Everyone was there... except for Setsuna.
Haruka frowned. "It's not like her to call a meeting and then be late for it." She turned to Ami. "You're sure she said 'first thing in the morning'?"
Ami, who was studying a map of the Kanto area, didn't answer. Every so often, she would pull out the Mercury Computer and check something.
Rei tossed another Rice Ball at Usagi's head. "This is the sort of thing I'd expect from Food-for-Brains, not from the Time Door Keeper."
As Usagi spun around and started bickering with Rei, Makoto and Hotaru busied themselves with arranging white roses that Mamoru had brought with him. Every so often, Minako would take a handful of them and, under Mamoru's watchful eye, would try to do her Tuxedo Kamen imitation... with mixed results.
Michiru had recently come to own a flute, which she was determined to master, having learned of a seventies progressive rock band that had used the flute in their music to much success. At best, she had been able to make a grating high note, but was otherwise unsuccessful. (Fun Fact: Ami knows how to play the flute, and had Michiru been able to swallow her pride and ask the other Water-themed Senshi for help, would have learned to hold it properly.)
Haruka sighed at the state of affairs. Even though Usagi was technically the leader of the Senshi on Earth, ever since Galaxia's defeat, it was Haruka who was organizing things more often than not. Granted, she did this so that "the Inners", as they were sometimes called by others, didn't have to get involved. It didn't help that Usagi had named her 'Second in Command' after that little disaster in Nerima.
That was when she heard it. Rather, she felt the wind shift, and with it was Pluto's scent, mixed with the scents of rage and... fear?
"Michiru, the wind's changed." She turned to her companion, who apparently hadn't heard her. "I said, 'the wind's changed'." This seemed to wake Michiru from her trance, as she set down the flute and pulled out her talisman, the Deep Aqua Mirror.
Her response was hard to understand. "The sea is calm, the threat isn't one."
Haruka pointed at the rapidly approaching clouds of dust. "Tell that to Pluto."
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked down the stairs of Hikawa Shrine, and saw something that made every one of them wish they had stayed in bed that morning.
Setsuna was running full speed up the stairs. Behind her were three people: Osaka Naru, Usagi's first, and closest friend, followed by Gurio Umino (Naru's boyfriend and the school gossip-monger) and a boy who looked somewhat like a cross between Jadite and that Tsuyoshi guy from SMAP. Naru was trying to catch up with Setsuna, and was holding something that looked suspiciously like the Pluto Planet Pen in her hand.
Before anyone could get out of the way, Setsuna and her pursuers had ploughed into Haruka and company. After the dust settled, Naru was trying to pull Usagi's hair from her scalp, Setsuna had retrieved her pen, and Umino was dragging an unconscious unidentified boy from the collision site.
"OWOWOW! Naru-chan stoppit~!" cried Usagi. "What's gotten into you?"
"Why didn’t you tell me?" screamed Naru. "All these years... could’ve been killed... thought I was..." she fell to her knees, crying. "thought I was going nuts..."
Umino handed the boy over to Ami, who had pulled a first aid kit from out of nowhere. "She just found out that Usagi was Sailor Moon." He ran over to Naru and did his best to keep her from killing Usagi. "She wouldn’t have found out if he" he pointed at the boy, who now had a cold compress on his head and a stethoscope to his chest "hadn’t fell on her" he pointed to Setsuna "and made her drop her pen."
Everyone glared at Setsuna, who suddenly wished that she could rewind time. Hoshi, a trickster fox-spirit that was watching the boy, wished he could help.
------
Aiko looked at Himeko. Tears were streaming down her face, but she could still see her sister as she scribbled something in the magic journal. Kamilu, along with Poomo, was escorting Robelia and Kanro to the Old House where Sei was staying. It had been Himeko’s idea to send the four of them there, although it was mainly to keep Kanro or Kamilu from doing something insensitive to Aiko.
The mirror on Himeko’s closet door shimmered, and the image of Erika appeared. "Hello, Himeko. Hello, Aiko." Aiko hiccupped a little, then turned to face the mirror. In it stood Himeko... no, it wasn’t Himeko, the hair was too long, and she wasn’t wearing a ribbon.
"A - are you... Erika?" she asked.
"I am."
Aiko dashed over to the mirror, knocking random things over. "What’s happened to Hasekura?" she demanded.
Erika took a quick glance at Himeko before answering. "We’re not sure why it’s happened just yet, but he’s safe. However, he - along with Masshi - have lost their memories."
Aiko didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this, so she settled on another hiccup as she sat down on the nearest thing. Himeko turned to the mirror. "When a person’s memory is erased, what happens to their heart?"
"No magic can change one’s heart." Erika answered. "If I were to erase your memories, you would still love Daichi; but you wouldn’t know why you did. Such is Hasekura’s situation."
Aiko smiled at this. "So, he still loves me?"
Erika nodded. "He just doesn’t know you. Oh, Himeko, we’ve found where Pokota is." Her voice was sad. "We can’t reach him yet, though."
Himeko was in the middle of her cheering-up ritual of Ike Ike Go Go, when she heard the second part of Erika’s news. "Where is he?"
"He’s on the Mysterious Star" was Erika’s response. Aiko blinked. Where had she heard that before?
"That’s where Poomo says he’s from. Okay, so now at least we know where he is. What about Hasekura-sempai? Where is he?"
Erika looked from Himeko to Aiko. She was forgetting something, but since she had forgotten it, it couldn’t be important. "He’s in Juuban, with Masshi. Hoshi’s watching over the two of them."
"Who is Masshi?" asked Aiko.
Himeko looked at her sister, but her hand clenched into a fist. "He’s a trouble making spirit, sorta like a fox, and he can stop time for a bit." She looked at Erika. "Did those troublemakers do this to Hasekura-sempai?"
Erika had to keep herself from giggling. "While it does seem like the sort of mistake Hoshi would make, it was Masshi whose memory was messed with. I don’t think they had any more to do with this mess than those cats Daichi saw."
Aiko’s watch started beeping. It was quarter of eight. Time to get ready for class.
She was not looking forward to it.
------
Prince Bright was the one to diffuse the situation. Before anyone could stop him, he had grabbed Pokota by the tail and bopped him on the head. "Enough, you two. Altezza, this lion is to be treated as though he were an ambassador from another kingdom. Lion, you are to behave as such." He released Pokota. "Whether you are or not."
Altezza and Pokota glared at each other, then looked at Bright expectantly. There was an awkward silence for the space of a few seconds, the Shade stood up.
"Well, since it looks like pretty-boy there is not going to do anything else, I’ll try to get this meeting going again." He bowed to Pokota. "I’m Prince Shade, of the Moon Kingdom."
The other prince, as well as the princesses, followed suit, with Rein and Fine going at the same time. Finally, Pokota stood up, cleared his throat, and began.
"I am Pokota, friend of and assistant to Himeko, who is the close friend of and exact duplicate in appearance to Princess Erika of the Magic Kingdom."
Everyone looked around, asking the same question: "Magic Kingdom?" Pokota sighed, and started to explain about Erika, the Magic Kingdom, and Himeko.
The only person truly interested was Shade. Bright and Altezza were interested at first, but when they found that Pokota was not a member of the court of the Magic Kingdom, they did not pay full attention - although they did pretend to listen. Fine and Rein, on the other hand, were all ready to go back to the feasting and dancing, now that they knew that Pokota knew nothing about Poomo (and knew for a fact that he could move and talk).
Pokota’s stomach growled. He wanted to eat, too.
(Posted Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:37)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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