SOUL MATES
Chapter 6: "Secret No More"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
The Princess Usagi sat on the step of one of the cabins she and her friends were staying at and looked at the vast blue of Lake Biwa without really seeing it. Her friends were trying to enjoy themselves despite the knowledge that the secret they all wished to protect might get out. It was at the behest of the Princess, hoping that if they acted like nothing was wrong, people would believe that nothing was wrong. But if everyone was depending upon her to put over the deception, things were doomed.
"Was it that bad?"
Startled, Usa glanced to her right and found Hotaru sitting next to her.
"How did you sneak up on me?" Usa marveled.
"You were pretty deep," Hotaru replied. "And if I know you, that call you took from your father is what's bugging you. Was it that bad?"
"Well, anytime there's an incident and Ves is involved, he gets nervous," sighed the teen. "He said all of the diplomatic things, about how this was an unexpected turn of events and fortunately nobody was hurt. But I know what he's thinking: that I can't control the group and I let a situation get out of hand because I'm not ready."
"You're ready, Usa," Hotaru told her. "You're already as good a Sailor Moon as the Queen ever was and you're the leader we all want to follow. And if that's what he thinks, then he's wrong."
The edges of Usa's mouth began to turn up.
"I wish I knew what to do about this dragon thing," Usa huffed. "We have to keep it hidden, for its sake as much as the lake's sake. Can you imagine the damage a bunch of tourists here to see the dragon would do? And then there's Palla-Palla."
"She does seem kind of attached," Hotaru agreed.
"I'm afraid that at the end of our stay she's going to want to take it back to the palace as a pet. No way that's happening. And it's probably going to break her heart."
"And good luck trying to explain it to her," sympathized Hotaru. "But knowing her as I do, she will get over it. Her mind doesn't seem to dwell too much on things like that." Hotaru grew a wicked smile. "Unlike some people."
"I'm not dwelling on it," Usa muttered. She glanced and saw Hotaru's skeptical look. "I'm not!"
"You haven't moved from that spot for a half hour," Hotaru challenged gently.
"What were you, watching me?" huffed the Princess. "Don't you have running to do?"
"Yes, I do," Hotaru said. "I was hoping you'd come with me. It's a lot more fun to run with someone than to run alone. But if you'd rather sit here and dwell on your perceived failures . . ."
Usa scowled. Then she slapped her hands to her thighs.
"OK, let's do it. I still have to stay in shape," Usa declared. "Maybe something will come to me while I run."
"Not too fast," Hotaru warned her. "I don't want my monitor to go off."
Having landed her air car at the cabins, Sailor Mercury was walking along the bank of Lake Biwa south of her craft. She had her visor down and her Senshi computer out, scanning the area. The scanner had once again homed in on the large mass in the lake south of her position.
"Odd that I'm not picking up any life readings," Mercury thought as she walked through the forest, splitting her attention between her scan and her path ahead. "Initially I though that this 'dragon' didn't register on normal life reading scans, but I'm not detecting any signs of life."
She pressed a button on the computer.
"Diagnostic checks," Mercury mused. "Could the wildlife in the area somehow sense the entity's presence and maintain a safety perimeter from it?"
Mercury stopped suddenly.
"There's some life signs," Mercury thought. "Four, all human, and a large vehicle with a superconductor propulsion unit. The news crew, perhaps?"
Mercury hurried on. When she reached the clearing Ves had directed her to, she found her deduction was correct.
"This is a restricted area," Mercury announced. The news crew turned to her. They were setting up equipment and Mercury noticed that some of the equipment wasn't video recording devices. "For your own safety, I'm asking you to leave."
"Or you'll assault us like the others did?" Hideo Akibara asked with an edge to his voice.
"That was an unsanctioned action on their part, for which His Majesty's government has already apologized," Mercury responded. "While their methods were unprofessional, their message remains. You must vacate this area, potentially for your own safety."
"Because of the 'geological anomaly'?" Akibara scowled.
"Arguing the point would be a pointless exercise," Mercury replied stiffly. "Please don't force me to summon CDP officers."
Akibara held up a hand-held receiver. He pressed a button. Suddenly Mercury heard the voice of Ves explaining to the others about the dragon that existed in this very clearing. The Senshi remained stoic, but inside her heart sank.
"Is that why you have that equipment?" Mercury inquired. "The infrared and the ultraviolet light projectors? Are they going to spot your 'dragon' for you?"
"Hopefully," Akibara replied. "If not, we'll try something else."
"Why is this so important to you?" Mercury asked, with a look that seemed to dissect him. "Are you seeking personal fame or do you see it as a duty to be fulfilled?"
"Sailor Mercury," Akibara began, "don't you feel that the public should know about a potentially dangerous creature being so close to them?"
"But 'dangerous' is an assumption on your part," Mercury argued. "There have been no recorded attacks at this lake that haven't been linked to human action in approximately nine hundred years. Aside from the invasion of the Dark Moon Forces, of course. Why do you assume this creature, assuming it does exist, is dangerous?"
"The stories . . ." he began.
"Many of those are myths," Mercury cut him off. "Tales invented by the fireside to entertain the less sophisticated. And the stories that may actually be true have no doubt been altered or enhanced through retelling. It's hardly a logical basis for assumption."
"The public has a right to know!" sputtered Akibara, growing frustrated.
"Does it?" Mercury asked. "The public has a right to be curious. But knowing is the product of study, hypothesis and deduction. These are not rights. They are things to achieve."
"Then consider this my effort to study and deduce," Akibara responded. He turned to the others. "Fire them up. Let's see what's out there."
"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted. Instantly the clearing was shrouded in a fog so thick that Akibara could barely see her five feet away.
"What was that for?" demanded the reporter.
"A precaution," Mercury explained calmly. "Just in case the 'geological phenomenon' might react negatively to the introduction of concentrated infrared or ultraviolet light."
"Then you're admitting it could be dangerous!" Akibara snapped.
"I'm concerned that your actions may be dangerous. I believe that is why I asked you to leave in the first place," Mercury said. With that, a CDP hover car pulled up. "Officers, this is a potentially hazardous situation and these civilians need to leave. Please escort them away."
"Uh," the CDP patrol officer started to say, peering doubtfully into the thick fog, "I have to find them first."
"Oh yes," Mercury grimaced. "Let me assist you with that."
When the news crew and the CDP officers left, Mercury turned back to the lake. Her primary mission here was to provide a cover story for what had happened. That, unfortunately, was now pointless. But the ever curious Sailor Mercury just couldn't resist scanning the area. It seemed a waste, she rationalized, to go there and not take some scans to analyze. Think of the potential scientific discoveries she might make. Bringing down her visor, Mercury engaged the scanning features on her Senshi Computer and read the data it gathered.
"I am picking up that mass again," Mercury murmured, lost in thought. "Clearly it's not a submerged vehicle or garbage pile. In fact, I can't see anything in the water which would account for this reading."
She thought a moment.
"Some sort of invisibility field, perhaps?" she mused. "It has to be either that or mental manipulation of my vision receptors. A spectral wavelength analysis is clearly in order."
Pressing several keys, Mercury changed the settings on the scan and on her visor receptors. A smile began to form on her lips.
"Yes, clearly something is absorbing the light photons rather than reflecting them," Mercury said to herself. "That poor man was incorrect in his assumption that far end spectrum light sources would reveal anything. Clearly I saved him some wasted time."
Mercury began to walk slowly toward the shoreline, her eyes glued to her data readouts. As she approached, she pressed several more function keys. The scans changed, bringing in new data. A clearer picture began to form of what she was scanning and the more she learned, the more excited Mercury got. She'd reached the edge of the water. It was obvious that something was there, something huge and old and not human. But the full picture still eluded her. Switching her scan mode, Mercury tried using an ultrasound based scan.
And with that, the cloak of invisibility fell away. Mercury looked up and her eyes popped.
"My goodness," Mercury gasped softly. "You are a dragon - - right out of mythology."
"Yes," the dragon seemed to grimace. "Could you stop making that noise, please? It's quite irritating."
"Noise? Oh, the ultrasound!" Mercury pressed a button on her computer. "My apologies. I was unaware you were capable of hearing something that high pitched."
"Thank you," sighed the dragon. "My, but you humans are a persistent species."
"Forgive me for disturbing you," Mercury offered. "I was - - curious. I mean no harm."
"I suppose you don't," the dragon sighed.
"With your permission," Mercury began, "may I take more scans of you? I've never encountered a creature like you before. Such knowledge could be quite beneficial."
"You're here," the dragon responded. "Take your scans - - except the loud one. Then once you're finished, could you please leave? I don't wish to be rude, but I desire the peace I had before."
"As you wish," Mercury nodded. She engaged her scanners. "Oh, this is much easier without the invisibility field. Hmm, biology is basic reptilian, but with a great deal of evolutionary differences. Do you recall your origins, if I may ask?"
"I was hatched here in Lake Biwa," the dragon told her. "That was over eleven hundred years ago."
"And have you always lived here?"
"Not always. I travel from time to time, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of curiosity. Occasionally a human with extraordinary sight will discover me and I will have to move on so I am not either attacked or exploited. But I always return."
"An instinct?"
"No. I just like it here. Why would I wish to leave this serene place? Despite the human encroachment, this is still the place I feel at home."
"A very rational response," Mercury commented. "You certainly don't resemble the fearsome reputation your species has."
"You said it yourself earlier, myths become larger with each retelling," the dragon replied. "Or they're created from the mind of a human to entertain others." He seemed to shrug. "There have been a few encounters over the centuries between immature humans and equally immature dragons. I claim no superiority for my kind. But much of our 'reputation' comes from our appearance and how humans respond to it."
"A very rational outlook. You're quite articulate," Mercury said. "It's quite refreshing conversing with you."
"Thank you," nodded the dragon. "You know, I knew your father."
"You knew Dad?" Mercury gasped.
"I watched him paint," it said. "He knew nothing of it, of course. And when he worked, I could have stood right next to him and he wouldn't have noticed. He was quite dedicated to his work and quite visionary in his outlook. He seemed a gentle soul, and one of great insight. I was quite sad when he passed."
"Yes," Mercury sighed. "So was I."
Several moments passed silently between them. Finally, Mercury closed the cover on her computer.
"Have you finished?" the dragon asked.
"Yes," Mercury replied. She bowed to the dragon. "Thank you for enduring my intrusion."
Without comment, the dragon drew back behind its cloak of invisibility.
"Princess!" came a shout that sounded like Cere. Usa looked up from where she was still pondering on the cabin steps and saw Cere rushing up to her. The loud exclamation had attracted the attention of the others and they were all quick to gather.
"You got the news alert too?" Usa asked, her spirits flagging. Cere nodded.
"What happened now?" Jun asked.
Cere passed her PDA over to Jun. The headline of the story read "Dragon found in Lake Biwa" and embedded in the story was an audio file. When Jun played it, they all heard Ves recounting the encounter she and Palla-Palla had with the dragon. Palla-Palla could be heard sucking in air as the file played.
"How did they get that?" Ves gasped in shock.
"Probably a miked drone was eavesdropping on us, hoping to pick up something just like this," Usa sighed. "Well, the secret's out."
"Great. Now we're going to have every rubber-necker in the area down here looking to see the dragon," Ves muttered. "Might as well set up a booth and sell souvenirs!"
"And that's not even the worst of it," Hotaru spoke up. "What about the people who are going to be afraid of it? Some people are going to react negatively to the news and try to drive it away."
"This isn't the twentieth century, Hotaru," Usa reacted. "I'd like to think that people are more evolved than that."
"I'd like to think so, too. But some people don't react very intelligently when they hear the word 'monster'." Jun glanced at her and realized she was speaking from experience. "And then there's the scientific community. They're going to want to study the dragon; maybe even capture it."
"Princess, we can't let that happen!" Palla-Palla gasped.
"I don't think it's going to happen," Ami said. Everyone turned and saw her approaching. "I took some detailed readings of this dragon, with its permission. I can collate the data and publish the findings. It should forestall any further desire to analyze it."
"Maybe," Usa frowned. "Or maybe it's going to spur someone to top your findings. Or maybe inspire someone to try to exploit it. Regardless, that poor dragon is about to lose the one thing it seems to value most."
"Because of my big mouth," Ves said. "I'm sorry, Princess."
"You couldn't have known," Usa offered. "But I should have."
"So what do we do?" Jun asked.
"I don't know if there's anything we can do," Usa admitted.
"We could fight," Ves replied. "Run off anybody who comes trolling around here looking for a cheap thrill or trying to pick a fight."
"Are you planning on spending the rest of your life here?" Cere asked. "Because the minute you leave, they'll be back." Cere sighed. "That dragon is just going to have to find a new place to hide. I hate to say it, but I don't see any other way."
"I hate to say it," Usa nodded, "but I think you're right."
"Princess!" sniffed Palla-Palla. "Please don't give up!"
"I'm not giving up, Palla-Palla," Usa said. "It's just - - I'm stuck for a solution other than that right now. I suppose Mom could just wipe everybody's memory of the dragon. But she won't, so I know better than to ask."
"It isn't a solution anyway," Ami added. "The only viable option might be for the dragon to relocate."
"BUT PALLA-PALLA DOESN'T WANT MR. DRAGON-SIR TO LEAVE!" wailed the teen. Cere came over and knelt down before her.
"We know," Cere sympathized. "It would be a lousy thing for you. But it may just be the best thing for him right now."
Palla-Palla sniffed loudly. "Maybe he could come back to the palace and stay in Palla-Palla's room? Palla-Palla would take care of him. She promises!"
"But would he be happy in your room?" Cere asked. "Since he lives in the lake, he must like water. There's no water in your room."
Palla-Palla's face twisted up. Tears began to streak anew down her cheeks and her shoulders began to shudder. Cere gathered her in and held her as she cried.
"This is all that damn reporter's fault," hissed Ves. "I ought to find him and . . .!"
"No, Ves," Ami said with a warning tone. "He was just doing his job. It probably wasn't malicious - - though it may have become malicious after he was threatened and assaulted. And it would be hard to blame him."
Ves ground her teeth with anger, but she stayed with the others. A cloud of gloom fell over the young tourists.
Continued in Chapter 7