Unreachable

Mina's voice was a ghostly breath lingering in Kaelan's ear. He hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her due to the zeal with which his security guards performed their job, escorting him to his office on the top floor of Club Trillium. He had severely underestimated his public presence, and he seemed to be the only one. After his interview, the answering machine became full of messages asking if he would be interested in appearing on such-and-such program and if he could please let them know his schedule. Local charities weren't outright asking for money but they would really appreciate it if he would consider donating since Christmas was two weeks away.

There were other requests as well. Would he be interested in a reality TV show? Had he ever considered acting? Did he want to sign to such-and-such modeling agency? Would he consider endorsing some product? He already had a financial advisor and now debated hiring a personal assistant to act as a buffer between him and the media. Kaelan couldn't have cared less about becoming famous, which seemed to be happening despite his aversion to publicity.

"Forbes called today," Joe informed him during lunch. Finals were over and everyone was on winter break. "They want you on their 30 Under 30 list."

Kaelan only sighed and continued eating his sandwich in silence.

"That's not as cool as Glamour naming him one of this year's hottest eligible bachelors," Zach said.

Joe scoffed. "Forbes is way more reputable than Glamour."

"Well you know what I heard?" Nicholas cut in. "He's in the running for Person of the Year."

Now Kaelan did look up. Appearing in TIME, on the cover no less, was a Big Fucking Deal. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From someone at school," Nicholas answered. He never had interesting news to share so he basked in the feeling of importance. "This girl from the Daily told me. Her uncle works at Time."

Mamoru nodded. "You should probably set up a meeting with them."

"It sounds like a rumor," Kaelan returned. "I'll wait for them to contact me if it's true." This meant he actually had to listen to all future messages received, an extremely off-putting notion.

Mamoru drove slowly along the waterfront. He couldn't remember where Usagi told him to pick her up, but it was one of the piers currently crawling with tourists. Was she at the arcade? The Great Wheel? The Curiosity Shoppe? Ivars? No, she was getting a smoothie from a coffee stand. Mamoru tapped the horn, earning more than a few glares. The blonde spun around, grinned, and got into the passenger seat before he held up too much traffic. "You'll want to go left here to avoid the construction," she advised.

Mamoru obeyed, guiding his Mercedes up the steep hill leading away from the ferry terminal. They were essentially heading toward the U District; Mamoru had called Usagi in the middle of the night to say he had a dream involving two shadowy, indistinct women who seemed rather close to the school. He wasn't sure if they were students so the plan was to find a central location from which to expand his new supernatural senses. First they had to slog through Westlake's congested streets where Mamoru constantly glanced around to avoid hitting jaywalkers. Usagi began worrying her nacre talisman, unknowingly exuding a calming aura.

Once in Montlake, the spiritual strings Mamoru had mentioned began pulling him to the northeast just beyond the UW campus, and he was a bit annoyed with himself for never having sensed guardians that were so close to an area he frequented. "What's this neighborhood called?" Usagi asked, since she couldn't see the GPS on his side.

"Laurelhurst," Mamoru answered. They drove to a big green field, as good a place as any to park, and began honing in on the guardian pair. "This area looks ritzy. They must be rich if they live here." Many of the compact yet stately homes featured stone and brickwork, and ivy grew over a fair number of them.

Usagi removed the three remaining necklaces and held them up like pendulums, turning in a slow circle until facing due south. "This way, Mamo-chan." There were a few people working on their landscaping in the December sunshine, and Mamoru waved at them while Usagi passed by. He noticed that she had started to jog away and rushed to keep up with her, then they both halted in front of a particular house. It looked no different from the others but it felt unique among the row. "I think this is it," Usagi said, panting lightly.

"Should we go up and knock?" Mamoru ascended the tiered steps to the stoop, missing the apprehension in her tone.

"Wait, Mamo-chan…"

But it was too late. The door opened mere seconds before his knuckles fell upon it.

"I was wondering when you two would show up," said the girl at the threshold. Mamoru gaped in amazement, partly at that statement and partly because she exuded a powerful aura. Her almond-shaped eyes were dark brown in color and her long black hair fell in loose waves. She smiled amicably and stepped aside. "Please come in."

Mamoru gestured for Usagi to hurry up. She climbed the stairs and clung to his arm as they entered the foyer. Inside it was all earth tones and natural fabrics, and there was a cloying yet not unpleasant mask of incense. "This way, please," the girl motioned, leading them into a large sitting room. She indicated a couch with embroidered and tufted cushions. Beneath their feet was an authentic Persian rug, and colorful tapestries and mosaics hung on the walls.

After taking a long look around, Mamoru met the girl's gaze. "How did you know we would come here?"

"Last month I started having vivid dreams featuring a young couple who looked a lot like you… in spirit, at least. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you both Japanese?"

"Yes," they answered in unison, and the girl's countenance brightened. She switched from English to their native tongue.

"When I told my mom about these recurring dreams, she said it could mean I was destined to meet the couple in the present. But I'm usually not receptive to strangers." She clasped her hands. "Although, to be honest, the two of you don't feel like complete strangers. I don't know if it's because I met you in my dreams already, or maybe it's just the presence about you." She shrugged. "Anyway, I'm not really sure what to do now that you're here."

Usagi and Mamoru shared a look; they were in the same boat. "Who are you, exactly?" Mamoru inquired.

"Oh gosh, sorry! I actually have two names but they mean the same thing. My birth mother named me Hinghoy, that's Thai. She died when I was ten, then I went to live with my father in Tokyo. I'm—" The smile vanished in an instant as she diverted her attention to the floor. "Tomoe. Tomoe Hotaru."

Usagi felt the color drain from her face. "As in Tomoe Laboratories?"

"Yes," the girl answered meekly.

An uncomfortable silence arose as Mamoru slumped against the couch, his eyes wide, and Usagi grit her teeth. The question she bit back was, "What in god's name was your father doing that caused three wards to be destroyed?" Instead she asked, "What happened?"

The old wound made Hotaru sigh. "There's a very simple explanation… and that's what's so terrible about the whole thing." She paused, biting her lower lip. "Do you know what white phosphorus is?"

"It's… not good." Mamoru scolded himself for speaking while his brain processed so many other things.

But Hotaru didn't deride him. "My father was experimenting with it for military applications. The public doesn't know that– no one but the Japanese government is supposed to. An official made me sign a non-disclosure agreement before I moved here… which I guess I just violated." She smiled wryly. "White phosphorus is highly unstable– it can combust when exposed to oxygen. One of my father's researchers improperly sealed a sample, which ignited, which then spread to a tank of hydrogen. That's what caused the initial explosion. Of course, there are a lot of things that can react violently in a chemistry lab."

"Do they know who left the sample open?" Mamoru asked.

"Yes, it was a woman my father had recently hired. Her name was Kaori and according to what employee gossip I overheard, she had a thing for my father. So maybe she was making eyes at him and forgot to seal the phosphorus." Hotaru angrily shook her head. "It's disgusting to think about. She should have been doing the job she was hired for, not trying to hook up with her boss. So many people's lives were ruined because of her!"

Silence greeted her outburst, and then Usagi began to cry as that statement echoed in her mind.

It happened on a Sunday, when she was home from school and playing video games. Her dad's favorite TV show was interrupted by the emergency broadcast signal, then a news anchor told them that the neighborhoods surrounding Chuo Ward had to evacuate. Then came the sirens and people leaving their houses to stand in the street, watching as a pillar of flame-tinged smoke rose into the air. Ikuko hurriedly told her daughter what to pack. Ten minutes later, their most valuable possessions had been loaded into the car and Kenji drove to a marina in Ota. The Tsukino's left the radio on while staring at the blaze across the harbor as it consumed their neighborhood.

Mamoru cleared his throat. "Tomoe-san, could you please explain how you knew we would meet today?"

She shrugged again, a tiny movement. "I'm sort of precognitive." Usagi looked up at that, quizzical. "Sometimes I catch glimpses of the future, but most of the time it's allegorical. I have no idea what's going to happen until after the event occurs and I can piece it together."

"Then how are you certain we're the people from your dream?" he pressed.

"Intuition," she answered simply. "I feel it about you, something in your… auras." Her dark eyes narrowed to scrutinize them, lingering on Usagi. "Do you know anything about that, how to read and focus auras? Chakras? Meditation?"

"Isn't that what Rei does?" Usagi inquired of Mamoru, who nodded. "We have a friend who's into that stuff."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "It shouldn't be something people get 'into', like a phase. We're talking about filling your body with cosmic energy and achieving nirvana. It's not something to take lightly." The three of them were alerted to the front door opening and closing. "I'm sure my mom can explain it better."

Meiou Setsuna was Hotaru's adoptive mother and one of the most physically-striking people Mamoru or Usagi had ever encountered. She was half Japanese and half Hindi, spending most of her youth bouncing between her parents in Kashmir and Tokyo. She had a degree in clinical psychiatry from Tokyo University, living and working in the city until the Tomoe Laboratories accident. Setsuna was quite petite for a thirty year-old woman, with golden brown skin, long obsidian hair, and ethereal violet eyes. Mamoru had never seen someone with eyes like hers and spent a full minute analyzing and speculating about the color, which she stoically endured.

Although Setsuna's occupation was firmly rooted in tangible science and medicine, she sometimes utilized her own spiritual beliefs in treating her patients. She showed Usagi and Mamoru to her office, indicating charts and books while explaining the most basic concepts of Tantric philosophy, a branch of the large tree of Hinduism. Usagi had been under the impression that Tantra was synonymous with certain sexual practices but she soon learned that wasn't the case at all. Setsuna gave them a couple books to peruse at their leisure: Balanced Chakras, Balanced Life and Introduction to Kundalini Yoga. Mamoru had never done yoga before but thought it might be fun if Usagi tried it with him.

"Now, about Hotaru's dreams…" Setsuna said as she poured tea for everyone, "The fact that she was able to identify you based on nothing more than spiritual energy tells me the two of you possess ancient souls, and because they are so closely linked I would venture to assume you are soul mates." Usagi and Mamoru shared yet another look. "That does not necessarily facilitate a romantic relationship or even physical attraction– soul mates can be platonic as well. It only means the universe ordained that the two of you stay together through all of your incarnations in order to achieve enlightenment."

"The universe wants us to be enlightened together?" Usagi parroted. "What does that mean?"

Setsuna smiled kindly. "The pursuit of humankind has always been answering existential questions. Why were we put on this world? What is our purpose in life? What does the universe want from us? Everyone has their own answers to these questions, but some, like myself, seek the divine truth, answers from the universe itself. It is a difficult concept to embrace and a difficult path to keep walking. Many succumb to the pleasures of the physical world and give up pursuing the spiritual one. Even I may do so in time."

This discussion was far too esoteric for Usagi and Mamoru to grasp in its entirety. Setsuna dropped the subject and listened to them talk about their quest instead, absorbing all the details regarding amulets, guardians, and the mysterious enemy arrayed against them. "What does it mean to be a guardian, though?" Hotaru asked once they were finished.

Usagi averted her gaze. "I'm not exactly sure. Nia just said that everything would become clear after I found you two because it would lead her to the final guardian, but… I don't feel like I've learned anything new." She turned to Mamoru. "Do you think something happened to Nia?"

Mamoru hoped it wasn't so, but perhaps the dark ones had hindered her. "I think we should just wait and see," he replied. He desired answers as much as Usagi, and now they were almost within reach. Everything depended on Nia at this point.

Usagi presented Setsuna with the Indonesian black opal pendant since it had a very mystical quality akin to her lifestyle. Hotaru received the sapphire, its faceted depths constantly shifting like her mature yet youthful personality; she was only a teenager, after all. "This is very fitting for her," Setsuna remarked. "Indigo is the color of Ajna, the third eye. It will help Hotaru focus her visions." She then stood up and bowed. "It was a pleasure to meet you both. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance in your endeavors, personal or otherwise." Hotaru mirrored the motion.

"It was very nice meeting you as well," Usagi replied, also bowing. "Thank you for inviting us into your home." With that they left, but neither spoke until they had returned to the car. Her fingers unfurled around the sunstone, which seemed to blink at her despite the overcast weather. "I want to know who this belongs to. I want Nia to find her. I just want everything to make sense already!"

Mamoru placed a comforting hand on her knee, making her groan and slump in the seat. 'Make sense…' he thought to himself during the drive to the mansion. 'What if it doesn't make any sense at all?' That was contradictory to how he viewed the world. There had to be a grain of logic somewhere. He considered it all: his dreams, the people in them, the guardians, and the amulets. There had to be a common denominator, something linking them all. He caught the reflection of Usagi's moonstone pendant in the windshield, and then the sunstone in her hand, and then recalled what Joe had said about ilmenite being a mineral native to the Moon. "Oh my god…" he breathed, earning a worried glance from Usagi. His foot stamped down on the gas pedal and suddenly they were going ninety miles an hour down the highway.

"Eek! What's wrong, Mamo-chan?!"

He didn't answer. There were still a few things he needed to confirm before presenting his theory to Usagi.

"Of course there are only nine planets," Kaelan scoffed, blowing a huge hole in one of Mamoru's hypotheses. His grey eyes flicked between a docket and his computer but he managed to give his housemate enough attention.

"What about Nibiru?" Mamoru wondered.

Kaelan looked up sharply at that as he gulped. "Nibiru is a myth perpetuated by idiots too lazy to actually study astronomy, or physics for that matter. It is literally impossible for an object of planetary mass to appear on a collision course for Earth without it causing a gravitational disturbance among major bodies in our solar system." His expression softened a little. "It's like a sheep herd mentality. One person read about it and now there's a whole damn cult trying to discredit space agencies around the globe. Morons, the lot of them."

"Err, thanks for clarifying that." Mamoru turned toward Usagi who was pulling random books off the shelves and reading one page before putting them back. "I think I've figured it out, Usako." They began to leave the office so Kaelan could work in peace, but then someone burst through the wooden double doors and lurched right into Mamoru.

It was Nia, and she was bleeding from every orifice on her face. Usagi recoiled with a yelp and Kaelan stood so abruptly his chair careened into the wall. Since Nia was taller than Mamoru she dragged him down somewhat, but with two extra pairs of hands he managed to lay her on the plush carpet and instantly went into medical diagnostic mode. "What happened?!" Usagi cried.

Nia's voice was raspy. "Those bastards found the last guardian before she could get to you. I tried to intercept them but I was too late. They knew who she was… they saw her in the Eye." She turned onto her side and retched, spewing blood. Mamoru grabbed his friends firmly by their arms and pulled them away.

"We have to help her!" Usagi shouted, fighting his grasp.

"You can't, Usako. I'm certain those are symptoms of ebola." She stared at him wide-eyed, shocked that he was willing to do nothing but pull out his phone.

"Wait, Mamoru…" Nia coughed again and somehow gathered the strength to shift onto her hands and knees. "It is ebola, but I am immune."

"The rest of us aren't," he coldly returned. "You're going to kill us if you stay here!"

She shook her head and her words were punctuated with ragged breaths. "This is not a natural strain… it is not contagious. It is poison designed only for me. Usagi, take this…" Nia reached into her coat pocket, wobbling on three limbs, and pushed a shimmering object across the rug before collapsing. Usagi moved to claim it but Mamoru grabbed her arm again.

"Usako, you can't!"

"I have to! She came all the way here in her condition to give me that thing!"

"You can't go near her!" Mamoru shouted, the first time he had ever raised his voice to Usagi. "Ebola is one of the most deadly diseases on the planet! Just look at what it's doing to her!" Nia certainly presented a gruesome example of the effects. "I should have realized it right away, before her blood got on us. We have to get to a hospital and this whole place needs to be quarantined!"

Kaelan sniffed disdainfully. "What makes you think I want the CDC poking around here?"

"This isn't the time for telling the authorities to screw off!" Mamoru refuted.

"Excuse me? This is my fucking house!"

Usagi took advantage of their bickering to pick up the compact. It was solid gold inside and out, and instead of moonstone or jade there was a large diamond in the center surrounded by ten gems in every color of the rainbow. It refracted the light of the room, winking like a multicolored eye. After closing it she noticed blackish blood on the lid; Nia had obviously risked her life to get this compact. She had risked her life to save Michiru. She'd risked it saving Ami and Mina, and was willing to risk it for Haruka. And for what? Why did she keep putting herself in harm's way for a bunch of strangers? Nia believed they were guardians, but what exactly were they supposed to be defending? What was the reason for it all? The answers had to lie in this talisman belonging to the final guardian… they had to.

Mamoru didn't call the Center for Disease Control. He did, however, put on gloves and a mask to tend to Nia after Kaelan carried her up to the guest room on the third floor. "I should be pissed that she keeps getting in here without anybody realizing it," he said, standing with his arms crossed, "but I actually admire her. She must've been a damn good thief."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow, prompting Kaelan to sit down in a chair on the other side of the bed. "Why would you applaud someone who admitted to her crimes yet managed to avoid punishment the world over?"

"If you really want to know, it's because she reminds me of myself when I was a kid. I used to fight and steal and break into places. But unlike her, I didn't get away with it… I fucked up real bad once." Mamoru's raised brow prompted Kaelan to tell the story. "When I was ten, I got busted for pickpocketing guests at a fancy hotel. After getting me from the station this one cop said my mum needed a man in her life to straighten out her little bastard son. She started beating him with her purse right in front of everyone. The next day our neighbor, a clerk at the station, told Mum the cop was going to arrest her for assaulting him."

Mamoru was wide-eyed. "Then what happened?"

"She sent me to my room and rang someone. She said 'Simon, you need to come see your son. I might be in trouble and he has to have somebody watching over him.' That was the first mention of my father in ten years, and Mum knew his name and how to contact him no less. At that point I was confused and pissed off, to say the least."

Kaelan stared at Nia's inert left hand as Mamoru stared at him, so neither was aware that her eyes were open slightly and she was listening to the story. "Did your mother go to jail?" Mamoru asked.

He shook his head. "No. My dad never showed up and Mum refused to leave me, so she started fucking that cop. He made sure everyone knew what was going on, that he could fuck both of us with the cock of the law at any time."

"Oh, you poor thing…" Nia spoke, making the boys jump in their seats. "I hope this story has a happy ending aside from you becoming a millionaire."

"How long have you been awake?" Mamoru inquired.

She smiled. "Long enough."

After fetching a glass of water for her, Kaelan sat with his elbows on his knees. "Where was I?"

"The cock of the law," Nia supplied.

"Right. So, since this cop was banging my mum, I didn't exactly form a positive opinion of the authorities. I considered joining the mob for a while– I could've gotten back at the police for making my life miserable." Nia berated him by quirking one of her eyebrows. "'Course I knew better by the time I turned fifteen– it was my fault Mum got screwed by that cop. I went to school, looked for a respectable job, and stopped being a menace to society. If I fucked up in the slightest I'd go to jail, and by that point it was obvious my dad didn't care about us. Mum and I were the only ones we had."

Nia hummed thoughtfully. "You have used your fortune to do something nice for your mother, yes?"

"Of course," Kaelan grinned. "I bought her a house, and I contacted my dad and gave him an earful on our behalf."

"How did you do that?" Mamoru wondered.

"It was easy. I found out he's in the Irish Army, a commandant to be exact. He has an office number and I left a concise message for him. I said neither me nor Mum will lose sleep if he dies in a firefight. And I said there must be a good reason why Grandad put me in the will instead of him, which was for the best since I'm using his money to actually help people, something he never did." Kaelan turned his nose in the air, radiating pride.

Nia gave him a dubious look. "You could not have sounded more like a petulant child just now. Clearly you still desire attention from your father. You want him to be impressed by your accomplishments and see that you are worth his time."

"I have zero fucks to give about Simon Burke," Kaelan asserted, standing. "The only thing he's ever done for me is give me his name, which was my mum's decision. To be honest, I wouldn't saddle my kid with 'Macshuibhne', either." With that he left the room, tromping down the stairs and shouting to Joe about what he made for lunch.

The girl in bed turned to her doctor. "Are you familiar with the saying 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'? I believe it would be prudent to ensure Kaelan's fame and fortune does not go to his head. He is sympathetic to the plight of others, yes, but his actions are not completely selfless."

"I'm not sure I would act much differently in his position," Mamoru admitted.

She beamed. "Yes, you would. Empathy provides a fundamental difference between you two. It is what will make you a great leader again."