It was a cool day next day,
clouds grey and angry, reflecting Serena's mood. She plodded to school, life
stretching on ahead of her like a desolate cold road. She wasn't a scout
anymore. No longer did she have that satisfying feeling of being a winner, of
being good at something…no, she was nothing. Just a bog-standard teen with no
powers and bad grades.
And her friends? What kind of compassion would they show to
her now? Mina would probably never want to speak with her again, Lita would
just use her as an opportunity to take her frustration out on her, Rei would
laugh at her, and Ami was, for the first time, being cold and uncaring.
She tried to avoid her old route, out of seeing Ami again…
She caught sight of Ami, and she caught sight of Serena.
Serena immediately turned away, speeding up her pace.
"Serena! Please wait up!"
It was Ami's voice.
Speed up, Serena, speed
up…
"Serena! Please!"
Serena found herself stopping. Ami ran up alongside her.
"Look" Ami said, her face a little sad "I…admit last night was
pretty bad, but-"
Serena glared at Ami.
"Pretty bad. Is that how you describe it? If you haven't
noticed, I've been thrown out of the scouts and consequently have nothing to
live for…"
There was silence.
"So…How's Mina?"
"Uh…she'll be okay, she's asked to see all of us…except you"
Ami added, contritely.
"Naturally" Serena spat, bitterly "And I suppose you just want
to express your disappointment with me"
"No!" Ami protested "I don't believe you were incompetent or
anything…"
Serena raised an eyebrow.
"What was it you said 'Admittedly, Serena's been negligent' or
something like that? Got a bad memory Ames?"
"Serena-" Ami desperately tried to make her point.
"Ami" Serena said flatly "I'm sorry. This conversation is over,
don't bother waiting for me when you go home today"
With that, Serena walked steadily in the direction of the
school, not looking back. She had a funny feeling she'd be doing rather a lot
of that in the next few days…months…maybe even years.
Serena's mind was like purgatory, she didn't want to be in it
but she had no choice. Bitter anger at her expulsion from the scouts…Guilt at
being unable to help Mina…Despair that some of the best friends she ever had
now wanted to have nothing to do with her. Apart from Ami.
Serena was annoyed that Ami was trying to act like nothing had
happened, and consequently avoided her in school.
Serena felt lonely. Even with Molly, who was totally unaware
of her disappointment, and took this melancholy attitude that had settled on
Serena as being just in a bad mood over the play.
However, Serena's fortunes were to get worse. So much worse.
Luna kept a respectful ten feet behind her former friend, who
walked hurriedly home, knowing well Luna was there and was desperate to keep
away from her.
Eventually, Serena lost it, and spun around.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed, and then ran.
Luna stood by her decision to throw her out, but couldn't help
but feel a little sorry for her.
As dumb and klutzy as the girl could be, she had a good heart…
But she had shown incompetence, something she could not in a
fight. It had taken her long enough to explain to Lunar Control as to her
actions.
They all knew that Serena was the Lunar Princess, destined to
be the Queen of Neo-Tokyo…but…
No matter how much Serena tried to avoid them all, they were
just there…She thought about many things, how to improve herself…Maybe some
great heroic act could redeem her…No, she'd probably just fudge it again…Changing
Schools…? Like her mother would agree…Running away…Running away…Running away!
Serena sat up from her despairing sprawled position on her
bed, and considered it. Why not? She had enough money to last, and she could
get a job in another town…
Her escape would be a
quick, and hopefully nobody would miss her. She pulled out a bag, bundled as
many clothes as she could into it, grabbed her washbag, stuffed in a few of her
favourite oddments…including the locket Darien had given her to indicate his
everlasting love for her…
She smiled, sadly. Never again, Darien, she thought, never
again…
But I have to say goodbye…It'd be wrong if I didn't…
She tore a single page from her notepad, pulled out a biro and
sat down at her desk. After a few minutes thought, she began to write;
Dear All
I am no longer who I believe myself to be, I am a shadow of my
former self. Therefore, I am forgetting my old life, and starting again
elsewhere. I won't say where, you'll just look for me. Lita, Ami, Rei and Mina.
Well. What is there to say? You don't want to see me ever again, and now your
wish is granted. Goodbye, you'll never see me again. Mom, I love you, dad, you
too…and even Sammy. Just forget about me…And Darien? I won't forget you.
Goodbye everybody. It's been emotional.
Serena
Serena put down the pen, just
as two big teardrops splashed onto the sheet of paper. She sighed, and nearly
cried her heart out. She had enough energy just to leave…
Serena grabbed her bag, looking around her room.
"Bye" she said, pausing to grab her bank details from her desk,
and then left the room.
She was so wrapped up in herself as she left, that she would
never have noticed the man had she not walked straight into him.
Serena ran around the corner,
and then cannoned straight into him like two cars colliding on the freeway.
They collided with such force that it sent Serena spinning. Her
world spun crazily, and when she finally focused on the object she collided
with…she felt a sudden spasm of annoyance.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
"Sorry, Miss Tsukino" the husky voiced man said, politely "But
I would like to speak to you"
"Why are you standing there anyway? I could've got hurt!" she
exclaimed, still annoyed.
"Let's just say I knew you'd be there, and this would be the
only way I could 'bump into you' I think is the best way to describe it"
She narrowed her eyes.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, suspiciously.
"You must come with me now" the cool sounding, well manicured
young man said "Please. Now"
Serena didn't know why she was in the coffee shop, or why she'd
followed the man there. All she knew now, was that she was sitting opposite
him, staring blankly at her Hot Chocolate as the man looked at her, with cool
and expectant eyes. She would have described him as quite cute, but there was
something about him that showed he had no intention of taking her out. He
looked too serious for that.
Then, he lifted his steaming coffee to his lips, and took a
sip. He sighed.
"Ah…Tastes so good"
"Mister, who are you?" Serena asked, dumbfounded.
He smiled.
"Allow me to explain. My name is Ios, and I have a strange
story to tell"
Serena shrugged.
"That's okay, I'm quite ready to believe you…I see enough
weird stuff everyday"
Ios nodded.
"I know, Serena. You're Sailor Moon" he said quietly.
She looked startled. How did he…? He couldn't have…?
"How do you know my name?" she gaped.
He waved a pale hand dismissively.
"That is not important. What is important is that you listen
to me"
She looked on intently.
He looked distant for a moment, and then turned back to her.
"Origins are what make us what we are. We all come from
somewhere, and everything has a starting point, every action a reaction"
Serena remained silent.
"And there are several events in your life that may bring you
down, and send another man up"
Serena leaned over.
"How do you know…?"
Ios sighed.
"I'll cut to the chase. I'm from the future, the Neo Silver
Millennium…I'm sure you understand me"
Serena did. She felt unable to speak.
"You see, I'm what is known in the future time stream of the
Neo Silver Millennium as a 'Time Watcher' – We monitor and care for the time
stream, to ensure that the Neo Millennium stays how it is"
Serena said nothing, allowing the young man to keep talking.
"I come from a future where a benevolent queen rules over us
all, life is peaceful and good for all"
He looked solemn.
"Being a Time Watcher, I am not bound by the constraints of
what is known as 'The Time Stream', my past cannot be changed, I am in effect,
untouchable by any events that occur in time"
He folded his arms.
"I was coming back from a mission, and I returned to a
different future – A darker future, a future where my beloved queen was not
queen, but a wanted criminal. There was no peace, only war, hunger and where
the rich were richer and the poor extremely poor"
Serena tried to get this in order in her head. Her? A criminal?
"Me?!" she exclaimed "A wanted criminal?!"
"I fear so" Ios said "I couldn't
face the thought of my beloved queen being turned into a wanted criminal – So I
decided, against orders, to go on a mission to prevent this from ever
happening"
He pulled out a sheaf of papers that he pushed over to Serena.
It appeared to be a collection of notes and files, with statistics that Serena
didn't understand at all.
"Uh…I don't…understand…"
Ios smiled, apologetically.
"Sorry. I'll be more plain" he tapped the papers "This is the
information I've gathered as I've travelled through time – Which I can do,
incidentally – And I traced back your criminal activities to these three days"
Serena's heart jumped.
"You mean being thrown out of the Scouts? Is that what started
that?"
"Yes" Ios said "Has that happened?"
"Last night"
He thumped his fist on the table with such force Serena thought
it would break.
"Damn! I'm late!"
He looked up at her.
"Did you see anybody that night? Apart from the creature you
attacked?"
She was about to ask about how he knew about the youma, but
decided against that judging from all his baloney about time travel.
"Um…no" she managed, weakly.
"Are you sure? No strange men?"
"What is your point?" she asked with a pang of annoyance.
"My point is that there was somebody there that night –
Somebody who knew the consequences of what would happen afterwards"
"Like who?" Serena asked.
"I'll explain in a moment" Ios said "Did you feel…frozen? Like
you couldn't move?"
Serena felt a blast of hope.
"Yes!" she exclaimed "You know something about that?"
"If it's the guy I think it is, he can do that – Psychically or
by a plant of some kind, then yes. His name is Lekiel, and he's a very powerful
terrorist-sorcerer. He hates Queen Serenity, or you, and would do anything to
bring her, or you, down. When he discovered how to travel through time, he
could do anything he wanted"
Serena scratched her head, and fiddled with one of her
odangos.
"So…does that mean I'm being framed?"
"Essentially, yes"
She licked her lips, feeling outraged and scared at the same
time.
"So what can we do?"
The man stretched, and then relaxed again.
"There is a way – But I will require your trust and total
co-operation"
Serena considered this. She wasn't sure why she was so
willing to believe him, and a sensible part of her told her it wouldn't
work…But the rest of her told the sensible path to keep its mouth shut – She
was ready to do anything to get her pride and position back, no matter what it
took.
"Within five years, according to my research, you commit
your first crimes – You'll be working in a shop when you develop a knack for
petty thievery, which soon develops into proper thievery. In the next couple of
years you're on the most wanted list for the theft of ten million dollars from
Wall Street in New York…that's how bad it gets" Ios said, solemnly "The choice
is yours"
"I'll do it" she said, firmly.
Ios smiled.
"Good. Before I explain the plan, I'm afraid you'll need
help"
Serena narrowed her eyes.
"Who would I want to help me? I'm Public Enemy Number 1"
"According to this, Sailor Mercury continues to protest your
innocence of these crimes for years, and leads the campaign to free you –
eventually, she becomes part of a resistance movement against the sorcerer
king"
Serena felt a smile touch her lips. Ami…was prepared to do
all this for her?
"Ami…" Serena whispered "…I…"
"Go and get her if I was you" Ios said "I'll wait here"
Serena couldn't have moved fast enough.
Ami was walking slowly across to the shopping mall. It reminded
her of Serena there, just being there was comforting to remember how her and
Serena used to enjoy so many times, Serena bleating on about the latest skirts
and Darien…
As she stared up at the clothes shop, a sad smile pinched her
lips. Maybe Serena would forgive her one day, and come back…
"AMI!!"
Ami spun around instantly, she recognised that voice.
It was Serena pounding towards her at full speed. Ami smiled,
hoping that maybe Serena was ready to forgive her.
Serena skidded to a halt right in front of her, panting like a
marathon runner.
"Oh, hi Serena…" Ami said, timidly.
Serena grinned widely, and to Ami's surprise and delight,
Serena threw her arms around her.
She squeezed her hard, Ami returned the embrace.
"I'm sorry Serena! I'm so sorry…!" Ami wept into her friend's
shoulder.
"Please don't apologise" Serena said tenderly "I know that you
really do care for me. That you really are a true friend"
Serena was speaking the truth. Serena knew this, and said the
sentence with more conviction than she'd ever said it before in her life. Ami
felt happier than she'd been in a long time.
Ami looked at her.
"What…changed your mind?"
"A little bird told me" Serena whispered, smiling.
Ami smiled, the two friends now reconciled, straightened up
and began to walk, Serena guiding them in the direction of the coffee shop
where Ios was hopefully still waiting.
"Ami…" Serena said, thoughtfully "…If I told you that I'd dug
up evidence that I was set up on that night I was thrown out, how would you
react?"
Ami looked at her friend, a little startled.
"Well…I'd like to see this evidence, if I was being
scientific"
"But if you were being a friend…?" Serena asked.
"Then…" Ami stuttered "I'd be ready to believe you, I guess"
"You guess?"
"Okay, I would"
Serena nodded, as they entered the coffee shop.
"I…want you to meet somebody"
Once inside, Serena guided them to the table were Ios sat,
sipping his coffee.
Ios looked up and smiled.
"Ah…Miss. Anderson? Pleased to meet you" Ios said, raising
his hand to her.
She looked at him.
"Who…are you?"
"I'll explain"
They sat down, and
Ios began to explain everything he'd told Serena.
When he'd finished, some ten minutes later with some extra
information he hadn't yet told Serena either, Ami looked at him intently.
"I don't want to sound untrusting…but…how do we know you
are whoever you say you are?"
Ios smiled benignly.
"Of course, I'm sorry…Here is proof I am a timewatcher"
He reached inside his jacket, and in a flourish produced one
of the most beautiful talismans either of them had ever seen. Silver in colour,
with a multifaceted gem fixed into its centre with what appeared to be the seal
of the Neo-Royal Family stamped on it. The gem gleamed in the sun, and it was
just as well nobody was paying attention to them.
"Wow…" the girls breathed.
"So you see" Ios said, putting it back "I am a timewatcher.
Only we have that amulet – we treasure them always"
Ami and Serena nodded.
"So…what's the plan?" Ami asked.
Ami was surprisingly willing to help now, Serena patted Ami
on the back encouragingly.
"We must travel back in time to a few minutes before the
incident last night. We must keep out of the way, do not directly interfere
with the event or we will experience a time paradox that I do not wish to
explain – preferably we want to remove the interfering element, some minutes
before the event occurs"
"Right" Serena said, nodding "How are we going to go back?"
"With this" the man removed what looked like a mobile phone,
but somewhat more expansive and looked as if it had been created in a Sci-fi
movie.
"What's that?" Ami asked, looking at the gadget.
"How I travel through time" Ios said, simply "This here is
the minute…the hour…the day" he indicated on the readout "Months and years"
"Well, I would say that time travel was impossible, but
since I've done it once before, I wouldn't think it my place to say so."
Serena grinned.
"You and me too, Ames"
Ios leaned over.
"Mistakes can be rectified, so we can try this several
times…but it will be difficult beyond that"
He stood up.
"It is time for us to go. I will prepare you for our
mission"
"With what?" Serena asked.
"You'll see" Ios said "Now let's go"