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Description
A Flash of Hope – A Midnight Visit on the River

The shopping mall was way too busy for it to be only November.  Christmas was still over a month away, but Bree, Steph, and Grace thought they would be smart and go Christmas shopping early. Either the rest of the city and surrounding countryside had the same idea, or something else was going on.  Maybe Bree just didn't go to the mall enough on Saturdays.  Going to the mall at all was something that Bree did try to avoid.  Grace didn't seem as enthusiastic about the trip either, but as usually, Steph was a bundle of energy.  She wanted to look in every shop, and appeared to be purchasing as much for herself as she was for others.  Bree was exhausted already.

"Gabrielle!"  Bree automatically turned around when she heard her name.  Waving frantically a few stores down was her ex-boyfriend's mother, Heather.  When Bree and said ex had broken up after a few months of dating, Heather had been extremely disappointed.  Bree was not overly fond of Heather, but the woman thought Bree was the best thing to happen to her son.  The sight of Heather at that moment just made Bree want to run away.  And it was never a good sign when someone addressed her as Gabrielle.

"Who's that?" Grace asked quietly.  Steph was just starring, one eyebrow up in typical Steph fashion.

"My ex-boyfriend's mother," Bree answered through clenched teeth.  Heather was bobbing through the crowd, coming ever closer.

"But you haven't had a boyfriend since I've known you, and that's been a year and a half."

"I know," muttered Bree, immediately putting on what she hoped was a smile for Heather.

"Hi Gabrielle," Heather said.  Bree studied the woman.  Heather had been voted the hot mom by her son's graduating class, and she knew it.  Since Bree had seen her last, Heather had dyed her hair a honey blonde, and cut it into a trendy bob.  Secretly, Bree did hope she looked that good when she was forty.

"Hi Heather, how have you been?" she replied, as nicely as possible.  She was going to hate this conversation  as she hated small talk.

"Oh good.  You know, Mike hasn't dated anyone good since you.  Although he hasn't got out of town much.  Not much girls your age around anymore, and I couldn't stand it if he started to date a high school girl at his age.  You really were the best thing that happened to him," Heather said, giving Bree a smile.

Bree did have to agree.  The reason she and Mike broke up was that he was unmotivated.  He had no goals, aspirations, nothing.  He barely passed grade 12.  He was a nice enough guy, and he looked good, but he just wasn't the type Bree saw herself with for any length of time.  Plus he claimed she neglected him to work and focus on school.  And Heather wondered why they broke up.

"I always did hope you would inspire my son, but I guess he is a lot like his father.  How is school going?" Heather inquired, not letting Bree get in a word.

Bree wanted out of the conversation.  Heather liked to talk a lot.  Thankfully Grace seemed to pick up on that particular vibe.

"Don't we have a bus to catch soon Steph?" Grace asked.

Bree didn't wait for Steph to answer before looking at her watch and replying, "Well yes we do.  It was nice to chat Heather, but we have to go."

"Okay, bye-" Heather didn't even finish her sentence before Grace and Bree half dragged Steph towards the bus stop doors.

"But I wasn't finished shopping," Steph whined, clutching her bags and looking back at the lingerie store.

"Please, for me Steph," Bree begged.  "I really do not want to run into that woman again."

"I second that motion," Grace added.  "The woman needs to learn to let go."

"Grace, I thought you were studying animal science, not psychology," Bree jived.

Unfortunately, the bus wasn't coming for another twenty minutes, so the trio was left standing out in the cold holding their increasingly heavy bags.

"Maybe she will leave?  I mean, what are the chances of running into her again?  The mall is huge," Steph mused hopefully, looking longingly towards the mall doors.  Bree and Grace just gave her a look.  However, Bree's attention was quickly pulled away from her roommate.  An explosion of positive energy tickled her sixth sense.  It was coming from inside the mall.  Bree hoped that it was Sailor Mene's host, as it would make her life immediately exponentially easier.

"I'll be right back.  I think I left my debit card at the last store," Bree lied.  She wanted to go alone.  If the energy was Sailor Mene, she didn't want to have to explain to her roommates later any events that would transpire.  She didn't know exactly how she was supposed to wake Sailor Mene's starseed within the host, but it was worth a shot.

She dashed back into the mall.  It was still a zoo inside, and Bree was having a hard time pinpointing the energy source.  It seemed like everywhere person was a beacon of some kind of energy, and the brilliant aura she was searching for was lost like a flashlight in a lit room.  It was hard to focus a sense she didn't know how to control.  After five minutes of wandering, she was about to give up.  She couldn't find the right energy source, and there were just too many people.  She felt another flash, giving off a distinct location. Bree dashed to the other end of the mall.  She was certain there was a high energy concentration there.  Bree arrived outside of the body piercing shop, to find the energy burst gone again.  With her sixth sense on full alert, she felt nothing out of the ordinary – no positive or negative energy worth her attention.

Through the windows of the shop there was a blonde girl on the ear piercing stool.  She was looking in a hand mirror, obviously admiring her new piercings.  It registered in Bree's mind that it was the blonde who had been at the university for a school trip a few weeks ago.  And sure enough, standing beside her was the mousy-haired friend.

A quick scan told Bree that there was no trace of the energy that had caught her attention.  She would still have to keep looking.  Downtrodden, Bree made her way back out to the bus stop.  She had really hoped that she would be able to find Sailor Mene's host before Christmas, as to focus on school completely during her second semester.  However, if things kept going the way they were, she might not complete her mission before next Christmas.

"Did you find your debit card?" the ever practical Grace inquired upon Bree's return to the bus stop.

Bree nodded.  "Yeah, the clerk kept it for me."

"I wanna shop more," Steph grumbled.

Yeah, and I want to find a needle in a haystack, Bree thought in reply.

Midnight by the river bank.  Bree checked to make sure no one was around.  After she was sure that there were no lurkers or homeless individuals in sight, she took Vanna out of her pocket.  She transformed, and began to train.  She chose the roughest, steepest part of the riverbank.  The variety in terrain helped her hone her physical skills, while she could magically attack the river without fear of much detection.

She had been at this for weeks.  Track allowed her for great physical training as plain old Bree, but as Sailor Zephyrus she required a much more taxing workout regime.  She was increasing how much she pushed herself each week, and she was hoping that next time she came face-to-face with a monster, she could take care of it incredibly quickly.  However, the purple haired siblings were her main concern.  She was afraid that a direct confrontation with them would end very badly for her.  Her fight with the girl had been extremely lucky, and the power level of the guy was higher than his sister's.

"Impressive," came a voice from the nearest bridge.  Very few cars were driving by, and Zephyrus's suspicions were conferred when Thyst, the male of the purple haired siblings jumped down.  Zephyrus automatically took a defensive position, ready to spring at any moment.  She began to pull energy towards her in preparation for her Gale Force attack.

"Easy," Thyst said.  He raised his hands in a gesture of peace.  Zephyrus still didn't trust him, but as she felt no energy gathering around him, or any other negative energy save his in the near area, she relaxed her stance a bit, although not letting go of any of the energy around her.

"What do you want?" she asked.  She was never in the mood to beat around the bush, and with someone as dangerous as Thyst near her, she was taking no chances.

"I come with an offer.  My sister is failing in her mission.  Partly because of you, but partly because it is difficult.  So, I have an offer.  If you help us find the silver starseed on this planet, you will be spared and allowed to go along your way in the galaxy.  Or you could choose to join us, and take in as much negative power as possible and become as powerful as you want.  I can give you some time to think about it."

Zephyrus considered for a moment.  A fraction of a moment really, for that was all it took for her to decide it would be a bad idea to take Thyst up on his offer.  She wanted no part of his negative energy, or the destruction and pains he and his sister caused.

"No.  I want no part in what you do," Zephyrus proclaimed.  She settled back into her defensive stance.

"I beg you to reconsider.  You have so much potential, and you are a beautiful fighter.  It would be a waste to destroy you."

"You can choose not to destroy me, and you can take your mission and get it off this planet.  I will not be part of hurting innocent people, and I won't let you do it either.  If you continue trying to find that starseed, and harming people in the process, I will destroy you right here."  She raised her hand.

"If my sister does not complete her mission soon, I will gladly come to you for destruction," Thyst said, sitting.  "My sister would not admit it, but destruction by you would be a better alternative to what Garon will do to us if we do not achieve our mission.  He is getting impatient, but I don't think he realizes how difficult it is to find one starseed among millions, especially when it is hard to detect."

"You aren't going to attack me?" Zephyrus asked.  She wasn't going to allow herself to relax until she was sure he was gone.

"No.  I am going to give you a chance to think it over.  Because if you help us find the holder of the silver starseed, then we will stop hurting people to find it," Thyst looked at her, his eyes pleading with her.  Then he just disappeared, briefly leaving a purple haze in his place.  His negativity left with him.  Zephyrus felt relaxed enough to let her energy dissipate.  Although she had not gotten much training in tonight, Thyst's visit had drained her, mentally and physically.  Before his visit, she hadn't known she could hold energy like that for any period of time.  In a flash of light, she became Bree again.

"And what was that?"

Bree spun around.  She recognized that ethereal voice, however she was not impressed at all the late night visitors she was getting on the riverbank.  What was next, a mugger?  Although she figured she could take him.

"Hello to you too, Sailor Mene," Bree greeted the spirit.  She hadn't seen her in a while. "How are you today?"

"Still waiting to be awakened," Sailor Mene answered.  "Now, what was that little visit about?"

"He wanted me to help him find a silver starseed, and perhaps join him and his sister."

Mene's facial expression quickly changed into concern.  "You will never accept that offer, correct?"  Bree shook her head.  Mene relaxed a bit.  "Good.  Because if anyone like that ever gets a hold of my starseed, the Earth would be doomed."

"So what they are searching for is you? Why?" Bree was curious.  Mene had only let her know the basics before now.

"They want just my starseed, and the power it holds," Sailor Mene explained.  "They care nothing for my spirit or the host of my starseed.  Chaos only wants my bright light so it can consume it, and transform my energy into dark energy.  That man reeked of Chaotic energy, although it has not quite smothered all the light in him yet."

"What happens if I help them, using them to find you, and awaken you?" Bree asked.  She saw it as an innocent enquiry.  The twins could be used as a means to her end.

"They will kill both you and my host as soon as my starseed is found.  I have no doubt of that.  They may spare you if you agree to join them and allow Chaos into your body.  But I highly doubt that you would."

"What is Chaos?" Bree asked.

"Everything dark and evil in the universe.  It seeks to consume all with its agents.  And with every light it consumes, it becomes stronger, and therefore closer to its goals.  The job of the Sailor Warriors is to stop Chaos."  Mene became more emotional as she spoke.  Bree wanted to comfort or calm the spirit, but could think of nothing.  Her thoughts were occupied by the enormity of what she was being told.

"So," Bree said.  Suddenly, she was completely exhausted.  "I need to sleep.  It was nice to see you again, Sailor Mene," she addressed the warrior spirit.  Mene nodded, and slowly faded away, unlike her usual abrupt disappearances.

Thoughts swirled and collided in Bree's brain as she walked home.  Thyst's offer and reaction to her refusal was hard to absorb as it was.  With Mene's appearance after so long, and the information she shared, everything was competing for processing. She barely noticed the walk back to her apartment building.

Description
A Flash of Hope – A Midnight Visit on the River

The shopping mall was way too busy for it to be only November.  Christmas was still over a month away, but Bree, Steph, and Grace thought they would be smart and go Christmas shopping early. Either the rest of the city and surrounding countryside had the same idea, or something else was going on.  Maybe Bree just didn't go to the mall enough on Saturdays.  Going to the mall at all was something that Bree did try to avoid.  Grace didn't seem as enthusiastic about the trip either, but as usually, Steph was a bundle of energy.  She wanted to look in every shop, and appeared to be purchasing as much for herself as she was for others.  Bree was exhausted already.

"Gabrielle!"  Bree automatically turned around when she heard her name.  Waving frantically a few stores down was her ex-boyfriend's mother, Heather.  When Bree and said ex had broken up after a few months of dating, Heather had been extremely disappointed.  Bree was not overly fond of Heather, but the woman thought Bree was the best thing to happen to her son.  The sight of Heather at that moment just made Bree want to run away.  And it was never a good sign when someone addressed her as Gabrielle.

"Who's that?" Grace asked quietly.  Steph was just starring, one eyebrow up in typical Steph fashion.

"My ex-boyfriend's mother," Bree answered through clenched teeth.  Heather was bobbing through the crowd, coming ever closer.

"But you haven't had a boyfriend since I've known you, and that's been a year and a half."

"I know," muttered Bree, immediately putting on what she hoped was a smile for Heather.

"Hi Gabrielle," Heather said.  Bree studied the woman.  Heather had been voted the hot mom by her son's graduating class, and she knew it.  Since Bree had seen her last, Heather had dyed her hair a honey blonde, and cut it into a trendy bob.  Secretly, Bree did hope she looked that good when she was forty.

"Hi Heather, how have you been?" she replied, as nicely as possible.  She was going to hate this conversation  as she hated small talk.

"Oh good.  You know, Mike hasn't dated anyone good since you.  Although he hasn't got out of town much.  Not much girls your age around anymore, and I couldn't stand it if he started to date a high school girl at his age.  You really were the best thing that happened to him," Heather said, giving Bree a smile.

Bree did have to agree.  The reason she and Mike broke up was that he was unmotivated.  He had no goals, aspirations, nothing.  He barely passed grade 12.  He was a nice enough guy, and he looked good, but he just wasn't the type Bree saw herself with for any length of time.  Plus he claimed she neglected him to work and focus on school.  And Heather wondered why they broke up.

"I always did hope you would inspire my son, but I guess he is a lot like his father.  How is school going?" Heather inquired, not letting Bree get in a word.

Bree wanted out of the conversation.  Heather liked to talk a lot.  Thankfully Grace seemed to pick up on that particular vibe.

"Don't we have a bus to catch soon Steph?" Grace asked.

Bree didn't wait for Steph to answer before looking at her watch and replying, "Well yes we do.  It was nice to chat Heather, but we have to go."

"Okay, bye-" Heather didn't even finish her sentence before Grace and Bree half dragged Steph towards the bus stop doors.

"But I wasn't finished shopping," Steph whined, clutching her bags and looking back at the lingerie store.

"Please, for me Steph," Bree begged.  "I really do not want to run into that woman again."

"I second that motion," Grace added.  "The woman needs to learn to let go."

"Grace, I thought you were studying animal science, not psychology," Bree jived.

Unfortunately, the bus wasn't coming for another twenty minutes, so the trio was left standing out in the cold holding their increasingly heavy bags.

"Maybe she will leave?  I mean, what are the chances of running into her again?  The mall is huge," Steph mused hopefully, looking longingly towards the mall doors.  Bree and Grace just gave her a look.  However, Bree's attention was quickly pulled away from her roommate.  An explosion of positive energy tickled her sixth sense.  It was coming from inside the mall.  Bree hoped that it was Sailor Mene's host, as it would make her life immediately exponentially easier.

"I'll be right back.  I think I left my debit card at the last store," Bree lied.  She wanted to go alone.  If the energy was Sailor Mene, she didn't want to have to explain to her roommates later any events that would transpire.  She didn't know exactly how she was supposed to wake Sailor Mene's starseed within the host, but it was worth a shot.

She dashed back into the mall.  It was still a zoo inside, and Bree was having a hard time pinpointing the energy source.  It seemed like everywhere person was a beacon of some kind of energy, and the brilliant aura she was searching for was lost like a flashlight in a lit room.  It was hard to focus a sense she didn't know how to control.  After five minutes of wandering, she was about to give up.  She couldn't find the right energy source, and there were just too many people.  She felt another flash, giving off a distinct location. Bree dashed to the other end of the mall.  She was certain there was a high energy concentration there.  Bree arrived outside of the body piercing shop, to find the energy burst gone again.  With her sixth sense on full alert, she felt nothing out of the ordinary – no positive or negative energy worth her attention.

Through the windows of the shop there was a blonde girl on the ear piercing stool.  She was looking in a hand mirror, obviously admiring her new piercings.  It registered in Bree's mind that it was the blonde who had been at the university for a school trip a few weeks ago.  And sure enough, standing beside her was the mousy-haired friend.

A quick scan told Bree that there was no trace of the energy that had caught her attention.  She would still have to keep looking.  Downtrodden, Bree made her way back out to the bus stop.  She had really hoped that she would be able to find Sailor Mene's host before Christmas, as to focus on school completely during her second semester.  However, if things kept going the way they were, she might not complete her mission before next Christmas.

"Did you find your debit card?" the ever practical Grace inquired upon Bree's return to the bus stop.

Bree nodded.  "Yeah, the clerk kept it for me."

"I wanna shop more," Steph grumbled.

Yeah, and I want to find a needle in a haystack, Bree thought in reply.

Midnight by the river bank.  Bree checked to make sure no one was around.  After she was sure that there were no lurkers or homeless individuals in sight, she took Vanna out of her pocket.  She transformed, and began to train.  She chose the roughest, steepest part of the riverbank.  The variety in terrain helped her hone her physical skills, while she could magically attack the river without fear of much detection.

She had been at this for weeks.  Track allowed her for great physical training as plain old Bree, but as Sailor Zephyrus she required a much more taxing workout regime.  She was increasing how much she pushed herself each week, and she was hoping that next time she came face-to-face with a monster, she could take care of it incredibly quickly.  However, the purple haired siblings were her main concern.  She was afraid that a direct confrontation with them would end very badly for her.  Her fight with the girl had been extremely lucky, and the power level of the guy was higher than his sister's.

"Impressive," came a voice from the nearest bridge.  Very few cars were driving by, and Zephyrus's suspicions were conferred when Thyst, the male of the purple haired siblings jumped down.  Zephyrus automatically took a defensive position, ready to spring at any moment.  She began to pull energy towards her in preparation for her Gale Force attack.

"Easy," Thyst said.  He raised his hands in a gesture of peace.  Zephyrus still didn't trust him, but as she felt no energy gathering around him, or any other negative energy save his in the near area, she relaxed her stance a bit, although not letting go of any of the energy around her.

"What do you want?" she asked.  She was never in the mood to beat around the bush, and with someone as dangerous as Thyst near her, she was taking no chances.

"I come with an offer.  My sister is failing in her mission.  Partly because of you, but partly because it is difficult.  So, I have an offer.  If you help us find the silver starseed on this planet, you will be spared and allowed to go along your way in the galaxy.  Or you could choose to join us, and take in as much negative power as possible and become as powerful as you want.  I can give you some time to think about it."

Zephyrus considered for a moment.  A fraction of a moment really, for that was all it took for her to decide it would be a bad idea to take Thyst up on his offer.  She wanted no part of his negative energy, or the destruction and pains he and his sister caused.

"No.  I want no part in what you do," Zephyrus proclaimed.  She settled back into her defensive stance.

"I beg you to reconsider.  You have so much potential, and you are a beautiful fighter.  It would be a waste to destroy you."

"You can choose not to destroy me, and you can take your mission and get it off this planet.  I will not be part of hurting innocent people, and I won't let you do it either.  If you continue trying to find that starseed, and harming people in the process, I will destroy you right here."  She raised her hand.

"If my sister does not complete her mission soon, I will gladly come to you for destruction," Thyst said, sitting.  "My sister would not admit it, but destruction by you would be a better alternative to what Garon will do to us if we do not achieve our mission.  He is getting impatient, but I don't think he realizes how difficult it is to find one starseed among millions, especially when it is hard to detect."

"You aren't going to attack me?" Zephyrus asked.  She wasn't going to allow herself to relax until she was sure he was gone.

"No.  I am going to give you a chance to think it over.  Because if you help us find the holder of the silver starseed, then we will stop hurting people to find it," Thyst looked at her, his eyes pleading with her.  Then he just disappeared, briefly leaving a purple haze in his place.  His negativity left with him.  Zephyrus felt relaxed enough to let her energy dissipate.  Although she had not gotten much training in tonight, Thyst's visit had drained her, mentally and physically.  Before his visit, she hadn't known she could hold energy like that for any period of time.  In a flash of light, she became Bree again.

"And what was that?"

Bree spun around.  She recognized that ethereal voice, however she was not impressed at all the late night visitors she was getting on the riverbank.  What was next, a mugger?  Although she figured she could take him.

"Hello to you too, Sailor Mene," Bree greeted the spirit.  She hadn't seen her in a while. "How are you today?"

"Still waiting to be awakened," Sailor Mene answered.  "Now, what was that little visit about?"

"He wanted me to help him find a silver starseed, and perhaps join him and his sister."

Mene's facial expression quickly changed into concern.  "You will never accept that offer, correct?"  Bree shook her head.  Mene relaxed a bit.  "Good.  Because if anyone like that ever gets a hold of my starseed, the Earth would be doomed."

"So what they are searching for is you? Why?" Bree was curious.  Mene had only let her know the basics before now.

"They want just my starseed, and the power it holds," Sailor Mene explained.  "They care nothing for my spirit or the host of my starseed.  Chaos only wants my bright light so it can consume it, and transform my energy into dark energy.  That man reeked of Chaotic energy, although it has not quite smothered all the light in him yet."

"What happens if I help them, using them to find you, and awaken you?" Bree asked.  She saw it as an innocent enquiry.  The twins could be used as a means to her end.

"They will kill both you and my host as soon as my starseed is found.  I have no doubt of that.  They may spare you if you agree to join them and allow Chaos into your body.  But I highly doubt that you would."

"What is Chaos?" Bree asked.

"Everything dark and evil in the universe.  It seeks to consume all with its agents.  And with every light it consumes, it becomes stronger, and therefore closer to its goals.  The job of the Sailor Warriors is to stop Chaos."  Mene became more emotional as she spoke.  Bree wanted to comfort or calm the spirit, but could think of nothing.  Her thoughts were occupied by the enormity of what she was being told.

"So," Bree said.  Suddenly, she was completely exhausted.  "I need to sleep.  It was nice to see you again, Sailor Mene," she addressed the warrior spirit.  Mene nodded, and slowly faded away, unlike her usual abrupt disappearances.

Thoughts swirled and collided in Bree's brain as she walked home.  Thyst's offer and reaction to her refusal was hard to absorb as it was.  With Mene's appearance after so long, and the information she shared, everything was competing for processing. She barely noticed the walk back to her apartment building.