Lightwings-sama - Ranma-senpai - Lightwings-sama - was dead.
And this was his body, even though it didn't look like the glorious Lightwings-sama at all.
Or that was what the AEGIS scientists said, anyhow - and though Hotaru wasn't quite sure just how they could really figure out such a thing, they probably did have their ways, she supposed...
She smoothed out the dark hair, sighing softly. The body didn't even really look all that much like Ranma-senpai, actually - though she thought she could maybe see some kind of family resemblance, once she pictured - the body in front of her - alive and grinning. If she squinted, maybe...
Saotome Genma had taken one look at the body, squinted, and said point-blank that that wasn't his son, that couldn't be his son, his son was Lightwings for friggin sake and there was no way that the great and glorious Lightwings could just die like that and anyhow 'that brat' didn't even look anything like his son, but there'd been - something - in his eyes when he'd looked at the bloodied body, and - well, she wasn't sure just where he'd gone, after that.
Not that that mattered.
Nothing did, really. Not after the glorious Light that had warmed up her heart was gone...
Tomoe Hotaru patted the dark hair again, clean and soft now, of course. The morgue people had done a good job - the body on the table just looked like it was sleeping, if you didn't pay attention to the little details, like breathing, for instance...
Yes, this was the boy in those photos from the school trip, the person nobody had been able to name or even remember being with them in that Onsen Inn. She was sure of that, now. Well, almost.
If only she could belive that this was some kind of trick, and this body wasn't Lightwing-sama's, and that he'd just -reappear like he'd done before just when things looked like they were going for the worst...
But no. That wasn't going to happen. Not this time.
She knew that, somehow.
And Tomoe Hotaru wept.
Pluto hummed to herself, smiling crookedly and tiredly. Timing was important, after all.
Even though one couldn't plan for everything under the stars...
And the time was now. And if it turned out not to be...
Well, she'll just have to cope with that, wouldn't she?
Hello, Sailor Saturn - I am Sailor Pluto, and I'm here to make you an offer you can't refuse.
Hotaru whirled around, staring at the Sailor Senshi who'd appeared, quite literally, out of nowhere.
"Why hello, Tomoe Hotaru-san. Or should I say - Sailor Saturn?"
Hotaru narrowed her eyes, transforming with a shake of her head.
"You - you!"
"Sailor Pluto, at your service - well, well, well. This is actually the first time we've directly spoken to each other, if I'm not mistaken - "
Sailor Saturn choked, pointing her Glaive at Pluto.
"How - how dare you - "
"Hey, hey, none of that, now. Didn't you see the newsies at all, today? It was the villainous Count Devil who conspired to get the all so heroic Lightwings-sama killed, while the mysterious Senshi with the long thing - " And here, Pluto wriggled her Key at Saturn, grinning more then a little maniacally - "actually was trying to save his life. From the horses mouth! Honest!"
Saturn blinked, the Glaive wavering.
"What - you - no. The Sailor Senshi can't be trusted, they're all trying to take over the world for themselves - they just fight the Invaders sometimes because the Invaders are their competition and they want to make themselves look good - "
Except her.
And that had to be true, because Lightwings-sama had said so.
"Look, dear, did you watch the thing or didn't you?"
Pluto sighed. After all the time she'd spent making the stuff...
"...N-No. I... didn't watch anything today... But anyhow - j- just because it's on TV, it doesn't mean it's really real, anyway!"
"Ahh, well." Pluto sighed again. "Well, since this is between just you and me, I'll tell you something - the part where Count Devil braggs is almost all based on the real stuff, with only minor editing. That idiot excuse for a Invader Boss actually came up to me to brag in person, can you imagine?"
Saturn blinked yet again. "Um - well, wait, so - "
Pluto looked straight into Saturn's eyes, then, smiling slyly. "Oh, my plans didn't involve Saotome Ranma-kun actually being dead, I assure you..."
And that was nothing but the truth. Really.
'Lightwings-sama', on the other hand...
Well, that was that and done and over with.
"So, Sailor Saturn, if you're willing to listen to me for a few minutes...?..."
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(Posted Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:04)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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