Dose Two: Of Liars and Thieves
"We all remember that, more or less. But, you didn't make any reference to the briefcase. And we met them and you at Hikawa Jinja after that." Michiru said. She had calmed a bit, more perplexed at why her psychic abilities were being prevented from seeing anything more into the affair. The mirror didn't even reveal anything, and a quick call to Rei—to wish her a fast recovery from her hangover and embarrassment—had revealed that she was also being kept in the dark somehow.
"Taiki-kun. Who was her? And what was going on with Aluminum Siren?" Usagi asked pointedly. Most would not have considered her perceptive enough to notice these details; but sensing withheld information was becoming one of her better skills. Kakyuu cast her eyes away, and Taiki got visibly nervous.
"Tell them, Maker. Nothing comes of holding out, especially if we don't know for sure. And I think Usagi-chan can deal with her again if anything really comes of it." Yaten said from the entrance of the bathroom. Her eyes were mostly shut from where she had been vomiting, but she had regained most of her composure and went to sit in the floor beside Seiya. Taiki placed his face in his palm with a smack and sighed.
"You're right. Maybe we should get you ripped more often if it makes you perceptive and agreeable." Taiki snarked. He returned to a formal tone and began again.
"We have reason to believe that Galaxia has been reincarnated early. Due to actions of several systems and other allies of ours monitoring wider ranges of space, we found Aluminum Siren on a distant planet towards the Perseus Arm. Lead Crow and Tin Nyako are still unaccounted for. The Sailor Wars could heat back up depending if someone wants to come after them for revenge. There are systems who no longer have Senshi, their planets drained completely." He finished. He had originally wanted to keep the search for Galaxia between themselves, but Setsuna had found him out shortly after their arrival. Though with Usagi's friendly demeanor towards extraterrestrial visitors not bent on systemic annihilation, keeping the Imperium in the dark was a surefire way to avoid said annihilation.
"I see. What actions have they taken? Are there Senshi seeking revenge against the former Animates?" Mamoru asked. He'd recovered from most of his durance, though the subject matter arising didn't help much to relieve him in general.
"A few systems have sent Senshi to a greater Galactic Government to try and redress their grievances upon the home systems of former Sailor Animates. Haijikuusei in particular turned Aluminum Siren over to us. She's only about six now, but her home system attempted her life; and after her Senshi powers unconsciously carried her away, Haijikuusei called it in to us." Taiki answered. They could all tell that the aliens were dancing around a certain topic; but none had been able to see exactly what. This recent admission changed the fact that they weren't just here for vacation time. The tension in the room rose as Kakyuu held her hand over her eyes in an attempt to seem as if the light was getting to her.
"Well, I did ask the Ginzuishou to heal and revive everyone involved. That includes Sailor Galaxia and her Animates. With Chaos dispersed, she shouldn't be evil anymore. And the only reason the Animates were evil is because they truly had no choice. If you wish, we could provide amnesty for them." Usagi replied. The princess, even though hung over and red eyed was still herself. Unapologetic in her giving, she offered succor to former enemies. The help she had gotten out of Coan and her Sisters was prima facie evidence of the benefits of a benevolent sovereign. Mamoru still eyed the Starlights with suspicion. What was this greater Galactic Government that they answered to? Did they want to extend hegemony to the Earth? Setsuna had not mentioned anything to him or Usagi about their duties in Crystal Tokyo; nor had she mentioned anything regarding extra-system Diplomacy changes outside of his wife's first Decree. He was about to voice a few of these concerns when he distinctly heard the door burst open.
The tension broke with Hotaru jumping behind the couch and Michiru rising to glare in the direction of a very loud—and entirely too enthusiastic for being that plastered the night before—"Konnichiwa, Minna-chan!" that came from the now open door. The others stared in the space behind Maker and the now open door. Taiki turned to see Minako, manilla folder in hand, beaming as if she had not suffered any ill effects from the night before.
"Minako..." Michiru growled. Though she still maintained her control, everyone gathered could feel the Senshi of Sea's tempest brewing stronger.
The Senshi of Love slinked over to beside where Taiki was standing. Smiling broadly, she opened the folder and revealed a picture of what looked to be Haruka and Setsuna in Acapulco shirts speeding through a toll gate on the Osaka Expressway. Haruka was grinning madly behind a pair of aviator shades. Setsuna held her hat down with one hand; while the other contained her billowing shirt. Taiki was seated in the back, with an expression that bordered on abject terror.
"I just went down to the press office to find these and take care of them. I haven't come across any other tabloids with these yet." Minako said in a sickeningly bubbly tone. Michiru looked from the Inner to the Starlight and back. Taiki had placed both of his palms on his forehead now, groaning something about insanity being a base part of Earthling psychology. "But, you should be pleased to note that we did get a story about your last concert, and Michi-chan's press shots look fabulous!"
"Thank you for that, Aino-san." Michiru replied curtly. Minako backed away from her slightly, hurt at the sheer emotional distance Michiru was putting between them. "I trust that Hino-san has placated the police, as well?" She added. Minako nodded energetically. Taiki cleared his throat to catch a glare from the Senshi of Neptune.
"If I may? That photo was well after we had left the Jinja. We followed Haruka-san's cousin and those other guys for a while. They attempted his life on a side street." Taiki said. Minako seated herself next to Yaten, who promptly placed her head in the venutian's lap. Slender fingers teased across the Kinmokujin's jaw line and nape.
Taiki and the others who were still suffering rolled their eyes when he continued. "After Setsuna-san and I assisted in the detainment of those three, Haruka-san proceeded to beat her cousin about the head and shoulders demanding to know why a breaker gang had been tailing him. That's when he told us about the case Setsuna-san had told Haruka-san to follow. She'd been making those weird prophetic pronouncements all night." He stated.
"What was in that briefcase?" Michiru demanded. She knew about Haruka's family. Her father wasn't involved with them, but her extended family had deep Yamaguchi ties going back to the pre-war era. She had met Haruka's father after that day. He was a bit rough around the edges, but so was Haruka.
"There were about ten grams of two strains of taima in separate bags, four sheets of high-power blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, twenty pellets of mescaline, a whole galaxy of multicolored speeds, opiates, rolls, and benzenes. A quart of tequila, a quart of rum and about a pint of raw ether. Plus, five hundred thousand yen in small bills." Taiki said. Eyes went wide around the entire room.
Hotaru stammered out: "Is Haruka-papa g-g-going to go to j-jail?" She didn't know too much about drugs, other than what they had been taught in school about how harmful they were. The had recently learned about the statutes that defined the jail time for simply possession of that stuff, and it was only steeper for selling. Hotaru had been slowly building back up to tears as Taiki had been describing the events of the night before. How could Haruka-papa just run off from them, and with all this illegal activity. Beatings and drug-fueled gambling trips? She closed her eyes to keep from shedding the building moisture in her eyes. Anyone is better than Souichi...She thought, fighting to keep a hold of her adoration of her adoptive 'father'.
"No, Hotaru-chan." Minako said. "Rei-chan helped me talk her father into getting the speeding tickets and toll refusal pulled. Though she'll have to be careful for a while, and perhaps stay off of the roads for a month or two." She added. Michiru didn't know what was worse, owing Aino Minako for her lover's blunders; or that Haruka would be trapped with her for a month in her current state with no recourse to escape. Torrential thoughts of revenge vied with sorrow for wishing hurt upon her wife.
"I'm more interested in these pronouncements Setsuna-chan's making." Usagi said. "Just how much have you been keeping from us?" She asked Michiru pointedly. The Lunarian incipient royal could see the beginnings of tears in her Senshi's eyes. She was breaking, but Usagi stayed her hand.
"She's never told us anything that you have forbidden her from saying in your future state. And she mostly keeps it in cryptic forms of advice. It's never been about something major." Michiru replied. Usagi nodded and motioned for Taiki to continue.
"Taiki-kun? What all did Setsuna-chan say?"
"She told Haruka to follow a briefcase to it's source or someone she was close to would die. She was to do so by acting on any impulse that came to her while around the case. Deliberate thought would lead her into a trap. When we met up with Tsurugi-kun, he told us about how he'd stolen the case from his boss, to try and make enough money to buy his wife's freedom. Turns out, a hit was called on him for stealing the merchandise." Taiki explained. He knew that hiding information at this juncture could put relations with their systems at risk, but he had orders from his princess to keep the secrecy of the Sol System intact. Even if that meant risking their lives and identities. Hopefully, Haruka-san remembered everything he'd told her while under the influence.
"That's when Haruka-san got the idea to hit up the casino in Osaka. We could win back the money at Kanagawa Hotel's casino, pay off the Boss and give the case back; all without having to resort to the use of our Senshi powers." He continued.
"You know, this is how that movie Blowstarted." Minako said matter-of-factly. "And, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." She received a remonstrant whack on her shoulder from the kinmokujin in her lap.
"Would you believe that Setsuna-san said the same thing when Haruka-san explained the plan. I thought it was equally ludicrous until she explained counting cards." Taiki said. Michiru and Hotaru shared a shocked expression. Usagi tilted her head to the side, slightly confused at Taiki's statement.
"How does counting the cards help you win at the game?" Usagi asked. Mamoru sighed lightly, and explained: "It's not counting how many cards, it's a term for a mathematics system used to predict blackjack. It's technically cheating, but I can see why she'd do it. Especially for family."
"We've never had a problem using our powers on mortals before." Michiru said coldly.
Usagi gave her a look that reflected her tone. This had been an issue that she and Haruka had argued about, and it looked as if Michiru still held her lover's opinions on the matter. She hated to use her authority like this with her Senshi, but the neptunian was lashing out in hurt. And earlier discussions between them still lingered in her mind.
"Perhaps Uranus has taken my new directives to heart. It would do well to remember why I made my first Decree, Neptune." Usagi said. There was no ice or acid in her tone, just resolve, pure and simple. Michiru lowered her gaze, admitting defeat once more.
"Of course, my Queen." Michiru responded mutely.
"That's why she said no powers. And if we just dealt with just the assassins, the syndicate would still be after him." Taiki stated, trying to get back to the report. "So, we set out in Haruka-san's car and though we had all that, no one had change for the toll booth." He added. The room sweatdropped collectively. Minako wast stifling a giggle, and Michiru just pinched the bridge of her nose to ease the oncoming migraine.
"That sounds like something Haruka would do sober..." She said, motioning for Taiki to continue.
Taiki took a step back and closed his eyes for a moment. The wind whipped around his ears from speeding down the freeway with the top down. The memory of the entire event was still fresh. He began:
"We were somewhere around Narita, on the edge of the metropolis, when the drugs began to take hold..."
The dissonance between my screaming and Haruka-san's cackling had blurred somewhere around the 300km marker. The car shook violently as the Senshi of Wind swerved again to avoid some hallucinatory object in the road. I heard her cackle/scream something about giant talking cats and guilt trips. The radio blared out some American tune that blended entirely too well with the steady roar of the engine, but that may have been due to the blotter I'd split with said Senshi of Wind earlier. Normally, I wouldn't have been taken by such indulgent behavior; but seeing as how I missed Elohia the previous year, I decided that 'When on Terra, go crazy'. The slowly brightening azure of the early morning quivered slightly with the beginning flashes of approaching dawn. Haruka-san said something like: "I feel a bit light-headed; maybe you should drive." I had assumed she was speaking to me, but that's only because for a moment all sound seemed to come from directly in front of my face. The whipping wind carried away part of Setsuna-san's answer, but it must have been an affirmative for the Uranian to pull the car over in an equally whipping and sudden motion. Brilliant trails of bright auburn flowed from overhead as the streetlights bent with the motion as well. It was at this point that I began to fear for my sanity, believing that perhaps my perceptions would never return to normal again.
It was after we had stopped and they had switched seats that several soft thuds in the back seat beside me broke my reverie. I looked to see what Haruka-san had removed from The Briefcase this time. The taima was in the seat beside me, as well as the salt shaker. I'm not sure at what point we had succumbed to the baser curiosities and delved into the case itself, since the plan had involved returning what was in it to it's rightful illegal owner. But Haruka-san had simply told me: "They can take it out of my winnings. I haven't had the chance to go wild since before the Cruise." I wasn't sure of what event she was speaking of, but Setsuna-san grinned even broader and sped back off as Haruka-san began rolling a joint.
"There's a holiday kind of like that on a planet I travel to on occasion. They call it 'The Night of No Remorse'." I replied. Haruka-san cut me a strange look as she licked the paper. It looked remarkably like a cigarette, though the contents would smell entirely different. Setsuna-san merely grinned that timeless grin and ditched her hat into the floor board; letting her lustrous hair flow in the again whipping wind. I quickly realized that I had slipped into my native tongue when Setsuna-san's grin became a laugh. I repeated what I said in Japanese, hoping that this would be the only of my blunders to come.
"Huh. Sounds kind of like Mardi Gras." Haruka-san said.
"It would be the closest Terran parallel. Dragonia's a lot more arid." I replied. "It's on the far side of the Yuan-Riza cluster."
"You're a lot more talkative now, Taki-kun." Setsuna-san said to me. I pondered this for a moment. If we were going to get away from the Imperium's bullshit; to ever curb Dragonia's pride, I was going to have to start somewhere. The determined blonde in front of me, seemed to be a step in the right direction. Ancestral plots and divine cycles be damned, it was time for some diplomacy.
"Perhaps she's not the only one to be guided on impulse this night, Setsuna-san." I replied. Setsuna-san smiled, and I wasn't sure if she'd been phased at all about my sudden revelation. I reworded my next phrase before it left my mouth, again lapsing into kinmokutai for a moment. "It's the capital of a wider Galactic Imperium. The Dragonians run it, though a good majority of the galaxy's systems are members." I explained.
"There's been no communication from the Imperium since before the Silver Millennium." Setsuna said. Haruka paused in her preparations and looked at the both of us like we were crazy or on some kind of hard drugs. The irony of this look was not lost on me, and I chuckled slightly at that.
"Even so, Monitors have found that Galaxia's last location was here before your princess stopped her. There's not supposed to be anything living that holds a star seed in this entire star cluster. With everything over, there's likely to be cursory probes into what actually happened." I explained.
"Tch. I'd rather not go over old business again." Haruka-san said "You're supposed to be on vacation, Taiki-kun. And if anyone else in the galaxy has issues, they can take it up with us." She added with a confident smirk. The Senshi of Wind began flicking a lighter, and I laughed myself at this point. "Keeping the top down might keep that from being effective." I said, squinting as the first glints of dawn hit my eyes. Only dawn was coming from Haruka-san's lighter. The wind had stopped around us, though the beauteous emerald locks still rushed from Setsuna-san's head towards us in the windy momentum of vehicular travel. I turned back to a smirking Uranian taking a deep drag on the cylinder she had finished rolling. To be able to use her powers under the influence was a daunting prospect; just as well that her and Fighter never really conflicted the night earlier. I mean no offense to my brother-in-arms, but he's shit when he's drunk. She held her hand out with the flaming stick of burning herbs; the delay between the sight of my hand gripping the paper and the sensation of touch in my hand was staggering. Before bringing it to my lips, I wondered if this would make such dissonance worse. The acrid smell of burning Sativa filled my lungs and the glints of real dawn peeked over the swiftly reeling Japanese countryside. I did a double take at around the 360km marker, and what looked to be giant Lunas began scampering about the farms; batting at the workers that were beginning their daily routine. I now know why Haruka-san had swerved so violently earlier. These cats were big enough to see us as mice—mice in a convertible at that. I returned to my conversation with the Outer Senshi, pointedly trying to ignore Luna-chan's eyes following our every move.
"So, how far till the Casino?" I asked, coughing madly from the joint. Haruka-san didn't reply right away, she took two more long drags instead and inhaled afterwards. Her lungs were powerful, and I began to wonder if Michiru-san knew about her wife's crazier tendencies. Or at least if they still lingered on, dormant under the pressures of Senshi duty and predestined conflict. I realized then, that there was a gulf of understanding between us. Someone who has spent their entire life in the Sailor Wars doesn't remember what things were like before them. And the Sol Senshi had only briefly touched it, the tail end of it. I pondered this while I took a long drag on the joint passed back to me. Haruka-san didn't cough, she simply exhaled smoothly.
"Maybe about five hours to get to Osaka. I could make it in three, but Obaa-san over there does the speed limit." Haruka-san replied. This comment at Setsuna-san's age was responded to with a sharp tap on the brakes that made Haruka-san crash against the front seats. I laughed/coughed and held my hand out low, below the ridge of the seats and doors to obfuscate the burning plant. My eyes began to twinge at the edges, and the pressure at the top of my head gathered a bit more.
"Time is relative, Haruka. I could have us there two thousand years previous, if you'd like." Setsuna-san snarked from the drivers seat.
"That won't be necessary, Setsuna-san." I said. Haruka-san looked unapologetic as she burned the cylinder down past half-way. "Now that the Wars are over; I'd like to keep out of any more conflict." I added. She nodded in agreement, perhaps herself weary of the constant back and forth of Senshi destroying each other. The torch of herbs came back towards me, and I accepted it gingerly at this point. The taima seemed to blur the edges of the giant moon cats—make them not as obvious in their hallucinatory revel.
It was about and hour and a half and three joints later that a glittering blur—that turned out to be a boy in hindsight—sparkled through my enhanced vision. Settsuna-san's rapid braking caused me to repeat Haruka-san's crash test dummy impersonation. This broke the easy calm that had transpired, and I began to see things in a stark multicolored clarity. The Acapulco patterns on both of their shirts moved with an illusory breeze.
"Let's give the boy a lift." Haruka-san deadpanned; looking to the time guardian. Setsuna-san nodded mutely and threw the car in reverse. I can understand the stereotype about bad Terran driving now, or perhaps we were all just tripping a bit too hard. The sickening rush of backwards motion changed the directions of winds—both real and imaginary. The young man came back into focus as sharply as he'd left my vision and was shocked that we had stopped for him. The giant cats that were still frolicking about the now clearing countryside bade me speak: "Haruka-san! We can't stop here! This is Cat Country!" Setsuna-san rolled her eyes and chuckled at my pronouncement. She would understand soon enough, when the monsters had dangled her to see if she ticked like a watch. The boy/hitchhiker looked perplexed by my exclamations of giant cats and pocket-watches.
"Ryo-kun?" Haruka-san said in surprise. Her grin would have screamed "I'm-on-entirely-too-many-substances" but the aviators hiding her teal eyes averted most obvious suspicion. She still held the burning remnant of the last joint.
"Arigato Gozaimasu, Tenoh-san. I had seen that we would meet soon, but I didn't figure you'd be headed this way." He said as he began loading his backpack into the popped trunk. Setsuna-san's expression hadn't changed; which led me to believe she knew that the young man in question would need a ride into town. Though I doubt she truly foresaw Haruka-san's capitalization on Ryo-kun's talents. I was under the impression that they had destroyed all the dark beings that had fought them. It precluded to the building concern of Imperium Monitors that made the aura of this young man more sinister than it should have been. Again; the presence of hallucinogens in my system made my perceptions dubious—though the clear aura of dark power shone through this boy's tight polo shirt.
"Get in, then. We're heading to Osaka." Haruka-san, tossing the roach and scooting towards me in the back seat. He hopped the doors and Setsuna-san sped off into the morning. The wind began it's assault on those of us with long hair once more. Haruka-san tipped the salt-shaker onto the back of her hand and downed the resulting white powder with a quick snuffle. Small flecks of white dotted her pants, and Ryo-kun began to look nervous. The smell of taima was all around us. Surely to all known intelligences, he knew. This boy knew and would run to the nearest mortal policeman and our trails would only just begin. My paranoia started quickly, but just as soon became unfounded when I heard Haruka-san explaining the plan to Ryo-kun.
"So, that psychic ability of yours would allow us to know if pit bosses were on to us. You're not the one cheating; I am. Ami-chan shouldn't be ill about it." She finished. The speed of her speech was starting to pick up. Ryo-kun gulped and answered: "Comparative morality is just sophistry, Tenoh-san. I would be helping you get away with cheating the casino." He said. The Uranian looked perturbed at his half-hearted objection.
"I wouldn't normally do anything like this. I have some family in harm's way with this situation, and this is one of the few ways I know of that we can solve things without using our Senshi powers on mortals." She said. Ryo-kun seemed to accept this, but the addled Senshi threw her arm around the boy and turned towards me. "Even straight-laced Taiki-kun is helping me with this and he's an Alien. I hope that doesn't affect your opinion of him. She turned her head to stare directly into his eyes, her Aviators coming down slightly to show her bloodshot teal orbs. "Are you prejudiced?" She added, barely containing what sounded like laughter.
"No..." Ryo-kun replied. He was beginning to look afraid; perhaps I was right when I'd thought he'd squeal. He'd squeal and bring the whole drug-fueled catastrophe down around our stuffed heads. The images of scampering Luna Grandes faded and twinkled as we sped through Kanto.
"Haruka, quit trying to scare the boy." Setsuna-san remonstrated from the driver's seat. My thoughts began to turn again. With his obvious non-humanity, I figured that Serenity must have started acting on her first decree early; before ever putting it down as official law. Her mercy had earned her and her court many allies. The Imperium had no such delusions about mercy, especially when it came to entities that carried the dark god's gifts within them.
"I'm not! Obaa-san should be paying attention to the road, not what us kids are doing in the back seat." Haruka retorted. We all collided with the seat again, and the salt-shaker flew out of Haruka-san's hands and shattered on the rapidly accelerating pavement behind us.
"I knew you were a damn narc, Sets! You're going to ruin my brakes with that shit!" She shouted. Setsuna-san didn't react visibly, though I think it was more to check Haruka-san's brash and pushy nature than any real objections about her age. Immortality must confer some sense of placidity that such learned and debased creatures as I cannot comprehend. We rode in silence for a while, the wind and radio the only sounds around us—outside of Haruka-san's engine. The landscape of the approaching metropolitan area began to change from countryside and express way into industrial sector.
"Osaka, here we are! The heart of Kanto. Kansai-fucking-central." Haruka-san said as we exited the express way. I wasn't sure exactly what she was referring to. Ryo-kun responded quizzically: "Ano... I thought you were Kansai, Haruka-san."
"Hai. I know my people, and we get on my nerves just as much as Tokyoites." She replied. He seemed satisfied by this. We continued on into the city, stopping and swerving several times to avoid pedestrians who refused to acknowledge that vehicles could harm them. Haruka-san swore and blustered from the back seat, using several dialect slang words that weren't in my Japanese lexicon. The June heat rose off of the pavement and buildings with shimmering waves, that sparkled with rainbow tinges under the effects of the acid. The haze had started to fade somewhat, and I was thankful for that.
"Now all we have to do is get a hotel room, and I'll find who we need to talk to to sort this whole thing out. Taiki-kun; You, Ryo-kun and Setsuna can play the tables until I get back." She said as we turned onto a main avenue. The bustle of Osaka traffic drowned out the radio for a moment before Setsuna-san turned it off. Several more turns later, we were in front of the Kanagawa Hotel and Casino. We departed the vehicle, all of our baggage in tow. There were a few people who stopped to look at us, but so far no one had picked up on Haruka-san's celebrity or mine. The crowd in the lobby was massive, though the sweet nectar of air-conditioning coursed through the area—negating the heat of the summer and the teeming mass of humanity. Haruka-san grinned and approached the concierge.
"I'd like to get a room for four, please." She said, flashing the girl at the counter a flirtatious smile. Though by now, I could see that Haruka-san considered her marital fidelity sacrosanct; she still used her every advantage. She presented her ID to the concierge, who began to exclaim before Haruka-san made a motion for her to keep quiet. "I'm on vacation, and we're trying not to get mobbed." She explained. Her voice had dropped in timbre slightly.
"Of course, Tenoh-san. I have a two bed suite available on the fourteenth floor." She said, her eyes sparkling. I felt somewhat jealous, though I reminded myself that we didn't want to attract unwarranted attention. It was only a matter of time before the bosses here found out that we'd stopped their underlings. Then, things would get really dicey. A few of the floor tiles flipped errantly, like spinning pieces of a puzzle box. I saw a flash of white pass by us, and after my vision had cleared the trails from turning quickly, the white haired man from the train ride came back into focus. He entered an elevator that no one had tried for several minutes and went up in it. Something more than mortal criminal activity was going on here.
"Thanks... Kimiko-chan." Haruka-san said with a wink after she'd gotten our lodgings secured. Name tags are life savers when schmoozing people for amenities.
We proceeded towards the elevator with a bellhop bringing up the rear. I didn't dare voice my concerns yet, what with the Terran national in the elevator with us. The oppressively small space only seemed to constrain me more with its gilded floor and mirrored walls. The set up threw off my already altered perception; scattering four bellhops around the elevator that seemed to be persistent with the one who actually existed. I began to sweat from the chemical alterations, and from the nervousness that perhaps this newest addition to our venture into madness was aware that two of the seven of us were whacked out of anything resembling coherence.
The hotel room door came into sharp focus: 1422. After delivering our quintet of bellhops a moderate tip, we filed into the room to begin our plot against the establishments. Haruka-san and the Time Guardian were not party to my particular rebellion yet. This would be the time to tell them, I was certain. After this, I may be too confused, wasted or otherwise occupied with ruffians to explain anything else.
"Ahh. Good to be off the road, ne?" Haruka-san sighed and flopped onto the bed across from Ryo-kun and I. Setsuna-san swept herself into the bathroom, and the rest of us began packing things away. The Senshi of Wind spun out two more joints and stashed the case in the bottom of the closet. Ryo-kun looked out of the window; and apparently seeing no one of import, drew the curtains in. I was beginning to think that he had sensed some of my budding paranoia. Or maybe it was just that Haruka-san had dragooned him into being party to some seriously compromising situations.
"Okay. Now that we have a minute." I began, not wanting to lose this chance. "With Ryo-kun here, this brings a relevance to this. The Dragonian Galactic Imperium's policy on anyone who holds dark power is a universal cleansing of whatever system they've been found on. Galaxia and the Sailor Wars cost the Imperium what Senshi they had left, so they've had to rely on Monitors to tell whenever things that possess shadow energies cross into this universe." I said. Haruka-san looked puzzled, yet she was attentive as she lit the first salvo. Ryo-kun simply looked puzzled.
"My psychic powers are fueled by the Youma blood I have, but I can't do anything major with it." Ryo-kun explained.
"It's not what you can do; it's how you access that power. The nature of the energy that powers your psychic powers ties you to certain other forces. The Imperium has been at war with them since the beginnings. Before Galaxia happened, the last of those forces fled here. Prince Nazzera of Dragonia sacrificed himself in aiding Serenity IV Celestine against them. The Imperium has written this cluster off as a dead cluster. Or at least they had, until your princess let forth an ungodsly amount of energy when she defeated Galaxia. We came here after finding Aluminum Siren reincarnated, to see if they had sent any Monitors in to check things out." I went on. Setsuna-san had come out of the bathroom, and her outfit was drastically different than the Acapulco shirt and cargo shorts.
She wore a deep green dress that swept close to her legs and down to her ankles, where a slit ran back up to the tops of her knees. There was a small window in the bust that showed her tanned cleavage. The time guardian had low heeled pumps that had open toes in a matching leather. Her hair had been fixed into an intricate bun and braid style. I gulped in conjunction with Ryo-kun at the sight. I had a thought about how long it takes females to change—owing in part to my time in a female configuration—, although Setsuna-san's gifts in that area might account for something.
"Taiki-kun's right about that. Though there's been an Imperium Monitor present in the system since Luna awakened the Inners." She said, seating herself at the desk between the beds.
"Then there should have been masses of ships and dragons to lay waste to everything. From what I understand, Usagi-sama spared several people from her previous battles. Their presence to the Monitor would have been called in as a Planar Breach." I poised. Haruka-san exhaled vehemently and held another burning stick out to me. I grasped it, simply because the added stress of ducking Monitors loomed ahead of us. Ryo-kun would surely set off their perceptions of dark power.
"I'd love to see that. I haven't had a decent fight since her." Haruka-san fumed.
"Trust me, Haruka-san. Though your team could probably hold off an invasion if need be, the Imperium's got numbers on its side. Their mentality is the same as your directive from Serenity was. Any outside force—extra-planar in origin gets destroyed to prevent them from getting a major foothold on the Prime Material." I said.
"I'm assuming that the Prime Material is where we are now?" Ryo-kun asked. I nodded in agreement.
"Correct. There are several others that layer alongside ours. Travel between them is difficult, if not outright impossible given normal circumstances. However, with a large amount of energy, a few beings could slip past the barrier. Normally, Imperium Monitors would pick up the incursion as it happens, negating the need for a system wide purge. But with Sol Cluster being remote from the rest of the wider Galaxy..." I stated, coughing in between sentences. Haruka-san finished: "They'd perform a purge, and kill everything in the system to try and contain the invasion." I nodded again, though the Administer for this segmentum would probably purge the entire cluster. But this was not the time for complaints on a Dragonian Princess's fanaticism.
"Was that what happened to Galaxia? I thought Shadow Galactica had conquered most of the galaxy." Haruka-san asked. I took another drag before I replied.
"They had removed 80% of the star-seeds of the wider galaxy's Senshi. Shadow Galactica was a footnote to the Imperium, since they haven't had Senshi since the Triumvirate War. The Sailor Wars were allowed to perpetuate due to Dragonia's neutrality between warring Imperium Segmenta. Galaxia's Segmentum was autonomous. Since she was both Senshi and Administer, she didn't have anyone to answer to other than the Imperium itself. After she took on Chaos and started invading other Segmenta, the Imperium considered it part of her autonomy if she went to war against another Segmentum. Any Monitors looking at her would only see the unbridled power of one of the last Senshi of their knowing." I passed the joint back to the Uranian and leaned back.
"So Koneko-chan reincarnating the Animates and Galaxia has stirred some issues in this Imperium's government?" Haruka-san asked before taking a drag. "As I said, let them come. If they still want to fight us after talking to Serenity, they'll die just as Galaxia did." She added, exhaling. I could tell that her confidence wasn't just bravado—she truly believed in her queen's ability to reason with people. And in her power to negotiate aggressively. Momentary images of Haruka-san valiantly charging Imperium Palatanes and Lunar Knights came afield. Brave; Foolish, a waste of her power and life, but brave nonetheless.
"Somewhat. The Inquisition has found that Galaxia's actions were motivated by the last dark Avatar, Chaos. With that in hand, they've been chasing down leads one by one, looking to see if any vestiges of it survived. So far, Kinmokusei has been able to retain it's autonomy. Though Inquisitorial presence has been a chafe. For all intents and purposes, they shouldn't have reincarnated. Usagi-san's power reaches that far, though." I finished.
"The Monitor for this system has been a bit more understanding. The Imperium isn't as monolithic as you'd believe. More than Kinmokusei resent the presence of the Holy Orders." Setsuna-san said. "Regardless, your priority is getting Tsurugi-kun's debt cleared before the Yamaguchi-gumi find out about him. And you." She added, indicating Haruka-san with a nod of her head. Ryo-kun blanched physically at this mention, though the exact definition of the term eluded me.
"Right. I guess I need to go see my uncle. He'll be able to set up any meeting I need with them." Haruka-san resigned. She went on to explain counting cards to Ryo-kun and I. The math wasn't difficult for me, and with my partner's psychic ability—we should be able to come up with whatever cash Haruka-san needed to free her relatives from these gangsters. We finished the joint and departed the room, Haruka-san going down one elevator to the lobby, and the three of us heading down into the casino level. It was at this point that I knew that sanity had completely abandoned me for the greener fields of madness. I was headed into a gambling parlor to try and swindle the owners—who also happened to be the gangsters in question—all while dodging the Imperium's Most Holy Inquisition: should they ever turn their gaze here.
The elevator was similar, yet instead of five bellhops, there were five of the white haired man. The oppressive feeling of someone who makes it their business what's in your head permeated the slowly lowering box we were trapped in. Setsuna-san's eyes may have betrayed her somewhat, because they softened for only an instant as soon as she had confirmed his presence in the elevator. The lingering effects of the acid had begun to finally release their hold on my senses. Ryo-kun didn't seem to recognize him, though he started to sweat a bit when he saw the badge I saw on the man's coat. Masamune, Kami TMPD Detective.
Terran police involvement was somewhat expected, but this officer had run into my field of vision three more times than I was ever used to looking at a cop in one day. I wondered if he'd followed us here on account of Haruka-san's blowing past of the toll gate when we boarded the Osaka Expressway. He didn't seem to be looking for us, so I chalked up the feeling to paranoia. Perhaps hindsight would tell me to always trust my copdar, no matter where I'm at. The elevator ride continued in silence. His jurisdiction as Tokyo Metro ended way behind us, though when several of his colleagues and members of other Metropolitan Police Departments began packing into our reflective prison that I started to form a theory.
Once the cable suspended box smoothly came to a halt, we exited the compartment onto the mezzanine of the casino floor. My theory from the ride came to be known as fact as a large sign suspended reading: "Welcome Japan Police and Military Tech Expo." Of all the gin joints in all the galaxy, I had to walk into the cop convention. I was glad at this point that only the taima was affecting me, and not the blotter—or else this mild cramping of my style would have been a freak out of massive proportions. After we parted ways with the murder of officers headed towards the meeting rooms, our intrepid crew of card sharks, aliens and immortals made its way to the blackjack tables.
One thing you must realize about any gambling establishment, is that they know what the hell they're doing. Everything from the distance between gaming tables, to the number of steps it takes to get from the count rooms to storage is planned and deliberate. They account for each and every possibility to rake in as much profit as they can off of what should be games of 'chance'. It's this case that made me glad that psychic phenomena and extra-terrestrials of extreme intellect aren't accepted in the mainstream paradigm. Otherwise, the fleecing that Ryo-kun and I did would never have happened.
The first table we sat down at had a handsome young man with coffee brown hair—cut page style—as our dealer. The first hand went out; him showing a seven, Setsuna-san had a four and a six, Ryo-kun held two sevens and I had a decent showing of a soft nineteen. The numerical calculations went through my mind. Setsuna-san should hit, I would stand and Ryo-kun would split his hand. Unerringly to my mental planning, Setsuna-san pulled an Ace, I won over the dealer's hard seventeen and Ryo-kun ended up with a seven-four and a seven-nine. I started move my foot to tap him—signaling him to hit—but it seems that his reactions were faster than mine. A Jack and a ten produced another twenty one and our first bust. Three out of four was a good way to start the game. Setsuna-san looked across my place at the table and said, "You're sure you've never played before, Ryo-kun?" She bent onto her elbow slightly, the front window of her dress hanging slightly, revealing more of the tanned flesh underneath. Normally, I would have never expected such behavior from the dignified Senshi of Time, yet I thought; nothing would distract me more, should I be a fit dealer of cards in a place like this. Especially looking at a dress like that. Her distraction helped, as he forgot to deal Ryo-kun's second card before he moved on.
After the redeal, we had started to take a turn. I held two queens, Setsuna-san's hard fifteen complicated matters in the system, and Ryo-kun stood with a soft seventeen. The count was getting weird. Then; what I was certain was a hallucinatory flashback I heard a voice inside my head saying: "Double down Taiki-san. The next card is an Ace." I shook my head slightly, and saw Ryo-kun's determined gaze.
"Are you sure? The system would say to split again." I thought back at him—or at least I attempted to. The feeling of another individual inside my head, even just speaking, set me in an odd mood. The only feeling I can equate with it is the presence of an Inquisitor. They have this aura of pressure that makes you want to tell your darkest secrets. That mental pressure prompted me to do something that reason had shown to be folly.
"Double it." I said aloud. The dealer's shock was slow to start, but he proceed to ask: "Sir, you have a twenty. I would suggest you stand." He sounded as if he had to explain these things to people all the time. Almost like wannabe Danny Oceans wandered into the place on a regular basis. I shook my head, and repeated my request with a please on the end, just to make the point clear. I've often found that sudden politeness often puts Terrans off of their game as an explosion of rude behavior. He nodded solemnly, prepared to take my money as he dealt out the losing card. An Ace hit the table and Ryo-kun grinned like the aforementioned casino heist master himself. I leaned back and smirked myself. Setsuna-san cheered merrily, and we started the next hand. The count progressed slowly, with a few busts on my fault—since counting cards doesn't prevent you from losing; only from losing as much. It was after four hours and a dealer change—this cute pinkette with spiraling curls—that Haruka-san found us. My pile of chips had grown considerably. The catch was that Setsuna-san and Ryo-kun had taken a hit to their winnings in order for us to appear legitimate.
"Looks like you guys came up lucky." She said, the smallest hints of exhaustion beginning show in her voice. She had changed from the Acapulco outfit to a black tanktop and white slacks.
"That we did, Haruka-san." I replied, "Did you get in touch with our friends?" She nodded and tapped the table twice and laid down a stack of five grand bills. Dealing Haruka-san in had changed the count, but with the added player, we looked less suspicious. The cards came around: Setsuna-san on high with a natural Blackjack; I bit a low hand with two-four; Ryo-kun came up with another par—fives incidentally; Haruka-san held a soft 16—and had a look that betrayed her uncertainty at sitting down at the table. Her eyes bulged, but otherwise the Senshi of Wind had a poker face of cold iron. I took that to mean that Ryo-kun had pulled a communique on her in the same fashion he had of me.
"I'll stand." She said, her confidence clearer in her voice than the teal orbs that were still slightly glassed. I hypothesized that she'd been to the hotel room in the time since her return and her arrival at the table. It is in this case that I am reminded of a certain Elohia night with Yaten—but sister to sister we keep some secrets. Though I prefer my male configuration for the holiday from now on, that incident being instrumental in this policy.
"No. Seriously, I'll stay." She said again. I had missed the dealer's reply in my musings; the taima's downslide starting to catch up with me. The dealer sighed and flipped over her now revealed ten across from her six. She had to hit, by the rules of this particular casino. Ryo-kun pulled his glasses from out of his front pocket and put them on as the pink haired girl turned over a nine. Bust, on the table and in her uniform. I then heard clearly with my companions the voice of Urawa Ryo: "The pit boss keeps looking this way, and he's talking with one of those other guests. We need to cash out."
"We don't have enough. Two more hands and we can call it done, but we're twenty thousand shy..." I thought back. Haruka-san must have vehemently disagreed too, because the requisite two hands went beautifully. Beautifully enough to attract the attention of two pit bosses and the intrepid inspector Masamune. Now I was truly suspicious and not just paranoid of him. The oppressive aura had returned; and I knew there to be only one recourse to being found out.
Fame has it's perks and problems; and given my access to social media—one has a veritable array of distractions waiting to happen. I had arranged a check in post to go off on my phone in case we were getting into hot water, to draw a crowd to get lost in—or conversely to draw a crowd elsewhere, to avoid a battle between Senshi and evil forces. Tagging Haruka-san in the post was something of a bad move in hindsight given that the entirety of Japan's police and intelligence VIP's were gathered in the same hotel. The implications of this fact didn't dawn on me until well after the rough-and-tumbles caught up with us.
"Ano... Winning a lot, Tenoh-san?" The pit boss inquired of Haruka-san. The other one just stood there with his arms crossed, trying to make as an intimidating of an impression as possible. He looked confused by Haruka-san's appearance. I wonder how they would take a subtle change in my configuration? Ryo-kun began to sweat visibly, and Setsuna-san rose from her seat. I began to panic a bit myself. They knew everything... Didn't Haruka-san have family in Osaka? My mind raced as fast as a taima-addled brain overloaded on card counting could to find any extra avenues of escape. Just then I began to hear the faint keening wail of the adolescent girl legion. The only thing more frightening than the insane reasoning—or lack thereof—of the fangirl, is her male counterpart.
"Yeah. We've been doing pretty well, though I'm in the mood for a higher stakes game." She said. At this point, ruffian two realizes that Haruka-san is indeed a woman. The statement seemed to shock the two of them, because the pause allowed the Detective to get a word in.
"Gentlemen, I think we have a situation on the mezzanine." He said curtly, moving to lead them towards my distraction gone wrong. I should have thought then to keep the guards around us—escort us out even—and then none of the wicked and sad events that played out would have ever taken place. The security followed our inspector over to the rail to see exactly what this 'situation' entailed..
The sea of young women (and quite a few femmes of the male variety) had gathered in the main lobby. Security had errected an impromptu barricade—though it's integrity was dubious at best, considering a pair of redheads had penetrated it and were making a madwoman's dash up the mezzanine steps. The four of us made our way to the railing with the offical-types to survey the damage. That's when Haruka-san noticed the twins on the stairway. Her eyes grew wider than when we'd been tripping and she started to stammer.
"Haruka... Remember what I told you." Setsuna-san said calmly. The Time Guardian's words must have sunk in, because she started to back away slowly. Ryo-kun; sensing her immenence, handed her the remaineder of the winnings. Four hundred thousand yen, all gathered into a neat satchel. Just as she was starting off with the rest of us in tow, the Pit Boss turned around. The name Kuromoji stood out on his name tag—but of all my time on earth, I've never met anyone by that name.
"Hey! We still need to talk to you about all that money." He said curtly. My overly taxed mind came up with a quick solution. The idea sickened me, yet I knew that without it our intrepid adventure was doomed to failure and confiscation. Ryo-kun seemed to see what I was thinking, and started to turn the other way. Setsuna-san moved to a position just to the left of Haruka-san. I assumed they were going along with my idea—and though I was loathe to admit it—I slightly hoped that this gesture would not be lost on the emerald haired time goddess. My actions were simple—as were the intentions. My fist balled quickly and with a singular swing, I socked the pit boss directly in the jaw. This normally would have just been a distracting blow; since I'm not much of a physical fighter. Plus, breaking your hands limits your finger movement range, and with some of the guitar I play, I need all the hand motion I can get. What really made this maneuver effective, was his tumble over the railing and into the seething mass of overactive estrogen below.
"BREAK FOR IT!" I shouted and squared my shoulders to begin my defense against the other Boss. I had half expected to be arrested by the Detective—but then I remembered certain rules about jurisdiction and what not. Haruka-san's never had to be told to run to my knowledge, but given her reations to the redheaded twins, it didn't take her long to bolt with the cash. Setsuna-san was behind her, and Ryo-kun had stumbled into a poker table—and I have my suspicions about the true cause of his stumble.
I didn't have time to have another go at the forces of Corporation; for lo, the grand tide of Legio Gynoid spilled up the mezzanine and began to swarm in pursuit of sweet bishounen flesh. "Taiki-kun. Head to the elevator and go to the Garage exits. Haruka-san's waiting down there with the car. I can make my own way back to Tokyo." Ryo-kun's voice rang out in my head. Telepathy should be a benefit, but to be honest, nothing is more distracting that to have an obnoxious voice barge into your thoughts whilst you're in the middle of an important action. Note, that I didn't have to be told twice. I ran like the bigendered alien that I am, and replied to him just as I slipped into the elevator ahead of the fangirl horde.
"You sure, Ryo-kun? Cab fare or train tickets back to Tokyo's going to be a bitch and a half." I thought. Just as the elevator closed, I saw him smirk from amidst the teenage wasteland. I suppose he could be envied, standing on a poker table, misdirecting a mob of adolescent girls towards celebrities. Towering there, like some kind of hormone-drenched prophet—directing the gaggle of giggling, swooning believers. The elevator slowly ticked down the floors, my four selves in the mirrors doing nothing special to break up the monotony.
"You let her go off by herself? To her uncle?" Michiru said. Her voice was calm, though any who were truly familiar with the Senshi of Seas knew that this veneer was only barely covering the worry. It was just like her, to distract everyone else while she fought on her own. The two of them had cleared this argument years ago, when they had first become Senshi. Past vendettas stayed in the past. Michiru wouldn't go after her parents for her grievances, and Haruka would stay her hand from her extended family. She never got to know her extended family well, but there were several members of their extended network that she would go to considerable lengths for.
"That was the game plan, Michiru-san. Haruka-san had told us that she had to go alone. The meeting wouldn't have happened if any of us came. And between Setsuna-san and Ryo-kun, we would know well in advance if things went south. As soon as we had amassed the funds to settle Tsurugi-kun's debt, we were going to pay them and leave." Taiki said. The gathered Senshi had been awed by this picture of Haruka—although Michiru was no stranger to this side of her wife. Though, she'd guessed they'd conquered this part of their lives after they had become Senshi.
"Hmm. I'd like to know more about this Imperium." Usagi asked. Taiki had begun to speak again before Seiya cut him off.
"Maker! You defied a direct order. They weren't supposed to be involved in the investigation." He said reprovingly. Usagi looked put out that they would hide so much from her. Kakyuu didn't speak, though she looked torn between what should be done, and what they had to do to keep Kinmokusei as free as it was able to be.
"Make a note of it then for when we go home. The only way we're going to get that dragon-clawed foot out of our asses is to garner allies outside of the Imperium." Taiki replied. Star Maker continued with defiance in his voice: "The Dragonian Imperium is a galactic governmental body that regulates travel and trade between star clusters known as Segmenta. It began simply as Dragonia, but after House Rangerok took over the throne, they began conquering or accepting nearby clusters. By the time of your Silver Millennium's dawn the Imperium had just ended it's largest conflict. It was a religious conflict known as the Triumvirate War—but it has defined Imperium policy ever since."
As the assembled were absorbing the information, the telephone rang and brought the process to a halt. Michiru looked over to her adoptive daughter. "Hai, Michiru-mama." She said, and rose to answer the ringing abomination. The timid "Moshi Moshi" gave way to an excited squeal.
"HARUKA-PAPA! Where are you!? Why did you run off like that!?" Hotaru exclaimed. Michiru was over to the phone in a flash, and Usagi had risen from her seat in the commotion.
"Let me see the phone, Hime-chan." Michiru asked. Hotaru gave her the handset without hesitation. The Senshi of Seas didn't speak when she put the receiver to her ear. The voice on the other end was barely audible to the rest of the room.
"Michiru... I know you're probably worrying about me right now, but I need your help... I had to shoot Jun." Haruka said weakly over the phone. She sounded injured. A flash of concern waved over Michiru's face—but her mask of indifference and disdain came back just as quickly.
"Where are you?" She asked coldly. Haruka hung her head. Killing her uncle didn't feel as heavy as the tone her wife gave. She wondered if their marriage would survive her actions. Setsuna patted Haruka's shoulder in support. The Senshi of Wind recoiled from the touch, glaring at the Time Guardian. The cell floor was a hard, flat gray concrete and had several cracks running along it.
"Korea..." Haruka replied. Her wife's confused echo: "Korea?!" drew questions from several in the assembly. Michiru shot a look towards them, silencing the queries for now. Taiki facepalmed once more.
"We can take you there, Michiru-san. We've got to be in Seoul this weekend anyways." Seiya offered. The Neptunian nodded in acknowledgement, but soon returned her attention to the phone.
"Okay. I'll have the Lights bring me there. But we have much to discuss when I see you." Michiru said.
"That we do, Michi... I love you..." The blonde replied. This was the real test. If Michiru replied back, things would be okay. If not, then she'd probably go pick another fight with her captors—a lethal one. Setsuna's eyes showed abject neutrality, which hurt Haruka worse than the idea that she had manipulated all of this for some unknowable immortal's goal.
"I love you too, Ruka." Michiru responded quietly before hanging up the phone.
"See. I told you she would forgive you." Setsuna said. Haruka glared at her again, setting the piecemeal cellphone on the floor of their shared cell. It hadn't been hard to hide the pieces in the Time Senshi's bodice—and under different circumstances, Haruka would have been better disposed to conducting the search. But with her broken arm, and the whole of the matters that had come to pass—kept the Senshi of Wind in paranoid wariness around her commerade.
"What good is that? You pushed me into this whole mess! You act wise, yet you're just manipulative. You only tell us part of the story, and expect us to follow right along into Serenity's arms. You never told us about the real reason why we had to guard against interlopers." Haruka spat. She shifted her broken arm to sit more comfortably.
"I pushed you?" Setsuna replied. "No, Haruka. I only awakened what was already there. In case you didn't figure it out from all this, I'm playing a much deeper game with forces beyond your ken, girl." She added. The Uranian kept silent at this rebuttal, allowing the Time Guardian to continue. She would argue back; if only she weren't tired and beaten.
"I am required to conduct myself according to more restrictions than you can ever know. My every action, every passing word is held accountable not only to our Queen, but to her mother's memory, and other Time Guardians who share my duty in keeping the stream flowing. I have manipulated events, all to help this ragtag gang of girls that became my only true family around. It is selfish, but you should understand that; right?" The Plutonian went on. "Each and every incarnation you have taken, I have watched over you from a distance. I have traversed the Imperium's reaches and persuaded certain Monitors to keep silent about what has come to be in Sol's embrace. I risk not life, but the existence of my own immortal spirit to judgement; for the sole purpose of keeping the Sol system free and my family near me. I have been pushed far more than you can be in ten life times, Tenoh Haruka."
"Then why all that mess about following impulses. Are the rules that tight on you?" Haruka asked flatly. She could see the sincerity in Setsuna's eyes now, which had grown more emotional as her venting had gone on.
"They are. I cannot tell you anything that would counteract your fate. Even if it is to die, I could not save you without being destroyed myself."
"What about the helicopter explosion? You stopped time for that so we could get away."
"And I died for it. The NeoQueen is much more forgiving than the other Guardians. Another violation will mean my forfiture of my Office. Not even Serenity's power can match fate's."
"Bullshit. If that was the case, then Mistress Nine would have wiped us all out back then. Or Galaxia, since it was damn near 'fated' that Michi and I would..." She fell silent at the last bit. They had not discussed the period of betrayal, not since the Queen's first Decree.
"Have had to turn against us, yes. And even then, Usagi-chan was fated to bring us back. But even fate changes, and she does become aware of our efforts to circumvent her. Small Lady's travels have altered fate enough that the others pay much more attention to me now." The garnet-eyed woman explained. They had been through much—and perhaps Haruka would feel bitter for a while. The important thing is that the breech had been sealed, Haruka's past wasn't hanging over her. And they both now knew the severity with which their powers affected others.