PGSM: The Second Story
an: Things are starting to pick up.
Tokyo, Summer, Present Day
The evening soon turned dark, and the coolness of the air did little to alleviate the heat of the day. Michiru Kaioh made her way slowly through the thinning crowd on the sidewalks as she and Haruka went though the practiced motions of learning the lay of the land. They were not in senshi form, they were simply walking, talking, and enjoying themselves.
Part of knowing the place where you're forced to relocate is having companionship, and Michiru was already finding herself forced to teach the rather culturally illiterate Haruka a thing or two about how to get by in Japan. As it was, Haruka was insulting almost everyone she met with her lack of manners and knowledge of the more formal aspects of Japanese. Her grandmother had taught her only so much until her completely British-raised parents rebelled against the old ways and decided that their daughter shouldn't learn any more of the language.
It was a shame, really.
"Look," Haruka said quietly, pointing across the street to where a group of women stood talking outside of a karaoke parlor. "Isn't that your lost costar?"
Michiru placed a finger to her lips, thinking. It did look like Aino Minako, but from a distance, you'd never be able to tell it was the idol. "She's not my costar, Haruka. I'm much more of support aspect for this latest tour."
Haruka shrugged. "It is her, right?"
She nodded, and Michiru did not add that she could not fathom why Aino Minako was out in such a public place. The people she was with seemed to know her, one of them being the girl that Michiru had seen in London, nearly two years ago now. "It's good to know that she has friends, when you think about it."
"So many kids these days get into show business and completely lose themselves to it. Its good thing that she's got friends she can trust." Haruka agreed, she offered Michiru her arm, "Now, I believe that we had a date with a rather large park."
Michiru giggled, and took Haruka's arm, leaning into the taller woman as they headed down the street together.
-
"So you guys are saying that Rei-chan had a vision of a potential threat?" Kino Makoto's eyebrows were high on her forehead as she leaned against a streetlamp. This was not the best place for such a conversation, but all of them knew better than to talk about this sort of thing around Usagi. The princess was just getting used to the fact that she was a princess and would someday become queen.
Rei nodded, "I didn't mention it to Usagi because I don't want her to worry." She glanced over at Minako, who gave her the slightest of nods. "I think we should make sure that it's a creditable threat before we say anything to her."
Looking up from her watch, the mostly silent member of their group nodded. She slid her shirtsleeve back down over her watch and looked up at the rest of her friends. "I don't think we should involve ourselves. We have no powers any more." Ami looked from Rei to Minako and then over towards Makoto, the pain in her eyes clearly visible to her friends.
Rei's eyes narrowed, for they had to tread carefully around Ami sometimes. They all still remembered what had happened the last time they'd allowed any of their ranks to fall apart. They'd almost lost Usagi then too.
"Ami-chan," Minako began. She looked troubled and Rei almost instinctively moved closer to her. It was painful to see them like this, with dissent within the ranks of the inner senshi. Rei would not have it. She missed being able to function as a team and being able to see her friends all the time. "We have to defend the princess. That is the only reason we were reborn, so that we don't fail as we did in the past."
"That can't be all we're here for," Makoto protested. "We're not even senshi any more, how can we protect her?"
Rei closed her eyes; she didn't want to admit this, especially not in front of Minako. "Don't tell me, Mako-chan, that you thought that we were through with this senshi business?" She folded her arms across her chest and scowled. "If the incident three years ago told us anything, it is that we are the final line of defense before our princess. We have to defend her with our lives if necessary."
"Rei-chan," Ami frowned. She pushed her glasses up her nose and didn't meet Rei's expectant stare when she spoke again. "I… need time to think about this."
Makoto shoved her hands into her pockets and scowled back at Rei, "Me too."
They walked off in separate directions, leaving Rei and Minako standing in the middle of a crowded street.
"Reiko, I didn't know that you…" Minako started.
Rei held up a hand, "How could it not be true, Minako? We had a mission, all those years ago, to save the planet. How could Usagi not somehow ascend to someday be the queen of earth?" She looked at Minako then, staring at her hard. "How could you not tell us that we would be called again?"
"I thought it better… to think of the peace we'd been granted as a way of putting our lives back together," Minako sighed, "After what happened, it seemed like a good idea to keep that detail to myself."
Rei sighed, "I wish you hadn't done that, Mina. A little warning before this happened would have been nice."
Minako shrugged.
"I'll walk you home," Rei said quietly. "Cutting though the park will be quicker."
"Oh, Reiko, so gallant!"
-
Michiru sensed the youma almost instantly when she and Haruka entered the part. It was a different feel from the ones that she had encountered in London, even after she and Haruka and teamed up. The sense was evil, like something that she had only ever dreamed about.
This was the real enemy.
She gripped Haruka's hand as they moved quickly through the park. They were following their senses now, and were sure to get lost on their way out of the park. Michiru's mind was on the present, however, and she was mentally preparing herself for a difficult battle.
They heard a shout and then another, followed by several flashes of light. Michiru's eyes narrowed. "I thought Pluto said that they were unable to transform."
If the inner guard was able to transform then they would be hard pressed to actually complete their mission in the same sort of fashion. The inner guard cared only for the safety of the princess – and if the princess caught wind of what they were doing…
Michiru shuttered.
Haruka nodded and their pace quickened.
The scene before them was like something out of a nightmare. They reached the clearing in the trees were a quiet fountain bubbled and several benches were scattered. It was a perfect romantic hideaway, and the perfect place for an ambush. Three bodies were already downed, laying prone on the ground, strange objects floating above them.
Across the clearing, Aino Minako was standing protectively in front of another three people, a single finger pointed firmly in the direction of the monster that was attacking the clearing. She said something quietly and a beam of the same golden light that they'd seen earlier cut across the clearing and into the monster's vulnerable underbelly.
Haruka let out a low whistle. "Powerful one, that girl."
Michiru called out her henshin quietly, not paying attention to Haruka's comment. She had to help the young idol.