The girls had been walking for a while when Rini asked,
"So…Gloria isn't here?"
Annika's elder self shifted her younger self and said,
"She was captured in your time and in our future we never did find her."
Rini nodded and put a hand on Annika's elder self's shoulder. The violet haired girl turned to her queen's younger self and gave her a weak smile. Her heart still yearned for Gloria. After her mother's death, Annika had been a wreck for nearly a year. But then on her annual duty in the control room, she found clips of some of the palace children playing practical jokes. The stunts refilled her mind with Gloria and she made up her mind that even if it took her to her last breath she was going to find the Senshi of Love.
So far, they had made process but simply keeping the Crystal Palace safe took up most of their energy. Rini had been pushed into her role as Neo-Queen Serenity the Second at the tender age of fifteen. Helios had swiftly come as soon as he was able to aid her. Using the Silver Crystal, Rini allowed the Elysian into the world of Earth and she had married Helios shortly later.
But so far, they had not found Gloria. In fact, the girl had been declared legally dead two years ago. But Annika had already told everyone that she would not believe that until she saw the girl's body with her own eyes. Heck, anything that could kill Gloria would have to be more stubborn than she was and everyone knew that wasn't about to happen.
Annika continued as they crossed the royal gardens,
"Unfortunately, that left us without an inner leader. Faith took over Haruka's position pretty easily. She's a natural leader. Although after all our parents died, she turned pretty ruthless. Kinda like what we learned in Senshi history."
Rini sighed, "About Haruka and Mirchiru's hunt for the Messiah?"
Annika turned to Rini with wounded eyes. "we all tried as hard as we could to stick to the way we'd been raised…but it wasn't working. We all turned. Changed. We turned crueler, harder, darker…but none more than Faith."
Annika shifted her younger self again, more out of nervousness than of necessity. She swallowed and went on.
"Once your future self took over, Daisy and Faith were pretty disgusted with themselves. When managed to learn to transform without our wands. But that wasn't enough for those two."
Rini stole at glance at the two Senshi in question.
Faith did indeed mirror her adoptive 'father.' She walked as Haruka had, held herself as Haruka had and even attacked as Haruka had. Her eyes had taken on Haruka's unyielding and determined aura. Rini remembered the last time she saw such eyes had been when Haruka and Mirchiru had attempted to kill Hotaru.
Daisy on the other hand, had taken on a fierce protective aura, even more so than she had in the present time. There wasn't cruelty in her eyes, merely a fierce desire to shield and cuddle, like an overprotective mother. It reminded Rini a tad of Raye. But far more protective, almost like a goddess.
Annika continued,
"Both of them joined karate classes not long after our parents were killed. They're both full fledged black belts."
Annika took a deep breath, to compose herself. "After Mama died, I went to stay with my great-grandfather to finish my priestess training."
Rini gave the girl a nod.
"So, you're a fully fledged priestess now?"
Annika nodded.
Hope's elder self walked over and put a hand on Annika's shoulder. Since Gloria's disappearance, Hope had become Annika's close friend. She was not replacing Gloria but she tried where she could to ease the girl's agony. It had hit them all hard but no one harder than Annika. But while it was terrible, it made Annika stronger.
Ariel pulled Rini back as Hope and Annika walked up the stairs. She took a deep breath.
"I know you all came here for our help. We'll do everything we can but we must do it as swiftly as we can if we're going to save our parents…and Gloria."
Rini turned to the elder Ariel,
"What? I thought-"
Ariel shook her head, "I keep it secret to keep Annika going. But I had a vision not long after Gloria was taken. They killed her."
"Nani…how…why?"
"She was no longer any use. And Hiroshima appears to have a sense of irony."
Rini couldn't ask but she didn't have to.
"She knew Gloria's best friend is Annika, the soldier of fire. So she used Annika's own power to burn Gloria alive."
Rini let twin tears run down her cheeks. Ariel swiftly added,
"But all isn't lost." Her eyes had taken on a wild hope. "We didn't go back in time but you did. This can alter our future for the better. We may be able to save both our parents and Gloria."
"Ariel! Rini!"
The two looked ahead. The others were waiting. Faith spoke,
"If we're going to help, you must meet Neo-Queen Serenity the Second."
Present"You gained the wands."
"You expected less?" Hiroshima teased dangerously as she tossed the wands to her youma. "I want their power unlocked. Once that is accomplished, Crystal Tokyo will be mine for the taking,"
"yes, Hiroshima-sama."
She began to walk off but stopped.
"Oh and one more thing."
"Hai?"
"The Chibi Senshi. As soon as the wands' powers are mine, I want that girl properly disposed of."
"M'Lady?"
"Kill her."