again in her school uniform and a green bow half-buried in her auburn
hair.  "Naru-chan..." Usagi froze.
     "C'mon, we'd better hurry or we'll both be late!"  Naru took
Usagi's arm, dragging her along.  "I want to have some time before
the bell to tell you all about a really strange dream I had last
night!"
     A dream?  Naru thought it had all been a dream?  
     Usagi opened her mouth to tell Naru she'd had the same dream. 
She stopped.  How could she tell Naru?  She wasn't even sure about it
herself.  And trying to talk about it with Naru would probably just
end with her sticking her foot in her mouth.  Usagi hadn't been with
Naru in the 'dream,' *Sailor Moon* had.
     "Slow down!"  insisted Usagi at last.  "I'm not in THAT big of a
hurry to get to school!"

                                (end)

                               --------

This story is once again dedicated to my younger sister, Tara - who
now likes to think she looks more like Ami, but still looks somewhat
like Makoto and acts suspiciously like Usagi, perhaps by way of
Minako, and is a Sailor Moon fan in her own right.

                               CREDITS:
Written by: Mike Koos
Pre-readers (in alphabetical order):
     Artemis & Luna, Richard Beaubien, Tom Williams, David Wills
Special thanks to (in no particular order):
     Everyone I gave special mention of before, and those who read
the original Digital Moon and liked it - including those who liked it
enough to send me email about it.  :)

     The original endnotes for this story can be found on the
original versions of the story parts.

     Comments and questions appreciated.  :)

* Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos: makoto@cal.net
* http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto
* 
* "I can do nothing to stop you.  Your background music is too strong
* for me." - Sam Johnson, Whose Line is it Anyway?