Chapter Four
by deDanaan
The Stone of Destiny
Usagi caught up with Makoto, who was walking slowly through the park.
"Hey, Mako-chan. You decided to come and check out the park again on your way to school too?" she asked, as she came up beside her.
"Huh?" Makoto came out of her trance and looked over to see her friend walking beside her. "Oh, hi Usagi. Yeah, I guess did want to have a look around. We didn't really get a chance yesterday." Usagi studied her, noting that she looked tired and was preoccupied with something. I'll have to worm it out of her on the way to school, she thought to herself and began the usual morning ritual of questions and chatter to help relax her friend. Mako appreciated what Usagi was trying to do--she wanted to talk to someone about what had happened to her the night before and had always found it easy to confide in Usagi.
"It's okay, Usagi-chan. I know what you're trying to do. You want me to talk about it."
"Talk about what?" Usagi feigned innocence, her interest piqued.
"What happened last night on my way home." Mako said, a dreamy, distant tone to her voice.
Now Usagi really wanted to know what was on her friend's mind.
"So, what did happen?" she asked.
"Do you believe in love at first sight, Usagi-chan?" Usagi looked at her appraisingly. What happened to Mako-chan last night? she pondered to herself as she answered.
"Yes, I do. It happened to Endymion and Serenity a thousand years ago. I remember the feeling as clearly as if it had happened yesterday."
"How does it feel, Usagi-chan?"
Usagi lost herself in the memory of that moment, a lifetime ago. "It feels so right, you tingle all over. Your senses are so finely tuned to him that he immediately becomes a part of you, and the thought of not being with him is unbearable." She opened her eyes to see Makoto standing next to her with an unreadable look on her face. "What's wrong, Mako-chan?" She asked.
"I think I'm in love, Usagi." Mako replied quietly, not looking entirely sure she liked the feeling. "After what you've just told me I don't think there's any other explanation for it."
"Wow, Mako-chan, that's great! Is it anyone I know?"
Mako shook her head in the negative. "Before last night, I'd never seen him before in my life. He's a university student here on an exchange program from another country. I know his name, but that's about it."
"So why don't you tell me the whole story? It will help you sort out your feelings if you do."
Usagi knew from experience that it was better to tell someone what was on your mind than to keep it to yourself. Another prospective was helpful when you weren't sure what do about something that was bothering you. She also loved romance, and the prospect of playing Cupid and helping one of her friends with a romantic problem was exciting--especially Makoto, as no one had yet measured up to her legendary sempai let alone take his place.
"Well, after I left Minako's place and was on my way home, I decided I would get something to eat at a fast food joint. I had enough money for burgers and fries and settled on a Burger Palace special." Even though it wasn't long since she had eaten breakfast, Usagi's eyes lit up at the thought of food. "The place was packed with all the usual kids and I managed to snag the last empty booth. He came in a while later and asked if he could share the booth." Usagi sighed contentedly, Mako had combined her two favourite subjects, food and romance. Makoto continued, a smile playing at the corner of her lips as she recalled the previous evening. "I felt sorry for him because he was the only other adult in the place, and when he asked I invited him to sit across from me. We ate in silence, sizing each other up and when it became uncomfortable he decided to strike up a conversation. His name is Kieran Glas and he's from Ireland. He's really tall and striking looking, and when we shook hands my whole body tingled as if I had just discharged one of my thunder attacks." Usagi raised an eyebrow. "We left at the same time, and we walked together in the rain until I reached my street and that's where we parted ways, but it somehow seems certain we'll see each other again."
"Another rainy-day man, eh, Mako-chan?" Usagi asked with a grin. Makoto couldn't help smile back, she felt better having talked to her friend. They had come to the place in the park where they had found the strangers and stopped to take a closer look around, Usagi searching in the area to one side of the scorched ground and Makoto to the other.
"Mako-chan, look at this!" Usagi called. She was searching some bushes and had come up with a sack of the same type of material the clothing of the men in hospital was made from.
"What is it?" Mako asked as she made her way to where her friend stood.
"Looks like some sort of knapsack. I wonder what's in it?"
"Open it and find out." answered Mako impatiently.
"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Usagi asked. Mako shook her head in the negative.
"Why? There may not be anything of interest in it. If there is then we contact the others and let them know what we've found. There's no sense in calling everyone together just to look at someone's dirty laundry."
"I suppose you're right." Usagi began to untie the laces that held the plump bag shut. When the laces were loose she opened the bag and held it up so that both she and Mako could look in it at the same time. Their heads came together over the knapsack.
"Hmm..." commented Makoto. "Looks like there's a bunch of things in here. Let's close it up for now and we can look into it further later. We'll tell Mina to come back to my place with us after school and we'll go through it there."
"Okay," said Usagi "we should get going anyway so we won't be late for school two days in a row." She closed up the knapsack, put it in her dimensional pocket, and they ran the rest of the way to Juuban High.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kieran woke up feeling rough. He hadn't gotten very much sleep. Every time he had closed his eyes, all he could see was the face of the girl he had met, Makoto Kino. Why was she on his mind so much? He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Yawning, he crawled off the futon and stood up. He wrapped a towel around himself and headed to the bathroom door. He passed Fintan in the corridor. The blonde man was towel drying his hair and looked up as Kieran approached.
"Hey, Kieran, you look like hell! What were you up to last night?"
"Oh, not much. I just wasn't able to get a lot of sleep. Must be the beds these people insist on sleeping on."
"I slept like a baby myself." responded Fintan with a smile. "Probably tied one on as usual and have one hell of a hangover knocking around in your skull."
"I never had a drop of alcohol. I swear to Danu!" replied Kieran.
"Hmm...well, we'll talk about it over breakfast. Get ready so we can go get acquainted with the neighbourhood." Kieran nodded and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. When he came out ten minutes later he looked much better, although he still had dark circles under his eyes. Fintan was sitting waiting for him in the living room. He had a pen and paper in hand and was busy writing. He looked up as Kieran came into the room, dressed and refreshed as he would ever be without a few more hours of sleep. "Are you ready to go?" Fintan asked. "I've been making a list of things we need, so let's hope we can get it all here."
"How much money do you think we should take with us? Are we going to be buying a lot of things?" Kieran asked as he walked into the hallway and grabbed his jacket from the closet.
"I think if we both fill our bill-folds to capacity that it should be enough. What we need at the moment is food and supplies." He stood up and tucked the list he had made into the back pocket of his jeans. Fintan had been the most attentive to Kalpernus during their training. He was the Sadar with the most knowledge of this country and how it worked. He had assisted Kalpernus with the preparation for this mission, and had taken it upon himself to learn as much as he could about Tokyo and its inhabitants. He grabbed his jacket from the closet, slipped on his runners and opened the door. He held it open until Kieran had passed through and then pulled it shut behind them.
"I wonder how Rory's bull-dream is coming along?" Kieran asked, making small talk as they made their way to the shopping district.
"He's probably just ready to trance now. You know how many hours of physical and spiritual purification it takes to prepare for the dream. I hope he finds what he's looking for....Let's stop in here for breakfast." replied Fintan, gesturing to a restaurant. "We'll work better with food in us."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ami was sitting on a bench in the schoolyard lost in her own thoughts. Usagi and Makoto found her staring off into the distance. They stood for a few moments catching their breath.
"Hey, we're not late if Ami still hasn't gone into class." panted Makoto.
"Hi, Ami-chan!" Usagi said brightly. Ami came out of her trance and looked up at her friends. "How's it going? You look a little out of it....Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I was just going over what happened this morning between my mother and I. She isn't easy to fool, and even with the excuse I gave her she is still very suspicious. She says I seem to be a magnet for trouble and wants to know how I am so familiar with the Senshi."
"Not good." muttered Makoto, sympathizing. She decided it would be a good thing to change the subject. "We found something in the park this morning, Ami and we're getting together at my place later to have a closer look at it. If things get too hot at home with your mum and you decide to slip out, that's where we'll be." Ami stood up and joined them, and they went into school together.
After school they waited for Minako outside the main door of the school. Ami had went on to cram school, and Usagi and Makoto made small talk as they waited for their friend. Mina finally joined them and they walked to Makoto's apartment together. Makoto liked it when her friends came over to her place to visit. It was lonely living there by herself, and she hated cooking for just herself, as it sometimes seemed pointless to go to all that effort for only one person. She found herself thinking about Kieran and wondering what it would be like to cook a romantic dinner for him. She blushed and caught Usagi watching her, a smile on her face. She hadn't told anyone else about the man she had met last night, and had made Usagi promise not to say anything to anyone until she knew if it would go any further than one chance meeting. She told them to make themselves comfortable and to help themselves to a beverage while she got supper started. Usagi, who was trying hard to master the skills she would need as a wife and mother, came into the kitchen and sat at the edge of the counter to watch what Makoto was doing.
"What are you making tonight, Mako-chan?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing special, Usagi-chan. Just whipping something up from what I have in the fridge. I do this lots--It's an efficient way of using up odds and ends and stretching the budget from my trust fund a little further." Usagi sat quietly. It wasn't often Makoto decided to offer up information as to how she made ends meet without her parents there. The girls knew she had relatives who were fond of her and checked in on her regularly, but they didn't ask many questions for fear of upsetting their friend. Makoto had realized long ago that her friends didn't want to upset her, so she never brought up much of her past either but she continued to speak, as ever since her meeting last night with Kieran she felt very open. "I don't like having to ask my relatives for an advance on the next month's allowance so I am very careful with my finances. It's one of the reasons it took me so long to get a proper school uniform--the story that I didn't fit into any available sizes in the school store is true, but my previous school uniform was less than a year old and I really couldn't justify spending so much money again so soon."
"I never knew that." replied Usagi. She was sitting with her elbow on the counter top and chin propped on fist. "Do you need any help, Mako-chan?"
"Actually, I do." her friend replied with a grin. "Would you be so good as to peel and chop these?" Makoto held out a small bag of onions. Usagi's eyes widened, tears forming in advance of the task as she reached out and took them.
"Uh...sure."she turned to look at Mina, who was scanning the bookshelves in Makoto's living room, glass in hand. "Mina-chan, why don't you come in here and give us a hand." Makoto laughed as Minako came to join them--Usagi just couldn't help in the kitchen without reinforcements.
After dinner was over and the kitchen cleaned up, the trio of young women were lying back contentedly in their chairs. Mako spoke up, "So, Usagi-chan, fish out that knapsack and let's have a look at what's in there."
"Okay." Usagi answered. After a few seconds she had retrieved the bag and laid it on the coffee table in the middle of the room. All three girls sat forward, looking at the knapsack for a few seconds before Usagi made a move to open it.
"Take everything out and lay it on the table where we can see it." instructed Minako. They were silent as Usagi put the contents of the bag onto the table-top. When the bag was emptied completely and laid to one side, they all sat forward to examine the objects more closely. Mako reached out and picked up something that was wrapped in a silk cloth. She held it in the palm of one hand while she unwrapped it with the other. Inside was nestled a strange slab of translucent stone.
"Wow!" they all murmured together. The stone pulsed with a bright light just then and the girls were momentarily blinded by the flash. When they could see again, they looked around the room at each other, disbelief written plainly on their faces.
"Look at us!" exclaimed Mina. "We're in the court dress of our respective planets." Each girl looked around her. They were wearing the flowing robes of the Silver Millennium Kingdoms.
"Our symbols are plainly visible." added Mako, reaching up to touch her glowing forehead. "What the hell just happened?"
"I don't know," replied Usagi, "but this stuff belongs to those guys, and one in the hospital identified me and Ami as Princess Moon and Princess Mercury."
"This is really weird. I've been trying to make myself revert to normal form, but it's not working." Mina looked horrified as she informed her friends of her discovery. Mako had a hunch and covered up the stone that still had a soft light emanating from it. Once its light was hidden she looked up at the others.
"Try now." she instructed as she put the re-wrapped slab back on the table. Mina closed her eyes and concentrated, and in a second she had reverted to her usual self. A moment later Usagi and Makoto followed suit. They looked at the other items on the table, unsure whether or not they wanted to find out what it was. Finally Mina picked up another cloth bundle and began to open it. Inside she found an assortment of dried herbs and powders tied up in little individual pouches.
"Looks like he carries his spice rack with him at all times." Makoto joked. Mina set the bundle back down on the table. Usagi lifted an item off the table and examined it. It was a scroll case. She unscrewed one end and shook out its contents. The sheaves of paper inside were full of unfamiliar symbols and lettering.
"Pity we don't have a way to translate this." Usagi commented, shuffling through the pages, looking at what was written on each. "Do you think Ami could read it with her Visor?" The other girls shrugged, they had no idea. "I'm going to call her and see if she can come over." She pulled out her communicator and pressed the key that signalled Sailor Mercury. A few seconds later Ami responded, her face appearing on the tiny screen.
"Konbanwa, Usagi-chan. Is something wrong?"
"Hi, Ami. Nothing's really wrong. We've found some neat stuff in that knapsack we told you about this morning and were wondering if you needed a break from your homework. We'd like your opinion on some of it."
"I'll be right over. My mother is working overtime tonight so I'm here on my own."
"Did you find anything out about those belt things?" Makoto asked her over Usagi's shoulder.
"Yes, I found out a number of interesting things. I'll fill you all in when I get over there. Should I stop by the temple and pick up Rei on my way over?"
"Yes. Hopefully she's also made some progress in her research. We'll see you in a little while, then." Usagi said before turning the communicator off and putting it away.
` * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fintan and Kieran made their way to the supermarket after breakfast. Kieran felt much better having eaten. They had taken a cart and were standing in an aisle looking at the vast array of goods on the shelves. Things weren't like this back in Tir na n'Og. "Wow," commented Kieran, "have you ever seen so many little round metal containers in your life before?"
"Yes," answered Fintan, "I accompanied Kalpernus on expeditions to Ireland a few times. I wanted to familiarize myself with the workings of this world. This place is along the same lines as our marketplaces, but everything is fresh where we're from and nothing comes in a can." He put his hand into his back pocket and pulled out the list he had made while waiting for Kieran that morning. "Let's see what we've got here." He unfolded the paper, scanned down it and began to walk along the aisle picking various things off the shelf and placing them in the cart. "Kieran, look at this list and try to help me find some of the items on it. If we both help get what we need, we'll be done faster and can get home. I'd like to get this over with and go check on Connor and Lorcan at the hospital." "Sounds like a plan. I'd like to join you, but how are you going to get past everyone to see them?"
"Magic, of course." answered Fintan, tapping the side of his forehead. "Lapis Sadar will be checking things out. I'm going to cast a glamour on myself so that when people look at me they see something they expect to see and nothing out of the ordinary. I can expand it to include you, but you'll have to stick close."
"Alright. Let's get to it then so we can go visit our friends." The two men moved quickly and were finished getting their supplies in no time at all. They walked back to the apartment, arms laden with groceries, and after putting everything away they grabbed their cloaks and belts and headed to the rooftops.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The doorbell rang. Makoto stood up and went to answer it. Minako and Usagi grinned lazily at each other from their seats, they knew who was there.
"Konbanwa Ami, Konbanwa Rei." Mako said as she answered the door and found her friends standing there. "Come in." She gestured broadly behind her and the girls on the doorstep crossed the threshold and entered her home.
"So what did you find that was so important?" asked Ami, unable to wait until she was seated before asking the question that was preying on both her and Rei's minds.
"Come in and sit down first." replied Makoto. "We'll show you when you're settled in." she led them into the room where Usagi and Minako waited and they sat down.
"Hi, guys!" greeted Usagi and Minako in unison.
"Hi!" replied Ami and Rei as they made themselves comfortable.
"Are you ready for this?" asked Usagi.
"How can we be ready when we don't know what we're in store for?" replied Rei testily. "I never thought I would miss those Odango of yours, but it's hard to insult you when you're not wearing your hair that way."
"I guess you're going to have to think of some other name for me, then." Usagi answered with a grin. "Okay, Mako-chan, do your stuff." Makoto leaned forward and picked up the silk wrapped stone from the table, a smile of anticipation playing at her lips. She, Usagi and Mina knew what to expect, but the looks on the other two girls faces would be priceless. She snickered as she began to unwrap the stone for a second time that evening.
Ami and Rei sat forward to get a better look, while Usagi and Mina covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. "What is it, Mako-chan?" asked Ami as the slab of stone began to pulsate with light. As Mako, Usagi and Mina knew what to expect they closed their eyes just as the stone flashed brightly, blinding Ami and Rei momentarily. When the two girls could see again, they gasped in shock.
"What's going on here?" Rei demanded as she looked around the room at everyone. "How did this happen?" She touched her long flowing robes, rubbing the material between two fingers, as if unwilling to believe her eyes alone. She looked over at Ami, who was sitting across from her, a puzzled frown creasing her forehead.
"That stone has interesting properties, don't you think, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked her friend. "It revealed our true selves as easily as that man in the hospital identified us." Ami nodded as Usagi continued. "Try to revert back to your everyday form." she instructed them.
"I can't!" Rei almost shouted with frustration. "Why can't I?"
"It seems that as long as the stone is exposed, we can't assume anything other than our true identities." answered Mina. "If Mako covers it up, we'll be able to revert to our usual selves." Makoto took that as a cue and wrapped the stone so the light emanating from it was hidden once more. Within seconds all five girls had reverted to their everyday forms. Rei sat in thought, a frown heavy on her brow.
"Ami told me you had found a knapsack in the park this morning. Was that thing inside it?" Rei gestured to the wrapped stone sitting in Makoto's lap. Usagi nodded.
"There were a few things other than clothes in there as well." Usagi handed the pouch of herbs over to Rei. "There was this....and there was this." She picked up the scroll case and handed it to Ami. Rei opened the pouch and spread the tiny packages in her lap, picking them up one by one and examining them closely. Ami opened one stoppered end of the scroll case and shook the pieces of vellum inside into her hand, studying the different sheets intently.
"These herbs seem to be part of a healers inventory." mused Rei. "It seems to be an equivalent to a doctors bag." She looked over at the sheets Ami was holding in her hand and gasped. "My hunch was right. Some of the markings on those pages Ami has look like an ancient writing system called Ogam."
"Ogam?" the others questioned together.
"When you left last night, I pulled out all my text books and found what I was looking for when I reached the chapters detailing Ancient Celtic civilization. The buckles of those belt things Ami is studying are in the style of Celtic knotwork and zoomorphism. The ancient Celts also had a writing system based on a druidic alphabet. The markings on those sheets looks incredibly like it."
"Druidic?" asked Usagi.
"Zoomorphism?" asked Minako.
"The druids were part of the ruling class of the Ancient Celtic kingdoms. They were like magicians and sages rolled into one. Their name is actually derived from the ancient Gaeilge word for magic. The Celtic people were divided into different groups, with slaves being the the lowest class of citizens. Freemen and landowners came next and warriors were above them. There were three classes of druids: Brehon, or lawgivers; Bards, the keepers of history and lore; and the priestly class were known as Druids and were masters of divination and magic and the valued advisors of kings and queens." Rei paused and glared at Usagi who had become glassy-eyed from all the information. "Usagi, will you pay attention!?!"
"Oh, sorry, Rei-chan. It just seems like a history lesson, and that class always manages to put me to sleep no matter how hard I try to concentrate." She sat up straight, stretched, and stifled a yawn. Rei took this as a cue to continue.
"The druidic alphabet was called Ogam, and I've seen photographs of old monoliths in Ireland, Britain and northern Europe which are covered in it. Some of the markings on these pages look just like it. Coupled with the knotwork and zoomorphic forms that shape the buckles of those belts you removed from the hospital yesterday, I would say we are dealing with Celts."
"But isn't Celtic civilization as it was known extinct, Rei?" asked Ami.
"Yes. The Irish, Scottish, Welsh and people of Brittany still have a great deal of Celtic blood in them, but with the coming of Christianity to their ancestors, a lot of the culture was lost. They still have the music, mythology and art, but the language was all but stamped out by invaders and is only making a comeback now. They haven't been Celtic in the full sense of the word for many centuries, which is why our findings over the last two days puzzles me." Everyone sat quietly for a while, digesting what Rei had told them, and after a while Ami decided to share her findings with them.
"After studying the belts and analyzing the readings from my Visor, I have come to the conclusion that the buckles harness and channel great power. This is why they seem like our wands, Tuxedo Kamen's roses, or Usagi's Ginzuishou. Our items allow us to access and amplify our power, and I have a suspicion that these belts allow their wearers to do something similar. They also seem to be used for communication, and may work as tracking devices. Our friends are talented and versatile, whoever they are."
"Do you think your Visor would be able to find out anything about these sheets?" Usagi asked, reaching over and picking them out of Ami's lap. Ami shook her head.
"I don't think so, Usagi-chan. I don't think these are the same as the belts. Even without being Mercury I have a hunch that only those who can read the language will be able to understand what is written on the vellum."
"Hmm..." answered Usagi. "I guess we're out of luck then." She looked at her watch and discovered it was almost 9:30 P.M. "I should be going." She informed the others. "I still have to do my homework. Anyone going my way?" Everyone made similar excuses and said good night to Makoto, who was looking the worse for wear after getting hardly any sleep the previous night. She managed to smile wearily at her friends as she saw them to the door. After they had left, she was barely able to crawl into bed before she passed out.