“So, Rei, did you get any leads from the Great Fire?”
“I think I did, Luna—though it’s kind of strange….”
Strange or not, Luna was glad that this incarnation of Sailor Mars already had a connection to the spiritual world—it really gave them an upper hand when it came to stopping the forces of Darkness. Just yesterday, Mars had busted a Negaverse weight-loss scam before it even had a chance to really get set up. The youma present had been so surprised that Tuxedo Kamen hadn’t even needed to show up that time. Luna had been delighted—at this rate, the Negaverse wouldn’t stand a chance once the other Senshi showed up. Thus, the Mau was glad for any kind of advance warning, no matter how cryptic. “Well, what did you see?”
“I saw… something… it looked like a corsage, or something similar to that. And it seemed to be emptying the energy of the girl who was wearing it.”
“That certainly sounds like the Negaverse’s doing to me. Do you suppose we should investigate some flower shops?”
“Well, maybe… but there was something else. Somehow, I got the sense that it was somehow connected to the middle of the night—and on top of that, I heard a voice saying something like ‘listen over the air,’ or something like that.”
“I see—well, that does complicate things.”
“I’m not finished; you haven’t heard the part that made it strange. The voice I heard was my own. And I don’t mean that it sounded the way it does when it’s been recorded and played back to you, like on an answering machine—it was my voice the way I hear it.”
“Hmm…” Luna thought about this for a few moments, and then shrugged it off. “It doesn’t matter—we should set about figuring out what your vision means.”
Usagi was in the midst of discussing the scripted conversations with Neptune when Mars briefly interrupted her. Mission accomplished, Usagi.
Thank you, Mars. Will Rei be able to figure it out in time to help Naru?
I think so—I seem to remember some girls at my school talking about Midnight Zero, too, though that was quite a while ago, so I can’t be sure.
Alright. Well, it’s in her hands now.
The conversation finished, and Mars once again receded into her Princess’s mind, allowing Usagi to continue her previous conversation. Sorry about that. Where were we?
The ever-dignified Senshi of the Oceans ran her fingers through her wavy locks. “I believe we were trying to determine the nature of the conversations you will be staging for Setsuna. As I said, the information we disclose to her will depend on how we want to mislead her.”
Usagi nodded. Though she didn’t like the idea of doing something dishonest, she didn’t really have a choice here—Hotaru’s safety was at stake. Still… I don’t want to do anything that’s an outright lie. That’s a line I’m not willing to cross.
“Very well. Then we’ll have to decide what we want her to believe.”
Well, she probably already knows that I’m looking for Hotaru—in fact, she might try and watch me to learn who Sailor Saturn really is. We need to try and discourage her from doing that.
“Perhaps if you gave her the impression that you were looking somewhere else, that would help.”
But how do I do that without lying?
“Well, you could discuss how difficult it is to travel to some other part of the country without your parents finding out. I’m sure that’s true, after all. Setsuna would then be encouraged to focus her efforts in the wrong place.”
That could work, I guess. What else could we do?
Neptune once again paused to think of a possibility. “You could also speak about Hotaru as though you’ve already met her. Then, Setsuna will scour your immediate past, and she won’t think to look ahead in the timeline.” Neptune paused yet again. “And this one wouldn’t involve any acting on your part, but perhaps you could befriend Hotaru without asking for her name until she reawakens as Sailor Saturn.”
But won’t she introduce herself before that happens?
At this point, Saturn made her presence known: Not likely. I was very shy and insecure—my younger self probably won’t give you her name until she’s asked.
I see. Well, we’ll have to try that as well.
“As you wish. Do you have more concerns, or shall I begin drafting scripts?”
Please do—and make sure to work closely with Pluto on this. Given your audience, I’m sure her opinions will be useful.
“Of course.” Neptune curtsied, and then faded from view.
Usagi breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad that’s taken care of,” she spoke alound. “Now, there’s just one more thing to do….” She concentrated and brought out an orange crystal, which in turn caused Sailor Venus to materialize before her.
“Is there something you need, Usagi?”
Yes. I need to know how you’ve been doing.
“I beg your pardon?”
You did say that I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did, didn’t you? I’d like to change that.
“Oh… okay. Um, where should we start?”
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(Posted Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:43)
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