Outer Senshi Trilogy
Intermezzo {1/1}
A Sailor Moon story by Tim Nolan
e-mail: nomad@cyberverse.com
Please see comments following the story.
This is part of a trilogy of stories about
the Outer Senshi. The correct order they
should be read in is
1. Aftermath
2. Intermezzo
3. Advent
These are based on the manga and not the anime.
*************
Intermezzo
part two of a trilogy of Outer Senshi stories
Silver cords linked the two combatants to machines
behind them that were far faster and less prone to errors
than their fickle human counterparts. Modern fencing was
so fast a sport that it was necessary. A touch would
complete an electrical circuit that would signal a
score to the judges, who were busy determining who had
the right of way and was able to attack.
The shorter of the two smiled behind her
wire-mesh mask. Her opponent was fast and skilled,
and was a good work-out for her today. It would still
take him a few more years to reach his prime, however.
His opening pattern of feints had been clever,
but he had yet to seriously challenge her defense
without opening himself to her. She had already scored
on him four times in the practice match. What seemed to
be an opening would appear in her guard, but by the time
he could react and attack, it was closed off and she
was scoring on him with her epee.
The last two had been more difficult than the
first. He had gotten wise to her tricks, but it was
not easy to resist the chance to even the
score. Typical, she thought to herself. Yet another
man who couldn't handle her being good at things they
considered to be their specialty and became angry, thus
losing any chance at victory.
Her own flash of anger got the better of her
before she could fully control it as she drove past
him with a speed that he could never match. The tip of
her epee dug into the light canvas of his jacket, the
force of the blow making the blade bow upwards. The
scoring system and the judges registered the touch and
awarded her the match.
She held out her left hand to him in a fencer's
handshake after saluting him with the blade in her
right and removing her helmet, as was customary. He
almost didn't take it, but thought better of it and
how it would reflect on his career with a dozen of
the country's best fencing coaches watching, and
perfunctorily shook it.
Theirs had been the last match of the
session. While the others talked or gathered their
things prior to leaving, she accepted a few words of
congratulations from some of the coaches or fencers
she knew before making her way to the relative quiet
at the far end of the room. She'd done something she
shouldn't have during the match. Time to do her
penance, she reprimanded herself.
Back to the basics, she decided, and began to work
her way across the room in series of practice thrusts
with exaggerated care. Every move was textbook
perfect. Back and forth she continued to go, even
after the others had left.
Baka. That was what she was. She was supposed
to be fitting in with them and doing nothing to draw
any unusual attention to herself. Thankfully, none of
the other fencers or judges noticed her slip earlier.
Fencers had some of the best reflexes of any
athletes. Her move earlier to win the match had been
just a little too fast to be humanly possible. If that
had been a regular person facing her on the mat, it
would have been readily apparent. Fortunately, these
people were used to watching people who were so fast
that she was only slightly faster in comparison. She
was safe this time, but she shouldn't have made the
mistake in the first place.
" Ten'ou-san?"
" Yes," she replied to the older man. He'd been
watching her earlier during the match, and had left
with one of the coaches she had studied with once. He
had also walked back into the gym about ten minutes
ago and had been analytically watching her.
" You were very impressive in the match
today. Congratulations on your victory."
" He'll be better with a few more years under his
belt," she replied as she turned to start moving in the
other direction again.
He smiled a little at that. " I don't have that
much time, I'm afraid."
She waited for him to make the first move and
shifted to a pattern of parries and ripostes. He tried
waiting a few moments to see if she would say anything
else, but she remained silent.
" Do you know why I am here?" he asked finally,
breaking the uneasy silence between them.
" I think so," she replied. " Why don't you tell
me firsthand, though? I've only heard the rumors."
" All right," he decided and sat on the bottom
seat of a row of bleachers. " I was just named to the
position of coach of Japan's fencing team for the
upcoming Olympics the year after next. I want to
field the best team possible, Ten'ou-san, but I need
to assemble it as quickly as possible.
" I can guarantee you a spot in the Internationals
later this year, and if you do well there you're
virtually guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team. I
want you on that Olympic team, Ten'ou-san. You're
the best prospect Japan has for winning a medal
that I've seen."
" Why me?" she responded casually and stopped
to face him, catching his eyes with her green
ones. " What makes me so special?"
" You're already well known, Ten'ou-san," he
said. " This could be a great help in building up a
public perception of fencing and sports in general."
" Publicity, you mean," she countered. " You
overestimate me. I don't have that much of a chance
of winning, I'm afraid. There are at least a dozen
Europeans who can beat me out there, and that does
not make for a good story."
There are at least a dozen who can beat you
within the narrow limits of the sport of fencing, she
added to herself. This was only a game; practice for
the conflicts that were to come. Those same fencers
couldn't touch her if it was a real fight.
" Are you that sure, Ten'ou-san?" he asked,
looking disappointed. " I've been teaching this for
a long time. I think that you have what it takes. Besides,
representing their country in the Olympics is every
athlete's dream."
" Their dream," she snapped but restrained
herself and kept her voice low and level for the rest
as she started to walk over to get her bag. He couldn't
see her looking at the ring on her left hand, which
was the only piece of jewelry that she wore. " Not mine."
*************************************************
Fingers danced over familiar strings as she
checked the tune of her violin for the lessons later
on in the day. The sunlight coming through the windows
caught the silver metal of the band of the only ring
she wore; a simple ring that she wouldn't have traded
for any other in the world.
After a few minutes, she had worked the slight
stiffness due to a lack of recent, regular practice
from her fingers and felt more alert and aware. Music
did that for her. It had always done that for her, she
reflected as she set down the instrument and readied
the others. Today was her beginner's class, and she
taught more than just the violin, even though most were
there for that.
Or, she smiled to herself, most of the parents
sent their children here to study the violin under her
tutelage. Few children displayed the love for the
difficult instrument that she had at an early age. In
all probability, some of those parents wished for a
portion of the riches and fame a gifted child could
earn.
Fortunately, most of the children quickly came
to like her and wanted the lessons to continue. She
didn't think that she could have gone on for too long
otherwise.
Unfortunately, this was not her class at the
public school that she volunteered to teach. At first,
it had been a ruse to give Setsuna easier access to the
public school system's records in order to set up
falsified records. Over time, however, she had grown
fond of those children. Also, the reason for her recent
worries was not a student at the local public school.
" A pegasus, Kaioh-sensei!"
She had heard the whisper from the back of the
room as she was showing a boy the right way to hold a
bow while Hotaru had played. It was the girl's second
time in a session with the children at their house, and
since the little girl now looked to be about five or
six, the three women thought it to be a good way to
let Hotaru interact with the others on a trial basis.
She had shown Hotaru the basics of the violin
earlier, but nobody expected her to take to it so
well. Her moves lacked the expertise and polish that
years of playing would give her, but Hotaru's raw
talent had shocked the other children.
Her pride had been like a parent discovering
her child was a prodigy. It lasted until that whisper
made her snap her head around in time to see the
ghostly form of a winged horse. Even what little she
could see told her that the animal was in great pain. A
moment later, the vision faded, but not before she
caught a flicker of movement in the vision.
A girl ran towards the horse. She was vague and
indistinct as she moved towards the pegasus, but every
line she could make out bespoke of sorrow. What made
her blood go cold, however, was that the girl's hair
was worn up in an all-too familiar style. They only
knew of two girls who wore their hair like that and
looked like it belonged.
*************************************************
First she removed the ring from her left hand
ring finger and put it on a chain which went around
her neck. She wouldn't forgive herself for damaging
that particular ring. Then, she tied the apron strings
behind her back, took the vegetables out of the colander
they had been rinsed in and began to cut them. The
knife's movements were swift and confident as she cut
them into smaller pieces, which were then set aside
to be cooked a few minutes later. The whole point, she
reminded herself of the rules in one of the cookbooks
she had read, was to have everything cut and ready to
cook before you actually begin cooking.
The thought of her being so domestic made her
laugh aloud. She would have never though of herself
as being part of a family, let alone cooking like
this. Before, she never had the time due to her other
duties. When she did bother to eat, an act done more
out of the habit of keeping her disguise than hunger,
it was at some kind of restaurant. Sure, she had a
home to live in... well, several actually, but she
never bothered cooking.
" Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru called out as she came
into the room. " Are you all right?"
" Yes, I am, Hotaru-chan," she replied and smiled
at the girl. " I was just laughing because I'm happy
right now."
" You usually don't laugh like that, Setsuna-mama,"
the girl said and turned her large, violet eyes on the
woman. She hadn't asked a question, but it was there in
her eyes.
" I was thinking that I was happy being here with
you and Michiru and Haruka." the woman explained as she
began to mix up some flour and melted butter to form
the basis for a roux that would be the foundation of a
sauce to go over the meat that Haruka would cook on
the grill outside in a few minutes. " That's why I
laughed." Hotaru's reply was to run over to her and
throw her arms around the woman's waist in a fierce
hug.
" I'm glad that you're happy, Setsuna-mama."
" So am I, hime-chan, so am I," she smiled as
she put one arm around the girl.
" Can I help you?" Hotaru brightly asked, eager
to be involved with what the adults did.
" Yes," the woman laughed and pointed to the
other end of the counter and a stack of plates and
glasses. " You can set the table, but remember, only
one plate at a time."
" Okay," the girl nodded and started on ferrying
the items to the table. " I'm sorry about the plates
the other day, Setsuna-mama. I thought that I was
strong enough to carry all four at once. I wanted to
help, and it was getting close to dinner. All I wanted
to do was to surprise you by helping out."
" You are strong enough, little one, but you
don't have the control yet. That will come in
time. Remember, you're still a growing girl.
" And," she added, seeing the remorseful look
on the girl's face. " Michiru-mama is not mad at you
about the plates, Hotaru-chan. She understands that
it was an accident, and that you didn't mean to drop
that stack."
" But she was angry at first."
" Yes, but she was angry that the plates were
broken, and not at you for breaking them. She put in
a lot of time and work finding the ones in that
particular style, Hotaru-chan, and that was why she
was angry. Do you think that you understand the
difference?"
" I think so," the girl frowned slightly,
furrowing her brow as she thought.
" Well, why don't you think about it some more
if you aren't certain that you understand yet," she
said as she turned on the gas flame under a wok on
the stove. " Are you done with your studies for today?"
" Yes," the girl nodded and put the last of the
silverware on the table, and followed it up with the
glasses. The woman glanced out the window, seeing
Haruka slowly and methodically vacuuming the pool in
the back of the yard.
" Michiru-mama should be back soon. Why don't
you go and tell Haruka-papa that dinner will be ready
in fifteen minutes, and that I'll need her in about
five?"
" Hai!" the girl agreed and ran out of the
kitchen and down the hall. Setsuna heard the back
door open and close, and watched the girl run across
the yard and over to the blonde woman. Haruka laughed,
swept her up into a hug and spun her around a few times.
She is growing so quickly, Setsuna told herself
as she put some peanut oil into the wok and began
cooking. It has been only six months since they started
looking after the girl, and she seemed to have aged
almost the same number of years.
" Something is happening," she speculatively
informed the empty kitchen and fervently wished that
she knew what it was.
************************************************
A slightly wet, somewhat bedraggled, and thoroughly
smiling Michiru joined the other two women in the living
room about a half hour after dinner. Her hair was somewhat
damp, as was the white dressing gown in a few spots. The
clothes she had been wearing were now in the dryer.
" I take it that somebody was having fun?" Setsuna
teased her and smiled.
" Yes," she grinned back and sat next to
Haruka. " Hotaru-chan decided to splash some water
around for a little bit, but she did settle down
finally and take a proper bath."
" And you couldn't resist the challenge, ne?" the
blonde replied, her voice light and dry. Michiru simply
mock-glared at her for a moment before teasingly
smiling and nodded.
" Did anything happen at the lessons today,
Michiru?" Setsuna asked. They had refrained from
discussing business at the table, as was usual. It
was as much to keep Hotaru from hearing them as it
was an agreement. She and Michiru had outvoted Haruka,
and declared meals to be times of relaxation unless
it was a bona fide emergency.
" No," Michiru said. " Today it was quiet,
although a few children were whispering about what
had happened."
" Anything from any of the parents?"
" No," she replied to Setsuna. " None of them
said anything that would make me believe that the
children have told them anything and it was believed. So
far, we're safe."
" That makes it four visitations with Chibi-usa
in them at the end, then," Haruka commented. " I still
think that this means something, even if we haven't had
one for two weeks now."
" I believe you, Haruka," Setsuna replied, poured
herself a cup of tea and opened up her laptop
computer. " I was able to get into the university's
computer system last night and ran the test results
through it to confirm what I got."
" And?"
The older woman brought up a file and handed
the unit over. " There was nothing unusual. Her
medical information is all normal. Ours is as
well. According to virtually every test known to
the modern medical science of one of the best research
universities in the world, we are in perfect health,
and absolutely nothing is wrong with any of us."
It had been trickier to sneak the child into a
medical lab on a weekend, but she had managed by
changing the records so that it was not in use at the
time. The same had been done for the three women. After
the tests were done, Setsuna had removed the data and
any evidence leading to them from the computers and
bided her time until she could get to the main computer
to decipher the results.
" In other words," Michiru added. " There are
still no reasons that we know of for losing our powers
or why Hotaru-chan is growing so quickly."
" In other words, we're back to square
one. " Haruka bitterly added. " Damn."
" I'm afraid so," Setsuna agreed. " We have
something going on or shall be going on with Small
Lady, at least if we believe that Hotaru's visions
are accurate. Nor do we know if it is something
going on now or in the future if she happens to be
precognitive."
" And not a trace of our powers since the
eclipse," Michiru added with a sardonic smile. " One
hell of an April Fool's joke is being played on us."
" Joke or not, we still have a job to do," the
older woman replied. " And we have only a fraction of
the resources we expected to have. I still can't reach
my castle, but that itself isn't too surprising since
I may need to be a Senshi in order to be
recognized. What worries me is that my guardian
isn't responding. She's supposed to be the back-up
in case of emergencies like this."
" This talk of castles is weird," Haruka
chuckled. " I trust you, Setsuna, but it is still
weird. We've never felt them or remember being there."
" They are there, you two," Setsuna smiled. Uranus
and Neptune had been directly reincarnated like the Inner
Senshi and the princess. Her own path to this time and
existence was somewhat more convoluted than theirs, and
because of that she knew things that they did
not. " When we figure this out, I'll take you to
yours."
" And that kawaii little image of you was
Guardian Pluto, right?" Michiru smiled merrily
despite the gravity of the situation. She had
enjoyed teasing Pluto about the appearance of the
artificial intelligence that Pluto had summoned
once while they were trying to learn more about
the Deathbusters. It was only that they had seen
the apparition at all that they believed Setsuna
about the existence of these castles in orbit
around their respective planets.
" Yes, that was her," Setsuna replied with a
light grin of her own. Michiru had made her laugh as
well with the raised eyebrow that was her first
reaction to the spirited little apparition. " I don't
think that there is anything that she can add to
what I have found out, but I would like to make sure."
" So," Haruka added a few moments later. " The
only assets we can rely on are our wits and the
Talismans. At least they still work."
" Two of them are," Setsuna quietly reminded
them, glancing at Michiru.
" The Deep Aqua Mirror is just fine," Michiru
reassured them with a pointed glare behind her light
voice. Neither had agreed with her at first when she
gave the mirror to Chibi-usa before they left the
others. Now it was looking like a fortunate
decision. Michiru always knew where the mirror was
despite it not being in her possession, so they could
keep track of at least one of their former allies.
"The mirror is as much of a part of me as yours
are a part of you," she reassured them. " If I truly
need it, it will return to me."
" I believe you, Michiru," Haruka said as an
apology for her lack of faith, still trying to make
it up to her on this issue. Hotaru's voice called
out from upstairs and Michiru sighed.
" Once more, into the breach," she wryly
commented and stood. " Anything else, Setsuna?"
" No," she sighed as well. " We're just going
to have to figure out how to make it on our own, it
seems."
***********************************************
Sea gulls wheeled about overhead, their strident
cries a sharp reminder to Michiru of how long it had
been since they had been to the beach. It was also
the cause of a pang of loss. Before she had lost her
powers, she always felt close to being able to
understand what they were crying about. It was as
if a few more minutes of listening would be the key
to unlocking the puzzle.
Now it was just noise without any pattern or
meaning to it.
" Haruka-papa!" Hotaru shrieked with laughter
and was splashed with a cascade of water as Haruka
came out of the sea behind her and crashed back down,
creating a deluge.
" Why don't you go join them?" Setsuna asked from
under the relative shelter of the umbrella at their
spot. It was still somewhat early, so the morning
sunlight wasn't too bad yet. Nor were the crowds,
although that would change in a few hours. " We've
been here a while, and you still haven't gone in the
water."
" You're one to talk," Michiru neatly deflected
the question, noticing the still dry swimsuit that
the other woman wore.
" I didn't come here for the water," Setsuna
countered with a sly smile, catching Michiru with
her own words from early that morning when the impromptu
trip had been decided upon. Michiru laughed, readily
acknowledging her defeat.
" So why are you here?"
" The sun, darling," Setsuna drawled, making
Michiru giggle despite herself at the change in the
woman's behavior. " My tan is fading horribly."
Despite ample evidence to the contrary over the
past several months, her mental image of Setsuna was
still someone who was too serious for her own good. The
seriousness was always there, but a dry wit often
lurked behind those red eyes, and sometimes it would
even escape.
" I've been spending too much time indoors
lately," Setsuna went on in a more normal tone of
voice. " We all have, really."
" There's three of us and we can barely keep
up with her," Michiru commented and stood up. " It
makes me wonder how a single parent like ever does
it, Setsuna."
Setsuna nodded in agreement as Michiru went down
and helped out Hotaru in her water splashing contest
with Haruka. The simple fact was that they did not
have a regular child to raise, she told herself as
she watched them for a while.
A little while later, after she put on some
sunscreen in order to avoid burning and calling Hotaru
over to get the same treatment, she joined them in the
water. The poor girl got ganged up on for a little while
at first and thoroughly enjoyed it before the fray
settled down to Haruka and Hotaru against Michiru and
herself.
" How about I start on a sand castle?" Haruka
asked Hotaru after seeing the fatigue beginning to show
in her eyes and her movements. She still didn't have the
endurance of a child of her apparent age, but was
beginning to catch up.
" Hai!" she agreed and then yelped in surprise
as Setsuna scooped her up and put her up on her shoulder.
" I need a cold drink, little one, and I think
you could do with the same," she said and carried Hotaru
back to their blankets. Michiru followed and took a
towel and some yen from her purse.
" There's a stand down the way that has good
bento," she told them. " Anybody want anything in
particular?"
" No natto," Haruka quickly offered as she took
the large, sturdy bucket she had used to carry some of
their odds and ends in from the car. She also grabbed
the small, folding shovel she had brought along since
she had a good idea of what was going to happen. Hotaru
liked to do things with her hands.
" Honestly, Haruka," Michiru sighed in
mock-exasperation and put her hands on her hips
while trying to look offended. The smile on her
face ruined the effect to some degree. " Do you
really think that I would have forgotten that after
all this time?"
The blonde blushed at the teasing and withdrew
in order to begin getting the sand for the castle's
foundation. Michiru laughed at the look on Haruka's
face before going to one of the showers on her way
to the bento stand.
" Here you go," the woman said while she opened
and handed the girl a can of chilled apple juice
while pouring herself some of the iced green tea
she had made that morning. She settled back in her
lounge chair and thought to herself that it was a
wonderful day, despite all their other problems.
" Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru spoke up right as the
woman was going to tell herself that they needed a
relaxing day like this. " What's that word for a person
that you told me that is sort of like Haruka-papa, but
they dress that way on purpose?"
Oh boy, she sighed to herself. She had almost
spoken too soon. " A transvestite," she replied, glad
that Hotaru knew the difference but still dreading what
was to come. This was Hotaru's version of asking about
the birds and the bees.
The girl had asked and been taught by them about
where babies came from, and understood the biological
mechanics. So far, she only felt that a couple would do
that if they wanted to have a child, however. She still
didn't understand or know about sexual desire, thank
goodness.
What confused Hotaru sometimes, however, was
perceived gender roles and how a few people blurred
them. It was almost understandable given how often she
had seen Haruka mistaken for being a man. Since her
father was no longer around, she didn't have a
conventional father figure to learn from like most
children. Nor had she several more years of time to
learn it in like a regular child.
" I think that he is one of them," Hotaru decided
and nodded towards a group of young men who were
probably high school or college students. The sight
of a head of pink hair in among them made Setsuna do
a double take as she looked in that direction.
Her hair was a shade paler than Chibi-usa's and
reached to the middle of her back, and she had long
bangs in front. He, Setsuna reminded herself. He looked
so much like a girl that it was surprising to not see
what she expected when he pulled off the dress shirt
he was wearing and put on a loose top in a floral
pattern. The other boys with him didn't even bat an
eyelash when this happened.
" He might be," Setsuna decided, losing herself
in the flood of memories the pink hair evoked, even if
the color was a bit off. She, unlike Michiru and Haruka,
had not seen the pegasus that Hotaru's violin playing
could summon up, nor the young girl who would run
towards it at the end of the vision.
" Haruka-papa isn't like that, right?"
" No, she isn't," Setsuna reassured her and closed
her eyes in an attempt to banish the old ghost she was
seeing. " She doesn't dress like a man on
purpose. People just think she is one sometimes."
************************************************
The notes coming from the piano were a slow,
steady, and heartbreakingly sad testament to one woman's
grief.
" This will not do," Michiru softly told
herself. It was the night of their trip to the beach,
and she was currently leaning back up against a wall
in the hallway, right outside the door to the library
where they had placed one of their pianos. The grand
was downstairs in the room that was used for the
lessons she taught, but they also put in an upright
piano as well. The walls were soundproofed to some
degree, so the notes were whispers of what they
should be.
Haruka's improvisation was slowed down to the
point of being almost unrecognizable, but she had been
able to determine after listening for a few minutes
that it was not just random notes. It reminded her of
the melody they had heard in a movie where one of the
minor characters had died and the main ones reflected
upon her loss. As in that movie, it was just note after
note on an unaccompanied piano, and it was like your
heart was getting torn out.
The violin, someone had once said, was either
like the voice of the devil or that of an angel. It
could sound like either one; carrying the listener to
the heights of joy or the brink of despair. In her
opinion, the piano was far better at plumbing the
depths than the violin could ever be. There was just
something a piano on its' own like that.
Normally, she might have tried joining the blonde
to cheer her up with a change of tempo and some different
music for them to play, but there was something else to
consider right now. She opened the door, stepped into
the room and waited a moment. Haruka realized she was
there and turned, her face flushing slightly in
embarrassment at being caught while indulging her
emotions.
She started to speak, but stopped when Michiru
put a finger to her lips and beckoned her forward. They
walked out of the room and past the bedrooms, being
careful to not wake the sleeping Hotaru in an adjoining
room. Michiru led her downstairs and to the doorway
leading to the covered porch overlooking the back
yard. Both had been silent the whole way, so they
did not disturb the woman sitting on the steps.
A wavering, shimmering and hazy view of something
hung in the air before Setsuna. The Garnet Rod rested
across her lap, and the Orb shone in the darkness and
let them see the white knuckles that were clenched as
she tightly gripped the haft of the weapon. A nearly
full wine bottle and an empty glass sat next to her. The
liquid looked black in the red-colored light.
" ... make you happy... ," they could barely hear
the phantasmal image of Sailor Pluto telling that of
the Small Lady. " ... raise your spirits... magic...
Abracadabra..."
" Pon," the real Setsuna muffled her sob, but
the other two woman could still hear the words. Out of
nowhere, a cascade of brightly colored flowers fell
around her, creating a living carpet on the steps like
it did to the little girl in the vision. The image
vanished with a pop like a soap bubble, but not before
the girl smiled radiantly. Setsuna began to cry.
Haruka made to move to her, but was
restrained. Michiru tugged her back deeper into the
house in order to give the other woman a modicum of
privacy. " She needs-" Haruka began to say, but was
interrupted.
" She needs to cry, Haruka," Michiru explained
in a soft whisper. " Do you know what she was looking
at?"
" The future, I gather."
" She was looking at our future, but it is her
past. She misses her friends in her future, Haruka. You
saw how Chibi-usa reacted when she saw Pluto here for
the first time. They had to have been very close to each
other. She's lonely and misses those people who were in
her life."
" Then why did you stop me?" she demanded. " She
shouldn't be alone, then. We can show her that we care
about her, too."
" I am going to her," Michiru corrected her. " If
it takes some wine and a vision of the future to break
down those walls, she won't want us to see her like
that. I'll give her a few minutes to work it out of her
system before I go talk to her. In the meantime, you are
going to go upstairs and keep an eye on somebody. You
know how poorly Hotaru took it when she saw me crying.
" You're to sit on Hotaru-chan to keep her up there
and away from Setsuna if necessary. She's never seen
Setsuna break down... " Michiru's voice trailed off as
both realized that they hadn't even seen the woman be
bothered by anything to such a degree.
Haruka smiled softly a moment later and pulled
Michiru into a hug with her. " I do remember," she said,
recalling how bad that one week had been. The pressures
of their life rarely bothered her love, but even she
could have bad days at times. Another thing came to her
mind as well. " Michiru?"
" Yes?"
" I'm sorry."
" Whatever for?" she lightly laughed. The blonde
imagined the look in Michiru's eyes right now. Mischievous
and flashing, despite the gravity of the situation.
" Taking you for granted sometimes," Haruka
replied. Her voice was light and even like she enjoyed
the jest, but it was also utterly sincere. " It is times
like these that make me realize how important you are to
us, and to me. Without you, I could never reach so high
or run so fast.
" I'm not as strong as everyone thinks, not without
you. I'm beginning to see that you're doing the same
thing for Setsuna, and even for Hotaru. If we are strong,
it is only because of you being our foundation. A deft
touch there, a caring word here, and we keep on going.
" You make it look so easy, Michiru. So easy that I
sometimes forget that you are even doing it, and I
wanted... no, needed to tell you that." she finished
and kissed Michiru on the forehead.
" Thank you, Haruka," she whispered and wiped away
a tear that was threatening to form. " I'm glad-"
" What? That I'm not too dense to recognize it
some times?" Haruka interrupted her with a smile. She
took hold of Michiru's shoulders and turned her around
so that she faced the back of the house. " She just
stopped crying. I'll keep Hotaru down for a couple of
hours, and then I'm going to go out for a little spin
to clear my head. Let me know if you need me here,
though. I'll be glad to stay for you.
" Or with you," she teased the shorter woman and
gave her a nudge.
************************************************
It had not been an easy night for her, but a
good talk and sleep had done wonders for restoring
her spirits. At Haruka's suggestion that morning,
she had left her Jaguar behind and taken one of
Haruka's old roadsters. The top was down, her hair
was streaming out behind her, and the dark sunglasses
completed the look. This was a definite change of
pace, and it had helped her more than she thought
it would have.
She cruised by one of the speed traps and even
waved at the two motorcycle officers there who were
monitoring the traffic that had left the freeway at
her exit. Keio University had enough affluent
students to warrant a number of drivers, and
college students always seemed to be in a hurry. That
meant speeding, and that led to tickets, but they
wouldn't get her today. Haruka would take them on
a race and challenge them, but her tactic was to
be precisely on the speed limit.
A number of the faculty took second looks at
her as she pulled into her parking spot near the
entrance. It was a selfish little perk, but she
didn't give herself that many of them. When asked,
she said that she was using the one assigned by the
school to her superior while he was in America. They
were not just looking at her in envy, though. The
different car and a bold and bright outfit of
Haruka's that Michiru suggested would look good
on her were a change of pace for her. She could
almost imagine the gossip that would be circulating
later on. A new lover would probably be at the top
of the list.
The idea made her laugh out loud as she got
out of the car and engaged the alarm systems. As
she made her way across the campus to her building,
she exchanged a few greetings and wove her hair into
a loose braid. A clip with a pastoral scene in
brightly colored enamels kept it from unraveling
and getting in her way.
Once in her office, the smile faded from her
face as she locked the door. The regular faculty
were going to have a short meeting before classes
got underway, and that would give her the few minutes
for some more unusual tests and measurements that
were the real reason she was here. It would be easier
to do them without the chance of being discovered.
According to the school records, she was part
of a physics project being run with an American
university. She was the research assistant and
liaison to the professor in America actually running
the project. That was her cover story, and it had
been carefully set up by her to avoid any possible
confusion or questions about her comings and
goings. The labs were not in the best or newest
of the science buildings, so no other instructors
became jealous of her project's status.
What was important to her was that her lab
was the one that was closest to the Mugen Delta. Four
kilometers away to the south and west was the remains
of Mugen Gakuen. At first she had been studying the
structure of space as a cover to investigate the
ways that the Deathbusters were infiltrating their
world while Michiru and Haruka went undercover at
the school itself.
There had been no more traces of their enemy
after Sailor Saturn had destroyed them and the
princess had healed up the damage done in the
process. That didn't stop her from checking up
on things, however. Their enemies had managed to
infiltrate this world without their noticing once
before, and they were very determined that it
would not happen again.
The equipment only took a few moments to
come on-line and signal that it was ready. She
inserted a removable hard drive into a slot on
the main computer, and tapped in a few unusual
commands and a series of passwords that answered
questions which only two other people in all of
existence could answer. Everything rebooted and
took on her own specifications. The irony here
threatened to break through the mask she kept
over her features while she worked. All of the
equipment had been designed by normal human
scientists. All of it had been dismissed as not
working, a hoax, or madness. She knew the truth of
the matter, however. This world's scientists were
far closer to their goal then they would ever believe.
What they did not have was a way to manipulate
time. They could perceive a significant disturbance
in it, assuming that they knew where to look. So far,
it had always been in the wrong place, and she was
not about to give them any hints. Her arrangement
of the way the machines interacted was the key. The
data she was about to get would probably earn
somebody a place in history or one on a cross.
She took out the Garnet Rod in order to hold
it in both hands. After a few minutes of calming her
mind and gathering the power of the Talisman, she
took a deep breath and opened her eyes onto another
world. In response to that power, her braided hair
floated up behind her like it was considering taking
on a life of its' own. The thought of how the
princess ever managed with her own hair was nudged
aside.
A faint pulse of the temporal energies in
the Orb was directed outward towards the grounds
of Mugen Gakuen. The dials and gauges began to dance
as they read the returning echoes of that energy,
and the monitors sprang into activity right after
that. Setsuna quickly put away her staff and peered
over the consoles. So far it looked like nothing had
changed. The final analysis would have to wait until
later, but for now it still looked like the
Deathbusters would never be heard from again.
After the data had been compiled, she loaded
all of it onto the heavily encrypted computer drive
which she then put back in her purse. It only took
her a few moments more to erase any trace of what she
had been doing and reset all of the equipment back to
normal. This equipment was like the ears in the old
riddle.
What is the sound of one hand clapping? While
even she didn't know the real answer to that one, she
was the one doing the clapping that three supposedly
secret research projects were trying to hear. She had
long since studied and memorized the reports they
would make in the near future detailing their
operations and the futility of any further temporal
research.
Now that her real work was done, she unlocked
the door and proceeded to engage in keeping up the
facade. She needed little time to do what her project
was supposed to do, so she would often help out with
some of the other professors and research assistants
on her floor. It was nice of her to help, and the
others appreciated it. It also helped her to feel
more accepted.
After surprising her friends there with fresh
tea after they got back from the meeting, she took on
a few stacks of papers to grade. She would
occasionally go back into her labs to ostensibly
check something or adjust a piece of equipment.
" Ah, Setsuna-san," the man's deep voice
boomed out as he poked his head into the common room
where she was grading papers. " Can I ask a favor of
you today?"
" Certainly," she smiled at the professor and
motioned for him to sit.
" I have some test data that I need taken over
to Dr. Shizuma this afternoon, and since you have
already been there... " he said after he sat. His
voice trailed off slightly in hopeful expectation.
" The mad scientist of Moto Azabu high
school?" she chuckled and nodded while her heart
skipped a beat. She grinned and tried to blush in
order to hide her reaction. Since the school was
on her way home she had done this before.
He joined in the mirth and laughed. " He likes
to teach at that level, Setsuna-san. It is his love,
but high energy physics runs a close second. I have
some results from the super collider project that
he's going to look at in order to try and prove
Minovski's Theorem."
" Is he still in the same classroom there,
Shima-sensei?" she asked and worked out the details
with him, along with a promise to drop off the
documentation later on. He'd sign her off as working
under him so she could leave early that day.
While her mind went on with grading papers, her
heart started hoping that he might be at the school
as well. The chances were slim, but he still did return
to his old school on occasion. He was currently taking
classes in the medical buildings at Keio University on
the other side of the campus, which she was careful to
avoid, but her heart wanted to see him.
She tried to stop thinking about it, but gave up
after a while and resolutely swore to have the offending
organ removed as soon as possible. It would probably
hurt less in the long run.
************************************************
The blue Ferrari gracefully swerved around a
stopped car, negotiated the tight turn into the
driveway and came to a smooth stop by the front
doors. Michiru got out of the car carrying the long,
narrow case that held the flute she was taking lessons
in. A careful observer could have seen the slight
tightness to her shoulders, and perhaps the slight
flutter of her hair that betrayed her quicker than
normal pace.
The hallway table received the flute case but
not her purse. She glanced around briefly and
listened. It wa
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