PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE
Chapter 26: Traps from Both Sides
In a large mansion situated upon the southeastern border of Tokyo, three young women sat outside on the porch, gazing upon Tokyo Bay as the sunset slowly began to descend and reflect marvelous colors upon the water's surface. Despite witnessing such a gorgeous scene on a temperate summer evening, the women appeared pensive.
The first woman, Ten'ou Haruka, could have easily been mistaken for a handsome young man with her short blonde hair swept aside in a masculine fashion, and her wearing a white button shirt and pants didn't help much either. Her companion, Kaiou Michiru, was the total opposite of Haruka; she had mid-length wavy aqua hair and wore a simple sun dress that amplified her natural elegance. Their college friend, Meiou Setsuna, sat off to the side while reading some papers. Her long pine green hair was tied in a bun, and her soft ruby red eyes and lab uniform suggested an air of wisdom and maturity far beyond her years.
Haruka and Setsuna had their attention on Michiru, as she closed her eyes and appeared to be meditating. Her light breathing matched the rhythm of the ocean's waves in the distance.
"I can feel it," Michiru whispered, staring intently at her reflection upon her tea. "When the Animus Syndicate attacks, the sea is in discord. They are a threat external to the galaxy, so it is easy to sense when they will move. But when the storm passes, the water's stillness is eerie. I do not know which is the more foreboding one..."
"Meaning there is something else," Haruka intoned. "Something that we're missing…"
"There is still much we do not know," Setsuna added. "Although they are after the Silver Crystal, the Animus Syndicate is still mired in secrecy. I am also concerned about the strange Sailor Soldier."
"Sailor Arsenic Hyena…"
Michiru nodded. "Yes. I have made many attempts to discern her true nature."
The elegant lady held a hand-sized mirror with the sigil of Neptune emblazoned in the glass. She concentrated her power into it, and the glass produced an image of a black silhouette version of the mystery Soldier. However, something rejected her power and distorted the picture so badly that she had to stop trying.
"Why is this happening?" Michiru frowned sullenly. "What is this strange power that I cannot break through?"
"She is someone whom even you cannot identify…" Haruka tensed up. "Just because she is helping the Little Lady defeat the Erisians, it doesn't mean she should be entirely trusted. She could be a spy for the Animus Syndicate, or could be seeking the Silver Crystal for herself."
"There must be a way to make her appear before us."
Setsuna shook her head. "It will only occur if an Erisian threatens Tokyo. Otherwise, she has no business with us."
Haruka sighed, growing slightly impatient and frustrated. "We can only discover who she is by talking with her, but since the Syndicate's attacks are random, her appearances are equally as sporadic. What can we do?"
"It's not necessarily random, Haruka," Michiru reminded her. "Chibi-Usa has always been in proximity of the Erisians, except for the one time when Ami's clinic was attacked."
"Are you suggesting we use the Little Lady as bait to capture Sailor Arsenic Hyena?"
Setsuna closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Although she was dear friends with the young princess, she also understood the necessity of such a strategy. She said, "I will keep Small Lady safe while you two search for the unknown Soldier."
"We'll leave that to you, then," Haruka smiled. "Perhaps we should invite the Little Lady to the Sumitomo conglomerate's masquerade party. We do have two extra tickets for it."
"That sounds lovely," Michiru agreed. "But who should the last ticket go to? One of her guardians?"
"No. I heard from the palace that the Little Lady befriended an unusual girl, and she knows who we are as Sailor Soldiers and guardians of the palace."
"Inuken Midori," Setsuna said while reading the girl's profile. "The daughter of two politicians from Osaka, but she does not maintain strong relations with them. She currently resides in an apartment directly next to Small Lady and the Sailor Quartet's room. She will be attending the same school as them, but Ami told me that she is exceptionally gifted and is pursuing a career in forensic science. Midori is writing an extensive mock paper on a new type of technology to track criminals. I have read the notes that Ami copied for me, and I am rather amazed by the detail she has put into this project."
"I see," Michiru replied and held the Deep Aqua Mirror close. "I would love to have a chat with someone like her…"
Haruka joked, "You just want to pry into her secrets."
"Oh my, are you jealous?"
"A little."
"Then I will call Small Lady and extend the invites to her and Midori," Setsuna said and left the living room, willing to let the other two enjoy some private time.
It was the final week of summer vacation, and Midori was busy putting the finishing touches on her mock thesis that was due very soon. She was confident in the work she put into it, so it was a matter of cleaning up some language issues, making sure her references were accurate, and generally making it presentable for a university audience. She was so preoccupied with her work that she ate her lunch at the computer.
Midori's internal telephone line rang and she answered with one hand while typing with the other, "Inuken here."
"Good afternoon, Midori," Chibi-Usa responded. "Am I interrupting you?"
"There's no need to be so uptight about distracting me."
"Sorry. I just know how important that project you're working on is to you."
"Do not mind me. Is there something you need?"
"My friends Miss Haruka, Miss Michiru and Puu are attending a huge masquerade party Friday evening and they have two extra tickets for it," Chibi-Usa explained, "Puu said that she wanted to meet you and talk about your paper. Do you want to come?"
"Hmm…" Midori thought for a moment, then said, "I suppose it would be an entertaining way to close the summer season. Do we need to arrange for transportation?"
"No, Miss Haruka will pick us up."
"What about gowns? I am not particularly fond of crowding my closet with outfits I only wear once."
"I'll have a fitter bring you a dress from the palace."
"My, you've thought this out thoroughly. It would be difficult for me to reject your proposal after hearing of such preparation."
"Thanks, Midori!"
They hung up, and Midori stared at her computer screen with an unenthusiastic look. Chibi-Usa hadn't mentioned anything about having friends with those names. To her, they sounded like high-class acquaintances whom Chibi-Usa had met as the princess. However, Midori had heard those names when listening in on the palace with her gadgets.
She also knew that those three women were Sailor Soldiers.
This is intriguing, Midori thought. The one that Chibi-Usa calls 'Puu' is Meiou Setsuna, otherwise known as Sailor Pluto, and she wanted to meet me as Inuken Midori. I sincerely doubt she wants to chat about a university paper during a masquerade party. Is it possible that she knows who I am already? Or is she merely suspicious of me being the princess' friend? And if Miss Meiou's close friendship with Miss Ten'ou and Miss Kaiou are anything to go by, those two are probably in this as well.
She stood by the window and gazed upon Ginza's buildings.
They must be getting desperate for answers and will investigate anything they deem suspicious. I have to be extremely careful.
In Upala Acropolis' orchard garden, the distinct sound of a hand slapping a cheek reverberated through the halls. Naja stumbled back and caressed her swollen cheek after accepting the blow from a livid Sailor Upala.
"You still can't get the Silver Crystal for me!? And one of you is injured!?" the queen raged. "What a bunch of useless incompetents you are! Why should I continue wasting my precious time waiting for you four to accomplish such a simple task!?"
"Earth's guardians are proving to be a more formidable enemy than I predicted," Naja replied, hiding her winces behind a façade of calmness before her angry sovereign. "There is also the Soldier from Alkima who is helping them. She must be giving them the information they need to combat the Erisians."
"That creepy Arsenic Hyena girl? She certainly has a lot of nerve to abandon Alkima and team up with Earth's warriors. But now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing her participate in the war. I wonder which planet she represented…" Upala murmured, then said, "Probably one of those worthless ones that weren't worth my time."
A pang of anxiety hit Naja's heart upon hearing those words. She argued, "With all due respect, my partners and I represent worlds that you weren't interested in prior to the war."
"You don't need to remind me. You four came groveling to me to let you in as my personal servants. The only reason I accepted you is because most of my Sailor Soldiers had fallen in battle. But if you bring me the Silver Crystal, I can make your worlds prosperous enough to stand by my planet's side. With such power, we won't have to worry about another war happening now that so many excess Sailor Soldiers have been culled, and Upala will reign as Alkima's penultimate world."
Naja repressed a sigh, silently condemning Upala for being selfish enough to actually seek exterminating hundreds of Sailor Soldiers just to thin out their population. She fought back her disgust and said, "Then I shall personally pursue the Silver Crystal with renewed fervor."
"Good. You are dismissed," Upala commanded, and the Camarilla turned to leave. Just then, the queen called out, "Wait. I have a question for you."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"That traitorous Soldier… She wouldn't happened to have been part of your team before, would she?"
Naja's heart skipped. "Whatever made you suggest such a thing?"
"If she is proven to have resided on a worthless planet, then you four would have wanted her to join your little 'dying planets' alliance. Since you were the leader of your team, could she actually be acting on your behest without my knowledge, Naja?"
The astounded Camarilla replied, "I can assure you that those claims are false. We do not know of a Sailor Arsenic Hyena, nor do we know what her true Soldier name is."
"Is that the sworn truth?"
"Yes. We believe she is trying to get the Silver Crystal on her own by befriending the princess and eliminating the Erisians. In other words, she could be a rival to the Animus Syndicate's interests."
Upala stroked her chin and mused, "Interesting. I hadn't considered the possibility of a rival. She must have snuck out of Alkima during the war and plotted to return with Earth's guardians as her allies. Although it is a cunning strategy, I can see its merit. She must use the 'hyena' in her name because they are known for being scavenging animals."
"And the 'arsenic' part may originate from how it was frequently used in assassinations," Naja added.
"A scavenging assassin… What a frightening Sailor Soldier to be my rival. And yet, I have a newfound curiosity for her. If I had someone like her as a Camarilla, her crafty plans could help me avoid danger from future enemies…"
Naja's heart beat faster out of nervousness. Although she didn't want to involve her friend like this, it was also inevitable that Upala would be interested in her. Naja just didn't expect her gift of the silver tongue to warp Upala's opinion so favorably. Maybe there was some hope for turning Sailor Arsenic Hyena into a Camarilla, rather than sending her to the gallows as she feared.
The Camarilla asked, "What would you have me do?"
Upala unfolded her peacock tail-like fan and replied, "I still want her captured. But I want her brought to me alive. Even if you can't get the Silver Crystal, having that Sailor Soldier in my service may counteract the incompetence that you four have been demonstrating to me lately."
"Then I shall concentrate on bringing her to you. Acquiring the Silver Crystal will also be one of my objectives, but I cannot promise that I will return with it on my own."
"Hmph," Upala fanned herself contemptuously. "I suppose I only have myself to blame for relying on fools to get me such a legendary treasure."
Naja made no attempt to rebuke the insult and left the orchard in silence. She was extremely relieved that she misdirected Upala's suspicions with the power suggestion. The queen had no idea just how right she was! Naja had to make extra certain that Hyena's connection to the Camarilla remained unknown.
Upala stretched out on her bed as her male servants returned to do her bidding. Meanwhile, the giant apple tree with hundreds of Apples of Discord hung above the Sailor Soldier. Sealed within, Eris had listened to the conversation with a vicious grin. Although she took pleasure in watching her pawn Sailor Upala get riled with anger for the Camarilla's failures, she also found a different source of discord that she could potentially feed off of:
Naja's deeply hidden concern for Sailor Arsenic Hyena.