Haruhi glared at Ami. "A MORTAL?" she bellowed. "Here, in our hallowed halls? How can this be?"
"Well, you see, Haruhi-sama..." Nandus began.
"Explain yourself, godling!" the goddess growled.
Ranma shook his head and got up from he ground. "Hey, cut the kid some slack, Haruhi! Can't you see this is Ami?"
"Impossible! There's no trace of her godly powers! As the QUEEN, I should be able to recognize my subjects."
"Even those who have yet to become a deity?" Ranma grumbled. "Look closely, this is Ami BEFORE she became a goddess."
Haruhi gasped for air. "Is... is this true?"
Ami decided not to say anything for now.
"It is," Nandus nodded. "My mother brought me back in time so she would be prepared for what is coming."
"How dare she?" Haruhi thundered. "The law clearly states that meddling with the timeline is forbidden! Why else do you think I have chained Setsuna to the Boat of Time?"
Ami frowned. Setsuna? Chained? Boat of Time?
"This won't change anything, Haruhi-sama, honestly! My mother already remembers being brought here back when she was young... which clearly indicates that we aren't meddling with anything."
"Yet she still ignored by royal decree and brought a time traveler to Alveran!" the self-proclaimed queen grumbled. "Mark my words, this will have consequences!"
"Aw, shut it, Haruhi!" Ranma shouted. "Why do you have to be so stuck-up all the time? You're not the only goddess around here, you know?"
Haruhi picked up her crown, put it on her head and smirked. "But I'm the most important one! Without me, the sun would never rise again, and without any order in our kingdoms, anarchy would reign. Who else is gonna protect you from the demonic hordes from the Nether Hells?"
"I'd say Haruka, but never mind that now," Ranma sighed. "Listen, the girl's our guest, and she's Ami's younger self... so leave her alone already, it's not like she's interfering with our jobs... isn't that right, kiddo?"
"Um, of course not!" Ami was quick to reply. "Not at all!"
"Hmph!" Haruhi grunted. "This still will have consequences. Godling Nandus, tell your mother that I will have to punish her."
Nandus sweatdropped, but didn't say anything.
Ranma sighed. "Haruhi, Ami isn't one of your servants. You can't just treat her like Mikuru..."
"I am the queen, I can do what I want!" Haruhi proclaimed as she turned around and left. "And take a shower, Ranma, you stink!"
The red dragon lifted a wing and took a sniff. "Hey, you don't think I stink, do you?" he asked Nandus.
"N-no, of course not, sir!" Nandus said.
"Wh-what's her problem?" Ami stuttered. "Why is she so... so..."
Ranma smirked. "So bitchy?"
Ami blushed and nodded. "Yeah..."
"From what I know, Haruhi has always been a bit of a nutcase," Ranma sighed. "Unfortunately, she has received a big amount of her godly powers even back when she was a mortal."
Ami blinked. "How did THAT happen?"
"Nobody knows for sure," the High Dragon shrugged. "Oh well, I guess I better go back to my duties or Her Royal Bitchiness will get mad again... later, Nandus!"
"Goodbye, sir!" Nandus bowed. The dragon than turned around, flapped his wings once and flew along the corridor.
Ami took a deep breath. Today, she had met two godlings, two dragons and four goddesses, one of which was her future self. Still, it was good to see that at least most of them still had a normal personality, which almost made them seem human.
Well, except for Haruhi, that is.
She then remembered something.
"What did she say about Setsuna?" she asked her future son. "And what's the Boat of Time?"
Nandus sighed. "That's another nice example of what happens if those who are NOT part one of the Twelve Goddesses break the rules standing in Haruhi's book of godly law... and unfortunately, she didn't make those rules by herself, she just enforces the law. And she's right when she says that Aurius would plunge into chaos if nobody would listen to those rules. We gods all listen to the book, and the mortals listen to our laws. Setsuna... she didn't want to accept one of those rules. As the former Senshi of Time, she insisted to be placed in a similar rule. But since everyone knows her history, that position was denied. You see, we are not allowed to interfere with the timeline, and while Sailor Pluto was there to make sure the same doesn't happen on your homeworld, she still had the power to change what she doesn't regard as safe for the future. Something like that is forbidden on Aurius. It would cause chaos, and therefore strengthen the demons of the Nether Hells. But Setsuna did not want to listen. Just like Mada, she did something that nobody had dared to do before her... she got on board of the Boat of Time."
"But what IS the Boat of Time?" Ami wondered.
"It symbolizes the journey of our world throughout the ages. The dreams and wishes of the mortals are the wind that move the boat onward. Its bow, pointing into the future, is made of hope. The boat doesn't need anyone to steer it, because the flow of time must not be meddled with. But Setsuna boarded it and reached for the rudder... and as soon as she did that, she became a prisoner of the boat. Cahins appeared around her ankles and wrists, keeping her from ever reaching the rudder, but also making sure she'd never leave the boat again."
"That... that's horrible!" Ami gasped. "But what for?"
"Well, Haruhi allowed her one boon: To prevent something similar from happening, and to make sure that nobody ever shares her fate, she received the order to write a logbook. She has to write down everything that happens in Aurius's history, never resting, never sleeping. She was also granted to helpers: Her two daughters Ymra and Fatas. Unlike Setsuna, they aren't prisoners of the boat, but they quite often stay with their mother to help her. From the same fabric that the boat's sails are made of, they create the pages for Setsuna's logbook. Ymra uses the memories of mortals to form the past, and every night, she makes a black page for the book. Fatas, on the other hand, uses the hope of the mortals to form the future, and every day, she makes a white page for the book. And Setsuna always reads her book. Whenever she turns a white page, the sun rises, and whenever she reads a black page, night falls. And she looks very carefully to find anyone who tries to make the same mistake as she did, to save him from what happened to her."
"That's such a sad story..." Ami murmured. "Poor Setsuna... can't there anything be done to rehabilitate her?"
Nandus sadly shook his head. "I hate to say it, but she brought this upon herself. There is a slight hope that one day, she might be forgiven by the forces of destiny, so that one day, she will be allowed to leave the boat... but, to be honest, I don't really know if she's willing to leave it."
"Why not?" Ami asked.
"Because there would be nobody who could take over her job. She is the guardian of time, just like she wanted... but as I said, she wants to make sure that nobody else will ever have to carry that burden."
Ami then just stayed quiet and said nothing, while they continued on their way to Michiru's Ocean of Tranquility.
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(Posted Sun, 18 May 2008 12:12)
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