=====================================================================
STANDARD USELESS DISCLAIMER:
    While the story, for better or worse, is all mine, the 
characters aren't.  Shocking news, no doubt.  Well, take that back, 
one of them is mine, but she's really quite silly although I am 
rather fond of her name.....
=====================================================================


    "Sometimes reality really stinks."
    A rock was hurled with tremendous force into the inviting waters 
of a nearby creek, cracking the pefectly smooth surface and sending 
up a small geyser, leaving behind as its only mark, ripples that 
eventually disipated into nothing.  It was soon followed by 
another.  And another.
    Kino Makoto was not having a good day.

                        ----=======----

"Mako-chan's Happy Ending"
A Lunar Eclipses Fanfic by Nikki Purvis
November 1996


    "Shimatta," Mako swore to herself.  She sat sullenly on a rocky 
outcropping, looking out over the water into the horizon.  The sun 
would be setting soon, and Mako usually liked to sit by herself and 
enjoy the beauty of it.  But today was not one of those days.  
Today, she was pouting.
    She had just come from a meeting with her friends, the other 
Sailor Senshi, at Rei's temple.  Usagi had been late, as usual, but 
her arrival had been heralded by heartwrenching sobs which halted 
all possible gripes about her tardiness.  Mako had rushed to Usagi's 
side with the others, all frantically asking what had happened.

                        ----=======----

    "M--Mamo-chaaaaaan!!" Usagi wailed, tears streaming down her 
cheeks.  She clutched the sleeve of Mako's school uniform and buried 
her face in it, sobbing as though her world had just ended.
    "What about Mamoru, Usagi-chan?"  Ami's soft voice was gentle 
and reassuring, and served to bring Usagi's head up.  She sniffled a 
few times and opened her mouth, preparing to speak.
    The girls leaned in close.
    Usagi's bottom lip trembled.
    Another ear-piercing cry invaded the air, sending several of the 
birds that lived around the temple flying away, squawking angrily.  
Usagi was once again weeping into Mako's shirt.
    Rei's hands had reflexively gone to her ears, and she now 
removed them, instead placing one gently on the girl's heaving 
shoulder.  "Now stop this, Usagi, before you drive every living 
thing from the grounds."
    Usagi gave another sniffle and inhaled deeply.  She stood up 
straight and tall, finally releasing her grip on Mako's shirt.
    Minako offered a towel to Mako so she could dry off her sleeve.
    Usagi's eyes drifted towards the sky and she steeled herself for 
what she was about to say.
    Again, she opened her mouth.
    The others took a wary step back.
    "Usako."
    The deep resonant voice from behind the group sent all five 
heads spinning towards it.  Mamoru was standing at the edge of the 
temple's courtyard, hands in his pockets and a wry grin on his 
face.  "Silly little odango-atama."
    "Hmph!"  Usagi turned her head away and jutted her chin out, 
arms across her chest defensively.  But this momentary anger 
disappeared as suddenly as it had come, and soon her eyes were again 
brimming with tears and her lips were quivering.  "You... You don't 
love me!"
    At this, Mamoru laughed lightly, his eyes dancing.  He looked
intently at Usagi, the smile never once leaving his face.  "Of 
course I love you, Usako.  I've loved you for thousands of years and 
will love you for thousands more."  He laughed again.  "All I said 
was that I didn't like vanilla ice cream."
    Mamoru spread his arms wide and with another cry--happy this 
time--Usagi bolted into them, rubbing her face affectionatly on his 
shirt.  Placing a finger under her chin, Mamoru tilted Usagi's head 
up until they were gazing at each other.  Slowly, he leaned toward 
her.
    "Mamo-chan..."
    "Usako..."
    "Spare me."  Rei rubbed her forehead and walked back towards the 
temple steps, muttering about how the birds were never coming back 
again.
    Minako looked on cheerfully for a few moments before following 
Rei.  "Well, you know what they say: 'No news is good news.'"
    Ami was walking along next to the blonde, reading a book that 
had seemingly materialized from nowhere.  "I don't think that's the 
right phrase for this situation."
    "Ami-chan..."
    But Mako barely heard her friends as they moved away.  Instead, 
she stared, transfixed, at the future King and Queen, her eyes 
becoming misty as she absently patted at her damp sleeve.

                        ----=======----

    Another rock whistled through the air and joined its brothers in 
the creek.  It wasn't often that Mako got in moods like these, but 
when they did hit, they were killers.  She was thinking about how 
Usagi and Mamoru were (usually) so happy together, so supportive of 
one another, and so completely, utterly and totally in love.
    And she was thinking of him.  Her sempai.
    She lethargically tossed a rock towards the water, this one 
barely making it past the shore.  Mako sighed to herself and hugged
her knees to her chest, chin resting on them and staring out at the 
view, willing herself not to cry.
    All this time, and she still missed him.  Hardly a day went by 
that he didn't cross her mind, if only fleetingly.  Her friends 
would laugh and tease her for thinking that every guy she saw was 
exactly like her sempai, but none of them really understood.  It 
wasn't that they physically looked like him, it was the ideal that 
each one suggested to her.  Companionship.  Love.  Security.  And 
she was as likely to get that from any of the males she encountered 
as she was from her sempai himself.
    Mako's sadness quickly turned to a more familiar and comfortable 
emotion: Anger.  She was mad at her friends for their ignorance and 
her sempai for his actions.  But she was downright furious with 
herself for allowing the events of the past to still affect her to 
such an extent.
    "BAKA!!"  As fast as lightning, another nearby rock was hurtled 
through the air toward the creek.  Mako's eyes squeezed themselves 
shut as she worked to calm the rage building inside.
    After a few brief moments, she realized that something was 
amiss.  Some little detail was wrong, and it nagged at her like an 
itch she couldn't reach.  She opened her eyes and then realized what 
the problem was.  The rock had never hit the water.
    This was probably because it was being held aloft by a creature 
of some sort, hovering several feet above the ground.  It would have 
looked exactly like an average human female, were it not for the 
slightly bluish tinge to her skin and the fact that she could fly.
    Mako stared at the creature and blinked a few times.
    The woman stared back at Mako and wiggled the fingers of her 
empty hand in a small wave.
    Then the battle instincts kicked in.  With a hoarse cry, Mako 
flung herself from the rock on which she was perched, rolling along 
the ground and coming up into a defensive crouch.  Her hand was 
already halfway to her henshin pen before Mako noticed that the 
creature was no longer floating where it had been before.  In fact, 
she couldn't see it anywhere.  Head jerking around madly, Mako tried 
to find where it had disappeared to when she heard a "Psst!" from 
above.  Her eyes followed the sound and came to rest on the creature 
draped in the branches of a nearby tree, tossing the rock into the 
air and catching it in a nonchalant manner that was extremely 
annoying.
    'That's it,' Mako thought to herself.  "Jupit--"
    "Please don't yell, you'll ruin the ambiance.  Besides which, if 
you start throwing all that thunder at me, I won't get the chance to 
tell you why I'm here.  And why I'm here should definately interest 
you, Kino Makoto."  As if to emphasize how important her purpose 
was, the woman yawned and then tossed the rock into the air a few 
more times.
    Several tense moments passed as Mako realized that the creature 
didn't appear to be at all hostile.  And, she had to admit, her 
curiousity was raised.  Releasing the grip on her pen, Mako came out 
of her crouch and stared into the tree, her eyebrow raised 
slightly.  "Alright..." Mako began, somewhat trepedatiously, "what's 
so important to me?"
    The bored expression vanished from the woman's face and she 
smiled down at Mako, flicking her wrist again and sending the rock 
into the air.  There was a shimmer and the woman disappeared from 
the branches, rematerializing almost instantly at the foot of the 
tree.  She stuck her hand out and the rock landed neatly in her palm.
    "My name is Negai.  I'm here to help you."

    "No way.  No way!"
    Negai sighed and rolled her eyes.  Conversation with the girl 
had been much the same as this for the past 15 minutes, the only 
variety coming from the occasional addition of "I can't believe 
it!"  The whole thing was becoming rather tedious.
    "Believe it, Kino-san," Negai tried again.  "Anything you want.  
Just name it, and it's yours."
    "No way!"
    Negai ground her teeth together.  'Megami-sama...'  She inhaled 
deeply before speaking.  "Entertaining as this is, I would really 
rather not still be having this discussion a week from Thursday, so 
I'll demonstrate briefly.  Wish for something.  ANYthing.  It won't 
be permanent, so don't worry about wasting your one shot.  This is 
highly irregular, but I don't see any other way around it."
    "I can't bel--"
    "KINO-SAN!!"
    Mako's head snapped back, but it seemed to be exactly what was 
needed to break her from the loop she had fallen into.
    "Anything, ne?"
    "Anything."
    Mako closed her eyes and set to thinking.  She needed something 
that was impossible to ensure that Negai was telling the truth about 
receiving a wish.  'No way!' Mako's mind shouted, but she stifled 
the voice down.  Something that was unlikely to happen, something 
unusual.  Something like... Like...
    "Make Usagi-chan as smart as Ami-chan."
    Negai's eyes widened before looking at Mako appreciatively.  
"Know how to go for the jugular, don't you, Kino-san?  Very well."
    The woman's eyes closed and her hands started moving in an 
exotically hypnotic fashion.  She began to chant, the syllables 
fading from Mako's memory as soon as they were spoken.  The air 
seemed to vanish from the area as Negai's chanting grew louder and 
her gesturing more frantic.  Blood was pounding in Mako's ears and 
she was certain she was going to faint.  And then, abruptly, 
everything returned to normal.  Mako looked over at Negai, who 
looked a little drained, but otherwise fine.
    "Sorry about that, I had to use a rather strong spell to pull 
_that_ one off."  Mako nodded understandingly.  "Now then, you've 
got approximately 15 minutes before Tsukino-san returns to her 
normal self.  I suggest you find her quickly.  I would hate to think 
that all my hard work went for nothing."

    It was amazingly easy to find where Usagi had holed herself up.  
Following their reunion from the 5 minute break-up, Mamoru had used 
a time honoured method to make Usagi happy again -- he offered to 
buy her food.  Knowing Usagi, she was probably still in the Crown 
Parlour, stuffing herself while Mamoru kept a mental tally going of 
how many odd jobs he would need to pay for it all.
    Sure enough, there they were.  Mako glanced through the window 
as she jogged toward the door.  'Looks like Mamoru-san will be 
working all next week, if those plates are any indication.'  She 
tapped her foot impatiently as the door slid open, squeezing through 
it as soon as she could fit.
    What she saw made her halt at the entrance, mouth gaping open 
in shock.
    Usagi was not eating.
    Oh, it was quite apparent that she had been earlier, and with 
great relish.  Mako hadn't gotten a glimpse earlier at even a 
significant percentage of the dishes that crowded the table between 
the couple.  But for now, Usagi sat with a half eaten sundae in 
front of her, examining the ice cream on her spoon closely and 
giving a lecture on its contents.
    "...and the fats, known collectively as butterfats, are 
predominately of the regular (meaning triglyceride; I suspect 
mostly made up of palmitic and stearic acids, chemically bound to 
glycerin, of course) variety."
    Mamoru looked positively sick with worry.  His hand kept coming 
up and resting on Usagi's forehead, removing it when he could detect 
no sign that she had suddenly been afflicted with some kind of 
terrible, mind-shattering fever.
    Mako walked slowly to their table and stood next to Mamoru, 
facing her friend who was busy rattling off the calorie content of 
all the food she'd just eaten.
    "How long as she been like this?" Mako gently asked, her voice 
barely above a whisper.
    "About 10 minutes."  Mamoru's face was grave.  "I don't 
understand what happened!"
    Mako moved forward a few steps and knelt down.  "Usagi-chan..."
    Usagi's attention moved from the stacks of dishes through which 
she was busily sorting to the face next to her.  "Mako-chan!" she 
exclaimed happily.  Then her face took on a devilish look and she 
leaned over conspiringly, hand shielding her mouth from any 
onlookers.  "Or should I say 'Jupiter-chan'?"  With a huge wink, 
Usagi laughed loudly as though she had just told the funniest joke 
in the world, banging her hand on the table and causing the 
mountains of plates to wobble threateningly.
    Suddenly, her face became intent again.  "Did you know that 
Jupiter was named for the King of the Roman Gods and its symbol 
comes from one of his lightning bolts?"  Mako was about to answer 
that yes, she did actually know that, but Usagi continued on with 
hardly a pause.  "Jupiter accounts for more than two-thirds of all 
material in the Solar System outside of the Sun.  And it would take 
318 Earths to equal its mass!  Isn't that interesting?  Its year is 
equal to 11.86 Earth years, and its day is 9 hours and 55 minutes 
long..."
    Hardly taking time out to breathe, Usagi continued to list 
obscure facts about the planets as Mako stood again.  She looked 
over at Mamoru, who appeared ready to rush his love to the hospital, 
and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  Words of 
reassurance were about to be spoken when Usagi's lecture seemed to 
trail off, attracting everyone's attention.
    Usagi was blinking hard, as though waking up from a long sleep.  
While she initially didn't seem to notice anybody there, her eyes 
soon lost their haze and she saw Mako's hand on Mamoru's shoulder.
    "Mako-chan," Usagi began, narrowing her eyes and shifting them 
to her friend.  "Why are you hanging on my Mamo-chan?"
    Mako was so surprised at the sudden change of tone in Usagi's 
voice that she didn't bother trying to defend herself or point out 
that she was hardly 'hanging' on Mamoru.  Instead, she removed her 
hand and walked over to the blonde's side of the table.  "What was 
that you were saying, Usagi-chan, about Mars?"
    Usagi shrugged as she grabbed for a discarded spoon to eat the 
melted sundae in front of her.  "She's a brat?"
    Mamoru shook his head.  "What about the triglycerides?  Palmitic 
and stearic acids?"
    "Tri-sig-la-huh??"
    "Never mind, Usako."
    Shrugging again, Usagi quickly finished off the sundae and began 
motioning to a waitress for another one.  With a sympathetic look to 
Mamoru, Mako left the couple to continue with their date.  The last 
thing she heard before the doors closed behind her was Usagi 
ordering a pizza to go with her latest sundae.

    "Do you believe me now?"
    Mako nodded her head, still not completely over the shock of 
hearing Usagi talking like an encyclopedia.  Upon her return to the 
creek, Mako sat down and thought about everything she had just 
witnessed.  Negai was apologetic of Usagi's seeming instability, but 
the sudden influx of knowledge had aparently thrown the girl 
somewhat out of kilter.  Mako was assured that there was no 
permanent damage and Usagi would remember nothing of those 15 
minutes.  Mamoru would probably attribute the extreme personality 
changes to the amount of food that Usagi had inhaled.
    "Good, I'm glad.  Now we can get down to business.  So, name it 
kid.  What would you like?"
    Mako looked over at the woman, her brow furrowed in thought.  
"I... I don't know."
    Negami sighed.  "You're not making this easy for me, you know."
    "I know, and I'm sorry, but... Well, there's just so much that 
can go WRONG.  Your demonstration of Usagi-chan showed me that.  If 
she had been left in that state, she probably would've gone insane!  
What's to stop whatever I wish for from backfiring on me, too?"
    At this, the woman stopped rolling her eyes and looked at Mako 
strangely.  "...that's a very good question.  You're more 
intelligent than you look, Kino-san."  Mako seemed about to take 
offense at this statment, but Negai didn't give her the chance as 
she continued, seemingly lost in thought.  "I usually just grant the 
wish and then go home.  The repercussions never cross my mind.  Huh."
    Negai seemed to reach a decision and her eyes refocused.  She 
smiled warmly at Mako, who might've smiled back if she hadn't 
noticed the sharp edges to Negai's teeth, making the woman almost 
appear as though she were snarling.
    "I like you, Kino-san.  I think you're a terrible 
conversationalist, but I like you.  This has already been one of the 
most irregular assignments I've had, so I may as well go all the 
way.  I am going to grant you the ability to see the consequences of 
your actions... Temporarily, of course."
    Negai uncurled herself gracefully and then, slowly, her hands 
began to move in a pattern similar to before.  Syllables uttered 
slipped around and through thoughts like grains of sand, refusing to 
be held.  As Negai's hand motions became faster and more desperate, 
the air surrounding her was filled with fine threads and fibers of 
rainbow-coloured light.  Before long, they gathered together and 
started to weave towards their target.
    Mako thought, not for the first time, that she was going insane.

    The first thing Mako saw when she regained consciousness was the 
pinkish-yellow hues of the evening sky...with Negai's head 
superceding it.  The girl gave a startled cry and had rolled away 
into another defensive crouch before she remembered where she was 
and came out of it, an embarassed grin on her face.
    Negai, for her part, was annoyed that this was the second time 
she had been almost attacked.  "You should lighten up, Kino-san, not 
everyone is out to get you."
    Mako had the decency to look apologetic before her curiosity 
took over.  Her eyes shining, she asked Negai how her newfound power 
worked.
    "Oh, very simple, just think of something you would wish for.  
You'll appear at some time in that future, if that had been what you 
'really' wished.  You'll continue to experience that possibility 
until you decide if that's what you want or not."
    So, it was that easy.  Mako wracked her brain, trying to decide 
what her first "test" should be.  She found her thoughts drifting 
back over the past few minutes, including her repeated treatment of 
Negai, something she truly felt bad for.
    'If only I weren't so tomboyish and impulsi--'
    And she wasn't.

                        ----=======----

    "Mako-chan, are you alright?"
    Mako felt the hand on her shoulder and looked at its owner.
    Looked UP at its owner.
    "I'm fine, Minako-chan, just a bit tired.  You know how shopping 
can wear a girl out!"
    Minako nodded her head solomly, knowing her friend's statement 
to be only too true.
    "If Mako-chan's tired, let's sit down for a bit," Rei called 
back to the group from a little further along.  "I wanted to get 
started on the newest edition... Of... USAGI!!"
    A pair of wide and surprised eyes followed the blonde head in 
unburying themselves from a volume of manga.  In one swift motion 
the book disappeared and Usagi was laughing hard, if unconvincingly. 
She stopped after several seconds, and tried to look innocent.  She 
batted her eyelashes a few times and smiled sweetly.  "Yes, 
Rei-chan?"
    It didn't work.
    With a snarl, Rei grabbed her manga back from whereever Usagi 
had hidden it and returned to the bag with her other purchases.  
"Usagi, I haven't even READ that one yet!"
    "No?  Oh, it's really good, Rei-chan, towards the end Sailor V--"
    "Usagi no baka!!"
    It was impossible to determine if anything intelligible was said 
afterwards, and the disagreement soon degenerated into a pair of 
tongues being stuck out at each other anyway.  As usual.
    The two of them would stay like that all day if no one 
interceded, but peace came in its usual form of Ami.  She walked 
between the combatants and grabbed each of them by a hand, tugging 
them towards the mall benches somewhat roughly and in a rather 
un-Ami-like manner.  She had lost the last of her patience with Rei 
and Usagi somewhere around their fifth fight of the day.  The two 
immediately launched into simultaneous speeches defending 
themselves, the words combining to make comprehension an impossible 
task, even for one as smart as their blue-haired friend.
    Ami just sighed to the world.
    From a safe distance, Mako and Minako watched the usual battle 
with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.  After a moment, Minko 
shrugged and winked at Mako before moving to follow the fading 
sounds of bickering.
    Mako turned back to what had made her pause in the first place.  
She gazed at her reflection in the full length mirror that was 
propped up in a shop window.
    A delicate and demure looking five-foot-three Mako gazed back.

    A brush, some hairspray, a mirror, enough make-up to open her 
own cosmetics store... Mako was in heaven.
    As soon as she sat down on the bench, she had delved into her 
purse--her beautiful purse which matched her shoes which matched her 
dress... She was _accesorizing!_  She was delighted.
    The contents of her purse had been even better than she had 
dared to hope, and the packages she had bought that day were all 
from the petite clothing stores that she had only ever passed by 
before.
    The short period of time that she had spent with her friends in 
this form was the most comfortable she had ever felt when with them 
in public.  She had always towered over her friends, feeling awkward 
and unsightly whenever anyone looked in their direction.   And she 
was sure that everyone was always gaping at her.
    But now she was no longer the amazon that insighted fear into so 
many by her mere presense.  Now, she felt truly like "one of the 
girls."
    She reached her decision.  If there was a catch to this way of 
life, she sure couldn't think of it.  Taking a deep breath, Mako 
closed her eyes and opened her mind.  'I wish--'
    "Look out!!"
    The raw terror and panic in the voice caused the five heads to 
swivel toward the sound it as much as the words themselves.  Within 
seconds of the warning, half of the wall opposite the girls 
collapsed, exposing a huge, salivating and feral looking 
monstrosity, gripping one of the mall patrons by the neck.  The 
creature looked ready to rip the shopper's throat out, but chose 
instead to drain his energy before tossing him aside and preparing 
to grab another.
    The area cleared in less than five seconds.
    In less than five more, the monster was faced with the Sailor 
Senshi, not pleased that their day off had been interrupted.
    Sailor Moon opened her mouth, preparing to severely chastize the 
creature for its behaviour and proclaim that she would not forgive 
it, when a furiously bellowing roar made her think twice about 
discussing the ethics of its actions.
    She chose to hide behind Sailor Mars instead.
    But for once, she had the right idea.  "Defense positions, 
now!" Venus shouted, leaping in front of Sailor Jupiter.  Mars was 
similarly shielding Sailor Moon and Mercury was behind all of them, 
her visor in place and computer whirring.
    Due to her height, or lack thereof, Jupiter found it impossible 
to see the monster or attempt an attack.  Whenever she poked her 
head around her friend, Venus' arm shielded the way, covering her 
again.  Mako was beginning to get annoyed.
    "Venus," Jupiter began calmly, "would you mind moving out of my 
way so I can GET that thing and we can try to enjoy the rest of the 
day?"
    Despite the intensity of the situation, Venus favoured the girl 
with a chuckle.  "Jupiter-chan, what are _you_ going to do against 
that thing?  Come on, now, stay still so I can protect you better."
    Mako was incensed.  What could she do?  PROTECT her??  Jupiter 
was about to loudly explain how she could take care of herself just 
fine, thank you very much, when a flash of heat and light signaled 
that Mars had attacked.
    An high pitched yowl of pain was the first indication that Mars' 
fire had found its mark; the scorched stench of burnt flesh and fur, 
the second.  And then there was nothing, the only sound coming from 
the crackling flames that raged where the monster been moments 
before.
    With a happy cheer, Sailor Moon threw her arms around Mars, 
embracing the Senshi in a quick hug from behind.  "Sailor Mars, 
you're the greatest!"
    Mars turned around when Sailor Moon released her, a huge grin on 
her face.  She gave her Princess a thumbs up.  "Of course!  You'd 
think that by now you'd stop being so surp--"
    The horrible sound that emerged from behind the flames indicated 
that not only was the monster not dead, but it was less than happy 
with Mars' attempt to change that condition.  Before the priestess 
could recover her position, a chunk of rubble from what had 
previously been the wall shot through the air and connected with her 
head.
    Without making a sound, Mars was propelled across the mall and 
into the unsuspecting Mercury.  Both hit the benches on which they 
had previously been sitting and slumped to the ground, unmoving.
    "REI-CHAN! AMI-CHAN!"  Sailor Moon turned her back on the 
creature and started to move towards the bodies, her only concern 
being for her fallen friends.  Venus wasn't allowed such a luxury as 
she noticed the monster, hurt and all the more dangerous, tensing 
and reading itself to pounce.
    On instinct, Venus began to move towards the Princess, but she 
only got a few steps before stopping and casting an unsure eye 
towards Jupiter, who had been staring, open mouthed at their 
attacker.  Which one was the target?  Which one needed saving?
    By the time Venus realized that she was the the monster's prey, 
it was far too late for her to do anything about it.
    "No, Minako-chan!!"  As another of her friends fell, Sailor Moon 
prepared to attack.  Wounded as it was, though, the creature was 
still faster than she.  The first hit knocked the weapon from her 
hands.  The second sent her crumpling to the ground to join her 
protectors.
    Without a pause, the monster turned towards the only Senshi 
still on her feet.  Its eyes simmered with a burning hatred and it 
bared its teeth.

    'Move!'  Mako's body was unresponsive.  'MOVE!!'
    The best day of Mako's life was slowly turning into her worst 
nightmare, the wonder of her newfound situation being ripped away by 
the horror of what had happened.  There had been no problem until 
Rei had gone down, Ami quickly following.  It was then that Mako 
realized it wasn't there.
    Her power.
    That was why Minako was protecting her.  Jupiter was powerless.
    Well, that wasn't completely true.  Mako could feel _something_ 
stirring within her, but it wasn't the usual torrential storm that 
was barely contained by her burly frame.  What she had now was more 
like a light shower.  It was all that her new body could handle.
    And so, Mako had watched each of her friends--family--fall, one 
by one, completely helpless to do anything about it.  She didn't 
even have the physical strength to try and bruise the damned thing.
    The monster knew it.
    Now that all of its threats had been eliminated, it was almost 
toying with her--not attacking, but not letting her out of its 
sight, either.  It was slowly circling the girl, not paying 
attention to the bodies that were strewn everywhere.  Consequently, 
it never noticed that Sailor Moon was not out of the fight just yet.
    Usagi had regained consciousness and quickly took in the 
situation.  Rei, Amy, Minako... They were all hurt, no telling how 
bad.  But Mako, she was still untouched.  Usagi was going to die 
before she allowed another of her friends to be attacked by this 
thing.  Before she could think about what she was doing, Sailor Moon 
had flung herself around the creature's neck, trying to divert its 
attention away from Mako and do as much damage as possible.
    Mako was almost as surprised as the creature when, blond hair 
flying, Sailor Moon launched herself at it and tried to bring it 
down with her bare hands.  She watched, entranced, as the once and 
future Princess gritted her teeth and landed another blow to the 
back of the thing's head.
    Jupiter couldn't be strong here, so Sailor Moon was trying to be.
    It was a valliant try, but she never stood any real chance.  
Once the creature had recovered from the shock, Usagi was plucked 
from its back and thrown into the opposite wall, landing with a sick 
thud.
    As Usagi crashed to the ground, Mako watched with horror.
    'Not like this.  I don't want this!'

                            ----=======----

    There was an incredible feeling of deja vu as Mako opened her 
eyes, again to be greeted by the mutli-coloured evening sky and 
Negai's face hovering over her own.  Unlike before, however, the 
girl stayed lying on the ground; partly because she was getting used 
to Negai's presense and partly because the mere thought of moving 
made Mako's head throb in protest.
    "Uhhh..."
    "See?  You're so much fun to talk to."  Despite her words, 
however, Negai looked sympathetic and waved her hand.  Magically, 
the guy with the jackhammer in Mako's head went on his lunch break 
and she was able to sit up, taking the time to thank the woman 
before a feeling of dread settled in her stomach.
    "Usagi, Minako, Ami, Rei... Are they alright??"
    "They're fine, Kino-san, they're fine!  It was only a look at 
what _might_ have been, not how things are.  Here, see for yourself."
    A full length mirror, similar to the one that Mako had gazed 
into during her 'vacation', appeared before her.  Sure enough, there 
she was, the same Kino Makoto that had been looking back at her for 
years.  Mako never thought she'd be so happy to be reminded of how 
tall and out of place she was.
    Negai peered over the top of the mirror.  "Didn't like it, huh?"
    Mako shook her head emphatically.  "Nope.  It seemed to be going 
along great at first, but my friends... I couldn't fight with them 
that way."
    With a big sigh, Mako turned away from her reflection and the 
mirror vanished.  Negai stood by while Mako returned to the 
outcropping she had been sitting on before, deep in thought.  "My 
friends are really all I have, they're my family.  Ever since my 
parents--"  Her head jerked up, eyes wide.
    "My parents..."

                        ----=======----

    "Makoto, honey, what's the matter?"
    The girl turned and faced the soft green eyes that were focused 
on her, filled with concern.
    "Nothing. Nothing at all is wrong. Everything's perfect... Mom."

    The man chuckled and lowered his newspaper to see the same thing 
he had seen several times already that evening.  His daughter was 
staring at him, entranced.  She was a funny thing, his little 
Butterfly, she had hardly moved since coming into the room and 
noticing him.  He began to wonder if he had sprouted a second head 
and hadn't noticed.  It was disconcerting, having her eyes on him 
every second.  Still, she looked so happy, he didn't have the heart 
to get angry at her.  Sigh.  He was such a pushover for these women.
    "What are you looking at, Mako-chan?"
    "You."
    He laughed again and shook his head, returning to where he left 
off in his paper.
    After a few moments, he peered around the side of it to see his 
daughter still in the same position.  Upon closer inspection, 
however, he noticed that she was silently crying.  He instantly 
tossed his paper aside and moved to sit next to her, placing an arm 
comfortingly around her shoulders.
    "Oh, sweetheart, what's the matter?"
    Mako responded by emitting a huge sob and burying her face in 
his shirt.  Shocked, the man didn't know what else to do but comfort 
her, so he did, stroking her hair and rocking her gently.
    All Mako could do was mutter over and over.
    "You're alive!  You're alive!"

    Several reassuring words and a cup of her mother's special tea 
later and Mako felt like she was on top of the world.  Her parents 
were both here, as wonderful and full of life as she remembered 
them to be.
    Her mother was sitting at one end of the table, a concerned 
look on her face as she occasionally patted Mako's hand 
reassuringly.  Her father was across from his wife on Mako's other 
side, his face showing less emotion but still wearing a worried 
frown.  Both were waiting patiently for her to explain what had 
caused such a wave of emotion.
    She didn't know where to start.  How do you tell your parents 
that they'd been dead for years and that they only now existed 
because you wished it that way?
    An ear-piercing siren cut off whatever Mako was about to say and 
she bolted upright, eyes darting about in surprise.  Her mother's 
face suddenly drained of all colour and her father lept to his feet, 
the chair he'd been sitting in falling backwards.
    "Dammit, they're attacking again!"  He moved towards his wife 
and daughter, arm outstretched and waving his hand as if to make 
them move faster.  "Downstairs, to the shelter.  Hurry!"
    Mako had no idea what her father was saying and the siren was 
wailing so loud that she couldn't concentrate to try and figure it 
out.  Her parents didn't seem to notice her confusion as her mother 
urged her out of her seat.  There was a flurry of activity, and the 
next thing Mako knew, she was flying down a flight of stairs into a 
cold and dark room.  The door slammed shut behind her, drenching the 
area in darkness until a single lightbulb flickered to life over her 
head.  Looking at her surroundings, Mako saw that it was filled with 
the basic necessities for survival and little else.  If she 
listened hard, she could still hear the siren, although it now 
sounded as though it were coming from miles away instead of in her 
ear as it had before.
    She felt her mother embrace her fiercely from behind as she 
looked up the flight of stairs to see her father fastening the last 
of at least a dozen locks on the door.  He gave it a final, 
reassuring pat before joining his family, checking to make sure that 
both were okay.
    "Yes, yes, we're fine, dear."  Her mother gave Mako a final 
squeeze before busying herself with their surroundings, making sure 
that everything was where it should be, although it seemed fairly 
obvious that the room was well stocked on a regular basis.
    Mako was still feeling completely confused as she watched her 
mother methodically checking over the supplies with a speed that 
only came from the actions having been performed several times.  Her 
mother reached for a tin of canned food, and it was then that the 
memories came to her.
    "They're attacking again!" her father had said.  Now it seemed 
so obvious--The Dark Kingdom!  Queen Beryl was launching another 
attack on the Earth, this one obviously in close enough proximity to 
set off the town's early warning system.  Beryl's forces had been 
randomly attacking ever since... Ever since...
    The answer refused to come to her.  But there was something 
nagging at her, something that just didn't make sense.  If Beryl was 
opening attacking the Earth, and had been for some time, whatever 
happened to...
    "Daddy," Mako began, savouring the name, "what happened to the 
Sailor Senshi?"
    Her father shifted his gaze from the door to his daughter, 
furrowed brow showing that he clearly didn't understand the 
question.  "The who, sweetheart?"
    Mako consciously fought down the panic rising in her throat.  
"The Senshi, Daddy.  The Sailor Senshi."
    The man started to shake his head when a soft voice off to the 
side attracted their attention.  "Yes... I seem to remember hearing 
about them."  Mako's mother had stopped checking their provisions 
and was moving towards the conversation, trying to catch an elusive 
thought.  She looked towards her husband who still showed no signs 
of recognition.  "You must remember, dear, you were telling me about 
some articles you read on them.  A group of girls in Tokyo, about 
Mako's age, with strange names.  Oh, what were they..?"
    "Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus."
    Her mother was so caught up in trying to remember all that she 
could, the fear in Mako's voice went completely undetected.  "That's 
right!  They were named after planets!  Odd."
    "I remember now!" her father added, clapping his hands and 
nodding his head.  "They fought the Dark Kingdom, said they stood 
for--"
    "For love and justice," Mako whispered.
    Her small voice spoke more volumes than anything else she could 
have said, and her parents were again ready to comfort.  Her mother 
knelt down and grasped Mako's hands.
    "I'm sorry, Mako-chan, but they're dead."

    She had all of her memories of this life now.  With the 
knowledge of how things _should_ have been, it was a wonder that she 
didn't go mad.  She assumed that it was only the knowledge that this 
was nothing more than a possibility was what helped her maintain a 
grip on sanity.
    With her parents remaining alive, Mako had never moved to 
Tokyo.  After being kicked out of her last school, her parents 
decided that she could best get along with private tutors.  They 
certainly had the money for it, and with being taught at home, there 
was nobody around to try and instigate fights with her to prove how 
tough they were.  There was no one who was being bullied and needed 
protecting.  There was just Makoto and her parents, and both parties 
liked it fine that way.
    On the other hand, without her parents' deaths, Mako didn't 
bounce from school to school and city to city, eventually winding up 
at Juuban Public School.  She never rescued the blond girl with the 
peculiar hairstyle from getting roughed up, never later met the 
girl's friends in the arcade where she developed one of her many 
crushes on the telekinetic boy.  She never followed him, fought 
against him, or discovered that cats could talk.
    There never was a Sailor Jupiter.  And her friends were all 
dead.  Again.
    The people of Earth lived in almost constant fear.  Without the 
Sailor Senshi to stand in the way, Beryl seemed to have contented 
herself with taking over the world instead of destroying it.  The 
various nations' militaries were of little use against the magical 
hordes of the Dark Kingdom, even when they could all put aside their 
differences and work together.
    It seemed fairly obvious to everyone that Beryl was toying with 
them and that when she grew tired of these games, the Earth would 
fall completely under her control.  The rate of the attacks had 
increased dramatically over the last few weeks.  It seemed as though 
the Queen's desire to play was wearing thin.
    Mako sighed heavily and looked at her parents.  Her kind, gentle 
mother that she resembeled so much in appearance and who had never 
uttered a harsh word in her entire life.  Her strong, handsome 
father from whom she had inherited her stubborn streak and the will 
to do what was right, no matter what the cost.
    Like now.
    She drew both of her beloved parents to her in a tight hug, 
keeping a desperate hold on the feelings of love and security that 
they fed to her.
    "I love you both so much."  Mako's voice was low and hoarse, but 
her determination never wavered.  "I love you, and I'm sorry."
    "Sorry?  For what, dear?"
    "What's going on, Butterfly?"
    Mako's only answer was to squeeze her parents tighter as she 
called out with her mind to end this wish.

                        ----=======----

    She found that this time it was much easier to return to her 
reality.  If she had been unconscious, it had only been for a few 
moments and there was no trace of the headache that had plagued her 
after her first attempt.  In fact, the only evidence that she had 
seen her parents were her damp eyes and the dull ache in her heart.
    Negai floated into view, sitting cross-legged in the air.  "No 
go, eh kid?"
    "No go.  I wanted to, I really did.  But not only were all my 
friends...dead, but it seemed as though the rest of the world would 
be following them soon.  No.  It was hard, but I think that I'll 
have to make do with the little bit of time we all just had
together."
    The woman nodded understandingly.  "So, Kino-san, what's next on 
the agenda?"
    Mako leaned back and looked up at the sky.  "Dunno.  Right now 
I'm not sure that I'm really fit to handle this wish thing.  I 
haven't felt this alone since--"

                        ----=======----

    'I've got to hurry, he'll be here any minute!'
    Slamming the pan on the stove in her hurry, Mako swore as the 
hot oil sloshed over the sides, scalding her hand.  She cast a 
frantic glance towards the clock, the hands still moving in their 
usual, uncaring manner.  She was already running late, and didn't 
hesitate to ignore her injury until there would be time to tend to 
it.
    The clock ticked off that another minute had passed and the 
women seriously began to feel pressured.  Her stomach was fluttering 
uneasily and sweat appeared on her brow.  Opening a nearby cupboard, 
Mako grabbed a plate and began to arrange the food from the many 
pots and pans that littered the kitchen.
    'Neat.  Has to look attractive or he won't like it.'
    She kept repeating this to herself, focusing three-quarters of 
her attention on the task in front of her, the remainder keeping a 
wary eye on the clock.  It seemed to take an eternity to make the 
dish look the way he liked, but he still hadn't arrived as she burst 
through the door between the kitchen and dining room.  The table had 
already been set in a magnificently luxurious manner, the only odd 
thing about it being that there was only one place set.  It seemed 
intensely out of place, just one end being decorated on the huge 
table that could comfortably seat twenty.
    Mako gingerly set the plate down in the center of the 
arrangement, careful not to move any of the food from its delicate 
position, and then turned back to the kitchen to get the basket of 
bread she had baked fresh that morning.
    The key unlocking the front door told her that she was just a 
little too late this time and she froze in panic.  Should she run 
and try to make it to the table with the remainder of his meal 
before he could see it?  No, he would know.  He always knew.  Better 
then to simply stay where she was and hope he had not had a bad day 
at work.
    Slowly he walked into the room, peering around the corner and 
looking at the table setting.  Without a word, or even a glance at 
the woman standing by the swinging door, he removed his tie and 
tossed it over his shoulder where it landed in a crumpled heap on 
the hardwood floor.
    The woman hesitated momentarily, unsure which path was the best 
one to chose, only positive that whichever one she picked, it would 
be the wrong one.  But she had to do something, so she moved as 
quickly as possible to snatch the tie from the ground, checking 
first to make sure that her hands were clean and wouldn't mess up 
the expensive fabric.  She winced as she was reminded of the burn, 
temporarily forgotten in her panic.  Oh well, no time to take care 
of it now.  It would have to wait.
    If her decision to pick up his discarded clothing from the floor 
was the incorrect one, the man made no indication of it.  He just 
continued walking towards the food at the end of the table, 
examining it and everything else in the dining room.  Mako returned 
to her former position by the doorway as she watched him circle 
around the chair like a predator who had cornered its prey.
    He gave a noncommital grunt before pulling his seat back from 
the table and preparing to consume the meal in front of him.  Mako 
held her breath.  She had spent all of her time that day preparing 
it, when she hadn't been cleaning the house or doing his laundry.
    'Please let him have had a good day, please...'
    The man finished chewing and swallowed, reaching for the glass 
of wine in front of him as he surveyed the rest of the table.
    "Aren't you forgetting something?"
    "Yes, of course, I was just on my way to--"
    "No lame excuses.  Just get it."
    Mako nodded quickly and rushed into the kitchen for the basket 
of bread, thanking whatever gods watched over her that her husband 
was in a good mood after all.

    Half an hour later, the man was finishing his meal while his 
wife continued to hover in the doorway as she had since bringing him 
the remainder of the food, ready to fetch him whatever he asked for 
in seconds.  He supressed a satisfied smirk at her subservience to 
him.  It had taken a while to get her to this point, but he did so 
love a challenge.  And he had to admit, it had all been worth it.
    He settled back in the chair and tossed his napkin on the 
table.  Instantly, she was there, cleaning up his dishes.  He 
supposed that she would eat something later, he never bothered to 
find out.  As she leaned across the table to get his empty glass, he 
noticed the burn on her hand.  His eyes widened and he looked at the 
woman with surprise.
    "What the hell is that??"
    She didn't seem to know what he was referring to at first, but 
then understanding dawned and she tried to hide the wound.  
"Nothing.  It's nothing."
    "What do you mean 'nothing', you've been around food--MY 
food--with an open cut like that!  Do you have any idea what kind of 
bacteria you could have infested me with?"
    She was about to explain that it happened after his dinner had 
already been made and that she just hadn't had time to bandage it, 
but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
    "Whatever, just go cover it up or something, it's disgusting to 
look at."
    The woman nodded and turned towards the bathroom when a hand 
gripped her arm and warm breath on the back of her neck made her 
freeze in place.  "You don't look half bad today, you know.  If 
you're really good, I'll even come up and visit you tonight."
    He had to will himself not to laugh as he saw her back 
straighten in alarm and her muscles tense under his hand.  He'd been 
more than nice and understanding so far this evening, even though 
she _still_ hadn't had everything ready like she was supposed to.
    Now it was time for some fun.

    The mere thought of him touching her made Mako want to scream 
and she had to fight down the bile rising in her throat.  A voice 
began to reverberate across her mind, yelling that this was wrong 
and that she had to do something to escape, but she supressed it, 
just as she had been supressing it down for almost nine years.
    "What's the matter," he asked, his voice low as he spoke into 
her ear, "don't feel up to it?"  Laughing without a trace of humour, 
he threw Mako's arm away, releasing his hold on her.  She inhaled 
deeply, realzing that she'd been holding her breath since his first 
touch.
    "I'm not surprised, the only thing you're somewhat useful for is 
keeping the house in shape."
    The voice again popped into Mako's head, and she again shoved it 
to one side, although she turned around to face her husband 
squarely.  Usually she averted her eyes, and he seemed to perk up at 
this sudden spark that he had assumed was long since extinguished.
    He took a few steps towards her, expecting her gaze to drop, but 
she held his.  He wasn't sure if he was more angry or impressed.  
Either way, he was really getting into the fight now.  Time to bring 
out the big guns.
    "You're no good, but you know who might be?  One of those 
friends of yours you always seem so protective of."  Mako's eyes 
narrowed threateningly, and the man returned the look with a cruel 
smirk, knowing that he had hit a nerve.
    "Yeah, I think one of them might suit the bill perfectly.  How 
about that cute little blue haired one, she looks like she could use 
a real man in her life.  No?  Well then, I could always get that 
psychic, she's by herself, I'm sure that she'd welcome someone like 
me to keep her company on those cold nights."  Ignoring Mako's 
furious snarl, the man snapped his fingers as if suddenly seeing the 
perfect soluation to a problem.  "That's it!  I'll go for one of 
those blondes, the one that's been married forever.  Only being with 
one person for so long is boring, it's only right that I should 
invite her to partake in the fun.  Hell, I'll go after all four of 
them.  Maybe you'd like to watch and learn a thing or two?"
    He'd been so caught up in his plans for conquest that he never 
saw the fist until it had already left his stomach and was heading 
for his jaw.  As he crumpled to the ground, unconscious, Mako felt 
as though that had been incredibly theraputic.
    "Not in a million years, 'sempai'.  I'm outta here, you son of a 
bitch."

                        ----=======----

    "Kino-san, you're positively _glowing_!"
    Mako nodded as she looked over at Negai in the dying light, 
feeling as though a huge weight that she hadn't even known she was 
carrying had been lifted from her shoulders.
    "That was--wow.  That was so different from the other two.  This 
time, I was actually more of an observer than a participant.  I 
actually had to fight to make myself do anything!"
    "His hold on you was very strong.  And now?"
    "Now, for the first time, I feel like I am actually free.  Free!"
    Mako threw her head back in a joyous laugh and she rushed to 
embrace Negai.

    "It's getting late.  What are you going to wish for, Kino-san?"
    "Nothing."
    "What?"
    "Nothing.  Not a thing."
    Negai was certain that the girl had lost it.
    Mako simply smiled.  "It took all of this to make me realize 
that my life is really pretty good just the way it is.  Okay, so I 
stand out in a crowd.  But you know, my friends never once judged me 
because of it, and I've got to admit, it's pretty handy to be able 
to toss anyone that's bugging you out like the garbage.
    "My parents are dead and that's a terrible thing.  But seeing 
them again today, even if only for a little while, reminded me that 
we're never really far apart.  Not if I keep them right here in my 
heart--where they always have been and always will be.
    "And then there's...him.  I spent I don't know how long wishing 
that he would come back into my life.  Despite how he treated me 
when we were together, I still wanted him back.  I can't believe how 
much energy and how many tears I wasted on him!  But now my life can 
move on."
    The girl looked over at her friend sincerely.  "Arigato, Negai, 
for helping me to appreciate what I've got right now.  I'm grateful 
for your offer--but I don't need it."
    Negai remained unmoving for a few moments, and then she, too, 
smiled.  "You're a very special person, Kino-san."  With a wave of 
Negai's hand, Mako felt the abilities she had aquired fade away.  
She wasn't sorry to see them go.
    Both remained seated for a while, looking out over the water at 
the star-filled sky and the full moon.  Finally, Mako stood and took 
a final look at the woman.
    "I'd better get home.  I've got to meet the girls for some 
serious shopping tomorrow and I'll need my rest.  I get the feeling 
that tomorrow will be a whole new beginning."  With that, Mako waved 
goodbye and walked away, leaving only Negai hovering over the spot 
she had first appeared in.
    "I've got the same kind of feeling.  I hope we're both right.  
Have a happy ending, Mako-chan, you deserve it."



=====================================================================
    'Lunar Eclipses' it says waaay up there.  So what is that?  
Basically, I just came up with the name and liked it a lot, so I had 
to think of some way to work it into a story. ^_^  'Lunar Eclipses' 
is a banner title for a group of unrelated stories written by 
myself, myself and other authors, and (if anyone's interested) just 
other authors.  If you have some ideas, please feel free to let me 
know, I'm rather fond of tossing them back and forth and we might 
get something really good out of it.
    But now for stuff more related to what you just read.  This 
story is dedicated to and, in fact, written for UPN Mulder.  If you 
don't know him, you're missing out -- he *still* is one of the 
nicest people I've ever encountered (anyone who'll go in search of 
Rei/Mars stuff for you at an anime con is a great guy, ne?) and I'm 
proud to call him my friend.
    As for the origins of the story, it all came about one glorious 
day when UPN replied to me with preview comments concerning "Pity 
the Child" (haven't heard of it? Shame on you ^_-) ... and 
"mini-rant"ed about all the horrible things that seem to happen to 
Jupiter in fanfics that I post.  Totally unintentional, of course, 
I'm very fond of Jupiter-chan.  She just has that lovely angst 
quality that one can really sink their teeth into....
    Anyway, I vowed then and there to write a story revolving around 
Jupiter that had a happy ending, and thus this story developed.  I 
admit that it got away from me ... it's original length was supposed 
to be somewhere in the region of 12K.  ^_^;; Oh well.
    But enough of my babbling.  To those of you that have written 
with inquiries, no, I haven't dropped "Forebears".  Now that this 
story has gotten out of my head, I plan to seriously get to work 
on part 2, entitled "Love is Never Wrong".  Look for it around the 
beginning of December (hopefully) ... Yeah, okay, shameless plug.
    Finally, I would love to hear what you thought of this at 
JetWolf@ix.netcom.com, whether it be "I liked it!" or "It stunk" -- 
though if you go with the later, onegai, throw something more in 
there so I can improve, ne?
=====================================================================
