Episode 1:  A Flower Blooms

	I sighed happily and closed my eyes, after a few moments feeling lips 
gently brush mine.  I smiled and giggled.
	"Tristan," I murmured and opened my eyes...
	To see my clock, which said 4:37.  Am.  Ouch.
	I turned over and moaned, "Why can?t it be real?"  Muttering 
something about being invisible, I plopped the pillow over my head and 
slowly drifted back to sleep.

	I stood on the balcony of a castle, looking out over a beautiful 
garden.  Below me was every kind and color of blossom to be seen, vines
and shrubbery, everything.  I was dressed in a flowing gown, reflecting
iridescent the blue of the sky and myraid hues of the flowers below.  My
long dark blonde hair was up in my usual pigtails, but they felt regal,
almost royal now.  I felt calm and serene, looking over this somehow
familiar place.
	I suddenly felt a presence and turned quickly.  An elegant, willowy 
woman with my features was coming toward me, holding a small round object 
out to me.  She quickly pressed it into my hands and whispered to me.  "You 
have a special destiny, Princess..."  And then there was nothing.

	I yawned and turned over again.  "Don?t wanna get up," I muttered.  
But something hard was poking into my stomach, so I got up anyway.  I sat 
up, frowning at the culprit.  Blinking to clear my eyes in the morning 
sunlight, I finally focused on a pin.  Not like a stick pin, but a brooch 
sort of.  I stared down at it, wondering where it had came from.  But it was 
cute, a neat little gold locket-looking thing with a hippie flower on it, 
in little cabochon jewels: blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, and the 
middle was purple.  So I picked it up and looked more carefully at it, 
noting a place on the back to pin it on or put a chain through it.
	"Well," I thought sleepily, "guess it?s mine now."  I tossed it on 
top of that day?s chosen outfit, and went off to shower.

	I was glad it was Saturday.  I wondered what school was going to be 
like in a few days.  Summer was ending too soon, but there were good points 
to school.  Like Tristan...  Ah, yes, Tristan Andres, who barely knew my 
name.  But wasn?t that the way it always was?  I didn?t mind, as long as I 
knew he was there.  And as long as Amberle, my best friend, was there.  She 
and I are so alike, you?d swear we were related.  We sort of look alike, our 
dark blonde hair and her aqua eyes, but my eyes are green.  Yet even without 
all that, she's still my best friend.

	I tiptoed back into my room, squeezing the water from my hair into 
the towel.  Wondering, I looked at the pretty locket again and carefully 
picked up the piece of jewelry.  
	"So where did you come from, eh?" I wondered.  I felt something 
oddly familiar about the little brooch, as if from a dream, and set it down 
again.  I had better things to do than stare at a lost pin.  Like getting 
ready for today?s excursion with Amberle.  We were going to an anime 
convention that the touring Sailor V was rumored to be at in Denver, a few 
hours away from our city of Lunar Valley.  Amberle and I loved the cool 
Japanese anime, manga and video games, so this was a treat.  It was cool
that Sailor V was touring, especially here in America.
	I dressed, put on makeup and jewelry, swept up my locks into their 
usual style, and pinned on the cute brooch.  I admired it in the mirror, 
thinking how cute it went with my outfit when I heard the doorbell ring.
	I got the door, finding Amberle there, ready to go.  She noticed my 
new piece immediately.
	"Sunny!  How cute!" she said, pointing.  "Where did you get it?"
	"I don?t know, it was in my bed this morning," I answered truthfully.
	"Think your mom put it there?" Amberle questioned.
	I looked down at the locket pinned on my bibs and shook my head.  
"Doubt it, I don?t know where it came from."  I shrugged.  "Oh, well.  Let?s 
go!"

	We arrived on the scene, there were tons of people already there.  
Anime and manga stuff everywhere, this was a dream come true!  We even saw a 
few dressed as Sailor V.  Amberle and I grinned as we paid our fee and 
entered heaven.
	We walked around for about half the day, the good shows didn?t start 
until 1:00.  But there were plenty of booths, stuff to buy, things to eat, 
all that jazz.  Pretty soon I had to do the bathroom thing, so I left 
Amberle drooling over a stack of cels from a Sailor V movie and walked off 
to find one.  The place had become a virtual maze, booths and partitions 
blocking my way.  I managed to squeeze my way behind a stage, probably 
someplace I shouldn?t have been, but I was getting desperate.  All of the 
sudden a little white cat was sniffing at me and just generally pestering 
me.
	"Huh?" I said, highly surprised.  "A cat?"
	The cat blinked up at me calmly; it had a crescent moon with the 
points going upward on its forehead.  I stared back in total confusion.
	"Sunny..." he said, in a clearly male voice.  Said...?
	"What?" I answered before it sunk in that a cat was talking.  And 
that it knew my name.
	"I see you have hana locket." He nodded.  "Good.  It?s time."
	Things were beginning to catch on.  "Um, number one, how can you 
talk?  Number two, how do you know my name?  And number three, time for 
what?"  I asked far too calmly.  "And what did I eat this morning?" I 
wondered.
	The white cat tilted its head to one side.  "All right, you are 
entitled to know."  He cleared his throat; I almost had to laugh at that.  
"My name is Artemis, I am here with Sailor V.  I have also been looking for 
you, Sunny."
	"Looking for me?" I asked incredulously.
	"Yes," he answered, matter-of-factly.  "You have heard of Sailor 
Moon?"
	"Sailor Moon?"  I echoed.  "No, but I?ve heard of Sailor V."
	"In essence, the same thing," Artemis explained.  "Except Sailor 
Moon is doing more than touring right now, she is fighting for this earth, 
as you are destined to do."
	"What, fight?  Fight who?"
	"The Dark Force that is taking over this world, taking the energy of 
it, from people.  That?s why I am here." He paused.  "I am looking for the 
Sailor Senshi, the ones who protect."
	"Senshi?" I repeated, trying to pronounce the foreign word.  "Huh?"
	He shook his head.  "Sailor Soldiers or Warriors.  Sailor Moon is 
the Sailor Senshi of the Moon." He looked directly at me.  "And you are the 
Sailor Senshi of Thalassa, satellite of Neptune!"
	"What?"  This was getting way too weird.  I turned to leave, I -had- 
to find that bathroom now.
	"Sun-chan!  Wait!" The little cat called after me.  What had he 
called me?  I turned back.
	"Please listen, if you?re ever in trouble, that Flower Locket can 
get you out.  Just say ?Flower Prism Power, Make Up? and you will see," he 
said, with all urgency.  "And keep your ears open for information on Sailor 
Moon, you will hear about her."
	I looked down at the little cat, debating.  I sighed.
	"How do you know this?" I asked.
	"I am the guardian of Sailor V, or Sailor Venus," he stated.  "I am 
to help find the rest of the Sailors.  You are a Senshi, but a different 
kind, I feel a different energy from you.  Like the power of the other, 
lesser moons."
	"So I?m a Sailor V, then, is that it?  A Senshi?"
	"You are, and you have a duty here.  Please help us!  This evil 
power cannot take over, if it does, we will all perish!"  He looked at me, 
the blue eyes pleading. "Please, Sunny."
	I sighed, watching Artemis.  Then I smiled.  "I will do what I can, 
Artemis.  Please give my support to the other Sailor Senshi, whoever they are."
	"Sun-chan, you are brave, that is good.  I will give the Senshi your 
message.  But for now, farewell, and take care." And with that, the cat 
bounced off into the shadows of the stage.  I
watched, then looked down at my little locket.  The "Flower Locket"?
	"Flower Prism Power Make Up, huh?  Well, whatever comes," I thought, 
and finally wandered my way to the bathroom.

	I finally managed to catch up with Amberle again.
	"What took so long?" she asked.
	"Um," I hesitated, not wanting to explain my strange encounter yet, 
"couldn?t find the bathroom."
	"Oh, it?s right over there." She pointed down the aisle, to a 
clearly marked sign.  I sighed in defeat.  Amberle just laughed.
	"Hey, aren?t the shows starting now?" I asked, checking my watch.
	"Yes, the Sailor V one is starting in five minutes," she answered.  
"Let?s go!"
	"Yeah!"  And we raced off to the stage presentation area.
	There, people were gathering for a panel of "Tenchi Muyo" voice 
actors and actresses.  Then a live action Sailor V show was going to be put 
on.  That?s what Amberle and I were waiting for, but the way the place was 
filling up, we decided to check out the Tenchi Muyo thing to get a good seat 
for the next part!  It was pretty cool, and funny, the way everyone 
interacted.
	But then the Sailor V show started.  A cute, pretty girl in a 
Japanese school uniform came out. She had long, light blond hair up in a 
bright red bow and blue eyes, and she carried a little white cat.  Artemis!  
I was shocked, but hadn?t he said he was here with her?  Was this the real 
Sailor V, Sailor Venus?  She spoke about a robbery, then ran off the stage.  
Suddenly, several thug-looking guys stepped out from the shadows.  The back 
part of the stage was lit to display a bank setting, of which the "thugs" 
made the move to rob.
	Then, just in time, Sailor V appeared!  She scared off the bad guys 
and returned the nearly stolen money.  But then something strange happened.  
The bad guys she had just beat got up and came after her again.  People 
began to head for the exits, but they were sealed.  Sailor V looked as 
shocked as everyone else in the audience.
	"This wasn?t in the script," she said, backing away.  Then I saw 
Artemis on the stage, trying to shout above all the screaming and noise.  I 
stood, knowing something was terribly wrong here. Amberle shouted to me to 
run, but I just stood.  
	Suddenly, a violet light swirled on stage and cleared, revealing a 
smirking woman in some sort of uniform.  Her poker-straight black hair swung 
to her shoulders, nasty dark violet eyes gazed out over the panicked crowd.  
She turned and her gaze fell on the hapless Sailor V, who scowled back at 
the woman.  The woman just smiled a true evil smile and sent several of the
thug-monsters, as they had now become, at her.  I yelled in anger; Artemis, 
on the edge of the
stage, heard me.  I looked to see him beckoning at me.  
	I looked back in puzzlement, what could I do?  Then I remembered.  
But I?d have to hurry, something was happening to all the people around me.  
They were falling down in exhaustion, but not like one normally would.  I 
felt a little tired, but they were dropping, even Amberle was going down.  I 
looked around wildly, the woman still hadn?t noticed me yet.  I nodded, 
determined, toward Artemis.  Then...
	"Flower Prism Power..." I shouted, throwing a hand in the air, "Make 
Up!"  Eyes closed, I felt myself stripped away from my body and lifted up 
into the air.  I flew weightless, and then felt the pressure of clothes 
against my non-skin; a body suit, gloves, boots, skirt, collar and jewelry.  
My pigtails were flying wildly, swirling around me.  Spinning in midair, I 
opened my eyes, feeling right, and just -stopped-.  I stopped, and it was as 
if I had posed; I stood, feet planted, one hand raised straight above my 
head in a V peace signal, and the other on my hip.  
	I looked down at myself quickly.  I was dressed similar to Sailor V, 
with several changes.  Instead of the two piece costume, I wore an 
iceskater-esque suit, but a sailor suit, like Sailor V.  The pleated skirt 
was in rainbow colors, a color to a pleat, violet, blue, green, yellow, and 
pink; and a violet collar.  The gloves were white with the bands on my elbows 
pink, yellow, and blue.  The bow in front was pink and the Flower Locket was 
pinned to the middle of it.  The back bow was green; I felt a tiara across 
my brow.  I had on a violet choker with a flower on it, and matching 
earrings; the flower signet adorned the tops of my knee high violet boots 
too.
	"Who am I?" I thought.  I remembered Artemis? words, 'You are the 
Sailor Senshi of Thalassa, satellite of Neptune!'
	"Sailor Thalassa, I think not," I decided.  "Not with this 
getup!"
	Up on stage, Sailor V (or was it Venus now?) was in a bit of 
trouble.  The black haired woman looked on impassively.  I looked up at her 
cruel watching, and felt a need to get her.  I ran forward and jumped atop 
the stage, finding myself more agile and faster.  The woman?s head turned at 
my appearance.
	"Who are you?" she asked in a menacing tone.
	I smiled inwardly.  <"Not Sailor Thalassa...">
	"I am Sailor FlowerPower, Sailor Senshi of Thalassa, protector of 
peace and justice!"  I raised a hand and brought it down, pointing it at 
her.  "You have disturbed that peace, and because of that, in the name of 
Thalassa, I?ll punish you!"
	The woman looked unimpressed.  I was confused.
	"You a Senshi?" she laughed.  "Don?t be ridiculous!"  She suddenly 
brought forth a violet energy ball that rested easily between her hands, and 
flung it at me.  My eyes went wide in shock, but luckily I remembered to get 
my butt in gear.  I leaped to the side, barely dodging the energy ball. She 
grinned and pointed another at me.
	"I will finish you quickly, luckily for you.  But first you will 
know who defeated you, Sailor FlowerPower.  I am Amythite," she stated, and 
flew the second ball at me.  I cringed and closed my eyes in fear, waiting 
for the thing to end my short life.
	But before the ball hit, something intercepted it, and it dissolved 
a moment before it touched my skin.  I heaved a great sigh of relief, and 
looked up to see who, or what, had saved me.  Before me, a blue rose stuck 
out of the ground.  And above me, on a platform, stood the coolest person 
I?d ever seen.  A lone man in a tuxedo and cape, with a trident in his left 
hand and another blue rose in his right.  But he wore a mask that shimmered 
blue silver, like the sea, hiding his identity. I stared in fascination and 
intrigue.
	"One who dares harm the innocent for purpose of evil will not be 
forgiven.  You have disturbed a peace that is here to protect, and for that 
you will be punished!"  he announced bravely.  Then he leaped down from the 
platform, to the stage before me, facing Amythite.  The uniformed woman 
stepped back, obviously unnerved by this new foe.
	"Well, this is interesting," she muttered.  She leaped to hang 
suspended in the air, and sneered. "Another time then, Sailor FlowerPower!" 
she shouted to me, and disappeared in a swirl of violet light.  Her voice 
echoed back.  "I?ll leave you a pet of mine to keep you company, be sure to 
feed him!" she laughed.
	Out of the shadows, a massive, twisted creature appeared.  It was at 
least eight feet tall, and dressed like the gangsters in Sailor V.  I gasped 
and backed away on hands and knees.  Then I felt gloved hands on my arms, 
pulling me up.  I turned to find myself face to face with the masked man.  
Even with the mask, I could tell he was very handsome.  I blushed despite 
myself and the present situation.
	He smiled.  "It?s up to you now, fight this monster!" he encouraged.
	Artemis shouted from the side of the stage, "Sailor FlowerPower, 
throw your tiara and shout ?Flower Tiara Action!?  Do it!"
	I reached my hand up, but before I could do anything more, the 
monster lunged at the stranger and me.  The masked man snatched me up around 
the waist, and we dove to the side.  He pulled me up quickly again.
	"Do it now, Sailor FlowerPower!" he shouted.
	I nodded.  "Right!"  I raised a hand to the tiara spanning my 
forehead, slipping it off.  The jewel in the center was violet.  I raised it 
above my head, calling, "Flower Tiara-" I felt it go warm in my hand and 
change into a thin disc- "Action!" I swung my hand toward the monster, 
willing the lighted disc to hit.  It did, in a great shower of sparks, 
dissolving the creature.  My tiara, back to normal, clattered to the ground.  
	I stared in wonder.  "Did I just do that?"
	The masked man put his hands gently on my shoulders.  "Well done."
	I turned to look at him.  "Thanks to you," I said, dreamily.  "Who 
are you?"
	He smiled.  "I?m one here to help you, Sailor FlowerPower," he 
answered, standing.  He jumped atop the stage roof and saluted.  "I am 
Tuxedo Rose, and we will meet again.  Until then, be strong!" he called, and 
turned away.
	I watched in awe as he disappeared.  "What a dream," I thought.  I 
looked around again.  Artemis and Sailor V were no where to be seen, and 
everyone was beginning to wake up.  I moved quickly off the stage, and away, 
to a place to return to my 'normal' self.

	Amberle was worried when she saw me.
	"Sunny!  Are you ok?" she cried.  She looked rather shaken.
	"Amberle!  I?m fine," I answered.  I hugged my best friend and 
smiled. "Never been better!"
	She looked at me for a moment, puzzled, but shrugged it off.  "Did 
you see what happened?  The bad guys were real, and there was another Sailor 
V, but she was different!  It was incredible!"
	I tried very hard not to smile.  "Wow, it sounds exciting.  I think 
I fainted when everyone started running," I lied.  I figured it might be a 
better idea to keep my new secret just like that, a secret. But things at 
the convention center were shutting down, apparently Sailor V?s player had
disappeared too.  So...
	"Let?s head home, it?s been a long day," I said.  I touched the 
Flower Locket on my bibs.  "And I bet they?re just going to get longer from 
here out," I thought.


Ep. 1 - http://eternal.dreamhost.com/fanfics/ss1.txt
Beverly "Usagi" Alliss - beverly@magicalgirls.net
Merlyn "Ami" Baker - yumesan@yahoo.com
First Written, 1998.  Recent Editing, May 2000.

Tsuki no Yume
http://eternal.dreamhost.com/fanfics/