"I'm home!"
Setsuna smiled as the cheerful voice met her ears, interrupting her dismal train of thought. "I'm in the kitchen, Hotaru." She called back.
Hotaru appeared in the doorway within seconds. "Hey." She greeted as she set her school books down on the table. "Where are Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa?" She asked, momentarily slipping into the suffixes that she used to use so affectionately. She had taken to calling the three women by their first names alone in the recent years.
"Right here." A deep voice replied.
Setsuna looked up toward the kitchen's entrance. "Haruka. Michiru. I didn't hear you come in."
Haruka smirked. "You didn't? You must be loosing your touch, Setsuna." The sandy-blonde woman teased.
"Now, now. It's not nice to pick on others, Haruka." Michiru mock-scolded. She flipped a lock of aqua-colored hair out of her face as she spoke.
"Thank you, Michiru." Setsuna was tempted to make a face at Haruka but decided that she was too mature for that. Even if she had become more relaxed over the years she was still the eldest of the senshi and the rest of the world for that matter.
Hotaru couldn't help but giggle at the three women. "Well, I have to study. There's an algebra test tomorrow." She announced. "I'll be down for dinner later." The youngest of the bunch left the kitchen and headed upstairs to her room.
Michiru smiled at Hotaru's retreating figure, then turned back to her other companions. Haruka was prowling through the pantry in search of something to eat. Michiru watched her for a couple seconds, amused, then glanced at Setsuna. The woman had a distant looks in her eyes, an expression that wasn't rare for her as of lately. "Setsuna? You've been awfully melancholy lately. Is there something wrong?"
Setsuna looked up to meet Michiru's concerned stare. She hesitated for a second, then replied, "I'm fine. But I'm not quite sure that something isn't wrong."
"I see." Michiru said carefully.
***
"Honto wa kaze ga. Chigireru kurai kokoro ga hikitometeru!" Minako sang along to her song, which was playing on the radio. Yes, her very own song was playing on the radio, but Minako was accustomed to this by now. She had finally attained her dream of becoming an idol. The song she was singing along to, Route Venus, was the third of her chart-topping singles. Minako truly hadn't let the stardom go to her head, however. Though she loved the spotlight, her past experiences kept her well-grounded.
"Michi wa wakareru no ne!" Minako's blonde hair, which she no longer wore tied back, bounced along as she danced. "Unmei na no hoshi ga kimeta! Anata no eranda.. shiroi ruu--" The music suddenly stopped playing, causing Minako to stop as well. "He~y!" She whined, then turned to find the source of the problem. Rei stood next to the stereo, her finger still on the on/off switch.
"Oh, Rei, hey! What's up? And why did you turn off the radio?" Minako greeted.
Rei shrugged. "To get your attention."
"Well, you've got it, so what's going on?" Minako replied.
The two girls had been sharing an apartment since they had been back on Earth. It worked well, except for when Minako practiced her scales while Rei was meditating. Rei spent much of her time teaching martial arts classes. Occasionally, she would visit the Hikawa Ginga Shrine, which, amazingly enough, still existed. The Shinto shrine was nothing like the original, though it was located in the exact same place.
"We've been back on Earth for three years now and nothing has happened, right?" Rei began.
"Well, if you're not counting huge wars, then no, I guess that nothing has happened.." Minako said rather sarcastically.
Rei frowned at her friend. "I mean to us. The senshi. Nothing has happened that we've been key players in. But yet, we were supposedly brought back to Earth for a reason."
"Yes. But we talk about this all of the time, Rei-chan. You're making it sound like you're just realizing it. What's the deal?"
"I'm not sure how much longer this break is going to last." Rei stated abruptly.
Minako paused. "Why? Did you have a vision?" The blonde asked cautiously.
"Not a vision exactly. But I've been sensing something for a little while now that's been making me uneasy. I didn't want to mention anything until I was sure. I'm sure now. Something is going to happen. And I don't think that this something will be good."
"It never is." Minako said dryly.
"No, it's not." Rei agreed. "Nothing is clear to me at this moment, but I know from experience that our enemies get stronger as we go along. Each battle that we fight is always harder than the last. There's no telling, if my feeling is correct, how powerful this new enemy could be. And added to the political problems in this world.. well, this could be incredibly difficult."
"Well, then I guess that we'll just have to be alert. Whatever you're sensing, I'm sure we can handle it. After all, we are the Sailor Senshi." Minako replied optimistically.
"I'm sure you're right.. or, I at least hope that you are."
"Ha! Of course I'm right! When have I ever been wrong?" Minako quickly raised her hand, silencing Rei before the girl even had a chance to open her mouth. "Don't you dare answer that!" She warned.
The two friends shared a laugh, a relief from the conversation they had just held. But Rei's words left an uneasy feeling in the back in both of their minds. After all, they had learned that peace is only temporary.
***
"Koko kara miteru, sabaku no yoake OOOO..." The song faded to an end, and the flower shop's radio was silent until the station's DJ began to speak. "That was Aino Minako's latest hit, Route Venus! Stay tuned for some news updates after this short commercial break."
Makoto smiled as the song ended. She always loved to hear Minako's voice on the radio. She was proud of her friend for finally achieving her goal. Makoto was going for her own dreams as well. She had been employed at the flower shop for about a year now and loved working there. Eventually, she hoped to open one of her own.
The brunette stepped back and observed the arrangement that she had just completed. It consisted of a dozen pink roses and was decorated with silver ribbon and glitter. She hoped that whoever had ordered it would be pleased.
"Now for some breaking news!" The DJ had come back onto the air. Makoto shifted her attention to the radio.
"One of the World Nation's congressional buildings, located in France, was bombed just a few minutes ago. There have been no reports of casualties yet, but there were at least eight senators meeting at the time of the explosion."
The DJ was still talking, but Makoto had tuned him out at this point. There was a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach. Was this the work of a group retaliating against the government or was it an isolated incident? She had no way of knowing for sure. If it was someone rebelling this wasn't the first sign of retaliation. There had been some minor explosions at various government facilities recently, but no one had ever gotten seriously injured. After being at war for a year, no one had thought much of it, though perhaps they should have. Of course, there was no proof linking those events to this one, at least that the public was aware of.
Makoto sighed. She was certainly jumping to conclusions, but rebels were as logical an explanation as any. This world was not perfect. Even Crystal Tokyo hadn't been perfect, and this world didn't know half the peace that it had. Still, it was her home, and she would do everything in her power to protect it. There was nothing she could do for the situation though, not now. She would have to see how the circumstances progressed before she would know if she could help. She made a mental note to get in touch with the other senshi as soon as possible and to pay close attention to the news.
Getting back to work, Makoto picked up the arrangement she had just made and brought it to the front of the store. The delivery boy would be returning soon, and this was his next assignment.
***
The sound of fingers flying across a keyboard echoed off the walls of the empty room. Ami sat in front of one of the computers near the center of the classroom, typing with one hand and eating a sandwich with the other. She had decided to stay after class to put the finishing touches on a new computer program that she had developed.
Ami had tested out of everything that she possibly could have and was now in her last year of medical school at the age of seventeen. She had been able to do this partially because education could be crammed into a shorter period of time than it could in the past, and partly because she was a genius that already had a full education. The only reason that she was even attending school was so that she could earn a degree.
"Finished!" The blue-haired girl exclaimed. She blushed slightly after realizing how loud she had been, even though no one was around to hear her. She quietly gathered her materials and shut off the computer, satisfied that she had finally completed her project. It would be getting dark soon, and Ami wanted to get home so that she could test her program.
The program had been designed specifically to modify her Mercury computer, but she hoped that it would work on other computers as well. It would improve the tracking system significantly, add new languages to the translation feature, and allow her to hack into other computer systems more easily.
Ami hoped that this would better prepare her for any "problems" the she might run into in the future. When the war had occurred two years ago the senshi had found themselves out of place. While their powers were effective against mobile suits, it simply wasn't appropriate. Besides, they didn't want to take human life with their magic.
The senshi, save Usagi and Hotaru, had all been going through extensive mobile suit training since the middle of the war. Usagi had chosen not to, as she still didn't believe in taking human life. The senshi didn't know whether they should be relieved that she wouldn't be going into battle, or worried that she didn't have means to protect herself. In the end, most had opted toward the former. Hotaru had just started learning about the suits a couple months ago, just after she turned fifteen. She had only been thirteen during the war, and the senshi had felt that she shouldn't be burdened with learning about the mobile suits.
The girls had also bettered the skills that they had become a bit rusty with since the Crystal Millennium. Minako and Haruka were both excellent strategists. Makoto had become a weapons guru. And of course, Ami was an expert technician.
Now the senshi were prepared for anything, whether it be magic or technology. Ami just hoped any enemies they may face wouldn't have too many surprises.
***
"Let's see.. one cup of butter.. eh.. two eggs." Usagi stared at the recipe with intense concentration. She was determined to cook a lovely dinner for Mamoru and herself. She cringed at the thought of her most recent attempt at cooking a meal. It had ended with forty percent of the kitchen being coated with flour and large clouds of black smoke filling the room. Usagi could almost smell the food burning.
Wait, that was food burning.
"GYAHHHHH!" The petite blonde screeched. She rushed over to the stove, shut if off, and removed the pan full of burnt rice. "Oooohh.." She moaned as she dropped the pan into the sink.
"Usako?"
Usagi turned to see Mamoru standing in the doorway. His face held slightly worried expression.
The couple had been sharing an apartment. It was only natural, since they were technically married. Mamoru was involved in business and had become pretty successful. Usagi spent most of her time being a normal teenage girl with her friends. She would frequently help out Makoto at the flower shop whenever she was needed. During the war she had been very vocal. She would often write letters to newspapers voicing her opinion and had even given speeches.
"Mamo-chan.. I.." Usagi bit her lower lip. "I tried to cook dinner.. but.. oh, I'll just never get it!" She blinked back a couple tears and sniffled slightly.
Mamoru walked over to the younger girl and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Usa.. come on, it's no big deal." He smiled down at her.
Usagi met his gaze and smiled. "I know. I'm all right. I just can't believe that I burnt it all again." She sighed. "Old habits never die, I guess."
"Maybe not. But I'm glad. I wouldn't want you to change." He touch her cheek gently. "Come on, let's go out for dinner. Your pick."
***
"Ally, could you please call Mr. Arkanine to confirm our meeting for tomorrow?" Quatre asked his assistant.
"Sure thing, Mr. Winner!" The chipper girl replied. "I've already placed your tomorrow's schedule on your desk, by the way. Is there anything else you want me to do before you leave?"
"No, but thank you." Quatre gave the girl a warm smile. "Though, if you do see my sister, Salma, please remind her that I went to dinner with Duo and Heero." Quatre had done his best to keep the other four pilots in touch. It actually hadn't been as hard of a task as he had anticipated.
"No problem, Mr. Winner. Have a nice evening!"
"You too, Ally." He waved goodbye to the overly-efficient girl and walked down the hall to the exit. Quatre had been in and out of meetings all day. It felt good to finally be able to walk and stretch as opposed to sitting in a chair.
Quatre, as heir to the Winner estate, had taken over the family business after the war. His older sisters Salma, Amina, and Kamila were a great help, as they had managed it since their father's death to Quatre's return. The business was just as large as it had ever been, making Quatre one of the world's most influential businessmen.
Though they had become close, Quatre's sisters were still unaware of his role as a Gundam pilot during the war. The public had never learned the identities of the pilots. Only the select few who had interacted with the five knew who they were. There had never been a reason to release the information. As for the Gundams, the machines were being stored at a Preventers base. Hopefully, there would never be a need for them again.
***
"What could possibly be taking him so long?" Duo wondered aloud. He rapped on Heero's apartment door once more. "Heero! Come on, I know you're in there. We have to meet Quatre in thirty minutes. Let me in!" Seconds passed, and there was still no sign of Heero coming to the door anytime soon. Duo sighed in defeat.
Fortunately for the brunette, the door opened a few moments later. Heero stood there, silent. "It's about time!" Duo cried. "What the hell took you so long? I've been waiting out here forever!" He made his way into the apartment, his long braid swinging behind him.
"I've been watching the news." Heero stated after Duo finished ranting. "We have a problem. One of the Congress buildings was bombed earlier. Four senators are dead and another four a badly injured."
"You're joking." Duo said dryly. The comment wasn't meant as a question. Everyone knew that Heero Yuy didn't joke, especially about something like this. Duo smiled bitterly. "We should have seen it coming."
"Hm." It was a response typical of Heero in these sort of conversations.
"Well, do they know who's behind it?"
"If there is any idea the media doesn't know about it. So that means that there haven't been any arrests." Heero replied. "We could probably get more information from Wufei, Noin, or any of the other Preventers, but I doubt that we would even be able to get through to their offices."
Duo nodded in agreement. "You're probably right. Maybe we should pay a visit to Preventer Headquarters tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we've got to meet Quatre. He's got plenty of connections. Maybe he'll have more information than what we can get from the media."
"Right. Let's go then."
***
Trowa rubbed a damp cloth along his cheek, removing the thick layer of stage makeup that covered his skin. The show had ended just over an hour ago, and most of the cast was getting ready to retire for the night.
After the war, Trowa had returned the circus. Catherine had welcomed him with open arms and tears of joy. Currently, the circus was traveling across Europe.
Trowa changed out of his clown outfit into some comfortable sleeping clothes. He walked out of the bathroom of he and his sister's trailer and into the kitchen. Catherine was staring at the television, a dishcloth and a partially wet plate in her hands. It seemed that she had stopped in the middle of drying to watch the news broadcast that was on.
"What's going on?" Trowa asked.
"Oh.. Trowa." The emotion in Catherine's voice went from surprised to uncertain. She didn't want to tell her brother about the bombing. Things like this reminded her of the war, and she didn't even want Trowa to think about fighting. Of course, it was silly to think that she could keep this a secret from him. "There's been a bombing.. watch the news."
Trowa shifted his gaze to the television as instructed. He listened to the reporter explain the events that had occurred a few hours earlier. He had been preparing for the show then, so the news hadn't reached him until now. 'I'll have to call one of the others. They'll have more information on this. But it can wait until tomorrow. I'm sure they're all busy right now.'
Catherine watched her brother with concerned eyes. "Trowa?"
Trowa gave her a small smile in hopes of comforting her. He then took the dishcloth and plate from her hands and finished drying.
Catherine relaxed as much as she could. She supposed that was Trowa's way of saying that everything would be okay.
***
Wufei struck the keys on his computer keyboard with a force that wasn't necessary for typing. He was writing his report on the day's incident. Wufei was a Preventer now. He had been the only Gundam pilot to accept the offer of joining the group.
Two short knocks sounded at the door. "Come in." He stated without even looking up from his computer.
"Were there anymore causalities reported?" Preventer General Sally Po asked as she entered the room.
"No. It's still just the four senators. According to the hospital though, any chances that Senator Derecha will make it through the night are bleak. The other three that are hospitalized are in bad shape, but stable." Wufei paused long enough to save and print the file he had been typing, then looked up at Sally. "How are things with the public?"
"Bad. Really bad. All fingers are pointed at us for not foreseeing this." Sally let out an agitated sigh. "We probably should have.. I don't know how we missed it, especially with all the recent events."
"We'll figure out how we missed it after we know who did it. I've been through this damn list of people who were in and out of the building four times and I've still got nothing. Whoever was behind this hid their tracks well and destroyed whatever evidence we might have found along with the building."
"Same problem everyone else is running in to. There's not a thing to link any of the few suspects we have to the crime. My personal opinion is that a small rebel faction is behind this. Some people who are still disgruntled over the outcome of the war." Sally dropped the stack of papers she was carrying onto Wufei's desk. "I can only hope that I'm wrong though. A group like that will be a lot harder to handle than a single psycho who thought it would be interesting to blow something up."
Wufei grunted in response, then inspected the documents that had been placed on his desk. "What's all this?" He asked.
"Various reports on today's event. I thought you might interested in reading them."
Wufei nodded. "Oh, here's mine, by the way." He handed Sally the freshly printed report. "It's probably not much different than the rest though."
"I'll read over it. I have to go prepare some statements for tomorrow. You should go home, Wufei. It's getting late. I'll see you." With that, Sally left the office and headed toward her own.
Wufei didn't even reply. It was only 11:00, far too early to go home when he had a stack of papers to look over.
***
Une rested her head on her desk for a few seconds. It was the closest thing to a break that she had had all afternoon. Preventer Headquarters had been in chaos for the past few hours, and things were just beginning to quiet down. The phones had been ringing off the hook, the media had been swarming outside, and if anything else went wrong the public would most likely begin to riot. It didn't help that some of the computers were still recovering from the plague of viruses that had hit the office over the past week.
Une had established the Preventers a couple months after the war ended. Naturally, she was the head of the organization. Sally Po and Lucretzia Noin were her second-in-command. Milliard Peacecraft and Wufei Chang were also highly ranked officers. There were many other former military officers in the group as well.
The organization had always been successful in maintaining peace and preventing conflict, until now. This event had left the public with a distrust of the Preventers. Normally, something like this wouldn't have such an enormous impact. However, there were still tensions between the people and the government. Many people felt that the World Nation was a clone of the Federation with a new name slapped on it. This incident gave leeway for people to point fingers in many different directions.
Une sat up and began to skim through the stack of messages that sat on her desk. None of them were particularly important, but there were a couple that she would want to reply to tomorrow. All of the Preventers had a lot of work ahead of them the next few days.
"What would you do, Treize?" Une whispered to herself. She smiled wistfully. Treize would have handled the situation calmly and gracefully. Une wasn't sure that she could pull that off.
***
END CHAPTER ONE
***
Authors Notes:
*looks at readers* Well? What did you all think? Was it good, decent, terrible? I'm fond of some scenes, but some didn't come out as good as I had hoped.. Was anyone horribly out of character? *hopes not* I don't think that anyone was that much, considering that time has passed and they have changed slightly. I enjoy all forms a feedback. Comments, criticism (constructive, please), predictions, questions, and general moral support. ^.^ Review, or drop me a line at genkichiharu@yahoo.com.
I know that I cut off the Outer's (and a couple other's) scene rather abruptly. Sorry about that. I picture it as if it were a real anime episode -- I see Michiru saying her line, then cut straight to Minako singing. Most of the scene changes are nicer if you picture them like this. The Outer's are going to play as big a part in this as all the other characters, BTW.
Millard (I still haven't decided whether he will go by Milliard or Zechs.. any thoughts?) and Noin were supposed to appear in this chapter, but I decided to take their scene out. They will be in the next chapter though, along with Relena and Dorothy. Hilde might make an appearance later on, but I don't have any plans for her at the moment.
Oh, and for one last note, the song that Minako was singing is 'Route Venus', one of her image songs. ^_^