By Yohann DeSabrais
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
Prologue...
"They were here. I`m picking up residual energy traces that match
the prism gem`s harmonics." said the tall man with the long, wild
black hair whose color matched his clothes with computer perfect
precision. His eyes glowed with a faint yellow radiance as he
scanned the snow pile where the young teenage girl Sukeko had
been lying mere minutes earlier.
"No need to use your special talents, kid, I can still smell the
kitten`s odour. The little white one was here, that`s for sure."
said the black cat sitting upon his shoulder, the silver ankh on
his forehead glithering in the faint light coming from the
headlights of cars passing in the nearby street.
"I detect anger in that last comment. Still haven`t forgiven him,
have you, old cat?" asked the powerful looking man, his eyes
stopping to glow and returning to their jade green color.
"What he`s done is unforgivable. He must pay for his crime... he
might not have killed himself, or even be implicated in their
deaths, but he`s an accessory to murder. He played an important part
in this, so he must be found." said the old cat who grumbled as his
human companion moved and made him lose his grip on his leather
overcoat. "Feel free to toss me around, Kurotenshi, it`s not like
I care wether I`m treated with respect or not."
"I don`t carry around useless luggage, Osiris old friend. You
should know that by now." said Kurotenshi. The tone of his voice
implicated that his comment conveyed much more than just the
litteral meaning.
"I know that. That`s how you survived your own ordeal." replied
the cat.
Kurotenchi`s eyes glowed again, and the unlikely duo left the
alley following the energy trace of the lunar cat and his two
teenage allies.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 44
UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITIES
"Are you ready to go, Robin? You`ve been trying on clothes for the
past hour!" complained Haruka as she knocked on her young sister
senshi`s bedroom door.
"Just another five minutes, I`ve got another one more to try on!"
came Robin`s voice through the door.
"I swear, this girl spends almost more time dressing herself than
you and Usagi put together!" complained the blonde tomboy to her
lover Michiru as she walked by.
"We can`t all look good in a pinstripe suit, darling." replied
the very feminine woman, rubbing her hand on the shoulders of her
girlfriend and massaging them softly.
"Still, I wish she`d hurry." grumbled Haruka.
Michiru giggled. It was true that Robin did spend an inordinate
amount of time choosing her clothes every day, and took more and
more time as her wardrobe expanded with every new outfit she bought.
"I really like this about you, darling, despite all the beautiful
dresses you have to chose from you still manage to make your
selection in no time at all." commented Haruka, gazing at the
delightful long aqua dress Michiru had put on for their evening
out.
"I simply follow my intuition. It tells me what will be best for
the day to come."
"Your intuition has never let us down in the past." added Haruka.
"Especially when it told me you were the one for me..." whispered
Michiru, leaning in for a kiss. Just as their lips were about to
touch, Robin`s bedroom door blasted open as the daughter of
Saturn`s Technum guardian showed her choice of clothes.
"All done!" she said with energy, proudly wearing a red and blue
Tommy Hilfiger matching outfit.
"Where did you get those? They`re impossible to get here!" asked
Michiru while Haruka fumed over this kiss she just lost.
"An importation shop just got them from america, the latest lines
just arrived this week and it just looked SO GOOD!" explained Robin,
turning around like a runway model in a fashion show.
"It`ll do just great for tonight." said Haruka between her clenched
teeth, calming down. She was looking into the sweet Michiru`s
sparkling eyes and knew that her lover would make it up to her later.
* * *
"Well, it`s been a full day and nobody`s been attacked yet. I`d say
that qualifies as a reason to go out and have a good time." said
Makoto to Usagi as she and Mamoru picked her up at her place. She
got in more or less easily and relaxed her still unsure legs and
relaxed herself into the back seat.
"It certainly does." agreed Usagi. "Now let`s go pick up Rei. She`s
waiting for us."
"Where`s Usako?" wondered Makoto.
"She`ll be joining us at the restaurant with Chibi Chibi." said
Mamoru.
"Wonderful! The senshi will be together again... or what remains of
us anyway." replied Makoto.
"Don`t worry, we`ll force that Black Baron guy to give our friends
their powers back... I swear to you all!" said Usagi.
Makoto and Mamoru smiled. The pretty soldier was fired up about the
battle that would come to them soon enough, and the strenght of her
resolve would undoubtebly decide the fate of the entire group. Five
of them had fallen already to Black Baron, the evil being having
shown the extent of his own powers.
"Are you hungry, my little bunny?" asked Mamoru to Usagi.
"I could eat an entire buffet by myself!" she answered.
"Of course you could!" thought Makoto, grinning to herself. She was
happy that Mamoru could make her best friend feel so good, and
could only hope to meet someone just as great herself. "Better
hurry and pick up Rei... it`s almost seven o'clock, she`ll kill
us if we get there late!"
"I know something about that, she got on my case over and over
about that whenever I used to get detention in high school." said
Usagi to which no one disagreed.
* * *
"So where do we go?" asked Taiki as he turned the key to the Three
Lights` car and got the engine roaring.
"Anywhere. I don`t care." muttered Yaten whose empathic sense had
been overwhelmed many times over in the past couple of days. He sat
down heavily in his seat and leaned his head over on the car window,
beaming a strong impression of "leave me alone".
"Let`s go to a place where we won`t be bothered too much." suggested
Seiya. Taiki silently agreed. Taiki thought that it would be best
if they went to the restaurant owned by the sister of their agent.
She always made sure that the customers didn`t bother them there,
and the brothers very much enjoyed the opportunity to have a nice
evening out without being treated like stars but rather ordinary
people.
"We`ll get you some relaxation tonight, Yaten, don`t worry." said
Taiki to his brother.
"Even if it kills us all getting you there!" agreed Seiya.
"Yeah, whatever." grumbled Yaten.
Seiya looked back at his brother sitting right behind Taiki while
his brainy brother was busy driving them to their favorite night
spot. He looked at the tortured face of Yaten, his long slender
face wracked by the weight of all these emotions trust onto him
whether he wanted to hear them or not. The passing lights of cars
and neon signs reflected onto his long silver hair, making him look
even more beautiful than he already was.
"I won`t let you get hurt, Yaten." thought Seiya. He loved him with
all his heart, although he was too proud to ever let his emotions
show through. He`d be making fun of him, cracking jokes and having
some fun at his expense as he always did, but Seiya would never go
so far as to really hurt Yaten in any way, because this was the
only way he ever really felt comfortable expressing his feelings.
"Stars, how I envy you two guys..." thought Seiya. He had some
very strong feelings for another very special person, but he was
incapable of telling her either. He would repeatedly end up making
her angry, so he only pushed her away further every time he met
her.
Taiki must have been a mind reader, because that is precisely what
he asked him about.
"How many times has it been you met Usako and drove her away
furious?" he asked.
"Four... no wait, five. Almost forgot that run-in we had at the
university library." he replied with a long sigh.
"And what do you think about her? Do you still think she could be
princess Kakyuu?"
"Possibly. She`s smart, has the same hair color, and that perfume
she wears... sweet cinnamon, just like her. I want to talk to her,
tell her how I feel, but she just drives me insane. My brain shuts
down and my heart is in too much of a rush to let me say what I
want." explained Seiya, sighing loudly at the thought of the
beautiful Usako.
"Sounds to me like you have... feelings... for her." commented
Taiki, waiting for a loud protest from Seiya as he always would
whenever someone insinuated he might be in love with a person he
couldn`t stand. That strong response never came.
"We`re here." whispered Seiya to Yaten, putting his hand to his
shoulder to gently wake him up from his healing nap. "We`re going
to have a bite to eat."
"Thanks, Seiya." whispered Yaten through his sleepy haze. For a
second, Seiya saw in his eyes the great love that Yaten`s heart
was capable of giving, but rarely ever showed. As the silver haired
boy woke up, he quickly drew his shield back up, his traditional
wall of self protection solidifying around his soul. Yaten had been
wounded deeply after his parent`s death when he was young, and
both Taiki and Seiya suspected he might never fully recover from
that.
They certainly hoped they could reach out and touch his feelings
one day, but they preferred not to give themselves any false hopes
they just couldn`t live up to.
* * *
"I feel bored." said Crystallite as she twirled one of Gallagher`s
cards in her fingers. She was looking through her penthouse`s
largest window down onto the city which looked alive from all
the lights and neons.
"Would you like to do something?" asked Fenris, embracing her from
behind and holding her close.
"I`m tired of being locked up in here... would you take me outside
for a few hours? I need to change my surroundings." she said.
The manwolf wanted to do anything he could for her, but he found
himself at a loss.
"But... how can we? Between your body`s frail condition and my
appearance, we can`t go anywhere without endangering you!" he
argued.
"I`ve been thinking this over, and I found a solution." replied
Crystallite with a smile.
"More magic, I take it?"
"Precisely. A little knick knack I made and completed two days
ago." she said. "Please take me to my nightstand."
The large manwolf held her up all the way to their bedroom where
he helped her sit on the side of the bed. She slid open her
nightstand`s drawer and got out a little velvet box. opening it,
she showed her bodyguard a large silver ring mounted with several
pieces of black crystal. Fenris took it and noticed there was an
inscription inside the ring.
To My Only Love
"It`s beautiful." said Fenris.
"And functional as well. Try it on!" she said.
Crystallite took the ring and slid it on his finger, amazed as she
always was about just how strong his fingers were, yet so very much
agile. She also loved those marvelous claws of his, short,
extremely sharp and just as dark as his fur.
"I don`t feel any different." said the manwolf.
"Look in the mirror." said the young red haired girl.
Turning his head around to the full height mirror on the bedroom
wall, Fenris was shocked to see himself not as a manwolf, but as
a large, muscular human male with extremely dark skin. An instant
later, the image returned to what Fenris expected to see there.
"What... what did I see?" he wondered.
"What the weak minded humans will see while you wear this ring...
that you are just another man and not the big furry wolf I love so
much. The perfect disguise!"
"Oh thank you, my darling... I love you more than anything, more
than life itself." whispered Fenris in her ear.
"I`ve never loved anybody else but you, my big wolf." said
Crystallite, leaning over to put her arms around his shoulders and
kiss him passionately. Fenris placed his arms around her waist,
hugging her firmly against his body. The young girl loved to be in
the tight grip of her wolf protector, she always felt safe there.
Nothing could hurt her as long as he held her close.
* * *
To say that the senshi needed a break from all the dread in their
lives would be quite an understatement. Reunited under the roof of
a small restaurant near Ami`s home, the eleven courageous young
girls and their allies were celebrating their resolve to face the
evil of the latest in a long list of powerful and insane enemies.
"How many villains does THIS maniac make?" wondered Usagi,
thinking out loud a question none of them had really pondered.
"I`m not sure. Do you count only the actual minions, or do the
youma, cardians, droids and other freaks of nature count here?"
replied Makoto who emptied her plate of fried rice with great
appetite.
"Just those who controlled the weird monsters, otherwise we`d be
counting until next month." she answered.
"I lost count somewhere around the dark moon period." said Rei who
was holding the cute as a button Chibi Chibi who was wearing a
darling little ensemble of red overalls with a pink shirt and
jacket. She was scarfing down food like there was no tomorrow,
imitating well Usako who was right next to them.
"Enjoying the food, honey?" asked Usako with a smile.
"Yeah! Yummy!" said Chibi Chibi in between two bites.
Making sure nobody outside of her friends saw her, Minako snuck
some food inside of her carry bag where Luna was hidden.
"Are you alright there?" she asked to the black cat.
"Yes, thank you Minako. I missed being stuffed inside your bag,
strange as it seems." she said.
Minako smiled and discreetely signaled to Usagi that her guardian
cat was doing well. Usagi was quite relieved that her old friend
had finally returned from her prolonged absence, and already she
was returning to her old habits.
"Next thing you know, she`ll be on your case again regarding your
homework!" observed Ami.
"Don`t remind me..." simply said Usagi. Maybe having the black cat
back at home didn`t have only advantages, but this was a small
sacrifice for having her old friend with her.
Robin was eating her plate silently, looking at Laurella and Shingo
who sat side by side on the other side of the table in front of
her. Laurella had said almost nothing so far, giving short yes or
no answers when spoken to and little more. Her face was still
devoid of expression or emotion, unlike Shingo who wrestled
constantly not to let show the inner turmoil that was raging in
his heart. It was obvious to anyone who knew them that something
was terribly wrong. She wanted to help, to do something... but she
knew only Laurella could make her emotions resurface and reopen
her senses again.
Just as she was about to try and engage conversation with them,
she heard a ringing sound in her purse: her cellular phone was
receiving a call. She picked it up and was surprised to hear
the voice of none other than Kou Yaten, her favorite singer.
"Hello Robin!" said Yaten.
"Whoa, Yaten! How did you get my number?!?"
"A friend of yours gave it to me. Do you remember that we met on
the street a little while back?!" he asked.
"You bet I do! I only wish we could have had more time to get to
know one another..."
"We still can. What would you say if we got together and chatted
for a while?" suggested Yaten.
"I`d love that!" answered Robin. "Where are you calling from?"
"Turn around." replied Yaten. Looking behind her, Robin saw the
silver haired boy standing only twenty feet away his cellular
phone in hand. "I guess I was lucky to meet you here tonight!"
Putting the phone back in her purse, Robin leaped out of her chair
and went straight to him.
"I`ve been waiting to get a chance to really know you!" she said.
"So have I... you`re a very special girl, I can tell."
"Thank you... I love your music, you know."
"I was wondering, Robin... would you like to go out with me
somewhere?" said Yaten. He wanted to get a chance to know her and
see if she really could be the woman he was searching for, and a
date seemed like the best way to get to know this rather eccentric
girl.
Robin hesitated; she came to this restaurant to be with her friends
that night, but turning around to them she saw that they were all
making silent encouragements for her to accept.
"Okay, let`s go!" she replied, leaving with her idol singer.
"I hope it works out for her." whispered Haruka to Michiru.
"Yes, love is something her young soul would gain very much from
experiencing. She has been feeling lonely lately, especially since
her father died..." whispered back Michiru.
"How would you like to go see a movie?" asked Yaten to Robin as
she put on her coat and took him by the arm.
"I`d love to. What are we going to see?" she asked.
"The american high budget of Godzilla is still playing in a theater
close to here..." suggested Yaten, unsure wether Robin would go for
this sort of film or not.
"Gozzawhazza?" went Robin, her face striking a look of confusion.
"You never heard of Godzilla? The big mutant lizard who smashes
buildings???"
Robin shook her head. "Never... but it sounds like a total
blast!!!"
"You`re in for a treat, you`ll see!"
* * *
"Excuse me..." came a familiar voice calling out to Usako. She
turned around and saw Seiya standing near the senshi`s table looking
a little uneasy.
"Oh, it`s you..." said Usako, a little disappointed to see him there.
"I`d like to talk to you, if you don`t mind..." he said, his face
blushed from shyness.
"You can sit at Robin`s place if you want." said Minako who pointed
the empty seat.
"Thanks a lot, Minako!" thought Usako sarcastically. She`d try and
get even for that with her later.
"Hi!" said Chibi Chibi with her usual pep when she saw the young
idol singer.
"Hello... what`s your name, sweetheart?" asked Seiya, smiling to
the pink haired toddler sitting on Rei`s lap.
"She`s Chibi Chibi... my daughter!" said Usako with a large smile.
If this doesn`t drive him away screaming, nothing will, she thought.
"She`s beautiful, just like her mother. She has your eyes, I think,
Usako." replied Seiya with complete sincerity. This threw Usako off
as she expected some smart aleck remark on his part.
"Thank you, Seiya... that`s very kind of you to say." she said.
Usako took a moment to look at Seiya, not just glance, but look at
him carefully. She saw that there was much sensitivity that just
cried out to be released, but that it was held back for some
reason. Seiya had more depth than she first thought... she was
intrigued.
"I want to appologize for those things I said in our previous
meetings. I never meant to hurt you the way I did... can I offer
you dessert to show you how sorry I am?" he suggested.
"Well... that might be a good way to start." said Usako, a smile
returning to her lips.
"Usako-mama, can I have dessert too???" asked Chibi Chibi, her
little face lighting up in the cutest fashion at the thought of
sugar.
"Of course darling... that is, if you don`t mind getting her one
too, Seiya?"
"Certainly, I`d love to get you both something sweet." said Seiya,
calling the waiter to see the dessert cart.
"Yaaay!" went Chibi Chibi. Usako smiled warmly to Seiya. Maybe
she could get along with him after all.
* * *
"So how`s your spine doing now?" asked Ami to Makoto as the two
got up from the table and went to the ladies` room.
"Improving quickly. These healing powers of Naru have helped my
nerves regenerate faster. She says I`m lucky that my body is
healing on its own to begin with, otherwise she couldn`t have
done anything for me." she said. "I barely need these things at
all." Makoto added, pointing to the metal crutches she used as
support.
"That`s good to hear. I hopw you can walk by yourelf again real
soon." said Ami as they got in.
"Say Ami, I wanted to ask... you and Minako... is it really over?
I mean, any chance you might be getting together again?" asked
Makoto as she entered one of the stalls while Ami refreshed her
lipstick, a soft tone of pink that complemented her light
complexion to perfection.
"No, I`m afraid that during our last meal as a couple, things were
said... words exchanged... that just can`t be taken back. Minako`s
temporary personality shift soured things up between us, and
there`s no coming back from that. I can just be thankful we`re
still friends." answered Ami, a slight hint of sadness squeezing
her voice.
"That`s too bad. I know I gave you two a real hard time, but...
I came to think you were a very sweet couple." said Makoto, coming
out of the stall and smiling to her friend. She washed her hands,
pressing on her line of questionning. "Have you noticed anyone...
interesting lately then???"
Ami blushed. That was all the answer Makoto needed.
"So who is she??? Please, tell me, I won`t tell a soul!" begged
Makoto.
"I`m not sure what she thinks of me yet. All I can say is... she`s
a shining star high in the heavens." told her Ami, a large smile
drawing on her lips.
"Can`t wait to meet her." commented Makoto.
"I think you`ll see her soon. She said she`d be there when I
needed her." said Ami, feeling a wonderful warmth in her heart
when she thought of Sailor Star Maker.
The two girls exited the bathroom, heading back down the
restaurant`s service corridor leading back to the dining room.
Makoto stopped at a soda vending machine, going through her
pockets for a couple of 100 yen coins. "You want one? My treat!"
she said.
"Thanks."
"What flavor?"
"Surprise me."
Makoto dropped in the pieces while Ami turned back to join her
friends at their table, but her way was blocked by a rather large
boy her own age, or so it seemed. He was wearing a university
football team jacket and it did not hide his large muscles in any
way.
"Where are you going, beautiful?" he asked in a very direct
manner.
"Back to my table." she answered sharply, keeping her body language
tuned in to "back off" signals.
"What`s your rush? I think you and me could have a really good time
together." he added, brushing his hair backwards nonchalantly as he
moved in uncomfortably closer.
"Please let me go through." she said through her clenched teeth,
backing up a little to preserve her personal space. The large oaf
pushed on further.
"What`s the matter? I`m not good enough for you? Don`t tell me
you`re a lesbian!" he said, biting into that last word to make it
into an insult.
"Yes, I am." she replied defensively. Take that, you macho jerk,
she thought.
This had the opposite effect. He only came on to her stronger, and
Ami began to fear he might get violent if he didn`t get what he
wanted, namely her.
"Maybe you need a REAL man to turn you straight again, honey..."
he said with a twisted smirk.
About ten feet behind them, the loud noise of a soda machine being
shaken off its stand made itself clearly heard.
"Leave me alone unless you want to be hurt..." said Ami,
threatening him openly. "See that tall brunette over there? I`m
HERS!!!"
The overbearing man looked over Ami`s head and saw Makoto slamming
her fists violently into the vending machine as she insulted it with
every ounce of breath she had. "I just gave you money, you stupid
pile of junk! Give me that second can!!!"
He hesitated a second, thinking she might be bluffing. When the
machine finally surrendered its precious content, Makoto made her
way back to Ami with a big expression of triumph on her face.
"I got you cherry, I know you love that one!" said Makoto, handing
Ami the can. Ami turned to her friend, winking in a very clear
"Please work with me here" signal.
"Thank you so much dear... I`ll make it up to you later." she said
to Makoto, leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
Understanding instantly Ami was being bothered by this macho jerk,
Makoto went along with her plan.
"I can`t wait for that... nobody knows me better than you, darling!"
she replied, blowing her a kiss. She then looked up at the guy,
taking an angry air that made her look even larger than she was
before. "Is that guy BOTHERING you, by any chance? Because I haven`t
pummeled anyone today just yet!" she said, a bloodlusting glint
showing in her eyes.
"N... no... I was just... leaving! Yeah, leaving!" he said,
disappearing in a flash, not to be seen again in this restaurant
for as long as the owner could remember from that day on.
"Thanks, Makoto." said Ami, thankful for her friend`s timely
intervention.
"I meant what I said about you understanding me, you know. I feel
like you`re the sister I never had. All of you are..."
Ami nodded, she knew the feeling. Being a sailor senshi meant
more than just sharing common enemies, it was a bond of sistership
with each and every one of the others on the team. It varied with
every one of the girls, no two bonds being exactly alike one
another, but every single one boiling down to the same core
essence: they would gladly give up their lives if it could save
their sister senshi in the process. This sisterly love was the
best part of it all, Ami thought, and she knew Makoto agreed.
Just before she got to her table, she noticed that Taiki was sitting
by himself at a table and quietly reading a philosophy book all by
himself, both his brothers gone to pursue their own female
interests. He didn`t seem to mind, but Ami had been wanting to talk
to him about some work project for her astrophysics class.
"Hello again, Taiki." she said softly as she moved close to him.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
"Please, sit down! Can I offer you coffee? Michiko makes one great
capuccino!" he offered, his face lighting up as much as the
reserved singer ever allowed it to.
"I`d love to, thank you." she answered, taking place in front of
him.
"Ami, there is a special team project that must be made for next
month in our astrophysics class... I was thinking it would be nice
to work together on this." said Taiki, beating her to the punch.
"Are you sure you`re not a mindreader?" she said, giggling.
"My brother Yaten is very intuitive, but I`m nowhere near his
level. I just thought it would be wonderful to be working with
someone as intelligent as you, Ami." said Taiki.
"I was going to offer you the same, but since you offer first...
I accept." replied Ami.
"I have a few ideas, if you`d like to discuss this right now..."
said Taiki.
"Of course! You`re never to early to work on a school project!"
agreed Ami. The two of them went on to discuss the various
theories of Einstein, Hawking and other important figures in
the study of space and reality.
* * *
"Another one." said the seductive woman has she pushed her empty
wine glass on the bar, with but a smidgen of crimson color staining
the bottom of the crystal glass. She brushed her short auburn hair
with her long fingernails.
"Don`t you think you had enough?" whispered Michiko to her well
refreshed customer who had been drinking glass after glass of red
wine that evening.
"I`ll tell you when I had enough." said Cathra. Pulling out a
thousand yen coin from her purse, she skillfuly flipped it in the
air, catching it one handed and rolling it down her fingers as she
would a slinky toy down a flight of stairs, landing the coin
inside an empty ashtray in front of her. "I can hold my liquor
better than you imagine, honey." she said with open contempt in
her voice. Michiko silently filled her glass again and left her
to sulk alone.
"How the hell am I supposed to pull this off?" she asked herself.
"Crystallite holds most of the cards and hands them off to Black
Baron... figuratively and litteraly. How can I manipulate these
fools into letting their guard down... to stay ahead of both
their agendas?"
She gulped down the sweet liquid, feeling it go down her throat and
filling her stomach with the nice rush of alcohol that went along
with it. This whole thing seemed pointless at times, futile in the
difficulty involved in tricking several of the most devious
creatures in the known universe.
Then she turned around. She saw a group of young people she heard
talk and laugh for over two hours now, never really paying them
any attention. She loked at them and saw someone she could have
recognized anywhere- the young girl whom she had seen having her
dark splinter get torn from her soul, Sailor Jendra. She was right
there in the same restaurant she was, by a total stroke of luck.
At the same table, she also saw the other fallen senshi, Sailor
Mars.
This was without a doubt her chance, the opportunity she had
been praying for- she wouldn`t miss it. But how to use it
properly? She smiled... she had an idea.
Laurella was having a nice chat with her friends, her boyfriend
holding her hand when she noticed a well dressed thirtysomething
woman running to the exit, mumbling something being late for an
evening meeting and fumbling with her coat and a glass of red
wine, which went flying out of her hand as she walked past her.
The wine splashed Laurella, staining her pure white cotton shirt
in deep crimson.
"OH I`m SO sorry!" she said, apologizing profusely as she hurriedly
put on her long wintercoat. "I don`t have any time right now, but
let me assure you I will refund you ENTIRELY for all the damage I
just caused... here, call me at this number!" she said, handing
over a business card to Laurella. Once again saying how sorry she
was, she ran out of the restaurant.
"I`m sorry, honey, I know how much you liked this shirt..." said
Shingo.
"Don`t worry, she left me her card." said Laurella in an emotionless
manner she had turned into her demeanor instead of her usual
compassionate and caring personality. "She works at..." she started
to read out loud, but she stopped in stupor.
"What is it, dear?" asked Shingo, looking at the card. "Oh my god...
Usagi, I think you better look at this!" he said, handing the card
over to his sister.
There she read the name and address, sending a large smile on her
face.
Cathryn Neko, senior VP of operations
Nightwolf corporation
1, Poldzer Plaza
office 5907a
6227-7628
"I think we may have a place to start..." said Usagi, an idea
forming in her mind.
To be continued...
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
Prologue...
"They were here. I`m picking up residual energy traces that match
the prism gem`s harmonics." said the tall man with the long, wild
black hair whose color matched his clothes with computer perfect
precision. His eyes glowed with a faint yellow radiance as he
scanned the snow pile where the young teenage girl Sukeko had
been lying mere minutes earlier.
"No need to use your special talents, kid, I can still smell the
kitten`s odour. The little white one was here, that`s for sure."
said the black cat sitting upon his shoulder, the silver ankh on
his forehead glithering in the faint light coming from the
headlights of cars passing in the nearby street.
"I detect anger in that last comment. Still haven`t forgiven him,
have you, old cat?" asked the powerful looking man, his eyes
stopping to glow and returning to their jade green color.
"What he`s done is unforgivable. He must pay for his crime... he
might not have killed himself, or even be implicated in their
deaths, but he`s an accessory to murder. He played an important part
in this, so he must be found." said the old cat who grumbled as his
human companion moved and made him lose his grip on his leather
overcoat. "Feel free to toss me around, Kurotenshi, it`s not like
I care wether I`m treated with respect or not."
"I don`t carry around useless luggage, Osiris old friend. You
should know that by now." said Kurotenshi. The tone of his voice
implicated that his comment conveyed much more than just the
litteral meaning.
"I know that. That`s how you survived your own ordeal." replied
the cat.
Kurotenchi`s eyes glowed again, and the unlikely duo left the
alley following the energy trace of the lunar cat and his two
teenage allies.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 44
UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITIES
"Are you ready to go, Robin? You`ve been trying on clothes for the
past hour!" complained Haruka as she knocked on her young sister
senshi`s bedroom door.
"Just another five minutes, I`ve got another one more to try on!"
came Robin`s voice through the door.
"I swear, this girl spends almost more time dressing herself than
you and Usagi put together!" complained the blonde tomboy to her
lover Michiru as she walked by.
"We can`t all look good in a pinstripe suit, darling." replied
the very feminine woman, rubbing her hand on the shoulders of her
girlfriend and massaging them softly.
"Still, I wish she`d hurry." grumbled Haruka.
Michiru giggled. It was true that Robin did spend an inordinate
amount of time choosing her clothes every day, and took more and
more time as her wardrobe expanded with every new outfit she bought.
"I really like this about you, darling, despite all the beautiful
dresses you have to chose from you still manage to make your
selection in no time at all." commented Haruka, gazing at the
delightful long aqua dress Michiru had put on for their evening
out.
"I simply follow my intuition. It tells me what will be best for
the day to come."
"Your intuition has never let us down in the past." added Haruka.
"Especially when it told me you were the one for me..." whispered
Michiru, leaning in for a kiss. Just as their lips were about to
touch, Robin`s bedroom door blasted open as the daughter of
Saturn`s Technum guardian showed her choice of clothes.
"All done!" she said with energy, proudly wearing a red and blue
Tommy Hilfiger matching outfit.
"Where did you get those? They`re impossible to get here!" asked
Michiru while Haruka fumed over this kiss she just lost.
"An importation shop just got them from america, the latest lines
just arrived this week and it just looked SO GOOD!" explained Robin,
turning around like a runway model in a fashion show.
"It`ll do just great for tonight." said Haruka between her clenched
teeth, calming down. She was looking into the sweet Michiru`s
sparkling eyes and knew that her lover would make it up to her later.
* * *
"Well, it`s been a full day and nobody`s been attacked yet. I`d say
that qualifies as a reason to go out and have a good time." said
Makoto to Usagi as she and Mamoru picked her up at her place. She
got in more or less easily and relaxed her still unsure legs and
relaxed herself into the back seat.
"It certainly does." agreed Usagi. "Now let`s go pick up Rei. She`s
waiting for us."
"Where`s Usako?" wondered Makoto.
"She`ll be joining us at the restaurant with Chibi Chibi." said
Mamoru.
"Wonderful! The senshi will be together again... or what remains of
us anyway." replied Makoto.
"Don`t worry, we`ll force that Black Baron guy to give our friends
their powers back... I swear to you all!" said Usagi.
Makoto and Mamoru smiled. The pretty soldier was fired up about the
battle that would come to them soon enough, and the strenght of her
resolve would undoubtebly decide the fate of the entire group. Five
of them had fallen already to Black Baron, the evil being having
shown the extent of his own powers.
"Are you hungry, my little bunny?" asked Mamoru to Usagi.
"I could eat an entire buffet by myself!" she answered.
"Of course you could!" thought Makoto, grinning to herself. She was
happy that Mamoru could make her best friend feel so good, and
could only hope to meet someone just as great herself. "Better
hurry and pick up Rei... it`s almost seven o'clock, she`ll kill
us if we get there late!"
"I know something about that, she got on my case over and over
about that whenever I used to get detention in high school." said
Usagi to which no one disagreed.
* * *
"So where do we go?" asked Taiki as he turned the key to the Three
Lights` car and got the engine roaring.
"Anywhere. I don`t care." muttered Yaten whose empathic sense had
been overwhelmed many times over in the past couple of days. He sat
down heavily in his seat and leaned his head over on the car window,
beaming a strong impression of "leave me alone".
"Let`s go to a place where we won`t be bothered too much." suggested
Seiya. Taiki silently agreed. Taiki thought that it would be best
if they went to the restaurant owned by the sister of their agent.
She always made sure that the customers didn`t bother them there,
and the brothers very much enjoyed the opportunity to have a nice
evening out without being treated like stars but rather ordinary
people.
"We`ll get you some relaxation tonight, Yaten, don`t worry." said
Taiki to his brother.
"Even if it kills us all getting you there!" agreed Seiya.
"Yeah, whatever." grumbled Yaten.
Seiya looked back at his brother sitting right behind Taiki while
his brainy brother was busy driving them to their favorite night
spot. He looked at the tortured face of Yaten, his long slender
face wracked by the weight of all these emotions trust onto him
whether he wanted to hear them or not. The passing lights of cars
and neon signs reflected onto his long silver hair, making him look
even more beautiful than he already was.
"I won`t let you get hurt, Yaten." thought Seiya. He loved him with
all his heart, although he was too proud to ever let his emotions
show through. He`d be making fun of him, cracking jokes and having
some fun at his expense as he always did, but Seiya would never go
so far as to really hurt Yaten in any way, because this was the
only way he ever really felt comfortable expressing his feelings.
"Stars, how I envy you two guys..." thought Seiya. He had some
very strong feelings for another very special person, but he was
incapable of telling her either. He would repeatedly end up making
her angry, so he only pushed her away further every time he met
her.
Taiki must have been a mind reader, because that is precisely what
he asked him about.
"How many times has it been you met Usako and drove her away
furious?" he asked.
"Four... no wait, five. Almost forgot that run-in we had at the
university library." he replied with a long sigh.
"And what do you think about her? Do you still think she could be
princess Kakyuu?"
"Possibly. She`s smart, has the same hair color, and that perfume
she wears... sweet cinnamon, just like her. I want to talk to her,
tell her how I feel, but she just drives me insane. My brain shuts
down and my heart is in too much of a rush to let me say what I
want." explained Seiya, sighing loudly at the thought of the
beautiful Usako.
"Sounds to me like you have... feelings... for her." commented
Taiki, waiting for a loud protest from Seiya as he always would
whenever someone insinuated he might be in love with a person he
couldn`t stand. That strong response never came.
"We`re here." whispered Seiya to Yaten, putting his hand to his
shoulder to gently wake him up from his healing nap. "We`re going
to have a bite to eat."
"Thanks, Seiya." whispered Yaten through his sleepy haze. For a
second, Seiya saw in his eyes the great love that Yaten`s heart
was capable of giving, but rarely ever showed. As the silver haired
boy woke up, he quickly drew his shield back up, his traditional
wall of self protection solidifying around his soul. Yaten had been
wounded deeply after his parent`s death when he was young, and
both Taiki and Seiya suspected he might never fully recover from
that.
They certainly hoped they could reach out and touch his feelings
one day, but they preferred not to give themselves any false hopes
they just couldn`t live up to.
* * *
"I feel bored." said Crystallite as she twirled one of Gallagher`s
cards in her fingers. She was looking through her penthouse`s
largest window down onto the city which looked alive from all
the lights and neons.
"Would you like to do something?" asked Fenris, embracing her from
behind and holding her close.
"I`m tired of being locked up in here... would you take me outside
for a few hours? I need to change my surroundings." she said.
The manwolf wanted to do anything he could for her, but he found
himself at a loss.
"But... how can we? Between your body`s frail condition and my
appearance, we can`t go anywhere without endangering you!" he
argued.
"I`ve been thinking this over, and I found a solution." replied
Crystallite with a smile.
"More magic, I take it?"
"Precisely. A little knick knack I made and completed two days
ago." she said. "Please take me to my nightstand."
The large manwolf held her up all the way to their bedroom where
he helped her sit on the side of the bed. She slid open her
nightstand`s drawer and got out a little velvet box. opening it,
she showed her bodyguard a large silver ring mounted with several
pieces of black crystal. Fenris took it and noticed there was an
inscription inside the ring.
To My Only Love
"It`s beautiful." said Fenris.
"And functional as well. Try it on!" she said.
Crystallite took the ring and slid it on his finger, amazed as she
always was about just how strong his fingers were, yet so very much
agile. She also loved those marvelous claws of his, short,
extremely sharp and just as dark as his fur.
"I don`t feel any different." said the manwolf.
"Look in the mirror." said the young red haired girl.
Turning his head around to the full height mirror on the bedroom
wall, Fenris was shocked to see himself not as a manwolf, but as
a large, muscular human male with extremely dark skin. An instant
later, the image returned to what Fenris expected to see there.
"What... what did I see?" he wondered.
"What the weak minded humans will see while you wear this ring...
that you are just another man and not the big furry wolf I love so
much. The perfect disguise!"
"Oh thank you, my darling... I love you more than anything, more
than life itself." whispered Fenris in her ear.
"I`ve never loved anybody else but you, my big wolf." said
Crystallite, leaning over to put her arms around his shoulders and
kiss him passionately. Fenris placed his arms around her waist,
hugging her firmly against his body. The young girl loved to be in
the tight grip of her wolf protector, she always felt safe there.
Nothing could hurt her as long as he held her close.
* * *
To say that the senshi needed a break from all the dread in their
lives would be quite an understatement. Reunited under the roof of
a small restaurant near Ami`s home, the eleven courageous young
girls and their allies were celebrating their resolve to face the
evil of the latest in a long list of powerful and insane enemies.
"How many villains does THIS maniac make?" wondered Usagi,
thinking out loud a question none of them had really pondered.
"I`m not sure. Do you count only the actual minions, or do the
youma, cardians, droids and other freaks of nature count here?"
replied Makoto who emptied her plate of fried rice with great
appetite.
"Just those who controlled the weird monsters, otherwise we`d be
counting until next month." she answered.
"I lost count somewhere around the dark moon period." said Rei who
was holding the cute as a button Chibi Chibi who was wearing a
darling little ensemble of red overalls with a pink shirt and
jacket. She was scarfing down food like there was no tomorrow,
imitating well Usako who was right next to them.
"Enjoying the food, honey?" asked Usako with a smile.
"Yeah! Yummy!" said Chibi Chibi in between two bites.
Making sure nobody outside of her friends saw her, Minako snuck
some food inside of her carry bag where Luna was hidden.
"Are you alright there?" she asked to the black cat.
"Yes, thank you Minako. I missed being stuffed inside your bag,
strange as it seems." she said.
Minako smiled and discreetely signaled to Usagi that her guardian
cat was doing well. Usagi was quite relieved that her old friend
had finally returned from her prolonged absence, and already she
was returning to her old habits.
"Next thing you know, she`ll be on your case again regarding your
homework!" observed Ami.
"Don`t remind me..." simply said Usagi. Maybe having the black cat
back at home didn`t have only advantages, but this was a small
sacrifice for having her old friend with her.
Robin was eating her plate silently, looking at Laurella and Shingo
who sat side by side on the other side of the table in front of
her. Laurella had said almost nothing so far, giving short yes or
no answers when spoken to and little more. Her face was still
devoid of expression or emotion, unlike Shingo who wrestled
constantly not to let show the inner turmoil that was raging in
his heart. It was obvious to anyone who knew them that something
was terribly wrong. She wanted to help, to do something... but she
knew only Laurella could make her emotions resurface and reopen
her senses again.
Just as she was about to try and engage conversation with them,
she heard a ringing sound in her purse: her cellular phone was
receiving a call. She picked it up and was surprised to hear
the voice of none other than Kou Yaten, her favorite singer.
"Hello Robin!" said Yaten.
"Whoa, Yaten! How did you get my number?!?"
"A friend of yours gave it to me. Do you remember that we met on
the street a little while back?!" he asked.
"You bet I do! I only wish we could have had more time to get to
know one another..."
"We still can. What would you say if we got together and chatted
for a while?" suggested Yaten.
"I`d love that!" answered Robin. "Where are you calling from?"
"Turn around." replied Yaten. Looking behind her, Robin saw the
silver haired boy standing only twenty feet away his cellular
phone in hand. "I guess I was lucky to meet you here tonight!"
Putting the phone back in her purse, Robin leaped out of her chair
and went straight to him.
"I`ve been waiting to get a chance to really know you!" she said.
"So have I... you`re a very special girl, I can tell."
"Thank you... I love your music, you know."
"I was wondering, Robin... would you like to go out with me
somewhere?" said Yaten. He wanted to get a chance to know her and
see if she really could be the woman he was searching for, and a
date seemed like the best way to get to know this rather eccentric
girl.
Robin hesitated; she came to this restaurant to be with her friends
that night, but turning around to them she saw that they were all
making silent encouragements for her to accept.
"Okay, let`s go!" she replied, leaving with her idol singer.
"I hope it works out for her." whispered Haruka to Michiru.
"Yes, love is something her young soul would gain very much from
experiencing. She has been feeling lonely lately, especially since
her father died..." whispered back Michiru.
"How would you like to go see a movie?" asked Yaten to Robin as
she put on her coat and took him by the arm.
"I`d love to. What are we going to see?" she asked.
"The american high budget of Godzilla is still playing in a theater
close to here..." suggested Yaten, unsure wether Robin would go for
this sort of film or not.
"Gozzawhazza?" went Robin, her face striking a look of confusion.
"You never heard of Godzilla? The big mutant lizard who smashes
buildings???"
Robin shook her head. "Never... but it sounds like a total
blast!!!"
"You`re in for a treat, you`ll see!"
* * *
"Excuse me..." came a familiar voice calling out to Usako. She
turned around and saw Seiya standing near the senshi`s table looking
a little uneasy.
"Oh, it`s you..." said Usako, a little disappointed to see him there.
"I`d like to talk to you, if you don`t mind..." he said, his face
blushed from shyness.
"You can sit at Robin`s place if you want." said Minako who pointed
the empty seat.
"Thanks a lot, Minako!" thought Usako sarcastically. She`d try and
get even for that with her later.
"Hi!" said Chibi Chibi with her usual pep when she saw the young
idol singer.
"Hello... what`s your name, sweetheart?" asked Seiya, smiling to
the pink haired toddler sitting on Rei`s lap.
"She`s Chibi Chibi... my daughter!" said Usako with a large smile.
If this doesn`t drive him away screaming, nothing will, she thought.
"She`s beautiful, just like her mother. She has your eyes, I think,
Usako." replied Seiya with complete sincerity. This threw Usako off
as she expected some smart aleck remark on his part.
"Thank you, Seiya... that`s very kind of you to say." she said.
Usako took a moment to look at Seiya, not just glance, but look at
him carefully. She saw that there was much sensitivity that just
cried out to be released, but that it was held back for some
reason. Seiya had more depth than she first thought... she was
intrigued.
"I want to appologize for those things I said in our previous
meetings. I never meant to hurt you the way I did... can I offer
you dessert to show you how sorry I am?" he suggested.
"Well... that might be a good way to start." said Usako, a smile
returning to her lips.
"Usako-mama, can I have dessert too???" asked Chibi Chibi, her
little face lighting up in the cutest fashion at the thought of
sugar.
"Of course darling... that is, if you don`t mind getting her one
too, Seiya?"
"Certainly, I`d love to get you both something sweet." said Seiya,
calling the waiter to see the dessert cart.
"Yaaay!" went Chibi Chibi. Usako smiled warmly to Seiya. Maybe
she could get along with him after all.
* * *
"So how`s your spine doing now?" asked Ami to Makoto as the two
got up from the table and went to the ladies` room.
"Improving quickly. These healing powers of Naru have helped my
nerves regenerate faster. She says I`m lucky that my body is
healing on its own to begin with, otherwise she couldn`t have
done anything for me." she said. "I barely need these things at
all." Makoto added, pointing to the metal crutches she used as
support.
"That`s good to hear. I hopw you can walk by yourelf again real
soon." said Ami as they got in.
"Say Ami, I wanted to ask... you and Minako... is it really over?
I mean, any chance you might be getting together again?" asked
Makoto as she entered one of the stalls while Ami refreshed her
lipstick, a soft tone of pink that complemented her light
complexion to perfection.
"No, I`m afraid that during our last meal as a couple, things were
said... words exchanged... that just can`t be taken back. Minako`s
temporary personality shift soured things up between us, and
there`s no coming back from that. I can just be thankful we`re
still friends." answered Ami, a slight hint of sadness squeezing
her voice.
"That`s too bad. I know I gave you two a real hard time, but...
I came to think you were a very sweet couple." said Makoto, coming
out of the stall and smiling to her friend. She washed her hands,
pressing on her line of questionning. "Have you noticed anyone...
interesting lately then???"
Ami blushed. That was all the answer Makoto needed.
"So who is she??? Please, tell me, I won`t tell a soul!" begged
Makoto.
"I`m not sure what she thinks of me yet. All I can say is... she`s
a shining star high in the heavens." told her Ami, a large smile
drawing on her lips.
"Can`t wait to meet her." commented Makoto.
"I think you`ll see her soon. She said she`d be there when I
needed her." said Ami, feeling a wonderful warmth in her heart
when she thought of Sailor Star Maker.
The two girls exited the bathroom, heading back down the
restaurant`s service corridor leading back to the dining room.
Makoto stopped at a soda vending machine, going through her
pockets for a couple of 100 yen coins. "You want one? My treat!"
she said.
"Thanks."
"What flavor?"
"Surprise me."
Makoto dropped in the pieces while Ami turned back to join her
friends at their table, but her way was blocked by a rather large
boy her own age, or so it seemed. He was wearing a university
football team jacket and it did not hide his large muscles in any
way.
"Where are you going, beautiful?" he asked in a very direct
manner.
"Back to my table." she answered sharply, keeping her body language
tuned in to "back off" signals.
"What`s your rush? I think you and me could have a really good time
together." he added, brushing his hair backwards nonchalantly as he
moved in uncomfortably closer.
"Please let me go through." she said through her clenched teeth,
backing up a little to preserve her personal space. The large oaf
pushed on further.
"What`s the matter? I`m not good enough for you? Don`t tell me
you`re a lesbian!" he said, biting into that last word to make it
into an insult.
"Yes, I am." she replied defensively. Take that, you macho jerk,
she thought.
This had the opposite effect. He only came on to her stronger, and
Ami began to fear he might get violent if he didn`t get what he
wanted, namely her.
"Maybe you need a REAL man to turn you straight again, honey..."
he said with a twisted smirk.
About ten feet behind them, the loud noise of a soda machine being
shaken off its stand made itself clearly heard.
"Leave me alone unless you want to be hurt..." said Ami,
threatening him openly. "See that tall brunette over there? I`m
HERS!!!"
The overbearing man looked over Ami`s head and saw Makoto slamming
her fists violently into the vending machine as she insulted it with
every ounce of breath she had. "I just gave you money, you stupid
pile of junk! Give me that second can!!!"
He hesitated a second, thinking she might be bluffing. When the
machine finally surrendered its precious content, Makoto made her
way back to Ami with a big expression of triumph on her face.
"I got you cherry, I know you love that one!" said Makoto, handing
Ami the can. Ami turned to her friend, winking in a very clear
"Please work with me here" signal.
"Thank you so much dear... I`ll make it up to you later." she said
to Makoto, leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
Understanding instantly Ami was being bothered by this macho jerk,
Makoto went along with her plan.
"I can`t wait for that... nobody knows me better than you, darling!"
she replied, blowing her a kiss. She then looked up at the guy,
taking an angry air that made her look even larger than she was
before. "Is that guy BOTHERING you, by any chance? Because I haven`t
pummeled anyone today just yet!" she said, a bloodlusting glint
showing in her eyes.
"N... no... I was just... leaving! Yeah, leaving!" he said,
disappearing in a flash, not to be seen again in this restaurant
for as long as the owner could remember from that day on.
"Thanks, Makoto." said Ami, thankful for her friend`s timely
intervention.
"I meant what I said about you understanding me, you know. I feel
like you`re the sister I never had. All of you are..."
Ami nodded, she knew the feeling. Being a sailor senshi meant
more than just sharing common enemies, it was a bond of sistership
with each and every one of the others on the team. It varied with
every one of the girls, no two bonds being exactly alike one
another, but every single one boiling down to the same core
essence: they would gladly give up their lives if it could save
their sister senshi in the process. This sisterly love was the
best part of it all, Ami thought, and she knew Makoto agreed.
Just before she got to her table, she noticed that Taiki was sitting
by himself at a table and quietly reading a philosophy book all by
himself, both his brothers gone to pursue their own female
interests. He didn`t seem to mind, but Ami had been wanting to talk
to him about some work project for her astrophysics class.
"Hello again, Taiki." she said softly as she moved close to him.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
"Please, sit down! Can I offer you coffee? Michiko makes one great
capuccino!" he offered, his face lighting up as much as the
reserved singer ever allowed it to.
"I`d love to, thank you." she answered, taking place in front of
him.
"Ami, there is a special team project that must be made for next
month in our astrophysics class... I was thinking it would be nice
to work together on this." said Taiki, beating her to the punch.
"Are you sure you`re not a mindreader?" she said, giggling.
"My brother Yaten is very intuitive, but I`m nowhere near his
level. I just thought it would be wonderful to be working with
someone as intelligent as you, Ami." said Taiki.
"I was going to offer you the same, but since you offer first...
I accept." replied Ami.
"I have a few ideas, if you`d like to discuss this right now..."
said Taiki.
"Of course! You`re never to early to work on a school project!"
agreed Ami. The two of them went on to discuss the various
theories of Einstein, Hawking and other important figures in
the study of space and reality.
* * *
"Another one." said the seductive woman has she pushed her empty
wine glass on the bar, with but a smidgen of crimson color staining
the bottom of the crystal glass. She brushed her short auburn hair
with her long fingernails.
"Don`t you think you had enough?" whispered Michiko to her well
refreshed customer who had been drinking glass after glass of red
wine that evening.
"I`ll tell you when I had enough." said Cathra. Pulling out a
thousand yen coin from her purse, she skillfuly flipped it in the
air, catching it one handed and rolling it down her fingers as she
would a slinky toy down a flight of stairs, landing the coin
inside an empty ashtray in front of her. "I can hold my liquor
better than you imagine, honey." she said with open contempt in
her voice. Michiko silently filled her glass again and left her
to sulk alone.
"How the hell am I supposed to pull this off?" she asked herself.
"Crystallite holds most of the cards and hands them off to Black
Baron... figuratively and litteraly. How can I manipulate these
fools into letting their guard down... to stay ahead of both
their agendas?"
She gulped down the sweet liquid, feeling it go down her throat and
filling her stomach with the nice rush of alcohol that went along
with it. This whole thing seemed pointless at times, futile in the
difficulty involved in tricking several of the most devious
creatures in the known universe.
Then she turned around. She saw a group of young people she heard
talk and laugh for over two hours now, never really paying them
any attention. She loked at them and saw someone she could have
recognized anywhere- the young girl whom she had seen having her
dark splinter get torn from her soul, Sailor Jendra. She was right
there in the same restaurant she was, by a total stroke of luck.
At the same table, she also saw the other fallen senshi, Sailor
Mars.
This was without a doubt her chance, the opportunity she had
been praying for- she wouldn`t miss it. But how to use it
properly? She smiled... she had an idea.
Laurella was having a nice chat with her friends, her boyfriend
holding her hand when she noticed a well dressed thirtysomething
woman running to the exit, mumbling something being late for an
evening meeting and fumbling with her coat and a glass of red
wine, which went flying out of her hand as she walked past her.
The wine splashed Laurella, staining her pure white cotton shirt
in deep crimson.
"OH I`m SO sorry!" she said, apologizing profusely as she hurriedly
put on her long wintercoat. "I don`t have any time right now, but
let me assure you I will refund you ENTIRELY for all the damage I
just caused... here, call me at this number!" she said, handing
over a business card to Laurella. Once again saying how sorry she
was, she ran out of the restaurant.
"I`m sorry, honey, I know how much you liked this shirt..." said
Shingo.
"Don`t worry, she left me her card." said Laurella in an emotionless
manner she had turned into her demeanor instead of her usual
compassionate and caring personality. "She works at..." she started
to read out loud, but she stopped in stupor.
"What is it, dear?" asked Shingo, looking at the card. "Oh my god...
Usagi, I think you better look at this!" he said, handing the card
over to his sister.
There she read the name and address, sending a large smile on her
face.
Cathryn Neko, senior VP of operations
Nightwolf corporation
1, Poldzer Plaza
office 5907a
6227-7628
"I think we may have a place to start..." said Usagi, an idea
forming in her mind.
To be continued...