Summary: In Which Mina, Hotaru, the boys and Dorothy deal with Magic, Soul-Bonds, Mysterious Deaths, Evil Math Homework, and other typicalities of High School. Sequel to "The Necessary Evils".
Author's Notes: ATTN! This is a SEQUEL. It is possible to follow the events of this story if you haven't read 'The Necessary Evils' but it won't be easy. However, if you're too lazy to go read that one, there's a handy-dandy character guide at the bottom of the chapter to help get you caught up with everyone.
Prologue:
Present Day (About six months after the epilogue of "Necessary Evils")
The high, mournful wail of a soprano saxophone cut though the smoky air as the song drew to a close. Most of the patrons began to clap, or at least looked up from their drinks to watch as the band struck up another, more upbeat, tune. The tall blonde sitting at the bar, however, didn't flinch; her eyes blearily focused on the whisky in front of her. It was past happy-hour, but not quite time for the evening crowd to begin filling the bar, so she had the bored bartender all to herself as the cocktail waitresses took care of the four or so couples sitting at tables and listening to the band.
The bartender was a man in his late twenties, or early thirties, and droopy eyes, giving him a continually sleepy look. His name was Frank, and all he could think about was counting the minutes in the two hours before his shift ended. He sighed, began wiping down the bar, again, and resolved himself to yet another boring day of not many customers, and not enough tips.
"Another whisky." The blonde said, her voice low and husky from sitting in a smoky room all morning, and most of the afternoon too. Frank nodded, turning to the mirrored wall of alcohol behind the bar, covertly studying the woman reflected on the surface. She was tall, probably taller than he was, with pale blond hair, light blue eyes, rather distinctive eyebrows, and perfect posture.
Though she stood (or rather, sat) like a queen, she was rather, well, disheveled, to put it nicely. Her hair was mussed, and seemed to have globs of something unpleasant in it, her clothes were torn, and dirty, and she had scrapes and scratches all over her arms and face, as well as rapidly fading bruises.
Normally, he would have assumed she'd been beaten, and urged her to report it to the proper authorities, but the look she shot him as he opened his mouth (eyes narrowed, jaw clenched) stalled him long enough for her to snap; "Whisky. Now."
Frank was not a stupid man. He shut his mouth, and got her the drink.
Then, for the next few hours, she proceeded to get smashingly drunk. That's why, when he set the heavy glass down in front of her, he jumped when; instead of ignoring him, she began to speak.
Her voice was heavy, and a little slow, but considering the amount of alcohol she'd ingested, he was honestly surprised that she was still capable of speech.
"Do I look like a high school student to you?" She asked. Well, slurred is more accurate. Frank looked back at her blankly. Oookay. This was different. She didn't seem to care that he didn't answer, as she was still staring down at her drink. "Hell, I don't look like a magical warrior either, do I?" She growled, flicking her eyes up briefly to meet Frank's confused stare.
"Damn," she ran a hand though her hair, wincing as her fingers caught in the tangles, "I guess we could do with some handy-dandy exposition for those of you who weren't there at the beginning of this story." She said dryly.
The bartender backed away from the bar a little, leaning against the back wall. Some drunks said the weirdest things when they needed to talk themselves out, and this one looked as if it had been a long haul. Oh well, he thought, it still beats cleaning the bar again.
"So anyway," she rambled, her story beginning to pick up steam, "It had been about six months or so since we'd closed the portal to the negaverse, which is sort of a hell-dimension of sorts, sorted out some tangled romances, and gotten some super-powered time travelers all settled into the modern world. Things were going well, y'know? A little too well on the part of Mina and Quat if you ask me, I swear, those two are nauseating, but we were, well, happy. Or as close to happy as someone can get nowadays."
Four months ago:
"Duuuoooooo!" Wufei's outraged yowl echoed down the hallway to the kitchen, where Duo, Minako, Dorothy, and Trowa had already settled down to breakfast. The aforementioned prankster looked up, bewildered, then his eyes widened, and he tried valiantly to suppress his laugher. He failed spectacularly.
At Duo's outburst all heads had swiveled to the door just in time to see Wufei, covered from head to toe in honey and bright yellow feathers stalk though the door, katana in hand.
Duo, suddenly realizing Wufei's intent to chop him into itty-bitty little pieces, yelped and dove from his chair, avoiding the sword stroke by a few millimeters. They continued a rather destructive game of cat-and-mouse around the kitchen, until most of the furniture had been destroyed. All cover gone, Duo threw open the back door and sprinted away into the yard, with Wufei in hot pursuit. The three remaining in the kitchen were silent for about a minute, before Mina, cocking her head to one side, said; "Well, that worked better than expected."
Dorothy started laughing, and she and Mina exchanged a high five.
Trowa, still in his seat at the now destroyed table hid his smile behind his teacup as he calmly continued sipping his drink.
Duo had planted a camera in the girls' bathroom and sold the photos to a site called "Blondes gone Wild" on the web. Mina was enraged at the exposure. Dorothy was pissed about not getting a cut of the profits.
It had been about two months since they'd finished taking apart OZ, and when no new enemy presented itself, they settled into a normal, everyday routine. At first it was nice to have a break, pretend they were normal teenagers, but frankly, after about a week, it was just BORING. So the ongoing prank war of Duo vs. everyone else began, and Quatre began searching for a new project for the unique skill set their little group possessed. After all, one could live with pink hair for a while, but no one, no matter how rich, could afford to keep replacing furniture at the rate that it was currently being destroyed. He'd been closeted in his office for the past two days, (not just to avoid Duo, he insisted) and called a meeting for that afternoon.
However, Dorothy and Mina weren't above getting a little revenge in the impending hours.
Present Day
Frank glanced at the calendar. Friday the thirteenth. He should have known. Friday 13th's always bring out the crazies.
"That was hic when Quat told us he'd dug up the coordinates to the old crystal palace. There were hic some reports of strange things, and a buncha unexplained deaths in the area, so we should go an' investigate." Dorothy slurred, leaning forward on the barstool. "That's when all this…" she gestured to herself, particularly the bruises, torn clothing and goop in her hair. "…began."
Thanks for reading! Please review!
Notes:
This is a SEQUEL, so if you're incredibly confused, read the first part "The Necessary Evils" right here on ff.net, full of action, mystery, romance, and plot-twisty goodness.
Or, if you're too lazy, here's a quick synopsis on Our Heroes:
Hotaru: Has awakened the awesome destructive force of Saturn through her twin bond with Duo. She has an awkward, but intense relationship with Heero Yuy that seems to involve lots of misunderstandings and threats. She's still altogether too angsty and jumps to conclusions too often, but is working on it.
Minako: Has also had a power boost mirroring the dramatic DECREASE in the number of scouts (well, alive at the moment anyway). She's still the happy, cheerful (and slightly manic) Venus, but has a darker, sadder side after witnessing the slaughter of her best friends. She holds that side back through her friendship with Hotaru and her soul bond with the gentlest pilot, Quatre. Doesn't like Heero or Wufei very much, but puts up with them because Hotaru likes them for some reason.
Heero: Found to be part machine, relying on his beloved laptop to suppress his emotions and super-charge his strength and endurance. His emotions have been slowly returning after he promised Hotaru he'd stop using that part of his programming. He is now really, really confused.
Quatre: The pretty-boy pilot still plays peacemaker, and has now resolved his feelings for Mina through the soul bond formed by their twin powers of empathy (hers in senshi 'power of love' and his through his 'space heart').
Wufei: Warmed to Hotaru as she reminded him of Meiran, his dead first love, but is annoyed by Mina. He has some pretty confused feelings about Hotaru, and is beginning to regret passively watching Heero and Hotaru form a relationship.
Duo: The wisecracking trickster is alive and well, and out in force with his ancient alter-ego Shini. Now he really can call himself the god of death. He is considering becoming protective and keeping Heero's hands OFF HIS TWIN.
Trowa: Not much happened to Trowa. Sorry.
Iria (Quatre's sister): Found out about everything. The poor dear really needs a drink.
Dorothy/Uranus: The former aristocrat and war-monger, has been found to be the latest incarnation of the Senshi Uranus. All the senshi were reborn in the future, but at different times, so the amount of magic in the world, which stays constant at all times, would overwhelm the one or two senshi born to each generation, driving them to madness, or an early grave. Hotaru and Mina helped unlock some of her old memories, but Dorothy, for the most part, is perfectly happy remaining herself, without any old personalities emerging.
Author's Notes: ATTN! This is a SEQUEL. It is possible to follow the events of this story if you haven't read 'The Necessary Evils' but it won't be easy. However, if you're too lazy to go read that one, there's a handy-dandy character guide at the bottom of the chapter to help get you caught up with everyone.
Prologue:
Present Day (About six months after the epilogue of "Necessary Evils")
The high, mournful wail of a soprano saxophone cut though the smoky air as the song drew to a close. Most of the patrons began to clap, or at least looked up from their drinks to watch as the band struck up another, more upbeat, tune. The tall blonde sitting at the bar, however, didn't flinch; her eyes blearily focused on the whisky in front of her. It was past happy-hour, but not quite time for the evening crowd to begin filling the bar, so she had the bored bartender all to herself as the cocktail waitresses took care of the four or so couples sitting at tables and listening to the band.
The bartender was a man in his late twenties, or early thirties, and droopy eyes, giving him a continually sleepy look. His name was Frank, and all he could think about was counting the minutes in the two hours before his shift ended. He sighed, began wiping down the bar, again, and resolved himself to yet another boring day of not many customers, and not enough tips.
"Another whisky." The blonde said, her voice low and husky from sitting in a smoky room all morning, and most of the afternoon too. Frank nodded, turning to the mirrored wall of alcohol behind the bar, covertly studying the woman reflected on the surface. She was tall, probably taller than he was, with pale blond hair, light blue eyes, rather distinctive eyebrows, and perfect posture.
Though she stood (or rather, sat) like a queen, she was rather, well, disheveled, to put it nicely. Her hair was mussed, and seemed to have globs of something unpleasant in it, her clothes were torn, and dirty, and she had scrapes and scratches all over her arms and face, as well as rapidly fading bruises.
Normally, he would have assumed she'd been beaten, and urged her to report it to the proper authorities, but the look she shot him as he opened his mouth (eyes narrowed, jaw clenched) stalled him long enough for her to snap; "Whisky. Now."
Frank was not a stupid man. He shut his mouth, and got her the drink.
Then, for the next few hours, she proceeded to get smashingly drunk. That's why, when he set the heavy glass down in front of her, he jumped when; instead of ignoring him, she began to speak.
Her voice was heavy, and a little slow, but considering the amount of alcohol she'd ingested, he was honestly surprised that she was still capable of speech.
"Do I look like a high school student to you?" She asked. Well, slurred is more accurate. Frank looked back at her blankly. Oookay. This was different. She didn't seem to care that he didn't answer, as she was still staring down at her drink. "Hell, I don't look like a magical warrior either, do I?" She growled, flicking her eyes up briefly to meet Frank's confused stare.
"Damn," she ran a hand though her hair, wincing as her fingers caught in the tangles, "I guess we could do with some handy-dandy exposition for those of you who weren't there at the beginning of this story." She said dryly.
The bartender backed away from the bar a little, leaning against the back wall. Some drunks said the weirdest things when they needed to talk themselves out, and this one looked as if it had been a long haul. Oh well, he thought, it still beats cleaning the bar again.
"So anyway," she rambled, her story beginning to pick up steam, "It had been about six months or so since we'd closed the portal to the negaverse, which is sort of a hell-dimension of sorts, sorted out some tangled romances, and gotten some super-powered time travelers all settled into the modern world. Things were going well, y'know? A little too well on the part of Mina and Quat if you ask me, I swear, those two are nauseating, but we were, well, happy. Or as close to happy as someone can get nowadays."
Four months ago:
"Duuuoooooo!" Wufei's outraged yowl echoed down the hallway to the kitchen, where Duo, Minako, Dorothy, and Trowa had already settled down to breakfast. The aforementioned prankster looked up, bewildered, then his eyes widened, and he tried valiantly to suppress his laugher. He failed spectacularly.
At Duo's outburst all heads had swiveled to the door just in time to see Wufei, covered from head to toe in honey and bright yellow feathers stalk though the door, katana in hand.
Duo, suddenly realizing Wufei's intent to chop him into itty-bitty little pieces, yelped and dove from his chair, avoiding the sword stroke by a few millimeters. They continued a rather destructive game of cat-and-mouse around the kitchen, until most of the furniture had been destroyed. All cover gone, Duo threw open the back door and sprinted away into the yard, with Wufei in hot pursuit. The three remaining in the kitchen were silent for about a minute, before Mina, cocking her head to one side, said; "Well, that worked better than expected."
Dorothy started laughing, and she and Mina exchanged a high five.
Trowa, still in his seat at the now destroyed table hid his smile behind his teacup as he calmly continued sipping his drink.
Duo had planted a camera in the girls' bathroom and sold the photos to a site called "Blondes gone Wild" on the web. Mina was enraged at the exposure. Dorothy was pissed about not getting a cut of the profits.
It had been about two months since they'd finished taking apart OZ, and when no new enemy presented itself, they settled into a normal, everyday routine. At first it was nice to have a break, pretend they were normal teenagers, but frankly, after about a week, it was just BORING. So the ongoing prank war of Duo vs. everyone else began, and Quatre began searching for a new project for the unique skill set their little group possessed. After all, one could live with pink hair for a while, but no one, no matter how rich, could afford to keep replacing furniture at the rate that it was currently being destroyed. He'd been closeted in his office for the past two days, (not just to avoid Duo, he insisted) and called a meeting for that afternoon.
However, Dorothy and Mina weren't above getting a little revenge in the impending hours.
Present Day
Frank glanced at the calendar. Friday the thirteenth. He should have known. Friday 13th's always bring out the crazies.
"That was hic when Quat told us he'd dug up the coordinates to the old crystal palace. There were hic some reports of strange things, and a buncha unexplained deaths in the area, so we should go an' investigate." Dorothy slurred, leaning forward on the barstool. "That's when all this…" she gestured to herself, particularly the bruises, torn clothing and goop in her hair. "…began."
Thanks for reading! Please review!
Notes:
This is a SEQUEL, so if you're incredibly confused, read the first part "The Necessary Evils" right here on ff.net, full of action, mystery, romance, and plot-twisty goodness.
Or, if you're too lazy, here's a quick synopsis on Our Heroes:
Hotaru: Has awakened the awesome destructive force of Saturn through her twin bond with Duo. She has an awkward, but intense relationship with Heero Yuy that seems to involve lots of misunderstandings and threats. She's still altogether too angsty and jumps to conclusions too often, but is working on it.
Minako: Has also had a power boost mirroring the dramatic DECREASE in the number of scouts (well, alive at the moment anyway). She's still the happy, cheerful (and slightly manic) Venus, but has a darker, sadder side after witnessing the slaughter of her best friends. She holds that side back through her friendship with Hotaru and her soul bond with the gentlest pilot, Quatre. Doesn't like Heero or Wufei very much, but puts up with them because Hotaru likes them for some reason.
Heero: Found to be part machine, relying on his beloved laptop to suppress his emotions and super-charge his strength and endurance. His emotions have been slowly returning after he promised Hotaru he'd stop using that part of his programming. He is now really, really confused.
Quatre: The pretty-boy pilot still plays peacemaker, and has now resolved his feelings for Mina through the soul bond formed by their twin powers of empathy (hers in senshi 'power of love' and his through his 'space heart').
Wufei: Warmed to Hotaru as she reminded him of Meiran, his dead first love, but is annoyed by Mina. He has some pretty confused feelings about Hotaru, and is beginning to regret passively watching Heero and Hotaru form a relationship.
Duo: The wisecracking trickster is alive and well, and out in force with his ancient alter-ego Shini. Now he really can call himself the god of death. He is considering becoming protective and keeping Heero's hands OFF HIS TWIN.
Trowa: Not much happened to Trowa. Sorry.
Iria (Quatre's sister): Found out about everything. The poor dear really needs a drink.
Dorothy/Uranus: The former aristocrat and war-monger, has been found to be the latest incarnation of the Senshi Uranus. All the senshi were reborn in the future, but at different times, so the amount of magic in the world, which stays constant at all times, would overwhelm the one or two senshi born to each generation, driving them to madness, or an early grave. Hotaru and Mina helped unlock some of her old memories, but Dorothy, for the most part, is perfectly happy remaining herself, without any old personalities emerging.