A SHADOW OVER CRYSTAL TOKYO,
Chapter 3: "A Search for Answers"
By Bill K.
"Come on, Minako, get up!" Sailor Jupiter said, nudging the
sleeping blonde harder.
"Makoto," growled Minako, her face still buried in a pillow,
"unless you've suddenly changed into a very handsome, eligible man,
you better get scarce!"
"Come on! We've got a security breech!"
"Is Serenity threatened?" Minako asked seriously.
"Not at the moment. I don't want to risk it getting that far."
"What happened?" Minako asked, producing her henshin stick.
"Hotaru claims she saw Mistress 9 standing by her bed."
"Mistress 9?!!" Minako goggled. "Do you believe her?"
"Why would she lie?"
In Hotaru's room, Ami sat next to the girl. Her arms were
around Hotaru and a sedative had calmed the girl's hysterics.
However, Hotaru was very subdued and not a little afraid. On
Hotaru's other side, Usa sat in her flimsy pink nightie, the one that
always scandalized her parents. Her only concern at the moment,
though, was her friend. Outside in the hall, the Amazons watched
pensively with the king and queen.
"Hotaru," Ami began in a soft, calming voice, "can you tell me
exactly what happened?"
Hotaru fiddled nervously with her hands.
"Well," the girl ventured timidly, "I was having trouble
sleeping."
"Have you been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately?" Ami
asked.
"A little."
"Go ahead."
"Well, I finally drifted off," Hotaru explained. "Then
suddenly I opened my eyes - - and she was there!"
"Are you sure it wasn't part of a dream you were having?" Ami
asked.
"No! It was real! It was!"
"All right. You understand I had to ask. Some dreams can be
very disorienting and in the waking state a person can confuse
reality and the dream." Hotaru nodded reluctantly. "Did she say
anything?"
"No. She just smiled and stared," Hotaru said, her eyes wide
and staring, "like she knew she could take me over again anytime she
wanted to. And then she reached out, like she was going to touch me.
That's when I screamed." The girl's features scrunched up, like she
was trying to shut the memory out of her mind. "I can't go through
that again! I won't!"
"You won't, Hotaru," Usa vowed, holding onto her friend. "I
promise." She looked up as she held onto Hotaru and her gaze locked
onto her mother, standing outside. "Mama, can't you do something?"
Serenity looked to Ami for permission.
"I can't give her another sedative," Ami said.
Serenity nodded and glided in. As she reached out, she began
to take on a silver glow. Her palm pressed to Hotaru's forehead.
The girl's eyes rolled up into her head and she smiled warmly.
"Beautiful," Hotaru whispered.
"We'll help you, Hotaru," Serenity said softly. "Don't worry.
Be at peace."
Hotaru relaxed visibly. Ami and Usa eased the girl back into
bed. Ami checked the girl's vitals while Usa turned to her mother.
"Thank you, Mama," Usa whispered gratefully.
Outside, Jun-Jun noticed Palla-Palla seemed to calm as Hotaru
did. Just the same, she hung onto her sister protectively.
"Palace-wide sensors can't find any evidence of any intruders.
I think the crisis is over now," King Endymion told the girls. "Why
don't you girls go back to bed."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ceres said, bowing.
"Just who is this Mistress 9, anyway?" Vesta asked, then
quickly added, "Your Majesty."
"Consult your computer history files," Endymion replied. "The
full story's there."
Usa insisted on staying with Hotaru, so Serenity gathered
Endymion and her inner senshi out in the hall.
"Is it possible?" Serenity asked.
"Well, I'm convinced she saw something she thought was Mistress
9," Ami reported. "Whether it actually was Mistress 9 or someone or
something else is hard to say. I don't suppose your monitors caught
anything, Endymion?"
"I don't have observation devices in personal quarters,"
Endymion said. "I'm checking the recordings of the hall to see if
anyone came out."
"Or in," Venus prompted. "If she's back somehow, we need to
find out where she got in."
"But Mistress 9 died, didn't she?" Mars asked. "I mean that's
what I thought. I wasn't there exactly." She glanced at Serenity.
"I thought she died," Serenity said. "It sounded like she did.
It felt like she did. But how much do we really know about those - -
things? Maybe it never did die. Maybe it can't. Maybe it's just
been sleeping all these years and something woke it up."
"Yeah, even though it's been a thousand years for us, that
might not mean anything to them," Jupiter continued. "Maybe it is
Mistress 9 and she's just been dormant."
"This is all pointless speculation," Ami declared. "We need
more facts first. Everyone knows their jobs here. We need to
acquire more information, then form a theory."
"Yeah, but useless speculation is way more fun," joked Venus.
"Don't make me give you a hot foot," Mars glared.
"All right, children," Serenity smiled. "Let's all try to do
this quietly so the other people in the palace can get back to sleep
- - like me, for one."
"We should do a sweep of the palace first," Jupiter suggested.
"Make sure whatever this is isn't still lurking about."
"I'll do another check of the vid-recordings and then come up,"
Endymion told Serenity.
She nodded and escorted the others off. Endymion lingered long
enough to pop his head into Hotaru's room. Hotaru was asleep, while
Usa sat in a chair next to her, on guard.
"Call us if anything happens, OK Honey?" Endymion requested.
"OK, Pop," Usa responded.
"She'll be all right."
Usa replied with a timid smile.
"Lights!" Ves-Ves growled as she entered the room. The lights
in her quarters came on, revealing its Spartan, sports-oriented
décor. "Computer on!"
"Computer on," the mechanical voice emanating from the terminal
replied. "How may I serve you?"
"Tell me about Mistress 9," Ves-Ves demanded.
"Insufficient query," the computer told her. "Please redefine
your parameters."
"Just answer the question, stupid!" growled Ves-Ves.
"No question was stated."
"How would you like my foot through your screen?"
"Non-linear response. Please redefine your query."
Jun-Jun leaned against the entry portal and shook her head.
"Computer, consult historical records and biographical databases.
Provide all biographical data and first listed historical appearance
on person or entity named Mistress 9 - - time context late twentieth
century."
"Please wait," the computer replied. Jun-Jun gave Ves-Ves a
superior smile.
"That's what I said!" Ves-Ves protested.
"Ves-Ves, it's a device. It can't interpret. You have to talk
to it a certain way or it doesn't understand," Jun-Jun told her.
"It's sort of like talking to Palla-Palla. OW!" Jun-Jun recoiled in
pain, grabbing her leg about shin high. She turned and found
Palla-Palla glaring at her.
"You're not nice!" Palla-Palla charged.
"You tell her," chuckled Ves-Ves.
"Hey, look at this!" Cere-Cere said, staring at the computer
screen.
The others crowded around and read the biographical file
outlining what Mistress 9 was and describing her attempt to pave the
way for an invasion of Earth from deep space. It related a summary
of the titanic battle between her and the Deathbusters on one side
and the Sailor Senshi on the other. The room gained an eerie
silence.
"Wow," Ves-Ves marveled. "I thought what WE did was bad."
"Yeah, well, Hotaru was possessed," Jun-Jun remarked. "We were
just twisted."
"What's this word?" Palla-Palla asked, pointing to it on the
screen.
"Obliterate?" Cere-Cere nodded. "It means they were going to
kill everything."
"Even the bunnies?" gasped Palla-Palla. Cere-Cere nodded and
Palla-Palla swallowed. "No wonder Miss Hotaru was so scared."
"If this thing's coming back, we've got to do something,"
Ves-Ves concluded. "Warn the princess at least."
"She already knows. Look here," and Jun-Jun pointed to a
paragraph. "She went back in time when she was twelve and got
involved. Mistress 9 took her heart crystal - - almost killed her."
"And they're still friends?"
"Yeah," Jun-Jun nodded, equally impressed.
"So what do we do?" asked Cere-Cere.
Jun-Jun thought. "When in doubt, defer to the princess."
Usa folded her arms over her chest. The flimsy nightie she
wore was little protection against the cool airflow of the room. She
silently wished she had her old flannel PJ's right now, but she
wasn't going to leave Hotaru's side to get them. So she sat in the
chair and shivered.
Hotaru seemed peaceful. That helped ease Usa's discomfort.
She reached over and brushed some of Hotaru's bangs out of her face.
"Why does bad luck seem to follow you around?" Usa whispered.
"It's not fair. You deserve to be happy just like everybody else."
The electronic door chime sounded. "Jun-Jun, Ves-Ves,
Palla-Palla and Cere-Cere wish entry," the computer announced softly.
"Enter," Usa said. The door slid open and the four Amazons
ventured in cautiously.
"Princess," Jun-Jun began, "we read the history file. Is there
anything we can do?"
"I don't know," Usa whispered. "I don't know what's going to
happen. I almost expect Mistress 9 to show up at any time. The only
thing I could think of is Hotaru shouldn't be alone."
"It's not bad thinking, Princess," Cere-Cere said. "Want some
company?"
Usa was surprised by the offer.
"We kind of feel bad for Hotaru, what she's going through,"
Ves-Ves said. "We've got things in our past that we're trying to get
away from. So we kind of know where she's coming from."
A memory of Black Lady flashed through Usa's mind. "Believe it
or not, I know what you mean. I don't mind. The more the merrier, I
guess. But if we're going to be working together, why don't you call
me 'Usa' and not 'princess'?"
"OK," Jun-Jun smiled timidly. "Thank you." Each girl took a
seat either in a chair or on the floor.
"I hope I can stay awake," Cere-Cere moaned. "I haven't been
to bed yet."
"Do any of you snore?" Usa joked.
"Not as loud as you do," grinned Ves-Ves. Usa replied with a
wagging tongue.
"Anything?" Jupiter asked Endymion as the king emerged from his
monitor room.
"No evidence she went in or out," Endymion told her. They
walked down the hall slowly. "No evidence Mistress 9 or anyone
unusual was even here. Nothing out of the ordinary - - unless you
count two young ladies sneaking in a third story window."
Jupiter smiled. "I've already dealt with that. Venus and I
have checked this place up and down, along with the staff. Nothing.
She's not here. She may not have ever been here."
"Or she can teleport," suggested Endymion. Jupiter looked
distressed.
"Thanks. I needed to hear that," she scowled. "Do you think
it's true?"
"I don't know yet. I'd like to think it's not, but if it's
not, then that means Hotaru is a very troubled young girl. That
thought doesn't appeal to me, either."
"No. Poor kid; she just doesn't seem to catch a break, does
she? Hey, do you suppose Haruka and Michiru would come back if they
knew she needed them? They're practically her family and if Mistress
9 is back, we could use their help."
"I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to come back," commented
Endymion. "The question is, how to contact them?"
Luna and Artemis intercepted Endymion and Makoto in the hall.
The cats ran up to them brimming with excitement.
"Your Majesty," puffed Luna, "Artemis has a very intriguing
discovery! You might be interested in it, given the current state of
affairs!"
"What are you two doing up this late?" smiled Makoto.
"We're cats," Artemis said, dropping a clear cell with black
lines on it he was carrying in his mouth. "We do our best work at
night." Endymion stooped down and picked up the cell. "That's a
printout of some energy readings I took tonight. See when the spike
occurred?"
Endymion studied the graph. "That's about the time Hotaru
screamed."
"That's right," nodded Artemis. "And that's a pretty big
spike, too. Something with a very big power potential made that."
"Someone like Mistress 9?" asked Makoto.
"Mistress 9?" asked Luna. "Then the rumors are true?"
"What rumors?" Endymion asked.
"It's a big palace, Your Majesty," Luna told him, "and when
there's a vacuum of information, that vacuum tends to be filled by
something. So you actually saw her?"
"No, Hotaru's the only one who saw her. But this energy spike
must mean she was here," Makoto concluded.
"It's not conclusive," Endymion said. "Any idea what kind of
energy discharge this is?"
"Not without a more sophisticated scan," Artemis told him.
Endymion nodded. "Keep taking the readings. Let me know if
you get another spike, even if it isn't as big as this one." The
cats nodded. "Well, I better get back to bed. Serenity will be
wondering where I am."
The door to the royal chamber slid open. Endymion looked into
the dark and saw his wife sitting up in bed, her long golden hair
combed out of its odangos again.
"There you are," Serenity said in the dark, relieved. "I was
beginning to wonder."
"Makoto and I got way-layed in the hall by Artemis and Luna,"
Endymion explained. "Artemis found an energy spike that coincides
with Hotaru screaming."
"Does that mean it's true?" Serenity asked. Endymion climbed
into bed with her and she leaned on his chest.
"There's nothing conclusive that says its Mistress 9," he said.
"Only that something is going on." He brought his arms around his
wife and they slid down into bed together. "We'll find out what's
happening. Don't worry."
"Yes," Serenity said, her look of determination lost in the
darkness of the room. "I will."
Continued in part 4
Chapter 3: "A Search for Answers"
By Bill K.
"Come on, Minako, get up!" Sailor Jupiter said, nudging the
sleeping blonde harder.
"Makoto," growled Minako, her face still buried in a pillow,
"unless you've suddenly changed into a very handsome, eligible man,
you better get scarce!"
"Come on! We've got a security breech!"
"Is Serenity threatened?" Minako asked seriously.
"Not at the moment. I don't want to risk it getting that far."
"What happened?" Minako asked, producing her henshin stick.
"Hotaru claims she saw Mistress 9 standing by her bed."
"Mistress 9?!!" Minako goggled. "Do you believe her?"
"Why would she lie?"
In Hotaru's room, Ami sat next to the girl. Her arms were
around Hotaru and a sedative had calmed the girl's hysterics.
However, Hotaru was very subdued and not a little afraid. On
Hotaru's other side, Usa sat in her flimsy pink nightie, the one that
always scandalized her parents. Her only concern at the moment,
though, was her friend. Outside in the hall, the Amazons watched
pensively with the king and queen.
"Hotaru," Ami began in a soft, calming voice, "can you tell me
exactly what happened?"
Hotaru fiddled nervously with her hands.
"Well," the girl ventured timidly, "I was having trouble
sleeping."
"Have you been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately?" Ami
asked.
"A little."
"Go ahead."
"Well, I finally drifted off," Hotaru explained. "Then
suddenly I opened my eyes - - and she was there!"
"Are you sure it wasn't part of a dream you were having?" Ami
asked.
"No! It was real! It was!"
"All right. You understand I had to ask. Some dreams can be
very disorienting and in the waking state a person can confuse
reality and the dream." Hotaru nodded reluctantly. "Did she say
anything?"
"No. She just smiled and stared," Hotaru said, her eyes wide
and staring, "like she knew she could take me over again anytime she
wanted to. And then she reached out, like she was going to touch me.
That's when I screamed." The girl's features scrunched up, like she
was trying to shut the memory out of her mind. "I can't go through
that again! I won't!"
"You won't, Hotaru," Usa vowed, holding onto her friend. "I
promise." She looked up as she held onto Hotaru and her gaze locked
onto her mother, standing outside. "Mama, can't you do something?"
Serenity looked to Ami for permission.
"I can't give her another sedative," Ami said.
Serenity nodded and glided in. As she reached out, she began
to take on a silver glow. Her palm pressed to Hotaru's forehead.
The girl's eyes rolled up into her head and she smiled warmly.
"Beautiful," Hotaru whispered.
"We'll help you, Hotaru," Serenity said softly. "Don't worry.
Be at peace."
Hotaru relaxed visibly. Ami and Usa eased the girl back into
bed. Ami checked the girl's vitals while Usa turned to her mother.
"Thank you, Mama," Usa whispered gratefully.
Outside, Jun-Jun noticed Palla-Palla seemed to calm as Hotaru
did. Just the same, she hung onto her sister protectively.
"Palace-wide sensors can't find any evidence of any intruders.
I think the crisis is over now," King Endymion told the girls. "Why
don't you girls go back to bed."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ceres said, bowing.
"Just who is this Mistress 9, anyway?" Vesta asked, then
quickly added, "Your Majesty."
"Consult your computer history files," Endymion replied. "The
full story's there."
Usa insisted on staying with Hotaru, so Serenity gathered
Endymion and her inner senshi out in the hall.
"Is it possible?" Serenity asked.
"Well, I'm convinced she saw something she thought was Mistress
9," Ami reported. "Whether it actually was Mistress 9 or someone or
something else is hard to say. I don't suppose your monitors caught
anything, Endymion?"
"I don't have observation devices in personal quarters,"
Endymion said. "I'm checking the recordings of the hall to see if
anyone came out."
"Or in," Venus prompted. "If she's back somehow, we need to
find out where she got in."
"But Mistress 9 died, didn't she?" Mars asked. "I mean that's
what I thought. I wasn't there exactly." She glanced at Serenity.
"I thought she died," Serenity said. "It sounded like she did.
It felt like she did. But how much do we really know about those - -
things? Maybe it never did die. Maybe it can't. Maybe it's just
been sleeping all these years and something woke it up."
"Yeah, even though it's been a thousand years for us, that
might not mean anything to them," Jupiter continued. "Maybe it is
Mistress 9 and she's just been dormant."
"This is all pointless speculation," Ami declared. "We need
more facts first. Everyone knows their jobs here. We need to
acquire more information, then form a theory."
"Yeah, but useless speculation is way more fun," joked Venus.
"Don't make me give you a hot foot," Mars glared.
"All right, children," Serenity smiled. "Let's all try to do
this quietly so the other people in the palace can get back to sleep
- - like me, for one."
"We should do a sweep of the palace first," Jupiter suggested.
"Make sure whatever this is isn't still lurking about."
"I'll do another check of the vid-recordings and then come up,"
Endymion told Serenity.
She nodded and escorted the others off. Endymion lingered long
enough to pop his head into Hotaru's room. Hotaru was asleep, while
Usa sat in a chair next to her, on guard.
"Call us if anything happens, OK Honey?" Endymion requested.
"OK, Pop," Usa responded.
"She'll be all right."
Usa replied with a timid smile.
"Lights!" Ves-Ves growled as she entered the room. The lights
in her quarters came on, revealing its Spartan, sports-oriented
décor. "Computer on!"
"Computer on," the mechanical voice emanating from the terminal
replied. "How may I serve you?"
"Tell me about Mistress 9," Ves-Ves demanded.
"Insufficient query," the computer told her. "Please redefine
your parameters."
"Just answer the question, stupid!" growled Ves-Ves.
"No question was stated."
"How would you like my foot through your screen?"
"Non-linear response. Please redefine your query."
Jun-Jun leaned against the entry portal and shook her head.
"Computer, consult historical records and biographical databases.
Provide all biographical data and first listed historical appearance
on person or entity named Mistress 9 - - time context late twentieth
century."
"Please wait," the computer replied. Jun-Jun gave Ves-Ves a
superior smile.
"That's what I said!" Ves-Ves protested.
"Ves-Ves, it's a device. It can't interpret. You have to talk
to it a certain way or it doesn't understand," Jun-Jun told her.
"It's sort of like talking to Palla-Palla. OW!" Jun-Jun recoiled in
pain, grabbing her leg about shin high. She turned and found
Palla-Palla glaring at her.
"You're not nice!" Palla-Palla charged.
"You tell her," chuckled Ves-Ves.
"Hey, look at this!" Cere-Cere said, staring at the computer
screen.
The others crowded around and read the biographical file
outlining what Mistress 9 was and describing her attempt to pave the
way for an invasion of Earth from deep space. It related a summary
of the titanic battle between her and the Deathbusters on one side
and the Sailor Senshi on the other. The room gained an eerie
silence.
"Wow," Ves-Ves marveled. "I thought what WE did was bad."
"Yeah, well, Hotaru was possessed," Jun-Jun remarked. "We were
just twisted."
"What's this word?" Palla-Palla asked, pointing to it on the
screen.
"Obliterate?" Cere-Cere nodded. "It means they were going to
kill everything."
"Even the bunnies?" gasped Palla-Palla. Cere-Cere nodded and
Palla-Palla swallowed. "No wonder Miss Hotaru was so scared."
"If this thing's coming back, we've got to do something,"
Ves-Ves concluded. "Warn the princess at least."
"She already knows. Look here," and Jun-Jun pointed to a
paragraph. "She went back in time when she was twelve and got
involved. Mistress 9 took her heart crystal - - almost killed her."
"And they're still friends?"
"Yeah," Jun-Jun nodded, equally impressed.
"So what do we do?" asked Cere-Cere.
Jun-Jun thought. "When in doubt, defer to the princess."
Usa folded her arms over her chest. The flimsy nightie she
wore was little protection against the cool airflow of the room. She
silently wished she had her old flannel PJ's right now, but she
wasn't going to leave Hotaru's side to get them. So she sat in the
chair and shivered.
Hotaru seemed peaceful. That helped ease Usa's discomfort.
She reached over and brushed some of Hotaru's bangs out of her face.
"Why does bad luck seem to follow you around?" Usa whispered.
"It's not fair. You deserve to be happy just like everybody else."
The electronic door chime sounded. "Jun-Jun, Ves-Ves,
Palla-Palla and Cere-Cere wish entry," the computer announced softly.
"Enter," Usa said. The door slid open and the four Amazons
ventured in cautiously.
"Princess," Jun-Jun began, "we read the history file. Is there
anything we can do?"
"I don't know," Usa whispered. "I don't know what's going to
happen. I almost expect Mistress 9 to show up at any time. The only
thing I could think of is Hotaru shouldn't be alone."
"It's not bad thinking, Princess," Cere-Cere said. "Want some
company?"
Usa was surprised by the offer.
"We kind of feel bad for Hotaru, what she's going through,"
Ves-Ves said. "We've got things in our past that we're trying to get
away from. So we kind of know where she's coming from."
A memory of Black Lady flashed through Usa's mind. "Believe it
or not, I know what you mean. I don't mind. The more the merrier, I
guess. But if we're going to be working together, why don't you call
me 'Usa' and not 'princess'?"
"OK," Jun-Jun smiled timidly. "Thank you." Each girl took a
seat either in a chair or on the floor.
"I hope I can stay awake," Cere-Cere moaned. "I haven't been
to bed yet."
"Do any of you snore?" Usa joked.
"Not as loud as you do," grinned Ves-Ves. Usa replied with a
wagging tongue.
"Anything?" Jupiter asked Endymion as the king emerged from his
monitor room.
"No evidence she went in or out," Endymion told her. They
walked down the hall slowly. "No evidence Mistress 9 or anyone
unusual was even here. Nothing out of the ordinary - - unless you
count two young ladies sneaking in a third story window."
Jupiter smiled. "I've already dealt with that. Venus and I
have checked this place up and down, along with the staff. Nothing.
She's not here. She may not have ever been here."
"Or she can teleport," suggested Endymion. Jupiter looked
distressed.
"Thanks. I needed to hear that," she scowled. "Do you think
it's true?"
"I don't know yet. I'd like to think it's not, but if it's
not, then that means Hotaru is a very troubled young girl. That
thought doesn't appeal to me, either."
"No. Poor kid; she just doesn't seem to catch a break, does
she? Hey, do you suppose Haruka and Michiru would come back if they
knew she needed them? They're practically her family and if Mistress
9 is back, we could use their help."
"I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to come back," commented
Endymion. "The question is, how to contact them?"
Luna and Artemis intercepted Endymion and Makoto in the hall.
The cats ran up to them brimming with excitement.
"Your Majesty," puffed Luna, "Artemis has a very intriguing
discovery! You might be interested in it, given the current state of
affairs!"
"What are you two doing up this late?" smiled Makoto.
"We're cats," Artemis said, dropping a clear cell with black
lines on it he was carrying in his mouth. "We do our best work at
night." Endymion stooped down and picked up the cell. "That's a
printout of some energy readings I took tonight. See when the spike
occurred?"
Endymion studied the graph. "That's about the time Hotaru
screamed."
"That's right," nodded Artemis. "And that's a pretty big
spike, too. Something with a very big power potential made that."
"Someone like Mistress 9?" asked Makoto.
"Mistress 9?" asked Luna. "Then the rumors are true?"
"What rumors?" Endymion asked.
"It's a big palace, Your Majesty," Luna told him, "and when
there's a vacuum of information, that vacuum tends to be filled by
something. So you actually saw her?"
"No, Hotaru's the only one who saw her. But this energy spike
must mean she was here," Makoto concluded.
"It's not conclusive," Endymion said. "Any idea what kind of
energy discharge this is?"
"Not without a more sophisticated scan," Artemis told him.
Endymion nodded. "Keep taking the readings. Let me know if
you get another spike, even if it isn't as big as this one." The
cats nodded. "Well, I better get back to bed. Serenity will be
wondering where I am."
The door to the royal chamber slid open. Endymion looked into
the dark and saw his wife sitting up in bed, her long golden hair
combed out of its odangos again.
"There you are," Serenity said in the dark, relieved. "I was
beginning to wonder."
"Makoto and I got way-layed in the hall by Artemis and Luna,"
Endymion explained. "Artemis found an energy spike that coincides
with Hotaru screaming."
"Does that mean it's true?" Serenity asked. Endymion climbed
into bed with her and she leaned on his chest.
"There's nothing conclusive that says its Mistress 9," he said.
"Only that something is going on." He brought his arms around his
wife and they slid down into bed together. "We'll find out what's
happening. Don't worry."
"Yes," Serenity said, her look of determination lost in the
darkness of the room. "I will."
Continued in part 4