Episode #16 - Timestranded and Starcrossed
Raye looked around, the temple was as clean as it ever was, but still she swept its grounds. This was her chore, the one thing that she did around here that made her feel needed. Chad was still here, now a priest in his own right, and he had mellowed in the past few months. He still played the guitar, but he now played softrock style music, much to Raye's surprise. She smiled, Chad was still a bit of a moron, but that's what made him Chad. Raye thought for a while. Mina had been laid to rest over a month ago, but I was still hard to think about. The meetings weren't the same, no more of her mis-quoted sayings, no more of her endless chatter, no more. Mina. Raye had thought that she was over it, but she wasn't. She and Mina were supposed to meet the day she had died, but Raye had gotten the street wrong. She had been the second to arrive after Sailor Uranus and Neptune, but she couldn't understand why Pluto and Saturn hadn't shown up. Saturn could've healed Mina, saved her! But she wasn't there! And Robert! That impudent little boy was Starslayer!? He had some nerve, telling them that they couldn't kill Geoff! Even though he had explained why they couldn't, Raye didn't buy it at all. How could someone become stronger after being killed!? It was then that a thought struck her. She raced inside, picking a book up from a shelf and began to flip through it. She was certain she had read something about something like that before. She flipped through the pages, almost going through the entire book. There it was! She flipped back to the page and began to read.
".And will have the powers of a god if the person is killed."
The book was speaking about possession. Possession by a certain type of demon, a Vzod demon. These demons were notorious for possessing young girls and making them torment their loved ones, but not for possessing men, and even less for even existing over a thousand years ago. They were only discovered five hundred years ago, and the last one had thought to have been exorcized over three hundred years ago. "There's no possibility. it couldn't be one of those. it's nearly impossible for one to even survive that long inside one body." That was the flaw of Vzod demons; they were notorious for sucking the life force out of their hosts like a Hoover with an overcharged engine. Raye knew it wasn't one of those, it was almost impossible, even if it was a Greater Vzod Demon, it wouldn't be able to live that long. Raye got up, replaced the book, and went back to her sweeping. Serena and the others soon arrived for their meeting. She noticed that Hotaru and Robert were walking hand in hand, with slight smiles on their faces. She knew that kind of smile, it was the same one that Darien and Serena had on their faces continually. They walked inside, taking seats on the ground or on the small benches around the fire. "Well, anyone have anything new to report?" asked Amy. "Not really. still pretty uneventful since." Hotaru said quietly, she knew she had let the team down by not being there. Robert put an arm around her shoulder. Raye looked at them all, they were still saddened by their loss, but it would soon pass, she hoped. Raye looked at Serena, she had become quite the scrapper in the past few weeks, getting in more fights than she ever remembered. Serena, the person who wouldn't say "Boo!" sideways, was now so incensed that she would snap in an instant. Raye still remembered in Gym class, she was playing, of all things, basketball. One of the males had "accidentally" hip-checked her and knocked her down. Serena had looked at him like there was daggers in her eyes, and instead of whimpering or crying, she stole the ball, ran down nearly the entire court, and slam-dunked the ball into the basket. It was worse in the second period, when Serena had actually hip-checked that same guy, sending him flying into the gym wall, and then splattered his nose all over the wall by driving her elbow into the back of his head when she "accidentally" tripped over her shoelace. Raye could see the cold satisfaction in Serena's eyes, and that look of ice cold vengeance still burned in her memory. Raye shuddered internally, she knew Serena would never be the person she had been, too much had happened to her. She was still the same person, but she now had a cruel streak running through her. Almost like there was two Serena's, one kind and caring, the other cold, calculating and cruel. "So, what's new?" asked Amy. "Nothing much. not a whole lot of activity as of late" said Lita. "I say we take this lucky break and do some. investigating," said Serena. "Whadda you mean?" asked Haruka. "Well. I had a idea. what if we. well, what if we went back to the past and found out more about Geoff?" Each of them looked at Serena, it was a good idea. "Any objections?" she asked. They all shook their heads no. Serena looked at Setsuna. "Can you open up a portal to the past?" "Yes." she said quietly. "Any problem with that?" Serena asked crisply. "No Serena, no problem" She said. "Good, now, can you stop time for as long as were gone?" she asked, her voice stone cold. "I'll try, I've never used that power for a sustained amount of time before, though" "Don't worry, I'll help you" said Robert. Setsuna looked at him. "I can transfer some of my power to you, as much as you need, just don't tap me dry, okay" he said with a sarcastic smile. "Good, then it's decided, we'll return in an hour, Setsuna, be ready to open the portal then" Said Serena, who got up and left. "What's up with her?" asked Hotaru. "Don't ask love, you don't wanna know" said Robert, holding Hotaru reassuringly. Robert walked over to Setsuna and began to speak. "Well, it seems that you and I need to talk" "Why is that?" "Because, if I am to help you, I will need to, well, get to know you a little better" "Why?"
"Because, it helps make the transfer of power smoother" "Oh" "But, I am willing to answer any questions that you have of me." "I guess. well, let's get started." "You always speak with such a passing tone with people you don't trust?" "You always so rude to people?" "No, just making a point" "And that would be?" "Just try and trust me, okay, it's mutually beneficial" Setsuna looked at this young man, she could tell that he was lying about many things, the first of which was his age. "If you want me to trust you, then please, tell me something that I don't know about you" "Sure, whadda you want to know?" "Firstly, just how old are you?" "Well. since you are the Senshi of Time, I guess it was pointless to try and hide it from you for very long. You know how time passes in the Crystal Millennium, right?" "Yes but what does that have to do with. oh. so your-" She remembered that the Silver Crystal kept everyone young and healthy in the Crystal Millennium, so much that the populous was nearly immortal. "Two hundred and seventeen, I just chose to keep my body this age. I seem to perform best in it, anything else?" "Is there anything that we can do to Geoff?" "Other than torment him, not really" "And how do you know this?" "Before I was sent here, and by the way, I'm also stuck here, Neo Queen Serenity told me that Geoff could not be killed because this entire predicament is not his fault" "Did she tell you what she meant by that?" "No, Geoff had found her just after she had completed the spell to send me back, and shot her in the head" Setsuna looked at him, he wasn't lying. "Anything else you would like to know?" "Uh. no" "Well then, can you tell me something?" "Sure" "What's up with Serena, other than the obvious?" "Well. two of her best friends died before you arrived, and now Mina. I think the strain is getting to her" "I can help with that, and you might want to watch her when she come back. something's amiss" "Whadda you mean?" "There was something in her voice, something cold. Like she had an ulterior motive to going back to the Silver Millennium" "What makes you say that?" "Well, did you see the look in her eyes?" "Not really" "They were ice cold. In the one hundred and eighty years that I served as the royal bodyguard, I have never seen the Queen look at anyone like that" "I can understand that, but she's a different person now. she's had to deal with so much death in such a short time. it can't've been good for her psyche, she so close to snapping that she doesn't know which way is up" "Maybe I should talk to her. I used to talk with the Queen for hours on end when she needed someone and King Endymion was out of the country" "But weren't you their bodyguard? Shouldn't you've been with him?" "No, Kyron-sama was Endymion's protector when he went off alone" "Kyron-sama?" "My teacher, I was to take her place after she had decided to leave, but I was sent back before she left." "What do you mean 'take her place?'" "Well, she is the Solar Senshi of this solar system, I was her protégé, until I was stranded back here" "Your stranded here?" "Yep, the Queen was killed just as she sent me back, it destroyed the spell's beacon to the future, and I'm stuck here" "I could send you back, easily" "Nope, I would've asked you already, it's not possible, my time cypher has been locked into this timeframe, I can't be sent anywhere, forward or backward, I'll just hafta put up with this time frame until Serena becomes Neo Queen Serenity, then I might be able to be sent back into my own time frame" "But, wouldn't that create a paradox?" Robert thought for a moment. "You aren't the Senshi of Time for nothing" He said with a smile. Robert took Setsuna's hand and shook it. "Robert Jonathan Winter Kane, pleased to make your acquaintance" he said. Setsuna looked at him for a second. "Meiou Setsuna, pleased to make you acquaintance" She said with a smile. Robert turned around and looked about for a second, trying to find Hotaru. He knew exactly where she was. He nodded a farewell to Setsuna and walked out. Robert could always home in on that little star that he had left for Hotaru. He made a beeline for the cherry-blossom trees, finding Hotaru sitting under one of them. He rested his back against the other side of the same tree, smiling to himself. "Hey Hotaru" he said quietly. She smiled, she had been waiting for him. "Hello Robert" she said as she got up and walked around the tree to Robert. "So, what's up?" he asked. "Not much." "Really?" "Yes really, I just want you to be careful, with this. whatever your doing with Setsuna" "The energy transfer. don't worry, I've done it thousands of times, nothing to it" "Thousands of times, hm? It amazes me that you can do so much in such little time" She said, knowing full well that Robert was older than he said. "Come on now, you know how old I am. not that I mind you worrying" he said with a smile. "What? Me? Worry about you? Never!" she said sarcastically. Robert hugged Hotaru tightly and looked at her. She was the perfect woman for him. but he knew that he would have to give her up one day to her future husband. "Robert?" "Hm?" "I care about you" Robert looked at her. What should he say? He knew he truly did care about her. but he didn't want to break her heart when her true love came along. He smiled at her, she should know. "Hotaru, I care about you too." Hotaru looked at him, her heart felt like it was going to burst if she didn't tell him how she felt any sooner, and now she knew that he felt the same way. She looked at him, his eyes were far away, she knew that look. "What's up?" she asked as she snuggled into him. "I need to tell you something." "What's that?" "It's about the future. yours to be precise" "Really, what?" "Well. uh." How can I put this? Just tell her flat out? Try and let her down easy? Robert's mind flew through explanations, but none of them seemed to fit. "I guess the best way is the direct approach" "Whadda you mean?" she looked at him, her eyes beginning to fill with confusion. "Well, you see. back in the Crystal Millennium. your. sorta. err.well. your married" "So?" "But not to me" Hotaru looked at him. "You think that matters to me? My fate isn't set" "Not totally" he said with a smile. He felt as if a massive boulder had been lifted from his chest. He held Hotaru tightly, not wanting to ever let her go.
Raye looked around, the temple was as clean as it ever was, but still she swept its grounds. This was her chore, the one thing that she did around here that made her feel needed. Chad was still here, now a priest in his own right, and he had mellowed in the past few months. He still played the guitar, but he now played softrock style music, much to Raye's surprise. She smiled, Chad was still a bit of a moron, but that's what made him Chad. Raye thought for a while. Mina had been laid to rest over a month ago, but I was still hard to think about. The meetings weren't the same, no more of her mis-quoted sayings, no more of her endless chatter, no more. Mina. Raye had thought that she was over it, but she wasn't. She and Mina were supposed to meet the day she had died, but Raye had gotten the street wrong. She had been the second to arrive after Sailor Uranus and Neptune, but she couldn't understand why Pluto and Saturn hadn't shown up. Saturn could've healed Mina, saved her! But she wasn't there! And Robert! That impudent little boy was Starslayer!? He had some nerve, telling them that they couldn't kill Geoff! Even though he had explained why they couldn't, Raye didn't buy it at all. How could someone become stronger after being killed!? It was then that a thought struck her. She raced inside, picking a book up from a shelf and began to flip through it. She was certain she had read something about something like that before. She flipped through the pages, almost going through the entire book. There it was! She flipped back to the page and began to read.
".And will have the powers of a god if the person is killed."
The book was speaking about possession. Possession by a certain type of demon, a Vzod demon. These demons were notorious for possessing young girls and making them torment their loved ones, but not for possessing men, and even less for even existing over a thousand years ago. They were only discovered five hundred years ago, and the last one had thought to have been exorcized over three hundred years ago. "There's no possibility. it couldn't be one of those. it's nearly impossible for one to even survive that long inside one body." That was the flaw of Vzod demons; they were notorious for sucking the life force out of their hosts like a Hoover with an overcharged engine. Raye knew it wasn't one of those, it was almost impossible, even if it was a Greater Vzod Demon, it wouldn't be able to live that long. Raye got up, replaced the book, and went back to her sweeping. Serena and the others soon arrived for their meeting. She noticed that Hotaru and Robert were walking hand in hand, with slight smiles on their faces. She knew that kind of smile, it was the same one that Darien and Serena had on their faces continually. They walked inside, taking seats on the ground or on the small benches around the fire. "Well, anyone have anything new to report?" asked Amy. "Not really. still pretty uneventful since." Hotaru said quietly, she knew she had let the team down by not being there. Robert put an arm around her shoulder. Raye looked at them all, they were still saddened by their loss, but it would soon pass, she hoped. Raye looked at Serena, she had become quite the scrapper in the past few weeks, getting in more fights than she ever remembered. Serena, the person who wouldn't say "Boo!" sideways, was now so incensed that she would snap in an instant. Raye still remembered in Gym class, she was playing, of all things, basketball. One of the males had "accidentally" hip-checked her and knocked her down. Serena had looked at him like there was daggers in her eyes, and instead of whimpering or crying, she stole the ball, ran down nearly the entire court, and slam-dunked the ball into the basket. It was worse in the second period, when Serena had actually hip-checked that same guy, sending him flying into the gym wall, and then splattered his nose all over the wall by driving her elbow into the back of his head when she "accidentally" tripped over her shoelace. Raye could see the cold satisfaction in Serena's eyes, and that look of ice cold vengeance still burned in her memory. Raye shuddered internally, she knew Serena would never be the person she had been, too much had happened to her. She was still the same person, but she now had a cruel streak running through her. Almost like there was two Serena's, one kind and caring, the other cold, calculating and cruel. "So, what's new?" asked Amy. "Nothing much. not a whole lot of activity as of late" said Lita. "I say we take this lucky break and do some. investigating," said Serena. "Whadda you mean?" asked Haruka. "Well. I had a idea. what if we. well, what if we went back to the past and found out more about Geoff?" Each of them looked at Serena, it was a good idea. "Any objections?" she asked. They all shook their heads no. Serena looked at Setsuna. "Can you open up a portal to the past?" "Yes." she said quietly. "Any problem with that?" Serena asked crisply. "No Serena, no problem" She said. "Good, now, can you stop time for as long as were gone?" she asked, her voice stone cold. "I'll try, I've never used that power for a sustained amount of time before, though" "Don't worry, I'll help you" said Robert. Setsuna looked at him. "I can transfer some of my power to you, as much as you need, just don't tap me dry, okay" he said with a sarcastic smile. "Good, then it's decided, we'll return in an hour, Setsuna, be ready to open the portal then" Said Serena, who got up and left. "What's up with her?" asked Hotaru. "Don't ask love, you don't wanna know" said Robert, holding Hotaru reassuringly. Robert walked over to Setsuna and began to speak. "Well, it seems that you and I need to talk" "Why is that?" "Because, if I am to help you, I will need to, well, get to know you a little better" "Why?"
"Because, it helps make the transfer of power smoother" "Oh" "But, I am willing to answer any questions that you have of me." "I guess. well, let's get started." "You always speak with such a passing tone with people you don't trust?" "You always so rude to people?" "No, just making a point" "And that would be?" "Just try and trust me, okay, it's mutually beneficial" Setsuna looked at this young man, she could tell that he was lying about many things, the first of which was his age. "If you want me to trust you, then please, tell me something that I don't know about you" "Sure, whadda you want to know?" "Firstly, just how old are you?" "Well. since you are the Senshi of Time, I guess it was pointless to try and hide it from you for very long. You know how time passes in the Crystal Millennium, right?" "Yes but what does that have to do with. oh. so your-" She remembered that the Silver Crystal kept everyone young and healthy in the Crystal Millennium, so much that the populous was nearly immortal. "Two hundred and seventeen, I just chose to keep my body this age. I seem to perform best in it, anything else?" "Is there anything that we can do to Geoff?" "Other than torment him, not really" "And how do you know this?" "Before I was sent here, and by the way, I'm also stuck here, Neo Queen Serenity told me that Geoff could not be killed because this entire predicament is not his fault" "Did she tell you what she meant by that?" "No, Geoff had found her just after she had completed the spell to send me back, and shot her in the head" Setsuna looked at him, he wasn't lying. "Anything else you would like to know?" "Uh. no" "Well then, can you tell me something?" "Sure" "What's up with Serena, other than the obvious?" "Well. two of her best friends died before you arrived, and now Mina. I think the strain is getting to her" "I can help with that, and you might want to watch her when she come back. something's amiss" "Whadda you mean?" "There was something in her voice, something cold. Like she had an ulterior motive to going back to the Silver Millennium" "What makes you say that?" "Well, did you see the look in her eyes?" "Not really" "They were ice cold. In the one hundred and eighty years that I served as the royal bodyguard, I have never seen the Queen look at anyone like that" "I can understand that, but she's a different person now. she's had to deal with so much death in such a short time. it can't've been good for her psyche, she so close to snapping that she doesn't know which way is up" "Maybe I should talk to her. I used to talk with the Queen for hours on end when she needed someone and King Endymion was out of the country" "But weren't you their bodyguard? Shouldn't you've been with him?" "No, Kyron-sama was Endymion's protector when he went off alone" "Kyron-sama?" "My teacher, I was to take her place after she had decided to leave, but I was sent back before she left." "What do you mean 'take her place?'" "Well, she is the Solar Senshi of this solar system, I was her protégé, until I was stranded back here" "Your stranded here?" "Yep, the Queen was killed just as she sent me back, it destroyed the spell's beacon to the future, and I'm stuck here" "I could send you back, easily" "Nope, I would've asked you already, it's not possible, my time cypher has been locked into this timeframe, I can't be sent anywhere, forward or backward, I'll just hafta put up with this time frame until Serena becomes Neo Queen Serenity, then I might be able to be sent back into my own time frame" "But, wouldn't that create a paradox?" Robert thought for a moment. "You aren't the Senshi of Time for nothing" He said with a smile. Robert took Setsuna's hand and shook it. "Robert Jonathan Winter Kane, pleased to make your acquaintance" he said. Setsuna looked at him for a second. "Meiou Setsuna, pleased to make you acquaintance" She said with a smile. Robert turned around and looked about for a second, trying to find Hotaru. He knew exactly where she was. He nodded a farewell to Setsuna and walked out. Robert could always home in on that little star that he had left for Hotaru. He made a beeline for the cherry-blossom trees, finding Hotaru sitting under one of them. He rested his back against the other side of the same tree, smiling to himself. "Hey Hotaru" he said quietly. She smiled, she had been waiting for him. "Hello Robert" she said as she got up and walked around the tree to Robert. "So, what's up?" he asked. "Not much." "Really?" "Yes really, I just want you to be careful, with this. whatever your doing with Setsuna" "The energy transfer. don't worry, I've done it thousands of times, nothing to it" "Thousands of times, hm? It amazes me that you can do so much in such little time" She said, knowing full well that Robert was older than he said. "Come on now, you know how old I am. not that I mind you worrying" he said with a smile. "What? Me? Worry about you? Never!" she said sarcastically. Robert hugged Hotaru tightly and looked at her. She was the perfect woman for him. but he knew that he would have to give her up one day to her future husband. "Robert?" "Hm?" "I care about you" Robert looked at her. What should he say? He knew he truly did care about her. but he didn't want to break her heart when her true love came along. He smiled at her, she should know. "Hotaru, I care about you too." Hotaru looked at him, her heart felt like it was going to burst if she didn't tell him how she felt any sooner, and now she knew that he felt the same way. She looked at him, his eyes were far away, she knew that look. "What's up?" she asked as she snuggled into him. "I need to tell you something." "What's that?" "It's about the future. yours to be precise" "Really, what?" "Well. uh." How can I put this? Just tell her flat out? Try and let her down easy? Robert's mind flew through explanations, but none of them seemed to fit. "I guess the best way is the direct approach" "Whadda you mean?" she looked at him, her eyes beginning to fill with confusion. "Well, you see. back in the Crystal Millennium. your. sorta. err.well. your married" "So?" "But not to me" Hotaru looked at him. "You think that matters to me? My fate isn't set" "Not totally" he said with a smile. He felt as if a massive boulder had been lifted from his chest. He held Hotaru tightly, not wanting to ever let her go.