“Thank you, again, for your help,” Mr. Tenoh gratefully gushed to his guest. “This has become madness, and I don’t know why my little angel has to suffer so. What did she ever do?”
The Tenoh’s houseguest, a handsome, dark haired man, simply nodded. “No thanks necessary. Kaori told me, in no uncertain terms, that she’d put a bullet in my head if I didn’t take the case. Seems to have struck a nerve with her. Now, I enjoy the pretty ladies myself, but even I wouldn’t chase a child. That’s just sick and twisted. I was happy to help in any way possible.”
“Thank you, still, Mr. Saeba,” Mrs. Tenoh echoed her husband.
Ryo Saeba waved the words aside. “Now, I have found some info on the person your daughter had described to me. She’s a real piece of work.” Ryo passed a folder full of notes to Haruka’s father. “A spree of personal ads in a number of publications, some of which are quite kinky. A recent arrest for assault and battery. I don’t know all the details of that as the case is still pending. Her credit card was used from a Yakuza run brothel to order enough food to feed a brothel. Some other discrepancies you’ll find noted in the file. Mind you, a lot of these are recent, from the past couple years. If it wasn’t for the arrest and the fact she invaded your home and accosted your daughter, I would have been willing to believe the Yakuza stole her identity. She has a clean record prior. She must have just hidden it better and grew complacent since. The scary thought is she works as a guidance counselor at a school.”
“You mean,” Mrs. Tenoh gasped, “they let people like ... this ... work with children?”
Ryo grunted. “A couple of her ads were asking for men or women to role-play as naughty, misguided students before a guidance counselor. I have to wonder if some of the times; it wasn’t role-playing but an actual student. I’m having her place of employment alerted; she shouldn’t be allowed around kids. You could probably get a judge to issue a restraining order against her.”
Haruka’s parents nodded.
“I’ll be in touch if anything more turns up. You can keep that file. Show it to your lawyer.” Ryo got up to leave. “You might want to think about getting a bodyguard.”
“We’ve been discussing that,” Mr. Tenoh commented. “Thanks again. Let me show you out.”
Pluto laughed mirthlessly, as there was no humor in getting maced. “Well, that went well,” she muttered to herself as if it was all a grand joke. “This is not a problem. Sure, Haruka and Michiru’s grand romance cemented the Outers as just that: outsiders to the main group. They had each other; they needed nothing more. A love like that, it’s just like Romeo and Juliet. No need to worry. Why, I just went about it all wrong. That’s all. What I need to do is steer Michiru in Haruka’s direction. Yes, maybe if they meet at a younger age, things will be back on track once the princess awakens.” Setsuna kept muttering to herself, upset that her simple plan went awry. The day before, she decided that all she needed to do was explain to Haruka her importance. Just like how a leopard cannot change its spots, Setsuna believed all Haruka needed was a nudge to fall back into her old ways. Instead, she spent most of her day in the emergency room for chemical burns to her eyes. Trying to think of a good excuse to why she was maced taxed what little mental function the pain had left her.
‘All I need is to prepare,’ she thought to herself as she planned. ‘I can’t just blunder in like I did yesterday. I’ll need some supplies. I know, I’ll use the Time Gates to get some pictures of Haruka. Then I’ll approach Michiru while she is playing, and try to get her interested in becoming Haruka’s pen pal. From there, the relationship will grow as they live close enough to visit and nature will eventually take its course.’ With a nod to herself, Setsuna teleported to the time gates to make some pictures of Haruka.
Michiru was playing at a park with her mother nearby. Her mother was busy talking to another mother, “I remember being able to play at the park unsupervised at their age. But these days, with all the stories you hear on the news, it doesn’t seem like a safe world for kids anymore.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s scary to think about what some people would do to a child,” the other mother agreed.
Meanwhile, an elegantly dressed woman approached Michiru. “Hello little girl, my name is Setsuna.”
Michiru looked up at the woman with big, innocent eyes. “Hello. I’m Michiru.”
“Well, Michiru. Would you like a new friend?” Setsuna was careful to keep her voice quiet so only Michiru could hear her.
Michiru nodded cautiously.
“I know just the friend for you. Would you like to see her? Her name is Haruka, and she is a little girl just like you.” Setsuna reached into her purse to pull out the few photos of Haruka that she had made for the occasion.
Michiru shrugged, bored by the proceeding. She turned back to play with her dolly.
Setsuna frowned and plucked at Michiru’s sleeve. “No, look here. See, a pretty little girl. Why, I bet one day you two would be great friends.” Michiru looked over the picture quickly, but saw nothing special about the girl. She was just like all the others Michiru knew. “Meh.”
Setsuna frowned at Michiru’s lack of reaction. “I am sure you’d like her if you were to meet her. You’ll do everything together, and when you grow up you could live together, go to school together, and have lots of fun. Would you like to meet her?”
Michiru shook her head. “No.” She turned back to her dolly.
Setsuna wasn’t sure what to do. She hadn’t anticipated meeting such trouble. She planned on just having to point young Michiru in the right direction and let nature take its course. Which is to say, the course she thought nature should take. “Why not? She might end up being your best friend. Why, you might even raise a kid with her, fall in love, and be just like Romeo and Juliet. Wouldn’t that be lovely?”
Michiru frowned, cutely, up at Setsuna. “Mommy said not to talk to strangers.”
Setsuna was beginning to slip into a mild case of hysteria. She hadn’t planned on Michiru being so disinterested in her fated lover. “I’m not a stranger,” Setsuna coaxed the little girl. “You know my name and I know yours. And now you know Haruka’s. Wouldn’t you like to write her a letter or play with her? We could go now. We could go see her and the two of you could play and have such fun. I’m parked right around the corner.”
Michiru shook her head and started to get up so she could run back to her mother. “I’m not suppose to go anywhere with a stranger, Mommy and Daddy says.”
“You don’t do everything Mommy and Daddy say? Come on, Michiru, come for a little ride in my car. We’ll all play some games. Think of how much fun you’ll have with Haruka. Think how fun it would be to kiss her, to see her naked, you could trail your fingers down her naked body in a gentle caress as she nibbles at your ears.” Setsuna’s voice was slowly getting louder, growing with her frustration. She was also grasping at any straws she could think of.
Michiru reacted as any kid that hasn’t discovered hormones yet would, “Eeew! Gross!”
Setsuna, at the end of her rope, didn’t realize she was screaming now, “What do you mean gross? What’s gross about two girls in love making each other happy? Kissing and hugging and playing with each other. It’s a romance that will last centuries.” Setsuna was panting heavy, eyes wild, her growing frustration of the warped timeline getting to her. However, she wasn’t so out of it to realize the park suddenly got deathly quiet.
“Hey, you! Get away from my daughter!” An irate Mrs. Kaioh screamed. “Someone, call the police!”
“Oh, great!” Setsuna sweated as she saw the mob of concerned parents forming. “I just remembered I left my stove on. Bye-bye, Michiru.” She then ran off being chased by a number of people, leaving behind the photographs she had brought.
The phone at the Tenoh’s house ranged until Mrs. Tenoh picked it up. “Hello? ... Oh, hello Saeba-san. ... What’s that? ... Wait, let me get my husband.”
Mr. Tenoh was quickly dragged into the kitchen. “What’s wrong, honey? Someone isn’t lurking by the back bushes again, are they?”
“Mr. Saeba-san is on the phone. He says he has some more information for us.”
The married couple crowded around the earpiece, so both could hear the news.
“Hello,” Mr. Tenoh greeted the caller on the phone.
“Ah, hello Mr. Tenoh. Ryo Saeba here. There has been a new development in the case.”
“I see,” Mr. Tenoh replied worriedly.
Ryo cleared his throat. “A woman matching the description of the suspect in your daughter’s case-”
“Ms. Meioh,” Mrs. Tenoh interrupted.
“Yes, Setsuna Meioh was seen earlier today in a park, where, as witnesses claim, she was trying to abduct a little girl. However, more importantly, she had dropped photos of your daughter. Photos not unlike in style to those that were submitted to a certain magazine. The very one that started this whole mess for you.”
“Haha!” Mr. Tenoh crowed. The case his lawyer was attempting was stymied by the fact no one knew who authored the article. “Got the bitch now.”
“Language,” Mrs. Tenoh admonished her husband.
“Yes. The police will be on the lookout for Ms. Meioh. I believe they will be releasing a bulletin to the press. Well, that’s all the news I have for you now. I just got wind of this myself and thought I would pass it along.”
“Thank you,” the Tenohs gushed.
“Bye now,” Ryo said as he hung up the phone. The two beleaguered parents smiled at each other, happy that some progress was being made.
“Just a matter of time now, honey. Just a matter of time.” Mr. Tenoh hugged his wife.
Sailor Pluto was also considering the matter of time, particularly the future. She was at her Time Gates, trying to forget the latest debacle. She was unable to go straight home; for some reason, there were cops crawling all over the place. ‘Well, I can guess at the likely reason.’ Setsuna was brooding again. With nothing else to do on an otherwise fine Sunday, she holed up at the Time Gates to avoid any more pesky arrests. ‘Really, such an annoyance. Shouldn’t the cops be out there trying to catch real criminals? No wonder the world needs the Senshi and Crystal Tokyo.’ She took another bite out of her ice cream quart. She had sneaked out for a quick run to the market, in Kyoto, for some ice cream, sake, aspirin, and Pepto Bismol. She was in too much of a foul mood to care about nutrition.
So, she ended up spending a restless, uncomfortable night at the gates. She had steered clear of peeking into the future the day before, but now she was only half-afraid to examine what future her gates would show her. After a long night of anxiety and fretting, she was willing to hope for any small victory.
‘Steady, Setsuna. Maybe things got on track now. After all, sometimes all that is needed is a slight nudge to get a rolling stone moving on a different course. Just take a look. What is the worse that I could see?’ Setsuna hesitated, still psyching herself up. Steeling herself, she willed her Gates to show her the future.
What she saw wasn’t Crystal Tokyo. “What the ... ?” she shrieked. “It can’t be! ... Where’s Crystal Tokyo? Why is it ... Marshmallow Tokyo?” Setsuna was horrified, but only by the loss of Crystal Tokyo. What she saw next horrified her on an entirely different level. “Wait, what’s wrong with the Senshi? Where’s the Sailor Scouts? What the hell is a Stay Puft Scout?”
She was nearly in abject terror at the sight of Stay Puft Pluto. Senshi Fuku were not meant to hold in that much fat. “I look like the Michelin Man’s fat sister. The Horror! The Horror!” She cast an uneasy and disgusted look at the empty carton of ice cream that littered the floor next to an empty sake bottle.
And it was in that state of desperation that she conceived an ill-advised scheme. “I must talk to the princess. She’ll make everything all right once more.” Sadly, Setsuna failed to remember that the Princess hadn’t awaken yet and Usagi Tsukino couldn’t really do much to help. Scrambling back to her apartment, she quickly grabbed a folder, scribbled Usagi Tsukino’s name onto it, and stuffed it with random papers lying about. She even stuffed it into it a magazine she wouldn’t have remembered buying had she been paying attention. It was a special issue of Supaa Kawaii Doll featuring schoolgirls in school uniforms. It was their annual Fuku Fetishist Features issue. She then showered and dressed up. With everything on her mind, she hadn’t notice that she was late for work.
Inspector Tokuno sat at his desk, pondering. He occasionally mused about that night. For most, if not all, of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force, only one night stands out enough to be simply that night.
The night that had gone down in infamy in many of the minds of the cops. A most embarrassing night for the force and they didn’t even have names to go on. And the only good description was of the boy, who, other than his braid, was pretty average looking. They had some descriptions of the man, but not enough for a sketch artist to work from. A still unsolved case, Tokuno went back to it time to time, hoping to finally get a big break on it.
“Tokuno! Office, now,” his chief called from said office.
Inspector Tokuno sighed before getting up and seeing what the chief wanted.
“Sir!” Tokuno saluted upon entering.
The chief nodded towards a chair. “Pull up a seat.”
“What’s the problem?”
The chief sighed. “There was a disturbance yesterday in the Minato ward.”
“What does that have to do with us? It is out of our jurisdiction.” Inspector Tokuno was curious as to why, but was also already formulating possible scenarios.
The chief wiped at his brow with a handkerchief. “While the event seems localized, it has been decided by the Superintendent General to put all of Tokyo on alert. As you might have heard, he is currently in America attending an important international conference. He’s sent in a fax with the order.
So, he must find it important if he took the time to contact the Tokyo Metropolitan Police from overseas. He’s calling it Operation: Toltiir’s Tears.”
“Toltiir’s Tears?” Tokuno asked.
His boss shrugged, “No idea. Must be something he picked up from the foreigners.”
Tokuno snorted. “Figures.”
“A woman, by the name of Setsuna Meioh has accosted a young girl in her own home. Yesterday, she made an attempt on another little girl in a park. She’s recently exhibited signs of perversion and delinquency for the past few years, and many suspect she might have gone insane. She’s also proven hard to catch. She just seems to disappear by the time first responders arrive.”
Tokuno shrugged. “You want that we keep an eye out for her? Any reason to think she might try hiding out around here?”
“No reason to expect it, but the fear is she could try going anywhere that kids are to try again. She might decide to go where there is less heat. Keep an eye out at parks, playgrounds, and around schools for anyone or anything suspicious.”
Tokuno nodded. “Why tell just me?”
The chief leaned back into his chair. “I’m going to let the rest know tomorrow morning during our routine meeting. But I was just told that there is to be an emergency meeting in a couple hours. Every precinct is to send a representative over to Kasumigaseki; I want you to attend this meeting. For some reason, they are calling for greater cooperation between the different precincts for this case, even though it seems to be a local jurisdiction affair and not the kind of crime to warrant such an overreaction. I can only imagine the Superintendent General wants to show off, or something. Activities are to be coordinated, information shared. We can’t afford not to send someone and appear apathetic or complacent.”
Tokuno nodded. “I’ll go. I’ve been meaning to talk to some people who work over in the Minato Ward. See if there has been any new development in ... the other shared case.”
The chief sighed. “Ah, yes. The Night of Embarrassment, as the press enjoyed calling it for the first couple of weeks before they forgot all about it.”
“Reporters do seem to have a short attention span, until they want to remark on our incompetence. Then, they seem to have long memories. I’m afraid that night will always hang over our heads, even if we do manage to bring the perpetrators in to justice. The press will enjoy reminding everyone of that night if we ever do catch them.”
“Don’t worry about that now. You have a job to do. Let me know how the meeting goes. Dismissed.”
In another law enforcement office, this time Interpol, another conversation was about to take place, this time, via a long distance phone call.
“ZENIGATA!” A voice screamed into a phone handset.
Someone winced on the other side. “But I’m telling you, I’m on to Lupin. I’ll get him this time. I’ve tracked down where he’ll be next. I even got plane tickets and hotel accommodations all set.”
“I don’t care. We just received new information on the Lupin case in the mail. You’re to go to Tokyo, Japan immediately. We have reason to believe that he has an associate there. You’re to bring her in for questioning.”
“Right. I’ll get a plane ticket to Japan when I arrive at the next airport.” Zenigata crossed his fingers.
His boss wasn’t amused. “You’re to exchange your ticket for one to Tokyo. No dilly dallying, no trying to find Lupin, no taking a vacation when there is work to do.”
“Vacation? You think this is all fun and games for me?”
A soft growl was his only answer. “Zenigata, Tokyo, now. You can go to Reno another time. Right now, your priority is a one Miss Setsuna Meioh.”
Zenigata sighed. “All right, boss. I hope this lead leads me to Lupin.”
Setsuna checked herself over one last time with the mirror in her compact. Everything seemed in order. If she could only get a chance to talk with the princess, she knew everything would be right again. Crystal Tokyo would gleam in the light of a future sun once more. The Senshi would be themselves once again, with Haruka and Michiru becoming the only Senshi, other than the Princess, to have a steady, romantic partner. And, most importantly, the Senshi won’t be a group of obese, pimply skinned, candy addicted powder puffs with yellow, rotting teeth. Setsuna won’t evermore have to look forward to a future where her outfit comes in the size ‘double wide’.
‘School should be out soon enough. When Usagi gets home, we can talk. She’ll fix things, she always pulls through. I’ll just have to wait. I’ll tell her mom that she shows promise in her schoolwork and that I am interested in recruiting her to a new school for gifted youngsters. Say, that’s not a bad idea for real. I could get all of the Senshi enrolled in the same school, which I could run. Then, they would be under my guidance twenty four – seven. I could guide their paths, and ensure their destiny is Crystal Tokyo. Something to plan later. I’ll need to raise capital first. Or a school to takeover hostilely. But first, I’ll get the princess to fix Michiru and Haruka.’
Happy with her make-up and finally focusing again on the task at hand, Setsuna knocked on the door to the Tsukino residence.
“Hello, how may I ...” Ikuko Tsukino finally registered who was standing at her door. “Help you,” she finished with a strained smile.
“Good morning ma’am. I am Setsuna Meioh, a school guidance counselor. I have noticed the outstanding schoolwork of your daughter, Usagi, and I am here to discuss her education with you.”
“Usagi’s schoolwork? Uh ... this isn’t a good time right now,” Ikuko tried to gently turn down the crazy lady, but was afraid of setting her off.
“This wouldn’t take up too much of your time, ma’am.” Setsuna was being insistent; failure was not an option to her.
Ikuko rung her hands a bit before coming to a decision. “Why don’t you come in then.” She showed Setsuna to a living room. “If you could take a seat, I’ll get us some tea.”
“Tea would be lovely, thank you.” Setsuna primly sat down on the couch before giving her hostess an attempt at a comforting smile.
Ikuko gave an uneasy smile in return. “I’ll just be a moment with the tea.” Accepting Setsuna’s nod, Ikuko retreated into her kitchen.
It was some time later when Setsuna wondered what was taking her hostess so long. ‘She picking the leaves off the trees first, or what?’ Getting up, she wandered in the same direction she saw Ikuko go when she left to get the tea. Walking into a kitchen, she saw the teakettle boiling on the stove and Ikuko hanging up the phone. “Who were you calling?”
Ikuko jumped in surprise and fright. Whipping around, she giggled nervously. “That was just my husband, letting me know he would be late again at work.”
Setsuna shrugged. “Funny, I didn’t hear the phone ring.”
“Oh ... I like to keep the ringer low, so the phone doesn’t disturb my son’s sleep.” Ikuko then clammed up, afraid she may have said too much,
“I see.” Setsuna nodded. “Is the tea ready?”
“Oh, yes!” Ikuko sighed in relief. “Just had to wait for the water to boil, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It’s all right.” Setsuna looked about. “Need any help carrying anything?”
Ikuko considered the request. “Here, I have a plate of sweets in the fridge to go with the tea. Why don‘t you bring it out.”
Setsuna shivered when she saw the plate of sweets; images of Stay Puft Pluto ran through her head. She accepted the offered plate and waited to follow her hostess back out. Ikuko quickly poured the boiling water into a teapot and added some tea leaves to it. Setting the pot and a couple cups onto a tray, Ikuko lead the way back to the living room.
“So, what is it that you wanted to discuss?” Ikuko asked as she poured tea into the cups.
“Oh, I was hoping to talk with your daughter, when she gets home.”
Ikuko handed Setsuna a cup of tea. “You had mentioned her schoolwork. Is she not doing well?”
Setsuna laughed as she waved her hand elegantly. “Nothing like that.” Sipping from the cup, Setsuna made an appreciative noise at the taste of the tea. “I’m just here to see if she’d like to go to a different school. Make some new friends. That sort of thing.”
Ikuko stirred some sugar into her tea. “Is that normal? I mean, for schools to recruit one so young?”
Setsuna made a show of flipping through her folder and reading a page. “A bit unusual, but not unheard of. My records show she would be an excellent candidate. But of course, I would need to interview her first. Make sure she is suitable after all.”
Ikuko hid her frown by sipping from her own teacup. “I see. Can you tell me more about this school of yours?”
“Hmm,” Setsuna hummed as she placed her teacup to her lips. Stalling, she took a long sip of tea. “This is very good tea; where do you get the blend from?”
The change in subject did not go unnoticed. “At my local grocers,” Ikuko replied with a half-lidded stare.
“I will have to look for it. Now then, I believe you were asking me about my school?” Ikuko nodded her head. “Yes, well ... Let me tell you about the vision of this school. About its goal. About what your daughter could be a part of. The future ... “ Setsuna trailed off into a wistful sigh.
Ikuko gave Setsuna a couple moments when nothing more seemed to be forthcoming before trying to prompt her. “What about the future?”
Still seemingly gazing off at something only she could see, Setsuna answered in an almost lazy fashion. “The future could be such a beautiful place. Imagine, if you will, a place where there is no crime, no evil, a shiny, bright beacon of hope and serenity. And the queen would be named such, Serenity. People know their place and work hard and work together in peace and obedience. All know there duty and do their job well. All listen to edicts of the Queen. A peaceful and loving Queen who brings order and defeats chaos, who banished evil and gives us an organized purpose in life. That’s a future worth fighting for, isn’t it?”
Ikuko didn’t want to say she was not very convinced, but she wanted to keep her guest talking. “How would this queen do such?”
Setsuna, still lost in her mind, replied honestly. “Well, with the power of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishō, Serenity will erase all of the evil impulses from the minds of men, and make them follow her every command. And by her side will stand eight enforcers of her will. Guardians of the kingdom and protectors of peace, they will be her lovely lady soldiers, warriors of love. They will be the Bishonen Sailor-Suited Senshi. Each assigned a color, planet, and domain.”
“Sounds like a sentai team. And if it is lead by a queen, why is it called a kingdom and not a queendom?” By this point, Ikuko thought Setsuna wanted to be this Queen called Serenity and was starting some kind of cult. To Ikuko, it sounded exactly like the kind of cult, with brainwashed cult-members, one reads about in the newspapers. “What about the Emperor? How much royalty would we need?”
Setsuna scoffed at the questions with an uppity laugh. “It’s not a silly Sentai team, like on a little boy’s show. The Senshi will be far less frivolous, as the future they fight for is of great importance. They will be noble defenders of mankind, ensuring that there is a Crystal Tokyo that will finally domesticate mankind. A pure and brilliant future place, like the very crystal it’ll be named for. And it is still called a kingdom, even when lead by a queen. Also, there won’t be an Emperor in the future, just the Queen.”
“No Emperor?” A cold chill ran down Ikuko’s spine.
“No, there will be a great catastrophe; many will die. The survivors will band under a strong leader, Neo-Queen Serenity. Working together, Tokyo will be rebuilt and remade into Crystal Tokyo. The Queen and her Senshi will hold court over the masses. All of Earth will look to her for guidance, as such, there will be no other royalty. None, at all, worldwide.”
Ikuko put her teacup down. “And you want Usagi to be a part of this future?” Ikuko was worried. ‘Why was Usagi chosen by this crazy lady? How would Usagi be of any help to such a stupid fantasy? What did she mean by a great catastrophe?’
“She is the most vital part of the future.” Setsuna’s eyes cleared as she came back from her vision. “But perhaps I have said too much?”
“Oh no, not at all. I found that to be a very ... compelling vision for a school. Certainly we could use with more peace in the world.”
“Yes, exactly. You’re a kindred spirit, so you understand. It must not have been an accident that the Princess was reincarnated as your daughter. You can see that the world needs us. There is only one proper track that the world should go down. Futures with Stay Puft Senshi are just wrong. And a Queen who wields the Silver Marshmallow that replaces the darker urges of men with cravings for ice cream sundaes should never exist in the first place.” Setsuna got a bit of heated fervor to her eyes now. “And there are some pairings that are not only destined, but predestined: the Queen and her King as well as Uranus and Neptune. This is why I am here. Your daughter can get Uranus and Neptune together. They are proving to be oddly resistant to their destinies. But, your daughter can fix them. This is something only she can do; only she has the power. And after that, with my guidance, she will get us to the future we deserve. I do know something about hammering the future back onto track; together, with the Senshi, we’ll ensure Crystal Tokyo comes about. Even if it means I have to start the Big Freeze myself.” Her eyes wild and hands shaken, Setsuna smiled a twisted sort of smile. “No more enemies, no more evil, and no more marshmallows!”
Ikuko gulped. “What did you say the name of this school is, again?”
Setsuna didn’t seem to hear, at first. “Usagi should be home about now?” Then something clicked in her head. But before she could act, the windows flashed with bright lights, colored lights flashing quickly and rhythmically.
“This is the police, come out with your hands up. You have to the count of three or we will come in,” a loud, amplified voice declared from outside.
“The police, but how did they? ... You!” Setsuna turned on Ikuko, who was already diving behind a chair. Desperate, Setsuna ran for a random door.
Ikuko saw her guest throw herself into a closet and decided she had to get out in a hurry. She ran to the front door and threw it open before running out with her hands up.
She was greeted by an army of cops with stern expressions. “She’s inside. In a closet,” Ikuko screamed before falling to her knees. Her legs felt weak and hysteria threatened to overcome her.
The cops rushed by her into the house. One knelt by her, wrapping a blanket about her shoulders. “Mrs. Tsukino, I presume?”
Ikuko nodded, tears streamed down her face and she was too emotional to talk.
Officer Chiharu Nozawa, commanding officer for this raid, tried to comfort Ikuko Tsukino. “I know this is hard on you, but I need you to stay with me. Is there anyone else in the house?”
A horrified look crossed Ikuko’s face. “Shingo! I told her my son was sleeping. Oh my Shingo!” Ikuko was on her feet in a flash and ran into the house. The officer was close on her heels. Inside, the cops were methodically searching the house room by room. One barred the path of the distraught mother. “Let me through! Shingo!”
The commanding officer nodded to her subordinate. “I’ll go with her, we might have a hostage situation on our hands, get me a negotiator.”
Ikuko blanched at the word ‘hostage’. Hurrying past the police officer, she ran to her son’s room with Chiharu following closely behind. Throwing the door open, nothing seemed out of place in Shingo’s room, but Officer Nozawa laid a restraining hand upon Ikuko’s shoulder.
“Let me go in first, in case she’s in there.”
Ikuko was going to refuse, but she saw a number of other cops behind their boss. Ikuko stepped to the side, to let Chiharu pass. Stepping in the room with only one other officer, a couple remaining by the door to block it as an escape route, Chiharu carefully looked in all places a person could hide in.
“All clear,” she said, finally.
Ikuko rushed in, heading straight for the crib. Inside, her son was still sleeping safe and sound. Picking him up, she held Shingo close to her as she cried in relief.
“Ma’am,” Chiharu spoke, “if you could, I‘d like to get a statement from you.”
Ikuko nodded. “Did you catch her?”
“I don’t know. It’ll be safer to stay here and wait for my men to finish sweeping the house.” Ikuko nodded. “You two, stay by the door and keep her safe. I’ll be back soon.” Chiharu left to see to her men.
Ikuko collapsed into a western style rocking chair. Relief filled her, knowing her family was safe. It wasn’t long, though, for another worry to occur to her.
Chiharu returned, looking angry. “OK, it is safe to come along now.”
Ikuko got up. “Did you ... did you get her?”
Officer Chiharu shook her head. “No, she got away. I don’t understand it, the place was surrounded. I have men crawling all over this neighborhood. We’ll get her, I promise you. But if I find someone dropped the ball on this one, heads will roll.”
Ikuko paled. “She knows my daughter’s name. She came here saying she wanted to discuss her outstanding schoolwork and transferring her to a new school. Even if I hadn’t seen her picture on the news, I would have suspected something. Don’t get me wrong, I love my little girl, but her and schoolwork just don’t mix. I often wonder what my lazy little girl will make of herself. What if she goes after my little girl while she walks home? You should have heard the crazy talk she was saying. She sounds like she’s running a cult.”
“Relax Mrs. Tsukino,” Chiharu interrupted. “When you called, I had an officer go to the nearest school. They’ll keep your daughter in the principal’s office until you show up. We can swing by on our way to the station. Why don’t we go now as my men investigate for clues?”
Ikuko Tsukino nodded. “Can I call my husband from the station, to let him know?”
Officer Nozawa smiled. “That won’t be a problem.”
On their way out, Shingo clutched protectively to Ikuko’s breast, one of the cops stopped Officer Nozawa. “Ma’am, we found this folder.” The policeman held up a plastic, Ziploc evidence bag within which was a folder with the name ‘Usagi Tsukino’ neatly scrawled upon it.
Chiharu looked to Ikuko. “Is this yours?”
“No,” Ikuko shook her head, “she brought that with her.”
The policeman also held up another bag. “This fell out of it as I was picking the folder up.” In this bag was clearly a Supaa Kawaii Doll magazine.
Chiharu nodded. “I want that brought to the precinct A.S.A.P. and picked through thoroughly. The report better be on my desk in an hour.”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
Turning back to Ikuko, Chiharu smiled soothingly. “Let’s go get your daughter. We’ll catch this pervert, don’t you worry.”
"She sounded more like a cult leader. You don't think she's abducting children so she can indoctrinate them into her cult?" Ikuko Tsukino stammered nervously, her nerves were still pretty shot.
Pluto was once again at her Time Gates. ‘Only a setback, I’ll get to the princess next time.’ She kneeled in front of the gates. ‘Do I dare?’
She sat, kneeling there, staring at her Gates for a long time before coming to a decision. “I dare!” Laying an elegant hand upon the surface of the gates, she willed it to show the future. To her dismay, it stilled show Marshmallow Tokyo and its Stay Puft Scouts. But then, oddly, the image twisted to the side before dropping completely revealing another scene, like a photo taped to a camera had fallen off.
“But ... who could be powerful enough to mess with the Time Gates?” Then she registered what the Gates showed her. A Tokyo not unlike the modern one. A cacophony of noise and chaos as many happy people went about their business. Police patrolled the city, but the worst crimes were all petty ones. There was no order, and the people didn’t act like the mindless zombies of Crystal Tokyo. And everywhere was the emblem for ‘The Wild Horse’, a black, rampant horse – rearing on its hind legs – upon a yellow background.
“Of course,” Setsuna giggled madly, “I should have seen it before. The enemy has been hiding all this time among us. I now know your true game, Ferrari! Makers of fine Italian automobiles? Ha! Your threat to Crystal Tokyo is coming to an end. ...As soon as I talk with the Princess.”
Meanwhile, elsewhere, a little boy stopped to stare off into the distance. “What did you mean by ‘Some people are way more gullible then expected; I didn’t see this twist coming, but it should be good for laughs’?”
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(Posted Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:00)
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