A world very much like the one we knew, where a few small changes in the events of the past created entirely new pathways. A young heroine didn’t run away from the love of an older woman. A dark power awakened early enough to block the rise of the champions of light. And a prince and defender are reborn in a most unusual and unexpected form. Usagi did a double take when she saw the newspaper, then picked it up eagerly. “Masked Hero!” the banner headline read, and below it the article described the first public appearance of a new costumed adventurer. Apparently, he was called Tuxedo Kamen, but there was only a blurred photo of the dark haired figure. He had helped prevent a robbery, and recovered a stolen gemstone called the Imperial Diamond. ‘Why does that sound so familiar?’ Usagi wondered to herself. She shook her head and smiled broadly. ‘Oh, well, at least there’s another costumed hero around. I almost thought it’d just be me and Sailor V forever!’ Usagi thought, relieved. She bought the paper, and read on avidly, but there seemed to be no other information on this Tuxedo Kamen. She sighed and opened up the comics page. After the day’s classes, Usagi waved ‘bye to Naru, Ami and Makoto and rushed over to her weekly meeting with Minako. She made her way to the up- town apartment, and knocked lightly on the front door. Usagi had only met Sailor V a few months ago, she a young heroine, her the seasoned adventurer, and they had both instantly known the other to be a champion of the moon kingdom. But somehow, they were the only ones. The other senshi they hadn’t been able to awaken, and neither they nor their guardian cats entirely knew why. Newspaper in hand, Usagi hoped the story might cheer her intense idol up. Sakurada Natsuna, Minako’s friend, opened the door and smiled warmly to Usagi as she left for work. “Have a good day,” Usagi wished her cheerfully. Natsuna and Minako lived together in the large apartment, and Natsuna had become an invaluable contact for them within the Tokyo police department. Other than that, Usagi had decided it wasn’t her business. “Minako?” Usagi cried. “In here,” the young woman answered. Minako stepped around the corner smiling at Usagi like an older sister. Understandable, Usagi supposed, Minako was in her early twenties, nearly eight years older than her. “So what’s new?” Minako asked, gesturing Usagi to a comfy chair. She sat down across from Usagi, and Artemis jumped up on the chair beside her, followed at a much slower pace by the very pregnant Luna. The normally slim black cat was obviously round, and seemed to be bigger than the last time Usagi had seen her. “How are you, Luna?” Usagi asked the cat cheerfully, and Luna just shot her a glare. Luna hadn’t taken to her oncoming motherhood very well at all. Artemis just looked embarrassed. “Do you have anything to report?” Luna asked Usagi crabbily. She tried to settle down on a cushion they had set out for her by the couch. Luna was too big to climb up on the chairs, another thing she strongly resented. “We may have an ally,” Usagi said eagerly, passing the newspaper over. Minako read quickly, an odd expression on her face. She slowly put the paper down and leaned back, lost in thought. “What’s wrong?” Usagi asked worriedly. “The negative forces,” Minako began, “have always tried to guarantee their victory, and by whatever means needed. We both know they blocked the awakening of Ami and Makoto, but they also sought out and killed the generals and heroes of the moon kingdom, men like this Tuxedo Mask.” She shook her head, “Endymion was critically injured before I could reach him, and I think he was the last.” Minako remembered the attack vividly, the handsome young man struck down by an agent of the negaverse without any warning or provocation. She had held the dying boy gently in her arms, as he gasped out “Please, protect her... protect her...” and was gone. It wasn’t until she had met Sailor Moon that Minako had at last understood his last request. “So, is this Tuxedo Kamen an enemy?” Usagi asked them worriedly. “Maybe not,” Minako said thoughtfully. “The champion’s spirit may have passed to a new host,” she said. “It’s certainly possible,” Artemis agreed. He looked cautiously over at Luna and asked, “What do you think, Luna?” “Ooohg,” Luna groaned, then got an odd look on her feline face. “I think I feel another case of morning sickness coming on,” she said, heaved herself back up to her feet, and wobbled off, Artemis following her anxiously. Usagi and Minako exchanged amused glances. “Still, I wonder who Tuxedo Kamen could be?” Usagi wondered aloud. At a Shinto shrine on the outskirts of the city of Tokyo, Rei Hino suddenly and without warning, sneezed loudly. “Are you all right, Rei?” her surprised grandfather asked. “I think so,” Rei answered, blinking bemusedly. “Then maybe that short hair is giving you a cold!” he snapped. He continued to sweep with a furious energy. Rei sighed softly and just kept on sweeping. She couldn’t blame him for being angry with her, when she couldn’t explain the new hair cut to him. Of course, she didn’t know where or when she got it cut either! These memory gaps she was having lately were really beginning to worry her. She was losing several hours out of each day, and she couldn’t remember what had happened. And the odd dreams she was having! Every night, dreaming of a woman in white, pleading for her help in a scene from what looked like ancient Rome! But not quite, as she could often see the planet Earth itself, hanging in the distance. She could never see the woman’s face, or understand what she wanted. All Rei really knew was, she was very, very confused. And to make matters worse, there was a school group coming through tomorrow, so the shrine had to be extra clean. They hadn’t had an assistant since Jad had suddenly spontaneously combusted, so it was just she and Grandpa cleaning away. ‘My life sucks,’ Rei thought to herself with a sigh. “My life sucks,” Usagi complained bitterly as the bus stopped outside the shrine. She looked up the long stairway up to the shrine itself, and groaned softly. Makoto chuckled softly at the look on her face and told Usagi, “I’ll give you a cookie when we reach the top.” “Do you really think you can bribe me with food?” Usagi protested indignantly. Makoto just grinned, “Yup.” Usagi looked thoughtful, “You’re right. Come on everybody, last one up’s a rotten egg!” Usagi cried, and galloped up the stairs. Ami smiled and shook her head as she walked up with Makoto at a more reasonable pace. “Remind me again, why are we friends with her?” “Who else can get you away from your books for a while?” Makoto gently teased her. “Or get me out of trouble. Besides, we never would have met without her,” Makoto said, subtly taking Ami’s arm. The blue haired girl blushed softly. They had both been outcasts, the brain and the brawler, when Usagi had met them. Ami still didn’t know why Usagi had decided to bring them into her life, but she was glad Usagi did. Usagi charged up the stairs, only to come to a sudden and painful stop as she ran right into someone! The dark haired girl and Usagi sprawled on the stone walkway, Usagi in her lap. The dark haired girl growled, and Usagi started to cry. “Watch where you’re going!” Rei growled, picking herself up and dusting the seat of her pants off. Usagi sniffled, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you!” “That’s because you were running,” Rei grumbled. She looked Usagi over, and asked “Who are you, anyway?” “Usagi, Miss Grouch,” Usagi answered. “That’s Rei Hino, Meatball Head” Rei corrected. She saw the other students coming up, and Ami and Makoto rushed over to help Usagi up. “Don’t call me that!” Usagi said. “Why not? It’s a perfect description,” Rei answered. Usagi stuck her tongue out at her, and Rei smirked. As Grandpa came up the walk, Rei smiled sweetly and turned to start the tour. Grandpa, the old lecher, was instantly helping the ladies, but Usagi and her friends put him off gently but firmly. As the tour continued, Rei began to notice an odd feeling, when she was around Usagi. Almost as if she recognized her from long ago. From out of the clouds it descended, a delicate flower. Buffeted by winds, it fell unerringly towards its target. It touched the upper branches of the cherry tree and seemed to slide down inside the plant itself. The tree pulsed and flared with an odd, new kind of life as strange energies flowed through it. Rei and Usagi both felt it at the same time: for Rei, it was the spirit of the place crying out in distress, for Usagi, it was that itch she got on the back of her neck whenever there was trouble. Either way, they both soon narrowed in on the tree. “Rei,” Usagi asked quietly, as the entire cherry tree began to move, “is it supposed to do that?” “No way,” Rei answered, as the tree began to pull up out of the ground on it’s own. “That’s what I thought,” Usagi sighed to herself. She stood up straight, and somehow took on an air of authority. “Ami, Makoto, we’d better get everybody out of here! Rei, what’s the fastest way out?” “This way,” Rei said, gesturing. ‘What happened to the crybaby I saw just a little while ago?’ Rei wondered, looking at Usagi. ‘It’s almost like she’s two different people.’ “Rei, can you lead Ami and Makoto out? I’m... going to try to get help.” Usagi said. Before Rei could answer, she ran off into the woods. Rei led the others until they reached the main shrine buildings. “Can you take them down to the street?” Rei asked Ami and Makoto. “I want to make sure your friend’s all right.” “Not a problem,” Makoto answered. Rei nodded and took off. In another part of the woods, Usagi raised her broach and cried “Moon Crystal Power, Make-up!” The broach flared, and shining ribbon exploded from it, even as the wings of an angel swept around her. In moments, Sailor Moon was fully transformed. She reentered the clearing with the tree, and gasped aloud. It almost looked human, female, with the branches as arms and the roots having become it’s legs. ‘Arms, with hands and big claws,’ Sailor moon noted. It noticed her and charged, tearing at the ground where she had been standing a second before. “It’s fast,” Sailor Moon gasped. “Humans must die,” it hissed out of its almost human face, “for the pain of my master! Die!” And it charged again, this time grazing her slightly. Rei stopped, and clutched her chest as if she was in pain. “What’s happening to me?” she choked out, her hand instinctively reaching into her top. She pulled out a single red rose and stared at it in disbelief. She held it above her, and as the memories rushed in, she finally understood the gaps in her memory. The cape came first, swirling around her, then the suit, cane and finally, the hat. “I’m Tuxedo Kamen,” Rei said softly. She felt the pain again, knowing someone was in danger, and went to find its source. Sailor Moon struggled in the creatures grip, pinned against a large tree. “I’ll never give up,” Sailor Moon gasped, and kicked a boot of dirt into it’s face. Blinded monetarily, it reeled backward and never saw the attack coming. The red roses flew from the shadows, followed by a dark clad figure. A sword is drawn from the cane, and suddenly the plant is being fiercely pruned. “Get away from her,” Tuxedo Kamen growled, attacking furiously. “Sailor Moon, are you all right?” “I am now,” Sailor Moon said admiringly. “Venus Crescent Bean, Blast!” Sailor V cried, and blasted the creature away. Sailor V saw, as it fell back, that it’s roots remained connected to the ground. “Cut away the roots,” Sailor V cried, “it feeds on the Earth!” “Right,” Sailor Moon cried. Taking off her tiara, she concentrates, “Moon Tiara Magic!” then throws the shining golden disk to cut through the majority of the roots. The creature howls in pain, a wild blow from a flailing arm sending Sailor Moon flying, and Tuxedo Kamen follows up with a rapid sword strike to sever the remaining roots. The thing struggles, then slows, stiffening until it finally crumbled to dust. “Good job you two,” Sailor V said smiling, then was gone. “Gee, thanks for sticking around, partner,” Sailor Moon grumbled under her breath. She heard Sailor V’s soft laughter in the distance. As she tried to get up, Tuxedo Kamen came over, and smoothly and gently pulled her to her feet. In the same motion, the back of Sailor Moon’s hand was brought to the masked hero’s lips for a gentlemanly kiss. “Thank you,” Sailor Moon managed to breathlessly get out. “I’m glad to help,” Tuxedo Kamen said with a charming smile. Rei had heard of Sailor Moon of course, but it was very different actually meeting her in person. She was strong, tough and oh so very beautiful. ‘What am I thinking,’ a surprised Rei wondered, ‘I’m a girl, I shouldn’t be thinking of her that way.’ Tuxedo Mask turned to go, and Sailor Moon noticed something, a curve where there shouldn’t have been one. ‘Of course, the suit hides it,’ Usagi thought, ‘and I guess nobody’s gotten close enough to see.’ She spoke up quickly, “You’re a woman, aren’t you?” Tuxedo Mask turned back, smiling. “Don’t tell anyone, ‘kay?” she said with an impish grin, and was gone. Usagi stumbled and fell out of the forest, as Ami and Makoto carefully made their way to the battle scene. “What happened to you?” Ami asked worriedly, looking over at the scratched and banged up Usagi. Usagi’s mind raced, and she forced a blush on her face as she replied “I got lost.” Ami and Makoto gave her a disbelieving look. A quiet laugh, as Rei made her way up another trail. “I guess those meatballs cut off the blood from your brain,” she teased. “Well, what happened to you?” Usagi complained. Rei quickly improvised, “I actually got to see Sailor Moon and that masked guy fight that plant monster.” “Tuxedo Kamen, I think he’s called,” Usagi said with a dreamy look. Rei gazed over at her oddly, then shook her head. “Could you take us to here the fight was?” Ami asked. Rei frowned at her, but couldn’t easily back out of doing that, after what she said. She led them over to the clearing, where a pile of dust lay. Ami pulled a small vial from her bag and carefully scooped a bit of dust into it. “Why did you do that for?” Usagi asked, surprised. Makoto smiled, “Ami’s going to take that sample over to her mad- scientist style lab and analyze it, right?” Ami blushed and nodded. “I’m sure this wasn’t natural, so maybe I can find out why it happened.” “Could you tell me what you find out?” Rei and Usagi said almost at the same time. They both glared at each other, while Ami and Makoto looked at them thoughtfully. High above the Earth a figure watches a view screen, anger etched on his face. A female voice says to him “The first test was successful, Master. We can transform the flora of this world into whatever form we may require.” “They must pay for what they did to me,” a male voice murmurs softly, “they must pay for what they did to HIM!” Suddenly, he lashes out, punching the screen and sending glass flying. A pale blue hand is drawn back, green blood pooling in his palm.
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