And My Path Led Me To You Chapter 1: And The Angels Have Claimed Him, a sailor moon fanfic

AND MY PATH LED ME TO YOU
Chapter 1: "And The Angels Have Claimed Him"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

"Did Usa seem all right to you today?"

Cere spoke from her work station, where she was trying to finish studying for her final exam. For her, Usa and Hotaru, high school was just about over and they were set to graduate - - if they each passed the final exam. Jun still had a year to go, while Ves had two years, assuming she finished at all. Palla-Palla was a special case and would never graduate.

The final was a big moment in Cere's life. She had already applied to Tokyo University to major in botany and was eagerly working with Mizuno-Sensei and Kino-Sensei about setting up a botany lab in the palace. But she just couldn't seem to concentrate at the moment, and for once her ongoing relationship with her manic-depressive artist beau wasn't behind it.

For Usa, Jun and Ves had all gone to the future and fought Sailor Chaos, and when they returned they were different; Usa most of all.

"She's got a lot of stuff on her mind," Jun replied, never taking her eyes off of the web stream she was watching. Jun was streaming news from Brasilia, as she often did.

"Like what stuff?" Cere persisted. Palla-Palla looked up from her doll corner.

"Stuff," Jun answered vaguely.

"Is she still bugged that Sailor Cosmos is her daughter?"

"That's some of it," Jun remarked as she watched the stream. "It's a lot to take in, meeting your daughter from the future."

"So what else?"

Jun didn't answer.

"Jun!" fumed Cere.

"If she hasn't told you," Jun frowned, "it's because it really bothers her. The only reason I know is because I was there. I don't want to spread things that she'd rather not let get out. It's nothing personal, Cere."

"I thought I was part of this team, too," Cere scowled.

"And of course you're going to take it personally," sighed Jun.

"The Princess is upset because the bad Sailor lady stole her crystal," Palla-Palla dutifully reported.

"I wish you could turn that off," Jun scowled.

"Stole her crystal?" Cere asked, perplexed.

Jun pinched her eyes with her fingers.

"Did Palla-Palla do bad?" Palla-Palla asked.

"No!" Cere barked. "Spill, Jun!"

"The Prin . . ." Jun began. "Usa dies in the future. And . . . her pink crystal is corrupted and used to power Sailor Chaos."

"Whoa," Cere gasped softly.

"DON'T spread it around."

"Jun, you act like I'm a gossip!" bristled Cere.

"Yeah," Jun remarked, returning to her stream. "Funny that."

"HMPH!" snorted Cere.

"Does Cere-Cere think The Princess would cheer up if Palla-Palla made her a pretty card that said how much we like her?" Palla-Palla asked.

"It couldn't hurt, Palla-Palla," Cere smiled.

"Yeah, let me sign it when you finish it," Jun added. A news item caught her eye and Jun got very quiet. "Hey, look at that."

"What? Did your favorite author write another e-book?" Cere asked cynically. Then she noticed Palla-Palla suddenly become upset. That told her of the gravity of the situation. Anticipating bad news, she turned back to Jun.

"Father Melendez died," Jun said softly, as if fearing she would raise the dead.

"Was he someone you knew back in Sao Paulo?" Usa asked. She, Helios and Hotaru were in one of the palace conference rooms, meeting with her four friends, the Asteroids. Jun and Cere were very somber. Palla-Palla had clearly been crying and even now was visibly upset. Ves was sullen and withdrawn.

"He was one of the priests in charge of Tanto Quatro Pai," Cere informed her, "the orphanage where we all met. He sort of ran the place, and he was the most hands on of all the priests there. He'd try to go out of his way to make every orphan there as comfortable as possible."

"I know he was a big help to me," Jun remarked.

"Palla-Palla really liked Father Melendez-Sir a lot," Palla-Palla added, sniffing as she spoke. Ves remained behind her surly wall.

"And we wanted to fly back to Brasilia," Cere continued, "to attend the service. I thought we should run it by you first."

"Yeah, sure!" Usa nodded. "I'll let Mom and Pop know. You need me to come with you?"

"Um," Cere began. The offer had taken her and the others by surprise. "If you want. I know you're dealing with some heavy stuff right now . . ."

"I can brood about that any day," the Princess shrugged in self-deprecation. "I mean, I don't want to intrude. I know this is personal . . ."

"Father Melendez would welcome you," Jun mumbled.

"I'd," Hotaru ventured shyly, "like to come, too. If you don't mind."

"OK," Jun nodded. "The more people there, the better it'll look for his memory. And you're always welcome to come with us, Hotaru."

"Helios?" Usa asked.

"Sadly I fear my presence will cause a distraction," Helios replied, "so I shall stay here. But you all have my best wishes. I knew of Father Melendez through his dreams. He seemed a fine man."

"Then I'll clear it with Pop and the embassy for the six of us to go," Usa said and she rose to leave.

"I'm not going," Ves grunted.

"Ves-Ves! It's Father Melendez-Sir!" howled Palla-Palla.

"You know how he died?" snarled Ves. "Some street punk knifed him outside of a store!"

"So? Why would that keep you away?" Jun asked.

"It's just one more good guy cut down! And a funeral is just a way for everyone to cover it over and pretend it's God's will and it don't make the world a hopeless pool of filth! That it's OK he got shanked over a hundred pesos or something! And they even got the guy who did it, so there's not even THAT reason to be there! 'Cause they're probably not going to let me have some alone time with the little shit! So I'm not going!" She settled back into her sullen mood. "One more good person gone from my - - from life - - for nothing!"

"Ves-Ves!" cried Palla-Palla.

"It's OK, Palla-Palla," Cere said. "Ves can't go anyway. She's not supposed to go back to Brasilia, remember? Because of that thing with Marcelino Acosta."

Usa approached Ves and knelt down next to the chair she was in. Ves stubbornly wouldn't look at her or anyone else.

"Yeah, I forgot you can't go back to Brasilia," Usa told her. "It must be hard for you. I can see this Father Melendez meant something to you. I can set up a satellite feed with my PDA and stream the funeral back here - - if you do decide you want to watch it." She reached out and touched her friend's hand. "And I know it's hard to believe sometimes, but the world isn't hopeless. We're fighting a war against hopeless and we're going to win. No Sailor Chaos's on my watch." She paused for a somber moment. "It's just that in wars, sometimes good people die."

Ves didn't respond. But Usa could see a tear begin to well in the girl's eye and knew it was time to withdraw for her friend's dignity. She got up and headed for the door. Between the influence of The Princess and that of Palla-Palla, the room was clear save for Ves. Ves let her anger and pain simmer for a few moments in the silence of the room. Then she got up, kicked over a chair, and sought the security of her room in the quarters she shared with her sister Amazons.

"I'll call the embassy and arrange things," Endymion told his daughter. She smiled, warmed by the comfort of her father's calm strength.

"Poor Ves must be suffering so," Serenity remarked from her post at Mamoko's crib. "I really should see if I can do anything for her."

"Uh, Mom, maybe . . ." The Princess began, but the Queen had already glided out the door and was gone. Usa's shoulders slumped. "She never changes, does she?"

"I've always thought that a good thing," Endymion smiled.

"So who's going to chaperone this time, Pop?"

"I don't see the need for a chaperone," Endymion said. His daughter gaped at him. "You and Cere are old enough and mature enough to be on your own. Hotaru and Jun are level-headed enough to help. And, pardon me for saying it, but since Ves won't be with you, I don't see the need."

"You're playing with my head, aren't you?" Usa replied cynically.

"You're a skillful, considerate leader and very mature," Endymion answered, "when you choose to be. You've proven that. My only word of advice would be that we have an excellent embassy staff in Sao Paulo. Use them. Don't feel you have to do everything yourself. And convey the Crown's respects to Father Melendez's family and friends. I'll get you booked on the next intercontinental shuttle."

"I thought we'd just teleport," Usa remarked.

"After what happened with Sailor Chaos? That took a lot out of you," Endymion reminded her. "Use the shuttle. Save your strength."

"Knew it was too good to last," sighed the Princess as she walked out. Endymion smothered a smile as he watched her go.

Within an hour, five teen girls were booked onto an intercontinental shuttle for Rio de Janeiro. From there they would take a sub-sonic shuttle to Sao Paulo. If there were no delays, the entire trip would take less than two hours. There had been some stir among the other passengers, due to the celebrity of The Princess. But with everyone settled in the private forward cabin Endymion had booked, the travelers had settled in at a round table with plush pressure seats. Both Usa and Hotaru could see their friends were somber, particularly Palla-Palla. They glanced at each other, wondering what each one could do.

"He really must have meant a lot to you, huh?" Hotaru ventured.

"Yeah," Jun responded. "Palla-Palla knew him the longest."

"Really?"

"Palla-Palla," Cere leaned over from her seat. "Do you remember when you first met Father Melendez?"

"Yes, Palla-Palla does," the girl replied softly.

"Do you want to tell Hotaru and Usa about those days?" she asked. "So they can get a better idea of what Father Melendez was like?"

"If you'd rather not," Hotaru began.

"Palla-Palla will do it," the teen nodded. "Palla-Palla doesn't really like to think of those days - - but not because of Father Melendez-Sir. She likes thinking about him."

May 14, 2987

Sister Conchata Arcia looked up from her desk in the administration office of Tanto Quatro Pai, the church-run orphanage in Sao Paulo, Brasilia. Standing in the doorway were three people. The man was an officer of the Sao Paulo police. He was forty-six and overweight, with thinning black hair and a thin mustache. From the look of him, he was an administrative officer and probably hadn't drawn his laser pistol in ten years.

The woman with him was Maria Reynoso, a case-worker with the government Children's Welfare ministry. Reynoso was a familiar face at Tanto Quatro Pai, often dropping off children taken into protective custody by the state and placed at the orphanage. Placement could last anywhere from thirty days to until the child was eighteen. She was short, thin, tired, with long straight black hair and a bionic hand to replace the one she'd lost due to a birth defect, for in the poorer parts of Brasilia there were still birth defects.

"Good afternoon, Sister Arcia," Reynoso said as pleasantly as she could manage. Arcia could tell it had been a long day for her. "Room at the inn for one more?"

"Is this the girl you texted about?" Arcia asked as she rose from her desk. Arcia was fifty-six. She was five feet four and one-hundred ten pounds and had been a nun since she was sixteen. Her faith in God remained firm, but after forty years her faith in humanity waned occasionally. Arcia glanced at a hologram of the text. "Athene Santos Melo, age six."

She glanced at the young girl between Reynoso and the officer for the first time. The girl seemed like a normal shy, slightly pudgy six year old - - except for the blue hair.

"Why do you have blue hair?" Sister Arcia asked. The child didn't answer. She seemed intimidated by her surroundings. "Come on, speak up. Was your mother or father in the chemical disaster of '84? Usually the hair is green."

"Palla-Palla's mommy has black hair," the child mumbled. "Palla-Palla doesn't know who her daddy is."

"Who is 'Palla-Palla'?"

The child's eyes were glued to the floor. "Palla-Palla is Palla-Palla."

Arcia looked up at Reynoso. "Is this child mentally disabled?"

"We've begun to suspect that," Reynoso answered. "A preliminary EEG scan was done at the hospital and it scanned very low in MRN and WHS."

For a moment, Sister Arcia thought about turning them away. Life at Tanto Quatro Pai could be difficult, caring for as many children as they did, many from broken homes or violent pasts. But she relented; it was what Jesus would do.

"I'll have the staff physician look her over more thoroughly," Arcia sighed. "We'll have to bill you for that." She brought up a virtual keyboard. "She said there's no father present. What happened to the mother?"

"We're still researching that," Reynoso admitted. "The girl was found abandoned in a grocery store on Montez Boulivard. No sign of parent or guardian."

"Mommy had to go get something," young Palla-Palla spoke up. "She told Palla-Palla to wait for her and she would come back. Palla-Palla has to go back to the store so her mommy can find her!"

"Now we discussed this," Reynoso said, kneeling down to the child dressed only in a yellow short-sleeved blouse and blue shorts. "You were there all day. We can't just leave you there. The police are looking for your mommy and when they find her they'll bring her here. But until then, you have to stay here where you'll be safe."

Palla-Palla didn't respond. She just dropped her eyes to the floor again.

"Did the girl have any sort of identification?" Arcia asked.

"We found a sub-dural ID chip with her birth records," Reynoso explained. "It was probably placed there by the doctor who delivered her. Unfortunately it's incomplete. It doesn't list either parent. We're trying to track down the mother using both the names 'Melo' and 'Santos', but so far no luck." And she appealed silently to the nun.

"OK," Arcia sighed and spun the virtual screen around so it faced the caseworker. "You know where to sign."

After Reynoso signed, she and the officer left. Palla-Palla stood anxiously by the door, wondering what would happen next.

"Come over here, Athene," Sister Arcia said. But Palla-Palla didn't move. "Athene. Athene, I'm speaking to you. It's rude to ignore someone."

"Were you talking to Palla-Palla?" the girl asked.

"Yes. Don't you even know your own name?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's Palla-Palla."

"No, your name is Athene."

"Yes, that's what Palla-Palla said," she replied innocently. Arcia stared for a moment.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," the nun muttered.

Later on, a weary nun led an anxious girl with blue hair down a corridor. Stopping at one of the doors lining the hall, Sister Arcia pressed on the old-fashioned door handle and opened the door. Inside was a dormitory setting with six bunk beds. The room housed eleven girls ranging in age from five to thirteen. The girls all turned to them and eyed the new girl suspiciously.

"Girls, this is Athene," Arcia announced. "She prefers the nickname of 'Palla-Palla', though." Several of the girls giggled, drawing a stern look from the nun. "She'll be staying with us. Please treat her the way Jesus Our Lord would expect you to treat someone." She led Palla-Palla over to one of the bunks. "This is your dresser. We'll get you some clothes to put in it. You'll be sharing it with Belinda here, so be respectful and don't take more than your share of the space."

"Yes, Sister Arcia-Ma'am," Palla-Palla nodded, though she still seemed anxious and intimidated.

"Sister Arcia will do," Arcia sighed. "You can sleep in the bottom bunk here."

"But that's my bunk!" howled Belinda, a black-haired ten year old with angry eyes.

"Athene has special needs and I don't want to risk her falling out of the top bunk," Arcia explained.

"But . . .!"

"You're not demonstrating a Christian attitude, Belinda," Arcia said.

"But . . .!"

"IT'S DECIDED!" snapped Arcia.

Sullenly the girl ascended to the top bunk. She lay down and glared at Palla-Palla.

"The bathroom is through that door," Arcia pointed. "Breakfast is at eight. Please be ready."

As Arcia left, turning out the light, Palla-Palla climbed into the bunk. The girl curled up into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest as her head rested on the well-used pillow.

"Please come back soon, Mommy," she whispered as tears bubbled in her eyes.

Continued in Chapter 2