Planet Bound: Venus by Marj Author's Notes: Ahh, my first fanfic!! Strangely enough, some people like it more than the other one, even though I think the writing quality of Confused Heart is better (is it?). Again, special thanks to my imouto, Kismet-chan, for editing my story (my first story she had edited . . . brings back memories), and to my friend who goes by the name "Chibi_imp". Thank you both for pushing me to post this story even though I didn't want to yet . . . Other Notes: atama - head odango - some sort of round food on a stick (squid balls, maybe?) Please e-mail your comments and constructive criticisms at . Thanks! Disclaimers: The characters of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon were created by Naoko Takeuchi-san, its copyright owned by Toei Animation, Kodansha, Nakayoshi, Sterling Animation Inc., and many other companies scattered throughout the world. Meaning, I cannot claim the characters as my own, and am mearly borrowing them. So please don't sue, as I don't earn anything from this other than the satisfaction of making a story. (Anyone ever notice how I just cut and paste this part?) Prologue: Artemis Dreams Makoto’s house was quite filled that day. Her friends had wanted to learn how to cook edible foods, and they had asked her to teach them. After all, among them all, Kino Makoto was the best chef. Upon looking inside, however, one would start to wonder. The girls within were not doing any cooking at all - at that moment. A girl with short, shining blue hair and eyes - Mizuno Ami - practically had a book glued to her face. Makoto, the one with the brown hair, green eyes and towering height, stood on one side of the room with a cloth in one hand and a can of wood polish in the other. Two cats, Luna and Artemis, were lying lazily on a couch, and a girl, Aino Minako, was sitting quietly beside them. She had light blue eyes and her long, blond hair was pulled back from her face with a red ribbon. Not far off two girls were shouting at each other's throats. One of them, Tsukino Usagi, had blond hair and blue eyes, as well, but her hair was placed in two odangos perched on the top of her head, with the rest of her incredibly long hair falling neatly to her knees in pigtails. Hino Rei had long raven hair and strangely piercing dark violet eyes. They were presently engaging in a tongue war. Obviously, they were involved in a fight where one can't bear to lose to the other. Artemis noticed that Minako was too silent. This wasn't the girl he knew. He had been with her for almost four years, and he knew her better than anyone else in the world beside herself. he thought, snuggling closer to Luna. Makoto looked up from polishing an already shining table and said, "Boy, it's stuffy in here. Minako-chan, could you open a window for me, please?" Artemis expected her to react and complain good-naturedly a bit, but she remained quiet. She looked at the window hesitantly, then stood up without a word. Makoto took that as a yes and went back to what she had been doing. Suddenly, they all heard the loud sound of an explosion. Everyone - with the exception of the cats - was blown off of their feet from the momentum of the blast. "What the heck was that?" Rei asked, irritated. Makoto got her bearings and stood up, patting the dust from her pants. When she turned around, she gasped in shock. A huge section of a wall in her apartment has disappeared, letting the rushing high-altitude wind enter her room. What was worse was that the part blown away was the same place Minako had been standing earlier while she was opening a window. "Minako-chan!!!" Usagi exclaimed, running towards the open wall, the other three girls right on her heels. They all looked down and saw their dear friend hanging onto a piece of metal sticking out of the damaged building. Below her was the biggest youma Usagi had ever seen in her life. Makoto reached out and tried to haul her up. "Come on, reach for my hand!" she shouted. Behind her, she could hear Usagi crying her heart out, as if Minako had already fallen. Makoto was very tall, thus she had a long arm. But it wasn't long enough. "Minako, reach for my hand! I can't do this alone!" she cried out. Minako pondered for a while, staring at the hand reluctantly. Then, she started to make her move, tightening her right hand's hold on the metal and trying to extend with the other. But she was loosing her grip. "I . . . I can't do it . . .!!!" Minako quickly retrieved her left hand and placed it back on the metal. Rei had been watching Usagi the whole time. "Don't cry, odango atama! Everything will be fine!" But even her face had started to show signs of panic for her friend. She overheard Ami. "If we don't get her soon, that metal will break off of the building!" Usagi wailed even more. Rei rushed beside Makoto. "Mako-chan, hold my feet and lower me down to her!" she said. Mako nodded. She held Rei's feet and Rei started to inch down towards Minako. "Don't give up now, Minako-chan! I'm almost there . . ." Rei said in a comforting voice. Artemis chose that moment to snap out of the shock the explosion had caused him to experience. He quickly ran on all four feet to the scene, where he could see his master's friends trying hard to reach her. "Minako!" He saw her turn her gaze from Rei to him, and she smiled softly. "I'll be fine . . ." she mouthed. Artemis smiled worriedly back. "Almost there . . . almost . . ." Rei mumbled. She could now feel her friend's fingers. "Only a few more inches and . . ." The concrete holding the metal Minako was holding onto gave way. Rei tried to reach out farther, but she was too late. She wasn't able to grab her hand . . . "NOOOOO!!!" she cried. Artemis helplessly watched in horror as his master plunged down to her certain doom . . .