"Thanks for the lift Robyn." Setsuna said as she handed the helmet to Sun.
"Anytime. Contact me later if you find anything." Robyn placed the helmet on her head, driving in the rain proved to be quite difficult without a helmet.
"I most certainly will. Remember what I said Robyn." She said as she waved the girl off. Setsuna hurried to the top of the complex. She arrived on time but was technically late for sharing parting words with Robyn.
"Hey Sets!" Michiru waved from the pool, Haruka lounged on the diving board as usual. Rubel had arrived a few minutes prior and stood in a rather revealing swimming outfit. He wore very form fitting red swim briefs.
"It's good to see you again, even if we just saw each other a few hours ago." Rubel chuckled.
"It was a few hours ago wasn't it? Time flies." Setsuna smiled.
"You're late!" Haruka teased.
"It's unusual for you to not be on time, or early." Michiru teased.
"I went over to Robyn's townhouse where we drank some tea. I guess I forgot about time but she rushed me over here." Setsuna pulled her swimsuit from her bag.
"Oh, you saw Robyn! That's great!" Rubel happily replied.
"Don't mention that name around here." Haruka sighed.
"She's still mad about beating her at that race. You know I think Robyn is a nice girl, she looks very lonely, and maybe we should get to know her." Michiru commented.
"I want a rematch first." Haruka noted.
"She's a little abrasive, I'll admit that but she's a very kind and loyal friend." Rubel chimed in.
"He's right, Robyn's one of the closest friends I've ever had. It's a shame distance separated us for so long but it's nice to see her again." Setsuna said as she headed off to change into her dark green one piece.
"She's so diplomatic." Michiru relaxed in the tiny ripples of the pool. Rubel and Michiru playfully splashed at one another until the three Senshi felt a wave of evil.
"Michiru…are you okay?" Rubel inquired.
"Yes…sorry, I just remembered that I have to tune my violin later tonight." She did her best to recover.
"Oh, well properly tuned instruments are the cornerstones of playing." Rubel anticipated something much more and felt disappointed by her response. Michiru and Haruka wondered what they should do, if they abruptly leave then Rubel will suspect something is up. There's also a good chance Setsuna is already checking out the problem. Rubel exited the pool to check his vibrating phone. Haruka and Michiru gathered at the long glass windows and saw both Sailor Sun and Sailor Pluto fighting another dark cladded man. It was then that time froze, Rubel couldn't move but Michiru and Uranus were able to arrive at the scene.
"Thanks for the help Pluto." Uranus thanks Pluto; they would've never been able to escape Rubel without him catching on. Unfreezing time, Sun and the unidentified man exchanged words once again.
"Well, your friends decided to join you again huh? I heard what you did to Heat the other day; you won't be able to hurt me like that. Give up now Sun and maybe your friends will live." The man laughed.
"This is between you and me asshole!" Sun tightly gripped her staff. Sun's staff differed from Pluto's; hers shined from the gold and at the helm sat a replica of the planets orbiting the giant ball at the center.
"Whatever." The man sighed, "Winter, get them." An icy haired and eyed woman appeared from the shadows, while she didn't wear any clothes ice crystals formed across the important parts. Her pale skin and icy demeanor made the others shiver.
"Always letting her fight your battles, huh?" Sun rolled her eyes.
"World Shaking!" Uranus didn't hesitate.
"Deep Submerge!" Neptune joined in. It was useless; the woman froze the attacks midstream. Uranus and Neptune gasped in shock. Were these enemies really that much stronger than them?
"We need to use our talismans." Uranus pulled out her sword; Neptune nodded and reached for her mirror.
"Are you two done?" The man chided.
"Oh for the love of…SOLAR FLARE!" Sun held her staff high and screamed, suddenly light consumed the area blinding everyone. In the chaos she jumped off the ground and began beating the man who was caught off guard but managed to block some of her attacks. The two continued fighting in the air as the others covered their eyes. The light was overwhelming. The two continued to fight and the light disappeared. Sun returned to the road exhausted. Her health wasn't where it needed to be.
"A little warning would be appreciated." Haruka said as she removed her hands from covering her eyes.
"Did you find anything Winter?" Rage asked.
"No cores here." She calmly replied.
"Then we will make our retreat. See you soon Sun!" The two disappeared into a dark rift that opened behind them.
"What in the world is with these people? Why do they give up so easily?" Uranus wondered aloud.
"They're taunting us." Sun coldly replied.
"Why are they taunting us?" Neptune followed up.
"They want us to get angry, they want us to get sloppy. I've seen it happen so many times. They're saving it all for the final battle. They're going to wear us down each and every…" Sun fell to her knee before she could finish her sentence. She held her chest and drove her staff as hard as she could into the ground to keep her up.
"You're injured!" Neptune rushed to help her up, Uranus jumped in as well.
"I'm…fine…" Sun could barely keep standing.
"Be honest with me Sun, how are you feeling?" Pluto walked closely to her.
"I'm in a lot of pain but I'll live. I need to retreat as well." Sun pulled herself free from her support pillars and disappeared into the stormy night.
##
Luckily the sudden burst of light and time freeze distortion confused Rubel so he didn't notice the three had disappeared. All the parties involved had enjoyed the night of swimming, but like all good things the four had to part ways to return to their lives. At the apartment Setsuna viewed Robyn's findings on her tablet while Hotaru quietly slept on the other side of the room.
"Burning the midnight oil?" Michiru and Haruka knocked on her office door.
"Sun gave me all the information she has, I'm trying to make sense of it all." Setsuna removed her reading glasses and rubbed her temples.
"How about you tell us what's going on and we'll make you feel better." Haruka slyly smiled.
"I'm not interested in that." Setsuna eyed the blonde.
"It works on Michiru." She smirked as Michiru playfully slapped her arm.
"Let me give you a massage." Michiru started rubbing jasmine oil on Setsuna's neck while Haruka pulled the tablet from the desk.
"What am I looking at here?" Haruka stared at the technology.
"It's complicated, I'll tell you that." Setsuna sighed.
"We're intelligent people, try us." Michiru rubbed the woman's temples.
Setsuna took a deep breath before her explanation; "Sailor Sun has been travelling through dimensions to specific periods in time. The men we keep running in to have been going to the past and either killing Sailor Senshi or preventing them from accepting their powers. They claim the Sailor Senshi engage in an epic war in the future where the entire planet is obliterated. Sun commented that there are variables and many outcomes that she has accounted for or hasn't been to. She said there's still hope that there's a future where everything's okay but the Sailors who die will not be revived. They're dead, and erased from existence. I will always know who they were, as with Sun."
"Wow, that was not what I was expecting." Haruka sat down. The information proved to be too much for her.
"How many Sailor Senshi do we not know about?" Michiru casually asked.
"According to Sun's notes Eris, Quaoar, and Orca, do they ring any bells?" Setsuna asked the duo, they shook their heads.
"Okay, how about the Asteroids? There was Sedna, Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta." She stated. The two shook their heads again.
"We're down 7 Senshi, and the Sailor Stars never accepted their powers." Setsuna rubbed her forehead.
"If the Senshi doesn't accept their power do they still have a relationship with the others?" Michiru caught on.
"She said no. I asked her about a couple of scenarios." Setsuna paused; she didn't want to open that Pandora's box yet.
"What do you mean 'scenarios'?" Haruka caught on as well.
"I asked her about you and Michiru. She indicated that they haven't crossed that timeline yet…" Setsuna watched her words.
"Yet…?" Michiru sounded worried.
"There are variables that haven't been explored yet. She said until all the timelines have played out she couldn't tell me…" Setsuna felt Michiru's hands drop from her neck.
"A reality…where we don't meet?" Uranus' face became covered in panic, Neptune took a seat next to her lover and held her hands tightly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to say anything until I had all the facts." Setsuna sighed.
"This is insane." Haruka became angry.
"I don't even know what I would do if I never met Haruka…" Michiru's eyes swelled with tears.
"You'd never know what you're missing." Setsuna countered, "This timeline would cease to exist. None of us would know each other and none of us would never be the wiser about it."
"I need to get some air." Haruka rushed to the garage and kick started her bike before speeding off into the night.
"I…I don't even know how to react." Michiru sobbed, Setsuna held her tightly. For the second time today she felt the emotions of her loved ones come out.
##
Haruka didn't stop; she sped through the twists and winds of the dark Tokyo streets before stopping by a street vendor to grab a quick snack. She was running again, what if she had never met Michiru? Would she still be miserable? Would she ever have become Uranus and fought so many battles alongside the Sailor Senshi?
"You look a bit lost." A familiar voice entered her ears, Haruka looked up to see Robyn.
"What in the world are you doing here?" Haruka wanted to be alone.
"Your bike got my attention, I wanted to challenge you to a race but you seem like you're a bit preoccupied. Your bike is awesome, I'm envious." Robyn smiled as she laid a hand on the seat.
"A race? You know I would like a rematch. You outran me the other day and I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity." A smile crossed her face.
"Fine. Let's do it." Robyn put on her backpack and helmet, "meet you there." She sped off into the night and Haruka followed suit. The two arrived at the school's track and managed to find the box to turn on the lights. There it was, the lights illuminated the track and nothing else. It seemed like nothing outside of those eight lines existed. Robyn took off her riding jacket and pants before putting on her sneakers.
"What? You want me to race in my riding clothes?" Robyn saw Haruka watching her undress.
"No, I…" Haruka blushed. Luckily she left the house in such a hurry she stood in her shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers as well.
"I'm kidding, stop being so tense around me. I'm sorry I was a bitch to you…I've been going through some rough times since I got here. I didn't mean to take it out on you and Michiru." Robyn extended her hand. Haruka gently shook it.
"200 meters this time." Haruka stretched.
"Fine by me." Robyn crouched down in the starting position.
"Together, no cheating." Haruka crouched down as well. Robyn nodded.
"Ready!" The two yelled in unison, "Set!" they tensed as they lifted from the starting position.
"Go!" The two leapt from the starting line and kept an even pace with them. Robyn couldn't hide her labored breathing; in the middle of the race she collapsed and fell to the dirt. Haruka immediately stopped; the rematch would have to wait. Haruka dropped to Robyn's side; she cradled her head in her arms as Robyn fell unconscious.
"Wake up!" Haruka shook her for a couple of seconds before Robyn came to.
"Am I dead? Is this is a dream?" Robyn mumbled before her vision refocused.
"Are you okay? You collapsed during our rematch." Haruka's concerned face came into focus.
"Oh, yeah, I'm a tad injured at the moment. I couldn't sleep, I know I need the rest but…" Robyn coughed as she focused her hands on her lower abdomen.
"Do I need to take you to the hospital?" Haruka reached for her cellphone.
"No! I mean no, I'm fine." Robyn tried to sit up but couldn't as the pain radiated throughout her body.
"What the hell did you do to yourself?" Haruka pulled her arms away and gasped at the three blade marks on her stomach. They didn't appear deep but they weren't superficial either.
"It's nothing really." Robyn pushed her hands away.
"What the fuck happened to you? These wounds look pretty fresh!" Haruka shouted in shock.
"Will you stop yelling at me?" Robyn could feel her head pounding. Haruka carried her to the team area and propped her up against the wall dividing the track from the bleachers. Haruka brought over her backpack and gave her some water.
"So what happened?" Haruka inquired as she sat next to her.
"It's a long story." Robyn sighed as she gulped her water bottle. She pulled some snacks from her backpack and offered them to the hungry blonde.
"I'm not going anywhere until I know you're not going to keel over on me." Haruka said in between bites of chips.
"I was jumped." Robyn had to improvise.
"By who? Vega from Street Fighter?" Haruka gasped.
"No, they got a few swipes at me. I'm fine. It's happened before." Robyn tried not to pay attention to the nonsense she spouted.
"You've been jumped before?" Haruka furrowed her brow.
"I…uh…I meant that I get injured all the fucking time. I am so clumsy. I stopped cooking because I cut a lot of things open that shouldn't have been cut." Robyn played it off.
"You are so graceful on stage with your dancing and drum playing but it sounds like you're a disaster otherwise." Haruka couldn't help but chuckle, Robyn joined in.
"Rubel does most of the movement for me, he guides me and I trust him. I bend where I need to, and I didn't mean it like that. You're terrible. How did someone so sophisticated end up with such a dirty minded person like you?" Robyn joked.
"You and Rubel never…?" Haruka wanted to know for Setsuna's sake.
"Never. He asked me out but I'm kind of going through a breakup at the moment. I guess. My ex decided was murdered." Robyn sighed.
"I'm so sorry." Haruka rubbed Robyn's shoulder.
"I am too. I should've been able to save her but I fucked up and she died. She's gone and all I can do is live with the guilt of not being able to do a goddamn thing about it." Robyn downed her water.
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if Michiru was hurt and I couldn't help her. We've been through much together but we've made it out together on the other side…" Haruka ran through her memories with Neptune.
"I am envious of your relationship. You guys remind me of my relationship with Terra. I mean, I'm sorry, that was terrible of me to say." Robyn shook her head.
"Look, emotions make us say and do lots of stupid shit. The point I'm making is, let it all out. You've been holding this for so long it seems, just let it all come out." Haruka held her hand tightly. Robyn blushed as a weird feeling overtook her.
"I feel like everything is going to be okay when you hold my hand." Robyn kissed the blonde on the cheek, "thank you Haruka." The blonde instantly pulled back.
"Wait a second, I didn't mean like that." Haruka released her hand.
"I'm sorry, it's a European thing. A kiss on the cheek is common between friends." Robyn apologized.
"Oh, well thanks then. I'm not used to European customs. I've only ever lived in the US and Japan." Haruka shrugged it off.
"I'll do it to Michiru too so you guys don't feel awkward." Robyn smiled.
"Are you seriously going to be okay?" Haruka interrupted.
"I think so, help me get on my bike and I'll go straight home." Robyn said as she staggered to get up.
"There's no way I'm letting you ride home like this. If you got hurt, or even killed, I'd be upset and racked with guilt for the rest of my life." Haruka gently held the woman as she guided her to Haruka's bike.
"Fine, drop me off at my place. I'll have one of my concierges pick it up." Robyn placed her stuff in her backpack before placing her riding clothes back on.
"You're coming to my place and spending the night. We have a spare bedroom. Setsuna and Michiru will clean and dress your wounds." Haruka guided her to her bike.
"I'm telling you I'll be fine!" Robyn protested.
"I'm telling you it's the ER or my place. You get to pick one." Haruka demanded. There's no doubt the paparazzi would be all over Robyn's ER visit and she wanted to keep the lowest profile imaginable.
"Fine, your place." Robyn put on her helmet as the strong blonde helped her on the bike.
"Hold on tight." Haruka said as she placed her helmet on. Haruka managed to drive a couple of feet before Robyn fell off the back.
"Oh for the love of!" Haruka placed the unconscious woman in front of her and held her with her left arm as she drove with her right. Getting home was going to take forever at this rate.
