Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Chapter 4: Moving Forward
"Setsuna-san," Minako said in confusion, "Why do you want us to see Setsuna-san so suddenly?"
"There is something I need to ask her. Something I have to confirm," Ami replied, images of the vision repeatedly flashing through her mind.
"Whatever it is, can't it wait until tomorrow? Luna and Artemis must be worried sick waiting to hear back from us," Usagi reasoned, concern evident in her eyes, "Besides, you look like you could use some rest."
"I don't-"
"Usagi's right," Rei quickly interrupted their friend's protest, "You look pale. Whatever trick Zoisite pulled must have taken its toll."
"It wasn't Zoisite. He didn't do anything," Ami exclaimed.
The hint of anger in her voice surprised the others as well as herself. After all the times the Shitennous had tried to kill them, it was only logical for Rei and the others to think her fatigued state was caused by Zoisite. And yet, Ami could not explain her need to defend the very man who had tried to kill them every chance he got.
'That zoisite stone, whatever it did must be affecting my mind,' Ami reasoned to herself.
As the Water Senshi became lost in her own thoughts, the four girls exchanged worried glances. It was not like their usually soft-spoken friend to snap at them. An uncomfortable silence fell as the four did not want to somehow further upset their friend. It was only when Usagi could no longer stand the tension did she hesitantly call out Ami's name.
Snapping out of her daze, Ami looked up and noticed all four girls were looking at her with concern. Realizing what she had done, guilt wield up in the Water Senshi. With a tint of pink on her face and a sheepish smile, Ami quickly apologized to the others.
"You guys are right. I should get some rest and clear my head."
"Do you want to talk about what happened," Minako asked.
As a leader, Minako knew she have to get the details on what happened as soon as possible. But as a friend, Minako was willing to be patient and give her fellow senshi time to calm and gather her thoughts. Besides, she trust that Ami would not hold back information if it was urgent and vital.
Well aware of Minako's good intention, the Water Senshi gave her friend a grateful smile. Turning back to the others, Ami suggested they report back to Luna and Artemis.
"You should head home to rest," Makoto said with a shake of her head, "We can handle the rest."
"I know. I will call Mamo-chan and see if he can give you a ride home," Usagi said with a bright smile.
Before Ami could protest, Usagi had already pulled out her pink cell phone and speed-dialed her boyfriend's number. With amused smiles, the four girls watched as their bubbly friend practically glowed with happiness just by hearing the Earth prince's voice.
We are their protectors, so let us protect their happiness.
Those words suddenly rang in Ami's head as she watched her princess's smile grow wider with each word.
'Illusion or not, at least those words make sense,' Ami thought as Usagi excitedly inform them that Mamoru will be here shortly to give them a ride, 'So it doesn't matter whether what I saw was real or not as long as the Shitennou remains our enemies, I will not show mercy to anyone who threatens Usagi-chan.'
Standing before the see-through crystal wall, Zoisite watched the citizens of Tokyo below going about their everyday business. The barrier around the Starlight tower made them all unaware of its resurrection. The strategist found himself feeling both envy and anger at their ignorance.
'If not for them, master and the princess would not have been separated. Then perhaps we too could have...'
"You have returned Zoisite."
Immediately snapping out of his thoughts, Zoisite turned and bowed.
"Master Endymion, I did not know you have returned. Have you found the location already?"
As soon as Zoisite voiced his question, the Earth prince's face visibly darkened. Mouth twisting into a tight frown, Endymion shook his head in answer.
"But surely if anyone knows its location it would be one of them," Zoisite said with certainty.
"It is not that they don't know," Endymion replied bitterly, "At the very least he would know. What kind of guardian would he be if he does not even know the location of what he guards! He simply refuses to reveal it. A choice he will surely come to regret."
"Perhaps if you will allow me to speak with the prisoners I could-"
"No! I will continue to deal with them myself. You must assist the others in finding the remaining stones. Otherwise it would be meaningless when I get the information out of him," Endymion replied sternly.
"You need not worry master. Jadeite has already located his stone," Zoisite answered.
"Then why has he not retrieved it?"
"Its location...complicates its retrieval, but rest assured we will not fail. Jadeite is merely waiting for the opportune time to strike."
"Well that time better be soon. I expect the remaining two stones to be found and recovered by the time I find ITS location," Endymion declared as a red glow began to taint his normally blue irises, "Now be off, I believe I have given our guests ample time to reconsider my request."
Zoisite remained in a bowed position until Endymion's figure disappeared down the dark staircase.
"It would seem we have less time than we first anticipated," Zoisite said as a new figure emerged from behind the piles of rubble columns.
"I agree," Kunzite replied as he stood beside the strategist, "But we cannot become hasty or SHE will notice. If that happens, not only will we put ourselves and Master Endymion in danger, but they will be as well."
Nodding in consensus, Zoisite quickly contemplated all their current options.
"In this time they are certainly stronger, but if the past is any proof, we cannot count on them to ever strike to kill once they find out who they are fighting, especially the princess. SHE will definitely take advantage of the princess's kindness. Perhaps the Outers-"
"We can't count on them either," Kunzite interrupted with a shake of his head, "They may have a stronger warrior spirit and are willing to commit an evil for the safety of their princess, but Princess Serenity would definitely try to stop them. Its too great of a risk. Not to mention the chance of the Outers trusting our words is slim to none.
"Guess you're right," Zoisite agreed with a tired sigh, "I just hope everything will go as planned now that our time frame has shortened."
The sound of running water echoed against the tiled walls as the entire bathroom became enveloped in the steam of the hot water. With eyes shut, Ami welcomed the feel of the water's heat easing the tension from her tired body. Yet even as she felt her body began to relax, her mind continued to race with thoughts on the day's events. A sense of disappointment filled her as she recalled the phone call she made soon after being dropped home by Mamoru and Usagi. Even though she had promised her friend to rest, the moment she entered her home, she had headed straight to the phone an dialed Setsuna's number only to get no answer. She had then tried Haruka and Michiru's residence, knowing Setsuna often preferred to stay there to help watch over Hotaru.
"I'm sorry, but Setsuna had returned to the Time Gate. She never did like to leave her post for too long."
"Did Setsuna-san mention when she will return Michiru-san?"
"She never tells us when she plans to return, but from past experience, I say Setsuna usually don't return for at least a few weeks."
"I see."
"Is there something wrong? You sound like whatever you need with her is really urgent. Has something happened?"
'Trust Michiru-san to figure out something has happened just by a few questions and my tone,' Ami thought with a slight smile as she shut off the running water, 'Well I suppose they would have found out sooner or later. At least this way we will have their help in trying to figure out how the Shitennou were brought back and what they plan to do with those stones.'
As she began drying herself with her bath towel, Ami quietly wondered what she should do next. She had wanted to quickly confirm the validity of her vision by asking Pluto about the Shitennou's role during the Silver Millennium before Beryl's possession by Metalia. If anyone would know the truth of their past, it would be the Senshi of Time.
'But with Pluto back at the Time Gate, there's no way for me to contact her and get answers...Assuming she would have given me any.'
The image of herself in Zoisite's embrace flashed through her mind as her thoughts returned to the vision that had brought her current dilemma. Confusion clouded her as she could clearly recall the sense of security from that short embrace. In that moment, she had felt as if Zoisite's arms were forming a protective cocoon around herself to shield her from anything that would harm them.
'It makes no sense,' Ami thought as she tossed the damp towel into the laundry basket and began dressing herself into her sleepwear, 'Our fight with the Dark Kingdom clearly showed that the Shitennous are enemies. Even the vision of the past Queen Serenity had shown us when we were sent across dimensions by Kunzite proved the same. The Shitennous' alliance during the present and the past had always been with the Dark Kingdom. It's only logical to conclude that this vision brought on by the zoisite stone was false, something to confuse me with. It's only logical...so why is it that I am still not 100% convinced the vision was a trick?'
Fully dressed, Ami stepped out of the bathroom and crossed the hall into her room. Gently shutting the door behind her, she walked straight to her desk and sat down on her desk chair. Materializing her Mercury computer, she began to analyze the data she had the computer gather on the kunzite and zoisite stones.
'I promised Usagi-chan that I would rest, but I won't be able to until I get some form of answer.'
The confusion that had filled her eyes steeled into determination as she rapidly scanned the data displayed on the small monitor.
'And the first step to finding the answer is to determine the importance of these stones they are collecting.'
Taking the last few steps of the long staircase, the blonde hair young man stood before the entrance of the Hikawa Shrine. With eyes hidden behind a pair of dark shades, he turned his head left and right, quietly observing the temple grounds. The setting sun cast an orange glow as the few remaining temple visitors walked about, most heading toward the descending staircase to exit. Paying the passing people no mind, the young man began to head toward the shrine's front where the small alter stood.
CAW!CAW!CAW!
The sudden sound of approaching flapping wings caused the man to stop and gaze skyward. In an instant, two large black crows were upon him with clear intent of malice. With a cry of surprise, he instinctively threw his arms up in an attempt to shield his face from the crows' attacking claws and beaks.
"Phobos! Deimos! Stop!"
At the sound of their master's command, the two crows immediately halted their attack and perched themselves onto the branch of a nearby tree. Sensing he was no longer in danger of getting his face clawed out, the young man lowered his arms and lifted his head. Quickly locating his attackers, he swore the two birds were glaring at him with their black piercing eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over them."
Turning his head at the sound of his savior's voice, the man visibly stiffened at the sight of the approaching Rei, dressed in her miko attire. Making sure his shades had not fallen loose from the attack, he tried to quickly put his hands behind his back. Having seen what he did, Rei unbashfully grabbed one of his arm out and frowned when she saw the scratch marks on his hands have began to bleed.
"You shouldn't leave these wounds open. They might get infected," Rei scolded as she began to pull the shocked young man toward the temple porch.
"You don't-"
"I am partially responsible for what happened. Please, the least I can do is clean and bandage the wounds on your hands and arms," Rei insisted as she gently push the man down to sit on the porch, "Just wait here a moment and I will be back with a first-aid kit."
A small smile appeared on the young man's face as he watched Rei disappear behind the sliding door.
"Still as pushy as I remember," he whispered with a chuckle, "But I can't waste anymore time. I have to quickly find my jadeite stone. I definitely sense its presence nearby."
Rising from his sit, Jadeite turned toward where he sense the stone's energy.
'If I recall correctly, the stone should be-'
"ARGH!"
The sound of a loud crash rang out along with two simultaneous yells. Recognizing one of the voices, Jadeite sprung around and urgently slid open the screen door. The sight he was met with was something he was completely unprepared for.
"Yuuchiro you idiot! Get off of me! How on earth did you trip on AIR?"
Jadeite watched the scene with a blank face. The blushing shaggy haired man was sprouting apologies as he hurriedly pushed himself off the fuming miko. Slowly a sad grin formed on his face as Jadeite noticed the look on Rei's face. Many would easily mistake the red blush on the miko's face to be from anger, but for someone who had once been close to the Fire Senshi, he knew that she was embarrassed, not angry. Deciding it was best to take his leave while she was still focused on scolding this Yuuchiro person, Jadeite quietly slipped back out the door and silently re-closed it. Taking a moment to regain his focus, he took and released a deep breath before quickly making his way toward where he could sense his stone.
Just minutes after his departure, Rei returned to the porch with the first-aid kit in hand.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I-"
Stopping her explanation mid-sentence when she found the man was no longer there, Rei looked left and right only to see that she was alone. Realizing that the man must have left without a word stirred a feeling inside her that she could not quite name. For some reason, she felt she had met that man before. Shaking her head as if to shake off the strange feeling, Rei decided to direct her attention elsewhere. She placed the unused first-aid kit on top of the cabinet by the doorway before making her way toward the tree where Phobos and Deimos remain perched upon. As if sensing their master's beckoning, the two crows flew toward the Fire Senshi. While one sat itself upon her shoulder, the other landed atop Rei's extended arm.
"Now why did you two attack that man? Did you sense something I missed?"
To her surprise, the two crows spread their wings and began crowing at her question. Flying off their master, they began to hover above a section of the temple that Rei recognized as the room where the Great Fire resided.
'Something's not right. This feeling, it can't be, but...'
Eyes growing wide in recognition, Rei suddenly sprinted toward the prayer room.
"There's no mistake. Someone's made contact with the Great Fire!"