Song Of Hope: Ahhhhhhhh, sorry for the late update! I've been busy with a lot of different things, but I'm ready with the next chapter! Also someone asked me when I told them about this, and so if this ever DID have an opening theme, it would be the same as Season 5, the Sailor Stars song because it fits the theme of this whole story perfectly, but it would definitely have different animation. R&R

"So what's your plan," asked Ash as she held a sphere full of smoke and fire. "You've made this whole big thing about taking over, and yet you haven't done anything yet. It's been two days."

"I've been crafting a plan," chuckled Strike, holding a ball of dark, crackling lightning that collected together in his palm. "I'm sure it's going to work. I've been, let's say I've been experimenting." He held out his hand, showing a small, black object that was small, round and ovular. "I call this a Dark Seed. It'll collect small amounts of passion for us and create more on its own that will gather more energy, so that way we don't have to keep wasting fire to create the Xulus. This is going to change everything."

"Rin Pyou Tou Sha Kai Chin Retsu Zai Zen." Rei watched the fire, but didn't see anything in the dancing flames. "There's nothing the flames can tell me about her. I can't get even the faintest hint of a message from the flames." She stood up, staring intensely at the fire. "I can't even get the slightest movement to tell me anything. It's foreboding for sure."

"Rei-chan," called her grandpa, "we're out of milk!" Her eyebrow started to twitch.

"We had a whole carton of it yesterday," she grumbled. "What happened to it?"

"I drank it of course," he replied as he came into the room. "Can you go to the store and get more?"

"I'll go," she replied as she turned around with an accusing finger, "but you need to stop drinking so much milk! The doctor said it's not good for your stomach!"

"I'm not worried about what he said," he laughed. "Now come on, the day isn't getting any younger!"

Rei was packing up her stuff from class, two of her classmates whispering behind her.

"Have you heard," asked one girl to the other, "that Brooke's got really good fortune telling skills?"

"You mean the girl from Australia," asked the other with a little shock. "Does that mean she does voodoo?"

"That's not right at all," said the other girl. "She uses tarot cards!"

"Tarot cards," repeated the other girl. "What are those?"

"I don't know," she answered, "but I've heard that they're so good, she can even tell you who you're destined to be with!"

"Maybe I should get a love reading done," laughed the second girl. "It sounds like a lot of fun!" Rei couldn't help but think on that.

"Tarot cards, huh?"

"Tarot cards aren't something I know much about," Rei sighed, eyes closed as she walked through the shopping district after school, rubbing her head in frustration. "This is so annoying! I don't know anything about this kind of stuff! It's a whole different kind of fortune telling and I don't even know where to start!" She crashed into someone, falling back and landing on her backside. "Ow!"

"Jesus Christ!" Rei looked over and saw Brooke, rubbing her head while on the ground, arm behind her to support her. It looked like cards were scattered around her, starting to blow away. "Oh no!" She started trying to grab them, putting them together in a deck so she didn't loose track of them.

"Are these tarot cards," Rei asked herself as she started helping, managing to grab 5 cards. "Here, these are yours, right?"

"Oh thanks," said Brooke with a smile, looking at her. "Hey, you're Rei, right? From my school?"

"Brooke-san?" She handed Brooke the cards. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, this is the shopping district," Brooke laughed. "I'm here to shop."

"I just thought you were still reading fortunes at school," Rei replied as she got up, helping Brooke stand up herself. "I heard you stay after school to read other people's."

"Is that what people are saying," she asked with a laugh. "Look, I do tarot, but I don't just spend my time reading fortunes! Actually, it's really just a thing I do to relieve boredom. My dream is really to be a world class athlete."

"An athlete?" Rei smiled with a small laugh. "Never pegged you for that type. Especially considering your interest in animals. You're always talking about the ones in Australia."

"That's not an interest," she said, holding up a finger with a serious look on her face. "You have to know about all kinds of critters there! Even the nicest looking things can be deadly! I once saw a little boy tourist almost get killed by a dingo because he thought it was a regular dog and tried to pet it! It's for survival!" Rei's face went blue as her eyebrow twitched, backing up a couple of steps.

"Is, is that so?" She chuckled awkwardly. "How interesting…"

"You know," said Brooke with a smile, holding up the cards Rei had handed her, "they say that there's no such a thing as chance. You grabbed five cards, which is perfect for a reading. Want to know what they say about you Rei?"

"I'm," Rei looked around, a little put off by the sudden change. "I'm not really sure… I don't know much of anything about tarot." Suddenly, it hit her. "Wait a minute. Maybe she might be able to see whatever it is I can't, but if she's an enemy it could be misleading. It could be a way for her to get something from me. But still, I can at least try." Her face became resolved. "Alright, I'll let you tell me."

"That's a good answer," said Brooke with a smile before looking at the cards and holding up the first one. "The Tower, right side up. It suits you perfectly, according to the cards. It's a card that embodies conflict."

"Conflict?" She frowned. "That's hitting a little too close to home."

"This is interesting." Brooke held up the ten of wands. "The wands are the suit of fire, full of spirituality and passion. This makes it look like you're the kind of person who takes on all of the burden and tries to do everything yourself." She held up the five of swords. "The five of swords. Hm, not good right side up or upside down. You're in the middle of a conflict, and feel like you have to win no matter the costs."

"This is too close," Rei thought with a worried look. "Does she have genuine powers like me?" She put on a fake smile. "So that's the first three. What do the last two say about me?"

"Hm." Brooke held two of them, the World and the Moon, a confused look on her face. "I'm not sure which one of these comes first, the World or the Moon since you handed them to me with both of them facing each other. It could mean something different depending on which one you grabbed first. If it's the Moon then the World, then it means you'll go through something awful before the storm turns into peace, or the conflict will be resolved, with a worse storm coming afterwards." The alarms went off heavily in Rei's head.

"And you don't know which one came first?"

"I don't," she said with a shrug, putting the cards away before rubbing a ring on her right ring finger as she looked to the side. The ring itself was golden, with a gray gemstone set in it, shaped like a star. "I'm sure things will be fine though." She looked downwards at her cards. "I'd do another reading, but the energy of my cards is off. Guess I need new ones. They haven't been recharging lately."

"That ring." She could help but notice it, feeling something familiar. "It looks familiar. Where did you get it?"

"Uh," Brooke's head snapped up, "I don't… really remember where I got it. I'm sorry Rei, but I have to go. At least that's the feeling I'm getting right now. Anyways, bye." She had a focused look on her face as she walked off.

"What was that," asked Rei as she turned, sighing as she started to walk off again. "I should ow-!" She bumped her shoulder really hard into someone. "Great, I hit someone else because I was distracted." She put on an apologetic smile as she turned to say sorry. "I'm really sorry about-" Rei stopped, unable to do anything but stare at the girl who turned towards her. She looked to be about the same age as Rei, with midnight blue hair that had been styled into a loose braid, with matching eyes that looked a little mysterious and a golden pair of star shaped earrings. She wore a short red dress with dark blue lace around her bust and as the straps, with a purple off the shoulder long-sleeved top underneath and a pearl necklace with a hanging ice blue pendant. Underneath her dress she had knee length purple leggings and black shoes with heels.

"It's alright," said the girl she bumped into with a smile. Her voice was a little deep, almost sultry as she spoke. "Just keep in mind you need to watch where you're going, alright? Try not to be distracted when you walk around. And don't worry so much. It's not good for your health."

"A-Alright," stuttered Rei, blushing as the woman turned and walked away. She shook her head before running off. "Who the hell was that girl?!" She stopped and turned around. "Why did she look so familiar too?" She came to stop, sighing. "What is up with everything today?" She noticed a lot of noise by her. She turned and saw what looked like a mystical shop. "Is this a new store?" She frowned. "New usually means something bad whenever there's a new enemy." She walked into the store and saw people looking at all different kinds of things, crystals, herb mixes, cards, talismans, things of all sorts. "It seems like a specialty shop for sure. I didn't know so many people were into this stuff."

"There's always an interest in the occult." Rei felt a dark presence as she turned around to see a smiling girl with black lipstick, purple eyeshadow and green hair pulled into low hanging pigtails. "Welcome to my shop! I'm Hanakuro, the owner! Do you have an interest in the occult?"

"She has a dark energy," she thought with a frown before smiling. "Well, I don't really do anything with the occult. I work more with Shinto than anything and that's the belief I have."

"I see," said Hanakuro with an understanding nod. "Well, my shop has stuff for all kinds of spiritualities, but the occult seems to be what everyone's been coming for for the past couple of days."

"How long have you been open," asked Rei with a worried frown.

"Oh, I've I opened this shop a few years ago," said Hanakuro with a small smile as she looked at the customers who were looking at items, "but recently people have been coming here for more protective charms. People keep going in and out of consciousness lately, and they think it's something supernatural. Of course, I don't think it's anything like that, but I know telling them that won't make anyone feel better, so for now, upping my stock and making more charms is all I can do for them."

"She doesn't come off as dark," Rei thought with a frown, "but I definitely feel something off about her."

"So if you're Shinto were you looking for charms," asked Hanakuro, catching Rei's attention.

"Actually I just wanted to see what this was," Rei said, "I don't remember seeing this shop here before."

"Well I've never been this popular before," Hanakuro chuckled. "If something catches your eye, let me or my employee at the register know and we can give you more information!"

"I wonder where Rei-chan is," pondered Usagi as she put a spoon into her parfait, Luna sitting in her lap.

"Well, she does have a lot farther to come to get here now," Makoto pointed out. "It'll take her longer to get here."

"She'll get in contact with us if anything happens," said Minako, pointing at her own watch as Artemis nosed open the basket he was in.

"That's true," said Usagi, "but you and Mako-chan were both attacked. I can't help but be worried."

"With the Zodiac Sailor Guardians around," said Ami with a smile, "I think we'll be fine. I don't know if you have your reservations about them still, but after having them help us so much, I can't help but trust them."

"Well I definitely know they're here to help," said Makoto, "and I don't think they're evil or anything, but I still don't trust them completely. There's definitely still something they're not telling us."

"I mean, we're keeping things from them too though," Minako reminded them. "They know a lot about us, but they don't know who we are yet. They also don't know about the real kind of power of influence that Usagi has yet. If they're from somewhere else in the galaxy, then they might know about the Moon Princess, but that was thousands of years ago, and the chances are high that they weren't even alive during that time. I mean, how much longer can other people live? In our first lives, we only lived about 1000 years, so why would they live any longer?"

"That's true," said Ami, "but when I tried to run a simulation of the Silver Millennium star charts, only one star of the Zodiac existed, and that was Regulus, the brightest star in Leo."

"What?" Makoto blinked. "So then, do you think that they're a new kingdom? It wouldn't surprise me. It's not like I'm a star expert or anything."

"That's called astrophysics," said Ami. "Honestly, maybe we should start looking into that. It might help us understand them better."

"Nothing on Earth can make the kind of observations we need though," said Luna. "There's never been any indication from Earth technology that there's any life on stars, and it there is, then their technology shields them from us."

"I'm starting to think they aren't who they say they are though," Artemis. "We saw Sailor Taurus get badly burned all over her body, plus Sailor Cancer got burned from the flame she recovered and sailor Libra got burned from Minako-chan's flame. I think that there's something else going on. Stars are incredibly hot, so unless the flames of passion are somehow hotter than stars, it shouldn't burn them."

"That's a good point," said Minako, lacing her fingers together as she rested her chin on them. "It could be codenames. We still don't know for sure. They say they're from the zodiac, but how can we know that for sure? Not to mention, the stars of the zodiac are incredibly far spread, so how would they be able to work together when they're so far away?"

"Maybe we can just ask them," suggested Usagi as she took a bite of her desert. "I mean, they seem pretty reasonable to me!"

"I doubt we'd get answered that easily," said Ami. "It's not that I don't trust them, but they seem to have their reasons for hiding things. I don't know if we'll get any answers from them by asking directly."

"We can at least try," said Usagi before frowning. "Rei-chan still isn't here though."

"We can try calling," said Makoto as she drew a circle around her watch before opening it. "Rei-chan." It seemed to open, beeping for a few seconds until the watch shut itself. "Huh. She didn't pick up. That's odd." Usagi stood up, her desert gone.

"Let's go. She should be somewhere on the way to here."

Brooke met up outside of a shop with Ginnoko and Kinnoko, who were having a debate on tech.

"If we use a crystal core on this it'll overload," argued Kinnoko. "There's no way that it's going to work!"

"But the processing speed will go through the roof," Ginnoko shot back. "We can at least try!"

"This isn't our computer," Kinnoko reminded her. "We have to take care of it and not experiment!"

"In another debate," asked Brooke with an easy going smile. "Sounds like you're at odds on another project."

"Gin-nee-chan wants to update Ami-chan's computer with a crystal core," sighed Kinnoko, "but the crystals that they use and that we use are completely different and ours will destroy hers."

"But if we rebuild the circuitry then we can do it," Ginnoko insisted. "It'll let her do so much more!"

"And raise too many questions if we can even use things from here to do it," said Brooke. "Anyway, I just wanted you guys to let Aya and Mes know I'd be getting back a little late. I think I found a lead."

"A lead," they said in synch. "What kind?"

"Well," she looked at her deck, "I think it has to do with Rei Hino. I'm going to her shrine later, after I go to that shop I've been hearing about. My cards are getting used a lot and I don't think they'll last much longer. Being here, it's really messing up their energy and it's getting harder and harder for me to do any serious, complicated readings, so I need to find new cards with good energy from here in order to do more detailed or serious readings."

"You could just go home and tell her yourself," snickered Kinnoko. "I bet you're up to something."

"Nope," laughed Brooke, holding up The Lovers. "You guys were just the closest."

"You're lazy," they both replied with flat faces.

"Next time just find her yourself," said Ginnoko with a sigh. "You could've also used your crystal."

"Forgot it at home," she replied with a shrug. "You two were my best option here."

"You need to work on your awareness," said Kinnoko. "You're never paying attention and you don't care enough."

"Whatever." She shrugged. "Can you just let her know please?"

"I'm not feeling anything from these charms," said Rei with a frown, looking at all of them. "Maybe whatever I'm feeling is wrong." She turned towards the shop owner, who seemed to be nothing but smiles as she helped other customers. "She doesn't seem like a bad person, but there's this darkness I feel coming off of her." She could help but notice a ring a lot like Brooke's, but with a moonstone gem in the center. "Huh, this looks a lot like Brooke's ring."

"Did that catch your attention," asked Hanakuro as she stepped up behind Rei. "That's moonstone. It's known to be cleansing, as well as help boost psychic powers, according to stories. Usually I put it on necklaces, but my new employee suggested trying it on rings and bracelets and the ones he made seem to be doing well, so I made ones like that one myself." She smiled and gave a wave to the employee in question, a smiling man with pale green hair and dark eyes, who waved back with an easygoing smile.

"It boosts psychic abilities," asked Rei with a little disbelief. "That sounds too good to be true."

"Well it just boosts them," Hanakuro said, obviously feeling a need to clarify as she held it up. "Nothing here will give anyone any sort of powers. While you can perform rituals of sorts and use the stuff here, when you think about fortune telling, telepathy, pyrokinetics, nothing here will give you that ability. It'll just make it stronger and more capable. If you're unsure though, you can try it and you'll get a full refund if you don't end up liking it."

"That's generous," said Rei as she grabbed the ring, looking at it with a little suspicion. "It looks valuable though."

"It's not all that valuable," chuckled Hanakuro with a little bit of humility. "It's just a ring after all."

"This sounds like a hoax," Rei thought with a frown. "There's no way there's something that convenient, is there?"

"So, would you like to buy it," asked Hanakuro. "It's only ¥300."

"¥300?" Rei looked in her purse. "I think I can spare that."

Brooke was in the shop, looking at different tarot decks.

"Something about all of these feels wrong," said Brooke with a frown as she looked at all the tarot decks before settling her hand on one of them, opening it up and looking at the cards with a little shock. "But these-"

"Don't these look lovely," asked the other employee with a smile, holding up a tarot deck that was decorated with gold and silver details. "These are on sale and they have great energy."

"Uh, no thanks," said Brooke as she took a step back. "I actually like the energy of these ones better."

"Are you sure," asked the shop employee with a small frown. "I made these ones myself."

"Oh," said Hanakuro as she came up from behind Brooke with a smile on her face, "you have a nice eye for cards. I made those a couple weeks ago, and I don't think any of my other cards can compare. None of the decks I've made since have had that kind of energy. I haven't had much inspiration for them lately, and I never make the same deck twice, but those ones are really special. It's the best deck I've ever made."

"These designs sure are interesting," said Brooke with a smile. "I'll take it."

Usagi, Makoto, Ami, Minako, Luna, and Artemis were walking by the shopping district, with a worried look on Usagi's face.

"This is the way that she would take from school to the fruit parlor, right," said Usagi, turning to Ami, who nodded.

"She would have to come this way," said Ami, "unless she wanted to go through other people's neighborhoods."

"Is that shop new," asked Makoto, pointing at the shop Rei had been in earlier. "I don't remember seeing it before."

"Nah, that place has been there a while," Minako said with a dismissive tone. "It's gotten popular since the Xulus came, but a lot of shops like this have been getting popular lately. I guess people lean on the supernatural when there's thing they can't explain."

"It makes sense," said Luna. "No one aside from us knows why all these people are collapsing. They're gonna do what they can to protect themselves."

"Maybe someone here saw Rei," said Makoto. "We should try asking. We're already halfway to her school and haven't seen her."

"Look at her," said Artemis, motioning towards Brooke as she came out. "She's got Rei's uniform, maybe she knows where she is since they go to the same school."

"Excuse me," Ami asked Brooke, walking up to her, "but have you seen Rei Hino? She goes to your school and she was supposed to meet up with us."

"Rei?" Brooke rubbed her chin, thinking about earlier. "I think she went that way." She pointed behind them. "I ran into her earlier and that's the way she was heading. I had just-"

"Thanks," interrupted Minako as they turned around. "Come on guys, we'll look this way!" They all started running off, leaving Brooke in shock as she reached out her hand.

"W-Wait…" It was too late, they were already gone. "But she might not even be that way… I saw her like an hour ago..." She pulled her hand back, biting her thumbnail. "Rei might be back at her home after that fortune I gave her." She started to shuffle her new cards. "Maybe I should see if she's there and tell her that her friends are looking for her."

Rei sat in front of the sacred fire, the new ring now on her finger.

"Let's see if this works." She closed her eyes, folding her hands together. "Rin Pyou Tou Sha Kai Chin Retsu Zai Zen." She looked up at the fire and saw a dancing image of a dark figure. "This is completely new!" She watched carefully as the dark figure extended their arms, sending out what looked like dark fire. "Is this my first look at the Eternal Entropy?"

"Hello sir," said Brooke with a smile at Yuichiro, who was sweeping the yard, "but I was wondering if you knew where Rei Hino was. Her friends are looking for her and wanted to know where she was. Is there any chance that she's here?"

"Oh, she's here," chuckled Yuichiro, "but I don't know if she's up for visitors right now. She's tending to the sacred flame again and trying to get a reading."

"That's actually another reason I came," said Brooke. "I gave her a reading of my own but it was incomplete. I didn't have a chance to finish it properly because of my card's energy."

"I'm not going to pretend I understand any of this," he said nervously, "but I can't let you in. I'll let her know you're here to see her though."

"That would be great," said Brooke with a smile. "Just tell her it's Brooke Gardener from school!"

"Oh, are you an exchange student," asked Yuichiro. "I heard about you. You're from Australia, right? What's the Outback like? Ever seen a kangaroo?"

"That's a stereotype," frowned Brooke. "I'm from Sydney, not the Outback. Not to mention I've never even seen a kangaroo. Now dingoes and magpies, I've seen those and they're terrifying! We've got an entire season in Australia where magpies attack everyone and we all have to try not to die!" That left Yuichiro shaking.

"Is that so?"

"But enough about Australia," laughed Brooke. "Can you please get Rei? I really do need to talk to her, for her sake."

"Rei-san," said Yuichiro, outside the room of the sacred flame where Rei was watching things intensely. "A girl from your school is here named Brooke Gardener. She said your friends are looking for you, and she wanted to finish her reading?"

"Brooke?" She turned towards the door a bit. "She's here? Alright, I'm almost done. I'll be out in a minute." She looked back towards the flame, the vision gone. "Dammit, I've lost my concentration." She stood up. "I'm coming. Can you bring her to the living room?"

Rei sat at a small table across from Brooke, who was shuffling a card deck.

"You said Usagi-chan and everyone else was looking for me," asked Rei. "I don't know why they-" she stopped as it hit her. She hit herself in the forehead. "That's right, we were supposed to meet at the fruit parlor! With what happened earlier, I completely forgot!"

"It's alright," said Brooke with a smile. "I understand why. It seems like a lot's going on right now. Especially with that fortune I read earlier." She started to frown. "She has a strange energy now, one she didn't have before. I wonder where it came from."

"So then," said Rei, a clearly worried look on her face, "do you know the answer to which one came first? The Moon or the World?"

"That's what we're here to find out," said Brooke as she started shuffling her cards. "I would've done the reading without you, but in order for them to work properly, I need you here thinking about the question you're asking. Earlier was a situation of coincidence, but it won't work twice unless we're together."

"I see." She looked at the celestial design on the back of the cards. "That's not the deck you were using earlier."

"Let's just say that deck won't work here," said Brooke with a small smile. "Tarot cards rely on the energy of the universe. The cards themselves also have their own energy. If you're in tune with the spiritual, then this should be easier to read. Just make sure your mind is clear and you focus on the answer you want." She smiled at her. "I know you were still worried after the reading was inconclusive, so make sure you have the right question in mind. And make sure when you're asking, you think about those last two cards."

"The right question in mind," repeated Rei thoughtfully, hand under her chin as she looked down. "What's the question I want to ask here? I have to be very careful about how I phrase it. She could be the enemy, so I need to phrase it without giving anything important away." She thought for a bit more before smiling to herself. "I've got it." She looked back up at Brooke, folding her hands in her lap. "Will everything turn out alright in the end for the people I love?"

"An interesting question," said Brooke with a small smiled, placing two cards face down on the table. "Well then, let's see what your future holds." Brooke went to flip over the first card, only for it to be the Moon, upside down. This card had two wolves howling at a shining, golden crescent moon, a river between them as it lead to a lake with a shimmering woman with long, flowing hair floating above the lake. The next card was the World, with a woman with long, flowing hair wrapped loosely in a cloth.

"That's good, right?"

"It's conditional," Brooke replied as she picked the cards up, holding up the Moon specifically so Rei could look at the upside down card. "You'll never be able to stop this issue, whatever it is, as long as you hold onto your fear and hold this burden on yourself. You and everyone else involved, you need to stop being so afraid and trust that everything will turn out alright. When you think things will be fine, then they will be. Otherwise," she turned the card right side up, "everything will end in disaster. But I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"That's so nonchalant," Rei said, clenching her fists. "How can anyone take that kind of an approach to such a serious situation?"

"And what exactly is this situation," asked Brooke with an annoyed frown, which shut her up real quick. "Tell me or don't, but worrying about everything and being afraid doesn't help anything. Fear is natural, and it keeps us alive, but you can't let it control you. You come off as a warrior to me, but how can you fight if you're letting fear take hold? Fear clouds more vision than just your perception." Brooke stood up, putting her cards away. "I only came because you seemed worried about your reading, and I had some info to pass on." She turned around, walking out.

"What right does she have to lecture me on fighting," Rei asked, face red as she stood up and stomped towards the sacred flame. "What does she know about me at all?! I'm the Sailor Guardian of Fire and War, I know more than anyone about fighting!" She started doing her chant in front of the fire, Brooke's words replaying in her head over and over again. "Let go of fear, like that's so easy for her to say!" She looked at the fire, seeing nothing and only hearing the words that Brooke said.

"Fear clouds more vision than just your perception."

"But what if she's right?" Rei sighed, slumping where she sat, thinking back on the dreams she had when the Silence almost took them. "I was afraid then. And I'm still afraid now." She took in a deep breath before growling again, making hand motions like she was ripping up a piece of paper. "Oh, this is just stupid!" She stood up, walking out. "I need to go clear my head!"

"It's quiet out here," Rei said quietly as she walked through the park in the moonlight. "Ever since the Xulus started attacking, people have been more afraid to go out than ever before." She stopped, sighing and grabbing her forearm as she stared up at the sky. "They take people en mass, and it's almost terrifying how they go after so many people at once. It's the worst threat we've ever faced." She noticed someone walking past her, and it draw the attention of her eye. She turned around and saw a man walking away with short blonde hair. "That's odd, I get the feeling I know him from somewhere." She couldn't help but feel like she had to follow him, trying to catch up to him. "Excuse me!"

"Rei-chan!" She turned around and saw her friends running towards her with worried looks.

"Girls?" She turned to see the man she had just seen, but when she looked back he was gone.

"Rei-chan I was so worried," cried Usagi as she hugged her tightly.

"I'm fine," said Rei, rubbing Usagi's hair. "What got you all so worried?"

"Rei-chan, didn't you remember," asked Ami worriedly. "We had a Guardian meeting at Crown Fruit Parlor today after school. We already knew Haruka and Michiru weren't going to make it, but you said you'd be there. When you didn't show, we got worried." Rei yelled, jumping up in surprise as she grabbed her head.

"I forgot?! I can't believe it!" The memory hit her like a brick to the face. "Ugh, and Brooke even told me that you guys were looking for me!"

"Brooke," repeated Usagi. "That name sounds familiar…"

"It's the transfer student from Australia at Rei-chan's school," Ami reminded her.

"Maybe she was the girl we asked about Rei-chan," suggested Minako. "That would explain why she knew we were looking for her!"

"That makes sense," agreed Usagi, nodding and smiling.

"Are you feeling okay," asked Makoto, putting a hand on Rei's shoulder. "You never forget a meeting, and it's not like you to not get in touch with us when you know we're looking for you."

"Is it boy troubles," asked Minako with suggestive eyebrows. "Do you need some advice?"

"Shut up!" Rei's face went completely red. "It's not that at all. I've just!" She sighed, stepping back and rubbing her forearm as she looked away from them, "I've just had a lot on my mind lately, with everything that's been going on."

"You're talking about the Xulus," Ami said, to which Rei only nodded.

"It's going to be alright Rei-chan," said Luna, coming up to Rei with Artemis. "We'll figure things out. We always do."

"In the meantime," said Artemis, looking at them with a concerned expression, "all of you should be going home. It's already dark out. I'm sure your parents are all worried, and you do still have school tomorrow morning."

"Oh that's right," Usagi realized with horror. "I haven't eaten dinner yet and my mom's gonna kill me if I don't get home soon!"

"My mother's going to be worried sick," Ami realized.

"I think my mom's just gonna yell at me," laughed Minako. "You should get home too Rei! And next time pick up when we call. You really worried us!"

"I will," Rei promised as she watched them run off. She looked back up at the moon, and couldn't help but hear Brooke's words in her head about the Moon card.

"It's time," said the shop employee, in an area behind a door. He held his hand open, dark lightning crackling around in his palm as his eyes glowed with a sinister color. "Arise my Dark Seeds. Bring me the flames of those you've attuned yourself to!"

"Rin Pyou Tou Sha Kai Chin Retsu Zai Zen." Rei watched the fire dance, seeing the dark figure again. "There it is again. The Eternal Entropy!"

"Psychia…" She gasped when she heard the sound.

"Psychia… since when can the sacred flame speak?!"

"Psychia!" The dark figure leaped out of the fire and started to strangle Rei, much to her own shock. She clawed at the hand, trying to pry it off, but it was no use. Rei reached into her shirt, pulling out her pen. "Mars… Heart…" She dropped her pen, and resorted to clawing at the hand. "Everyone… please… hear me…"

"Takuro-san," said Hanakuro as she pulled a curtain to let herself into the back of the shop, "are you still here? I saw your shoes still by the door but we're already done with the closing work. You can go home." She blinked, realizing that he wasn't there. "Takuro-san? I know you're still here." She went over to the worktable, seeing some beautiful jewelry pieces that were half finished. She smiled and held one, a green gemstone. "He makes some of the most beautiful jewelry. It's made my store grow steadily more and more popular. But something's felt off in the energy of the store lately." She looked at the curtain. "Perhaps some of my customers aren't buying things with the best of intentions." She let the stone tumble down to the table as she heard the door go off. She opened the curtain back up, seeing the same girl Rei bumped into earlier. "I'm sorry ma'am, but we're closed."

"I'm not here to shop," she replied, walking forward with eyes glowing in a mint color. "Hold still." She held up a hand with a soft mint glow.

"The hold of fear," Brooke said pensively, sitting on a bench by the bus outside of Rei's shrine. "She and the others are the key to the future of this world." She put her hand over her pocket. "I know things will turn out alright, but will it be because of us or because of them?" She growled in annoyance. "When is that bus getting here?!" She stood up and looked back towards the shrine. "And that dark energy I felt from Rei, I still feel it right now. It's growing stronger." Her eyes narrowed. "That's not a Xulus, but it's not Rei either, is it?" She started running back to the shrine. When she got to it, it was like there was a dark fog around them. Yuichiro was frozen in place in his sweeping. Brooke waved her hand in front of his face, but he didn't even move, the realization hitting her. "This is something new! I have to put a stop to this as soon as I can!" She held up her hand, her ring shining with power and light. "Pisces Flare Power! Make-Up!" The gray ribbons flowed all around her, waves crashing around her as she turned into the Guardian of Waves and Change, Sailor Pisces.

"Let… go…" Rei started to pass out, her hand falling down.

"You're going to make a great flame for the Eternal Entropy," the figure laughed.

"Crashing Wave!" A torrent of water crashed into the figure, knocking her over and releasing the now unconscious Rei.

"Who are you," hissed out the creature. "What are you doing here?!"

"I am Sailor Pisces, the Sailor Guardian of Waves and Change," she proclaimed, holding out an accusing finger. "In the name of Pisces, I'll change your victory into defeat!"

"How quaint," laughed the creature. "You won't defeat me. I'll take her flame, and then I'll take yours. The power she has, I sense something similar in you!"

"As the Guardian of Change, I can see the different paths in life," said Pisces as she held up three tarot cards. "And I predict that you're gonna be defeated."

"You're too late," she laughed as a ball of white light grew around them. She laughed as it caught both Rei and Sailor Pisces. Sailor Pisces threw her hands up to protect her face, only to find when she lowered them that she was somewhere else completely. Her eyes were wide with horror when she saw the amount of people in the small backroom she was now in, each one with their own creature identical to Rei's, only partially formed.

"It's a mass harvesting operation," she realized with horror. "All of these people…"

"Sailor Pisces," said the voice of Sailor Cancer from her star hairclip, "are you there? You didn't come back."

"I'm fine," said Pisces as she touched her hairclip, "but we're in trouble! They've taken me to Kuro Arts, that occult shop! I'm-" She felt pain on her hand and shrieked as she let go of her hairclip.

"You're quite the sharp one," said Takuro, the shop employee as he walked up to her, his appearance turning into that of a man with much darker green hair, his eyes turning a sinister shade of red. "The Guardian of Waves and Change, correct? It seems as if you have quite the sense."

"You did this," she snarled out, holding up a hand. "You're the Eternal Entropy, aren't you?" She shook her head. "No, you're not a Xulus, but you're not that either, are you? You're not that powerful, I can tell that much."

"How right you are," he chuckled. "My name is Strike, and I'm the General of Agony."

"What do you want all these flames for," she asked. "What's your goal?!"

"That's none of your business." He held up his hand, dark lightning crackling around it. "Collect together and bloom my Dark Seeds, and bring us closer to the design of the Eternal Entropy!" Everyone in the room crackled with a dark energy, all of them convulsing as a flower bloomed over their hearts. The flowers all ejected energy into the center, the creatures all coming together to form a bald woman with skin as black as night. Her body was covered in different white symbols and sigils, covering her most important areas.

"Psychia." She had a sinister smile on her face as Strike turned towards her with clear, malicious intent in his eyes.

"Close off this space and gather all of these flames," he ordered. "Bring them to me as fuel for the Eternal Entropy!"

"As you wish Master," she said with a bow before holding up her hand, bright light gathering on everyone's chests as Strike turned back towards Sailor Pisces, his back now to the victims of Psychia. "Come and gather towards me, all you flames, born of psychic powers, of dark forces, of your love of the supernatural, your passionate belief in the other worldly forces!" One by one, the flames started coming out of everyone, until the flame started to raise out of Rei's chest, a bright red, powerful flame.

"No!" Pisces leapt forward, grabbing Rei's flame and as many others as she could, holding them all close as they burned her arms and chest.

The girl from before stared behind the second curtain, looking towards the scream. She looked back down, back down at Hanakuro, who was floating, unconscious and glowing with that mint color.

"My mother's going to be mad when I get home," Ami sighed as she walked home. "She's got to be home already."

"Everyone, converge on Kuro Arts!" The voice caught Ami's attention. She turned to see Sailor Cancer running past her, so focused that she didn't even see Ami.

"Sailor Cancer? If she's here, then that means something happened to make her transform!" Ami opened her watch. "Everyone, the Zodiac Sailor Guardians are out, heading to Kuro Arts. Something must be happening there!"

"Kuro Arts," asked Minako. "You mean that occult shop?"

"They wouldn't be going if it wasn't important," said Ami.

"Rei-chan, what do you think," asked Makoto, only for them to realize Rei wasn't on the line.

"What if they got Rei-chan," asked Usagi. "We need to go now! My mom can wait!"

"Mercury Heart Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

"Moon Universal Power!"

"Make-Up!"

"You're such a fool," laughed Strike as Pisces held the fire. "Why bother protecting them? Psychia here is a collection of all the psychic powers of the people who shopped here." Psychia held out a hand as she gathered the rest of the flames towards her, closing her fist around them all so they disappeared. "All you humans have such weak psychic powers, but the miniscule amount you do have, she can use to an immense power. Pyrokinetics." Psychia set Pisces on fire, watching her scream as burns covered her. "Hydrokinetics." She started to shiver as Psychia froze her, leaving a couple of frostbite marks. "And even telekinetics. Let's see what's on your mind."

"Cancer, Aries," ordered Sailor Leo, pointing at the door to the shop, "use your full power! If anyone can open this it's you two!"

"Sailor Leo!" She turned around to see Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, with Artemis and Luna running up behind them.

"Sailor Moon, we're in some real trouble," said Sailor Leo, turning back to the entrance. "We haven't been able to get in. It's like there's something preventing us from getting in."

"It's a psychic field," said Sailor Pollux, holding up a crystal that projected a screen. "The Gemini Core detects a psionically powered field. Until the user is taken out, we won't be able to get in."

"There's no way I'm accepting that," said Sailor Leo. "Pisces is in there and we have to help her! She's never taken an enemy out on her own before!"

"Isn't she a Sailor Guardian too," asked Jupiter, a little confused. "She should be able to handle herself just fine."

"Pisces doesn't have raw power like Taurus or me," said Virgo. "We all, all of our powers are specialized. While most us of can fight on our own to protect the princess, Pisces has a very specialized power that's best for danger prevention and strategy. She's the only one of us that always needs back up, not counting the twins."

"Which gets really annoying," said Castor with a flat, annoyed face and her arms crossed over her chest, "because right now she's constantly running off on her own and doing whatever without a hint of fear or common sense because she's always so certain things will turn out alright."

"We'll help you," promised Sailor Moon, taking Sailor Leo's hands. "We'll get in there together!"

"I can't get anything from her," said Psychia in annoyance. "She's got a powerful mind, and since she's aware of me she can use her psychic powers to keep me from doing anything."

"Well there's not much I can do here that you can't," said Strike with a small chuckle, folding his arms and closing his eyes. "I'll leave you to this Psychia. Once you're done, come back to us with the flames."

"As you wish master," she said as he seemed to warp out of there. "I'm going to enjoy this." Psychia held up a hand, staring at Pisces. "What do you want me to do with you? Hm, such a tough choice."

"Let them go," Pisces demanded, looking at her with determined eyes. "Even if I can't do anything while protecting them, I know my friends will be here, and so will hers!"

"No one can get in or out unless I will it," said Psychia with a laugh. "I'm far more powerful than all of them combined. I have the power of a Xulus, and all the psychic power that I stole from all these humans, your friend's there included!"

"I know things will be alright," said Pisces, "because I'm still here!"

Rei was in a room made of darkness, looking around.

"Where am I?"

"I know things will be alright," she heard Pisces say, "because I'm still here!"

"Pisces?" She tried to move towards the source, but found that she wasn't going anywhere. "What's going on?"

"How can you know that things will be alright," asked Psychia, cocking what would be her eyebrow at Pisces.

"Because even if I die," said Aquarius firmly, her eyes full of determination as she fought her injuries to stand up, "I believe in my friends, but most of all, I know that Sailor Moon and her Sailor Guardians will do everything that they can to protect their world! We're just visitors here with a lot to lose, but this world is everything to them, and the power to protect everything they love will make them stronger than they've ever been before! I know everything will be alright without my powers, because with my entire being, I believe in them!"

"Pisces," Rei couldn't help but be moved by her words. "You have such strong conviction. You've always been willing to work with us, but I didn't know you had such strong faith in us…"

"If that's how you feel," laughed Psychia as her hands filled up with lightning, "then you don't mind if I kill you!"

"Even if you do kill me," said Pisces, "they'll still stop you and keep you from hurting anyone else. If that's the price I pay, then I'll gladly pay it."

"Then it's time to meet your doom," laughed Psychia as her hand filled up with fire. "Now die!"

"Pisces no!" Rei ran forward, arm outstretched as she tried to reach the other girl, a soft gray light bathing her.

Before Psychia could set her on fire, Pisces lit up brightly, but it didn't look like the fire Psychia had in her hand. No, it was a bright red, just like Rei's own red as her Star Seed appeared in the flames, right before Pisces. In amazement, she went to gently touch it, and as she did she was swallowed by the bright red light.

"What's this?!" Psychia had to throw her hands up to shield her eyes from the light. "It's so bright!"

Ash and Strike were watching from afar, both of them looking a bit confused.

"That light is new," said Ash with a frown. "I was fully expecting this to happen again, but that light is something new."

"It's almost beautiful," said Strike with a small smile. "It's incredibly powerful, more powerful than the others so far."

The light faded, and floating in front of Pisces was a gray and gold transformation pen with a water lily and her symbol on a crystal on top of it. It shimmered brightly as Pisces slowly reached for it.

"Stop it Psychia," ordered Ash loudly, her face full of anger. "Don't let her transform again!"

"Hold on," said Strike, eyes closed as he held a hand in front of Ash. "Let Pisces gain her new power." His eyes opened slowly as he smirked. "After all, she's only helping us."

"Huh?!"

Pisces's outfit changed, her sleeves becoming a three tiered see through gray, her broach changing to a golden broach with a gray star gem inside that glowed softly with the sign for Pisces inside. Her skirt became white, fading into gray at the edges of it. She still had her injuries, but even still she felt an incredibly strong new power around her as the flames shrank back down into her arms. She didn't even bother moving her arms, only spinning around.

"Pisces Water Lily Undertow!" Water lilies in raging water swept underneath Psychia, battering her around on the ground as she was beaten up by the waves created by the very centered water attack.

"This can't be happening," she called out, holding a hand up as the water and lilies faded away. "She was so close to losing before!"

"I knew your fate was sealed," panted out Pisces as she sank down to her knees. "After all, I'm…" her vision went blurry as she fell to the ground, passed out.

"You little brat," hissed Psychia as she got up, holding out her hand as dark energy surrounded it. "You may have gotten stronger and hurt me, but I'll still destroy you!" Suddenly, there was a bright light that made Psychia scream out in pain.

"The barrier is weakening," said Pollux with wide eyes, looking up at Sailor Leo and Sailor Moon. "It's still strong, but the strongest attack we have should get rid of it!"

"We've got this," they both said, turning towards each other as they pulled out their wands.

"Moonlight-!"

"Starlight-!"

"United Cosmic Heart Storm!" The attack managed to break through the wall, and the guardians all rushed into the store.

"If they're anywhere," said Aries, pointing at the back of the store, "then they must be behind that curtain!" The girls all ran in and saw Hanakuro on the floor of the craft room.

"Let me check her out," said Sailor Mercury as she went up to her, crouching down. "There must be someone behind that door. If Pisces said she's here then it must be back there." All of the Guardians looked and Mercury with determination and nodded.

"Right." Sailor Moon walked forward and opened the door to see a couple dozen people on the ground, Pisces and Rei among them.

"Rei-chan!" Sailor Moon went immediately over to Rei, trying to shake her awake. "Rei-chan, speak to me, please! Say something! Rei-chan!"

"Pisces!" Sailor Leo saw her lying on the floor and went to cradle her in her arms, but when she did, all of her injuries were gone. "Pisces, are you alright?! Answer me please! I can't stand the thought of you getting seriously injured too!"

"I had noticed that Sailor Libra and Sailor Taurus weren't here," said Sailor Venus with a worried look. "Are they still hurt?"

"They are," confirmed Sailor Cancer with a worried expression. "Taurus is still badly burned, and Sailor Libra still can't stand due to her broken bones. They're both going to be down and out for a while, while they heal up."

"Hold on," said Aries, looking around for the flames. "Where are the flames? You don't think they got away with them, do you?"

"Don't say that," sniffled Sailor Moon, turning her head towards her. "If that's true, then that means that Rei-chan will… Rei-chan will-!" Sailor Moon couldn't even finish, and instead started to sob.

"Sailor Moon," said Venus, getting on her knees behind Sailor Moon and putting her hand on her shoulder, "if they did, then we'll figure out something. We always do."

"Besides," said Jupiter, kneeling in front of Sailor Moon and Rei, "Rei-chan wouldn't want you to cry even if she was. You know that. But we're going to figure everything out."

"That woman is going to be just fine," said Sailor Mercury, coming from behind the curtain and smiling. "She's not hurt or anything." She noticed Sailor Pisces, laying down in Sailor Leo's arms.

"That's good," said Virgo, looking from Mercury back to Pisces, "but she isn't waking up."

"Let me see her," said Mercury, leaning down so she could check her out. "I know you guys might have a different anatomy than us, but I can still try."

"It's not that different from yours," said Castor. "Just treat her like you'd treat one of the humans here."

"I will." She started checking her pulse, her blood pressure, everything that she could. Once she was done she smiled at Sailor Leo. "She's going to be just fine. She's just a strong heartbeat and her blood pressure seems to be good. There's nothing at a glance that I can see that would suggest she's hurt."

"Hold on," said Aries, stepping forward. "Pisces connected with someone's Star Seed, like Taurus and Libra did, and they both were badly burned from it because it came out from someone's flames of passion. Even if Pisces wasn't hurt by whatever took all these people, that doesn't make any sense, She has a new ring and her outfit is different, like mine, Cancer, Sailor Leo's, Taurus, and Libra's."

"That's true," said Virgo with a frown, swinging a leg back and forth as she stood there in thought, before an expression of realization and uncertainty came to it as she looked at Sailor Leo. "Do you think… no, it couldn't be… She would never let her or him…"

"Let who," asked Sailor Venus, standing up with a frown. "Are there more of you coming to Earth?"

"It's nothing," said Castor. "Ignore Virgo, she's being an idiot! Japanese isn't her strong suit!"

"Castor!" Pollux poked her twin. "No need to be mean to Virgo!"

"We'll take her home," said Aries, putting a hand on Sailor Leo's shoulder. "Come on. We need to go now."

"I'll get in contact with the police," said Venus. "I have contacts in the Juban police department and they can bring everyone home for us. There's too many people for us to do it ourselves. And we can bring this girl home ourselves. She's the famous Hikawa shrine maiden, so her family has to be looking for her."

"Let me see Rei-chan too," said Mercury, moving over to her and checking out Rei. "She's going to be just fine. I don't think she lost her flame. She's not pale and cold like others have been, but she must be exhausted. We'll know in the morning."

"I don't think my mom will be okay with me spending the night," said Sailor Moon. "Oh, I guess I'm just going to have to get in trouble!"
"No you don't," said Jupiter, putting a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "I'll stay with her, alright? You guys should all get home."

"This is a worrisome move," said Virgo as Aries slung Pisces over her shoulder. "We're going to have to be more careful."

"That means we need to be more coordinated together," said Venus as Jupiter gently pulled Rei's sleeping form up so that she was giving her a piggyback ride. "We need to be able to trust each other and in communication with each other."

"We can make something like that," said Castor, "attached to only our guardian forms so we don't risk exposing our identities. I'm sure you're as reluctant to tell us who you really are as much as we are."

"Castor," chastised Pollux, "don't make promises you can't keep."

"Sorry," chuckled Castor, rubbing the back of her head. "I just get so excited."

"Well now's not the time to do that," chastised Virgo. "We all need to get going now. It's getting late."

"True," agreed Venus. "Then let's go girls."

Ash glared at Strike, who still had a smile on his face. He leaned against a pillar with his eyes closed and arms folded over his chest.

"We won," he said with a definitive tone of voice.

"How dare you sabotage me," she yelled. "I thought you were trying to help me!"

"I was and I am," he promised, extending a hand out. "The way my plan is, we'll win these battles no matter what." A small flame flew to his hand, one that looked to be flickering wildly around. "When I implant a Dark Seed in someone with singular interests and desires, such as Hanakuro from that shop, it has the potential to turn into this. When she made things she was passionate about, it created more of these seeds and those seeds went into those objects, and I was able to implant similar seeds in other objects that I made that she was passionate about. Then when people who were also passionate about those things used them, their seeds would break off a small piece of their own passion. When I activate the seeds, all those tiny pieces of flames collect together and create an artificial flame that we can use. Of course, it's not as powerful as a full flame, but when you use them Ash, you are always chipping and shaping them. This way we have no waste the next time we want to use this flame on another galaxy."

"Amazing," said Ash with eyes filled with awe as she gently reached forward, taking the flame from his open palm. "It feels like a perfectly shaped flame."

"Unfortunately," he said with narrowed eyes, "I felt a new power remove the seed I implanted in Hanakuro. We won't be able to use her again, but I'll be able to make multiple Xulus this way, only making us gain flames without loosing any."

"The Sailor Guardians have a new ally then," asked Ash with an annoyed look before it turned into a devilish smirk. She held her hand up, curling her fingers as flames danced up her arm. "Well then, we'll just have to destroy this new ally of theirs."

Rei woke up in the morning with a headache, holding her head as she sat up.

"What happened?"

"You encountered something last night," said Makoto, which caught Rei's attention as she turned to the brunette. "You were taken and Usagi wanted to stay with you, but I told her I would since I didn't have any parents to fret over me not coming home. Your grandpa and Yuichiro don't remember anything, by the way. I told them I was helping you study at the library and you fell asleep."

"All I remember is a creature coming out of the fire," said Rei as she looked at her hand before putting it over one of her eyes, "and then I felt something… someone…"

"Probably Sailor Pisces," said Makoto. "You connected with her. You had to have because she gained Heart Power. We don't know anything else though."

"I see." Rei sighed, starting to get up. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. I have to get ready for school."

"You're staying home today," said Makoto with a firm look before smiling. "At least, that's what Ami suggested. Something really drained you. Most people wake right up after getting their flame back, but you didn't, so that means you need to rest!"

Brooke opened her eyes slowly, sitting up as Ayame looked down at her with a frown.

"You made an incredibly risky move Brooke-chan," she chastised. "You know you should never run into a situation by yourself. That's like if Gin-chan and Kin-chan just ran off to do their own thing. You could be seriously hurt. Riku-chan is still bedridden in the next room over, and Kyo-chan still can't walk. We all need to be more careful."

"Aya," said Brooke with a worried look as she sat up, "this is getting worse. They're harvesting so many more people's flames all at the same time. If we're even just a little too late, then we might be doomed." She looked at her tarot deck, which her friends had carefully placed on her bedside. She grabbed it and started shuffling before pulling out the reverse Moon once again. "It's so conditional on them now. I know things will be alright, but just because the general events remain the same doesn't mean the details can't change. Just like how two tarot decks can mean the same thing but look different."

"There's lots about this place that we don't and aren't going to know," Ayame pointed out. "You need to focus on what's going on here and now. Worrying about everything else, it's not going to help anything." She stood up. "I already called school and told them you weren't going in today, but you will be going tomorrow. Mitsu-chan is going to tell everyone that you have a cold and that I got the flu. I've also decided I'm not going to school until Riku-chan and Kyo-chan are on their feet again. Things are getting too dangerous for them to be by themselves when they're like this."

Song Of Hope: Next up is gonna be Mercury again, but which Sailor Guardian will she be matched up with? It's anyone's guess! Except mine of course!