Title: Love For All Time	Part 9

Author: Jade Hunter

A.N: It's here at last!  Ryuujin meets the Senshi!

Disclaimer:  You can find this on parts 1, 4, and 8.

"talking"
**thoughts**
<<telepathy>>
_emphasis_
////memories////

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	Rei sat in front of the fire, the rest of the Senshi and Mamoru kneeling
behind her in a row.  They were uncomfortable, she sensed, not used to staying in
the same position for long.  She fought back a smile as she chanted, concentrating
deeply and focusing her spiritual power.  Her violet hair exploded backwards as a
sudden gust of heat came from the Sacred Flame.  The Flame expanded considerably,
and her friends inched back from the searing heat, but she, immune to the fire, 
sat stock still, and asked her question.  She was oblivious as her friends backed 
outside, worried, as the searing heat engulfed the entire room, barring them 
entry.  This had never happened before, but Rei wasn't aware.

	<<Sacred Fire, tell me,>> she pleaded.  <<Why is this new enemy's youma
more powerful than anything we've ever encountered?>>

	<<You have encountered it before,>> the Flame crackled.

	<<What?  Why don't I remeber it?>> she asked.

	The Sacred Flame sparked a little and answered, <<What you seek can be
found in the past.>>

	<<The Silver Millenium?  That's where we fought this before?>>

	<<Battled, and lost.  You cannot defeat this evil my child.>>

	<<What?  We lost?  We only lost to Beryl and Metallia!>>

	<<Things weren't what they seemed to be, child.>>

	<<I don't understand.>>

	<<You will, in time.>>

	<<Tell me why we can't beat this evil.  We are stronger than ever before!>>

	<<Strong in power?  No, you are not at your strongest.  Your spirits are
weak also.>>

	<<Spirit?>>

	<<You are not complete.  Not yet.  A half of your souls are gone, and you 
are lonely, my child, are you not?>>

	<<NO!  I have my friends, why would I be lonely?>> Rei thought firmly.

	<<You shouldn't be, should you.  But you are.  Because the friendship they
offer is not the kind of companionship you desire,>> the Sacred Flame murmered
knowingly.

	<<What _do_ I desire?>> she asked, a little unbelievingly.

	<<A male's companionship.  You need love,>> replied the Flame, as if 
pointing out the obvious.

	<<I DON'T NEED MEN!!!!>> Rei bit out, fighting to keep her cool.

	<<No.  You don't need men.  At least, none here.  You need the man you
loved, still love, albeit subconsiously.>>

	<<If none of my friends need love, why should _I_ want it?>>

	<<Ah, but they need love as much as you, they yearn for their love, and only
three of them found it, and only one is too young.>>

	<<The ones that have love are Usagi, Michieru, and Haruka, aren't they?  
And the one who is too young is Hotaru, isn't it?>>

	<<Yes, you are learning.>>

	<<What about Setsuna?  She would never want a man.  Or love.>>

	<<No, she would not.  Why would she when she has already found hers?>>

	<<What?>>

	<<Did you think that the Time Senshi had no feelings, child?  That she was 
more soldier than woman?  If you thought that, you do not know her at all.>>

	<<I _don't_ need love,>> Rei said, tight-lipped.

	<<You don't need love, you _want_ it, you _yearn_ for it, you would _die_ for
 it.  That is more than simple need.>>

	Rei remained silent for a moment, and then said, <<You said we were not 
powerful enough.>>

	Laughter bubbled from the Flame, <<Ah, child, trying to change the subject?
Very well.  You haven't yet reached your Eternal forms, no, that is for Crystal Tokyo.  It
must not yet happen.  However, now, as you are, Super, you are not strong enough to
take down the Phantoms.>>

	<<So what do we do?>>

	<<Wait, in the meantime.  You will get your powers soon.>>

	<<Thank you, for sharing your wisdom with me.>>

	<<You will find, that as you grow, I am not _so_ wise as you expect of me.
Oh, and child, trust the Knight.>>

	With that, the Sacred Flame flickered back to it's normal size, and the room
temperature was tolerable again.  Rei's friends came back in, confused.

	"What did the Sacred Flame say?" asked Usagi, holding onto Mamoru's hand.

	"It said that we couldn't defeat this new evil," Rei frowned.

	"Can't beat it?  We can beat anything!" Makoto disagreed.

	"It said that we were too weak, both in power and spirit," Rei sighed.  She
glanced in surprise at the undamaged room, and took a catious sip of her tea.  Not
tasting anything strange, she sipped once more before continuing, "It said that we
weren't complete, not yet."

	"Not complete?" Ami asked, perplexed.

	"It said something about us being lonely for love, and that our souls had to
be complete," Rei repeated.

	"Like me and Mamo-chan!" Usagi brightened.

	"Cool," Minako grinned.  "A hunk of my own."

	"What else did the fire say?" Luna asked, shooting Artemis - who was playing 
with the tassel on Minako's cusion - a dirty look.

	"Strangely, at the end, it told me to wait, and to trust the night," Rei shrugged.

	"Trust the night?  Why not the day?" Michieru mused.

	Setsuna, sitting a bit off on her own, smiled slightly at the misunderstanding,
knowing exactly what the Sacred Flame meant by that.  Suddenly, the Sacred Flame
roared to twice it's size, flickering.  Rei's head jerked towards it for a second, and then
she stood up in a flash.

	"Another one!" she shouted, taking out her henshin pen.

	It was all the modivation the others needed.

*****

	Sailors Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn were down, writhing in agony.  Their forms
 were encased in the mini-Phantoms, and their vision was clouding.  The others were in no
condition to help.  Sailor Uranus looked like she was suffering from a broken leg, still
trying to get to Neptune to try and free her.  Tuxedo Kamen, whose attack was the only one
that could be fired with enough control to free the Senshi without harming them, was
currently _very_ unconsious.  Sailor Moon was staggering to her feet after being hurled
over ten yards from a single puch from the Phantom.  Sailors Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and
Pluto all suffered from several wounds, most being light and healing already, and others
that would take weeks to heal, even for them.

	"Haaaaaaa haaaaaaaa!" Phantom snickered.  "You werrrrrrrre fooooooollssss
toooo thhinnnk thhhaaaat you could defffffffeaaaat mmeeee."

	"We _can_ defeat you, if we put all our strength together," Sailor Moon said,
face tight with worry and fear.

	"YOU?" Phantom asked, incredulous.  It burst into what sounded like hissing, but
was laughter.  "You arrrrrrrrreee toooooo weeaaak ttttooooo beaaatt mmeeeee!"

	"THEY MAY BE, BUT I'M NOT!!!"

	All those gathered - and consious - looked around the empty park in vain to
try and find the source of the voice.  Suddenly, three thin bolts of silver energy sliced 
through the air and cur open the mini-shadows encasing Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn.
The voice filled the Senshi with peace, and trust.

	"Whhhhhaaaattt!!  Whoooo darrrreeesssss?" Phantom demanded as the newly
freed Senshi stood and backed up the others, and Tuxedo Kamen stirred and slowly
began to stand.

	"I do."

	All those present whirled to face the owner of the voice.  A tall and well built 
man stood proudly in the afternoon light.  He wore black armour, similar to that of 
Prince Endymon, but more regal.  His armour had bright silver trimmings, and his black 
shoulder pads, and chest armour each had a single moon stone, a fire opal, a sapphire,
 an emerald, a citrine, a turquoise stone, an amber stone, an amethyst, a garnet, and a
 diamond embedded in it, circled with intricate designs.  The same designs were present 
in his leg armour, and the back of his long black cape, which was lined with silver 
colored velvet.  His identity was hidden by a black mask that covered his eyes and the 
bridge of his nose.

	Sailor Jupiter took this opportunity to whisper to Sailor Venus, "He looks
_exactly_ like my old boyfriend."

	"Anndd whoooooo arrrrrrrreee yooou?" Phantom asked, regaining his voice.

	"Tell your mistress that her old Master is back," the man said.

	"My missssssstrrrressssssss hassssss noooo massssterrrrr!" Phantom 
screeched.

	"She did.  Pass my message, and she shall know who I am."  

	The man waved his hand, and immdiatly, the Phantom screamed in pain and
melted into the shadows, and went back to his lair.  He turned his back to the awed 
Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, ready to leave.

	"Wait!" Sailor Moon shouted, stepping forward.

	The man half-turned, and asked, "Yes?"

	"Who are you?" Sailor Uranus demanded, angry at herself for trusting this
 strange man.

	"I am the Elemental Knight," the man answered, and they could see his smirk.
"Though most of you can call me Sensei."

	As murmers of astonishment and anger rang through the Senshi, the Elemental
Knight seemed to disappear.  To the shocked eyes of the Senshi, he reappeared between
Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto, both who had drawn together far away from the group when 
he had arrived.  He said a few words to Sailor Saturn, making her smile, and ruffled her
hair, causing her to make a face and stick out her tongue at him.  He laughed, and then
turned to Sailor Pluto.  He spoke even more softly to her, and she, with a strange look
on her face, spoke back, equally softly.  Saturn, with a knowing smile, joined the rest,
and watched as he took up her hand and kissed it gently before he disappeared.

*****

	"Who is he?"

	Hours had passed, and still, to the exasperation of the rest, Setsuna and 
Hotaru refused to answer clearly.  Even after listening to the same question thousands
of times, they gave a new answer each time.

	"He's someone we can trust."

	"He's an ally."

	"He's the only one who can beat this new evil."

	"He's someone you should know."

	"He's someone I am very close to."

	"He's _our_ Sensei."

	After hearing these clouded answers for over five hours, it was no wonder that
Minako, Makoto, Ami, Haruka, Michieru, Rei, Usagi, Mamoru, Artemis, and Luna were
_this_ close to blowing their tops.

	"CAN'T YOU GIVE US A BETTER ANSWER??" screamed Haruka, her face red.

	Setsuna stared calmly at her and for a second, her eyes seemed to glaze 
over for a nanosecond before she answered, "He's my boyfriend - fiancee, actually - from
the Silver Millenium."

	This no one was expecting - except Hotaru, who giggled - and there was a
resounding chorus of "WHAT???!!"

	"You heard her," Hotaru smiled.  "He's also my adoptive brother from the Silver
Millenium."

	"HUH??!!"

	And together, after exchanging a mischevious glance, Setsuna and Hotaru asked
in unison with innocent expressions on their faces, "Was that a better answer?"

	A facevault was in good order, and after they had picked themselves up from
their kiss with the floor, they gaped at the smiling youngest and oldest Senshi of them all.
Suddenly, garnet eyes and dark purple eyes flickered, and the smiles disappeared, 
replaced with a more serious but amused look.

	"Look, he'll see us here tomorrow, he has something to do tonight," Setsuna
revealed.

	"What does he have to do?" Rei questioned warily.

	"We don't know," Hotaru confessed, and it was obvious that she was telling the
 truth.

	"When will he come?" Minako asked, twirling a strand of her hair around her 
finger.

	"At three," Setsuna answered.  She turned to look at Rei and sighed, "Remember
what the Sacred Fire told you."

	Rei thought back for a moment, and then gasped, "Trust the night!  Of course!"

	"What 'Of course!'?  How come I don't see an 'Of course!'?" Usagi asked, 
glancing around.

	"I thought the Sacred Fire meant night," explained Rei, with a growing smile.
  "But there is another word that sounds exactly like night."

	"And that would be.....?" Michieru asked.

	"I see!" Ami brightened.  "Trust the _knight_!"

	"Yes!" Rei grinned at her.

	"Trust the knight," Minako repeated.  

	"We already know that!" snapped Haruka.

	Rei shook her head and sighed, "No!  Not knight as in night and day, knight as
 in shining armour and white horses, coming to rescue of the beautiful princess!"

	"Oh!!!!" realized Luna.  "Of course!  That would mean..."

	"We should trust the Elemental Knight?" Artemis asked.

	"Yes, unless you see another knight in this time and age," shrugged Rei.

	"So we trust your boyfried, whoops, _fiancee_ and _your_ brother," Haruka
said, looking skeptically at Setsuna and Hotaru.  "For now."

	"One wrong move tomorrow, and POW!"  Makoto punched her fist into her 
palm with great force.

	Setsuna and Hotaru exchanged smiles, each thinking the same thing.

	**_If_ you can manage to even get _near_ him with an attitude like _that_.**

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To be continued in Part 10.

~~~~~Jade Hunter~~~~~