Elegy for the Heavnes
By Asura
(Faded_Seraph@yahoo.com
Well, finally the fifth chapter. It's taken me a bit
longer than I expected it to in getting this done, but it's
turned out all right, I think. I hope all of you who read
it enjoy it and find the story compelling and worthy of
reading. A lot is going on in this chapter, but I managed
to fit it all in here without making the story expand any
farther in overall number of chatpers, which is a good
thing, I think. I'll hopefully have the sixth chapter
finished a week from the time this one is uploaded, but I
can't be sure, as I'm very busy doing some garage sale
material and working so that I can pay to visit my
girlfriend in a few weeks. Anyway, enough of my rambling.
As you all know, the original Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Toei animation,
who are hopefully investing in armor piercing autocannon
rounds to deal with DiC and Cloverway, our 'beloved'
American distributors of the Sailor Moon anime. Also, Mixx
has the rights to the manga, for some reason. A quick
thanks to my insanely overworked editor, as well, who will
hopefully go over this sometime when he gets a chance. I
really need to stop dumping all this writing on him. ^^;;;
Also, I've uploaded a revision to chapter four, since I
forgot my little top line blurb here for that one, which
includes some important information about the ballroom
scene.
Chapter 5: Shizuka nai Hinansho: Rakuen ni Nemuru –
Jadeite's Peace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moon Palace City was never a distant place to the
people of Crystal Tokyo, who provided the majority of the
supplies that were impossible to produce on the Moon, or
which had been kept from being produced on its surface.
Basic materials, such as appliances and even common day-to-
day items were never manufactured on the Moon, which was
for the most part devoid of any factories. Instead, the
Moon was an odd mixture of agricultural mastery and
technological research. While it was the most
scientifically advanced place in the entire Solar System,
it was also the least self-sufficient when it came to any
functions beyond produce.
Crystal Tokyo, to match Moon Palace City, was a
center of shipping to the Moon, in addition to its function
as the primary liftoff point for travelers going between
the two cities. Shuttles regularly carried cargoes of
basic items such as televisions, appliances, toiletries,
and meats, in addition to more advanced materials such as
computers and vehicles. The multitude of different trades
and missions that originated from Crystal Tokyo, in fact,
was surprising to Jadeite, who had learned from King
Endymion their myriad nature only the day after the
celebration.
Hoisting his bags over his shoulder and holding on to
those belonging to Hotaru Tomoe as well, Jadeite found
himself standing in the concourse of Moon Palace City's
spaceport. The crowded terminal was a loud affair, with
people bustling about to collect their luggage or to ensure
their tickets were ready, that threatened to defeat any
possibility of Jadeite hearing any words from his current
four companions. Fortunately, he found that he was at
least able to weed out most of the interference through a
bit of concentration, though it didn't do anything to
dispel the sheer volume of the place.
"I'm sorry that I can't talk to you both before you
return to the Earth," said Setsuna Meiou, dressed in a
simple dark green dress with white blouse that seemed
appropriately formal for the situation. "Keep an eye out
for anything unusual while you're there, though. I'll meet
with you again as soon as I can, but Michiru said that she
had some urgent matters to speak with me about, and I won't
have time to talk with you before you leave. It's somewhat
ironic that I, of all people, seem to be running short of
time." A quiet, refined laugh followed her words, as she
looked at both Hotaru and Jadeite with her cerise eyes.
"You are a human, after all," spoke Minako Aino, who
was dressed in a more fashionable white and orange dress
for the occasion. "You can't be everywhere at once.
Neither can I, unfortunately. I've got a circuit of
performances beginning in the city tonight, and I just know
it's going to be crazy making all the shows." The idol
Senshi gave a smile, then, and held up a finger to accent
her following words. "Not that I have a problem with that,
mind you. I'll do whatever it takes to succeed. Oh, and
now that I think of that, Mamoru wanted me to remind you to
send him reports every other week, Jadeite."
"I'm sure you'll manage just fine, Minako. After
all, you've got a definite natural talent, and I'm sure
that'll make you a star across the world soon." Hotaru
spoke next, a long and slender, paper-wrapped package
resting in her arms. "We'll be easy to reach, in case of
any problems, otherwise. Jadeite should be able to use
father's laboratory to send the necessary reports, since
it's getting redone in the old Witches 5 section for both
of our use."
"Indeed, I've heard rumors that your performances are
magnificent. I will have to drop by one of them the next
time I'm on the Moon to see for myself," said Jadeite, who
once more wore the elegant uniform he'd been given for his
position as a Guardian of the Earth. "Setsuna, you will be
able to relay my reports to King Endymion, correct? I would
hate to put strain on your schedule, and I'm sure I can use
normal channels of communication if necessary." Since he'd
be communicating through the systems Hotaru would have, all
his messages would actually go to the Crystal Watcher's
Spire, and thus need to be relayed by Sailor Pluto to the
King.
"I'm sure things won't be so busy that I can't
perform that simple task. You're being too polite,
Jadeite." Setsuna gave a soft smile as she spoke, and then
looked over to Hotaru, the expression intensifying
slightly. "He was always like that. If he thought it'd
cause someone trouble to help him, he'd have tried to build
an entire building just by himself."
"Inconveniencing people isn't a particularly polite
thing to do. I simply try to avoid making their lives any
more stressful than they already are," Jadeite said, waving
his hand softly in a dismissive gesture while Hotaru gave a
quiet giggle next to him at Setsuna's words. "I feel that
I should be doing more helping for others than asking their
help for things that I can do myself, too."
"Among people who are your friends it's not something
to be kept track of though, wouldn't you say?" interjected
Minako, sliding an arm forward from where they'd crossed
over her chest to indicate Jadeite. "Besides, Setsuna
already said she'd do it for you, so stop worrying about it
and accept it graciously, like a gentleman."
"He's not got much choice, since it's time to leave.
He'll have to just live with her help until he can get back
to the Moon, it seems," said Hotaru, whose attention had
been drawn to the line of people beginning to board the
shuttle not far away. "Good luck tonight at your
performances, Minako. We'll be back to see you both soon,
I'm sure." Hotaru waved to both Setsuna and Minako, then,
and moved towards the end of the passenger line.
"It seems Hotaru is correct. I wish both of you
ladies a good day, and shall meet you again. I can not say
how much I appreciate the chance to see you all in non-
hostile circumstances." As was his way, Jadeite then bowed
to both Minako and Setsuna before making his own way to the
boarding line.
"We'll see you later! And I'm going to hold you to
your word about coming to see one of my performances,
Jadeite. Hotaru better come with you, too!" called Minako
to the departing pair, waving to them at the same time.
"Until next time, guardian and firefly of the
Earth," said Setsuna, smiling softly before turning to part
alongside Minako, who was beginning her trek out of the
spaceport. Her words were a reference to the meaning of
Hotaru's name, which meant firefly of the Earth when taken
in a literal sense. It took mere seconds for Minako and
Setsuna's forms to become lost amongst the sea of people
within the concourse, and once more Hotaru and Jadeite were
relatively alone.
It was not long before Jadeite and Hotaru were seated
aboard their shuttle, ready for the return trip to the
Earth. They'd only been on the Moon for several days, but
it seemed as though they'd been there for weeks, at the
very least, due to the sheer amount of things that had
happened there. The relative peace of Crystal Tokyo would
be a welcome change from the busy events of Moon Palace
City, though they both would be working on more important
tasks than before.
"It seems like it's been quite some time since we
were back on Earth," commented Jadeite as the shuttle
completed its liftoff and began the trip through space
towards Crystal Tokyo. "I don't know how, but I almost
forgot about the youma we fought several weeks ago. I
imagine I'll be spending a lot of time looking into its
source once we return."
"Setsuna said she had some information on that,
though she added that it wasn't much. She meant to give it
to you before we left, but that meeting with Michiru came
up and didn't give her a chance," Hotaru said, looking over
towards Jadeite as the shuttle cruised through space.
"It's energy felt odd, now that I think about it. Most of
the youma in the past at least had a sense of, well,
Earthiness, I guess you could say. That one didn't seem at
all related to the planet."
"I didn't have any powers at the time, but I know
what you mean. I could almost feel it in my bones that it
wasn't related to the Earth in the least," responded
Jadeite. "So, if it's from somewhere other than Earth, it
means that things are a bit more complicated than they
seemed at first."
"It does have certain advantages, though," said
Hotaru, smiling softly.
"What sort of advantages are those?" asked Jadeite,
his gray eyes turning to meet hers of purple.
"We can work together on the problem. It's not from
Earth, and the planets in the Solar System have no native
life on them. In fact, only Mars and Venus have anyone on
them, and that's only because we've begun colonizing them
again. That means it's something from outside the system,
and that makes it the business of the Outer Senshi."
"So it does," said Jadeite, smiling faintly. "At
least, we'll be working together so long as you think you
can tolerate the presence of a senile old man." The
Guardian of the Earth smiled more broadly after those
words, and gave a quiet laugh as well. He truly was old,
though he had to admit that he was feeling much younger
than he had several days ago, thanks to the return of his
powers and the revitalizing effects of his second chance.
"Oh, come on," said Hotaru, laughing quietly.
"You're much to sharp to be a senile old man, and you
certainly don't look the part, either. You've even still
got all your original teeth."
"All right. I'll grant you the fact that I don't fit
the part of an old senile man, or even an old wise man," he
said, shaking his head slightly while still laughing.
Then, calming himself, he shifted in his seat and leaned it
back so that he could be more comfortable. "Where do you
think we should start in our search for information,
then?" he asked.
"I suspect Setsuna already has some information about
that which will help us determine how that youma got there,
so our best bet is to wait for her before going off on any
wild chases," responded Hotaru, mirroring Jadeite's
reclining of the seat so that she could lay back slightly.
"We have to get the old lab set up for both of our uses,
anyway. Would you object to having Ami come by to help us
hook up some computers?"
"Not at all. If she's as skilled as rumors say in
matters of technology and medicine than it's a blessing,
though it might be difficult to find an open spot in her
schedule. Now that I think about it, I didn't notice her
at the celebration, either." He could remember clearly
that Setsuna had not attended the celebration, but he had
assumed all the other Senshi were in attendance. Upon
considering it, though, he didn't recall seeing Ami at all
that night. He'd assumed that his distracted state due to
his search for Hotaru was the reason, but it was also
possible that she simply hadn't been there.
"She was there, but she only stayed for part of the
night. She runs a medical practice in Crystal Tokyo, and
she was only able to get the single night off. She got in,
attended, and left by the next dawn. She lives a rather
rushed life, sadly. We keep telling her to slow down, but
all she ever does is smile and say 'I'm living my life how
I've always wanted to.'" Hotaru gave a quiet sigh after she
finished, and then shrugged. Ami's behavior was a little
hard for her to define ever since she'd finished college.
"She must find the task of helping people a very
fulfilling one, I imagine. She probably takes time off
when no one is looking, too," said Jadeite, closing his
eyes as he spoke.
"I know she takes off work every three days or so. A
lot of reading, as far as I know. She spends a lot of time
at the library, too, I think. She's always loved books,
but I always get the feeling that she seems to be missing
something when I talk to her," Hotaru said, her lips
forming a slight frown as she finished.
"You mean it's like looking into a hollow in a
tree?" asked Jadeite, his eyes opening to accompany a
slightly furrowed brow.
"That's almost exactly it. It's a haunted look,
really, and it really reminds me..." Hotaru paused and
looked over towards Jadeite, then leaned her head back and
lowered her eyes. "It reminds me of the way you looked
when I first met you. Even when I looked at you, frozen in
crystal, you had a look to your eyes like something had
been taken away deep inside. It continued, too, for the
first few weeks and even months I knew you, but now it
seems like it's faded away. You seem more whole, now."
Jadeite turned his head to look at Hotaru as she
finished speaking, and caught her eyes with his own, which
came up to meet his gaze. "I simply managed to escape from
an endless maze. I had some help, too, that I couldn't
have made it without." A silence marked the next few
moments, before Jadeite spoke again. "You have helped me
more than you know, Hotaru."
"You would have been fine without my help," said
Hotaru, who found herself fighting off a slight blush
that's source was beyond her understanding. "I've got so
many things to distract me all the time that I can't
imagine how I could have really done anything to help you,
anyway. I was just trying to be kind."
"You didn't even need to be kind to me. Sometimes
the simplest acts, like treating a person as a human being,
can be more meaningful than anything else can. Most anyone
who knew who I was would have attacked me out of principle,
but you allowed me the chance to prove that I had
changed." There was no hiding the fact that he felt as
though he'd always be in debt to her for what she'd done
when he spoke.
"It was a chance I felt you deserved," Hotaru said,
smiling softly. "Above all else, I think it was the look
on your face when I found you that truly convinced me that
you deserved and needed another chance. With regards to
chances, though, I think we both need to take this chance
and get some sleep before we get back to Crystal Tokyo.
There'll be a lot to do once we get back, and I'm certain
that we don't want to be walking around like the living
dead when we've got work to do."
"You seem to consistently produce compassion and good
ideas, Hotaru," responded Jadeite, smiling softly and
letting his eyes fall closed again. "Sleep it shall be,
then. I will see you when we reach Crystal Tokyo, where we
will hopefully both feel refreshed and ready to get on with
our lives." He didn't need to look over to know that
Hotaru had already followed suit and let herself rest back
and close her eyes, and it was not long before both of them
were sleeping peacefully on the trek through space.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moon Palace City possessed, in addition to its other
businesses, a large artistic community as well as a well
defined circuit of nightclubs and bars that would cater to
people leaving work at nearly any hour of the night or day.
In addition to the relaxation it provided those working
people, it also was a major source of exposure for any
musicians or performers of any sort that wished to make
their names famous and become well-received by the people.
To that end, Minako Aino found herself at a different bar
or nightclub almost every single night, singing her heart
out and laying her soul bare to connect with her audience
so that they would appreciate her music.
The Silver Cross was a nightclub like many others in
Moon Palace City, though it possessed a few more high
quality features than its competition. Located near to the
Moon Palace itself, the Silver Cross attracted a large
number of workers and guards who worked there who came to
have a drink and listen to music after their shifts had
ended. The nightclub had been constructed in the basement
of the Silver Cathedral restaurant, owned by the same
person as the nightclub, who gave it excellent billing in
the inner section of the city. The most attractive feature
of the nightclub for performers was the larger than average
stage and the way it overlooked the majority of the
patron's locations, who often sat at tables surrounding a
dance floor in the center of the room. Speakers were
placed all around to ensure that the performer could be
heard anyplace within, except for a single dead corner
where, customarily, no one sat.
Minako had been forced to rush to prepare for the
performance that she'd be playing at the bar that night,
since she was required to avoid direct connection between
her Senshi duties and her life as an entertainer. Despite
the fact that she had to pick up a new dress for the
performance, get her back up musicians together, and
organize all the sound equipment thanks to her manager
being ill, she had managed to make it to the nightclub a
few minutes early. Normally, the nightclub would close for
a couple of hours between each shift, timed to the working
schedules of the people of Moon Palace City. That time
allowed the performers for the next cycle to set up and
test their equipment.
"Do we have the amplifiers set up to carry the
synthesizers?" asked Minako, who was plugging her
microphone into a wiring junction that would carry its
signal through the array of speakers in the room. In her
time as a performer, she had found her knowledge of the
technical aspects of the business increase almost as
greatly as her singing talent had, and her knowledge,
combined with that of her fellow musicians, allowed them to
set up their equipment without any sort of stage crew.
"Yeah, we got them hooked up. Tough, though. Had to
use adapters to fit them in to these. We'll have to test
them to make sure the sound holds up," responded Keith, the
young man who played the synthesizer in her small band. A
native of San Francisco back on Earth, they sometimes had
trouble communicating due to the barriers between English
and Japanese, which had become, in the wake of the Silence,
the two dominant languages in the Shin-Muun Kingdom.
Fortunately, his Japanese had advanced considerably since
he'd been on the Moon for their performances.
"The drums are all good to go as well," added in
Keichii, the band's drummer. A lanky fellow with a mop of
brown hair and fuzzy goatee, he was typically the one who
liked to bask in the glow of his small clan of fan girls,
who followed him to each performance. He still hadn't
quite figured out how he acquired their attention when the
band played mostly ballads and dance music, but he wasn't
about to reject them. "I think Jamie has the guitar ready,
too, so we can test everything in a few minutes, here."
"Great. Get the music out for the new piece, so we
can see how it sounds in here, all right?" Minako was
eager to try their new song, which she had written after a
sudden bolt of inspiration had struck her at the
celebration for Jadeite's welcoming to the Shin-Muun
Kingdom and Elios and Chibi-Usa's engagement. Looking at
both Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, and the looks they gave Jadeite
and Elios' when they had danced, she had found what she
believed to be the perfect material for a new song.
"The Dreaming Eyes piece, right?" asked Keith,
pulling his head free from a cluster of cables and power
cords near the back. "Sure you want to play it tonight? I
mean, we were still having a bit of trouble with the
transition in the first part. Though, I expect we could
probably pull it off, now that we're not totally wasted
from practicing for three hours straight."
"Hey, listen to what the lady says," said Keichii,
making a disapproving face at Keith. "We only messed up
because you were too busy thinking about your date the
other night. The rest of us can handle it." Keichii
always liked to give Keith trouble about his habit of
referencing his girlfriend in almost every situation and
being constantly distracted by the thought of her, though
Minako and Jamie, the guitarist, thought it was probably
because he was a little lonely himself and wished he had
the same thing.
"Come on, you know Keith would play it even if the
sky were falling," said Minako, laughing and shaking her
head. "Now, let's get to it, shall we? We've got an
audience to amaze tonight, and if we're lucky, we might
just get our big break with this performance. I've heard
there are a couple of producers who are looking into
picking us up for records, and if any of their scouts are
here, we've got to impress them."
"No problem," came Keith's voice, as he settled in
behind his two synthesizers. "I was born ready to make
music."
"You were born to make music? Come on, man, and give
it a rest. You say you were born to do something different
every day. Last night it was that you were born to eat lo-
mein." Keichii also liked antagonizing Keith, but they
were also good friends, so it was always obvious that they
were acting in jest with one another.
"I'm all set," called out the voice of Jamie, who
climbed up onto the stage from the nightclub's main floor.
"All the speakers are on and set up, and we have the
circuit breaker all set to handle the equipment's
requirements." Unlike the other members of the band, Jamie
was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, with
long black hair and a distinctively Chinese ancestry. She
always dressed in traditional Mandarin-style outfits when
they performed, and tonight she'd pulled out a particularly
elegant red one with gold trim.
"Then let's take our spots, and play," said Minako, a
smile breaking onto her face as she swung up her
microphone, spinning it between her fingers above her head
before clasping it lightly and holding it before her, ready
for her to sing. She heard the sound of Jamie picking up
her guitar as she set herself in the right posture to sing,
and she already knew that Keith and Keiichi were at their
spots. "All right! One, two, one, two, three," she called
out, and in time, the pickup note for the song came in, and
they began their rehearsal.
An hour after the rehearsal for Minako's band, the
doors of the Silver Cross Nightclub opened, and allowed a
flood of patrons to enter. With the celebration over and
Chibi-Usa preparing to visit the new colony on Mars with
Rei Hino and Makoto Kino, the Moon Palace was going to be
less a hectic place with several of the main people they
serviced being gone. That meant that even more than normal
numbers of people were taking time to go out and relax
after their shifts, rather than worrying about getting as
much sleep as possible before their next day, and the
nightclub was certainly witness to that, as the place was
packed almost end to end with people. The only area that
tended to remain unoccupied was the quiet corner that lay
opposite both the stage and the bar in the room.
Half an hour after the opening of the nightclub and
the beginning of the deluge of patrons, Minako and her band
took the stage. Minako had gotten a new dress for the
performance, and it was certainly a fine choice, with a
slender fit on top and a loose, wide skirt that fell down
to her ankles. The top was sequined, causing the sunflower
colored outfit to glow almost like a small star under the
lights of the stage, and the skirt was a gossamer fabric
that seemed to shimmer like liquid gold. Amidst the
clapping from the patrons, she announced herself and her
fellow band members, before leading off with one of her old
favorites, a song she'd written before the Silence but
never gotten to play until recently.
As she performed, Minako was pleased to see that
people were avoiding the small sound dead zone in the
corner with surprising regularity, with no single person
remaining there more than a minute or two. If her music
was holding them all so well, she knew that she'd be
impressing and scout from the recording groups that might
be there, but to make sure, she began to throw even a bit
more of her heart into the music. As each song ended, the
people cheered and gave applause, which to the performers
on stage, including her, was almost like receiving life's
blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a solid hour and a half into their performance
on the stage when Minako first noticed the figure sitting
in the dead zone of the nightclub. While others seemed to
linger there for no more than a minute or two at most, the
one there which caught her attention had been sitting there
for at least five minutes, and didn't seem intent on moving
any time soon. In fact, she noticed that he even had a
drink before him, and a small plate of sushi. One of the
more upscale features of the nightclub was that it offered
food to its patrons in addition to drinks, but sushi was
rather expensive.
The figure was definitely a man, she decided, for
when he shifted and the light briefly highlighted his face,
she could see a hard cast to his expression. Still, he was
not unattractive, possessing more chiseled features and
short, flowing black hair. Occasionally she caught a
glimpse of his eyes, which even from that distance she
could determine were black, a fact that surprised her,
considering the distance from the stage to the corner.
Suddenly, a concern struck her, as she noticed his long,
gray coat and the manner in which he folded his hands on
the table when he wasn't sipping his drink or eating. If
he was ordering an expensive dish, and sitting calmly in
the back of he nightclub, he just might have been a scout
from a recording group.
A scout from the recording groups would have been
welcomed with open arms by Minako under any other
circumstances, but the grim expression he wore and the fact
that he was sitting in what she was certain was the worst
acoustic location in the entire nightclub suddenly gave
rise to distinct worry for her. He wasn't going to be
getting the full power of the music, and he most certainly
didn't appear to be at all enjoying himself, which meant
that if he had the power to give her a record that would
not only play on the Moon, but Earth as well, he would not
be inclined to use it if her appraisal of his mood was
correct.
For the next hour of her performance, Minako found
herself troubled by the unmoving man in the corner, whom
never seemed to let his attention really focus on anything.
He gave her glances every few minutes, but it almost seemed
as though he was looking through her rather than at her,
which was a feeling she found very discomforting. Everyone
else who focused their attention on her seemed to connect
with her and feel the music, genuinely enjoying the
performance, and yet, there was a man who looked upon her
as though she were an alien. The fear of the possible
implications threw her off for a few moments, but then she
realized that he also probably couldn't hear the
performance all that well.
"All right, guys, let's try the new piece," said
Minako, turning to look at her fellow band members after
she finished her last song. "Let's give it everything
we've got. I think there's a scout out there, so don't hold
anything back." Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself
and then turned back to the audience, taking her spot on
the front of the stage while the others prepared their
music and gave affirmative responses. Soon, she heard
Jamie utter a quiet assurance that they were all ready.
Minako's song, Dreaming Eyes, began with only the
sound of her voice, which quickly silenced every
conversation in the nightclub, patrons and workers alike
turning to watch and listen to her. So powerful were the
words and the sound of her voice that they held all of them
enraptured, a trait that didn't come from the song alone.
She had very specifically steeled her spirit and opened her
heart for the song, determined to gain the man in the
corner's recognition and appreciation as she had gained
everyone else's. Soon, the sound of her band mates playing
came in as well, and she knew that the place was theirs.
Every word she'd sung so far in her song, Minako had
kept her eyes closed. As she reached the climax of the
song, she let them open slowly, and immediately she focused
on the man in the corner. He had to be listening to her
and watching her after that, or she felt she'd faint, for
she did not want to fail in letting her song send its
message to all that heard it. She almost jumped in joy
when she saw that his eyes were intent upon her and her
alone, and she allowed herself to burst out with the final
part of her song. Even as she did so, she found herself
subconsciously trying to determine what she saw in his
eyes.
The man seemed to be surprised more than anything
else, from what she could interpret of his unwavering gaze,
and on top of that, he seemed to truly be appreciating her
music for that moment, despite the fact that his expression
hadn't changed at all from the grim set it had held before.
All of the things she felt from him, instead, were purely
from his black eyes, which she had always found to be the
most defining aspect of a person's intent and purpose.
It was as Minako finished her song that she decided
that she would approach the man and try to talk to him
after she finished. She wanted to know, in fact she needed
to know, whether he was really listening to any of her
music but the last piece and if he was a record producing
scout or not. If he was, she felt certain that her last
song would have ensured their chances to have a record that
would span the entire Shin-Muun Kingdom, allowing her to
finally cease living two lives as Sailor Venus and Minako
Aino, the performer. Amidst the standing applause of the
patrons of the nightclub, Minako bowed and named the other
members of her band once more before excusing herself from
the stage the moment the curtain slid shut.
"Hey, Minako, where are you going?" asked Keiichi,
who was putting his drumsticks into the fabric case he
always kept them in. "In a hurry or something?"
"I think I saw a scout out there! I'm going to go
find him," said Minako, weaving with surprising speed
between the musical instruments and around the cables and
wires that connected them to the various systems.
"Hey, wait for us then! We want to know what he
says!" exclaimed Jamie, trying to go after Minako. After
all, if it truly were a scout, then it would be all their
careers that would receive the boost to a new level and
provide them with the fame they sought, as well as the
exposure.
"No, you guys need to pack up everything. We've got
another performance tomorrow night, remember?" Minako had
paused to turn back and address them at the exit of the
stage area. She really didn't want them following her,
because she wanted to talk to the man about more than just
the possibility of a record and she felt they might find it
odd. "I won't be gone long, anyway. Take care, guys!"
With that, Minako disappeared and took off into the
nightclub.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took Minako several long minutes to weave her way
through the hordes of people in the nightclub, who seemed
to pack the place to a point that she was certain was
beyond its intended capacity. Out of necessity, she had
halted herself when she first stepped onto the nightclubs
floor and turned around, heading quickly for her dressing
room to change into her more typical choice of clothing,
which consisted of a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
She didn't want to be mobbed when she went out on the
floor, and she was fairly certain, as she neared the dead
zone corner that it had been a wise decision.
Much to Minako's relief, the man was still sitting
there, though instead of eating his sushi and watching the
performance, he was watching the people move about on the
dance floor as music played from a sound system to satisfy
their desires to dance while sipping on what was left of
his drink. She almost stopped herself when she drew near,
though, due to a feeling that suddenly struck her. It
seemed almost as though he had a field that radiated a
sense of sorrow, yet it was mixed with a certain nobility
that was found in the way he sat with his shoulders back
and his head held high. While it was enough to make her
hesitate, Minako did not let herself give up, and decided
to take the initiative.
"Excuse me sir, but I would like to speak with you,"
said Minako, her voice polite and quiet. She suddenly felt
as though that man was someone she didn't want to suddenly
break onto with her normally more cheerful attitude. He
seemed deserving of respect and solitude, and she already
felt bad for having interrupted whatever he was doing.
Still, it caught his attention, and she found his face
turned towards her, with her blue eyes meeting his black
ones.
"So, you're Minako Aino," he said, his voice a
pleasant average depth with a hint of refinement within the
tone. There was another ingredient to his voice as well,
but Minako couldn't place it quite yet. "Please, do not be
apprehensive or anxious. You came to talk to me, I would
guess, so feel free to do so. I will tell you what I can."
"Oh, wonderful. Thank you," said Minako, letting out
some breath she'd unconsciously held the moment he started
speaking. "I apologize for coming out of nowhere, since you
seemed rather intent on something, but I was wondering if
you were able to hear my performance back here. It's
notorious for being an acoustic dead zone."
"Ah yes, that's an interesting thing indeed," he
responded, offering a slight smile. He was definitely a
youthful man, though he had hard lines etched into the
corners of his eyes that gave him a touch of aged wisdom in
appearance. "You I could hear perfectly well. Your
companions, however, were very distant. You see, you seem
to stand further forward on the stage, and since you
project your voice well, it carries farther than other
performers, so you reach even this back area. You simply
have no accompaniment when listening from here."
"So you were actually listening to me sing?" asked
Minako, who smiled due to her sense of relief. "I didn't
think you were listening at all, until the last song. If
you don't mind me asking, though, do you work for one of
the record companies?" With one of her concerns satisfied,
she felt the need to check on the other matter, which
concerned her friends in the band as well.
"Truthfully, I didn't pay much attention until that
last song. However, the way you sang it made me sure that
you had written all of your own music, and that you really
did believe in what the lyrics and emotions of the music
said. I apologize, however, as I am not from any of the
record companies." The man smiled apologetically and bowed
his head slightly, seemingly genuinely sorry to disappoint
her. "My name is Nisei, and I'm a traveler from a
considerable distance away. I'm sure my name isn't that
important to you, but since I know yours, I felt it only
fair to give you mine."
"No, I'm glad you told me your name. It's good to
meet new people and become friends with them, regardless of
what they do or where they're from," said Minako after a
short pause that had allowed her to consider his words.
"Well, I suppose that as long as even one of my songs was
really felt, then I'm doing well as a singer. Did you not
like the others?"
"The other pieces were well done, but the last song
was a level above the rest, easily," replied Nisei, who
pushed out one of the chairs at his table. "Please have a
seat, madam. I would hate to make you stand for the
duration of our entire conversation, for I feel we have
more to discuss."
"Thank you," she replied, smiling once more as she
sat herself down and scooted the chair to the table. "I
just wrote the new song. It was no more than a few days
ago. Maybe that'd explain why it seems to have more power
than the rest, or maybe I've just gotten better than I was
with my old songs. Also, I'm sorry for mistaking you for
one of the recording companies' scouts. It's just that you
had a look that was similar to theirs when you were
watching the performance."
"I don't think it's your timing that made the
difference. I would suspect that you've always had the
potential within, and they it just surfaced with that song.
You have a gift, and you should continue to share it with
people," he said. Then, he paused for a moment. "I hope
that you don't think I'm being some sort of obsessed fan.
This is, quite truthfully, the first time I've heard or
seen you, though I must note that you look much nicer in
normal clothing than you do dressed up and on stage."
"Actually, it'd be kind of nice to have some obsessed
fans. Not many people seem to be regulars in attending my
performances, and our music hasn't sold too well except in
a few outer sections of the city," said Minako, sighing
quietly. Then, she smiled, and shrugged slightly.
"Sometimes the simple things seem nicer than the fancy
ones, then?" She hadn't expected any appreciative comments
with regards to her rather common choice of clothing.
"Why do people like flowers? Because they are simple
yet beautiful and easy to understand. Perhaps you aren't
easy to understand, but you make your heart easily
accessible, and with that trait and tonight's performance,
I'm sure you'll soon have more fans." Nisei paused then to
take a sip of his drink, which Venus suspected to be an
alcohol of some sort that she couldn't quite identify. "I
appreciate your speaking with me, Miss Minako Aino.
Perhaps our paths will cross again, but it is late and I
must head off."
"Oh, all right. I really would hate to keep you up
if you're tired," replied Minako, offering a smile as she
stood up. A soft bow was executed as well, as a parting
gesture. "Perhaps I'll see you again, yes. If you like,
I'll be performing at one tomorrow at the Gilded Tome club.
You can hear me perform again and tell me how I sound the
second time."
"I will likely have work to do tomorrow, but I will
see if perhaps I can attend. Until then, I bid you a good
night and pleasant day tomorrow." Nisei mirrored Minako's
bow smoothly upon standing up, though it seemed to be a
very refined, almost precise and militaristic motion for
him. It rose a question in her mind that she decided she'd
ask him if she saw him again, for there was no time to ask
him as he retreated from the Silver Cross, vanishing on the
streets of Moon Palace City.
"Hey, Minako! Who was that?" asked a voice that
startled Minako out of her wits, due to its sudden arrival
from right behind her. Turning, the deeply breathing
singer held her chest for a moment, eyes focusing on the
figure of Keith. "Well, anyway, one of the recording
group's scouts came to use after you left! They want to
talk to you as soon as possible, and I think they're going
to offer us a deal!"
"What? Where is he?" asked Minako, recovering
quickly at the prospect of their band's big break. If it
really was the chance for a major record that could be
distributed all over the Moon and the Earth, then they'd be
famous in no time, and Minako could finally stop hiding her
identity as Sailor Venus, having proven that she didn't
need that distinction to have her talent recognized by
people.
"He's out by the stage, waiting for us. Just follow
me," said Keith, turning to make his way through the
thinning crowds of patrons so that he and Minako could get
to the stage door. Finally, it seemed they'd made it, and
all they had to do was get the deal hammered out and
signed. To be a star, was Minako's dream, and it was within
her grasp at long last.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Setsuna, it's good to see you again. You haven't
dropped by in such a long time that I was beginning to
think your work had devoured you," said Professor Souichi
Tomoe. "I hope you've been doing well." Clad in his
typical white lab coat and white shirt with tie, Professor
Tomoe was a figure with what could be called a smart look.
Silver hair that was a little long and wide glasses
combined to complete the impression, as he greeted Setsuna
Meiou at the front door of his home.
"Souichi," said Setsuna, smiling pleasantly in a
reserved manner that always seemed to suit her well. "It
has been quite some time, hasn't it. You look much the
same as you always have, but that's understandable, I
suppose. Your research into longevity is renowned in the
scientific community, these days. I'm afraid my own
research has fallen behind with my duties to the Shin-Muun
Kingdom."
"Yes, I can imagine that taking up a great deal of
your time," responded Professor Tomoe. "The Crystal
Watcher's Spire is still functioning well, I take it, then.
I keep meaning to get up and ensure that the computers I
made for you are all working at full capacity, but my
research has been frighteningly demanding of late, and with
Hotaru's graduation from school, I've had no time at all."
"That's partially my own fault, and I apologize for
that. Hotaru's duties were demanding in recent years, and
only now did she finally get the chance to finish school
because of my requiring her help. I hope she didn't have
any troubles with the other students in school because of
her age," said Setsuna, who stepped in at the silent
invitation of Professor Tomoe.
"Fortunately, the other students never really noticed
that she was older than they, since she, like the rest of
you, doesn't age nearly the same way. She did comment
several times that her 'peers' were rather silly, but she
said it was nice to have an excuse to act like a teenager
again." He shook his head as he finished, and allowed
himself a quiet laugh, before going on. "At any rate, I
believe that you're here to see Jadeite and Hotaru,
correct? They're down in the lab's old section, working on
rearranging the desks and equipment. Would you like me to
show you down to them?"
"No, thank you," replied Setsuna. "I've already
interrupted your work, and I don't wish to further delay
you. I should be able to find my way down. However, we
should sit down and have a chat once I'm finished. As you
said, it's been a long time since we've had the opportunity
to talk to one another in a casual setting."
"Certainly," said the Professor, heading for the door
that would lead them to the laboratory. "I'll be doing
some work down there as well, but just keep going through
to the far end and you'll find them. They should be
expecting you, but if not, it'll do good to give them a
rest. They've been working all the time, these last few
days." With that, he made his way down the stairs.
"I'll see what I can do about getting them to slow
down, a bit," said Setsuna, moving down behind Professor
Tomoe. "Good luck with your projects. I'll talk to you
soon," she said as they reached the bottom of the stairs,
offering a soft wave to him before she headed off to meet
with Jadeite and Hotaru.
It didn't take long for Setsuna to locate the pair,
who were sorting through old files on a desk just inside
what had formerly been the Witches 5 offices. Both were
glad to see her, and in no time they were sitting around a
table that had been set up in the center of the old office
space, discussing the recent matters and the coming times,
and their great significance to the Shin-Muun Kingdom.
"So, the way it happened was that you saw an image
that represented the beginning of a shattering crystal, and
found several possible sources for it. Really, though, you
found one possible source and another that you couldn't
identify, and you needed to know for certain which was
real, and so you tracked me down and had me set free of the
crystal," said Jadeite, who was assembling the facts that
had been presented to him in his mind.
"That is how it happened Jadeite, yes. It wasn't
certain at first if you were the source of the threat, or
if the threat was seeking you out, so we had to ensure that
you were kept under a keen eye," said Setsuna, who seemed
to be not the least bit concerned with the possibility that
the plan would sound as though he had never really been
trusted to begin with.
"I suppose I can't blame someone for believing I
might be the origin of the end of the world as it's known
now," said Jadeite, sighing softly as he moved to rest his
elbows on the table top and prop up his chin with the palms
of his hands. "I hope I've proven my intentions now,
though."
"Of course you have," said Hotaru, leaning forward
slightly. "Don't sell yourself so short, Jadeite. You
know very well that you've accomplished much in the short
time you've been back, and that you've done nothing wrong."
"Don't worry, Jadeite. Hotaru was just doing as I
asked her, anyway. She had something of a fascination with
you once she discovered your frozen form, and kept asking
me to make sure that you really were one of the Kings of
the Dark Kingdom. She was the one who said you ought to
have the chance to prove yourself, instead of simply being
locked up and kept under guard. She even volunteered to
watch over you herself, and it was no small amount of
effort that got her that privilege," said Setsuna, much to
the sudden dismay of Hotaru, who became rather shy upon the
mention of her unusual crush on the blond Guardian of the
Earth.
"I'm more indebted to you then I first knew, then,"
said Jadeite, looking with his cool gray eyes towards
Hotaru, who blinked and then shied away from his gaze for a
moment. Even though she'd been perfectly comfortable with
their dancing at the celebration and their discussions and
time together during their trip, she was still a bit more
nervous than she let on around him, for he made her feel a
bit more light hearted than she did around anyone else, for
some reason. "I have no reason to hold anything against
either of you for your actions, of course. You did what
was best for the kingdom."
"You prove once more that you've grown wiser,
Jadeite," said Setsuna, who was still smiling at the small
exchange between he and Hotaru. She found herself rather
curious as to whether or not her father knew that she had
feelings for Jadeite, and decided to mention it to him
later. "Your excess pride has been released, and your
understanding of what is necessary has expanded
significantly, making you an excellent person to be
Guardian of the Earth. That brings me to the matters of
our duties, truthfully."
"I heard from Haruka and Michiru just a few hours ago
that they spotted what looked like some sort of space
vessel just passing Pluto's outer orbit. Had it not
blocked the light of a star, they would never have noticed
it, but when they noticed the light extinguished for a
moment, they decided to get out a telescope and look into
the night sky. They haven't been able to get any pictures
of it, but we do know that where they saw it isn't where it
actually is, due to the amount of time light takes to
travel from there to Earth. I'll be heading over to an
observatory in Arizona, of the former United States, to get
a good photo of it," said Setsuna, who paused at that point
to let the information sink in.
"Have you seen it at all yet?" asked Hotaru, whose
expression had changed from one of shyness to one of
curiosity and concern, her purple eyes narrowed slightly in
consideration.
"I haven't yet seen it, no, but they said that the
ship was nearly impossible to see, and that they only could
find it because they had an idea there was something there.
The entire vessel was painted black, but that's the only
detail they could make out beyond its slightly elongated
shape. I'll send you a copy of the photos once I've gotten
them at the observatory," answered Setsuna.
"Could they tell how fast it was moving, or where it
was headed?" asked Jadeite, his question being the logical
succession to Hotaru's own. It sometimes surprised Setsuna
that Hotaru and Jadeite were able to think along such
similar lines much of the time, without their even
realizing it.
"It wasn't moving quickly, I'm told, but it was
definitely aimed towards the inner system, and that makes
it a definite concern. I suspect that it has a connection
to the youma which struck here several weeks ago, and I do
not think my concerns will be abated when I am able to
consult the Scrying Pool once I'm back on the Moon
tomorrow." The concern was, in fact, obvious in the soft
narrowing of Setsuna's eyes and the slight furrowing of her
brow.
"I guess we'll have to try and set up some telescopes
and watch the skies as well. Do we have anything that
monitors the traffic of objects around the Earth and
Moon?" asked Jadeite, who was deathly serious quite
suddenly when he saw Setsuna's expression. Things which
worried who he considered to be the most powerful of all
the Sailor Senshi were not to be taken lightly, and he
instinctively figured that there was even more here than
she was ready to explain.
"There's a monitoring system of high quality at the
space port. Maybe my father can hook up to it with some
computers down here, so we can keep track of things as
well. It's a brand new system, too, so there's not much
chance that it's going to be easily gotten by, if they mean
to do anything hostile. Judging by that youma, though, I'd
say we need to be ready for a fight," said Hotaru.
"A good idea, Hotaru. I'll ask Souichi about it on
my way out, and since that is what I should be doing now, I
will be going. Thank you for your time, Hotaru, Jadeite.
I wish you both the best of luck in your part in this."
Setsuna smiled, then, and turned, heading away from the
pair. She would speak with Souichi and see what he could
do, and she was certain that Hotaru and Jadeite would be
more than ready to do their part to protect the Shin-Muun
Kingdom. Unfortunately, her time was short, and she
reminded herself to keep moving, which was a fact she found
somewhat amusing, since she was the Senshi of Time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We can't just sit here and wait for something that
we know next to nothing about to just waltz up to the Moon
or to Earth and do as it pleases, Your Majesty!" Haruka
Tenou, commonly known also as Sailor Uranus, stood in the
throne room of the Moon Palace, one arm thrown out to her
side with fingers splayed out and the other with a clenched
fist in front of her as she spoke to Neo-Queen Serenity,
trying to convince her to allow herself and Michiru Kaiou
to fly out on one of the Shin-Muun Kingdom's few armed
shuttles to try and confront the unidentified ship that had
arrived in the Solar System.
"I will not allow you to take hostile actions
against someone who may be peaceful, Haruka, nor will I
allow you, Michiru, to do the same. We need to wait
patiently to see what develops in this situation, rather
than rushing out to start a conflict whether intentionally
or by accident," responded the Neo-Queen, who sat on her
throne in a slightly uncomfortable manner. She did not
like having to argue with her friends, but in the current
case, she saw no choice, for their idea conflicted greatly
with her own.
"The Earth already was attacked once by unidentified
youma, Usagi. That gives us more than enough reason to be
suspicious of anything coming near our worlds. What if
that ship is the source of those youma?" Michiru spoke at
that point in lieu of her tall, blond companion, brushing a
hand through her soft blue-green hair as she did so. "The
risk is to great not to take action."
"That may well have been an isolated incident, you
know. It's not certain whether or not that youma had any
connection to another force, or if it was just some left
over from older battles we've fought. You're jumping to
conclusions, so please, calm down and think things
through," said Neo-Queen Serenity, her head bowing softly
and her eyes, which hinted at a distinct sorrow, closed.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I just can't agree.
How many times has an incident ever been just an isolated
occurrence in our lives? You know as well as I that there
are always greater forces at work than what we initially
suspect, and this is likely no different. We need to be
ready for this, no matter what it is or what happens."
Haruka once again took up the argument of the Outer Senshi
before the Neo-Queen, though her voice was calmer than it
had been a moment ago, as was her pose, which consisted of
her arms relaxed limply at her sides.
"I will call the other Senshi together, or at least
those who can make it quickly, then. We will all discuss
the matter, and if you all agree, then I will go along with
your plan. Otherwise, we will proceed with this matter in
my way. I apologize, but I do not wish another conflict to
befall the Shin-Muun Kingdom needlessly." Neo-Queen
Serenity's head lifted as she finished, and the look in her
blue eyes stated plainly that it was the end of their
argument for the time being, much to the dismay of the two
Outer Senshi. Despite their misgivings, they had to admit
that Usagi had become a fine ruler for the Shin-Muun
Kingdom, and with the backing of her husband, King
Endymion, they were the most fair and just rulers they
could recall ever being in power.
"Very well, Your Majesty," said Michiru and Haruka
together. We will await the gathering of the other Senshi,
but I ask that you make it as swift as possible. We can't
afford to waste any time, particularly if this really is a
danger to the kingdom," continued Haruka. "We will try and
gather the other Outer Senshi, but I doubt they will be
able to make it here in time. They are already dealing
with this matter in preliminary manners."
"Will you please request that they calm down and take
this more slowly as well?" requested the Neo-Queen, sighing
quietly. "You all take any possible threat with so much
seriousness that you'd think it was the imminent end of the
world, and it needs to stop. Otherwise, we'll be jumping
at any slight problem that shouldn't be a concern of this
magnitude."
"We will request that of them, Your Majesty," said
Michiru, nodding once in place of Haruka, who quite
obviously was doing her best to stifle what most certainly
was a scathing response befitting her level of concern on
the potential threat. "It may take some time to gain their
consent, however," she added, as she turned and began to
leave the hall, her high-heeled shoes clicking softly on
the floor and resounding throughout the throne room.
"We will return at your beckoning, Your Majesty,"
said Haruka after a long few moments before she, too,
turned and made her way out of the hallway. There was no
mistaking the angry disappointment within her, and within
Michiru, for that matter, but the Neo-Queen knew them both
well enough to know that they were upset due to their
senses of duty and their desire to protect both her and the
Shin-Muun Kingdom.
"Mamo-chan," said the Neo-Queen, looking towards King
Endymion, who sat beside her on his matching throne. "Am I
being foolish with this? Should I let them go and do as
they requested, and simply ask them to try and avoid any
conflicts?"
"Usa-ko," responded King Endymion, smiling towards
his wife softly. "You are merely trying to do things the
way that is right to you. I know that, as do they, and no
one can fault you for that. Have faith in your judgment,
and let things proceed as they will. You will do your best
no matter what happens."
"Thank you, Mamo-chan," she replied, smiling back.
"I just needed to hear it from someone other than myself,
that's all." With that, she took a slow, deep breath,
which she held for a moment before releasing slowly and
quietly. "Shall we continue with our business for the day
and see the next visitors to the Moon Palace?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like the Silver Cross Nightclub, the Gilded Tome Club
was a popular diversion for workers of the Moon Palace that
spent their early morning hours laboring. A setup superior
in design to the Silver Cross Nightclub, but not as popular
with the fans for reasons which never seemed to be known,
the Gilded Tome was still very popular amongst workers of
all different walks of life in Moon Palace City.
Minako Aino had been performing for at least a solid
hour, her eyes scanning the crowd the entire time for any
sign of Nisei, the long coat wearing man she'd met the
night before. She didn't expect him to show up, in truth,
and it made her somewhat sad to think of that possibility.
To that end, she'd been directing her companions to play
some of her more soft and flowing songs of lost love and
friends, which she'd certainly had enough experience with
to write quality songs of. The crowd seemed to be drawn
into the music, as well, and she was amazed and somehow
satisfied with the fact several of her listeners actually
took out tissues and handkerchiefs to wipe away tears.
It was as she finished what was to be her second to
last song that she spotted the distinctive figure of Nisei
in the back of the room, where he had apparently been
standing with his back against the wall for some time. She
was amazed that she hadn't noticed him sooner, for it
looked as though he'd been there for quite some time.
Still, she was pleased to know that he'd shown up. Singing
through her last song; the same she'd finished with last
night, she quickly cleared off the stage upon finishing and
moved to change her outfits.
"Thank you for coming to my performance again."
Minako managed to catch Nisei as he was preparing to leave,
her voice stopping him before he reached the door. A
brief, odd expression crossed his face, as though he was
relieved and disappointed at the same time, which she
thought rather strange. However, she knew he was a
traveler, and that people like he were prone to unusual
habits.
"I am pleased to have had the chance to hear you sing
again," Nisei responded, smiling faintly. "You might say
it called me. I am not disappointed, however. Your
performance today exceeded the one from last night." He
stood with his hands in the pockets of his long coat, which
concealed whatever clothing he wore beneath it to leave
only his head, with its flowing black hair and matching
eyes, visible.
"We were all in a great mood for this performance.
It's the last time we'll have to play in a nightclub or
bar! We finally were signed to a record deal, and soon our
songs will be all over the Shin-Muun Kingdom. It's as if a
dream is coming true for me," Minako said, speaking
swiftly. Normally she kept a more normal pace of speech,
but her excitement made her all too eager to talk and share
her happiness with those who would listen.
"A splendid thing, Miss Minako. I am very glad I
chose to see this performance, then, though I admit that it
will be somewhat saddening to know I'll not have the chance
to see you in person again. Music lacks something in
recorded form, I've always thought, though it often sounds
passable, and many people will enjoy it greatly." Nisei
knew, in his mind, that he should not be talking to the
woman, and yet he couldn't help it, for some reason.
"You may yet have the chance to see me again,"
replied Minako, who was surprised by the rather genuine
sound of his voice. "We could arrange a chance to meet, if
you would like. We could even have dinner somewhere.
Would that be something you would enjoy?" She knew, all
too well, that what she was saying was very easy to
interpret as a date, but it didn't matter. He was an
intriguing man, and she wished to know more about him.
"I..." began Nisei, who was caught off guard by the
offer. Like before, it was something he knew he shouldn't
agree to or be doing, but before he knew it, the response
had come from within him. "I would be more than happy to
do so, if you like. Do you have a preference for when or
where?" Inside, he cursed himself.
"How about the restaurant that's above the
spaceport's concourse. Heaven's Cloud, I think it's
called, and they're supposed to have magnificent food.
I'll even pay, if you like. I got a great bonus for
signing the contract, so I'm well able." Minako couldn't
believe it, for a moment. Had he actually agreed, when so
often through her life she'd never really been able to get
a decent man to go with her to dinner?
"That would be fine for me, yes. I will have to
insist that I pay for it, though," said Nisei, who smiled
at Minako, much to his surprise. It was not a slight,
half-smile or a smirk or even a grin, but a genuine smile
that he hadn't expected to be possible for him. "When
would you like to do this?"
"How about two days from now at six in the evening.
Is that all right for you?" she asked after taking a moment
to determine just when her schedule would be open for them
to have dinner. Before he could respond, though, Minako
heard her wristwatch beep loudly three times. Wincing, she
lifted it and opened the cover to see Ami Mizuno. "I'm
sorry, I need to be somewhere shortly," she said to Nisei,
whom surprisingly simply nodded and answered quickly.
"That time is fine. I will see you then." Before she
knew it, he was out the door and gone, leaving her with the
face of Ami looking at her quizzically.
"Are you there, Minako?" came her replicated voice.
"Yes, I'm here. I'm sorry, I was in the middle of an
important discussion," responded the singer.
"I'm very sorry for interrupting you, but I have some
news for you. Are you in a secure spot?"
"Yeah, I just ducked into the corner of the club. No
one else is around," said Minako. It had been a reflex to
take cover as soon as she had been able, born of many
months of having to take her calls from the other Senshi in
secret.
"Great. We're having a meeting with Neo-Queen
Serenity tonight, and it's extremely important. You need
to be there, if at all possible. Can you make it?"
"It'll be a bit troublesome," said Minako, wincing
slightly. "We were supposed to have a rehearsal tonight,
but I guess I can tell them I'm not feeling well. Will it
be a long meeting?"
"I'm afraid so. This is very touchy business,
tonight. We'll be beginning at seven, so it's best if you
can make it by about quarter til."
"I'll do my best. See you then, Ami."
"I know, I'm sorry. I'll see you tonight." With
that, Ami severed their connection. Minako found herself
worrying, since normally most of their meetings were held
on early hours during the beginning of the week, yet it was
nearly the end of the week and late, as well. What could
possibly be important to call up and try to gather all the
Senshi? She'd find out that night, she supposed, and moved
to get cleaned up in the wake of her long performance for
the day, so that she'd be clean and rested when she went to
the meeting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The old section of Professor Tomoe's laboratory that
had once been the home of the Witches 5's offices had
deteriorated with the passage of time, due to the fact that
he had little desire to go into those old areas after he'd
been told of what had transpired from their halls. In
fact, he had been reluctant to let the space be used for
any purpose until Setsuna had spend a period of time
talking to him and discussing the need for workspace on the
behalf of both Hotaru and Jadeite. Eventually, she had
managed to convince him to allow the section of offices and
equipment to be rebuilt and replaced with newer systems
that would suit the Shin-Muun Kingdom's protectors, and
with the idea that it would cleanse the area of its past
sins.
It had taken the better part of the week that Jadeite
and Hotaru had spent on the Earth since their return from
the Moon to reconfigure all the old materials and computers
to meet their needs. In fact, all of the old computers had
simply been torn out and replaced with a set of six newer
computers that Professor Tomoe had constructed himself to
be able to perform almost any communications or record
keeping functions that the pair would need. In addition,
with the recommendation from Setsuna, he had managed to
connect them to the monitoring radar of Crystal Tokyo's
space port, allowing them to track any of the vessels that
traveled within a considerable distance from the Earth that
ended perhaps halfway between Earth's orbits with Venus and
Mars.
"Our first message should be coming in soon," said
Jadeite, sitting down before two of the computers in the
room, which sat side by side. "Setsuna left us a message
that she'd made it to the observatory and finished taking
the photos. All she needed to do was enhance them and
clean them up a bit." Thanks to his time with Professor
Tomoe, Jadeite had become proficient with computers, though
his skills were actually exceeded slightly by Hotaru's own,
who had been around them since she was a little girl.
"Sounds like we'll be looking at something rather
interesting, shortly," replied Hotaru, who was sitting on
the edge of the table that held the two printers they had
hooked up to the computer network. "I've never seen a
starship from outside our Solar System before. What do you
think it'll look like?"
"We're not totally certain if it really is a starship
or not, yet. It could be an asteroid or meteor of some
sort that just happens to be moving in that direction and
is of exceptional size. I doubt that's the case, though.
Still, there isn't an abundance of space traveling ships
outside of the Shin-Muun Kingdom, and even our own are
rather simple, these days."
"These days?" asked Hotaru, blinking. "Were they
more advanced in the Silver Millennium?"
"Considerably more advanced, yes. However, they were
mainly mothballed or destroyed when the Earth fell. The
Moon maintained a small fleet of its own, but it was
destroyed when the White Kingdom was attacked." Jadeite
shifted to look at the computer screen, which had begun to
flash with an incoming file icon. "Looks like our pictures
are here. They're printing out right next to you. At any
rate, the ships we had back then were very artistically
designed, and don't have the stream lined look that the
modern vessels do. It was a renaissance style more than
anything else, I suppose. If you looked at them in the
right way, they were almost like more aerodynamic
cathedrals with engines and sometimes sails made to catch
the solar winds."
"That's odd that you should describe them like that,
Jadeite," said Hotaru, picking up the first of the printed
images and looking at it for several long moments. "Did
they look something like this?" Her slender hand reached
over, paper in hand, to offer it to the Guardian of the
Earth. Her voice was distinctly haunted, if only subtly,
which made Jadeite's blood freeze for an instant. On the
paper was a ship surrounded by a white outline that Hotaru
had guessed was to define its outer shape. Within was the
image of a black structure with what looked like four long
rectangular sections arranged with two out to the sides and
two mounted closely atop one another in the center that
were also marked by a pair of small towers rising from
their end, where a blue glow radiated light that could only
be assumed was an engine of some sort.
"That's very similar," said Jadeite, who had to blink
several times to assure himself that he was seeing the
image that he believed was there. "I've never seen one of
that particular model or color, but it's the exact same
style as we used to use on Earth, right down to the open,
sweeping attachments between those two outer engine
structures." He moved the picture a bit closer to his
face, then set it down, pointing to the two smaller towers
rising from the end of the center structures. "Ah, yes!
Those are the command towers, where they run the ship's
main functions."
"Jadeite, where in the world did a ship like this
come from if it shouldn't have been around for well over
two thousand years?" asked Hotaru, who was leaning against
Jadeite's back to peer over his shoulder at the picture
after having moved from the printer table. "Was there any
other planet that made similar designs in the galaxy?"
"None at all, though that's not what concerns me.
There are markings on the side, and they're totally
unreadable, but the color of the ship is black, and none of
ours were ever that color. In fact, they were all white,
since the materials we used to build them couldn't be made
in any other color, and painting them would cause them to
absorb radiation from the sun."
"It must have come from somewhere, though. It can't
have been created from thin air, after all. Wait a
minute!" Hotaru cut off her original line of thought
suddenly when she noticed something, her finger quickly
moving to point at the markings on the side of the ship.
"The youma we fought had markings exactly like some of
those on her face! Particularly that one that looks like a
twisted K!"
"You're right, those look exactly the same. That
can't be a coincidence," said Jadeite, looking at the
markings more closely. Leaning back with Hotaru right
behind him, Jadeite looked up towards her. "We'd better
get a hold of Setsuna right away. This is going to make
things a lot more complicated, and a lot more dangerous.
If that ship is as predisposed towards unpleasantness as
the youma was, there are a lot of people in danger."
"Right. We should be able to catch her at the Space
Port tonight, since she was going to head back to the Moon.
I'll try and contact Ami, since she's on the Moon, in the
meantime, and have her relay the message to King Endymion
and Neo-Queen Serenity. It seems Setsuna wasn't wrong when
she said that you needed to get your powers back, and
soon," said Hotaru, moving to set down at the computer next
to the pair Jadeite was using.
"So it seems. You're right, we'd better get moving.
I'll study these until we need to meet her and see if I can
come up with any other information," Jadeite responded as
he slid his chair in close to the two computers, at which
he began to type furiously, moving between their keyboards
quickly and with purpose. "Ami is on the Moon again?" he
asked quickly, while he typed.
"Yes, she travels back and forth so often that it's
hard to keep track of her. Like I said before, she's so
busy that I don't know how she could possibly tolerate her
life, but somehow she goes on. Regardless, though, I need
to get her. I hate to make her life any more complicated,
but I don't think any of us are going to have a choice,
soon." Hotaru used a few wires to plug into her
communicator watch so that the entire computer could be
used to transmit a message to Ami. Conflict, it seemed,
was written in the stars for the Shin-Muun Kingdom.
By Asura
(Faded_Seraph@yahoo.com
Well, finally the fifth chapter. It's taken me a bit
longer than I expected it to in getting this done, but it's
turned out all right, I think. I hope all of you who read
it enjoy it and find the story compelling and worthy of
reading. A lot is going on in this chapter, but I managed
to fit it all in here without making the story expand any
farther in overall number of chatpers, which is a good
thing, I think. I'll hopefully have the sixth chapter
finished a week from the time this one is uploaded, but I
can't be sure, as I'm very busy doing some garage sale
material and working so that I can pay to visit my
girlfriend in a few weeks. Anyway, enough of my rambling.
As you all know, the original Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Toei animation,
who are hopefully investing in armor piercing autocannon
rounds to deal with DiC and Cloverway, our 'beloved'
American distributors of the Sailor Moon anime. Also, Mixx
has the rights to the manga, for some reason. A quick
thanks to my insanely overworked editor, as well, who will
hopefully go over this sometime when he gets a chance. I
really need to stop dumping all this writing on him. ^^;;;
Also, I've uploaded a revision to chapter four, since I
forgot my little top line blurb here for that one, which
includes some important information about the ballroom
scene.
Chapter 5: Shizuka nai Hinansho: Rakuen ni Nemuru –
Jadeite's Peace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moon Palace City was never a distant place to the
people of Crystal Tokyo, who provided the majority of the
supplies that were impossible to produce on the Moon, or
which had been kept from being produced on its surface.
Basic materials, such as appliances and even common day-to-
day items were never manufactured on the Moon, which was
for the most part devoid of any factories. Instead, the
Moon was an odd mixture of agricultural mastery and
technological research. While it was the most
scientifically advanced place in the entire Solar System,
it was also the least self-sufficient when it came to any
functions beyond produce.
Crystal Tokyo, to match Moon Palace City, was a
center of shipping to the Moon, in addition to its function
as the primary liftoff point for travelers going between
the two cities. Shuttles regularly carried cargoes of
basic items such as televisions, appliances, toiletries,
and meats, in addition to more advanced materials such as
computers and vehicles. The multitude of different trades
and missions that originated from Crystal Tokyo, in fact,
was surprising to Jadeite, who had learned from King
Endymion their myriad nature only the day after the
celebration.
Hoisting his bags over his shoulder and holding on to
those belonging to Hotaru Tomoe as well, Jadeite found
himself standing in the concourse of Moon Palace City's
spaceport. The crowded terminal was a loud affair, with
people bustling about to collect their luggage or to ensure
their tickets were ready, that threatened to defeat any
possibility of Jadeite hearing any words from his current
four companions. Fortunately, he found that he was at
least able to weed out most of the interference through a
bit of concentration, though it didn't do anything to
dispel the sheer volume of the place.
"I'm sorry that I can't talk to you both before you
return to the Earth," said Setsuna Meiou, dressed in a
simple dark green dress with white blouse that seemed
appropriately formal for the situation. "Keep an eye out
for anything unusual while you're there, though. I'll meet
with you again as soon as I can, but Michiru said that she
had some urgent matters to speak with me about, and I won't
have time to talk with you before you leave. It's somewhat
ironic that I, of all people, seem to be running short of
time." A quiet, refined laugh followed her words, as she
looked at both Hotaru and Jadeite with her cerise eyes.
"You are a human, after all," spoke Minako Aino, who
was dressed in a more fashionable white and orange dress
for the occasion. "You can't be everywhere at once.
Neither can I, unfortunately. I've got a circuit of
performances beginning in the city tonight, and I just know
it's going to be crazy making all the shows." The idol
Senshi gave a smile, then, and held up a finger to accent
her following words. "Not that I have a problem with that,
mind you. I'll do whatever it takes to succeed. Oh, and
now that I think of that, Mamoru wanted me to remind you to
send him reports every other week, Jadeite."
"I'm sure you'll manage just fine, Minako. After
all, you've got a definite natural talent, and I'm sure
that'll make you a star across the world soon." Hotaru
spoke next, a long and slender, paper-wrapped package
resting in her arms. "We'll be easy to reach, in case of
any problems, otherwise. Jadeite should be able to use
father's laboratory to send the necessary reports, since
it's getting redone in the old Witches 5 section for both
of our use."
"Indeed, I've heard rumors that your performances are
magnificent. I will have to drop by one of them the next
time I'm on the Moon to see for myself," said Jadeite, who
once more wore the elegant uniform he'd been given for his
position as a Guardian of the Earth. "Setsuna, you will be
able to relay my reports to King Endymion, correct? I would
hate to put strain on your schedule, and I'm sure I can use
normal channels of communication if necessary." Since he'd
be communicating through the systems Hotaru would have, all
his messages would actually go to the Crystal Watcher's
Spire, and thus need to be relayed by Sailor Pluto to the
King.
"I'm sure things won't be so busy that I can't
perform that simple task. You're being too polite,
Jadeite." Setsuna gave a soft smile as she spoke, and then
looked over to Hotaru, the expression intensifying
slightly. "He was always like that. If he thought it'd
cause someone trouble to help him, he'd have tried to build
an entire building just by himself."
"Inconveniencing people isn't a particularly polite
thing to do. I simply try to avoid making their lives any
more stressful than they already are," Jadeite said, waving
his hand softly in a dismissive gesture while Hotaru gave a
quiet giggle next to him at Setsuna's words. "I feel that
I should be doing more helping for others than asking their
help for things that I can do myself, too."
"Among people who are your friends it's not something
to be kept track of though, wouldn't you say?" interjected
Minako, sliding an arm forward from where they'd crossed
over her chest to indicate Jadeite. "Besides, Setsuna
already said she'd do it for you, so stop worrying about it
and accept it graciously, like a gentleman."
"He's not got much choice, since it's time to leave.
He'll have to just live with her help until he can get back
to the Moon, it seems," said Hotaru, whose attention had
been drawn to the line of people beginning to board the
shuttle not far away. "Good luck tonight at your
performances, Minako. We'll be back to see you both soon,
I'm sure." Hotaru waved to both Setsuna and Minako, then,
and moved towards the end of the passenger line.
"It seems Hotaru is correct. I wish both of you
ladies a good day, and shall meet you again. I can not say
how much I appreciate the chance to see you all in non-
hostile circumstances." As was his way, Jadeite then bowed
to both Minako and Setsuna before making his own way to the
boarding line.
"We'll see you later! And I'm going to hold you to
your word about coming to see one of my performances,
Jadeite. Hotaru better come with you, too!" called Minako
to the departing pair, waving to them at the same time.
"Until next time, guardian and firefly of the
Earth," said Setsuna, smiling softly before turning to part
alongside Minako, who was beginning her trek out of the
spaceport. Her words were a reference to the meaning of
Hotaru's name, which meant firefly of the Earth when taken
in a literal sense. It took mere seconds for Minako and
Setsuna's forms to become lost amongst the sea of people
within the concourse, and once more Hotaru and Jadeite were
relatively alone.
It was not long before Jadeite and Hotaru were seated
aboard their shuttle, ready for the return trip to the
Earth. They'd only been on the Moon for several days, but
it seemed as though they'd been there for weeks, at the
very least, due to the sheer amount of things that had
happened there. The relative peace of Crystal Tokyo would
be a welcome change from the busy events of Moon Palace
City, though they both would be working on more important
tasks than before.
"It seems like it's been quite some time since we
were back on Earth," commented Jadeite as the shuttle
completed its liftoff and began the trip through space
towards Crystal Tokyo. "I don't know how, but I almost
forgot about the youma we fought several weeks ago. I
imagine I'll be spending a lot of time looking into its
source once we return."
"Setsuna said she had some information on that,
though she added that it wasn't much. She meant to give it
to you before we left, but that meeting with Michiru came
up and didn't give her a chance," Hotaru said, looking over
towards Jadeite as the shuttle cruised through space.
"It's energy felt odd, now that I think about it. Most of
the youma in the past at least had a sense of, well,
Earthiness, I guess you could say. That one didn't seem at
all related to the planet."
"I didn't have any powers at the time, but I know
what you mean. I could almost feel it in my bones that it
wasn't related to the Earth in the least," responded
Jadeite. "So, if it's from somewhere other than Earth, it
means that things are a bit more complicated than they
seemed at first."
"It does have certain advantages, though," said
Hotaru, smiling softly.
"What sort of advantages are those?" asked Jadeite,
his gray eyes turning to meet hers of purple.
"We can work together on the problem. It's not from
Earth, and the planets in the Solar System have no native
life on them. In fact, only Mars and Venus have anyone on
them, and that's only because we've begun colonizing them
again. That means it's something from outside the system,
and that makes it the business of the Outer Senshi."
"So it does," said Jadeite, smiling faintly. "At
least, we'll be working together so long as you think you
can tolerate the presence of a senile old man." The
Guardian of the Earth smiled more broadly after those
words, and gave a quiet laugh as well. He truly was old,
though he had to admit that he was feeling much younger
than he had several days ago, thanks to the return of his
powers and the revitalizing effects of his second chance.
"Oh, come on," said Hotaru, laughing quietly.
"You're much to sharp to be a senile old man, and you
certainly don't look the part, either. You've even still
got all your original teeth."
"All right. I'll grant you the fact that I don't fit
the part of an old senile man, or even an old wise man," he
said, shaking his head slightly while still laughing.
Then, calming himself, he shifted in his seat and leaned it
back so that he could be more comfortable. "Where do you
think we should start in our search for information,
then?" he asked.
"I suspect Setsuna already has some information about
that which will help us determine how that youma got there,
so our best bet is to wait for her before going off on any
wild chases," responded Hotaru, mirroring Jadeite's
reclining of the seat so that she could lay back slightly.
"We have to get the old lab set up for both of our uses,
anyway. Would you object to having Ami come by to help us
hook up some computers?"
"Not at all. If she's as skilled as rumors say in
matters of technology and medicine than it's a blessing,
though it might be difficult to find an open spot in her
schedule. Now that I think about it, I didn't notice her
at the celebration, either." He could remember clearly
that Setsuna had not attended the celebration, but he had
assumed all the other Senshi were in attendance. Upon
considering it, though, he didn't recall seeing Ami at all
that night. He'd assumed that his distracted state due to
his search for Hotaru was the reason, but it was also
possible that she simply hadn't been there.
"She was there, but she only stayed for part of the
night. She runs a medical practice in Crystal Tokyo, and
she was only able to get the single night off. She got in,
attended, and left by the next dawn. She lives a rather
rushed life, sadly. We keep telling her to slow down, but
all she ever does is smile and say 'I'm living my life how
I've always wanted to.'" Hotaru gave a quiet sigh after she
finished, and then shrugged. Ami's behavior was a little
hard for her to define ever since she'd finished college.
"She must find the task of helping people a very
fulfilling one, I imagine. She probably takes time off
when no one is looking, too," said Jadeite, closing his
eyes as he spoke.
"I know she takes off work every three days or so. A
lot of reading, as far as I know. She spends a lot of time
at the library, too, I think. She's always loved books,
but I always get the feeling that she seems to be missing
something when I talk to her," Hotaru said, her lips
forming a slight frown as she finished.
"You mean it's like looking into a hollow in a
tree?" asked Jadeite, his eyes opening to accompany a
slightly furrowed brow.
"That's almost exactly it. It's a haunted look,
really, and it really reminds me..." Hotaru paused and
looked over towards Jadeite, then leaned her head back and
lowered her eyes. "It reminds me of the way you looked
when I first met you. Even when I looked at you, frozen in
crystal, you had a look to your eyes like something had
been taken away deep inside. It continued, too, for the
first few weeks and even months I knew you, but now it
seems like it's faded away. You seem more whole, now."
Jadeite turned his head to look at Hotaru as she
finished speaking, and caught her eyes with his own, which
came up to meet his gaze. "I simply managed to escape from
an endless maze. I had some help, too, that I couldn't
have made it without." A silence marked the next few
moments, before Jadeite spoke again. "You have helped me
more than you know, Hotaru."
"You would have been fine without my help," said
Hotaru, who found herself fighting off a slight blush
that's source was beyond her understanding. "I've got so
many things to distract me all the time that I can't
imagine how I could have really done anything to help you,
anyway. I was just trying to be kind."
"You didn't even need to be kind to me. Sometimes
the simplest acts, like treating a person as a human being,
can be more meaningful than anything else can. Most anyone
who knew who I was would have attacked me out of principle,
but you allowed me the chance to prove that I had
changed." There was no hiding the fact that he felt as
though he'd always be in debt to her for what she'd done
when he spoke.
"It was a chance I felt you deserved," Hotaru said,
smiling softly. "Above all else, I think it was the look
on your face when I found you that truly convinced me that
you deserved and needed another chance. With regards to
chances, though, I think we both need to take this chance
and get some sleep before we get back to Crystal Tokyo.
There'll be a lot to do once we get back, and I'm certain
that we don't want to be walking around like the living
dead when we've got work to do."
"You seem to consistently produce compassion and good
ideas, Hotaru," responded Jadeite, smiling softly and
letting his eyes fall closed again. "Sleep it shall be,
then. I will see you when we reach Crystal Tokyo, where we
will hopefully both feel refreshed and ready to get on with
our lives." He didn't need to look over to know that
Hotaru had already followed suit and let herself rest back
and close her eyes, and it was not long before both of them
were sleeping peacefully on the trek through space.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moon Palace City possessed, in addition to its other
businesses, a large artistic community as well as a well
defined circuit of nightclubs and bars that would cater to
people leaving work at nearly any hour of the night or day.
In addition to the relaxation it provided those working
people, it also was a major source of exposure for any
musicians or performers of any sort that wished to make
their names famous and become well-received by the people.
To that end, Minako Aino found herself at a different bar
or nightclub almost every single night, singing her heart
out and laying her soul bare to connect with her audience
so that they would appreciate her music.
The Silver Cross was a nightclub like many others in
Moon Palace City, though it possessed a few more high
quality features than its competition. Located near to the
Moon Palace itself, the Silver Cross attracted a large
number of workers and guards who worked there who came to
have a drink and listen to music after their shifts had
ended. The nightclub had been constructed in the basement
of the Silver Cathedral restaurant, owned by the same
person as the nightclub, who gave it excellent billing in
the inner section of the city. The most attractive feature
of the nightclub for performers was the larger than average
stage and the way it overlooked the majority of the
patron's locations, who often sat at tables surrounding a
dance floor in the center of the room. Speakers were
placed all around to ensure that the performer could be
heard anyplace within, except for a single dead corner
where, customarily, no one sat.
Minako had been forced to rush to prepare for the
performance that she'd be playing at the bar that night,
since she was required to avoid direct connection between
her Senshi duties and her life as an entertainer. Despite
the fact that she had to pick up a new dress for the
performance, get her back up musicians together, and
organize all the sound equipment thanks to her manager
being ill, she had managed to make it to the nightclub a
few minutes early. Normally, the nightclub would close for
a couple of hours between each shift, timed to the working
schedules of the people of Moon Palace City. That time
allowed the performers for the next cycle to set up and
test their equipment.
"Do we have the amplifiers set up to carry the
synthesizers?" asked Minako, who was plugging her
microphone into a wiring junction that would carry its
signal through the array of speakers in the room. In her
time as a performer, she had found her knowledge of the
technical aspects of the business increase almost as
greatly as her singing talent had, and her knowledge,
combined with that of her fellow musicians, allowed them to
set up their equipment without any sort of stage crew.
"Yeah, we got them hooked up. Tough, though. Had to
use adapters to fit them in to these. We'll have to test
them to make sure the sound holds up," responded Keith, the
young man who played the synthesizer in her small band. A
native of San Francisco back on Earth, they sometimes had
trouble communicating due to the barriers between English
and Japanese, which had become, in the wake of the Silence,
the two dominant languages in the Shin-Muun Kingdom.
Fortunately, his Japanese had advanced considerably since
he'd been on the Moon for their performances.
"The drums are all good to go as well," added in
Keichii, the band's drummer. A lanky fellow with a mop of
brown hair and fuzzy goatee, he was typically the one who
liked to bask in the glow of his small clan of fan girls,
who followed him to each performance. He still hadn't
quite figured out how he acquired their attention when the
band played mostly ballads and dance music, but he wasn't
about to reject them. "I think Jamie has the guitar ready,
too, so we can test everything in a few minutes, here."
"Great. Get the music out for the new piece, so we
can see how it sounds in here, all right?" Minako was
eager to try their new song, which she had written after a
sudden bolt of inspiration had struck her at the
celebration for Jadeite's welcoming to the Shin-Muun
Kingdom and Elios and Chibi-Usa's engagement. Looking at
both Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, and the looks they gave Jadeite
and Elios' when they had danced, she had found what she
believed to be the perfect material for a new song.
"The Dreaming Eyes piece, right?" asked Keith,
pulling his head free from a cluster of cables and power
cords near the back. "Sure you want to play it tonight? I
mean, we were still having a bit of trouble with the
transition in the first part. Though, I expect we could
probably pull it off, now that we're not totally wasted
from practicing for three hours straight."
"Hey, listen to what the lady says," said Keichii,
making a disapproving face at Keith. "We only messed up
because you were too busy thinking about your date the
other night. The rest of us can handle it." Keichii
always liked to give Keith trouble about his habit of
referencing his girlfriend in almost every situation and
being constantly distracted by the thought of her, though
Minako and Jamie, the guitarist, thought it was probably
because he was a little lonely himself and wished he had
the same thing.
"Come on, you know Keith would play it even if the
sky were falling," said Minako, laughing and shaking her
head. "Now, let's get to it, shall we? We've got an
audience to amaze tonight, and if we're lucky, we might
just get our big break with this performance. I've heard
there are a couple of producers who are looking into
picking us up for records, and if any of their scouts are
here, we've got to impress them."
"No problem," came Keith's voice, as he settled in
behind his two synthesizers. "I was born ready to make
music."
"You were born to make music? Come on, man, and give
it a rest. You say you were born to do something different
every day. Last night it was that you were born to eat lo-
mein." Keichii also liked antagonizing Keith, but they
were also good friends, so it was always obvious that they
were acting in jest with one another.
"I'm all set," called out the voice of Jamie, who
climbed up onto the stage from the nightclub's main floor.
"All the speakers are on and set up, and we have the
circuit breaker all set to handle the equipment's
requirements." Unlike the other members of the band, Jamie
was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, with
long black hair and a distinctively Chinese ancestry. She
always dressed in traditional Mandarin-style outfits when
they performed, and tonight she'd pulled out a particularly
elegant red one with gold trim.
"Then let's take our spots, and play," said Minako, a
smile breaking onto her face as she swung up her
microphone, spinning it between her fingers above her head
before clasping it lightly and holding it before her, ready
for her to sing. She heard the sound of Jamie picking up
her guitar as she set herself in the right posture to sing,
and she already knew that Keith and Keiichi were at their
spots. "All right! One, two, one, two, three," she called
out, and in time, the pickup note for the song came in, and
they began their rehearsal.
An hour after the rehearsal for Minako's band, the
doors of the Silver Cross Nightclub opened, and allowed a
flood of patrons to enter. With the celebration over and
Chibi-Usa preparing to visit the new colony on Mars with
Rei Hino and Makoto Kino, the Moon Palace was going to be
less a hectic place with several of the main people they
serviced being gone. That meant that even more than normal
numbers of people were taking time to go out and relax
after their shifts, rather than worrying about getting as
much sleep as possible before their next day, and the
nightclub was certainly witness to that, as the place was
packed almost end to end with people. The only area that
tended to remain unoccupied was the quiet corner that lay
opposite both the stage and the bar in the room.
Half an hour after the opening of the nightclub and
the beginning of the deluge of patrons, Minako and her band
took the stage. Minako had gotten a new dress for the
performance, and it was certainly a fine choice, with a
slender fit on top and a loose, wide skirt that fell down
to her ankles. The top was sequined, causing the sunflower
colored outfit to glow almost like a small star under the
lights of the stage, and the skirt was a gossamer fabric
that seemed to shimmer like liquid gold. Amidst the
clapping from the patrons, she announced herself and her
fellow band members, before leading off with one of her old
favorites, a song she'd written before the Silence but
never gotten to play until recently.
As she performed, Minako was pleased to see that
people were avoiding the small sound dead zone in the
corner with surprising regularity, with no single person
remaining there more than a minute or two. If her music
was holding them all so well, she knew that she'd be
impressing and scout from the recording groups that might
be there, but to make sure, she began to throw even a bit
more of her heart into the music. As each song ended, the
people cheered and gave applause, which to the performers
on stage, including her, was almost like receiving life's
blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a solid hour and a half into their performance
on the stage when Minako first noticed the figure sitting
in the dead zone of the nightclub. While others seemed to
linger there for no more than a minute or two at most, the
one there which caught her attention had been sitting there
for at least five minutes, and didn't seem intent on moving
any time soon. In fact, she noticed that he even had a
drink before him, and a small plate of sushi. One of the
more upscale features of the nightclub was that it offered
food to its patrons in addition to drinks, but sushi was
rather expensive.
The figure was definitely a man, she decided, for
when he shifted and the light briefly highlighted his face,
she could see a hard cast to his expression. Still, he was
not unattractive, possessing more chiseled features and
short, flowing black hair. Occasionally she caught a
glimpse of his eyes, which even from that distance she
could determine were black, a fact that surprised her,
considering the distance from the stage to the corner.
Suddenly, a concern struck her, as she noticed his long,
gray coat and the manner in which he folded his hands on
the table when he wasn't sipping his drink or eating. If
he was ordering an expensive dish, and sitting calmly in
the back of he nightclub, he just might have been a scout
from a recording group.
A scout from the recording groups would have been
welcomed with open arms by Minako under any other
circumstances, but the grim expression he wore and the fact
that he was sitting in what she was certain was the worst
acoustic location in the entire nightclub suddenly gave
rise to distinct worry for her. He wasn't going to be
getting the full power of the music, and he most certainly
didn't appear to be at all enjoying himself, which meant
that if he had the power to give her a record that would
not only play on the Moon, but Earth as well, he would not
be inclined to use it if her appraisal of his mood was
correct.
For the next hour of her performance, Minako found
herself troubled by the unmoving man in the corner, whom
never seemed to let his attention really focus on anything.
He gave her glances every few minutes, but it almost seemed
as though he was looking through her rather than at her,
which was a feeling she found very discomforting. Everyone
else who focused their attention on her seemed to connect
with her and feel the music, genuinely enjoying the
performance, and yet, there was a man who looked upon her
as though she were an alien. The fear of the possible
implications threw her off for a few moments, but then she
realized that he also probably couldn't hear the
performance all that well.
"All right, guys, let's try the new piece," said
Minako, turning to look at her fellow band members after
she finished her last song. "Let's give it everything
we've got. I think there's a scout out there, so don't hold
anything back." Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself
and then turned back to the audience, taking her spot on
the front of the stage while the others prepared their
music and gave affirmative responses. Soon, she heard
Jamie utter a quiet assurance that they were all ready.
Minako's song, Dreaming Eyes, began with only the
sound of her voice, which quickly silenced every
conversation in the nightclub, patrons and workers alike
turning to watch and listen to her. So powerful were the
words and the sound of her voice that they held all of them
enraptured, a trait that didn't come from the song alone.
She had very specifically steeled her spirit and opened her
heart for the song, determined to gain the man in the
corner's recognition and appreciation as she had gained
everyone else's. Soon, the sound of her band mates playing
came in as well, and she knew that the place was theirs.
Every word she'd sung so far in her song, Minako had
kept her eyes closed. As she reached the climax of the
song, she let them open slowly, and immediately she focused
on the man in the corner. He had to be listening to her
and watching her after that, or she felt she'd faint, for
she did not want to fail in letting her song send its
message to all that heard it. She almost jumped in joy
when she saw that his eyes were intent upon her and her
alone, and she allowed herself to burst out with the final
part of her song. Even as she did so, she found herself
subconsciously trying to determine what she saw in his
eyes.
The man seemed to be surprised more than anything
else, from what she could interpret of his unwavering gaze,
and on top of that, he seemed to truly be appreciating her
music for that moment, despite the fact that his expression
hadn't changed at all from the grim set it had held before.
All of the things she felt from him, instead, were purely
from his black eyes, which she had always found to be the
most defining aspect of a person's intent and purpose.
It was as Minako finished her song that she decided
that she would approach the man and try to talk to him
after she finished. She wanted to know, in fact she needed
to know, whether he was really listening to any of her
music but the last piece and if he was a record producing
scout or not. If he was, she felt certain that her last
song would have ensured their chances to have a record that
would span the entire Shin-Muun Kingdom, allowing her to
finally cease living two lives as Sailor Venus and Minako
Aino, the performer. Amidst the standing applause of the
patrons of the nightclub, Minako bowed and named the other
members of her band once more before excusing herself from
the stage the moment the curtain slid shut.
"Hey, Minako, where are you going?" asked Keiichi,
who was putting his drumsticks into the fabric case he
always kept them in. "In a hurry or something?"
"I think I saw a scout out there! I'm going to go
find him," said Minako, weaving with surprising speed
between the musical instruments and around the cables and
wires that connected them to the various systems.
"Hey, wait for us then! We want to know what he
says!" exclaimed Jamie, trying to go after Minako. After
all, if it truly were a scout, then it would be all their
careers that would receive the boost to a new level and
provide them with the fame they sought, as well as the
exposure.
"No, you guys need to pack up everything. We've got
another performance tomorrow night, remember?" Minako had
paused to turn back and address them at the exit of the
stage area. She really didn't want them following her,
because she wanted to talk to the man about more than just
the possibility of a record and she felt they might find it
odd. "I won't be gone long, anyway. Take care, guys!"
With that, Minako disappeared and took off into the
nightclub.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took Minako several long minutes to weave her way
through the hordes of people in the nightclub, who seemed
to pack the place to a point that she was certain was
beyond its intended capacity. Out of necessity, she had
halted herself when she first stepped onto the nightclubs
floor and turned around, heading quickly for her dressing
room to change into her more typical choice of clothing,
which consisted of a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
She didn't want to be mobbed when she went out on the
floor, and she was fairly certain, as she neared the dead
zone corner that it had been a wise decision.
Much to Minako's relief, the man was still sitting
there, though instead of eating his sushi and watching the
performance, he was watching the people move about on the
dance floor as music played from a sound system to satisfy
their desires to dance while sipping on what was left of
his drink. She almost stopped herself when she drew near,
though, due to a feeling that suddenly struck her. It
seemed almost as though he had a field that radiated a
sense of sorrow, yet it was mixed with a certain nobility
that was found in the way he sat with his shoulders back
and his head held high. While it was enough to make her
hesitate, Minako did not let herself give up, and decided
to take the initiative.
"Excuse me sir, but I would like to speak with you,"
said Minako, her voice polite and quiet. She suddenly felt
as though that man was someone she didn't want to suddenly
break onto with her normally more cheerful attitude. He
seemed deserving of respect and solitude, and she already
felt bad for having interrupted whatever he was doing.
Still, it caught his attention, and she found his face
turned towards her, with her blue eyes meeting his black
ones.
"So, you're Minako Aino," he said, his voice a
pleasant average depth with a hint of refinement within the
tone. There was another ingredient to his voice as well,
but Minako couldn't place it quite yet. "Please, do not be
apprehensive or anxious. You came to talk to me, I would
guess, so feel free to do so. I will tell you what I can."
"Oh, wonderful. Thank you," said Minako, letting out
some breath she'd unconsciously held the moment he started
speaking. "I apologize for coming out of nowhere, since you
seemed rather intent on something, but I was wondering if
you were able to hear my performance back here. It's
notorious for being an acoustic dead zone."
"Ah yes, that's an interesting thing indeed," he
responded, offering a slight smile. He was definitely a
youthful man, though he had hard lines etched into the
corners of his eyes that gave him a touch of aged wisdom in
appearance. "You I could hear perfectly well. Your
companions, however, were very distant. You see, you seem
to stand further forward on the stage, and since you
project your voice well, it carries farther than other
performers, so you reach even this back area. You simply
have no accompaniment when listening from here."
"So you were actually listening to me sing?" asked
Minako, who smiled due to her sense of relief. "I didn't
think you were listening at all, until the last song. If
you don't mind me asking, though, do you work for one of
the record companies?" With one of her concerns satisfied,
she felt the need to check on the other matter, which
concerned her friends in the band as well.
"Truthfully, I didn't pay much attention until that
last song. However, the way you sang it made me sure that
you had written all of your own music, and that you really
did believe in what the lyrics and emotions of the music
said. I apologize, however, as I am not from any of the
record companies." The man smiled apologetically and bowed
his head slightly, seemingly genuinely sorry to disappoint
her. "My name is Nisei, and I'm a traveler from a
considerable distance away. I'm sure my name isn't that
important to you, but since I know yours, I felt it only
fair to give you mine."
"No, I'm glad you told me your name. It's good to
meet new people and become friends with them, regardless of
what they do or where they're from," said Minako after a
short pause that had allowed her to consider his words.
"Well, I suppose that as long as even one of my songs was
really felt, then I'm doing well as a singer. Did you not
like the others?"
"The other pieces were well done, but the last song
was a level above the rest, easily," replied Nisei, who
pushed out one of the chairs at his table. "Please have a
seat, madam. I would hate to make you stand for the
duration of our entire conversation, for I feel we have
more to discuss."
"Thank you," she replied, smiling once more as she
sat herself down and scooted the chair to the table. "I
just wrote the new song. It was no more than a few days
ago. Maybe that'd explain why it seems to have more power
than the rest, or maybe I've just gotten better than I was
with my old songs. Also, I'm sorry for mistaking you for
one of the recording companies' scouts. It's just that you
had a look that was similar to theirs when you were
watching the performance."
"I don't think it's your timing that made the
difference. I would suspect that you've always had the
potential within, and they it just surfaced with that song.
You have a gift, and you should continue to share it with
people," he said. Then, he paused for a moment. "I hope
that you don't think I'm being some sort of obsessed fan.
This is, quite truthfully, the first time I've heard or
seen you, though I must note that you look much nicer in
normal clothing than you do dressed up and on stage."
"Actually, it'd be kind of nice to have some obsessed
fans. Not many people seem to be regulars in attending my
performances, and our music hasn't sold too well except in
a few outer sections of the city," said Minako, sighing
quietly. Then, she smiled, and shrugged slightly.
"Sometimes the simple things seem nicer than the fancy
ones, then?" She hadn't expected any appreciative comments
with regards to her rather common choice of clothing.
"Why do people like flowers? Because they are simple
yet beautiful and easy to understand. Perhaps you aren't
easy to understand, but you make your heart easily
accessible, and with that trait and tonight's performance,
I'm sure you'll soon have more fans." Nisei paused then to
take a sip of his drink, which Venus suspected to be an
alcohol of some sort that she couldn't quite identify. "I
appreciate your speaking with me, Miss Minako Aino.
Perhaps our paths will cross again, but it is late and I
must head off."
"Oh, all right. I really would hate to keep you up
if you're tired," replied Minako, offering a smile as she
stood up. A soft bow was executed as well, as a parting
gesture. "Perhaps I'll see you again, yes. If you like,
I'll be performing at one tomorrow at the Gilded Tome club.
You can hear me perform again and tell me how I sound the
second time."
"I will likely have work to do tomorrow, but I will
see if perhaps I can attend. Until then, I bid you a good
night and pleasant day tomorrow." Nisei mirrored Minako's
bow smoothly upon standing up, though it seemed to be a
very refined, almost precise and militaristic motion for
him. It rose a question in her mind that she decided she'd
ask him if she saw him again, for there was no time to ask
him as he retreated from the Silver Cross, vanishing on the
streets of Moon Palace City.
"Hey, Minako! Who was that?" asked a voice that
startled Minako out of her wits, due to its sudden arrival
from right behind her. Turning, the deeply breathing
singer held her chest for a moment, eyes focusing on the
figure of Keith. "Well, anyway, one of the recording
group's scouts came to use after you left! They want to
talk to you as soon as possible, and I think they're going
to offer us a deal!"
"What? Where is he?" asked Minako, recovering
quickly at the prospect of their band's big break. If it
really was the chance for a major record that could be
distributed all over the Moon and the Earth, then they'd be
famous in no time, and Minako could finally stop hiding her
identity as Sailor Venus, having proven that she didn't
need that distinction to have her talent recognized by
people.
"He's out by the stage, waiting for us. Just follow
me," said Keith, turning to make his way through the
thinning crowds of patrons so that he and Minako could get
to the stage door. Finally, it seemed they'd made it, and
all they had to do was get the deal hammered out and
signed. To be a star, was Minako's dream, and it was within
her grasp at long last.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Setsuna, it's good to see you again. You haven't
dropped by in such a long time that I was beginning to
think your work had devoured you," said Professor Souichi
Tomoe. "I hope you've been doing well." Clad in his
typical white lab coat and white shirt with tie, Professor
Tomoe was a figure with what could be called a smart look.
Silver hair that was a little long and wide glasses
combined to complete the impression, as he greeted Setsuna
Meiou at the front door of his home.
"Souichi," said Setsuna, smiling pleasantly in a
reserved manner that always seemed to suit her well. "It
has been quite some time, hasn't it. You look much the
same as you always have, but that's understandable, I
suppose. Your research into longevity is renowned in the
scientific community, these days. I'm afraid my own
research has fallen behind with my duties to the Shin-Muun
Kingdom."
"Yes, I can imagine that taking up a great deal of
your time," responded Professor Tomoe. "The Crystal
Watcher's Spire is still functioning well, I take it, then.
I keep meaning to get up and ensure that the computers I
made for you are all working at full capacity, but my
research has been frighteningly demanding of late, and with
Hotaru's graduation from school, I've had no time at all."
"That's partially my own fault, and I apologize for
that. Hotaru's duties were demanding in recent years, and
only now did she finally get the chance to finish school
because of my requiring her help. I hope she didn't have
any troubles with the other students in school because of
her age," said Setsuna, who stepped in at the silent
invitation of Professor Tomoe.
"Fortunately, the other students never really noticed
that she was older than they, since she, like the rest of
you, doesn't age nearly the same way. She did comment
several times that her 'peers' were rather silly, but she
said it was nice to have an excuse to act like a teenager
again." He shook his head as he finished, and allowed
himself a quiet laugh, before going on. "At any rate, I
believe that you're here to see Jadeite and Hotaru,
correct? They're down in the lab's old section, working on
rearranging the desks and equipment. Would you like me to
show you down to them?"
"No, thank you," replied Setsuna. "I've already
interrupted your work, and I don't wish to further delay
you. I should be able to find my way down. However, we
should sit down and have a chat once I'm finished. As you
said, it's been a long time since we've had the opportunity
to talk to one another in a casual setting."
"Certainly," said the Professor, heading for the door
that would lead them to the laboratory. "I'll be doing
some work down there as well, but just keep going through
to the far end and you'll find them. They should be
expecting you, but if not, it'll do good to give them a
rest. They've been working all the time, these last few
days." With that, he made his way down the stairs.
"I'll see what I can do about getting them to slow
down, a bit," said Setsuna, moving down behind Professor
Tomoe. "Good luck with your projects. I'll talk to you
soon," she said as they reached the bottom of the stairs,
offering a soft wave to him before she headed off to meet
with Jadeite and Hotaru.
It didn't take long for Setsuna to locate the pair,
who were sorting through old files on a desk just inside
what had formerly been the Witches 5 offices. Both were
glad to see her, and in no time they were sitting around a
table that had been set up in the center of the old office
space, discussing the recent matters and the coming times,
and their great significance to the Shin-Muun Kingdom.
"So, the way it happened was that you saw an image
that represented the beginning of a shattering crystal, and
found several possible sources for it. Really, though, you
found one possible source and another that you couldn't
identify, and you needed to know for certain which was
real, and so you tracked me down and had me set free of the
crystal," said Jadeite, who was assembling the facts that
had been presented to him in his mind.
"That is how it happened Jadeite, yes. It wasn't
certain at first if you were the source of the threat, or
if the threat was seeking you out, so we had to ensure that
you were kept under a keen eye," said Setsuna, who seemed
to be not the least bit concerned with the possibility that
the plan would sound as though he had never really been
trusted to begin with.
"I suppose I can't blame someone for believing I
might be the origin of the end of the world as it's known
now," said Jadeite, sighing softly as he moved to rest his
elbows on the table top and prop up his chin with the palms
of his hands. "I hope I've proven my intentions now,
though."
"Of course you have," said Hotaru, leaning forward
slightly. "Don't sell yourself so short, Jadeite. You
know very well that you've accomplished much in the short
time you've been back, and that you've done nothing wrong."
"Don't worry, Jadeite. Hotaru was just doing as I
asked her, anyway. She had something of a fascination with
you once she discovered your frozen form, and kept asking
me to make sure that you really were one of the Kings of
the Dark Kingdom. She was the one who said you ought to
have the chance to prove yourself, instead of simply being
locked up and kept under guard. She even volunteered to
watch over you herself, and it was no small amount of
effort that got her that privilege," said Setsuna, much to
the sudden dismay of Hotaru, who became rather shy upon the
mention of her unusual crush on the blond Guardian of the
Earth.
"I'm more indebted to you then I first knew, then,"
said Jadeite, looking with his cool gray eyes towards
Hotaru, who blinked and then shied away from his gaze for a
moment. Even though she'd been perfectly comfortable with
their dancing at the celebration and their discussions and
time together during their trip, she was still a bit more
nervous than she let on around him, for he made her feel a
bit more light hearted than she did around anyone else, for
some reason. "I have no reason to hold anything against
either of you for your actions, of course. You did what
was best for the kingdom."
"You prove once more that you've grown wiser,
Jadeite," said Setsuna, who was still smiling at the small
exchange between he and Hotaru. She found herself rather
curious as to whether or not her father knew that she had
feelings for Jadeite, and decided to mention it to him
later. "Your excess pride has been released, and your
understanding of what is necessary has expanded
significantly, making you an excellent person to be
Guardian of the Earth. That brings me to the matters of
our duties, truthfully."
"I heard from Haruka and Michiru just a few hours ago
that they spotted what looked like some sort of space
vessel just passing Pluto's outer orbit. Had it not
blocked the light of a star, they would never have noticed
it, but when they noticed the light extinguished for a
moment, they decided to get out a telescope and look into
the night sky. They haven't been able to get any pictures
of it, but we do know that where they saw it isn't where it
actually is, due to the amount of time light takes to
travel from there to Earth. I'll be heading over to an
observatory in Arizona, of the former United States, to get
a good photo of it," said Setsuna, who paused at that point
to let the information sink in.
"Have you seen it at all yet?" asked Hotaru, whose
expression had changed from one of shyness to one of
curiosity and concern, her purple eyes narrowed slightly in
consideration.
"I haven't yet seen it, no, but they said that the
ship was nearly impossible to see, and that they only could
find it because they had an idea there was something there.
The entire vessel was painted black, but that's the only
detail they could make out beyond its slightly elongated
shape. I'll send you a copy of the photos once I've gotten
them at the observatory," answered Setsuna.
"Could they tell how fast it was moving, or where it
was headed?" asked Jadeite, his question being the logical
succession to Hotaru's own. It sometimes surprised Setsuna
that Hotaru and Jadeite were able to think along such
similar lines much of the time, without their even
realizing it.
"It wasn't moving quickly, I'm told, but it was
definitely aimed towards the inner system, and that makes
it a definite concern. I suspect that it has a connection
to the youma which struck here several weeks ago, and I do
not think my concerns will be abated when I am able to
consult the Scrying Pool once I'm back on the Moon
tomorrow." The concern was, in fact, obvious in the soft
narrowing of Setsuna's eyes and the slight furrowing of her
brow.
"I guess we'll have to try and set up some telescopes
and watch the skies as well. Do we have anything that
monitors the traffic of objects around the Earth and
Moon?" asked Jadeite, who was deathly serious quite
suddenly when he saw Setsuna's expression. Things which
worried who he considered to be the most powerful of all
the Sailor Senshi were not to be taken lightly, and he
instinctively figured that there was even more here than
she was ready to explain.
"There's a monitoring system of high quality at the
space port. Maybe my father can hook up to it with some
computers down here, so we can keep track of things as
well. It's a brand new system, too, so there's not much
chance that it's going to be easily gotten by, if they mean
to do anything hostile. Judging by that youma, though, I'd
say we need to be ready for a fight," said Hotaru.
"A good idea, Hotaru. I'll ask Souichi about it on
my way out, and since that is what I should be doing now, I
will be going. Thank you for your time, Hotaru, Jadeite.
I wish you both the best of luck in your part in this."
Setsuna smiled, then, and turned, heading away from the
pair. She would speak with Souichi and see what he could
do, and she was certain that Hotaru and Jadeite would be
more than ready to do their part to protect the Shin-Muun
Kingdom. Unfortunately, her time was short, and she
reminded herself to keep moving, which was a fact she found
somewhat amusing, since she was the Senshi of Time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We can't just sit here and wait for something that
we know next to nothing about to just waltz up to the Moon
or to Earth and do as it pleases, Your Majesty!" Haruka
Tenou, commonly known also as Sailor Uranus, stood in the
throne room of the Moon Palace, one arm thrown out to her
side with fingers splayed out and the other with a clenched
fist in front of her as she spoke to Neo-Queen Serenity,
trying to convince her to allow herself and Michiru Kaiou
to fly out on one of the Shin-Muun Kingdom's few armed
shuttles to try and confront the unidentified ship that had
arrived in the Solar System.
"I will not allow you to take hostile actions
against someone who may be peaceful, Haruka, nor will I
allow you, Michiru, to do the same. We need to wait
patiently to see what develops in this situation, rather
than rushing out to start a conflict whether intentionally
or by accident," responded the Neo-Queen, who sat on her
throne in a slightly uncomfortable manner. She did not
like having to argue with her friends, but in the current
case, she saw no choice, for their idea conflicted greatly
with her own.
"The Earth already was attacked once by unidentified
youma, Usagi. That gives us more than enough reason to be
suspicious of anything coming near our worlds. What if
that ship is the source of those youma?" Michiru spoke at
that point in lieu of her tall, blond companion, brushing a
hand through her soft blue-green hair as she did so. "The
risk is to great not to take action."
"That may well have been an isolated incident, you
know. It's not certain whether or not that youma had any
connection to another force, or if it was just some left
over from older battles we've fought. You're jumping to
conclusions, so please, calm down and think things
through," said Neo-Queen Serenity, her head bowing softly
and her eyes, which hinted at a distinct sorrow, closed.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I just can't agree.
How many times has an incident ever been just an isolated
occurrence in our lives? You know as well as I that there
are always greater forces at work than what we initially
suspect, and this is likely no different. We need to be
ready for this, no matter what it is or what happens."
Haruka once again took up the argument of the Outer Senshi
before the Neo-Queen, though her voice was calmer than it
had been a moment ago, as was her pose, which consisted of
her arms relaxed limply at her sides.
"I will call the other Senshi together, or at least
those who can make it quickly, then. We will all discuss
the matter, and if you all agree, then I will go along with
your plan. Otherwise, we will proceed with this matter in
my way. I apologize, but I do not wish another conflict to
befall the Shin-Muun Kingdom needlessly." Neo-Queen
Serenity's head lifted as she finished, and the look in her
blue eyes stated plainly that it was the end of their
argument for the time being, much to the dismay of the two
Outer Senshi. Despite their misgivings, they had to admit
that Usagi had become a fine ruler for the Shin-Muun
Kingdom, and with the backing of her husband, King
Endymion, they were the most fair and just rulers they
could recall ever being in power.
"Very well, Your Majesty," said Michiru and Haruka
together. We will await the gathering of the other Senshi,
but I ask that you make it as swift as possible. We can't
afford to waste any time, particularly if this really is a
danger to the kingdom," continued Haruka. "We will try and
gather the other Outer Senshi, but I doubt they will be
able to make it here in time. They are already dealing
with this matter in preliminary manners."
"Will you please request that they calm down and take
this more slowly as well?" requested the Neo-Queen, sighing
quietly. "You all take any possible threat with so much
seriousness that you'd think it was the imminent end of the
world, and it needs to stop. Otherwise, we'll be jumping
at any slight problem that shouldn't be a concern of this
magnitude."
"We will request that of them, Your Majesty," said
Michiru, nodding once in place of Haruka, who quite
obviously was doing her best to stifle what most certainly
was a scathing response befitting her level of concern on
the potential threat. "It may take some time to gain their
consent, however," she added, as she turned and began to
leave the hall, her high-heeled shoes clicking softly on
the floor and resounding throughout the throne room.
"We will return at your beckoning, Your Majesty,"
said Haruka after a long few moments before she, too,
turned and made her way out of the hallway. There was no
mistaking the angry disappointment within her, and within
Michiru, for that matter, but the Neo-Queen knew them both
well enough to know that they were upset due to their
senses of duty and their desire to protect both her and the
Shin-Muun Kingdom.
"Mamo-chan," said the Neo-Queen, looking towards King
Endymion, who sat beside her on his matching throne. "Am I
being foolish with this? Should I let them go and do as
they requested, and simply ask them to try and avoid any
conflicts?"
"Usa-ko," responded King Endymion, smiling towards
his wife softly. "You are merely trying to do things the
way that is right to you. I know that, as do they, and no
one can fault you for that. Have faith in your judgment,
and let things proceed as they will. You will do your best
no matter what happens."
"Thank you, Mamo-chan," she replied, smiling back.
"I just needed to hear it from someone other than myself,
that's all." With that, she took a slow, deep breath,
which she held for a moment before releasing slowly and
quietly. "Shall we continue with our business for the day
and see the next visitors to the Moon Palace?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like the Silver Cross Nightclub, the Gilded Tome Club
was a popular diversion for workers of the Moon Palace that
spent their early morning hours laboring. A setup superior
in design to the Silver Cross Nightclub, but not as popular
with the fans for reasons which never seemed to be known,
the Gilded Tome was still very popular amongst workers of
all different walks of life in Moon Palace City.
Minako Aino had been performing for at least a solid
hour, her eyes scanning the crowd the entire time for any
sign of Nisei, the long coat wearing man she'd met the
night before. She didn't expect him to show up, in truth,
and it made her somewhat sad to think of that possibility.
To that end, she'd been directing her companions to play
some of her more soft and flowing songs of lost love and
friends, which she'd certainly had enough experience with
to write quality songs of. The crowd seemed to be drawn
into the music, as well, and she was amazed and somehow
satisfied with the fact several of her listeners actually
took out tissues and handkerchiefs to wipe away tears.
It was as she finished what was to be her second to
last song that she spotted the distinctive figure of Nisei
in the back of the room, where he had apparently been
standing with his back against the wall for some time. She
was amazed that she hadn't noticed him sooner, for it
looked as though he'd been there for quite some time.
Still, she was pleased to know that he'd shown up. Singing
through her last song; the same she'd finished with last
night, she quickly cleared off the stage upon finishing and
moved to change her outfits.
"Thank you for coming to my performance again."
Minako managed to catch Nisei as he was preparing to leave,
her voice stopping him before he reached the door. A
brief, odd expression crossed his face, as though he was
relieved and disappointed at the same time, which she
thought rather strange. However, she knew he was a
traveler, and that people like he were prone to unusual
habits.
"I am pleased to have had the chance to hear you sing
again," Nisei responded, smiling faintly. "You might say
it called me. I am not disappointed, however. Your
performance today exceeded the one from last night." He
stood with his hands in the pockets of his long coat, which
concealed whatever clothing he wore beneath it to leave
only his head, with its flowing black hair and matching
eyes, visible.
"We were all in a great mood for this performance.
It's the last time we'll have to play in a nightclub or
bar! We finally were signed to a record deal, and soon our
songs will be all over the Shin-Muun Kingdom. It's as if a
dream is coming true for me," Minako said, speaking
swiftly. Normally she kept a more normal pace of speech,
but her excitement made her all too eager to talk and share
her happiness with those who would listen.
"A splendid thing, Miss Minako. I am very glad I
chose to see this performance, then, though I admit that it
will be somewhat saddening to know I'll not have the chance
to see you in person again. Music lacks something in
recorded form, I've always thought, though it often sounds
passable, and many people will enjoy it greatly." Nisei
knew, in his mind, that he should not be talking to the
woman, and yet he couldn't help it, for some reason.
"You may yet have the chance to see me again,"
replied Minako, who was surprised by the rather genuine
sound of his voice. "We could arrange a chance to meet, if
you would like. We could even have dinner somewhere.
Would that be something you would enjoy?" She knew, all
too well, that what she was saying was very easy to
interpret as a date, but it didn't matter. He was an
intriguing man, and she wished to know more about him.
"I..." began Nisei, who was caught off guard by the
offer. Like before, it was something he knew he shouldn't
agree to or be doing, but before he knew it, the response
had come from within him. "I would be more than happy to
do so, if you like. Do you have a preference for when or
where?" Inside, he cursed himself.
"How about the restaurant that's above the
spaceport's concourse. Heaven's Cloud, I think it's
called, and they're supposed to have magnificent food.
I'll even pay, if you like. I got a great bonus for
signing the contract, so I'm well able." Minako couldn't
believe it, for a moment. Had he actually agreed, when so
often through her life she'd never really been able to get
a decent man to go with her to dinner?
"That would be fine for me, yes. I will have to
insist that I pay for it, though," said Nisei, who smiled
at Minako, much to his surprise. It was not a slight,
half-smile or a smirk or even a grin, but a genuine smile
that he hadn't expected to be possible for him. "When
would you like to do this?"
"How about two days from now at six in the evening.
Is that all right for you?" she asked after taking a moment
to determine just when her schedule would be open for them
to have dinner. Before he could respond, though, Minako
heard her wristwatch beep loudly three times. Wincing, she
lifted it and opened the cover to see Ami Mizuno. "I'm
sorry, I need to be somewhere shortly," she said to Nisei,
whom surprisingly simply nodded and answered quickly.
"That time is fine. I will see you then." Before she
knew it, he was out the door and gone, leaving her with the
face of Ami looking at her quizzically.
"Are you there, Minako?" came her replicated voice.
"Yes, I'm here. I'm sorry, I was in the middle of an
important discussion," responded the singer.
"I'm very sorry for interrupting you, but I have some
news for you. Are you in a secure spot?"
"Yeah, I just ducked into the corner of the club. No
one else is around," said Minako. It had been a reflex to
take cover as soon as she had been able, born of many
months of having to take her calls from the other Senshi in
secret.
"Great. We're having a meeting with Neo-Queen
Serenity tonight, and it's extremely important. You need
to be there, if at all possible. Can you make it?"
"It'll be a bit troublesome," said Minako, wincing
slightly. "We were supposed to have a rehearsal tonight,
but I guess I can tell them I'm not feeling well. Will it
be a long meeting?"
"I'm afraid so. This is very touchy business,
tonight. We'll be beginning at seven, so it's best if you
can make it by about quarter til."
"I'll do my best. See you then, Ami."
"I know, I'm sorry. I'll see you tonight." With
that, Ami severed their connection. Minako found herself
worrying, since normally most of their meetings were held
on early hours during the beginning of the week, yet it was
nearly the end of the week and late, as well. What could
possibly be important to call up and try to gather all the
Senshi? She'd find out that night, she supposed, and moved
to get cleaned up in the wake of her long performance for
the day, so that she'd be clean and rested when she went to
the meeting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The old section of Professor Tomoe's laboratory that
had once been the home of the Witches 5's offices had
deteriorated with the passage of time, due to the fact that
he had little desire to go into those old areas after he'd
been told of what had transpired from their halls. In
fact, he had been reluctant to let the space be used for
any purpose until Setsuna had spend a period of time
talking to him and discussing the need for workspace on the
behalf of both Hotaru and Jadeite. Eventually, she had
managed to convince him to allow the section of offices and
equipment to be rebuilt and replaced with newer systems
that would suit the Shin-Muun Kingdom's protectors, and
with the idea that it would cleanse the area of its past
sins.
It had taken the better part of the week that Jadeite
and Hotaru had spent on the Earth since their return from
the Moon to reconfigure all the old materials and computers
to meet their needs. In fact, all of the old computers had
simply been torn out and replaced with a set of six newer
computers that Professor Tomoe had constructed himself to
be able to perform almost any communications or record
keeping functions that the pair would need. In addition,
with the recommendation from Setsuna, he had managed to
connect them to the monitoring radar of Crystal Tokyo's
space port, allowing them to track any of the vessels that
traveled within a considerable distance from the Earth that
ended perhaps halfway between Earth's orbits with Venus and
Mars.
"Our first message should be coming in soon," said
Jadeite, sitting down before two of the computers in the
room, which sat side by side. "Setsuna left us a message
that she'd made it to the observatory and finished taking
the photos. All she needed to do was enhance them and
clean them up a bit." Thanks to his time with Professor
Tomoe, Jadeite had become proficient with computers, though
his skills were actually exceeded slightly by Hotaru's own,
who had been around them since she was a little girl.
"Sounds like we'll be looking at something rather
interesting, shortly," replied Hotaru, who was sitting on
the edge of the table that held the two printers they had
hooked up to the computer network. "I've never seen a
starship from outside our Solar System before. What do you
think it'll look like?"
"We're not totally certain if it really is a starship
or not, yet. It could be an asteroid or meteor of some
sort that just happens to be moving in that direction and
is of exceptional size. I doubt that's the case, though.
Still, there isn't an abundance of space traveling ships
outside of the Shin-Muun Kingdom, and even our own are
rather simple, these days."
"These days?" asked Hotaru, blinking. "Were they
more advanced in the Silver Millennium?"
"Considerably more advanced, yes. However, they were
mainly mothballed or destroyed when the Earth fell. The
Moon maintained a small fleet of its own, but it was
destroyed when the White Kingdom was attacked." Jadeite
shifted to look at the computer screen, which had begun to
flash with an incoming file icon. "Looks like our pictures
are here. They're printing out right next to you. At any
rate, the ships we had back then were very artistically
designed, and don't have the stream lined look that the
modern vessels do. It was a renaissance style more than
anything else, I suppose. If you looked at them in the
right way, they were almost like more aerodynamic
cathedrals with engines and sometimes sails made to catch
the solar winds."
"That's odd that you should describe them like that,
Jadeite," said Hotaru, picking up the first of the printed
images and looking at it for several long moments. "Did
they look something like this?" Her slender hand reached
over, paper in hand, to offer it to the Guardian of the
Earth. Her voice was distinctly haunted, if only subtly,
which made Jadeite's blood freeze for an instant. On the
paper was a ship surrounded by a white outline that Hotaru
had guessed was to define its outer shape. Within was the
image of a black structure with what looked like four long
rectangular sections arranged with two out to the sides and
two mounted closely atop one another in the center that
were also marked by a pair of small towers rising from
their end, where a blue glow radiated light that could only
be assumed was an engine of some sort.
"That's very similar," said Jadeite, who had to blink
several times to assure himself that he was seeing the
image that he believed was there. "I've never seen one of
that particular model or color, but it's the exact same
style as we used to use on Earth, right down to the open,
sweeping attachments between those two outer engine
structures." He moved the picture a bit closer to his
face, then set it down, pointing to the two smaller towers
rising from the end of the center structures. "Ah, yes!
Those are the command towers, where they run the ship's
main functions."
"Jadeite, where in the world did a ship like this
come from if it shouldn't have been around for well over
two thousand years?" asked Hotaru, who was leaning against
Jadeite's back to peer over his shoulder at the picture
after having moved from the printer table. "Was there any
other planet that made similar designs in the galaxy?"
"None at all, though that's not what concerns me.
There are markings on the side, and they're totally
unreadable, but the color of the ship is black, and none of
ours were ever that color. In fact, they were all white,
since the materials we used to build them couldn't be made
in any other color, and painting them would cause them to
absorb radiation from the sun."
"It must have come from somewhere, though. It can't
have been created from thin air, after all. Wait a
minute!" Hotaru cut off her original line of thought
suddenly when she noticed something, her finger quickly
moving to point at the markings on the side of the ship.
"The youma we fought had markings exactly like some of
those on her face! Particularly that one that looks like a
twisted K!"
"You're right, those look exactly the same. That
can't be a coincidence," said Jadeite, looking at the
markings more closely. Leaning back with Hotaru right
behind him, Jadeite looked up towards her. "We'd better
get a hold of Setsuna right away. This is going to make
things a lot more complicated, and a lot more dangerous.
If that ship is as predisposed towards unpleasantness as
the youma was, there are a lot of people in danger."
"Right. We should be able to catch her at the Space
Port tonight, since she was going to head back to the Moon.
I'll try and contact Ami, since she's on the Moon, in the
meantime, and have her relay the message to King Endymion
and Neo-Queen Serenity. It seems Setsuna wasn't wrong when
she said that you needed to get your powers back, and
soon," said Hotaru, moving to set down at the computer next
to the pair Jadeite was using.
"So it seems. You're right, we'd better get moving.
I'll study these until we need to meet her and see if I can
come up with any other information," Jadeite responded as
he slid his chair in close to the two computers, at which
he began to type furiously, moving between their keyboards
quickly and with purpose. "Ami is on the Moon again?" he
asked quickly, while he typed.
"Yes, she travels back and forth so often that it's
hard to keep track of her. Like I said before, she's so
busy that I don't know how she could possibly tolerate her
life, but somehow she goes on. Regardless, though, I need
to get her. I hate to make her life any more complicated,
but I don't think any of us are going to have a choice,
soon." Hotaru used a few wires to plug into her
communicator watch so that the entire computer could be
used to transmit a message to Ami. Conflict, it seemed,
was written in the stars for the Shin-Muun Kingdom.
