Prologue
Introduction
Chapter One: A New Student Arrives
Chapter Two: Getting to Know Her
Chapter Three: Team One
Chapter Four: Secrets Confronted
Chapter Five: Team Two
Chapter Six: A Time for Sacrifice
Chapter Seven: Defeat into Victory
Chapter Eight: Re-Fighting Old Battles
Chapter Nine: Temple Meeting
Chapter Ten: Training Session
Chapter Eleven: Losing Friends, Gaining Enemies
Chapter Twelve: Uncertain Principles
Chapter Thirteen: Mercury on the Bubble
Chapter Fourteen: Invitation to Despair
Chapter Fifteen: The Solitary Senshi
Chapter Sixteen: A Rei of Hope
Backward

Prologue:

It was late summer, 1943. In a shabby back room in San Francisco’s Chinatown, a Japanese man lay on a cot as he stared at the ceiling.

The man was without one arm and one leg. Crude bandages wrapped the stumps of the missing limbs. It was warm and humid in the poorly ventilated room and the man sweated profusely.

‘Where had it all gone wrong?’ the spy wondered, for easily the hundredth time. He had come so close to bringing the United States to its knees. Now, word of his disgrace had probably reached all the way to the Emperor.

The man knew the reason for his defeat. ‘How could I anticipate interference from such a fantastic quarter?!’ he rationalized.

If not for his network of fifth columnists, he would be in the Americans’ hands. Threats against his “host’s” family back in China would keep him safe for the time being, perhaps even for the duration of the war, but he despaired of ever returning to Japan.

All these thoughts occupied the man’s mind, when suddenly a ball of light appeared at the foot of his bed, hovering in the air!

The man was stunned. Although it was hot, he wasn’t feverish. ‘This isn’t a delusion!’ he told himself. His mind was clear. This was real!

Slowly, the outline of two figures began to form out of the light. The man could hardly believe the vision that swam into view!

On the right was the figure of a Japanese girl in her mid- to late teens. She had serious features and short, light brown or tan colored hair. A single gold loop ring pierced her left earlobe. If not for the protrusions of her breasts, she could have passed for a young man.

On the left was another Japanese girl of approximately the same age. Uncommonly beautiful, she wore a kind, gentle expression. Her white-gloved right thumb was under her chin while her index finger ran parallel to her lips, which, like the other girl’s, were highlighted with a dash of gold. A bit shorter than her companion, this girl had long flowing hair, which astonishingly was dark green!

Just as surprising were the girls’ clothes. They seemed to be inspired by the sailor suits worn by Japanese schoolgirls. Such uniforms were derived from those worn by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito. His enlightened rule ran from 1867 to his death in 1912.

But there had never been schoolgirls’ uniforms such as these! The tops were basically white, with short sleeves. Both had large bows in the front at the base of their V-necklines. The short-haired girl’s bow was yellow, brighter than her hair, while the green-haired one’s bow was a dark blue-green, looking something like the sea.

Darker bows were fastened at the waist in the back of their uniforms. Dark, triple bands trimmed and served as contrast to the white material of their tops and their short white gloves.

Both wore tiaras with a gemstone in the middle of their foreheads. The taller girl had on boots with a short heel, while her partner featured high-heels with green wraps around her ankles.

What really set the outfits apart from the usual schoolgirl’s sailor suits, though, were the skirts. The bottom of their skin-tight white tops again ended in a V-shape. From there, extremely short skirts bloomed. Dark in color, the skirts nearly matched the trim of their tops.

The effect was striking. Both girls seemed to have improbably long legs: athletic, yet utterly feminine.

The pair floated before the man, their feet aligned so they faced him in a V formation. They regarded the man with curious interest.

“Pardon us, sensei,” the green-haired girl began in perfect Japanese, “would you please tell us what year it is?”

At first the man was dumbstruck, but he eventually found his voice, “By the Western calendar, the year is 1943.”

The androgynous figure frowned, but the shorter one smiled. She looked around and then continued, “Would you please tell us where we are?”

“In the city of San Francisco, in the United States of America,” the man answered.

“Huh,” the other girl grunted. In a raspy voice she said, “Pluto set us down some thirty-five years too soon, on the wrong side of the ocean!”

“Not bad, though,” the green-haired girl replied, a smile in her soft voice, “out of a thousand years and over millions of kilometers.” She turned to the man, “Arigato, sensei.”

She turned back to her companion. “Let’s concentrate.”

The pair closed their eyes. The gems on their tiaras began to glow. As the light from the stones became brighter, they slowly began to fade from view. Then, with a final flash, they were gone.

Introduction

Arthur C. Clarke once said that if technology is sufficiently advanced, it is indistinguishable from magic. This is known as Clarke’s Third Law.

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As you might suspect, the Earth is not the home of the first intelligent life in the universe. The universe’s first civilization took as its goal the promotion of peace and harmony throughout the cosmos.

To that end, they created and assigned what came to be known as Sailor Soldiers to all the planets of a solar system that harbored sentient life, even if life was found on only one of the system's planets. These Sailor Soldiers have been fighting since the creation of our galaxy, against evil and those who infringe on peace.

Around the beginning of the Christian Era on Earth, these first beings brought a select few from our planet and established them upon the Earth’s moon. With their unimaginably advanced technology, they were able to provide an atmosphere in one of the valleys on the moon and terra-form part of the lunar surface to sustain life.

As was their custom, Sailor Soldiers were also established on every planet. The Soldiers from the inner planets, Jupiter and inward toward the sun, were allowed to visit this Moon Kingdom.

The Sailor Soldiers and the inhabitants of the moon were blessed with fantastically long life spans. A hundred years of life aged them but one year of our lives.

Queen Serenity was the ruler of this Moon Kingdom. To advise her, she was provided with two advisors from the planet Mau. To eliminate any temptation these advisors might have to rule themselves, they were changed into the form of cats.

For a thousand years, our moon was home to this great civilization. During this period, known as the Silver Millennium, everything was peaceful.

Then, around 1000 C. E., the evil Queen Beryl emerged. Her goal was to conquer first the moon, then the universe! To defeat the Moon Kingdom, Beryl unleashed the awesome power of the Dark Kingdom.

Her world destroyed, Queen Serenity, at the cost of her own life, sealed off Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom, using the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal and the Crescent Moon Wand. Queen Serenity’s last act was to send her daughter - the Moon Princess, the cat advisors and the Inner Sailor Soldiers to the future on Earth, to the time when once again Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom would arise.

The Sailor Soldiers emerged in late twentieth century Japan to challenge Queen Beryl. In a fantastic battle, Sailor Moon defeated the Dark Kingdom.

Some three months after that battle, our story begins - - -

The Sailor Senshi Meet Dominoe

Chapter One: A New Student Arrives

It was a rare Monday at Juu-ban School. For one of the few times in her scholastic career, Tsukino Usagi was actually a few minutes early!

Usagi was taking advantage of the opportunity to talk to Osaka Naru. Naru had been Usagi’s best friend for a long time. Usagi felt a little guilty. Ever since Ami and the others had come into her life, she found she had less time to spend with Naru.

Usagi tried to include Naru in their activities as much as possible, but one never knew when the Sailor Senshi would be called into action. Not only was protecting their secret identities awkward in Naru’s presence, but Usagi didn’t want to expose Naru to danger. As it was, Naru seemed to have a knack for being attacked anyway!

“Usagi-chan, what do you think happened to Natsumi-san?” Naru asked. “I heard the top of the Juban Odyssey Apartments where they lived was practically destroyed!”

“Oh, I think they’re alright, Naru-chan,” Usagi tried to reassure her friend. Usagi could hardly tell Naru that Natsumi and her brother Seijuurou were really aliens who Sailor Moon and the rest of the Sailor Senshi had ultimately been able to help. “But I doubt we’ll be seeing either of them again.”

Except for her constant problem with her grades, life was good for Usagi. The Dark Kingdom had been defeated. Mamoru had recovered his memory. Maybe Sailor Moon wouldn’t be needed for awhile.

Being a princess and having a prince for a boyfriend was a dream come true. Usagi treasured her friendships with Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako. The fighting, though, Usagi could do without. She hoped now she would have the chance to be an ordinary teenage girl - - - with an extraordinary boyfriend!

Sakurada Haruna, Usagi’s and Naru’s eighth grade teacher, entered the classroom. Usagi noticed that someone was standing in the doorway, but she couldn’t see who it was.

Haruna-sensei called the class to order. “Class, may I have your attention.” The students immediately quieted down and took their seats. “As it appears that Natsumi-kun won’t be returning to us, we’ve been assigned another new student.” Haruna-sensei extended an arm towards the door. “This is Dominoe-kun. She is an exchange student from the United States.”

From the first time she had seen her friend Rei, Usagi had been impressed by Rei’s beauty. Exotically pretty, with an elegant face and flowing movements, Usagi still appreciated Rei’s good looks, even though the two of them often argued.

This American girl, however, was in another class entirely! Usagi had never seen anyone remotely like her. She had stylishly curled brown hair, a perfect face and dazzling white teeth. She looked to be about Usagi’s age, fourteen. Assuming what was under her sailor schoolgirl uniform was real, her figure even surpassed Makoto’s! She had bronze tanned skin and moved with a feline grace that reminded Usagi of Luna.

Usagi could tell that instantly every boy in the class was smitten with this new arrival. Even Gurio Umino, who was fiercely loyal to Naru, couldn’t take his eyes off the newcomer.

Despite Dominoe’s appearance, as the day progressed, Usagi found that she felt sorry for the new student. Although Dominoe spoke passable Japanese, it was somewhat stilted. Usagi’s sympathy for Dominoe was heightened when the American was given the mathematics test for which the entire eighth grade class had been studying. ‘Given a test on your first day. Ouch!’ Usagi thought.

Usagi and Naru tried to join Dominoe for lunch, but were unable to fight their way past all the boys who surrounded the exchange student’s table. The boys were taking great delight in her American accent. Usagi resolved to introduce herself to Dominoe after school and walk her home.

After the final bell, Usagi did manage to catch up to her quarry. “Dominoe-san, my name is Tsukino Usagi."

Dominoe turned and looked at Usagi with a brilliant smile. Then, as if remembering something, her expression got serious and she bowed. “I am very pleased to meet you, Usagi-san.”

Usagi stifled the urge to giggle and returned the bow. Then she asked, “Would you like to go to the arcade? I’m meeting some of my friends there.”

Dominoe gave Usagi a melancholy look. “No. I’m sorry, Usagi-san. This is my first day at school, I need to go straight - - - home.”

The way Dominoe said “home” piqued Usagi’s curiosity. “Would you mind if I walked with you?” Usagi asked.

“Why, no, not at all!” Dominoe answered, shooting Usagi a wide grin. “I’d like that very much!”

It took some time for the two girls to get under way. Every few steps Dominoe had to politely deflect the attentions of some male student. Finally, they were able to leave the Juu-ban School grounds. There seemed to be no question that Dominoe knew where she was going.

“Where do you live?” Usagi asked.

“At the American Embassy,” Dominoe answered.

“Ah-so?” Usagi said. ‘That’s strange,’ Usagi thought. “Is one of your parents a diplomat?”

Dominoe seemed to choose her next words carefully. “My - - - guardian is staying there. I - - - don’t really have any parents.”

A year ago this statement would have shocked Usagi, but her experiences with Rei and Makoto, not to mention Mamoru, had made her comfortable with such situations. For the moment, however, Usagi decided to change the topic of conversation. “Where did you used to live, Dominoe-san?”

Again, Dominoe took time to consider her response. Then, as if deciding there was no harm in answering, she said, “Key West, Florida.”

“Florida! Oh, wow!” Not being that great of a geography student (or any kind of student, for that matter!) Usagi had no idea where Key West was, but she had certainly heard of Florida. “I love the ocean - when it’s warm,” she added.

“Oh, its warm in Key West year around, Usagi-san.” Dominoe explained. “There are very few days when you can’t swim there.”

Then an expression of concern crossed Dominoe’s face. “Uh, Usagi-san, won’t your friends be expecting you at the arcade? I assume we’re going out of your way?”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Usagi answered. “Trust me. My friends are used to me being late!” Meanwhile, at the arcade - - -

Minako had challenged Ami to the Formula One Road Race game. “She who laps last, laps best!” Minako declared. Ami just shook her head.

While they were getting under way, Makoto was trying to attract the attention of Furuhata Motoki, the handsome young man who worked at the arcade. In a private corner, Rei was with the cats, Luna and Artemis, fuming.

“That Usagi! Once again she keeps us here waiting! Ami-chan and Mako-chan said she wasn’t in detention. I’ve got things to do back at the shrine! I wonder if she’s run off with Mamoru-san? I’m not going to wait here all afternoon! She is totally -”

Luna and Artemis rolled their cats’ eyes. This was nothing they hadn’t heard many times before - - -

Dominoe and Usagi reached the gate of the American Embassy. The Marine on guard gave the pretty young Dominoe a warm greeting in English, “How was the first day of school, Miss Dominoe? And who’s your friend?”

“Oh, fine, Marine, fine,” Dominoe answered. “And this is Usagi.”

Usagi’s English was terrible, but she did recognize her own name. Guessing she had just been introduced, she smiled at the Marine and bowed, her two long ponytails almost touching the asphalt.

“Well, Usagi-san, arigato for walking with me,” Dominoe said. “I’m sorry, I can’t have any guests - - - yet. Maybe some other time?”

“That’s okay, Dominoe-san,” Usagi replied. “I guess I should be getting to the arcade.”

“Usagi-san,” Dominoe began earnestly, “you’ve made me feel very welcome. I think I’ll enjoy going to your school.” Dominoe smiled again. “Sayonara!”

“Sayonara, Dominoe-san!”

Dominoe walked through the gate and up the path to the embassy building side entrance. The sidewalk was surrounded by a perfectly manicured garden. Dominoe opened the heavy wood and glass door and made her way inside.

As this was American territory, Dominoe felt no need to remove her shoes and put on the customary Japanese slippers. Anyway, Dominoe walked so lightly that her street shoes hardly made a sound as she glided down the tiled corridor.

The door to her “guardian’s” office was open. As he, too, had just arrived, he hadn’t yet been assigned a secretary. Davis, the Florida Coast Section Chief, was on leave from his usual post for this special assignment.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Dominoe said, announcing her presence.

Davis had been working at his desk, in the process of straightening out some files. He looked up and said, “Good afternoon, Dominoe. How was your first day in the Japanese educational system?”

“Fine, sir,” Dominoe responded.

Davis looked at the young woman before him with almost fatherly concern. It had been his idea to bring Dominoe to Japan. It had taken many hours of persuading his C.A.T.T. superiors before the mission had finally been approved.

Davis felt this experience would be very important to Dominoe’s development. Not only would it improve her fluency in Japanese, but she would gain important social skills. Adapting to a foreign culture would be vital to her future undercover work.

Then, of course, there was that other matter. “Anything unusual happen in school today?”

“No, sir,” Dominoe said. She allowed herself one of her rare smiles in front of Davis. “As you expected, many of the boys wanted to flirt with me.” Dominoe then paused. “There was this one girl, though. She may prove to be a good source of information.”

“Excellent,” Davis complimented. “Why don't you head on down to the basement? Your jujitsu master is waiting for you."

Not long after Dominoe began her afternoon’s training, Usagi arrived at the Crown Game Center - - -

“Usagi, where have you been?” Rei shouted across the arcade.

“Hai, Usagi-chan,” Makoto agreed, “we were beginning to worry that you had been attacked by a youma or a cardian or something!”

“Oh, hi everyone,” Usagi said sheepishly. “No, nothing like that. I was just walking a new student home.”

Minako and Ami had finished their game. “A cute boy?” Minako asked with sudden interest, her blue eyes shining brightly.

“No, Minako-chan,” Usagi explained. “Dominoe-san is a girl. She’s an exchange student from America.”

“Another new student?” Makoto asked suspiciously. “You know what the last new student turned out to be.”

Usagi looked surprised. The thought had never occurred to her. “Guys! I’m sure Dominoe-san isn’t an alien.”

Ami flipped open her Sailor Mercury pocket super-computer. “Well, I may be able to check her out.”

“Ami-chan!” Usagi protested. “Every new student isn’t necessarily an enemy!”

“I seem to recall, Usagi-chan, that at first you thought I might be from the Dark Kingdom,” Ami reminded Usagi, whose sheepish look returned. Ami then asked, “Did she mention where she’s from?”

“Key West, Florida,” Usagi remembered, “- - - in the United States.”

“Is ‘Dominoe’ her family name or her given name?”

“I don’t know,” Usagi admitted.

Just then Motoki wandered over. “What’s that, Ami-san? Something new from Nintendo?”

Makoto grabbed Motoki by the arm and steered him back the other way. “Motoki-san, what’s it like to be in charge of all these sophisticated machines? It must be quite a responsibility! Tell me - - -”

Ami’s fingers flew over her mini-keyboard. The other three girls and the two cats crowded around the girl genius expectantly. They were in a quiet corner of the arcade, and, thanks to Makoto’s intervention, safe from prying eyes and ears.

“Hmmmm,” Ami announced. “There’s no record of any ‘Dominoe’ attending public school in Key West, Florida. Of course, she might have attended a private school.” Ami hit more buttons. “And there’s no record of anyone named ‘Dominoe’ being born in Monroe County, Florida, in either 1977, ‘78 or ‘79.”

“She didn’t say she was born there,” Usagi pointed out in defense of her new friend.

Ami put her computer away. “Usagi-chan!” Ami said suddenly, as if something had just occurred to her. “Do you know what ‘dominoe’ means in English?”

“It’s some sort of game, isn’t it?” Usagi said uncertainly as Makoto returned to the group.

“Hai,” Ami agreed, “but not only that. It also can mean a person wearing a mask!”

This revelation stunned everyone. Rei finally broke the silence. Although she and Usagi often bickered, the temple maiden considered Usagi her closest friend. Rei could tell the Moon Princess was genuinely upset at the prospect that Dominoe might be a new adversary.

“Usagi,” Rei suggested, “Why don’t you invite Dominoe-san to come to the arcade? That will give all of us a chance to meet her.”

Usagi explained she had invited Dominoe today, but that the American couldn't come. Then Usagi continued, “O.K., Rei-chan. Let’s try for after school on Thursday. That will give her a chance to ask her guardian tomorrow. Evidently, they live at the American Embassy.”

This bit of news sparked another round of questions and answers between the Sailor Team and their leader - - -

Chapter Two: Getting to Know Her

The next morning, Usagi was up early and, for an unprecedented second day in a row, made it to school before the bell. Usagi was anxious to talk to Dominoe.

The previous night, it had taken some time before Usagi had fallen asleep. She confided in Luna that she just couldn’t believe Dominoe was evil!

When Usagi entered Juu-ban School, she could see that the test scores from the previous day’s mathematics exam were posted. Usagi dreaded finding out her grade, but she decided it was better to get it over with.

As she approached, she heard other students talking:

“Can you believe it?”

“She’d only been here a couple of hours!”

“I’d heard their schools were no good.”

Usagi made her way to the bulletin board. There was her score, near the bottom as usual, but not as bad as sometimes. Then, what she saw next stunned her to her core!

‘Ami didn’t get the high score!’ Ever since Ami had arrived at Usagi’s school, Ami had gotten the highest grade, except for that one time Ryo outscored her, in every test in every subject. Yet today, there was Ami’s name, in second place, behind - - -

‘Dominoe!?!?!’

Usagi looked around and saw Dominoe a short way down the hall. Just then, Ami came up next to Usagi.

“Ami-chan!” Usagi was unsure what to say. “Uh - - - the American must be pretty smart.”

“Hai, she must,” Ami agreed. Usagi was glad to see that Ami didn’t seem to be upset. “I missed one question, but she got a perfect score.”

“Would you like to meet her?” Usagi asked.

“Hai, I would.”

Usagi and Ami walked over to Dominoe. Naru and Umino were standing in awe of the foreign exchange student.

“Are all Americans like you?” Umino managed to ask.

Dominoe was able to stay straight-faced as she replied, “Oh, I’d say I’m pretty average.” Then Dominoe spied Usagi. “Usagi-san!” she called enthusiastically.

“Hi!” Usagi answered. “Dominoe-san, I’d like you to meet one of my best friends, Ami-chan!”

“I’m very pleased to meet you, Ami-san,” Dominoe said formally, with a little bow.

“Likewise, I’m sure,” Ami said, returning the bow. “Congratulations on your perfect score. You must have attended a very advanced school in America.”

“Well, I had a lot of special tutoring,” Dominoe responded, modestly, if somewhat vaguely.

“Dominoe-san,” Usagi began as Naru and Umino wandered off to class, “Ami-chan and I would like to invite you to join us at the Crown Game Center after school tomorrow. We have some other friends who would like to meet you.”

“I’ll have to ask my guardian, but I would like that very much!” Dominoe replied gratefully. “I’m sure he’ll say, ‘Hai!’”

The rest of the day passed comparatively uneventfully. Usagi found it difficult to concentrate on her studies - although it was not like that was anything unusual! She did find, however, that she was pre-occupied with thoughts about Dominoe.

‘She’s prettier than Rei and smarter than Ami! Who could she be? I’m beginning to worry that the Senshi may be right! She’s got to be more than just your average exchange student!

‘I wonder what else she can do?’

Usagi didn’t have to wait very long to find out.

The next day all the girls in the Juu-ban School eighth grade were scheduled to be in a judo competition. They were quite excited, because they were being allowed to take part in a randori, or free-style competition. Everyone assumed that Makoto would emerge as the champion.

The orphan was well-know for her abilities in the martial arts. She almost certainly could have defeated any boy in the school. Among the Sailor Senshi, only Rei could hope to hold her own against Makoto, and even then in any contest the taller girl would eventually be victorious. Since Rei and Minako attended different schools from the other three girls, it was a foregone conclusion that today’s meet at Juu-ban School was a battle for second place.

The students sat together around the mat, grouped by their classes. With a smile, Dominoe sat next to Usagi and Naru. Ami and Makoto were seated across on the other side.

In the early rounds the gym teacher allowed the girls to choose their own opponents. Although a few of Sailor Moon’s fighting skills had begun to filter through to Usagi, she was still pretty much of a klutz. Usagi was, though, able to rise to Naru’s challenge and fling her old friend to the mat.

Finally the teacher called on Makoto. “All right, everyone, who wants a match against Makoto-kun?”

For several seconds all was quiet and no one raised their hand. Then suddenly, a voice in stilted Japanese called out, “I’ll take her on.”

Usagi turned in shock as Dominoe rose to her feet. ‘Does she understand what she’s getting herself into?’ Usagi wondered. ‘Does she really know anything about this Japanese art of self-defense?’

“Very well,” said the teacher skeptically. Dominoe stepped out onto the mat, faced Makoto and bowed.

Makoto returned the gesture and then eyed the American, as if sizing her up. Makoto was five feet, six inches tall. Dominoe was several inches shorter. Makoto knew well that the whole idea behind judo was to turn an opponent’s strength and weight against her.

Makoto could tell, though, that Dominoe was certainly not frail. Her bare arms betrayed the fact that she was quite strong.

The teacher served as referee. He gave the prescribed command. Makoto and Dominoe grabbed each other’s jacket lapel and sleeve in the proper manner.

WHAM!

In a blink of an eye, Dominoe had thrown Makoto! The match was over! Dominoe was the winner!

Makoto sprang to her feet and bowed towards Dominoe. Dominoe bowed in return. Makoto then stepped towards Dominoe, eyes blazing. Dominoe tilted her head warily.

“Congratulations!” Makoto called, smiling and extending her hand. “That was great!”

“Arigato, Makoto-san,” Dominoe said humbly. The entire class exploded into cheers.

The rest of the day, no one applauded more loudly than Makoto and Ami as Dominoe breezed through the competition. Usagi wasn’t sure, but she hoped that her two fellow Senshi had genuinely been won over by her new friend’s quiet, self-effacing manner and weren’t just play-acting to gain the American’s confidence.

After school, Usagi and Dominoe quickly met up with Makoto and Ami. Dominoe’s achievements, along with her unparalleled beauty, had earned her quite a following among the entire Juu-ban School body. It took some time, but eventually Usagi, Ami and Makoto were able to shepherd Dominoe away from her new fans and to the arcade. It had taken so long, though, that Rei and Minako were already there waiting for them, along with Luna and Artemis.

Introductions were quickly made among the three girls. A black cat with an upturned gold crescent moon on its forehead then jumped into Usagi’s arms. “Dominoe-san, this is my cat, Luna,” Usagi said.

Minako indicated a white cat, also with a crescent moon on its head, standing on the floor of the arcade, “And that is my cat, Artemis.”

For a moment, Dominoe was unsure what to do. She was quite surprised to see two pets inside an arcade. Finally, she bowed in the direction of each cat in turn and said, “I am very pleased to meet you, Luna-san - - - Artemis-san.”

The cats purred while the other girls giggled. They had never heard anyone their age address animals with honorifics before!

Artemis walked over and rubbed against Dominoe’s leg. The American looked down in shock, almost in horror. When she noticed a white hair had become attached to her sock, Dominoe quickly picked it off and deposited the piece of fur in a nearby trash can.

The girls were a bit taken aback by this strange behavior. Since Artemis was her cat, Minako felt obliged to break the awkward silence that followed. She pulled Dominoe by the arm towards the Formula One Road Race game, saying, “Come, Dominoe-san! Let’s drive race cars. It’s my dream to conquer the Formula One world.”

“I thought it was your dream to become a teen idol,” Rei protested.

“I can have more than one dream, can’t I?” Minako said with a smile, brushing her long blonde hair to the side as she took her place in driver’s seat number two of the game. Dominoe climbed behind the wheel of the adjacent position.

Minako deposited the money and lights appeared on the separate screens in front of the two contestants: red - - - yellow - - - green! Minako floored the pedal and zoomed off to a big early lead.

It took Dominoe a few seconds to learn the controls, but once she did, the American slowly began to close the gap. She expertly maneuvered her car through the race course’s hairpin turns.

Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Rei, along with the two felines, crowded in behind the players. Even Ami, with her recently discovered affinity for video games, had never been able to beat Minako at this one.

Closer, ever closer, Dominoe’s car pulled towards Minako’s. The machine displayed a waving white flag, indicating this was the last lap. Then, in the middle of an S-turn, Dominoe passed Minako!

“What!” Minako cried. “I didn’t think it was possible to pass there!”

Once in front, Dominoe roared steadily away. She took the checkered flag several car lengths ahead of the girl who was secretly Sailor V.

“Where did you learn to drive like that, Dominoe-san?” Makoto asked in admiration.

“Oh,” Dominoe answered, “it’s not that different from driving a real car.”

“What?!” the five other girls exclaimed in unison.

“Err - - - hai, you see, I’ve been allowed to drive around the Navy base back in Florida.” This time it was Dominoe who felt the need to change the course of the conversation. Looking past the girls, she said, “Wow! Is that a Sailor V video game?!”

“Hai, it is,” replied Rei. “Here, give it a try.” Dominoe walked over and sat before it. Rei dropped a coin in the machine’s slot. “On me.”

“Arigato, Rei-san,” Dominoe said earnestly with a bow of her head. She took the controls as the game started.

Dominoe didn’t do very well. She seemed to have trouble aiming the Sailor V character’s gun. Soon, the representation of the red-goggled heroine experienced its death throws as “GAME OVER” flashed in English across the screen. Dominoe’s score was much lower than even Usagi’s worst efforts.

“Hmmm,” Dominoe mused out loud, “shooting a real gun is much easier than that!”

“What?!” the other five girls once again cried together.

Dominoe looked at them, raised both eyebrows and flashed one of her winning smiles. Minako and Makoto assumed that Dominoe was teasing, but Usagi, Rei, Ami and the cats weren’t so sure - - -

Dominoe then appeared to get serious, “Tell me, please, have any of you ever actually seen the real Sailor V?”

“Oh, sure! Lots of times! We-” Makoto blurted out, before Ami put a hand over the tall girl’s mouth.

Rei spoke up, “Why, hai, we’ve all seen her on occasion.” Rei gave Minako a furtive glance. "She gets around.”

“Wow,” Dominoe said softly, obviously impressed. After a moment, she continued, “What about the rest of the Sailor Scouts?”

The other girls giggled. “Scouts?” Usagi asked. “You mean Senshi?”

“That’s ‘soldiers’ in English,” Ami explained.

“Oh,” Dominoe said. “Sailor Scouts is what they’re called in America.” Then, after a beat, she went on, “Well, have you ever seen any of them?”

“Once or twice,” Minako stated with a smile.

“Then - - - they are real,” Dominoe said, almost to herself, as if this was a major revelation.

Usagi was getting very uncomfortable with where all this was going. The reluctant heroine, though, had a standard solution for most kinds of situations. “I’m hungry!” she declared. “What do you say we all get something to eat?”

“Usagi!” Rei fussed. “Always thinking about your stomach!”

Makoto, though, agreed, “That’s a great idea! What would you prefer, Dominoe-san? American-style fast food or something more traditionally Japanese?”

“Oh, Japanese, please,” the exchange student replied.

“Good choice!” complimented Minako. “After all, when not at home, do what the Romanians do!”

Usagi, Ami, Rei and Makoto all groaned and then giggled. They were used to Minako’s penchant for malapropisms. Dominoe looked around in confusion. ‘Apparently, something was lost in the translation!’ she thought.

The girls led Dominoe down the street and treated her to a snack of assorted types of sushi and hot tea at a nearby eating establishment. When they were finished, Usagi cleared her throat to make an announcement. Sailor Moon came by her tendency to make speeches honestly.

“Dominoe-san, I understand that the use of titles may be confusing to a gaijin. I’m sure I speak for all of us in saying that we consider you a good friend and we would be honored if you were to address us in the future with the suffix ‘-chan.’”

Tears almost seemed to well up in Dominoe’s eyes. She clasped her hands together and said, “Oh, Usagi-chan, that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!” She then grabbed the hands of each girl, as she said, “and, of course, you may address me that way as well!”

Meanwhile, a much less congenial scene was being played out not far from the six girls, near downtown Tokyo. In an office inside a large warehouse, a stunningly beautiful, traditionally-dressed Japanese woman in her late twenties was seated upon a raised chair, so ornate as to be like a throne. She addressed a group of some twenty Japanese men, ranging in ages from their early twenties to the mid forties, who knelt before her, eyes downcast.

“Team One leader,” she said, speaking slowly and precisely, “do you understand exactly what it is you are to do?”

“Hai, Lady Dragon,” one of the older men in front responded, without looking up.

“Very well,” she answered. “Do not fail me.” Then, standing and raising a fist, she shouted, “For the Glory of the Empire!”

The men all sprung to their feet and punched their right fists into the air, “FOR THE GLORY OF THE EMPIRE!”

Chapter Three: Team One

When Usagi, Ami and Makoto arrived at the Hikawa Temple after school the next day, Rei, Minako, Luna and Artemis were already waiting for them. Rei’s grandfather and his assistant, Yuuichirou, were busy with the many students who always visited at the conclusion of the school day. The girls met on the porch and steps of the temple’s living quarters, where they could discuss Sailor business without fear of being overheard.

Usagi posed the question, “Well, what do you all think of Dominoe-chan?”

“I think she’s way cool!” said Makoto, not hesitant to express her opinion in front of the entire group. She was quite happy about losing the title of “Best Fighter” at Juu-ban School.

“She is quite an extraordinary girl,” Minako observed.

“In her presence, I didn’t sense any evil,” related Rei, whose psychic powers had often warned the Senshi of danger in advance. “What about you, Luna?”

“No,” said the Sailors’ black-furred feline advisor. “I’m pretty sure Dominoe-chan has nothing to do with the Dark Kingdom.”

“That’s it, then,” declared Ami. She, too, had been won over by the engaging American. “We were all worried for nothing.”

“I'm not so sure,” said the white tomcat Artemis, the only male in the group. “What does Mamoru-chan think, Usagi-chan?”

Usagi poked at a pebble with her toe as she answered, “I don’t know,” she admitted. “He’s very busy with his studies this week. He asked me not to call him unless it was an emergency.”

Usagi’s eyes brightened as she concluded, “I do have a date with him Sunday, though. I’ll ask him then!”

Meanwhile, the object of all their speculation was undergoing another session in the basement of the American Embassy. The Japanese Secret Service had graciously sent over their top trainer in ninja stealth techniques to work with Dominoe. Davis had taken a break from his duties to come down and watch his young charge in action.

As usual, Dominoe was doing extremely well. The jujitsu master from a couple of days before was originally reluctant to work with such a young student, especially an American girl! After only three sessions, though, he had come to Davis and announced what an honor it was to teach such an apt pupil. Her Japanese instructors, of course, had no idea why the United States government was investing its resources in this fourteen year old girl or just how special she really was.

Dominoe was the product of both selective breeding and genetic engineering. Her birth mother was a surrogate. The egg had come from a woman of many talents who assisted the British government from time to time in avenging murders. The sperm donor was also from the United Kingdom, the top agent in Her Majesty’s Secret Service’s Double O Section.

Shortly after the Covert Anti-Terrorism Taskforce was formed by the United States to combat biological weapons terrorism, the British had exchanged the egg and sperm for an IRA bomber hiding in the U.S.. Even though genetic engineering was somewhat crude in 1978 compared to today’s standards, C.A.T.T. had taken the chance of introducing some “enhancements.” The results far exceeded their expectations.

With the exception of one minor flaw, a slight obsessive compulsive disorder, the young teen was practically the perfect human: highly intelligent, beautiful beyond compare, uncommonly strong, yet graceful, and possessed of a winning personality. All that, however, didn’t keep Davis from worrying about her.

It was always assumed she would grow up to become C.A.T.T.’s number one agent, in fact, the greatest secret agent who ever lived. Dominoe, though, had been born on American soil. She was a United States citizen, with all the rights appurtenant to that status. ‘What if,” Davis wondered, ‘when she turns eighteen, she decides she wants to do something else?’

In his cynical moments, Davis recalled the words of candidate Ronald Reagan, “I paid for this microphone.” The government had certainly invested plenty in Dominoe. A fortune had been spent giving her the best training the world could offer in a wide variety of fields. ‘Weren’t the taxpayers entitled to a return on their investment?’

These concerns faded into the background as Davis watched Dominoe. So far, Dominoe seemed quite satisfied with the life planned out for her. She soaked up every bit of knowledge presented and then asked for more. The nascent spy faced every physical challenge with eager enthusiasm.

For his part, Davis did what he could to provide Dominoe with some semblance of a home life. He wanted her to be happy - and not, he admitted to himself, entirely for altruistic reasons. A contented agent was that much more unlikely to become a double agent.

That’s why Davis was so glad Dominoe had made some friends her own age here in Japan. Her intensive training while growing up on the Naval Base in Key West, along with the need for secrecy, had offered her no opportunity for socializing. Now, she was getting that chance - - - and besides, it was part of her mission.

“Incredible!” declared the Japanese Secret Service trainer. “How did you do that?” It had taken him months to learn the maneuver Dominoe had just mastered in less than ten minutes.

“I guess I’m just a natural!” Dominoe replied with a smile and a shake of her coppery locks.

*****

Saturday morning dragged on for Usagi. She so wanted the half-day of school to be over and for the weekend to arrive. She could hardly wait for tomorrow and her date with Mamoru. He always came up with the most interesting plans for their time together, even though she would have been satisfied just to sit on a park bench and hold his hand. ‘My prince,’ she sighed.

Usagi looked over at Dominoe. She marveled at how the American was paying rapt attention as Haruna-sensei rambled on about some arcane point of Japanese history. Usagi couldn’t imagine herself being able or caring to follow a lecture on American history in English!

Watching Dominoe raised some of Usagi’s self-doubts. ‘Sure, I’m the Moon Princess, but shouldn’t the leader of the Sailor Senshi be someone more like her?’

Just then, a man burst into the classroom! He was wearing a uniform, reminiscent of those of Japanese soldiers in World War II, except instead of the Rising Sun, his shoulder patch featured a dragon. Most frightening of all, the man was carrying what appeared to be a machine gun!

“All right, sensei, take all the boys with you and leave the school!” the man ordered. “The girls will remain here with me!”

Haruna-sensei had been through a lot since the school year had begun. She was not about to suffer this intrusion meekly. “What is the meaning of this?! Who are you?!”

“Do as I say - - - now!” the man reiterated, brandishing his weapon.

“What do you-” Haruna-sensei started to say. Then the man pointed his gun at the floor. Since they were on the top floor, he seemed to think better of that and instead pointed his weapon at the ceiling. He then pulled the trigger.

BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM

A hail of bullets smashed into the ceiling, sending pieces of tile raining down upon Haruna-sensei. “All right!” she shouted. “Boys! Come with me!” she instructed as she headed for the door. “Girls, do what this man says - - -” Defiantly she added, “for now.”

Usagi was terrified. She had gotten used to facing all sorts of monsters, but a man with a gun was something she had yet to experience. ‘Oh, how I wish Ami or Makoto were here!’ she thought. Then she glanced over at Dominoe.

The American didn’t look the tiniest bit scared. In fact, she looked determined - - - and confident. Usagi took comfort in her new classmate’s demeanor. ‘Being from the United States, maybe she’s used to this sort of thing!’

“Ladies,” the man began, “proceed to the gymnasium! You’ll find the rest of your classmates there.”

Usagi got out from behind her desk. She snuck a peek out the windows. It looked to Usagi as if all the male students and adults in Juu-ban School were safely outside. Already, police cars were arriving on the scene. ‘What does this guy want?’ Usagi wondered.

Dominoe stepped in front of Usagi as the girls filed out of the classroom. “Stay behind me, Usagi-chan,” Dominoe whispered. “I’ll protect you.”

"Eh?" Usagi said in surprise.

In the school office, the man known as Team One leader supervised the work of one of his men. “Are you sure there is no way the police can cut off the video from the security cameras without getting in here? and that they will be unable to intercept the signal or to track where you are sending it?”

“Hai, leader.”

“And you’ve disconnected the video recorders?”

“Hai, leader.”

“Very good.” The leader then spoke into his cell phone. “Are you receiving the pictures, Lady Dragon?”

The precise tones of the woman answered, “Hai, Team One leader. The images are quite clear. You have done well. Now, we wait.”

Usagi looked around the gymnasium. Evidently, only the eighth grade girls were being herded here. She guessed the seventh grade and ninth grade girls were being held elsewhere, probably the lunch room and the auditorium.

As they had walked down the halls, she saw more men guarding the exits. It was hard to tell exactly how many there were, but this was obviously not just some random act of violence. Some mysterious plan was at work.

Surprisingly, once the girls had been taken to the gym, they were pretty much left alone. The man who had “escorted” Haruna-sensei’s class had disappeared down the hall. A lone gunman guarded the entire eighth grade and didn’t seemed concerned as a few of the girls started to mill about.

Makoto and Ami walked over and sat on the gym floor next to Usagi and Dominoe. “What do you think we should do?”

Makoto had been looking at Usagi when she asked the question, but it was Dominoe who answered. “We should all sit tight for the time being.” Without a hint of bravado, but with quiet confidence, she continued, “If and when the time comes for action, I’ll be ready.”

Makoto pounded her right fist into her left palm, “And I’ll be right there with you!”

Dominoe looked at Makoto skeptically. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Makoto-chan.”

Makoto hissed at the American. “Hey, just because you beat me one time-” Dominoe cut her off with an upraised hand.

“It’s not that, Makoto-chan,” Dominoe explained. “It’s just that - - - growing up on a Navy Base, I’ve had quite a bit of - - - er - - - training in self-defense.”

“Oh, but I have more experience than you may think,” Makoto said in a huff.

While the two athletes argued, Ami sidled over to Usagi. “Usagi-chan,” she whispered. “Do you think we should try to get away and transform?”

Usagi looked again at the one man who seemed to be guarding all the girls in the gym. He didn’t seem to be particularly vigilant, but every once in a while his gaze did fall upon Usagi and her friends. “I don’t know, Ami-chan. Nobody seems to have been hurt yet. If we try to leave, who knows what that guy will do?”

“How about calling Rei-chan and Minako-chan on our communicators?” Ami suggested.

“Same problem,” Usagi said. “I don’t want to take a chance on what his reaction would be if we, or anyone else for that matter, tried to call someone outside. I think Dominoe-chan may be right. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”

Soon thereafter, Rei returned from school to her room at the Hikawa Temple. She was just about to change from her school uniform into her temple priestess attire, when her grandfather barged through the doorway.

“Grandfather!” Rei complained.

“Rei!” her grandfather panted, obviously out of breath from running. “Have you heard about what’s going on at Juu-ban School ?!”

“No,” Rei replied, her demeanor immediately changing from irritation to concern. “What?!”

“Some crazy men broke in and are holding all the girls hostage!”

“What!” Rei thought fast. “Grandfather, I’m going over to Usagi-chan’s house. Her mother may need some support at a time like this!”

“That’s very thoughtful, Rei,” grandfather complimented. “You go - - - and take your time. Yuuichirou-kun and I can handle things here.”

“Arigato, grandfather.” Rei gave the sprightly old man a hug. After he left, she activated her Sailor Senshi communicator.

“Minako-chan! Are you there?”

Minako’s face appeared on the device. “Rei-chan! I was just about to call you!”

“Then you know what’s happened?” Rei asked.

“Hai,” Minako replied. “I just heard about it on television. Let’s meet in that alley about a block north of Juu-ban School. Do you know the place?”

“I’m on my way!” As she ran out the door, Rei thought, ‘I hope Usagi and the others are all right.’

At that moment, the biggest problem facing Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Dominoe was boredom. Dominoe hadn’t had much experience making small talk. There was one question, however, she had just been dying to ask girls her own age.

Dominoe motioned for Usagi, Ami and Makoto to huddle around from where they sat. Then she whispered, “I’d like to ask you all a question.” There was an uncomfortable pause.

“Hai, Dominoe-chan,” Usagi finally said. “What is it?”

“How often do you pleasure yourselves?”

“What!” Usagi yelled. Every face in the place turned to look at the four girls. Ami turned a bright shade of beet red and looked as if she would have liked to have dropped through the gym floor. Makoto blushed a little, too, then turned away, putting her right hand knuckles up to her mouth, stifling a laugh.

The guard shot the quartet a dirty glance, but then looked elsewhere. Naru wondered what Usagi was up to now, but decided it would be better to stay where she was. The rest of the class soon turned away. They were used to such outbursts by Usagi.

Usagi put her arm around Dominoe’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Dominoe-chan!” Usagi said under her breath. “How could you ask such a thing?!”

“I’m sorry, Usagi-chan!” Dominoe was much more upset by her breach of etiquette than by the fact they were all being held at gunpoint by terrorists with an unknown agenda. For the first time since Usagi had met Dominoe, the American was genuinely flustered.

Dominoe broke away from Usagi’s grasp and touched Ami and Makoto in turn on the hands. “I’m so sorry, Ami-chan - - - Makoto-chan. Please forgive me. I thought one could discuss such things with one’s girlfriends. I’ve never-” Dominoe choked back a sob and looked down at the floor, “had friends my own age before.”

Usagi felt terrible for being so harsh with Dominoe. She tried to imagine what it would be like, going to school in a foreign country, with no family, having to speak a language not your own - - -

- - - and then to grow up without anyone your own age to talk to. Usagi had always had lots of friends. To grow up like that was unimaginable!

Ami and Makoto, though, had some idea what it was like for Dominoe. They had both been loners, and, at the time they met Usagi, didn’t have any close friends.

“That’s OK, Dominoe-chan,” said Makoto.

“Right,” said Ami, once she had regained the ability to speak. “*Ahem* Forget about it.”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you, Dominoe-chan,” Usagi said softly. This time, she put a gentle hand on Dominoe’s shoulder.

Dominoe gratefully looked up at her three friends. She managed a wan smile.

Outside, a block away, Rei had arrived to join Minako in the alley. Minako peeked around the corner and pointed toward Juu-ban School. “Do you see that entrance there?” Minako asked. Rei nodded.

“I think we can jump over the police cordon at that point,” Minako explained, “and with a little diversionary fire from you, I’m sure we can get by the guard on the door.”

“That’s one thing I’ve been worrying about, Minako-chan,” Rei said hesitantly. “Even though they are terrorists, I wouldn’t feel right using my fire attacks against them - - - unless they were just about to shoot somebody!”

“It’s alright, Rei-chan,” Minako assured her friend. “I’ll take care of them.” Minako fought crime as Sailor V a year before any of the other Sailor Senshi emerged. She had quite a bit of experience dealing with ordinary criminals. “Ready?” she asked.

“Ready!”

The girls held their transformation pens in their right hands.

“VENUS POWER!”

“MARS POWER!”

They stuck their right arms straight in the air, holding the pens high over their heads. Minako’s pen resembled a huge sparkler as a shower of stars issued forth, while Rei’s spewed flames like a flare. Their school uniforms disappeared. Bathed in an eerie light, the girls were now nude, but only the outlines of their bodies could be seen.

Stars surrounded Minako, while Rei was ringed in loops of fire. Then, around each, was a blinding flash. Aino Minako and Hino Rei were gone - - -

- - - and in their places stood two of the Sailor Senshi: Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars!

The celestial mariners moved out of the alley and toward the school. Mars's high heels and Venus's not-quite-so high ones clicked on the sidewalk as they went. When they were still some fifty meters from the police line, Venus indicated a small bush growing next to the door for which they were heading.

Mars put her white-gloved hands together. Then, extending her arms at the bush, with her thumbs and index fingers pressed together, the latter pointing up at a forty-five degree angle, she called,

“MARS FIRE IGNITE!"

A swirl of flame formed at her index fingertips. The fire then spiraled away toward the green plant. Instantly, it burst into flames.

The attention of the policemen, as well as of the gunman guarding that entrance to the school, was drawn to the burning bush. With the police looking the other way, Venus and Mars ran towards the line and leapt into the air. Their Sailor Senshi abilities allowed them to jump over the barricades and land just a few feet short of the school door.

The gunman turned to the approaching girls. Venus pointed her right index finger straight up into the air, then lowered it at the guard. Putting her left hand on her right biceps, she cried,

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!"

A laser-like beam of light emanated from the beautiful blonde’s finger. It struck the guard across the back of his right hand, causing him to drop his machine gun. Before he could recover from the shock of the burn, Mars rendered him unconscious with a well-aimed karate chop.

Venus and Mars ran down the hall, towards the lunch room. Along the way, using the same technique, they disabled another guard stationed at a different entrance.

In the school office, Team One leader watched the video monitors in dismay as the girls advanced. “Where did they come from?!” he demanded of his assistant. “And only two of them?”

The leader got on the radio to his men. The gym was between the lunch room and the auditorium, so he ordered, “Fall back to the gymnasium. Use any means necessary to stop the two Senshi already in the building. We must force the others to appear!”

Venus and Mars liberated the seventh graders from the lunch room. When the man guarding the ninth graders left the auditorium, the freshmen girls fled out the other end of the building.

Five men with machine guns, including the one who had originally invaded Haruna-sensei’s classroom, raced into the gymnasium and joined their comrade. All were dressed in identical uniforms. They took up positions at the entrances.

“This is it,” Dominoe stated calmly. Then, in the distance, she heard a series of sounds that was unfamiliar to her, but quite well known by Usagi, Ami and Makoto.

The words, "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" were instantly followed by the sound of Sailor Venus’s attack. One of the guards yelled in agony as he dropped his gun. Then pandemonium broke out!

Many of the eighth grade girls screamed. Most, including Usagi and Ami, dropped face down on the shiny gym floor. One gunman managed to fire off a couple of rounds in the general direction from which Venus and Mars were approaching, but then he, too, dropped his gun as he felt a deep slash across the back of his hand.

He looked around in confusion. There, less than a foot away, was a thorny red rose, its stem imbedded in the polished wooden gym floor. The guard’s confusion was abruptly ended when he was struck in the face by the end of a gentleman’s walking stick.

Usagi knew that sound well. “Tuxedo Kamen-sama!” she shouted with joy.

Tuxedo Kamen glanced over at Usagi to make sure she was alright. The white-masked figure shot her a loving smile, then, with a flourish of his red-lined cape, made his way towards the next guard.

Dominoe was about to enter the fray, when suddenly Venus and Mars entered the arena. The American looked over at them and suddenly felt dizzy!

Dominoe struggled through the feeling of nausea - - - and was stunned by what she saw! ‘Sailors Venus and Mars! It’s obvious!’ she concluded. ‘They’re Minako and Rei!!’

Chapter Four: Secrets Confronted

‘They look exactly the same! and they’re not wearing masks or anything! How come everybody doesn’t recognize them?’

Dominoe got over her shock. ‘That’s a matter for later,’ she decided. ‘There are still four gunmen to deal with.’ Just then, she heard a thud behind her, like a body dropping.

Makoto was standing over a fallen terrorist. Evidently, since Dominoe was on her feet, he was about to shoot the exchange student, when Makoto intervened.

“Thanks, Makoto-chan!” Dominoe called.

“Hey, no problem!” Makoto replied, but before the sound of the Japanese teen’s voice had faded, the American was running right at Makoto at top speed!

“Duck!” Dominoe shouted. Makoto obeyed and Dominoe put a hand on Makoto’s back as the budding secret agent sprang into the air. Dominoe executed a perfect triple somersault and landed feet first on an astonished gunman who had taken aim at Makoto.

“Now, we’re even!” Dominoe teased with a smile and a shake of her head.

“THAT didn’t take long,” Makoto said to herself in amazement.

Dominoe collected the dropped weapons. Then she and Makoto surveyed the situation. All the gunmen were now laying on the floor. Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Kamen had disappeared. The eighth grade girls, including Usagi and Ami, were in the process of evacuating the building.

Dominoe handed one machine gun to Makoto. “Hold this,” she requested, “but keep your fingers away from the trigger.” Dominoe then walked over to the terrorist she had knocked out. She poked him in the gut with her foot.

“Wake up!” she ordered. “I’ve got some questions for you!”

The man’s eyes fluttered open. He looked up at Dominoe and sneered. The terrorist then seemed to bite on something. He closed his eyes, took one sharp breath, convulsed and then fell still.

“What the-” Makoto began.

Putting the gun down, Dominoe dropped to her knees at the man’s side. She put two fingers on the base of his neck. Bending over his face, she detected the scent of almonds.

“This man is dead,” Dominoe declared. “Cyanide - - - uh, oh.” Dominoe picked up the gun and then ran to all the bodies in the room, Makoto tagging behind. Every one of the men was dead.

Dominoe headed out the door and started down the hall. “Where are you going, Dominoe-chan?” Makoto called.

“If I was in charge of this operation, I’d want to be where I could keep an eye on things,” Dominoe explained. “I’m going to check out the school office - - - before the police get in.”

Makoto didn’t understand why Dominoe had taken it upon herself to investigate the incident. On the other hand, the tall girl was curious as to what the invasion of her school was all about. Setting the machine gun down, she followed along.

When they reached the school office, they discovered the door was closed. Silently, with a wave, Dominoe motioned for Makoto to stay back. Dominoe flattened herself against the wall next to the door to the office. She then reached over and, in one motion, turned the door knob and pushed the door open, being careful to keep her body out of the doorway.

When nothing happened, Dominoe cautiously peeked inside the office. Makoto craned to look over her. Their eyes were met by a gruesome sight.

One man was laying on the floor, another apparent cyanide suicide victim. What was grotesque, however, was the body of another, older man. He was partially disemboweled - - - and decapitated!

“Hara-kiri,” said Dominoe.

“We call the ceremonial rite ‘seppuku,’” said Makoto, turning away.

Dominoe set the machine gun on the floor. The two girls quietly walked out of the building as the police rushed in. Dominoe’s mind swirled as she considered the events of the past few minutes. Suddenly, she turned. “Makoto-chan?”

“Hai, Dominoe-chan?”

“Did Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars look at all - - - familiar to you?” Dominoe asked.

Makoto’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Dominoe said carefully, “do they look like anyone you know?”

Makoto seemed to consider the proposition for a moment. “No. No, Dominoe-chan, I don’t think so.”

“Hmmm.” Dominoe replied. “Well, I need to get to the Embassy. I’m sure my guardian will be worried about me.”

“Don’t you think we should talk to the police?” Makoto suggested.

“Oh, you please go ahead, Makoto-chan,” Dominoe requested. “There’s nothing I can tell them that you can’t. I really need to get back.”

“Alright, Dominoe-chan,” Makoto said dubiously. “See you Monday.”

“Sayonara, Makoto-chan.” Dominoe then slowly walked home, lost in thought.

‘At first I wondered if perhaps the attack on the school was some sort of exercise for me, but the ritual suicides would seem to rule that out! I wonder if any demands were made? What was the point of it all?’

Then Dominoe considered the question of the Sailor Senshi’s secret identities. ‘Why was I the only one who seemed to be able to recognize Minako and Rei? Did it have something to do with that dizziness I felt? Might it involve my training to resist mind-control? Or my genetic engineering?’

Suddenly Dominoe stopped short. A woman walking behind her barely avoided rear-ending the American teenager. ‘Wait a minute! There are supposed to be five Sailor Senshi. Take away two, that leaves three - - - Makoto?!? Ami??!!?? Usagi???!!!???

‘No! That couldn’t be! Makoto I could believe, but Ami? - - - and Usagi?!’ Dominoe started walking again. ‘That’s ridiculous! Ami’s certainly not the super-heroine type - - - and Usagi? That’s preposterous!’

As she walked along, though, Dominoe started to have doubts. Why did only two Senshi appear at the school? Why did three students from Juu-ban School hang out with two girls from two different schools?

Then Dominoe thought about the Sailor Senshi dolls she had glimpsed as prizes in the arcade. The Sailor Moon figure did look a bit like Usagi with those long blonde pony tails. Ami’s hair was kind of blue-black like the Sailor Mercury doll - - - and Makoto’s hairstyle was the same as Sailor Jupiter’s.

Dominoe arrived at the Embassy. She went to report in with Davis at his office, but his new secretary told her that he was out. No training sessions were scheduled for the afternoon, so Dominoe went to her room to think.

Meanwhile, back at the warehouse, Lady Dragon knocked on an inner office door. “Come in,” a male voice responded.

Lady Dragon entered the room, head bowed. At the far end of the room sat a figure, obscured in shadows. Lady Dragon moved to within some ten feet of the seated man, then dropped to her knees, never once looking up.

“Report,” said the voice.

“Two Sailor Senshi appeared at the Juu-ban School, Da-sama,” Lady Dragon explained. “Unfortunately, where ever they came from, they did not change in front of the cameras.”

“So, the mission failed.”

“Hai, Da-sama,” said Lady Dragon, cringing as if expecting to be beaten.

“Did the men take the prescribed action?”

“Hai, Da-sama,” said Lady Dragon, allowing some hope to creep into her voice.

“Is all in place for Team Two to strike tomorrow?”

“Hai, Da-sama.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment. Lady Dragon was careful to make no sound as she breathed.

“Very well,” said the voice. “You may go.”

*****

About an hour later, Davis knocked on the door to Dominoe’s room.

“Come in,” Dominoe called. She had been laying on the bed, but when Davis came in, she sprang to her feet. Although she didn’t snap to attention, she did show respect to her mentor.

“I heard what happened, Dominoe. Are you alright?” As Davis asked, he indicated for Dominoe to sit on the bed, as he turned the desk chair to face her. Both sat down.

“I’m fine, sir. Do you know if the terrorists made any demands?”

“No, they didn’t. Very strange - - -” he mused. Then he continued, “What did you think of Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask?"

Dominoe carefully considered her response. “Very - - - impressive, sir. They neutralized all the terrorists, without anyone getting injured.”

“Except for self-inflicted fatalities, of course,” Davis pointed out. “I also heard that you and another student saw some action.”

“Oh, Makoto-chan did well, but I didn’t do much,” Dominoe said, humbly.

“Did you get any clues as to the identities of the Sailor Scouts?”

This was the question Dominoe had been dreading. There was no doubt, when she was sure, she intended to tell Davis everything she learned about the Sailors. On the other hand, to reveal Minako’s and Rei’s secrets now would seem like betraying her new friends.

“Here in Japan, sir, they’re known as ‘Senshi’- - - soldiers.”

“Oh,” said Davis, simply.

Dominoe hated being evasive with the man who had practically raised her. She reached a decision.

“I have my suspicions as to who they might be, but I would like to confirm my theories before I make my report.” She had put the ball in his court.

Davis thought about her answer. “Very well, Dominoe. I trust your judgment.” Then, as if changing the subject, he asked, “Do you have any plans for the rest of the weekend?”

“I think I’ll work on my report!” she said with a smile.

*****

Dominoe had trouble sleeping that night, which was unusual for her. Over and over she analyzed the problem of reconciling her devotion to C.A.T.T. and Davis with loyalty to her friends.

Before they had left for Japan, Davis had told her that in addition to the purposes of her training and immersion in a foreign culture, another reason for their trip was so Dominoe could attempt to discover information about the Sailor Scouts, and, if they really existed, who they were. The unusual young heroines had been seen more than once around Juu-ban School, hence Dominoe’s enrollment there.

Davis explained that C.A.T.T. wanted to be able to contact the Sailors should a situation arise where their assistance might prove useful to the Taskforce in its mission of combating biological weapons terrorism. He assured Dominoe the American government had no intention of divulging the Scouts true identities to the Japanese government or to anyone else.

Despite Davis’s promise, Dominoe felt very uncomfortable. She realized that as a secret agent, she would be called upon to establish phony friendships for the purposes of obtaining information. This, however, was different from anything she had ever imagined. These girls were not evil. They were not foreign agents, who should expect their confidences to be violated.

Minako and Rei were heroines, who fought for justice. They were also like Dominoe: young teenage girls with extraordinary abilities.

Finally, Dominoe settled upon a plan of action. After her morning exercises and breakfast, Dominoe went to a telephone. Usagi had given Dominoe Usagi’s phone number and address. Dominoe punched in the numbers. After two rings - - -

“Hello. Tsukino residence.” It was a young, male voice.

“Hello, my name is Dominoe. May I speak to Usagi-chan, please?”

“Oh, wow! You’re that American girl Usagi’s been talking so much about this week!”

Dominoe blushed slightly. It was flattering to think she was a topic of conversation in the Tsukino household. “Hai, that’s right.”

“I’m Shingo, Usagi’s brother. I’m afraid Usagi isn’t here. Lately she’s been taking off for long periods of time, going to who knows where. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”

Dominoe frowned. She was under the impression that Usagi usually slept in on Sundays. Dominoe had only waited this long to call so that she wouldn’t get Usagi out of bed. “Excuse me, Shingo-san. Do you know Rei-chan or Minako-chan?”

“Sure, I know them both. They come by to see Usagi every once in a while.”

“Would you happen to have either of their phone numbers? I need to talk to them. It’s very important.”

“I don’t have them, Dominoe-san, but I know Rei-senpai lives at the Hikawa Temple. Let me look up that number for you.”

The boy did so and gave the number to Dominoe. She thanked him and then called the Temple. Eventually, she got a hold of Rei.

“Rei-chan? This is Dominoe.”

“Hi, Dominoe-chan! Konnichiwa?”

“Please, Rei-chan, I need to speak to you in person. It’s extremely urgent. I also need to talk to Minako-chan - - - but not the others.”

Rei thought this was strange - - - and mysterious. From the way Dominoe sounded, though, refusing was out of the question. “OK, Dominoe-chan. I’ll try to get in touch with Minako-chan.” Rei tried to think of a mutually convenient place to meet. “How about if we meet at the Juban-Cho Shopping Strip, near the fountain, say around noon?”

Dominoe said that was fine. As she hung up the phone, Rei wondered, ‘What is this all about? Why does she just want to meet with Minako and me?'

Shortly after twelve o’clock, Minako, with Artemis draped over her shoulder, arrived at the fountain in the heart of the Juban-Cho Shopping Strip. Rei and Dominoe were already there, waiting. They had passed the time discussing the various fashions on display in the shop windows.

“Arigato for coming Minako-chan - - - Rei-chan. I have something very important to tell you.”

“Hai?” said Rei. She was becoming a bit impatient with all this secrecy.

“Can we go somewhere a little more private?” Dominoe asked.

Rei looked around. Shoppers were strolling by, but she doubted anyone would pay any attention to what they were saying. “This is fine. Now, what is it you have to say, Dominoe-chan?”

Dominoe motioned the two girls to lean in close. Then, looking at each girl in turn, she whispered, “I know you are Sailor Mars - - - and Sailor Venus.”

“What!?” Minako squealed, pulling back in horror.

“That’s ridiculous!” said Rei haughtily.

“Do you still want to talk about this right here out in the open?” Dominoe asked. When neither girl indicated otherwise, she continued in hushed tones. “I saw you at Juu-ban School yesterday. For heaven’s sake, except for your clothes, you two appeared exactly as you do now! Surely you realize this?”

Minako and Rei looked at each other. Why they weren’t recognized was one of the many unsolved mysteries about their being Sailor Senshi. When the four other girls first met Minako, it was strange how they were unable to recognize her as Sailor V. Once they changed in front of each other, though, it was obvious that they did look the same.

“If that’s true,” Rei asked, “how come you’re the only one who noticed?”

“I don’t know,” Dominoe admitted. She smiled. “Maybe it’s because I’m an American! or maybe it’s something to do with me. In any case, please don’t deny it.”

Minako was about to say something, when suddenly-

BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM

A man wearing a Japanese soldier’s World War II uniform, but with a dragon shoulder patch, had fired a machine gun into the air. “Don’t anyone move!” he yelled. Eight other identically attired men fanned out to establish a perimeter around the middle of the shopping district.

Chapter Five: Team Two

‘How can the exact same thing happen to the exact same person two days in a row?!’ Dominoe thought in amazement. She, Minako and Rei were sitting on the edge of the basin of the fountain, one of the gunmen patrolling nearby.

Just then, Artemis jumped down from Minako’s shoulder and ran off.

“Where’s your cat going, Minako-chan?” Dominoe asked. “To get help?”

“Something like that - - -” Minako replied, following Artemis as long as she could with her eyes.

Some thirty minutes later, Usagi arrived home. She had spent a lovely morning with Mamoru in the park. They had enjoyed a scrumptious picnic lunch. Mamoru then had to leave town for the rest of the day to do some research, so Usagi returned to her house, stars in her eyes.

“Usagi! Is that you?”

“Hai, okasan.”

Usagi’s mother confronted her in the hall. “Where have you been all day?"

“I went for a walk in the park,” Usagi said, half-truthfully. She hated hiding things from her parents. Her mom and dad knew she had done a couple of things with Mamoru, such as go to the virtual reality theater and baby sit, but they had no idea of Usagi’s real relationship to him.

On the other hand, Usagi rationalized, what was she supposed to do? Go up to her parents and say, ‘I’m dating a college student, but it’s okay, because he’s the Prince of Earth. Oh, and by the way, even though okasan gave birth to me, I’m not your daughter. I’m the reincarnation of the Moon Princess from a thousand years ago- - - and, oh, hai! Did I mention that Luna talks? And that I’m Sailor Moon?’

Her mother broke in on her reverie. “Well, while you were gone, your brother took a telephone call for you. It was that American girl you’ve been carrying on so much about. She wanted to know Rei-san’s phone number.”

‘That’s strange,’ thought Usagi. Just then, Artemis came through the cat door. He looked at Usagi, then went over and, with his paw, gently swatted Luna, who had been taking a cat nap. The two felines looked at each other and then bounded up the stairs.

Usagi’s mother watched all of this with great amusement. “I swear, sometimes I could almost believe those two can talk to each other!”

“I’d better go see what they want,” Usagi said absently as she ran up after them.

“Usagi!” her mother called in vain.

Usagi closed and locked the door to her room behind her, knelt down in front of the two cats and said softly, “Artemis, what is it? Where’s Minako-chan?”

“More of those terrorists,” Artemis said while panting intermittently, “like the ones who invaded your school yesterday, have taken control of the central part of the Juban-Cho Shopping Strip! and Minako-chan and Rei-chan are being held hostage - - - along with the American, Dominoe-san!”

“That girl!” said Luna in disgust. “And I thought Naru-san attracted trouble!”

“I’ve got to call Ami-chan and Mako-chan right away!” Usagi got out her Scout communicator and contacted her two classmates. The girls agreed to meet not far from the south entrance to the shopping district.

Less than half an hour later, Usagi, Ami, Makoto and the two cats met in a secluded area, just out of sight of the police barricades. Once again the Sailor Senshi would have to jump into an area sealed off by the local authorities. Artemis ran back to his mistress, Minako, to let her know that help was on the way.

What none of them knew was that a tiny camera had been concealed nearby. It gave inquiring minds a clear view of the proceedings.

This time, Lady Dragon was watching events from the inner office. Da-sama looked on from across the room. His form was still hidden in the shadows.

“What are those three girls doing there?” Lady Dragon asked rhetorically. “Could this be it?” In anticipation, with a mouse she double-clicked a face recognition program on one of the monitors. In its database were pictures of all the students at the Juu-ban School. If these were the three girls, she would know their names in minutes. She only wished she could hear what they were saying - - -

“My Mercury bubbles will allow us to get in unobserved,” Ami explained. “I might be able to cool some of those terrorists off, too. What about you, Mako-chan?”

“I don’t want to fry anybody,” Makoto answered. “I’d like to be able to knock them out long enough so they can’t kill themselves. I may just have to rely on good old martial arts.”

“I guess I’ll have to hope some Sailor Moon kicks will do the trick,” Usagi offered. “I hate to think what might have happened to Naru-chan if she had been struck by my tiara. I don’t know what would happen to a person hit with Moon Scepter Elimination.”

Usagi rambled on, as she sometimes did when she was nervous. “And with men with machine guns, I guess I won’t have the chance to give any speeches!” Finally, she turned to her friends and said, “Ready?”

“Ready!” said Ami.

“Let’s do it!” Makoto replied with gusto.

“MERCURY POWER!”

“JUPITER POWER!”

“MOON CRYSTAL POWER!”

Ami and Makoto stuck their right arms straight in the air, holding their transformation pens in their hands high over their heads. Ami’s pen resembled the nozzle of a powerful hose as a stream of water seemed to gush out, while Makoto’s resembled a lightning rod in reverse as her pen sent out bolts of electricity. Their street clothes disappeared. Bathed in an eerie light, the girls were now nude, but only the outlines of their bodies could be seen.

Ribbons of bubbly water surrounded Ami, while Makoto was at the nucleus of what looked like an atom of electricity. Then, around each, was a blinding flash. Ami and Makoto were gone - - -

- - - and in their places stood two of the Sailor Senshi: Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter!

“Success!” Lady Dragon crowed as she watched the proceedings on a television screen. “In seconds we’ll know the real names of three of the Sailor Senshi!”

Usagi’s transformation was unique. She took out her brooch with her right hand and held it over her head. The cover disappeared, revealing a dazzling crystal. Usagi waived her left hand over it. The crystal pulsed three times in alternating bursts of white and red light. Usagi’s casual weekend clothes vanished. Like her friends, she was now surrounded by a strange light and naked, but only the outline of her body was visible.

The brooch floated between her hands. It flipped once as Usagi “lowered” the brooch, without touching it, to a position between her breasts. The Silver Imperium Crystal at the heart of the brooch flashed again.

For a moment Usagi seemed to have angel’s wings. That apparition faded as red ribbons shot out of the brooch to a form a uniform like a gymnast’s around her, except this leotard was pure white and featured blue sailor trim. The brooch now was lodged in the middle of a large bright red ribbon on the teen’s chest.

Next tubes of red formed white gloves which ended in red pads at the elbows. Red knee-high boots appeared, with white trim and one upturned crescent moon at the top of each. A short pleated blue skirt then came into sight.

Usagi arched her back in almost orgasmic pleasure as another red bow formed over the small of her back and a shimmering glow began to emanate from the center of her forehead. An upturned crescent moon arose and shone, just like Luna’s and Artemis’s.

The moon then waxed into a golden tiara with a ruby-red gem at its center. Red gem-like domes appeared on the front of her two hair buns, while dangling three stone crescent earrings popped into view. A red collar materialized around her neck with her trademark upturned crescent moon on its front.

The klutzy, crybaby schoolgirl Usagi was gone. In her place stood the not-quite-so klutzy, sometimes crybaby, heroine of love and justice: Sailor Moon!

Lady Dragon’s computer had done its work. “Sailor Mercury is Mizuno Ami, Sailor Jupiter is Kino Makoto and,” Lady Dragon exalted in her triumph, “Sailor Moon is - - - Tsukino Usagi!”

Lady Dragon reached over to a microphone. It was time to send new orders to Team Two.

Sailor Mercury touched her right earring. A visor appeared, containing the display from her scanning supercomputer. She studied it for a moment, then declared, pointing, “There aren’t any gunmen in the area beyond the barricades in that direction. Let’s go!”

Mercury shut down her computer, then took a stance facing the spot she had indicated.

“MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!”

In an instant the surroundings were enveloped by a thick and cool blue fog. Jupiter led the way, followed by Sailor Moon and Mercury. The three girls bounded over the police line and landed within the besieged shopping district.

Not far away, Rei, Minako and Dominoe were still sitting by the fountain.

“Artemis!” Minako cried in a hushed voice as the white cat ran toward her. Artemis put his mouth up to Minako’s right ear.

“Minako-chan,” Dominoe said accusatorially, “if I didn’t know better, I’d say your cat was talking to you!”

Rei looked around. “Where did our guard go?”

Dominoe shifted her attention beyond Minako and Artemis. In an alley between two stores, she saw the colorful figures of Sailors Moon, Mercury and Jupiter. This time, she half-expected the wave of nausea that washed over her. Quickly she fought it down.

‘Oh my gosh!’ Dominoe declared to herself. ‘It is true! Ami is Sailor Mercury, Makoto is Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Moon is - - - Usagi!!’

Sailor Mercury re-activated her visor. “No one carrying a gun is within three hundred meters of here,” she reported.

Jupiter led the way as the trio sprinted to the fountain. Luna hung back in the shadows.

As they approached, Sailor Moon asked, “Are you - - - um - - - girls alright?”

Dominoe stood up and confronted the Moon Princess. “You can cut the act, Usagi-chan. I know who you are. I know who you all are!”

Sailor Moon managed to stammer, “What?!?!” as she recoiled in shock. Sailors Mercury and Jupiter were dumbstruck.

The three Sailor Senshi’s surprise was immediately doubled when a man in a business suit approached the six teenage girls. He held out his right hand toward Sailor Moon. In his grasp was a cell phone. “This phone call is for you, Sailor Moon.”

The Champion of Love and Justice was so stunned by Dominoe’s revelation that she took the offered phone without question. As she put the speaker to her ear, the man made a biting motion and turned to Dominoe.

“To hell with Babe Ruth!” he shouted before collapsing on the sidewalk. The scent of almonds wafted through the air.

“What did he mean by that?” Dominoe wondered as she knelt at his side, verifying that he was indeed dead.

Sailor Mercury looked thoughtful. “That was what some of the Japanese pilots yelled during the attack on Pearl Harbor!”

Meantime, Sailor Moon’s right arm had dropped to her side. The cell phone fell from her limp hand and clattered to the ground.

“Sailor Moon!” Jupiter called. “What’s wrong?”

Sailor Moon’s expression was somber, her eyes downcast. She took a deep breath and then explained, “That was someone calling herself Lady Dragon. She knows my true identity - - - and yours, too, Jupiter - - - Mercury.”

Rei and Minako looked at Dominoe with fire in their eyes. “Hey! I don’t have anything to do with this!” Dominoe protested - - - but then a flicker of doubt crossed her mind. ‘Do I??’

Sailor Moon continued, “She says all the Sailor Senshi must appear at a nearby address within fifteen minutes - - - or she tells the whole world who we are.”

“It’s almost certainly a trap of some kind,” Mercury observed.

Jupiter pounded her white gloved right fist into her left palm, “We can handle it! I say, let’s go see what she wants!”

Sailor Moon tried to imagine the nightmare her life would become if everyone knew Usagi could become Sailor Moon. ‘What would my parents say? How would it effect Shingo?’

Sailor Moon reached a decision. “I agree. Follow me!”

The five girls started to run off behind Sailor Moon. Jupiter stopped in her tracks, turned and put a restraining hand on Dominoe. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m coming with you,” the American replied, not backing down an inch.

“No, you’re not,” declared Rei. “You come out of nowhere, discover our secret identities and now some enemy blackmails us with the same information. Quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”

“I told you. I have nothing to do with this - - - Lady Dragon,” Dominoe said, but perhaps not with quite as much conviction as before.

Sailor Moon put her hands on Dominoe’s shoulders. Not unkindly she said, “I do think you should stay behind, Dominoe-chan. We’re used to this sort of thing. Okay?”

Dominoe smiled at the pretty sailor suited soldier, but remained noncommital. Sailor Moon smiled back, turned and then ran off, her Sailor Team following close behind.

“Rei and I will transform as soon as we’re past the police line,” Dominoe heard Minako call. Then Dominoe put her training at tailing people unobserved to good use - - -

*****

Some ten minutes later the Sailor Senshi arrived outside of a large warehouse not far from downtown Tokyo. “This is the place,” Sailor Moon declared.

Mercury once again activated her supercomputer. Her visor, however, showed nothing but static. “There’s some type of electronic interference,” she complained. “I can’t tell what’s inside.”

A single sliding door, large enough to admit a tractor-trailer truck, faced the girls. It was the only means of entry from this side. “I’ll run around the building and see if I can find another way in,” Venus volunteered.

“I’ll go with you,” offered Mars and the pair sprinted away.

“I’ll check up on the roof,” said Jupiter. She executed a perfect twenty meter Sailor Senshi leap.

In two minutes they were all back. Their reports were negative. As far as they could discern, the door facing them was the sole access to the inside of the building.

The five intrepid teens cautiously approached the door. Just as Jupiter reached for the handle, the door opened upwards like a garage door. It was dark inside, except for a single bright circle of light some thirty meters in the building.

Lady Dragon stepped into the spotlight. She had her jet black hair done up in a tight bun. Dressed in flowing silken robes, a large green dragon, breathing fire, decorated the front of her outfit.

Spreading her hands wide, she called, “Welcome Sailor Senshi! Come in, come in.”

Cautiously the quintet entered the warehouse. As soon as the last of them crossed the threshold, the air was filled with the sound of heavy machinery. Large clear sheets of plastic or glass dropped in front of the girls, as well as behind them!

Chapter Six: A Time for Sacrifice

The lights came up and the Senshi could see they were trapped inside a transparent rectangular cell. The same clear material extended over their heads and on each side.

The rest of the room was filled with strange electronic equipment. Some fifteen meters to Lady Dragon’s left was a set of five iron chairs, each with an ominous-looking, clear hood suspended just above them. It was obvious that the devices were intended to fit over the chairs’ occupants’ heads.

Mercury hit her right earring. The display of her supercomputer was still scrambled. Curious, she dropped to one knee. The surface on which they were standing was strange, like a thin, dark, foil cover. She poked a white-gloved finger through it and was surprised to find the same plastic/glass surface underneath.

The friends were caught inside a large clear oblong box. Their prison completely blocked the way to the door of the warehouse. No one could get out or in. Luna and Artemis had, as usual, lagged behind the girls and were stuck outside.

Sailor Moon struck a familiar pose. “How dare you send men to die just to learn our secrets? Fighting for love and justice, I am the pretty sailor-suited soldier Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!”

Lady Dragon’s calm reply came over a speaker near the top of the trap. “Oh, I intend to do much more than just learn your secrets, Sailor Moon.”

Sailor Moon looked around their diaphanous surroundings. Evidently, there was also a microphone built into the jail so Lady Dragon could hear what the Senshi were saying. “What is the meaning of this?” Sailor Moon demanded, trying to put up a brave front. “What do you want?”

“This,” Lady Dragon indicated their cage with a wave of a hand, “is a deathtrap, specifically designed with each one of you in mind.”

Her words were precise, spoken without haste. “What I want is to rule first Nippon - - - and then the world. Your destruction is the initial step to that end.”

The teens followed her with their eyes as she made her way to what appeared to be a control panel. She toggled a switch.

Suddenly a liquid sprayed out of a previously unnoticed spigot near the top of the box. As the liquid fell upon the floor of the doom trap, the dark covering began to dissolve and turned into a white gas.

“That smoke will now combine with all the free molecules of breathable oxygen in there with you.” Lady Dragon smiled evilly. “In about ten minutes, all the oxygen will be gone. Shortly following that, you will suffocate. Then the major obstacle in my path will have been removed.”

“I’ll get us out of here!” Sailor Mars declared.

“MARS FIRE-”

“STOP!” screamed Sailor Mercury.

“What’s wrong?!” Mars demanded.

“If you use your fire attack, you’ll just burn up the oxygen that much more quickly!” the girl with the 300 I.Q. explained.

“Very good, Sailor Mercury,” Lady Dragon complimented coldly. “You’re right.” The villainess turned her attention to Sailor Venus. “And Sailor V, unless you seek to hasten your deaths, I wouldn’t use your Crescent Beam attack, either. It would just be reflected back and forth between the walls, slicing the five of you to ribbons.”

Lady Dragon fixed her stare upon the tallest of the Sailor Senshi. “The same goes for you, too, Sailor Jupiter. The material also conducts electricity quite well. One of your Thunder attacks would electrocute you and your friends.”

“Let me try, then!” shouted Sailor Mercury. “MERCURY ICE BUBBLE FREEZE!”

Bubbles shot out from between Sailor Mercury’s crossed wrists and hit the wall between the Senshi and Lady Dragon. At that spot the wall turned slightly opaque and the ambient air temperature dropped about ten degrees, but nothing else seemed to happen.

“Pound on the wall where my bubbles struck,” Mercury suggested. “Maybe the cold made it brittle.”

Lady Dragon laughed without mirth. “Sorry, Sailor Mercury. The surface dissipates cold and heat quite efficiently. Your puny attack had absolutely no effect on the barrier.”

Sailor Jupiter continued to beat her fists on the wall, but it stubbornly refused to budge or crack. Sailor Venus turned to Sailor Moon, “It’s up to you, Sailor Moon!”

“Right!” said Sailor Moon. She removed her tiara, spun around and flung it like a frisbee at the wall, shouting,

“MOON TIARA MAGIC!”

There was a collective groan from the Sailor Senshi as the tiara struck the wall, only to drop harmlessly to the floor.

“What about your Moon Scepter, Sailor Moon?” proposed Sailor Mars.

“It would have the same problem as Venus’s Crescent Beam!” Mercury answered. “Its beam would be bounced back at us!”

Luna and Artemis ran up to the far side of the opposite wall. Sailor Moon saw them out of the corner of her eye. She looked at the Senshi’s two cat advisors.

It looked like they were trying to tell her something. Sailor Moon studied Luna’s mouth as her cat repeated something over and over - - -

‘That’s it!’

“Everyone!” Sailor Moon yelled. “Join hands!”

“You got it!” exclaimed Sailor Jupiter.

“What are they doing?” Lady Dragon wondered.

The Sailor Senshi formed a circle and held each others’ hands. The girls concentrated, and then - - -

“SAILOR TELEPORT!”

Nothing happened!

“What’s wrong?!” whined Sailor Moon.

“This warehouse is full of electrical equipment,” surmised Mercury. “The same interference that kept my computer from working must be preventing us from teleporting!”

“Ha, ha, ha, ha!” Lady Dragon laughed. She hadn’t even known of that ability of the Senshi and yet her doom trap was blocking it!

Mars, Jupiter and Venus went back to pounding on the walls, but it was futile. Mercury worked feverishly to get her computer back on-line. ‘Perhaps I can come up with some data that will allow us to escape!’ but her efforts were in vain.

Sailor Moon noticed she was starting to have difficulty breathing. Their situation was becoming desperate. She looked around frantically.

‘Mamoru’s halfway to Kyoto on the Bullet Train by now. This is one time Tuxedo Kamen won’t be around to save us!’

Just then, through the open doorway, Sailor Moon saw a figure in the distance rushing toward them. As the person came closer, Sailor Moon was able to recognize who it was - - -

“Dominoe-chan!”

- - - and she was carrying a machine gun!

From a secluded position, Dominoe had watched the Sailor Senshi fall into Lady Dragon’s trap. The American spy-in-training realized immediately that time was of the essence. She resolved to go back and get one of the dead terrorist’s weapons. Dominoe decided that would be much faster than trying to explain the fantastic situation to the authorities.

Dominoe ran up some thirty meters from the plexiglass wall. Lady Dragon looked on passively.

The foreign exchange student waved her arm, motioning all the Sailor Senshi to move to one side. They did so, and Dominoe pulled the trigger.

BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM-BADAM

The bullets ricocheted wildly. Fortunately, none of them struck Dominoe, Luna or Artemis - - -

- - - but the wall remained undented! Not a scratch could be seen!!

“How I enjoy watching you struggle!” Lady Dragon taunted.

This last hope extinguished, the Sailor Senshi began to fall to their knees. The floor beneath them was now completely exposed as the same damnable clear surface that had frustrated their attempts to escape. The white smoke had just about totally combined with the molecules of oxygen in the chamber.

The heroines felt light-headed. Darkness swam in front of their eyes.

From her knees, Jupiter had continued to bang her right fist on the wall. Now, she slumped against the barrier, unconscious. Venus collapsed face down, while Mercury and Mars passed out on their backs.

The girls’ chests heaved as their bodies exerted themselves in unrewarded attempts to take in life-giving air.

“No!” screamed Dominoe. Dropping the machine gun, she was reduced to pounding on the outside of the wall, while Luna and Artemis wore out their claws trying to scratch out an air passage for their charges. ‘If only there was more time!’ Dominoe railed, ‘more time - - -’

Sailor Moon looked at her fallen comrades. Like fish out of water, the Senshi gasped for oxygen, their breasts rising and falling sporadically.

“Minako-chan - - - Mako-chan,” Sailor Moon whispered. “Rei-chan - - - Ami-chan.”

Sailor Moon crawled toward Dominoe. With a supreme effort, the Moon Princess put her outstretched hand up against the glass, as if to say goodbye to her new friend.

Moisture welling up in her eyes, Dominoe did the same. The American’s tanned skin mirrored Sailor Moon’s white-gloved fingers. Then Sailor Moon, the Champion of Justice, closed her eyes and pitched forward against the wall.

BANG!

A second shade of red began to mingle with the red of the dragon’s breath on the front of Lady Dragon’s robe. The stain grew and blood began to drip on the floor.

The villainess staggered forward, then toppled onto her back. A figure began to emerge from the shadows behind Lady Dragon.

Although she couldn’t hear what transpired on the far side of the Sailor Senshi’s transparent tomb, Lady Dragon’s collapse caught Dominoe’s attention. She watched the events take place with some trepidation. She worried who it might be that would step into the light.

Her fears proved groundless. The man Lady Dragon had called Da-sama was Japanese. Elderly, easily in his seventies or eighties, he had a prosthetic arm and leg, with a metal claw for one hand.

The man tottered to stand over the mortally wounded woman, positioned so Dominoe could not see the strange expression on his face. He spoke softly, his voice mixing tenderness with the conviction of a zealot. “You have done well - - -

“- - - daughter.”

Lady Dragon looked up at the man who had shot her. Her last words were, “Arigato - - - father.”

Chapter Seven: Defeat into Victory

Lady Dragon’s eyes closed forever. “Till we meet again,” Da-sama whispered lovingly.

To Dominoe's eyes, the man hobbled with agonizing slowness over to the control panel. Once there, he flipped a switch.

The plexiglass walls of the Sailor Senshi’s deathtrap retracted into the ceiling. Reacting quickly, Dominoe grabbed Sailor Moon’s shoulders before they hit the floor. The American dragged the Moon Princess outside into the fresh air.

Once Dominoe saw that Sailor Moon was breathing, she rushed in to attend to the other girls. In turn she pulled each Sailor into the warehouse, not far from the control panel, to get them off the oxygen eating surface as soon as possible.

Dominoe was an expert at mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR, but fortunately her first aid training wasn’t needed. All the Senshi were breathing on their own, gulping in lung fulls of air.

Artemis bounded over the floor of the doom trap to sit at Sailor Venus’s side. Luna kept a vigil over Sailor Moon until the Ponytailed Princess sat up.

“Ewww. Do I have a headache!” Sailor Moon said, rubbing her blonde hair with her right, white-gloved hand. “What happened?”

Suddenly she remembered. She glanced at Luna, then turned to look over her shoulder and back into the warehouse. Sailor Moon saw the other four Senshi lying on the floor. A short distance away from her friends, also on the floor, was Lady Dragon. Dominoe was bending over Sailor Mercury, while an old man was standing in front of the control panel, looking down with concern at the four fallen Senshi.

“Everyone!” Sailor Moon cried as she sprung to her feet and hastily skipped across the glass floor. The fivesome’s leader knelt between Mars and Jupiter and checked on their condition.

Soon, after a great deal of moaning and unanswered questions, the other teens revived. Finally, Mercury asked, “Dominoe-chan, did you save us?”

“No, Ami-” Dominoe caught herself, “Sailor Mercury.” She indicated the elderly man with her hand. “This gentleman shot Lady Dragon and opened the trap.”

“Honorable Sailor Senshi, allow me to introduce myself,” the man began. “My name is Doctor Daka Tito.”

“Arigato for rescuing us, Daka-sensei” said Sailor Moon with a bow. “Were you a captive of Lady Dragon, too?”

“Hai, precisely,” explained Doctor Daka. “Because of my infirmities, she didn’t consider me a threat. Before they left, I was able to palm one of her men’s guns when they weren’t looking.”

“Why was she holding you?” asked Sailor Mars suspiciously. Something about this man just didn’t feel right to the psychic girl.

“She wanted me to modify my invention for some evil purpose,” replied Daka.

“What invention was that, Daka-sensei?” inquired Sailor Mercury.

“This!” Daka said, beaming with pride as he walked over to the semi-circle of five iron chairs.

“What is it?” posed a skeptical Sailor Jupiter.

Doctor Daka spread his plastic and flesh arms wide, as if to encompass his creation. “This is my teaching machine. It will revolutionize education! With it, information is imparted directly to the brain!”

“Wow! That sounds great!” exclaimed Sailor Venus. Like Usagi, Minako had no great love of studying.

Doctor Daka grinned. “Would you like to try it?”

Sailor Mercury looked over at Lady Dragon’s body. “I don’t know if that’s appropriate at the moment.”

Daka followed Mercury’s gaze to the woman’s corpse. “I would like to test it out before the authorities arrive, to make sure it’s working properly. In any event, though, I assure you it’s perfectly safe.”

Sailor Moon was sorely tempted. Her parents had been threatening to enroll her in a juka. If Usagi's grades didn't improve, Sailor Moon knew she might lose some of her precious free time to attending a remedial school. Nevertheless, the Moon Princess was inclined to follow Mercury’s strategic assessment of the situation. “Some other time, perhaps, Daka-sensei?”

“Really, ladies, I’m afraid I must insist.” It was clear Doctor Daka was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer. “If you cooperate, I’m sure I will forget what I overheard about three young students named Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto and Tsukino Usagi.”

The Sailor Senshi still seemed reluctant to sit in the five iron chairs. “Look,” Doctor Daka reassured them, “there are no restraints on the chairs. You can get up at any time - - - and, after all, I did just save your lives.”

The Senshi were culturally conditioned to respect and obey their elders. In addition, there was a certain logic in what the man said. Sailor Moon looked at her teammates. With a shrug she said, “All right, Daka-sensei, I’ll do it.”

“I’m afraid all five seats must be occupied for the machine to work properly,” Doctor Daka declared.

Venus and Jupiter were willing, but Mercury and Mars far less so. Dominoe put a hand on Mercury’s shoulder, “You don’t need this machine, Mercury. I’ll take your place.”

Daka regarded Dominoe coldly. He was particularly disturbed to hear Japanese spoken with a South Florida accent. “I much prefer observing the results of the procedure on students with the enhanced abilities of the Sailor Senshi. Besides, at this time, the machine is calibrated for subjects whose native language is Japanese. I take it you are,” Daka’s expression turned to one of disgust, “an American?”

Dominoe glared at Daka defiantly. “What will this lesson be about?” asked Mercury.

“Ah,” Daka replied enthusiastically, “the history of Japan’s involvement in World War II!”

Despite Dominoe’s further protestations, the Sailor Senshi took places in the five iron chairs. Luna and Artemis looked on with concern, but remained silent.

Daka went behind each Senshi and lowered the clear plastic dome over the girls’ heads. “In just a moment, you’ll look at World War II in an entirely new way.”

The old man teetered to a different control panel, this one directly facing the middle chair. Daka turned a dial.

Immediately sounds of electrical buzzing and popping filled the air! The lights in the warehouse dimmed momentarily due to the power surge. Sparks flashed around the girls’ faces!

“Stop!” screamed Dominoe.

“Quiet, ignorant American!” growled Daka. “It’s supposed to do that.”

Images flew into the Sailor Senshi’s minds: a map of the United States’ presence in 1941 in the Philippines, the Panama Canal and the Caribbean; Japanese families huddling against the cold due to the American oil embargo; lines of Japanese-Americans being forced into interment camps; Tokyo’s three million homeless after Allied incendiary bombs reduced the heart of the capital to ash.

The Sailor Senshi grimaced as they were forced to experience these scenes - - - but this was nothing compared to the ultimate horror that awaited them.

Daka’s machine poured uncensored pictures of the atomic explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their aftermaths into the teenagers’ minds. Images of total destruction, of skin falling off survivors’ bodies, of slow deaths due to radiation poisoning were ingrained into the girls’ psyches.

Finally, the grisly show ended. Daka went behind each Senshi and removed the hoods.

The Senshi stared straight ahead, expressionless. Their eyes looked empty, their faces vacant.

“Sailor Moon!” screamed Dominoe. “Mercury! Mars! Jupiter! Venus!”

“Assure your American ‘friend,’” Daka said the word with utter contempt, “that you are alright.”

“We’re alright,” responded five monotone voices in unison.

Dominoe whirled to face the elderly doctor. “What have you done to them?!”

“I’ve shown them their true history - a history that, up to now, has been hidden from them. They will now use their powers for the true Emperor and the Empire of Nippon!

“Jupiter! Mars!” Daka ordered. “Grab the American spy!”

“Hai, Daka-sensei,” replied the two Senshi. They each grabbed one of Dominoe’s arms.

Dominoe was surprised Daka knew who she was, but soon realized that he had just called her that for the Senshi’s benefit. Dominoe considered resisting, but there was no sense escaping. Also, she couldn’t stand up to the Japanese girls if they used their extraordinary powers.

‘Does this madman now control those powers, too?’ Dominoe wondered. ‘And to what end?’ It was her job to find out.

“Do you want us to attack the United States?” Sailor Mercury asked.

Daka smiled at the brightest of his new recruits. “It’s tempting,” he admitted,” but I doubt if even you and the rest of the Sailor Senshi could defeat the American military of this time by yourselves.”

Daka looked upwards, as if his eyes could see the sky beyond the ceiling. “No, I have a much more elegant plan. We are going back in time - - - and win World War II for the Empire of the Rising Sun!”

“What!?” exclaimed Dominoe. She could hardly keep from laughing. “That’s ridiculous! Time travel is impossible!”

“That’s what you think!” Daka shouted. “I happen to know that very soon, two new Sailor Senshi will appear, who possess the secret to traveling through time! I’m sure Sailor Moon and her friends will be able to - - - convince them to support our cause.”

Daka was now raving like a maniac. “We’ll travel back to April 18, 1942. Think what the Sailor Senshi’s powers will do to the Doolittle raiders! The Sailors will wipe the Americans from our skies! The Senshi will be hailed as divine heroines - - - and I’ll be their leader!

“With the Sailor Senshi - and my foreknowledge - Nippon will be unstoppable! The Battle of the Coral Sea will be ours! The Battle of Midway will become a total Allied defeat!”

Dominoe could hardly believe her ears. Could what he was saying be true? In the last twenty-four hours she had witnessed many things she previously would have thought impossible.

“I don’t believe it!” Dominoe spat out. “The Sailor Senshi would never do that!”

“You think not, insolent girl?” Daka leaned in close to Dominoe. A sadistic smile crossed his face.

“Jupiter! Mars! Pull off her arms! - - - but slowly, very slowly. I want her to have time to fully consider the error of her ways as you dismember her.”

Chapter Eight: Re-Fighting Old Battles

Dominoe felt the grips on her arms tighten. “Shimatta” she muttered. She regretted her decision not to try to break away earlier. A few moments ago, she was sure she could have loosened either Jupiter’s or Mars’s grasp by bringing her heel down on one of their insteps. Now, as they began to pull her apart, Dominoe had lost all leverage and the Sailors’ feet were out of range.

A question occurred to the fledgling American agent. “Why didn’t you just knock the Senshi out when they were in your trap and then have them placed in your chairs?”

Daka seemed genuinely surprised. “So inquisitive, even when faced with imminent death. Admirable.” He looked at Dominoe like a biologist examining a bug in a jar. “All right, I’ll tell you.

“The subject must be conscious for the procedure to work. Also, it is much more effective if the ‘student’ opens her mind willingly.”

Dominoe bit her lower lip to keep from screaming. Her loathing of Daka, for what he had done to her friends and threatened to do to the world, bubbled over. She called him, “Konchikisho!”

Daka’s eyes flared at the insult, but then he smiled. ‘The girl knows she, and her loathsome country, are doomed!’

Meanwhile, something flittered at the back of Sailor Moon’s brain, like a moth in her bedroom in the middle of the night. Something was very wrong. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Sailor Moon had these thoughts as she impassively watched the process of Jupiter and Mars rending her newest friend.

Dominoe could feel the stress on her arms slowly increase. She tried to bend her arms, even just a little, but the enhanced strength of the two Sailor Senshi has already made that impossible. Soon, her tendons would begin to tear. Next, her joints would be pulled from their sockets. Finally, when her skin tore and her limbs were ripped asunder, she would die from shock and loss of blood.

The American turned her head to looked imploringly at Sailors Jupiter and Mars. “Think Jupiter! Mars! Why are you doing this?!”

“On behalf of Nippon, we must take revenge upon the United States and prevent America’s war crimes,” Jupiter said flatly.

“War crimes?” said Dominoe, fighting to concentrate over the pain. “Don’t forget there was no war between the U. S. and Nippon until the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor!”

“That was a pre-emptive strike in response to the expanding American colonial empire,” said Jupiter, as if reciting a well-learned lesson.

“And to the cutting off by the United States of vital exports to Nippon,” added Mars.

“I dispute your claim that the United States had a colonial empire,” argued Dominoe, “and the embargo was in direct response to Japan’s invasion of southern Indochina!”

“Your prevarications will have no effect on these patriotic and loyal daughters of the Emperor!” Daka crowed.

“What about the interment of innocent Americans of Japanese descent?” Sailor Mercury pointed out.

“I’ll concede that one,” Dominoe admitted. “On the other hand, the Second World War in the Pacific was really started when Nippon invaded Manchuria!”

Sailor Venus joined the debate. “American firebombing targeted Japanese civilians: old men, women, children. After that, no one should have been surprised when the so-called ‘shining city on a hill’ became the only nation to ever actually use atomic weapons against another!”

Even as Jupiter and Mars once again increased the pressure on her limbs, Dominoe persisted, “But what about the Rape of Nanjing? And the Bataan Death March? Don’t you see? War is hell. It always leads to atrocities. That’s why I can’t believe the Sailor Senshi would play any part in one!”

“Enough!” bellowed Daka. “Save your breath for your screams of agony, American bitch! Mars! Jupiter! Tear her arms off! Now!!”

Luna looked at Artemis. Then the two cats sprinted toward Mars and Jupiter. Luna jumped on Mars’s arms, while Artemis leapt onto Jupiter. The animals raked their claws across the controlled Sailor Senshi’s flesh.

Mars and Jupiter yelped in response to the scratches. Dominoe broke away momentarily, but the two Senshi recovered in time to grab her again before she could escape.

“Where did those animals come from?!” Daka thundered. “Mercury! Venus! Grab them!”

Sailor Venus got a hold of Artemis, while Mercury managed to latch on to Luna’s black fur. “Now, twist off their necks!” Daka ordered.

Venus looked at Mercury. “No, Daka-sensei,” the blonde girl said, without emotion.

“They are true friends of the Sailor Senshi,” Mercury explained.

Daka was surprised by this refusal, but took it in stride. ‘Obviously, there is some special bond between these cats and the girls.’ “Alright. Just hold onto them, then.”

Luna and Artemis craned their necks to turn to stare directly into the faces of the teens who were holding them. A yellow beam, like moonlight, shone from the upturned crescent moons on the cats’ foreheads to strike the gems on Sailor Mercury’s and Sailor Venus’s tiaras.

Instantly, thoughts flashed back and forth between the feline advisors and the two brainwashed soldiers.

‘You remember the Lunar Mind Meld. This is how you regained your memories after the battle with Queen Beryl. This man’s machine has done something to your minds. He wants you to do terrible things! Fight him! Remember who you are.’

But the cats entreaties were immediately countered by the re-arranged thoughts of Mercury and Venus. ‘We know who we are. We fight for justice - - - and a great injustice has been done to the country of our birth. We must help Daka-sensei right the wrong that was done to Nippon! Don’t you understand? We will change history for the better.’ Mercury and Venus were able to reconcile being Sailor Senshi with following Doctor Daka.

This attempt frustrated, Luna realized she had but one last card to play. Already, Mars and Jupiter were getting ready to resume their grim work on Dominoe.

“Mars! Jupiter! Stop!” Luna cried out.

Doctor Daka and Dominoe both stared at the cat in open-mouthed amazement. “You cats can talk!” Dominoe managed to sputter. Mars and Jupiter held fast to the American’s arms, but, for the moment, stopped pulling her apart.

“Sailor Moon! You must listen to me!” Luna continued. “The Sailor Senshi fight for love! You fight to protect the entire Earth, not just one country! Remember the Moon Kingdom and the Silver Millennium - - - and how a thousand years of peace came to an end because of a war started by the Dark Kingdom!”

The sparkle began to return to Sailor Moon’s eyes. ‘Hai. Hai!’ she thought. ‘That’s what’s been bothering me!’

Artemis spoke to Sailor Venus. “You are destined to defend world peace and justice. There’s nothing just about re-fighting a war that’s been over for almost fifty years! No matter who was right or wrong, let the dead rest in peace.”

The white tomcat turned to look at all the Senshi. “Your job is to insure peace, on this planet, here and now!”

Sailor Moon was the first to fully shake off the effects of Daka’s infernal machine. “Jupiter! Mars!” she ordered. “Let Dominoe-chan go!”

Dazed and confused, Mars and Jupiter obeyed . Dominoe slumped to the floor. Then Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus shook their heads, as if awakening from a bad dream.

Daka had been dumbstruck by the spectacle of talking cats. Now he managed to mutter, “No - - - no - - - no! You must follow me! We have to prepare for the arrival of the other Senshi! We must get ready to go back in time - to change history - to win the war for Nippon!”

Sailor Moon whirled on Daka. “No, Daka-sensei. It is you who must prepare to pay for trying to cause two friends to kill another. You must face the consequences of ordering men to kill themselves and of shooting an evil woman.”

Sailor Moon made a fist, then extended her index fingers and pinkies. Then, pointing at Daka with her right hand over her left elbow, she said, “Fighting for love and justice, I am the pretty sailor-suited soldier Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!”

Doctor Daka, though, already seemed to be beyond punishment by Sailor Moon. He had hobbled over to the body of Lady Dragon. Now he was on his knees, cradling her head in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks, babbling uncontrollably.

“But we have to go back in time, so that you can be reborn, my darling daughter. Once I lead our forces to victory, I’m sure I’ll become the Emperor’s favorite. Then, after I marry your okasan and you are born, I have no doubt you’ll become the Emperor’s son’s bride. You’ll be the Empress of the World!!”

Daka began to sob incoherently. Luna looked up at Sailor Moon. “We should just leave him. That way, I don’t think we have to worry about him telling anyone who you, Mercury and Jupiter are.”

As evil as he was, Sailor Moon began to feel pity for the crippled old man. ‘How terrible!’ she thought, ‘to shoot your own child!’ “What do you think’s going to happen to him?”

“Who knows?” Artemis answered. “He’ll probably end up in a cockroach-infested apartment somewhere. Maybe to punish himself he’ll go into exile in his hated America, perhaps in Gotham City.”

Something was bothering Mercury. “Do you think we really will meet more Sailor Senshi? And that they will have traveled through time?”

“I doubt it,” replied Luna dubiously. “I think the man’s been half-crazy for years. Those ideas were probably just the product of his diseased mind.”

“Whew!” Dominoe exclaimed as she walked up to join the group. “After that experience, I don’t think I’ll have to bend over anymore to tie my shoes!”

Jupiter and Mars started to apologize, but Dominoe cut them off. “Everyone, we need to talk.”

“I agree,” said Sailor Moon, “but not now. I’m sure what happened at the shopping center has made the news by this time. Rei-chan’s grandfather and Minako-chan’s parents are probably frantic with worry. What do you say that we all meet tonight at nine at the Hikawa Temple?”

While the other Sailor Senshi and Dominoe were agreeing to Sailor Moon’s proposal, unprecedented events were taking place in the Nether Realm, near the Door of Time - although such concepts as “while” and “taking place” are meaningless in the misty void outside of Time.

A Sailor Senshi, five foot, seven inches in height, stood at her post just outside the Door of Time. The sentinel held a staff that resembled a giant key, just about as tall as she. Her green hair was long and straight, falling to the back of the knees. This dark-skinned warrior was Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time. She appeared a few years older than the other Senshi, but her true age was incalculable.

Pluto had a melancholy assignment. Her task was to guard the Door of Time and to correct any errors in the time-stream. She had performed this lonely vigil throughout eternity.

The green-haired Guardian talked to herself out loud, as she often did. There was never anyone else to talk to - - -

“I sense a corruption in the time-stream - - - but a power greater than mine is blocking my attempts to repair it! It seems to be in the year 1992, after the awakening of the Moon Princess and the Inner Senshi, but before that of Neptune and Uranus.”

Panic and fear was not in the nature of Sailor Pluto. She was beyond that - - - but her voice was filled with concern as she said, “I hope Sailor Moon and the others can repair the damage - - - before it’s too late - - -”

Chapter Nine: Temple Meeting

That night the Sailor Senshi and Dominoe met on the grounds of the Hikawa Temple. This was one meeting for which even Usagi was on time.

Usagi brought Rei, Minako and Dominoe up to date on what happened after those three had left the warehouse. “Jupiter found the videotape that contained our transformations and destroyed it. Mercury hacked into their computer and deleted all the files with any references to the Sailor Senshi.”

“I also removed the software that ran Doctor Daka’s machine,” Ami added. “Even if he should regain his senses, I don’t believe he’ll ever be able to get it to work again.”

While Ami was giving her report, Dominoe bent over to pick up a piece of paper caught in the evening breeze. At that same instant, Makoto reached out at a butterfly that had fluttered by. Makoto ended up poking Dominoe in the nose!

“Hey!” cried the American.

“Sorry,” replied Makoto, half-heartedly.

Dominoe tracked down the flying debris. She looked around. “Do you have a trash can around here, Rei-chan?”

“Oh, give it here!” Rei declared, grabbing the garbage out of Dominoe’s hand. Since keeping the temple grounds clean was one of Rei’s duties, she appreciated Dominoe’s fastidiousness, but the shrine maiden found her timing wildly inappropriate.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Minako suggested. The question of who should be leader of the Sailor Senshi was still somewhat open. Although as the Moon Princess, Sailor Moon was entitled to a certain deference, Rei didn’t hesitate to express her opinion on numerous occasions that Sailor Mars would be a more appropriate leader. Since Sailor V, though, had a year’s more experience than the other girls, at times Venus assumed a leadership role.

“I agree!” said Makoto. “How did you find out who we are, Dominoe-chan? And just who are you - - - really?”

“As I told Rei-chan and Minako-chan yesterday, when I see you as Sailor Senshi, it’s obvious to me who you are. I’m sure you realize that you don’t look much different at all.”

Ami started to say something, but Dominoe plowed ahead. “When I first saw you as Senshi, I did get a bit dizzy. For some reason, that seemed to be the only effect on me of whatever power it is that hides your identities from everyone else.”

The five Sailors seemed to consider this explanation. Then Dominoe took a deep breath. ‘Now, for the hard part,’ she thought. “As to who I really am - - -

“- - - I’m an agent-in-training for a covert task force of the United States government.”

Rei and Makoto looked like their worst fears had been confirmed. Minako appeared as if she had just been hit in the face with a two by four. Tears welled up in Usagi’s eyes. It all started to make some sort of sense to Ami, but she was bubbling over with questions.

“A secret agent?” Ami asked in disbelief. “Just how old are you, anyway?”

“Oh, I’m your age, Ami-chan,” Dominoe answered. “I know a fourteen year old agent is unusual, but my background is - - - rather unique.”

“Huh!” said Makoto in disgust. “Maybe Doctor Daka wasn’t so wrong after all.”

“Mako-chan!” scolded Minako, but Rei came to the tall girl’s defense.

“I feel the same way, Minako-chan. Anyway you look at it, it’s Dominoe-chan’s job to betray us.”

Usagi was crying. Between sniffles, she managed to ask, “So you pretended to be our friend - - - to spy on us?”

“We knew the Sailor Senshi were often seen around Juu-ban School. That’s why I enrolled there.”

Dominoe grabbed Usagi’s hands. “But remember, Usagi-chan, you introduced yourself to me. I had no idea that you were Sailor Moon,” she turned to look at the other girls, “or that any of you were Sailor Senshi, until Venus and Mars ran into the gym.

“But everything I told you was true. You all are the first friends my own age I’ve ever had - - - and even if you don’t feel that way about me anymore, I still feel that way about you.

“And I always will.”

*****

It was some two hours later. Dominoe paused. She had just about finished her report.

Davis leaned back in his desk chair, hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling. “Talking cats! Fantastic!” Then he lowered his gaze to take in his protégée.

“You’ve done extremely well, Dominoe. We didn’t even know Doctor Daka was still alive. Not only did you help stop his mad scheme, but you discovered the true identities of the Sailor Senshi - - - and in less than a week!”

Davis began to write on a legal pad on his desk. “I’ll make arrangements to have the girls kept under surveillance - - - discreetly, of course.”

“There is just one other thing, sir,” added Dominoe.

Silence hung in the air. “Yes?” Davis finally said.

“I told the Senshi all about me.”

Dominoe could tell Davis was shocked by this disclosure and unhappy with her breach of security. She quickly began to justify her actions.

“I didn’t tell them anything else about C.A.T.T. or its operations. The objective of my mission was to make the Sailors available for use by C.A.T.T., should the need arise. Naturally, they were dismayed to learn that a part of the United States government would know their secrets. I had to give them something in return.”

Davis continued to stare at Dominoe, his expression now unreadable. Dominoe continued, “The Sailor Senshi will be much more valuable to us as willing allies, as opposed to being victims of blackmail.”

Davis still said nothing. “We’re going to train together on Saturday night,” Dominoe said, hoping that would please him.

Then she let the other shoe drop, “Oh, by the way, I promised we wouldn’t keep watch on them.” Her voice trailed off.

Not a word was said for over a minute. The only sound was that of an antique clock ticking.

Then Davis shuffled his papers. “Okay, Dominoe. I consider what you did within the discretion of an agent in the field. Submit a written report as soon as you can. For now, get to bed. You’ve got school tomorrow.”

Dominoe knew this was the closest Davis could come to approving of Dominoe telling anyone about herself. She fought down the urge to reach across the desk and hug the man. Instead, she simply said, “Thank you, sir. Good night.”

*****

The next morning things seemed to be back to normal. Usagi was late for school. As she ran up the hallway to her classroom, she could hear Haruna-sensei’s voice inside.

“- - - Usagi-kun.”

Usagi bolted through the door. “I’m here, Haruna-sensei!”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you,” explained Haruna-sensei. “I was introducing our newest student: Tsukoni Usagi-kun.”

The Moon Princess looked at the front of the room. There stood a girl with long black hair - - - done up in two buns with trailing pigtails, exactly like Sailor Moon’s!

Chapter Ten: Training Session

The girl who was Sailor Moon stared in amazement at the teenager with almost exactly the same name as her. Tsukoni Usagi flashed an enigmatic smile at the tardy Usagi, then found a seat near the back of the room. The Moon Princess recovered enough to clamber to her own desk. Soon thereafter, the morning’s lessons began.

During the lunch period, Usagi Tsukino was walking outside with Dominoe when Naru came toward them. “Hey, Usagi-chan!” Naru called, “Is that new student a relative of yours? She looks a lot like your brother, Shingo.”

“You think so?” Usagi questioned. She hadn’t thought of it before, but maybe that was part of the reason why the new girl looked so familiar, in addition to her odango atama and long ponytails. “I don’t think we’re related,” Usagi added.

“New student?” Ami said, as she joined the group. “You have a new student in your class, too?”

“Hai,” Dominoe replied. “What’s the new student in your room like?”

“Her name is Mizonu Ami-san. Isn’t that a coincidence? We have the same given name and our family names are anagrams of each other.” Ami seemed genuinely pleased by these facts. “She has short hair, like mine, and she seems pretty smart.”

“Hey, guys!” Makoto yelled as she approached the four girls. “Guess what? There’s a new boy in my class and his surname is Kino-san! And get this! His given name is Mako-san!”

Dominoe and Naru looked at each other. Naru said what was on everyone’s minds. “Something strange is definitely going on.”

*****

Later that day, Usagi invited Dominoe to join the girls after school for a burger at their favorite restaurant. “Maybe you can help us solve this mystery,” Usagi proffered.

When she got the chance, Usagi called Rei and Minako. Rei was less than thrilled with being bothered at school. When she felt the vibrations of her Sailor Senshi communicator, the temple maiden got herself excused so she could adjourn to the bathroom.

“What is it, Usagi?” Rei demanded when she saw Usagi’s face on the vid-screen in the upper right hand corner of the device. “This better be good.”

“We’re having a meeting after school at the café,” Usagi reported.

“Another meeting!” Rei complained. “We just had a meeting last night! Alright, I’ll be there - - - but we’re having more meetings than parliament!” Rei muttered as she snapped off her communicator.

*****

After school, Usagi, Ami, Makoto, Dominoe and Rei met at the café. The girls had commandeered the largest booth in the place, one with benches on three sides. The Juu-ban School girls filled the temple maiden in on the unusual coincidences regarding their new classmates.

Rei got a thoughtful expression on her face. “Here’s something else odd: I heard through the grapevine that there’s a new student at the Catholic boys’ school next to my school - - - and that his name is Hino Hideo-san!”

At that moment, Minako bounded into the restaurant. She had stars in her eyes and a dreamy smile. “Hi, everyone! Sorry I’m late, but wait until you hear the news! There’s a new boy in Shiba-Kouen Junior High. He’s wonderful! He looks just like my dad!”

“Your dad?!” all the other girls cried.

“I mean the way my dad looked when he was in junior high,” Minako quickly explained, “from pictures I’ve seen. The boy’s name is Kazuhiro-san - - - and we have so much in common! He likes volleyball and-“

”Minako-chan,” Ami interrupted, “is his surname, by any chance, Aino-san, the same as yours?”

Minako looked stunned. “Why, hai! How did you know?”

“Uh, oh,” uttered Dominoe.

*****

An hour later, Rei walked up the many steps to the her home, the Hikawa Temple, lost in thought. She turned the problem over in her mind. ‘Today, three boys and two girls showed up in the same grade and with similar names to all the Sailor Senshi. I’ll do a fire reading later tonight to see if I can learn anything about these newcomers.’

Even though she was a Shinto shrine maiden, the girl who was secretly Sailor Mars attended an all-girls Catholic school. Rei’s estranged father, a successful politician, had enrolled her there.

Rei lived with her late mother’s father. The maternal side of her family had protected the Hikawa Temple for generations. As time passed, she has assumed more and more responsibility in running the shrine from her aged grandfather.

The young priestess was so engrossed in her mental preparations for the fire reading that she almost ran into a young man in traditional robes who was sweeping the temple grounds. To her surprise, it wasn’t Yuuichirou!

“Hey! Who are you?” Rei asked.

“Pardon me.” The teen appeared to be about Rei’s age, but was about six inches shorter than Rei’s five foot, three.

The young man bowed, then looked at Rei quizzically. “You must be Rei-san?”

“Hai, that’s right,” Rei replied. She was getting annoyed. “What are you doing here?”

“I am Hino Hideo,” the boy explained. “I’ve come to live at the temple.”

“What!?” Rei blustered. “Are you a relative?”

“Something like that,” the diminutive teen said, giving up no information. “Excuse me. Grandfather told me to finish this chore before dinner. We’ll talk later.”

For Rei, it was chilling to hear this interloper call her mother’s father “grandfather.” Sometimes Usagi used that title, but it didn’t bother Rei. She found Hideo’s use of the term, though, unsettling.

Rei closed her eyes and concentrated on the boy as, sweeping his broom back and forth, he went away. ‘Maybe I can get some vibes off of him.’

A few seconds later, Rei’s eyes opened in shock! She couldn’t feel anything about him - - - absolutely nothing at all! ‘It’s like no one’s there!’

*****

As the week progressed, the mystery only deepened. Neither Luna nor Artemis could shed any light on the situation. The new Usagi, Ami and Mako were polite, but somewhat cool, to their counterparts.

Minako, though, seemed to be taking full advantage of her opportunity. She was treating Kazuhiro like a potential boyfriend and the good-looking teenage boy was doing nothing to dissuade her.

Rei, on the other hand, was most bothered by what had happened. Having a “twin” of sorts at school was one thing; living with one at home was something else entirely.

Rei’s grandfather denied Hideo was a relative. The old man said that while he would prefer to have teenage girls working at the shrine, he wasn’t about to turn away any acolytes. When Rei brought up the disastrous Jadeite incident, grandfather countered with how well Yuuichirou had worked out. Rei told her grandfather that she found Hideo “creepy,” but he was unmoved.

Matters deteriorated on Wednesday. Dominoe had noticed that Usagi hadn’t been her usual ebullient self that morning. The girl with the twin blonde ponytails seemed tired, bleary eyed and sad. Dominoe made a point of seeking her out at lunch time.

“Usagi-chan!” Dominoe called. Usagi was sitting by herself, under a tree. Dominoe hurried over and sat down next to her. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m okay,” Usagi replied, in such a way that Dominoe knew she wasn’t.

Dominoe gave Usagi a disapproving look. Usagi looked the American in the eye, then burst into tears, burying her face on Dominoe’s shoulder. “Oh, Dominoe-chan!”

Dominoe had already learned that Usagi’s reputation as a crybaby was well-deserved. This time, though, Dom’s first friend from her peer group seemed to be in real pain. “Tell me about it,” Dominoe whispered gently.

Usagi sniffed back the tears. “I called Mamo-chan last night. He went on and on about this new girl at the university! He said she seemed really nice.”

“Usagi-chan,” Dominoe scolded. “I didn’t think you were the jealous type! You can’t expect your boyfriend to ignore all the girls at his school!”

“It’s not that,” Usagi said sincerely. “It’s the last thing Mamo-chan said. I’m sure it was a joke - - - but it upset me so!” The waterworks flowed again.

Dominoe handed Usagi a handkerchief. After a moment, she asked, “Well, what did he say?”

“He said *sob* - - - he said if he was to marry this girl, she wouldn’t have to change her name, because it was Chiba, the same as his!”

Dominoe’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Usagi-chan! Have you told Mamoru-san what’s been going on with all the new students?”

Now it was Usagi’s turn to be surprised. “Why, no, Dominoe-chan. In fact, to be honest, I haven’t even told him about you yet!”

Dominoe put her right hand over her eyes. ‘I think the world of Usagi, but sometimes - - - she can be such a meatball head!’ The Sailor Senshi hadn’t told Dominoe who Tuxedo Kamen was, but from what she had been able to piece together, the fledgling super-agent strongly suspected that he was Usagi’s college-age boyfriend.

If that was the case, then new students with either the same first or last names as the Sailor Senshi, as well as their caped benefactor, had now turned up within the last two days! Dominoe had noticed yesterday that the three new Juu-ban students had left school together. She was tired of all this polite Japanese beating-around-the-bush. Maybe it was time for some good old blunt American straight-talk!

After school, Dominoe once again saw the doppelganger Usagi leaving in the company of the other Ami and Mako. She ran after them, “Hey, Tsukoni-san!”

The three new eighth graders turned to look at the girl coming toward them. “Who’s that?” Mako asked quietly.

“That’s Dominoe-san, an American foreign exchange student in my room,” the dark-haired Usagi explained. Then Usagi returned Dominoe’s hail, “Hai, Domino-san?”

Dominoe stopped a few feet from the trio. “I’d like to talk to you.”

“What about?” Usagi asked innocently.

Dominoe got right to the point. “Don’t you find it rather odd that you two girls have the same given name - and hair styles - as a girl who was already in your class - - - and that your surnames just have a couple of letters switched from those same girls?” Dominoe then looked directly at Mako, “and that you have the exact same surname as Makoto-chan?”

“That is all rather unusual,” Usagi admitted.

“What are you getting at?” Ami demanded suspiciously.

Dominoe pressed her point. “How do the three of you know each other? How did you all happen to enroll here on exactly the same day?”

Mako took a couple of steps toward Dominoe. “They’re old girlfriends of mine.” The boy looked Dominoe up and down and then reached his right hand toward her face. “I wouldn’t mind having a gaijin girlfriend.”

Several possible reactions came to Dominoe’s mind, but for the moment she simply stepped back out of reach. “That’s not much of an answer,” Dominoe replied coldly.

Mako stopped his advance. “That’s all the answer to which you’re entitled. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have study group.”

Usagi bowed slightly toward Dominoe, as if she was embarrassed by her friends’ rudeness, but then turned to follow Ami and Mako. Dominoe stared after them. ‘So much for the direct approach. Tomorrow, I’ll try Plan B.’

*****

The next day, Dominoe surreptitiously followed the three new students when they left the Juu-ban school grounds. With her extensive surveillance training, it was an easy matter for the American to remain unobserved.

Less than ten blocks from the school, the threesome entered an apartment building. Dominoe took up a position where she could watch the entrance without being seen. She didn’t have long to wait.

Within fifteen minutes another teenage boy disappeared into the building’s lobby. ‘Unless I miss my guess, that’s Minako’s new friend, Kazuhiro.’

Dominoe waited another quarter of an hour to see if either a prospective Hideo or “Miss” Chiba showed up. When no one of the right age appeared, Dominoe slipped across the street and into the lobby.

As she hoped, there were mailboxes with names on them. She scanned them and found the one for which she was looking. “TSUKONI U.”

Did the new Usagi live here by herself or did she have parents living with her? Or did all the new students live together? These questions haunted Dominoe as she walked home to the Embassy.

Dominoe was unaware that her departure was noticed. Four pairs of eyes watched her vanish down the street.

“Do you think she will cause us any problems?” Ami asked.

“What can she do?” answered Kazuhiro. “Besides, before long she will have forgotten all about it.”

*****

The Sailor Senshi were glad that Saturday night had finally arrived. All of them, even Usagi, were looking forward to some physical activity after a week fraught with unanswered questions.

Dominoe, too, was anxious to take part in the Sailor Senshi’s training session. She rarely faced an opponent who challenged her. ‘Tonight should be different.’

The Senshi and their American friend met on the rear grounds of the Hikawa Temple. Featuring a large open space that was hidden from view, the Sailors had used this area for their exercises before.

Dominoe, dressed in a skin-tight black leather cat-suit, watched in fascination as Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako transformed in front of her very eyes. The science involved was so advanced that even the logical Dominoe found the effect magical.

Once Sailor Moon and the rest were present, Luna set the ground rules for the night’s activities. “The matches continue until someone gives up or is pinned. Tonight is for martial arts training, so the Sailor Senshi may not use their special attacks.”

Luna looked at Dominoe. “Dominoe-chan, the Senshi have enhanced abilities, but they aren’t invulnerable. Don’t attempt anything that might permanently injure them.”

Dominoe bowed in response and said, “Of course, Luna-san.”

“Here are the pairings,” Artemis announced. “First, Dominoe-chan battles Sailor Moon. The winner takes on Sailor Mars. In the other bracket, Mercury faces Venus, with the winner to meet Sailor Jupiter.”

“Dominoe-chan - - - Sailor Moon - begin!” Luna called.

Dominoe faced off against Sailor Moon in the hidden meadow, illuminated only by the light of the full moon in the cloudless sky. The American took a moment to appreciate the surreal scene. From the sidelines, the other four colorfully-clad Sailors, along with their feline advisors, watched with keen interest. They were curious to see how their leader would fare against the secret agent-in-training.

Sailor Moon assumed her fighting pose. She looked at Dominoe charily. Sailor Moon didn’t much care for training or, for that matter, for fighting. She had come to accept, though, that it was part of her destiny.

Dominoe knew she could defeat Usagi with ease, but she really had no idea of the extent of the Sailor Senshi’s powers. ‘Well, no time like the present to find out!’ Dominoe thought to herself as she charged the pretty sailor-suited soldier.

Sailor Moon reacted by jumping over Dominoe as the brown-haired girl approached. The Sailor’s leap was easily fifteen feet into the air.

Dominoe was not too surprised by her opponent’s maneuver. She had seen Sailor Jupiter jump to the top of Doctor Daka’s warehouse and guessed that might be an ability shared by all the Senshi.

The American watched as the Moon Princess sailed overhead and calculated where Sailor Moon would land. Then, in a change of course so smooth the other Senshi couldn’t perceive that she had stopped, Dominoe reversed direction, from running full speed forward to executing a perfect series of back flips.

Sailor Moon barely had time to turn around before Dominoe tackled her across the mid-section. The Senshi was totally unprepared for the impact. The wind was knocked out of Sailor Moon and Dominoe ended up astride her, easily pinning her to the ground.

“Dominoe-chan is the winner!” declared Luna.

Dominoe quickly got off Sailor Moon and bowed. Sailor Moon brushed herself off and returned the gesture. Sailor Moon stuck out her right hand and smiled, “Congratulations, Dominoe-chan.”

“Thanks!”

Next, Sailor Mercury tangled with Sailor Venus. Although fighting was not Mercury’s strong point, she had improved greatly since she first emerged. Venus, however, was a natural athlete and had an extra year experience as a Sailor Senshi besides.

Mercury fought hard, but eventually Venus was able to knock the girl genius off her feet with a move Minako had adapted from her volleyball-playing days. Once on top, Venus was able to use her superior strength to pin Mercury.

Sailor Venus flashed a “V” with two fingers. Dominoe wasn’t sure if it was for “Sailor Venus” or for “victory.”

Now, things were about to get interesting. Sailor Mars would be a much tougher opponent under these conditions than Sailor Moon.

The temple priestess stepped out to combat Dominoe. Not only did Rei have some karate training, but she was the second strongest among the five Sailor girls.

Although Dominoe had made peace with all the Senshi following Sunday’s meeting, Rei still seemed a little resentful of Dominoe. The C.A.T.T. agent chalked it up to Rei’s naturally abrasive personality, but it did add a little spice to their bout.

For her part, Mars had been anticipating this ever since she heard that Dominoe had defeated Makoto. Although Rei had come to like Dominoe, she did look forward to taking the American down a peg or two.

From watching Dominoe’s fight with Sailor Moon, Mars had seen that Usagi’s high jump had left the Princess vulnerable upon landing. She determined to use that fact to her advantage. Mars jumped at Dominoe, seemingly to try to attack her opponent from above.

Dominoe quickly moved out of the way and prepared to tackle Mars as she landed. Mars, however, twisted in mid-air and stuck out her right deep red, high-heeled shoe for the purpose of catching Dominoe in the abdomen when Dominoe came at her.

The well-trained teen quickly adapted, though, and changed her tactics. Instead of plowing into Mars’s heel, she dropped to the ground and swept her legs into Mars’s left leg, apparently knocking the Senshi to the ground.

If Mars had been an ordinary person, the fight would have ended right there, as Dominoe would have been able to pounce upon and pin her. With her unusual Senshi abilities, though, Mars was able to bend her arms next to her head, land on her hands and spring back to her feet!

Now Mars pressed the attack. She launched a series of karate blows at Dominoe. It was all Dominoe could do to deflect them. Then Mars turned sideways to try to kick Dominoe in the belly with the bottom of her foot.

Dominoe blocked that assault, too, but, in the process, discovered that Mars’s high heels had more than a decorative function. The impact of the pointed heel on Dominoe’s right wrist stunned the nerves in Dominoe’s right hand, rendering it temporarily useless.

The agent was now vulnerable on the right side. Mars resumed the karate strikes, most delivered by her left hand.

Unexpectedly, Dominoe crossed her left foot in front of herself. Like a basketball player in a game of one-on-one, she then put her left foot next to Mars’s left and stepped by the Soldier.

As Dominoe went by Mars, Dominoe twisted her body to reach back and grab a handful of Mars’s long black hair! Dominoe gave a sharp tug, jerking Mars’s head back and sending the Sailor crashing backwards to the ground.

Again, however, Dominoe found that Mars was not easily defeated. The Senshi quickly brought her legs up and rolled away with a backwards somersault.

Sailor Moon and Mercury were a bit taken aback by the viciousness of this competition. Venus and Jupiter on the other hand, were really getting into it. They were rooting for their fellow Senshi, but had to admit they admired the brash American’s skill.

Mars sat on her haunches, eyes burning. She glared at Dominoe, declaring, “I can’t believe you pulled my hair!”

“I’ve been taught to use every advantage,” Dominoe replied. “I didn’t cause any permanent damage.” Dominoe then opened her black-gloved left hand. Five long strands of Mars’s brunette locks floated to the ground. “Well, not much, anyway.”

It was a cute move, but Dominoe almost instantly regretted it. Her obsessive nature compelled her to retrieve the hairs and stuff them into a pocket. This gave Mars the opportunity for which Mars had been looking.

Sailor Mars sprung to her feet and rushed Dominoe. The young C.A.T.T. agent had been distracted just long enough so that the Senshi was able to get inside Dominoe’s defenses. Between the two, as far as fighting in close quarters, Dominoe had superior technical skill, but Mars’s preternatural strength proved decisive. After a few minutes of intense struggle, Mars was able to emerge victorious.

Dominoe took her defeat in stride, as she bowed and congratulated the red-skirted warrior. For her part, Sailor Mars was a gracious winner. She knew that the outcome of any rematch would be very much in doubt.

The rest of the evening’s contests went true to form. As usual, Sailor Jupiter was able to best Venus, but only after a hard fought battle. Then, perhaps because Mars was a bit tired from her epic match with Dominoe, Jupiter defeated Mars somewhat more quickly than in their prior skirmishes.

“Great work, girls,” complimented Luna. "You all did extremely well tonight.” Luna looked up at Dominoe. “And arigato, Dominoe-chan. Your presence certainly added to the training session.”

“Arigato, Luna-san.’ Dominoe bowed, then continued, “But before we call it a night, may I ask a favor?”

“Certainly,” answered Artemis.

“Would each of you please demonstrate your special attacks? I’ve never really seen them.”

“Of course!” said Sailor Moon.

Each Sailor Senshi did so, much to Dominoe’s delight. She was particularly fascinated with Sailor Jupiter’s attack. Dominoe was quite impressed how the “lightning rod” emerged from the top of Jupiter’s tiara and then gathered electrical energy from the atmosphere that Jupiter could re-direct.

“Jupiter,” Dominoe asked, “can you ‘dial down’ your attack so that it is safe to use against humans?”

“I don’t know,” the green-trimmed girl with the rose earrings admitted. “I’ve wondered about that myself.”

Dominoe sprinted some thirty meters or so away. “Give it a go!” she called. “Try to hit me with a small charge.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea!” interjected Luna.

“Oh, I have quite a bit of experience with electric shocks,” explained Dominoe. “It was part of my anti-interrogation training.”

“Nevertheless,” Luna insisted, “Jupiter, why don’t you test it out on that tree stump over there first?”

“OK,” said Jupiter. “I’ll try to just give it a little power.

“JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!”

BOOM!

Lightning struck in the middle of the stump. Instantly, nothing was left but a smoldering black hole in the ground!

Dominoe turned ash white. “Uh, O - - - kay,” she gulped. “Maybe that’s something you should keep working on - - -”

*****

Sunday passed quickly for Dominoe. She was kept busy with a special extra training session of her own, completing her report on the Sailor Senshi and homework. As she settled into bed, she was looking forward to returning to school in the morning and seeing her unusual friends.

About one o’clock that night, Dominoe woke up in a cold sweat. The room seemed to be spinning around! It was ten times worse than the dizzy spells she had suffered when the Sailor Senshi first appeared in front of her.

During tests conducted by NASA, Dominoe had proven unusually resistant to motion sickness. She had even enjoyed her ride in a centrifuge and the periods of weightlessness created aboard the space agency’s modified 747. Dominoe relished tumbling around in zero gravity, even while some of the astronaut-trainees demonstrated why the aircraft was dubbed the “Vomit Comet.”

Now, however, Dominoe found it difficult to stagger to the bathroom. She almost fell a couple of times before she made it to a kneeling position before the toilet. For the first time she could remember, she threw up.

*****

That morning at breakfast, Davis was getting impatient. Eating together was one little bit of normalcy he tried to provide Dominoe whenever possible.

“Dominoe!” he yelled. “Where is that girl?” he asked rhetorically of the Embassy staff waiter. At the moment, the two of them were the only ones in the dining room. “It’s not like her to be late.”

When Dominoe’s pretty face still failed to appear, Davis got up and made his way to the door of her room. He knocked on it loudly. “Dominoe! Are you in there?”

There was still no response. Cautiously, he opened the door. He had no desire to walk in on a teenage girl in a state of undress.

The room appeared empty, but the door to the small, American-style bathroom was open. Davis walked over and peeked inside.

There was Dominoe, passed out on the floor next to the toilet!

“Dominoe!” Davis cried. With nothing on his mind except concern for his ward, he knelt over the girl and checked her pulse. Her heartbeat was strong and steady. After checking to make sure she had no neck injuries, Davis carefully picked Dominoe up, carried her to the bed, gently put her on it and arranged the covers.

Now thoughts whirled through the C.A.T.T. Florida Section Leader’s head. Dominoe had never really been sick a day in her life. Although it couldn’t prevent an occasional minor cold, her genetic engineering had protected her from all the usual childhood diseases.

At the disposal of the Embassy was a Marine doctor with the highest security clearance, on 24-hour call. Davis ran to a phone to summon the medic to care for a unique patient.

*****

“Do you think they’ll let us in to see her?” Minako asked.

“I hope so,” answered Usagi. “If not, maybe I can use the Luna Pen to disguise myself as an American general or something.”

“She better be alright,” declared Rei. She worried that Dominoe’s absence was somehow related to their pitched battle Saturday night.

The girls approached the guard house. Fortunately, the same Marine who was there that first day when Usagi had walked Dominoe home was on duty. “Remember - - - me?” Usagi managed to ask in broken English.

“Sure!” said the friendly soldier. “You’re Dominoe’s friend.” He then looked at the other girls. “And who are you all?”

Ami, with her fluency in English, took over the girls’ half of the conversation. “We’re friends of Dominoe, too. We were concerned when she didn’t come to school today.”

“Oh, I heard she wasn’t feeling well,” the Marine explained.

“Can we see her?” Ami asked.

“I don’t know,” the guard replied skeptically. “Let me phone in and ask.”

The Marine disappeared into the guard house. A few minutes later, he emerged, smiling. “Mr. Davis will be out to get you in just a moment. He’ll take you in to see Dominoe.”

“Arigato!” Ami answered gratefully. She bowed and the other girls followed her example.

Even though he wished the circumstances would have been different, Davis relished the opportunity to meet the girls he guessed must be the Sailor Senshi. He eagerly came out to meet them.

“Hello, girls. I’m Mr. Davis, Dominoe’s guardian. It’s very nice of you to come all this way to see her.”

The girls introduced themselves. Then Davis led the teens to Dominoe’s room.

Dominoe was wearing pajamas, sitting up in bed, reading. “Hi, Dominoe-chan!” called Usagi. The conversation was now back in Japanese. With his limited knowledge of the language, Davis did the best he could to follow along.

“Hi, guys!” Dominoe responded. “What a nice surprise!” Having never been sick in bed for a whole day before, Dominoe was getting quite bored. It was great to have her friends come and visit.

“How are you feeling?” Minako asked.

“Much better,” Dominoe replied. “I’d never been as nauseous as I was last night.” Dominoe frowned at the memory. “But I should be able to come back to school tomorrow.”

“What was wrong?” Rei inquired.

“I really don’t know,” Dominoe disclosed. “The doctor thought it might be some type of food poisoning, but he’s ruled that out.”

Dominoe looked around the room, as if noticing who was there for the first time. ‘That’s strange,’ she thought. “Where’s Makoto-chan?” she asked.

The girls got funny looks on their faces.

Puzzled, Usagi asked - - -

“Who?”

Chapter Eleven: Losing Friends, Gaining Enemies

“Makoto-chan!” Dominoe insisted. The girls still had blank expressions. Dominoe lowered her voice, “You know. Sailor Jupiter!”

Minako stared at Dominoe. “We don’t have the slightest idea who you’re talking about.”

Dominoe scanned the faces in the room. “Come on, guys,” she pleaded. “It’s not nice to tease someone who’s sick.”

Usagi put a hand on Dominoe’s wrist. “It’s alright, Dominoe-chan. I’m sure everything will become clear tomorrow.”

“We better go, so she can rest,” Rei suggested. The other Japanese girls hastily agreed.

“Sayonara, Dominoe-chan” they called.

“Sayonara, everyone,” Dominoe replied softly. She was now totally confused.

As Davis led the foursome to the gate, Ami asked in English, “Sir, has Dominoe been suffering from hallucinations?”

“No,” Davis reported thoughtfully. “Her thinking had seemed clear until just now.”

Davis then tried to sound cheerful. “Well, I’m sure she’ll be fine tomorrow. Thank you girls for coming. Please feel free to drop by anytime.”

Davis returned to Dominoe’s room. He was eager to talk to his ward.

“Dominoe, what was that all about?” he asked. “Who’s this Makoto person? I’ve never heard of her before.”

Dominoe was afflicted by a touch of panic. ‘Am I losing my mind?’ she worried.

The girl’s mental discipline then kicked in. ‘No! I know what I know!’ “Sir,” she asked, “how many Sailor Senshi are there?”

“Four,” Davis said simply.

“Sailors Mercury, Venus, Moon and Mars, right?” offered Dominoe.

“Yes, that’s right,” Davis agreed.

“And you’ve never heard of a Sailor Jupiter?”

“No, Dominoe. Have you?”

“Hmmm,” Dominoe mused. “Excuse me. Suddenly I’m very tired. I think I’ll take a nap.”

Davis smiled at Dominoe and left. ‘Maybe that’s all she needs is some rest. It must be scary to be sick for the first time.’

Alone in her room, Dominoe thought, ‘I must convince him I’m well enough to go to school tomorrow. I have a lot of questions that need answering!’

Dominoe soon dozed off. After a couple of hours, however, she awoke with a start. ‘There’s something I have to check out,’ the young agent decided. ‘Right now!’

The fourteen year old cautiously got out of bed. Dominoe was gratified to discover that she was steady on her feet. Quickly she got dressed and proceeded to track down Davis.

As she expected, Dominoe located her guardian in his Embassy office. ‘He works all the time,’ Dominoe reflected.

“Good evening, sir.”

“Dominoe!” Davis was genuinely pleased to see her up and around. “Are you feeling better?”

“Much,” Dominoe replied, nodding her head. “I was wondering if I could take a look at the hardcopy of my report on the Sailor Senshi. There’s something in it I’d like to double check.”

“Why, certainly.” Davis went to a portrait of President George Herbert Walker Bush and swung it aside. Behind was a wall safe. Davis looked into an eyepiece. After a retina scan and the entering of a four digit code by the C.A.T.T. Section Chief, the safe popped open. Davis reached in and retrieved Dominoe’s classified report.

Davis handed Dominoe the file. “Here you are. You can keep it in your room until morning. You seem well enough to go to school tomorrow, don’t you think?”

“Yes, sir!”

When she opened her report back in her bedroom, Dominoe was astonished at what she found. The text was exactly as she remembered typing it on the computer,except every reference to Makoto and Sailor Jupiter was gone!

Dominoe recognized the writing style and choice of words as her own. Events were just as she remembered them, except actions taken by Makoto or Jupiter were now ascribed to someone else or omitted entirely.

‘Somehow, recent history has been changed and only I am aware of it! This has to have something to do with those new students!

‘But why was Makoto the only one to disappear?’ Dominoe wondered. Then she was struck with a horrible thought. ‘Or what if Makoto is only the first to disappear?!’

Dominoe’s mind whirled with the possibility. ‘If that is the case, why was Makoto the first? Could it be because she was the last Sailor Senshi to emerge? If so, that would mean - - -’

Dominoe raced out of her room and down the hall to the phone. She remembered Rei’s telephone number and punched it in.

“Hikawa Temple. Rei speaking.”

“Rei-chan! Are you alright?”

“Dominoe-chan? Is that you? My, you sound much better - - - but, sure, I’m fine! Why? What’s the matter?”

Dominoe was relieved to hear the temple maiden’s voice. ‘But what now? What can I tell her?’ “I just thought you might be in danger, that’s all. I’m sure you can understand such feelings.”

The psychic girl could sympathize with such premonitions. “I respect such insights, Dominoe-chan. I’ll stay on my guard tonight. Anything else?”

Dominoe also wanted some time to investigate on her own. “Hai. Could you please arrange a meeting of the Sailor Senshi for Wednesday after school at your Temple? I’ll talk to Usagi-chan, Ami-chan and - - -” Dominoe caught herself before she said “Makoto-chan.”

“Sure.” Rei agreed. “I’ll let Minako-chan know.”

*****

The next day at school, Dominoe verified that no one had ever heard of the tall, orphan, fighting girl named Makoto. During lunch period, Dominoe sought out Mizuno Ami. “Ami-chan, may I speak to you privately for a moment?”

“Of course, Dominoe-chan.”

A serious expression on her face, Dominoe looked directly into the girl genius’s large, dark eyes. “Ami-chan, think very carefully. Do you have any memory of a girl called Makoto or of a Sailor Jupiter?”

Ami’s face reflected her concern. She couldn’t imagine the basis for her new American friend’s delusion that there was a fifth Sailor Senshi. “No, Dominoe-chan, I do not. I’ve always thought that perhaps it was only the inner planets, those inside the asteroid belt, that had Sailor Senshi.”

Dominoe decided that it was pointless to pursue this line of inquiry with her friends at this time. She told Ami about the meeting and the prodigy readily agreed to attend. Now there was someone else Dominoe wanted to talk to - - - alone.

*****

After school, Mako was walking past a narrow alleyway on the Juu-ban school grounds. He was very pleased. Everything was going according to plan and-

Suddenly, Mako felt himself being pulled into the alley! It happened so fast, there was no question of resisting. Now he knew what it felt like to be a rag doll. In an instant he was pinned against a wall, a forearm across his throat.

“What’s going on?!” he managed to croak.

“Shut up!” Dominoe ordered. “I’m asking the questions. And don’t even think of crying out or I’ll break your neck!” Dominoe wouldn’t have really killed the boy, but the expression on her face didn’t let him know that.

Mako squinted at Dominoe. Even though he would have never admitted it, he was scared by the girl and the wild look in her eyes.

“What have you done with Makoto-chan?!” Dominoe spat out.

“I - - - I don’t know who you’re talking about!” Mako’s words said one thing, but the dark-haired teen’s reaction betrayed him. Total surprise was written on his face.

“I can tell you know exactly who I’m talking about!” Dominoe increased the pressure on Mako’s throat.

Mako thought fast. He remembered the American’s response during their previous encounter. “I like girls who play rough. My parents are waiting for me, but if you’d like to get together later - - -”

The boy was braver - - - or more desperate - - - than Dominoe had assumed. She backed off, snapping, “You’re disgusting.”

Mako pretended to straighten his school uniform. “Suit yourself. Do something like this again, though, to me or my friends and I’ll report you.”

Mako walked away, muttering, “Crazy American.” His thoughts, though, were much different. ‘How does she know? How can she?

‘I’ll have to tell the others, but not tonight - - - No, not tonight.’

*****

That night Dominoe had a hard time falling asleep. She tossed and turned fitfully for hours. Then, about one in the morning, Dominoe woke up.

“Oh, no, not again!” she said out loud.

The room seemed to be spinning around her, just as it had two nights ago. Dominoe tried to choke down the sick feeling. Having gone through it once, she was better prepared. She made her way to the bathroom unsteadily, but without falling.

“BARF!”

This time she remained conscious. She felt a little better after emerging from the bathroom and managed to collapse on the bed.

*****

For one of the few times in her life, Dominoe needed the alarm to wake her up. She draped her feet off the side of the Western-style bed. The beleaguered teen felt worn out, but she was determined to go to school. Then, suddenly, a terrifying idea occurred to her:

‘What if my dizzy spells are connected to a Sailor Senshi vanishing?!’

With renewed energy, Dominoe washed, brushed her teeth and got dressed. Even though it was early, she had to know.

Dominoe ran to the phone and touched the numbers. A male voice answered.

“Good morning. Hikawa Temple.”

“Hello, my name is Dominoe. May I speak to Rei-chan, please?”

“One moment.”

‘Thank goodness!’ Dominoe realized that Rei must be alright if the person on the other end still knew who Rei was.

“Hello?” said Rei. The temple priestess had been busy with her morning before-school chores.

“Rei-chan! Sorry to bother you, but this is Dominoe. I had another - - - er, ‘vision.’ I’m glad you’re OK. I’ll tell you all about it this afternoon.”

“OK, Dominoe-chan. Whatever you say.” Rei hung up the phone. Her competitive American friend’s heart was certainly in the right place, but Dominoe was sure acting strange lately.

*****

Dominoe, Usagi and Ami made the long walk to the Hikawa Temple together, with Luna and Artemis trailing behind. Even with the mystery of Makoto’s disappearance and her unexplained dizzy spells hanging over her head, Dominoe found she enjoyed getting to spend the time with the two Japanese girls.

Before meeting them, Dominoe had wondered what friends found to talk about. She was amazed at how easily their conversations drifted from topic to topic. It was even more surprising considering how different the three girls were.

Usagi had two main interests in life, besides being Sailor Moon and the Moon Princess - food and boys, although recently her attention in the latter regard had tended to focus on Mamoru. Ami took her role as Sailor Mercury very seriously, but otherwise she was consumed with the desire to achieve academic excellence. Dominoe was interested in everything. This served her well, since she was being trained to be an operative in the field of international espionage.

The journey was over far too quickly for Dominoe. After climbing the temple steps - and Usagi’s complaints about how many steps there were - they came upon Rei. She was waiting for them in front of her living quarters, passing the time by tossing grain to the two crows, Phobos and Deimos.

Rei had already changed out of her Catholic school girl’s uniform and into her shrine robes. “Hi, everyone!” she greeted.

“Shall we get started?” Usagi asked. Luna and Artemis bounded up the last step.

The two birds took flight, just as fear and terror also began to rise in Dominoe. ‘Oh, no!’ she thought. The American got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was afraid she already knew what the answer would be to her next question. “What about Minako-chan?”

Usagi, Ami, Rei, Luna and Artemis all stared at Dominoe.

“Who?”

Chapter Twelve: Uncertain Principles

A feeling of deja vu washed over Dominoe, mixed with a profound sense of loss. Another Sailor Senshi had vanished. The young American seemed to be, once again, the only person aware of Minako’s disappearance, or indeed, that Sailor V had ever existed.

A trained investigator, even at the tender age of fourteen, Dominoe resigned herself to asking the necessary questions, although she suspected it would be fruitless. “None of you have ever heard of Sailor Venus?”

Usagi and Rei shook their heads. Ami replied, “I’ve often wondered why there was no Senshi from Venus, but if there is one, we’ve never met her.”

Dominoe looked at Usagi. “Is there a Sailor V video game at the arcade?”

“No,” Usagi answered with certainty. That was her field of expertise!

Dominoe turned to the white cat. “Artemis, when did you hook up with Luna and the Sailors?”

“Shortly after Luna, Usagi-chan and Ami-chan found Rei-chan - - - and, was I glad to find them!” the tomcat replied. “I’d been on my own trying to find Senshi for over a year!”

Rei could contain herself no longer. “Dominoe-chan, why did you call this meeting? Surely not to quiz us about some mythical Sailor Venus. You told me that you thought I might be in some sort of jeopardy?”

Dominoe was again struck how specifically history seemed to have been changed. Everything seemed to have happened just as she remembered it - - - except any trace of Makoto, Minako and their alter-egos had been erased.

“Hai, Rei-chan.” Dominoe spoke very slowly. “I had a terrible feeling that you were in trouble. I’m sorry.”

Rei smiled at her newest friend. “That’s alright, Dominoe-chan. I understand. The only strange thing around here lately, though, has been Hideo-san - - - and he seems pretty harmless.”

Barely audibly, Dominoe said, “I doubt it.”

“Well, if that’s all,” said Usagi brightly, “then I guess I have time to stop at the mall on my way home. Would anyone like to come along?”

“I’ve got my chores,” answered Rei.

“I have homework,” said Ami.

Dominoe thought there might be one person who could help her figure out what was happening. “Arigato, Usagi-chan,” responded Dominoe, “but I need to get back to the Embassy. Maybe some other time.”

The girls said their goodbyes. Rei went off to get her broom, while Usagi headed in the direction of the mall. Dominoe walked with Ami for a couple of blocks before the blue-black haired girl realized that the American still had something on her mind.

“This isn’t the way to the American Embassy, Dominoe-chan,” Ami said simply.

Dominoe smiled and shook her head. “I should have known better than to try to fool you.” Ami looked at the brown-haired girl questioningly. The pair continued walking. “I need to talk to you, Ami-chan - in private. It’s very important.”

Ami seemed genuinely startled. “OK, Dominoe-chan,” she said uncertainly. “My okasan won’t be home for several hours yet. You’re welcome to come to my home.”

“Arigato, Ami-chan - - - and we may want to use that supercomputer of yours as well.”

The pair walked the rest of the way to Ami’s apartment in relative silence. Ami lived in a high-rise apartment complex near the hospital where her mother worked. The building was in the Minato-ku district of Azabu Juban in Tokyo, not far from the Tokyo Tower and Usagi’s house.

The girls entered the tastefully decorated, well-appointed apartment. Ami showed Dominoe to Ami’s room, then went off to get some tea.

Dominoe looked around in admiration at the academic awards adorning the walls. The room was also packed with chess trophies and, of course, books. Books of all kinds filled several shelves to overflowing. ‘I just hope she’s read something that will help!’ Dominoe wished.

Ami arrived with their refreshment. She placed the tray with a pot, two cups, a whisk and a wooden bowl on a low table. Ami then gestured for Dominoe to take a seat on the floor.

As Ami prepared the green tea, Dominoe began earnestly, “Ami-chan, I need you to accept everything I am about to tell you as true.” When Ami started to object, Dominoe continued, “Treat it as a hypothetical problem if you like, but I believe your continued existence and that of all the Sailor Senshi is at stake!”

Ami got a worried expression on her face. She gazed into an empty tea cup. “Alright, Dominoe-chan. If you say so.”

‘Here we go!’ Dominoe thought. “Ami-chan, two Sailor Senshi have been removed from history. For some reason, I’m the only one who realizes it!”

“Is one of them this Sailor Venus you mentioned earlier?” Ami questioned.

“Hai. She vanished last night. Two days before, a Sailor Jupiter was erased. Now, how would such a thing be possible?”

“W e l l - - -” Ami began, “have you ever heard of the theory of alternate realities?”

Now it was Dominoe’s turn to be uncertain. “I may have heard something about it. Is it like that old episode of Star Trek where there’s an evil Federation and Spock has a beard?”

“Hai! Exactly!” Ami answered enthusiastically. “In fact, in a great book on the subject, Parallel Universes by Fred Alan Wolf, the author uses that very example!

“To put it very briefly, the theory is when any event has more than one possible outcome, entire, separate universes are created that contain each and every possible outcome. For example,” Ami got up, found a coin and flipped it into the air. “I flip this coin.

“In this universe, the coin landed ‘heads.’ We can suppose, however, there is another, or parallel, universe, where everything else is exactly the same except the coin landed ‘tails.’ The theoretical bases for alternate universes are the wave-particle duality of light and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.”

Ami could tell Dominoe was starting to get lost. She sat down and tried to clarify her explanation. “There’s a famous ‘double-slit’ experiment that shows that light, as impossible as it may seem, is both a wave and made up of particles. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle, or the principle of indeterminism, tells us we can’t know both the energy of an atom and the location of an electron in that same atom. The very act of observing one changes the other.”

There was now no doubt. Dominoe was completely bewildered. Her training did not include quantum mechanics. She decided to try to get the conversation back on point. “So, Ami-chan, you admit it is possible reality has changed from a world with five Senshi to a space and time with only three?”

“It is possible,” Ami said dubiously, “but then there’s a problem: How are you able to perceive the change?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Dominoe related. “My ‘illness’ the other day may have coincided with the first reality shift. If so, it may be that my ability to be aware of the ‘previous’ universe is related to the way I knew you all were the Sailor Senshi.”

Ami pressed her hands to her face, her habit when she was thinking hard. “Hmmm. Any ideas on how you could see through to our secret identities?”

“To me, it was obvious who you were,” Dominoe declared. “Maybe it’s because of my genetic engineering - - - or perhaps because I was conceived in a test tube. I don’t know. It might even be that the special anti-mind control training I’ve undergone has expanded my perceptions.”

The tea was now ready. Ami served Dominoe, then herself. Dominoe tried the drink and smiled.

Ami took a sip and then said, “It’s a big jump from conceding something is possible to believing it has happened. Even assuming what you say is true, what can we do about it?”

The same question had been bedeviling Dominoe for some time. “This all seemed to start when six new students suddenly appeared.”

“Hai, I know who four of them are: Mamoru-san’s new female classmate, Hideo-san, Usagi-chan’s counterpart - - - and mine. The other two are?”

“Mako-san - - -” Ami was surprised, but nodded. She knew him. “And Aino Kazuhiro-san. You probably haven’t met him,” Dominoe explained. “Sailor Venus attended Shiba-Kouen Junior High.”

“Why do you think your Sailors Jupiter and Venus disappeared first?”

“I’ve been wondering about that. Initially I thought Jupiter was the first to vanish because she was the last Senshi to emerge, but Venus was the very first one.” Dominoe got a twinkle in her eye. “That’s where I hope your supercomputer can help us out - by giving us some clue as to who might be the next scheduled to vanish.”

“Alright,” Ami agreed. “What do you want to do?”

“Let’s look up Kino Mako-san.”

Ami pulled out her Sailor Mercury supercomputer. With practiced ease, her fingers raced across the keyboard. She reported her findings. “Kino Mako. Lives with his parents in an apartment in Azabu Juban, which is this part of Tokyo. Blood type O, born December 5, 1978.”

“Now, find out about Aino Kazuhiro-san,” Dominoe requested.

Seconds later, “Aino Kazuhiro. Lives with his parents in a house adjacent to Shiba Park in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Blood type B, born October 22, 1978.”

Dominoe digested this information. Thinking out loud, she said, “Might Makoto-chan and Minako-chan been born on the same or close to the same dates as Mako-san and Kazuhiro-san? If so - - -”

Inspiration struck the young agent! “Ami-chan, when’s your birthday?!”

“September 10th.”

“What year?”

“1978.”

“Do you know Usagi-chan’s and Rei-chan’s birth dates?”

“Hai,” Ami replied. “Usagi-chan was born June 30th. Rei’s birthday is April 17. We were all born in 1978. Since we were born after March, that’s why we are all in the same grade.”

“Ami-chan!” Dominoe declared. “If somehow history is being changed, might not the effect move backwards through time? If so, then the youngest Sailor Senshi would be erased first! and if Makoto-chan had approximately the same birthday, Sailor Jupiter would have been the youngest! Then Minako-chan would have disappeared and then-“ Dominoe stopped short.

Realization dawned upon Ami, the girl genius.

“And then, if you’re right, I would be next.”

Chapter Thirteen: Mercury on the Bubble

Silence hung in the air like a shroud.

Finally, Ami giggled nervously. “Fortunately, Dominoe-chan, I don’t believe in what you’ve been saying.” Ami’s demeanor, however, betrayed her. She put a lot more stock in the American’s theory than she would admit even to herself.

Dominoe picked up on Ami’s body language. Dominoe indicated the supercomputer. “Ami-chan, check out Mizonu Ami-san.”

Reluctantly, Ami looked up her alter-ego. “Mizonu Ami. No address listed? Blood type: A, same as mine! Her birth date - - - September 10, 1978! Again, the same as mine!!”

Dominoe reached a decision. “There’s only one thing to do. I’m going to stay with you. Somehow, there’s got to be a way to stop this!”

“Well, Dominoe-chan, you’re welcome to spend the night. I’m sure my okasan won’t mind.”

"Arigato, Ami-chan. May I call the Embassy? I need to have them send me a few things."

*****

Davis reluctantly agreed to let his ward sleep over at the Mizunos’ apartment. He arranged to have fresh clothes and Dominoe’s toothbrush delivered.

Doctor Mizuno was a bit surprised to discover an American houseguest when she came home, but greeted Dominoe warmly. Ami’s mother was very pleased that her daughter had made some friends over the past year.

The girls worked on their homework, sandwiched around an impromptu dinner for three whipped up by Ami’s mother. While neither needed help with their mathematics, Dominoe was able to assist Ami with her English, while Dominoe welcomed Ami’s aide in the other subjects, all taught in Japanese.

When it was almost time for bed, Ami volunteered that Dominoe could take the first bath. Like most Japanese homes, the Mizuno residence featured a bath and not a shower. Ami gave Dominoe a large towel. While her guest was gone, she arranged a futon on the floor for Dominoe next to her bed.

Ami thought it was a bit odd when Dominoe returned from the bathroom wrapped in the towel, but said nothing about it as she went to get clean. When Ami returned, Dominoe was already on the futon, under a light sheet. The girl who was Sailor Mercury noticed that Dominoe’s shoulders were bare. ‘That’s strange.’

Ami turned off the light, hopped over the foot of her bed and crawled under the covers. The girls talked for a while. Pale moonlight shone through Ami’s bedroom window, casting Dominoe in a ghostly glow. Ami looked down at her self-appointed protector. ‘Dominoe-chan really is very pretty,’ she thought.

Their conversation turned to a point of Japanese history they had been studying in school. Ami disagreed with Dominoe’s interpretation and suggested the topic was covered in a book on a shelf against the far wall. As Ami flipped on her bedside reading light, Dominoe volunteered to retrieve the book. Dominoe slipped out from under her sheet.

Dominoe’s back was to Ami. Ami’s breath caught in her throat as she watched Dominoe go to the bookshelf. Dominoe was completely nude! Ami blushed bright red.

Ami had seen plenty of naked girls her own age, but she had never had one in her bedroom before! Ami had always thought Dominoe was beautiful, but unclothed, her guest was truly stunning.

The image of Dominoe’s brown hair, bronze skin and her smooth, supple back ending in a perfectly shaped butt atop a graceful pair of legs somehow made Ami think of a young lioness. As Dominoe casually searched the shelves for the proper text, she, quite unintentionally, provocatively bent one leg while keeping the other straight. This posture displayed her fabulous backside to its best advantage.

The moment seemed to last forever, yet, from Ami’s perspective, was over far too soon. When the task was complete, Dominoe turned and walked over to hand Ami the book. It was all Ami could do to keep from staring at the young spy’s magnificent, pert breasts.

To the pair’s relief, this was the most exciting thing that happened all night. In the morning, as Dominoe got dressed, the young American reported she had not experienced any nausea.

For her part, Ami replied, as far as she was concerned, there were still three Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen. The question now was: what to do next?

At breakfast, Dominoe invited Ami to spend the night at the American Embassy. Ami initially declined, saying it wasn’t necessary. Dominoe insisted, though, and when Ami’s mother said it was alright, the soft-spoken girl agreed. After she finished eating, Ami returned to her room to pack an overnight bag.

*****

It was now Thursday night. Ami was a bit embarrassed by the reception she had received at the American Embassy. She had been treated like a visiting princess. Dinner was like nothing she had ever had before: Southern fried chicken with mashed Yukon potatoes, golden gravy, shortbread biscuits, fresh green beans, iced tea, apple pie and milk. When she was finished, Ami felt as if she would burst.

A cot had been wheeled into Dominoe’s room for Ami. To Ami’s chagrin, the guest discovered Dominoe was even less inhibited being in her “own” room.

Getting ready for bed, Ami undressed in the bathroom adjoining Dominoe’s bedroom. The Japanese girl enjoyed taking a shower in the stall. When Ami emerged from the bathroom, there was Dominoe, once again naked.

“Finally!” Dominoe teased as she walked by. Dominoe was not being an exhibitionist. This was all perfectly natural to her.

Meanwhile, a far less innocent scene was taking place in Tsukoni Usagi’s apartment.

“Well, it’s easy for you to be patient, Mako-chan,” Mizonu Ami charged. “You’re safely ensconced with your family!”

“That’s not fair, Ami-chan,” the boy replied. “All I’m saying is that the American can’t stay with Sailor Mercury forever.”

“Has anyone got any ideas on how this girl is even aware of what’s going on?” Hideo wanted to know.

“I don’t,” admitted Kazuhiro, “but I don’t really see that it matters.”

“Doesn’t matter?!” questioned Chiba Sakura. “She could spoil everything!”

“How?” pointed out Mako. “What can she do? I mean, if she tells a story about altered realities to enough people, someone will eventually throw a net over her!”

Mizonu Ami was still not satisfied, but noticed her best friend Usagi sitting forlornly on a couch. “You’ve been pretty quiet, Usagi-chan.”

“I just don’t like being someone’s Doomsday Machine.”

Back at the American Embassy, Dominoe and Ami were tucked in their beds. In the darkened room, they again engaged in conversation. Then Ami brought up a topic she knew Dominoe wouldn’t want to hear.

“Dominoe-chan, I’ve really enjoyed these past two nights, but I must go to my juku tomorrow evening.”

“Juku?”

“Hai. It’s a cram school I attend for academic enrichment.” Ami giggled nervously. “After all, we can’t sleep in the same room for the rest of our lives.”

Dominoe rested an elbow on her bed and propped up her head as she looked with concern at her prodigious friend. “But, Ami-chan, I don’t know how else to protect you!”

“Well, maybe I don’t need protection. Even if you’re right, maybe only girls are replaced with boys - - - or maybe the reality changes had to take place two days apart. Maybe you’ve already saved me.”

“But, Ami-chan, I don’t-”

“In any case,” Ami interrupted, “shouldn’t you start working on how to change history back? Preventing me from disappearing won’t restore Sailors Jupiter and Venus.”

“Oh, Ami-chan.” Dominoe fell back flat on the bed. She stared at the darkened ceiling above her. Dominoe had been so consumed with trying to stop any more of her friends from vanishing, she hadn’t even begun to consider how to retrieve the ones who had already been taken from her.

*****

Dominoe felt somewhat better the next morning when she awoke to find Ami still in the bed next to hers. She was gratified when Ami woke up and said, without even her asking, “Hai, Dominoe-chan, I know of three Sailor Senshi, plus Tuxedo Kamen-sama.”

At breakfast, Ami’s reluctance to have Dominoe continue to serve as her bodyguard became moot. Davis informed Dominoe that she had two missed days of training to make up after school. In addition, the Embassy was hosting a state reception that evening and Dominoe’s presence was mandatory.

Dominoe resolved to talk to Davis about parallel universes at the earliest opportunity after school. Perhaps there was a theoretical physicist somewhere who could offer a solution to her problem.

*****

Early the following morning, Mizuno Ami awoke with a start. She looked at her alarm clock. The red digital letters glowed 12:45.

It was unusual for Ami to wake up in the middle of the night. She smiled. ‘Maybe I miss my roommate.’

Ami’s smile quickly faded. She felt uneasy. The brilliant young teen sensed a presence, as if someone was in the room with her. “Who’s there?” she said aloud.

A figure stepped out of the shadows. “It’s me,” it said.

“Mizonu Ami-san?” Mizuno Ami asked. “Is that you? What are you doing here?”

“It is time for me to reveal who I am,” the intruder explained. Then, addressing the girl in bed, she added, “Sailor Mercury.”

Ami wanted to deny it, but knew it would be useless. The girl before her seemed to look into her very soul. Sailor Mercury was spellbound, eager to hear what Mizonu Ami had to say.

“I am the girl who should be living in this home, Sailor Mercury, not you. You are living my life. You took it from me. I am the person who would have been born if you hadn’t been re-incarnated inside of your - - - our - - - no, my okasan.”

Mercury was speechless at this revelation. She had never thought of the possibility that someone else would have been born if she hadn’t.

“Search your mind, Sailor Mercury. You’ll find that you know what I say is true - - - and you will also find forgotten memories of friends from long ago.”

Hazy images began to float in Mercury’s mind’s eye. She started to remember. Sailor Venus! and Jupiter! Mercury recalled battles, distant in both time and space, fought side-by-side with the other four Senshi.

Then the universe seemed to shift. Mercury’s mind expanded to encompass different realities. More recent faces were called to mind. ‘Mako-chan! Minako-chan! Dominoe-chan was right all along!’

Mercury found her voice. “How - - - how is this possible?”

“I will hide nothing from you, Sailor Mercury. I was brought into your world by the last vengeful act of an old enemy of yours, Queen Beryl-sama.”

“Queen Beryl!” Mercury exclaimed. “Then - - - you’re from the Dark Kingdom?!”

“No. At the end, Queen Beryl realized she was going to lose. She was determined, though, to avenge herself upon the Sailor Senshi, even from beyond the grave. She diverted some of her vast power to bridge our universes. She allowed us children who were never born to see the lives we might have had, and to, eventually, perhaps reclaim them as our own.

“Sailor Mercury, you lived for a thousand years during the Silver Millennium. Isn’t that enough for one person? You defeated Queen Beryl and saved the Earth. Your mission is complete. I beg you, step aside and let me live the rest of the life I’m entitled to - the life you stole from me.”

Mizonu Ami spoke with such sadness, that Sailor Mercury’s heart ached more and more with each word. She was now almost in tears as she asked, “What do you mean, step aside?”

“Only one of us can continue living in this reality. All you have to do is think it and I can take your place. You will slowly fade from existence, but still, for a time, be able to observe events in this world. If you refuse, I will be the one who disappears. I’ll return to the void of those who have never been born.

“I know it’s a difficult choice - - - but it’s a decision two of your comrades have already made.”

Sailor Mercury became aware of two new presences in the room. There, floating in the air above her, were the ethereal faces of Sailors Jupiter and Venus.

“NO!” Mercury yelled. “I don’t believe it! Jupiter and Venus would not willingly give up their lives!”

“Ami-chan.” It was Sailor Jupiter’s voice! “You were always so smart, but you’ve overlooked one thing. The impact we’ve had on the ones we love.”

“What?” Sailor Mercury said through her tears, not understanding.

“You see,” Jupiter explained, “if Mako-san had been born instead of me, my parents never would have died in that plane crash. My parents are now alive, living with their son.”

“And if you allow it, Sailor Mercury,” Mizonu Ami revealed, “our parents will be back together, having never separated.”

“No. No!” This was too much for Mercury to bear. “It can’t be true!”

“I’m afraid it is. Our father could never relate to his blue-haired genius daughter - - - and for that he blamed his wife. You drove him away. I’ll keep them together.”

Mercury’s resolve began to crumble. Mizonu Ami poured it on. “You’ve lived a wonderful life - - - some thirteen normal lifetimes, in fact. Aren’t you now ready to end the pain, the loneliness? the constant striving to achieve? the never being satisfied, no matter how well you do?”

Mercury felt utterly sad - - - and tired. Thinking of her parents’ happiness was the final straw. “Alright,” she said, resignedly. “I agree.”

In the American Embassy, Dominoe retched - - -

- - - and wept.

Chapter Fourteen: Invitation to Despair

Dominoe felt frustrated, sad, desperate and ashamed. She took no solace in the fact that she was the only one who knew the Sailor Senshi were disappearing, one by one, from the face of the Earth. Dominoe knew she was failing in a most important mission, protecting her friends - - - who also happened to be the saviors of the planet!

Although Usagi would always hold a special place in her heart as Dominoe’s first friend her own age, she had grown quite close to the quiet and kind Ami. She regretted not being there when Ami needed her.

Dominoe was not the least bit astonished when no one at school, including Usagi-chan, had ever heard of a girl genius named Mizuno Ami. She was also not surprised to find that Mizonu Ami had been in the fifth section of the eighth grade for some time.

The American exchange student was, however, quite startled when Tsukoni Usagi sidled up behind her near the end of the Saturday half-day session and whispered, “Dominoe-san.”

“What do you want?” Dominoe demanded.

“I must speak to you. I don’t like what’s going on any more than you do. Meet me at midnight tonight at the Hikawa Temple.” With that, the dark hair girl slipped back to her desk.

Dominoe considered the possibilities. If her theory was right, if the disappearances were moving backwards in time based on when the Senshi were born, Usagi would be next. In addition, Tsukoni Usagi was the only one of the “new” students who had treated Dominoe even halfway civilly. Dominoe resolved to keep the midnight rendezvous.

*****

It was an easy matter for Dominoe to sneak out of the American Embassy unobserved. As far as Davis was concerned, their visit to Japan was going perfectly. Dominoe had discovered the secret identities of the two mysterious Sailor Scouts: Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars. To him and everyone else, things were as they had always been.

Dominoe arrived on the grounds of the Hikawa Shrine fifteen minutes early. All the interior lights were off. She guessed everyone inside was asleep.

Melancholy memories flooded her mind. She gazed at the porch where she had her first meeting with the Sailor Senshi.

In her spy training, it was made clear to Dominoe she would usually operate alone. Although she was not and never would be a Sailor Senshi herself, the other girls, once they came to accept her, quickly made Dominoe feel like an honorary member of the team.

With C.A.T.T. Dominoe would always have the support of other members of the task force, but her relationship with the Senshi was special. Dominoe smiled as she recalled their training session and how Sailor Jupiter had almost fried her to a crisp - - - at Dominoe’s own request!

Dominoe wondered how many times the five young heroines had met at this site, the fate of the world hanging in the balance. She was one of the very few who realized that these teenaged Japanese girls had saved civilization from being destroyed by the Dark Kingdom.

It was somehow comforting, though, that none of the girls was perfect. Usagi was usually klutzy and easily distracted. Minako, while a graceful athlete, was often just as unfocused as Usagi. Rei and Makoto both tended to be hot-tempered. Ami, the smartest of them all, was ironically the most prone to self-doubt - - -

- - - but they were all so very brave when it counted, even Usagi. They would do anything for each other and whatever it took to protect the planet.

‘Makoto-chan - - - Minako-chan - - - Ami-chan.’

Dominoe looked at her watch. It was now quarter after twelve and Tsukoni Usagi had yet to show up. The young secret agent decided to give the interloper ten more minutes to appear.

The seconds ticked by. Dominoe knew she was running out of time - - - and Senshi. She had only glimpsed Tuxedo Mask once, on that occasion in the school gymnasium. If Usagi and Rei disappeared, there would be no way to convince Chiba Mamoru he was in any danger. If only Tsukoni Usagi would help her - - -

Then Dominoe was struck with a horrible thought! Based on what had happened, Dominoe assumed the reality shifts had to take place at least two days apart. What if, however, time was marching “backwards” at the rate of one day per one month? Might it be the only reason Ami’s disappearance was delayed was because Dominoe was with her?! And all the shifts had taken place around one in the morning - - -

Dominoe slapped her forehead with her palm. ‘How could I have been so stupid? This was just a diversion.’ “Usagi!”

Dominoe started to run in the direction of Usagi’s house, when suddenly a young male figure stepped out of the shadows. “Dominoe-san!” he called.

The girl stopped in her tracks and turned. When she saw it wasn’t Tsukoni Usagi, she snapped, “What do you want?!”

“I just got a call from Usagi-chan. She wanted me to tell you she would be a few minutes late.”

Dominoe guessed the short boy must be Hideo, Rei’s prospective “replacement.”

“I don’t believe you!” Dominoe shot back and took off once again.

“Ha, ha, ha!” Hideo taunted. “You are right not to believe me! But you’ll never make it in time!!”

Dominoe feared the horrid boy was right. It was now 12:30 Sunday morning. The buses and trains didn’t run frequently at this hour. Taxis were non-existent in this neighborhood. She would have to make it on foot.

The adolescent athlete ran through the nearly deserted streets, heading toward the Tokyo Tower. Spurred on by desperation, she exceeded the pace of the 1964 Olympic marathon runners. When she arrived in the Minato-ku district, she frantically searched for the Tsukino residence.

Finally, she found it! The gate was less than a hundred feet ahead of her, when suddenly-

The sidewalk seemed to stretch and bend away. The ground and sky began to blend. Waves of nausea, the most intense yet, engulfed Dominoe. She dropped to her knees and puked into the gutter.

Sailor Mars was now the only Sailor Senshi. Sailor Moon had never existed.

Chapter Fifteen: The Solitary Senshi

Lunchtime Monday at Juu-ban School found three friends eating outside together. Their classmates didn’t find that at all unusual, but they would have been quite surprised at the subject of the trio’s mealtime conversation.

“Dominoe-san is not in school today,” Tsukoni Usagi reported. “In fact, someone from the American Embassy came and asked the class if anyone had seen her. Apparently, she’s been missing since yesterday morning. Do you think maybe her existence was erased when I replaced Sailor Moon?”

“Of course not!” chided Mizonu Ami. “If it had, then no one at the Embassy would have remembered her!”

“Well,” Usagi said defensively, “what do you think happened to her?”

Both Usagi and Ami looked at Mako, the third member in the group. “I don’t know,” the boy responded. “Perhaps she finally cracked under the strain of being able to perceive the changing realities. In any case, after tonight, most of our problems will be over. All the Sailor Senshi will be gone. When the time comes, I’m sure Sakura-san will have no problem getting rid of Tuxedo Kamen.”

“Mako-chan, what about those two cats?” Ami asked.

“They’ll either vanish, too, or wander for the rest of their nine lives, looking for Sailor Senshi who no longer exist.”

*****

Hino Rei crawled into bed. She was exhausted. It was hard work, going to school and serving as a temple maiden, not to mention being the champion of love and justice, Sailor Mars.

Looking back, Rei thought about how difficult it had been, defeating the Dark Kingdom all by herself. Sometimes, she wondered how she did it. It was lonely being the only Sailor Senshi. She would have loved more help, in addition to Luna, Artemis and Tuxedo Kamen.

Because of the many birds that used the shrine grounds as a sanctuary, Luna and Artemis had to spend most of their time elsewhere. In addition, even though she had dated Mamoru a couple of times, their relationship was now strictly “professional.” To top it off, Rei had begun to despair of ever finding the Moon Princess.

With all these thoughts running through her head, Rei finally drifted off to sleep - - - until-

Rei sat up with a start. She couldn’t sense anything amiss, but thought, ‘Something woke me up.’ The lovely, long-haired girl looked at her alarm clock. It was quarter to one in the morning.

Rei glanced around the room. ‘Is that someone standing in the shadows?’ “Yuuichirou-san? Grandfather?! Is that you?” she cried.

A short, male figure stepped forward. “It is I, Hideo.”

“Hideo-san, you pervert!” Rei screamed. “What are you doing in my bedroom?! And at this time of night?!”

“The time has finally come for us to talk - - - and for me to tell you who I really am,” the short teen explained. Then, he added, “Sailor Mars.”

For one of the few times in her life, Rei was speechless. She detested this young man who had come to live at the temple. Now, somehow, he had discovered her deepest secret.

Rei didn’t need psychic powers to know that denying she was Sailor Mars would be futile. There was a haunting timbre in Hideo’s voice that told her that the boy knew much more about Rei than he should.

“Sailor Mars, you are living the life that should have been mine. Without giving the consequences a moment’s consideration, your Queen Serenity stole my life and gave it to you! I am the person who was never born, because you were re-incarnated inside of my okasan!”

“That’s ridiculous!” Mars had never given the circumstances of her birth much thought. ‘Could what this horrible boy was saying be true?’

“Is it?” Hideo replied. “How do you think Sailor Mars, a denizen of the Moon Kingdom during the Silver Millennium, ended up alive again in the 20th Century?

“Use your psychic powers. You’ll discover the truth - - - and that I am not the only one upon whom this outrage was committed!”

Rei stared at Hideo. Then she assumed a Zazen position and chanted, “Rin, Hyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Chin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!” while carving the nine protective symbols with her hands.

Ghostly figures began to materialize in the room - three figures she remembered from long ago - - - and then a fourth: the Moon Princess!

Reality shifted. ‘Mako-chan! Minako-chan! Ami-chan! and Usagi-chan - Sailor Moon!’

Tears formed in Rei’s eyes. “How could you leave me all alone?”

Then Rei turned her wrath on Hideo. “What have you done to them?!”

“Nothing, Sailor Mars.” Hideo explained. “They all stepped aside of their own accord, to allow the rightful owners of their lives to come forth.”

“Impossible! I don’t believe you! Anyway, how did you get into our world in the first place?”

“Through the last desperate act of Queen Beryl-sama.”

“What!?! Queen Beryl!” Mars yelled. “You are evil!”

“No. Out of her vengeance, some justice was served. When defeat was imminent, she was able to let us children who were never born see the lives we might have had, but for the re-birth of the Sailor Senshi. She also made it possible for us to claim them as our own.

“Sailor Mars, you’ve already lived for a thousand years. Isn’t that enough? You’ve fulfilled your mission. Let me live the rest of my life - the life you’ve unwittingly taken from me.”

Even though Rei previously had little regard for Hideo, his words were spoken with such sincerity and longing that she was moved. Had she, through no fault of her own, stolen his life? Could she continue to think of herself as a champion of justice, knowing that her existence came at the expense of his? “What can I do?” she asked.

“We can both exist together for only a short time. If you agree, all you have to do is will it. You shall disappear and I’ll take your place. If you refuse, I will vanish. It will be as though I never existed. I'll go back to the void of those who have never been born.”

Sailor Mars was beginning to waver, but remained unconvinced. Then, the vision of Sailor Jupiter spoke.

“Rei-chan, consider the impact our lives have had on the ones we love. Now that Mako-san was born instead of me, my parents didn’t die in a plane crash. They’re alive, living with their son.”

“And if you agree, Sailor Mars,” Hideo revealed, “my - - - our okasan will still be alive.”

“NO! I don’t believe it!! No. No!”

“Lives have many unanticipated consequences,” Hideo said. “The beating of a butterfly’s wings can cause the downfall of a nation. For whatever reason, your birth resulted in our okasan’s death. You can save her - - - and then I’ll live with her - - - and our otousan.”

Rei hadn’t seen her father for some time. The thought of her parents living happily together hit particularly hard.

Hideo moved in for the kill. “You’ve accomplished so much, Sailor Mars. Aren’t you tired? Tired of all the fighting, the responsibility, the burden of your visions? Aren’t you tired of being alone?”

Mars’s thoughts started to run together. She had never felt so depressed. Rei was tired of being the only Sailor Senshi, and although her classmates looked up to her, she had no real friends. Then there was the knowledge that somehow, her life had caused her mother’s death.

Rei reached a decision. “Al-”

“STOP!”

Suddenly, a figure clad in black ninja attire dropped from the ceiling! The ninja ran to Rei and put black gloved hands on the priestess’s shoulders. The ninja then removed the cloth that covered the ninja’s face.

“Dominoe-chan!”

Chapter Sixteen: A Rei of Hope

"The American!" Hideo said softly, his breath hissing between his teeth as he exhaled sharply in surprise.

“Dominoe-chan,” Rei repeated in awe. She glanced at her bedroom ceiling. “How did you get up there?”

“I’ve been hiding since you went to sleep.” Dominoe stretched and let out a little moan. “I guess my ninja training paid off sooner than I expected.”

“This changes nothing!” Hideo snapped. “Sailor Mars! You still must choose. Are you going to do the right thing, as have the rest of the Senshi,and save your okasan? Or do you selfishly cling to your own existence?”

“Hold it right there!” Dominoe commanded, pointing an accusing finger at Hideo. “You and your friends have hit these good-natured girls where they are most vulnerable! You’ve awakened them in the middle of the night and twisted the facts to suit your own selfish ends!”

Rei was now confused, but willing to hear more. “What do you mean, Dominoe-chan?”

Dominoe took a deep breath. Before tonight, she had no idea how the Sailor Senshi were being erased. Dominoe was shocked to learn they had been simply talked out of their places in the universe.

The young spy would much rather have faced fifteen armed gunmen than once again have to present arguments to convince her friends of facts that were, to her, obvious - and in Japanese, no less! One thing, though, had been stressed over and over again in all of her C.A.T.T. training: “Do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission.”

If it took an impromptu debate to carry the day, then that’s what she would do. Dominoe quickly tried to organize her thoughts.

“Rei-chan,” then Dominoe faced the swirling figures of the other Senshi in turn, “Makoto-chan, Minako-chan, Ami-chan, Usagi-chan - all of your lives have great meaning - - - and you are entitled to them.

“Perhaps as Sailor Senshi you’ve lived a thousand years, but Hino Rei, Kino Makoto, Aino Minako, Mizuno Ami and Tsukino Usagi have barely lived fourteen! You deserve the chance to live your lives.

“In addition, think of the good you’ve all done as Sailor Senshi. Do you honestly believe there will be no threats from beyond the solar system in the future? That the Earth won’t face any enemies that can only be defeated by the Sailors? What good would I, much less your replacements, be faced with such a threat? From what I’ve seen, and from what you’ve told me, the Sailor Senshi have been plenty busy, even since the defeat of the Dark Kingdom.”

Hideo started to say something. He thought better of it when Dominoe shot him an angry glance.

Dominoe then walked over to the the boy. Dominoe towered over the youth as she punctuated her next point by jabbing her index finger at him.

“Speaking of the Dark Kingdom, consider the source of these unborn children. While they might be innocent, do you honestly believe Queen Beryl had benevolent motives? Might she not have some plan to yet destroy the Earth or at least be aware of some threat that could do the job, once the Senshi were removed?

“Beyond that, think of all the children - - - and adults - - - who look up to you, believe in you. How might the world be worse off if the Sailor Senshi never existed in this time? And think of the friends you’ve made, the people you’ve helped, who will never know what they are missing if all memory of you is removed.

“It’s been my honor and privilege to know you. I’m sure there are many, many people who feel the same way.

“Everyone, didn’t we all learn not so long ago that it’s a mistake to try to change the past? Look at what happened to Dr. Daka and his daughter. Live in the present. Try to improve the future. Don’t try to undo what’s already happened.

“I understand how you might feel sorry for Hideo and his friends - - - and perhaps a little bit guilty, but it’s also possible that they do exist in a parallel universe. After all, their memories had to come from somewhere.

“Your friendship with each other is special. It’s a friendship that has saved the Earth - - - and one that will do so again, I’m certain.”

Dominoe paused. She could tell her words were starting to have an effect. Looking at Makoto, Ami and Rei, though, she knew her biggest challenge to lie straight ahead.

“As you know, I don’t really have parents. I can only guess how tempting it might be to sacrifice oneself for the life and happiness of a okasan and otousan.

“But consider this: What would your parents want you to do? Would they want you to give up your hopes and dreams for them? It seems to me most parents would gladly give their lives if it meant saving their children.

“If you go through with this, who might die in place of those who have already died? Just as one example: Rei-chan, what do you think will happen to your grandfather if your okasan lives again and your parents stay together?”

Rei shifted her gaze to Hideo. He started to offer a counter-point, but then dropped his eyes. His silence spoke volumes about the fate of the old man.

“I’m not asking you, Rei-chan, to weigh your grandfather’s life against your okasan’s,” Dominoe explained. “I am begging all of you, though, to consider everything I’ve said. This world needs you all and you have every right to be here.”

No one said anything for at least a minute. Then, in a small quiet voice, in English, Dominoe concluded, “Besides, I’d miss you all - - - terribly.”

“I’ve changed my mind,” declared Sailor Moon. “I want my life back!”

“Me, too!” shouted Sailor Venus.

Sailor Mercury looked at her friends. ‘How could I have been so emotional?’ “So do I!”

Rei said a silent prayer for her mother. Then she said, “Sorry, Hideo. I’m staying here.”

Sailor Jupiter was faced with the most difficult decision of all. From limbo, she had seen her parents live again. Would it be selfish to make them return to the dead, so that she could live?

Makoto considered everything Dominoe had said. She looked at the other four Senshi. ‘Who might have died in place of my parents? What would my parents want me to do?’

It was the hardest decision Makoto ever had to make. She thought about her fellow Sailors - - - and then about her rainy day friend Shinozaki.

‘Okasan - - - otousan - - - I hope this is what you’d want.’ “Sailor Senshi stick together! I won’t abandon my teammates!”

The girls’ decisions toppled the cosmic house of cards. Slowly, the forms of the four Sailor Senshi began to solidify, while Hideo began to fade. To Dominoe, Rei’s bedroom seemed to bend and tilt, but this time she didn’t feel sick at all. In fact, she felt better than she had in over a week.

Suddenly, reality made a final shift! Standing in Rei’s bedroom were the Sailor Senshi: Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, along with Rei and Dominoe.

Dominoe flashed one of her all-encompassing smiles. “Welcome back!”

The six girls indulged themselves in a big group hug. Then suddenly, Sailor Mercury yelped, “Look at the time! We’d better get home! We’ve got school tomorrow!!”

“Ami-chan!” the other five girls protested.

Suddenly the door to Rei’s open slid open. “Rei! What’s all this noise?! Do you realize what time-”

Rei’s grandfather stopped in mid-sentence. His eyes became as wide as saucers. The spry little old man expected to find his granddaughter alone in her room. Instead, he discovered her accompanied by four Sailor Senshi and an American girl as well!

Rei smiled. ‘Everything is back as it should be.’ Then she frowned. ‘Now, how am I going to explain this to grandfather?’

*****

It was Saturday afternoon, shortly after school. Dominoe had requested one last meeting at the Hikawa Temple. This was her final day in Japan.

Minako asked a question that had been on all of their minds. “Do you think Kazuhiro-san and the others really exist in some other parallel universe?”

Everyone expected Ami to come up with the answer. She coughed, then replied, “Well, I’m not expert on parallel universes and alternate realities, but who knows? Maybe there’s a time-stream where they are real and the Sailor Senshi are only manga and anime characters.”

The time came for Dominoe to say her goodbyes. “Don’t forget, if any of you ever need anything C.A.T.T. or I can help you with, you can contact me through the American Embassy." Then she hugged Minako.

“I’ve got your address, Minako-chan. Whenever I hear a good English proverb, I’ll write it down and send it to you.”

“Thanks, Dominoe-chan,” the blonde haired beauty replied. “Remember, abstinence makes the heart grow fonder!”

Dominoe reached up to hug Makoto. Makoto ducked as if to throw the agent-in-training over her shoulder. They both laughed.

“Keep working on your toned-down electrical attack, Jupiter-chan. Maybe next time I will let you try it out on me.”

Ami blushed as Dominoe gave her an extra-hard squeeze. The American then said, in English, “Ami-chan, you’re the best roommate I ever had.”

The other girls looked at Ami questioningly. She simply blushed a little more brightly.

Rei handed Dominoe a narrow piece of paper with kanji written on it. “This is a special blessing my grandfather wrote for you. It’s to protect you from danger.”

Dominoe bowed, then rushed forward to hug the temple maiden. “Arigato, Rei-chan. I’ll treasure it - - - forever.”

Then Usagi began to cry. “Don’t cry, Usagi-chan,” Dominoe said softly. “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

Usagi sniffed back the tears as Dominoe hugged her. “Tell that boyfriend of yours I’d like to see more of him next time - - - and that he should keep you out of trouble!”

The thought of Mamoru improved Usagi’s disposition considerably. “Oh, I’m going on a ride in a row boat with Mamoru-chan later this afternoon! That should be peaceful enough. I mean, what can happen?”

The End

Backward

I put my acknowledgments and thank yous at the end of this story for two reasons. Number one, Japanese books start at where we Westerners would consider the end, so I thought it would be appropriate. Number two, I decided if I put this at the front, no one would read it! (Like anybody is still reading this, anyway! ;>)

Let me start off by saying that one of the difficulties with writing a story with the Sailor Senshi is that there are really three distinct versions of Sailor Moon: the original manga (Japanese comic book), the original anime (Japanese animation) and the edited English-dubbed version of the anime. I like all three and tried to incorporate the best features of each. Those familiar with the three versions can decide if I succeeded or made a hash of the whole thing!

First and foremost, I thank Trent Wolf, the creator of Dominoe. Trent has not only kindly agreed to let me use his wonderful character, but he has been nice enough to read and edit this story, chapter by chapter, as I’ve written it.

Dominoe: Rising Sun contains an “adult” frame, written around The Sailor Senshi Meet Dominoe, by my good friend C. T.. If you are over 18 and not offended by such stories, I suggest you seek this version out.

The Sailor Senshi Meet Dominoe is the first non “adult” Dominoe story. I really appreciate Trent giving me the opportunity to write such a story. In addition, chronologically, this is the “first” Dominoe story, at least for the time being. Again, Trent, thank you!

If you are at least 18 years old and enjoy erotic, action-packed fiction, I highly suggest that you seek out Dominoe’s other stories. They can be found in The Grey Archive and at The Wolf’s Den.

Next I want to thank a couple of writers from The Batgirl Bat-Trap Homepage! HONK! had brought the character of Dr. Daka back to life after he was seemingly killed at the end of the 1943 Batman movie serial. If you’d like to know what happens to the “good” Doctor after the events in my story, check out Evil’s Electrical Embers and A Dose of the Green Hornet’s Sting in the story section of this site.

Mr. Deathtrap has been a never-ending source of encouragement and ideas. He also created the term, “celestial mariners” to describe the Sailor Scouts, which he graciously allowed me to use.

Mark Jackman, the creator of Mystery Hunter Theater 3000, is the one who introduced me to Sailor Moon, via his use of Ami. Because of him I am a lot poorer in the pocketbook, but much richer for discovering the fascinating world of the Sailor Scouts!

Sailor Moon fan sailorpluto_1980 encouraged me at a vital time during this project. She also shared her thoughts about Sailor Moon fan fiction.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Takeuchi Naoko, the creator of Sailor Moon. Her vision is such that her creation can be enjoyed by both young girls and 45 year old men (well, at least one 45 year old man!) Not only that, she seems to encourage fan fiction. Arigato, Takeuchi-sama - - - and please, give us more Sailor Moon!

-twof

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