|
|
“Maybe it’s because you weren’t planning everything, darling,” a woman by his side said.
“I was, but I suppose it wasn’t good enough. Next time, we’ll have to capture all of them in one single, swift movement. My only woe is that in that blast, the Henshin wands were released and all of my Zodiac warriors were destroyed. I do not believe that Eternity could have that much power within her after our last battle!”
“The reason why she had that much strength, darling was because of the little pink haired rat who happens to be related to the Imperial Princess Serenity. Do you not know who Chibi-usa, as the child is called, will be when she grows older? The next Sailor Moon! If we journey to the future, you will see that the future Sailor Moon, or Sailor Crystal Moon, the princess of Crystal Tokyo, will journey into the past where one of Eternity’s descendant lives. Sailor Crystal Moon and I’m afraid, Sailor Eternity, with the help of Sailor Pluto will take the descendant to the future and save her from our clutches,” the woman explained.
“Then what is the point of going back?” Orion demanded.
“I don’t know, but I wasn’t the one who sent a newly created senshi to the past to try to find out who Eternity is, because he thought she was somehow connected to Earth,” the woman said coyly.
“Atropos! Why did you not warn me sooner!” Orion thundered.
“Because, I am bound by the rules that I cannot reveal the future to anyone. Besides, even if I do, the future would stay the same,” Atropos smiled.
“You will pay for this!” Orion screamed.
“You’ll have to catch me first!” Atropos laughed as she disappeared.
Hiroshi was walking to school when it first happened. As she walked down the curb, she kept thinking about the dream she had had last night. Yet that wouldn’t explain how she got the purple star in her hands. Opening her hand, she saw the violet gem glinting under the sun as she moved her hand back and forth. Suddenly, she heard a loud honking noise and she looked up to find that she had wandered into the street as she was thinking. A huge truck was barreling straight for her.
“Aaaahhh!” Hiroshi shrieked and shut her eyes as she knew that she didn’t have time to move, or that the truck wouldn’t stop in time.
As she screamed, she suddenly felt her mind sort of fly and imagined a strong breath of wind just emerging from her mind and gently push the truck away. The truck just sharply turned as if by an invisible hand, black streaks lay on the road where the truck skidded. Hiroshi, hearing the screech of tires, fell trembling, on her knees. Her heart pounding like a jackhammer. Opening her eyes, she saw the truck at the side of the road, undamaged and the driver jumping out.
What was that?
She thought to herself, even as the man was talking to her.
Usagi was snoozing away in class when she heard a small beeping noise coming from her communicator.
“Huh?”
She looked up to see everybody staring at her, including Ms. Haruna. “Tsukino-san, pay attention in class,” Haruna scolded her.
“Uh, can I go to the bathroom?” Usagi asked.
“After snoring away in my class?! I think not! Detention! After school! Same time, same place!” Haruna screeched.
“Ooohh,” Usagi sighed. “Nobody would call me on the communicator during class unless it was really important she thought.
After school, as Rei was walking home, she caught a glimpse of Hiroshi, walking toward the bus stop.
“Hiroshi-chan!” she said waving.
Hiroshi glanced around until her gaze fell on Rei, and her sad eyes suddenly lit up. “Hello, Rei-san!”
Hiroshi smiled as Rei walked up to her. “How are you this afternoon?”
“I’m great! Hey, you wanna hang out and go to the shrine, my grandfather’s usually awake at this time,” Rei smiled.
“Oh, sure, I have time. I don’t believe mother has many errands for me,” Hiroshi said.
“Does your mother always send you off to places?” Rei asked as they crossed the street and began walking to the shrine.
“No, it’s just that we’re new in town and mother wants to be sure that nobody get ahead of her when it comes to money,” Hiroshi smiled.
“Your mother must be pretty obsessed with money, huh?” Rei asked.
“Not really, she just hates losing,” Hiroshi grinned.
“How about your mother? Does she ever send you to places often?” she asked.
“She died when I was a little girl,” Rei answered cheerfully.
“Oh, I’m sorry, it must be horrid not to have a mother,” Hiroshi said apologetically. “What about your father?”
“He’s always away, that’s why I live with grandfather. Do you have a father?” Rei asked.
“No, he left us when I couldn’t even speak, I suppose it was with the friendly neighbor from down the street,” Hiroshi gritted her teeth.
“I could never trully miss my parents, even with my mother, I feel quite alone. Since mother is a well-known business woman, I must always act proper and very refined. I don’t even like many of the children my age because where I used to go to school, they were perfect snobs,” Hiroshi said without emotion in her voice as they began climbing the stairs to the Hikawa Shrine.
“I guess it would be kind of hard when you can’t even act like yourself around other people,” Rei said sympathetically.
“Rei-chan, you will never guess wha-, oh hi Hiroshi-chan!” Usagi laughed, aware that she was just about to say something that involved the Sailor Senshi.
“Good afternoon, Usagi-san, I met your cousin the other day,” Hiroshi smiled in greeting.
I wonder what’s up with the crows...
Rei thought as she saw the crows flying high above Hiroshi’s head in a circle.
“Oh, Chibi-usa-chan? Hmm, she was supposed to be here, but she never appeared, do you know where she could be?” Usagi asked.
“No, I’m afraid not, I was just about to go home when I met Rei on the way,” Hiroshi said.
“Oh, well, she’s probably off to the ice cream shop or something,” Usagi said cheerfully as she smiled. "The others are all here. See, we always hang around here after school, it’s like tradition or something.”
“Hi Hiroshi,” Mako, Ami and Minako said in unison.
“Hello Ami, Mako, Minako,” Hiroshi smiled at each of them.
“Oh, and how are you two?” Hiroshi bent down and scratched the cats under their chins.
Luna and Artemis both purred with content.
“I have a kitty just like you two, but her name’s Quasar. Oh, I never noticed they had crescent moons on their foreheads. Are they twins?” she asked, looking up at the five girls who scratched their heads for an explanation.
“We dyed them that way,” Ami said quickly.
“I didn’t know you went to Rei-chan’s school,” Minako said suddenly, looking at Hiroshi’s uniform.
“I just came this afternoon. Even though they don't accept transfer students, I went there when I was younger,” Hiroshi said as she stood up.
“Well, we were planning to go on a shopping spree today, wanna come?” Mako asked.
“Sure!” Hiroshi’s whole countenance lit up. “I don’t get to go shopping often with my friends. I guess the shinto religion will have to wait.”
As the girls walked around the mall, Hiroshi suddenly had a glimpse of pink hair put up into two bunny like cone ears with short pink hair that trailed out of each “ear.”
“Hey, isn’t that Chibi-usa? Who’s that guy next to her?” she asked.
“Chibi-usa? A guy? Where?” Usagi asked, her head looking quickly around.
“There, she’s going into that jewelry store!” Hiroshi said.
“Come on!” Usagi began to run, leaving her friends behind.
“Typical Usagi, never waiting for the rest of us,” Rei frowned.
“Oh, come on, Rei-chan, give her a break, she isn’t as bad as you make her sound,” Mako shook her head.
“Yeah, she’s worse,” Rei muttered, and without waiting for another word, she dashed off after Usagi.
“Those two,” Minako and Mako groaned.
“Are those two always like that?” Hiroshi asked as they began to walk quickly toward where the two went.
“Always, but then, they do stick out for each other at times,” Mako answered.
Usagi raced right into Chibi-usa and a tall college student with dark hair and blue eyes.
“Mamo-chan!” Usagi cried, falling right into her boyfriend’s arms.
“Odango!” Chiba Mamoru smiled affectionately.
“Oh, hey Mamoru-san,” Rei said, stopping right where she was when she saw the two. Chibi-usa appeared right behind Mamoru at that moment.
“Chibi-usa, where were you? We were waiting for you at the temple and when you didn’t show up, Usagi started getting worried,” Rei said gently.
“I was with Mamo-chan,” Chibi-usa said, copying Usagi’s pet name.
Just then, the other girls appeared.
“Hi Mamoru-san!” the other girls chimed.
“Hiroshi-san, this is Mamoru, Mamoru-san, Hiroshi-san,” Minako introduced them.
“Hello,” Hiroshi said, bowing her head slightly.
“Oh, so this is where you were today, Chibi-usa-chan,” Minako said, bending over and speaking to the girl.
“Hi Chibi-usa,” Hiroshi said, her eyes growing soft.
“Hiroshi! I didn’t know you hung around Usagi,” Chibi-usa said, adoration shining in her eyes as she looked up at the violet haired girl.
“Actually, I’m just getting to know her,” Hiroshi smiled.
Suddenly, one by one, the lights in the shops and the mall began to go out with a popping noise each time.
“Huh?” the girls turned around to find people collapsing as the room got darker and darker.
“What’s going on?” Hiroshi asked weakly, frightened as she, too collapsed.
“Hello, Sailor Senshi!” a large face of Orion hung in the sky smirking at the way they looked frightened.
“Aaah!” Usagi squealed.
“Nice to see you again!” Orion’s face changed and he opened his mouth to reveal a large row of fangs.
At that moment a black shape began to encircle them.
“Aah! I’ve got a free extra bonus. Greetings, King Endymion!” The man laughed as the six disappeared.
Act II: Sailor Eternity Incarnate