We were taken by the other soldiers to a train station. There was a
letter in Usagi's hand, with instructions as to how we were going to enter
a portal of some kind, to take a magical train to the magical school. It
involved leaning against a wall during a specified number of minutes, when
the fabric between the worlds would rent and let us through.
"Let me see it again."
"You've seen the letter plenty of times, Rei. We all know by heart the times, and we're a half hour early just in case," Makoto soothed.
"Strange to think we got here that early with Usagi here," I said peevishly, trying to hide my nervousness.
"Rei!" she squealed in protest. "I've gotten lots better at being on time, honest!"
Mako-chan shook her head and held out the package she had carried to the station. "Here's a little food for the journey. I don't know what they'll feed you there, but if you get desperate enough, find a way to write home and I'll send you food while you're there too."
I took the box, muttering something about protecting it from the piranhas in Usagi's stomach. My face must have been stormy, because Haruka knocked my chin up with her forefinger and then chucked my cheek. "Cheer up, pyro."
Setsuna clutched her hand in a pocket of her jeans, fingering a miniaturized time key, I knew, out of her own uneasiness. "I'll be sending the gifts you need by this evening. Someone at the castle should be able to give them to you in time to present them."
Mina-chan, resplendent in a sky blue sailor dress and hat, came forward and adjusted my beret, my pea-coat, taking the opportunity to lean her forehead against mine with a teasing grin and whisper, "Have at least two affairs with some of the handsome students there."
I cracked a grin at that, forgetting to remind her that I distrusted most men. Nothing dampened her spirits, and I loved that.
Ami puffed out a breath, knocking her dark bangs askew. "Make sure you learn something while you're there. Their methods of magic are quite different from our own; you'd benefit from attending even the younger classes."
"Ami, that's why we're going," Usagi waved a dismissing hand before hugging her.
Michiru gave me a grave look and handed me another small box. "Open this when you get to your room there. And pay attention to your instincts. They will serve you well, the more you listen, the more you learn, the more you trust."
To Usagi she gave another box, long, rectangular and thin. A necklace of some sort. "Use this for the crystal. Keep the crystal on it, not in your compact." Like a child, Usa-chan was already digging into the box and pulling out a delicate link chain that had a setting for the crystal, and a trail of tiny diamonds that ran down from the clasp. She nodded her compliance, ready to be off.
I pulled her back to lean on the wall, checking my watch for the millionth time again. "Watch over my grandfather?" I asked Makoto.
She smiled. "I already promised to. Hotaru here is going to start learning a few priestess duties herself. We'll see if we can't build a few muscles into these skinny arms when she helps me clean the shrine." She pinched Hotaru's forearm and earned a squeak and smack on her lower back for her troubles.
I knew Makoto would keep her word. It made me breath a little easier.
Being near Setsuna and Michiru must have amplified something. All of a sudden I felt time-space move. I locked eyes with the Time-keeper and saw her give a brief nod. Against my back a portal was opening, I could feel the warp and the weft of this world's fabric easing apart, un-knitting as it were.
I pulled Usagi against my side and stepped backwards into the wall. I heard Mina-chan squeal in surprise and saw her reach for us before a flash of darkness overtook us and cleared. We were in the other train station.
People who must have been witches and wizards were bustling along, robes flapping about them in the breezes that always accompanied a train tunnel. Some had strange cages with equally strange creatures in them. I squeezed Usagi's hand when I heard her gasp at the sight of what I know now is a goblin. I took the letter from the pocket of her coat, scanning it again and then dumping the rest of the contents of the envelope into my other hand.
"Here are our tickets. Let's go. We should be in...." I looked around wildly for a moment, confused and trying not to show it, for both our sakes. "That car," I pointed, and pulled her, ignoring her protests, the whole way down the line to it. I was grateful that the seats were two bench seats to a compartment, instead of an open car. It gave us some privacy. I made Usagi sit, and we opened Makoto's care-package, divvying up the contents and settling in our respective seats with the items we had brought to keep us amused on the trip: comic books for her, a book of old Japanese myths for me.
"Let me see it again."
"You've seen the letter plenty of times, Rei. We all know by heart the times, and we're a half hour early just in case," Makoto soothed.
"Strange to think we got here that early with Usagi here," I said peevishly, trying to hide my nervousness.
"Rei!" she squealed in protest. "I've gotten lots better at being on time, honest!"
Mako-chan shook her head and held out the package she had carried to the station. "Here's a little food for the journey. I don't know what they'll feed you there, but if you get desperate enough, find a way to write home and I'll send you food while you're there too."
I took the box, muttering something about protecting it from the piranhas in Usagi's stomach. My face must have been stormy, because Haruka knocked my chin up with her forefinger and then chucked my cheek. "Cheer up, pyro."
Setsuna clutched her hand in a pocket of her jeans, fingering a miniaturized time key, I knew, out of her own uneasiness. "I'll be sending the gifts you need by this evening. Someone at the castle should be able to give them to you in time to present them."
Mina-chan, resplendent in a sky blue sailor dress and hat, came forward and adjusted my beret, my pea-coat, taking the opportunity to lean her forehead against mine with a teasing grin and whisper, "Have at least two affairs with some of the handsome students there."
I cracked a grin at that, forgetting to remind her that I distrusted most men. Nothing dampened her spirits, and I loved that.
Ami puffed out a breath, knocking her dark bangs askew. "Make sure you learn something while you're there. Their methods of magic are quite different from our own; you'd benefit from attending even the younger classes."
"Ami, that's why we're going," Usagi waved a dismissing hand before hugging her.
Michiru gave me a grave look and handed me another small box. "Open this when you get to your room there. And pay attention to your instincts. They will serve you well, the more you listen, the more you learn, the more you trust."
To Usagi she gave another box, long, rectangular and thin. A necklace of some sort. "Use this for the crystal. Keep the crystal on it, not in your compact." Like a child, Usa-chan was already digging into the box and pulling out a delicate link chain that had a setting for the crystal, and a trail of tiny diamonds that ran down from the clasp. She nodded her compliance, ready to be off.
I pulled her back to lean on the wall, checking my watch for the millionth time again. "Watch over my grandfather?" I asked Makoto.
She smiled. "I already promised to. Hotaru here is going to start learning a few priestess duties herself. We'll see if we can't build a few muscles into these skinny arms when she helps me clean the shrine." She pinched Hotaru's forearm and earned a squeak and smack on her lower back for her troubles.
I knew Makoto would keep her word. It made me breath a little easier.
Being near Setsuna and Michiru must have amplified something. All of a sudden I felt time-space move. I locked eyes with the Time-keeper and saw her give a brief nod. Against my back a portal was opening, I could feel the warp and the weft of this world's fabric easing apart, un-knitting as it were.
I pulled Usagi against my side and stepped backwards into the wall. I heard Mina-chan squeal in surprise and saw her reach for us before a flash of darkness overtook us and cleared. We were in the other train station.
People who must have been witches and wizards were bustling along, robes flapping about them in the breezes that always accompanied a train tunnel. Some had strange cages with equally strange creatures in them. I squeezed Usagi's hand when I heard her gasp at the sight of what I know now is a goblin. I took the letter from the pocket of her coat, scanning it again and then dumping the rest of the contents of the envelope into my other hand.
"Here are our tickets. Let's go. We should be in...." I looked around wildly for a moment, confused and trying not to show it, for both our sakes. "That car," I pointed, and pulled her, ignoring her protests, the whole way down the line to it. I was grateful that the seats were two bench seats to a compartment, instead of an open car. It gave us some privacy. I made Usagi sit, and we opened Makoto's care-package, divvying up the contents and settling in our respective seats with the items we had brought to keep us amused on the trip: comic books for her, a book of old Japanese myths for me.