Hello everyone, I'm back. I really don't have much to say, so
enjoy the stories, and my email is h_chan@sympatico.ca. Any suggestions
or comments would be appreciated.

	Standard disclaimers apply. Most of these characters belong to
Naoko Takeuchi, and I'm just borrowing them for a while.


HEARTS OF DARKNESS
PART II: MEMORIES RE-AWAKENED
by Judson Chan


	Luna slowly opened her eyes. She hated it when Usagi tumbled
her around like that when she got up. The still sleepy cat was sprawled
on Usagi's bed amid the rumpled sheets. The rays of the sun filtered
through the shutters, letting her know that it was morning already.
From downstairs came the sounds of Mrs. Tsukino moving around in the
kitchen. Funny, Luna thought, I'm usually awake before Usagi. . .
	"Everyone, breakfast is ready!" Ikuko called out a bit later.
	"Oh, good. . ." Luna mumbled. Then, it hit her. Breakfast!?
Usagi's up for breakfast on a SUNDAY!? Now fully awake, Luna stared in
near shock at her charge, who was getting dressed and seemed totally
alert. "What's going on here?"
	"Good morning, Luna." Usagi said cheerily.
	"Good *morning*? Normally, the first thing you say on a Sunday
is good *afternoon*!"
	Usagi sweatdropped. "I'm not *that* bad."
	"Oh really?" Luna stretched. "So, why are you up this early?"
	"Well," she chirped, "I came up with this idea to get
Mamo-chan to remember me, and I need time to prepare." She proceeded
to explain her plan to Luna.
	"Do you think it'll work?" Luna asked.
	"Oh, sure it'll work! I mean, it's not like he's under a spell
or anything, right? He just forgot, that's all. . ." I really hope
this works, she thought to herself. I don't know if I can stand being
apart from him much longer. Gods, isn't ten thousand years long enough?
	Luna watched Usagi leave the room, and dimly registered her
family's cries of surprise. She had seen that little flicker of doubt
flash across the girl's eyes, and wanted desperately to reassure her,
to do *something* for her. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could
think of that would work.
	"You're the only one who can do this, Usagi. The bond between
the two of you is strong enough to defy destiny itself." She shook her
head, and followed Usagi downstairs.


	Rei sat absolutely still, eyes closed. Her mind was empty of
all thoughts save those of the great fire burning before her. Normally,
she would have waited to do this later, but her curiosity prevented her
from getting any more sleep. She took a few slow, deep breaths and
plunged her consciousness into the sacred flame. Like in all her
previous sessions, she gradually lost all physical sensations as her
spirit immersed itself in the soothing heat. She heard, saw, and felt
the fire directly in her soul. A great peace descended upon her as her
mind opened totally to the fire, ready to receive its visions.
	* * *
	"Come on, Rei, they'll be here any minute now."
	Rei opened her eyes. She was in a small sitting room that,
judging from the rich tapestries and expensive furniture, obviously
belonged in a palace. Ami, Makoto, and Minako were standing by the
doorway, wearing dresses that were similar to the Moon Princess',
except each Scout wore their own colors. Usagi. . .no, Princess
Serenity was in front of her, her innocent face a mixture of
anticipation and concern.
	"And you tease me about daydreaming." Serenity giggled as Rei
got up. The priestess was wearing a red dress similar in design to the
others'. She followed her friends as they made their way towards the
west wing of what she now recognized as the Moon Palace. They
eventually arrived before a pair of large guarded doors. The soldiers,
recognizing them, opened the doors and bowed respectfully.
	Queen Serenity was already inside, along with the royal
families of all the inner planets. As the five princesses entered the
room, the sigils on the walls and the circle in the middle of the
floor started to glow. A pillar of light surged upwards from the
middle of the room, indicating the completion of the teleport spell.
	Prince Endymion was the first to appear from the column of
light. He went directly to Rei and bowed deeply, then put a comforting
hand on her shoulder. "I'm very sorry, Rei. I know how much he meant to
you. We'll all miss him very much." Unconsciously, Rei had started
weeping. Endymion squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, and then moved
to bow to Queen Serenity and stand beside the Princess.
	Next came four people bearing an open casket. At first, Rei was
shocked to see who they were. The four Generals were completely
different back then, before their corruption by Queen Beryl. Their
eyes reflected sadness and respect, not the cruel arrogance she had
come to expect. They wore the green and blue dress uniforms of the
Earth military, as well as the pendants indicating that they were the
Prince's personal guardians. Apart from Kunzite, the other three still
had the epaulettes of colonels.
	Rei felt a slight jolt. She was suddenly sure that it was one
of the four guardians who had come to her in the garden, in her dreams.
But which one? She could still remember nothing of the face of whoever
that was.
	Then, her attention turned to the casket. It bore the crest of
one of the noble families of the planet Mars, one that was very close
to the royal family. She realized that this was a Hero's Funeral, held
by Queen Serenity in her palace and reserved exclusively to warriors
who have distinguished themselves in battle. Who is that? she wondered.
	As the guardians stepped slowly towards the door, Rei caught a
glimpse of unruly brown hair. Then, everything faded into darkness, as
her spirit returned to her body.
	* * *
	She slowly opened her eyes. "Well, that was useful," she said
sarcastically. "I'm nowhere close to solving this mystery yet." She
stretched and rubbed her neck. "Oh well, maybe tonight I'll find out
more."


	"Is it ready?" Adamantite asked quietly.
	"Yes, my lord," Selenite reported.
	"Good." The dark lord swept his gaze across the troops arrayed
before him. With Peridot were ten chimeras that seemed to come straight
out of a mad scientist's lab. All of them were created through the
fusion of various animals. Adamantite was pleased. While they seemed
like a ragtag bunch, their powers were nothing to laugh at. Those
Sailor Scouts were sure to have their hands full.
	"Go now, Peridot," he ordered. "And make sure to have
conclusive data by the end of the day."
	"Yes, my lord," the general replied. A black portal formed in
front of him, and he and his troops jumped in. The portal disappeared
again, leaving only Selenite and the dark lord in the throne room.
	"I thought he had a week," Selenite remarked, impassive as
usual.
	Adamantite snorted derisively. "A day is amply sufficient. And
besides, I can't give the appearance of being easy, can I?"
	"I suppose not. . ."


	"Mamo-chan!"
	Mamoru turned around. Oh, it's her again, he thought, and
sighed inwardly. Sure enough, he soon received the high speed tackle
which he had expected and braced himself for. He couldn't really
understand how he knew this would happen, though.
	"Hello, Usagi," he said evenly.
	"You. . .you remember my name? Then, does that mean you
remember *us*, too?"
	Mamoru backed away a bit from her star-filled gaze. "Whoa,
calm down there, Meatball Head. Of course I remember your name. You
told me yesterday, didn't you?"
	Usagi seemed crestfallen. "Oh. . .yeah."
	Nervous silence.
	"So, why are you here this morning?" Mamoru asked, more to
break the tension than anything else. He was surprised at how fast she
brightened up.
	Usagi took off her backpack and dug around in it for a bit,
emerging with several pieces of paper. She presented them to him one by
one, explaining all the while.
	"Ten thousand years ago, there was a Princess Serenity from the
Moon and a Prince Endymion from Earth. They were really, really in love
with each other. Then, the evil Queen Beryl attacked the Moon and
killed everyone, but Queen Serenity used the Illusion Silver Crystal
and had all of them reincarnate. . ."
	"Hey, Usagi!"
	Usagi turned around, slightly irritated, as Naru came up to her.
	"Usagi, why are you taking to *him*? I thought you said he was
a creep."
	"He is NOT a creep! I never said that!"
	"Yes, you did."
	"No, I didn't!"
	Naru sighed. "In any case, wanna come and study with me? We
have that test on Tuesday. . ."
	"But Tuesday is *two* days away!" Usagi whined. "Can't we study
tomorrow?"
	"I don't mind, but *you're* the one who needs to study. Or else
you'll get another 30."
	"Don't remind me. . ." Usagi turned around again. "Mamo-chan?
Where are you? MAMO-CHAN!"
	Mamoru winced slightly. Gods, she has a loud voice, he thought.
He had slipped away while Usagi was talking to her friend, his mind
confused. As incredible as her story sounded, he couldn't quite bring
himself to dismiss it as a fairy tale. There was something about it
that struck a chord deep within his memories. He shook his head.
Whatever it was, thinking too hard about it will only give him a
headache. Perhaps later, when he has a chance to relax, he can sort all
of this out.


	Ami decided to cut through the park on her way to the station.
The day was sunny, and many families took advantage of the nice
weather to have some fun. Ami couldn't remember the last time there
were so many children and young couples running around. She
unconsciously raised her face a bit, enjoying the warmth of the sun
and the gentle breeze in her hair. That's when she saw the two girls
standing under the tree, with predatory looks on their faces.
	"Minako, Mako, what are you doing here?" she asked as she got
closer.
	"Boy-hunting before we go to the mall," Makoto answered, her
eyes still intently sweeping the park.
	"Wanna join us?" Minako teased, smiling.
	Ami switched from sweatdropping to blushing. "Actually, Ryo's
coming back today. I was just on my way to the station to meet him."
	"Hey, that's great, Ami!" Makoto exclaimed. "So, will you two
be going steady, then?"
	The two single girls laughed as their friend blushed even
redder. It was so easy to tease Ami. Minako, however, couldn't help
but think that another one of her friends has a boyfriend now, and she
didn't.
	"AAAAHHHH!!"
	The three girls jerked their heads towards the center of the
park. People were screaming and running from *ten* chimeras that had
just appeared out of nowhere. A little boy fell, and one of the
monsters, a goat-headed humanoid panther, approached its hapless
victim.
	"Go transform and call the others," Makoto whispered urgently.
"I'll keep it busy." She ran off before anyone could stop her, the
only person to run *towards* the creatures.
	"Makoto, wait!" Ami yelled, even as Minako pulled her behind a
clump of trees. "You can't fight ten of them alone!"
	The boy sat frozen in terror as the chimera stalked towards
him, its bestial face split in a wide grin. It failed to notice the
tall girl charging down the path, and grunted in surprise as a kick
sent him rolling backwards. The other chimeras turned around,
surprised at the girl's foolishness. Makoto quickly grabbed the boy and
ran. It took only a few seconds for the monsters to decide on their
next prey, and they all rushed after her.
	"SHABON SPRAY!"
	The chimeras skidded to a stop as mist rose up all around them.
They looked around, confused.
	"CRESCENT BEAM!"
	The ray of light struck one creature dead on, knocking it down.
Its comrades rushed towards the source of the beam, but Sailor Venus
had already moved away. That didn't seem to faze them, though. In fact,
several of them started to smile. Now *this* was going to be a good
fight.


	Midway across a street, Mamoru froze. Something was very wrong.
He could feel a growing sense of danger in the back of his head. The
feeling was familiar somehow, and he struggled to remember what it
meant. The sound of a horn made him jump, and he quickly got off the
street.
	It's coming from the park, he thought. Turning suddenly, he
followed this sixth sense to see what was happening.


	Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars both landed on the wall at the
same time. Down in the park, they could see the battle still raging.
Three of the chimeras have been destroyed already, but the advantage
was still theirs. Sailor Jupiter had a hand pressed against her side,
and the others were panting heavily.
	Leaping onto a bench near the battlefield, Sailor Moon struck
her pose.
	"Hold it right there, Negatrash! You think that just because
you outnumber us, you can win? Well think again! For love and justice,
I am the pretty sailor-suited soldier Sailor Moon! In the name of the
Moon, I'LL PUNISH YOU!"
	"Stop talking and start fighting!" Mars yelled as she ran past
her. Sailor Moon stuck her tongue out, and quickly jumped away as one
of the creatures blasted the bench. She landed behind another chimera
and spun around as her hand went to her forehead.
	"MOON TIARA ACTION!"
	At such close range, the monster had no time to dodge and
dissolved in a cloud of dust. Mars tackled a half-lizard, half-bird
thing that was grappling with Venus. The monstrosity prepared to
retaliate, but got fried by Jupiter's attack. The two sides were now
evenly matched.
	A humanoid tiger with bull horns and a reptilian tail jumped
over Mercury and landed right on Sailor Moon, pinning her down. His
cohorts quickly attacked, preventing the other Scouts from helping
their leader. Fear gripped Sailor Moon's heart as she stared at the
slavering maw inches in front of her. I'm done for, she thought. As the
chimera prepared to bite down, her last thought was not of herself, nor
of her friends or family. It was of Mamoru. I'll find you again in our
next life, my love, she promised silently, bracing herself for the
pain.
	It never came. Sailor Moon opened her eyes to see the creature
tumbling back, a rose buried in its face.
	"You will NEVER hurt Sailor Moon as long as I'm alive!" Tuxedo
Kamen shouted as he landed beside Sailor Moon, foregoing his usual
speech. Behind them, another chimera fell in a smoking heap.
	"Tuxedo Kamen! You came!"
	"I will never abandon you, Sailor Moon. Now, let's finish
this."
	"Right."
	With the odds now in the humans' favor, the battle did not
last long. Sailor Moon finished off the wounded tiger, Mars and Venus
blasted another one, and Mercury and Jupiter destroyed one of their
own. The last standing creature found itself face to face with three
Sailor Scouts.
	"FIRE SOUL!"
	"CRESCENT BEAM!"
	"MOON TIARA ACTION!"
	The fight was over. The Scouts detransformed, and Usagi sat
down, shaking slightly. That was so close, she thought. If Tuxedo Kamen
hadn't come. . . Usagi turned around to find that her hero had
disappeared. Did he finally remember? she wondered.
	"Usagi, are you alright?" Ami asked.
	Usagi joined the others. Except for Makoto, the girls were
only tired. The brunette had a cracked rib from one of the chimeras'
fist, which she dismissed as being nothing.
	"I'll just go home and get some rest."
	"No, you won't," Ami objected. "You could seriously injure
yourself if you're not careful. We'll take you to the hospital to have
that taken care of."
	"Umm. . .could you guys go without me?" Usagi asked. "I need
to find Mamo-chan."
	Rei was about to object, but Ami interrupted her and said it
was okay. After Usagi left, Makoto turned to Ami. "Why don't you go
too, Ami? I'll be okay with Rei and Minako."
	Ami hesitated. "Are you sure?"
	Makoto winked at her. "Of course. Now go on, you don't want to
miss Ryo's train."
	As Ami left, Minako's eyes clouded over again. She immediately
shook her head to get rid of the feeling, and silently scolded
herself. They walked slowly down the path leading out of the park.
After they were out of sight, a small green eye detached itself from a
tree and flew back to its master.


	"Well?" Adamantite asked.
	"It worked," Selenite answered. "The fear generated by such a
large group of chimeras was strong enough to provide an energy source.
Coupled with the trace amounts taken from all over Tokyo, we have
gathered more energy in one strike than any of Jadeite's minions."
	"Perfect." The supreme ruler of the dark kingdom stood and took
a crystal orb from somewhere in his armor. Raising it, he spoke a few
inaudible words and watched as the orb filled with energy. His eyes
burned brighter in satisfaction.
	The doors to the throne room opened, and Peridot entered. He
knelt before his master.
	"Congratulations, General Peridot," Adamantite said, his voice
emotionless. "The attack has succeeded in its intended goal. Dare I
hope that *you* did as well?"
	"Yes, my lord. I have found the best target for our plan. We
may proceed at your convenience."
	The dark lord smiled. "Proceed, then, and be discreet."
	"As you say, my lord."
	Selenite watched dispassionately as Peridot disappeared into a
portal. He then bowed to Adamantite and left the throne room via the
shadows in the back.


	Sailor Moon landed silently on the balcony of Mamoru's
apartment. Sure enough, her beloved was inside, sitting on the couch
with his head in his hands. Hearing the door slide open, he looked up.
Sailor Moon was taken aback at the pain on his face.
	"Mamo-chan, are you alright?" She took a step forward.
	"Leave me alone," he snapped, turning away. Sailor Moon stood
there, uncertain as to how to react. Why would he be so mean to her?
	"I said LEAVE ME ALONE! Get out of here, Usagi!" She averted
her eyes from his glare, missing the sudden expression of shame that
overtook him. Sobbing, she leapt from the balcony and disappeared.
Mamoru stared after her, his pain greater than ever.
	I'm such an idiot, he thought bitterly. It wasn't her fault. I
shouldn't have taken it out on her.
	He sighed. When he had arrived at the park and seen the Sailor
Scouts in battle, the rest of his memories clicked in place. He didn't
think about it then, he just reacted and joined the fight. Afterwards,
however, the full realisation of one particular memory struck him and
left his mind a raging mess of pain and humiliation. He had wanted
desperately to forget again, right about the time Sailor Moon came, and
he took his frustration out on her.
	He buried his face in his hands again. What was he going to do
now? He would continue to help the Scouts as Tuxedo Kamen, of course.
There were no problems there. But what about his relationship with
Usagi? After what had happened to him, he wasn't sure he could deal
with it, but he didn't want to lose her, either.
	"What do I do now?" he asked no one in particular, and
despairing at ever finding the answer himself. "WHAT DO I DO!?"


	Sailor Moon climbed back into her room from the window, using
the same route Luna took whenever she left on her own. She didn't pay
attention to her guardian's greeting as she detransformed and collapsed
onto the bed, crying.
	What is going on? she asked herself worriedly. He came to help
us, didn't he? So he must still care for me. . .and he remembered how
to become Tuxedo Kamen. Or maybe. . .maybe that's all he remembers, and
he only came to help us because we were just people who needed
help. . .no, I know that's not it. . .he called me Usagi when I was
still Sailor Moon! Yes! He must remember us now, but. . .but why did he
tell me to leave? Doesn't he love me anymore? Was it something I did?
It can't be because I'm a poor fighter. . .I've improved a lot since I
began. . .but my room's a mess, and I can't cook, and I don't pay
attention at school, and all I'm good at is playing video games. . .
no, it can't be that, he probably doesn't even know those things. . .
well, except for the school part, but still. . .he won't dump me for
that, right? He's probably just shocked by all the memories coming
back all at once, he'll be okay after a bit. . .and here I am worrying
over nothing. . .Rei would yell at me for being childish if I ever
told her. . .wait, what if that's it? Does he think I'm just a child?
Does he think I'm too young for him? Dad keeps saying that. . .what if
he's right? NO! I'll prove them wrong. I'll show them that I'm old
enough to be with Mamo-chan, old enough to love. . .I've gone through
too much to let this stop me. . ."AAAAHHHH! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE
DOING, LUNA!"
	"I thought I was going to have to *bite* you to get your
attention." Luna disentangled her paws from Usagi's hair and faced the
distraught young girl. "Now, what was that all about, Usagi? I swear,
your face went through more contortions than a circus act."
	"I. . ." Usagi's voice was subdued again. "I just came back
from Mamo-chan's apartment. I think he remembers everything now,
but. . .he kicked me out. . ."
	Luna nearly flipped at that. "WHAT!? He can't do that! He loves
you!"
	"Does he? I'm just fourteen, Luna. What if he thinks I'm too
young, like my Dad always says. . ."
	"Usagi, you've never let that get to you before, so don't you
start now."
	"It's not just that. Gods know I'm not the perfect girl. I'm
lazy, I'm messy, I eat too much, I don't study enough. . . You should
know, Luna, you're the one who keeps telling me these things."
	Luna looked directly into Usagi's eyes, certain as to the
answer to this argument. "And I don't love you any less for that.
Neither do the girls, nor your parents, and I don't see any reason why
*he* wouldn't accept you despite all that."
	Usagi stared back, not knowing what to say.
	"And besides, I think you're placing too much blame on
yourself. You used to do that a lot back in the Silver Millenium. . .
and so did he. Have you considered the possibility that *he's* the one
who doesn't think he deserves you?"
	Usagi was shocked. "How can you say that, Luna? Of course he
deserves me. It's me who. . ."
	"And he would have said the same thing about you," Luna cut in.
	Usagi was about to reply, but couldn't think of anything
better to say. Luna might be right, she thought. Maybe he's blaming
himself for something. . . I have to go see him again. She got up and
prepared to transform. It was too late to make it to his place on foot
without being late coming back, and she didn't want her parents to
know anything just yet.
	"MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE UP!"
	Nothing happened.
	"Usagi, what's wrong?" Luna asked.
	"I don't know." Before either of them could say anything else,
a bright pink glow surrounded Usagi, lifting her into the air. A
moment later, she was gone, leaving an astonished Luna staring at an
empty spot in the room.


	Jadeite's consciousness floated in a black void. All around
him was nothingness. There was nothing here with him, nothing to see,
nothing to feel, just the same oppressive silence he had experienced
ever since his imprisonment. Except this time, something was
different. . .
	"Finally awake, Jadeite?"
	A voice. After so long, he almost couldn't understand that he
was hearing something. His mind once more alert, he reached out with it
across the void, trying to locate the voice.
	"Do you remember now?"
	The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and it was
strangely echoing itself. As he thought about the question, Jadeite
found that he could indeed remember; he recalled his entire life of
more than ten millenia, from his childhood on Earth until his final
fight with the Sailor Scouts and his imprisonment by Beryl. He
shuddered slightly at the memory of some of the things he did in the
interval.
	"But that won't happen again. Beryl's spell is broken. You are
free."
	"Free?" Jadeite asked mentally. "How can I be free when my
body is still in this crystal?"
	"There are people out there who will help you, when the time
is right. Remember. . .you know who they are."
	"The Sailor Scouts. . ."
	"Yes."
	"But why would they help me? I *was* their enemy, after all."
	"You can answer that question yourself." A pause. "I must
leave you now. Rest well, my friend, for your fighting days are not
over yet."
	The presence was gone. Jadeite could find nothing in the void
other than his own spirit. As he relaxed his mind, he found that he
indeed had the answer to his own question. The memory of her brought
back a sense of peacefulness to his tired soul, and more importantly,
a feeling of love.
	Back in his crystal tomb, Jadeite's lips silently formed the
name "Rei", then settled into a smile. . .


	All around her stretched an endless landscape of ruins. Piles
of broken stones lay about randomly, here and there a few columns
still stood. . .and overlooking all of this, the starry dome of space.
	Usagi looked around. She was sitting in a fetal position on
the ground, and naked, but somehow that last fact failed to bother her.
Something was coming, she could feel its presence washing over her
like a gentle wave.
	In front of her, a globe of white light appeared, and
materialized itself into the form of a woman. She was tall and
beautiful, gowned in white, her silvery hair done in the same
"meatball head" style as Usagi's. She was looking at Usagi, and her
entire being radiated the love she felt at the moment.
	"Mother. . ." Usagi whispered, awed. She rose to her feet, and
mother and daughter embraced for a long time. When they finally pulled
apart, Usagi realised that she was wearing her Moon Princess gown.
	"You have done well, my child," Queen Serenity said. "You have
surpassed all expectations I ever had of you."
	"But it's not over yet, is it?"
	"I'm afraid not, my daughter. The dark kingdom is still a
threat to your world, and your battles have but begun. But fear not.
Your love will triumph over any obstacle."
	"My love. . . Mother, do you know what's wrong with Mamo-chan?"
	Queen Serenity's expression turned to sadness. "Yes, my dear.
That is one of the reasons why I brought you here." She extended her
hand above her head, and Sailor Moon's Crescent Moon Wand appeared.
Before Usagi's eyes, the Silver Crystal detached itself from the wand,
which faded into nothing. The Crystal glowed brightly and transformed
into a brooch, floating down into Usagi's hands.
	"The Silver Crystal is now held within this clasp," Queen
Serenity told her. "To transform, hold up the brooch and say 'Moon
Crystal Power, Make Up'." The queen stretched out her hand, and a rod
with a crownlike top appeared in it. "This is your Moon Scepter, to be
used against your new enemies. To activate it, use the words 'Moon
Princess Halation'."
	"Thank you, Mother." Usagi held the Scepter and brooch. She
could feel their power surging through her body, but right now it
failed to reassure her.
	"I know that you are worried about the Prince," Queen
Serenity said. "Endymion is waging a battle of his own, against the
memories of his time serving Queen Beryl. He will need your help if he
is to survive unscathed."
	"I'll do anything for him," Usagi stated quickly. The queen
nodded.
	"I know, my daughter. And this is what you must do. . ."


	Mamoru stood up from the couch, feeling sore all over. Watching
television from the same position for one hour did nothing to help him
escape his emotional pain. In fact, nothing he did could shut it out.
Am I going to live the rest of my life with it? he asked himself. A
deeper, more ancient part of him asked, How long would the rest of your
life be without Usagi? He did not want to think about the answer.
	Just then, the doorbell rang. He opened the door. Standing
before him was Sailor Moon, wearing a new brooch and holding a Scepter
he had never seen before. That wasn't what captured his attention,
though. Her poise was relaxed and confident, and her eyes absolutely
shone with love for him, a love so pure that he nearly lost himself in
it.
	"Don't worry, Mamo-chan," she said softly. "I'll heal you of
all the pain you're feeling now. I promise you, together we'll survive
anything. . ."


	Minako let herself in the front door quietly. Artemis wasn't
home, and her parents wouldn't be coming back for a while. She had the
house all to herself. Only myself, she thought sadly. All alone.
	She glanced at the living room table and saw an envelope lying
there. Her heart sped up when she saw what was written on it. A secret
admirer? For me?
	She opened the envelope. Inside were a folded note and a modest
diamond ring.

	Dear Minako,

		I've been in love with you from the moment I saw you.
	I finally found the courage to tell you about it now. Please,
	meet me at the park tonight, at 7:00. The ring is but a small
	token of my boundless adoration.

						Your secret admirer

	She couldn't believe it. Finally, someone who wanted to be with
*her*. Granted, the note was a little strange, but it didn't sound
insincere. Maybe he's just a clumsy writer, she thought. She looked at
the ring. It was rather plain, but that didn't bother her either. If
someone can give her a ring before they even met, he was sure to shower
her with affection afterwards. Humming happily to herself, she went up
to her room, lost in her daydreams.


To be continued. . .