Secondary Characters: The Beginning
{Jon Carp}
address: jcarp@med.unc.edu








Simplicity. That was the key. Anyone can do anything, as
long as it's simple enough.

Don't mess around with super-powers or traps or dramatic,
drawn-out schemes.

Just quick and easy. Bang. Bang. And it's done.









Four people can often live in one body. We're being symbolic,
here.

First, there's the appearance to the outside world. Loved or
at least respected by all. Strong, focused, witty, handsome, in
control. Partly a lie.

Then, there's the game-face. The person who comes out when
the shit hits the fan. Intense, harsh, bitter, in control. Again,
partly a lie.

Next is the one who's only for those closest to the whole
person. The friend, the lover, the father. Kind, happy, loving, in
control. Kind of a lie.

Finally, there's the sincere one. The one that's never shown
to anybody (maybe one person). The painful, pained one. Always
hidden, but impossible to keep down forever. It surfaces once in a
while, reminding the rest of the futility of life and its many
disappointments, how everything, no matter how blissful it might have
seemed at the time, has been a failure. A lie. Sometimes.






Haruka sat in the corner, rubbing her dirty hands all over her
face, making a futile effort to force the tears away by wiping them
through her short blond hair. It didn't work. Nothing worked.

Michiru was, of course, right there beside her. "It's okay,"
she kept saying. "It's okay."

And Haruka's response to that was always, "No." And she was
right. It, whatever It was, was not okay.

"I'm so horrible," she muttered. "So...evil. I shouldn't be
alive! I...I don't..."

"Hush, Haruka," Michiru said soothingly. "You know that's not
true."

"I hurt people," Haruka sobbed. "I've let them die! I've let
you die! Oh god, how could I be so cruel?"

"You're not cruel."

"It's all I ever am! It's all I can be!"

"That's not true," Michiru murmured. "If it was, would I love
you?"

Haruka shook her head. "You don't love me. You can't!" She
looked up, tear streaks both down and up her face. "I don't deserve
you!"

"Sshhhh," Michiru whispered. "I love you. You know that. I
couldn't live without you."

"My god," Haruka said with genuine awe. "You're so beautiful.
How could you love someone like me? I've been terrible to you. I've
mistreated you, controlled you, hurt you... I beat the shit out of you
sometimes..."

"You haven't done any of that!" Michiru exclaimed, tears
beginning to come to her eyes as well.

"I've brought you nothing but pain," Haruka said harshly.
"I'm such a failure. All I ever wanted was to make you happy! You'd
be better off if you'd never met me!"

"No, no, please, Haruka, don't say that."

"You're so beautiful," Haruka whispered again. "I... I don't
know what I'd do if I didn't have you. Did I ever tell you about my
dreams, Michiru?"

"What dreams?"

"The ones where you... die." She paused miserably.

"Tell me, Haruka," Michiru said softly.

Haruka closed her eyes, forcing more tears out. "It always
starts the same. We're happy together, at the beach, or playing
music, or going shopping or something, but then...oh god, this is
horrible! It's always different, how you're killed. Sometimes you
drown. Sometimes it's fighting a monster, or a car wreck, or
something. But whenever it happens, I can't stand it, I just sit by
myself in my room, without eating or bathing, all by myself, and I
just feel so...empty and torn apart. Usually Setsuna tries to help
me, but she can't do anything. Nobody can. Sometimes I even... kill
myself to be with you."

Michiru gasped. "Haruka, you wouldn't..."

"It doesn't do anything," Haruka said. "I can't do anything.
I'm completely helpless. We exist to fix the bad things, but nothing
bad ever happens! And when it does, I'm helpless, forever helpless!"

Michiru tried to say something reassuring, but couldn't think
of a thing. "It's okay," she said eventually. "It's okay." She
didn't want Haruka to hit her.

"But then you come back." Haruka smiled in rememberance.
"You always come back, every single time, no matter what. And when
you do, I'm so happy, I can't... it's like I'm filled, and not alone
anymore.

"I've had so many of them they all run together. You just die
over and over and over and over. I can't even remember most anymore.
All I know is the difference you make.

"It's like the other dreams. I see myself before we met, and
I'm alone and messed up. But them I meet you, and you save me. Oh
god, I DON'T DESERVE YOU!" She began sobbing again.

Michiru embraced her. "I have the same dreams, Haruka," she
murmured. "It's awful, I know, but it's not going to happen. We're
always going to be together, like we are now. You were right, we live
in a world where bad things don't happen. We'll always be together."

Haruka sniffled, trying to control her tears. She didn't have
nearly enough energy, so they continued to flow.

Michiru led her to the bed. "Come on," she said softly.
"Let's go to sleep."

They lay down together. Michiru held her lover as tears
soaked into the sheets and Haruka slowly cried herself to sleep.

And she began to dream of a world where bad things happened,
and love and justice didn't always win in the end.









Setsuna stood in the doorway, watching the two she loved
(hated). Michiru looked up. She saw her friend, and smiled.

"Haruka's asleep," she whispered. "I think she'll be okay in
the morning."

Setsuna wasn't listening. She studied the beautiful (you
don't care) face of the young, kind, talented, intelligent, loving...

(She's the test. Her, then the world. You're not weak, are
you?)

"Michiru," she murmured. "I... I'm not sorry."

Michiru's face was confused, but her eyes showed the truth.
Respect, friendship, love.

With one quick motion Setsuna raised a shotgun and fired.

Bang.









She wasn't sure if it was the noise or the motion. Maybe
neither. Maybe her mind knew before her ears.

Whatever the reason, she woke up.

Stage 1: Denial.

"No," she said. "No. No. No. No..." She stared at the
blood around her stupidly, before even noticing the body.

When she did see it, the reaction was truly incredible.

Setsuna grinned. She raised the gun, studying Haruka's face
carefully. Pain. That was all that was there. Pain.

Setsuna grinned wider.

Bang.








Rei's eyes popped open. She stood up and walked to the
window, staring out intently, but not seeing anything.

"My god," she whispered. "She's done it. She's actually
done it."

She shivered. The others would have to know.









Pluto sat on his throne, eating a soft pretzel. His cell
phone rang. Rolling his eyes, he pulled it out of his pocket and put
it to his ear. "Yes, Death, what is it?" he asked.

A raspy, annoyed voice came across the other side. "I've got
a problem up here. I think you'd better come."

Pluto sighed. "Listen, ALLEGORICAL FIGURE," he said darkly.
"We GODS don't appreciate being bothered. This had better be pretty
damn good."

He beeped the phone off and disappeared.









Haruka drummed her fingers on the desk. This was getting
boring.

"Pluto's on his way," Death said. "He should be able to
straighten this whole thing out."

"He'd better," Haruka grunted.

Michiru nudged Haruka. "I'm sorry," she said to Death.
"She's just had kind of a hard night."

"I understand," the smiling skull empathized. "This process
can be stressful for anyone."

Michiru smiled politely, and Haruka did nothing. They sat in
silence for a few minutes, until Pluto walked in.

"Man, Death, can't you handle routine pick-ups after all these
years? What's the matter with..." he trailed off, looking at Haruka
and Michiru with slight recognition. "Um... are you guys Sailors
Neptune and Uranus?" he asked.

Haruka glared at him. "Yes," Michiru answered.

Pluto blinked. "How did this happen?" he asked. "This
definately is not supposed to be."

"Your damn senshi killed us," Haruka growled.

Pluto shook his head. "I knew it," he muttered. "I KNEW no
good could come from this evil thing of hers."

"What should we do with them?" Death asked. "Send them their
respective ways?"

"We want to stay together," Haruka said.

"Right. I forgot. So, should we ship them down with you?
Send them back?"

"No," Pluto said harshly. "We're NOT going to be sending them
back." He started walking away. "Just keep them here until I figure
out what to do." He took out his cellular phone. "Gotta call a
meeting with the other planet gods..." He disappeared through the
doorway. A few minutes later, Death followed without a word.

"Michiru?"

"Yes, Haruka?"

"I have the feeling we're going to be getting screwed by all
of this."

"I know," Michiru said. "I know."











They didn't believe her at first. Setsuna? Evil? Yeah,
right.

"Listen," Rei said. "I told you, she came to me yesterday
and told me she'd decided to be evil!"

"Hmmm," Minako said thoughtfully. "Maybe she was being
figurative. Y'know, like, 'Hey, that girl is EVIL!'" She couldn't
help giggling at that.

"This is ridiculous," Rei said. "Why aren't any of you taking
this seriously? I think she's done something terrible!"

"We trust you, Rei-chan, it's just that what you're saying
sounds so far-fetched," Ami said.

"Yeah," Minako agreed. "Setsuna's been doing this for who
knows how long. Why would she just turn evil now?"

"Maybe someone's controlling her mind, or something," Usagi
suggested.

"Maybe," Rei said, with a grateful look to Usagi. "I don't
know, but at least let's go to the Outers' house and see how she is.
Okay?"

Makoto looked at her watch. "I have a date in fifteen
minutes," she said. "Is it okay if I don't go?"

"Sure," Usagi said. The others nodded.

They went off in their seperate directions, not one of them,
not even Rei, really suspecting something to truly be wrong. Setsuna
smiled.



Four go one way, one goes another.

By herself.

Alone.

If this was a horror movie, what happens next would be
obvious.











They were all gathered around a large conference table covered
by coffee stains and little pieces of dried chinese food.

"Thank you for coming," Pluto said. "We have a bit of
a... situation with the senshi."

Uranus raised an eyebrow. "You're fucking telling us," he
muttered.

Pluto grunted. "Please don't interrupt. Now, things are
happening that... might piss you people off, but..."

"Tell them the truth," Neptune snorted. "His senshi killed
ours!" He indicated himself and Uranus. "And very easily could go
after the rest of them."

Jupiter drummed his fingers on the table. "Pluto?"

"Yes?"

"Why is your senshi a homicidal maniac now?"

"I have no idea," Pluto said. "We got someone here who does,
though." He pointed to the person sitting next to Saturn, smoking a
cigar and brushing her dark hair away from her face.

"Thank you," Hotaru said. She stood up. "Ahem. Setsuna
wanted to be evil, and now she's going through with it." She smiled,
and sat down.

Jupiter blinked. "Thanks for your input," he said
sarcastically. He turned to Pluto. "Can she be reasoned with?"

"Yes," Pluto said quickly. "Definately. I can deal with
this. None of you need to worry."

"Excuse me," Uranus said. "But, uh, I already have a dead
senshi. What do expect to do with her and Neptune's?"

Jupiter rested his chin on his fist. "Well, it seems obvious
what Pluto has to do: bring the two senshi back to life and try to..."

"No," Pluto said. "We're NOT going to be bringing them back
any more. I'm getting sick of that."

Just then Jupiter's beeper went off. He clicked it, checked
the number, and paused.

He looked up at Pluto. "It's Death," he said. "This had
better not be what I think it is."

Pluto shrugged. "I'm not bringing any of them back," he said
stubbornly. "They can't just EXPECT to come back to life every time
they die."

And with that, the meeting was adjourned.