|
On the backyard, one person let himself go, free of all bonds. He didn't notice as people arrived to witness his prowess, so immersed was he in his activity. Incredible what a single muscle contraction could do to alter a movement. He flowed through katas unknown to any other martial artist alive. Many would have called him sloppy, but that would be out of ignorance. Others would say he was playing, and that would be out of jealously. For Ranma practiced the only thing that kept him alive for so long. The art.
Ryoga and Hinako turned around the corner to find the familiar sight of their brother practicing martial arts. It shouldn't come as a surprise for them, it shouldn't. But it still impressed them the way Ranma took to physical combat like a falcon to the sky. They had witnessed the martial artist's prowess many times, some closer than they would like, and still Ranma continued to shock them. His martial arts knowledge was so extensive no one could hope to take him by surprise, and his mind worked over any possible move and improved it. Ranma of the House of Nova was the true master of martial arts.
The senshi and Mamoru followed Ryoga and Hinako, and what they saw made their jaws drop. Even though only three of their lines had any formal training in martial arts, they could all tell the person practicing was extremely skilled. Haruka and Makoto were particularly surprised, mainly because they didn't recognize the moves as anything they knew. Ami took out her computer and started to take some readings on Ranma. She was intrigued when she noticed he didn't have any magic to enhance his physical attributes. "How strong is he, Ami?" Asked Haruka in a whisper. She didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous around this guy. Yesterday he had taken her by surprise, but he still moved too fast for her to follow. Seeing him now only added to her uneasiness.
Ami frowned and answered. "I don't get any magical readings from him, but from the results I get, he's nearly as strong and fast as we are in senshi form."
"WHAT?" The entire group, save Hotaru, asked. This had the effect of making Hinako and Ryoga turn to them with curiosity, while Ranma stopped his kata and frowned at seeing they had the senshi as visitors. His frown lessened when he saw Hotaru staring at him in awe.
"What's up, Hotaru? I take it your princess is here?" He asked as he reached for a towel to dry the sweat from his face. He was wearing his black Chinese outfit, which was all sweaty as well.
Hotaru wondered for how long had Ranma been training. She answered his question after a few seconds. "Hi, Ranma. Usagi is with your mother." She looked at the yard and then back at him. "Isn't Setsuna here?"
Ranma shook his head. "We can't spend every second together. We both have other things to do. She'll be here in about an hour."
Hotaru nodded, understanding how difficult it must be for the couple to adapt. They lived alone for many years. Along those lines of thought. "When did you learn that?"
Ranma looked confused. "What?"
The senshi of Saturn giggled at his confused expression. "Martial arts, silly. I've never seen anyone that good before."
Ranma looked downcast. "It was the only thing that kept my mind occupied after that day." He recovered, though he still wasn't in great spirits. "Now, after so long, martial arts are my life."
Hotaru nodded, understanding. The conversation between them continued, while the other senshi talked with Ryoga and Hinako.
Minako, who was starting to like Ryoga's looks, asked. "So do you two have names? We haven't introduced each other yet. I'm Minako."
Ryoga smiled, though no one could tell if his smile was genuine. "I'm Ryoga, and this is my very much older sister Hinako."
Said woman turned to him with a glare. "Watch your mouth, bacon-breath. You do remember what happened yesterday, don't you?"
Ryoga wasn't intimidated, and was obviously enjoying having the advantage in the argument. "That was a lucky shot and you know it."
"Really?" Asked Hinako dangerously as a ball of fire started to form between her hands. The senshi started to sweat due to the intense heat and fear that she might throw that thing so close to them. If they weren't in senshi form they were as vulnerable as any human. They didn't need to worry, though. The ball dissipated, and Ryoga and Hinako remained unmoving. "Dammit, Ranma! Why did you do that?" Asked a very annoyed Hinako. The senshi turned to see Ranma on their other side, recovering from a crouch.
Ranma sensed the buildup in power, and turned to see Hinako was getting ready to throw a fireball at Ryoga, and most likely the entire block. Jumping towards them, he passed and pressed several shiatsu that would stop their movements for a couple of minutes. *Good thing they were distracted.* He knew that if they had their guards up, the shiatsu would have no effect whatsoever. As he heard Hinako yell at him, he turned with a frown on his face. "You tell me, Hinako. With a fireball like that you could kill everyone present." He motioned for their guests. Even if he didn't like most of them, they still didn't deserve to die in an accident.
Hinako struggled, but knew she was trapped. "I was just trying to scare porky."
Ryoga sneered. "Ranma, let me go or I'll kick your ass as soon as I can move." He was mostly angry at being caught unaware. Of course, taking it out on someone was just what he needed.
Ranma walked to them, completely ignoring the senshi, and pressed the points that would release his siblings. "You two should learn to keep it down."
Ryoga and Hinako flexed their arms and legs, pleased about being able to move again. Ranma walked back to Hotaru, who was looking at him in wonder. Rei asked Hinako. "That attack you were about to do, what was it?"
Hinako grinned. "Have you seen Slayers?"
Rei's eyes widened. "You mean...?"
Hinako nodded. "Oh yes. All spells can be used. You only need to give form to your power." They continued to talk about the different uses of magic. Ami listened to them, recording more things with her computer.
Hinako, Makoto and Mamoru talked with Ryoga about history. And, most particularly, the history of House Nova. Haruka and Michiru walked aside and spoke very softly. "What do you think?" Asked the blonde, eyeing the Nova siblings expecting for them to attack any minute.
Michiru frowned. "I don't like this. That Ranma is as strong as we are, but has more skill in martial arts than anyone should have. Hinako seems to be a powerful magic user. And we don't know what Ryoga is capable of."
Haruka nodded. "I wonder what could scare Artemis so much. We must assume he's as dangerous as the other two."
Michiru sighed. "And then there's Queen Nova. We don't know a thing about her." They both went silent at that, wondering how Usagi was doing.
The rest of the afternoon went pretty much in the same way. Setsuna arrived and she joined Ranma. The inner senshi learned a lot about the House of Nova. Makoto even convinced Ranma to start teaching her. He promised he would teach her some of the more advanced forms of kempo. Rei had a few ideas she wanted to try out once she returned to the shrine.
Their attention was called when Usagi and Nodoka walked out of the house. "How did things go?" Asked Haruka, who had become nervous after the long wait.
Usagi smiled. "Auntie Nodoka makes wonderful cookies." The entire senshi group, Setsuna included, facefaulted. "What?" Asked Usagi, totally confused.
Haruka got up first. "Never mind." She then muttered something under her breath.
Usagi turned to Nodoka. "Thanks for the cookies, Auntie."
Nodoka nodded, gracing her with a smile. "I'm glad you liked them, dear. Drop by whenever you feel like it." Usagi nodded and walked to her friends. "Ryoga, Hinako. Please escort the princess back to the shrine." Ryoga and Hinako bowed and started walking to get out.
The others followed, though they were still shaken by the result of the meeting. Setsuna and Ranma remained in the yard, after having said their good byes to Hotaru. "I take it things went well?" Asked Ranma with a smile.
Nodoka nodded. "Indeed, my son. She has the potential to become one of the greatest rulers ever to take power." She then sobered and turned to Setsuna. "Though I'm not completely convinced with the method someone envisioned."
Setsuna was confused at the implications of that statement. "I'm sorry, but what method is that?"
The older woman took a deep breath and answered the question with another. "What would you feel like if someone took away something from you without even asking?"
Setsuna answered without a second of hesitation. "I would be angered."
Nodoka nodded. "And rightly so. Because that would be a crime." Ranma had looked from one to another, not daring say a word. He knew his mother was gonna get to the point in the next sentence, so he listened very carefully. "The Crystal Tokyo you envisioned will not come to exist, because me and my family will not allow for young Serenity to eliminate evil from the human heart."
"But why? It would mean peace for everyone." Setsuna protested, who still didn't quite see where Nodoka wanted to go.
Ranma answered for his mother. "If you eliminate the capacity of evil, you also take away the choice people have to make everyday. You would be taking a part of their souls." Setsuna turned to him, understanding getting evident on her features. "And that, would be a crime." He finished.
Before Setsuna could retort to that, Nodoka firmly stated. "I have talked about it with your princess, and she doesn't want to be responsible for a peace that will destroy the human spirit." She allowed a smile to illuminate her features. "However, she has proven to have a great inner strength. She still dreams with achieving peace for everyone, and has the courage to follow her heart. I have decided to back her up as long as she remains truth to her goal."
Setsuna was at a loss of words. She should be angry, and in a way, she was. All her dreams of erecting Crystal Tokyo were crumbling before her very eyes. She didn't fool herself thinking she could take down the house of Nova. But another future appeared on the horizon. A future that wasn't written, nor she could know because of Ranma's presence in it, but a future that had great potential. Several minutes passed for the senshi of Time where a million possibilities battled each other in her head. So many different outcomes were possible. But in the end, all of them had something in common. There was someone by her side that she could count on, and more importantly, that she needed. Even the Guardian of the Gates of Time was a woman before a senshi. She had needs like everybody else, and they were needs that she had been neglecting for thousands of years. *No more.* She thought with determination. Her resolve was strengthened when she felt a hand taking hers. She turned to see Ranma there, his eyes showing the trust he had in her. She wouldn't disappoint her man. Turning to Nodoka, the green haired woman nodded. "I understand."
Nodoka smiled. "Don't take it so seriously, dear. This will all take place in a long time." She turned around and entered the house. "Enjoy the present."
Setsuna smiled at that. She hadn't enjoyed the present until very recently. "And I have every intention of doing it."
Ranma heard the comment and guessed right about it. He smirked teasingly and said. "Enjoy the present." And with that he gave Setsuna a good pinch on her butt.
The green-haired woman jumped forward, quite startled. She turned with a frown directed at Ranma. The frown didn't have much of an effect since she was smiling widely. "I'll get you back for that."
Inside the house, Nodoka shook her head and smiled as laughter came from the backyard. It seemed like Ranma was back to his old self.
-------------------------------
"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" Asked Haruka, just about ready to deliver a punch in the face of a smirking Ryoga. He had continued with the teasing as soon as they left the Nova grounds. It made her even more angry that she was the sole target for his jokes now.
Ryoga shrugged, still the annoying smirk in place. "I have my reasons."
Makoto giggled at the reaction from the senshi of Uranus. She herself had been on the receiving end of her teasing, it sure was fun to see it done to her tormentor. Haruka directed a glare towards the giggling Makoto, which did nothing to silence her. "I'll get you for this." She blonde said.
Ryoga's smirk turned into an evil smile. "Please do." And with that he walked past her, to join his sister. Haruka stopped on her tracks as soon as the words left his lips. It almost sounded like something he desired to happen. She was also aware that she didn't know what he was capable of.
"Be very careful, Haruka-papa." She heard a voice to her side. Turning, she found a serious looking Hotaru. "Ryoga is goading you into attacking him."
Haruka looked confused. "How do you know?" What had happened to the sweet innocent girl Michiru and her had been raising? The girl she knew was shy and spoke very little.
Hotaru shrugged almost the same way as Ranma. "He did that with me once. It was during the Silver Millennium." She turned to see Haruka directly in the eye. "I was lucky Ranma was around." And with that she resumed walking.
Haruka remained unmoving where she stood. Partly because of Hotaru's words, and partly because of something that completely shocked her. The little girl was a good three inches taller than yesterday. When it happened, or how? She had no idea. "I noticed it too." Michiru said from the side. The couple had stopped walking, letting the others distance themselves from hearing range. "It took me a while to recover from the surprise."
Haruka turned to her companion. "What's happening, Michiru?"
Michiru shook her head. I was clear that she was as distressed as her lover. "I don't know. But it has something to do with these Nova people." She resumed walking, and Haruka did as well. "We should probably ask Setsuna about it. She's more likely to give us an answer than them."
Haruka made a face. "We'll have to wait for her to return from her time with that Ranma." Though now that she knew the rest of the family, she felt that Ranma wasn't so bad.
Back with the main group, Usagi looked at Ryoga and asked. "Why are you being so mean to her?" Some of the others heard the question, and expectantly waited for an answer. Even if they had some internal problems, they were still a team and supported each other.
Ryoga took in the expressions of the group and noticed that, with the exception of Hinako and Hotaru, everybody disapproved of his actions. He would have ignored the question, but it came from the person he was escorting. "Let me ask you a question in return." He saw in the expression of his sister that she shared his feelings, so that reassured him on his course of action. "What do you prefer? That I tease her, or that I kill her?"
"What?" Usagi asked, completely shocked. "You can't mean that."
Hinako looked grim. "We do. She's still alive only because Ranma asked us to not do anything rash on his behalf." It was then that the senshi understood. Ranma had been tortured by the senshi of Uranus, and nearly lost his life because of standing up to her. Hinako continued, her voice colder than ice. A voice that reminded them of Setsuna in some ways. "We are a family. And she hurt one of us."
The walk to the shrine was completely silent from that moment on. Each and every person deep in his/her thoughts.
----------------------------------
As soon as the group arrived at the shrine, and Hinako and Ryoga were gone, Usagi looked for the moon cats. "Luna?" She called. She was worried about Artemis, since he had been so distressed when they left.
The black cat didn't take long to enter the room. Her expression was clearly of curiosity, if Usagi was any good at readying the expression of cats. "How did things go?"
Usagi smiled. "They won't oppose us. In fact, Auntie Nodoka said they would help us protect the Earth."
"That's good to hear." Said Luna as all the others entered the room.
A bitter voice, belonging to Artemis, said. "If there's anything left of Earth after they 'protect' it."
Haruka, who had been more nervous around the Novas, was intrigued by this. She quickly asked. "What do you mean, Artemis?"
Artemis looked at every one of them. His eyes rested on little Hotaru, who wasn't so little anymore. "So, you're finally recovering your old self." He said with distaste in his words. Luna, who hadn't been paying attention, turned to Hotaru and gasped. The change was a lot more noticeable now. The others also noticed, and stared.
Hotaru heard Artemis' accusing words and was angered. Her next feeling was of being uncomfortable in a room where all the present stared at her as if she was some kind of freak. Without another second passing by, she left the room. Pain evident in her expression, but pride preventing the tears to come forth. This reaction startled the present people even more. Something was very different from usual, and it wasn't just Hotaru's physical change.
Usagi saw the emotions pass one by one on her young friend's face, and instantly let a glare settle on Artemis, who didn't pay attention to it because he was too interested on the door the senshi of Silence used to exit the room. Not wanting one of her friends to be left alone and hurting, the princess left the room. Before she did so, she turned to everyone and directed glares that could melt steel, clearly sending the message to be left alone. Mamoru ignored it and accompanied her outside, which seemed to calm Usagi a bit.
The tension in the room started to get dimmer after a few minutes of the couple leaving the room. Rei was the first to brake the now long silence. "What the hell is happening?"
Minako was still shivering from the glare Usagi gave her. "Since when could Usagi do 'that'?" And soon everybody was talking at the same time.
Ami, who was the calmest by far of the group, started thinking about the situation. So many things were happening at the same time that it was hard to keep track, but she was going over everything very carefully. All these things were not a coincidence, she could tell that much. Hotaru's change was disturbing for some reason she couldn't fathom. It just felt that way. Usagi's was just as surprising. She seemed to be much more sure of herself and don't have a problem stating her point of view. "They're recovering their memories." She said in a whispered realization.
"What?" Makoto asked over the chaos that had been ruling in the room. They all remained silence for her to continue.
Ami looked forward, knowing it had to be it. "They are recovering their memories from the Silver Millennium."
Michiru shook her head. "Hotaru already had her memories."
This gave more for Ami to work with. "Did Hotaru ever talk about the Silver Millennium?"
Haruka and Michiru shook their heads. "Not a word. She said it was too painful to remember." Said the blonde.
Luna was very nervous when she said. "Then they are recovering their past selves." The room suddenly found her to be very interesting to look at. The cat continued unperturbed by their stares. "Even if you have the memories from that time, you're different people now. The Usagi and Hotaru we know are being combined with Princess Serenity and Sailor Saturn."
"That still doesn't explain the way Hotaru is changing." Ami said, already smelling something funny.
The cats looked at each other. This was going to be difficult.
---------------------------
Usagi and Mamoru found Hotaru sitting next to the wall. She was in the exact same place where she had spoken to Ranma that first day. It amazed them both that tears pretty much refused to leave her eyes. It was so much against the nature of the little girl they knew. As soon as she noticed the company, she did everything possible to hide her pained expression behind an emotionless mask. So much like Setsuna, Usagi thought. The couple walked to her and stopped only shy of embracing their hurting friend. "Hotaru..." Usagi started.
"Save it." The girl said. "I know what you're gonna say. You've said it before." Her expression suddenly turned from emotionless to thankful. "I'm glad you're remembering who you were, princess." And she was indeed glad. Serenity, though her position as a princess limited her contact with the soldiers, had always found time to spend with the most feared senshi. They were about the same age during the Silver Millennium, and young Serenity couldn't help her nature. She had to befriend the lonely girl. Serenity was Hotaru's friend during a time when she most needed it. Between Serenity, Setsuna and the Nova siblings, the young senshi had found more love and understanding than with her own family. Hotaru then turned to Mamoru. "You haven't told her, have you, Endymion?"
Usagi turned to her boyfriend with wonder. "Tell me what?"
Hotaru giggled at the expression that passed through Mamoru's features. It was very close to panic and relief. "Usako. Today when you were talking to Queen Nova, something happened to me. I don't know why, but as soon as I watched Ranma practicing, something clicked in my mind."
************************
Hinako had asked Hotaru to walk with her so they could have some girl talk. Ranma knew better than to get himself mixed in those kind of matters when his sister was involved. He sat down and rested his head on the rock he was leaning against. He was so close to the koi pond, and yet not a little bit worried about the water in it. The curse was not something he would willingly have, but didn't bother him so greatly either. Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, he relaxed and wished Setsuna was here to share the moment with him. His thoughts were interrupted by a male voice. "You have improved, Ranma."
Ranma smirked without opening his eyes. "I was wondering when would you stop acting like a wuzz. You certainly took your time." He opened his eyes, and watched at the figure in front of him. "Endymion."
Said man stood there, not knowing what had really happened. He suddenly remembered all his life of the Silver Millennium, while his present life as Mamoru Chiba was now like a dream. "Do you know what's going on?"
Ranma shrugged. "Hinako told me some of you would probably recover your real selves. Serenity screwed up royally with the resurrection spell and your memories were almost lost. The princess is already starting to act as her real self." His expression changed from mocking to concerned. "Hinako is talking to Hotaru about this." Mamoru turned and saw as Hinako and Hotaru spoke quietly on a corner. As he returned his gaze to Ranma, he could see the martial artist's expression had returned to his arrogant self. "And it seems like you are the next person to recover."
Mamoru nodded. "Yeah. It's good to see you made it, asshole. Pluto deserves to be happy, though I don't know what she saw in you." He finished teasingly.
Ranma chuckled at this. "Look who's talking, Tuxedo Kamen." Mamoru winced at the ridiculous name he had adopted for his secret identity. "The princess must be completely blind to be interested in someone like you." He seemed pensive for a moment, and finished. "Though you're not half as bad as that pathetic super hero wannabe you were here on Earth."
Mamoru's shoulders slumped. "You'll remind me for the rest of our lives, huh? One little mistake and I'll be humiliated for eternity."
Ranma nodded solemnly. "That's right. You should be glad Serenity didn't remember the real you, though. She would have dumped you in a heartbeat seeing the wimp you became. I mean, throwing roses from afar instead of melee fighting? What's wrong with you?"
Mamoru remained incredibly calm for someone who was being mocked so badly about an important matter to him. "Alright already. I get the picture." He suddenly sobered. "Seriously, though. What will you do if the rest of the senshi start recovering their memories?"
Ranma sobered as well. "The princess and Hotaru will be the most benefited from the change. The princess will stop being a crybaby and Hotaru will return to her usual self after years of knowing us. You know how great that is." Hearing a groan from the prince of Earth, Ranma continued. "As for the others, the inners aren't that different from their past. Mercury is still a bookworm. Jupiter and Venus are still boy crazy. Mars is as temperamental as usual. The real problem will be the outers."
"Or one of the outers, to be precise." Mamoru finished for him.
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. If she recovers her past self, she's as good as dead." He said clenching his fists. Mamoru could see the knuckles turning white. But he couldn't blame the other man. The son of Nodoka calmed himself and said. "You should probably return with your friends. They'll start to get suspicious if you don't, and I'm sure that first you want to talk to Serenity about it."
The former Tuxedo Kamen (*Thank God!* He thought to himself.) accepted the advice and left to join the senshi. He couldn't stop himself from smirking at the thought of what would happen now that Ranma was back.
***********************
Mamoru finished his story and expected his girlfriend to scream at him for not talking about this sooner. He was quite surprised when she did not. *Of course not, you idiot! She's returning to her old self as well.* He could remember Serenity was very strong willed and never lost her composure. He was glad, mostly, because of it. He wasn't sure how he would feel about the crybaby now that he was himself once again.
Usagi heard the entire story and pondered things for a while. Each peace of the puzzle was taking its place. "So. You met Ranma in Saturn whenever he was on the Solar System." She said to Hotaru. Seeing the other girl nod, she smiled. Turning to Mamoru. "When did you meet him? It's clear that you're friends, but I want to know more about him."
Mamoru smiled. "We actually started out as rivals in the Earth Academy. Ranma is as human as you will find. The day I met him was in battle practice. He beat me up real good, and the worst part was that he wasn't even using a weapon." He rubbed his jaw. Even if it had been so long ago, he could still feel the way the punch had broken the bone. "I started to challenge him in everything after that. Intent on defeating the one to humiliate me. I never managed to beat him until we started on magic and weapon training. For some reason, Ranma was incapable of both. I gloated about it for some time, but found that I had grown to like him as a friend. We got along fine until Ranma was expelled from the Academy for beating up several of the combat teachers. I know it was self-defense, but no one cared. The next time I saw him, he was by Nova's side." He got a serious expression on his features. His eyes glinted dangerously. "When I found out about Uranus, it took the four guardians and half our army to stop me from killing the bitch."
Saturn nodded, understanding the feeling. "Yeah. When I found out, I was stopped by Ryoga and Hinako. It was weird since Ryoga and Hinako both wanted to kill her themselves." She turned her gaze to the building. "I just hope that Haruka-papa doesn't return to her past self." She didn't say it, but you could read in her eyes that she was afraid of what she might do to her.
Usagi recognized the hostility level going up and coughed to get their attention. "I don't think you'll be getting revenge on one of us." She reinforced her statement with the flaring of her eyes. It was all the proof needed to see that the princess was back. If anything, she had full control of her power. The princess also thought about Ranma for a moment. *Such strong emotions from the people that know him. He must be a good man to be loved like this.* Turning to Hotaru. "Hotaru, I don't mean to bother you but, what's happening to you?"
Hotaru swallowed and looked at her princess. This was gonna be a difficult explanation for both of them.
----------------------------------
Setsuna landed on her butt after another failed attempt to catch Ranma. She had been trying to get back at him for more than an hour now, and she still had to place a finger on the elusive martial artist. "Since when did you become so fast?" She asked in between breaths. The most annoying thing was that Ranma hadn't broken a sweat.
Ranma smiled at the green-haired woman. "Thousands of years of training sure bring forth the best of the human potential." He waved a finger in front of her. "It seems like someone was very lazy all these years."
Setsuna laughed at the joke. Sure, she should be angry, but it was truth. She depended on her magic way too much for everything. She couldn't remember the last time she walked from her job to her house. Taking a deep breath, she tried to stand up. Tried being the word. Her legs didn't have the strength to carry her, and she fell right back down. Or would have if Ranma hadn't caught her midway to the ground. "My hero." She proclaimed throwing her arms around the martial artist. Everybody would be shocked to see the way she could play around with her boyfriend. She didn't care. She was happy, and the world could know about it for all she cared.
Ranma smiled as he scooped her in his arms. "Setsuna, you shouldn't be so lazy. You're putting on weight." This time he did receive a bonk to the head, since he had both his hands busy.
Setsuna smirked triumphantly. "You should apologize for that." She said, menacingly waving a hand.
Ranma feinted being confused. "Why? I thought you would love to hear that you're putting weight in all the right places."
Setsuna pouted. "I'm not gaining any weight. You're getting weaker after all that training." She playfully massaged his bicep to make her point. Ranma started walking as she continued. "Though your endurance is perfect."
Ranma smiled wickedly. "Setsuna? You getting funny ideas on your head?" Her seductive smile told him all he needed to know. "You're a dirty old woman, you knew that? I think you need a dunk in cold water."
Setsuna felt something wrong with that phrase, and turned to see the koi pond very close to them. Too close. "You wouldn't dare." She said looking at the smirking Ranma.
Ranma shook his head. "Throw you in? Nah. But since you're so sexy, I'm in need of a good dunk in the water as well." His smile widened even more.
Setsuna's eyes widened with the implication. "No wait..." A loud splash, followed a female scream of surprise interrupted her words. Nodoka looked through the window, and smiled as she saw her son and Setsuna splashing each other. They laughed freely, without a care in the world. Before things got too enthusiastic, Nodoka turned her attention from the scene. It seemed like cold water did nothing to appease the two lovers.
--------------------------------
Deep in space, but approaching the Solar System at an incredible speed, a ship traveled with its four occupants. "Are you sure this planet has the kind of energy we need?" Asked one of them.
Another answered casually. "I told you twice already. It's more than enough."
The third stated with a cold smile. "What about the habitants of the planet?"
The first to speak did so again. "We'll just have to take care of them. Obstacles shouldn't be a problem with such a weak race."
Their laughter could be heard echoing all over the ship. The fourth figure just smiled expectantly. Soon, they would have some fun. Soon, they would have a chance to kill as they were meant to since their day of birth.
END PART 4
Author's notes: Well, that's TNO part 4 for you. I know things were incredibly boring in this part, but is was a part of the story I couldn't omit. It was necessary for the events that will take place in the future.
Now, for Part 5 we can expect some action. These four people from space are interested in energy (I know, it's not that an original a concept.), and their arrival on Earth will bring consequences that will set in motion bigger events.
See you in part 5! |
