Benj Lovette was late for rehearsal again.  This was the third day in a row he
was late, and the director would have probably thrown him off the cast had it not been
for the tiny fact that he was director.  And he was choreographing the entire thing. 
Personally, he thought he had the right to be late occasionally.  
     Tokyo University's Actor's Guild was something of a joke, and while Benj
appreciated most jokes, he was not amused by the tidbits that were currently circulating
about his pet project.  First of all, not even the drama department took it seriously, and
in its two-year existence, it had gone through twelve directors.  Secondly, a few
untalented actors were now starting rumors that Benj was playing favorites, even though
he was the only one in the Guild even reasonably experienced with play production. 
Thirdly, not many of Tokyo University's fifteen thousand students wanted to see a Greek
comedy like Lysistrata.  The last time Benj had posted a suggestion box, most of the
requests and ideas were play versions of popular movies like Halloween, and gasp,
Titanic.  
     Benj laughed to himself as he entered the battered preforming arts building,
"How in the heck do they propose I do Titanic in a drafty playhouse with three
spotlights and a special effect budget of twelve dollars and forty-three cents.  I suppose
if it rained really hard on the day of the premier we could get some nice flooding effects
for free through the cracks in the ceiling."
     He heard a muffled giggle behind him and turned to see who had laughed (or
rather, tried not too).  He was greeted by the uneven boards of the stage door.  He
shrugged, and turned back to his busy entourage of female cast-members.  His eyes
didn't catch the silky white form that'd been tailing him for the majority of the day as it
disappeared into the catwalks.          

Play Opening Song (Moonlight Legend)
Series Title, Sailor Moon: Knights of the Cosmos
Episode Title (2) The Platinum Paladin

     "Great job, everyone!" called Benj as his last disciple left the ratty building that on
good days could have been called an auditorium.  He puttered around, straightening
various pieces of equipment, sweeping off the stage, and making sure the costumes
were in order for their first dress rehearsal. 
     He was in the middle of mopping the stage when he happened to glance back
at the stage door.  In front of the door, casually watching him mop, was a slender, fluffy
white cat.  He was startled, then he remembered that the building was by no means
cat-proofed.  Far from it, really, for all Benj knew it really was raining hard out there and
the cat had just leaked through the ceiling.
     "I better hope that it didn't rain pit bulls too," remarked Benj drily to himself as
he finished the job.  After he had replaced the bucket and mop in the alcove that
passed for a broom closet, he doused the lights, and was about to exit, stage right,
when he suddenly remembered the phantom cat.
     "Here kitty, kitty, kitty," called Benj, as he peered into the semi-darkness.  He was
startled by a petite meow directly behind him.  He turned to find the graceful cat behind
him, daintily bathing a paw.
     "How on earth did you get out here?  You were just inside!" Benj asked the cat,
glancing at it incredulously. Exasperated with himself, he rolled his eyes, "Well, I doubt
I'm trapped in doctor Doolittle, and I bet you're not one of those good luck cats who
can tell fortunes.  You're probably not going to answer, are you?"
     The small white cat simply looked innocent, and meowed again.
      Benj shrugged, "Well, whoever you may be, I am in no mood to find out.  What
with that little incident at the park the other day, this week has been far too surrealistic
for my tastes." he caught himself again, "And yet it gets stranger.  Here I am, standing
in the middle of a parking lot having a conversation with a Houdini cat, things can't get
much more surrealistic.  Maybe if I kiss you, you'll turn into a beautiful woman who'll go
out to dinner with me." he thought for a moment, "Scratch that, beautiful women never
want to go to dinner with me.  I may believe in miracles, but that's a pretty tall order,
even for a magical wish-granting genie cat.  Still, it's worth a shot . . ." 
     Benj stooped and kissed the flustered feline before she could react.  She turned
a rosy shade of pink as she blushed, but unfortunately for Benj, she didn't go through
any other transformations.
     "Drat!" sighed Benj as he regarded the unchanged kitty, "Well, now that I've taken
advantage of you, the least I can do is offer you that dinner."
     He scooped up the bewildered cat before she could react, and set off for his
apartment, with Pheobe under his arm.  After a moment of frustrated scrabbling,
Pheobe gave up and settled into the most un-lady-like position.

                              ~*~ 
     "Wow," said Mina as she tried on the slinky harem pants and tied the scarf
around her face, "Don't I look exactly like Samantha?"
     "Wrong show, Samantha was on Bewitched, you mean Jeanie," corrected Ami
absently as she browsed through the costume rack.
     "Same difference," laughed Mina as she pulled a huge fluffy hat off a shelf.
Throwing fashion sense to the wind, she pulled it on and it swallowed her whole head. 
Lita pounced on the opportunity,
     "Gee, Mina, you look a lot better that way!"
     "But you can't see my lovely face."
     "I know," Lita giggled.
     "I'd come after you if I could see anything through this thing."
     "Hey, Blondie," picked Lita good-naturedly, "Why don't you take it off.  It might
improve your vision!"
     "You can't see me right now, but I'm sticking my tongue out at you."
     Unamused by their antics, Ami broke in, "You guys!" she remonstrated, "You two
are worse than double trouble over there," she finished, gesturing to Rei and Serena
who were fighting over a frilly princess gown.
     "Aw, Ami, we're just fooling around," replied Lita.
     "Yeah, and anyway, Lita is just jealous of my charm and beauty."
     Lita pulled a comical face as Ami answered, "Well in that case I suppose I'm
jealous of you two because of your amazing ability to repel the opposite sex."
     Mina made a face this time, as she yanked the frilly hat off her head. 
     "Hey you guys," cried out Terra, from the bargain bin at the back of the store,
"Come look at what I found!"
     The other five girls quit their picking and followed Terra's voice.  When they
found her, she was standing in front of a rack with the some of the most interesting
costumes they'd ever seen, most notably, an entire rack of Robin Hood-esque clothing
at very reasonable prices. 
     "You know how we were all trying to find some theme of costumes we could all
wear together for the Tokyo University Halloween Party David invited us to?  Well, I
think I may have found it!" announced Terra proudly.
     "Ewwwey!" Serena made a very unpleasant face, "I was hoping we'd all get to be
lovely princesses, like in those pretty dresses up front."
     "But we don't have that much money," reminded Lita.
     "Yeah, and princess are way to overdone anyway," decided Mina, "Plus, there is
always Maid Marian if you still want to be a princess."
     "No way!" cried out Rei in protest, "I want to be Maid Marian, and anyway, I look
more royal and elegant and English than Serena does."
     "But I'm a real princess!" Serena fought back.
     "Well, you sure don't act very much like one, do you meatball-head?"
     "Guys, guys!" broke in Ami, "Why don't we all draw lots.  I'll write all the
costumes down on pieces of paper and we'll put them in Mina's hat.  Whatever you
pick, that's what you get, and no switching to avoid argument, O.K.?"     
     "Whoo, hoo," agreed Rei loudly, then glancing to see that Serena was occupied,
she whispered to Ami, "So Ames ol buddy, ol pal, did ya stuff the ballot box for me?"
     "No, Rei,"
     Serena looked hopeful.
     "And to answer your question, Serena, I'm not going to let you cheat either."
     "All right, I guess," Serena agreed begrudgingly.
     Ami obligingly put all the names into a hat and let Lita choose first.
     "Neat.  I'm Little John, but you can call me Little Lita." 
     Terra drew next, "Great, I'm the Minstrel Dale.  I've always wanted to be lyrical."
     Then Ami, "Robin Hood.  I guess that will fit since I have such short hair.  I
won't even have to wear a hat."
     Then Rei drew excitedly, "WHAT!!! I have to be the Sheriff of Nottingham?  But I
wanted to be Maid Marian!"
     Then Serena drew.
     "Well," said Rei, "At least you can't end up any worse off than I am."
     "FRIAR TUCK!" cried out Serena, "No fair!  I'm going to have to be fat and
bald!"
     "Remember Serena," reminded Ami, "You promised."
     "I know, but I thought I was going to be Maid Marian," Serena fit one more good
whine in before the others turned to Mina.
     "I guess I'm Maid Marian, huh?"

                              ~*~
     "Have you finished cooking our dinner yet?" asked Benj, as he struggled through
the remains of his freshman Biology lab report.
     "No, It's not." responded Terrence drily from the kitchen, "That's the tenth time
you've asked in five minutes."
     "So I'm hungry."
     "You're always hungry."
     "So I'm a growing boy."
     "Oh, I forgot, and boy is the operative word, although I wouldn't use growing to
describe you.  What did you top out at this week?  Five feet?"
     "I am five foot seven for your information, and it's not that I'm short, it's that
you're enormous and ungainly, Mr. Tokyo Tower."
     "I stand corrected."
     "It's amazing you stand anywhere in this apartment.  The ceiling's too low.  Ba
da bing!"
     "You know, you really ought to hire someone to do that for you.  None of the
established comedians do it themselves."
     "So where do you think I'm going to get all this money?  It's not like I have
some rich uncle who can pay for all my stage productions.  It's a good thing I though
of that Halooween party to help pay off our debts, or the show might not go on."
     "I thought of it."
     "What?"
     "The Halloween Party for area teens that the Actor's Guild is hosting.  I thought
of it, remember?  You asked me if I could think of anyway for you to make money, and
I told you about it."
     "Whatever.  You, me, we're all part of the same warm fuzzy family-type group,
what with you working the stage lights for us and all . . . " Benj snuck in at the last
moment.
     "I told you.  I can't do that for three of your performances, and no buts.  I have
some very important tests those days.  But, maybe I can help you find someone to fill
in for me."
     "Please do!"
     "I will, and yes, dinner is now done.  You'd better hurry before I feed your plate to
that cat you brought home.  By the way, what are you going to call her?"
     Benj thought for a moment, then answered, "I think I'll call her Myrhinne."
     From her spot on the top of a bookshelf, Pheobe rolled her eyes.
                              ~*~
     Image Knight was still in mourning.  The death of her 'children' so devastated
her that she had trouble concentrating on the job that was at hand, and that job was
an incredibly important one.  The fate of her world rested upon it.
     The High Druidic Sorceress Erylus was counting on her to obtain the five items
necessary for the revival of their world.  If Erylus did not receive assistance soon,  then
the foes that threatened their world would surely win, and then everything that Image
knew and loved would be destroyed.  Forever.  No turning back and no pieces left to
put together.
     She wept silently for a long time.  She mourned all the friends she'd lost and all
the others she was likely to loose before this affair was settled.  Then, in the silence of
her soul, a new resilience broke through.
     No one else was going to die.  She was going to heal everything and everyone,
by herself.  There was no reason for anyone else to suffer.  She was going to make a
difference, even if it killed her.
                              ~*~
     In a soft, dreamlike room that was flooded with light, Shadow Knight sent out
tendrils of feeling, trying to sense his other half's presence.  She was difficult to locate,
on the strange plane the High Sorceress had sent her to, but when he found her, he
was slightly daunted by the change in her attitude.
     Image had definitely changed.  She was no longer the soft and soulful artist he
fallen in love with so long ago.  Now she seemed steeled against failure.  She was
prepared to die for what she thought was necessary, something that stunned Shadow
Knight.
     He knew that the fate of the world depended on their mission, but he knew very
well that his world would be nothing without his pure, sweet Image Knight.  When she
left, he'd have sworn that Image would be the least likely to do anything rash out of all
the Knights, but now, with her new 'Win or die' attitude she sounded like she was very
close to being a loose cannon.
     He would have to speak with the Sorceress about that.  If nothing else, it was a
security risk, and if the Sorceress took it seriously, then perhaps his Image would be
returned to him.  After a moment of thought, he smoothly slipped over the soft stone
floor like satin in his silky robes, off to find the Sorceress and inform her of their
dilemma.
                              ~*~
     "Benjamin Lovette, please wake up."                              
          Benj rolled over in his sleep.
     "Wake up, Benjamin!" 
     Benj slowly came awake.  He glanced around the room, looking for the source of
the sound.  He knew that a woman had spoken to him as he lay sleeping, and he knew
very well that there were no women in a ten-mile radius of his darkened bedroom.  He
was disconcerted as his gaze circled once more before they settled on the one
illuminated object in the dark room.
     The white cat he'd dubbed Myrhine resembled a polished Greek column as she
stood in the moonlight.  Her fur glittered silver and the pale golden moon on her
forehead glowed slightly.  Benj was slightly unnerved before he blew it off.
     "Come on, Myrhine, turn off the night light and go to bed!"
     He was startled to had the silver cat answer, "It is not a night light!  The
crescent seal is the most honorable sigil in the solar system!"            
     He regarded the cat in disbelief, "Cats can't talk."
     "No joke," she replied sarcastically, "But I'm not exactly an ordinary cat.  I am
Pheobe Silvertsukineko and high advisor to the Knights of the Cosmos."
     Benj ignored the cat and set his mind to the problem of figuring out what
exactly had caused this hallucination, he settled upon an answer almost a t once,
     "It had to be that stew Terrence made.  I thought it tasted a little funny. 
Terrence told me it was the carrots, but now I know!"
     "I had some.  It was the carrots, I assure you," remarked Pheobe.
     "But if you're the hallucination, you're not going to tell me you don't exist,
because if you did you wouldn't.  So I can't believe you."
     "Brilliant logic, Socrates.  Would you care to disprove how I can recite ten lines
out of a poem you don't know?  If I'm a hallucination, I ought not to be able to do
that."
     "Well, I bet you can't."
     "I can, and I will," she retorted, then cleared her throat, "Linris miarice, telueri
minolian, nacera celenian, mioan mioras.  Miascere clestinere, Roabur niamurer. 
Mureine alreine, Soliens soliere. Lunaris alatrist, myanis mioras."
     "Well didn't it just sound poetic?" he responded drily, "Except that it's gibberish."
     "Gibberish!" Pheobe sputtered, "That was Lunari Felanise, the most elegant and
complex form of poetry in the solar system!  It IS poetry, and it is not my problem that
you are a lowbrow who doesn't speak Lunari."
     "Well that's swell.  I can read Greek and I'm a lowbrow. Hah!  I know for sure
that you're a figment now.  You couldn't even pass your own test!  I'm going back to
bed."
     Pheobe sighed, "I had hoped you would be rational about this and I wouldn't
have to resort to other tactics, but, as the situation calls . . ."
     She slapped a claw-enforced paw across Benj's uncovered leg, and it left a triad
of red streaks.
     "Yow!" he cried out, "Why'd you do that for?"
     "Simple.  You would listen to logic, so I had to give you something to listen to,
some proof if you will."
     He rubbed his injured knee, and then shrugged.
     "Ok.  We've established the fact that you're a real talking cat and I am not
having a nightmare due to Terrence's stew.  Now, that I know you can talk, what do you
want?"
     She nodded her head appreciatively, "Capital! I'm  glad you see the advantages of
cooperation.  Now on to business.  I suppose you've heard of the Sailor Senshi?"
     "Yeah, sure, everyone has.  Cute girls, short skirts, battling for justice.  Yeah, I
know about them.  So?  What do they have to do with a talking cat and a college
student?"
     "Give me a moment!" she flustered, collecting her thoughts.  How by the virgin
Queen was she going to tell him?
     She cleared her throat again, and tried the blunt approach, "Consider yourself a
male Senshi."
     "What!" he practically yelled, "What do you mean I'm a Senshi?"
     "Well, you're not technically a Senshi.  More appropriately, a Knight.  You are
actually a protector of one of the Senshi.  Venus to be exact.  Ahem.  Let me tell you
what I know of the current situation.  
     Long ago there was a wonderful Kingdom on the Moon.  It was aptly called the
Moon Kingdom, as you, being a scholar, might guess.  This Kingdom not only
encompassed the moon but nine other planets in this solar system.  Each of these
planets had a guardian deity who chose a female avatar to be the protector of the
planet, thus the royal lines of each of the planets were established. A female avatar was
always the primary protector of each planet, however eventually the deities decided that
one protector was not enough, so they granted that each planet might cyclically choose
a male Knight whose job it was to protect the avatar and the planet.  The deities also
made it possible for a Knight and Avatar of  planet to summon the most powerful
defense the planets had (besides the Knight and Avatar) the Photon Crystals.
     Despite all these precautions, an evil force still managed to conquer the Moon
Kingdom, and so the Queen at the time, Serenity I, sent her court (the avatars) and
their protectors to the future.  She also sent me and three other cats, and yes, we all
talk.  The Queen hoped that no evil would arise in the future, er, present day, but
unfortunately it did, twice.  And now it seems to be happening again.  This I feel
justified that I have the right to bring you back to duty, Venus Knight."
     Benj blinked.
     "Do you understand?"
     Benj blinked again. 
     Pheobe sighed, "It looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way again."
     She did an elegant flip, and at the apex a beam of golden light solidified into a
platinum ring with a tiger-eye stone set into it.  Around the base of the ring cryptic
runes spelled out words in Lunari and Aphros, the language of Venus, and the sign of
Venus Knight was etched into the stone.
     She handed the ring to Benj.
     "Hold this over your head and say, 'Venus Power.'"
     Benj blinked again, and took the ring.  He sighed, and shrugged.
     "VENUS POWER."
     A beam of pure golden light erupted from the ring's stone as it pulled itself out
of his hand, then floated above him.  The beam quickly spun itself around him, racing
and swirling.  As it circled, it became a line of golden stars infused with light and
crescents.  The single constellation suddenly branched and split into two, and they raced
each other around Benj's ankles, in a flash, he was wearing a pair of military style
slacks, black, with thin, golden piping.  The stars skirted around his arms and they
crossed his chest, completing a black military dress coat, also with golden piping.  With
a twist, they had created a thin black belt with a platinum buckle, and a high, stiff,
golden collar.  One of the lines of stars traced his feet, creating black dress boots, the
other chased his hands, making white dress gloves trimmed in platinum and gold on the
bells.  Finally, one of the lines of stars slid through the ring and pulled it 'round Benj's
neck, creating a platinum chain and the ring fell center.  The other raced round Benj,
and in a flash, they were no longer stars, but a crescent-moon-shaped platinum
boomerang that flew to Benj's hand.  Somewhat startled to be in such a strange form,
nonetheless, Benj posed, the boomerang back behind his head, ready to launch.
     "Behold the Platinum Paladin also known as Venus Knight, leader of the Knights
of the Cosmos," remarked Pheobe quietly as Benj looked down at himself.
     Benj sighed heavily and responded,
     "Tell me how to get out of this thing.  I want to go back to bed so I can have
normal bad dreams."
                              ~*~
     "Oh wow, Mina.  You look so great!  I'm almost not jealous that I'm not Maid
Marian," complemented Serena as Mina finished putting on her costume make-up.
     "Well, Serena, I'm sure you'll look like a great Friar Tuck!" returned bouncy Mina
as she straightened her hair.
     "Uh, thanks, Mina, I think," replied Serena.
     The girls were all getting ready fro the Halloween party at Mina's house where
Serena was sure her father couldn't meet Darien, again.
     "Hey Serena, why don't you polish you bald head some more, it's not shiny
enough."
     "Rei, that's so mean!" cried Serena as she stuffed another pillow into the robes
she was wearing, "At least you're not dressed like a walrus!  I can't believe you wouldn't
let me use the Lunar Pen again, Luna!"
     "Guys!" interceded Ami as she put on her plumed hat, "Darien and David will be
here any moment and you two are still arguing like children.  I'm not studying for my
Calculus test next week so I can go to this party with you guys and all you can do is
argue.  Can you two please calm it down for a little while?"
     The two girls looked guilty.
     "Sorry, Ames."
     "Yeah, sorry Ami."
     "It's okay.  I understand, I guess."
     "Don't worry, Ami.  If they get out of hand I can always whop them with my big
stick."
     "It's a staff or bo, Lita." corrected Terra, hefting her own weapon, an old clunky
mandolin she'd picked up at a thrift store for twenty dollars. 
     "Now, Serena," said Luna, "You know I am hitch-hiking, don't you?  There's no
way I'm letting you out of my sight at a party.  Remember what happened at the
Embassy Ball?"
     Serena sweatdropped, "So I had a teeny weeny cocktail.  It wasn't like I binge
drank Luna."
     "No buts.  I don't believe I'm saying this, but put me in a pillow and stuff me in
your tunic.  I want to be there so I can make sure no funny stuff goes on.  Is that
clear?"
     "If you say so Luna . . ." Serena shrugged and stuffed struggling Luna into her
costume, "You just be quiet and every thing will be fine."
     "Murmph!" said Luna.
     The two cars pulled up in front of Mina's house simultaneously, and as Celeus
was playing look-out, he alerted the girls immediately.  They lined up beside the door
and waited patiently as the two men puttered around in their cars for a few moments. 
Eventually, they knocked on the door and were granted admittance.
     "Well, if it's not the two Musketeers." said Terra giggling at their costumes. 
Darien and David had kept their costumes secret from the girls, afraid that if the girls
knew then they would chicken out of wearing, gulp, tights.
     "Wow Darien, you look so dashing and cute!  Even in tights!" cried out Serena
appreciatively.
     "And aren't you cute in your Tuck costume, meatball head?" responded Darien as
he took Serena's arm.  He flipped his hand around quickly and a rose appeared in it. 
He presented it to Serena.
     "Oh!  Your so wonderful, Muffin!" cried Serena ecstatically and then she gave
Darien a kiss.
     "I wish I could do that," sighed David, as Terra waited expectantly, "There are
some advantages to rose magic."
          Disengaged from his kiss, Darien turned to the others.
     "Now, which of you is riding with me, and which of you are riding with David?"
     Ami responded first.  "Rei and Mina with David and Terra; and then you, Serena,
and I."
     "Someone wants to ride with Darien . . .Ooooh," cried out Serena, "Well, you
can't have him, he's mine."
     "I don't want him.  I'm just trying to preserve peace."
     "Oh that's right.  Greg's back in town, huh?"
     Ami blushed. "What did you tell me last time we had a discussion about this?"
     "That I wouldn't tease anymore," remembered Serena, "But that was a long time
ago and didn't really happen cause it was all in my head!"*
     "Brilliant logic," murmured Ami drily.
     "On second thought, maybe Ami ought to ride with us and Rei ought to ride with
Darien . . ." Terra thought out loud.
                              ~*~
     "No, no, no!" cried out Benj in dismay, waving his arms about, "Those pumpkins
go over there and the food is supposed to be back here!  What does a person have to
do to get competent help around here?"
     "Sorry, Oh wise Leader," Terrence replied drily, "And here I thought I had a shred
of sense.  I suppose the pumpkins were supposed to be in that large puddle of
suspicious liquid over there."
     "Oh no!  One of them must be rotten!" he lamented, scooping rotten pumpkin
goo into a nearby trash bag.
     "Really?" asked Terrence, "Bravo. What judgment!  Here I thought it had just had
a bit too much to drink."
     "Come on," sighed Benj and he surveyed the room again, "No more snappy
repartee until we finish this mess."
     "Only if you promise to take a shower after you've disposed of that pumpkin goo. 
You'll frighten off all the females in a twenty-mile radius if you don't."
     "Why do you care?  You don't have a girlfriend."
     "My point exactly."
                              ~*~
     Although it got off to rather shaky beginnings, by eight o'clock the Actor's Guild
Halloween Party was in full swing.  Darien and Serena had taken several turns on the
dance floor and David was still attempting to coax Terra out of hiding.   
     Benj was proud of his achievement.  He'd gone a full two hours without even the
slightest mishap.  Then he noticed the slinky white cat watching the scene from the
rafters and remembered the previous night.  He twisted the platinum ring on his finger
nervously.  Pheobe had warned that he might be called to duty at any time and any
place, so he watched from the shadows as Pheobe watched from the catwalks of the
theater.
     Still not quite comfortable with his new responsibility, Benj pondered the idea of
telling his best friend, Terrence Lockwood.  Pheobe had advised against it.  She didn't
trust Terrence completely and had instructed Benj that he should choose his secret
keepers wisely.  Obviously he would tell someone, but it was very important that he not
tell certain people that were not directly involved with the situation.
     Benj sighed again.  He'd been doing that a lot recently, this responsibility thing
could certainly bring on melancholy.
     "Next thing you know I'll be a regular tragic poet.  Tuberculosis and everything."
                              ~*~
     Image was silent as she observed the gaiety inside the old theater building.  At
this point, she cared nothing for such finery.  True, there had been a time when one of
her greatest delights had been treading the promenade in the finest of gowns on the
arm of her prince charming, Shadow Knight.  That had been before their call to duty.
     When she had been but a poet and artist.  The loveliest poet in the land, but a
simple poet nonetheless.  He had been a great mage before his awakening and
translation into Shadow Knight.  An intelligent and obstinate man who had charmed her
with his quiet ways before he himself even knew it, he had proposed to her a few days
before the cataclysm that had nearly destroyed their world.
     They had been so certain of the future then.  Now the future rested in her hands. 
She was free to shape and mold it as she willed, and she willed her world whole again. 
The only way she would ever be at peace and able to stay with her Shadow Knight
would be if she were victorious, or if they both died.  She was not going to let the latter
happen.  If there was a single thing that she valued above the soul of the world, it was
life, not matter what kind.
     If she reclaimed the five and then the one, then her home could be reforged, as
legend stated.  If she succeeded, then life would live again, and so might she.  And so
might Shadow Knight.
     As she settled to draw, she resolved her will.
     She would not fail.
     She would restore the peace
                              ~*~
     Pheobe was watching the minor gala absently.  She had spotted the civilian
Sailor Senshi and her other Knight early on, but was now so lulled by the inaction of
the current situation that she almost dozed.  However, her momentary lapse was soon
snapped into realization when she heard a scream from below on the cleared dance
floor.  The sight which met her eyes did not accord to the laws of logic, but of course,
then again, she herself did not adhere to logic.
     On the dance floor were several sleek lion-sized cat creatures.  They had silky,
inky fur, and most startling of all, folded raven wings jutted from their backs.  They
stalked about, obviously hunting for something.  Pheobe did not like the fact that they
were getting very close to the untransformed Serena.  The plainclothesed Senshi,
Tuxedo Mask, and Knight were backed into a corner in such a way that they could not
transform without alerting the rest of the room as to their identities.
     Her gaze immediately flipped to the place where Benj had been standing
moments before.  He was no longer there.  The lights blacked out and suddenly a
spotlight traced the form of a lone man standing in a deserted balcony.
     "Where evil resides in the hearts of men and beasts, there shall stalk the agent
of Justice.  I am the Platinum Paladin, Venus Knight!"
     'Wow,' thought Benj, even as he spoke the strange yet familiar words, 'I don't
think I have ever heard anything so cliched in my life.'
     "VENUS CRESCENT SMASH!" He cried out, hurling his crescent shaped
boomerang at the nearest of the creatures.  It dodged at the last moment and the
boomerang almost hit a figure as it came into the luminescence of the spotlight.
     "Watch it buddy," cried out the voice as it too dodged, "We're on your side, I
think.  I am Sailor Moon and I fight for love and justice! In the name of the Moon, I'll
punish you!"
     "And so will Sailor Mercury!" cried the blued haired Senshi as she stepped into
the light.
     "And Sailor Mars!"
     "And Sailor Jupiter!"
     "And Sailor Venus!"
     "And Sailor Ceres!"
      "And in the name of the once green planet that was Ceres, I am bound by will
and desire to punish all that hurt the young and the weak!  I am Ceres Knight."
     "And as protector of this planet I will not allow so many innocents to be hurt.  I
am Tuxedo Mask!"
     'Whammy,' thought Benj, 'It takes them half an hour to introduce themselves.'
     Then he caught sight of Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus in the full light.
     'Double Whammy, All my teammates are gorgeous!'
     "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"
     The circles of flame were leveled at the creatures who had stopped harassing the
public and had begun to focus solely on the Senshi.  Unfortunately, the lightning-fast
creatures were out of the way before it could strike them.
     "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!"
     Again they dodged.
     Mercury had been scanning the creatures and had run several test scenarios
while Mars and Jupiter had been attempting to keep them busy.  Now, with her
correlated data, she spoke up.
     "They're too fast for us to hit while they're moving.  We're going to have to
coordinate an attack.  It I can blind them, can you tie them Venus?"
     "Can do!" replied perky Sailor Venus.
     "Me too!" Venus Knight joined in as he lept from the balcony and landed among
them with ease, he made puppy eyes at Mars, "Anything to help a lady."
     "MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"
     The Senshi's basic attack covered the area with a thick fog which restricted the
vision of all, excluding Mercury.  She shouted directions.
     "Over there!"
     "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!"
     "There too!" she pointed.
     "VENUS PLATINUM COIL!"  A rope of pure molten metal sped off to it's target.
     "And there!"
     "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!"
     "There!"
     "CERES VINES ENTANGLE!"
     "Wow, I'd forgotten you could do that," sweatdropped Ami.  Terra grinned.
     "There!"
     "VENUS PLATINUM COIL!"
     The fog lifted and revealed five creatures tangled by their bonds.
     "MERCURY ICE STORM BLAST!"
          "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"
     "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!"
     "Now Sailor Moon!" cried out Jupiter.
     "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!"
     Five panther-creatures, moondusted.
     Pheobe suddenly appeared out of the shadows.  She stood proudly in front of
Venus Knight and announced,
     "May I present the Platinum Paladin, and leader of the Knights of the Cosmos."
     "Sure," responded Sailor Moon, "Where is he?"
                              ~*~
     Image steeled herself again.  Her creatures could not overcome the carriers
alone.  They had been destroyed again.  Although it was dangerous, she had no choice. 
If she wanted to capture the five, then she would have to go into battle herself and
claim them that way.
     She knew the Sorceress would advise against it, it was too great a risk, but she
also knew that the time for her world, for her future, for Shadow Knight's future, was
running out.
     She had seen the light and realized her naivety.
     She now understood that sacrifice was sometimes necessary and acceptable
when no other options presented themselves.

End Second Episode
Roll credits and play closing song (Our Love Will Never Die)