Forgotten
by John Lauder (part 1 of 3)
jlauder121@hotmail.com  or
saturn9@mindspring.com

Rating:  PG-13

July 2, 2000

Notes:  This is my first fanfic, so all comments will be welcomed.
Don't go easy on me...please!!!!

Um, anyway, this is a Sailormoon fanfic, and I use the original
Japanese names.  It takes place during the Neherenia arc of Sailor Stars,
but I do make references to all five seasons, particularly S.  The main
character is Souichi Tomoe, Hotaru's father.  I also make use of some of
the other secondary characters from the first two seasons.

Text enclosed within asterisks (*) are for things like thoughts,
flashbacks, dream sequences, you know, things like that...

Finally, I don't own Sailor Moon or any of its characters, they belong to
Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansha, along with some other companies.

---

For the first time since he could remember, which was only a few months
or so, Souichi Tomoe had felt happy.  It had been a gorgeous spring
day--warm, sunny, and beautiful.  A comfortable breeze stirred the air,
causing the leaves to create their own little pleasant symphony.

He had taken it all in appreciatively, relishing everything in this
moment he could--every sound, every smell, every color, every shape.

His daughter was lying nearby, and seemed to be taking in the scenery
just as eagerly as he had been.  He could see the curiosity and
eagerness in her eyes, and the wonder.  Everything was new to her, and
each new discovery of the huge world around her did nothing less but
amaze her.  *I only hope you can still appreciate the beauty of all
this when you grow up*, he thought.

Baby Hotaru began to coo and reached out her small arms in excitement,
enough for her father to take note and go over to her side.  He picked
her up and held her, and both father and daughter enjoyed the embrace.
He suddenly found himself having sympathy for anyone in the world who
had never had the privilege of holding a baby in their arms.  *Well,
a quiet baby with a clean diaper, anyway.*

"My, aren't you excited today," he told her.  "Have you been dreaming?
Maybe something I can never imagine."  Then that feeling washed over
him, that feeling every parent felt as they held their children, pride,
hope, thinking that their child could be just about anything in the
world they wanted to.  This joy had quickly dissipated, however, with
just one sentence.

"Hotaru, I have come to take you with me."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

From the front pages of a lesser known Tokyo news magazine, dated about

a week after the Senshi's defeat of the Death Busters/Pharaoh 90:

MUGEN GAUKEN DESTROYED, AUTHORITIES BAFFLED
   The ever-mysterious and controversial Mugen Gauken met with a
destructive fate last Saturday in the early morning hours.  The
building, a skyscraper residing in the Delta Harbour area, was
completely destroyed.  No bodies have been found as of yet, and no
one has been reported missing.
   The police now state that the building was rocked by two
separate explosions, though there were very few eyewitnesses to the
explosions.  The first explosion occurred sometime during the night,
between the hours of 2 am and 3 am, and sheared off the top half of
the building.  A few hours later, sometime after dawn, a second even
more powerful blast was felt, and had completely leveled the building.
   The rubble is now being thoroughly inspected in an attempt to
explain the cause.  Physical evidence has apparently been very scant;
none of the security cameras in the 60-story building were found.
   No matter what the cause, the students and faculty of the school
find their lives turned upside down.  Police are still in the process
of contacting all students and faculty of Mugen, to obtain any
information they can.
   With the school destroyed, many students and faculty must go
throughthe difficult process of transferring to other local area
schools.  Theirassociation with Mugen may either help them or hinder
them.  Mugen was oneof the most prestigious institutions in the city,
but its strange reputationmay very well cause some other schools to
shun them.
   When asked about the cause, the authorities only had a couple of
theories, but no leads.  First on the list of theories is the academy
being the victim of a horrible terrorist attack.  No evidence exists
to support this, only unverified reports that a helicopter was seen
flying near the schoolsometime before the second explosion occurred.
   Second on the list of explanations falls under the jurisdiction
of "unexplained phenomena" that perhaps only the Sailor Senshi could
explain.  Additional unsubstantiated reports indicate that the Sailor
Senshi, a team of female teenage fighters equipped with strange powers,
were seen at Mugen at the time of the explosions.  Their appearance
would only meanthat the city has suffered yet another attack from some
otherworldly beings.  Some find this theory laughable, and believe all
previous eventsinvolving the senshi were a hoax.  On the other hand,
others are cautioning the skeptics, warning that these "supernatural
beings" are indeed real.
   The Sailor Senshi have not been seen since their alleged
appearance at Mugen.
   The last of the possible theories involves the reputation of
Mugen Gauken's owner, Professor Souichi Tomoe, who teaches classes
in the advanced sciences.  He has an established history of engaging
in very controversial work, particularly in the area of genetics.
Enough to earn both envy and harsh criticism from his peers.
   "It wouldn't surprise me if the explosion had been caused by
something like unstable substances, or hazardous equipment stored
inside of Mugen," said a professor of the Azabu Institute of Technology
who asked not to be identified.
   "For three years I've heard of the strange happenings there--small
fires, students walking around like brainwashed amoebas, repeated
replacement of expensive equipment.  I'm hoping this will be a wake-up
call for Tomoe.  It's one thing to be original and innovative, quite
another to endanger the lives of students."
   Tomoe was the only one inside the Mugen building at the time, and
is recovering from his injuries at Ohajara Hospital.  What he was
doing inside Mugen Gauken alone may remain a mystery, as doctors have
reported that his numerous head injuries may have resulted in some
memory loss.  The police have not finished questioning him; he has not
been charged with any crime yet.
   Facing possible criminal prosecution, lawsuits from damage to the
surrounding areas, and physical rehabilitation, Tomoe will no doubt
have a difficult recovery ahead of him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The same time that the outer senshi were leaving the roof of the aquarium
building with a Hotaru that was no longer a baby, Souichi Tomoe was inside
his house, slouched in the living room.  Six hours had passed since his
daughter was taken.  In his right hand he clutched the bottle of scotch
tightly, his only companion now.  In his other hand was his forehead, and
for the past half an hour he had been staring at the floor.  He began to
wonder when the last time the floor was vacuumed.

Since it happened six hours ago, all Souichi could do was replay the scene
in his head over and over again.  But it wouldn't change what was now done.
When it happened, he had just stood there, and let the woman take his baby
away without resistance.  The woman had not laughed at the comical
dullard's expression on his face.

"She will be returned to you as soon as possible.  The Sailor Senshi will
keep her safe.  You must not tell anyone of this," she said, and simply
walked away.  When he had finally snapped out of his stupor, there was no
sign of them.  He hadn't been sure how much time had actually passed.
Either he had gone catatonic, or the two of them had disappeared in a
flash.

By the time he had gone back inside, he had decided it must have been
the former--he must have zoned out for a while.  It had made more sense,
given his previous head injuries and loss of memory.

His first instinct had been to alert the police, but he shot down that
idea before reaching the phone, remembering the statement the woman had
made.  She had said Hotaru would be safe, but he didn't want to risk any
harm coming to her nonetheless.  Besides, the police probably would
laugh him out of there when he told them he just stood there while the
woman took Hotaru away.

"The Sailor Senshi," he recalled her saying.  He had heard the term
several times before.  There were frequent stories in the news about
these "senshi", those girls in short skirts who fought against these
monsters that would allegedly appear.

He thought it all was a hoax, until about a couple of weeks ago, when he
looked out the window of his home to see everything covered in spider
webs.  And a pink-haired girl in the moon.

If Hotaru was now really with the Sailor Senshi, it meant she was likely
being exposed to some danger he didn't even begin to understand.

That was when the liquor cabinet had beckoned him, for the first time
since he lost his memory.  When was the last time he had a drink?  He
pondered this, and then the answer came, that same damn answer to a lot
of the questions asked of him in the last year or so, mostly questions he
had asked himself.  *I don't remember.*

That had brought about memories (actual legitimate memories) of when he
had first woken up in that hospital about a year ago.  He had broken
bones, a concussion, and a hideously sore throat (alas, unbeknownst to
Tomoe-san, the daimon that possessed his body had let loose one insane,
shrill, evil guffaw too many).

The only cure for the physical pain was to drown it with emotional pain:
he felt the helplessness of not being able to move about without
assistance, coupled with the anger and frustration of not remembering
anything.  Not remembering who Souichi Tomoe was.

With Hotaru now gone, all of these feelings had come back.  Instead of
pouring himself just one glass he opted for just drinking out of the
bottle.  He would drink, and then he would eventually pass out and not
have to think about any of this.  A quick escape.

That had been hours ago.  The contents of the bottle were nearly gone,
and he was still wide awake.  Only now there was a pain in his stomach,
every so often the room would move, and still he was left thinking about
his daughter.

"I am sorry, Hotaru," he moaned.  "Please forgive me," he pleaded, and
then took one last swig of the bottle.

Still he suffered, even after moving to a new house and trying to begin
a new life.  He had moved here for Hotaru's sake.  His obsession with
trying to remember anything of the past was beginning to affect his
caring for Hotaru.

Souichi had also grown tired of receiving those looks from people who
remembered Mugen Gauken, like he was a murderer or something.  *Please,
if you look at me like that, at least tell me what I did, because I sure
as hell don't know...*

He had chosen this place, with the gorgeous scenery all around him.  It
was peaceful, and more importantly Hotaru adored it.  He thought he was
finally putting the past behind him, that he could be happy again.
Souichi felt he had come so far, and within one day everything had come
crashing down again.  *Why?  Why me?  Why Hotaru?*

He stared at the empty bottle for a while, and in a fit of rage threw it
across the room.  It crashed into the wall, and exploded into many shards.
This had actually surprised Souichi, though his senses were now too numb
to really react.

He rose slowly and went over to the mess he had created.  He picked up
one of the shards, and examined it closely.  Although he was thoroughly
intoxicated, he had managed to avoid cutting himself as he kept turning
the piece of glass over.  He brought the shard dangerously close to his
wrist.

Suicide?  Yes, he was considering it.  He had just lost the center of
his universe.  It was Hotaru who had kept him focused--each time before
that he considered killing himself (and in the last year, he had thought
about it several times), all he had to was hear his daughter crying, and
the ridiculous thought would leave him.

This time she wasn't around to save him.  He just might have gone through
with it, had he not heard a strange sound coming from outside.  He
dropped the shard and went out onto the balcony.  The sky was clear this
night, a pleasing midnight blue.  But it was the falling stars that had
grabbed his attention.  He had the same reaction as Ami Mizuno--there
were just too many of them!

The stars were coming from the direction of the city, perhaps very near
the house where he used to live.  "A hallucination?" Souichi asked
himself, referring to the stars.  He turned to face the direction of
where the shattered liquor bottle was.  *That stuff is awfully powerful,
isn't it?*  He turned back to continue witnessing the spectacle.
However strange it seemed, it was beautiful.  Souichi wished he had
Hotaru there with him, so that both of them could enjoy it.

He watched for a while longer, unaware of the damage the falling stars
were causing some distance away.  Then the realization hit him with a
blast.  "BAKA!" he yelled at himself.  *What are you doing just sitting
here?  Hotaru's out there, you've got to find her!*

He couldn't wait for anyone else to return her, Sailor Senshi or no.
He wasn't about to just sit and worry over what was happening to his
daughter, what was being done to her.

"Baka," he repeated.  For the last time that night, he glanced at the
stars.  Again he noticed their direction, falling in the direction of
the city.  That was where they said all the Sailor Senshi sightings were,
in fact very close where he used to live.  His daughter was most likely
somewhere in the city now, and that's where he had to go.

Souichi turned to go back inside, and a sharp pain assaulted him in the
stomach.  It only lasted a few seconds, and he continued inside.  He
headed for the kitchen for some water, and stumbled three times, the
third time nearly falling into the pile of broken glass.

He sighed in resignation; he was in absolutely no condition to start
looking for her now.  *I'm going to have one hell of a headache in the
morning.*  He drank two glasses of water, and went off to bed.  His
stomach began to throb slightly again, causing him to curl up into a
fetal position.  He had passed out quite easily.

Back in the living room, a vague shape appeared in one of the shards of
glass, and emitted an evil chuckle.  From one of the shards appeared a
black sphere.  It floated towards the bedroom, hovering at the side of
the bed for a few seconds.  Then it grew in size; eventually taking the
form of a woman whose beauty was cold, almost harsh.

The apparition stood there for a long time, studying the man.  The
anguish in the man was fairly obvious in his posture.

A voice that was not the woman's own spoke up.  "Father of one of the
Sailor Senshi, of the White Moon Kingdom.  They have abandoned him, left
him to suffer.  These are the same ones that did this to you.  They have
forgotten him, but you...you can use him to get back at them."

"Right," she agreed, her voice low and calm.  Neherenia placed a hand on
his forehead, the same way Sailor Saturn would do to a younger Hotaru in
a few nights.  She scanned over his mind.  *Memory loss,* she discovered.
Her own mind became filled with evil delight as she saw the man's
tormented story play out.

Her primary goal would be to capture the other one, the beloved of the
White Moon Princess.  But she would use any method she could to torment
all of them.  Starting with this man here.  She whispered something into
his ear, and Souichi began to dream.

"Pleasant dreams..." she said in a mockingly sad voice, and then faded
with a chuckle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Unexpectedly, the next morning Souichi Tomoe had not woken up with a
severe headache.  Quite the opposite.  While he slept, he had had pleasant
dreams of his late wife Keiko, who like everyone else he had lost all
recollection of.

The dream was of happier times that he couldn't remember after the
accident.  The dream had been unusually vivid, more vivid than the night
terrors that would often afflict him.  From the dream, he had remembered
her scent as they embraced, and the way her long dark hair brushed against
his face.  He found himself wishing there were some mental gadget one
could use to record and then re-experience such dreams.

But he didn't have time to dwell on that now.  Quickly, he packed a few
things, including his laptop computer and some clothes.  He didn't even
stop to clean up that mess he had made the previous night.

During the trip there, he had a little time to think about what he had
done.  He mostly thought of the liquor cabinet.  It was not that big a
collection, but thinking about it now made him wince.  He thought of what
might have happened had he gotten into any of the bottles of more potent
variety...

Had he not had been distracted by those falling stars he may very well
be dead right now.  In a way, Neherenia had saved his life.

When he had arrived in the city, he wasn't sure where to go first.  He
couldn't just wander around the city looking for a green-haired woman.
She'd be fairly easy to spot, but not necessarily in a crowd of millions
of people.  He needed to be more scientific, to gather some information
first.

So he had gone back to his old house, which he had not sold.  It was as
it had always been; simply a place to sleep and take care of Hotaru in.
It was a place that frustrated him--he knew it was just full of memories
waiting to be recovered.

But no matter how hard he concentrated, nothing would ever come to him.
There really was no reason to keep this house, but he was not yet ready
to completely let go of the forgotten past.  *I thought I was moving
forward, or was I just trying to escape from this?*

He flipped on the TV.  The local news was on.  A young newscaster
spoke of the previous day's events in a detached voice.  "Though many
find it difficult to believe, it was not some fake pyrotechnic display
we saw last night, it was indeed an alarming amount of falling stars,
that have left the community both amazed and confused."

The scene switched from the newscaster to a scene of the sky the
previous night, and then to comments from local citizens.

"There were also more unconfirmed Sailor Senshi sightings last night,
in the aquarium building in Juuban.  Whether or not this is related to
the wave of falling stars last night is unknown.  Their appearance
usually is accompanied sooner or later by catastrophes that have defied
normal explanation.  Nobody knows who they are, but they seem to be the
city's only defense against the very strange invasions in the last few
years."

While the reporter had said this, they had shown several drawings of
these Sailor Senshi.  Even though they were only sketches, still Souichi
blushed.  They were probably only in their mid-teens, and wore sailor
outfits with rather short skirts.  There were six of them, and their
faces were obscured and vague, but they seemed to have a variety of
hairstyles and lengths.

None of the sketches of these sailor senshi, he noticed, had the long
hair with the bun, like the green-haired woman did.  That would mean that
the one who took Hotaru was even more obscure than the other senshi, or
the woman had lied.  Just fabricated the story to throw him off track
should he try to look for her.  Or maybe she had just changed her hair;
he didn't know what the hell to think at this point.  He switched off the
TV.

Over half of the house was empty, but there was just enough for him to
stay here for a while, long enough to figure out where Hotaru was, he
hoped.  It seemed much more cold and haunting after having been
uninhabited for a few weeks.

He went into what might have been an office in what he now refers to as
his "previous life".  The room was nearly empty, the only furniture in
here being a desk and a chair.  When he had moved, he took the file
cabinets with him.  Though he had not really sifted through them that
thoroughly, he knew most of the contents were financial statements, bill
receipts.  He would have to go through all of that eventually; one of the
many things he had wondered about was where exactly he had gotten all
this money from...

The walls were decorated with various frames, each containing a various
award or other recognition he had earned, some containing pictures of
him smiling and shaking hands with some important looking official.  He
had not taken those, since they were people he did not recognize now.

He set up the laptop computer on the desk.  He booted it up, and
immediately connected to one of many web sites he knew of that contained
archives of old news stories.

ENTER SEARCH PHRASE:  Mugen Gauken

Before he realized what he had typed, he had hit the enter key.  It had
been a force of habit that he typed in that phrase; he had meant to type
in "Sailor Senshi".  There was no surprise when it came back with a "NO
RESULTS FOUND".

Seeing those words Mugen Gauken on the screen once again got him thinking
about that horrible time.  Then he came to a realization about the woman
who had taken Hotaru.

For the first few days after he came home from the hospital, the
destruction of Mugen Gauken was the top news story everywhere, and
anything else on TV just stopped.  The press had maintained a constant
vigil outside the house for about a week, and the phone was ringing off
the hook.  They were relentless.

*What caused the explosion?  Was it a terrorist attack?  Were you
performing illegal experiments again?  Were you attempting to create
weapons of mass destruction?  How were the Sailor Senshi involved?  Did
you see them?*

Most often asked were questions regarding the Sailor Senshi, both by the
press and by the police.  At the time, he had no idea who these "Sailor
Senshi" were.

The press had hounded him for about a week, even after the police had
questioned him and released his statement of complete lack of knowledge
and memory of the incident.  Until one morning when it was all just
forgotten...almost magically.

That morning he had looked out the window and found the front gate of the
house free from the human occupants that had practically set up camp
there.  The phone had rung, and the caller--a woman--had refused to give
any identification.  The woman had informed him that the property of Mugen
Gauken was no longer his problem to worry about, and the damage to
surrounding properties was already being repaired, with no cost to him.

He had felt simultaneously elated and unnerved at the same time.  Before
he was able to ask who she was, she had firmly requested that he "take
good care of Hotaru", and promptly hung up.  That had marked the end of
the Mugen Gauken ordeal for him, the legal portion of it anyway.  He had
not heard anything else from the police, nor had he received any additional
threatening phone calls, and no legal action was taken against him.
People still gave him funny looks every now and then, but that was about
it.

*Poof!  That was it...and of course you had no time to realize how strange
it really was, with a baby in one arm and a cast on the other, not to mention
your leg.*

But now that he was thinking about it, he realized the woman on the phone
that day and the green-haired woman who had taken Hotaru were one and the
same.  This woman, he was convinced, had been responsible for all of his
problems just going away.

It was more than that.  It's almost like Mugen Gauken--and Professor
Souichi Tomoe--had never existed, from a historical standpoint, anyway.
After performing a heavy number of web searches, and visiting several
university libraries and searching every single periodical database he
could, he had only found two articles, both of which were vague and not
that revealing.  Mugen Gauken did not have its own website, either.
*She couldn't get rid of it completely,* he reasoned.  *Or did she not
want to?*

The entire history of what was one of the top quality schools in the
country could only be found in two articles?  And with the exception of
the two articles, there was no mention of the name "Souichi Tomoe"
anywhere.

*Whoever this woman was, Sailor Senshi or not, she definitely had a large
sphere of influence, to make something that big practically disappear...*
This thought disturbed him.  She had the resources to care for Hotaru,
but that also meant that she could do anything else to her...and probably
get away with it...

"Ah, baka," Souichi growled, not wanting to think that way.  He looked
back at the computer screen and continued what he meant to do.

ENTER SEARCH PHRASE:  Sailor Senshi.

The result screen came up, and he raised his eyebrows.

167 items found.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Welcome, a present for some special girl in your life?  We have a special
discount on emerald jewelry this week.  How may I help you?"

The boy, about sixteen years of age, had an unusual request.  "Um, well,
are you the owner of this store?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, I am."

"You live here with your daughter, right?"

The woman became suspicious.  "Who wants to know?" she asked, still
smiling, but her foot ready to activate the alarm.  Bars would surround
the boy within seconds.

"Oh, no, I, just wanted to ask her something.  We go to the same school,"
he lied.  "We have a...mutual friend...that I wanted to know something
about...I know this sounds weird, but could I please talk to her?"  He
gulped, knowing he was blowing this.

She gave the security guard the special look that said to be wary, then
went and called for her daughter.

The daughter, a redhead who was around the same age as the boy, came down,
and was asked by her mother if she knew this person.  He did look familiar,
but the name escaped her.  The urgent and pleading expression on his face
got her attention.  "Yes, I know him.  Vaguely."

"He says he wants to talk to you."

She thought about it briefly.  "Okay, but just for a little bit."  *This
has to be good.  He looks harmless.*

The boy looked only somewhat relieved.  "It's, uh, kind of personal."

"We can go upstairs, then."  A scowl darkened her mother's face.  "It
will just be for a couple minutes.  If he tries anything, I'll scream.
You know, the usual."

Her mother wasn't amused, but let them go anyway.  The two went upstairs.
"Okay, let's get this over with," the girl began.  "I already have a
boyfriend, and we love each other very much, so if you want to go out
with me, I'm afraid that's impossible."

His eyes went wide.  "No, no, no, no, that's not why I'm here."  He
agreed that he wanted to get this over with, and had to be direct as
possible.  "It's about the Sailor Senshi."

Her response was automatic.  She had to adopt her "Yes, I know they exist,
but that's all I know" posture.  "Yes, what about them?"

"I know you know who they are."

"I don't know what you're talking abou--"

"Two years ago, you more or less tried to get your friend Usagi to tell
you that she's Sailor Moon," he began, expecting her resistance.  "It
was when that black crystal appeared.  When she wouldn't tell you, you
took her hand, and then told her you weren't going to press her about it."

The girl had tried to hide her shocked reaction.  "That's a really
strange story...oh, I, uh, I know who you are, now.  Ryo Urawa.  Ami's
former rival, right?"

"Don't try to change the subject...Naru Osaka," he said.

The walls crumbled.  It was useless trying to hide now, he knew too much.
"What do you want, then?" she said in a hushed voice.

"In a few days, terrible things are going to happen.  Do you remember
the spider webs and circus tents that appeared a little time ago?"  She
nodded.  "The same evil that created those webs will appear again,
stronger than ever."

She looked slightly fearful, but not nearly as scared as in the previous
times.  After years of being attacked by monsters, she was somewhat
desensitized to it.  "The Sailor Senshi will take care of it, like they
always do.  How do you know all of this, anyway?"

He looked away for a second, then back at her.  He didn't like telling
this to that many people.  Like Hotaru's healing power, it freaked people
out.  "I have this...ability to see into the future.  It doesn't reveal
everything, but I do see much more than I want to."

"So that's how you knew about me and what I told Usagi-chan?"

"Yes.  That was a vision I had a couple years ago.   Every time it
happens, I write down what I see."

Naru frowned.  "And you don't act on these visions, you don't warn anyone
about them?  Until now?"

"The nature of these visions I have...are usually something that the
Senshi can take care of.  If it was something like a bank robbery, you
know, something mundane, I would do something about it.  The visions
I've had lately are more of a gray area, but I think this time I want to
do something."

Naru was very curious now.  "Explain."

"Well, like I said, there's going to be another invasion in a few days.
The Senshi will be away fighting the evil, but one of their loved ones
will become trapped in the evil back here.  They won't be here to
rescue him, and there won't be time to wait for them.  He could die,
unless we help him."

It took a while for her to process all of this.  "First of all, let me
ask this.  Am I," she emphasized that last word, "going to be attacked
by a monster?"

He chuckled.  "No, you won't.  But as a warning, until the evil is
gone, don't use any mirrors.  In fact, just refrain from staring into
any reflective surface.  That might be hard to do in a jewelry store, but
the evil curse involves just that."

"Okay.  Avoid reflections.  Got it," she responded.  She had believed him
easily.  He could be lying, but there was no reason for him to do so.
"But why don't you just warn the man about the danger now?"

"I could.  But no matter how much we try to create our own future,
sometimes fate is unavoidable.  From what I've seen, I believe there is
some information he needs to find out, before he becomes trapped.  But we
can't just leave him there to die."

Naru sighed.  "We?  I haven't agreed to anything."

"You're right.  I can do this myself, but it will be easier and faster
if I had help.  I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Naru was still squeamish.  "Why me?  Was I in your vision of all this?"

"I'm afraid so.  You, and another woman who knows who the senshi are.
The three of us will be able to handle it.  Please believe me," he said
urgently.

She appeared to be uneasy, and shook her head.  "I really don't know about
this."

There was only one thing he had left to convince her.  "Then let me tell
you this.  In this place where this man will be trapped is some revealing
information about the Sailor Senshi.  Information that could lead to the
exposure of their identities.  This could generate worldwide headlines.
Do you think your friend Usagi could handle that?  Trying to protect the
planet while being questioned and stalked by the press and photographers
all the time?"

She gripped the chair she was sitting in.  Although she and Usagi had
not spent as much time together in the last couple years as they did when
they were younger, they were still close friends.  She couldn't let this
happen to Usagi.  Not the girl with such innocence and love, and not
after she saved her life so many times.  "Okay, okay.  Dirty pool, using
my friend like that."

"I'm concerned for them too, you know, especially--uh, well, that's not
important."

"Ami?" Naru teased.

He blushed.  "Never mind that.  Let me tell you about this man now."
Naru smiled at his embarrassment.  "His name is Souichi Tomoe, you may
have heard of him already..."

End Part 1

________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com