A bouquet of casablanca lilies saturates our field of vision. A hurried cadence propels his arms and legs into motion, while careful not to drop the flowers. Our shared emotions are a swirling vortex of elatement, excitement, and ardor.
It is easy to forget, while inside of the Animus, that this is a distant memory from before I was born.
"Risa!" He bursts through the doorway of a room I know all too well.
Her seated form is before the sacred flames. At first glance I believe I am looking at myself; a petite woman with long raven hair, wearing a hakama and meditating.
She doesn't respond. His excitement slightly fades. Realizing she may be in the throes of a vision, he closes the door and forces himself to be patient. Feet carry him but a few steps behind her, where he smells the lilies and waits.
After a prolonged silence, the flames receded. Without turning around, she speaks, "I'm pregnant."
"Really?!" His heart races. His emotions and nerves fluctuate between anticipation and excitement and nervousness before settling on trepidation when she doesn't seem to share in his excitement.
My mother doesn't tear her gaze from the fire.
His feet feel like lead, but he walks towards her. Sitting beside her, he offers the flowers. "You don't seem happy."
"Casablancas. My favorite… Thank you." She accepts the gift. Inhaling their sweet aroma brings a smile to her lips that doesn't reach her eyes. Takashi is confused, and I wonder what she must have seen in the flames to elicit such a response.
Did they ordain his betrayal? Her death? Or was my birth a catalyst for something somehow even more disastrous?
"Promise you will always do what's best for our daughter?"
He doesn't question her clairvoyance. Not even mentally. Not for a second. He only finds the question odd. After considering questioning her intent behind such a request, he concedes.
"Of course!"
He is earnest. Sincere. I can find no trace of duplicity in his mind.
"So. Since we are having a daughter, what will we name her?"
Her blue eyes glisten. "Hino Rei."
—
Rei buried her face in her palms. She sat in the open Animus pod, reflecting on the pointless memories the Animus insisted on showing her. Her parents, young and in love. Her father, a doting and kind partner. These memories and emotions did not show a man capable of murdering his lover.
Nothing made sense. There must be a turning point, Rei reasoned. A catalyst that propelled him into assassinating Risa.
Whatever it was, the Animus refused to show her.
"Your heart rate has accelerated at an alarming rate," Setsuna observed with a finger on the pulse in Rei's wrist. "How do you feel?"
"Fine," Rei grumbled and pulled her arm back.
Setsuna leveled Rei with a skeptical glance over the top of her clipboard. "Something troubles you. What is it?"
"I thought the Animus was advanced enough to reveal the most pertinent memories. It's supposed to know the memories I want to see. But it's only bringing me to pointless bullshit," Rei revealed while keeping her tone as neutral as possible. She avoided eye contact. Rei couldn't afford to expose the tender, raw emotions she worked hard to bury all this time.
Setsuna brushed Rei's bangs aside, pressing the palm of her hand against her forehead. "The Animus does not show the memories you want to see. It shows the memories you need to see."
Rei watched as Setsuna scribbled some notes. "You're telling me to be patient?"
Aside from an askew glance, Setsuna did not answer. The scientist turned to sit at her desk, but paused when approaching footsteps signaling a guest.
Tenoh Haruka let herself into the workspace. Rei spared a quick glance before returning to her own misery. The sour Shrine Maiden refused to admit how handsome Haruka looked in the slim men's jeans and snug buttoned shirt she wore. With her narrow waist and cropped hair, she would have passed for a young gentleman, had the shirt not tightly clung to her breasts.
"I have a quick update for you two," Haruka cut to the chase. She grabbed Setsuna's chair and flipped it backwards. After straddling the back of the chair, she set her stormy sights on Rei, who pointedly looked in the other direction.
"Something the matter?" Setsuna asked.
Haruka shook her head. "No. Our international sisterhood called to inform me they have organized multiple assassination attempts on Sailor V. Between her and Takashi, Japan is already beneath the templars' heels. We can't risk the rest of the first world falling under her spell too."
Rei tried not reacting to the mention of both Minako and her father. The sound of her name elicited memories of their short, but heated, encounter at the Tokyo Dome.
Rei still couldn't fathom what had transpired between them. She shared her first kiss with a templar. A female templar! A saccharine, two-faced, persistent, annoying idol who kept bothering her after Rei told her to get lost.
And Rei wanted more than anything to kiss her again.
"Did they receive my list of known political associates?" Setsuna inquired.
"Yeah. The European and American branches were grateful for that. So I assume they'll also be on the hit list."
Rei paid little attention to her colleagues' conversation. She closed her eyes, envisioning Minako's sparkling blue eyes and comforting smile. Venus perfume, rich with sweet aster notes, filled her nose. Rei clenched her muscles to keep herself from reaching into her pocket and pulling out the scrap of paper sprayed with Minako's perfume.
Rei was in trouble. She needed to be rid of these troublesome emotions. The miniscule amount of affection she tried ignoring in the beginning festered and grew like a parasite.
Rei needed a way to remove her feelings for Sailor V. To forget her, and all the forbidden sins along with her.
There was one foolproof method at her fingertips. She would continue diving into her father's memories; eventually the Animus would reveal what she needed. And at the same time, she could abandon her own meddlesome feelings.
The Clairvoyant Crow turned to Setsuna. "I'm getting back in the Animus."
—
Fist clenched tighter than her nervous stomach, Minako prepared herself to knock on the entrance to Kaiou Michiru's office. Before her fist made contact with the mahogany door, Artemis, who was perched on her shoulder, pawed at her ear. Minako paused.
There were voices coming from inside. One raised, angry, masculine voice, pitted against Michiru's unmoving, and uncompromising, cadence.
"But you promised me—" The loud man began.
"I never make promises," Michiru cooly replied. God, just listening to her sent chills up Minako's spine. Michiru was the last person on earth Mina would pick a fight with. "And I've already explained, to exhaustion, why plans have changed. So if there's nothing else, you are dismissed."
The man spoke again, but his voice dropped so low Minako had to press her ear against the door to hear him. "... and I'm not one of those humans you can just brainwash into doing your bidding."
"Get out."
Heavy footsteps swiftly approached the door. Minako stepped aside, trying to look casual. She assumed position in time for Michiru's guest to fling the door open and level her with an annoyed snarl.
Minako saw her. In his stern, harsh gaze, she almost thought it was Rei frowning in her direction. Unlike Rei, there was no fire or hope left in his amethyst orbs.
Takashi was already dead inside.
The tense atmosphere between them made Minako's skin prickle. His immediate anger turned to scrutiny as he studied her. The longer he dissected her with his eyes, the more anxious she became. Did he know about her and Rei? About her botched attempts to capture his daughter? Or the times she didn't even try?
Could he know about their kiss?
Minako swallowed hard. No, she was being paranoid.
Without a word, Takashi gripped his suitcase and stormed off towards the elevator. Minako and Artemis took a collected sigh of relief before entering the open doorway.
The Templar Augur was settling into her seat behind the large centered desk. She appeared immaculate as ever; giving no indication the heated exchange with Hino affected her in the slightest. The form-fitting ivory blouse she wore left little to the imagination when it came to the size and shape of her feminine curves. Her aquamarine hair was loose today, flowing down her back.
The templars' symbol, a red cross, dangled from her neck. Minako would never forget that piece of jewelry. It would be forever ingrained into her memory; a marker from the day that both saved and damned her life.
Michiri adjusted her rectangular glasses and gestured to the vacant seat before the desk. "Sailor V. Please have a seat."
Minako's nerves were especially fringed after the encounter with Rei's father. The ambient violin music always playing in Michiru's office, coupled with the steady trickling of water in her fish tank, didn't do much to calm them.
Mina sat on the velvet cushion. Artemis wasted no time making himself comfortable on her lap. Instead of laying down and purring, he remained on alert, never taking his feline eyes off of Michiru.
"I wanted your report before your next tour," Michiru cut right to the point.
"Report?"
"The Tokyo Dome concert."
"Oh, right." Minako owed her ability to perform again to this woman, but it did not negate the hesitation she felt when sharing sensitive information. "The colors. So, yeah, there were three women in the audience with auras. One tall young woman with a green aura. Another woman was like a burgundy color. And there was… Rei."
Rei. Minako could still feel her lips. Her tongue. The heat radiating from her skin, permeating Mina's flesh.
"Red?" Michiru inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh, yeah. Red." Minako had no idea what Michiru intended to do with this information, but she didn't expect it to bode well for Rei and her friends.
"Very good." Michiru leaned back in her large office chair and crossed her legs.
"What does it mean?" Minako asked. She presented the question as innocently as possible. She should have kept her mouth shut, but if she was putting Rei in danger she should at least try to warn her.
If Michiru didn't kill her for daring to ask.
The intimidating leader answered with a question of her own. "What do you know of the Isu, Minako?"
Talk about a loaded question. Mina stroked Artemis' back as she mentally wondered what sort of answer Michiru was seeking. "Well… They created us, for starters. They made humans in their image, to be their slaves. The Pieces of Eden belonged to them. Like my mask. They were tools for controlling humans. And after the First Catastrophe they went extinct, as far as we know. How am I doing?"
"What do you know of their genetic make up?"
Minako blinked. Genetic make up? She was a singer, not a scientist. This must have something to do with those reports Ami kept bugging her to read.
"They're… like humans. But stronger and smarter?"
Michiru's cerulean eyes flickered to her buzzing cell phone, lying on her desk. Her eyes narrowed slightly before looking back at Minako.
"The Isu were fundamentally different than us in many ways, despite fashioning us in their image." Michiru began. "Similar enough to create Isu-human hybrids. And to interbreed."
"Inter… breed?"
"That's right. Many of us have Isu blood in our veins… Humans that are not quite human at all."
Minako's heart pounded in her chest when she realized what Michiru was getting at. "So… the colors?"
"Different Isu bloodlines." Michiru enjoyed Minako's shocked reaction before pushing herself from the desk and standing. Heels clicked against the floor as she wandered toward her fish tank. Hands clasped behind her waist, she observed the oblivious fish as they swam around in their beautiful cage. "Minerva, Jupiter, Juno… and many others whose names have been lost to time. "
Sailor V's mind raced as she considered what this could mean. Rei said she had a vermillion aura, which meant she was a hybrid descendant as well.
Perhaps there was more to Minako's recruitment than she initially believed.
"Um, so… What's so special about these hybrids?"
Michiru tossed her hair, casting Minako a mischievous look over her shoulder. "You tell me."
She dug her hand into her purse, feeling the ethereal comfort the ancient artifact provided. The mask tingled against her fingers. Minako didn't have to consider Michiru's question for very long— there was only one trait every person with a colored aura shared.
"The Pieces of Eden don't work on them."
"That's right." Michiru's hands migrated to her wide hips, hugging the waistline of her skirt. "Their brains lack certain neurotransmitters the Pieces are designed to interact with."
"None of them?" That didn't add up, Minako privately deduced. After all, the Shroud had healed her, a supposed hybrid.
"Only those that affect the brain's neurotransmitters. Like brainwashing effects. The healing Shroud works, for example, because it handles purely physical healing."
While all of this information was great to know, Minako found more questions replacing the ones she had moments ago. She was also suspicious about how freely the Augur shared this seemingly sensitive information.
Michiru sharing this information meant she wanted Minako to know.
But why?
"That's… fascinating," Minako stumbled to find an appropriate reaction.
Michiru turned away from her aquatic pets. She strolled around her desk, leaning against it in close enough proximity to reach out and touch Minako if she wanted.
"The Council of Elders has created an aggressive campaign centered around your tour. We're ensuring the proper politicians and figureheads air their campaign ads during your live shows, as well as handing out flyers and other marketing tools. Expect a text message an hour before each performance naming that country's political party you are to be in favor of."
"Okay…" Mina sighed. This was the first time she felt herself dreading going on tour. The more brazen the templars became, and the more obvious her role in the realization of The New World Order became, the more Minako began wishing she could just disappear.
She didn't want any of this. She didn't care about their plan for world domination. She only wanted to touch the lives of her fans; to be a light of hope in this bleak world.
And, most of all, she didn't want to hurt Rei. Minako wanted to help her. Heal her. And maybe even love her.
Minako's chest tightened at the private realization. Being separated from the taciturn, mysterious, painfully beautiful Shrine Maiden for months without any way to contact her brought the popstar tangible agony; the likes of which she'd never experienced before.
Michiru leaned forward. The tips of her teal locks brushed against Artemis' ears. The hairs on his back stood on edge.
A coy smile decorated Michiru's lips. Her cerulean eyes glinted. Minako tried looking away. The secrets hidden inside Michiru's eyes fed the constant discomfort drowning her whenever she was in the Augur's presence.
"Break a leg, kitten."