Ribbita was playing the wedding march as the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle. The rehearsal started several hours ago but things were going slowly when it came to the part when the party was supposed to make their way to the altar.
"And step, two, three. Step, two, three…" Kitsune was saying to set a tempo. Usagi then slipped and knocked the other bridesmaids down in a domino effect. "No, no, no! Stop the music!"
"I'm sorry!" said Usagi.
Rei sighed and looked to Michiru. "This wouldn't be happening if you two were having a traditional Japanese wedding."
Michiru sighed. "I know this your first time in a western style ceremony but please do it for us?"
"I'm sorry; it's just that ever since I was a little girl I always dreamed of having a traditional Japanese wedding."
"Well it will come true, if you keep wishing for It." said Yuuichirou. At this, Rei's face turned bright red but she did not say anything. Even if she and Yuuichirou were discussing certain possibilities, she still wasn't quite prepared to talk about it in front of the girls. Luckily, the comment seemed to go unnoticed.
Kitsune sighed. "What say we all call it a day? We can pick this up later."
Setsuna was walking out the door when Hallen stopped her. "So is it a date?" he asked nervously.
Setsuna started to blush. "Well, um… I guess if you're going with friends then I can go so the two of us can get to know each other." She then started thinking. What's going on with me? I never rush into things like this; I always look into the situation first, carefully weigh my options and then choose a course of action. Why am I acting so spontaneously?
"Ok, here's the address." He said giving her a note. "I'll see you there."
"I'm looking forward to it." Setsuna said. As she walked out the door she felt her heart beat a little faster.
Kitsune had watched the exchange and gave a sinister smile; an ability she had that proved useful to her was a photographic memory. She saw the note and memorized the address. "Hard to believe that klutz actually defeated Chaos" said Titanium Kerokero as she reverted to her Sailor form.
"I don't doubt it." said Kitsune. "What better way to lull your foes into a false sense of security than to make them think you're a clumsy, idiotic fool."
"Whatever, so now what?"
"Now I'm going bowling, you should contact Viscount Orichalcum for instructions."
"Why are you even bothering getting that guy to fall for you? Why don't we just take his starseed?"
"Because if we do that the Pluto princess will feel it and that will alert the others. This way by the time they notice what's happening Viscount Orichalcum will have enough starseeds to overpower them."
The bowling alley was loud and bustling when Setsuna arrived. Music pulsed through the speakers, giving all the players a certain rhythm to their movements at they picked up their balls and readied them for aim. It was good to see a friendly social atmosphere was still alive and well somewhere in town, Setsuna nodded. The thought occurred to her afterwards that it was the first time since she arrived in this age that she had done anything remotely sociable at all. Michiru and Haruka noticed it too; they would not stop teasing her as she left.
It's just for fun, just to get to know him, she reminded herself. Since he's escorting me and all. Look at me; I'm turning into a high schooler.
"Hey there, Setsuna!" a familiar voice finally called. Setsuna almost jumped a mile.
"Hallen!" she replied as she saw him walk in through the doors. He made a polite bow to her as he removed his coat.
"Sorry if I made you wait."
"Oh now, that's okay, I actually got here a bit early," Setsuna replied. "I, um... I like being punctual." With this, she turned and began heading over to one of the lanes, until she realized that she had not a clue what she was doing. Hallen, however, seemed to sense her embarrassment, and walked up to the front desk, motioning her over. "We'll book a lane first, and then we'll get our shoes," he said. Setsuna nodded. This could be a very pleasant evening. Except for...
"Hi there!" a certain annoying voice called out. "You guys weren't planning to start without me, were you?"
"Um, Kitsune." Setsuna said. "I didn't expect you here." She didn't know why Kitsune was bothering her, she just knew she that she was obviously interested in Hallen and for some reason that made her tense up.
"Ok, I'm sorry if seemed just a overbearing earlier, I'm just here to have fun tonight that's all." Saps. She thought. I don't know why I didn't think of this before, first I have to get the princess to lose interest in him then I can get him to notice me. But what to do it with?
"I invited a friend to join us." said Hallen. "Hey there he is right…" then he sweatdropped as he saw someone come in with his friend Scott, a young man with glasses and a moustache. "Oh no."
"Hey Hallen!" said a bald fat man. "I see you got two broods to join us, sweet!"
"Hey Phil." Hallen knew Phil mostly through Scott because they lived next door to each other. Phil was a chauvinistic jerk who spent most of his time mooching of other people, including him.
"Sorry Hallen." said Scott. "He heard I was bowling tonight and he wouldn't take no for an answer."
Perfect. Thought Kitsune. I all have to do is get her to think that he's the same as this pig and she'll drop him like a bad habit. All I have to do find a way to make being with Phil more bearable. Maybe if I imagine his face with my fist buried in it, much better.
Hallen then turned to Setsuna and Kitsune. "Let me apologize in advance for anything he may say or do."
Setsuna always tried not to judge a book by its cover but she had a gut feeling that between Kitsune and Phil her first game of bowling would be the longest event in her life, and after standing watch at the gates for centuries that was saying something.
They all got a lane and shoes and started the game; Hallen eased Setsuna into the game and she was ok for a beginner. Hallen and Scott were playing good enough and Kitsune was bowling unusually well, but Phil was on fire and he was shoving it in everyone's faces. "Gobble, gobble, gobble; It's a turkey! Ha-ha!"
"You can tell a lot about a guy from the company he keeps." Kitsune said to Setsuna. "I'm having second thoughts about Hallen."
"He didn't ask him to come." Setsuna said. "I'm just trying to enjoy myself and I'm not going to let Phil ruin it for me." She then saw it was her turn. "Excuse me."
She stepped up she stepped up to the line. "How about we give her some encouragement?" said Hallen.
"I got some." said Phil. "That's a nice-looking butt you've got there!"
Setsuna blushed furiously, she was still angry when she threw the ball and it knocked down only one pin when it went in the gutter. "No problem, I'll just do better with the next ball." She said claming down.
"Nice going Phil." said Scott.
"It was a compliment!" Phil then turned to Kitsune. "By the way your breasts are…"
"Keep your hands away from them or you'll be pulling back a stump." Kitsune said in her more natural voice.
As Setsuna went to pick up her ball she saw a cockroach come up from under floorboards next to the ball return, her forehead stared looking blue. She leapt up on the return and started screaming. "Kill it, kill it, KILL IT!"
Hallen quickly came up and crushed the pest under his rented shoe. Setsuna looked around to see that just about everyone in the alley was staring at her. "There you go." said Hallen. "Are you ok?"
Setsuna blushed. "Oh I'm sorry. It's just I've been afraid of roaches for as long as I could remember. I'm sorry that I embarrassed you in front of all these people."
"It's ok; everybody is afraid of something." He helped her down holding her hands.
Setsuna felt an odd tingle as he held her hands. He cares about me, he really cares about me. What am I thinking about? He stepped on an insect, it's not like he slew a dragon. So why am I making a big deal about it?
Drat! Kitsune thought. It was starting to work and a stupid bug ruined it all! Oh well, at least I have some ammunition I may use against her.
At that moment she felt Orichalcum calling to her. "Will you excuse me?" she said.
Phil lifted a plastic cup. "While your up, beer me."
Kitsune took the cup and turned it over dropping the ice cubes in it on his head. "Beer yourself!"
She went into a stall in the ladies room and used a crystal to contact Orichalcum. "Pewter Fox, Report." He said.
"My efforts to keep the princess of Pluto and her knight apart have been… less than fruitful."
"Forget about that for now, I need you and Titanium Kerokero to round up those five Phages you two created earlier and get them ready to battle the senshi."
"But, they aren't strong enough to beat them with the knights."
"I don't intend for them to, we're going to return the Phages to normal so we can use their dark energy to use the other animates' starseeds."
"So you plan on using the beast forms they never had the chance to?"
"That and another weapon that will eliminate the need for you to use that wedding hall as a hideout."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see what I mean; I tell you when to carry out the attack."
"Understood." She said as the link was cut. As she was going out of the stall she saw Setsuna come in and stand in front the mirror. Kitsune stood on the toilet to hide and heard Setsuna talking to herself. "This can't work out; I can't get close to him. If I do and the time comes when I have to go back what do I tell him? 'I'm sorry but I have to break up with you so I can guard a space-time door for all eternity?' That would be awkward."
Kitsune smiled. She may have just handed me the most powerful weapon to use against her and she doesn't even know it.