The subject of Arete's attentions reclined lazily against the silken pillows, her flame-red hair spread out behind her like a tawny pelt. Her eyes, dreamy now, were the swirling green and blue of her planet as it hung in the sky. Her breasts were high and firm, well developed but not so large as to interfere in her athleticism - for beneath that velvet skin were the muscles of a warrior. Her endurance in bouts and lovemaking challenged even Arete, for the Earthborn princess's dedication to death before surrender extended to sports and the bedroom as well as battle.

Not that there were many battles to fight. Isolated raids in troubled areas, such as those which had scarred Arete's youth, but on the whole the Moon Kingdom was a peaceful place. But only once had Arete made the mistake of saying such to her new paramour.

"Peace!" Ishana had spat, her lovely face twisted into a snarl. "Subjugation is more like it. Seven worlds at the beck and call of a tiny planetoid where even the gravity is weak. And why? Not because they subscribe to any peaceful ideals. It's because of the magic. Any single person who dares to oppose the royal family of the moon will have their soul stolen by that infernal crystal."

"The Queen is a good ruler," Arete had protested.

"They say all the Queens were good rulers," Ishana had scoffed. "Even the one who overthrew us in the first place, and burned every Earth town that would not swear loyalty to her. To teach us our place. And now here we are, the origin of all life and nothing but a subject nation under the rule of the Moon."

"But one with more status than any other subject world."

The teeth in Ishana's smile had glittered as brightly as her trademark jewelry. "Which is why your little moon princess left you to marry my brother. Earth and Moon united. They say it's destiny fulfilled. I say we make our own destiny. Earth will not remain a slave!"

"You're not plotting a revolution, are you?" Arete had teased.

Melodic laughter. "Oh, but think of it. We are both warriors, you and I. Imagine us, together, leading the universe to a new age."

"I don't need the universe," Arete had smiled, and let the subject change. But she was careful, after that, not to trigger her lover's temper.

The pride and the energy of youth, Arete thought. What will Ishana be like, when she ages and mellows from a fighter to a leader?

Terry awoke with a trace of guilt and a headache still lingering, the latter from too much study and the former from things beyond her control. She hadn't sought out Kristin the day before, and she hadn't intended to dream of anyone other than Shaye, or Chantrea, as her dream-self was called. At least the latest face to appear in her dream world hadn't looked at all like anyone she knew in reality.

Arms wrapped around her pillow, Terry sighed to herself. Not so many months ago, the lustful visions of her sleep had always concerned unrealistically green-eyed wenches with flowing red hair. A fairly standard fantasy; add a chainmail bikini and a sword and you could find it on the covers of dozens of paperbacks. It was only after meeting a sweet young overly-religious blonde in a computer lab late one January evening that the face in her dreams had transformed into the fair moon princess. All, she supposed, a product of my subconscious having something real to want, instead of a vague idea of the perfect woman.

On the one hand, it was reassuring to find that the all-too-vivid dreams of late were falling back into something understandable. Dreams about naked women were much easier to deal with than dreams full of war, death, sorrow, and thwarted love. On the other hand, it didn't speak well for her relationship with Shaye that her dreams were once again of vague and unattainable desire.

Well, her brain had better things to do than dream. Once this midterm was out of the way, she could relax and enjoy her vacation with Shaye. Maybe they could go to the beach for a few days or something.

Terry tossed off the covers and tugged at the hem of the oversized sleepshirt she wore as she stood, making sure her lower half was decently covered, not that anyone could see. She ran her fingers through her short dark hair, fluffing it out in a concession to grooming. Next it was a matter of peeling a discarded shirt and some pants off the floor, looking them over to be sure they weren't stained or smelly, and pulling them on. The fashion police took a holiday during exams.

She could hear voices, now, outside. Did Shaye have the TV on? Was she making breakfast? A little food to settle her stomach might be a good idea.

"Morning," Terry greeted her flatmate as she exited her bedroom. Then she paused. "When did we get a cat?"

Shaye was seated at the table, her chair turned around to face Terry. She was dressed as if for a school day, her blond hair perfectly brushed, shoes and socks neat and in order. And in her lap sat a scruffy black cat. "Terry," she said, "I think you should sit down."

Nonplused, Terry perched on the back of the sofa. "Did you want a pet? It's okay, I just wish you'd told me. Pets aren't allowed here, you know."

"Luna isn't exactly a pet."

Luna. Strange. That was the name of... but that wasn't important. "So, okay, I'm sitting."

Shaye's hand rhythmically smoothed the fur of the cat on her lap. "For a long time now, I've had strange dreams. Dreams about another life, another person. A person who was also, in a way, me, but a me who lived in a time of ancient legends."

That was eerily familiar. "Go on."

"These dreams were very detailed, Terry. Places and people and names and events. Miracles. Destiny. I thought at first that the dreams were messages from God, sent as metaphors for the trials in my life. But now I know that they are memories. Memories of a past life in which you and I were together."

She was very still. "A past life. What... what name did I have, in that life?" Coincidence, it had to be coincidence.

"Your name was Arete."

Terry lowered her head, caught by the inescapable past. "Chantrea," she sighed.

Shaye's eyes widened. "You dreamed it too?"

"Of course she did," another voice scoffed. "You will all remember yourselves, sooner or later."

Terry raised her eyes. "Did that cat just speak?"

"Hrmph," Luna sniffed. "I may not have been your nurse, girl, but I'd think you'd remember me better than that."

"You are Luna," Terry blinked. "Why are you a cat?"

"Only the gods and the saints-blessed departed Queen know that." Luna pawed at her missing patches of fur. "If I'd turned out something larger, at least, maybe I wouldn't fall prey to every passing vagabond."

"She got kicked around and left in an alley," Shaye informed. "That's where I found her yesterday."

Terry shook her head, trying to take it all in. "You can't be telling me that everything in those dreams is real. They're only dreams."

"But they tell the truth about us." Shaye's eyes sparkled. "I'm a princess, and you're my warrior. And we're lovers, just like we were before. We were destined to find each other. How many people can truly say that about their partners?"

"Uh, yeah," Terry smiled faintly. But if everything works out like my dreams...

"Anyway," Shaye continued brightly. "I know you're busy today with your exam and all. I just thought you should know what's going on. Luna's going to start training me in my duties and powers and..."

Blink. "Powers?"

"The Princess is also the sworn defender of the Moon," the cat said. "As such, she receives magical abilities to fit her station and aid her in the carrying out of her duties."

"And what duties are these?"

"To fight for love and justice, of course. To defend the innocent. And to bring about the restoration of the kingdom of the Moon." The cat fixed Terry with an emerald stare. "As it is yours to serve her in the name of Mars."

Terry stomped along the sidewalk, not bothering to look up and make sure people were getting out of her way. If she hit anyone, it was their own fault. She had left Shaye and the ridiculous talking cat alone in the apartment with their vague promise not to do anything stupid while she was gone. She had to leave, she had an exam. Not that she could concentrate, now.

It was patently ludicrous. Lunacy, no pun intended. But there it was. Shaye was not a trained ventriloquist and yet, that cat was talking. Terry had never told anyone about her dreams or the name Arete and yet, they knew. And so that past life that she knew only in glimpses was hers to bear. A childhood in the red sands of Mars, a tranquility broken by border raids. Servitude to a beautiful princess that she had grown to love, a princess who for reasons of state had been forced to marry. And Arete, apparently, had found comfort in the arms of another, the sister to the husband of her beloved Chantrea. And then somehow it had all gone wrong. The Prince dead, a war begun, Arete shamed by some failure and estranged from the Princess, the palace under siege, and finally, everybody dead and banished to wait for reincarnation. Some happy ending.

Terry kicked at a loose rock. It shouldn't have to be that way. But when had her relationship with Shaye ever been under her control? She had tried to avoid the other girl; it hadn't worked. It was Shaye who had forced all the steps: moving in, becoming romantically involved... and now here she was throwing Terry's world for another loop. I'm trapped, Terry thought pessimistically. I never had any choice about the whole thing. Do I even care about her because I care about her, or because some past magical destiny is forcing my hand? And setting me up for a tragedy?

Not watching where she was going, Terry brushed against the rough bark of a tree. "Ow." Something in her pants pocket jabbed against her leg. "Stupid book," she muttered, remembering now that someone had handed her a small book the day before, one she had put away without looking at it. She fished it out. Pocket New Testament, the cover read. Courtesy of the Gideons.

And I thought I had problems when Shaye was just nuts about religion, Terry thought glumly. Christian wackos make more sense than moon princesses.

With only a quick glance to be sure no one who might be offended would see her, Terry flung the offending book into the bushes.

It exploded.

"Are you sure you don't have a magic makeup pen somewhere?" Shaye asked, discouraged.

"And what would happen if it were lost, or stolen, or broken?" Luna's bright pink tongue flickered across her furry lips. "You must summon the power from inside yourself."

"Well, if I have to pull my clothes out from nowhere, why couldn't I pull a transformation pen out?"

"If you could pull a magic pen out of nowhere, why would you need a magic pen to help you transform?" the cat countered.

Shaye sighed. For over half an hour, she had been trying to visualise herself as a Senshi, hoping to engage the mystical transformation sequence that would bring with it a flashy costume, new makeup, and super powers. But still she remained, plain and polite, every button in place. "This isn't working."

"Hrm." The black cat hopped back into Shaye's lap. "Your problem is that you don't believe in it."

"What do you mean? I believe you," Shaye protested. "You're talking to me, that's hard to ignore. And I've had the dreams. I know all of this is real."

"But you also know that it's just a silly cartoon, don't you?" The cat sighed. "You are not Sailor Moon. There is no Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon is a cartoon character. There are similarities, that's all. You can't think of yourself in terms of a henshin sequence and a secret power phrase, because that only reminds you of something that isn't real. So stop thinking about Sailor Moon. Focus on yourself and find your own source of power."

Focus on myself. Out of habit, the blonde reached up to the place at her neck where a cross had always hung. She hadn't worn one today. It hadn't seemed appropriate for Sai... but she wasn't Sailor Moon, and it was appropriate for her. "Just a minute." Shooing the cat off her lap, Shaye returned to her bedroom and picked a delicate golden chain off her dresser. She brought the ends around behind her neck to work the catch and then fluffed out her long hair. That felt better. Away from Luna's watchful eyes, she tried to center herself, fingertips resting lightly on the golden cross at her throat. God's symbol. For God so loved the world that he sent his only son into it... and Chantrea's mother, dying, had sent her forward in time, to this new world. Not just to save her and give her another chance at happiness, but - how had Luna put it? To bring about the restoration of the kingdom of the moon. That was a tall order. Shaye didn't even know where to start. She couldn't even figure out how to transform herself.

Negative thought. Bad. So she had a long road ahead of her. Her problems weren't nearly as daunting as those Christ had faced. She was the hopes and dreams of the Moon Kingdom given form, and she would not have been reborn without the strength to carry them.

I am prepared for my destiny. I am a warrior of virtue. In the name of the Moon!

Like an electrostatic charge, it came, surging through her fingers and flinging her hair away from her body with the crackling shock. She could feel her body altering; taller, stronger, more durable. And, too, she could feel the cold air against her skin, where her clothing had been exchanged for the uniform of the Senshi.

Moon looked herself over in the mirror, then called out to Luna. "If I'm not a cartoon character, why am I wearing this tiny skirt?"

The leaves were charred where she had stomped out the blaze, but not, she hoped, still smoldering. Of the book itself there was no sign.

Why?

Surely the Gideons hadn't taken to handing out time-delayed bombs instead of Bibles. Just because one or two Christian congregations were homicidally insane... No, that was ridiculous.

Why am I suddenly cold?

She looked down at herself, expecting to see the slightly-too-worn tshirt and pants she had pulled on in the morning, and blinked. Thin white fabric clung to the upper half of her body, with a purple bow attached proudly between her breasts. Beneath that was a red pleated skirt, barely long enough to cover the underwear she hoped she still had on. The length of her legs appeared bare, but a faint sheen suggested hose of some kind. At the bottom of it all, her feet were covered in ultra-feminine sexy red shoes, oddly comfortable for their shape.

"Whoa," Mars breathed, then clapped a hand to her throat. Even the echo of her own voice in her ears was altered.

A Senshi's uniform. An outfit which, she remembered, had once been the pride of a female-driven nation. Unrestrictive, allowing the unashamed warrior within to use her full flexibility. And color-coded for hierarchy's sake. Mars experimentally flicked a fingernail against a shimmering leg, receiving a metallic clink. Sturdy as plate armor but looked like nothing at all. In the kingdom of her dreams, this garb would have brought her instant respect.

She was just glad there was no one around to see what a fool she looked like now.

Fool. Warrior. Student. Noble. Running. Destined.

For a dizzying minute, she was both Mars and Terry separately and at once, and then, with a painful wrench, Terry fell facefirst into the bushes. Spitting out leaves, she scrabbled backwards and pushed herself into a sitting position. "I don't have time for this!" she exclaimed to the universe at large.

Magic. Talking cats and quick-changing wardrobes. Fiery explosions. With a sense of resigned horror, she recalled the incident after Alan's death, when the heat of her anger at the world had seemed to melt the ice around her. Not seemed to. Had. She remembered the scowling face of Shaye's uncle, the evil minister, claiming that a dark power prevented him from reaching Terry.

She remembered cowering in the bathroom while her stepfather pounded on the door and raged that she was the child of the Devil.

But as the knowledge of millenia-ago flooded her mind, she knew the Devil had nothing to do with it. She was Arete, senshi of Mars, whose hands as a child had slain a hundred desert bandits, whose fiery spirit had commanded armies in her Princess's name, and whose failure had doomed a kingdom... until they were reborn. Born into new young bodies with only partial memories of the past, and the freedom to make a new life. She was not simply Arete. She was Terry.

She could feel that other presence in her mind, even now. Cool and calm, the experienced warrior. Not that Mars was really another person, she knew that. Another way of looking at things, way of being, that was all. She couldn't be Mars and worry about her exams. And she couldn't be Terry and worry about... the mystical side of things.

At once, it was all so simple. Ishana, Chantrea, destiny gone wrong, that was all Mars' problem, not Terry's. And Mars would face it, when the time came. Mars had the strength, the powers, and the experience necessary. Terry's strengths were different. And she was both people, able to choose between those perspectives as the situation demanded.

Holding up a steady hand, she summoned the Flame. The change rippled painlessly over her body, as a fire sparked above her palm without burning. If she wished it, she knew, balls of fire would explode outwards, smashing her enemies. Just as easily, she willed it away and was Terry again.

And as Terry, she would concentrate, and she would ace her last exam, and then she would go home to her partner and share what she had learned.

The invigorating run kept the spring breezes from feeling too cold to Moon, even in her tiny uniform. The skirt and collar were a pale yellow, like her hair, and the bow the soft blue of her eyes. Not much of a color scheme for lurking in the shadows. Luna's black fur, on the other hand, rendered her into shady hump on her owner's back.

"Where are we going?" Moon yelled.

"Nowhere!" Luna responded, shifting her clawhold. "This is exercise for your new body!"

"Why don't you have to exercise?"

"I'm just an old cat, my dear, I couldn't possibly keep up with you. Now, stop!"

One more springing step forwards and then her feet, on landing, absorbed the force of motion, stopping her in place on the grass with no wobbling or windmilling of arms. The park, on this weekday morning, was quite empty, making it possible for her to display not-quite-human talents.

"Now, into that tree!"

"You want me to climb a tree?"

"No. Jump!"

Moon bent her legs beneath her and leapt upwards, her gloved hands catching hold of a sturdy branch and swinging her body up and over, where her outstretched feet crashed into another branch, leaving her in a precarious handstand, cat miraculously still attached. "Oops," she mumbled, and shook her falling hair away from her face.

Luna took the opportunity to leap from her charge's back to the tree. "That's all right. Swing yourself back down now."

The dismount was far less graceful than the approach, but Moon reached the ground without injury. She stood and dusted herself off. "So when do I get a magical attack? Do I need a tiara or a wand?"

The cat clucked her tongue. "For the most part, those are just props. Like the transformation, it is your focus that creates the magic. But you don't need to worry about anything like that yet. I don't want to risk you losing control of the powers. You could damage something."

Examining her elongated body, which was not in the least tired or sore from the day's work so far, Moon could only grin. "I think it all comes naturally."

"And someone might see you, which I don't think you're ready for yet."

"Oh, yeah?" she laughed, exhilerated with her newfound strength. "Like who?"

"Like those people running this way!"

Moon whirled around moments before the screaming reached her ears. A black woman, dressed for jogging, was stumbling rapidly in her direction, with three laughing young punks on her heels. There were no weapons in evidence, but the fleeing target was clearly not interested in their attentions. "Quick, how do I stop them?"

"I'm not sure," fussed the cat. "I don't know what would be best..."

She wasted only a moment to be exasperated before rushing forward to intercept. "Stop right there!"

The woman collapsed, gasping, to the ground, as the three men turned their attention to a new attraction. "Lookit that, it's a girlie in a sailor suit!"

"Man, Catholic schoolgirls make me hot!"

"Wanna play with us, little girl?"

Moon raised her fists, prepared to beat them all off if necessary. At that moment, however, a stray breeze carrying a heavy burden of pollen saw fit to wend its way past her nose. The Senshi had been bred for superior performance in the environment of the Moon, and while they were in many ways more durable and resistant than normal humans, they had no defenses against allergies. "Ahh-CHOO!"

The sneeze, upon expression, magnified itself into an intensely loud, high-pitched noise, which reverberated throughout the park. Even to her own ears, it was painful; the four it was aimed at dropped like flies, knocked unconscious by a blow of sound.

Moon blinked. "Great. My first superpower and it turns out to be Moon Cosmic Sneezing."

"If you're quite finished," Luna hissed, loping up to the scene, "we should clear the area before any other pursuit arrives."

"What if they wake up and hurt her?"

"If it makes you feel better, call the police once we're gone. Highness, we can't afford for you to be noticed at this time," the cat pleaded. "You've had your exercise; you've saved the day. Now let's go home."

"Just a minute." She concentrated, and let the euphoria of being Moon fade, leaving only Shaye. With a quick tug at the base of her sweater, she ran over to the unconscious woman, every inch the earnest young schoolgirl. "Ma'am? Are you okay?" She patted the cool, sweaty face.

Groaning, the woman came around. "Wha? Where...?"

"Are you all right? Did those men hurt you?"

"What men?" she asked, confused. Then her gaze fixed on the sprawled punks. "Them? No... sticks and stones, right?" With Shaye's help, she got to her feet. "Shoulda had their mouths washed out. They were following me, saying a lot of nasty things about blacks and women. Nothing I haven't heard before, but it just drives ya crazy, ya know?" She shook her head. "Now what I don't know is what we're all doin' here on the grass. Unless there's some kinda drug that makes lots of people fall asleep?"

"I dunno," Shaye smiled, relieved. Apparently she didn't remember seeing Moon, or connect her with Shaye. More importantly, she wasn't hurt. "I just came by and found you like this."

"Well, my thanks for your kind attentions. Too many people these days wouldn't give a damn," she smiled.

The women shook hands and parted ways, leaving the men where they lay.

"So."

It was night.

"Mars and Moon."

"I guess that's us."

Shaye cuddled up against Terry, resting her head on her shoulder. "All this time, and you never told me I was the woman of your dreams."

"I never thought you'd believe it." Terry knocked the television volume down a few notches, then set the remote beside her on the sofa.

"It's strange," Shaye murmured, her fingers stroking Terry's hand. "I know it's me, but it's like being someone else. Someone bolder. Being Moon makes me feel lighter and less afraid. Almost giddy. It's fun, but it's scary when it wears off. It's like... I'm not afraid of anything, when I'm her, so when I'm not her, I'm afraid of the risks she might take." She lifted her head. "Does Mars feel like that?"

"Not quite," Terry pondered. "She's not afraid, certainly, but not in the same way you describe. She's very calm, very in control. I think she has to be."

"Mmm." She tucked her head back into the warm curve of Terry's neck. "It is still us, though, isn't it?"

"I think so."

"Mmm." Shaye took a long, slow breath, and let it out. "So, did your exams go well?"

"I think so. How about yours?"

A tiny pause, then, "Mmm."

"That's good," Terry smiled, blissfully unaware. "I suppose it's good that all of this happened now, when we've got a week's vacation to get used to it before getting back to school."

"Wouldn't want anything to get in the way of school," Shaye muttered to herself, then nudged her partner. "Show's back."

Terry readjusted the volume, and they returned to their silent contemplation of other people's lives.