Just Once More- Chap. 1
Author's Note: Greetings, all you moon-heads. In case you haven't read Across the Ages before reading this one (which may help), the Sailor Scouts were sent into the future to help the Gundam pilots, and (obviously) a few of them hooked up. Lita and Heero, Mina and Trowa, and Quatre and Amy. However, the scouts soon had to return to their own time, and that's where this story picks up: After Endless Waltz and Sailor Moon S.
Space Colony L4
"How long has he been at it?"
"At least two months. I've hardly seen him at all."
"Have you tried talking to him?"
"Of course. He seems perfectly fine, but...."
"But what?"
"He won't tell me what it is he's trying to build in there. I'd be happy to help him, if he'd just let me in."
"He locked the door?"
"About a week ago, yes. That's when I got concerned...that's why I called you."
"Do you think he'll let me in?"
"You're most welcome to ask."
Duo left Rashid in the corridor and walked over to the sturdy-looking door. He knocked casually. "Quatre? It's Duo. Can I come in?"
There was an elongated pause before an answer came.
"Duo? What are you doing here? I thought you were living on L2, with Hilde."
Duo replied quickly, "I am, but I thought I'd come pay a visit. It's been awhile since I've seen you and your refrigerator."
Quatre chuckled. "Well, I'm a bit busy at the moment, but I'm sure Rashid will show you to the kitchen."
Duo equipped his most pouting voice. "But, I came all this way to talk to you while I ate all your food."
Another pause. Then came a question.
"Rashid?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Will you please go to the pantry and fix Duo that snack he likes so much? I'd very much appreciate it."
"Right away, master Quatre." Rashid turned to head to the kitchen.
Duo grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Rashid. Didn't mean to make you work."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I'm just glad the master is talking with you."
After Rashid had left the hallway with an audible closing of the door, the door on the other side of the room opened. Quatre poked his head out and beckoned Duo inside.
Duo crept over. "Quatre, you didn't have to do that. I know those sweet biscuits take at least an hour to make."
Quatre grinned. "So do I. Come inside."
Duo entered, and was surprised at what he saw. "Quatre...isn't this....?"
"That it is. The very place where Sandrock was constructed."
"But, what are you doing in here?"
"That's what I wanted to show you. Come on." Quatre walked down the stairs to the broad platform below.
Duo followed him down to the ground level, and suddenly stopped in his tracks when he saw it.
The walls were completely covered in mathematical gibberish that Duo knew would take him weeks to read and months to comprehend. Laws of physics, time-space theories, universal gravitation...all somehow were being combined together over the maelstrom of equations.
"Quatre...what is all this?" asked Duo hesitantly.
"You see," Quatre explained, "this is why I had to lock the door for awhile. I was so close to discovery that I just couldn't be disturbed. I'm sorry Rashid called you here."
"Well, you sure figured that out quick."
Quatre smiled. "I'm sure he's worried sick about me. I need to give that poor man a vacation."
"So...you were about to tell me what all this jargon meant?" Duo pressed on.
"Oh, yes. Well, you remember about a year ago, when the Sailor Scouts came here to help us fight?"
"The Forgotten War?"
"Yes. Well, um, you remember how...well, I mean, Amy and I..."
Duo let out a suppressed giggle. "Yes, I remember."
"Well, ever since they left, I've been devising a plan to see them again."
"But, Quatre, the girls are in Crystal Tokyo right now. You can see them whenever you want."
Duo's comment brought back memories about what had happened only a few weeks after Amy left....
Hi, Quatre! Sure, why don't we sit down in the parlor? Oh, Serenity. You need me right now? Yes, yes, I understand, your majesty.
Quatre, I can't stay with you long, I'm needed at a village with demons...
There's just so much to be concerned about these days...I know it was different when we first met, but I have so much responsibility now...
I'm sorry, Quatre, I didn't want it to be like this.
Quatre looked up at Duo. "No, Duo, I can't. I just can't see her anymore."
Duo saw the sadness in those blue eyes. "Well, what are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to go back to her."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to go back. Back before she had so many responsibilities. When she was just loving, intelligent Amy."
"You're not telling me you built a....a ti-..."
"Yes. I did. And I'm just about to test it, so I'm glad you're here." Quatre walked over to the machine and pulled the tarp off of it.
Duo stared in awe at the time machine. It looked remarkably similar to the cockpit of a Gundam, probably designed like that on purpose. Duo wouldn't have known how else to describe the machine if he'd been asked. It glistened under the laboratory lights and sent eerie streams of light to every corner of the room.
"I just can't believe it..." Duo trailed off.
"Well, don't believe anything yet. I still haven't given it a test run," Quatre responded, placing a stuffed toy in the driver's seat of the time vehicle. After pressing a few buttons, the small light near the top turned from orange to green.
"What'd you do?" asked Duo.
"I programmed the machine to travel 30 seconds into the future. Now we'll know it if it will actually function."
As Quatre pressed the final button, the machine began to whir. After a few seconds, the machine vanished in a bright flash of bluish light.
Duo blinked rapidly, unable to see anything past the dancing dots in front of his eyes. "Did it work?"
Quatre also tried to clear his vision. "I think it did. Either that or it imploded."
The machine had vanished to the common observer. There was nothing left of it except a tiny, donut-shaped black mark on the otherwise spotless linoleum.
Duo stared wide-eyed at the spot where the time machine was just stood. He instinctively moved forward to inspect the little mark.
"Duo! Get back here!"
Oops, thought Duo as he realized what he was doing. He quickly dived in the opposite direction, just as the time machine reappeared in its former place with an audible popping noise.
Quatre walked over and removed the little stuffed duck from the pilot's seat and held it out towards Duo. "Look. Not a mark."
Duo agreed. Although the little duck had traveled through the time stream and skipped 30 seconds of its existence, it looked untouched.
"That's it. I'm going, now."
"What? You can't just take off at a time like this!" exclaimed Duo in shock. "What about Rashid and the Manguanacs? Plus your corporate duties, your sisters..."
"They'll all be fine for a little while. You can stay here, or you can go back to L2. Whatever you like."
Duo tried to come up with other reasons why Quatre couldn't leave, but he soon saw that there wasn't any stopping him. Quatre was going back. "But...where are you going to go? Or when....um...."
Quatre was now much happier now that his time machine was successful. "I'm going way back, Duo. Back before we were born, before there even were space colonies. I'm going to the moon, back when the galaxy was peaceful."
"What?" asked Duo. Much of the history before 1900 A.D. had been lost, destroyed, or forgotten.
Quatre smiled. "Amy told me about it once," he said, recalling the memory.
You see, Quatre, all this started a long, long time ago. My spirit once belonged on Mercury. I was the princess of my planet, as were Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. Sailor Moon was our Princess Serenity of the Moon, and her mother, our loving Queen. The moon was the capital of our kingdom, in the time of the Silver Millennium. It was a wonderful time of peace, loyalty, and happiness..."
"Why did it end?" Duo asked.
"I'm not sure," Quatre said. "Amy never told me. I asked her once, and she just said 'Nature's first green is gold.'"
"What did she mean?" asked Duo.
"It's the first line of an old poem. She and I talked some about ancient literature and such. It's a poem about good things having to come to an end," Quatre explained.
"You guys are a weird pair," said Duo, shaking his head.
"Alright. It's time to get out of here," said Quatre, moving towards the machine.
Duo watched him go. "Well, come back soon. I don't know how long Rashid can stand not having you to dote on."
Quatre smiled again. "Like I said before, you're welcome to stay here while I'm gone, Duo. Maybe having you around will keep Rashid's mind off me." Quatre climbed into the machine and began punching buttons again. "Look after the refrigerator."
Duo laughed. "Oh, don't you worry about that. Just don't stay away too long. I'm not getting marrying Hilde unless you're here to be best man."
Quatre stared at him. "You and Hilde got engaged?? Congratulations!"
"Yeah, well...." Duo blushed. In reality, he hadn't yet asked Hilde to marry him, or even thought about purchasing a ring; it just sounded like a good excuse to get Quatre to hurry back.
Quatre gave him one last, quick grin. He, too, was thinking about his own plans. His idea was to come back two months earlier, when he had retreated to his lab to build the machine and prevent Rashid and Duo from ever finding out about it. Quatre didn't want his discovery out into the open just yet. He wanted to test it, enjoy it, think about it a little more. He shuddered to think about what would happen if this invention went public, as it invariably would. People taking vacations in the Renaissance, changing their pasts, destroying all of the historic mysteries that Quatre loved to ponder. He just couldn't let that happen.
Quatre gave a wave, snapped the door shut, and pressed the little button that made the machine whir and spin. With a flash of the blue light, he was gone.
Duo had remembered to close his eyes this time. He now opened them, and spotted a second identical black dot on the floor, right next to the old one. He stared at them for a while. "What the heck is he using for power, a pogo stick?"
He slowly walked back up the stairs to the door and left the room, shutting the door tightly behind him. Suddenly, the door on the other side reopened, revealing Rashid and a plate full of Duo's "Turkish delights". They were sweet rolls, to an extent, but with a definite Arabic twist that Duo hadn't yet been able to worm out of Rashid. Duo pounced.
Rashid laughed at the sight of Duo devouring the little buns. "Ha ha, young Duo, I see you've missed those sweets for quite some time."
"Joo dot datd rwide," said Duo through a mouthful of sugar.
"What did Quatre say?" asked Rashid.
Duo's munching slowed down to a reasonable rate. "Um...not much. Just said he'd been busy working and such."
Rashid knocked on the lab door. "Master Quatre? Would you like to have some of these biscuits?"
Of course, no reply came back.
Rashid looked confusedly at the door. "He never ignores me..." He tried the door. "Duo! It's unlocked!" He quickly pulled the door open and rushed inside.
Duo shook his head sadly. Poor guy. He's going to take this kind of hard.
"Duo! Come quick! He's gone!"
Duo marched down the stairs and met with Rashid's slightly panicked voice.
"Where could he have gone off to?"
"Um, Rashid, he just...uh...Quatre just..." stuttered Duo, unsure of what to say.
"He what? Did he tell you? Please, tell me where he's gone!"
"He just left."
"Left? What do you mean?"
"Well, he said...that...that...he was getting kind of tired lately, what with running the family business and taking care of his sisters and maintaining the peace...he just took a little vacation. He said he'd be back soon, and not to worry. He just wanted to take a break. You know, to get away from his schedule for a few days." Duo's voice became more confident with every word, knowing that he'd given Rashid a good excuse for Quatre's disappearance.
End
Please review so I know what you think! Thanks for reading!
Author's Note: Greetings, all you moon-heads. In case you haven't read Across the Ages before reading this one (which may help), the Sailor Scouts were sent into the future to help the Gundam pilots, and (obviously) a few of them hooked up. Lita and Heero, Mina and Trowa, and Quatre and Amy. However, the scouts soon had to return to their own time, and that's where this story picks up: After Endless Waltz and Sailor Moon S.
Space Colony L4
"How long has he been at it?"
"At least two months. I've hardly seen him at all."
"Have you tried talking to him?"
"Of course. He seems perfectly fine, but...."
"But what?"
"He won't tell me what it is he's trying to build in there. I'd be happy to help him, if he'd just let me in."
"He locked the door?"
"About a week ago, yes. That's when I got concerned...that's why I called you."
"Do you think he'll let me in?"
"You're most welcome to ask."
Duo left Rashid in the corridor and walked over to the sturdy-looking door. He knocked casually. "Quatre? It's Duo. Can I come in?"
There was an elongated pause before an answer came.
"Duo? What are you doing here? I thought you were living on L2, with Hilde."
Duo replied quickly, "I am, but I thought I'd come pay a visit. It's been awhile since I've seen you and your refrigerator."
Quatre chuckled. "Well, I'm a bit busy at the moment, but I'm sure Rashid will show you to the kitchen."
Duo equipped his most pouting voice. "But, I came all this way to talk to you while I ate all your food."
Another pause. Then came a question.
"Rashid?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Will you please go to the pantry and fix Duo that snack he likes so much? I'd very much appreciate it."
"Right away, master Quatre." Rashid turned to head to the kitchen.
Duo grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Rashid. Didn't mean to make you work."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I'm just glad the master is talking with you."
After Rashid had left the hallway with an audible closing of the door, the door on the other side of the room opened. Quatre poked his head out and beckoned Duo inside.
Duo crept over. "Quatre, you didn't have to do that. I know those sweet biscuits take at least an hour to make."
Quatre grinned. "So do I. Come inside."
Duo entered, and was surprised at what he saw. "Quatre...isn't this....?"
"That it is. The very place where Sandrock was constructed."
"But, what are you doing in here?"
"That's what I wanted to show you. Come on." Quatre walked down the stairs to the broad platform below.
Duo followed him down to the ground level, and suddenly stopped in his tracks when he saw it.
The walls were completely covered in mathematical gibberish that Duo knew would take him weeks to read and months to comprehend. Laws of physics, time-space theories, universal gravitation...all somehow were being combined together over the maelstrom of equations.
"Quatre...what is all this?" asked Duo hesitantly.
"You see," Quatre explained, "this is why I had to lock the door for awhile. I was so close to discovery that I just couldn't be disturbed. I'm sorry Rashid called you here."
"Well, you sure figured that out quick."
Quatre smiled. "I'm sure he's worried sick about me. I need to give that poor man a vacation."
"So...you were about to tell me what all this jargon meant?" Duo pressed on.
"Oh, yes. Well, you remember about a year ago, when the Sailor Scouts came here to help us fight?"
"The Forgotten War?"
"Yes. Well, um, you remember how...well, I mean, Amy and I..."
Duo let out a suppressed giggle. "Yes, I remember."
"Well, ever since they left, I've been devising a plan to see them again."
"But, Quatre, the girls are in Crystal Tokyo right now. You can see them whenever you want."
Duo's comment brought back memories about what had happened only a few weeks after Amy left....
Hi, Quatre! Sure, why don't we sit down in the parlor? Oh, Serenity. You need me right now? Yes, yes, I understand, your majesty.
Quatre, I can't stay with you long, I'm needed at a village with demons...
There's just so much to be concerned about these days...I know it was different when we first met, but I have so much responsibility now...
I'm sorry, Quatre, I didn't want it to be like this.
Quatre looked up at Duo. "No, Duo, I can't. I just can't see her anymore."
Duo saw the sadness in those blue eyes. "Well, what are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to go back to her."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to go back. Back before she had so many responsibilities. When she was just loving, intelligent Amy."
"You're not telling me you built a....a ti-..."
"Yes. I did. And I'm just about to test it, so I'm glad you're here." Quatre walked over to the machine and pulled the tarp off of it.
Duo stared in awe at the time machine. It looked remarkably similar to the cockpit of a Gundam, probably designed like that on purpose. Duo wouldn't have known how else to describe the machine if he'd been asked. It glistened under the laboratory lights and sent eerie streams of light to every corner of the room.
"I just can't believe it..." Duo trailed off.
"Well, don't believe anything yet. I still haven't given it a test run," Quatre responded, placing a stuffed toy in the driver's seat of the time vehicle. After pressing a few buttons, the small light near the top turned from orange to green.
"What'd you do?" asked Duo.
"I programmed the machine to travel 30 seconds into the future. Now we'll know it if it will actually function."
As Quatre pressed the final button, the machine began to whir. After a few seconds, the machine vanished in a bright flash of bluish light.
Duo blinked rapidly, unable to see anything past the dancing dots in front of his eyes. "Did it work?"
Quatre also tried to clear his vision. "I think it did. Either that or it imploded."
The machine had vanished to the common observer. There was nothing left of it except a tiny, donut-shaped black mark on the otherwise spotless linoleum.
Duo stared wide-eyed at the spot where the time machine was just stood. He instinctively moved forward to inspect the little mark.
"Duo! Get back here!"
Oops, thought Duo as he realized what he was doing. He quickly dived in the opposite direction, just as the time machine reappeared in its former place with an audible popping noise.
Quatre walked over and removed the little stuffed duck from the pilot's seat and held it out towards Duo. "Look. Not a mark."
Duo agreed. Although the little duck had traveled through the time stream and skipped 30 seconds of its existence, it looked untouched.
"That's it. I'm going, now."
"What? You can't just take off at a time like this!" exclaimed Duo in shock. "What about Rashid and the Manguanacs? Plus your corporate duties, your sisters..."
"They'll all be fine for a little while. You can stay here, or you can go back to L2. Whatever you like."
Duo tried to come up with other reasons why Quatre couldn't leave, but he soon saw that there wasn't any stopping him. Quatre was going back. "But...where are you going to go? Or when....um...."
Quatre was now much happier now that his time machine was successful. "I'm going way back, Duo. Back before we were born, before there even were space colonies. I'm going to the moon, back when the galaxy was peaceful."
"What?" asked Duo. Much of the history before 1900 A.D. had been lost, destroyed, or forgotten.
Quatre smiled. "Amy told me about it once," he said, recalling the memory.
You see, Quatre, all this started a long, long time ago. My spirit once belonged on Mercury. I was the princess of my planet, as were Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. Sailor Moon was our Princess Serenity of the Moon, and her mother, our loving Queen. The moon was the capital of our kingdom, in the time of the Silver Millennium. It was a wonderful time of peace, loyalty, and happiness..."
"Why did it end?" Duo asked.
"I'm not sure," Quatre said. "Amy never told me. I asked her once, and she just said 'Nature's first green is gold.'"
"What did she mean?" asked Duo.
"It's the first line of an old poem. She and I talked some about ancient literature and such. It's a poem about good things having to come to an end," Quatre explained.
"You guys are a weird pair," said Duo, shaking his head.
"Alright. It's time to get out of here," said Quatre, moving towards the machine.
Duo watched him go. "Well, come back soon. I don't know how long Rashid can stand not having you to dote on."
Quatre smiled again. "Like I said before, you're welcome to stay here while I'm gone, Duo. Maybe having you around will keep Rashid's mind off me." Quatre climbed into the machine and began punching buttons again. "Look after the refrigerator."
Duo laughed. "Oh, don't you worry about that. Just don't stay away too long. I'm not getting marrying Hilde unless you're here to be best man."
Quatre stared at him. "You and Hilde got engaged?? Congratulations!"
"Yeah, well...." Duo blushed. In reality, he hadn't yet asked Hilde to marry him, or even thought about purchasing a ring; it just sounded like a good excuse to get Quatre to hurry back.
Quatre gave him one last, quick grin. He, too, was thinking about his own plans. His idea was to come back two months earlier, when he had retreated to his lab to build the machine and prevent Rashid and Duo from ever finding out about it. Quatre didn't want his discovery out into the open just yet. He wanted to test it, enjoy it, think about it a little more. He shuddered to think about what would happen if this invention went public, as it invariably would. People taking vacations in the Renaissance, changing their pasts, destroying all of the historic mysteries that Quatre loved to ponder. He just couldn't let that happen.
Quatre gave a wave, snapped the door shut, and pressed the little button that made the machine whir and spin. With a flash of the blue light, he was gone.
Duo had remembered to close his eyes this time. He now opened them, and spotted a second identical black dot on the floor, right next to the old one. He stared at them for a while. "What the heck is he using for power, a pogo stick?"
He slowly walked back up the stairs to the door and left the room, shutting the door tightly behind him. Suddenly, the door on the other side reopened, revealing Rashid and a plate full of Duo's "Turkish delights". They were sweet rolls, to an extent, but with a definite Arabic twist that Duo hadn't yet been able to worm out of Rashid. Duo pounced.
Rashid laughed at the sight of Duo devouring the little buns. "Ha ha, young Duo, I see you've missed those sweets for quite some time."
"Joo dot datd rwide," said Duo through a mouthful of sugar.
"What did Quatre say?" asked Rashid.
Duo's munching slowed down to a reasonable rate. "Um...not much. Just said he'd been busy working and such."
Rashid knocked on the lab door. "Master Quatre? Would you like to have some of these biscuits?"
Of course, no reply came back.
Rashid looked confusedly at the door. "He never ignores me..." He tried the door. "Duo! It's unlocked!" He quickly pulled the door open and rushed inside.
Duo shook his head sadly. Poor guy. He's going to take this kind of hard.
"Duo! Come quick! He's gone!"
Duo marched down the stairs and met with Rashid's slightly panicked voice.
"Where could he have gone off to?"
"Um, Rashid, he just...uh...Quatre just..." stuttered Duo, unsure of what to say.
"He what? Did he tell you? Please, tell me where he's gone!"
"He just left."
"Left? What do you mean?"
"Well, he said...that...that...he was getting kind of tired lately, what with running the family business and taking care of his sisters and maintaining the peace...he just took a little vacation. He said he'd be back soon, and not to worry. He just wanted to take a break. You know, to get away from his schedule for a few days." Duo's voice became more confident with every word, knowing that he'd given Rashid a good excuse for Quatre's disappearance.
End
Please review so I know what you think! Thanks for reading!