A few author's notes before the insanity starts . . .

First off, this story takes place about six years after the end of Sailor Stars, so everyone's in their early twenties. Except Setsuna since she's, like, eleventy billion years old.

Couples: Usagi/Mamoru, Haruka/Michiru, Rei/Yuuichirou, Seiya/Kakyuu, Ami/Taiki, and Minako/Yaten

About the Bad Guy: I don't always like new characters in stories, especially ones created just for the heck of it or just as an excuse for the author to put himself/herself into the story (Mary-Sues, anyone?). Then again, sometimes there are completely awesome original characters who you end up liking as much as the canon ones. The point I'm trying to make is, even though some are annoying (Sailor Toothbrush! Sailor Jelly Donut! Sailor Aardvark!), sometimes you've just gotta bring in someone no one's ever heard of before, especially new villains. In this case, we have Hecate, who in Greek mythology was the goddess of the crossroads and the underworld and one of the moon goddesses, and she was normally represented as an evil, three-headed being. This Hecate does not have three heads, but she is eeeeeeeeevil (Hecate is also a character in "Macbeth," but that has nothing to do with this). Anyways, the story of Hecate is explained in this fic, but she is yet another one of those people who are seeking revenge for something that happened thousands of years ago. Some people need to learn how to get over grudges, if you ask me.

About the Starlights: Gender. Ah, what an important word. Just to put this out there, I know that the true forms of the Lights as senshi are female. I have no problem with that. But for here and now and in this story, they have the ability to retain their male forms when not in their senshi forms. This story is simply building on what others have previously written and theorized (like in Yaten's Love Song, one of my favorites ever), simply that the people of Kinmoku possess the ability to have either gender at any time. It's not for the sake of romantic relationships or anything; I'm not at all squeamish about homosexual couples. Haruka and Michiru are one of my favorite couples in fandom, after all. This just gives more possibilities in the writing process, plus I hate to think of poor Mamoru and Artemis swimming around alone in the Estrogen Ocean. Plus . . . well . . . they're just so darn cute as men (but that's not the real reason, I promise)! I do hope that this doesn't change anyone's opinion of the story.

This story is rated PG-13 for violence, cussing, and a little bit of sex, all things we hold near and dear to our hearts.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon belongs to the wonderful Takeuchi Naoko and the great people at Toei Animation, Bandai, and everyone else, like Cloverway and Dic and Pioneer.

Now, happy reading!

Rising Darkness

By Sillabub 429

Chapter One - Restlessness

"No matter how hard we fight to protect it, I suppose it's impossible for peace to last forever." -Mizuno Ami

It was a day like any other.

The afternoon was completely tranquil, so tranquil that it seemed to act as a reflection of the years of peace that had passed in the city of Tokyo. The sun was shining high in the clear, autumn sky, its white-yellow rays filtering through a window and gleaming across a table where a small group of women were seated.

No one expected that peace to shatter.

Kino Makoto sighed happily as she closed her eyes and basked in the rays of sunlight streaming from the window. As she sighed again, a wry comment made her crack an eye open.

"Happy, are we?" Aino Minako observed with a smirk.

Makoto grinned at the blonde. "And why wouldn't I be?" she asked, feigning incredulity as she gestured toward the outdoors. "It's a beautiful day, and we have the peace to enjoy it."

Beside her, Mizuno Ami sighed in agreement as Minako chuckled. "It's nice to feel like normal civilians."

From Ami's lap, Luna twitched her tail and regarded them seriously, and the three women cringed inwardly, knowing what was coming.

"But you're not normal," she said gently. "You have a duty you can't ignore, no matter what happens."

Ami smiled down at Luna as she reassuringly stroked her short fur. "Don't worry, Luna," she said quietly. "I doubt any of us would neglect our duty intentionally."

"But even so," Artemis said from his spot on Minako's lap (and as he spoke he swatted away the hand she suddenly offered to scratch behind his ear -- which he recognized as a ploy to shut him up), "this peace has lasted for so long that I'm pretty sure fighting again would be one of the last things on your minds."

The three women were quiet for a moment as they considered the last six years. Ever since the defeat of Galaxia, their world had grown so peaceful that it seemed they were hardly needed as senshi . . . something none of them seemed to mind in the slightest. Sure, there was the occasional scuffle with common criminals, and there had been two or three random youma attacks, but overall the years of peace had passed without a hitch, giving the senshi the chance to focus on their own lives. The ties that held them together were still strong, though, and if the peace should ever change . . . not even the comfortable lives they'd become so attached to could stop them from their duty.

"No," said Minako quietly after the moment of silence passed. "Even though our priorities may not be in line, we still will fight when the time comes."

"IF the time comes," added Makoto. They turned to look at the brunette as she winked and smiled. "Come on, it's been years since anything's happened, and I'd kinda like to leave it at that."

"Hey," Minako said, glancing at her watch. "Speaking of 'our duty,' Usagi-chan is awfully late."

"Rei-chan too," added Ami, removing her glasses.

Luna frowned. "I'd expect as much from Usagi-chan, but Rei-chan's lateness worries me a little."

"I'm sure she has a good reason or something," Makoto shrugged.

"Whereas Usagi-chan . . . " giggled Minako.

"She's probably either sleeping or eating," grinned Makoto.

"Sleeping," Minako, Luna, and Artemis said in unison, which made them laugh.

"Eating," said Makoto.

Minako rolled her eyes. "The chef would pick the food option."

"You don't think I'm right?" asked Makoto, waggling an eyebrow. "Care to make it interesting?"

"A bet?" asked Artemis flatly as Makoto grinned the affirmative.

Minako scowled at Makoto. "There's no way I'm cleaning your bakery again," she said. "I still cough up flour. I'm not betting anything."

"Scaredy-cat," taunted Makoto. Minako stuck her tongue out at her. Grinning, Makoto turned to look at Ami, who appeared to be thoroughly engrossed in a book about quantum physics. "What do you think, Ami-chan?"

Ami glanced at the brunette quickly, chuckling a bit nervously, and her gaze traveled slowly towards something beyond their small table. "Um . . . perhaps Usagi-chan's on her way or . . . " She stopped, cleared her throat, and slumped in her seat, burying her slightly flushed face back in her book. ". . . Or perhaps she's already here."

Minako and Luna looked at each other. "Yeah, right."

Makoto, however, caught Ami's small hint, and she turned around in her seat and waved to the blonde coming in the door. "Hey, Usagi-chan!" she called, grinning brightly.

The others looked up as Usagi spied them, waved happily, and raced over to their small table. "Usagi-chan!" they exclaimed.

Usagi grinned and plopped into the empty seat next to Ami. "Hey, guys!" she giggled, grabbing the milkshake Minako handed to her. "Thanks, Minako-chan."

Luna sat up, frowning at the blonde. "Usagi-chan . . . you should have been here twenty minutes ago!" she scolded, waving her tail. "Where on Earth have you been?"

"Ah, yes . . . um . . . " Usagi stopped, taking a quick sip of her drink and looking slightly sheepish. "Actually, I slept late."

Makoto shook her head as Minako, Luna, and Artemis shared a victorious chuckle.

"I should've known," she muttered.

"Usagi-chan, really," said Luna reprovingly. "You need to learn how to get places in time."

The blonde pouted. "It wasn't my fault. I had a bad dream last night."

"What kind of dream?" asked Artemis.

Usagi waved it off. "Something about astronauts, but that's not important. Hey, where's Rei-chan?"

Ami looked up at Usagi from her book. "She hasn't arrived yet."

Luna twitched her whiskers in concern. "And she's normally the early one."

"I guess this isn't like her, huh?" said Makoto, twirling a straw through her drink. "Being late and all."

"Yeah . . . " Usagi looked away, her eyes soft with worry. "I hope she's okay."

"I'm fine," a calm voice said.

Everyone at the small table looked up to behold the sight of the black-haired woman watching them with a small smile. "Rei-chan!"

Rei chuckled and sat down beside Usagi, shrugging her coat off and setting her purse on the floor. "Hey, guys."

"Where have you been?" Minako asked, handing Rei a drink.

The small smile on Rei's lips grew the tiniest bit larger for a brief moment, but she covered it by frowning slightly and shrugging. "Oh . . . I was just . . . preoccupied."

Makoto raised an eyebrow as Rei took a sip of her drink. "Preoccupied . . . ?"

The corner of Rei's mouth twitched as she tried to suppress another smile. "Yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay," giggled Usagi. "We still love you."

"Uh . . . thanks."

Makoto studied Rei for a moment, her green eyes narrow with scrutiny. "You look really . . . happy," she said slowly. "I have a feeling there's something you're not telling us."

Rei looked at the brunette, her eyes widening slightly. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently.

Minako blinked. "You're right. She does seem happy." The blonde leaned over the table and looked closely at Rei. "Spill. What's up, Rei-chan?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Rei insisted with a tiny grin.

Usagi grabbed her friend's sleeve and tugged it with a small whine. "You're lying!" she pouted. "You should tell us!"

"Tell you what?"

"What you're not telling us!"

"What am I not telling you?"

"What you're hiding from us!"

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Now stop that," Makoto scowled. "You're happy about something, and you're not telling us."

Rei's cheeks grew slightly pink, but she calmly stirred a straw through her milkshake. "What makes you say that?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Um . . . let's see," Makoto began, scratching her head and appearing deep in thought. "For one thing, you can't stop smiling. No offense, but it's not exactly normal for you to be so smiley . . . unless you're plotting against us or hiding something, that is."

"I'm not plotting against you."

"But you are hiding something."

Rei ran a hand through her hair and flipped it over her shoulder, frowning indignantly. "I'm not hiding . . ."

"Oh, my God!" Minako squealed. Her eyes were positively round as she stared at the hand Rei had used to rearrange her hair. "What's that on your hand?"

Rei flushed, immediately pulling her left hand away to hide it under the table, but Makoto was too quick and grabbed it as Minako continued staring at the small, glittering object on the black-haired woman's ring finger. Makoto's eyes widened as she, too, leaned over the table to stare at Rei's hand.

"No . . . way . . . " the brunette breathed.

Minako, who was still staring at the object with huge eyes, slowly raised her head to gaze at Rei in disbelief. "Rei-chan . . . " she said, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Are you engaged?"

All eyes immediately turned to the blushing woman, and Rei looked away, pulling her left hand away from Makoto's grasp and trying her hardest to look annoyed with them.

But she was smiling.

"Oh, my God!" cried Makoto.

"You're engaged!" Usagi squealed, her eyes shining. "I can't believe it!"

Rei grinned and looked down at her engagement ring. "Darn. Guess the cat's out of the bag," she chuckled. Artemis raised an eyebrow as Luna twitched her nose. "Excuse the expression, guys," she added quickly.

"Then it's true?" Ami asked, smiling at Rei, who nodded. "Oh, congratulations, Rei-chan."

"That's so great!" Minako said. "I'm really happy for you, Rei-chan."

"Thanks, guys," Rei chuckled. She turned towards the tearful Usagi and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Usagi, stop crying."

Usagi was sniffling and holding onto Rei's arm, her eyes huge and shining. "But it's just so sweet! Rei-chan . . . getting married!"

Makoto grinned at Rei as the black haired woman shook her head in light amusement. "Took Yuuichirou-kun long enough, didn't it?"

"I know," said Rei, rolling her eyes. "I was beginning to think it'd never happen."

"Have you set a date yet?" asked Minako.

"Sometime next summer," replied Rei, taking a sip of her drink. "You're all bridesmaids, of course."

"After all we've been through, we'd better be," Makoto said.

Rei grinned, relaxing as the others laughed. "So . . . what have I missed?"

"Absolutely nothing," Luna said flatly. "Usagi-chan just got here."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's to be expected."

"Rei-chan," pouted Usagi, "don't be a meanie."

"Who says I was being mean? I was being completely serious."

"Rei-chan!"

"Hey, Usagi-chan," Makoto interrupted, eying Usagi's drink, "what's up? You've hardly touched your milkshake."

The others quieted as the severity of the situation hit them -- any other day, Usagi would have already consumed the milkshake at lightning speed and would be well on her way through her second or third. Blue eyes lowered to gaze at the table as Usagi idly twisted her wedding ring around her finger, avoiding their eyes. "Actually," she admitted softly, "I . . . haven't been feeling well lately. I've had a sick stomach."

Luna twitched her whiskers. "Usagi-chan, you told me you were feeling better."

"I was, Luna, I just . . . feel bad again."

Rei regarded Usagi with an inquisitive expression, her violet eyes wide and curious but sparkling with mischief. "Have you been cooking lately?"

Usagi looked perplexedly at her friend. "Well, yes . . . But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," insisted Rei with a small smile. "But tell me, is Mamoru-san sick, too?"

"No . . . Mamo-chan's fine."

"He hasn't been eating your cooking, then?"

Usagi eyed her suspiciously. "Just what are you getting at?"

"Usagi-chan," Ami spoke up gently. "Perhaps you should see a doctor."

"Or hire a chef," Rei said under her breath.

Makoto grinned across the table at her. "Be nice."

"Yes," Usagi murmured, looking away. "A doctor . . . doctor?" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Doctor!"

All eyes turned to her as the blonde shot out of her chair with a shriek.

"The hell . . . ?" said Makoto bewilderedly.

"I forgot!" cried Usagi, grabbing her coat and drawing stares from every other customer there. "I forgot I have a doctor's appointment!" She unknowingly stuck her arm through the wrong sleeve of her coat and looked anxiously at her watch.

"A doctor's appointment . . . ?" Rei questioned flatly.

Usagi nodded vigorously, tugging her coat on, the right way this time. "Yes! And it was supposed to be . . . " (she glanced at her watch again), ". . . an hour ago!"

The other four girls watched her blankly, as Usagi raced to the door, bellowing as she ran, "I'm really, really sorry, but I've gotta go, I've gotta go now, I'm really, really late!"

And she was out the door, leaving with a squeal of, "Byeeee!"

Rei shook her head. "Hopeless."

Then a violent shudder passed through her, chilling her spine and raising the hairs on her arms. Rei inhaled and exhaled very slowly, closing her eyes, and the chill passed, but it left her feeling uneasy and frightened. She opened her eyes, expression stormy, and she stared at the door Usagi had exited through just seconds before.

Something was very wrong.

"Taiki!" a voice called from the hallway. "Hey, Taiki!"

A frown creased the tall Light's brow as he sat at the desk in his bedchamber in the Kinmoku palace, an open book and a worn tablet of paper in front of him. Ignoring the annoying voice that disrupted his peace, Taiki looked over a few complicated sentences, jotted a few notes down, and turned a page in the huge textbook.

"Taiki!"

The voice was getting louder, which meant it was getting closer, which meant Taiki was about to become very annoyed. He glanced briefly at the door, wondering if he had enough time to lock it, but alas, it was too late. The door burst open and a slender black-haired young man stood in the doorway, a big grin on his face.

Taiki sent him a glare. "Out."

Seiya didn't even look remotely insulted as he strode into the room and waved cheerily at his studious friend, and Taiki sighed in resignation, grudgingly accepting the fact that those few moments of peace were now gone forever.

"Why are you here, Seiya?" he asked, looking moodily back down at the book.

Seiya raised an eyebrow at him. "Some greeting," he said with a smirk. "I just wanted to see what you were up to."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Taiki flatly, turning a page in the textbook. "I'm reading."

Seiya flopped down on the edge of Taiki's bed. "I can see that, silly," he chuckled. "What are you reading?"

Taiki glanced briefly at him, still mildly irritated at the intrusion. "Quantum teleportation," he replied stiffly, flipping a page in the book and staring down at a particularly complicated formula. Frowning, he scribbled down some notes.

"Quantum what?" Seiya said, stretching and yawning. "Sounds boring."

Rolling his eyes, Taiki continued writing. "Quantum teleportation," he repeated. "De-materializing at one point and materializing again at an entirely different point."

"We can do that already," pointed out Seiya. "I mean, not everyone can, but we can."

Taiki glanced back at him, eyebrows raised. "Without using magic. Without exhausting the already-limited supply of energy inside us. Without having to worry about how often we teleport or where we teleport to."

Seiya wrinkled his nose as Taiki turned back to his book. "That's not even possible."

"Yet."

Dark blue eyes stared at him in a mixture of incredulity and exasperation, but Taiki didn't even notice; he pushed up his glasses as he diligently continued copying notes, pausing only to scribble out a word or turn the page. After a moment of watching him, Seiya smirked and let out a quiet chuckle. "I guess if anyone could figure it out, it'd be you," he muttered.

Violet eyes glanced up at him, even though Seiya had been almost certain that Taiki wasn't listening to him. "Not alone," he replied quietly.

"What do you mean?" Seiya pressed, eyebrows raised in interest.

No reply; the only sound that came from Taiki was the steady scratching of pen against paper as he wrote.

Seiya rolled his eyes. "Boring . . ." he drawled.

"Then go bother Yaten," said Taiki.

"Already tried," grumbled Seiya. "He was photographing the sunset or something like that and chased me off."

Taiki couldn't hold back a smirk. "Afraid of someone half your size, Seiya?" he asked teasingly.

"Not afraid," said Seiya, looking mildly offended. "Just . . . intimidated."

Taiki chose not to point out that those were the same things as he chuckled. "So you'd rather bug Yaten than me?"

Seiya held up his hands. "Hey, like I said, you're boring," he replied. "And besides, it's so much fun getting a rise out of Yaten."

Taiki barely smiled. "This is true."

Seiya grinned and slumped back on Taiki's bed, exhaling loudly as he bounced slightly and then flopped over on his side. He glanced at Taiki's bedside table, noticing a small, framed picture propped up against the base of a lamp. Eyes widening in recognition and surprise, Seiya reached for it.

"Hey," he said in a soft, curious voice, holding the picture up. "You kept this?"

"Hmm?" Taiki glanced absently at the photograph, violet eyes inquisitive behind the lenses of his glasses. "Oh. Yes." He turned back to his note-taking, unfazed.

"I gave it to you as a joke, you know," Seiya said pointedly.

"I know."

"Why keep it?"

"As a reminder of who we met, what we went through . . . and what we learned."

"That almost sounds sentimental."

"Perhaps it is."

"But you hated Earth."

"I never said I hated Earth."

"Well, no, not exactly, but you sure acted like you did."

Taiki looked faintly annoyed. "Had the circumstances of our being there been different, my enjoyment would have no doubt been much more obvious." He scribbled a few more notes down, stopped, crossed out what he had just written, and then turned to look at Seiya. "Despite our problems there, however, I don't regret any of the experience," he added.

"Is that the closest you can come to admitting you liked Earth?" asked Seiya with a smirk.

Taiki shrugged and turned back to his book. "For now, yes."

Chuckling at him and shaking his head, Seiya put the picture back in its position on the table and stared at it for a moment, a grin on his face. He remembered when it had been taken; one day after school Taiki was nowhere to be found, and Seiya and Yaten looked everywhere for him. They finally found him in the library, seated at a small table surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds of books . . . and he was not alone. The blue-haired genius Mizuno Ami was seated quite close beside him, and they were studiously conversing with one another in muted, earnest voices. For a few moments Yaten and Seiya had done nothing but watch with interest from behind a set of bookcases as Ami leaned over Taiki to look at the book in front of him, and they had noticed with even more interest that a faint pink color appeared on the tall Light's cheeks at the sudden closeness. A grinning Yaten had nudged Seiya and pulled a camera from his bag. Delighted, Seiya had watched as Yaten snapped a quick picture of the scene before it became a missed opportunity. Thanks to that photograph, the world was suddenly full of wonderful possibilities; Seiya and Yaten finally had sufficient ammunition (or blackmail) to use against their brainy friend.

Seiya grinned at the memory as his thoughts strayed to that strange relationship between Taiki and the Mizuno girl. There was an obvious fondness, or something akin to it, present whenever they were around each other. Had the circumstances been different, Seiya wondered, could something more have come of their friendship?

"Why are you still here?" Taiki asked after a moment. Seiya looked over at him; his friend was still reading and jotting down notes, but his eyebrows were raised.

"Why not?" asked Seiya with a smirk.

"I thought I bored you," said Taiki.

"You do."

". . . Your logic never ceases to amaze me."

"Well, even if you're boring . . ." Seiya paused, watching Taiki for a moment before smiling, ". . . it's better than being alone."

Taiki looked up from his book in mild surprise, and without really meaning to, he found himself returning the smile with a smaller one of his own. "It certainly is," he agreed.

A little while later, Ami and Rei were walking down the street together, neither speaking as a heavy, uneasy feeling hung in the air around them. Rei couldn't understand why; it had been so peaceful only an hour before. But ever since Usagi had left for the doctor's appointment and that chill had passed over Rei, that very atmosphere of peace had disappeared. Rei didn't understand it, and that frustrated her. She hated not knowing what was going on. But she didn't want to worry anyone over it; it may have been nothing, and the other girls certainly hadn't seemed to notice anything unusual.

"Hey, Rei-chan?" Ami said quietly after a few moments.

Rei gave a start, then turned to the other woman. "Yeah?"

"Tell me," Ami said softly, looking away. "Have you sensed anything lately?"

Rei's eyes widened. "Well . . . I hadn't for a very long time," she replied hesitantly.

"Oh . . ." Ami looked faintly puzzled, and Rei swallowed hard.

"That is, until today," she added.

"I see," said Ami. After a moment's hesitation, she whispered, "No matter how hard we fight to protect it, I suppose it's impossible for peace to last forever."

Rei swallowed hard at those words. "That doesn't mean something's going to happen," she insisted somewhat nervously. "The feeling I had could have been caused by anything."

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

"I felt something too."

Violet eyes widened as Rei stared at Ami. "You did? But that's . . ."

"It was barely anything," Ami whispered, looking away, "but after Usagi left earlier, I got so . . . cold. And then I got this strange feeling in my stomach like something was terribly wrong, something that couldn't be stopped. But it passed as quickly as it came. Is that similar to what you feel?"

Rei shrugged, slightly uncomfortable. It was never easy to describe the feelings she got to someone else; she was born with the ability to sense evil and, at times, experience premonitions, but she never knew how to put her feelings into words. "Sometimes I feel things like that," she said, swallowing hard. "But today . . . yes. It's the same as what I felt, too."

"I wonder if the others felt anything," mused Ami softly.

Rei bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. They continued walking for a bit, passing by little shops and display windows and people walking along the sidewalk. So clouded were Rei's thoughts that she didn't even notice when they came to a stop in front of an electronics store until Ami spoke.

"How awful," she said softly, staring at the television on display in the shop window.

Rei frowned, looking up. "What's awful?"

Ami swallowed and pointed at the TV screen, where a pretty female newscaster was reporting some breaking news. Rei had to strain to hear it.

". . . are shocked over this tragic incident. The bodies of the two American astronauts have been identified as Gregory Harris and Richard Stevenson, part of the recent Lunar Base project. NASA still refuses to comment on this situation, but it is to our understanding that both men were discovered dead in one of the Moon's so-called seas, the Mare Serenitatis, with large wounds from an unknown force going through both of their chests. While we are sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for these unusual circumstances, there is some controversy that the events could have been caused by supernatural or extraterrestrial involvement . . ."

Rei shook her head; she couldn't listen anymore. "That's terrible . . ." She stopped talking as she looked at Ami, who was very white and trembling slightly.

"Mare Serenitatis . . . Mare . . . Serenitatis . . ." whispered Ami. "What could it mean?"

"Ami-chan?"

Ami turned to Rei, looking both frightened and analytical . . . the look Rei had come to recognize as the one Ami got when she had just figured out something that she didn't like.

"The Mare Serenitatis," she said softly, eyes glazed slightly. "On the Moon . . . it's never been fully explored before, and I've always wondered if something would be found . . . but what could have caused their deaths? Could a source of energy still be functional after a thousand years? . . . It's unsettling, but . . ."

"Ami-chan," interrupted Rei, taking the genius by the shoulders, "I'm not following. What are you talking about?"

Ami's blue eyes were wide and clear as she stared at her friend. "Mare Serenitatis," she whispered. "The Sea of Serenity."

Rei frowned. It sounded familiar.

Ami bit her lip and looked away. "That's where the Moon Kingdom once stood."

Rei's eyes widened.

That was when the park across the street erupted into chaos.