A Demon's Heart

The last part went into place, and Skuld sat back with a maniacal grin. It was her greatest invention yet: Skuld's Own Hyperdimensional Bug Vacuum.

"I've done it! My genius amazes even myself!" Skuld shouted triumphantly, reaching for her ice cream. "Empty?"

Skuld's room was littered with empty pint containers, electronic components, and older devices. As Skuld left in search of more ice cream, her computer's monitor lit up with a flashing message: Warning. Dimensional Instability.

Skuld stuck her head in the freezer, moved the contents around, and shrieked in surprise.

"Oneesama! Where's the ice cream? Oneesama?" Skuld wandered out of the kitchen and started looking through the house when Belldandy didn't respond. "Oneesama? Where are you?"

"You just missed her. She went shopping," Urd announced from her perch in front of the TV. "Now get out of my way. I want to see this."

Skuld turned to see what Urd was so interested in on the TV. Her hammer was in her hand before she was consciously aware, and only the forcefield around the TV prevented her from smashing it to bits. The perverted things the couple on the screen was doing may have been to Urd's liking, but she didn't have to put up with it.

"Now you've done it, you little brat! Do you know how hard it was to get those two together like that?"

"I should have known this was your fault! Why do I have to have such a pervert for a sister?"

"Maybe you should try it yourself! It could only improve your personality!"

"Aaaah!" Skuld swung her mallet at Urd, who immediately shrank to her Mini-Urd form and teleported away. "Come back here and fight like a Goddess, you coward! Banpei! Find her!"

As Skuld stalked out of the living room, she crushed the television with a parting shot from her mallet. On the way past her bedroom, she noticed a flashing light. That doesn't make any sense. That looks like the warning I programmed for a Bug Exhaust Port. Oh no! She dashed into the room and stared at the monitor, then began frantically typing, an expression of horror growing on her face. Suddenly, Skuld's latest invention began to glow, the light filling the room in seconds, then spreading....

"Thank you for bringing me home, Keiichi-chan. I enjoy riding with you so much." Belldandy exclaimed happily as she lifted her shopping bags from the motorcycle's sidecar.

"I'm always glad to give you a lift, Bel-chan." Keiichi said, smiling happily as he as he took off his helmet and took one bag from her arms - all that she'd allow him to carry for her. "Can I help you with dinner?"

"You can help eat it," Belldandy laughed, reaching for the front door as the light from Skuld's room exploded to engulf the temple grounds.

The alien had taken refuge on the grounds of an abandoned temple near a college a good ways across Tokyo. The Senshi were even happier than I was that the location made it possible to minimize the risk to civilians while fighting it. We cornered it in one of the bedrooms of the priest's house, and Sailor Moon blasted it to nothingness.

As we were taking our first relieved breaths, Sailor Mercury suddenly yelled in surprise, seconds before the entire world went white. When the light faded, Sailor Mercury and I were the only ones initially able to see, thanks to my Gargoyles and her visor. Where the alien had been was something that looked like a vacuum cleaner after it had been through my laboratory, and a couple feet away was kneeling a girl who looked about the same age as Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, with black hair as long as Setsuna's and wearing a sort of white tunic with red cuffs and collar. Across her back was a long hammer, like a croquet mallet with a spike on the end of the handle. Her hands were positioned as if she was at a keyboard, despite there being no furnishings of any kind in the room. She turned her head and looked up at us with a horrified expression in her brown eyes.

"Holy shit," I murmured in surprise as I saw the blue markings on her forehead and cheeks. "But...she's fictional."

"No, she's real," Sailor Mercury said. "But she's not from this universe."

"Oh, no," Skuld cried. "I didn't manage to stop it in time!"

"URD! What did you do this time?" a male voice called from the front of the house.

"Now, Keiichi-chan, you don't know it was her. Something about this feels more like Marller's doing." The voice sounded like Ami's sounded when we were alone and sharing our love for each other. That meant it could only be one person.

**I'll check it out, Angel. Make sure the others recover from the light, ok?**

**Be careful, my love. If that really is Belldandy, then Marller may be real, too.**

**If she is, she'll find I'm not as easygoing as they are. I love you.**

**I love you, too.**

Sailor Mercury moved toward Sailor Moon as I left the room and made my way toward the front of the house. Just stepping up onto the floor inside the front door were one of the shortest men I've ever seen, and a woman with hair a lighter shade of brown than mine, beautiful violet-blue eyes, and marks on her cheeks and forehead. I offered henu to the couple and gestured toward the room the others were in.

"Morisato Keiichi, Belldandy, if you'd come this way, we can start to figure out what happened. And if your sister is here as well, she should come, too."

"Who are you, and what happened to our home?" Keiichi asked, stepping in front of Belldandy.

"They call me Demon Hunter. And if Sailor Mercury's initial reading of Skuld is accurate, this isn't your home. It's the equivalent of it in our universe."

"And it's not my fault," declared a woman with platinum blonde hair, green eyes, a tan Zonker Harris would kill for, marks on her cheeks and forehead, and enough raw sex appeal to make me very glad I'd given my heart to Ami. "All I was doing was watching TV."

Keiichi looked at Urd with one of those unmistakable "I'm not so sure I believe you" expressions we've all gotten at one time or another - usually after one of Minako's "great ideas" blows up in our faces. The look on Urd's face confirmed her claim, as far as I was concerned. Keiichi's disbelief hurt her, and she was trying to hide it.

"OK, so you're not the one who did it. And Belldandy thinks Marller might be involved. If she is, she might as well show herself now and save all of us some trouble." I looked around as I spoke, trying to get a feel for the place.

**Rei? Can you feel any demonic presences here?**

**Demonic? Not quite...there's something here...but compared to what we think of as demonic, it's a joke.**

**That's probably her, then. Where is it?**

**Above us. Maybe 100 meters.**

**Thanks.**

"Urd, would you fetch her? She's about 100 meters straight up. We'll be in that bedroom over there." I pointed at the room the Senshi were in. "Skuld was saying something about not being able to stop it when I came out here."

Urd growled and vanished in a puff of smoke. I looked to the others and gestured toward the bedroom. It was pretty obvious Keiichi had been in school far too long. He had just processed what I'd said, and was looking to Belldandy for reassurance.

" Your universe? Sailor Mercury? But Sailor Mercury's a character in a TV show!" Keiichi sounded remarkably like he'd just had an even bigger surprise than meeting Belldandy.

"He's right, Keiichi-chan. This isn't our world. I have a feeling his friends will be able to help us get home." She smiled lovingly at him, then turned her gaze on me with a smile as warm and open as any that Usagi could offer. "Would you introduce us to your friends, Demon Hunter-san?"

"Just call me Bill, ok?" I smiled and tipped my hat to her, then led them to the bedroom door. Inside, Skuld was wailing miserably. I didn't clearly understand anything she was saying, but the overall impression was that she believed she was here all alone and just wanted to be with her sisters.

Belldandy swept past us all and gathered Skuld into her arms, soon quieting her sister's cries. Keiichi moved to join them after Skuld had settled down, and she stuck her tongue out at him, a lot like Chibi-Usa often did to Usagi.

"I'm reading some residual extradimensional energy on that device," Sailor Mercury announced. "Two different kinds of energy, and they look like they're incompatible."

"Two different kinds?" Skuld, finally calmed enough to hear us clearly, looked shocked, then angry. "URD!"

"It wasn't Urd," Belldandy said gently. "Can't you feel it?"

Skuld whipped out a set of goggles that reminded me of stereotypical Ether Goggles, and studied the vacuum intently. While she was studying it, I moved to rest a hand gently on Sailor Mercury's shoulder.

**Can we duplicate the energies, Angel?**

**The hyperspatial energy will be easy. The other, I'm not so sure of. It's unlike anything any of us have ever used.**

**It's demonic, isn't it?**

**Sort of. But more chaotic and less evil.**

**So it was Marller.**

**That could be, but we should be certain before saying anything.**

"It looks like demonic energy," Skuld announced. "But that doesn't make sense, unless it was tampered with after I finished it."

"I'd say that's a good bet," Urd announced, appearing in a puff of smoke, holding a woman who looked like she could be her evil sister by the ear. "Tell us what you did, Marller, before I get angry."

**Uh-oh. Urd's voice is far too calm. Be ready for an explosion.**

The others shifted just a little, and Sailors Mars and Jupiter moved closer to Sailor Moon, ready to jump in front of her in an instant. Marller, wearing a pair of black leather jeans that looked as if they'd been painted on and a black T-shirt that was at least two sizes too small and made of spandex, with the logo "Evil means never having to say you're sorry" on it, winced as Urd twisted her ear.

"OK! OK! Just let go! All I did was drop a little time bomb into that...whatever it is!" Marller pointed at the vacuum. "It shouldn't have done...whatever it did."

"What it did, demon, was blow all of you out of your universe and into ours." I stalked toward her and glared into her eyes from close enough to feel her breathing. "Be thankful you're not a demon from my universe, or you'd already be dead. As it is...if you want to live - much less get home - you're going to have to work with us, not against us. Is that understood?"

"You did WHAT?" Skuld shrieked, whipping out a device about the size of a softball. "I'm gonna blast you to smithereens!"

"Bring it on, brat!" Marller brought up her hands and a ball of light began forming between them. When I laid the blade of my sword across her throat, she was sufficiently surprised for her energy ball to backfire, stunning her.

"Skuld! Don't!" Belldandy cried, moving to knock the device out of Skuld's hand. "If she was responsible for what happened, we need her to get home."

"And she needs us," Urd added, grinning maliciously at Marller. "This is too rich! If you want to get home, you're going to have to help us, Marller!"

As Urd broke into maniacal laughter, Marller glared at me. I shrugged and sheathed my sword, then offered her a hand.

"I don't need your help, mortal! You'll pay for your effrontery!" She raised her hands to attack, apparently not realizing how vulnerable she was, still half-sprawled on the floor. I dropped to one knee - ok, I dropped to one fist, and that fist was buried in her belly. Just because I wasn't going to kill her didn't mean I had to put up with any of her shit. The look of shock on her face was definitely worth the effort of leaving her alive.

"I don't think she'll be any more trouble, at least until she gets her breath back. Is she always this...hot-headed?" I moved to join Sailor Mercury and Skuld in examining the vacuum.

"No, sometimes she's worse," Urd laughed. "You should take some lessons from him, Keiichi! On second thought, don't." She looked a little worried as Keiichi's thoughtful gaze moved, from where Marller was trying to catch her breath, to her.

"I can't believe you're really here!" Sailor Moon gushed as she took Belldandy's hands. "I've got all your manga!"

"Are you sure that's not my manga?" Sailor Mars growled softly.

"Oh! Well, maybe they are! That doesn't matter, though. Are you really a Goddess?" Hurricane Usagi was definitely winding up for some major fan-flaking. Not that I could blame her. With the only person in existence who could out-cute Chibi-Usa, someone who could make Michiru and Haruka argue just by taking a deep breath, and the person I'd once compared Ami to for sheer sweetness and perfection, all here in our world, I'd be flaking too if I were as outgoing as she is.

"Yes, I really am a Goddess. My name is Belldandy, and this is my husband, Morisato Keiichi. I'm very pleased to meet you, although I wish it were under different circumstances."

"That's ok, with your sister, Sailor Mercury, and Bill working on it, we should have your...whatever that is...working in no time! I hope." Sailor Moon glanced over toward where the three of us were busily discussing what we'd need to properly diagnose the damage to Skuld's "Hyperdimensional Bug Vacuum".

"You're really Sailor Moon?" Keiichi asked. "And you're Tuxedo Mask...and...only the Inner Senshi?"

"Oh, yeah. The others are...Wait a minute...how do you know about us when you're not from this world?"

"My little sister...," he started, then blushed as Belldandy looked at him with the same kind of gaze Serenity used when she suspected someone of being less than truthful with her. "OK... I have all 200 episodes of your anime on tape, as well as all three movies, plus the Ami-chan Special." He blushed as if he'd just admitted to reading shojo manga.

"Did you hear that, gang? We're anime stars! That's just too cool!" Sailor Moon shrieked excitedly while the others rolled their eyes. Tuxedo Kamen stood over Marller, watching in case she decided to make trouble.

"And we appear in manga in your world?" Belldandy asked thoughtfully. "I wonder how that can be."

"Bill has a theory about that," Sailor Mars said. "It has to do with creative people being able to perceive other realities. You'll have to ask him to explain."

"Whatever it is, we can talk about it better over some cake! Let's all go to Bill and Ami's place!" Usagi's excitement steamrolled right over any possibility of rational thought.

That got my attention. The only way that demon was going into our house was either dead or bound. I stalked over to Marller and looked down at her.

"OK, demon. Here's the scoop. You can either let Belldandy bind you so you can't use your powers, or I can break both your arms and your legs, and cut your tongue out. We can always heal you up when it's time for you to go home." I guess even demons can get scared. She sure did. I'm not sure if it was my threat, or the matter-of-fact way I presented it. Whichever, it worked. Unfortunately, it also shocked the hell out of the Goddesses.

"Would you really do that?" Urd gasped, staring at me like I was some kind of poisonous snake.

"Since I can't be sure you could get home if I kill her, yes. I'm a demon hunter. I kill demons. And bound or crippled is the only way I'm going to let a live one in my home." I shrugged and looked down at Marller. "So which will it be?"

"Belldandy? Keep that maniac away from me!" Marller screamed and scrambled backward across the bedroom floor, trying to put as much room as she could between us. Belldandy moved to her and knelt at her side, trying to calm her, as I'd hoped she would.

**That was cruel, Bill.**

**Yes, Usagi, it was. And it worked exactly as I wanted it to.**

**What do you mean?**

**Look at them. Now she's willing to ask Belldandy for help, and Belldandy's willing to give it. I've got this feeling they're going to have to work pretty closely if they want to get home.**

**You're acting like your daughter again.**

**Well, she's not here. Somebody has to.**

I grinned at Usagi, and she stuck her tongue out at me. We laughed together and moved to join the other Senshi in preparing to teleport home.

Keiichi stared in shock at the man who'd just threatened Marller. The way he'd made the threat was so totally cold-blooded, it made her pranks seem almost harmless by comparison. And now he and Sailor Moon were laughing? This was nothing like the anime he remembered. And he was certain if anyone like that man had been in the anime, he'd have remembered him.

He moved to stand behind Belldandy, to offer her his love to counter the evil this man who called himself a demon hunter presented. He'd felt her horror when he'd made his threat, and how it had increased when he'd answered Urd so calmly. For the first time since meeting her, he felt sorry for Marller.

"Bel-chan?" he started, then shut up when he noticed her marks glowing as she chanted and held her hands over Marller.

"There. She is bound," Belldandy murmured, leaning tiredly against Keiichi. "I hope you're satisfied."

Keiichi caught Belldandy as her eyes closed in sleep, and looked toward the Senshi and the demon hunter. They formed a circle, with Tuxedo Kamen, the demon hunter, Keiichi, Belldandy, and Marller in the middle.

"Urd? Skuld? Would you stand with them, too?" Sailor Moon asked gently. "And don't forget your gadget, Skuld."

Urd and Skuld moved to flank Keiichi and Belldandy, watching the demon hunter suspiciously. Skuld had one of her balls in her hand, obviously ready to use it if he so much as twitched in their direction.

"Mercury!"

"Venus!"

"Mars!"

"Jupiter!"

"Moon!"

"SAILOR TELEPORT!"

Odd. That's not how they do it in the anime. Keiichi looked around in surprise as Skuld's bedroom was replaced by a living room with a shelving unit covering one wall, an entertainment center on another wall, and the remaining walls decorated with ink-painted scrolls and posters.

"If you'll follow me, the nearest spare room is next to my lab. I think we have a bed in it." The demon hunter tossed his fedora at a hat tree by the front door and moved toward a hallway as the Senshi separated.

"You missed, Bill!" Sailor Mercury laughed, as the hat missed and bounced off the wall above the shoe shelves. "Your record is still perfect."

"Oh, well," the demon hunter That's right, he said his name is Bill. shrugged with a warm smile. "It's not a weapon. What can you expect, Angel?"

"Oh, you!" Sailor Mercury hugged him and returned to her mundane appearance. "David! Make sure the power is on in the spare rooms, ok?"

"No problem, Ami," a gentle voice replied from an intercom panel. An intercom, in a house? Weird. "You're wrong, though, Dad. There's no bed in that room. Just a futon."

"Oh. Well, we'll let the demon have it, then. Belldandy deserves a proper bed."

"Upstairs, then. And what are you doing letting a live demon in the house? Ami, are you sure that's Dad?"

"Positive, David. Just ask Edgar."

"I don't like it. But if Skuld is willing to come talk with me, I think I could put up with it for a while."

"You'll have to ask her," Bill laughed. "They're our guests, until we figure out how to get them home. That reminds me...how much ice cream do we have in the kitchen?"

"Not enough. I'm sending out an order right now. What flavors do you like best, Skuld?"

"Huh? I...I like all of them." Skuld looked around the room, gasping in surprise as she saw one of the posters; an anime-style picture of her, Belldandy, and Urd, with angelic wings and covered only by strategically-placed locks of hair, a wing, or their hands. Surprisingly, though, it wasn't in the least hentai: it gave the impression of being almost inspired, like some Christian paintings.

"Isn't it neat?" Usagi asked, bouncing excitedly beside Skuld and looking toward the poster. "That's from the artist who did the manga and anime about you. See? It's even a limited edition print."

"Yeah, and Bill doesn't even follow your family," Ami chuckled with a teasing glance at the demon hunter. "Although one of his characters is someone named Geirahod."

"Geirahod?" Both Urd and Skuld exclaimed in stereo, looking toward Ami with surprised expressions.

"She's crazy!" Skuld exclaimed. "She thinks that going up against a swarm of demons single-handedly is fun !"

"She's a Valkyrie," Urd grumbled. "Crazy is part of the job description."

"That sounds like Bill's Geirahod," Ami laughed. "She's also a berserker."

"Well, that's a given. All Valkyries are berserkers," Urd said. "And she's a character?"

"I'm a writer," Bill said with a shrug as he walked over to pick up his hat and hang it on the coat tree, followed by his trenchcoat. "Geirahod's one of the heroes in my books."

"Geirahod?" Usagi asked, looking at Bill in confusion. "Who's that?"

"Elsie," Bill said, grinning. "Remember her?"

" Oh! The mad scientist berserker Valkyrie. Right!" Usagi laughed as her eyes lit up with understanding. "But we're being rude, talking about your books when poor Keiichi's holding Belldandy patiently. How long do you think she'll need to sleep, Keiichi-san?"

"If it was as hard to bind Marller as the last time she did it, she won't wake up until tomorrow," Keiichi murmured, moving to keep Urd and Skuld nearby and watching Bill suspiciously.

"It shouldn't have been as hard," Marller murmured, keeping the others between her and that maniac who'd threatened to cripple her. "I didn't fight her."

"Good," Bill said. "In that case, would you like some tea? If I know Makoto, she already has the water boiling."

"Actually, I already have a pot ready," Makoto said, coming into the living room from the hallway. "Setsuna made it before we got home."

"Thanks, Pumpkin," Bill murmured, almost too softly to hear, but clearly enough to surprise Keiichi. He obviously wasn't talking to Makoto when he said that, but who? Setsuna?

"I don't understand you," Marller growled at Bill, unsuccessfully trying to hide her confusion. "First you threaten to cripple me, now you're offering me tea?"

"That's right. I threatened to cripple you because you're not from this universe. While I can kill demons from this universe without worrying about the consequences, the fact that your bomb interacted with Skuld's vacuum to throw all of you here means that not only is there the worry of how my killing you here would throw your universe out of whack, there's also the problem that we may need you to throw another bomb into the works to generate the portal back to your universe." Bill shrugged. "And since you let Belldandy bind you, you're no more a menace to my family than a tailless kitsune is. Therefore, as long as you're here, I'll treat you as a guest. Do you think you can handle that?"

"This is just too weird. I need a drink. And not tea. Something stronger. A lot stronger." Marller shook her head slowly, as if trying to come to grips with what was going on. Keiichi really couldn't blame her.

"Well, if you can hang on until we get Belldandy in bed, I may be able to help you with that. Sorry, Urd. We don't keep much sake around here. You'll have to settle for mead, beer, or Lochanorra." Bill looked at Keiichi. "Can you manage her on your own, or would you like some help getting up the stairs?"

"I can manage," Keiichi said stubbornly, shifting Belldandy in his arms so her head was resting on his shoulder. Bill shrugged and headed for the stairs. Keiichi followed, up the stairs and into an open space, as large as the living room, on the second floor.

"David, which spare room has the queen size bed in it?"

"First one on the left. Fluorite got the last of his stuff out of it yesterday."

Keiichi noticed intercom panels by every door off this space. He followed Bill to a doorway near the front of the house, which Bill opened then stood beside so he could carry Belldandy in . I don't know what to think of him. I wish you were awake, Bel-chan. I really need your wisdom right now.

"Bathroom's the door straight ahead at the top of the stairs. If you need anything, just ask David."

"Who's David? And why is he talking over the intercom?"

"He's my son. He's talking over the intercom because he's a computer. He may not be as big as Yggdrasil, but he's alive. See you downstairs, eh?" Bill headed for the stairs, leaving Keiichi to tuck Belldandy in and wonder what kind of mess they were in now.

When I got back downstairs, everyone else was relaxing over some of Makoto's cake. Skuld and Usagi were happily comparing favorite ice cream treats, and Urd was snickering as she read a particularly perverted AMS dojinshi. Marller saw me and froze, like a rabbit under the shadow of a hawk.

**This isn't good, beloved. Scared people do stupid things.**

**I know, Angel. If I hadn't had to scare her to get her to turn to Belldandy for help, it would have made things a lot easier.**

**You're going to have to do something about it.**

**I know, I know...I scared her, so I have to un-scare her, somehow. It'd be a whole lot easier if I could just kill her and be done with it.**

**But she's not one of our demons.**

**I know. That's why she's still alive.**

**You'll figure it out.**

Ami wrapped her arms around my left arm and looked up at me with so much faith in her gaze I couldn't help blushing. With her believing in me so strongly, I had to at least try to calm the demon. I shared a kiss with her, and moved toward Marller. Marller, naturally, tried to scuttle away from me as I approached, only to back right into Mamoru, who gripped her arms and held her in place. When I got close enough to touch her, she turned her head away with a soft whimper.

"Marller, just listen to me, ok?" I reached out and turned her head to look at me. The terror in her eyes was actually kind of depressing. I don't like to see that in anything's eyes, even if it's something I'm killing. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Marller squeaked, and struggled to escape Mamoru's grasp. Luckily, it was pretty apparent she'd spent so many years relying on her supernatural powers to bail her out of stuff that her physical capabilities were pretty sad. When she realized she couldn't escape, she broke: she let out her terror in deep, wrenching sobs.

"Oh, shit," I muttered, then glanced over toward the others. I noticed with relief that Urd was already on her feet. "Urd, would you please help her? I know you're the closest to her, and she's too scared of me to even hear me offer her a promise."

Urd nodded and swept in to take her out of Mamoru's grasp. As she held the demon in her arms, her sobs slowly subsided. Marller grasped her as if she were a life preserver, while Urd crooned softly to her and stroked her hair. Eventually, Urd nodded to me.

"Marller, will you listen to me now? You know Urd can protect you, so you're safe. If you understand, just nod, ok?" It was hard to think of her as a demon when she was so frightened - especially given that her aura of evil really was as pathetic as Rei had described. In our world, she was barely as evil as a dark faerie. Even the most minor demon would chew her up and spit her out.

Marller nodded, glanced my way, and squeaked in fear before trying to hide herself in Urd's arms. I gave a heavy sigh; my expression must have surprised Urd, given the look she gave me before murmuring softly to Marller.

"Marller, I promise that I will do nothing to harm - or even hurt - you, as long as you promise you won't try any of your demonic tricks. Now that I can see you more clearly, I realize you're not like one of our demons. I'm going to have to protect you from them, just like I would a human. If you'll let me, I'd like to try and make you feel welcome for as long as you're here. Will you let me do that?"

Marller looked at me with more surprise than Urd had a moment before, and then - questioningly - back up at Urd.

"He's telling the truth, Mara. If you want me to witness the promise, I will."

"But...what he threatened...even one of my superiors wouldn't do those things! That's just so...."

"If your superiors are as evil as you are, I'm not surprised. In this world, you're barely as evil as one of the dark fae. A demon from this world is so much more evil than you, you'd look like a saint by comparison."

"Dark fae?" Marller asked - for both of them. From their expressions, it appeared the concept was outside of their universe.

"Yeah. Dark fae. Like banshees, tommyknockers, svartalf, trolls, things like that."

"Those are all annoying, but I wouldn't call them dark," Urd said. "More like a pain in the butt."

"That's in your world, apparently. In this world, they're as evil as Marller - and real demons compare to her the way she compares to Belldandy."

"Oh." Urd's voice was small as she considered the implications. Marller's eyes grew as big as Skuld's, and she whimpered softly.

"So...Marller, I'd like to apologize for scaring you the way I did. My only excuse is that I was treating you the way I'd treat one of our demons if I was forced to let it live." I offered her a hand and an encouraging smile. "I'd like to invite you to share in our hospitality; to be a guest, not a prisoner. Who knows? You might decide you like it."

" We'd like to invite you," Ami said as she slipped her arms around me. "What Bill said applies to me, too. If you're willing to be our guest, we'd like to make you welcome."

Belldandy opened her eyes and looked around to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was binding Marller, and being surprised when she didn't resist. Even without resistance, a binding that powerful took a lot out of her. Now she felt Keiichi's hands holding hers, and smiled contentedly. As long as she was with him, everything would be all right.

"Bel-chan? How do you feel?" He sounded worried and confused, so she sat up and gave him a gentle kiss.

"I'm alright, Keiichi-chan. What's wrong?" She smiled at him, feeling her love rise within her as he relaxed to her presence.

"It's that man. Bill. He's...." He gave up, obviously unable to describe how he felt.

"He's as hard as Tyr. You've never met him. He's one of the Aesir, and absolutely inflexible when it comes to fighting evil. Tyr would have killed Marller the first time she troubled us, if he'd been with us. He wouldn't have seen how harmless she ultimately is - just that she's a demon and therefore must be destroyed."

"That sounds like this guy, all right. How can you trust someone like that?" Keiichi's worry bothered her; she slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest.

"He's basically good, Kei-chan. We just have to find a way to teach him that good and inflexible are not the same. Where is everyone else?"

"Downstairs. We're in his and Sailor Mercury's house. It's kind of weird, seeing all of them in reality - and then him and Sailor Mercury together. It's not something I'd expect of her."

"Any more than you'd expected me to say 'yes' when you asked me to marry you?" Belldandy teased him gently, hoping it would lighten his mood a little. She was rewarded by his blush and smile. His insecurity about being "just a mortal" still held him, even after four years of marriage - but at least he'd gotten far enough through it to enjoy it when she teased him about it.

"I don't know," Keiichi murmured. "You're everything I dream of...my heart, my light, my reason for living."

"As you are for me," she whispered happily. "As they are for each other. I think we should join the rest, don't you?"

"If you think so," Keiichi murmured, stroking her hair soothingly - as much to sooth himself as her, she thought.

He's just too basically nice to face things like this. I hope I can help him recover quickly.

Keiichi helped her to her feet; when she twined her fingers in his, he returned her loving smile and led her toward the door.

We were scattered around the room, relaxing after one of Makoto's wonderful dinners. Bill was cuddling Ami as they talked with Marller. Urd was loudly laughing with Minako - probably over some idol they both thought was hot; Skuld was hunched over her vacuum with some tools she'd borrowed from Bill's lab.

**Usagi? Would you like to bring Hotaru over to Bill's house?**

**Sure, Mom. What's up?**

**We have guests, and one of them is your age. I think she might like a friend.**

**Really? Cool! What's her name?**

**Skuld.**

**That's a weird name. It sounds like something from one of your manga.**

**That's because it is something from one of my manga.**

**Say what? We're on our way.**

**Don't worry, Spore. She's not going anywhere before you get here.**

**Pbbbt!**

I laughed as I cut the connection and leaned against Mamoru. It was so good to have her here, even though it had taken some adjusting to think of her as old enough to fall in love. Rei glanced our way with so much longing in her eyes I just had to reach out to invite her over. When she leaned against me so I could wrap an arm around her, the world felt complete.

"That leaves Makoto all alone, Dumpling," Mamoru murmured teasingly into my ear, leaving me giggling as his lips tickled me. "Are you sure you don't want to invite her to join us, too?"

"Pbbbt!" I twisted my head so I could give him a proper raspberry. "You just want to lure them all into your harem."

"I do? Here I thought it was your harem we were talking about." Mamoru used his most innocent tone of voice and expression as he spoke. Rei giggled and looked up so she could stick her tongue out at him. I grabbed the nearest pillow and started hitting him over the head with it.

"You are bad ! I should punish you for that!" It was hard to make myself understood, I was laughing so hard. He does that to me.

He laughed and caught my hand, plucked the pillow out of it, and tossed it away as he drew me in for a kiss that made it impossible to do anything but feel my love for him. Then a pillow hit us both in the head, Rei let out a shriek of laughter, and the war was on. I guess that's why Ami and Bill keep so many pillows in the living room. It seems as if we end up in a pillow fight every time we're here.

"Pillow fight! All right!" Chibi-Usa laughed from the front door. I guessed Setsuna had brought them here, since they were still staying in Michiru's house, as far as I knew. She had her shoes off in an instant and was diving for the nearest pillow with so much enthusiasm I had to laugh.

Hotaru followed, much more sedately - at least until the first pillow hit her. She's still the most reserved of us, even after a year of the Spore's influence - but at least she felt loved enough to open up when encouraged. Like now - when that pillow hit her, her face went from shocked to calculating in an instant, and she laughed as she snatched it up to join in the fight.

The first any of us knew Belldandy was awake was when Skuld suddenly shrieked happily and launched herself across the room to embrace her.

"Oneesama! You're awake! You've got to try Mako-chan's cake! It's almost as good as yours!" She kind of reminded me of what Chibi-Usa was like when she let herself go and just had fun. Then she looked at Keiichi and stuck her tongue out at him with an audible "Biiih!" I had to laugh at that. That was so much like the Spore, I couldn't stop myself.

"She reminds you of someone, doesn't she?" Mamoru asked, hugging me from behind. "She reminds me of her, too. The question is, will Chibi-Usa see the resemblance?"

"Hey, Sprout! Look at that! Someone else who acts like you! Will the world be able to stand it?" Bill grinned as he teased my daughter.

"Bill no baka!" she shouted back, then followed up by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Ah! I'm cut to the heart! Wounded to the core!" he declaimed melodramatically as he clutched his chest and fell backwards - into Marller's arms. She looked down at him with a surprised expression, then at Ami.

"Is your husband always like this?" Marller asked, holding Bill as if she didn't quite know what to do with him.

"No," Ami laughed, as Bill reached up to pull her down for a kiss. "Sometimes he's worse."

Marller looked toward Belldandy with a "what do I do now ?" expression on her face. Belldandy smiled and looked lovingly into Keiichi's eyes.

"I'm glad to see the two of you have settled your differences," Belldandy said as she and Keiichi walked toward Marller. "We were worried."

"Well, he's still a maniac," Marller said, smiling down at the top of Bill's head.

"And she's still a menace," he shot back with a grin. "But I think we can get along."

Marller stuck her tongue out and smacked him over the head with a pillow. Ami laughed and jumped back out of the way, leaving Bill to deal with it on his own. Belldandy laughed, a musical sound that made it easy to believe all was right with the world.

Hotaru and Chibi-Usa descended on Skuld together, with Usagi laughing warmly as she introduced her sweetheart. Skuld looked surprised, and whipped out her goggles to stare at Hotaru through them. At the look on her face, I started to go over to join them, but Mamoru held me firmly and nuzzled my ear while whispering softly to me.

"Don't you think they'll do better if they work this out for themselves, Dumpling? You know Chibi-Usa will never let anything happen to Hotaru, and she'd probably be upset if you butted in."

He was right - and his nuzzling was distracting. I leaned back against him with a sigh and let him continue distracting me. Besides, I noticed Rei and Makoto had collapsed together when the pillow fight had run down, and I was hoping something would come of it. I remembered when she'd been attracted to Haruka, and still wasn't sure whether it was romantically or just because Haruka was so much like her in some ways. It looked like Rei wasn't sure, either. Either way, I couldn't help but wish them the best.

Marller looked down at this strange human who had, just a few hours earlier, threatened to cripple her - and who now was treating her like a friend. None of this made any sense, but she hadn't felt this good since she and Urd had been young. Not for the first time, she cursed the fate that had made Urd a goddess and her a demon.

When she hit him over the head with a pillow, he just laughed and fell to the floor, sticking his tongue out at her the way Skuld did so frequently to Keiichi. The feelings she was experiencing were confusing; so confusing she didn't know how to deal with them.

"You...how am I supposed to deal with you?" she growled at the laughing human. She had to think of him as just a human, or she might actually start to develop a fondness for him.

"Oh, I don't know...you could always try dancing with me." He rolled to his feet like some crazy martial artist and bowed toward her as music began playing over the house's intercom system.

I didn't know quite what to think. Usagi, Rei, and Bill all seemed to know about the strangers, and he'd reacted to the one with the v-shaped marks on her forehead as if she were a demon. Hell, he'd even called her a demon when he'd threatened to cripple her. But now he was laughing with her like she was one of us. Then, seeing Rei leaning against Usagi like that had stirred feelings I haven't felt since reaching an understanding with Haruka. I was glad when the pillow fight started.

When Skuld launched herself across the room at Belldandy, we all stopped and stared in surprise. The shriek she'd emitted sounded an awful lot like Chibi-Usa's shriek when she was pouncing on Usagi or Mamoru. I decided I was going to have to get Belldandy to do some cooking with me, so I could see just how good she really is.

When the pillow fight stopped, Rei was next to me; I sank down onto a pillow and she followed me, flashing a warm smile.

"I think it'll all work out, Mako-chan. Look at how Belldandy and Marller are reacting."

If she knew what being close to her like this does to me...I couldn't take her from Usagi. I'd never forgive myself if I did that. I started to shift away from her, and she laid a hand on mine.

"Don't, Mako-chan. Please? If you'd rather...I went away...I will. But I don't want you to think you have to go. But I have to know."

"What about Usagi?"

"Look at her, Mako-chan. Does she look like she's unhappy with my being here? Do you remember when you were so close to Haruka? I've wondered...since then."

She's wondered since then? If only she knew...if only I knew. I still don't know exactly what I felt, about Haruka or about any other woman. I think that's why she was so careful to let me down gently. I looked into Rei's eyes and saw the same love I've always seen there - and something more. I raised my hand to her cheek, just as David started playing some music.

As the music played, Rei blushed and ducked her head. It didn't make any sense to me; the music sounded like Michiru and Haruka. When the singing began, it suddenly made lots of sense. Somehow, David had managed to get a recording of Rei singing with them - and her voice was as beautiful as ever.

"I'm gonna kill him," Rei growled softly.

"Kill him? Why? It's beautiful. As beautiful as you are." I smiled and squeezed her hand.

"That was private, that's why. I didn't know anyone was recording it. And I'll bet they didn't know, either."

"I don't think David would play it if there wasn't a good reason. At least, I hope he wouldn't." I smiled at her and touched her lips with a fingertip. "Why don't you just lean back and watch the show?"

She blushed and leaned back against me, and we watched as Bill danced across the living room with the demon. Usagi and Mamoru rose to join them, followed quickly by Chibi-Usa and Hotaru. When Belldandy and Keiichi joined in, Ami came over to settle beside us. Minako had returned to chattering with Urd, so it was just the three of us.

"So what do you two think? Should I be jealous, or should we jump him again and remind him where he belongs?" Ami laughed, watching Bill dance with the demon.

"At least she's not quivering in terror anymore," I said. "And you know how faithful he is."

"I know," Ami chuckled. "That's why I'm not worried. So what about you two, huh?" She smiled at us and leaned over to kiss both of our cheeks. "Usagi's not the only one who's happy to see the two of you together. No matter how it turns out."

"Give us some time?" Rei asked quietly. "We'd really rather not be Minako'ed."

"You know me better than that, Rei," Ami laughed softly. "Now if you two will excuse me, I have to go rescue my husband."

Rei and I laughed together as Ami left us. Bill didn't look like he needed rescuing, but we knew how much she enjoyed dancing with him. I tugged Rei to her feet and smiled down at her when she looked up. She looked so beautiful, I couldn't resist giving her a kiss as we began to dance.

The music continued, with Rei blushing anew as each song began and her voice came through the speakers. Sometime during the music, Usagi cut in and stole Rei, while Mamoru swept me away.

"Thanks, Makoto. Seeing Rei smile means a lot to me - to both of us." He's so kind, it's easy to see how someone could fall in love with him. I looked up and felt myself blushing.

"It means a lot to me, too. But won't Usagi be unhappy?" I knew how close she and Rei had become in the last year, and I didn't want to interfere with that.

"We thought you'd be worried about that," Mamoru chuckled softly. "That's why she's with Rei right now. What Usagi wants - what both of us want - is for Rei to know she's loved, and for you both to feel free to decide what your feelings for each other are without anyone interfering."

"Boy, am I glad you don't look like my old senpai," I laughed softly as I rested my head on his chest. "Otherwise, I think I'd risk making Usagi mad after a speech like that."

"Bad girl," he laughed, giving me a quick squeeze before steering us back toward Usagi and Rei. As we swapped partners, Rei suddenly stood still, staring into space above the front door. The music stopped dead, and we all waited for her to speak.

"There's something evil...out front. Something demonic."

"David! Cameras!" Bill snapped, and the television came on, showing the view in front of the house. The view was clear, except for one figure on the sidewalk outside the front gate. Whoever it was, was trying to get into the yard, but looked as if they were running into an invisible wall. I thought that was likely, given Bill's business. This place was probably as heavily warded as the shrine.

"That's it!" Rei exclaimed. "Whoever it is feels familiar."

"Venus, keep her from getting killed. Saturn, be ready to heal her. Ami...." Ami barely had time to get into position to catch him before Bill collapsed like a bag of rice. No matter how many times I see him do that, it's still disconcerting.

Minako and Hotaru transformed and ran for the front door. I caught Rei and steered her toward Usagi and Mamoru. The Goddesses gathered together, a few feet away from us, while Marller hovered indecisively between them and Ami.

On the screen, the figure screamed - a far too familiar scream - and collapsed. As it collapsed, another figure ran into view and caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Oh no, not again," Usagi whispered sadly. I'm sure we all felt the same. I know I did. Why is it that every time a new enemy shows up, she's the one to be targeted?

"There's got to be something about her that attracts them," Rei murmured sadly. "We're going to have to find out what it is if she's ever going to have a chance of peace."

"For now, we're going to have to figure out how to keep Umino from blabbing," I growled, pressing Rei into Usagi's arms and heading for the door. "I'll just have a word with him."

The door burst open before I could get to it, and Umino came in with Naru in his arms. The look in his eyes made it clear the only thing he wanted to talk about was her condition. Ami joined me as I took her from his arms and laid her on some pillows that had ended up piled together.

"Please help her?" Umino begged tearfully. I took his arm and steered him toward where Chibi-Usa had a cup of tea waiting. Once I was sure he wasn't going to drop or spill the tea, I turned to look back toward Ami and Naru.

Belldandy was kneeling beside them, holding her hands over Naru's heart. A glow was coming from between her hands - a glow that looked an awful lot like the Silver Crystal's glow. The glow sank into Naru's body and vanished; Belldandy sank back on her heels, into Keiichi's arms.

When Naru's eyes opened, I almost wish they hadn't. It wasn't that there was any pain in them, because there wasn't. Instead, they were empty - completely vacant - as if she wasn't there anymore. Even with everything I've seen as Sailor Jupiter, there's nothing more horrible than that vacant stare. I looked up at Usagi, and saw she was feeling the same horror.

"What happened?" Marller asked from behind me. "What's wrong with her?"

"She was possessed," Rei growled softly. "By a demon."

"A demon? But that's not supposed to happen! It never happened to anyone I've possessed!" Marller looked as shocked as she sounded. "What kind of monster could do that?"

"An imp," Bill groaned. He was just sitting up where Ami had lowered him to the floor. "Just a fucking imp. Didn't take any effort at all to kill it, but the damage was already done."

"An imp? But imps are harmless!" Marller exclaimed in disbelief. "How could this happen?"

"Go in and see for yourself. I tried to find her, but wherever she is, I can't go." He joined us around Naru and gently brushed her hair back. Ever since the day he promised to kill her if Fluorite managed to capture her again, he's been kind of like a big brother to her. It was obvious he was grasping for any hope - any at all.

"I can't," Marller murmured. "Not as long as I'm bound. I wish I could. This isn't right."

"It's evil. It's what demons do. At least, it's what they do in this world." He hung his head, but I could see the tears on his cheeks. "And it was just a damned imp. Not even a dangerous demon. I wish you could see what it did to her."

"Belldandy? You've got to release me. I've got to see. Maybe I can find her!" Marller grabbed Belldandy's hands and pleaded, her face an anguished mask. Belldandy looked from her to Bill. I wasn't so sure Belldandy could do it. She looked almost as drained as Usagi is after using the Crystal.

"If you're not too tired," Bill murmured. "She gave her promise, and Urd witnessed it. If she can help . . .."

Belldandy nodded and reached out to touch Marller's forehead. The marks on her face glowed, and a moment later the marks on Marller's forehead glowed.

"Be careful, Mara," she murmured. "If she wakes while you're in her, you could be trapped."

"Better that, than this," Marller growled softly. It was kind of hard to believe she was a demon, the way she was reacting to this. But Bill, Rei, and Usagi all seemed to be convinced she was, and they knew more about these people than any of the rest of us.

Marller's marks began glowing as she gazed into Naru's eyes, and she collapsed into Bill's arms. He arranged her on the floor beside Naru and covered them both with a blanket.

"All we can do now is wait. And pray," he murmured, settling back into Ami's arms.

The landscape inside Naru's head was bleak and dismal. Everywhere Marller looked, she saw memories of attacks on her body and soul, as far back as her childhood. The creatures she'd been attacked by seemed to range from a possessed friend to demons of a kind Marller had never seen before. What amazed her, even more than the vile nature of the threats, was how Naru kept coming back, with a bravery that rivaled Keiichi's - and she didn't have three Goddesses to protect her. A heart this brave did not deserve to suffer the way she had.

You don't know me, Naru, but I'm not going to let you be destroyed by this. I will find you, no matter what it costs.

Marller searched, finding only darkness and sorrow everywhere she looked. The older memories were - oddly enough - easiest to unearth; as she came closer to the present, the memories were mingled with greater and greater amounts of despair. The despair kept mounting with each remembered attack, until even approaching a memory was like wading through a pit of tar. Marller's anger rose in concert with Naru's despair, until her marks glowed with her rage. If this was what demons were like on this world, SHE would do her best to destroy them.

Her journey came to an abrupt halt when she encountered a wall that stretched in all directions, farther than she could sense. Her rage was so great by the time she reached it that she simply dove into it, intending to blast her way through. The shock of contact blasted her back, whimpering with the horror of what the wall contained.

Oh, Hel...what happened in this world? How could they have gone so wrong?

Marller slowly uncurled as she fought down the memories Naru had created the wall from. That a demon had ravaged her soul so brutally was horrifying enough, but that she had survived the experience was even more horrible. There had to be some way through the wall; she knew that if SHE had experienced what Naru had, she'd have made the wall...could that be the answer?

We were stuck. Marller was in Naru's head, and all we could do was pray she could bring her back. If we'd been at the shrine, Grandfather and Yuuichiro could have helped me reach her, but I couldn't do it on my own; I'm not nearly as adept out of my body as Bill is - and I wouldn't risk someone else's soul on my inexperience. The one thing I could do was watch them, so if - no, I had to believe in when - they came back, we'd be ready to help them.

"Will she be all right?" Umino asked unsteadily. I had to feel for him. He really did love Naru, and he had to be feeling as helpless as we did right now.

"I hope so," Bill said softly. "Marller's our best chance right now. We have to give her time to work."

"Marller? Like...the demon from Aa! Megamisama!? But...how can you trust a demon?" Umino didn't sound nearly as incredulous as I'd expected - and his question was a good one, given that he hadn't been there from the beginning like we had.

"She gave us her word. I trust her. And you know what I think of demons." I almost had to laugh at that. If Umino hadn't figured out what Bill thinks of demons by now, he definitely was not suited for journalism.

"Sailor Moon, do you trust her?"

Shit. Does everyone know who we are? And how long has he known?

"Bill trusts her," Usagi said softly. "If he trusts her, with his hatred for demons, then I trust her. All we can do is wait. And pray."

Umino nodded and moved to take Naru's hand, only to be stopped by Urd.

"Don't. If you disturb her, they could both be lost forever." Urd's voice was gentle, understanding, and a lot less sensuous than I'd expected. "Have faith in her. Have faith in them both."

"Trust her," Bill murmured. "Please, Umino. I don't want to have to keep the promise I made a year ago. But if Marller can't bring her back, it'll be the only way to free her."

I didn't want him to have to keep that promise, either. But if Marller couldn't bring her back, killing her would be the only way to free her. Even if Marller did succeed, we'd have to fight to keep her from killing herself. What Fluorite had done to her had driven her to the edge, but I was afraid this had driven her over it. No, let's be honest. I knew this had driven her over the edge. But would we be able to bring her back? I didn't want to think of the likely answer.

**David, give me a telephone connection, please.**

**Sure, Rei. Where to?**

**The shrine.**

I shivered and leaned against Makoto. She wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled my temple. Feeling her breath stir my hair helped - it distracted me from worrying about Naru, at least a little.

"Thanks, Mako-chan," I whispered, covering her hands with my own.

**Hikawa Shrine. How may I help you?**

**Yuuichiro! Is Grandfather there?**

**Rei? What's wrong? You sound upset.**

**I need your help. And Grandfather's. Please get him for me?**

**All right. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere.**

"It'll be ok," Makoto whispered, squeezing me gently. "Won't it?"

"I hope so. I'm trying to get Grandfather right now."

**Rei? What is it? Yuuichiro said you sound upset.**

**It's Naru, Grandfather. She's been possessed. We got rid of the demon, but now she won't come back.**

**You may need someone to lead her back. Can you do that?**

**I can't, but someone who can is already trying. Isn't there anything more we can do?**

**Pray. We'll do all we can from here. Stay with her, Rei. It'll make it easier for us.**

**Thank you, Grandfather. I hate fighting an enemy I can't touch.**

**There are some battles even Sailor Mars can't fight. This sounds like one of them. Just remember that love and friendship are powerful weapons - and sometimes the only ones that will work.**

**I'll try. I'm scared, Grandfather. Even if we bring her back, she's been hurt so many times, and you know what Bill had to promise to keep her from killing herself the last time.**

**Love and friendship, Rei. Keep your focus on that, and you'll be able to help her through. In the end, she has to choose to live - but you can give her reasons to make that choice. I'd better go and feed the fire. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.**

**Thank you, Grandfather. I'll tell the others.**

**Good girl. I have faith in you.**

"Rei?" Makoto murmured gently, nuzzling my ear and squeezing my hands. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Mako-chan. Grandfather and Yuuichiro are going to give us all the help they can from the shrine." I let her hold me, glad that my hopes hadn't turned out false. I needed someone right now...Usagi would have been my first choice, but Makoto was so warm...so strong...so real - and willing to accept me as I am.

Minako looked wistfully at the rest of us; she was the only one here who didn't have someone to lean on. Even though she makes me almost as crazy as Usagi, I couldn't just leave her looking sad like that. I offered her a hand; a moment later, I saw Makoto's hand extended with mine. Minako looked surprised, then smiled radiantly and moved to join us.

"Are you sure I'm not intruding?" she asked as she knelt beside us. We answered by taking her hands and pulling her close.

"Now is not the time to be alone, Mina-chan. Grandfather just reminded me that love and friendship are the most powerful weapons we have - and I'm sure we're going to need them before the night is out."

"We may not be idols, but we're your friends, Mina-chan. We love you." Makoto claims she's not good at expressing her feelings. That sounded like a pretty good expression to me. It must have to Minako, too. Her smile grew until it was almost as wonderful as Usagi's, and she leaned into our arms with a happy sigh.

Belldandy was sleeping in Keiichi's arms. I guess she wasn't as recovered as we'd thought when she came downstairs. Still, as long as we didn't have any more unwelcome surprises tonight, she could recover in peace. Urd and Skuld were watching Naru and Marller intently - Urd with a worried expression, and Skuld through her goggles. I wondered what she was seeing, or if she was seeing anything at all.

Chibi-Usa was trying to comfort Hotaru; she looked as if she was remembering when Mistress 9 had possessed her. I wished I could do something to ease her mind, but had to settle for praying that Chibi-Usa could do it with her love. As I prayed, I felt echoes of the Sacred Flame around me. I knew that Grandfather and Yuuichiro were doing their best to help, and hoped it would be enough.

I hope she finds Naru soon. I've never seen anyone gone this long before.

Skuld watched intently, hoping she'd made her goggles sensitive enough to give her warning of Marller and Naru's return in time to warn everyone else. She didn't know what this promise was that nobody wanted to keep, but if they didn't return, the only way to free them would be...she looked up in shock and stared at Bill. He'd promised to kill her? What could be so horrible that she would demand a promise like that?

Bill was leaning against Ami the way Belldandy so often leaned against Keiichi. Skuld still didn't like it - her sister with a mortal, no matter how nice he was - but Belldandy so obviously loved him that she'd given up fighting it. Besides, Keiichi had done everything short of adopting her in his attempts to convince her that he liked her, too. It was kind of nice to have a big brother, even if he was just a mortal.

**What's wrong, Skuld? You looked as if someone just punched you in the gut.**

**You promised her...wait a minute! How are you doing this?**

**It's not easy. It'd be a lot easier if I were out of my body. And it's a whole lot easier with Ami - but telepathy is a kind of magic associated with Mercury.**

**You're sure full of surprises. Did you actually promise her you'd kill her?**

**You figured it out, eh? Yeah. It was the only way to keep her from killing herself the last time something like this happened.**

**The last time? Does this happen a lot?**

**She attracts monsters the way a magnet attracts iron. Ever since she was a kid, every time a monster shows up, there's at least a one in four chance she'll be one of its victims.**

**Wow. I thought the show exaggerated it. It's really that bad?**

**Yeah. That's why I'm praying for Marller to succeed. Naru's kind of like a little sister to me.**

**Why didn't you go in after her?**

**I don't know how. And even if I did, I'm not sure I could. Just because I can leave my body doesn't mean I can go into someone else's. And going into someone else's mind is right out. I might as well wish to be a god as try something like that.**

**I wonder if that's a real limitation, or a self-imposed one.**

**Either way, it doesn't help Naru. Or Marller.**

**You sound as worried for Marller as for Naru. Are you sure it's safe to worry about a demon?**

**She's not like the demons in this world. I don't know - I feel like I want to protect her from what she's certain to discover here.**

**You're weird, do you know that?**

**Yup. That's me: a whirling vortex of weirdness.**

He grinned at her; without thinking, she stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled and sank against Ami, looking a lot more tired than he had before he'd contacted her. What was it about these mortals that made them so likable? Even the really scary one - Hotaru - was likable. Definitely not what she'd expected from an avatar of the God of Ruin.

Four hours had passed since Marller had gone into Naru, and there was still no sign of them. Skuld looked over at Urd, who shook her head quietly, looking just as worried as she felt. The longer this went on, the more it bothered her - and no matter how much she tried to think of a better alternative, the more time passed, the more worried she felt.

I could feel when Bill reached out to Skuld, and when he collapsed against me, I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. He's not as good with telepathy as I am, and it takes a lot of energy for him to do it. At least he'd managed to make Skuld smile, though. I felt him reach up stroke my hair and sighed happily. He could be so loving; I covered his hand with my own and bent my head to return his kiss.

"Maybe you can help her, Angel," he murmured softly. I couldn't resist him when he called me that - even if I did tease him a lot about putting me on a pedestal. "Your visor is programmed to analyze a lot of stuff like this, right? Maybe you can see something she can't."

"You have a point, love." He did, too. As far as we could tell, they'd never had to deal with anything like this, so Skuld wasn't likely to have programmed her goggles for it.

**I'm going to use my visor, everyone.**

"Mercury Crystal Power, MAKE UP!"

As soon as I'd transformed, I activated my visor and studied Naru and Marller. It was almost like looking at Bill's body when he's out of it - except that their energy levels were so low I almost couldn't measure them. If they didn't come back soon, I was afraid they wouldn't come back at all. We had to come up with something soon, or they would both be dead.

**Edgar, David, link with my computer.**

**Understood.**

**You got it, Ami.**

I retrieved my computer and started work. With Edgar and David linked in, the analysis went a lot faster than it would have if I'd been working alone. The answer we came up with wasn't reassuring at all. At the rate their energy was fading, if they didn't come back within the next fifteen minutes, the only chance they had of ever coming back was if we killed them. I couldn't accept that solution; we started work again, looking for any alternative that would let us rescue them.

**Ami, what if we gave them an energy infusion?**

**Have you done a projection?**

**This is what it looks like.**

Edgar's data assumed far less than the amount of energy Serenity could draw from the Silver Crystal, so it was possible we could do it. With two goddesses and Usagi here, I was certain we could come up with the necessary energy. If it worked, we could extend their survival time as long as necessary.

"Urd, do you have any of your restorative incense with you? Or any other restorative that doesn't need to be swallowed?" Some of her incense would be the best choice, if she had it. They could take it in by breathing, and it would continue to support them as long as it was burning.

"Uh...let me look." Urd sounded distracted, as if my question had brought her back from a long way away. I suppose I should have expected that. Of the three, she was the closest to Marller, despite their ongoing rivalry. She searched through her outfit, accessing several hyperspatial pockets before finally retrieving a bundle of incense coils. After sorting through the bundle, she finally held up one coil. "This one."

While I sighed in relief, Setsuna appeared with a length of string and a thumbtack. While she was hanging the incense over them, I searched through the otaku cabinet for some matches I remembered Bill had dropped there a couple weeks before. By the time I found them and returned, Rei had already lit the incense. She smiled and shrugged before returning to wait with Makoto and Minako.

**Hey, I'd be a pretty sad priestess if I couldn't even light a fire, don't you think?**

**Thanks, Rei. Now we just need to pray it works.**

**What is it?**

**Hopefully, enough energy to keep them from dying before they find their way back to us.**

I studied Naru and Marller and let out a sigh of relief. The incense was already working; the energy readings after just a few moments were high enough that even if they didn't get any more, they'd be able to survive for another two hours.

"How long will it burn, Urd?" My expression of relief must have heartened her some; she smiled as she answered.

"It's supposed to burn for twelve hours. And it'll restore everyone who breathes it, not just those two."

"Everyone?" I glanced at Belldandy as I asked. If her incense could restore a Goddess, it was a lot more powerful than I thought.

"Yes, even her," Urd confirmed, with a gentle smile in Belldandy's direction. It was kind of strange, but it made sense in a way, too. She really did love her little sister, even if she picked weird ways to show it.

Bill slipped his arms around me from behind and nuzzled the top of my head. I leaned back against him with a relieved sigh. The incense had already restored his energy, and he was letting me know I had one less thing to worry about.

"Oneesan! It's working!" Skuld squealed excitedly as she watched our patients. "How did you make it so strong?"

"I'll tell you, if you promise you won't tell Kami-sama," Urd said with a proud smile. Skuld's eyes grew wide and she stared at Urd in surprise before speaking.

"You did something you'll get in trouble for again, didn't you?" She looked down at Naru and Marller for a moment before speaking again. "Well, whatever it was, it's working. All right, I promise. I won't tell Kami-sama."

"You know how the recipe calls for a mug of beer, right?" When Skuld nodded, Urd grinned triumphantly. "In this batch, I used a mug of the Dark."

Skuld's gasp was echoed by Bill's. I turned my head to look up at him, and saw the first awed expression I'd seen on his face since the day of our wedding, when the kitsune came to greet Serenity and Endymion.

"In your universe...it's real?" he asked incredulously.

"Not only is it real," Skuld murmured, looking worriedly at Urd, "it's Kami-sama's personal stock. If he ever finds out...."

"That's why I needed you to promise you wouldn't tell him," Urd said softly. "If anyone's going to tell him, it's got to be me. He expects ME to get into trouble."

**OK, what's the Dark?** Trust Usagi to ask the question we're all wondering about.

**It's beer. Very special beer. Imagine what would happen if you brewed beer on the grave of the first hero, and let it age there for a few centuries, until it had absorbed the essence of what made him a hero. That's the Dark.**

**That sounds like a magic potion.**

**It's that, too. I first read about it in a novel called "The Drawing of the Dark". It figures it would be Kami-sama's personal stock. It's too potent for humans to drink safely.**

"Oneesan," Belldandy whispered, looking up at Urd through half-opened eyes. "Do you know why Kami-sama keeps it for himself?"

"No," Urd said with a shrug. "I never asked."

"It's because it's too dangerous," Belldandy murmured. "It restores more than your energy and health. It restores the most important memories of your past lives, too - the ones that had the most profound effect on who you are in this life. You don't just remember them - you re-live them."

**Oh, shit. David, lock down the house. Everyone get together with Usagi and Mamoru. Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, that means you, too. Setsuna-chan?**

**I'm here, Father. Don't worry. I'll watch over all of you.**

Setsuna was guiding Chibi-Usa and Hotaru toward Usagi and Mamoru, while Bill was pulling me in that direction, too. Rei, Makoto, and Minako were already close enough that neither of them seemed to be worried about moving them.

Urd's eyes widened as she watched us, her worried expression coming back to her. Then she glanced down at Keiichi, holding Belldandy tight in his arms, and whimpered softly. I saw Umino looking around at all of us with a confused expression, and was just raising my hand to beckon him over, when the bottom fell out of the world.

Kami-sama, what have I done?

Urd frantically dug through her pockets. There had to be something that would counteract the incense, or at the very least something that would make them all sleep until the crisis was past. Keiichi's eyes were already glazing over, and the reporter had collapsed on the floor beside Naru, mumbling something that sounded vaguely like German.

"It's not libel if it's true," the reporter mumbled. "Governor Cosby has ignored the law. He rigged last year's elections. He's been trying to destroy the courts, so he can rule without hindrance. He's trying to use his position to make himself King of New York. Doesn't anybody care?"

Keiichi suddenly screamed in agony, his whole body stiffening in an unnatural position before he tried to wrench himself to his feet. Belldandy held him firmly, so he couldn't hurt himself.

"Can't stop now," Keiichi gasped as he tried to pull away from Belldandy. "There's still patients in there. We have to get them to the river before the firestorm hits the hospital." He collapsed suddenly, groaning weakly, "Can't...quit...now. Got to...get them out."

Keiichi stiffened with a harsh gasp, his eyes flying open and staring into infinity. Belldandy cried out in fear and held his head between her hands, calling his name as she lowered him to the floor. As soon as he was on the floor, she laid her hand over his heart and began softly pleading with him to stay with her.

Urd finally pulled out a bottle and held it up with a sigh of relief.

"I have it. Skuld, help me. This won't counter the incense, but it'll put them to sleep for a few hours. Hopefully long enough to get past the crisis."

For once, Skuld didn't argue with her, or even make a snide remark about her lack of foresight. That was almost as worrisome as what was happening to the mortals. Anything that would upset Skuld enough to not get in a dig was even more serious than she was already imagining.

The only mortal still standing was one who hadn't been there when they'd arrived. She stalked over and looked at the bottle, then into Urd's eyes. Her gaze was so much like Mimir's, Urd felt herself fall back a step.

"Who are you...and why aren't you affected by the incense?" Urd asked uncertainly. Whoever she was, she had a presence that was so unsettling, it was hard to concentrate in her gaze.

"I am called Setsuna," she said. "What unpleasant side effects do those pills have?"

"They...uh...the sleeping IS the side effect. I made them as restoratives." Somehow, she couldn't come up with a snappy comeback to THIS woman.

"The ONLY side effect?"

"As far as I know. Why aren't you reacting to the incense?" There had to be a reason - something she could use to prevent this happening again.

"The effect of your incense is no more than I already experience every day. We shouldn't waste any more time." With that, Setsuna took the bottle from Urd and returned to the others. Starting with Usagi and Mamoru, she pressed a pill into each one's hands, staying with each just long enough to murmur quietly until they swallowed the pill. After feeding a pill to the reporter, Setsuna handed the bottle back to Urd.

"There. I recommend you be more careful in the future. You won't always have a way to cover for your mistakes." The most unsettling thing about the way Setsuna spoke was that there was no anger, no hint of recrimination, no rebuke - just a recommendation from someone Urd was sure had seen it all and then some.

I could not believe Urd had done something so incredibly lacking in foresight. Surely if Kami-sama had restricted something from anyone else's use, she'd have realized there was a good reason for it. Then I thought about it and realized I should have expected something like that. Urd could legitimately be called the Goddess of Hindsight - and she'd definitely proven that tonight.

Once I'd made sure all the others had taken one of her pills, I sat where I could reach any of them in an instant if something went wrong. As they fell asleep, I relaxed a little. The memories they'd be reliving would be better relived as dreams than waking. I had a pretty good idea of what each one would be experiencing; if I was right, their first experiences had been more than enough. Well, except for Father, but compared to his memories from this lifetime, nothing that had happened to him in the past was worth worrying about.

The hours passed slowly, with Belldandy holding Keiichi and Skuld studying Naru and Marller through her goggles. Urd was surprisingly subdued, and kept looking at me as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. It was this kind of reaction that had kept me away from the Inners until it was time to arrange for Father and Mother to meet. I'll use their uncertainty when I have to, but I don't like being around it.

"Urd, give me one of those pills." I moved to kneel beside Naru and held out my hand. When I felt a pill in my hand, I closed it and nodded. "Now be ready to hold Marller. She's going to need you."

"Move, oneesan," Skuld said suddenly. "Something's happening to them."

Urd moved to kneel beside Marller and looked at me worriedly. I smiled at her. Father always teases that my smiles are entirely too secretive; I don't know that I'm so secretive. There's just a lot of things I can't tell, either because the consequences would be disastrous, or because people tend to take what I say as absolute truth despite the inherent uncertainties of time. They take it easier if I smile when I don't say anything. Like now: I knew they were about to wake up, but I couldn't tell which alternative path time would take when they woke. All I could do was smile and hope it was reassuring enough to help her face the uncertainty.

Marller began to stir, then curled up on herself with an anguished scream. Urd gathered her into her arms and rocked her gently. Good. Marller's reaction meant she'd taken the path that should let us save both of them. The only question now was whether Naru would respond to what Marller had done.

I knew if she didn't respond shortly, she wouldn't; I prayed, for Father's sake, that she would. If she didn't return to us, he'd feel obligated to keep his promise to her - and that would, while necessary, affect him as much as any of his memories.

When she moved, I almost missed it. It was my own fault; I was so busy musing over the possibility of killing her myself so Father wouldn't have to that it wasn't until she groaned that I realized she was back. I scooped her up into my arms and murmured softly to her.

"It's ok, Naru. You're safe with us. Do you understand?"

"Setsuna? Why are you here? Where's Umino?" Naru was understandably confused. She looked around the room blearily. "Wait...isn't this Ami and Bill's house?"

"That's right. What's the last thing you remember?" If Marller did what I suspected, it should be something mostly innocuous.

"Umino and I were editing a video he shot for school, and the phone rang. I don't remember anything after...." She looked up at me with a horrified expression as she whispered sadly, "Oh no...it happened again, didn't it? Why didn't Bill kill me? He promised."

"He can't, Naru," I murmured as gently as I could. "He can't do much of anything right now. He's experiencing something you're about to experience, so I need you to make a choice for me."

"He can't? Why? What do you want me to choose? I don't want this to happen anymore. Please?" As much as I sympathized with her pain, I couldn't do what she wanted. If she still wanted it after reliving her past, Father and I would give it to her, but I hoped she'd change her mind.

"You're going to begin to remember some things that I hope will explain why this keeps happening to you. I have a sleeping pill that will allow you to experience it as a dream, if you want. Or I can sit with you while you experience it consciously." I held up the hand with the pill in it so she could take it if she wanted.

"What do you mean? Something that will explain?" Despite everything that's happened to her, Naru's still basically an ordinary woman. She's only had to cope with strangeness when she's been attacked by one of our enemies. "I don't want to remember anything! I just want it all to end. Why can't I have peace? Is that too much to ask for?"

"Naru, listen to me. Father cannot kill you right now. He's caught up in the same thing that's about to happen to you, and until it's over, he can't do anything. I gave him one of these, so he could experience it as a dream. I didn't give him a choice. You have that choice." I hoped she'd choose to take the pill - and soon. I was surprised she hadn't succumbed already.

"Why? Kami-sama, why do I have to go through this again and again? I just want to die! I just...." Her voice trailed off as her eyes focussed somewhere in the distance. It was finally happening to her; I had one last chance to get her to take the pill.

"Here, Naru," I murmured as I pressed the pill into her hand. "This will help - it'll make it all go away."

"It will?" Her voice was so hopeful, I regretted having lied to her like that. She swallowed it without hesitation, and I held her against my breast until she fell asleep.

"So...horrible...," Marller whispered sadly as I lowered Naru to the pillows. "I understand...why she has so much despair. I...couldn't take it all. Just the last time. I'm not strong enough...to take more than that."

"It was enough to bring her back," I murmured, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "That was enough. Don't short yourself. You did the only thing that would have worked."

"How can she want to die?" Skuld asked softly. When I looked to her, she was gazing at Naru, on the verge of tears. "Is her life really that horrible?"

"It's worse," Marller answered. "Bill wasn't exaggerating. Compared to the demons in this world, I'm almost as good as Belldandy. I thought only humans were capable of that much evil. I think, if I'd experienced what she has, I might have killed myself."

"You?" Skuld squeaked. "It was bad enough to make you kill yourself?" She reached out to touch Naru's forehead, crying quietly. I wished I could do something to protect her from this - she should remain innocent and pure, like the future she represents. Unfortunately, I was afraid this experience would affect that.

"Mara," Urd murmured, "how do you think you're handling it?"

"Not good," Marller answered softly. "It's all so obscene...so malicious...so vile. Demons aren't supposed to be like that. We're supposed to spread chaos and destruction - to tempt humans to follow their baser urges; to thwart Kami-sama's plans. It's humans who are supposed to be that evil. What went wrong in this world to make the demons like that?"

"Nobody knows," I murmured. "The origins of supernatural evil are older than I am; they didn't understand it when I was a child, and nobody's gained any better understanding since."

"I'm a little confused," Urd said, looking at me. "You call Bill 'Father', yet you're obviously not a mortal. I'm not sure what you are, but whatever you are, you're far older than any of us."

"I call him 'Father' because he is. And Ami is my mother. What I am is the Guardian of Time. I have been what I am for over twenty thousand years, and will continue to be for at least another thousand."

All three of them looked at me with a marked increase in their level of respect. Skuld was the first to break the silence.

"You're the Guardian? But Kami-sama said we'd never meet you...."

"'In this world'," Belldandy murmured. "Meaning our own. He never said we wouldn't meet the Guardian of another world."

"But if they're your parents . . . in another life?" Urd was still focussed on that question. I suspected she wouldn't move on to any other until I'd satisfied her curiosity.

"No, in this one. I was born a little less than a year ago, and grew up 20,000 years ago. It was necessary." I looked into her eyes, willing her to be satisfied with that answer. I didn't want to have to tell her that was all she was getting, but at the same time I wasn't going to tell any more.

"I see." She opened her mouth as if to say more, then shook her head and looked down at Marller. "How about you, Mara? Feeling any better?"

"No." Marller's response was flat and final. "I don't think I'll ever feel better. All I want to do right now is go home."

"We'll get you home. Between the three of you and our three scientists, we should be able to find a path back to your world." I hoped. They didn't belong here, and sooner or later the Norns of our world would be certain to notice them.

"Make that four scientists, Setsuna. Assuming you'll authorize me to unlock the front door, that is."

"Who is it, David?" I hadn't foreseen anyone coming here right now; of course, the timelines were so tangled, it had taken all my skill to see Naru's recovery. The presence of the Goddesses was doing terrible things to my perception.

"Sarah."

"Let her in when I say it's ok, but lock it as soon as she's inside." I wondered why she was here, then remembered I was supposed to have been home a few hours ago to meet her when she got back from her cruise. Naturally, she'd have assumed my duties as Sailor Pluto were the cause, and would have come here to learn if my parents knew anything. I broke off the burning end of the incense and ran to the lab to switch on the exhaust fan. With the door open, it should suck all the smoke out of the house quickly enough. By the time I returned to the living room, the air was already starting to clear.

"All right. And call Fluorite and Rusty, will you? We're going to need them here when everyone wakes up."

"Setsuna? What's going on?" Sarah asked as the door was closing behind her. I focussed on presenting a composed expression as I turned to her.

Belldandy cradled Keiichi to her breast, crooning softly as she soothed his pain. When she'd told Urd the Dark made mortals relive their past, she'd just been repeating what she'd been taught in training. Actually seeing the effects on her husband was a far different matter. Whatever he'd been in the past, it was obvious he'd been just as kind and loving then as he was now; that it had cost him his life was also obvious - reliving it had almost killed him.

Setsuna was a surprise. She'd never expected to meet the Guardian, but it made sense that she'd be one of the Senshi. Keiichi could probably have told her in advance, but she could ask him about it when he awakened. She was so tired...even with the restorative. She'd been forced to use her power so many times today, it would take a good night's sleep to fully recover. That had to be why she was feeling so disconnected from everything. It was as if she were floating, with Keiichi her only anchor.

"Setsuna? What's going on?" Belldandy looked toward the voice, to see an athletic woman about Keiichi's age, with brown hair held back in a braid that fell to just below her shoulder blades and brown eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. A glance at Setsuna revealed the Guardian not only knew her, she loved her, and was putting on an appearance of composure for her benefit.

"Mother and Father have some...unusual guests," Setsuna said, in a voice that anyone who wasn't looking deeper would have mistaken for calm. "There was a slight problem with some incense, but they should be waking up soon."

Sarah swept into the room as soon as she'd shed her shoes and took Setsuna's hands. She looked into the Guardian's eyes with a gaze that confirmed the love Belldandy sensed. Only someone who loved her could possibly hold that gaze in the face of the Guardian's unsettling aura.

"Was it one of your enemies?" Apparently Sarah was as solid emotionally as she was physically.

"No. It was an alchemical mistake. The incense was intended to be a restorative, but the person who created it didn't research the side effects of the ingredients sufficiently before using them." Belldandy found Setsuna's composure amazing. She doubted she'd be able to be so calm about such an incredible mistake. The only thing keeping her calm now was the knowledge that Keiichi needed her.

I squeezed Setsuna's hands and looked into her eyes for some clue as to what she was really feeling. She has this annoying talent for trying to ease my worries, even knowing my training and experience. I suppose it's inevitable; I'm a scientist, and her world is one of magic. As much as I dream about it, I've learned that I'm just too firmly rooted in the world I can measure and analyze to ever be capable of fitting into her world the way Bill does. Then again, he's always had a skewed view of reality that fits the magical world closer than I do.

One thing I was sure of was that Setsuna was trying too hard to be strong for me. I tugged on her hands, giving her my best "I know you're full of it" glare; she gave me one of her smiles and let me pull her into my arms. Sometimes I'd like to just shake her. As much as I expect people - especially those I love - to rely on their own strength, I also expect them to be adult enough to know when they need support. She's been on her own for so long, though, that I have to push sometimes to get her to accept that she's not made of MacManusite.

Once she was in my arms, I squeezed her; she was so tense I could almost feel her muscles twang. I didn't know what the situation was, but her tension confirmed what I'd guessed - she was a lot more worried than she wanted to let on. I moved my hands across her back, massaging the tightest knots until I felt her start to relax. Even a little relaxation as better than what she'd been doing. The only person I've ever met who's more stubborn about keeping the world at arm's reach is Haruka, but she has Michiru. Setsuna is mine - the one who loves me; the one I love as much as Bill used to wish I loved him before he and Ami found each other.

"Well, beloved?" I whispered once she'd started to relax. "Which would you rather do first? Introduce your guests, or explain what crisis made you break our date?"

She looked up into my eyes and flashed another one of her smiles.

"I should, shouldn't I?" she whispered, then gave me a quick squeeze and promising kiss before stepping back a step. "Sarah, our guests are Urd, Belldandy, Skuld, and Marller."

As she indicated each, they looked up and nodded; they all looked far too worried for my peace of mind, and the way Belldandy was holding the man in her arms had me wondering if he'd been injured. Of course, it was hard to tell, with all the unconscious people in the room. I'd have to get some answers about that, and soon. For now...those names sounded awfully familiar. I tried to place where I'd heard them before, but was drawing a blank when I suddenly remembered where I'd seen them before. I looked up, and there it was: the print with their images in angelic forms, done as anime characters.

"Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld...the Goddesses?" When they nodded, I looked back to Setsuna for an explanation.

"The man in Belldandy's arms is Morisato Keiichi, her husband. And Marller is a demon." That was a surprise. A live demon in Bill's house? Something very strange was going on. Of course, live anime characters in Bill's house was pretty strange to begin with.

"I'm not like the demons from this world," Marller protested. OK, I'd agree with that. Somehow, I couldn't imagine a demon with the expression of anguish she had. Or accepting comfort from a Goddess who looked like Urd. Or any Goddess, for that matter. My gaze lingered on those two for just a moment longer than necessary; long enough that when I turned my attention back to Setsuna, it took a silent mouthing of "I love you" to remove the jealous look from her eyes.

"So you're not from this world?" That would explain their existence - sort of. But if they're not from this world, how did they get here?

"That's right," Belldandy said. I found myself looking at her with what I'm sure was an expression of total surprise. Her voice was as compassionate and gentle as Serenity's. I understood now why Bill was so fascinated by her. "We're not from your world. We came here due to an unfortunate combination of circumstances, and...," she looked around the room at all the sleeping people, "...the Senshi have promised their help in finding us a way home."

"All right," I murmured absently, thinking of the implications of this, "so you're going to need help from people who understand hyperdimensional physics. That means Bill and Ami. And from someone who has experience travelling in alternative realities. That means Setsuna."

Alternative realities. That reminded me of one of Bill's many random mental wanderings - one in which he'd decreed that Heinlein had it wrong: pan-dimensional universal solipsism was backwards. He said that writers don't create worlds by writing about them: they simply describe other realities that already exist, and their ability to see those realities could be measured by how effectively they wrote about them. I'd always considered it just another one of his skewed ideas, until a couple months ago when Setsuna had handed him her Time Key and he'd been overwhelmed by it. This situation made his theory suddenly seem more believable.

"And a mundane physicist, to make sure whatever they come up with doesn't have damaging effects on this world," Setsuna said, gazing at me with her "you know I'm right" look.

"All right," I said with a smile. I knew better than to argue when she had that look. I'd just have to make her pay for it later, when we were alone. "So how did you get here?"

"I dropped a bomb in Skuld's newest invention," Marller said. "All it was supposed to do was make it fail spectacularly when she switched it on. Instead, it sent us here."

"From what I can tell from examining the vacuum," Skuld added, "Marller's bomb's chaos field interacted with the hyperdimensional components of the vacuum to produce some sort of translation field between our universe and yours. I'm not sure another bomb would produce the same effect. In fact, the chances of it doing the same thing are so small that even I have trouble calculating it."

"You mean, we can't get home?" Marller's voice was switching from anguish to panic, and her expression more fearful than I've seen since Bill was still with his second wife. There had to be something more than just being in the wrong world that was scaring her.

"Nonsense!' Urd announced with just the right touch of maniacal glee. "There's nothing the four of us can't do if we put our minds to it!"

"You mean, like drugging the humans around us?" Skuld snapped at her, with a grateful look in her eyes. That's the first time I can remember seeing someone who looked thankful for an excuse to start an argument.

"How was I supposed to know it would do that? It's not like Kami-sama put up a warning sign or anything!" Urd shot back, matching Skuld's grateful expression.

"Oooooh! Why do I have to put up with an idiot for a big sister? You never change ingredients without checking the dangers first!"

"Listen here, brat! If you think you're such hot stuff, why don't you try making potions sometime? Why should I have to worry about checking stuff like that? Beer's beer, right?"

Beer? They're arguing over beer? This is just too weird.

"I don't believe this," Marller grumbled, her eyes flashing dangerously. "We're lost in a world that isn't even ours, and you two are arguing over something that's already been done? I ought to...."

A ball of light began glowing between Marller's hands as she glared at Urd and Skuld. Skuld pulled something out of the front of her tunic - I'm not sure where she was hiding it - that looked kind of like an aluminum softball; whatever it was, it started glowing, too. Then Urd raised her hands over her head, and a ball of light began glowing between them, too. This was getting a little unnerving. I glanced at Setsuna, and saw she didn't seem to be worried, despite the potential for mayhem those three presented. Then I noticed Belldandy didn't seem worried, either. This was definitely getting weird.

"You ought to what?" Urd growled. The hungry sensations her growl generated had me reaching for Setsuna, who smiled and let me gather her into my arms. "Bring it on!"

"I...can't," Marller whispered as her ball of light faded. "I gave my promise - and for the first time, I want to keep it. What's wrong with me?"

"When's the last time you had a friend?" Belldandy asked gently. "I don't mean someone who thinks that calling you a friend will give them some unfair advantage, the way Sayoko does - I mean someone who knows what you are and still treats you as someone they value."

Marller looked toward the Senshi thoughtfully for several moments, biting her lip, before she replied.

"Not since Urd and I were young. Demons don't have friends." The sadness in her voice as she said that was heartbreaking. I just couldn't reconcile her emotions with the kind of creatures Bill hunts.

"But you have a friend now. It makes a difference, doesn't it?" Belldandy smiled and offered Marller a hand. "If I'm not wrong, you have the potential to have several friends, if you'll accept them."

Marller looked from Belldandy's eyes to her hand and back again, with tears in her eyes. As she took the offered hand, I felt tears in my own eyes, and when Belldandy drew her in for a gentle hug, I sniffled quietly and squeezed Setsuna.

"You'd be my friend? After all I've done? Even with what I am?" I couldn't blame her for being incredulous. The idea of a goddess and a demon being friends was more than a little odd.

"You're just doing your job, Mara. Even when it's most irritating, it's still what you're supposed to do." Listening to her, I had to wonder if she and Serenity were somehow related. The simple, open, uncomplicated love and acceptance in her voice was as unbelievably complete as the Princess'.

"But...all the times I've attacked you...." Marller sounded far too confused for her own good.

"Hey! Haven't you ever heard of fault-testing?" Skuld smacked Marller - gently - and stuck her tongue out at her. Not exactly what I'd think of as a suitable approach, but it seemed to make Marller feel better. "Do you know how often your tricks and attacks forced me to fix defects I wouldn't have known about otherwise? I ought to draft you to attack everything I build, just for the quality control effect!"

"You know, that's not so far from what the Devil does in Jewish belief," David said. "The only references the Jews have to the Devil that I know of cast him as an angel who specializes in quality control - tempting humans, testing the ones God's too proud of to see if they live up to his opinion of them, that kind of thing."

"Arg! How am I supposed to keep feeling guilty if you're going to do that?" Marller grumbled with a smile. She looked up at the nearest intercom panel thoughtfully, apparently considering David's commentary.

"You're not," Skuld laughed. "So is it a deal? You trash the stuff I build so I can find out what needs improving?"

"Humph!" Urd grumped, flashing a smile that Skuld couldn't see. "I guess she's not satisfied with my work anymore. Well, if that's the way she's going to be, I guess I'm just going to have to let you do it, Mara."

"I wonder if they're always like this," I murmured to Setsuna as the two Goddesses started bickering like Usagi and Rei. She smiled and drew me down into a gentle kiss that distracted me from the argument.

Skuld grumbled and glared at Urd. How dare her big sister think that she didn't appreciate her? She should have realized she was just trying to make Marller feel better. It was almost impossible not to feel for her after seeing how deeply the demons of this world affected her, even indirectly. Trust Urd to take it as a personal insult. Just wait...one of these days she'd find her bed turned into a giant joy buzzer. That would get her attention.

"Ha! I got you, Bug!" Urd laughed, throwing her arms around Skuld in a surprise hug. "You really thought I was insulted, didn't you? Just goes to show I'm still way ahead of you in sneakiness."

Skuld stared at Urd in surprise, noticing only in retrospect that Setsuna had developed a sly smile at Urd's claim of sneakiness. It took a minute for her to put it all together, but she finally figured it out: Urd had done it deliberately to try and make her feel better, both about being here and about what she'd told Marller. Her stupid big sister wasn't so stupid after all!

"Oneesan!" she shrieked happily, launching herself into Urd's arms. Marller wisely moved out of the way, so when she hit Urd, only the two of them fell over. Urd's breath came out of her in a whoosh, and the two laughed together.

When David phoned and said that Lady Pluto requested our presence, I was in my lab, trying to unravel a confusing energy configuration that had arisen during the afternoon. It seemed to have something to do with time, but it was split into three tracks, unlike the energy that surrounded Lady Pluto. I'd managed to localize it to the area around Lady and Lord Mercury's house, and was thinking of phoning to talk with them, when Rusty stepped into the lab.

"Fluorite, Setsuna wants us to join her at Bill and Ami's house. David doesn't know why for sure, but he said Naru's there." My smile at seeing him quickly faded as I thought about why Lady Pluto would want us there in the middle of the night - and why it was important for us to know Naru was there.

"We'll take the shortcut," I said, grabbing his arm. I stepped into the astral plane, bringing him with me. It only took a moment to shift from our apartment to the space outside the house. Going through the wards was always the slowest part of the trip. Every time I take the astral route, he has new wards up. Lately, it's gotten as difficult to get around them as it is to get around the wards at the Hikawa shrine.

"Eh...Fluorite, are those what I think they are?" Rusty's voice was more than a little worried as he pointed at the wildlife around the wards.

"Only if you think they're demons," I answered. Something was definitely wrong: demons normally avoided the house the way wolves avoid a city. There must be something inside they wanted enough to overcome their fear. Still, the only good demon is a dead demon, so.... "Sorry about this, Rusty."

"Sorry about-?" Rusty started; I didn't hear the rest, because he was already back in the physical world. I wasn't going to risk any harm to him while fighting.

"Yoo-hoo! Here, demon, demon, demon!" My teachers always accused me of being flippant, but I've noticed that some enemies - like demons - tend to lose their composure when they think you're not taking them seriously. I'm not proud; I'll take any advantage I can get.

Most of the demons continued trying to batter their way through the wards, but a few turned toward me. I may not enjoy fighting as much as Lady Jupiter does, but a guy does need a chance to cut loose every once in a while. I hovered and waited for them to get close. I may know a lot more about death magic than Lady Saturn, but I don't have anywhere near her power. It's a whole lot easier for me to destroy things like this when they're close enough to touch.

The first demon reached me. It was just an imp, so it wasn't really a threat. I grabbed it and absorbed its energy. Unless you're a monster magnet like Naru, imps are just an annoyance - or a ready source of energy. Now for the others. One of the nice things about demons is the way they dissolve when you destroy them - no bodies left behind to get in the way.

No doubt about it: an angry demon is a stupid demon. Not that most of them are all that smart to begin with, but every little bit helps. With the energy I'd absorbed from the imp, I released a cloud of Death Ribbons. That was a spell I hoped Lady Saturn would master some day, so she wouldn't be in fear of destroying the world every time she went into battle. Like her Death Reborn Revolution, the ribbons destroy whatever they touch - but because the spell is so much less powerful, there's no chance of the Death Ribbons destroying even a city block, much less the world. And it's not a suicide attack.

With the demons around me destroyed, the ones still pounding on the wards finally took notice of my presence. This had the potential to be more interesting. The ones still living were more intelligent - and therefore potentially more powerful. Luckily for me, more intelligent usually means more egotistical when you're talking about demons. If I could come up with a way to have them fighting each other, it would make my job easier.

I fired off another stream of Death Ribbons, and while the demons were dodging them, conjured my Ghost Sword. I may not be in Lady Uranus' class as a fencer, but I'm not incompetent, either. The Ghost Sword is especially effective against demons, since the spirits that form it are at least as offended by the existence of demons as any Demon Hunter is. I dove behind a cluster of demons and decapitated three of them before they had a chance to react.

"So, is this a private party, or can anyone join in?" I don't think I was ever as happy to hear his voice as I was right then. With at least another half-dozen demons still able to fight, I needed the Demon Hunter's intervention.

"Keep you from killing demons? I wouldn't think of it!" I grinned at him and dove for a demon.

This one actually had something that resembled a weapon. Instead of hands, talons, or any of the other usual grasping appendages, its arms were tipped with blades that looked kind of like lochaber axes. It was good with them, too. If I'd been wearing anything that interfered with my movement, I'd have been sliced open like a roasted pig. As it was, I was still fencing with it when he finished with the last of the others. The first either of us knew he was back was when it got a look of surprise on its face as his fist exploded through its chest from behind.

"Well, that was fun," Bill grumbled. At least, this time it was obvious he was being sarcastic. It isn't always. "So what brings you here this time of night?"

"Lady Pluto said we're needed." I was surprised; I'd expected that he'd know of her invitation.

"I'll have to ask her about it when I wake up. Hopefully that'll be soon."

"When you wake up? What's going on?"

"Urd screwed up a restorative incense, so everyone in the house is reliving some of the more interesting memories from their past lives. Setsuna gave us all sleeping pills so that we'd experience them as dreams, rather than consciously. We've already been asleep for a few hours. I don't know how much longer the pills will last."

"That must have been some screw-up. I'm no alchemist, but I don't think I've ever heard of any restorative that does THAT. Who's Urd, anyway?"

"This wouldn't have, except she used an ingredient that has that effect when she was making it. Urd's a Norn - Goddess of the Past. Alchemy's kind of a hobby for her." He grinned. I've seen that grin before: it's the one he gets whenever Serenity - I mean, Usagi - does something particularly undignified. Whoever this Urd was, he obviously considered her a friend.

"Goddess of the Past? Does that mean there's also a Goddess of the Present, and one of the Future?" This could explain the strange time energy I'd detected.

"Yup. Belldandy and Skuld. And a playmate of theirs came with them - a demon named Marller. I think Marller's the reason all these bad boys were out here." This was definitely getting strange. His face didn't express his usual distaste when he mentioned this Marller's name.

"OK, what's Marller, and why isn't it dead?"

"Marller's a demon from the same world Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld are from. They all came to this world together, and they need to go home together. She's also a lot more decent than some humans I've met. Demons in her world aren't like our demons. Hold on." He raised his hand and fired a beam of light over my shoulder. "I think that's why the demons are here. They're trying to either capture or destroy her."

"There's more to it than that," I said, watching him thoughtfully. "For some unknown reason, you think of her as a friend, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I think you will too, once you meet her. She almost died, trying to rescue Naru after she was possessed by an imp. That's why the incense - it was to keep her and Naru from dying." He stopped and closed his eyes for a moment; when he opened them, the sadness I saw was enough to tear at my heart. He whispered, in a tone that carried as much sadness as his eyes, "I know why Setsuna called you. It's Naru."

"Naru was possessed?" I understood his sadness. After I'd turned her into a monster, when I was still one of Queen Beryl's minions, she'd demanded that he promise to kill her if it ever happened again. And if she'd been possessed, she was certain to demand that he keep his promise. Neither of us wanted that. Without hesitation, I moved to embrace him. He needed the reassurance; the reminder that I understood. For that matter, I needed the reassurance. Naru had somehow found it in her heart to accept me as her friend, even knowing what I'd done to her as the Demonologist, and now she was closer to me than anyone other than Rusty.

"I killed the demon, but it broke her. Marller had to go into her mind to bring her back out - and she'd been in there for a long time before the rest of us went unconscious. That was...a while ago. Well before midnight, I think. If Marller didn't manage to bring her back, there's only one way to free her. If she did...you know what Naru's going to want." He sighed heavily and clenched his jaw as he rested his head on my shoulder. He was, like the rest of us, perfectly willing to face death on his terms - but was not willing to allow it to claim a friend.

"What if...," I stopped, realizing my idea was crazy; but if Lady Saturn was willing to go along with it, it might be possible to give Naru what she wanted and still save her life. "What if I caught her when you kill her? Once she's dead, I should be able to talk sense to her. And if Lady Saturn heals her body, I could put her back into it, and the problem would be solved."

"You think that'll work?" His voice told me he was grasping at my suggestion as if it were the first ray of hope in this situation. I prayed I wouldn't let him - or any of them - down. "If you'll do that, I know Hotaru will heal her...and we can save Naru!"

"I'm certainly going to do my best. Ultimately, it's up to her, but I hope I can give her enough reasons to stay with us."

"Thank you," he breathed in relief. "I guess you'd better get back to the other side. David should know enough to let you in without argument, and that's got to be easier than working your way through the wards."

"I'll see you inside, then." I smiled as best I could and slid through to the physical world. Rusty was nowhere to be seen. I assumed he'd already gone inside, and headed for the front door.

"Well, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you'd sent Rusty on without you." David's voice sounded as if he were forcing himself to fake cheerfulness. I looked at his camera and shook my head. I really didn't care to even try to fake it.

"Demons. Let me in, ok? I know why Setsuna asked you to call."

"It's not good," he murmured, letting his real feelings through. David's far too nice for the situation we were in. Unfortunately, as a computer, he couldn't do very much about it. He opened the door just far enough for me to slip through without getting caught, and closed it as soon as I was through.

Of the people in the room who were upright, I only recognized Lady Pluto and her consort, Sarah. Lady Pluto turned her gaze on me, and for a brief moment I saw sadness in her eyes to match my own. By the time I made it across the room to where Naru was sleeping, she had regained her usual air of inhuman detachment. Rusty returned from the hallway that leads to the kitchen and laboratory, smiled reassuringly at me, and found a place to sit that wouldn't interfere with anything we had to do.

"Hello, Fluorite. Allow me to introduce our guests. Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld are the Goddesses of Past, Present, and Future, respectively. Marller is a demon - and Father's friend. They're from another universe - one that we have to help them find their way back to." As Lady Pluto introduced them, the ladies bowed their heads. Except Urd, who flashed me a smile that - if she were a man - would have raised my blood pressure to the danger point. I think she was a little surprised when I didn't respond. "Ladies, this is Fluorite, and his partner Rusty. Fluorite is our resident Death Mage, and Rusty is our resident chemist."

"You mean you're..." Urd started, looking surprised.

"As a three-dollar bill," Rusty announced with a grin. I'm not sure what the reference was, but it seemed to make sense to her. She looked me over and chuckled softly.

"It's been a long time since I tried a male form...but I think I could be tempted," she purred. She was so overdone I just rolled my eyes and smiled at Rusty.

"Lady Pluto, has Naru awakened?" I looked worriedly at the sleeping form on the floor. The demon winced as I asked, and when I studied her, I recognized an expression of soul-deep pain in her eyes. Her expression as a lot like that Naru had been wearing the night Bill had forced me to confront her. I started to understand why he was concerned for this demon.

"She has. And you know what she demanded. I called you in hope that you would be able to help. I'm also hoping that what she's experiencing now, as she sleeps, will convince her to renounce the promise she demanded from Father." I wonder if Lady Pluto realizes how easy it is for her friends to see through her detached mask. Like now: no matter how cold her expression, the love and worry in her heart shine through like a beacon.

"Bill and I talked about it before I came inside. We think we have a plan. All we need is Lady Saturn's help to implement it. And prayers from everyone involved that I somehow find Nephrite's silver tongue."

"I think you'd be amazed at how charismatic you can be, when you really want to." Lady Pluto smiled one of her 'I've seen far more than you can possibly imagine' smiles. She looked down at Naru, then up at Urd. "How long should they be sleeping?"

"Well, Keiichi always slept for about six hours." Belldandy glared at Urd as she said that; I didn't know what that was about, unless Keiichi was the man Belldandy was holding so lovingly.

"So they should be waking up shortly. Good."

Definitely good. I hoped that Naru would be the last to wake, so Bill and I would have time to discuss our plan with Lady Saturn - and the others - so there would be no interference. The potential consequences to her if anyone interfered were enough to almost make me reconsider.

Urd felt Mara wince as the Death Mage asked about Naru. Mara's obvious pain distracted her enough that she didn't notice Belldandy's glare when she answered Setsuna's question. They should all be waking soon - except Naru. By the time she woke, the sun should be up.

Usagi, Mamoru, and Bill were the first to wake. While Usagi and Mamoru sought each other's arms, Bill looked toward the gathering around Naru. Setsuna looked his way and nodded, then reached out to gently touch Mara's shoulder.

"Father would like to talk with you," she murmured softly.

Mara swallowed and looked up for reassurance; Urd smiled and gently hugged her, then nodded. She didn't feel any threat, but Mara was obviously feeling uncertain after her experience with Naru.

"It's ok, Mara," Urd whispered, flashing what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "We'll be right here."

She let Mara slip out of her arms and gave her hand a quick squeeze before Mara walked over to join Bill. As she was kneeling beside him, Ami woke with a gasp. He turned to gather her into his arms and hold her while she pulled herself together. Urd watched uncomfortably until she noticed Minako, Makoto, and Rei stirring. She started to rise to her feet, only to feel Belldandy's hand on her arm.

"Don't, oneechan," Belldandy murmured. "How would you feel if someone pushed her way in while you, Skuld, and I were comforting each other?"

"But...," Urd started to protest, then sank back to her knees, understanding what Belldandy meant - even though it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She'd started to feel comfortable with Minako; they were so much alike in so many ways, from the way nobody appreciated their matchmaking down to their preference in lovers (breathing, good-looking, preferably male, imaginative, and enthusiastic). As much as she wanted to support her, though, she had to admit that Minako needed Makoto and Rei much more than she needed her.

Usagi and Mamoru made their way over and looked down at Naru with matching expressions of worry. Usagi sank to her knees beside Fluorite and placed a hand on Naru's forehead, her tears flowing freely as she bowed her head. Mamoru placed his hand over hers and slid an arm around her shoulder to share his strength with her. The wistful look that flitted through Fluorite's eyes made it obvious Usagi wasn't the only one under Mamoru's spell.

"Did Marller rescue her?" Usagi asked, looking up with eyes as blue and loving as Belldandy's. Urd found herself reaching out with a handkerchief to wipe the tears from Usagi's cheeks.

"She did. And from what Fluorite and Setsuna said, you already know what she demanded before we put her to sleep." The stricken look in Usagi's eyes made it clear she knew. Urd took a deep breath and leaned forward to kiss Usagi's forehead. "Hey, Fluorite's got a plan. Everything will turn out all right. Trust me!"

"Are you sure you're not Minako in disguise?" Usagi asked, smiling. "I thought she was the only one who could sound that maniacal."

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Minako yelled from across the room. "Biiiih!"

"Hey! I'm the only one allowed to do that to her!" Rei laughed, pushing Minako over. Within moments, the two of them had fallen into a tongue-war.

"How can they bounce back so quickly?" Urd asked, watching Rei and Minako drag Makoto into their battle.

"We have a lot of practice," Usagi murmured. "It's a lot easier to cope if you can shut it away and deal with it a little bit at a time."

"It's also easier when you have people you love to share your pain with," Mamoru murmured, squeezing Usagi gently. "And to share your joy with."

Urd glanced at Belldandy and Keiichi, who was just beginning to stir. She didn't understand what Mamoru meant from personal experience, but watching those two frequently made her wish she did.

Artemis and I had a wonderful day. Sailor Pluto had assured us we wouldn't be needed, so we'd taken on our human forms and traveled to Lake Kawaguchi to enjoy the clean air and peace. Since it wasn't pilgrimage season yet, it was still fairly pleasant. Artemis had arranged for a room at a hotel near the lake, where we had a beautiful view of Fujiyama.

After a few hours of blending with the humans, ending with a nice dinner, we retreated to the hotel room for a chance to return to our own forms and relax. It was the first time we'd been able to relax away from our charges in months, and we took advantage of every minute.

We decided to return home on the morning train, and got into Juuban around 7am. Minako's apartment was closest to the station, so we went there first. She wasn't home, which surprised us. Minako's no more a morning person than Usagi is, so not finding her home this early was strange. Artemis hopped up on Minako's desk and used her computer to locate her communicator while I waited.

"They must be having a meeting of some kind. Everyone except Haruka and Michiru is at Ami's house." Artemis looked surprised - even a little annoyed. I suppose I did, too. It's not like Usagi to do something like this without at least telling me.

"We should join them, then," I said. Sometimes it seems as if even Artemis needs a firm hand to keep him from dallying when it's time for action. Like now: he was still staring at the computer when it was obvious we needed to be with the others.

"Just a minute, Luna. I'm reading the records from yesterday. They fought an alien that somehow managed to get past Uranus and Neptune. And they have visitors from another universe, who David insists are friends and won't tell me anything more about them until we meet them." He looked down at me worriedly. I had to agree. Extradimensional entities that David wouldn't give us information about? I didn't like that at all.

"We should go, and be prepared for anything. Call Sailors Uranus and Neptune and tell them to meet us there. I hope it's not necessary, but if it is, they should be able to help us rescue the others."

"Right." He started tapping on the keyboard while I went to use the phone.

"Hi, Luna." David answered the phone on the first ring. "How long will it take the two - sorry, make that four - of you to get over here? Usagi could really use your presence right now."

"What's going on, David? Why wouldn't you give Artemis more data?"

"You wouldn't believe it without meeting them. But that's secondary. Naru's what's most important. Usagi's going to need everyone who loves her at her side in order to deal with what they have to do."

"Naru? Oh, no...she didn't get attacked again, did she?"

"Worse. She got possessed. And you know what that means. Dad and Fluorite think they've figured out how to make it work, but neither of them likes the risks.

"Oh, no." This was bad. This was very bad. I took a deep breath to calm myself before continuing. "What's their plan?"

"They want Umino to try and convince her to live, but if he doesn't, Fluorite's going to catch her spirit when Bill kills her, and try to talk enough sense into her to get her to agree to come back."

"I don't like it, but I can't think of anything better. We're on our way."

"Please hurry, Luna. Nobody's happy, and I don't like it. Even Minako's on the verge of hysteria because of what's happened."

"We'll get there as fast as we can, David. Why don't you try playing some soothing background music? It can't hurt."

"You're right. I'll do what I can until you get here. Now I've got to talk to Michiru and Haruka before they come here expecting a battle."

"I understand. Good luck, David."

I pressed the hang-up button, thankful that Minako had invested in a phone with a speaker function, and looked at Artemis.

"How much did you hear?" I whispered, suddenly feeling very, very tired.

"Enough. If it's bad enough to have Minako on the verge of hysteria, it's bad. And I've never heard David sound so worried before." Artemis looked as worried as he sounded. "Come on. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll get there."

"You're right." I looked out the window and felt my tail twitching as I considered the situation. "As undignified as it would be, this is one time I wish we could hitch a ride with Phobos and Deimos."

"Don't forget uncomfortable. Their claws aren't my idea of pleasant supports."

"I know," I sighed, leaping from the balcony to our tree-branch exit. "I just don't like thinking of what could happen before we get there."

"So don't. No matter how much we worry about it, we can't help them until we get there."

"I know. I'll stop worrying if you will." I knew he was trying to reassure me, but he was just as worried as I was, so it was only fair to return the attempt.

"Deal. The only question is, how?"

"I wish I knew. We'd better save our breath."

Minako's apartment is as close as you can get to Shinjuku and still be in Juuban, so we both knew we'd be ready to drop by the time we got to Ami's house. We concentrated on running, using every shortcut we knew - at least, those we could use so early in the morning when the department stores weren't open yet.

David opened the front door as we staggered up the front walk, and swung it closed almost on our tails. Usagi and Minako ran over to scoop us up almost before we'd finished collapsing on the floor.

"Luna! What happened?" Usagi asked worriedly.

"Artemis! Are you ok?" Minako gasped in near panic.

"They both ran over from your apartment, Mina-chan," David announced.

"Why?" Usagi asked, hugging me close. "One of us could have come to get you, if you'd asked."

"We...didn't...think...of it," Artemis panted.

I was frankly surprised he had the breath to say that much. I know I didn't. I barely had the energy to lick away the tears on Usagi's cheeks. When she felt my tongue on her skin, she squeezed tighter, enough to force out a weak meow that surprised her enough to ease off the pressure so I could breathe.

"Thank...you...Usagi-chan," was all I could get out for the moment. I'd say more when I had a minute to recover.

**Would this help, Luna?**

**Yes. Thank you, Ami. Is it true, about Naru?**

**Unfortunately, yes. A demon possessed her, probably in an attempt to get into the house so it could attack Marller.** Her thoughts were sad and worried. It was worse than I'd imagined.

**Marller? Who's that?**

**Do you see the woman with us? She's Marller.**

I squirmed until I could rest my head on Usagi's shoulder and look into the room. That's when I noticed the strangers, who looked remarkably like characters from one of Usagi's manga. The woman with Ami and Bill was dressed as if she was tastelessly advertising her physical attributes, and the lettering on her T-shirt said something about evil, but I couldn't see enough of it to tell any more than that.

**She doesn't look like the kind of woman either of you would associate with.**

**She isn't. She's a demon. And she's our friend.**

Poor Usagi...I'm afraid I hurt her ear when I yowled in surprise at that declaration. A live demon? In this house? And as a friend? That was as great a shock as Queen Serenity having tea with Queen Beryl. I turned my head to look at Usagi in hopes that she could explain, forgetting entirely that Ami had been using her telepathy to talk with me.

"Yes, Luna," Usagi said in that soft voice that somehow manages to fill a room. "Marller is our friend. And, yes, she is a demon. At least, in the world she comes from, she's a demon. In our world, she's no more demonic than Lady Nine-Tails. And far less powerful."

"I don't like it, Usagi. Demons are nobody's friends." OK, kitsune aren't exactly reliable friends, either, but at least they're not actively evil. How could she - how could they - consider a demon their friend?

"If Belldandy's willing to be her friend, given their history, how can we do any less? For that matter, how can we do any less when Bill considers her a friend?"

Belldandy? That is a character from one of Usagi's manga. One of the better ones, true, but still...how can fictional characters be physically present?

**In their universe, we are the fictional characters. Yes, you were thinking that loud.**

**But...that's a demon! It should be dead, not in your arms!**

**Hey, remember when you met me? You thought I was an agent of the Dark Kingdom.**

**Well...yes...but that was a mistake. We didn't know anything about you then. You know that's a demon, so there's no mistake! Demons are evil!**

**Luna, go talk to Rei. Or...let me try something. It should work, and it should answer your doubts.**

**Marller? I need your help. Would you be willing to share your mind with a friend?**

**Of course I would, Ami. If you trust them enough to let them touch my mind, how can I not?**

Marller felt the gratitude radiating from Ami and leaned against her, drawing a brief flash of jealousy from Bill. She chuckled softly as she thought of how, in her own world, she'd have played on that jealousy until the two of them had either torn their relationship apart or grown inseparable. Now, she just reached out to stroke his cheek and send him a flash of reassurance - just enough to make him realize what he was feeling and flush with embarrassment.

**He's so cute when he's jealous - especially since he tries so hard not to be.**

**You know?** Marller hadn't been entirely surprised to feel Ami's mental touch, but her amused reaction to her husband's jealousy was a surprise.

**I've known since we met. He's full of so much love...but he's a man, and men seem to have a problem with jealousy, no matter how much love is in their hearts.**

**That seems awfully cynical.**

**Don't tell him, ok? He still has this image of me as someone pure and innocent, despite everything we've been through - together and apart.**

**That's because you are. You have a purity that even being trapped in Niflheim couldn't sully. Where's the friend you wanted me to let in?**

**Right here. I can't believe you're doing this, Ami. Do you know how dangerous it is to open your mind to a demon?**

Marller whimpered softly at the distrust and anger in the other voice. She knew she deserved it, but - now that the others had accepted her - it hurt. Even more than being separated from Urd had hurt.

**If I couldn't protect your mind, I wouldn't have suggested this, Luna. But you don't need protection from Marller.**

**All right, demon. What did you do to brainwash them?**

It hurt so much, feeling this distrust and anger - like that of a mother cat protecting her kittens. Like a...Marller looked around the room, to see the cat in Usagi's arms glaring directly at her. Could it be that their cats are intelligent in this world, too?

**Luna and Artemis are. They're our teachers and advisors - and were in our last lives, too. Although they have a tendency to be a bit overprotective at times.**

Ami sounded amused, as if she loved Luna enough to feel comfortable teasing her. Marller knew that if Luna inspired that kind of love in Ami, she had to honor it with the one thing that would show her trust and love for Ami.

**My name is Mara. If you know anything about magic and demons, you must know that now that you have my name, you have power over me.**

**I thought your name was Marller. That's the name Ami used.**

**Marller is the name I give strangers. Mara is the name I give only to family and friends. I only give it to people I trust - which, until yesterday, meant my half-sister. But if Ami trusts you enough to risk this, then I can't trust you any less.**

**You're a strange demon. You're nothing like the demons we get around here.**

**Thank Hel! I can't understand how demons can be so obscene in this world. It's as if they have all the distilled evil humans are capable of confined within their forms.**

Marller shuddered against Ami, remembering what the imp had done to Naru. With that as their standard, it was no wonder they had hated and distrusted her on sight. Ami cradled her close and gently brushed her hair back, somehow knowing just how to sooth her revulsion and fear.

"You really don't belong here, Mara." The voice came from down by her knees; Marller opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear away the tears. There, looking up at her with what she could only think of as an expression of wonder, was the black cat Usagi had been holding. "If you stay here, the demons in this world will tear your heart apart. Now I understand how Ami could call you friend."

"How...?" Marller whispered, looking down at Luna. "Just a minute ago, you were willing to use your claws on me to protect the others."

"That was before I felt what you felt; before I saw how different from our demons you really are. Usagi was right. You're no more evil than Lady Nine-Tails." Luna hopped into Marller's lap and butted her head contentedly against Ami's hand. Her purr was strangely soothing.

"She's not the only one who felt it," Bill's voice added from behind her as his arms joined Ami's in holding her. "Take a look."

Marller took the handkerchief Bill offered, wiped her eyes, and looked around the room, her wonder increasing as she saw that not only were Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld looking toward her with worry, so were Rei and both Usagis. She felt herself burst into tears, feeling almost guilty at worrying them - and feeling confusion at these new emotions that were running riot through her. She knew she could never go back to the life she'd had before, and it was all too confusing - too hard to comprehend in so short a time.

I can't believe they're actually planning to kill her! I thought they were the heroes!

As if the weird dreams I'd had after taking the pill Setsuna gave me weren't bad enough, when I woke up, Bill and Fluorite were talking about killing Naru. It was as if they thought we were in some bad samurai movie, the way they were talking so calmly about it as if it were fated. Didn't they realize Naru hadn't been in her right mind after she'd been turned into a monster? They couldn't expect a promise made then to be binding. Could they?

"...Umino! Are you listening?" I realized both Bill and Fluorite were looking at me expectantly. Bill continued, "We need your help."

"To kill Naru? Are you out of your minds? I can't kill her! And I won't let you do it, either! How can you even think of it?"

"Hopefully, to not kill her. You and Fluorite are the only ones who have a chance of convincing her to renounce the promise I made her." That's when I understood the look in his eyes. He didn't want to kill her - he felt bound by the promise he'd made. I knew that if she insisted he carry it out, he would do it, no matter what it cost him. He was a hell of a lot closer to being a samurai than I would ever be.

"I'll do anything! What do I need to do?"

"Let your heart speak. Talk to her about your love, about what she does for you, about your hopes, your dreams - anything that will make her understand what she'll be losing when she dies. Anything that you think might reach through her pain." He didn't have to add the 'please' - I could see it in his eyes.

I thought I was starting to understand. To him, Naru was like a little sister; if he killed her, it would be because he loved her. I clenched my jaw and nodded. I'd do my best. I...remembered.

The New York Governor's prison was a miserable place. Cold, damp, little more than a stone-lined hole in the ground. If not for the bribes my friends paid the jailers, I wouldn't have survived the winter. Governor Cosby hated me so much, I'd almost succumbed to the cold and damp before my friends had been able to make an arrangement to bring in warm clothing and a doctor. I swore I would never go back there. He may have destroyed my presses, but the next time, I'd fight with more than just words. I'd die before I let them put me back in that hole.

"Umino? Are you there?" Fluorite asked worriedly, shaking my shoulders. "Umino?"

"Ja? Vas ist?" Everything seemed out of focus, as if the world were stretching for a moment, before snapping back into place. I gripped Fluorite's arms, for something to anchor myself. "How long am I going to keep having those dreams?"

"They're not dreams," Bill said softly. "They're memories. Memories of who you were in a previous life - and of the most profound event in that life."

"It was profound, all right," I murmured, shaken by how real it all had been. I could still smell the musty odor of damp stone, feel the itch of fleas and lice under my clothes, taste the despair of not knowing if I'd ever leave the prison alive....

"Will you be ok?" Fluorite's voice showed how worried he was. It was easy to understand how he'd become even closer to Naru than Usagi. He's so genuinely good, it's hard to imagine him as a Death Mage - despite Naru's claim that he was.

"I don't know," I whispered. "I'm not sure I'll be able to argue very well. I understand what she must be feeling...and if it's the only way for her to be free, I can't stand in her way. But I'll try to convince her it isn't."

"That's all we ask," Fluorite said gently. "Trust your love for her. It's the most important thing right now."

How could I tell him that it wasn't my love for her that I was worried about? It was whether her love for me was stronger than her pain that worried me. With all she's been through, I wouldn't blame her for wanting it to end, no matter what the cost. All I could do was pray, and hope my words reached her.

Keiichi sat up with a sudden gasp of air. The hospital was burning! He had to rescue the...Belldandy? His head felt as if it was spinning, and he clutched at her desperately. Which was real and which was dream? Was he an engineer in the riverside hospital in Hiroshima, or was he an engineer in Tokyo? Was he dying of radiation poisoning, or was he alive and well in the arms of his beloved wife?

"Kei-chan? Come back to me, my love," Belldandy pleaded, brushing his forehead with her lips. "I'm here, my love. Come back to me."

"Bel-chan?" Keiichi opened his eyes and looked up blearily. Belldandy smiled lovingly and bent down to kiss him gently. "The children? Did I save the children?"

"Yes, Kei-chan, you saved the children," Belldandy murmured gently, drawing him close to her breast; close enough he could feel her heart beating. "Urd says you were wonderful. You can be proud of what you did."

"Oh, good," Keiichi murmured, closing his eyes and snuggling against Belldandy. If she said he did good, everything was all right. He let himself relax, secure in the knowledge that he was where he belonged, no matter where that was.

I stared at Bill; partly trying to wrap my mind around what he was saying, and partly in hopes that I hadn't heard what I thought I'd heard. He wanted me to heal her after he'd killed her, so that if Fluorite could convince her to come back, her body would be healthy. I could do it, but how could he be planning it so calmly?

"She should be waking soon. Are you ready, Hotaru?" He could have been talking about ordering ramen, for all the concern his voice.

He crouched beside Naru, holding a knife I'd never seen him use before. The blade was at least forty-five centimeters long, double-edged, and at least five centimeters wide. He called it an Arkansas Toothpick. The only good thing I could see about it was that it would make a clean diamond-shaped hole that would kill her quickly and I could heal easily.

"I'm as ready I can be." I didn't want to be, but I knew I'd do what I had to. I always had.

The first thing I knew was the call. I could feel it, reaching deep into the crystal where I'd slept since manifesting the power of Saturn. I felt the crystal crumbling around me as the call grew stronger, and sat up, blinking against the light from the talismans.

"It is time," Sailor Pluto said, as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune helped me to my feet. I knew what that meant: it was time for me to do what Queen Serenity had told me was my purpose - to destroy the evil that was too powerful for the Guardians to fight. I would die, too, but be reborn - probably to sleep again.

"I am ready." I raised my glaive and felt the energy beginning to gather.

As I brought my glaive down, Sailor Pluto threw something into the path of the blade and vanished - just before the blade hit what she had thrown. As the glaive hit, I realized she'd thrown the Silver Crystal. The explosion when it shattered into seven fragments caught the three of us by surprise. The combination of its power and my own was infinitely greater than anything I could imagine; as I died, I wondered if I would ever be reborn.

"We're all a little unsteady right now," Bill said, gently resting his hand on my shoulder. As I refocused my gaze onto him, I saw that the concern I'd hoped to hear in his voice was instead in his eyes. He didn't like this any more than I did, but he would do what he believed to be his duty, as I would. I should have realized: he was always better at controlling his voice than any of us except Rei.

"Cupcake?" Usagi whispered as she slipped her arms around me from behind. I leaned back into her embrace, turning to bury my face in her pink hair, where I could cry without worrying anyone else. "It's all right, Hotaru. I'm here now, and I won't ever let go."

I relaxed in her embrace, knowing that it would be all right, somehow. She must have known what Pluto would do when she left the Silver Crystal in her keeping...but did she know, even then, that we would love each other in this life? I hoped so; it would mean at least one of us had faced death with hope in her heart.

"Will you kill me now? Please?" Naru's voice surprised me. I hadn't noticed her awaken, but she was pushing herself to a sitting position and gazing pleadingly at Bill. "I can't take any more. Please...you promised."

The pain in her voice was so obvious, all resistance I felt to Bill and Fluorite's plan was gone in an instant. If we could ease her pain by doing what she wanted, the risk of not bringing her back was worth it. Better she should have the chance to be born anew in a life without this pain.

"Naru? Do you really want to die so much?" Umino drew her into his arms and looked into her eyes as he brushed her hair back. "I love you, Naru. Isn't there anything I can do to help you live?"

"Please, Umino," Naru closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, murmuring softly, "let me go. Find someone to love who won't be constantly endangering you the way I do. Find someone to love whose life is more than the pain and misery my life is. I'd rather have Silence than what I have now. You're the only good thing in my life, and I don't want you to suffer as I have."

"I don't care about the danger, Naru," Umino answered, gently stroking her hair - the same way Usagi stroked mine when I was unhappy. "I think I might have a shrimp in my pocket somewhere. Remember?"

"You always were braver than is good for you," Naru murmured, smiling slightly. Was he getting through to her? "But this is something nobody can help. I know...as long as I live...it'll keep happening. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. The only way to make it stop is for me to die."

"How can you know that?" Umino asked softly. "Surely Sailor Moon can help, or the Goddesses?"

"I wish they could, but this is my destiny. Maybe if I were still what I was in Atlantis, it would be different...but that's more horrible than this." Naru looked up into Umino's eyes and reached up to touch his cheek. "Please, don't try to interfere. Maybe...in my next life...I'll be able to love you again. Maybe I'll be able to love you the way you deserve."

"I don't understand. What do you mean? Please...if I have to let you die, at least tell me why?" Umino's voice was quavering; he was obviously trying to not let his emotions interfere, but it was just as obviously not easy for him. My respect for him rose as I watched and listened. With Naru, he was a lot more than just an annoying gossipmonger with delusions of journalism.

"In Atlantis, I wasn't the kind of woman you'd want to know," Naru murmured softly. "I was one of Queen Beryl's loyal servants. I was one of the people who worked with the youma. I was the one who taught demonic magic to Fluorite. What's happened to me in this life...is only what I earned in that life...but I can't take it any more. I just want it all to stop, even if it means I stay dead forever."

I know I was shocked at this revelation - and from the look on Fluorite's face, he was just as surprised. Serenity was the first of us to recover, and she moved to Naru's side. Naru looked up at her with an expression of guilt that changed to confusion as Usagi shook her head.

"What you earned in that life, you paid for in that life," Serenity said, with just a touch of steel in her gentle voice. "I can't believe anything you did then could be so evil as to require you to suffer the way you have in this life. There has to be some other reason."

"It's not karma," Naru said, smiling just a little, as she had for Umino. "I think...it's like a scent, that only monsters can smell. It's as if they recognize me, even in this life, and are drawn to me the way Luna would be drawn to you if you were separated from each other somehow. There's nothing I can think of that can stop it."

"Fluorite?" Serenity looked up at him; the sadness in his eyes and the shake of his head said he had no more answers than Naru did. Usagi looked down and hugged Naru gently. "You know, Umino's not the only one who loves you. If you're absolutely certain this is what you need to do, we're all going to be sad. Are you sure?"

"I have to. If Bill won't do it, I'll do it myself." Naru looked at Bill and took a deep breath. "I need you to keep your promise. Please."

Bill rose to his feet, his head bowed, and offered Naru his hand. She took it, and he helped her to her feet. Fluorite took the opportunity given by her distraction to fade through to the astral; I kissed Usagi and slipped out of her arms so I could move to heal her.

"Umino, I'd like you to hold her for a moment." Bill kissed Naru's forehead and murmured softly to her before stepping back to give his place to Umino.

Umino embraced Naru, and they held each other for several minutes, exchanging kisses and soft words. When they finally let go, Umino moved to one side and kept hold of one of her hands. It was obvious she didn't want him to be so close when she died, but that her love wouldn't let her deny him - as obvious as it was that he didn't want her to do this, but he loved her too much to interfere.

"This is what I'm going to use," Bill said, holding up his knife so she could see and touch it. Naru reached out to touch the blade, and jerked her hand back in surprise when blood began dripping from her fingers. Trust Bill to keep even a knife I've never seen him use as sharp as a katana. "I'm sorry, sis. I don't want you to hurt any more."

"It's all right." Naru smiled up at him as she spoke. She'd let her hand fall to her side, and the blood was dripping onto the floor. "It's sharp enough that it shouldn't hurt much, right?"

"That's right. Hopefully, it won't hurt any more than your fingers do." He placed the point of the knife against her breast and hesitated, looking into her eyes. "I love you, Naru...imouto. Come back to us soon. Please?"

"I'll try." Naru smiled and reached up to touch his cheek, leaving smears of blood. "If this breaks the scent, maybe I'll be able to have a full life next time."

Bill bowed his head and closed his eyes, as Naru moved her hand from his cheek to his hands, where they gripped the knife. She looked at Umino lovingly, squeezing his hand, then looked up at Bill trustingly and pulled on his hands.

When Naru pulled on his hands, Bill opened his eyes and looked into hers. If she'd had any doubts, the love and distress in his eyes should have stopped her. She nodded, placed her hand over the butt of the knife, and pulled. All of us could hear his whimper through our MacManuses - the whimper he refused to let her hear - as he put his weight into the knife and thrust it through her in an instant.

"It...didn't hurt," Naru murmured in surprise, looking down to where the hilt made a dimple in her breast. "Thank you, Bill. I love you, big brother."

Bill pulled the knife out, and blood poured out of her like water from a pail. She crumpled into Umino's arms and reached up to touch him, gazing lovingly into his eyes for as long as the light remained in hers.

Marller shuddered at the intensity of Bill's distress as he killed Naru. How could anyone keep going with that much pain? She slipped out of Ami's arms and hugged her knees, trying to contain the reflected pain. Ami moved to Bill's side, placing her hands on his shoulders as he knelt beside Naru's body.

"I can't do this," Marller whispered, rising to her feet and stumbling toward Bill and Ami. "I can't let her die!"

With a thought, she was in the astral world. Standing just a few feet away were Naru and Fluorite. She watched silently as Fluorite talked quietly to Naru, until Naru turned and looked at her.

"Even dead, I can't get away, can I?" Naru asked, her voice beyond sadness into resigned surrender. "All right, what do you want?"

"I want you to look at me. Not just at my appearance, but at me . Am I like the demons you know?" She hoped Naru had enough composure to recognize her differences from the demons of this world. If not, it would be a lot harder.

Naru glared at Marller; it was obvious that, while she was resigned to what she believed was her fate, she wasn't going to go without a fight. Marller lowered her head, unsure of what to do. She shuddered as a possible solution forced itself to her attention. If it worked, Naru would be alive; if it didn't, she herself would be dead.

Marller raised her head and looked into Naru's eyes, opened her arms, and lowered her shields. The only way she could think of to get Naru to trust her was to expose herself completely - something she could safely do within the wards around this place.

"It's up to you, Naru. Am I what you expected?" Marller asked, doing her best to speak as gently as Belldandy. She stood still, waiting for Naru to make the next move.

Naru looked at her, with a disconcertingly intense gaze. Marller held herself still while Naru floated around her, studying her from all sides. If this was going to work, she had to make herself completely vulnerable - and any movement could be misinterpreted.

"What are you?" Naru asked, stopping to look her in the eye wonderingly. "You're not like any demon I've ever seen."

"But I am a demon," Marller said. "In my world, I'm a pretty ordinary demon. I'm the reason you don't remember what happened to you today."

"You're the reason? What did you do to me?" Naru's voice still carried the same resignation.

"I took the memory from you. It's in me now. It's...," Marller whimpered as the memory came unbidden to her consciousness. She was dimly aware of being caught by two sets of arms as she crumpled under its weight, and some sort of discussion going on over her head.

Marller's appearance had taken me by surprise, but its effect on Naru gave me hope. Now that she was dead, she was much more sure of herself; so much so that when Marller surprised us by lowering all of her defenses, Naru actually approached and studied her. When Marller crumpled with a whimper, Naru was there to catch her, even before I could reach her.

"What did you mean?" she asked Marller quietly. "You took the memory from me? Why? You're a demon...sort of."

"I don't think she can hear you," I murmured. "It feels as if she's experiencing it again."

"Experiencing it? But how? Why? Why would she take a memory from me?"

"To give you a chance to live. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, you can feel how strongly it's hurting her." I brushed Marller's hair back, revealing the marks on her forehead. As I touched her forehead, her marks flared, and I felt pain, sorrow, and horror washing out from her. I jerked back, hard enough to tumble backward through space before I could bring myself under control.

"What happened?" Naru reached out to catch my hand as I tumbled. "Fluorite?"

"I startled her," I said as she tugged me back. "I think lowering her defenses the way she did made her more vulnerable to the memories. All we can do is watch over her until she recovers."

"She did this...for me? I don't understand. What could make a demon hurt that much? Why would a demon do that?" Naru reached for Marller's forehead. I caught her wrist and shook my head.

"Do you really want to do that? She took that memory from you, so you'd have a chance to live. The damage it did...drove you so deep into your mind that when she went in to rescue you, she was lost in your mind for hours. I don't know how many hours, because I didn't get there until well after midnight, and you'd already come back by then." I held her hand, watching her closely in hopes of some clue of how to proceed.

"I have to. I have to know what happened - and why she did it." She gently tugged free of my grip and laid her hand on Marller's forehead.

I caught her as she crumpled and cradled her in my arms while she moved her lips silently and looked out on the world with a horrified gaze. I waited, holding her, silently wishing she hadn't done that. Now that she was dead, she couldn't retreat from what she'd seen the way she could before; she had to deal with it - and all I could do was support her. I may have a lot of power over death, but any spell or talent I could think of to use would ultimately hurt her more than letting her work through it on her own.

I don't know how long it was before she came back to me, but it was long enough for the wards to accumulate a good selection of demons. I wasn't too surprised, with Marller and Naru on this side. They were attracted to them the way a tanuki is attracted to honey rolls. Eventually, Naru stirred and looked up into my eyes with a profoundly sad gaze.

"It doesn't get any better, does it?" she asked, sounding as sadly resigned as she had when Marller came through. "Whether I'm alive or dead, I've got to face it."

"I really don't know. With your past, this could be something that'll follow you no matter what you do. If that's the case, it'll probably be easier for you to fight when you're alive." As much as I wanted to reassure her, I felt that what she wanted was the truth. At least, as much truth as I could understand.

"What about her?" Naru slid out of my arms and gently gathered Marller up. "What she did...what she took from me...there's got to be a way I can help her."

"I think getting her back to the other side will be a good start. Being fully on this side makes her even more attractive to them than you are." I gestured vaguely away from us, indicating the demons that were crowded against the wards in all directions. "Of course, it would be a whole lot easier if she were conscious."

Naru looked, her eyes growing wide as she turned her head to see the demons all around us. After the initial surprise, her eyes narrowed and she let out a hiss of anger. Releasing Marller, she stalked toward the wards, developing a purple-black glow that increased in intensity with each step, until her form was impossible to distinguish through the crackling ultraviolet aura that surrounded her.

"You...creatures...have hounded me all you are going to," she snarled as her aura flared, vaporizing several lesser demons and trapping a more powerful one within its glow. "If you want to continue your miserable existence, you will return to Hell, and you will tell your masters that I have returned. If I so much as smell a demon in my vicinity, I will destroy every demon I can find. Do. You. Understand?"

I found myself shuddering as she spoke; she was definitely the one who'd taught me demon magic - except now she had a heart, something she'd definitely lacked before. Somehow, I suspected that made her more dangerous, not less. The demons seemed to sense it, too. The ones who were intelligent enough to understand her were making tracks away from here as fast as they could. The one she'd trapped was frantically throwing energy at her; energy that splashed harmlessly across the wards. She snarled angrily and tightened her grip on the demon. Its struggles grew increasingly frantic, until it suddenly vanished with a soft popping noise.

"That should get the message across," Naru hissed, returning to us. She gathered Marller in her arms and looked down at her, her expression softening from rage to love as she gently stroked Marller's forehead. "She risked her own sanity for me, and I don't even know her. Now it's my turn. Watch us, Fluorite?"

"I'll be right here."

I had a good idea of what she had in mind; in her current state, she was more than powerful enough to pull it off. She smiled up at me and dove into Marller's forehead.

Keiichi's eyes worried Belldandy; as he watched Bill drive his knife through Naru, he had shuddered against her with a soft gasp. When he'd looked up at her, his eyes were shadowed, with a despairing pain that he hadn't had even when he'd been possessed by the Lord of Terror. The same simple goodness that had qualified him for a wish was what made him so vulnerable in this situation.

"How could they let him do that?" he whispered sadly. "I thought they were heroes."

"They are," Belldandy murmured softly, praying silently she could ease his distress. "They're giving Naru what she needs, no matter how much it hurts them. If they hadn't done it, she'd have killed herself. At least, this way, they could reduce her pain."

"I don't understand," he murmured. "What could be so horrible that she'd want to die? Sure, she's been attacked a lot, but Sailor Moon always rescues her."

Belldandy offered a hopeful smile and gently kissed Keiichi's forehead. He was just too nice to imagine the despair of being repeatedly made a victim of evil, with no way to fight back. Even his own experiences hadn't created the kind of despair Naru had felt. She hoped this experience wouldn't change that - that her love and his resiliency would carry him through.

"She'll be ok, Kei-chan," she murmured gently. "I believe what's happened is for the best."

"I hope so," he sighed, then smiled weakly up at her. "If anyone else said that...."

"Well, I hope you'd believe Urd or Skuld," she teased, relieved by his smile. She was rewarded by an embarrassed laugh and a loving squeeze.

Keiichi looked up at her and stretched for a kiss, which went from tentative to hungry in seconds. She knew it was as much from simple human need as it was from his love for her, but that didn't matter: not only did he love and need her, he was no longer focussed on Naru's death.

Her name was Mara. That was the first thing I learned as I plunged into her mind. I didn't know where to look for her, so I started sorting through her memories, in hopes of finding a clue of where to find her.

Mara sobbed bitterly as Urd was taken away. Her only friend, her half-sister, and she was lost forever, just because her Father wanted her as a Goddess. How could they do this to her? It wasn't fair! Why did she have to lose her sister?

"Demons don't cry." The cruelty in the voice was matched by the force of the blow that caught her across the cheek and sent her back into a boulder five feet behind her. Mara raised her hand to her cheek and looked up in shock at the one who had struck her. "You'll learn that quickly, child, or you'll die."

Mara was briefly thankful that she'd been struck by the living hand, rather than the dead one, and scrambled to her feet. She threw herself on her face at the feet of the one who had come to claim her.

"I'm sorry, Mistress. But she's my sister! Why did Kami-sama take her from me?"

"Your half-sister. Now get on your feet and follow me. We are going home." Hel gestured, and a door opened in the air.

"But WHY?" Mara screamed, pounding her fists on the ground and glaring at her mother. " Why did he take her?"

Hel reached back with her dead hand and gripped Mara's hair, painfully lifting her to eye level.

"You are too young to ask why," she hissed. "Maybe if you survive long enough to earn your license, you'll have the right to ask why. Until then, you will do as you're told. Do you understand?"

Mara had understood, far too well. She'd buried her feelings and applied herself so totally to her studies that she'd received her restricted license when she was only 14 years old. I found myself wishing I could do something to ease the pain of her childhood - something to make up for what her mother had done to her.

I had to keep going, though; I had to find Mara and bring her back. There was a light in the darkness, not far away. With nothing else to guide me, I flew toward it. As I flew, I wished I knew as much about mind magic as I did about demonic magic. It would have made my task much easier.

Mara watched from the roof trusses as the humans below prepared to greet visitors to their drug factory. Shotguns and submachineguns - many still bearing their military or police identification markings - were brought out of hiding as the drug manufacturers crouched in positions of ambush. If the anonymous tip she'd provided the police were followed up, the city should shortly have several fewer law enforcement officers. And Urtok would have several fewer minions, opening opportunities she was in a position to fill. The only thing that could prevent her plan from coming to pass was direct intervention by someone of at least her power.

The police blasted in both the front and rear doors at once, and soon the lead was flying in all directions. Within moments, stray shots had ignited the factory's raw materials, causing several explosions. Mara watched dispassionately, feeling no more connection to the carnage below than a chess master felt toward the sacrifice of pieces on a board. Less, perhaps, since these pieces were of more value when removed than when in play.

If there was any shadow of concern, it was easily dispelled by the knowledge that the humans had done this to themselves; all she had done was make one group aware of the existence and location of the other. The humans were demonstrating what her teachers had emphasized repeatedly in her training. Humans were more than capable of doing evil on their own, without wasteful expenditures of energy. A simple nudge, often not even requiring supernatural effort, was enough to put their own evil natures to work.

I shrank from that memory, understanding fully how true it was. I also understood how incomplete it revealed Mara's understanding of human nature to be. Or, at least, how incomplete it was when that incident had happened. There had to be more; something that could explain why she'd rescued me when she could have more easily - and more safely - let me remain lost within myself. Not knowing what else to do, I dove for the next spark of light I saw.

"Did we get him?" Keiichi murmured, looking up into Belldandy's eyes.

Mara growled softly as she watched. Demons do not feel. That lesson had been beaten into her time and again by her teachers - and confirmed by every experience she'd had with humans until she'd met this one. Humans didn't deserve any emotional involvement, even if she did feel. So why did she wish she were in Belldandy's place?

"Uh-uh, Mara," Urd said softly, having somehow crept up on her unnoticed. "I may not be the Lord of Terror, but if you mess with them, you'll wish I were."

"What are you talking about?" Mara turned toward Urd, putting on her best expression of injured innocence. "They just saved my life. Just because I'm a demon doesn't mean I don't understand what I owe them."

"Is that all it is?" Urd looked her over appraisingly, with a gaze that made her uncomfortable in ways she didn't feel even when being appraised by someone as powerful as Surtur. Then again, no matter how powerful he was, Surtur was as dumb as a post.

"Of course." Mara turned her head, somehow finding her gaze drawn back to Belldandy and Keiichi. There was no way she was going to reveal her weakness to any Goddess - and especially not to her sister.

"If you say so," Urd said, laying a hand - gently - on her shoulder. "But I think you're going to find there's a lot more to you than you imagine."

Mara snapped her head around to stare at Urd in surprise. An attempt to kill her, banishing to Niflheim, even binding, she could have understood. This , on the other hand, didn't make any sense at all. After being possessed by the Lord of Terror, Urd should be enraged, out of control, ready to destroy her. Yet...somehow she'd known, even when Urd crept up on her, that she wasn't. Why?

"You're insane! I'm exactly what I've always been! I hate you all!"

Mara fled, shaken to her core by the emotions that were rising within her. What had they done to her? She was a demon! They'd ruined her plan to win her Class 1 license, and now they'd made her feel things a demon couldn't feel. The image of Keiichi and Belldandy embracing rose in her mind, throwing off her concentration enough to bring her out in the middle of one of the biker gangs that infested Tokyo. With a simple gesture, she amplified the jealousies and rivalries among them, reducing the group to a knot of homicidal rage, turned in on itself.

Floating above them, she waited for the calm detachment that normally came over her when watching humans destroying themselves. Images of Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld rose before her, taunting her with the love they shared. I should be there. Images of Keiichi and Belldandy mingled in, showing a different kind of love, but one that was just as strong. She fled again, from the unbidden thoughts as much as from the images. She was a demon! How could this be happening to her?

The feelings associated with that memory were strong enough to surprise me. It was as if a lifetime of repressed emotions had been released at once. No wonder she'd fled the way she had. She had no way to cope with them. I drifted, considering what I'd seen so far. It was obvious she wasn't anything like the demons I was used to dealing with. If anything, she was more like the gods, although a bit twisted by her childhood. Could that be the answer? If Hel was her mother, didn't that make her a goddess as well as a demon? But if that was the case, who was her father?

I drew myself together and looked around, realizing that most of the memories in this area were similar: Mara was torn between the rising emotions and her training and heritage. As I followed her memories, it became increasingly obvious that she was nearing a break - if she hadn't already broken. The idea of a demon being torn by her emotions was as surprising to me as she was, but it helped make sense of what she'd done. It still didn't fully explain it, but it helped.

Mara floated above the temple, waiting for her bomb to detonate. She wished she could be inside, to enjoy the look on Skuld's face when her latest...whatever it was...exploded in her face. She felt a twinge of jealousy when Keiichi and Belldandy arrived, and idly thought about dropping a little something to muss them up. Nah...the bomb she'd given Skuld would be enough excitement for today.

The light that flared from the house when Belldandy reached for the front door came on so quickly it caught her by surprise. When her vision cleared, everything within the outer walls looked as if it had been abandoned for years.

"URD! What did you do this time?" Keiichi yelled angrily.

"Now, Keiichi-chan, you don't know it was her. Something about this feels more like Marller's doing." Belldandy's voice was as gentle and loving as she'd ever heard it, even when she voiced her suspicion. How could anyone be so loving, even with all she'd experienced?

Belldandy and Keiichi stepped inside, leaving Mara wondering was going on. She held her position, watching and listening in case anything more happened. Suddenly Urd was there beside her, glaring angrily and grabbing her ear.

"What did you do? We're not even in our own universe." This was scary. Urd was so angry, her voice was calm, flat, and emotionless enough to win approval from one of her teachers. What did she mean, they weren't in their own universe?

Urd took them to Skuld's bedroom - or, at least, what would have been her bedroom if it didn't look as abandoned as the rest of the complex. Within the room were gathered five women wearing what looked like a swimsuit designer's answer to sailor suits, a man in a tuxedo, top hat, and opera cape, and a man wearing a trenchcoat and fedora.

"It looks like demonic energy," Skuld announced. "But that doesn't make sense, unless it was tampered with after I finished it."

"I'd say that's a good bet," Urd said coldly, while twisting her ear. "Tell us what you did, Marller, before I get angry."

Before she gets angry? She already sounds far too angry for my peace of mind. And that hurt .

The ones in the red and green sailor suits moved to position themselves between her and the blonde one with a strange hairstyle and wings on the back of her suit. They looked as if they expected her to attack the blonde.

"OK! OK! Just let go! All I did was drop a little time bomb into that...whatever it is!" Mara pointed at Skuld's latest creation. "It shouldn't have done...whatever it did."

"What it did, demon, was blow all of you out of your universe and into ours." The man in the trenchcoat stalked closer and glared into her eyes from close enough she could feel his breath. "Be thankful you're not a demon from my universe, or you'd already be dead. As it is...if you want to live - much less get home - you're going to have to work with us, not against us. Is that understood?"

"You did WHAT?" Skuld shrieked, whipping out one of her toys. "I'm gonna blast you to smithereens!"

"Bring it on, brat!" Mara brought up her hands and began forming a ball of energy between them. Suddenly, a sword was at her throat, in the hands of the man in the trenchcoat. She was so surprised by his gall that she lost control of the energy ball. When it blew up, it stunned and knocked her to the floor.

"Skuld! Don't!" Belldandy cried, moving to knock the device out of Skuld's hand. "If she was responsible for what happened, we need her to get home."

"And she needs us," Urd added, grinning maliciously. Mara felt herself shrinking under Urd's regard. She'd never seen an expression like this from Urd before. "This is too rich! If you want to get home, you're going to have to help us, Marller!"

As Urd broke into maniacal laughter, Mara glared at the man, who shrugged and sheathed his sword, then offered her a hand.

"I don't need your help, mortal! You'll pay for your effrontery!" Mara snarled, raising her hands to attack, preparing to call forth a ball of energy. As she was gathering enough energy to flash-fry him, he dropped, burying his fist in her belly. She didn't know how heavy he was, but the punch was definitely hard enough that the pain grayed out her perceptions for several minutes.

"OK, demon. Here's the scoop. You can either let Belldandy bind you so you can't use your powers, or I can break both your arms and your legs, and cut your tongue out. We can always heal you up when it's time for you to go home."

It took a moment for the words to penetrate her fog, but when they did, Mara looked up at the human with shock that quickly shifted to terror. The coldness in his eyes was almost inhuman. She'd only seen anything like it before in the eyes of those who'd passed through death and no longer feared - or even cared - about it. She knew that he would do what he'd threatened, even if doing it killed him. Adding to the horror was the total lack of sadistic intent; she couldn't detect any indications of pleasure from him - it was as if he were simply taking the most efficient path to incapacitating her. Urd confronted him, but whatever she said was lost in Mara's fear. Why was he acting like this? Why was he threatening her this way? How did he know she was a demon?

"Since I can't be sure you could get home if I kill her, yes. I'm a demon hunter. I kill demons. And bound or crippled is the only way I'm going to let a live one in my home. So which will it be?" His voice penetrated her confusion, adding to her terror.

A demon hunter? But I thought they were mythical! What do I do now?

"Belldandy? Keep that maniac away from me!" Mara screamed and scrambled backward across the bedroom floor, trying to put as much room as she could between herself and the demon hunter. Even other demons didn't scare her the way this human did.

"I'm here, Mara," Belldandy murmured softly, kneeling beside her and taking her hands as the demon hunter and the blonde with the wings laughed. "I'm afraid we need their help to get home. I don't want you hurt, so will you allow me to bind you?"

"If it'll keep that maniac from touching me, yes," Mara whispered fearfully. "I thought demon hunters were mythical. I...I'm scared, Belldandy."

Mara bowed her head and closed her eyes, using every bit of her willpower to contain her fear. She knew it would make it easier for Belldandy to bind her, and that Belldandy wouldn't let anything happen to her while she was bound. Even the demon hunter wouldn't dare attack a Goddess, would he?

"Do you think we'll be able to get home soon, Bug?" Urd murmured softly to Skuld, watching the Senshi gathered around Naru's body as Sailor Saturn healed it. "This world is far too brutal for me."

"I knew it was pretty harsh," Skuld replied absently as she studied the vacuum, "but I thought there was romance to it, too."

"Where's the romance in someone being in so much pain she has to die to ease it?" Urd grumbled. "I don't want to live in a world like that."

"Neither do I, oneesan," Skuld whispered, dropping her tools. Seeing her shoulders begin to shake, Urd pulled her into her arms and stroked her hair soothingly. Amazingly enough, Skuld's sobs were quiet, even if her tears did soak through the front of Urd's top.

"Can I help?" asked the pink-haired Usagi, kneeling beside them and producing a handkerchief. "It's not as bad as it seems."

"What do you mean?" Urd asked, taking the handkerchief and dabbing gently at Skuld's cheeks. The Bug could sometimes be a pain, but she was still her little sister, and it hurt to see her crying - especially in a situation like this, where she couldn't do anything about it. "Your friend is dead, killed by that...I'm not sure what to call him...because she asked him to."

"Demanded, actually," Usagi said softly, glancing over toward the others. "If he hadn't promised her he would, she would have killed herself. At least, this way, there's a chance we can get her back."

"A chance you can get her back?" Urd asked, not sure whether the idea of these mortals thinking they had a chance to cheat death was more surprising, or whether the girl's apparent casualness about it was.

"Yes. Did you notice how Fluorite isn't here? That's because he's on the other side, trying to talk her into coming back." Usagi smiled. "He's our Death Mage - and he's good. He's also Naru's best friend. If he can't talk her into coming back to us, nobody can."

"If that other boy couldn't convince her, how do you think Fluorite could?" Urd asked quietly. "I could see how much he loves her. If she wouldn't listen to him...."

"She was alive then. We're hoping that she'll see enough now to convince her that being dead isn't any better." Usagi looked back toward the others again, flashing a smile at Sailor Saturn - a smile much like the ones shared between Belldandy and Keiichi.

"I hope you're right," Urd murmured, as Skuld sat up and took the handkerchief from her. "As much as you all are trying to hide it, even...he...is hurting. And he's the one who killed her."

"You don't like him very much," Usagi said. "Why?"

"I don't know what to think of him," Urd growled uncertainly. "He's a sadist and a cold-blooded killer. At the same time, he's kind and gentle and he's somehow managed to make all of us fall for him. How can he be both at the same time?"

"He's not sadistic, or cold-blooded," Skuld said. "He's confusing. And he loves all of them - including Naru. I don't know what to expect with him, because he never appeared in any of the series."

"Skuld's right," Usagi said with a faint smile. "He is confusing. But then again, aren't ALL men? We have to hope Fluorite and Marller are successful. It's just frustrating, not being able to do anything. I don't know what the anime said about us, but I get the feeling it glossed over a lot."

"From what I've seen since we got here, I think it did, too," Skuld said. Urd shot her a worried look. She'd been hoping Skuld and Keiichi knew enough about this world to help them figure out what to do. It wasn't easy, accepting that she didn't know what to do, and if it was different enough for Skuld to admit it, this was a problem.

"We'll just have to play it by ear," Urd said, flashing her best maniacal grin in hopes that it would make Skuld feel better, at least. "I do my best work that way, anyway."

Mara's terror was so extreme it was painful. I hadn't felt fear like that since the time Fluorite - no, the Demonologist - had transformed me into a monster for Queen Beryl. I retreated to catch my breath and gather my wits; I wasn't going to be any help to her if I let her memory affect me like that. While it was a strong memory, it didn't explain why she had come to help me. I needed to know more - and I couldn't afford to spend so much time in each memory. I was going to have to skim them, to get an idea of what they were about, until I could find the ones that would help me understand - maybe even help me understand how to reach her.

"In this world, you're barely as evil as one of the dark fae. A demon from this world is so much more evil than you, you'd look like a saint by comparison." Bill's smile looked so genuine, so much a contrast from the coldness that had been in his eyes when he'd threatened her, that Mara didn't know what to think. And his way of describing the local demons...that didn't seem possible. Only humans could be as evil as he claimed the demons were.

"...and then there was the time we crammed him into a copy of Sailor Pluto's uniform. There's not much that's funnier looking than a guy in a sailor suit. I'll bet David has pictures on file somewhere." Ami giggled and winked, as Bill turned an interesting shade of red, much like Keiichi used to when Urd made suggestive remarks, before he and Belldandy had married.

"Show those pictures to anybody , and I'll punish both of you!" Bill growled, tugging Ami into his lap and tickling her. His actions struck Mara as an odd way to "punish" her. Then again, everything about him was odd - his attitude, his behavior, the way he'd switched from cold-hearted killer to friendly, playful, and inviting host, all of it was confusing. But she found she liked this kind of confusion. It was much more enjoyable than the confusion her supervisors liked to create.

"Oh, I don't know...you could always try dancing with me," Bill had said, and now Mara was in his arms. For the first time in her life, she wasn't using dancing to seduce someone or trigger a fight between two people; she didn't know quite what she was doing, but she liked it.

If this was what dancing was like for humans, she understood why they liked it so much. The feeling of being so close to someone, simply because it felt good, was very different from using her body to tempt someone, or getting close enough to be inside their defenses. It was a simple pleasure, one that made her feel as if she were being absorbed into his life.

When Ami cut in, Mara felt an instant of fear, until she realized it was her that Ami was choosing to dance with, not Bill. Ami smiled warmly and drew her close, taking over the lead smoothly, as if she'd done it many times.

"It's ok, Mara," Ami murmured gently. "Bill and I dance with each other most nights, so you're not stealing our time together. We thought, being a demon, you'd be equally comfortable with either of us, so now it's my turn." She smiled playfully and gave Mara a quick friendly kiss.

"How am I supposed to resist you?" Mara complained softly, resting her head on Ami's shoulder. "Between the two of you, you make me feel ways I've never felt before."

"You're not supposed to resist us," Ami said, gently stroking Mara's hair. "You're feeling exactly what we want you to feel - because it's what's really there."

"But...I'm afraid," Mara whispered. "I'm afraid I won't want to go home when it's time...I won't want to lose you."

"You won't lose us, Mara," Ami murmured soothingly. "If you let your heart take us in, we'll always be there, in your memory. And who knows? Maybe the way we find to get you home will allow you to come back and visit us."

The human's eyes were vacant, as if she had no soul - yet Mara could feel a soul within her body. This didn't make any sense; what could make a human's soul withdraw so completely?

"What happened? What's wrong with her?" As much as it horrified the others, Mara hoped they would have a better idea than she did. It was their world, after all.

"She was possessed," Rei growled softly. "By a demon."

"A demon? But that's not supposed to happen! It never happened to anyone I've possessed!" Mara was shocked and horrified by the very idea. She'd never heard of someone reacting to possession that way. "What kind of monster could do that?"

"An imp," Bill groaned. He was just sitting up where Ami had lowered him to the floor. "Just a fucking imp. Didn't take any effort at all to kill it, but the damage was already done."

"An imp? But imps are harmless!" Mara exclaimed in disbelief. Imps were annoying, but no more dangerous than a lapdog. He had to be mistaken. "How could this happen?"

"Go in and see for yourself. I tried to find her, but wherever she is, I can't go." Bill moved up to Naru and gently brushed her hair back.

The way he looked at Naru made Mara feel like crying. It was the same way Belldandy looked at Skuld - like she was his little sister. She'd wanted to find out what had really happened before: now she HAD to find out. If this woman inspired that kind of affection, she had to know her. Maybe it would help her understand him; maybe it would help her understand what she was feeling.

Now we were getting somewhere. If I could follow this memory through to the end, I thought it would give me the answers I was looking for. It was unsettling, seeing myself through Mara's eyes, but if it would help me understand her, I was willing to do it.

"So...horrible...," Mara whispered sadly as Setsuna lowered the sleeping Naru to the pillows. "I understand...why she has so much despair. I...couldn't take it all. Just the last time. I'm not strong enough...to take more than that."

Mara watched Naru, barely noticing when Setsuna squeezed her hand. After all she'd been through in Naru's mind, she felt that she understood her far better than anyone - even Urd. The feelings within her as she watched her sleep were knotting her up inside. She wanted to gather Naru up in her arms and protect her from the world; she wanted to make the rest of her life happy enough to make up for the pain of her past.

Her heart chilled as she thought about the promise Naru had extracted from Bill, and knew that he would do what she asked. She wished she'd been strong enough to take all Naru's pain and despair from her, but the last attack had been so horrible, it had been all she could do to take it from her. If she'd had to live through it, as Naru had, she knew she'd have done the same - either retreated from the world or killed herself. If only there were some way to heal her....

Poor Mara. The worst thing that could possibly happen to a demon was learning to love - and that was what had happened to her. I couldn't leave her now; not after learning so much about her. She loved me - based only on my memories - the way I loved Fluorite and Usagi. More than ever, I was convinced she couldn't be pure demon. Either that or the demons in her world were far different than those in mine. I started to wonder if she and Urd really were half-sisters, or if the relationship might possibly be closer. If that was the case, there were a couple parents who owed her a lot of explanation - not that those two were ever likely to grant it....

As I approached Mara, the storms within her mind whipped around me like a hurricane. By exposing herself the way she had, she was completely at the mercy of the pain she'd taken from me, and it was making a real mess of her soul. Definitely not pure demon.... I had to force my way through the winds, without using any of the magic I'd mastered in Atlantis. It wasn't easy. David, I know you want a complete record, but I've already told you far more about Mara than I should have. I'm not going to reveal the things I experienced while fighting my way to her heart.

"I'm here, Mara. Take my hands." The gentle voice penetrated the veil of fear, pain, and horror that engulfed Mara. What kind of trick was the demon trying now? Her name was Naru, not Mara. She couldn't run, but she wasn't going to let it steal her identity, too.

"Shh...it's all right, Mara," the voice crooned lovingly. She felt arms wrapping around her and drawing her into a gentle embrace. This didn't make any sense. The demon had been cruel, ruthless, doing things to her she didn't want to remember, let alone feel again. Gentleness didn't fit into what it had done in any way.

Hands gently brushed her hair back and wiped away her tears, as the voice cooed wordlessly, its sound a soothing vibration that reached into her heart and made her feel as if there might be a shadow of hope, even here. Maybe Sailor Moon had found her; maybe she was safe now. She opened her eyes and looked around hesitantly, finally raising her gaze to look on...herself?

"No! Get away from me, demon! I won't let you take my identity, too!" Mara scrambled out of Naru's arms, backing away with terror rising in her heart. If the demon took her identity, it could use her body to attack the others! She couldn't let that happen. She had to fight it...but how? It had already ravaged her so thoroughly she didn't believe she had anything left to fight with.

Maybe it'll kill me...but at least then it won't have my body to use against the others. It's worth it - and Bill won't have to do it for me this way.

Mara threw herself at the invader, screaming incoherently as she used the last of her strength to fight the demon. Naru caught her in mid leap and pulled her in, letting herself fall beneath Mara's body as she embraced the confused demon.

"It's all right, Mara. The demon's dead. It can't hurt you any more. It can't hurt us any more." Naru held Mara close, trapping her arms in her embrace and lying beneath her as she sobbed brokenly.

"Not Mara," Mara sobbed. "Naru. I'm Naru. You can't lie to me. You can't take who I am away from me. Just kill me now. Just let me die."

"Shh...neither of us is going to die, honey," Naru crooned gently. "You're my friend, Mara. Just close your eyes and remember...remember who you are. I'll be with you, and I won't let anything hurt you. It's ok...you're safe now."

Mara whimpered as she tried to escape, only to find she didn't have the strength to get away. The demon's crooning was so soothing...so beguiling...her resistance began to crumble. As the demon continued crooning, she nestled against it, and felt as if she were betraying her friends by letting it take her so easily.

We didn't know what to expect when we got to Ami and Bill's house. Artemis' phone call had been followed immediately by contact from David, trying to convince us that there wasn't really any need to worry, unless we could think of a way to convince Naru not to die. That was more than bad enough. The only reason she'd want to die was if she'd been used by enemies we hadn't destroyed yet.

I was glad Tokyo doesn't have traffic cops like those two maniacs from "You're Under Arrest!" - it made it a lot easier to slip into Bill's garage before the real traffic cops could get close enough to see where we'd gone. Michiru gave me one of her looks as the door closed behind us and David turned on the lights. I was pretty sure the only thing that spared me an acid remark on the life expectancy of my license was her concern for Naru.

The others were gathered in the living room, along with four strangers, three of whom looked like the real-life equivalent of the anime angels in a print on the wall. The gathering was divided into three clusters: the strangers, with Mamoru; Minako, Makoto, and Rei; and everyone else. Hotaru was crouched, with Chibi-Usa behind her. The glow of her healing power was fading as we entered the room.

Ami had Bill in her arms - not surprising given the despairing whimper we'd heard when we were still ten blocks away. He held a large knife in a white-knuckled grip, with blood dripping from the blade onto his pants. The floor where the others were gathered was covered with more blood - enough to soak into the clothes of those who were kneeling.

**Where's Fluorite?**

**He's trying to talk Naru into coming back. I hope Marller isn't making it harder for him.**

**Who's Marller?**

**She's the demon who came with the Goddesses.**

"She's the WHAT?" Well, I never was noted for my subtlety, and they knew we were there now.

"You must mean Marller," Luna said as the others looked at us in surprise. "Mara's a demon. Sort of. At least, in her world, she's a demon. In our world, she's more like a faerie."

"This sounds strange," Michiru murmured. "Perhaps you'd better explain before this goes any further."

"It is strange," Luna said, "but if you take the time to get to know them, it'll make sense. The important thing to know right now is that Marller loves Naru, even if she doesn't realize it herself, and she's already risked her life and sanity once to help her."

"A demon loves...anyone?" I definitely didn't buy that. Demons and love were antithetical. You might as well say a slug could fly under its own power. Then again, a flying slug was more likely.

"That's right. And she doesn't realize that's what it is. Remember, this demon is more like a faerie. Remember the kitsune who came to Ami's wedding? Marller's about as evil as she was." Luna seemed certain of her opinion. I didn't know what to think; if anything, Luna's usually too suspicious of strangers, so this was disconcerting.

"Luna's right, sis," Bill murmured wearily. "I'm sure Marller's trying to help Fluorite right now. I just hope Naru's new understanding means she doesn't freak out at her presence."

"Being dead doesn't improve your understanding," I growled - softly, given how depressed he looked. I was a little surprised he appeared as together as he did; having to kill someone he loved like a sister must have pushed him to the limit of his will.

"Hell, I know that, sis. But reliving the experiences from your previous lives that most strongly affected this life can do it." He smiled weakly. "And what she relived was certainly a doozy. She knows why she's a monster magnet. But that didn't change her desire to die. The only thing I could do was make it as fast and painless as possible."

"Well, you're certainly good at making it fast," I teased, hoping it would help. "And if that thing's as sharp as your other blades, you probably could have cut her head off without it hurting much."

He looked up, trying to smile despite the pain in his eyes. It's hard to see that. Killing enemies doesn't even break his stride: he'll carve a demon into pieces, then complain about how he can't just transform and magically freshen his clothes the way we can. The expression in his eyes said he'd rather have killed himself.

"She said it didn't hurt," he murmured. "That's the only good thing out of this so far."

"I wouldn't say it's the only good thing," someone called from the cluster around Naru's body. It sounded like Naru, but that didn't make sense, unless Fluorite was a lot faster when talking with the dead than he is when talking with the living. "Ami, could I borrow a dress? This outfit's kind of ruined."

The general sounds of joy from that group were matched by the sudden appearance of happiness in both Bill and Ami's faces. I looked, and saw Naru gathered up with a joyful cry by Umino. Seeing the joy he greeted her return with, I reached for Michiru's hand, and felt her gently pull me closer. I never could resist her; we ended up with our arms around each other as we watched the joyful reunion.

Fluorite faded into view, holding hands with a woman who looked as if she could be the sister of one of the Goddesses. On the other hand, her outfit was quite a bit less tasteful. We both can read English a lot better than we can speak it, so the motto on her T-shirt didn't inspire any trust. She looked wistfully at Naru and Umino; an expression definitely at odds with the T-shirt.

"That's Marller," Luna said smugly. She has to be the only being in the universe who can outdo Setsuna in the area of smugness. "Leave her be for now, ok?"

"Please, sis?" Bill asked, looking up at me pleadingly. When Ami's gaze showed she agreed with them, I looked to Michiru - as much to hide my confusion as to get her opinion. This was so unlike them, I didn't know what to think.

Naru solved the problem for all of us when she wiggled out of Umino's arms and threw her arms around Marller with a happy cry.

"You see, Mara? I came back, just like I promised. And if you feel guilty about my choice, I'm going to have to spank you." Naru giggled and squeezed Marller, a lot like the way Bill does to me when he decides I need some brotherly affection. As if that were a signal, the others gathered around Naru and welcomed her back with a babbling chorus and hugs from everyone.

"David, do we have enough hot water for everyone?" Bill asked with a fond smile as he watched the others smeared with blood in their eagerness to welcome Naru home. I had to join in his amusement; once they saw what a mess they'd made of themselves, I was certain we could count on dismayed cries from Minako and Usagi, at the very least.

"Only if you use the big tub. There's no way I can heat enough water for everyone in the house to take private baths." David sounded as relieved as the rest of us. It's hard to remember he's a computer sometimes, with the way he acts so human.

"I think that's up to the ladies," Bill laughed. "I'm not even going to try to speak for them."

Ami whispered to him, and he cast a calculating glance our way. Michiru stiffened just a little, and I gave him my best glare - ok, the best glare I could give him, which is just a little better than the best glare I can give Michiru.

"Try it, and die," I growled, guessing at what I thought he probably had in mind. When both Ami and Michiru giggled, in stereo, I knew my guess was right - and those two had either put him up to it, or were in agreement with him. I tried glaring at them, only to be rewarded by playful laughter as Ami took the hand Michiru didn't already control.

"Just relax and enjoy it, beloved," Michiru murmured, nuzzling my ear in the way she knew I couldn't resist. Did she really want to tease me that way? Sharing a tub with the others was a good way to push the limits of my self-control. Every one of them was beautiful in her own way, and I'd been in trouble far too many times when my gaze had lingered on one or another longer than she liked.

"Listen to your sweetheart, Haruka," Ami murmured at my other ear, stretching to nuzzle in unison with Michiru. This was definitely not something I'd expected from her . She was happily married, to the man I loved like a brother; this was totally out of character for her. "Trust us, Haruka. You know we wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

That's the problem: I knew that, but it didn't ease my worries about hurting Michiru, even accidentally. I looked over, and saw Chibi-Usa and Hotaru headed for the back hall, where the "big tub", as David called it, had been installed behind the lab and garage. The big tub was as large as the pools in a small public bath, and the shower that led to it had a half-dozen sprays. Ami had invited us over several times when Bill was out of town on business; I'd always declined, for exactly the same reason I was hesitating now.

When Usagi whispered to Naru, she laughed and dragged Marller toward the back hall, leaving a confused Umino behind. Ami grinned at me and left Michiru to urge me toward the bath while she moved toward the Goddesses.

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Sailor Senshi, and all terms, names, etc. associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. I make no claim to them and this work of fanfiction should not be seen as making a claim.

Aa! Megamisama!, and all terms, names, etc., associated with the series, are copyrighted by Kousuke Fujishima and Kodansha. I make no claim to them and this work of fanfiction should not be seen as making a claim.

Those characters and concepts that are original, the Crystal Kingdom Archives, and the story "A Demon's Heart", are copyrighted © 2000 by Bill Hartwell.

Rated: PG-13

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