Petra: Hey, peeps! *ducks as lots and lots of shots are heard* I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!!!! I know I promised to have this out weeks and weeks and weeks... okay, months ago... but you may blame it on three things. Family vacations to scary relatives, no computers anywhere (my Notebook was in shop for two out of the three trips; always breaks when I need it most), and homework (yes homework ALREADY!!!!). So there you have it, but I now have FOUR chapters for you, read 'em, FOUR!!!! Six, for you peeps who are just starting... ^_^ Forgive me? I hope so, I have plans for my life and it doesn't involve dying, let me tell you!
Kati: Okay, a little about this chapter: you find out what happened to the Senshi, Haruka asks a question all us Gundam fans have wondered at some point or another (unluckily the question isn't answered, it's just asked), and those cute pilots get yet ANOTHER mission (surprise, surprise).
Petra: Again, and again, I can only beg for your forgiveness! *gets on knees* I'm sorry, forgive me!!!! After you decided you want to curse me or not, go on and read one of the better parts (so far) of the fic (my fav in fact... ^_^; Can an author even have a fav chap?)... ... ... Okay... I stop talking now....
Kati: Good...
Petra: *glare*
DEDICATED: To everyone who lives for someone other than themselves.
WARNING: Some hints at shonen-ai (one last time, boy/boy love) and some confirmations on shojo-ai (again, girl/girl love). (There's no kissing... not yet anways... we'll see later on... *evil grin*) Oh yeah, there's cussing.
DISCLAIMER: Do I really have to say it?.
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CHAPTER THREE: SPANDEX, ACCENTS, AND MOTHER-HENS
"What is Nobility? What is Heroism? Is it the greatness of the strong? Of is it the heart to strive when hope no longer lives?" -Jennifer Diane Reirz; Unicorn Jelly (comicstrip)
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Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna were not happy campers as they watched their young captors hastily set up camp deep in the middle of a forest.
{As soon as they are done they are going to start interrogating us... and I get the feeling that I do not want them asking questions that I am not willing to answer,} Haruka Told Michiru and Setsuna who readily agreed.
{They do seem familiar in an odd sort of way... if only I could get a better look!} Setsuna Said, causing Michiru and Haruka to grimace. They knew that Setsuna hated anything out of her control, which lately had been quite a lot. Being the Guardian of Time had a way of making you confident that you would always know what was going on and, when you didn't, you got extremely frustrated, as Haruka and Michiru had learned the hard way.
{Do not worry, I am sure we will be getting a better look,} Michiru Said. They weren't worried though, if need be they could break out at any moment. Their plan, at this point though, was to play it cool and only henshin if things got tough, which they probably would.
After a while the young men were done, but they just ignored the captives, and stood around as though waiting for someone.
'There are four of them. One has black hair pulled into a tiny ponytail, another has bushy brown hair, another has light blond, and another as the most horrible bangs I have ever seen...' Haruka thought, trying to get her mind off worrying about Hotaru. True, Hotaru wasn't a baby anymore, far from it, but Haruka had brought up the woman herself and she loved her like a daughter, friend, and sister put together.
{Stop worrying,} the commanding voice broke through her thoughts and Haruka turn to smile at Michiru. {She is a big girl; she can take of herself.}
{I cannot help it...} Haruka grinned at her soulmate playfully and Asked, {When did I become such a mother-hen?}
{I do not know but I think it is kind of cute!} Michiru Replied, only to earn a glare from the blond.
A gagging noise made them turn their head toward Setsuna, who pantomimed throwing up, earning her a glare from the couple. {Sorry, but you were getting kind of sickening there.} Setsuna smiled, only to have both women roll their eyes.
Suddenly, air was blown on them, and dirt blew into their faces, their own hair and the dirt temporarily blinding them. When the four women looked up they saw that yet another man machine, making that five of them, had landed and out popped a young man with a long braid. "Hey, guys, sorry to keep you waitin', but I was kinda busy!" he said, his Japanese just grating with his American accent, causing all three women to grimace. "But looks like you guys already started the party without me!" The three women looked the boy in the eye, each promising death to the teen. "Whoa! Damn, they're as bad as you, Heero-kun!" he said, taking a step back. The blond boy smiled and began to giggle behind his hands, as the one in the spandex, obviously Heero, glared.
"You should not swear," Setsuna's clear voice cut through the air, stunning the boys. "It is unbecoming of a child your age." The braided boy stuttered, turning red in the face.
"How-" he was cut off though as Haruka interrupted, in perfect Japanese, "Oh, as if all high and mighty never swore when she was a teen!"
"Actually," Setsuna said, her quiet voice strange against the noisy background of the forest, "I never swore, as I was brought up as royalty should. I only began to swear when I became a partner with you. Thus, you are the bad influence."
Haruka blanched at that, and Michiru laughed, tinkling bells filling the air. "And I never swore until I was introduced to Haruka also," Michiru chimed in, earning a glare from Haruka.
"Not to mention how you have warped poor Chibi-Usa-chan! I remember when she came back from her second visit to the past my ears almost turned blue. It took quite a lot to get all that undone!" Setsuna said haughtily, looking down her nose at Haruka.
The three had forgotten the five young men who were staring at them bemusedly. "Oh, just because you are perfect you thin-" Haruka started but was interrupted by a quiet, yet commanding voice saying in Japanese with an Arabian accent, "If you wouldn't mind, ladies, could you please stop your argument."
All three women turned in shock to a blond boy, who was standing in front of them, his blue-green eyes kind but determined. "Zoisite-kun?!" Haruka said in surprise, but quickly shook her head. "No... there is Ami in you..." She turned back to Setsuna and Michiru, ignoring that stunned look on the boy's faces, and said in Lunarian, "Looks like we found one of our proteges." They nodded and the poor boy soon found himself under the scrutiny of three drop-dead-gorgeous women. They looked up though, as two hands put themselves on the boy's shoulders as support, and were confronted by piercing green eyes.
"Makoto," they all said together.
"Destiny works in mysterious ways..." Setsuna murmured to herself, looking past them at the other boys.
"Women!" she heard the black-hared boy scoff, "They never make any sense!"
This caused all three to look at him, daggers in their eyes at being insulted, only to have him stare straight back, whimper, and turn away.
"If that is Rei's son," Haruka said to Michiru, "I will laugh myself to death!"[1]
Setsuna was just about to look more closely at the braided boy when she felt someone brush her hand and say, "Setsuna-mama, [2] it is I." Setsuna turned and stared at the smaller woman, who was crouching behind them.
{The braided one is Minako's,} Hotaru, who had de-henshined so that her wings wouldn't give her away, Said simply. Setsuna smiled and passed the message along with to the other two.
{Hotaru, you are tired. You will not be able to fight them if they try to kill you,} Setsuna stared at the other worriedly, noticing the red-tinged eyes and the dark circles underneath them. The sheer weariness could be seen with every movement that the woman made, how she barely moved at all, making sure that no energy was wasted.
{We are all tired,} she Stated simply. {I will use a knife to cut this, so you can conserve your energy. Get ready to catch it.}
Setsuna was aware of Haruka and Michiru conversing amongst themselves, as the five boys stood in stunned silence. She felt the rope ease and quickly caught the end, before it could fall away. {Get in the trees, Hotaru. Let us see what they will ask of us.} Hotaru nodded and then deftly slipped away, helped by Setsuna's stronger magic.
"Stop, I am sure that the young men would ask us questions," Setsuna's smooth, strong voice cut through all other noises, bringing the young men back to the present from wherever they had been. Heero stepped forward, and then crouched low so that their eyes were even. Setsuna immediately knew whose son this was; there wasn't even a shred of a doubt in her mind. After gazing into those eyes you forgot who you were, what you were doing, and fell in love with their owner. Piercingly blue, looking into your soul and yet past you at the same time; they were Endymion's eyes.
"Do you work for OZ?" he asked, his voice monotone and flat, not to mention a little nasal, but in perfect Japanese.
"OZ?" all three women repeated, staring at each other curiously.
"Sorry, we have not seen any wizards or munchkins lately," Haruka replied with a smirk, causing Michiru to laugh outright and Setsuna's lips to twitch. The blonde boy giggled but the other four just stared at them in confusion. [3]
"Answer the question," the Japanese pilot said, his voice still monotone, but danger underlining the simple sentence.
"Well... considering we have no idea what OZ is, I will have to say that we are not working for OZ," Haruka said, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
He turned to look toward the other pilots before turning back to the three women. Suddenly, an arm encircled his neck and a face filled with large violet eyes appeared over his shoulder. "So, what were you doin' out here then? People don't usually come out in the forest for no reason."
Haruka stared up at the boy, noticing the way the young Asian man's muscles loosened and were no longer quite as tense, the way his eyes were suddenly not quite as emotionless. 'Too bad Minako is not here. Love is her area of expertise, not mine. But... if I probe their minds...' "If we said we were taking a brisk walk before we sat down to our breakfast of 'Powerbars', would you believe us?" Haruka asked, both eyebrows raised now.
The Japanese boy's eyes flashed dangerously and Haruka found herself staring down the muzzle of a gun. "Where in the ninth pit of hell did you get THAT?!" [4] Haruka said in surprise, staring at the boy who was only clad in tight spandex shorts and a loose green tank top. Surprised laughter broke out from the blond and the braided boy, as the braided boy fell to his knees on the ground in front of them, laughter shaking his slim frame. {SETSUNA!! LET GO OF THE ROPE!!) Haruka had seen the advantage and took it, using the extra speed of a Senshi to grab the braided boy and the gun, before anyone could even blink.
"Okay, now that I have your attention, I would like for you all to sit down on those logs by the fire please," Haruka said, as all the boys stared at her with wide eyes and even wider mouths. "And do not try anything," she said, looking at the young Japanese man, "Or braid-boy here gets a visit from Death."
All the boys carefully walked over to the log and sat down, staring at her. Without even a thought she pushed the braided boy after them, tossing the gun back to Heero, who instinctively whipped it around to face her again. "Do not bother," Michiru said, tossing the rope to the ground.
He just glared and then pointed his gun at her, pulling the trigger. A streak flew toward Michiru who, at the last second, put her hand up in front of it as though halting it to stop. It began to slow, until it had stopped entirely and she plucked it out of the air.[5] "Lead," she scoffed, taking pleasure in their startled faces. "And guns... what primitive weapons. Now, if you will listen to us..."
The boys all glared at the three women before the blond tentatively asked, "What do you want?" He blushed and eased closer to his banged friend as garnet eyes settled on him.
Ignoring the question, Setsuna asked, "What is your name?"
He glanced quickly toward his partner before looking back at her and replied, "Winner Quatre." Setsuna nodded and looked at the boy with ludicrous bangs. "You?" "Barton Trowa," he replied, his Japanese laced with an accent she couldn't quite place. "You?" she asked the boy with the long braid. "Maxwell Duo." "You?" "Yuy Heero." "And last but not least, what is your name?" she asked the boy with the slick black hair. "Chang Wufei," he said, his voice lightly accented with Chinese.
"Hmm..." Setsuna said, sitting down on thin air automatically, forgetting that this was not Crystal Tokyo.
"Setsuna, you are going to give them heart attacks," Michiru said, pointedly looking Setsuna's feet that weren't touching the ground and the boy's extremely wide eyes.
"They had to learn about magic sometime," was her only reply as she got back to thinking.
"Magic?" Duo repeated, but was ignored. Suddenly, a branch snapped to the side of them and instantly all the boys whipped around, Heero shooting his gun. Michiru and Haruka didn't notice, Haruka was busy looking at one of the man machines, while Michiru was looking at another. Duo's eyes widened, as he saw it was the girl he had met before. His eyes widened even more as the bullet merely stopped in mid-air, bouncing off something that he couldn't see, before falling to the ground.
"The machines are made of Gundanium, a rare element found only on the Moon Kingdom," Hotaru said, noticing Haruka and Michiru looking at them.
"Moon Kingdom?" Duo repeated dully but was still ignored.
Setsuna looked up smiling. "So that is why a magical aura is emanating from them! That would also explain why they have a low level of consciousness..." She trailed off, getting up and walking over to one of the machines. "What do you call your machines?" she asked, looking pointedly at Quatre.
"Gundams, though the one you're standing by is mine and I call it Sandrock," Quatre said and then blushed at the looks the other pilots gave him at his lack of control of information.
"Gundams? Ah... Sandrock..." she rested her hand gently on its giant foot and her eyes became wide and unseeing, her irises growing as small as a pinprick. She blinked, and her eyes were normal again, but now she was smiling. "Michiru, could you come over here for a minute?" Michiru nodded and moved to Sandrock, as did Hotaru and Haruka, all putting their hands gently on the large gundam.
For a moment everything around the young boys was silent, the four young women stood in front of Sandrock, their eyes seemingly all iris. Just as suddenly as the silence had descended, it disappeared, as all four women blinked in unison, and then turned to smile at Quatre. Of course, Quatre was more than a little dazed to have four incredibly beautiful women smiling at him, I mean, what guy wouldn't be?
"He speaks well of you..." Michiru said, as, with a flick of her wrist, a mirror appeared in her hand. "You are a kind person Quatre, and not meant for this life." As she looked in the mirror a pained look entered her eyes, the other women's eyes quickly following suite. Suddenly she looked up, and even Heero took a step backward at the eyes of woman so beautiful, so full of pain and longing... for her own death... "Quatre-kun, I would have kept you safe if I could have... I am sorry I did not protect all of you..." She glanced quickly at the other women before turning back to them, a sad smile etched in her face as she whispered, "We are all sorry... we should have done more..."
For a moment, time stopped... and there was peace.
BEEP!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!!! The loud sound broke through the haze that had settled over the small (or not so small ^_^;) group. Heero was instantly up and walking toward his gundam when he suddenly bumped into something invisible and fell to the ground. Setsuna flushed slightly at the looks the other women were giving her and explained, "I did not want them to run away while I was Talking to Sandrock..."
The three women rolled their eyes, but smiled, as Setsuna made a flippant move with her hand, as though dismissing something. All five young men stared at her in open shock as she turned to the other three women and they began to talk silently. Heero got off the ground, shooting the four quietly murmuring women his trademark glare, before stalking over and jumping into his cockpit, pulling down a screen for messages as he sat down.
"We have a mission," his monotone voice broke through the women's quiet talking and the boy's uneasy silence. The women looked up, perplexed, while the four other young men stood up, ignoring the women. As the men jumped into their respective cockpits, Haruka, in surprise, asked, "Where are you going?"
"We have a mission, see ya!" Duo called, the last one his gundam, saluting to them and then jumping inside, the door closing after him.
"Oh, you are not getting away that easily..." Haruka said, rolling up her sleeves and taking a step forward, but was stopped as a gentle but firm hand gripped her wrist.
"No, Haruka-papa, wait until they are out of sight, then we shall henshin and follow," Hotaru said, a plea in her large violet eyes.
"You cannot henshin again, you are too weak, Hotaru," Setsuna replied, hands on hips and looking every bit the disapproving mother.
"I can henshin, and I have enough energy to get me to where I need to go!" Hotaru replied back, her chin set stubbornly. Setsuna let out a sigh, but nodded.
The four ageless women watched the gundams fly off into the distance, until they were only pinpricks against the rising sun. "Henshin," Haruka said, already reaching down to touch her own Crystal.
"Guys!" Hotaru said, suddenly realizing she hadn't told them about Silence yet. "There is something I must tell you!"
In a flash of feathers and light Sailor Uranus, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Neptune stood in front of Hotaru. "Tell us later, right now we need to hurry up before we lose them!"
Hotaru sighed but henshined and then raced after the already disappearing senshi...
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[1] = In the manga version of Sailor Moon, Rei-chan HATES men and does not ever wish to get married! I think it's kinda funny, actually...
[3] = Come on! They're really deprived! None of them have had normal childhoods. Wufei grew up Chinese, he's scratched off. Duo grew up on the streets, nope. Heero... let's not even go there. Trowa... no one knows, no one really wants to... *shudder*
[4] = Where DOES he get that gun, that's all I want to know! WHERE?!?!?!?! I mean, it's enough to make you pull out your hair!!!
[5] = THE MATRIX!!!! ^____^;; Sad, I know, but I didn't mean it to come out like sounding like it was from The Matrix... but when I was reading it through... *shrug*
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IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you that wish it, DUE TO MY SPORADIC postings, I am offering you, the readers, A MAILING LIST to sign up to. When I finally UPDATE, I will SEND OUT AN EMAIL informing those of you that are on the list that I have finally updated. I need you to EMAIL me, telling that you wish to sign up, and whether it's for ORIGINAL FICTION or FANFICTION. I WILL NOT accept those people that ask to be up on it in a review because I can't be sure that email is real. The mailing list will ALSO OFFER the TITLES of those works that I am posting, the COUPLES (if any) that are in it, which FANDOM it is from, and whether it is a SEQUEL to anything.
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Petra: Heehee, I think this is one of the funnier parts I've ever written!!! I really like this part!!! ^_- A little note... yeah, I know, they were a little (or a lot) our of character... at least the Outer Senshi, I think I did the Gundam pilots pretty good! But, A: I'm not Naoko-hime and B: it's been millions and millions of years since the manga or the anime so they have changed. Now, finally, (sorry this took so long and I didn't do it in the last chapter but... I wrote that chapter on my Notebook so I couldn't find out who reviewed me... -_-;
Kati: Thanks to:
SIL: More? ... 'kay!
THE SCARLET TIGER: Well... sadly you had to wait for the next chapters... ^_^; Sorry...
ASUKA KURERU: Hee hee... *jumps up and down* *in sing-song voice* I did a good prolouge! I did a good prolouge! -_-; Hurry and post the rest...? *nervous laughter*
RAGNA BLADE: Interesting? I... me?... wrote something interesting...? PARTY TIME!!! *loud music is hear in background*
RITA: DAMN!! And here I was trying to hide it!! -_-; Sorry, I'm a very sarcastic person...
"I dream of a day when I can open my eyes, and my dreams won't disappear."
-Rose Marie Ledam
~Petra Megami Assari~
*The Gentle Tiger Goddess*
Kati: Okay, a little about this chapter: you find out what happened to the Senshi, Haruka asks a question all us Gundam fans have wondered at some point or another (unluckily the question isn't answered, it's just asked), and those cute pilots get yet ANOTHER mission (surprise, surprise).
Petra: Again, and again, I can only beg for your forgiveness! *gets on knees* I'm sorry, forgive me!!!! After you decided you want to curse me or not, go on and read one of the better parts (so far) of the fic (my fav in fact... ^_^; Can an author even have a fav chap?)... ... ... Okay... I stop talking now....
Kati: Good...
Petra: *glare*
DEDICATED: To everyone who lives for someone other than themselves.
WARNING: Some hints at shonen-ai (one last time, boy/boy love) and some confirmations on shojo-ai (again, girl/girl love). (There's no kissing... not yet anways... we'll see later on... *evil grin*) Oh yeah, there's cussing.
DISCLAIMER: Do I really have to say it?.
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CHAPTER THREE: SPANDEX, ACCENTS, AND MOTHER-HENS
"What is Nobility? What is Heroism? Is it the greatness of the strong? Of is it the heart to strive when hope no longer lives?" -Jennifer Diane Reirz; Unicorn Jelly (comicstrip)
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Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna were not happy campers as they watched their young captors hastily set up camp deep in the middle of a forest.
{As soon as they are done they are going to start interrogating us... and I get the feeling that I do not want them asking questions that I am not willing to answer,} Haruka Told Michiru and Setsuna who readily agreed.
{They do seem familiar in an odd sort of way... if only I could get a better look!} Setsuna Said, causing Michiru and Haruka to grimace. They knew that Setsuna hated anything out of her control, which lately had been quite a lot. Being the Guardian of Time had a way of making you confident that you would always know what was going on and, when you didn't, you got extremely frustrated, as Haruka and Michiru had learned the hard way.
{Do not worry, I am sure we will be getting a better look,} Michiru Said. They weren't worried though, if need be they could break out at any moment. Their plan, at this point though, was to play it cool and only henshin if things got tough, which they probably would.
After a while the young men were done, but they just ignored the captives, and stood around as though waiting for someone.
'There are four of them. One has black hair pulled into a tiny ponytail, another has bushy brown hair, another has light blond, and another as the most horrible bangs I have ever seen...' Haruka thought, trying to get her mind off worrying about Hotaru. True, Hotaru wasn't a baby anymore, far from it, but Haruka had brought up the woman herself and she loved her like a daughter, friend, and sister put together.
{Stop worrying,} the commanding voice broke through her thoughts and Haruka turn to smile at Michiru. {She is a big girl; she can take of herself.}
{I cannot help it...} Haruka grinned at her soulmate playfully and Asked, {When did I become such a mother-hen?}
{I do not know but I think it is kind of cute!} Michiru Replied, only to earn a glare from the blond.
A gagging noise made them turn their head toward Setsuna, who pantomimed throwing up, earning her a glare from the couple. {Sorry, but you were getting kind of sickening there.} Setsuna smiled, only to have both women roll their eyes.
Suddenly, air was blown on them, and dirt blew into their faces, their own hair and the dirt temporarily blinding them. When the four women looked up they saw that yet another man machine, making that five of them, had landed and out popped a young man with a long braid. "Hey, guys, sorry to keep you waitin', but I was kinda busy!" he said, his Japanese just grating with his American accent, causing all three women to grimace. "But looks like you guys already started the party without me!" The three women looked the boy in the eye, each promising death to the teen. "Whoa! Damn, they're as bad as you, Heero-kun!" he said, taking a step back. The blond boy smiled and began to giggle behind his hands, as the one in the spandex, obviously Heero, glared.
"You should not swear," Setsuna's clear voice cut through the air, stunning the boys. "It is unbecoming of a child your age." The braided boy stuttered, turning red in the face.
"How-" he was cut off though as Haruka interrupted, in perfect Japanese, "Oh, as if all high and mighty never swore when she was a teen!"
"Actually," Setsuna said, her quiet voice strange against the noisy background of the forest, "I never swore, as I was brought up as royalty should. I only began to swear when I became a partner with you. Thus, you are the bad influence."
Haruka blanched at that, and Michiru laughed, tinkling bells filling the air. "And I never swore until I was introduced to Haruka also," Michiru chimed in, earning a glare from Haruka.
"Not to mention how you have warped poor Chibi-Usa-chan! I remember when she came back from her second visit to the past my ears almost turned blue. It took quite a lot to get all that undone!" Setsuna said haughtily, looking down her nose at Haruka.
The three had forgotten the five young men who were staring at them bemusedly. "Oh, just because you are perfect you thin-" Haruka started but was interrupted by a quiet, yet commanding voice saying in Japanese with an Arabian accent, "If you wouldn't mind, ladies, could you please stop your argument."
All three women turned in shock to a blond boy, who was standing in front of them, his blue-green eyes kind but determined. "Zoisite-kun?!" Haruka said in surprise, but quickly shook her head. "No... there is Ami in you..." She turned back to Setsuna and Michiru, ignoring that stunned look on the boy's faces, and said in Lunarian, "Looks like we found one of our proteges." They nodded and the poor boy soon found himself under the scrutiny of three drop-dead-gorgeous women. They looked up though, as two hands put themselves on the boy's shoulders as support, and were confronted by piercing green eyes.
"Makoto," they all said together.
"Destiny works in mysterious ways..." Setsuna murmured to herself, looking past them at the other boys.
"Women!" she heard the black-hared boy scoff, "They never make any sense!"
This caused all three to look at him, daggers in their eyes at being insulted, only to have him stare straight back, whimper, and turn away.
"If that is Rei's son," Haruka said to Michiru, "I will laugh myself to death!"[1]
Setsuna was just about to look more closely at the braided boy when she felt someone brush her hand and say, "Setsuna-mama, [2] it is I." Setsuna turned and stared at the smaller woman, who was crouching behind them.
{The braided one is Minako's,} Hotaru, who had de-henshined so that her wings wouldn't give her away, Said simply. Setsuna smiled and passed the message along with to the other two.
{Hotaru, you are tired. You will not be able to fight them if they try to kill you,} Setsuna stared at the other worriedly, noticing the red-tinged eyes and the dark circles underneath them. The sheer weariness could be seen with every movement that the woman made, how she barely moved at all, making sure that no energy was wasted.
{We are all tired,} she Stated simply. {I will use a knife to cut this, so you can conserve your energy. Get ready to catch it.}
Setsuna was aware of Haruka and Michiru conversing amongst themselves, as the five boys stood in stunned silence. She felt the rope ease and quickly caught the end, before it could fall away. {Get in the trees, Hotaru. Let us see what they will ask of us.} Hotaru nodded and then deftly slipped away, helped by Setsuna's stronger magic.
"Stop, I am sure that the young men would ask us questions," Setsuna's smooth, strong voice cut through all other noises, bringing the young men back to the present from wherever they had been. Heero stepped forward, and then crouched low so that their eyes were even. Setsuna immediately knew whose son this was; there wasn't even a shred of a doubt in her mind. After gazing into those eyes you forgot who you were, what you were doing, and fell in love with their owner. Piercingly blue, looking into your soul and yet past you at the same time; they were Endymion's eyes.
"Do you work for OZ?" he asked, his voice monotone and flat, not to mention a little nasal, but in perfect Japanese.
"OZ?" all three women repeated, staring at each other curiously.
"Sorry, we have not seen any wizards or munchkins lately," Haruka replied with a smirk, causing Michiru to laugh outright and Setsuna's lips to twitch. The blonde boy giggled but the other four just stared at them in confusion. [3]
"Answer the question," the Japanese pilot said, his voice still monotone, but danger underlining the simple sentence.
"Well... considering we have no idea what OZ is, I will have to say that we are not working for OZ," Haruka said, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
He turned to look toward the other pilots before turning back to the three women. Suddenly, an arm encircled his neck and a face filled with large violet eyes appeared over his shoulder. "So, what were you doin' out here then? People don't usually come out in the forest for no reason."
Haruka stared up at the boy, noticing the way the young Asian man's muscles loosened and were no longer quite as tense, the way his eyes were suddenly not quite as emotionless. 'Too bad Minako is not here. Love is her area of expertise, not mine. But... if I probe their minds...' "If we said we were taking a brisk walk before we sat down to our breakfast of 'Powerbars', would you believe us?" Haruka asked, both eyebrows raised now.
The Japanese boy's eyes flashed dangerously and Haruka found herself staring down the muzzle of a gun. "Where in the ninth pit of hell did you get THAT?!" [4] Haruka said in surprise, staring at the boy who was only clad in tight spandex shorts and a loose green tank top. Surprised laughter broke out from the blond and the braided boy, as the braided boy fell to his knees on the ground in front of them, laughter shaking his slim frame. {SETSUNA!! LET GO OF THE ROPE!!) Haruka had seen the advantage and took it, using the extra speed of a Senshi to grab the braided boy and the gun, before anyone could even blink.
"Okay, now that I have your attention, I would like for you all to sit down on those logs by the fire please," Haruka said, as all the boys stared at her with wide eyes and even wider mouths. "And do not try anything," she said, looking at the young Japanese man, "Or braid-boy here gets a visit from Death."
All the boys carefully walked over to the log and sat down, staring at her. Without even a thought she pushed the braided boy after them, tossing the gun back to Heero, who instinctively whipped it around to face her again. "Do not bother," Michiru said, tossing the rope to the ground.
He just glared and then pointed his gun at her, pulling the trigger. A streak flew toward Michiru who, at the last second, put her hand up in front of it as though halting it to stop. It began to slow, until it had stopped entirely and she plucked it out of the air.[5] "Lead," she scoffed, taking pleasure in their startled faces. "And guns... what primitive weapons. Now, if you will listen to us..."
The boys all glared at the three women before the blond tentatively asked, "What do you want?" He blushed and eased closer to his banged friend as garnet eyes settled on him.
Ignoring the question, Setsuna asked, "What is your name?"
He glanced quickly toward his partner before looking back at her and replied, "Winner Quatre." Setsuna nodded and looked at the boy with ludicrous bangs. "You?" "Barton Trowa," he replied, his Japanese laced with an accent she couldn't quite place. "You?" she asked the boy with the long braid. "Maxwell Duo." "You?" "Yuy Heero." "And last but not least, what is your name?" she asked the boy with the slick black hair. "Chang Wufei," he said, his voice lightly accented with Chinese.
"Hmm..." Setsuna said, sitting down on thin air automatically, forgetting that this was not Crystal Tokyo.
"Setsuna, you are going to give them heart attacks," Michiru said, pointedly looking Setsuna's feet that weren't touching the ground and the boy's extremely wide eyes.
"They had to learn about magic sometime," was her only reply as she got back to thinking.
"Magic?" Duo repeated, but was ignored. Suddenly, a branch snapped to the side of them and instantly all the boys whipped around, Heero shooting his gun. Michiru and Haruka didn't notice, Haruka was busy looking at one of the man machines, while Michiru was looking at another. Duo's eyes widened, as he saw it was the girl he had met before. His eyes widened even more as the bullet merely stopped in mid-air, bouncing off something that he couldn't see, before falling to the ground.
"The machines are made of Gundanium, a rare element found only on the Moon Kingdom," Hotaru said, noticing Haruka and Michiru looking at them.
"Moon Kingdom?" Duo repeated dully but was still ignored.
Setsuna looked up smiling. "So that is why a magical aura is emanating from them! That would also explain why they have a low level of consciousness..." She trailed off, getting up and walking over to one of the machines. "What do you call your machines?" she asked, looking pointedly at Quatre.
"Gundams, though the one you're standing by is mine and I call it Sandrock," Quatre said and then blushed at the looks the other pilots gave him at his lack of control of information.
"Gundams? Ah... Sandrock..." she rested her hand gently on its giant foot and her eyes became wide and unseeing, her irises growing as small as a pinprick. She blinked, and her eyes were normal again, but now she was smiling. "Michiru, could you come over here for a minute?" Michiru nodded and moved to Sandrock, as did Hotaru and Haruka, all putting their hands gently on the large gundam.
For a moment everything around the young boys was silent, the four young women stood in front of Sandrock, their eyes seemingly all iris. Just as suddenly as the silence had descended, it disappeared, as all four women blinked in unison, and then turned to smile at Quatre. Of course, Quatre was more than a little dazed to have four incredibly beautiful women smiling at him, I mean, what guy wouldn't be?
"He speaks well of you..." Michiru said, as, with a flick of her wrist, a mirror appeared in her hand. "You are a kind person Quatre, and not meant for this life." As she looked in the mirror a pained look entered her eyes, the other women's eyes quickly following suite. Suddenly she looked up, and even Heero took a step backward at the eyes of woman so beautiful, so full of pain and longing... for her own death... "Quatre-kun, I would have kept you safe if I could have... I am sorry I did not protect all of you..." She glanced quickly at the other women before turning back to them, a sad smile etched in her face as she whispered, "We are all sorry... we should have done more..."
For a moment, time stopped... and there was peace.
BEEP!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!!! The loud sound broke through the haze that had settled over the small (or not so small ^_^;) group. Heero was instantly up and walking toward his gundam when he suddenly bumped into something invisible and fell to the ground. Setsuna flushed slightly at the looks the other women were giving her and explained, "I did not want them to run away while I was Talking to Sandrock..."
The three women rolled their eyes, but smiled, as Setsuna made a flippant move with her hand, as though dismissing something. All five young men stared at her in open shock as she turned to the other three women and they began to talk silently. Heero got off the ground, shooting the four quietly murmuring women his trademark glare, before stalking over and jumping into his cockpit, pulling down a screen for messages as he sat down.
"We have a mission," his monotone voice broke through the women's quiet talking and the boy's uneasy silence. The women looked up, perplexed, while the four other young men stood up, ignoring the women. As the men jumped into their respective cockpits, Haruka, in surprise, asked, "Where are you going?"
"We have a mission, see ya!" Duo called, the last one his gundam, saluting to them and then jumping inside, the door closing after him.
"Oh, you are not getting away that easily..." Haruka said, rolling up her sleeves and taking a step forward, but was stopped as a gentle but firm hand gripped her wrist.
"No, Haruka-papa, wait until they are out of sight, then we shall henshin and follow," Hotaru said, a plea in her large violet eyes.
"You cannot henshin again, you are too weak, Hotaru," Setsuna replied, hands on hips and looking every bit the disapproving mother.
"I can henshin, and I have enough energy to get me to where I need to go!" Hotaru replied back, her chin set stubbornly. Setsuna let out a sigh, but nodded.
The four ageless women watched the gundams fly off into the distance, until they were only pinpricks against the rising sun. "Henshin," Haruka said, already reaching down to touch her own Crystal.
"Guys!" Hotaru said, suddenly realizing she hadn't told them about Silence yet. "There is something I must tell you!"
In a flash of feathers and light Sailor Uranus, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Neptune stood in front of Hotaru. "Tell us later, right now we need to hurry up before we lose them!"
Hotaru sighed but henshined and then raced after the already disappearing senshi...
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[1] = In the manga version of Sailor Moon, Rei-chan HATES men and does not ever wish to get married! I think it's kinda funny, actually...
[3] = Come on! They're really deprived! None of them have had normal childhoods. Wufei grew up Chinese, he's scratched off. Duo grew up on the streets, nope. Heero... let's not even go there. Trowa... no one knows, no one really wants to... *shudder*
[4] = Where DOES he get that gun, that's all I want to know! WHERE?!?!?!?! I mean, it's enough to make you pull out your hair!!!
[5] = THE MATRIX!!!! ^____^;; Sad, I know, but I didn't mean it to come out like sounding like it was from The Matrix... but when I was reading it through... *shrug*
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IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you that wish it, DUE TO MY SPORADIC postings, I am offering you, the readers, A MAILING LIST to sign up to. When I finally UPDATE, I will SEND OUT AN EMAIL informing those of you that are on the list that I have finally updated. I need you to EMAIL me, telling that you wish to sign up, and whether it's for ORIGINAL FICTION or FANFICTION. I WILL NOT accept those people that ask to be up on it in a review because I can't be sure that email is real. The mailing list will ALSO OFFER the TITLES of those works that I am posting, the COUPLES (if any) that are in it, which FANDOM it is from, and whether it is a SEQUEL to anything.
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Petra: Heehee, I think this is one of the funnier parts I've ever written!!! I really like this part!!! ^_- A little note... yeah, I know, they were a little (or a lot) our of character... at least the Outer Senshi, I think I did the Gundam pilots pretty good! But, A: I'm not Naoko-hime and B: it's been millions and millions of years since the manga or the anime so they have changed. Now, finally, (sorry this took so long and I didn't do it in the last chapter but... I wrote that chapter on my Notebook so I couldn't find out who reviewed me... -_-;
Kati: Thanks to:
SIL: More? ... 'kay!
THE SCARLET TIGER: Well... sadly you had to wait for the next chapters... ^_^; Sorry...
ASUKA KURERU: Hee hee... *jumps up and down* *in sing-song voice* I did a good prolouge! I did a good prolouge! -_-; Hurry and post the rest...? *nervous laughter*
RAGNA BLADE: Interesting? I... me?... wrote something interesting...? PARTY TIME!!! *loud music is hear in background*
RITA: DAMN!! And here I was trying to hide it!! -_-; Sorry, I'm a very sarcastic person...
"I dream of a day when I can open my eyes, and my dreams won't disappear."
-Rose Marie Ledam
~Petra Megami Assari~
*The Gentle Tiger Goddess*