Chapter 5: A Wisp on the Wind

*Setsuna*

The Senshi of time paced back and forth, uncertain of what to do. The girls were camped out in Hotaru's room. She knew what she had seen. She knew it was true. Yet, how could it be? Taking a deep breath, Setsuna forced herself to stop. She gazed out the window at the moon high in the sky and mumbled to herself, "Why? This could destroy everything."

The guardian of time grasped her henshin stick and bit her lip. Walking over to the phone she dialed a familiar number. Soon she heard an apprehensive voice on the other end of the line, "Setsuna? Hey, I just got home. What's going on?"

Something in Mamoru's tone told Setsuna that he knew something. What, she couldn't be sure of. She replied, "Evening Mamoru. Could you do me a favor? Michiru is still at the recording studio and Haruka isn't home." She paused for the length of a breath before continuing, "Hotaru and ChibiUsa are asleep and I really need to run an errand."

There was silence on the phone and Setsuna could hear her own heart beating for a time. Eventually Mamoru questioned her in response, "Are you going to the gate Setsuna?"

Even now he was wise. This actually made Setsuna smile broadly. She admitted, "Yes. There are things I need to investigate. Please."

A longer silence followed before Mamoru replied, "Alright. I will be over as soon as I can. Just promise me that you will share whatever you can about what is going on."

The Guardian of time agreed and hung up the phone. She walked back over to the window and look up once more, "Why did I forget them? Why did I forget what she did? I have to know more."

From behind her she heard a yawn. When she turned she saw ChibiUsa in front of her. The pink haired girl rubbed her eyes, "Who are you talking about Puu?"

She walked over and knelt down, some of her green hair falling forward. Setsuna tucked it behind her ear and said, "Small lady, what are you doing up?"

With more alertness and more determination, ChibiUsa replied, "Puu, tell me who you are talking about. Something is wrong. Who did you forget?"

There was something undeniable about her dearest friend in the future. She sighed and asked her, "Can you keep a secret sweetheart?" ChibiUsa nodded and Setsuna motioned toward the sofa, "Let's sit down and I will tell you."

*Haruka*

There she sat, her toes in the sand. As the sun disappeared from the sky and enveloped the world in darkness Haruka looked up at the moon with the wind whipping around her. Haruka had spent so much time at the beach with Michiru she was an expert at manipulating the wind to keep the sand off of her fortunately. Michiru… Again the knot in her stomach formed.

Why did this keep happening? Why did thinking of the love of her lives put a knot in her stomach now? This still didn't make any sense to her. Hell, her confusion only seemed to get worse as time progressed: the dreams, her encounter with the princess, the prince… and now that girl… The girl with the fiery hair and garnet eyes, eyes that felt as though they could pierce her very soul. This was bad… This entire thing was bad. Haruka could feel it in her bones.

The Sky King was so lost in her own mind that she didn't hear the Siren of her heart approaching from behind. Her voice as she spoke was little more than a wisp on the wind, "Somehow I knew that I would find you here,"

When Haruka's head whipped around she saw Michiru standing a few feet from her with sketch pad and a black case Haruka knew held her drawing supplies. Her face fell blank and then she asked, "What are you doing here Michi?"

Michiru shook her head, "I came looking for the elusive Haruka Tenoh and I thought I would do some sketching if I got the opportunity." Haruka continued looking at her dumbfound as Michiru came to sit beside her, the ponytail atop her head flying in the fury of the wind.

Concentrating, Haruka worked to keep the wind at bay around them both. It seemed to work as Michiru's hair settled and she opened her drawing supplies. Haruka watched as Michiru closed her eyes and put pencil to paper. It always mesmerized her to watch Michiru create. The art of creation like this was beyond Haruka's capabilities.

After a little while the portrait began to take shape. It was strange because Michiru had never opened her eyes. Suddenly Haruka was grateful for those closed eyes as her own grew large once more.

The wind picked up again as Haruka found herself looking at Michiru from a distance. How had she done that? How had Michiru known? Those were the questions that ran through the Senshi of the Sky's mind as she turned and ran from her lover and the sketch of the dragon.

*Phoenix*

Managing to sneak in without being noticed, Phoenix was thankful to find her sister asleep already. It was unsettling to see the anxiety painted on her face even as she slept though.

Phoenix sat by their window for a while looking up at the night sky. Not many stars could be seen within the confines of the city but the nearly full moon shine down like a beacon of hope in the darkness above. The sight of the moon had always been comforting for Phoenix. She used to love to sit and look at it until her mother would fuss at them and make them come in. Her mother…. She had been so strong. It wasn't fair that she had been taken from them.

It wasn't that Phoenix didn't like her stepmother. She was a strong woman as well, but she was not her mother. Though Phoenix supposed she had to be appreciative to the woman that had insisted their father take the job that had landed them here. Her stepmother was Japanese and so when the promotion within his corporation was presented to him, she helped him with feeling better about taking it.

Sometime after the moon as at its peak in the sky Phoenix managed to drift off without realizing it. Before long she found herself in a dream, but she was not only nor was she surprised at that.

As she looked at her sister, Mikayla's eyes widened and she squealed, "THIS. PLACE. IS. AMAZING!"

Looking around, Phoenix was speechless at the beauty of everything around them. It was all so elegant and sleek, but in a very understated manner.

Mikayla took her hand, resting her from her thoughts, "This is not what I expected when you described the outside of the red castle in space."

"This is NOT the red castle from that vision," Phoenix replied, still not looking at her sister, with the utmost certainty.

"It's not? I wonder where we are then," Mikayla mused. She found dreams fascinating. Of course that made sense when you got to experience more than your own dreams. As the two of them began walking down the dimly lit halls of wherever they were the sound of rain pelting the windows started to echo around them.

From a distance Phoenix could make out a door, light creeping out from it as the sounds of murmured voices and laughing floated from it. Someone was there. Phoenix was drawn to the sound, and so she picked up her pace as she drew Mikayla along with her. As they neared the door Phoenix got a chill and scanned all around them trying to find the source.

When she did, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes looked with a pair looking in through a high window. Those eyes were so enchanting yet so cold. Like the blue water they reminded her of. Mikayla tugged at her sister and began begging her to pull back and go the other way. Suddenly Phoenix felt as though she were suffocating and then everything went black.

When she opened her eyes, Mikayla stood over her in her pastel yellow nightgown with tears pouring down her cheeks. She tried to speak but only a strange croaking sound came out. What had happened and who did those eyues belong to? Maybe coming to Tokyo had not been such a good idea.