'TIS THE SEASON #4: RAYE
A Sailor Moon Sekkushiaru Roman

by Sailor Mac
	"Thank the Gods it's almost over!"
	Raye mumbled to herself as she headed home. She was so tired of seeing all
of Japan, it seemed, covered with symbols of someone else's religion. One
month out of the year, she thought, the whole country seemed to forsake its
own faith and embrace the faith of the West. She was used to seeing this
kind of thing at her Catholic school, but when it spilled over to the rest
of the country. . .
	As a Shinto shrine maiden, it made her nuts.
	At least, she thought, I can get away from it at home. Oh, she exchanged
gifts with her friends, but within her family, Christmas had never been
celebrated. December 25 was always a quiet, restful day, a day to get
caught up on sleep, on reading, on all the nine thousand things they had
put off because the shrine was too busy.
	She mounted the steps of the temple, made a quick check to see if enough
food had been put out for the ravens, headed into the living quarters. .
.and gasped.
	There, in their parlor, was a huge Christmas tree, sparking with lights.
And there was Chad, on a stepladder, putting the star on top. . .while her
grandfather was happily stringing tinsel garland on the lower branches.
	"What. . .is. . .THIS?" she said, still not believing what her eyes were
telling her.
	Chad jumped off the ladder, came over to her and gave her a kiss. "Merry
Christmas, babe!" he said.
	"A TREE? We've NEVER had. . ."
	"It was Chad's idea," her grandfather said. "He was missing the Christmas
trees he used to have at home. So I went with him to pick one out!"
	"Isn't it great?" Chad said.
	Raye felt herself trembling with rage. How could Chad, who'd lived in
their shrine for months, slap their faith in the face like this? Especially
when he knew how much their religion meant to her. . .
	She slammed her books to the ground. "It is NOT great. It is a DISGRACE!
How could you DO this?"
	"Raye. . ." Chad said, "it's just a Christmas tree!"
	"JUST A CHRISTMAS TREE? Grandpa, how can you ALLOW this? By putting this
thing up, you've shamed the memory of everyone who's ever kept the faith of
our people!"
	"Oh, it's not as if we put it in the shrine itself," her grandfather said.
"Come on, Raye! Live a little! Come string some tinsel!"
	"AAAARRRGGHHH!" She stormed out of the room and into her bedroom, slamming
and locking the door. She leaned back against the wall, her breath coming
in gasps, tears stinging her eyes.
	My family has been Shinto priests for generations, she thought. The very
idea of us celebrating the birthday of the founder of another religion. . .
	She threw herself onto her bed, burying her face in her arms. The sobs
she'd been trying to hold back finally forced their way out of her, until
she ended up literally crying herself to sleep.
* * *
	The soft, golden glow in her room awakened her.
	She lifted her head, and what she saw made her blink in disbelief, then
gasp when she realized her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
	There, at the foot of her bed, stood a Sailor Scout. And not any of her
friends. This was a beautiful woman, older than the others, with olive skin
and dark green hair. In her hand was a staff that looked like a giant key.
	"Who. . .who are you? Where did you come from?"
	"You've seen me before, Raye. But not in person. Think. . ."
	Raye suddenly recognized her. "I saw you. . .in visions. . .the visions
I've had of Sailor Scouts we haven't met. . ."
	The other smiled. "Actually, Raye, if you're past the first stage of
training, the proper term is Sailor *Soldier.* It is what you are, and it's
what I am. I am the Sailor Soldier of time, Sailor Pluto."
	"Sailor Pluto?" If she's Sailor Pluto, she thought, the others I've seen
in my visions must be. . .Sailor Uranus? Sailor Neptune? Sailor Saturn?
"Are. . .the others here?"
	"It's not time for your destiny to cross paths with theirs yet. It's
actually not time for me to enter your life yet, either. . .but I came at
the bidding of someone who is *very* concerned about you."
	Raye's heart sped up. She knew instantly who this new Sailor Soldier meant. . .
	"Mars!" Raye said. "Mars sent you!"
	"Yes, he did. It seems that you have a problem with Christmas. . ."
	"Christmas? You're kidding. Why would *Mars* be concerned about *Christmas*?"
	"Christmas isn't just confined to the celebration of one religious
leader's birth, Raye. Christmas is so much more than that."
	"Yeah, it is. . .it's tons of decorations in the mall and 'Chestnuts
Roasting on an Open Fire' on the radio nine million times and people
putting on airs to impress each other and. . ."
	"People have been celebrating the Winter Solstice and the turn of the year
long before there was Christianity *or* malls. Come on. . .I'll show you
Christmas past. . .*long* past."
	Raye hesitated at first. . .but then, she heard the voice of Mars in her head.
	"Go with Sailor Pluto," he said. "Trust her, Raye. For your own good."
	She slowly reached out her hand to the other Sailor Soldier. She saw a
door appearing behind Sailor Pluto. . .when the two clasped hands, the door
opened, and a white light spilled out. The other woman led her forward, and
soon, everything was blinding whiteness.
* * *
	When she could see again, she was standing at the edge of what looked like
a ballroom in a grand palace. Servants in black uniforms were hanging holly
branches on the wall and sprigs of mistletoe from the ceiling.
	"What is this?" said Raye.
	"This is the ballroom of Queen Serenity's palace on the Moon."
	"Queen Serenity? You mean. . .this is the Silver Millennium?"
	"Yes, it is. And it's the night of the Queen's Solstice ball. All the
young Sailor Soldiers will be attending."
	The servants finished their preparations, and an group of musicians
entered from a side door. They set up on a platform and began to play. Two
of the servants went to the huge double doors on the other side of the room
and opened them, and couples began to pour in.
	"Look!" Raye said. "There's Mina and Glen! And over there are Amy and
Adam. . ."
	"As they were then. Princess Minako and Priest Glendon of Venus, Princess
Ami and Lord Adam of Mercury. You'll see many of your friends here, Raye.
Even ones you might not expect."
	As the band continued to play, the servants circulated with trays of
snacks and drinks. Some of the couples started to dance around the room. A
young man in a military uniform whirled past with a petite, red-haired girl
in a fancy dress.
	"If I didn't know any better," Raye said, "I'd say that was Molly with
Nephlite."
	"And you'd be a hundred percent correct. Princess Serenity's
lady-in-waiting, Naru, fell in love with one of Prince Endymion's generals,
and he with her."
	"So she came back in this life to find him again. . ."
	Then, Raye saw a very familiar black-haired girl enter the room, all
alone. "That's me!"
	"Princess Rei of Mars. Yes, that's you, as you were then."
	"But. . .I'm the only woman in the room who's alone!"
	"Were you truly alone?"
	Raye looked closer. . .and saw that her counterpart was wearing a thick
velvet ribbon around her neck with a large silver medallion hanging from
it. She knew what it was instantly. . .it signified that the princess had
been given to the god Mars as his bride.
	"So that's why," she whispered. "Even back then. . ."
	The musicians played a fanfare, and everyone in the room stood at
attention. Queen Serenity entered the room, followed by Princess Serenity
on the arm of Prince Endymion.
	"That's Serena and Darien, all right," Raye said. "She's clinging to him
as if her life depended on it."
	"My friends," the queen said, "thank you all for coming to our Yuletide
celebration. It is an honor and a pleasure to see so many dignitaries from
so many planets here. But this season isn't about diplomacy and politics;
it's about joy, merriment, and love. And so, I ask you all to put aside
formalities and just have fun tonight. And now, for the moment you've been
waiting for. . .the Yule Log."
	Two of the male servants brought an enormous log into the room, decorated
with holly and pine branches. They set it in the fireplace, then took a
step back.
	"Everyone threw a burning twig onto the log," Sailor Pluto said,
"symbolizing their wishes for the New Year. The princess would
traditionally start it. . ."
	Sure enough, Princess Serenity was holding a burning twig, lit from one of
the many candles in the room. She and her prince looked into each other's
eyes, as if they could see eternity there. . .then she smiled, and tossed
her twig into the fireplace.
	I don't think I have to ask what her wish was, Raye thought.
	The other people in the room stepped forward to light their own twigs and
cast them onto the log, until all the tiny fires came together and made a
blaze. The orchestra began to play again, and the prince and princess led
the dancing, couples spinning around the room in a colorful blur. Raye
found herself tapping her feet to the music. Then, she caught sight of her
past self, standing by the fireplace, gazing into the Yule Fire. . .
	And I don't have to wonder at all what she's seeing there, Raye thought.
	Standing nearby were three familiar figures, the sight of whom, in the
past, would have filled her with horror. But Jaedite, Malachite and Zoicite
looked different. Their eyes weren't cold and hard, their voices weren't
steely. They were laughing and joking.
	"This is how they were," said Sailor Pluto, "before they fell into the
hands of Beryl. They were Prince Endymion's generals, and they were very
well-loved by all."
	Raye noticed that Jaedite was looking at her past self, saying something
to the other two. . .they said something to him, and he frowned, pointing
at her. . .at the medallion around her neck? Then, she distinctly heard
Malachite say, "The god is *not* going to strike you dead just for dancing
with her! Now, go on!"
	Jaedite walked over to Princess Rei, bowed to her, and held out his hand.
She hesitated, then took it. . .and soon, they were dancing around the
room, dancing with all the other couples. The whole room was fairly
bursting with joy.
	And then suddenly, the vision was fading, fading away. . .Raye clutched at
the air, as if she could catch it and make it stay. . .but it was gone.
	"Can you make it come back? Please?"
	Sailor Pluto gave a small smile. "They were only the shadows of the past,
Raye. . .but they seemed to have an effect on you, didn't they? You were
really getting into this holiday which you said belonged only to other
people."
	Raye looked around her, and saw that they were now on a city street. But
it wasn't Tokyo. . .
	"Where are we?"
	"New York City, present day. A city which definitely knows how to
celebrate Christmas."
	"Oh, yeah, this is the place with the huge tree at the skating rink,
right? And nine billion stores, all crammed with people trampling each
other to death trying to get at the best stuff. . ."
	"That's only a small part of the true Christmas. Come, let me show you. . ."
	She took Raye down a side street, to a big building which looked like a
warehouse. Raye peeked in the window, and saw a group of people stirring
enormous pots.
	"Are they going to feed an army?"
	"An army of the homeless. This is a food pantry run by a Catholic church.
They're going to give a happy holiday to people whose lives are normally
empty of any happiness and hope."
	The door opened, and Raye saw people begin to file in. Their clothes were
ragged and filthy, their bodies bone-thin, their eyes haunted, their gait
shuffling. It was almost painful to look at them.
	Then, they saw the food being laid out for them on a buffet table, and
their expressions seemed to change. Their eyes lit up, the corners of their
mouths turned up in a smile. The volunteers staffing the center greeted
them warmly, shaking their hands, wishing them a Merry Christmas. . .acting
like they genuinely cared about these people whom everyone overlooked. And
Raye saw their despair melt away like snow in the sunlight.
	"Across the street," Sailor Pluto said, "there's a children's hospital.
Let's take a look in there. . ."
	Suddenly, they were standing in the middle of a ward. There were children
wandering around, and others confined to bed, all looking lost and lonely
andsad, wondering if Santa was going to find them there. . .
	Then, the door opened, and a group of volunteers came in, costumed like
Santa and his elves, handing out candy canes and presents. The children's
mood changed. They forgot their illness, their sadness. They laughed. They
were children again.
	Raye watched with a lump in her throat, wondering if maybe she'd misjudged
the whole Christmas thing. . .maybe it was more than just people spending
money they didn't have on gifts for people they didn't really like. . .
	Then, a cynical part of her mind said, "Yes, but while this is going on. .
.they're still killing each other in the stores!" And she heard herself
saying the words out loud.
	"Is everything that's going on in those stores just people buying showy
gifts to impress other people? Take a look. . ."
	Their surroundings seemed to shift, and they were standing in front of a
major department store. There were people bringing out loads of packages,
all right. . .but not all of them were carried away. Outside the store was
a big cardboard box, which bore the label, "MARINE CORPS: TOYS FOR TOTS."
Smaller letters said that the toys placed in the box would be distributed
to needy children on Christmas Eve. And a large portion of the people
coming out of the store were dropping something into the box.
	"This is the real Christmas as it is today, Raye," Sailor Pluto said.
"There's a lot of hustle, bustle and hype, that's true. . .but underneath
it all is charity and love."
	This is Christmas present, Raye thought, and I just saw Christmas past. . .
	Suddenly, she remembered an old story she had read in her literature
class. An aged miser who wouldn't celebrate Christmas, being shown
Christmas past, present and future. . .and the future had *not* been
pretty.
	"Are you going to show me Christmas future next?" she said in a small
voice. "I don't know if I want to see it."
	The other Sailor Soldier gave one of her quiet, enigmatic smiles. "Don't
worry, Raye, I'm not going to show you everybody talking about what a
horrible person you were after you're gone."
	"But. . .you *are* going to show me the future, right?"
	"Yes. There are things in the future which you're not allowed to see yet.
. .but there *is* something that I *can* show you."
	And she raised her Time Staff, and the city faded away.
	Raye saw what looked like a huge Christmas tree in a grand ballroom. "I
know what this is!" she said. "This is the ballroom of the Crystal Palace.
. ."
	Sailor Pluto gave a start. "What do you know about the Crystal Palace?"
	"It's something I've seen in my dreams and visions. I don't know too much
about it. . .just that it's something in my future."
	"Then we'll leave it at that. . .for now. No, this is the ballroom at
Farthinggale Manor in England. A friend of yours is about to get married. .
."
	Raye saw a door at the end of the ballroom open, and older versions of
herself, Amy, Serena and Lita came into the room, accompanied by older
versions of Darien, Adam and Ken. Mina came rushing out to greet everyone.
There were hugs and kisses all around. . .
	"Have you decided which one of us will be your honor attendant yet?"
Serena was saying.
	"Um. . .no, I still can't decide," Mina replied.
	"Mi-na! You're getting married Christmas Eve. . .you've got less than 24
hours!" Lita said.
	"Well, I'll just flip a coin to decide between Serena and Amy. . .and then
another coin to decide between Raye and Lita. . .and then another coin to
choose the winner between the winners of the first two coin tosses. . ."
	Raye, however, noticed that her older self was separating from the group.
. .and she had a *very* dejected look on her face. She's the only one who's
alone, Raye thought with rising panic. When she saw the woman cast a
baleful look at the Christmas tree, Raye realized what had happened.
	I'm alone in the future, she thought. I've lost Chad. And over something
stupid. . .like my refusal to celebrate Christmas.
	How could I have been so stupid, so thoughtless, she thought. Why did I
refuse to celebrate Christmas? It's such a beautiful holiday, and its true
meaning really does go beyond religious boundaries. . .
	She saw the other girls file out of the room. The older Raye was still
alone, looking sad. . .
	Then, suddenly, the door of the room burst open and a familiar figure -
although with shorter, neater hair - came in.
	"Chad! You made it after all!" The older Raye rushed to him, and they
embraced, holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it.
	"I got someone else to cover for me," he said. "Nothing in the world was
going to keep me from spending Christmas with you."
	"It wouldn't be Christmas without you. You're the one who brought
Christmas into my life."
	The two shared a long, lingering kiss, then she said, "Let me get your
coat." She started to pull it off. . .and a small package fell out of his
pocket and hit the floor.
	"What's this?"
	"Um. . .a surprise for Christmas Day."
	"That looks like. . .a ring box!"
	"Ring box? Now what gave you an idea like that?"
	"Chad. . .are you planning on asking me something?"
	"Well. . ."
	"I'll tell you right now. The answer is. . .yes. A million times over,
yes, yes, yes!" She pulled him in her arms again, and their lips came
together, over and over. . .
	The younger Raye, watching, had happy tears in her eyes. "I'm going to get
engaged. . .on Christmas Day," she whispered.
	"You're very emotional about the idea of getting engaged on a day that
means nothing to you."
	"Nothing to me? It does now! I want to go back. . .I want to tell Chad I'm
sorry. . .I want to celebrate Christmas!"
	"You will. You'll wake up in your own room, and you'll remember all this.
. .and me. . .as just a dream. And so, until it's time for us to meet
again. . ."
* * *
	Raye awoke with a start. She was lying on her bed, and it was dark, both
within the room and outside. She jumped up and turned on the lights.
	What a vivid dream, she thought. It was as if it were real. . .
	In the distance, she could hear the ringing of the bells of the Catholic
church attached to her school. It's still Christmas Eve, she thought. I
haven't missed it. . .
	Because, as a result of her dream, she felt herself filled with the urge
to celebrate Christmas.
	She opened her door and went out into the hall. From her grandfather's
room came the sound of snoring, but she could see a light on under Chad's
door. She knocked.
	"I'm decent," he said. "Enter!"
	Raye closed the door behind her. He was sitting on his bed, tying ribbon
around a package. "Hi, sweetie," he said.
	"Chad. . .I want to apologize. I acted like a real jerk over this whole
Christmas thing."
	"It's okay."
	"No, it's not. There was no excuse for my behavior. I was being a real. .
.Scrooge." She sat down next to him. "But I'm over that now, Chad. I *want*
to celebrate Christmas."
	He chuckled and put an arm around her. "Have a visit from three ghosts, babe?"
	She smiled to herself. "Something like that."
	"I should have realized. . .I know how devoted you are to your religion. . ."
	"Chad, I've done some thinking, and I know now. . .Christmas is more than
one religion's holiday.  Christmas is pure love."
	"Wow! That was beautiful!" He chuckled. "I didn't know you had it in you,
Raye."
	"Neither did I." She leaned over and kissed him. "Merry Christmas."
	"Merry Christmas to you, too." He drew her close, and their lips met. She
made a little sighing noise as the kiss deepened, as their tongues began to
caress each other. He pulled her even closer, as if trying to melt her
flesh into his.
	She felt her hands coming up to his chest, reaching beneath the fabric to
caress the skin beneath. He pulled away from her just long enough to strip
off everything he was wearing, except for his underwear.
	"I guess I'll have to even the score, won't I?" she said. And she stripped
down to her bra and panties, grabbed the package and wrapping off the bed
and tossed them onto the desk. Grabbing him in her arms, she crushed her
mouth against his, speaking volumes to him with just the pressure of her
lips, the dartings of her tongue. Their mouths broke apart, and they
embraced tightly again, their hands roaming each other's bodies.
	He reached behind her and unhooked her bra, easing her back to the bed,
then tossing the garment away. She gasped in anticipation, and the gasp
became a cry when she felt his mouth there, first licking, then sucking
firmly. His hand caressed her other breast, the fingers flicking back and
forth across the nipple, then gently squeezing it. She felt her hips
bucking, trying to rub her womanhood against his manhood.
	When he raised his mouth to hers again, she decided to take control. She
rolled him over onto his back, straddling him, rubbing herself against him.
The thin layers of fabric between them only served to make the sensations
more maddeningly tantalizing. She took her mouth from his only to lower it
to his chest and pay him back for what he had done to her. She licked
around and around his right nipple, delighting in the sound of his long,
low moan, then began to suck it, gently, then harder and faster.
	"Don't stop," he moaned. "Please, don't stop. . ."
	She stopped. She pulled her mouth away from him, kissed her way down his
stomach, then rid him of his underwear. She grasped his manhood gently yet
firmly, and began to stroke it, slowly, then picking up speed. . .He
groaned loudly, and then even more loudly when she took him in her mouth
and started to suck. He writhed on the bed as pleasure ran all over his
body, as his mind was obliterated by sweet madness. . .
	She eased her mouth away from him and came back up to him, kissing his
lips. He reached down, yanking off her panties, and slipped two fingers
inside her, determined to bring her to the same level of passion. She
sighed and moaned as he moved them in and out, in and out, over and over. .
.as he stroked faster and faster, she threw her arms around him, moving her
hips in time to the motion of his fingers, and then he took them out and
slid them up to her jewel. . .at the first touch, she jerked and cried out,
and the cries continued as he rubbed and caressed it. . .
	"AAAHHH!!! she screamed as she felt a climax breaking over her, her entire
body shuddering with fiery sensations.
	He rolled her on her back again, and as she lay in her beautiful delirium,
she could hear the sound of a foil package being torn open. . .Then, he was
atop her, pulling her legs up and out. . .his lips were on her mouth, then
on her nipples, then on her mouth again. . .and then, he thrust forward and
they were one. Both of them cried out with joy at their union. He began to
thrust, and she raised her hips off the bed and thrust with him. Their
breath came in loud gasps and pants, and whispers of love soon turned into
incoherent moans and groans as they moved faster and faster.
	She was the first to feel the wave breaking, and she shrieked as her whole
body trembled, as delicious feelings pulsed through every inch of her. When
he felt her sheath begin to tug and pull at him, he felt his own resistance
give way, and he yelled her name as he reached his own peak.
	He collapsed atop her, and they clung to each other, tenderly kissing,
reluctantly bringing their fiery encounter to an end.
	She snuggled against his chest and started to drift off to sleep. . .when
the feel of something cold being dragged against her skin woke her up with
a start. There was Chad, with something in his hand. . .
	"Merry Christmas, my love," he said, showing her what he was holding. It
was a matching necklace and pair of earrings, the charms in the shape of a
bird in flight. . .
	"It's a firebird," he said, as he put the necklace on her. "Merry Christmas."
	"Oh, Chad. . ." Tears came into her eyes. "I didn't get a gift for you."
	"You didn't have to. You're all the gift I need. Coming here and meeting
you was the best thing that ever happened to me."
	She held him close. "I love you, Chad," she whispered.
	"I love you too, Raye."
 	I love him so much, she thought. He really has brought Christmas into my
life. . .not just at the holiday, but all through the year.
	As they snuggled up and went to sleep, her last conscious thought was she
couldn't wait to see his handsome face bythe light of that Christmas tree
again.