By: Lirial Raito
Chapter 3: Letters From The Queen
Minako stood staring at the letter she had received from the palace, re-reading the words several times to make sure she had gotten the message correct. She closed her eyes, then read the letter again. Still, the words stayed the same.
Dear Aino Minako,
You have been chosen to become the new Director of Entertainment for the
Crystal Palace, as well as a pediatric consultant to work in conjunction with
the individual I hope will accept the position of Director of Children's Health.
I have watched your education and public services with interest, and believe
you are well suited for these positions.You have a week to decide, so please
think about your decision, and feel free to contact me at anytime with your
questions and concerns.
Sincerely,
Neo Queen Serenity
Minako stared off into space for an hour, then reached for her phone. By now, her friends' mail should have been delivered,
and Minako could see if anyone else had gotten a similar letter.
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Ami stretched and came awake as someone knocked on her door. She got out of bed and tossed a robe on. "Coming!" The knocking came again as she made her way to the door, then stopped once she got there. Opening the door Ami looked around, but no one was there. Whoever her guest had been was gone. She started to close the door again when she noticed a small package on the ground. Must have been a delivery person. Picking up the package she walked back inside and sat it down on a table.
The small box stayed there until she showered and had eaten some cereal. When her morning routine was finished, Ami walked back over to her table and opened the package.
Inside the box were pictures, some handwriting samples, and a small computer, with a disk. She studied the pictures, which were of Neo Queen Serenity, and Ami's old friend, Usagi. The handwriting samples appeared to be the same, some of the Neo Queen, and some from Usagi. Ami frowned. Why would someone send me this? And… how could that person have gotten these samples?
She considered the computer and disk, then sighed. Her curiosity was too strong to ignore. She picked up the computer and
inserted the disk. The computer hummed softly, and then extracted the files from the disk. She lifted an eyebrow as the
small screen indicated an upgrade from the disk. A few moments later the computer was finished, and a file appeared on
the main screen. She opened the file to find a long list of information about the Neo Queen, and Usagi. She frowned again.
Why? Shaking her head Ami put the computer away. She had to go to Makoto's now to meet everyone, and
would ponder the situation more there.
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By noon Minako, Rei, Ami, and Mamoru had gathered at Makoto's for lunch, and a discussion of the letters that each of them had received.
Makoto stood up from her sitting position next to Ami. "I'm gonna get more snacks… I have this feeling I'll be getting more visitors."
As she gathered a tray of fruit and homemade cookies and cakes, her doorbell rang.
"Come in!!!" Makoto shouted, as her friends clasped their ears. Makoto's shouting could be so loud… The door swung open to reveal Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, and Chibi Usa. Hotaru and Chibi Usa ran inside without needing anymore invitation than the sight of their friends. Michiru followed next, then Haruka. Setsuna glanced behind her, then walked in and closed the door. Within moments everyone had rearranged themselves to include their friends, and Makoto was out again with her extra snacks.
Everyone stayed quiet for a moment, then Setsuna spoke up. "I had a feeling you would all be here… we were wondering if you had received letters from the Neo Queen?"
The inners (yes, I'm still referring to them the inners) looked at one another for a moment, then raised their letters. Minako smiled slightly, "We all got letters this morning, and were going to discuss what to do as a group. Ami-chan and I would be working together for certain, and probably some of the others as well."
Setsuna nodded, "All palace positions as interconnected, this is why we came to discuss these new jobs as well. Even Chibi-Usa and Hotaru-chan have received invitations."
"Yeah!" exclaimed Chibi-Usa, "to 'help the Queen and her advisors keep in touch with the interests of the young people on Earth,' that's what our letters said."
"And to add general excitement to the Queens life," Hotaru added.
Everyone looked at each other, then at the two teenagers.
"I wonder if the Queen knows what she's getting herself into," asked Rei.
Ami stared at her small computer, looking at the symbol on the front. "I believe the Queen may know exactly what she is getting into Rei… of everyone on this planet, I believe Serenity is the only person who remembers everything about the creation of Crystal Tokyo, and the events leading up to her Queen-ship. And… I have gotten some interesting information about Neo Queen Serenity."
She fell silent as everyone turned their attention to her. "I think that Serenity may be our long lost Usagi."
The commotion her words caused was instantaneous, everyone trying to speak at once except for Chibi-Usa and Mamoru. Ami held up her hand, and the others settled down for a bit.
"I have been gathering as much information I could since our awakening in Crystal Tokyo, mainly because of the Queens off behavior toward us at the beginning. I'm sure you all remember how she claimed to know us, and knew so much about our relationship with Usagi. From various occasions, I have managed to gather pictures of Serenity and Usagi, handwriting samples, birthdates, interests, and most importantly, a dna sample from each. Usagi's was easy to get, because of Chibi-Usa, but I had a harder time in getting one of Serenity. But I was finally able to, being an intern briefly at the Crystal Hospital. Everything I have gathered indicates that Serenity IS Usagi…."
Everyone started talking at once again, except for Chibi-Usa.
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Chiba Usagi stared up at her ceiling, trying to sort out the emotions her invitation to live in the palace had stirred up. Hotaru sat quietly beside her, providing silent support for her pink haired friend. Diana was sitting on the window seal, staring out at the street below. By the end of the meeting everyone had decided to accept the Queen's job offers and living arrangements, mostly because of Ami's information. And Chibi-Usa had declared that, since she was 15, she was to now be called Usagi instead of Chibi-Usa. Everyone had accepted the declaration gracefully, except for Mamoru, who refused to talk to his daughter.
She bit her lip to push back the tears that arose with that thought.
Her father wouldn't talk to her, because of her name and the memories she evoked. She trembled and felt Hotaru wrap an arm around her shoulders. Usagi leaned into her friend for support, and let her tears go. She couldn't help but give a small prayer of thanks for Hotaru's steadfast friendship and support. Within minutes, Usagi had cried herself to sleep on Hotaru's shoulder.
Hotaru watched the sleeping for of her friend, and carefully picked Usagi up to move the covers aside. Then she laid her back down and covered Usagi up, placing a small kiss on Usagi's forehead. She felt sad for her friend, and the cold way Mamoru was treating her. He had revealed earlier in the day his breakup with Rebecca. Everyone had seen this as inevitable, she had only been a replacement for his Usako. But so much time had passed, and if Ami was right about Serenity being their older Usagi, then she wasn't the girl that Mamoru had fallen in love with so long ago.
Hotaru placed one more light kiss on Usagi's cheek, then settled herself into a comfortable chair. Tonight she would watch over Usagi's dreams, so her friend was well rested in the morning. They had shopping to do, and more plans to make, before visiting the Queen and accepting her invitation.