Outlier
[The scene opens with the time of day showing dusk over a lake. Spencer rushes past with a rack of coaches in tow before the scene transitions to Toby taking a line of stone trucks across a wooden bridge over a creek. It then transitions to the city where Haruka and Michiru are shown walking out from "Tiana's Palace", Carmen Sandiego and Rotor walking away in opposite directions]
Michiru: Hmmm, that was a lovely dinner.
Haruka: Well, I thought I'd treat you tonight, it is a special occasion after all.
Michiru: The day we pledged ourselves to protect the world and those who inhabit it, good to see you haven't forgotten.
Haruka: Heh, how could I, you were the one who inspired me to carry on.
Michiru: As you do with me…although, I do wish Setsuna could have made it.
Haruka: Yeah, but she had to work late today…sometimes I feel…never mind.
Michiru: Hmm?
Haruka: Nothing, it was just a passing thought.
Michiru: You say that, yet I can sense something deeper.
Haruka: Am I that transparent?
Michiru: Perhaps, but I feel it too.
Haruka: Yeah…I don't mean any offense by it, but sometimes I feel she isolates herself from us…
Michiru: I didn't want to say it before, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that distance…
Haruka: While we stand as the four outer guardians…Uranus…Neptune…Pluto…Saturn…
[Images of the aforementioned Sailor Senshi are shown as Haruka lists them before cutting back to reality]
…I can't shake off this feeling that we might not be as close as we believe…
Michiru: I understand…perhaps we should do something to alleviate that concern…a heart-to-heart per se…
[The scene cuts to the interior of the hospital where Setsuna is organizing files on her desk before turning back to her computer]
Setsuna: There, that should be the last order for tonight…
[The emerald-haired woman looks toward a photo on the right side of the desk, showing her, Haruka, and Michiru standing under a cherry blossom with Hotaru below giving a peace sign. She gives a small smile before shifting to a solemn frown]
Setsuna: Why do I feel this way…I should know by now such thoughts are trivial…and yet…I feel…inadequate…
[The camera focuses on Haruka and Michiru in particular]
They look so…perfect together…as if on a whole different level…sometimes I feel like I'm just along for the ride…almost like I'm out of place in their relationship…
[Setsuna picks up the frame and stares at it]
I can't even stick to my own commitments, today of all days…
[Setsuna continues to stare at the picture as a voice is only just audible the more the shot pans into the frame]
?: Ta…Ista…Trista?
[Setsuna gasps as she snaps out of her trance, putting the photo down and looking up to see Yogi]
Yogi: You alright there, your shift ended about five minutes ago.
Setsuna: Oh…sorry, I was just…distracted.
Yogi: By how much you were staring at that picture, I could tell.
Setsuna: Yeah…
[The human stands up from her chair and silently exits the room, leaving the bear at a loss for words]
Yogi: Huh, that was weird…
[The scene cuts to Setsuna stepping out of the hospital as Cinderella and Maid Marian walk past to the left. The guardian of time and space looks up at the sky, once again distracted by her thoughts]
Setsuna: We used to be so far apart, like the planets we guarded…has time really changed that much…?
[Setsuna looks over at Sally and Bunnie coming out from a sweet shop, holding treats in their hands with smiles on their faces. Her perspective changes to Huckleberry and Snagglepuss walking side by side holding paws. She proceeds to walk to the right, still lost in her thoughts before a loud noise from above catches her attention. Setsuna looks up to see a train of vans going past on the elevated track, the shot cuts back to her sighing]
Setsuna: Perhaps I just need some fresh air…
[As Setsuna walks away, the scene cuts to the interior of a bedroom. Hotaru walks into the room with something in her hand, before setting it down on her cabinet]
Hotaru: There, another one for the collection…
[The camera cuts to the item in question, a yellow stone in between a red and green one, panning out to reveal a set of stones, coinciding with the primary colors of the planets]
Hotaru: Looks like my set's complete, it might not be much, but at least it's the thought that counts.
[Hotaru looks across the array as she turns her head from left to right before pausing at the end, the black stone behind the blue stone]
Hotaru: That's the way it goes; Uranus…Neptune…Pluto…the three outer guardians…
[The raven-haired girl places her hand down on the three stones]
Hotaru: They're so strong together…yet at the same time, so distant…how can that be?
[The scene cuts to Hotaru going into the kitchen and picking out a cookie from the jar. She looks down at it before breaking it in half, and proceeding to split the halves into quadrants]
Hotaru: That's what we are; one big happy family, sweet like a cookie…at least, I think we are…but recently, I can sense something's wrong…instead of being whole, we're four halves of one whole…two halves go together…
[The Guardian of Death and Rebirth puts two of the halves back together before looking over at the other two]
But do the other halves…?
[The scene transitions to Setsuna walking through the park. She looks over at the sun setting over the horizon before coming to sit down on a bench]
Setsuna: It's peaceful…
?: So, you come here often?
Setsuna: Huh?
[Setsuna looks over to see Panther sitting on the other side of the bench]
Setsuna: Oh…sometimes, though I mainly came here to clear my mind.
Panther: I guess great minds do think alike, same here.
Setsuna: It's not as simple as it seems.
Panther: Oh, really? Pray tell, why is that?
Setsuna: It's more my business, you probably wouldn't understand it.
Panther: Is that right…very well, I won't press on it.
[The two sit in silence for a few seconds before the human sighs]
Setsuna: I apologize if I came off as confrontational. I just have a lot on my mind.
Panther: Well, no harm, no foul, perhaps talking about it might clear the air.
Setsuna: Well, since you're so curious…do you ever feel in spite of being part of a group, you're also an outlier?
Panther: I mean, I wouldn't say you're far off…
Setsuna: For many years, I've been the Guardian of Space and Time, far off in the depths of the Solar System on the lone planet of Pluto, farther than any of my fellow guardians…while standing beside Uranus and Neptune when we were the three guardians of the outer planets, they held a bond which the three of us could never match together…they had something deeper than companionship…we might be close, ready to fight and protect…but sometimes I wonder…would they be lost without me…as individuals, they possess the strength of the sky and sea…together, they become unstoppable…
Panther: I…I see…
Setsuna: I don't mean to sound ungrateful, I cherish the bond we share with one another, it felt like we became closer when we took in Saturn…I never knew this kind of feeling before…it was like we had become something greater…a family…I should be happy…I am happy, I have people who care about me…so why do I insist on being this way…?
Panther: I mean, if it's any consolation, I remember when I first became part of Star Wolf, I stuck out from my more…rugged cohorts…even then, we seemed to get along fine, we kept ourselves above water when we were hiding from the authorities, and in spite of our differences, we've stuck by one another…however, I understand what you mean by being an outlier…it might be a strange example, but what you see in Uranus and Neptune, I felt the same thing looking at Wolf and Leon…
Setsuna: You did…?
Panther: Yes…I had heard about their previous members…yet through all of that, Leon stuck by Wolf…I wondered, what did he possess that motivated our leader to keep him over the others…for all his…quirks…if there's one thing I found out about Leon, it's that he was loyal…and loyalty is something Wolf took seriously…they may have been vindictive on the surface, but when it came to each other, you could sense that there was something genuine…
[A flashback is shown with Wolf and Leon sitting at the bar in their old base, a medical kit placed on the table with Wolf having a bandage around his head and Leon having blood dripping down his arm. Panther walks into the scene, just in time to watch the lupine tending to the chameleon's wound with rubbing alcohol]
Leon: Ah! Goddamnit!
Wolf: Hold still, you're gonna drip on the floor.
Leon: Yeah, well, that shit stings.
Wolf: Oh, stop being a little bitch and let me wrap this up…
Leon: [sighs] Fine…
[Wolf sets a bit more alcohol onto Leon's arm, the chameleon hisses but doesn't pull back. The lupine then wraps his cohort's wound with a bandage]
Wolf: There, that feel any better?
Leon: I mean, it still hurts like hell, but I'll live…and…thanks, I suppose.
Wolf: Ah, ya' know, I can't leave ya' to hang dry like that.
Leon: Hmm, I guess you do have a heart in some sense.
Wolf: Well, it might be ironic to say the same about you, but given what I've seen…
Leon: And only you will see, keep that in mind.
Wolf: My lips are sealed…Panther, I know you're standing here.
Panther: [clears throat] I was just coming to check on you two, though seems like everything is under control.
Leon: [sighs] Okay, I guess I have to change it to only you two.
Panther: Tis no shame in showing a bit of emotion, at least I can see you're not just a mindless psychopath.
Leon: Heheeeeeeee, got jokes, don't you?
Wolf: Ah, never mind, what happens between us stays between us.
Panther: Of course, unspoken solidarity if you will.
Leon: Only way for a group of criminals to stay afloat.
Wolf: At least then, we know who were dealing with.
Panther: [voice-over] While we were outlaws hiding in the shadows, we still retained a sense of trust with one another. I must have done well in that regard, seeing as Wolf kept me on, but as time progressed, it was almost like we had become more than just pilots working together, I felt a change in Wolf and Leon, it was like we had become comrades, it was gradual, but I felt it, and I imagine they did as well.
[The scene transitions back to the present]
At this point, I feel like less of an outlier and more like I fit in with the group, our styles may still vary and I may never reach the level of depth that Wolf and Leon possess with each other, but at least I know that they consider me one of their own. After all, they wouldn't have taken in otherwise if they didn't think that I was worth something.
[Setsuna and Panther sit in silence for a few seconds before the former speaks]
Setsuna: I didn't expect to hear such a story from the likes of you…
Panther: Yeah, well, I might not have the cleanest record, but I'm not just a cold-hearted criminal…
Setsuna: I suppose if you can feel that way with your cohorts…maybe I've been foolish to think the opposite with mine…Haruka…Michiru…we've stood together no matter what…even if they share a bond that I could never reach, they've still treated me as their equal…and Hotaru…she sees me as important in her life…you know, I couldn't ask for better company…they're not just Sailor Guardians like me…they're my family…
[Setsuna stands up from the bench]
I appreciate you hearing me out…
Panther: Not a problem at all, it was interesting to talk with someone like you.
Setsuna: I could say the same about you…now, I have some important matters to attend to…
[Panther watches as Setsuna walks away]
Panther: Take care…
[The scene cuts to Setsuna opening the door to find Haruka and Michiru sitting in the living room. The Guardian of Space and Time proceeds to the room and sits down on the open chair]
Setsuna: I take it you were all waiting for someone?
Haruka: I see you figured that out.
Setsuna: I apologize, I was working late…and had some time to collect my thoughts…
Michiru: We understand, that's exactly what we were concerned about…Setsuna, please tell us what's troubling you…
Setsuna: [sighs] I was thinking about my position in our relationship…I would never say that I'm ungrateful for the love and support you've given me…but at the same time, I was thinking about just how much I matter to you two…
Haruka: You matter a lot to us, we would never be where we are today if we didn't stick together…
Setsuna: I know…and I would like to apologize again, this time for not opening up as I should have…I just didn't want to worry you…
Michiru: We were worried because you weren't being open with us…we could sense something was amiss, but out of respect, we didn't press it…
Setsuna: I see…I should have said this before, but the reason I thought this way was because of…seeing you two…you both look so…perfect together, a bond unbreakable in even the darkest of times…it made me think that you would be fine, even if I wasn't around…
[The blonde woman takes the teal-haired woman's hand in her own]
Haruka: I love Michiru with all my heart, I would sacrifice myself for her…
Michiru: And I would do the same for Haruka…
Haruka: But I would never forget about you, Setsuna…
Michiru: Neither would I…you're a dear person in our lives…
[Setsuna looks to see Michiru extending her hand in her direction]
Michiru: You mean a lot to us, and we want to show that appreciation…
[The dark-green-haired woman slowly puts her hand out to Michiru's and the Guardian of the Sea pulls the Guardian of Time towards the couch]
Setsuna: I really do mean a lot to you…I should have known…you all mean the world to me…
Haruka: And you mean the world to us…
Michiru: As precious as the stars in space…
[The three guardians put their hands together and dip their heads at the same time. At that moment, Michiru senses a presence nearby]
Michiru: Hotaru, were you listening in on us…?
[The shot pans out to reveal Hotaru standing in the entrance between the kitchen and living room]
Hotaru: I…I didn't want to intrude, but I heard you talking with Setsuna…and it sounded like the very thing I was concerned about…but are you feeling better?
Setsuna: [smiles] Yes, I'm feeling much better…won't you join us?
[Hotaru chuckles in delight as she sits down next to her fellow guardians. Michiru beckons for her to put her hand in with the others, to which the raven-haired girl complies without hesitation]
Haruka: Together, we make up the four guardians of the Outer Senshi…
Michiru: Sworn to protect and defend humanity…
Setsuna: Standing strong by each other's sides…
Hotaru: As four halves of one whole…
[The scene cuts to the guardians in their signature poses one by one]
Haruka: Protected by Uranus, the Outer Planet of the Wind, Guardian of the Heavens, I am Sailor Uranus…
Michiru: Protected by Neptune, the Outer Planet of the Seas, Guardian of the Deep Sea, I am Sailor Neptune…
Setsuna: Protected by Pluto, the Outer Planet of Space and Time, Guardian of the Underworld, I am Sailor Pluto…
Hotaru: Protected by Saturn, the Outer Planet of Destruction and Rebirth, the Guardian of Silence, I am Sailor Saturn…
[The four are then shown posing together, holding up their respective weapons]
All: Outer Senshi Unite!
The End