Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, its characters and universe were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I'm merely a fan of the series, writing stories as an attempt to maintain sanity while studying. I expect no profit from this. Except for the sanity, of course.

A.N.: I'll incorporate facts from the manga (and also from the Sailor V manga), but this is mainly based on the anime, and on Greek mythology. The knowledge from the scenes in the hospital comes from classes taken at college and from Grey's Anatomy. The latter probably is responsible for the dramatic flair added to aforementioned scenes.

I'm modifying a few things in the story format, rearranging chapters and merging the scenes from Behind the Scenes into the story so it would all make more sense, instead of having two separate stories.

Starlight Destiny

Prologue

In the centre of the galaxy there was a special place. Known to few, it was named the Galaxy Cauldron and it was whence every life originated and ended. Ten years before, this was the place where Chaos had been partially sealed. Yet, it was recovering. Where there is light, there is also darkness. And from the Galaxy Cauldron, Chaos would be reborn, just like all things that are alive and hold the shine of stars in them.

But the time for the return of Chaos was not now. Not in its true, full form, anyway. Chaos still had to recover itself greatly. However in the meantime, there were agents that would do its bidding.

Many things were created along with the birth of the Universe. Chaos was among the first, and from Chaos itself came two important deities: Erebus, who represents all that is darkness, and Nyx, who rules over night. Their union spawned many beings. The ones who would now follow Chaos's orders were Hypnos, the Sleep, and Thanatos, also known as Death.

For where there is light, there is also darkness. They'll forever seek out each other, in an ongoing battle lasting until the end of times. The Champion of Light, the holder of the brightest star in the galaxy was a woman that lived in a rural planet on the outskirts of the Milky Way. And so that was the target for Hypnos and Thanatos, in this latest chapter of their battle.

Two figures emerged suddenly in the middle of the night in a park in the area of Minato, Tokyo. They shimmered out of thin air into solid form and surveyed their surroundings. Energy surrounded them, as they were godlike creatures. One seemed to take the figure of a woman, with a delicate body covered by a long black cloak and hood that obscured the view from her face. Her skin was so white that it was almost translucent and her dark eyes gleamed even in the shadows that covered her features. Her companion seemed to be a man, taller and more powerfully built than her. He was equally pale, with dark hair and eyes, and dressed with long midnight blue robes. He had in his hand a leather pouch that carried a powerful substance within it.

"Should we start?" The godlike man asked of his partner. He was Hypnos, currently expressing himself in a form similar to the inhabitants of this planet, even if his very essence worked as a force in the universe indispensable to all living beings. Right now he'd concentrate his efforts on this planet Earth.

"The first part is your show," the woman, Thanatos, replied quietly. "Do as you please, for I will take my time to take action." She then delicately crossed her thin arms and waited for him.

"All right," Hypnos replied with a curt nod.

He concentrated and his hands took on a light bluish glow. He started murmuring in a language so ancient it wasn't known to men, and he retrieved his hand from inside the leather pouch, carrying inside a small amount of a silvery, shimmering powder. He kept on chanting and praying quietly as his magic worked, and after a few minutes the powder dispersed along the city, carried out by an invisible breeze. Its magical properties allowed for the particles to transverse solid objects, and so the powder found its target, in the form of sleeping people all over the city. When they came into contact, the person slightly glowed blue for a second and remained asleep as if nothing had happened.

The two figures regarded each other for a moment, and then exchanged a nod. Once more, they shimmered and left this plane of existence. Their plan was now in motion.

Chapter One: Following Dreams

Hino Rei stood in the middle of the street as the sun dipped low in the horizon. She wore her Shinto priestess robes of red and white and watched her surroundings with keen eyes. For a moment, everything was too silent and still. No one else was in the street with her, no person or animal. No birds chirped, there wasn't the normal sound of traffic at this time of day; she couldn't hear voices or laughter or anything, really. The wind rushed by her ears and it was the only sound to register.

She felt a cold dread run down her spine. It was too silent and too still. And she had felt something like this before, this haunting stillness that preceded disaster.

"No..." She whispered to herself, the sound too loud in her ears. She whipped her head, looking around but she didn't know what she was searching for.

All of a sudden, her vision was pulled out of this quiet and deserted street and she could see in the distant something approaching. As her vision continued to pull away, the scenery grew smaller in detail and she could see the neighbourhood, the city, the island, the country, the continent and finally the whole planet as it seemed to be covered by ice in a matter of seconds.

Clutching at her chest as she gasped for breath, Rei sat up in bed, trying to keep the details of her dream in the waking world. But she needn't have worried, for the images seemed imprinted on her brain, and she doubted she'd forget about it, even if she wanted to.

She looked at her alarm clock glowing lightly in the darkness. 4h37. Sighing, she decided she might as well rise up to start another day. After all, now in addition to her usual chores and appointments, she'd need to make time to consult the fire and meet up with the girls to discuss this newest development. And she doubted she'd be able to go back to sleep, anyway.

"So much for peace and quiet," Rei sighed to herself as she walked to the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of tea. She sat at the table and flipped through pages of her dream journal as she sipped her tea quietly.

Rei had started to keep notes on her dreams ever since she realized they could foreshadow events that would come to happen, and it was especially important when it involved Senshi business. For the past couple of weeks, she'd been having weird dreams, but nothing as specific as this last one, and she wanted to compare notes on what she'd experienced so far.

She got lost in her thoughts and didn't realize how much time had passed until her grandfather slid open the wooden door and joined her.

"Good morning, grandpa," Rei smiled at him as she got up to get him a cup of tea.

"Good morning, Rei. You're up earlier than usual," Grandpa remarked as he moved over to the rice cooker to start cooking breakfast. Even though his granddaughter would be usually awake by 5a.m. he could tell that she'd been up before that.

"Yes," Rei said quietly. "I had a rather disturbing dream, and I couldn't go back to sleep."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He questioned as he set the rice cooker and accepted the cup of tea she handed him.

"Thank you, but you don't need to worry about it," Rei said casually as she moved to the fridge and removed items needed to fix breakfast.

"Are you sure? You know, Rei, you don't have to go through these things on your own," Grandpa replied with a slight frown on his forehead.

"I'm sure," she smiled lightly over her shoulder. "I'll do a fire reading and talk to the girls, see if anyone's felt something. Maybe I'll even ring up Michiru-san, to make sure."

"All right. As long as you're not trying to do it all on your own," he smiled in relief.

Grandpa had known that his Rei-chan was special since she was quite young, and when she came to live with him at Hikawa Shrine it became all the more obvious. He knew she was destined to do great things, as he'd sensed great power within her. A couple of years ago, there had been a crisis that needed to be handled by the Sailor Senshi, and Rei had to reveal to him her true powers. Grandpa had known all along, ever since she'd been fourteen years old and first started running around with Usagi and Ami. But he was glad she took him in confidence and accepted his support, when she most needed it.

"No," Rei said quietly after a moment as she turned on the stove to fix some miso soup. "I wouldn't want to do it all on my own." After all, she had promised herself and the other girls after the whole deal with Pharaoh 90 that she wouldn't keep things like this to herself anymore in a vain attempt to keep them from worrying.

As they waited for the rice to cook, Rei went on with their usual routine: her grandfather would finish cooking breakfast and she'd eat a piece of fruit and go out for a morning jog in the neighbourhood. Half an hour later, she'd be back with the morning paper that she picked up at the newsstand and the two of them would eat in companionship as they took turns to read sections of the paper.

Afterwards, she'd wash the dishes and would start the daily cleaning of the shrine as her grandfather went on to take care of business. By 9 a.m. Rei would be done with a good portion of the floors and outer garden. Depending on the day, she'd put on her miko robes and tend to business at the Shrine or get ready to handle business elsewhere. Today she'd need to get changed and go to work at a recording studio downtown. She was currently working on a new album.

After she showered, she got her phone and texted the other Senshi. She would see Usagi later for the lunch meeting about her newest manga-turned-anime, "Moonlight Destiny" and get the finishing touches on her contract to voice-act for the main character. She also had agreed to have dinner with Minako and later work in a song-writing session. She wondered if the pop idol would mind to postpone this session and instead call in a Senshi meeting. Of course, she still needed to see if Ami wouldn't need to work the night shift at the hospital, and they might need to meet at Mako-chan's bakery to accommodate her instead of at the Shrine, as they usually did.

As the messages went out, Rei sighed for a moment and turned to look at a picture of the five of them when the girls had graduated from Juuban High School. They were all smiling, Usagi most of all as usual, and holding their diplomas. Rei had been there with them to celebrate, even though she went to a different, private school. It was almost a shock to her when she realized that had happened over seven years ago. Back then they'd been full of dreams and expectations, all of them glad that there was some respite from the battles. Minako had just started her singing career, Ami had aced Tokyo University's entrance exams to study medicine, Makoto had just started culinary school, Usagi would get married to Mamoru in two months after their graduation (it would be their seventh anniversary later this month) and afterwards she'd start an internship with Marie Baishaku, the mangaka who had created "Aurora Wedding", and Rei herself had started doing some modelling and was working towards her so many goals in life.

Life was now busy for her and all her friends. They had grown up and somehow managed to become responsible, successful adults. Of course, that thought went mostly in Usagi's direction. It was a wonder how much their Princess had grown up over the years, yet she still managed to be essentially Usagi at the end of the day.

Rei shook her head and told herself to hurry up, or she'd be late. And she couldn't have that when she would always scold Usagi for being late even as a 25-year-old, now could she?

Aino Minako had been up almost as early as Rei. By 6 a.m., she was up and running, getting ready for another day of shooting for "Cherry Blossom Storm", the popular spring drama series she starred in. They were in the middle of the season, and by now they worked on a tight schedule. She'd have breakfast at the studio with her colleagues and they'd do a round of rehearsing their lines around the table for a couple of hours. Afterwards, they'd shoot the indoor scenes then break for lunch. In the afternoon usually followed the location shooting and that was always the most exciting part for Minako. She loved when the fans went out to watch them shoot a scene. It reminded her of her teenage years when she used to chase stars and wonder if one day she might get to be one.

They'd just finished rehearsing and were about to move to one of the indoor scenes when she checked her phone. Most actors would leave their personal mobiles with their assistants while they worked. Minako left her work phone with Akina, her assistant. But this was her personal mobile and it was another matter; the only people who reached her through that number were the Senshi, Luna and Artemis. She made sure to have it with her at all times, as there might be a Senshi emergency that needs her at any moment, and she didn't want Akina holding her calls on something so important just because she was in the middle of shooting.

Frowning slightly, she relaxed when she read Rei's message telling her of the weird dream and asking if they could change their plans for the evening. She fired a quick response back that the song-writing session could wait and they should all meet tonight, if possible. Thankfully she'd already cleared her schedule to meet with Rei, so it wouldn't be any trouble to change it a little bit. She'd make some time later that week or the next one to meet and collaborate with Rei again. If the Shinto priestess was having dreams, it was better they investigate it sooner rather than later.

She closed her phone and sighed, putting it back into her pocket. Just then someone called, "Aino-san! We're ready for the hospital scene!" She put on a bright smile and said, "Okay! Let's do our best, everybody!" as she ran into the room.

"Incoming!" The nurse called out seconds before the hospital doors opened and the paramedics walked in with two gurneys carrying two victims of a traffic collision. The doctors and other health care professionals in the emergency room moved efficiently to access the damage and provide the best care they could. Among them was Mizuno Ami, second-year surgical resident, who took charge of one of the incoming patients.

"All right," she said, taking the chart from the paramedic. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Car collision," the paramedic was short and to the point. "This is Yoshino Miyako, 27, driver number one, she was restrained. She has a broken wrist and trauma to the chest. Her blood pressure is 90 over 60, heart rate 120."

"Let's take this into trauma room one. Someone please page cardio and ortho!" Ami said over her shoulder as she wheeled the gurney into a room. "Hi, my name is Doctor Mizuno," she then turned to her patient with a calm smile. "Can you tell me your name?" Of course, she already knew her name, but the question was asked mostly to assess the patient's condition.

"I'm Yoshino Miyako," the young woman said shakily, her breath coming in raggedly. "Doctor, will I be all right?"

"We'll make sure to do everything we can to help you, Yoshino-san. Now do you have any allergies or conditions we should know of? Are you taking any medication?"

"I'm allergic to penicillin," she said, pointing with a shaky hand to a silver bracelet around her wrist that said as much.

"All right," Ami noted that in her chart, and then addressed one of her interns. "Let's get a full trauma blood-work. I also need a portable ultrasound and chest x-ray."

To anyone watching, Ami behaved like a seasoned doctor. She used the same approach in the ER as she did in the battlefield: Keep her cool, assess all the information available and act quickly to get ahead of the situation. She was working on the patient when the monitor showing the vital signs started beeping madly and her patient seemed to have difficulty breathing.

"Decreased breath sounds in the right lung," she said as she listened with her stethoscope. "It sounds like a tension pneumothorax. Get me the biggest needle you can find." She told her intern who was still assisting her. Ami quickly performed the correct procedure, sticking the needle in and letting the air flow out so the lung would re-inflate. It went accordingly but the patient still had difficulty breathing and in a moment she became unconscious.

"Now get an intubation kit," Ami then told the intern. "You're doing it, Sasaki-san. Visualize the cords," the intern followed her instructions and soon the patient had a tube down her throat to help her breath and had stabilized. "Good job," she smiled at the intern.

"Thank you, Mizuno-san," the brunette girl said with a nervous grin.

"Did anyone page cardio?" Ami questioned over her shoulder as she checked the patient once more with the stethoscope. Her moment of respite was brief, as the monitor started beeping once more.

"Yes, doctor. Doctor Chiba called and said he's almost here. Apparently the car accident caused some traffic jam in the neighbourhood," a nurse said, getting off the phone at the nurses' station. "And Doctor Watanabe is still in surgery."

"Damn," Ami murmured slightly to herself. "I hear muffled heart sounds. It's probably a cardiac tamponade. I need to do a pericardiocentesis, Sasaki-san. Bring me the portable ultrasound," she ordered the intern as a nurse brought over a large needle needed for the procedure.

"You're doing this here?" The intern Sasaki squeaked slightly in surprise as she put the gel on the ultrasound and applied it over the patient's chest.

"I have no choice, there's no time. Look, see that?" And she pointed at the screen showing an image of the patient's heart. "The pericardium is deeply inflamed; it could get her into shock or cause a cardiac arrest." Using the ultrasound as a guide so she wouldn't puncture the heart, she made a cut with a blade and stuck the needle through it until it reached the sac around the heart, which was filled with fluid. Using the needle, she drained a great quantity of blood and was able to reduce the pressure on the heart.

Just as she was done, she heard a familiar voice call out to her. "All right, good job on that. Let's book an OR and get this moving. You're scrubbing in, Ami-chan," Mamoru smiled at her from the doorway as he already moved to get changed and get on with the surgery they'd need to assess more damage and stabilize their patient.

"Thank you, Mamoru-san," she smiled at him, and then turned to the intern Sasaki. "Would you like to assist us, Sasaki-san?"

The girl smiled brightly. "Yes, thank you, Mizuno-san!" Sasaki Chiemi considered herself to be very lucky. It was her only her second month into the surgical residency program and she got to study under Mizuno Ami, who was one of the best residents, even though she was only a second-year. Not only that but now she'd get to assist in a surgery with Doctor Chiba Mamoru, the newest and most promising attending doctor in the cardiothoracic department.

As their patient stabilized and they moved her to an operating room, Ami quickly checked her phone. The message from Rei was brief and to the point, as was Minako's reply to that. Luckily, Ami had to work the early shift today, as she'd been here since 6 a.m. By dinner time she'd be free to leave and meet up with the girls. She texted a quick reply, suggesting they meet at Mako-chan's to accommodate her. And that way maybe this night Ami would get to eat a decent meal.

Kino Makoto had arisen early as well so she could receive a delivery at her flower shop. She took care of her newest additions and put them in their correct places, all the while singing quietly to the plants. As she did every morning, she spent some time watering and fertilizing and pruning. After about an hour, she deemed it a job well done, and moved on to the adjoined store, which was her bakery.

As she walked in, she saw her business partner, Furuhata Unazuki, getting ready to open for another day of business. The two of them had come together a couple of years ago, when Makoto had expressed her wish to open her own business, but as she had concentrated on the cooking and taking care of plants, she didn't know much about the business part itself. Unazuki had come up with a partnership: She had gone to business school and would be able to organize it all, and she considered it to be valuable work and experience before her parents passed on the management for Crown Parlour and Crown Games Store to her. So far, the partnership was a success, as were the bakery and flower shop.

"Good morning, Mako-chan," Unazuki smiled at her.

"Good morning, Unazuki-chan," Makoto replied also with a smile. "The new plants are all set in."

"That's great! Thank you for receiving them. I thought it was best to let you handle the delivery instead of risking me ruining something by accident," she said with a sheepish smile. It was a running joke with them and their friends that even though Unazuki managed a flower shop she could never keep a plant alive for longer than a couple of weeks.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Makoto waved a hand dismissively. "I'm glad to do it."

"Thanks anyway. And listen, I made a doctor's appointment and I'll need to leave near lunch time, but to make it up to you I'll close up the store today."

"No problem. Is everything okay?" Makoto said with a slight frown.

"It's nothing," Unazuki said breezily. "I've just been feeling a bit under the weather, and I thought I'd check it out."

"Good idea," Makoto nodded.

Soon the two set into their work routine. Unazuki mostly handled costumers and deliveries and their staff while Makoto occupied herself in the kitchen with her delicious creations and her cooking assistants. Only when Unazuki had to leave that Makoto went out into the store front properly and she took a moment to interact with her costumers.

The bell at the door tinkled to indicate that another costumer had entered the bakery. Makoto turned from behind the counter and smiled at seeing her guest. "Usagi-chan! What are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Mako-chan! I'm on my way to lunch with Rei-chan, but I wanted to stop by and check on you," the blonde said cheerfully.

"Check on me?" Makoto repeated in a confused tone.

"Yeah, I noticed you never replied to any of the messages we sent this morning," Usagi said, indicating the phone in her hand. "And usually I'm the last one to reply. I thought that was weird."

Just then, Makoto reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone. "Damn, I must have silenced it by mistake," she said with an apologetic smile as she quickly scanned the messages. "So Rei's having dreams, huh? That can't be good," she finished with a frown.

"Yeah," Usagi nodded quietly. It had been years since they'd had to deal with something major. Of course, over the years the Sailor Senshi were still needed to deal with some crisis, and a few out-of-space enemies came by every now and then, but they'd been minor occurrences. The last big battle they had was with Galaxia, and that had been ten years before.

"Hey," Makoto said with a sweet smile as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to handle it."

"You're right," Usagi replied with some relief. As long as she had her friends, they'd be able to fight whatever came their way. "Anyway, we thought we'd meet here so you won't have to close up the shop just to meet us."

"Actually, Unazuki is closing up today," Makoto replied. "But why don't you all come up to my apartment and I'll cook us dinner? It has been a while since I've treated you all."

"Yay! Mako-chan's home-made cooking! You know I won't say no to that," Usagi grinned from ear to ear.

"All right," Makoto laughed lightly at that. "I'll let the girls know." She texted a quick message to the others.

"Ooh is this new?" Usagi said, checking out a piece of strawberry shortcake on display.

"It's a new recipe I'm trying," Makoto smiled proudly. "I'm getting good reviews from my regulars. Would you like to try one?"

"I would," Usagi smiled. "Actually, I meant to take something for Rei to cheer her up. I don't know how she can stand these dreams, but I always think food ought to make it better, right?"

"That's your answer for pretty much everything, Usagi-chan," Makoto laughed.

"You can't blame me, especially when it's your food we're talking about. It's only the best food in all of Japan!"

"All right, you flatterer. How about I make something special for our dessert tonight? For Rei, of course," Makoto winked at her.

"Oh really? You spoil us, Mako-chan!"

"Well, like I said it has been a while since I cooked for you all. Say, weren't you meeting Rei for lunch?"

"Oh shoot! You're right!" Usagi exclaimed as she looked at her wristwatch. "I'll be late if I don't leave now. I'll never hear the end of it! See you later, Mako-chan!"

"Bye, Usagi-chan," Makoto waved after her as the blonde left in a whirlwind.

It was late evening when Chiba Usagi had finished her pages for the day for her newest manga. She smiled proudly as she surveyed the pages filled with her drawings. Now she just had to send it to her assistant to do the lettering and inking. She would drop them off on her way to Makoto's.

"All done?" Luna asked as she walked into Usagi's drawing studio at the house she shared with Mamoru.

"Yes!" Usagi said with a big smile. "This story just keeps flowing out of me, it's amazing."

"Well, it should be, as it's basically about your life in the Silver Millennium," Luna said rather dryly.

"It's based on it, not a retelling," Usagi said with a sideways glare. "I've changed a lot of stuff, and I'm also inventing a lot of concepts."

"I know. You're doing a good job with it, Usagi-chan. Really." The two of them exchanged a smile. "I'm still surprised that you became a mangaka. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that, and when I look at you now I would not have believed it if I'd known this would happen when I first met you all those years ago."

"Gee, Luna. You make a compliment sound like an insult, somehow," Usagi said rather dryly, but the next moment she brightened up. "But I know what you mean. Back then what I most wanted was to meet my prince charming and be a bride. And I did just that, my wish came true. But then when I got into High School I realized I might need to do something else other than be a wife and mother and Sailor Moon. And you know how I always loved manga."

"It was a sound choice. There's never been a bigger dreamer than you, and your art has improved greatly over the years," the little black cat nodded sagely.

"Thanks," Usagi grinned back at her. "Well, I'm on my way to Mako-chan's. You're coming, right?"

"Of course. But I'll meet Artemis before. We'll be there later on."

"All right. Have a nice date!" She said teasingly with a wicked grin as she gathered her shoulder bag and put the pages inside a folder. Luna opened her mouth to retort, but then just shook her head and went out the window.

Half an hour later, Usagi was in Makoto's apartment. The two old friends enjoyed each other's company as Makoto cooked and Usagi helped. Though to be honest Usagi mostly kept her entertained with stories about the manga and anime production, which she'd oversee from time to time.

"Honestly, I don't want them turning my characters into something completely different from my ideas, and sometimes that will happen when a manga gets turned into an anime," Usagi complained.

"Oh I know. I remember how sometimes the differences would be so bizarre. But if you're overseeing some of the writing for the anime it should be okay," Makoto replied.

"I hope so," Usagi sighed, though she remained optimistic.

Just then the doorbell rang. Makoto walked out to answer it and Usagi took the opportunity to sneak a piece of strawberry and whipped cream.

"Ami-chan, Mamoru-san, welcome!" Makoto greeted them both with a huge smile.

"Good evening, Mako-chan. We're sorry for barging in on you this evening," Ami said, ever polite and mindful of the troubles they brought to her.

"Don't worry about it," Makoto shook her head and ushered them in. "It was my idea to cook for you all. Please make yourselves at home."

"Hi, Ami-chan! Mamo-chan!" Usagi exclaimed happily as she walked out of the kitchen and enthusiastically hugged her husband. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Well, Ami mentioned that this was a Senshi emergency and I thought I'd better tag along. If it's anything serious, I want to be informed," he told his wife reasonably.

"Oh you're right. I only didn't tell you this morning because I figured you could use some rest tonight, and I'd fill you in later on," she said with a slight pout.

"And here I thought she just didn't want to share my home-cooked meal with you," Makoto said with a wink from the doorway to the kitchen, and Usagi playfully stuck her tongue out at her.

"Well, there's also that," Mamoru said with some humour, and received an indignant and high-pitched "Mamo-chan!" from his wife, to which the girls laughed.

"It'll be just a few more minutes. Hopefully the others won't be too long," Makoto said as she checked her watch.

As they waited, they talked of their day. Ami and Mamoru told of the surgery they performed in the morning, and how they successfully saved the woman's life. Usagi told them how she'd met with Rei and their agents and representatives of the animation studio and how Rei was now officially the voice of Usagi's newest heroine. Production was already underway and the anime was expected to debut the next season, during the summer.

"That's great!" Ami exclaimed excitedly.

"It really is!" Usagi nodded emphatically. "And how was your day, Mako-chan?"

"Oh you know, the usual: just another day baking and cooking and taking care of my plants," she said with a smile. She then left to answer the door and when she returned, Minako was with her. The blonde, however, was arguing on her mobile phone with someone.

"I'm saying 'no' and that's final," Minako said through greeted teeth. "Is that clear? Okay. Thank you. Goodbye." She sighed, and then turned with a bright smile to her friends. "Hi, everybody!"

"Hey, Minako-chan. Who was that?" Usagi questioned, ever curious about anything regarding her friends.

"My stupid agent," Minako said with a frown. "Can you believe he called about a part in a movie with Yuu?"

"Your ex-husband Komiyama Yuu?" Even Mamoru seemed surprised at that.

"Wow, that's a bit insensitive," Makoto said with sympathy. "Your divorce has only been final for a year now."

"Thank you! That's exactly what I told him," Minako said exasperatedly. "After everything that happened there's no way in a million years I'll ever do another movie with him."

"He was a right jerk to you, Minako-chan. But still, I loved so much the movies you did together. I can see how your agent would try to persuade you to do another," Usagi said with a half smile.

"I know," Minako replied with a sigh. "But I don't care if some of our films were the best-selling romances in the last twenty years. I'll be glad if I don't ever have to see him again, let alone work with him once more."

"To be honest, I thought your own relationship was the best-selling romance," Ami said contemplatively. "I've never seen the nation so interested in the lives of two people."

"It was the stuff of madness, that's what it was," Minako said as she plopped down onto a chair. "Anyway, enough about that. Hey, where's our resident psychic?"

"Rei isn't here yet," Makoto replied. "I hope she's all right, it's very unusual for her to be late."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "That will be her. I'll get it," Ami said, and Makoto smiled in thanks as she went into the kitchen so they could serve dinner.

"Good evening, everybody," Rei said tiredly as she came into the dining room. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was trying to do a fire reading and lost track of time."

"It's okay," Ami said easily and the others promptly agreed.

"I guess that makes us even then," Usagi said with a grin and an eyebrow raised in challenge. "I was late for lunch, and now you're late for dinner."

"Well, yes I was late because I was doing something important," Rei said with a wicked glint in her dark eyes. "You were late because you're just you."

"That's not true!" Usagi spluttered indignantly. "I was checking on Mako-chan, are you saying that's not important?"

"I'm sure that was only an excuse so you could ogle at all the cakes in her bakery," Rei replied, turning her nose up in the air.

"Rei-chan, you're mean!"

The others all took it in stride as Usagi and Rei engaged in their loving antagonistic antics, mostly ignoring them and helping Makoto to set up the table and serve dinner. In a short while, they were seated and enjoying a lovely meal of meatloaf, rice and steamed vegetables as they chatted amiably about everyday life occurrences. It was only when they were almost done with dessert (one of Makoto's special strawberry shortcakes) that Luna and Artemis joined them so they could discuss the situation regarding Rei's dream.

The mood in the room had been light with laughter and teasing banter that could only come from years of strong, close friendships. Suddenly it became serious and quiet as Rei described her latest dream and the previous impressions she'd gotten.

"It's just like when Silence and Pharaoh 90 were approaching," Usagi whispered, and Mamoru grabbed her hand to lend her some comfort. She smiled gratefully at him for the gesture.

"Have you tried talking to Haruka and Michiru?" Minako questioned, her attitude the complete opposite of how she'd been five minutes before, teasing Usagi endlessly about some inconsequential matter. Right now she was the Leader of the Senshi.

"Not yet," Rei shook her head. "I wanted to take a try at the fire and tell you guys first. But now that's number one in my priorities list."

"Did you learn anything from the fire reading?" Makoto asked.

"Nothing specific. Just more impressions of this haunting stillness and a sense of approaching danger," Rei said apologetically.

"We should try to check on Setsuna as well," Ami reasoned. "If it's a serious threat that might affect our future, she would know." The others nodded their agreement.

"Could it be Chaos?" It was Artemis who asked the question, but all eyes turned to Usagi then.

"I don't know," Rei admitted reluctantly, biting at her lip. "But I don't think it's an enemy we fought before."

"At any rate," Luna spoke with a voice commanding attention, "it's unlikely to be Chaos itself. It hasn't been that long since its last encounter with Eternal Sailor Moon, and it would need a great amount of time to recover completely."

"But we can't rule out an agent acting under the influence of Chaos," Mamoru was loathe to admit it, as he didn't want to disturb his wife's peace of mind, but they had to analyze all the possibilities.

"No, we can't," Usagi nodded calmly and continued in a quiet voice. "Beryl, the Black Moon, Pharaoh 90, the Dead Moon Circus and even Galaxia were all acting under its orders or influence."

"But we've also had enemies who didn't have anything to do with Chaos, like Ail and An," Makoto pointed out.

"Or Snow Princess Kaguya," Luna added. She was about to add a few more to the list, like a crisis they'd dealt with a couple of years ago, but she took one look at Rei's tense figure and stopped.

"That's true," Minako carried on and her forehead furrowed as she took it all in. "Well, if Rei's having dreams about it, we can only assume it's something big, Chaos or not. Since it seems for now we don't have anything concrete to go on about, we should check with Haruka and Michiru, and definitely check with Setsuna."

"I already sent Michiru a message," Rei said, indicating the phone in her hand. "They're in the country, right? I never know with those two."

"I think so," Ami replied. "Michiru was organizing a showing of her newest paintings at a gallery."

"All right, so that's that," Minako nodded. "Usagi-chan, can you go talk to Setsuna?"

"She'd be less reluctant to divulge sensitive information if it's you who ask," Artemis elaborated on Minako's train of thought.

"Of course," Usagi nodded earnestly.

"I'll go too," Mamoru added. "We can stop by her place on our way back home."

"All right," Luna nodded in approval. "Unfortunately it seems that for now this is all we can do."

"Let's keep our ears up and our eyes open for anything weird," Minako said.

"And be safe," Makoto reminded. It never seemed enough to stress on that.

"I'll tell you all if I have anymore dreams and if Michiru answers," Rei said.

"I'm working the night shift tomorrow, so I'll try to track her down in the morning," Ami offered, and the others nodded in appreciation.

Soon their meeting was over. Usagi and Mamoru went off to Setsuna's and Luna went on ahead to their house with Artemis accompanying her. Rei also left as she was rather tired and wanted to see if anything would come up in her dreams; on one hand, she hoped it would be a quiet night as she could use a good night's sleep and on the other, well they could use more information. Ami and Minako stayed to help Makoto with clean up and the dishes. Though to be fair Ami was helping while Minako mostly entertained them.

Mamoru killed the engine as he parked the car in the garage. He looked at his wife, who had her delicate features marred by a frown. Usagi seemed lost in thought and she hadn't yet noticed that they'd arrived at their home.

"Usako?"

"Hmm?" She looked up distractedly at him. "Oh we're here already? I'm sorry, Mamo-chan. I was just thinking."

"Would you like to share?" He tenderly held her hand as they just sat there for a moment.

"Well, it's just really unfortunate that Setsuna-san wasn't at her house. I really hoped she could help us; that she'd know what Rei's dream was all about." She paused for a moment, and then they decided to get out of the car and get into the house. "Where do you suppose she is?"

"Probably at the Gates of Time," Mamoru said as he put his key in the front door. The lights were on, but that was expected as Luna should be home already.

"Hmm. Probably," Usagi agreed, and then she turned to him with a wicked grin. "Or maybe she met a handsome lover."

From what he knew of Setsuna, Mamoru very much doubted that, but he let his wife have her fantasies. She would never get tired of trying to set people up, but Setsuna had been her most reluctant project so far. He closed the door behind them and was about to say something when Usagi suddenly shrieked and dropped the bags she'd been carrying on the floor as she walked into the living room.

"Usako!" Mamoru sprinted after her and was about to transform into Tuxedo Kamen, but all he saw were Luna and Artemis calmly sitting on the couch and Usagi hugging someone with pink hair. "Chibi-Usa?" He said in shock as he still couldn't really see her.

"It seems Small Lady has come for a visit," Luna told Mamoru with a smile.