That Part of My Soul 1: A Bit of Mischief
Notes: The bones of this story are the 90's anime, though a few details from other versions of the franchise will inevitably sneak in. For timing and technology purposes, though, when we reach "present day" it will be set in the 90's.
"Funny Running Into You Here" belongs in this universe of stories.
Chapter 1
The night air was warm and heavy, wisps of clouds swimming around the star filled sky. Pluto blew her bangs from her eyes while keeping watch on her small and wily quarry. She had found the little creature happily milling around the rec center at the heart of the university community, in this life looking more like a common squirrel than the Venusian mischief maker's familiar. Catching it, though, was proving to be harder than expected.
It had been early afternoon when she first spotted it, the kirkri happily taking scraps from passers-by and jumping playfully among the tree branches. She had spent hours silently stalking it as it meandered from open space to open space, until finally the sun had set and the people dispersed. Her plan had shifted over the day from simply trapping the kirkri to allowing it to lead her to the object she sought. As it finally began to head closer to the dorms, she thought her chase would be coming to an end.
Hidden behind a phone booth, she watched the kirkri continue to play among the flora in the university park. In the dimness of a crescent moon and poor security lighting, she couldn't see much more than the pale golden glow of its eyes, though she could plainly hear its soft chitter. She wished the creature would stop playing and return to its power source. It had to be running low by now. If it would just hurry a bit, she could collect the medallion and be back at The Gate before Earth's sunrise.
She smirked. As for the creature itself, if she could trap it with its mistress she knew exactly when and where she was going to leave them. This whole mess was the fault of the Venusians, so they should get to share in the aftermath of it just a little.
The good-natured vindictiveness of Pluto's musings were interrupted as the creature suddenly stopped its foraging. It sat starkly upright, its ears turning to amplify a sound she hadn't yet heard. Iridescent whiskers twitched as it sniffed the air. Then it cooed low, the sound almost soothing.
A moment later, the slight frame of a woman came into view as she rounded onto a pathway from the street. From a distance, Pluto couldn't make out much beyond a pair of glasses and reflective stripes on the sides of white sneakers.
Then those tiny golden eyes turned and stared directly at her. And by the Goddess, the creature smirked at her, its whiskers fluttering as it chittered in what sounded like amusement. A shiver of golden static ran over its reddish fur, and then it bolted in the young woman's direction.
Pluto frowned. So much for a quiet night and an easy assignment.
Calling forth her staff, Pluto moved to pursue but was brought up short when the kirkri casually wound itself around the startled young woman's legs like a cat, its chitter now a high pitched purr. Pluto moved slowly, staying out of sight as the young woman bent to pick up the creature and cradled it in the crook of her arm.
Closer now, Pluto could make out the details she had been missing. The woman was maybe 20, her blue hair hanging in a loose braid halfway down her back. There were glittery raincloud patches sewn on the pockets of her high cut denim shorts that matched the bubble printed letters on her pale yellow t-shirt. When she'd bent to lift the creature, the dull light had glinted off the large lenses in her tortoiseshell frames, allowing Pluto to glimpse the gray of her eyes. As she stood, that same light reflected off the bright neon passcard hanging from the zipper on her backpack, the bold electric blue "EyeSpy '72" standing out even in the dark.
The young woman cooed at the kirkri as she waggled a finger at it. "Hey there. Aren't you just the cutest… well I'm not totally sure what you are. Squirrel?" She giggled then tickled its tummy, eliciting a happy chitter. "My name is Kaya. It's nice to meet you."
The kirkri took her finger between its tiny paws and pulled it into its mouth, gnawing lightly like a baby on a bottle. Kaya let out a small yawn, and Pluto nodded, realizing what the creature was doing. Her mind quickly ran through several scenarios on how to handle this as she stepped into Kaya's line of sight.
One blue eyebrow arched as Kaya's lips turned into a slight frown.
Okay, thought Pluto, not the worst reaction. At least there aren't any odd hysterics over my appearance.
After a deep breath, she put on a social smile and spoke evenly, "Hello. I'm aware this is going to sound odd coming without any context, but I need you to put that creature down and move away quickly. Please."
Kaya huffed. "Really?"
A small sigh escaped Pluto's lips. "This is a complicated matter that I lack the time to explain, but very much need to resolve. Again, please, I need you to…"
"Okay, look," interrupted Kaya, taking her finger from the kirkri and ignoring its protesting squeak. She then held her hand up in a stop gesture. "I'm not going to judge the cosplay. We like dressing up sometimes in the mystery club, too, so I get it. But there is a line, and running around in costume at 10 at night chasing harmless critter to play out your anime battle fantasy kinda crosses it."
Pluto's eyebrows rose. She crossed her arms, letting her staff rest casually against her shoulder as she observed the kirkri grow more agitated because it couldn't pull back Kaya's finger. With a slightly amused half-grin, she returned, "I'm not going to argue with you because, quite frankly, we don't have time for it. In about 30 seconds that 'harmless critter' is going to start shooting off sparks. It will then grow to more than twice your height and attempt to steal away all of your life energy, leaving you a gray, empty husk."
Kaya's mouth dropped open. "You… you really need to lay off the Saturday morning cartoons. Being part of the anime club is all well and good, but you're a university student, for pete's sake. And was that a dig at my height?" Her indignance showed as she stood a little straighter. "I may not be an Amazon in heels, but I am by no means sh… huh, what the…"
Her words abruptly cut off as the kirkri did indeed begin to give off a small shower of golden sparks. It screeched, and its body twisted in a temper tantrum as it grabbed wildly for Kaya's free hand. It became even angrier as Kaya gasped and dropped it unceremoniously to the ground. It bared sudden fangs, its eyes bulging and chest heaving as ripples of golden static lit along its fur. It cried out in an ungodly sound, its joints popping and bones twisting as it grew in height and breadth.
Pluto moved quickly, placing herself between Kaya and the creature. Stopped in shock, Kaya took in the way Pluto's expression hardened and the determination in her garnet eyes as she took on a fighting stance. Her staff was held in front of her, as if somehow it alone would protect them from what was now a very angry 12 foot prehistoric looking monster. Pluto's lips began moving, but the words were too soft for Kaya to hear.
A hard gust of wind and foggy, electrified wisps surrounded them just before a burst of bright maroon shot from Pluto's staff, landing dead center on the creature. It howled, rattling Kaya's bones as it took a few stumbling steps backward. A park bench splintered beneath its feet as it lashed out. Finding its balance, it focused back in on them, one paw raised to attack. Kaya closed her eyes and covered her head, but the blow never came.
One eye cracked open and she saw the shimmering of a purplish dome surrounding them. On the outside, the creature raged. She could feel the impact of its fists vibrating along the dome, but the interior was silent.
"What…" she took a deep breath to try and steady herself. "What the hell?"
Pluto looked over her shoulder at Kaya and smirked. "I warned you."
Eyes still wide, Kaya retorted, "Oh come on! You know there's no way any sane person would have believed that!" She cringed and ducked instinctively as a hard hit cracked the dome. "Okay, so what do we do now?"
"We don't do anything," answered Pluto. She held her staff in a firmer grip. "When the Garnet Ball drops, run and take cover. When you see an opportunity, get as far away from here as you can."
"I'm not just going to leave you here," argued Kaya. "You can't fight that thing by yourself."
Pluto's smirk softened and touched her eyes with an amused sparkle.
Kaya rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe you can."
"Go, I'll be fine," assured Pluto. "Now, get ready."
Attention back on the overgrown kirkri, she gave Kaya a moment to brace herself, then let the Garnet Ball melt away. In her periphery she saw enough movement to know Kaya had done as told, but didn't have time to worry about it any further as talons came down in her direction. She dodged to miss the impact, but a swipe from the opposite paw caught her, leaving a gash across her middle. She landed behind the kirkri and rolled to a crouch, gripping her wound with her free arm. Sweat dripped into her eyes as she gritted her teeth. It hurt, and she could feel the sticky warmth of blood on the front of her uniform. With as deep a breath as she could pull in, she told herself it was largely superficial, she was fine, and to just push it down. She had a speed advantage and she couldn't lose it.
In its current state, the kirkri was slow and awkward as it tried to follow her trajectory. She steadied her breathing and got back to her feet. Shrubbery crunched as the kirkri tried to turn in a tight circle, but before it could get more than halfway around, a Dead Scream swirled and launched in its direction. The hit produced a long howl and a wave of electricity that stuttered like a shorted out light socket. Pluto followed up quickly with a second blast, knocking the kirkri off its feet. It landed hard, a small crater forming in the ground around its still form. The golden light that had flowed over it flickered and died, its size reducing back to normal as the last of its power flitted away.
Pluto let out a long, relieved breath and leaned heavily on her staff. Her arm went back to her middle where the burning sting was at least partially held back by the adrenaline rush. Blood outlined the tear in her uniform, but at least it wasn't a lethal blow and would heal quickly enough. The bleeding had already started to slow down. She just needed to collect the kirkri and go back to The Gate to rest for a bit.
Brush crunching under hurried steps startled her, causing a grimace as she went automatically into a defensive posture. Only momentarily, though, as she realized it was Kaya running towards her. So much for thinking she had fled as told.
Out of breath and huffing, Kaya could barely get her words out as she stopped in front of Pluto, dropping her backpack to the ground and quickly rummaging through it. "That… that was incredible! But I… I saw that hit. Just hold on a sec. How bad?"
It took a moment for Pluto to realize what she was being asked. She looked down at the seeping wound. "More than a scratch, but I can handle it. It's nothing, really."
"Nothing," chuffed Kaya. She pulled a rolled up white t-shirt from her bag and broke the rubber band around it. Carefully, she pressed the cloth against the wound, apologizing when Pluto hissed. "It's not nothing. You took a nasty swipe that you're lucky didn't kill you." She gently moved a corner of the t-shirt to better look at part of the wound. "It doesn't look too deep, so the internal structures are probably okay. Must have been sharp since it's a clean line. At the very least, though, it needs to be cleaned and dressed. Could use some stitches, but I suspect you'd argue with me about that."
Pluto cocked an eyebrow at her, earning a genuine smile.
"Pre med. But only second year, so I'm not going to pretend I'm anywhere near qualified to treat you. But I do at least know basic first aid. Initial glance says you're pretty close to human, so I think I can handle this if you won't let me take you to emergency."
"I appreciate it, but it isn't necessary." Pluto placed her hand over Kaya's to still them, though she didn't fully attempt to move the cloth away from her wound. "It will be bothersome for a bit, but I'll heal quickly. By morning it won't be more than a scratch."
Kaya crossed her arms loosely and bit her lip. Eyes turning down to where her hands wanted to minister, she said softly, "Look, I know you saved my life tonight. I can't repay that, and while infection control may not actually be a necessity for you, putting on a bandage is the least I can do to say thank you." Then she looked up and chuckled nervously. "And I have ice cream in my freezer."
Pluto found herself acquiescing to the sincerity in those stormcloud gray eyes. Perhaps if she approached this as damage control, she could answer a few questions and then quietly continue her mission. "Just let me finish up with the kirkri first."
They both turned to where the kirkri should have been only to be met with the empty, damaged ground. Kaya's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought it was dead."
Pluto frowned and shook her head. "No, just drained and being stubborn about returning to its home. I expected it would stay unconscious longer than that, though." She let her staff fade into her subspace pocket and somewhat reluctantly leaned on the shoulder Kaya offered to her.
Grabbing her backpack and starting them forward slowly, Kaya asked. "Do we need to worry about that thing anymore right now?"
Pluto shook her head. "It needs time to recharge. It won't be doing anything for awhile."
"Okay, good. I'm Kaya, by the way. Ishida Kaya."
"Sailor Pluto. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but under the circumstances…"
"Yeah, I get it," chuckled Kaya. "So… not to be rude, but is that really your name?"
Pluto's head tilted in question.
"Not that I'd question your parents' choice in naming you that," she rambled on, "but is that like your superhero name or your name-name."
Pluto chuckled. "I would not describe myself as a superhero. I am, however, the Lunar Queen's Guardian and avatar for the planet Pluto. And my parents named me Setsuna."
"Wow," Kaya breathed. She smiled widely, enthralled by the mystery beside her. "I promise to be respectful of your privacy and all, but you know I've got a ton of questions I'm going to ask if you give me even the slightest opening."
With an indulgent smile that she found to be surprisingly sincere, Pluto answered, "I guess I will have to resign myself to that then."