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Haruka stretched as she got ready for a sprint during gym the next day. She was surprised to see a girl of reasonable height, with long wavy black hair come up next to her, and take position.

"Good luck," she told the new girl.

The girl turned her head, and looked at Haruka, her bright green eyes teasing her.

"Good luck to you too, Ten'oh-san. You will need it," she replied coolly. Haruka barely had time to process the warning when the coach set them off running. Haruka ran like the wind, as she always did, seeming to be part of the wind itself. She was utterly shocked when a head full of long ebon hair pass her easily. This girl moved with the speed and accuracy of a summer storm. Haruka ran as fast as she could, trying harder than she had ever before… but she still lagged behind the raven-haired beauty. Intense emerald eyes glanced back at her, as she finished the heat first, leaving Haruka, and everyone else, entirely shocked.

"Mokusei!" the coach called, hurrying to the two girls, and handing her a towel. "That was awesome! I don't think anyone's ever beaten Ten'oh," she commented.

Haruka felt numb. Am I losing my touch? Wasn't I fast enough? How was I beaten? The questions bombarded her mind, and she was surprised when the girl handed her a towel.

"Good race, Ten'oh-san. I haven't had a work out like that in a while," she smiled. Haruka timidly took the towel from the emerald-eyed belle.

"Who are you?" she asked. Suddenly, the girl's eyes seemed surprisingly familiar. Haruka knew she'd seen them somewhere before. They weren't at all like Makoto's earthy green eyes. These eyes stood out like emeralds against a black velvet pillow. Only then did Haruka finally notice how terribly pale the girl was. Paper white… Between the black locks and white skin, she almost looked unnatural.

"Something wrong, Senshi-san?" she asked. Haruka jumped.

"What?"

"I asked if there was anything wrong, Uranus-san?" she repeated. Haruka's eyes grew wide.

"How…?" she gasped.

The girl pulled her charcoal hair into a bun, and let a long ponytail fall from it. As she moved, the sun seemed to make her hair glisten green in some places. Just as green as her eyes…

"Neo-Jupiter!" she gasped. The girl put a finger in front of her own lips to indicate silence.

"Quick," she complimented. "Yes, I am Mokusei Areru, although you probably better know me as Neo-Sailor Jupiter," she admitted, keeping her tone quiet, so as not to attract any unwanted attention. The long locks fell from the bun, back into long waves along her back. "Call me Areru," she smiled.

Haruka looked on in shock. This was Neo-Sailor Jupiter? If she came from a parallel dimension, wasn't she supposed to be Mako-chan's equivalent? Yet the girl who stood before Haruka was nothing like Kino Makoto. Mokusei Areru… Roughly translated, Haruka would lay money her name meant "Storm of Jupiter", verses Mako-chan's "Wisdom of the Trees". Mako was confident, and a bit of a tomboy, but Areru was not just confident. She knew full well the extent of her skill and those around her. She was wise yet careful. Haruka shuddered when she thought of what her temper must be like. Mako was a good fighter too, but not as good as Haruka herself… if Areru could outrun her like that… she wasn't sure that she wanted to test her fighting ability.

They're nothing alike… she realized. The person before her was only Sailor Jupiter's counter part… but she was not Makoto's… not at all. From what she'd seen of the other two Neo-Soldiers the night before, Haruka figured that it was the same way with all of them. They were parallel counterparts only in title and job. The people themselves, however, had nothing to do with the actual people or personalities.

"Stay away from Usagi," she warned.

"I came here only to protect her. Our world has dealt with the Black Sun already, we know how to handle them. The power of this Earth's Sailor Soldier's hasn't evolved to its maximum capacity," Areru explained, sugar coating it so not to set Haruka off.

"Are you saying we're incompetent?" Haruka rose to the challenge that Areru had been trying to avoid.

"No, not at all, Haruka," she sighed. "I'm saying that this is more powerful than anything you've encountered before, and while the Soldiers of this earth have great potential, you still need to develop it," she protested. "I'm here to show you how to handle the Black Sun and improve yourselves at the same time," she stated.

"And what about the Starlights?" Haruka snapped. Areru's eyes narrowed greatly, lightning seeming to dance in those emerald spheres.

"They have nothing to do with this earth. They will stay out of my way, or I'll eliminate them," she stated flatly, clearly indicating the end of the discussion as she walked away.