I sat down by the edge of the water and took my sandals off. I slipped my feet into the warm water and just sat there thinking. Half of my mind wanted to think about all that had happened, and try to figure out what the hell was going on, but the other half just wanted to shut down. I felt like I was back at square one, which to me was surprising, because I didn't even realize that I had gotten to square two. Sheesh, here I go again, why do I think such irate thoughts? My mind was at an imaginary blank, which was somewhat calming, but I still had no idea what to do about the future. Wait… who cares, anyway? Can't I just enjoy this moment while it lasts?
*****
Michiru and Haruka looked down at Hotaru, who sat at the water's edge. Hotaru seemed very distant, even more so after Mistress 9 threatened her and Chibi-Usa. In a way, it was nice to see her so upset over their alleged 'deaths', it showed that she cared, even if she didn't show it, but it still left her traumatized. 'Well, if she wasn't already.' Haruka thought bitterly.
"Should we go talk to her?" Michiru asked, looking to Haruka, who put her arm around her shoulder.
"Nah. Just leave her. She'll shy away if we confront her about anything, she'll only push us away. We should just wait until she's ready to talk." Haruka replied sadly, gazing over to the small figure beside the lake.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But what if it becomes
too late?" Michiru said, concern entering her voice.
*****
Rei walked up beside Hotaru as she sat dangling her feet
in the lake. "Hey Hotaru, what's up?" she asked as she sat beside the girl.
Hotaru looked up for a second, then turned back to studying the ripples in the
water.
"Nothing anyone would understand…" Hotaru whispered quietly.
"Try me, after hanging around Usagi all day, I'm up for anything. What's wrong? Insomnia? Bad dreams? Fear of becoming a self-centred little blonde haired rabbit-haired dirt-eating tuxedo-kissing cat-slapping English-flunking pocky sucking dojinshi-reading little brat windbag ninny if a twit like Usagi?" She said, chuckling.
"Usagi's not that bad… you shouldn't be so hard on her." Hotaru said, her voice edged with concern.
"Lighten up, I didn't mean it… did I hit a nerve?" She asked, slightly offended, but let it pass.
"Right on the head. Except for the last bit, you're right on." She said shyly. "Rei… have you been having bad dreams lately?"
"Yeah, and I'm sensing a lot of negative vibes. Even the fires know that there's something wrong, but they won't say what. Why? Are you having bad dreams, too?" She asked, turning her head away from the setting sun and focusing on Hotaru. They young girl nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Dreams, visions, the whole nine yards. I'm not sure what they are, though. Some, I'm doing everything, others, I'm watching what happens. And I can't figure out, if it's the past, or what will happen, or what must happen… they're so confusing!" She sighed in exasperation.
"I've been having these dreams, too. One was where I was in someone else' body, and I was watching this battle. I could even see myself fight, but we were losing. I saw Mistress 9 kill Pluto, and then a dark shadow came over anything, and that was pretty much it." She leaned back and looked up at the sky. "I wish I knew what it means, but I don't know … it's so vague and confusing."
"Rei…" Hotaru asked cautiously. "Well… since we're both having similar dreams, could you… would you do a fire reading for me? I might be able to help you… get a clearer reading or something…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say, and fearful that the older teen would say no.
"Sure! I'd love to… if it'll help either one of us, then great!" she said with enthusiasm. She smiled when Hotaru seemed relieved. "When do you want to do it?" she asked.
"Oh, whenever it's good for you, I guess." Hotaru said nervously.
"Well… why not do it now? I'm not going back to Usagi and the others 'till I cool off a bit, and I was planning on having one anyway… come on!" She said as she sat up and waited for Hotaru to get up and put her shoes back on. Once she was ready, they proceeded back to the temple.
*****
Setsuna looked through the many time frames, windows and mirrors of the Time Gate, searching for any clues to the future. She gazed in every single one, but found nothing but fog and blurry images too unrecognizable to see. Never before could she not see what would happen, and it bothered her immensely that she could not see anything now. "Why can't I see anything?!" She asked the emptiness, frustrated.
"Because you are not meant to." Said a voice from behind. She grimaced as she recognized the voice.
"And why would that be, Fate?" She asked as she turned around to face the woman. She was dressed all in white, but had a black cloak and hood that hid her facial features.
"You're meant to play a major part in the upcoming events. If you were to know what would happen, the timelines would change dramatically. Things that need to happen won't. So I've taken over your job." She said, almost sounding arrogant. "Don't worry, it's only temporary, sooner or later, you're be able to return to your duty, but until everything sorts itself out, your ability to foresee the past, present, and future has been re-invoked."
Setsuna was unable to think of any response. She had never
been removed from her duty. EVER.
"Don't look so shell-shocked. Think of it as a day off! A vacation!" She said in a cheerful tone. Setsuna half smiled, but still looked absolutely puzzled. "Go on, go have some fun before you get your job back. Am I gonna have to kick you out of here myself?"
Setsuna, still confused, smiled and opened a portal home. 'A vacation, huh? Still, might be nice not having to worry about anything time related… What to do, what to do, what to do…'
*****
Rei changed into her robes and went into the room that she had her meditations in. She was surprised to see Hotaru there waiting, with firewood and everything needed for the ritual.
"What?" Hotaru asked, when she saw Rei standing there gaping at her. "You were taking a while, so I decided to get everything ready. I asked your grandpa what stuff you needed."
"Thanks. You know, I did this once with Usagi and the others… man, they cannot keep silent for 10 seconds. I should know, I timed them. It's impossible to concentrate with them around." She said, grinning. Hotaru giggled slightly, too.
"Yeah. I really appreciate you doing this for me. You're
probably the only one that could help me with something like this. You won't
tell the others, though, right? They bug me enough, I wouldn't be able to take
anything else."
"Sure you wanna go through with this?" Rei asked, making sure she was ready.
Hotaru seemed nervous at first, but nodded. "Hai. Are you?" she asked back.
"Yeah. Ready?"
"Yup."
Hotaru watched as Rei prepared and started her prayers. Hotaru became lost in the words as she gazed into the fire. The fire seemed to reach out to her as Rei prayed, and cool flames seemed to tug on her thoughts, calling her to listen. Hotaru became oblivious to all things around her, and slowly descended into a dream state.
*****
Rei said her prayers after making sure Hotaru was ready. As usual, she felt a deep connection to the flames, and everything around her seemed to fade away. At the same time, everything came into focus, and she could see every small detail of everything in the room. She tuned out all the trivial things in the room and turned her attention to two things: the fire, and Hotaru. She embraced the two things with her mind, and as she put a hand on Hotaru's, she felt a deep connection between them. She felt Hotaru start to relax, and noticed that her breathing slowed. She reached out to Hotaru's mind, and she, too, started to drift into a recumbent dream state.