“Variations?”
Pluto nodded. “Not only can I see what once was, or what is, but I can see the myriad of possibilities from any one decision if I so choose. I can see any frame that the future may form, no matter how improbable.”
“I see...”
“When I warned you earlier, I saw two possible futures for you when you awoke your power. One was where you were a force for good, the other where you were a butcher of life, slaughtering people at a whim. Was that a future you wanted?”
“I am not a monster!” she screamed. “I am a samurai!”
“And what would people judge you as, if they only knew the Black Rose who attacked her opponents before the match?” Pluto asked.
Kodachi looked off to the side, refusing to answer that.
“Since I am entrusted with the heavy burden of foreknowledge, I have to act accordingly, to try and ensure that humanity continues beyond any possible end. D o you know I have acted hundreds of times to ensure humanity didn’t wipe itself out to this point in time? I have had to keep countless monsters; both human and demon, from walking this world. I have had to stop things like the Cuban Missile Crisis in the West from leading to a nuclear war, slow Germany’s rocket progress, but yet I have also had to let countless people die to ensure that lessons were learned, before it became too late.”
“So?”
“Monster is a term that differs from situation to situation. Before you changed, before you met and understood one Ranma Saotome, many would have considered you a monster, some still do, and none of them know of your current change.”
“So ... what now?” asked Kodachi, sipping her tea.
“That ... is up to you,” answered Pluto. “I can explain more to you, help you come to terms with who and what you are. But only you can take that effort and make it a positive benefit for your world.
“Remember this, Kodachi: not all good comes from Heaven, not all evils come from Hell. There is no rule that states an Angel cannot fall, and there is no rule that states a demon cannot rise to Heaven. The question is: which side will you work with?”
Nabiki concentrated on her kata, made for her by Ranma that was supposed to help her learn to sense her surroundings, as well as increase her reaction times.
Of course, it would have been easier to do without all of the deep bruises and internal damage their ‘spar’ had visited upon her. But on the bright side, the damage from where he had dislocated both of her shoulders had healed itself. And given a few hours, the rest would be gone as well.
Currently, Ranma was working with Azusa, as the girl wanted her ‘Angel to teach Little Azusa how to be a vampire slayer’. The girl was still relating things in terms of an American TV series. But she did learn one thing: in her skates; ice or rollerblades, Azusa was a formable force. Remove them, and she was as helpless as Akane in the deep end of the pool.
“Little Azusa’s bottom hurts!”
“Tough it out. You wanted to learn to fight them, and they won’t always wait for you to have some skates on. Now come at me again!”
Well, at least the occasional glimpse of Azusa being tossed around by her Master was a comfort.
SNAP! “YEOW!”
That didn’t include the sounds of Akane learning from Genma, who as still upset about Azusa’s comment.
Well, at least her Master was worried about her safety as a student. That was more than she would have thought of any student of Uncle Saotome.
“WAAAAH!” THUD!
And of course, she got the nice show of Azusa hitting the wall. That helped ease her pain.
Usagi was yawning, as the others finished arriving at the home of the Outers. “Man, it is too early for meetings, especially on a Sunday.”
“Usagi, its noon,” replied Ami.
“I still say it’s too early.”
“Whatever,” said Haruka, before she too yawned.
“My tummy hurts,” mumbled Hotaru.
“I warned you about eating that much junk food,” said Rei quietly, before she opened her purse. I can’t believe she broke me getting her that stuff...
“Where’s Setsuna?” asked Makoto.
“She called earlier,” said Michiru. “She has something else that she needs to attend to.”
“Why is everyone so tired?” asked Minako, entering with Artemis, looking as fresh as ever.
“Why aren’t you tired?” asked Haruka, glaring at her.
“I’m used to hours like that,” answered Minako. “Why do you think I really limited last night to two hours?”
“You went hunting without me?” asked Makoto.
Minako shrugged. “I chose the pair most likely to pull a Darwin Award. And I knew you weren’t missing enough golf balls to try something like them.”
“Marbles, Minako-chan,” said Ami, looking over the Mercury Computer again, still determined to understand what made up the two... entities ... they had met at Furinkan.
“We shouldn’t be acting on our own,” said Usagi, looking serious. “I would have thought Galaxia would have taught you that,” she finished, glaring at the Outer couple.
“We will do whatever it takes to do our duty,” said Haruka.
“Funny,” smirked Minako, “that duty usually includes not acting like an idiot and getting yourselves killed ... again.”
“You were with us!”
“Only because I had to ensure you didn’t do something stupid,” glared Minako. “These guys have no problem with simply killing people. I watched them somehow follow a team back to a temporary base, and slaughter half of them before Hellsing showed up. If they learned who we really are, you think they’ll simply attack us straight on? No, they will also attack our families, or friends, anyone they can find connected with us. They find joy in sending your own converted family and friends to attack you. Do you want to be forced to kill your parents? Maybe you’d like to be faced with each other?”
“Minako-chan?” said Usagi, quietly, seeing her friend begin to get heated up in their discussion.
“We aren’t weak,” said Haruka.
“Neither were those that got slaughtered,” said Minako. “And they had firepower that could drop a daimon at forty meters. Some of the invaders were some of the team’s own children. These are the worst of the worst, sometimes they only care that you are hurt in ways you can never heal.”
The Outers were awed, as Minako’s face turned grim and pale.
“You never know the pain until you see the face of someone forced to kill their own transformed child.”
“There are many such battles like that when Minako was in England,” said Artemis. “When we came here, I encouraged her to live a more normal life, even as a Senshi, because of things like that.”
Usagi stood up, and went over to Minako, taking the girl into a hug. “I’m sorry you had to see stuff like that, Mina-chan.”
The blond slowly cried into that hug, before she finally released her pain, a loud wail was heard.
“That is what the enemy can do,” said Artemis. “Your Senshi gifts may help make you stronger, faster. But on the inside, you’re all still very much human. In the end, that is what these creatures attack.
“After Sailor V helped, a lot of lives were saved; many more spared ever having to deal with the torment she endured. But that joy doesn’t keep the demons away that this creates in your psyche.
“Haruka, Michiru,” he said, glaring at the Outers, “no matter how much you feel you can, you are not ready to deal with this. None of you are. You all who went to the future Crystal Tokyo complained about how cold your future selves were. This sort of thing will turn you that cold, maybe even kill you inside beyond even the Princess’s ability to fix, the type of torment that follows you into the next life,” he added, turning towards Usagi and the crying Minako, his remark reminding them of both Usagi’s fear of thunder, from the assault on the Moon Palace when she was Serenity, and Minako’s own distaste of swords, after Serenity had ended her own life with Sailor Venus’s Crystal Sword, to follow Endymion into the next life.
“You expect us to let them run over the world?” asked Haruka, not giving up her fight.
“No,” said Artemis. “But you shouldn’t go looking for them. They may or may not come, depending on if those who fight their type for a living win or lose.
“The point is that you are all large scale fighters. You were meant for threats that would destroy everything. There are those meant to handle threats on the smaller scale that these things are.
“You cannot fight every battle, defeat every thing you feel is or may not be a threat. Sometimes, you are not the proper authorities to handle something.
“This is one of those times,” he said, hoping his words made it through to Usagi.
As a Queen, one would insist they should try and fight every battle.
But as a General, one had to know what was best and how to use their forces the right way.
And if Usagi didn’t learn the cost of not thinking like a General, then Minako’s pains would soon be the pains of everyone.
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(Posted Sat, 17 Feb 2007 13:06)
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