THE GREAT FREEZE

Aaeris17

Author's Notes: all original ideas mine, yay for all copyrighted Sailor Moon!

CHAPTER TWO

Minako Aino, World Class Super Star

I fumbled with my hair as I got back into the awaiting limo. Despite Ikuko Mama's best efforts I had resisted the invitation to stay the night in Bunny's room. Bunny did not look as though she really wanted my company anyways. Who could blame her? She felt ignored, used, and we had treated her like a child. We, I scoffed, as if the Outer Scouts really gave me an equal voice. I knew that Michiru was doing her best to disguise the fact they were training me for a greater future role. Haruka, however, wasn't at all timid at her instructions or her complete disapproval. If I heard that "the old Venus would have known…" I think I might pull a Marilyn Monroe and save myself a lot of future trouble.

The future! To think I had finally achieved my dreams and I was already being told that they would end in less than sixteen months. I looked down at my Palm Pilot. What was the use of continuing this pretense? My mornings were filled with guest appearances on shows, my afternoons were evening tapings, and my nights were spent memorizing lines or reading the massive amount of reports Setsuna made sure appeared next to my bedside each night.

I sighed—I could sure use some company. Even Artemis had abandoned me—for a girl. Were the ones I loved forever going to put me aside for a woman? My reflection in the mirror showed me a liar. Not everyone had abandoned me. I did a double take. There he was again—showing me my true self while remaining a ghost himself. I touched the topaz pendant that had been part of my old transformation pen. Come back to me! I cannot be destined for a frigid future! I prayed fervently. How could the avatar of the planet Venus be expected to live a cold barren life? If I remembered anything about my last incarnation as Venus, she was—well, a glorified sex goddess. Especially if what I recalled was indeed fact, Kunzite was a large factor in that.

I closed my eyes. Yes, before the fall of the Moon Kingdom, there had been a huge fight between the Sailor Venus and General Kunzite over the possibility of children. Venus had argued that the Queens of Venus had borne children without husbands for eons and there had been little to no interference by the fathers. Kunzite was adamant at playing a part in his future child's life. Venus knew he pictured a quaint Earth family: a mother, father, half a dozen children, all living in harmony in one house. Venus's upbringing had been far from that. I let myself drift into these old memories: as with every Goddess avatar of each planet, each Queen would bear one magnificent heir to follow in her footsteps. Yet the Queen of Venus always had her paramours and sometimes, if she grew lonely or desired 'the pitter patter of little feet' could choose to have other specifically non heir children. Venus had no siblings and desired her daughter to have sisters, brothers, fights, rivalry! And to think, as I shook myself out of these sad memories, I was born an only child once again.

"Ms. Aino, welcome to the fabulous Tokyo Mirage. You have been assigned…your assistant will…." I barely listened to the receptionist who greeted me. I put my large sunglasses on and kept on nodding, smiling gracefully and waving enthusiastically to the fans who had somehow figured out where my secret get away was.

I almost tripped as I saw an all too familiar figure amongst the throes of fans. No…It couldn't be! I lowered my sunglasses and the man with short, silvery blonde hair lowered his long enough to give me a saucy wink and disappear into the crowd again. I almost choked.

"Ms. Aino? Ms. Aino? Do you need a bottle of Evian? Perhaps some Pellegrino? You! You there! Ms. Aino needs assistance!" The stupid concierge ordered. I dutifully took the offered water and continued to scan the crowd.

"Room, room! The woman needs air!" A very familiar, much needed voice shouted as he, well she, made a direct path to me, "Wrinkles will make you age faster, gorgeous," quick kiss to each cheek and Hanukah's light green eyes twinkled at me, "Wouldn't want ya looking bad for the paparazzi, eh?" She hooked her arm through mine.

"Har-er, did you see him!" I screeched softly. Haruka looked at me.

"Who bubblehead?" Haruka teased. I raised my eyebrows higher and motioned my head backwards.

"The throngs of adoring fans? Too used to it," Haruka brushed my comment off as we got into the elevator, packed like sardines, "Kid, who ARE these people?" She asked suddenly looking at my entourage. I shrugged, "Oh lord"

"He was there, Haruka!" I hissed as we arrived on my private floor and the entourage scattered to see to various things. She ignored me pointedly as she walked me into my bedroom. Ushering me in she locked the doors behind me, "Haruka! Listen to me!" I almost stomped my foot but I was stopped by a small girlish giggle that abruptly stopped. I whirled around and my jaw dropped. Lounged around in various positions were two women and one teenage girl I barely recognized.

"Hotaru!" I squealed and lunged myself at the girl who was all too eager to see me as well, "Oh my gosh! You're grown like an antenna!"

"WEED" three women chorused at once. Hotaru blushed. In the place of the scrawny thirteen year old I had last seen was a gorgeous girl on the cusp of womanhood. Hotaru's thin black hair was long and beautifully rich. She wore it down and unadorned.

"I must have some hair ribbon for you or something…" I murmured pushing some wayward strands away from her face.

"Would you like her to keep one ribbon her entire life?" Michiru gently teased giving a quick kiss on each cheek.

I blushed, "Tis a trademark," I flipped my hair back, "Anyways, what brings you…here?"

Hotaru looked away, "Business what else?" She murmured like the sullen teenager she was almost too old to be.

"Now Hotaru, that isn't completely true," Setsuna finally stood up and brushed a kiss on top of Hotaru's head. Hotaru's eyes hid a pout and I gathered I wasn't about to like the news I was about to receive.

"So, her wedding is in two weeks or did you guys not note that on your radar?" I quipped icily. Hotaru stepped back and looked down at her Mary Janes. Michiru looked to Haruka who glanced down at her nails. Setsuna was the only one who looked me straight in the face.

"You and I both know this wedding will not occur," Setsuna softly stated.

I bit my lip, "So you say,"

"Mina-chan," Hotaru stepped forward and took one of my hands, "Do not look so sad. It hurts my heart," Hotaru said with such a childlike innocence that my heart skipped a beat and the darn internal clock ticked for the pitter patter of little feet.

"Hotaru-chan, I do not mean to make you sad. I am sad for the one who will be most hurt by the course of events that are soon to occur," I glared at Haruka and Michiru.

"Mina, what do you have a problem with more? That the Outer Scouts are the first line of defense or that we are only telling you what you need to know?" She scoffed and leaned against the closed door, arms crossed, eyes accusing.

My hands tightened in fists and I met the challenging gaze, "What are you more pissed off about Haruka, the fact that I am leader of the Scouts or that you are not?"

Haruka growled; Michiru placed one calming hand on her shoulder.

"That is not fair, Mina, you know not to take Haruka seriously," Michiru gave Haruka her own personal glare and Haruka looked significantly cowered.

"Well what do you want me to think? You guys disappear for two years, leaving a cryptic message as to how Bunny no longer needs your protection, show up again a year later, fill me in on what might happen, actually will most probably happen but then disappear for another two years and tell me to wait until a time that I DEIGN IS APPROPRIATE to tell my fellow Scouts," my voice was raising alarmingly, "And then I get the wing" "WIND" "WIND of Bunny's wedding shower and I have to go shatter their last remaining hopes for any future that does not involve bodily harm and complete, and utter, loneliness," I snapped.

"So I get to be the scapegoat for all of the world's future problems and still no clue as to WHO the enemy we're up against this time is. I mean, come ON, what's worse than Chaos?"

"How about Mankind?" Haruka spit out bitterly.

My mouth was open in mid scolding.

"Or an exposure of the Scouts?" Michiru quietly added.

"Your identities sold to the highest bidder on the black market. The darkest of the mortal demons humans can be. And then, they come after you," Setsuna added.

"Fear begets hate, hate begets violence, violence begets destruction," Hotaru softly finished.

And then, in my mind's eye I saw it: nuclear holocaust, Armageddon, all because we tried to save the Planet.

"You're kidding…" I whispered moving myself slowly to the gigantic canopied bed. Hotaru held my hand.

"Yes, so in answer to all your questions, my second favorite blonde bubblehead, I did see him and you should take that as a sign of what is to come," Haruka came over and put her arm around my shoulders. I leaned against her comforting warmth.

"What sign?" I muttered.

"That a time of Great Change is coming. If you have seen Kunzite that means that the other Generals have also been reborn into the bodies they should have been born into in this lifetime," Setsuna answered coming and pulling up a chair for herself, allowing Michiru to relax on the floor near Haruka's knees.

Seeing the confusion on my face, she continued, "At the time of the fall of the Moon Kingdom, Queen Selenity took all your souls and sent them onto a safer and more secure future. Her sealing also cleansed the brainwashed souls of Endymion's Four Generals who were made to be reborn as other young men, not dissimilar to the way you all came into being," Setsuna gaze fondly at each of us and put a loving hand on Hotaru's knees.

"But if they are coming back, that means they have been released from the Four Stones their souls were captured in by Metallica. Bunny did not release them, no evil has released them," Setsuna continued and paused and looked up to me with thoughtful eyes, "Are you following my meaning?"

I was about to shake my head no when I thought better, "No…you don't mean, like when Rini came…"I trailed off.

The three of them nodded, "I did not release them Mina, but somebody else with a power greater than that of even Queen Selenity did,"

I almost laughed at the absurd catch 22 our lives were, "Neo Queen Serenity," I whispered.

Haruka burst out laughing, "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just…" She looked fondly from me to all the other girls, "I'm so happy she's growing up!" By this point Haruka was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Haru-ka…" Michiru muttered, slightly embarrassed, "This is im-portant," she emphasized.

Haruka waved an impatient hand, "She figured it out. Somehow the Universe is circular and the concepts of the Time-Space continuum are far beyond our understanding including the fact only Setsuna really seems to get it so it must be one of those 'must live it to understand it' deals and that somehow, our Bunny, in the future as Neo-Queen Serenity, has deemed it fit to come back, or send someone, or do something to reawaken their souls. Whew," Haruka mocked wiping her brow, "Got it, squirt?"

I steepleed my fingers, thinking slowly, "But if Bunny, I mean Neo Queen Serenity had come back, wouldn't Ami or somebody have picked that up? Or is she so powerful that she can hide herself or since she is really Bunny, the radar wouldn't have picked it up? Or maybe Neo-Queen Serenity sent somebody else? One of the Scouts? And covered the trace of magic?" I kept muttering out loud as the other girls nodded in agreement. Clearly my thoughts weren't ideas they hadn't already explored.

"Or she sent back the one person with a Silver Imperium Crystal that was almost as powerful as hers but since it's the same crystal, nobody would have noticed if the girl came back in time to help her mom out once again," an all to familiar voice eagerly jumped into the conversation.

I whirled around, hair hitting Haruka and Hotaru, "Ohmygod…Ohmygod…"I cried as I struggled to reach the teenaged pink haired beauty who had managed to appear in the middle of the room.

Hair out of the royal odangoes, Rini was almost the spitting image of Bunny when Bunny was sixteen. Come to think of it, Rini was the same age that Bunny was when we fought Galaxia five years ago…I shook my head. As Haruka said, now was not the time to be figuring out the complexities of the Time Space Continuum.

"Rini! Sweetheart!" I squealed and took the gangly girl into my arms, "Let me look at you!" I held her at an arm's length and looked at her as if she was my own daughter, "Look at you! You're even prettier than your mother! But don't you dare tell her I said that!" I hissed, laughing. Rini laughed, her laugh was like that silver bell she used to ring long ago to summon Pegasus. Goddess, she was beautiful, "When are you going to see your mom?" I asked anxiously.

Rini looked guiltily down at her feet, "I don't know if I'm suppose to or…" she looked up at Setsuna, "How is she?" she asked suddenly.

I looked questioningly from Setsuna to the other girls and back to Rini's eager face, "She's fine! You just left her…" Was she asking about Bunny?

"Mina-chan! Not Mama! Bunny! How is she?" Rini laughed again. I smiled nervously.

"So far so good, Rini. I mean, considering the wedding is suppose to be in two weeks…" I muttered under my breath.

"What, Mina? I can't understand you when you mutter," Rini teased and my heart just melted looking at how well Rini was growing up. Bunny's going to be a great mom in the future! But will I ever get that chance?

"Tell me what you've been up to Rini, I need a break from work," I smiled at her and say that the other girls had readily agreed to these decisions: Hotaru turned on the TV, Michiru and Setsuna went into a light hearted conversation and Haruka went out to mingle with my dumb entourage. I hate them…I really do.

"Great! Where's the mini bar? I've heard about these! A whole bunch of oversized chocolate and nuts at outrageous prices but so compelling cause they're available!" Rini gushed. I glanced quickly at Setsuna who smiled softly and rolled her eyes. Some traits were so inheritable. She rattled off the description of a mini bar like Darien and drooled like Bunny.

"Hey blondie, some lady out here wants to know what you're doing tonight?" Haruka stuck her head in quickly, "I told her to sod off; we have work to do,"

I smiled as Hotaru turned to Michiru and asked what "sod off" meant and Haruka disappeared before Michiru could yell at her.

"Mina-chan," Rini turned with her king size chocolate bars in each hand, "are you happy?"

I was about to gush out an answer when I realized that…no…I thought that achieving all my dreams would be the best thing in the entire world. But, I'm lonely, cut off from the real world, and rarely see any of my friends.

"Of course, silly! Who wouldn't want my life? Now come here girl and tell me what you've been doing all this time!" I pulled her onto the bed with Hotaru and smiled.