Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or the canon characters. Any non-canon characters, as well as the storyline, however, are mine to use. I will not receive any monetary gain from this work.

Credit: I did not come up with this idea entirely on my own. I have to let you all know this story was helped along by Astraearose-Silvermoon, her husband, who goes by Phoenix, and my husband Steve, who says I must refer to him as "my dear, sweet, and incredibly odd husband."

Warning: This story will probably have some Senshi on Senshi violence (but I don't plan for any deaths). Also, this story will be rated M for sexual content, because we all know I can't help myself. There are also deaths of some canon characters. Some of those are spoken of in this chapter.

Author's Note: The timeline and ages may be a bit AU in this story. More info in chapter one. (Just know Mamoru's age is different, and Shingo and Hotaru are only one day apart in age).

Unknown Force:
Quest for the Crystals

Prologue

TWELVE YEARS AGO...

D Point - The Arctic Circle - Dark Kingdom (Negaverse)

"The task is simple," Beryl said. "Should you succeed, the Dark Kingdom will rise. We will rule all the Earth, and no one will ever take advantage of us again."

Agate bowed and then met his sister's eyes. "I will do my best," he promised.

"No. You will succeed brother. You must complete this task." Beryl glared at him, and Agate gulped.

"Yes Queen Beryl."

"Now, in order for us to succeed I must have them all now. As children. You may take any Youma you wish with you. You are to find them, and bring them all to me. I will take their crystals and Metallia will ensure that they turn to our side."

"Yes my Queen," Agate whispered.

"And brother?"

He nodded, waiting for her to finish.

"Kill the princess and take her Crystal. I won't wait for it. I want it. Above all else, destroy her."

Agate frowned, but nodded. He turned away quickly to collect the Youma he needed to complete his task. He wasn't sure how she expected him to kill a child. Taking them was bad enough, but to murder an innocent little girl, who didn't even know she was the princess… that just seemed too horrible.

He could track the crystals. It was his one true gift. He knew they were spread around Japan, and he could find them, but it would take work to track them all down. And to kill the poor princess...

Tokyo Japan (and Dark Kingdom)

Agate stood on the roof of a high rise apartment building in Tokyo. He had to move fast to collect the girl. Her mother would still be at the hospital, and her father was busy in his art studio. Ami was usually taking a nap at this time of the day. He had been watching very carefully for the past three days. He looked in through the window, watching as she drifted off.

Her father was two windows to the left, already involved in his next work. He opened a portal and stepped through, stepping out into her bedroom. He waved a hand over her, enveloping her in a small bubble that would keep her still and silent until he reached the Negaverse. He opened the portal again, and stepped through into the throne room.

"Early success, I see," Queen Beryl said, her voice like velvet in her happiness. She stepped down from her throne and came forward to peer at the sleeping blue-haired child. "What is her name?"

"Ami." He looked at the child inside the bubble, wishing he could have left her at home with her mother and father.

"And Ami would one day have been Sailor Mercury, yes? She has quite the resemblance to her former self."

"Yes, my queen," Agate said, bowing low. "What would you like me to do with her?"

"Nothing," Beryl said. "Leave her here until the others arrive. They can all be reunited before I turn them."

Agate bowed again, "then I must go back and find the next," he said.

"Don't fail me brother," Queen Beryl said, and her voice was no longer velvet, but steel.

) * O * (

The shrine wasn't exactly heavily fortified. Walking in and taking the child should be an easy task. He was thankful the girl was there. Her grandfather should be easy to pass. It wasn't as though the man had any skills. A simple priest.

With any luck she would be sleeping when he got to her room. He didn't want her frightened and screaming. He moved stealthily, but his footsteps were hurried. He had to take her quickly. He reached the hallway where the family resided and hurried toward her door.

An elderly man suddenly stepped out of another room and, seeing him, frowned.

"What are you doing in here? Guests of the jinja are not allowed in the family quarters. It is clearly posted."

Without speaking Agate threw an attack, intending to knock the man unconscious. He didn't want to kill him. He didn't want to kill anyone. The priest dodged to the left and lifted his own hand, throwing out some sort of light energy. It glowed faintly orange, like flickering flames. He dodged the attack and struck again, and again without ceasing.

Twice he was knocked backwards, and then, finally, his own attack hit the man and he went down. Agate stood and straightened his clothing and his hair, which had gotten a bit wild during the short battle.

A moment later he was in the bedroom of the little girl, who stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes. He put her to sleep before placing the bubble over her. He wished she'd been asleep when he'd found her. He wished he could just leave her with her grandfather. He sighed in regret before opening the portal to the Negaverse and bringing little Rei to his sister.

) * O * (

Nephrite was the easiest of all to take. His mother had already passed away, and his father was on a drinking binge to drown his sorrows. The little boy was simply sitting on the swings in his backyard, staring up at the sky. They lived in a more residential area on the fringes of Tokyo, an area that was in a bit of disrepair.

"Hello little one," Agate said. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

The boy shrugged. Then he looked over at Agate. "I'm hungry," he said.

"Well, I can take you to get some food," Agate lied. The little boy nodded and when he held out his hand, Nephrite took it. He opened a portal to the Negaverse and stepped through. Then, as soon as it had closed, he put the boy to sleep and settled him into a bubble of his own. He didn't want his sister torturing the child. It was better for all of them if they slept.

) * O * (

Taking Haruka from her rather wealthy parents had been so simple it was laughable. He'd simply walked in, dressed as a caterer. Their home in Tokyo was always open for the lavish parties they threw. It was a simple matter to put her in the bubble and transport her to the Negaverse.

"Four in six days Agate. You are doing well," Beryl said, coming to look at the newest child. She had short blonde hair, and when she was awake, light blue eyes. "This one would have been Uranus. Now she will serve me." Beryl gave a smile that raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

He wished he could just leave the poor children with their families.

"I must go get the others sister. Now that I have begun to gather them, others will get suspicious."

"No excuses brother. I want them all."

Agate bowed and hurried away.

Mount Agato Japan

Mamoru was a very happy boy. It was his fifth birthday, and his parents were taking him up Mount Agato. He loved the mountains. The roads were a bit slick though and his daddy was slowing down. It made Mamoru nervous. Then his mommy screamed and pointed. There was something strange in the road. It looked like a very tall lady, but she had purple skin and long claws, and instead of hair she had what looked like snakes.

Mamoru screamed too. He couldn't help it. The monster lady scared him. And then his daddy pulled on the steering wheel and the car made a strange turn and then they were flying. Flying and flying through the air. And the car was pointing down so he could see the ground coming up and up and up at him.

He screamed again. His head hit hard on the console in between the seats.

And then the angel came. The angel with the long blonde hair that looked like dumplings and noodles. She was beautiful. Her eyes caught him. So blue, like the sky.

"Look at me Mamoru," she said. "Just look at me, I've got you."

She opened his door and pulled him out of the car. She had wings! She was so beautiful. She was the most beautiful angel. The car was still falling down and down and then he was in her arms and flying. But his mommy and daddy were in the car. They were still going to hit the ground!

"Mommy! Daddy!" he screamed. "You have to save my mommy and daddy! Angels have to save everyone!"

"I can't baby. I'm sorry. I can only save you today. I wish I could save them for you. I'm so sorry Mamoru."

"But I'm all alone!" Mamoru screamed. He heard the crash, but the angel wouldn't let him look.

"You'll never be alone Mamoru. I'll be with you forever," the angel said. She pulled out a strange stick and held it near him. "I'm going to help you go to sleep now," she said. "When you wake up, you won't remember me, but I'll still be there for you." She kissed him on the forehead.

Mamoru sniffled. "Promise?" he asked.

"I promise," she said. She held the stick closer and whispered. "Moonlit Lullaby." His eyes fluttered closed and he had pretty dreams of a beautiful princess with long blonde hair in buns with long pretty streamers hanging down.

Kofu Japan (and Dark Kingdom)

The two little boys lived with their mother and father in Kofu. The first four had all been in Tokyo, but he couldn't sense any more with Crystals there. He had moved on, and it had taken him several days to locate another town where the others would be.

Jadeite and Zoicite should be relatively easy to take since their mother was currently preoccupied with their new baby sister. He watched and waited until the two boys were allowed into their yard to play, and then he struck, putting the sleeping spell on them before they knew he was there.

With a single step he was back in the Negaverse, his total rising to six. Beryl's cackle of laughter echoed over the stone chamber, hurting his ears. He glanced at the other children as he moved the two boys toward them. Thankfully they were all still asleep.

He turned when his sister approached, and bowed. "I must go quickly," he told her. "These two at once will surely draw attention. People will be on high alert now."

) * O * (

Setsuna was afraid. A strange man had come to the orphanage. He had long red hair and really red eyes, and he looked at her funny. It had scared her. She wanted to run away from him. He had looked like he was reaching for her, and she had run away, hiding behind one of the nuns.

Sister Mary Agatha had told the man to leave. He had raised his hand, and then he shook his head. His eyes flashed silver and he closed them, looking very sad. Setsuna knew he was about to do something very bad.

But then a lady appeared. She had long green hair, just like Setsuna. And she stood between the man with the red hair and the nun. "Not this one," she said in a raspy voice.

"Don't try to get in my way," the man said. "I don't want anyone to get hurt." Again his eyes flashed silver before returning to the vivid red.

"It's too late for that." The woman snarled at the man. "I won't let you take her." She stepped backward carefully. "Sister, Setsuna is no longer safe here. This man, or others like him, will return again and again until they take her. Please, give her to me and I can protect her."

"Don't give her to the woman, she's bad," the man with red eyes said.

The green haired woman gave a harsh laugh. "I'm bad? You've taken six children and given them to the worst sort of evil. I have only ever protected people."

Again the man's eyes flashed silver. Setsuna thought maybe he was arguing with himself about what to do. Maybe he didn't want to be bad.

Setsuna walked forward then, and took the hand of the green-haired lady. Then she turned and waved goodbye to the Sister. "If I stay, you'll all get hurt," she said. "I'm going with the nice lady. I'll be okay."

"Setsuna, I can't just let you go," Sister Mary Agatha looked like she was about to cry.

"I'll protect her, I swear," the pretty woman said. The sister looked into the other woman's eyes, and then glanced back at Setsuna. She looked back and forth between them several times. And then she nodded slowly.

The red-haired man was not happy. "You can't take her!" he screamed. "I need her!" He lifted a hand and threw some sort of energy at both of them. But the green-haired lady blocked it. She protected Setsuna and whisked her away.

) * O * (

Agate had now failed twice. He shook his head. His sister would not be pleased. He had wanted to hide his failures, but could not. He transported to the Negaverse and went to one knee in front of the throne.

"Sister," he said, his head bowed. "There are no more in Tokyo or in Kofu."

"There's more," she growled, looking very angry.

"Twice I have failed to take a child," he whispered the words. Then he cleared his throat and looked up at her. "The first was the Time Guardian. She was protected by someone quite powerful. Someone who knew I was coming and took her away. She is no longer in Kofu."

"And the second?" Beryl asked.

"The second, the sun protector, was not home when I arrived." He gulped. When he'd gone to their house the child was not there. He'd entered the child's bedroom in the middle of the night, only to find it empty. He had at least learned the child's name was Haruki.

"Then extract his location from the parents," Beryl said, her look fierce and angry.

"I tried," he explained. "They were unwilling to speak, so I used the Youma. One of them grew too… enthusiastic. Both parents were lost before questions could be answered."

"What!?" Beryl screamed. The sound reverberated around the chamber.

"I humbly beg forgiveness my queen." Agate said, frowning. There was a blast of dark energy and he was knocked off his feet, landing hard on the stone floor of the chamber.

"You are not forgiven brother," Beryl said, her tone full of venom. "You've lost me a mated pair," she growled. "Two of the strongest among the children, and you lost them."

Agate stayed still and silent.

"Where are the Youma now?" Beryl asked, her tone more even.

He waved his hand, pulling the three Youma back into the Negaverse. Before he could even blink, they were destroyed.

"You will get others and you will find me those children," Beryl said in an deadly voice. "If you fail to bring me all of them, you will be put into the eternal sleep," she said, and then she smiled. "You don't want to fail me, do you?"

"No Queen Beryl. I will bring you the others."

"Good."

Kyoto Japan (and Dark Kingdom)

) * O * (

Michiru was difficult to find. Her family often moved, but eventually he found them in Kyoto. There were other children there. Many of the others. He frowned, wishing he was through this horrid task. He didn't want to do this anymore. He also didn't want to be put in the eternal sleep. He had no choice but to continue.

The child was difficult to track down. She was only four, but her parents had her in music lessons for several hours a day. She also took other lessons, including horseback riding, painting, and swimming. The child never seemed to get a break. He thought perhaps this one was better off in the Negaverse.

He finally tracked her down when she was at her music lesson, and with a wave of his hand put both her, and the violin teacher to sleep. He encased the girl in a bubble and took her instantly to his sister.

Beryl smiled when he appeared, and he hoped he was on his way to forgiveness.

"This one, she is Neptune?" Beryl asked.

"Yes. Her name is Michiru."

"Put her with the others," Beryl commanded.

Agate nodded and quickly moved her bubble to the wall of the chamber where the other six floated. He put her next to the girl with short blonde hair. Haruka. They were soulmates. He could feel it even now.

"By your leave sister, I must go get the others."

"Go. And do not fail me again."

) * O * (

He had found Makoto in Kyoto as well. He was thankful. Her mother was in the kitchen preparing a snack for her and he had simply made a portal into the child's bedroom and taken her. He instantly put her in a bubble in deep sleep and brought her to his sister. He could not afford to fail again.

"Brother, how long must I wait?" Beryl asked as he put Makoto beside Nephrite.

"I will be going after another this afternoon," he promised. "The leader of the Shitennou."

"No longer. Now they will be my Dark Generals." Beryl laughed. "And they will still protect their prince, once he is mine."

Agate only nodded his head. There was nothing else to say or do. She had the power, the control. "Yes, my Queen," he said. "By your leave, I will go collect him."

"Go," she said gleefully. "I want more. I want them all."

) * O * (

Kunzite laughed as he rode his bike into the street. He loved to play on his bike. His mom and dad had gotten it for him, and he loved it. Momma yelled at him to get out of the road, and he huffed as he obeyed. He was five. He wasn't a baby anymore.

The phone started to ring and Momma picked it up. He turned and looked at her because she made a strange sound. Her face had gone so pale, and she fell to the ground.

"Gone?" she asked. There was a short silence as she listened to someone talking to her.

"All of them?" Another silence.

"And the girls?" His Momma was shaking.

Then she hung up the phone and hurried to pick him up. She was shouting for Daddy, and yelling about his cousins being taken. His cousins. Nephrite, Zoicite, and Jadeite. That was bad. He was worried about them. People shouldn't take kids. He really didn't understand.

Momma was talking to Daddy.

"We have to get to her now. Her parents won't protect her. I doubt they'd even notice she was missing." Daddy said.

Kunzite wondered who they were talking about.

"We're all that's left, what can we do against the powers of the Dark Kingdom?" Momma asked.

"Not much. It's not like we have powers of our own. All I'm saying is that we have to hide them. There has to be a way. Get Kunzite in the car. We don't know when he's coming. We have to go now. They might be watching us."

Momma grabbed him and buckled him into the car. Daddy climbed in and started it and Momma hopped in after him. There was a strange squealing sound as they pulled out of the driveway. Daddy drove fast, and then they stopped for a minute. Kunzite knew where they were. It was his friend Mina's house. He smiled. He liked Mina.

) * O * (

Kunzite. That was the boy's name. He was not at home. Nothing had been taken from his house. The youma he had sent ahead of him had no information. There was no evidence of flight. It was possible they had gone to the store. He could wait, or go get the other girls and then return. The leader of the Princess' guard was close by. He would try to obtain her now, and come back for the boy.

He sent his mind out, searching for her direction. Her home wasn't far. He created a portal and closed in on the location. Three jumps later he was standing in her back yard, staring in at the child's parents. He could sense her presence all over the house. She wasn't home at the moment. Another he would have to come back for later. There were plenty more. He wasn't going to report this until he had good news to report along with it.

) * O * (

He had found the princess. Tsukino Usagi. He also found the earth prince and the sun protector with her. That would please his sister. He sighed, unhappy.

He had been ordered to kill the princess, and to take the others with him to the Dark Kingdom. He didn't want to do it. It was hard enough being told to kidnap children without being ordered to murder one of them. And she was just a sweet adorable three-year-old girl. A child who had never harmed anyone. It just wasn't right.

He watched her, as she sat in that hospital room next to Mamoru. Her cousin Haruki was next to her, on the bed beside the two of them. All three looked sad. The Prince, his name was Mamoru, was about to be moved to the orphanage. Usagi and Haruki had come to bid him farewell. Such a strange turn of events. How was it that at just three, the girl had already found her soulmate. He could feel the connection.

Perhaps his sister was wrong. If they had found each other again so easily, maybe it was Beryl who was insane. Maybe it was Beryl who was poaching. He shook his head. No. He couldn't let himself be swayed. He had to murder the girl, had to take the boys. It was his job.

But… he didn't want to live in a world controlled by Metallia. He didn't want a world where there was no hope. The little girl brought hope. He'd seen it.

Another little boy entered the room as he watched from his perch. Agate was annoyed. He didn't want anyone else to see him snatch the children. The little boy ran in, spoke to the others, and started to run back out. At the door he was met by the woman with long green hair. The woman spoke to him quietly, and then took his hand and guided him back inside.

He had to move quickly. He created a portal and entered the hospital room, but before he could make a move she gathered all four children to her, and then there was a flash of light, and all of them disappeared. He yelled in frustration, causing a nurse to poke her head into the room. He snarled at her until she backed out of the room. Frustrated with his failure, he disappeared into a portal and reappeared on the hospital roof. He had two others he had to take.

Both babies would be in the hospital nursery. He had their names written down. Tomoe Hotaru, and Tsukino Shingo. He had to think about where to appear. Then he created his next portal and appeared in the nursery. It was filled with infants.

This whole thing was too frustrating for words. He searched the basinets. Hotaru had only been born four hours before, while Shingo was almost a day old. He searched through the infants, looking at the cards on the basinets. He couldn't sense their Crystals anymore. He continued looking, more panicked now.

Then he found their name cards. On empty basinets. He growled. He would have to wait or confront the parents to take them. Their parents had no power however, so he decided making his move immediately was best.

He walked out of the nursery and down the hall to where Hotaru's parents were. The room was empty. The bedclothes were rumpled as though someone had just been there. Moving to the bed he touched it. The sheets were still warm. They couldn't have gone far. Unless…

No! He moved out into the hall and ran towards the room of Shingo's parents. Empty. Bed still warm. He screamed his frustration out. Again a nurse looked into the room. This one had a security guard with her.

"How did you get in here?" she asked. "You don't have a wrist band, and you aren't with a family. You can't be here."

Agate didn't bother to speak to her. He simply waved his hand and put both of them to sleep before creating a portal. He had to find those children! He could not fail! He raced away to try and find the two he had missed earlier.

) * O * (

Little Usagi stared up at the pretty woman. She and the others had cried for a moment, but the pretty woman had brought them all straight to Usagi's parents and her new brother. There was another little girl with them, who had green hair like the pretty woman. There was also a little baby girl with her mother and father, all wrapped in a pink blanket.

But they weren't in the hospital anymore. She didn't know where they were, but it wasn't the same place. It was a pretty room. A very big pretty room.

"I don't have much time. I have to get the others. Stay here."

Usagi watched her disappear, and stared at everyone in the room. Haruki took her hand. Fiore, Mamoru's best friend, huddled close to him, almost seeming to hide behind him for protection. She went to the other little boy. He had a secret that they couldn't let anyone find out.

"It's okay," she whispered. "None of the growned-ups will hurt you."

"But…" he frowned, looked very frightened.

"We won't let them," she promised. Mamoru and Haruki nodded emphatically. "No one knows, and they won't find out, okay?"

Fiore nodded his head, but then he bent over and started coughing. "I can't stay here," he whispered. "This planet will make me sick. I already told Mamoru."

"I wish you would get better and be able to stay with us forever," Usagi said, and hugged him tight.

"Wow!" breathed Mamoru.

Usagi turned and looked at him. "What?" she asked, confused.

"You glowed Usagi!"

"I… glowed?"

"Yeah, when you hugged Fiore," Haruki said. "None of the grown ups saw you though. They're all looking at the babies."

The little girl with long green hair came over to them. "Hi," she whispered shyly. "You gloweded."

Usagi looked at her, a little afraid. "Please don't tell. I don't want them spearminting on me."

"Experimenting," corrected Fiore.

"I won't tell," the girl said. "I promise."

"Thanks," Usagi said, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was too young to have them do weird things like take her brain and study it. Fiore was terrified they'd do that to him. He wasn't from Earth, and he said grown ups could be mean. Usagi didn't think her parents would be mean, but she didn't want to take any chances.

"Do you want to be my friend?" Usagi asked, impulsively. It was hard to be the only girl in their group.

The little girl nodded her head. Her green hair swayed prettily, and she blushed. "I'm Setsuna," she said.

"I'm Usagi. Sets… setsu… can I just call you Sets? I still don't talk as good as the boys."

Setsuna nodded her head and Usagi hugged her.

) * O * (

Agate tracked the boy and the girl. They were together. He wanted to scream in frustration. He had missed the babies, the prince and princess, and the sun protector. Plus, there had been another little boy. Once he'd entered the room he could sense the power of the other child. He wondered if perhaps he could find the green-haired woman again. She had power. It seemed so familiar too. It was so similar to…

Agate wanted to groan in fear and anger. He had been bested by the future Time Guardian. That young woman was Setsuna, mostly grown he thought. No wonder she had gotten the children away from him. She had already known where he would strike.

Which meant he had to grab the other two before she could reach them. He created a portal and found himself in the parking lot of a small motel. He raced for the door of the room the power of the two children was emanating from. He blasted through the door angrily.

To find the room empty. In his frustration and anger he began throwing dark energy around the room. He was going to be put into the eternal sleep. He had to find those children!

) * O * (

The woman with green hair returned with four more people. Two children, a boy and a girl, and two adults with white-blonde hair. The children ran over to them. Mamoru made sure Fiore stayed behind him, so that nobody noticed him.

Usagi latched onto the other little girl and held her hand, while Haruki did the same to the boy. The two adults moved over with the others into one large group. The woman with the green hair talked to them all in hushed voices for a long time.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Fiore asked. Usagi thought he looked a little better.

"I don't know. How do you feel? You don't look sick anymore," Mamoru said, and rested a hand on his friend's forehead. There was no fever anymore.

"I feel much better," Fiore said. "Ever since Usagi hugged me.

Mamoru was confused. He had seen her glowing when she hugged him. Maybe she healed him. Maybe she was an alien too, and just didn't know it. But then, how had he survived a more than two hundred foot fall in a car, get thrown from it on the way down, and survive with just a bump on his forehead. Sometimes things didn't make sense.

The young woman with green hair was handed both the babies. She turned and walked to the rest of them and Mamoru wasn't sure what she wanted.

"Usagi, do you want to hold your brother?"

The little odangoed blonde bobbed her head up and down several times. She sat on the floor and held her arms in a circle. The older girl put Shingo in her arms.

"Mamoru, could you please sit next to her and hold Hotaru for me?" she asked. Mamoru nodded and sat on the ground in front of her. He copied Usagi's movements. He couldn't remember ever holding a baby before. Then again, he couldn't remember anything beyond the past five days. Not even his mom and dad. Hotaru was placed in his arms, and he held her carefully, worried she would fall and get hurt.

"Okay, Minako, please stand right beside Kunzite. Setsuna, please stand next to Haruki. Fiore, I want you in the middle. Just behind Mamoru and Usagi please. Now, stay very still. This won't hurt a bit."

Setsuna held something in her hand. Two things. One was a Silver Crystal, the other a Jet Crystal. "This had better work Moon," she muttered. She said something Mamoru didn't understand and the two crystals began to glow. The lights were very pretty, and they blended together beautifully. They twisted around and around, and then circled around all of the children. "Until your fifteenth year," she whispered. And then the lights were gone.

D Point - The Arctic Circle - Dark Kingdom (Negaverse)

) * O * (

Agate screamed. Beryl's rage was uncontained. He had never hurt so much before. He could hear the children sobbing behind him. Beryl had woken them so that they could 'see the price of failure.'

"You have failed me for the last time brother. Half. I sent you for all, and you brought me half!"

"Sister, I tried. Someone else was obviously trying to help them. Someone from the future." Agate tried to explain, but Beryl wasn't listening.

"I don't want to hear your excuses." Beryl screamed.

"It's not an excuse! Give me more time! I'll find them!"

"You said you can no longer sense them," Beryl snarled. "If you can't sense them, what use are you to me?"

"I'm your brother. I'm loyal," he begged.

"I think, maybe, you need time to think about what you've done," Beryl growled. "An eternity perhaps."

A light appeared from Beryl's tiara. There was a strange sound and a crystal chamber appeared in front of him. He shook his head in denial. He didn't want to be trapped forever.

"The Sentence of Eternal Sleep," Beryl whispered.

"But I know their identities!" he tried to scream, tried to tell her he had valuable information, but before another word could be spoken, he found himself inside the crystal, unable to move. He couldn't so much as blink his eyes. He watched the throne room disappear and then he was in blackness. Complete and utter darkness. From which, he knew, he would never escape.

) * O * (

Queen Beryl looked over the eight children in front of her, and smiled. Their faces were tear-stained. Good. She liked to be feared. If they feared her, they would obey her. If they obeyed her, then eventually she would collect all the others.

She called forward one of her favorite Youma and gave him a simple order. "Find those children. And if you can't, find me anyone related to them, and destroy them. Don't come back until they have no family left. And if you find those children, bring them to me. Oh, and while you're at it… make sure none of these have family left either."

There were screams and pleas, but she ignored them. When the Youma was gone, she turned back to the children. They were weeping even harder now. She would have to do something about that. Age them up a bit. They were useless to her as they were. But first, she wanted their crystals. She held up her staff and tapped it twice on the ground, her other hand open, waiting for them to fly into her grasp.

But when the crystals emerged, they refused to come towards her. Aggravated, she tried spells and even having the Youma take them. But any Youma who touched them died, screaming. She pointed to one of the children and told him to take the crystals. He gathered them into his arms and walked towards her.

Instinctively she backed away. She did not want to die screaming. Without the Silver Crystal, she could not control these. But they couldn't remain with the children. No. She would have to put them somewhere safe. She opened a portal and with a wave of her hand sent the eight stones through to a place of great evil. There they would continue to corrupt the children from afar.

For now, Metallia's energy could work on them while they slept in the Crystal Coffins. If she understood correctly, their powers wouldn't emerge until they reached puberty anyways. Until then they were useless, sniveling, whining brats who would only cause a headache and get underfoot.

"Follow me," she ordered. None of the children moved. She turned to several nearby Youma. "Bring them," she said, and the Youma began rounding up the children. They followed her into the chamber. Only half the Crystal Coffins she'd built would be put to use. But soon, she hoped, the others would be there.

She was suddenly glad her brother had been unable to kill the reincarnated princess. If she was alive, she could be swayed. And if she could be swayed, she could control all the other crystals. And it would be lovely to have her watch as Beryl finally got her prince. She laughed.

The children screamed and cried as they were forced into the chambers, but Queen Beryl waved her staff and the chambers began their work. Silencing the children and holding them captive. They could not move or speak. She waved her staff once more and each child fell into a deep sleep. Metallia could work on them in their dreams just as well as she could awake.

Tokyo Japan

Usagi woke up in her pretty bed. She loved her new house. Her mommy and daddy had bought it after they'd moved to Tokyo. She liked Tokyo. She liked the pretty house with pretty balconies. She liked the comforter on her bed. Her mommy and daddy worked really hard to make sure everything was okay. And now she had Minako for a sister since her mommy and daddy had died. Her cousin Haruki's parents were gone now too. So it was a very loud house sometimes.

And her bestest friends all lived with her, or right next door. Kunzite's mommy and daddy had adopted Mamoru and Fiore, and Setsuna. So there were lots of kids for her to play with. They had put a gate in the fences to their back yards, and all of them could run back and forth and see each other whenever they wanted.

Hotaru's mommy and daddy lived in Tokyo now too, but they were in a big tall building. She didn't really remember why they had all moved. Mommy and daddy didn't say much about it, but they taught all the kids to run away from strangers. Strangers were dangerous. Daddy said strangers had tried to take Shingo once. She couldn't remember it though.

But she liked Tokyo. She liked being there, and being near her friends. She liked the way mommy took care of them all during the day so she could see them. Then Kunzite's mommy watched them at night so Usagi's mommy could go and volunteer. Volunteer was hard on mommy. She cried sometimes, when she came back. But she wanted to find some missing kids. It made Usagi sad that kids were missing.

She hoped one day they could go home to their mommies and daddys. When she was older, she promised herself, she would help find those missing kids, and bring them home.

) * O * (

KIDNAPPINGS FINALLY OVER?
Tsukino Kenji

Eight children have gone missing from three cities. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kofu. The kidnappings occured over a two week period. It is said that several other attempts were made, including two infants from a hospital in Kyoto, during that same period. However, no more children have been taken in such a way.

In every case, there was little to no interaction with the kidnapper(s). The only suspect seen was a male with long red hair and red eyes. The grandfather of one of the victims claims the man simply vanished in the blink of an eye. The other parents claim that their doors were locked, and in many cases, they were home and awake at the time of the kidnapping.

Now, two months later, the police believe the kidnappings are over, and that they were the work of a single person. They do not hold out hope of the children ever being found. It is believed all eight children are deceased. The police have called off the search.

The parents of the missing children have had vastly different reactions. The father of one child had already lost his wife, and at the loss of his son, committed suicide. Another family left the country, unable to bear the memories of their happy child who disappeared.

Hino-san, the priest of the Hikawah Jinja, and grandfather to one of the missing spent several weeks in front of the Fire, hoping to find his grandfather with the help of the Kami. His health deteriorated until, late last week, his neighbor checked on the elderly man, and found him dead of a heart-attack. His granddaughter was his only remaining family, and it is believed that he died from his heartache.

In a related story, two of the families, both who had girls taken, and both wealthy, though in different parts of the country, have suffered even more tragedy. In one household, the entire home burned to the ground, with every member of the family inside. In the other, a strange sickness took the whole family overnight. They were pronounced dead on the scene. No one knows what the sickness was, but it does not appear to be contagious.

This editor would ask that no one give up hope on the missing children. There are still several families out there, hoping and praying for any news on their missing child(ren). Please, if you have any information call XX-XXXX-XXXX.