This 'fic is for old friends and new ones who've written to me (or not, but you're forgiven) about "In Another Life: The Legend's Beginning", namely: Renee, Lianne-sama, Jay-chan, Sue Mei, Ninx, Mimin, Sue, Razzz, Beverly, Zeena, Anastasia, Connie, Nicole, *both* Jades, Alina, Beverly, MJ, Andi, Sun Princess, Anonymous, Naru-chan, Pitzy-chan, Kelly, Hikari, Moon-Star, Ginny Choi, Larkyn, Aurora, Tigashadow, Pam, Small Lady Bensai, Rosemary, and Crystal Heart. I know I promised some of you, but I'm not quite done with Episode Four right now. I'm not happy with the way that it came out, but once I am, I'll send it in. Once again, gomen. In a time of peace . . . In a time of war . . . Two kingdoms lived side by side . . . Two hearts cried out for one another . . . And thus was a legend born. SAILOR MOON IN ANOTHER LIFE: THE LEGEND'S BEGINNING by Fushigi Kismet The blue-haired girl stared up at the results posted up on the wall for an instant, then a slow smile spread across her face. Her good mood soon vanished, however, as two voices somewhere in the crowd to her right rang out. "I don't believe it! That Anderson girl came in first AGAIN!!!" "Well, you know how it is with those RICH SNOBS. With enough money they can buy the best grades in ANY exam." "Isn't that illegal?" "SURE it is, but with enough money, even the officials will overlook it. Anyway, we all know how SHE got her marks." Anderson-Mizuno Amy felt tears spring to her eyes. "She's nothing but a cheater," the voice concluded and Amy turned and ran back into the crowd. Intelligence: Sailor Mercury aka The Cold of Loneliness Darien and Serena sat on a grassy swath of the park in a rather isolated area by the lake. He was reading aloud from a thick textbook, and Serena was pulling at the grass beneath her, her attention wandering. Darien turned to look at her, an undercurrent of annoyance in his voice. "Are you listening?" "What? Oh, hai." Serena obediently adapted an expression of rapt attention. "Well then, the properties of . . ." She rolled her eyes and gazed skyward, but stopped when Darien shot her a look that said 'You had better be paying attention, Odango, because if you fail this science test you and I are BOTH going to be in hot water' as he read. Sighing, she tried to focus on what he was reading but couldn't quite succeed. She was more interested in looking into his dark blue eyes. He was looking at her now as he read, and as their eyes met, she sighed happily and the world around her seemed to fade. Everything . . . Darien's words . . . the slap of the water against the far off dock . . . the trilling of birds . . . it all faded as she drank in the look in his eyes. Darien's mind was not on reading. He was aware that he was speaking the words on the page, but his mind was busily working on another level entirely. Darien yelled at his inner thoughts, but he knew that he . . . him . . . was right. Serena stared as his face inched closer to hers and she closed her eyes with a blissful sigh . . . ". . . and opposites attract," he finished, his face inches away from hers. Then he abruptly pulled away and sticking his face back into his book, said, "Magnets are . . ." Serena opened her eyes and sighed. She wondered anew what exactly it was about Darien that attracted her to him. He was smart and handsome, but he was also obnoxious. She didn't know why he suddenly seemed so desirable to her, but she shrugged off the thought. It was just a crush anyway. Nothing would come of it. If all else failed, she could still chase Andrew . . . At that thought, she smiled then proceeded to listen to the sound of Darien's voice. An hour later Serena trudged home, her school bag slung over her shoulder, her pigtails drooping as she remembered her last conversation with Darien. 'Read Chapters Three through Six for tomorrow. That *is* what your teacher assigned you to do, right?' 'Well, yeah, but does anyone actually *read* the textbook?' 'Just read them, Odango! Who knows, I might give you extra exercises tomorrow to see if you did.' 'DON'T CALL ME THAT!' 'Don't contradict the teacher, Odango Atama.' "Jerk," Serena muttered. "I take it that you had another wonderful study session?" a feminine voice asked dryly. "Oh Luna, come to walk me home or just to gripe at me?" Serena growled out sarcastically. "Temper, temper. Actually, I came to see if you were all right after the study session with insult-boy," the cat announced, walking on top of the wall that surrounded the expensive houses along the road. "Really, Luna?" Serena asked, touched. "I didn't know you cared." "Of course I care. You need to bring those grades up if you're going to be a good leader!" "I don't see what getting good grades has to do with being a leader! Besides, who am I supposed to lead? You?" "Don't be ridiculous, Serena. We have to find the other Senshi. That is our mission." "Well, how do we do that? You *still* haven't told me anything!" "Tonight at midnight, meet me at the arcade and I'll explain." "Oh, all right, Luna. Can we play video games?" she asked, perking up. "SERENA!" "Chill out." Serena and Luna walked home in silence for a few moments before Luna couldn't stand it anymore. After taking a quick look around the road and making sure they were alone, there was a bright flash of light and the cat-Luna was replaced by the woman-Luna. Serena stumbled backwards in surprise. "Luna, you scared me! I thought you didn't like doing that." "I don't." Luna did not look at Serena, her blue eyes focused on the street ahead as Serena admired her clothes. She was dressed in a soft yellow dress that reached to her ankles and yellow pumps. Two gold crescent moon earrings dangled from her ears and a long crescent moon pendant hung around her neck. Her long dark hair flowed down her back save for the four buns atop her head. All in all, she looked like a slightly oddly dressed but undeniably beautiful sixteen year old girl. After a moment, Luna continued to speak. "I don't, but sometimes I feel as though you don't really listen to me. Maybe it's because as a cat I don't command much respect, but Serena, I wish you'd listen to me once in awhile. That would be nice." "Luna . . . I do listen to you. I might not show it all the time, but I listen." "That's nice to know." "Luna, what do I call you?" Luna turned to Serena, startled. "What do you mean?" "Well, you're a cat and a person too, and I feel weird calling you Luna-chan or Luna-san." Luna smiled. "You can just call me Luna. Well, as a person . . . how about you call me Luna-oneechan?" "Oneechan . . ." Serena echoed. "I like it!" The two girls smiled at one another. "That'd make me your imouto, wouldn't it?" Serena asked. The smile slipped a little on Luna's face. "Now, I wouldn't go *that* far, Serena-chan. I'm *still* your advisor and teacher." "Okay, Neko-oneechan, fair enough." "Serena!" "Gomen, gomen, Luna-oneechan," Serena replied, hastily. Luna sighed, then turned around and began walking away. "Luna, where're you going? I said I was sorry!" She turned, her arms outstretched. "What, can't your onee-chan have some fun too?" A knowing smile spread across Serena's face as she turned back around and kept walking. "Sure, 'Nee-chan!" she called back blithely. "Just remember, you have responsibilities!" Behind her, she heard Luna groan. Amy walked dejectedly home from juku. Ever since the episode at the posting of the National Exams that morning, she had felt terrible. Terribly lonely. It was hard . . . being alone. Just because she was smart and well-off, no one seemed to want to associate with her. She had buried herself in her schoolwork, to forget the jibes and icy stares that everyone gave her, but that had only made her grades better and made the other students hate her more. She was withdrawn, shy, in short: a complete social outcast from Crossroads Junior High. Amy dropped her textbook and as she bent to pick it up, she bumped heads with someone else and noticed the other hand reaching for her book. Amy backed away and straightened quickly, muttering, "Gomen, gomen nasai!" "Hey, it's no big deal. It was my fault anyway." Amy opened her eyes and found herself face to face with a bubbly, blue-eyed girl with golden hair down up in twin buns atop her head and left to trail down in two long ponytails. "You're . . . Usa Serena." "And you're Anderson Amy!" Serena chirped cheerfully, holding out her book. "The smartest girl in Crossroads. I remember by the name. Forgive me, but "Anderson" is a little odd." "It's my mother's. My mother and father are divorced . . . she likes me to use her name. My real last name is . . . Mizuno." "Oh, Mizuno! That'd make you Mizuno Amy!" "Legally, it's Anderson-Mizuno Amy, but that's too long and it sounds weird. I like Mizuno myself." "Me too! That's what I'll call you by, okay? So if you hear me yelling for you in class, it'll be me. I have Study Hall with you, remember?" "Of course." Amy gingerly took the book and edged back a step or two. "It's been very nice meeting you. Arigato for picking up my book, but I really must be going home . . ." "Hey, I'll walk with you!" Amy looked at her curiously. "But you were coming from the *other* direction." "Yeah well, I was just looking in that window. Isn't the display pretty?" Amy craned her neck to look and saw a dark-haired mannequin dressed in a beautiful white wedding dress. "It's a nice dress." "Yup, and I'm going to have one *just* like it when I get married!" Unable to resist the girl's enthusiasm, Amy smiled despite herself. "Are you planning on getting married soon?" Serena paused to consider for a moment. "Well, not exactly *soon*. I mean, my Dad would *kill* any guy that I dated, but I mean *someday* I'm getting married." "Aren't you going to have a career?" "A career? Well, I haven't thought about it . . ." "What are your dreams for the future?" "I'm going to be a bride!" "Is that it?" "Um . . . kind of. I just want to find love and be happy." "That's a nice dream." Amy smiled sadly. "Well, what are *you* going to do?" Serena asked curiously. "I'm . . . I'm going to be a doctor, like my Mom." "A doctor, huh? Kakkoii! What kind?" The blue-haired girl blushed. "Um . . ." Then she noticed that Serena was walking down the street backwards. "Where are you going?" "Are you going my way or what?!" Serena shouted. Amy hesitated for an instant, then ran down the street after her new found friend. "So, you were saying about being a doctor . . ." Serena's voice trailed off as Amy caught up with her. After midnight . . . Luna tapped her foot on the ground impatiently as she waited for Serena. Just as she was about to give up and go home, Serena raced down the road and skidded to a stop in front of the arcade. "Serena! I've been waiting for fifteen minutes!" "Gomen, I overslept!" "Is that anything new?" Serena rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, Luna, it's past my bedtime. So, what are we here for anyway?" Luna pressed a hand to the glass doors and they slid open. "Huh? Hey, Luna, I thought that these were locked!" "They were." Luna strode in. "Fine, *don't* tell me anything!" Throwing her hands up in the air, Serena followed, not noticing the HELP WANTED sign in the window. Luna walked over to the arcade game that she had played the first time that Serena had seen her. She placed her hand on the dark screen and immediately a red, then a green light surrounded it and the screen lit up. "Welcome, Luna. Recite the passcode please." "Kitty walks by moonlight. Senshi fight by daylight. Someday we'll be all right. Silver-silver magic nine, recite the names. Advisor advise the soldiers." "Acknowledged," the voice of the video game said, bleeping. The screen cleared to that of the High Scores and Luna pressed her initials. The letters glowed green and the screen pulsed before shifting to a blank blue screen. A keyboard slid out from the arcade game, and Luna began to rapidly type something. "Ah, I understand what L.C. stands for now. Luna Cat!" Serena suddenly cried. "It took you *that* long to figure it out?" Luna asked, still typing. "Hey, I'm not that good in English!" "Obviously. You should get Mamo-san to instruct you." "Hmmph!" Soon though, other things came to occupy her concerns. A section of the floor dropped open next to her, a ramp extending to the darkness beneath. "All right, Serena," Luna said, the keyboard having magically disappeared, "time to enter Central Control." "There's a secret command center under the *arcade*?!!" "Of course, Serena-chan. Where else would it be?" Serena didn't answer as she descended down the ramp, Luna right behind her. The Central Control proper was a whole lot better lighted than the dark arcade upstairs. The whole place was huge, a vast sprawling expanse of computers and high tech machinery. Serena found a chair and sat, overwhelmed as Luna found another computer console and seemed to continue typing whatever she had been typing upstairs. "I bet Andrew doesn't know about this place!" Serena exclaimed. "Of course not. It would not be a *secret* command center if he did." "Oh. Yeah. What are you doing, anyway?" "Typing." "Uh-huh. Fine, I don't want to be enlightened. Just because you dragged me down here in the middle of the night to watch you while you type doesn't mean that you have to actually *tell* me anything." "Have a little patience." "I *DO* have a little patience and right now, it's all used up." Luna ignored her. "Ah, there!" "LUNA!" Luna whirled. "Honestly, Serena. Don't so that! You gave me such a fright. Now, come and have a look." "At what?" Serena asked, getting to her feet and walking over, staring at the computer screen with rampant curiosity. "I've found the next Sailor Senshi!" "Oh, wow," Serena breathed, staring at the screen, her eyes wide. "Uh-uh, this is *too* weird." "What is?" Luna snapped, exasperated. "That," Serena said, pointing at the screen which read: Name: Anderson-Mizuno Amy Age: 14 School: Crossroads Junior High Blood type: A Birthdate: September 10 Sign: Virgo Senshi: Mercury * * * Takahashi Rico chatted amiably with his friends in Study Hall at the end of the day. Amy stared at him from across the room, biting her lip repeatedly. She stared at the essay that said "Takahashi Rico" along the side. She took a deep breath and stood up, making her way across the room to him. Serena watched from where she sat in the corner, a blank piece of paper in front of her. Amy was . . . Amy was . . . was . . . walking over to possibly the *meanest* boy in school, despite his good looks. She winced in sympathy as Amy opened her mouth and began speaking to him. "Um, um, Takahashi-san, I think you . . . l-l-lost this . . ." Rico whipped his head around to glare at her, snatching the essay from her nerveless hand. "What do *you* want? Come to gloat about scoring first in the Nationals?! I came in *second*, you know! SECOND!!!" She blinked back tears, as he continued his tirade. "Well, we *ALL* know how you came in first. I guess studying wasn't enough for you, *Anderson*-san. Who's ever heard of such a gaijin name? *Anderson*." His friends laughed as he maliciously licked his lips to continue his taunts. "Well, that's right, your Daddy left your Mommy, didn't he? Or maybe they were never married at all. What? Can't you say anything? Too good for us, huh? YEAH RIGHT! We're too good for you! You're such a spoiled snob!" Amy backed away, biting her lip, tears in her eyes. "G-Gomen nasai. I didn't mean . . . to bother you." "Well, you did!" he snapped. Amy burst into tears and ran out of the room. Enraged, Serena stormed over and stabbed him viciously in the chest with her index finger. "Takahashi Rico, that was just mean! You're nothing but a bully and a brat! GROW UP!" Then she turned, and ran out the door after Amy, calling, "Amy-chan, wait!" "I don't care, run after her, blondie!" he shouted. "You're nothing but a crybaby and a loser ANYWAY!" He went too far. Ailan, who had been seated off to the side of the room and had been attracted by the sound of the shouting, punched him full in the face. Rico was out like a light. "*That* is for insulting Serena, you pig," Ailan growled and left the room in disgust. Behind him, the room was quiet. Ann seethed. It would be all over the school by tomorrow. How much Ailan liked Serena . . . how cute they looked together . . . Ann gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Ann ran out the door. Melvin turned to Molly and commented, "A lot of people seem to be leaving class early. I wonder why the teacher doesn't notice." Molly rolled her eyes and went back to her math homework. Amy ran. She didn't know where she was going and she didn't care. Everyone has a breaking point and Amy had just reached hers. Eventually, her common sense took over and looking around she realized that she was in an empty lot in a part of Tokyo that she had never seen before. she thought, coming to the grim realization. "Amy!" a voice wheezed and puffed behind her. Turning, Amy saw Serena slowing down from an obvious run. "Thank goodness I finally caught you. I must've run ten miles." She turned to look at their surroundings. "Where are we?" "I don't know." "Great." The two girls stood looking at each other for a moment. Then they dissolved into giggles. The situation was too funny not to laugh. "So," Serena began, wiping tears from her eyes, "are you okay now, Amy-chan?" "I-I guess so, Usa-san." "Serena-chan, please." "All right, Serena-chan." "Actually . . ." Serena began, what she had learned last night coming to mind. "I wanted to talk to you." "Oh, what for?" Amy was instantly wary. "Um . . . well, you see . . . Have you ever heard of Sailor Moon?" "What?" Amy asked, surprised by the sudden (to her) shift of topics. "Have you ever heard of Sailor Moon?" "Hai, I . . . guess so. Some people reported seeing her fight some monsters or something, right?" "Right. Well, anyway, she's a Sailor Senshi . . . what you might call a . . . warrior for love and justice. And . . . uh . . . Amy- chan, you see . . ." "What are you trying to say, Serena-chan?" "What I'm trying to say, is . . ." "Blackjack, take her energy now!" Ann commanded. "WHAT?!" both girls yelled, turning to see Ann floating in the air behind them, a card in her hand. She thought angrily. "NOW BLACKJACK! I summon you to me! DESTROY these little twits by draining them DRY!!!" She tossed the card into the air. "BLACKJACK!!!" The cardian burst onto the scene in an explosion of black and white. Ann laughed as the girls shrank back, and found that they had no place to run. Luna turned her head as she felt a tingling of her senses warning of danger. "TWENTY!" the Cardian shouted, tossing an endless deck of cards at the two girls who scampered and ran out of the way. "NINETEEN!" Amy and Serena ducked just as the cards embedded themselves into the concrete wall of the building behind them. Serena looked sideways at Amy. "TWENTY-ONE! I WIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!!!!" The razor-sharp cards flew out at Amy and Serena, pinning their clothes to the wall and shredding the sleeves and edges of their uniforms as they screamed. "We have them!" Ann crowed triumphantly. "I don't think so!" Luna catapulted through the air in a blur of black and yellow and knocked Ann down. "Who are YOU?!!" Ann screeched. Luna, still holding her down, glared at her with icy blue eyes. "No friend of *yours*, that's for sure." Then she shouted, "Haiyaku, Senshi, save those girls!" Ann struggled to get up and see what was going on but Luna held her fast to the ground. Serena heard Luna and understood. Unfortunately, she was pinned to the wall at the moment and unable to move. Just then, a brilliant red rose flashed through the air and the cards holding her and Amy fast disappeared and the two girls stumbled forward. Serena turned to look for Tuxedo Kamen. Seeing nothing, she hesitated for a moment, turning towards Amy, her mouth open to speak. She closed it upon seeing the cardian looming up before them, still tossing cards. She pushed Amy away and leapt out of the way right before another explosion of cards. "MOON PRISM POWER . . . MAKE-UP!" Energy flowed from her brooch and wrapped around Serena, bathing her in iridescent pink light. Silver light interlaced with the pink and together they solidified and formed ribbons that burst apart in an explosion of light and white feathers. When the light faded, the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon stood in place of the girl, Serena. She turned to the blue-haired girl sprawled on the ground, staring up at her in amazement.