(no subject)
"This is different from before," Setsuna gently, but steadfastly addresses the Inner Scouts. "This time, we must defeat the Enemy on our own."
"What!?" the Inner Soldiers move forward, affronted. Sailor Moon cuts them off, though she is agitated as they are, "We've fought together this far!! We're Sailor Scouts too!!"
Neptune clutches her hand mirror, raising her chin in a regal manner, "This -- is our turf."
Haruka nods, adding, "What's more, the Greatest Enemy is one you could not defeat."
"We can't even help you!?" the Inners protest almost in unison.
Setsuna steps between the two groups - a familiar face to the Inner Soldiers; a bridge. "The three of us have special abilities that you don't. We have been given stronger powers. We have been given stronger tools. Leave this fight to us. We will not fail."
"Right," Haruka says, holding the jewelled scabbard of her sheathed sword close. "We must defeat Her by our own hands."
The consort to the princess, Tuxedo Kamen, has been standing, listening, on the side, resting his hands on the shoulders of Sailor ChibiMoon. He steps forward now, past his future daughter, "Wait." The Sailor Scouts all halt their discussion abruptly, looking to the source of interruption. "What is your greatest enemy? Is she that powerful?"
"Prince..." Neptune begins.
He goes on. "The stronger tools you have... Are those the three Talismans that bring destruction?"
Sailor Mars speaks up, "We kept seeing this terrible omen, 'You mustn't collect the Talismans.' What are your weapons? The Talismans?! What is your mission?"
The Outer Scouts exchange silent looks, and Uranus answers, in slow, careful words, "Our Talismans are to be used... on our most important mission.
"We must destroy our greatest enemy... the Goddess of Destruction."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, in their civilian personas, ChibiUsa, the five Inner Soldiers and Tuxedo Kamen search for information about the Infinity College at their meeting place.
"I couldn't find any info on Professor Tomoe on the net," says the young prince, known in his normal guise as 'Mamoru,' "so I hacked into the Infinity College Database." Everyone, including the cat-like guides Luna, Artemis, and Diana, gathers around.
Professor Tomoe's image appears onscreen, cold and glaring. ChibiUsa shivers at the face.
And information scrolls past the display --
Data:
Tomoe Souichi
Life's Work:
'Super Beings'
"Super Beings?" Luna asks aloud. Mamoru searches for more details. --
Data:
Due to Dr. Tomoe's continued genetic experiments on laboratory animals,
he was expelled from the academic establishment six years ago.
He sold his findings to commercial developers and bought the Infinity Delta area.
Data:
The same year, after Dr. Tomoe's expulsion, a malfunction during
an experiment in an Infinity Delta lab causes a fire.
- Casualties -
Wife: Keiko (age 30) Deceased.
Daughter: Hotaru (age 6) Critical Condition.
---------------------------------------------
Freshly dressed, Hotaru picks up her phone, a cordless on a private line, and dials the phone number ChibiUsa has left for her on many of her unexpected and sudden visits to the house.
The phone rings for some time. She hangs up, and tries again.
---------------------------------------------
"After that," Mamoru pushes back from the computer console, "the Professor faded from the public spotlight."
Luna, small and black, looks up at the smallest girl among them, "ChibiUsa. I'd like you to see what Hotaru is up to."
ChibiUsa looks at Luna, uncertain.
"As Sailor Soldiers," Luna says, putting on her voice of authority, "we must infiltrate the bases of our enemies, discover their true form, and eliminate them. The enemy invasion has gone underground. We must stop them."
She lays a black paw on ChibiUsa's arm, gently reassuring, "Professor Tomoe is a strong suspect. It might be difficult, and dangerous, for you, but will you do it?"
ChibiUsa looks up and around at her friends. She takes a deep gulp, then sets her brow in resolve. "I understand! I'll do my best!"
---------------------------------------------
Maybe... thinks Hotaru, ...maybe... I'll try one more time.
If she isn't there this time... I'll... just call tomorrow.
She lifts the receiver and dials ChibiUsa's number one more time. The other end picks up.
"ChibiUsa?"
"--Hotaru?"
Hotaru smiles softly, happy, "Hi. How are you?"
"...I'm... good! How are you, Hotaru?"
"I'm fine."
"Good!"
"ChibiUsa..."
".......Yes??"
"I was wondering if you'd like to go see a movie?..."
"...Huh?"
"Well... it doesn't have to be a movie. ...Maybe... we could go out somewhere, with your friends...?"
"...Um... Yeah! Yeah, sure, that'd be really fun, Hotaru!"
Hotaru smiles even wider, "Great...! Aah... do you want to meet at six?"
"Yeah! And we can go see a movie! A great one I really want to see, too, you'll like it!"
"Wonderful!... Well, see you then."
"...Bye, Hotaru!"
"Bye," Hotaru hangs up the phone. She understands why ChibiUsa sounded so surprised... but even though it's only been a few weeks for her, for Hotaru it's been much longer. She's happy that she's changed enough to be able to approach her friend, instead of hoping that her friend will come to visit her.
She goes downstairs... her Papa wanted to see her in a bit, but... it shouldn't take too long, whatever he wants.
[Some parts changed or taken directly from Sailor Moon, Volume 9. Copyright Mixx Entertainment, Inc. and Naoko Takeuchi. All rights reserved. No profit is made from this reproduction.]
"What!?" the Inner Soldiers move forward, affronted. Sailor Moon cuts them off, though she is agitated as they are, "We've fought together this far!! We're Sailor Scouts too!!"
Neptune clutches her hand mirror, raising her chin in a regal manner, "This -- is our turf."
Haruka nods, adding, "What's more, the Greatest Enemy is one you could not defeat."
"We can't even help you!?" the Inners protest almost in unison.
Setsuna steps between the two groups - a familiar face to the Inner Soldiers; a bridge. "The three of us have special abilities that you don't. We have been given stronger powers. We have been given stronger tools. Leave this fight to us. We will not fail."
"Right," Haruka says, holding the jewelled scabbard of her sheathed sword close. "We must defeat Her by our own hands."
The consort to the princess, Tuxedo Kamen, has been standing, listening, on the side, resting his hands on the shoulders of Sailor ChibiMoon. He steps forward now, past his future daughter, "Wait." The Sailor Scouts all halt their discussion abruptly, looking to the source of interruption. "What is your greatest enemy? Is she that powerful?"
"Prince..." Neptune begins.
He goes on. "The stronger tools you have... Are those the three Talismans that bring destruction?"
Sailor Mars speaks up, "We kept seeing this terrible omen, 'You mustn't collect the Talismans.' What are your weapons? The Talismans?! What is your mission?"
The Outer Scouts exchange silent looks, and Uranus answers, in slow, careful words, "Our Talismans are to be used... on our most important mission.
"We must destroy our greatest enemy... the Goddess of Destruction."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, in their civilian personas, ChibiUsa, the five Inner Soldiers and Tuxedo Kamen search for information about the Infinity College at their meeting place.
"I couldn't find any info on Professor Tomoe on the net," says the young prince, known in his normal guise as 'Mamoru,' "so I hacked into the Infinity College Database." Everyone, including the cat-like guides Luna, Artemis, and Diana, gathers around.
Professor Tomoe's image appears onscreen, cold and glaring. ChibiUsa shivers at the face.
And information scrolls past the display --
Data:
Tomoe Souichi
Life's Work:
'Super Beings'
"Super Beings?" Luna asks aloud. Mamoru searches for more details. --
Data:
Due to Dr. Tomoe's continued genetic experiments on laboratory animals,
he was expelled from the academic establishment six years ago.
He sold his findings to commercial developers and bought the Infinity Delta area.
Data:
The same year, after Dr. Tomoe's expulsion, a malfunction during
an experiment in an Infinity Delta lab causes a fire.
- Casualties -
Wife: Keiko (age 30) Deceased.
Daughter: Hotaru (age 6) Critical Condition.
---------------------------------------------
Freshly dressed, Hotaru picks up her phone, a cordless on a private line, and dials the phone number ChibiUsa has left for her on many of her unexpected and sudden visits to the house.
The phone rings for some time. She hangs up, and tries again.
---------------------------------------------
"After that," Mamoru pushes back from the computer console, "the Professor faded from the public spotlight."
Luna, small and black, looks up at the smallest girl among them, "ChibiUsa. I'd like you to see what Hotaru is up to."
ChibiUsa looks at Luna, uncertain.
"As Sailor Soldiers," Luna says, putting on her voice of authority, "we must infiltrate the bases of our enemies, discover their true form, and eliminate them. The enemy invasion has gone underground. We must stop them."
She lays a black paw on ChibiUsa's arm, gently reassuring, "Professor Tomoe is a strong suspect. It might be difficult, and dangerous, for you, but will you do it?"
ChibiUsa looks up and around at her friends. She takes a deep gulp, then sets her brow in resolve. "I understand! I'll do my best!"
---------------------------------------------
Maybe... thinks Hotaru, ...maybe... I'll try one more time.
If she isn't there this time... I'll... just call tomorrow.
She lifts the receiver and dials ChibiUsa's number one more time. The other end picks up.
"ChibiUsa?"
"--Hotaru?"
Hotaru smiles softly, happy, "Hi. How are you?"
"...I'm... good! How are you, Hotaru?"
"I'm fine."
"Good!"
"ChibiUsa..."
".......Yes??"
"I was wondering if you'd like to go see a movie?..."
"...Huh?"
"Well... it doesn't have to be a movie. ...Maybe... we could go out somewhere, with your friends...?"
"...Um... Yeah! Yeah, sure, that'd be really fun, Hotaru!"
Hotaru smiles even wider, "Great...! Aah... do you want to meet at six?"
"Yeah! And we can go see a movie! A great one I really want to see, too, you'll like it!"
"Wonderful!... Well, see you then."
"...Bye, Hotaru!"
"Bye," Hotaru hangs up the phone. She understands why ChibiUsa sounded so surprised... but even though it's only been a few weeks for her, for Hotaru it's been much longer. She's happy that she's changed enough to be able to approach her friend, instead of hoping that her friend will come to visit her.
She goes downstairs... her Papa wanted to see her in a bit, but... it shouldn't take too long, whatever he wants.
[Some parts changed or taken directly from Sailor Moon, Volume 9. Copyright Mixx Entertainment, Inc. and Naoko Takeuchi. All rights reserved. No profit is made from this reproduction.]