Chapter 52: No Time Like the Present

I felt like Sailor Mini Moon pulled the ground out from under me when she held up her Crystal Time Key and returned us to the 21st century. I found myself standing in mid-air and fell tumbling through the trees, landing face-first into the mud below. I looked up just in time to see the wormhole in the night sky close...and right before Mini Moon herself landed on top of me.

"Sorry! I always fall on top of someone when I land in the twenty-first century!" Rini apologized and sat up. Diana leaped off of Small Lady and pressed her paws into my forehead.

"How do you know for sure that we're back?" I asked Sailor Mini Moon. Rini and I both de-transformed, back to wearing the clothes we had worn on my double date. Darien would NOT have been happy if I'd ruined his suit just like I ruined my Shadow robes in Crystal Tokyo!

Rini looked past the trees and up at the glowing Moon underneath us. "We're in the same park. Everything's exactly where we left them."

I looked down at my wrist communicator: I knew we had to contact the others and tell them that we had returned, but I pulled Rini against the back of a tree when I heard someone trudging through the snow...

"Rini?" a woman's voice called out in the distance. She sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure who it was until Rini gasped. Her eyes started filling with tears when she looked up at me.

"Did you hear that?!" Rini's voice flooded with excitement. She took off on her own before I could open my mouth to say anything. With Diana sitting on my shoulder, I charged after her. I froze when I caught up to Rini: with open arms, she ran into the same woman whose death we had witnessed minutes earlier...

"PLU!" Rini embraced Trista. I was left to blankly stare at her while Rini buried her head into Trista's chest. The Guardian of Time wore the same waitress outfit she used to spy on my double date earlier.

"It's me, Charon." Trista acknowledged me after I took a few steps forward. She held out one hand as if she were afraid I would try to hug her again. But there was no hint of annoyance in her tone of voice. It almost sounded like...she was happy to see me for once. Did she know what we had just witnessed? Did she know what would happen to her in another 1000 years? Or was she just happy I brought Rini back to her?

"I missed you so much, Plu!" Rini cried. I kept watching Trista like a hawk for her reaction, looking for any hints to how much of the future she knew about.

"You were gone for less than an hour, Small Lady!" Trista laughed. She noticed the gray kitten sitting on my shoulder. "Diana! You came back with her!"

"You were training me to watch over the Gate of Time in the future! Small Lady said you wanted me to come back to with her to continue under your new friend, Charon!" Diana cheered. Ugh...

"I was training you to protect the Gate of Time? Was this Neo Queen Serenity's idea?" Pluto winced. She did sound surprised...but was she only acting like she didn't know about the future? A few times, I thought I had caught her off guard...but for all I knew, she was playing me.

Sailor Pluto shook her head. "Never mind. The others will be happy to see you. Especially your future parents."Diana's future parents? Come to think about it, she did remind me of Artemis. Even if Rini hadn't seen me in Crystal Tokyo, I wondered if Mina and I had a child of our own running around in the future, just waiting to fall from the sky like Diana and Rini.

"I'm sorry for running away, Plu. It was stupid," apologized Rini.

"Don't say that, Small Lady," soothed Trista. At least I knew that her love for Rini was genuine. "I know how painful heartbreak can be."

"You do?" Rini asked. Trista briefly turned away from from the rest of us, but not before I caught a flicker of pain in her eyes.

"Besides, everything worked out, Rini. We were both there when Amethyst attacked," I reminded her.

"That's right, Plu. Amethyst had her own Crystal Key, but you helped us stop her." Rini reached into her back pocket and pulled out Amethyst's battered crescent moon compact.

"She had her own Time Key?" asked Trista. Rini stared at me, as if she were afraid I was about to say something, but I held my lips closed to avoid another one of Trista's glares. She reached for Amethyst's compact and held it close to her face, squeezing it in her hand as if she wanted to crush it. Trista knew SOMETHING...

"I told the others not to worry," Trista told us when we heard another pair of footsteps headed towards us. "Hotaru and Luna were watching for you on the other side of the park." Another light patter confirmed they were accompanied by one of the Guardian Cats.

"Trista!" Luna appeared ahead of the dark figure behind her. "Any sign of...wait! Diana?!"

"MOMMY!" exclaimed the gray kitten. So Diana was Luna and Artemis' future daughter. Hotaru's face emerged from the shadows. Rini held back, perhaps out of fear that Hotaru was still mad at us for not taking her side against Amara and Michelle.

"Rini!" Hotaru ran past Trista and embraced her best friend. "I thought you were leaving us for good!"

"Charon convinced me to come back!" Rini lightened up and returned her friend's hug. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trista flicker a brief smile at me, but quickly turned her face back towards Hotaru and Rini when she noticed.

"You still have to apologize to Small Lady, Hotaru." Trista spoke in a gentle tone, but Hotaru's back straightened immediately.

"I have nothing to apologize for." Hotaru responded coldly.

"Hotaru." Trista said her name much more sternly.

"Letting Amara and Michelle go was a mistake. Both of you know that. They don't need their powers to betray us again." Hotaru's eyes were fixed on Rini, but I knew that she was also speaking to me.

"What did you want us to do, Hotaru? Execute them?" asked Rini. Diana's ears and back straightened.

Hotaru's eyes narrowed into a bitter glare. "Don't look at me like that, Rini! You weren't here when Amara and Michelle betrayed us! You were back in Crystal Tokyo, and you didn't come back for another four years!"

"That's not fair, Hotaru!" interrupted Luna.

"What's not fair is that she almost ran off on us again, but she thinks she has a right to judge!" snapped Hotaru. Rini stood in place, turning away from Hotaru's eyes.

"We stopped Amethyst from invading Crystal Tokyo, Hotaru! Who knows how much trouble she would have caused in the future if we hadn't been there!" I said.

Hotaru gave me an icy stare. "Don't use that as an excuse! It's still your birthday, but that doesn't mean I have to talk to you!"

"You're not a little kid anymore, Hotaru! I will not put up with this kind of behavior from you!" warned Trista.

"Then drop me off at my father's house." Hotaru bitterly sneered and turned her back on Trista.

"HOTARU! GET BACK HERE!" Sailor Pluto shouted at Hotaru after she ran off. Luna and Pluto began chasing after her. Rini's eyes remained fixed on the snow-covered ground beneath us.

"I can't believe SHE'S your best friend!" Diana said to Rini.

"Uranus and Neptune were like parents to Hotaru. Their betrayal really hurt her, and our enemies tried to capture her. I think she feels responsible for a lot of the things that happened since then," I explained to Diana.

"Charon?" Trista's voice called. She had turned back from chasing after Hotaru, although Luna was no longer with her. "Amy's mother called us while we were searching for you. After giving the others an earful, she insisted that you return to the hospital for observation. I'll tell them to meet us there."

Without another word, I nodded to Trista.

"Stay with him in the meantime, Small Lady." Trista looked sadly at Rini before turning back in Hotaru's direction. I raised a hand in Rini's direction and let it land on Rini's shoulder.

"I know that uncovering all your memories at once can be very confusing...especially when it feels like everyone else sees you as a different person," I told Rini.

"But she was my best friend. I didn't realize how bitter was," answered Rini.

"She told Amara and Michelle they should have left her with her father before," I reminded her. "I think she's blaming herself for what they did."

"She's hurt because we sided against her," said Rini. "I never thought things would get so messed up while I was gone!"

"Rini, none of this was your fault!" I said. She was second-guessing her decision to return to the 21st century with me...I could see it in her eyes. "Whatever happens, you have me, Trista, and Diana."

"That's right, Small Lady!" added the kitten.

"I have you and Trista in THIS century," Rini answered sadly. Diana looked towards me for answers, even though I wasn't sure if I could give them. I should let Rini decide whether or not to tell Diana about Pluto's future. Right now, I needed to get Rini's mind off things.

"Say Rini, I still feel bad I spaced out while you were giving the tour of Crystal Tokyo. Any way I can make it up to you?"

Diana leaped onto Rini's head. She lifted her paw towards a closed store that was selling ice cream. "Look! Ice cream! "

"It looks closed. And it might be too cold for 'ice' cream," I observed.

"Small Lady loves ice cream! Especially mint chocolate chip! Sailor Pluto said to meet her at the hospital: I remember there's another ice cream parlor right next to it," chimed Diana.

"Come on, what do you say Rini?" I tugged on her shoulder as I asked.

Rini's stomach picked an opportune time to growl. "I am pretty hungry...and I doubt the others got ME a steak dinner," she answered with an embarrassed smile.

"Hooray!" cheered Diana. As they started walking off in the same direction as Sailor Pluto, I turned my back on them and opened my communicator. I couldn't wait to hear Venus' voice again, let her know that we were back safely...

Until I remembered the things Amethyst had said. I never did get to meet Neo Queen Serenity of the Sailor Scouts of the future. Mina wasn't the exact same person who greeted me at the Moon Palace a thousand years ago...who knew how much SHE could change in another thousand years. Sailor Venus was the leader of the Sailor Guardians, and she was especially loyal to Sailor Moon. Amethyst had a point: could someone as bright and inquisitive as Sailor Mercury create such a device as flawed as the Siphon? I remembered Serena's reaction when confronted with the truth all too well...what would I say to Mina?

"What's keeping you?" Rini called out from the opposite side of the park. "Come on! Last one there's a rotten egg! AND NO POWERS!"

"Slow down! I don't know where the hospital is from here!" I jokingly shouted after her. Pluto said she'd let the others know we were safe. I would see the others later...this was supposed to be my time with Rini, after all. I flipped the communicator closed and took off after Rini...


"I win!" Rini teased when she reached the ice cream parlor before me...though I had closed the gap. This place was also deserted, but at least there was someone behind the counter this time. As a Shadow, I hated sitting out in the open without a crowd to hide in...but personally, I liked the quiet. Besides the employee, it was just the three of us.

I was struck by all the unfamiliar flavors of ice cream posted above the hard packs of ice cream behind the counter Hopefully I'd remember enough to get through the routine of ordering...I didn't have my own paper menu to hide behind this time.

"Let's see...I'll get a banana split with two scoops of mint chocolate chip and one strawberry, please! Oh - and whipped cream, hot fudge and cherries!" Rini exclaimed to the girl behind the counter.

"That's a - " Rini clamped Diana's mouth closed. "Meow!" she corrected herself after the waitress stared at her.

The waitress shook her head and smiled. "I REALLY need a cup of coffee!"

"Hey Logan, what are you getting?" Rini asked while I scouted around the ice cream parlor for any snoops. At least there weren't many places for them to hide...not that it stopped them before.

"I have the steak, remember? This is just for you," I answered Rini. I didn't even have to think twice about responding to the name 'Logan' this time.

"I don't know if I'd trust Serena to keep it for you," teased Rini. She took her ice cream to one of the tables while the girl behind the counter went to the back. She closed the door behind her...was it solid enough to prevent anyone behind it from hearing us? Rini had scoops of green ice cream with black chips, smothered in hot sauce dripping down to the steel cup holding it, and covered in white foam topped with red cherries. "I paid her already, just so things don't get confusing."

"But I was going to..."

"There's still a few hours left in your birthday anyway. If you want, you can pay me back later. I'm just glad I have some company," Rini smiled.

"Happy birthday, Spymaster!" cheered Diana. "The next mouse I catch is all yours!"

"That's not necessary. And you shouldn't call me Spymaster, he's the leader of our enemy," I told Diana. Her eyes and mouth widened.

Rini turned her eyes upwards at the gray kitten sitting on her forehead. "That was a close one back at the counter, Diana."

Diana's ears drooped. "I'm sorry. I forgot I'm not supposed to talk to humans I don't know in the twenty-first century."

"Do they have ice cream in Crystal Tokyo?" I asked Rini as she dug her spoon into the ice cream.

"If they didn't, I would never want to go back!" she laughed. My eyes were glued to her ice cream as she popped a mouthful in. Maybe I should have gotten one. I glanced around the room again for signs of any uninvited guests...

"I got an extra spoon in case you changed your mind." Rini reached over to my side and dropped one. I love you, Rini.

I started trying to justify taking a spoonful or two of her decadent sundae to myself. "It does feel weird just sitting here, watching you eat. And that sundae looks a little big for you."

"Are you gonna sit there making excuses, or are you gonna dig in already?" Rini teased. Maybe just one bite, I thought to myself. Although I realized that one bite wouldn't be enough after I took it...

"I'm wondering how you became friends with Trista," I asked Rini as she dug a spoon into her sundae. I suddenly remembered that Logan was a 'recovering chocoholic.'

Rini leaned in to whisper to me. "Plu helped me when the Negamoon Family attacked Crystal Tokyo. She's not as cold as she seems to be. She gets lonely guarding the Space-Time Door. I'm glad mom gave her permission to leave, even just for a little while."

"She's really nice to you and Hotaru. I think she really does hate me though," I admitted to Rini.

"She does not!" said Rini, though she withdrew a bit when I lifted an eyebrow. "OK, maybe one or two of your jokes rubbed her the wrong way, but it just takes time for her to get used to most people."

"I had a sense of humor?" I asked Rini...half-teasing, half serious.

"Yeah," she giggled. Her cheeks turned a rosy color again. There was no ignoring her feelings, but I enjoyed spending time with her. Hopefully she'd get used to us being together, especially if she was going to spend more time around me and Mina. At least she was happy again.

"I know there's rules, but I wonder how much she really knows about the future," I asked...though I sensed that even if Rini knew, she couldn't tell me. "Pluto's difficult to read. Sometimes, I wonder if she only shows what she wants us to see."

"Yeah, Plu's pretty secretive. She reminds me of someone else I hang out with: someone who didn't tell me his name, or when his birthday was, OR when he started dating one of my friends!" Rini smirked.

"Me?" Rini nodded when I pointed to myself. "Yeah, I guess I can't really judge her. Well, is there anything you want to ask me now?"

Rini looked at the ceiling with a finger on her cheek, then leaned in to whisper to me. "Did you think about becoming a spy before you met my grandparents?"

"Hmm...a little bit, but I...remember telling my dad I wanted to be a Sailor Scout," I answered. Rini buried her head behind the whipped cream and snorted, while Diana also buried her head in Rini's hair. They probably just tried to picture me wearing the uniform. "I never saw one before I came to the Moon Kingdom! He didn't tell me only princesses could be Sailor Scouts until after I said that! "

"Did you think about staying on Earth? You might have gotten a job protecting my dad," Rini whispered back. She still suppressed her giggles as she spoke.

I shook my head after I comforted myself with another spoonful of ice cream. "My father was always telling me stories about how wonderful the Moon Kingdom was. I wanted to see it for myself...though after he told me I couldn't become a Scout, I said I wanted to be a Prince. He said you had to be born as one."

"We can make you a Prince! I think 'Sir Charon' has a nice ring to it!" laughed Rini.

"No, it doesn't." I caught myself rolling my eyes.

Rini cleared her throat and spoke in a posh accent that mirrored Sailor Mercury's. "Ladies and gentlemen of the royal court: I present Sir Charon the Turtle!"

"I thought we agreed no nicknames, Princess Bunny!" I retaliated by taking a larger spoonful of Rini's sundae. "What about you? What do you want to do when you're older?"

Rini lowered her spoon. "You mean, like a career? I wanted to be an artist, but my teacher said that most artists don't make a lot of money. Before that, I just wanted to be like mom and find my own prince. Mina wants to be a star, Amy wants to be a doctor, Lita wants to open her own restaurant and Raye wants to do everything. But the others know that one day Serena will be Queen, and then I will. They'll have to give those jobs up eventually, right?"

"Dreams are still worth chasing. They might not be able to have those careers forever, but the memories and experiences will be worth it. You still have time to think about it," I told her.

"You sound like Pegasus," Rini smiled. We hadn't seen him since we banished the Spymaster. "That's one way people are different in the twenty-first century. They make a lot of their decisions around money. I think the real reason that Darien called off the engagement is because he couldn't afford it."

Serena and Darien were engaged to be married...I remembered they mentioned that earlier. "I went inside his room when he loaned me his dinner jacket. I thought he had a lot of money, if he's not a Prince anymore."

"Getting married is way more expensive, Charon. I rarely saw him after I came back because he works longer hours," she sighed. "I'm worried Serena's going to get impatient if he keeps putting the wedding off."

I knew I should call the others to let them know we were back safe, even if Pluto said she'd tell them. But...

Rini caught me glancing down at the communicator hidden under my sleeve. "Hey, did Luna and Artemis get you the replacement communicator they promised?"

She puffed one cheek when I rolled up my sleeve to show her I wore the same one as the Sailor Scouts, a wrist watch with a crystal star on the cover. "They've been promising to get you a new one ever since we met!" Rini complained.

"As long as this one works. Mina probably kept them busy working on my present in their spare time," I answered. I noticed Rini shudder. Could Mina's present be THAT bad?

"Still, if Luna and Artemis try to make that your birthday present, they're both getting the hamper treatment!" Rini threatened.

"You'd never lock ME in the hamper, would you Small Lady?" Diana asked.

"Of course not!" Rini scooped up the last bit of whipped cream and held out the spoon for Diana, who eagerly licked it up. "Say, you told Mina we were back, right?" Rini asked me.

I wrapped my arms around myself in shame. I didn't want Rini to think I was only spending time with her to hide from the others. "I wanted to hang out with you, Rini - I really did. The truth is...I'm not ready to go back to the others, either."

"You're still thinking about what Amethyst said in Crystal Tokyo?" Rini asked. This time, she didn't get angry. She solemnly nodded.

"Why did you come back to Crystal Tokyo so early, Small Lady? And who is this new enemy?" Diana asked.

"There's a lot we have to fill you in on, Diana," Rini explained. "There's a lot of things mom and dad haven't told us. I hope it's for a good reason."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a figure stop in his tracks after he peeked in the window and saw us inside. He pivoted in the opposite direction and tried to creep off to the side. Unfortunately for him, Rini followed my eyes and swung around to face the window. She stood up, waved, and called out his name...

"Hi Greg!"

To Be Continued


A/N: Thanks for reading! I've been trying to get the chapters out a little more quickly. Sorry for another abrupt ending - this chapter turned out longer than I expected. Hopefully this chapter didn't feel like a step back: the ones before had a heavier atmosphere, and Amethyst's arc was shorter than I originally planned. I was aiming for something a bit more light-hearted: I wanted to give Charon's relationships with Rini and Trista a little more downtime, and ease us back into the present-day storylines.

Greg and Amy's storyline has been sticking out for a while now, and it'll be the focus of the next part! Hopefully you enjoyed this one, and I'm looking forward to your feedback!