She cleared her throat to get their attention. "Your highness," she greeted with a bow.
Neo-Serenity frowned, "Setsuna? What is the matter?" She glanced to spot her daughter walking in behind Setsuna, and noticed Chibi-usa was clearly annoyed with being here.
"What is this about retroactively engaging Hotaru to this 'Ranma Saotome' person?" Setsuna asked the confusion clear on her face.
Neo-Serenity sighed. "I see. You're going to demand an explanation from me." She rose from her husband's lap and sat back down in her throne, obviously considering her words carefully. "What do you know of Ranma Saotome?"
"Nothing, your majesty."
Neo-Serenity rolled her eyes at the honorific. It was well known that she didn't like it when people put her on pedestals like that, especially among her friends, but ever since she had become Queen, Setsuna always referred to her like that. "Do you know of the R'tugri?"
"R'tugri? The sentient species from Ayai IX? Not much, mostly rumors. They're home world is sufficiently distant that we've only recently had any contact with them."
Neo-Serenity nodded. "Yes." She indicated Chibi-usa.
Chibi-usa sighed, but recited, "R'tugri, a roughly humanoid species with characteristics similar to octopi or squids. They are known to be very resilient, both mentally and physically, but not too creative. However, they are very deceptive and are rumored to be able to absorb the intelligence of others. We don't know much about their government, but we do know that magic is a prerequisite to any leadership role."
Neo-Serenity continued, "Hotaru recently traveled to Ayai IX."
Setsuna frowned, but waited for Neo-Serenity to continue.
"Rei has had a vision for the past three nights in a row," Endymion explained. "Hotaru is dead. From what Rei's visions have revealed, the R'tugri could sense her tie to the Silence and attacked her. Apparently, the conflict between the two caused a tear in the fabric of reality - Ami thinks it was an accident because Ayai IX was destroyed almost instantly. From her best guess and the information we're starting to get from Haruka and Michiru, Ami predicts that in two months the tear will destroy the Earth."
"Hotaru's dead?" Setsuna reeled, pained at the thought. Hotaru was a daughter to her. Shaking herself, Setsuna took a moment to check the Time Gate and couldn't find any evidence of a 'tear', but that only made the situation more serious, not less. A tear in the fabric of time would be invisible to the Time Gate. "What does this have to do with this Ranma Saotome?"
Neo-Serenity answered, "Hotaru has not been in this solar system in nearly twenty years, Setsuna. This time her exile is not because she is feared and hated, but because she is alone. You know as well as I do that Hotaru never dated in her youth. Indeed, Haruka and Michiru couldn't even tell me which way Hotaru's tastes ran. That's why she was out traveling alone."
Setsuna shook her head, "Begging your pardon, your highness, but that doesn't explain why you want me to engage Hotaru to this Ranma person." Left unsaid was the well known fact that Setsuna herself didn't get out much either.
"Ranma Saotome was something of a legend when I was back in high school," Neo-Serenity responded. "There was scarcely a week that we didn't have some bit of juicy gossip to tell about him. There were even rumors that he killed a god, shortly before his disappearance.
"When Crystal Tokyo was founded, we did some checking to see what happened to him and how many of the rumors were true. Imagine our surprise, to discover that not only were the rumors true, but also often toned down from the truth.
"We also found out that after his disappearance he was captured, taken to China, and...," Neo-Serenity glanced at her daughter for a moment before continuing, "... well, let us just say that what happened to him there was definitely criminal."
Neo-Serenity sighed, the story over and results to follow. "As, Hotaru needed a protector, friend, and possible husband, and as Ranma was a valiant hero who died forgotten and shattered, we decided to retroactively engage Hotaru Tomoe to Ranma Saotome. Given the power and skill he displayed, he should be able to easily overlook anything Hotaru could do, and we believe both could use the friendship. It has precedence over preserving this future, because this future is exactly what we hope to avoid. We want you to go back into the past, at whatever point you wish after Galaxia's demise, and ensure Hotaru is engaged to Ranma. It is imperative that she not be allowed to grow up alone."
Setsuna nodded, and disappeared to the Time Gate. She had to do some research on the Ranma Saotome fellow that so impressed the inner senshi, and then send the new commandment and whatever information she could gather back to the past.
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See other episodes by Brian Drozd
(Posted Sun, 10 Aug 2003 10:10)
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