A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews and I hope you like this chapter as well.
Chapter 2
It wasn't being disloyal.
At least, in Ami Mizuno's dictionary, what they planned to do was far from being disloyal. As one of the guardians to the Princess of the Moon (and future Queen of the Earth), she felt that they was entitled to learn all about their enemies—scratch that, their future allies. What had once been the job of certain advisors to the Moon hailing from the planet of Mau was now Ami's, and it didn't take too long for the other Senshi to remind her to get to it—though in nicer and much more playful words.
Despite the look of innocence on Haruka's face, the other Senshi had mutually agreed that it probably wasn't the best idea for her to know whatever information Ami could dig up about the Shitennou.
"It's not like I'm going to bomb their houses," the Uranian soldier had said with a roll of her eye.
"We're actually afraid that you'll do something even worse than that," Rei had quipped back.
"And you know you would help me it," Haruka jokingly said.
Both Michiru and Setsuna had graciously declined to joining them. Though Ami suspected that they most likely already know something about the Shitennou, she felt it pushy to ask. She hoped, for Mamoru and Helios's sakes, that they wouldn't share that information with Haruka.
Hotaru hadn't said much on the subject but had promised that if the Shitennou were a danger to Usagi and Mamoru, she would join them in hunting them down.
However, it turned out that they had been cautious for nothing. Absolutely no information could be dug up about the Shitennou. Nothing could be found about the Shitennou during the Golden Kingdom and nothing could be found about the lives they had led this lifetime before they were corrupted again.
"I thought the computer should have any information available," Makoto said with a confused frown.
"Not if someone tampered with the records before we decided to look them up," Ami said darkly.
"Are you suspecting Helios or Mamoru-san?" Minako asked, peering at her.
Ami shook her head. "I doubt they have the ability to wipe them off the system so permanently and thoroughly."
"What about Luna and Artemis?" Rei asked.
Ami shook her head again. "They have no reasons to do this. I didn't get the impression that they were too keen on having the Shitennou back to life during the discussion."
"Is it possible for the Dark Kingdom to somehow hack into the system?" Makoto asked.
Ami thought about that possibility for a while before nodding. "That's a possibility. It would've prevented us from gathering more information than necessary while they were under the power of the Dark Kingdom."
"What about that name that Nephrite used? While he was attacking the three of you?" Minako asked, snapping her fingers as she tried to recall what they had told her.
"Masato Sanjoin?" Rei provided.
"Yeah!" Minako confirmed with a nod. She looked at Ami. "Do you think it might be a connection to his identity before he got brainwashed again?"
Ami tilted her head thoughtfully. "I'm not certain, but I can definitely try to see if there's anything on the computer."
With that said, she turned her attention back to the computer.
"Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru peered at the Time Senshi with curiosity in her eyes as they walked home.
"Yes, Hotaru-chan?" Setsuna asked, looking at her surrogate daughter.
"You do know where the Shitennou are being trasposed to, don't you?" Hotaru asked. "And you do know what the outcome is, too, don't you?"
A small laugh escaped from Setsuna. "I don't recall you speaking with Small Lady recently, Hotaru-chan."
A playful smile appeared on Hotaru's face. "I didn't say I know anything about the future, Setsuna-mama."
Setsuna patted her on the head before she mulled over the situation.
A solemn expression dawned on her face as she spoke, "The future is at a turning point right now, Hotaru-chan. There are many different timelines and right now … the decision of each person will determine their own future. I will only know which timeline we're living in when certain events has occurred."
Hotaru tilted her head to one side in thought and seemed to understand as her expression, too, turned grave.
Setsuna looked towards the full moon hanging low in the horizon and watched as a streak of light, too quick for most humans to notice, flew towards the sky before disappearing. A familiar sense of dread washed over her, the feeling that accompanied her whenever she took risks towards protecting those whom she cared about.
The future is in your hands now, each and every one of you. Please make the right decisions.
Perhaps she was being unnecessarily paranoid, but Rei found it extremely suspicious that each and every one of the Senshi had not been present at the ritual that would bring the Shitennou back to life.
"You're thinking too much into it," Makoto had told her when the four Inner Senshi had met up for a private meeting at the park. "If the ritual could be sabotaged so easily, I doubt Mamoru-san would have even told us about it in the first place, politeness be damned."
What Makoto said made sense, but Rei still find it strange that the Outers were busy as well.
"Haruka-papa wanted to be there," Hotaru had told her before giggling, "but I don't think Helios or Mamoru-san would have liked that."
And so, they were left with next to no clues in regards to who the reborn Shitennou would be. "Masato Sanjoin" turned out to be just as much help as typing in "Shitennou"—there were hardly any useful information about him and it would have only been helpful if they were interested in eighty-year-old gardeners whom had passed away more than ten years ago.
"Did Sanjoin-san have any sons or relatives?" Minako had asked.
It turned out that the man had been a loner and did not keep in touch with any of his family members.
"It makes sense if Nephrite wanted a cover that wouldn't make people suspicious of him," Ami had analyzed.
And so, nothing happened for the next couple of months (unless you counted the occasional youma). Things turned out so incredibly normal that the Senshi, more or less, started to feel less anxious. Perhaps the Shitennou would not show up at all, though by now, Rei had no idea if that would be a blessing or a curse. Helios had made things seem so dire if the Shitennou did not return to Mamoru's side, and the last thing the Senshi wanted was chaos, no pun intended.
Early March marked graduation time. It was a rainy day and squelching sounds could be heard whenever someone walked around the auditorium. Despite the dreadful weather, Rei was happy. She was graduating and she was meeting up with her sisters in everything but blood tonight for a celebration. So, she would have been fully content with just having her grandfather there for her.
It turned out that life had many more surprises for her.
With her eyes wide and her mouth slightly opened, she stared at her father, whom was sitting a couple of seats away from her grandfather. For a short moment, her mind was completely blank and she could not tell if she were happy or upset that he had decided to grace her with his presence on this day.
She wondered if that meant he would not be meeting her for her birthday this year.
"My little granddaughter is all grown up now," her grandfather said as he bawled his eyes out after the ceremony ended.
"Jii-san!" Rei gently chided, her cheeks pink as she gazed around, afraid of the attention the scene would garner.
Nonetheless, a warm feeling spread throughout her body causing an indulgent smile to blossom on her face.
Then, she caught sight of her father approaching them. Unsurprisingly, her grandfather excused himself and walked away. She only hoped that he wouldn't be courting one of her classmates.
"Congratulations," her father said when he was finally standing in front of her.
The smile on his face was proud, but she could not tell if he were being sincere or not. Maybe it was because there was the possibility of paparazzis nearby.
"Thank you," she replied courteously.
They walked around in silence, each holding their own umbrellas, and stopped under a line of trees. Her mind sarcastically reminded her that their interactions was probably colder than that of strangers. It was such a huge contrast to the short exchange she'd just had with her grandfather and she couldn't bring herself to pretend that she wasn't the least bit hurt.
The discomfort continued to grow, particularly as she watched other students interact with their own families.
It's no wonder why the pouring rain cannot affect their feelings of elation, Rei thought bitterly.
She couldn't remember when was the last time she had felt so alone. Even during her birthday dinners, she had never felt so distant from her father. Perhaps it was because she had already prepared for it in advance. Perhaps it was because it was such a routine motion that it no longer had any effect on her anymore, while she had not been expecting her father at all today.
Or was it because she was getting so accustomed to having happiness and friends surrounding her?
"Rei-chan!"
Usagi's voice echoed in her head and a smile appeared on her face, almost instantaneously washing her unhappiness away. She took in a deep breath and straightened herself up.
"Thank you for coming to my graduation," she said to her father.
He seemed grateful for the silence to end and his body noticeably relaxed. "It's … not a problem. Work wasn't as busy as usual today … Perhaps we can have dinner tonight together?"
After a short moment of hesitation, Rei shook her head. "I … my friends and I are celebrating tonight."
He seemed shocked by the news that Rei had friends and it took all her strength to not smile wryly at him.
"Your friends?" he repeated.
"Yes, my friends," she answered calmly.
A frown appeared and disappeared on his face so quickly that Rei nearly did not notice it. There was no doubt in her mind that he would start questioning her about her friends, but before he could say something, his cell phone rang.
"Excuse me," he said before pulling out his phone. "Hello? Yes! This is he. Oh, Hatoyama-san!"
Rei had no interest in knowing whom he was talking to, so she turned her attention back to the other students. Strangely enough, their glee no longer made her feel upset. Instead, it made her look forward to the gathering she would have with her friends that night.
She was just trying to guess when the cherry blossom trees a few meters away from her would bloom (late March or early April?) when her father walked back to where she was standing.
"I need to go back to office. Something came up right now and I need to attend to it," he said apologetically.
Aren't you glad I don't have time for dinner tonight? The sarcastic thought flashed through her mind, but it contained more humor than spite.
"I thought that I could have had the whole day free. Perhaps we can set up another date to meet? Or—"
"It's okay," Rei cut in.
He stared at her.
"It's okay," she repeated herself. "I know how busy you are and how important work is to you. You don't have to worry about me."
She smiled brightly at him and he didn't immediately answer. It was as if he wanted to be certain if she were being genuine with her words. However, to Rei, her hatred towards him was slowly melting away, replaced by pity. At least she had friends who would be there for her, who she could rely on. Forever.
She doubted she could say the same thing for him.
Therefore, she wasn't too concerned or offended when he took her suggestion and didn't persist in offering to spend time with her. They walked in silence towards where his car was parked and before he got into his car, he looked at Rei again.
"Thank you," he said.
Rei had no idea where his moment of kindness, for a lack of a better word, came from, but she nodded in acknowledgement.
It was after he got into the car that she noticed the chauffeur, who was imposingly tall and altogether big. She couldn't help but stare and she was further surprised by the obvious way he seemed annoyed that she had noticed him.
"Oh, this is Narushi. He's your Uncle Isamu's son," her father informed her.
Isamu Maeda. Another politician from the same party her father was a part of.
"Nice to meet you," she managed to utter, her gaze not wavering from his face.
"Nice to meet you," Narushi said, his voice strained.
Without saying another word, he climbed into the car and drove away. She didn't know how long she stood there, but it was a while later when her grandfather found her, still in the same position.
He asked her what happened, but she did not know what to say. There were too many questions going through her mind but there were no answers.
Didn't Helios say that they would be without memories? Why did he out of all people seem to have retained his memories? Should she tell the other Senshi?
Well, she supposed it wasn't much of a surprise that he would be the first one to know, but it did not explain why he seemed annoyed. She would have thought that once the Shitennou knew the whole story, they would either run back to Mamoru's side or betray him again. There was absolutely no in-betweens in Rei's mind.
Perhaps she had been too naive about the whole situation after all.
And what had she been thinking? Of course she had to tell the other Senshi.
However, strangely enough, there was a niggling feeling at the back of her mind that told her that she shouldn't. At least, she shouldn't say anything at the present moment.
When they got back to Hikawa Shrine, Rei immediately attempted to consult the fire, but before she could, a knock was heard on the door.
"Rei-chan? There's a handsome lad outside looking for you," her grandfather told her.
Even without asking the fire, Rei already guessed who was outside.
Narushi Maeda.
A/N: Reviews are food for the muse. ;)
