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Sailor Moon

The name Sailor Moon and characters here within are copyright of Naoko
Takeuchi and are used without permission. Some small concepts are also
borrowed from P.C Hodgell and are also used without permission. Other
characters and themes within are copyright of Alexander Gray and
Sharon Wall and are used with permission. This story maybe freely
distributed as long as this header is quoted, the authors are
referenced, and the contents are not altered without permission of the
authors.

(And yes, the various figures portrayed are totally out of character,
but hell, why not?)

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Tidings of War
--------------

(a Sailor Moon plus original story by Alex Gray and Sharon Wall)

                *           *           *           *

Edition status: 1.1 (Last edited 20/10/2001)



A Bright New Day
----------------

    Hotaru looked at herself in the mirror. The new school uniform
that Setsuna-mama had bought her complemented her short dark hair
rather nicely, and Hotaru had to admit that she quite liked the effect
that it gave her. While she had never really thought of herself as
cute before, the uniform did managed to lend her a certain...
something that made her look, well, nice.

    Tilting her head to one side, Hotaru smiled brightly at herself
and tried out a small pose. The image of the young teenager in the
mirror responded, and Hotaru was slightly startled at just how elegant
the figure smiling back at her actually appeared. Short dark black
hair framed a shapely white face that only seemed to help highlight
the large dark eyes that stared so enchantingly back at her. The whole
effect portrayed an image of a delicate refinement that frankly took
Hotaru's breath away. She found it difficult to accept that the same
slender beauty standing reflected in the mirror was actually her, and
she did not quite know what to make of it.

    "You'll be late for school you know, Hotaru-chan, if you admire
yourself much longer," an amused voice suddenly chuckled from behind
her making Hotaru spin around with a gasp. Standing in the hallway
just outside the open door to her room was the tall well built form of
her papa, Haruka. The knowing smile that was on the blond woman's face
made Hotaru suddenly feel very self-conscious, and she felt her cheeks
warm as her eyes abruptly found the floor a fascinating place to stare
at.

    Haruka grinned as Hotaru's face went bright red and the girl's
eyes began to meticulously examine the floor of the room. Her usually
over serious daughter was just so much fun to tease, and when Haruka
had spied the girl posing in front of her mirror, the temptation had
just been too irresistible for words.

    Haruka was just in the process of mulling over what she could say
to press home her advantage, when a summons from her master suddenly
called up the stairs.

    "Haruka! Breakfast!"

    The blond senshi's smile faded slightly in disappointment at the
missed opportunity, and leaving her furiously blushing daughter to
herself, hurried downstairs in response to the summons. Michiru was
not someone who appreciated tardiness, especially not when it came to
breakfast. That was one of the peculiarities about her lover that
Haruka had taken quite a bit of time to figure out. In the early days
of their relationship, when Haruka had not been quite so clued up on
the intricacies of her beloved's nature, she had often been bewildered
by the contrasting differences in the quality of the meals that
Michiru had sometimes made for her. On some days, the food had been
wonderful, mouthwatering articles that left Haruka almost begging for
more, and on others it, had only been the steely eyes of Michiru that
had made Haruka eat the fare placed before her.

    It had taken the blond athlete nearly six months to work out that
being late for breakfast one day, equaled bad food the next. Why, was
a question that Haruka had pondered on long and hard, and the best
answer that she could come up with was that somehow being late for
breakfast made Michiru not feel appreciated or something equally weird
like that. Why exactly that might be was a question beyond Haruka's
ability to answer, so, chalking it up to one of the mysteries of life,
Haruka just made certain that she was on time and left it at that.

    Hotaru heard the hasty exit of her papa and gave a faint sigh of
relief. Haruka-papa seemed to take an almost inordinate amount of
pleasure out of anything that made her blush, and always milked such
situations for all the embarrassment that the older woman could get
which Hotaru disliked intensely. Finally looking up, Hotaru pointedly
ignored the mirror and finished getting ready. Setsuna-mama had been
most explicit about the hour that she would come by to pick her ward
up and that time was almost here. Grabbing the bag containing her
books from the bed, Hotaru closed the door to her room and made her
way downstairs. She had already had breakfast so all she needed to do
now was to kiss her parents goodbye and wait for Setsuna.

    Entering the kitchen, Hotaru deliberately snubbed her papa who was
sitting at the table and went over to stand next to her mama. Treating
the elegant looking woman to one of her special smiles, Hotaru
wordlessly accepted the small packed lunch that her mama gave her and
thanked the woman with a quick kiss on the cheek.

    Michiru took a moment to looked over at Haruka and then back at
her slender daughter. "Teasing you again was she?" was the only
comment the green haired woman made.

    Hotaru gave a small nod and shot her papa an evil stare that made
Michiru fight hard not to grin. While it was true that her daughter
did need a kick in the backside sometimes, Haruka seemed to take an
almost unholy delight in making the girl blush whenever possible.
While such behavior might have been cute when Hotaru was a child,
Michiru could sympathize with how the young teenager now felt about
it. Hotaru was just reaching the difficult age when she wanted to be
treated like an adult, and having Haruka for her papa was not making
that an easy task. Perhaps, it was time that Michiru had a word with
the blond senshi. Hotaru's life was complex enough as it was without
Haruka further adding to her problems.

    "So," Michiru commented, returning to the present, "worried about
your first day at the new school?"

    "A bit," Hotaru confessed nervously.

    Michiru smiled reassuringly and gave her daughter's shoulder a
quick squeeze. "Don't be. I'm sure you'll do fine. Elnear has a
remarkable reputation as private schools go, and Setsuna would not
have chosen it if she was not positive you would be happy there."

    "Suppose..."

    The uncertainty in her daughter's voice made Michiru want to reach
over and give the girl a reassuring hug, but she was unsure how Hotaru
would react to that so she settled instead for giving the dark hair a
quick ruffle. "You'll be fine, believe me. All you need to do is make
some new friends and get yourself settled in. Remember, Setsuna will
be there if you get into..."

    Hotaru's eyes flashed in annoyance. "I'm not a child anymore,
mama. I don't need anyone looking out for me all the time, you know."

    Opps, Michiru thought to herself, wrong thing to say. "Of course
you aren't, Hotaru," she continued soothingly. "I just meant that if
you need any help on the first few days, then at least someone is
there that you can ask, that's all."

    "Oh..."

    Any further comment was interrupted by the sound of the front door
opening and a voice calling out. "It's just me!"

    Haruka looked up from her toast. "Sounds like Setsuna's arrived,"
she announced, and sure enough, a moment later, the aforementioned
woman strode into the kitchen.

    "Good morning," the senshi of Time said with a smile.

    "Morning," Michiru replied politely with a slight nod of her head.
She gave the older woman just enough time to sit down before launching
into the sucker punch routine that she had been planning all night. "I
see you were out all night again," she commented, keeping an innocent
expression on her face. "That's the third time this week, isn't it?"

    Setsuna's head shot up and to Michiru's delight a rare expression
of embarrassment crossed the other woman's face before quickly being
smothered. "Really?" the ancient woman remarked casually, "I hadn't
noticed."

    Michiru briefly debated with her conscience if she should really
be lowering herself down to Haruka's level, but the temptation of
Setsuna's cool expression was just too strong to resist. "Oh, yes,"
she replied, turning back to the worktop. "I'm surprised you hadn't
kept track. That is most unlike you."

    "I'll try and do better," Setsuna returned coldly.

    "Are you getting enough sleep, perhaps?" Michiru moved in for the
kill.

    "What?!" Setsuna squawked bolting to her feet.

    Haruka stared at the half risen form of Setsuna, disbelief on her
face at the ice woman's reaction to Michiru's innocent seeming
question. She glanced over at Michiru and saw the merriment twinkling
in her lover's eyes. What was going on here? Late nights... Setsuna's
reaction to comments about sleeplessness...

    Oh.

    Haruka's eyes bulged at the penny suddenly dropped and she stared
incredulously at the now totally flustered form of Setsuna. "Setsuna!"
she blurted out. "You?! You have a lov..."

    "Haruka!" Michiru snapped and the other woman's mouth snapped shut
as her brain remembered some of the company that was still present.

    The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence that seemed to
stretch on and on. Setsuna's eyes transformed into twin icy rays of
death that repeatedly stabbed out at both the still smirking form of
Michiru and her flabbergasted companion, threatening a fate worst than
death if either dared to say a further word. Hotaru shifted
uncomfortably from one foot to another. This was a definite first.
Setsuna-mama was actually mad, and not just mad, but from the
expression on her face absolutely furious. Hotaru was uncertain how to
react. Setsuna-mama had always been the most controlled person that
Hotaru had ever met, and seeing her now in such a state as this was
like seeing the end of the world.

    "Hotaru," Setsuna suddenly growled, turning her death rays to fix
on her ward.

    Hotaru froze as she was transfixed by the Time senshi's stare. Oh,
Kami-sama... Why me...

    "Get into the car, we're going to be late."

    "Hai!" Hotaru quashed the urge to salute as she scrambled to obey
the other woman's order. As Hotaru virtually fled, Setsuna turned to
look back at the other two women.

    "Tonight," she said promisingly as licking her lips, she stared at
each of the lovers in turn. "We will speak more on this tonight - much
more..." And with that, she stood up and followed after the fleeing
form of Hotaru.

    Haruka turned to look at Michiru, her face pale. "Pack," was the
only word she said.

                *           *           *           *

    Hotaru said nothing as the car sped along the highway towards the
distant district where the private school she was now enrolled at was
situated. She continued to say nothing as the woman behind the wheel
muttered angrily to herself, jerking the car this way and that. She
did not even breathe a word when the police motorbike pulled them over
and gave Setsuna a ticket for speeding. No, Hotaru liked her life and
really wanted to keep it.

    Finally, the car pulled into a safe parking spot and the engine
switched off, signaling at last the end to the ride from hell. Hotaru
slowly released the death grip on her seat and silently thanked the
Lord of Destruction for protecting his representative from the fool
of...

    "Hotaru."

    The young teenager froze. This was it, Setsuna-mama had read her
mind - she was doomed! She was going to di...

    "I'm sorry."

    Eh?

    "I'm sorry, Hotaru-chan," the Time senshi sighed, turning to smile
reassuringly at the dark haired girl. "I did not mean to lose my
temper like that earlier. It's just that, well, things have been
happening to me recently. Things that...  well..." The woman actually
seemed embarrassed, and Hotaru was even more worried now than she had
been by Setsuna-mama's earlier rage.

    "Mama?" Hotaru queried softly, reaching over to touch the older
woman's arm. "Are you all right?"

    Setsuna's face softened and she uncharacteristically pulled her
ward to her and gave the girl a hug. "You're a good person, Hotaru-
chan," she whispered before pushing the teenager back, and then,
looking down at her, said something that struck the girl dumb.

    "I'm getting married."

    Married? Hotaru blinked. She must be hearing things.

    "His name is Caradawc and I met him about a month ago. I don't
really know how to explain it, but the two of us just seemed to hit it
off in ways that..."

    "MARRIED?!" Hotaru suddenly exclaimed in a voice that was loud
enough to ring in Setsuna's ears. "YOU?"

    Setsuna held her breath while she slowly counted up to ten. Hotaru
was only a child, it was natural that she have this kind of reaction.
"Yes, me," the woman finally replied.

    Hotaru saw the faint twitch in the older woman's face, and forced
her initial reaction to the news into something that might make more
sense. "You're getting married," she repeated once more to convince
herself of what the other woman had just said. "Setsuna-mama is
getting married..."

    Setsuna waited.

    "Mama!" Hotaru burst out throwing her arms around a startled
Setsuna. "Congratulations!"

    For a moment, Setsuna was uncertain how to react to her ward's
exuberant hug, but then when she felt the aura of happiness radiating
from the smaller form she laughed, and returned the gesture in full.
Gods, the woman thought to herself as she felt her love for Hotaru
fill her heart, how could I have ever wanted to kill the child...

    Finally, the two separated and Hotaru looked up at Setsuna with an
excited sparkle in her eyes. "Where did you meet him? What's he like?
Is he nice? Can I..."

    "Wait, wait," Setsuna laughed holding up her hand to stop the rush
of questions. "One question at a time, Hotaru-chan, one question at a
time..."

    "I want to be the bride's maid!" the small teenager burst out.
"Please! Can I? Can I? Pleeeaaassseeee..."

    Setsuna raised a hand and ruffled the girl's black hair. "You're
beginning to sound like Usagi, you know," she commented, and a smile
broke out on her face at Hotaru's reaction to that little observation.
"I'm just joking, Hotaru-chan," Setsuna reassured the ashen faced
girl. "Just joking."

    Hotaru gave the Time senshi a hard look. "There are somethings you
just do not say to a person, mama, even as a joke."

    "Sorry," Setsuna replied with a small smirk still on her face.
"But you caught our little Princess's nature perfectly there for a
moment, I just had to say it..."

    "Humph!" was Hotaru's reaction and Setsuna grinned.

    "Hotaru," she said laying a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I would
be honored to have you as my bride's maid. I can think of no one else
I would rather have. You are the nearest thing to a daughter I have
ever had and I..."

    "Mama!" a cry filled her ears and Setsuna found herself buried
beneath another crushing hug as the small teenager wept into her neck.
"I love you, mama!"

    Setsuna was a bit uncertain how to deal with the girl's sudden
display of emotion and awkwardly patted her ward on the back. "And I
you, Hotaru-chan, and I you." She let the small girl hold onto her for
a brief time and then pushed her... well... daughter back. Attempting
to keep her own eyes dry, Setsuna tried to steer the conversation back
to the business in hand. "Hotaru, this may sound a bit inappropriate
just now, but there are a few things you need to know about Elnear
Academy. Things that you must never reveal to anyone - not even Usagi
or your parents. Do you understand?"

    Hotaru saw the seriousness of the expression that her mama was
wearing, and frowning slightly, nodded. The strictly "senshi-business"
side of Setsuna-mama's personality was now fully back in control, so,
wiping her eyes with her hand, Hotaru bobbed her head in agreement.
"All right. If that is what you want..."

    "Good girl," Setsuna nodded, and raising a finger traced a small
symbol out in the air just above her lap. Hotaru's eyes widened as a
faint green fire trailed behind the woman's finger, briefly giving
life to the sigil she was drawing. "..." Setsuna whispered something
that might have been a word under her breath, and Hotaru suddenly felt
a wave of nausea pass through her body, as if the mere sound that she
had caught made her want to throw up.

    Setsuna reached out her hand to steady the small girl and smiled
in apology. "Sorry. I should have warned you before I did that. I
forgot how sensitive you are to the Art, but I need to ensure that we
have some privacy. You can never be certain just who, or what, might
be watching."

    The Art? Hotaru asked herself. What the heck is that? The
confusion she felt must have shown on her face because unusually for
the Time senshi, Setsuna deemed to explain something about what she
was taking about.

    "Oh my, you have forgotten a lot haven't you, Hotaru-chan?"
Setsuna sighed, and looked thoughtful for a moment. "All right, I'm
going to start to mention some names and I want you to tell me if any
of them mean anything to you, okay?"

    Hotaru nodded slowly, "All right..." she said, her voice
uncertain.

    Setsuna smiled. "It's nothing to worry about, Hotaru-chan. I just
want to try and find out how Swiss cheese your memory really is. You
maybe surprised at how much you actually know. Now, what does the word
'Narmer' bring to mind?"

    The blank look on the girl's face gave Setsuna all the answer she
needed.

    "The First Dynasty?" the woman tried again.

    Again she was met by a confused look.

    "The Namers?"

    Nothing.

    "The War of the Fallen?"

    That got a reaction. Hotaru suddenly shivered as if from the cold
and Setsuna leaned forward, her tone urgent. "What is it? What do you
feel?"

    "Cold..." Hotaru murmured, not hearing the voice of the other
woman. "So cold..."

    "What do you feel?" Setsuna pressed.

    "Shadows..." was Hotaru's only reply, and she shivered again.

    Reaching over, Setsuna put her hand on the girl's arm and gave it
a small squeeze, causing the brunette to look up blinking. "Mama?"

    "Don't let it worry you, Hotaru-chan," the woman smiled at the
girl reassuringly. "Perhaps, there are somethings that are best left
forgotten, eh?"

    Hotaru was uncertain what she should say. When Setsuna-mama had
mentioned that "War of the Fallen" some ancient memory deep within her
had stirred, causing a sudden cold feeling to wash over her. There was
also something else that had stirred with that memory - a feeling of
fear. No, not fear - dread. A cold, nameless dread.

    "Hotaru," Setsuna's voice broke in on her reverie. "Do you
remember anything about your previous lives? About the empire over
which Queen Serenity ruled? Anything at all?"

    "No," Hotaru answered, firmly shaking her head. "Although,
sometimes when I'm asleep I think I may see images from my past, but I
can never remember them clearly. I'm afraid the only thing I know
about the Moon Kingdom is what Michiru-mama has told me, and that is
not much."

    "Ah," was the reply followed by a brief moment of silence. "All
right, tell me what you do know then."

    Hotaru shrugged. "Well, I know that the Moon Kingdom was the
political center for a confederation of seven habitable worlds, and
that each had a..."

    "The basics," Setsuna finished with a sniff. "Neptune just told
you the basics. How like her..." She sighed, and leaned back in the
car seat to make herself comfortable. "Well, Hotaru-chan, prepare
yourself for a little history lesson. The Moon Kingdom was actually
the fourth, and probably the least, of the 'empires' to rule over our
little solar system. The..."

    "Eh?" Hotaru broke in. "What do you mean 'the fourth'?"

    In reply, Setsuna gave Hotaru an annoyed look. "I was just about
to come to that, Hotaru-chan, and if you give me a chance I'll
explain."

    Hotaru smiled and tried to look cute. "Heheehe..."

    "Children," Setsuna moaned rolling her eyes. "Yes, Hotaru-chan,
the Moon Kingdom was the fourth. Although, if I was going to be
strictly true, I would say that the Moon Kingdom was the last dying
embers of the Assyia-Cthlia, but that, as they say, is a story for
another day. Originally, this solar system was a minor colony in the
Namer Empire. It was they who originally terra formed the eight worlds
and created the Nine Guardians to protect the colony from..."

    "The senshi?" Hotaru burst out excitedly. "You mean they created
the first senshi?"

    "No," Setsuna restrained herself from giving the small brunette a
dark stare. "The Nine Guardians are the actual planetary spirits that
give the senshi their powers. The senshi themselves were created by
the Assyia-Cthlia when the Guardians no longer responded to any
summonings. If the Guardians were still functioning as they were
supposed to, then all the threats that the Moon Kingdom faced would
have never happened." Setsuna gave a shrug. "The senshi were intended
as a stop gap measure until the Priests of the Assyia-Cthlia figured
out what was wrong, but..." she sighed, "things didn't quite turn out
that way."

    "What do you mean?"

    "The senshi were not the only bio-mage weapons that the Assyia-
Cthlia created. Their Sorcerer-Priests had taken the creation of
artificial life forms to heights which had not been seen since the
fall of the Namer Lords, and at the peak of their civilization the
Assyia-Cthlia were responsible for the creation of the Avatars... And
it was that which ultimately caused their downfall."

    "How so?" Hotaru asked, a bit uncertain where all this was going.

    "The Assyia-Cthlia make the mistake of creating weapons with
minds. The Avatar were literally living bio-weapons, created to fuse
with and enhance any other mage tech they encountered. In someways,
they were the peak of Assyia-Cthlia bio-craft. Their only fault was
that those weapons could think for themselves. It was only a matter of
time until they rebelled."

    "Who rebelled?"

    "The Avatar, and then later, the senshi," Setsuna supplied. "But
it was the Avatar who were the prime movers, and them who saw the
brunt of the action. They were nearly all massacred."

    "But why?" Hotaru exclaimed confused. "Were the Assyia-Cthlia evil
or something?"

    Setsuna shook her head. "No, they were neither good or evil. They
just could not accept that the beings they created were anything other
than tools. And because of that, the Avatar broke them and through
those actions, the foundations of the Moon Kingdom were laid."

    "This is all very interesting, Setsuna-mama," Hotaru said
cautiously, "But what does it have to do with today?"

    "Because enrolled at this school are children who are the direct
descendants of those Avatar who survived," Setsuna stated quietly.
"And with the destruction of the Seven Royal Families, those children
are the only ones capable of becoming the next generation of senshi
after the current holders die."

    "What?!" Hotaru blurted out, jerking around in her seat to stare
at her mama.

    Setsuna fixed a steely stare on her ward. "Why act so surprised,
Hotaru? Uranus, Neptune and the others are not immortal, you know.
They will die one day and then what will happen? Do you expect their
posts to become magically filled or something?"

    "Err, well..." Hotaru floundered. "I've never really thought about
it. I..."

    "Well, I have to," Setsuna said grimly. "Without the presence of
the senshi, our solar system is virtually defenseless. We would fall
like a right plum to anyone who cared to attack. Is that what you want
to see, child?"

    "No! Of course not!" Hotaru spluttered. "But surely Usagi and the
others will live..."

    "A long time, yes," Setsuna finished for her. "Maybe even a few
millennia, but not forever. In the end they will die and then what?
The posts of the senshi will be open and the Seven Royal families that
might once have been able to fill them were destroyed with the Moon
Kingdom. The Avatar are the only choice I have left."

    "But what about the children that Usagi, Rei and the others may
have?" Hotaru asked. "Surely they would be..."

    "I know what you're thinking, Hotaru," Setsuna said shaking her
head, "But I'm afraid it doesn't quite work like that. Only those of
the purest blood have any chance of surviving the bonding process with
the Guardians and thus becoming a senshi. Even in the days of the Moon
Kingdom, it was not unknown for several senshi candidates to die
before one was able to complete the bond. But now..." the women
sighed. "Ami, Makoto, Rei and Minako are only reincarnations of the
Royal Princesses that Queen Serenity sent into the future. Their blood
is human, and it is only because those original princesses were
already bonded to the Guardians, that Rei and the others are the
senshi now. No, Hotaru-chan, I'm afraid that trying to put their
children through the bonding process would only be condemning them to
a painful death, and I will not do that."

    "I don't understand," Hotaru said, a small frown on her white
face. "If you're saying that the senshi have to be pure blooded
royalty to actually become senshi, then how will these Avatars be able
to do it? Are they royalty as well or something?"

    "No. The Royal families of Mercury, Venus, Mars and the other
planets are gone forever," Setsuna answered leaning forward. "The
Avatar are not bound by such limitations. They are quite different
from the original senshi. The Avatar were created to be general bio-
weapons which could be adapted to suit any situation. That was why the
Assyia-Cthlia refused to give them their freedom, they were just too
useful."

    "So, what exactly can these Avatar do that makes them so special?
Are they just a kind of mage?"

    Setsuna snorted in amusement, shaking her head. "Mages? You have
to be joking. The potential of some of the children in that school are
almost as great as your own. And there are one or two who could have
even given Galaxia a serious run for her money. No, Hotaru-chan,"
Setsuna looked down at the now bug-eyed girl. "The Avatar are _not_
just Mages."

    "Galaxia..." the senshi of Saturn whispered with a shiver as the
memories of that dark time once more passed through her mind. That was
not a time that she wanted to dwell on in any great detail, and to
think that there still existed beings with that kind of power scared
the shit out of her. It did however, also bring to mind more questions
than the senshi of Time had yet answered. If these Avatar were _that_
powerful, then why the hell had they not helped the senshi before? Or
even still, why had Setsuna or the others not mentioned them
previously? If what Setsuna-mama was saying was true then...

    Setsuna could almost see the myriad of questions floating across
her daughter's mind and smiled. "Enough, Hotaru-chan, enough. I know
that their must be hundreds of questions that you want to ask, but now
is not the time. The most important thing is that you now know that
the Avatar exist, and that you understand that they are a secret that
no one - and I mean no one - must know about. Not Uranus, Neptune, or
even Princess Serenity."

    "Then why tell me?" Hotaru asked even more confused. This was
getting more weirder by the moment, secrets within secrets, buried
behind yet more mysteries. What was Setsuna-mama playing at?

    The Time senshi however just smiled that same nonchalant smile of
hers and said nothing beyond, "Have a good first day, Hotaru-chan."
And leaning passed the slender brunette, opened the passenger door.

    Hotaru looked at the open door and then back at the smiling woman.
"Mama..."

    "Go," Setsuna ordered with a small push on the girl's shoulder.
"You're going to be late if you stay here."

    From the nature of the smile on her mama's face, Hotaru knew that
it was pointless to try and purse the topic further. When Setsuna-mama
got like this, it would take nothing short of a miracle to get
anything out of her other than a set of one liners which would in
themselves only serve to make things more confusing than they
currently were. Gods, she hated grown ups at times!

    Muttering under her breath, Hotaru climbed out of the car and
stood on the driveway fixing her large eyes to look glumly down at the
ground. This was a somewhat desperate last resort, but it sometimes
work - sometimes.

    "Not this time, Hotaru-chan," Setsuna replied with a light laugh
as she started up the engine. "Oh, and by the way, I would like you to
meet Caradawc tonight, if you don't mind. Would it be too much trouble
if I picked you up from home at about 8:45. I thought it might be
nice if the three of us could have a meal together. It would give the
two of you a chance to get better acquainted. We are going to be a
family after all."

    "But..." Hotaru tried to get in.

    "I won't take no for an answer, Hotaru-chan," Setsuna waved as she
drove off calling out, "See ya tonight!"

    "Mauuu..." Hotaru growled as she watched her mama turn onto the
main street and drive away. "Why me..."

                *           *           *           *

    Hotaru bowed deeply while seven pairs of eyes watched her every
move. "Hajimemashide, mina-san. Kaiou Hotaru tomashimasu. Dozo
yoroshiku." She kept her body bowed for a full ten seconds and then
straightened herself to look cautiously at these inhuman teenagers.

    There were four boys and three girls, each around about Hotaru's
age. Except for two of them, they all had the same dark hair and
refined features that, on first glance, reminded Hotaru oddly of the
image of herself that had been in the mirror earlier this morning. In
fact, apart from the boy who had pure white hair, and the girl with
long hair the color of pale lavender, the seven looked perfectly
normal.

    Well, what did you expect? Hotaru chided herself with a small
smile.

    ::Tentacles and fangs, perhaps?:: a soft voice whispered in
amusement through the vaults of her mind, causing Hotaru to gasp.

    ::We could do that you know, if that is what you would like,
Kaiou-san:: another voice giggled.

    ::Might scare you a bit though..::

    ::Good idea. Let's see what the senshi's got, eh?::

    Hotaru was beginning to get swamped under the force of all the
alien thoughts bombarding themselves on her consciousness. The power
of these teenager's telepathy was slightly more than she could cope
with, and it was beginning to make her head spin.

    ::I know something that will give her a good scare:: the giggling
voice stated again in a way that made Hotaru tense slightly. ::Let me
try a..::

    ::And I know something that will give _you_ a good scare as well,
Relnus:: a soft voice suddenly stated, calmly drowning out all the
others. ::Try anything on Kaiou-san, and I'll make sure you meet it,
okay?:: The tone of the soft voice did not change and Hotaru was
uncertain if it was a threat or a joke.

    A sudden silence filled Hotaru's mind and she could almost sense
the scrabbling withdrawal of the others, leaving her alone. Well,
almost.

    ::Kaiou-san?:: the soft voice that had spoken up for her queried,
and Hotaru was lost on how she should respond. She was not telepathic,
how could...

    "Is this better, Kaiou-san?" the girl with the long lavender hair
said standing up and straightening her dress. "I'm sorry about all of
that. If I had known that certain people were going to be so rude I
would have stepped in earlier." The girl's head turned slightly to
look at one of the boys opposite and something passed between them
that made the other face pale. "But, I'm certain it won't happen
again, will it, Relnus?" the girl stated with a lopsided smile.

    The dark haired boy who was called Relnus flushed and shook his
head emphatically.

    "Good," the girl commented before walking over to Hotaru holding
out her hand. "Then let me be the first to introduce myself, Kaiou-
san. My name is Rhiannon, or Rhian for short. Pleased to meet you."

    Hotaru stared at the offered hand for a second and then at the
smiling face that was before her. Whoever this Rhiannon was, she
certainly seemed to carry some authority among these people, so Hotaru
hoped to Heaven that the girl's seemingly kind intentions were just
that.

    ::Caution can be wise in some circumstances, Kaiou-san:: that soft
voice spoke again. ::But you have to trust people sometimes, you
know:: Hotaru winced at the slight undertone of reproach that was
communicated in that voice. She looked up from the offered hand and
into the blue-grey eyes of Rhian. The girl blinked, and the smile on
her face widened as she boldly met Hotaru's stare. ::Trust me, Kaiou-
san:: the voice whispered again. ::Please::

    Ah, what the hell...

    "I'm pleased to meet you, Rhian-san," Hotaru jumped in with both
feet taking the offered hand and giving it a firm squeeze. She used
the opportunity to take a good look at the girl who she suspected was
in some way the leader of the bunch. On the surface, Rhian appeared to
be Hotaru's own age, and was of almost exactly the same height and
slender build. That delicate frame however, did not portray a sense of
weakness, but instead, somehow lend her an air of presence that, much
like Usagi in her better moments, yelled out 'I am here - see me'.
Luxorious, thigh length hair the color of pale lavender framed a
beautiful, artistically refined face. Gold streaks shone here and
there in the semi-braided hair, making it the most unique coloration
Hotaru had ever seen, and yet somehow, it seemed to suit the girl,
simply adding to Rhian's aura of otherworldliness. Nodding her head
slightly as if to acknowledge Rhian's distinctive presence, Hotaru
added, "And please, call me Hotaru. All my friends do."

    Rhian beamed. "See, that wasn't too difficult, was it, Hotaru-
san?" She gave a small laugh and releasing her grip of Hotaru's hand
turned to gesture at the others. "So then. let me introduce you to the
rest of the gang." She pointed at one of the dark haired girls.
"That's Branwen, but we all call her Bran." The dark haired girl
nodded her head and smiled back warmly.

    "Dylan." And a boy nodded his head politely.

    "Arianrod, or Arian." The last girl nodded her greeting.

    "Maxen." The boy with pure white hair grunted.

    "Pwyll." Another boy smiled and bowed his head in welcome.

    "And finally, Relnus, who you have already met of course," Rhian
finished with a sweeping gesture turning back to look at Hotaru. "That
is just about everyone..." she paused. "Ah, there are a couple of
others but they are quite a bit older than us and pretty much keep
themselves to themselves. You may meet them later, but I doubt it
somehow."

    "I'm very pleased to meet you all," Hotaru smiled, bowing her head
slightly once more.

    "Well, at least she's polite," the boy called Maxen commented to
Arian. "From what Azarth told us about their kind, I had been
expecting some kind of stuck up snob and that would have been a pain."

     Hotaru kept the smile on her face and remained silent. She had to
play this out until she got some kind of feel for what the heck
Setsuna-mama had gotten her into here. Reacting to snide comments like
that was not going to help her position one bit. If she had any idea
just exactly what her position was that is...

    "Maxen, be nice," Bran said looking over at the boy. "I imagine
this is as difficult for her as it is for us, so let's try and keep
things civil, eh?"

    "Arawn wants this alliance to work as well, remember, Maxen,"
Pwyll chipped in. "So at least give her a chance."

    Maxen held up his hand defensively. "Hey, hey, you've got me all
wrong. I like her, she's nice. That's all I was trying to say." He
stood up, and putting his right hand up to his chest, flashed Hotaru a
wide smile and executed a deep sweeping bow. "I am honored, Hotaru-
hime," he said jokingly, the expression on his face full of mirth.

    Hotaru flushed slightly with embarrassment the boy's honorific,
and this seemed to be the trigger which broke the metaphorical ice.
The next thing that Hotaru knew was that she was surrounded by a flock
of teenagers with questions being fired at her left and right.
Questions about her likes, dislikes, which types of music she listened
to, what her family was like, and so on and so forth. Hotaru tried to
answer as honestly as she could, but also tried to avoid giving away
information that she regarded as being sensitive. Throughout this
questioning, Hotaru noticed that the girl called Rhian and the boy
called Relnus hung back. Rhian seemed to be looking at her with a
thoughtful smile, and the boy just seemed to be bored, as if he did
not care one way or another. Hotaru was not sure which one she should
be more concerned about. These youngsters seemed to be friendly
enough, but Hotaru could not really tell if they were being genuine or
not. She just hoped that they were, but when...

    ::Ah, come on, Hotaru-san, don't be like that:: the soft voice
that Hotaru associated with Rhian spoke through her mind. ::We are
trying you know. This isn't easy for us either::

    Hotaru gave a brusque answer to a rather impertinent question
about her three measurements and raised her head in an attempt to
catch Rhian's eyes. She had so many questions running through her head
and yet no way to ask them. Gods! It was at times like this she wished
she was tele...

    ::You don't have to be, Hotaru-san:: Rhian's amused voice giggled.
::I am, and that should be more than enough. I can understand how you
feel like you've been thrown in at the deep end, and I can more than
sympathize. But you also have to realize that your Pluto is quite
right when she says that our kind is the only hope that you have for
continuing the lineage of the senshi. Indeed, she was quite convincing
in putting that case across. She was also quite convincing in stating
why we should start to help you. Our race has been nursing its wounds
for far too long, and the time when we can continue to allow such
stupidity is past..:: Her voice faded out for a moment, and to Hotaru
it seemed as if the girl was almost ashamed of something.

    ::Did you know we could have helped you against Galaxia but chose
instead to sit back and watch? Insane isn't it?:: Rhian's voice took
on a sardonic cast. ::From what I understand, it is almost sheer luck
that this world escaped unscathed, and yet, their are still more than
a few of us who insist that this experiment must end::

    Experiment? Hotaru queried, hoping that Rhian would pick up her
thoughts.

    She did.

    ::This:: the girl replied as her blue eyes swept over the
teenagers gathered in the room. ::The seven of us represent nearly all
of the youngest of our kind. Can you imagine the position that this
has put Arawn, my father, in? If something goes wrong, then not only
will he suffer, but so will our hopes of surviving as a race. However,
as Pluto said, if we don't do something now then ultimately it may not
matter anyway. And that, Hotaru-san, is why you are here::

    What do you mean?

    For a moment, Rhian said nothing but then she spoke ::Pluto
originally said it was because you were the most suitable, but my
heart tells me that it is more than just that. You are the senshi of
Rebirth, Hotaru-san, of Creation and Destruction, but whether that
role will be for good or ill, I just do not know::

    Hotaru frowned. Rhian seemed to know a heck of a lot about her,
had Setsuna-mama told these people _everything_?

    "Come on. Hotaru-san, give us a little credit please. We can find
out somethings for ourselves," Arian huffed, giving Hotaru a slightly
reproachful look.

    "Ah, well, I..." Hotaru felt her face go red and she stumbled
around for the words to apologize. She hated the fact that these
people could read her every thought! It just was not fair!

    "Hotaru-san has a point, you know," Bran commented, turning to
look at Rhian. "It is a bit rude of us to just poke around in her mind
without asking." To which, Rhian's response was just a small shrug.

    "Well, she's just going to have to get used to it, Bran, unless of
course you want to teach her how to Speak as well."

    Bran straightened up and looked over at Hotaru. "Is that
possible?"

    "Heck, Bran, can't you remember your history at all?" Pwyll
sighed. "Even the commoners in the Moon Kingdom were able to Speak if
they were taught right. The nobility had no problems at all. They just
can't Listen as we can."

    "Oh, yeah, heheheee," Bran bought her hand up to her cheek and
scratched it. "I forgot."

    "Silly girl," Pwyll muttered with a fond shake of his head before
turning his attention back to Hotaru. "Would you like to learn how to
send thoughts like we can, Hotaru-san? It really isn't all that
difficult, and besides, as Rhian says, if you're going to be with us
then you need to learn."

    "Look, to be honest, all I really want is just for someone to
explain to me what the heck this is all about," Hotaru exclaimed
rising to her feet. "Is that expecting too much?"

    Rhian looked at the earnest expression on the small brunette's
face and sighed. "Pluto must have already told you something, Hotaru-
san. The seven of us are going to be the replacements for the current
senshi when it is time for them to pass on. There is no great mystery
about it. Our natural life spans, baring death, are numbered in
millennia, and unlike the Royal Houses of the Seven that the senshi
came from, our kind were explicitly created to meld with the kind of
weapons that the Guardian's represent. The chances of us surviving the
bonding process are almost guaranteed, and if your Pluto is correct
about what the future may bring, then we - and I include you in that -
will be sorely needed."

    "What do you mean?" Hotaru asked, concerned. "What exactly did
Pluto say?"

    "Only my father knows the exact details," Rhian said perching
herself against a table. "But he did mention that the Time Gates had
shown the possibility of the emergence of an enemy that threatened not
just our solar system, but our entire galaxy." The girl shrugged, "I
know it sounds a bit cliche, but that's essentially all I know."

    "But I still don't understand how I..."

    "And I can't give you answers I don't have, Hotaru-san," Rhian
replied holding up her hands. "You know about the same as me. The only
ones who would know more are my father and your Sailor Pluto. And I
can tell you now, trying to get answers out of my father is like
trying to get..."

    "Blood from a stone," Hotaru finished with a sigh. "Yes, I know
someone just like that."

    "They want us to learn how to work together as a team, Hotaru-
san," Dylan spoke up getting to his feet. "That seems pretty clear. As
far as I understand it, the strength that the senshi have always had
is their ability to work together as a team, and that is obviously
what they want us to learn to do. Sending us to the same school,
putting us in the same class - it's all working towards that common
goal - developing us as a team."

    "But why me?" Hotaru knew she was beginning to sound like a broken
record, but this situation was making her spin and she needed to make
sense of it in anyway that she could. "Why involve me?"

    From where he was standing Relnus snorted, "I would have thought
the answer to that one was obvious, Kaiou-san. You are not part of the
senshi team, not really. So by removing you they..."

    "I am so!" Hotaru exclaimed angrily glaring daggers at the rude
boy. "I have always been..."

    "Hey, calm down you two," Pwyll hurriedly jumped in both
figuratively and literally in an effort to keep the situation from
degenerating into an argument. "There's no need to start getting
personal now."

    "Relnus does have a point though," Rhian spoke up, earning her a
dark look from Hotaru which the lavender haired girl just ignored.
"You do have a rather, ah, unique position in the senshi, Hotaru-san.
Neither really in or out - just on the side so to speak."

    "I am not!" Hotaru fired back, getting angry now. "I'm as much a
part of the Outers as any of them!"

    "Really?" Rhian replied, tilting her head thoughtfully
"Surprising... Tell me, Hotaru-san, just how much of your own history
do you know? And I don't mean the history of your current persona, but
rather, the history of Sailor Saturn."

    Hotaru's impulsive anger at Rhian's words cooled rapidly as the
other girl's question made her stop and think. Just what exactly did
she remember of her past? That was a very good question. Her mouth
closed shut as she contemplated what Rhian had asked.

    "You don't know, do you?" Rhian mused, looking over at Hotaru
closely a small frown crossing her face. "Or you haven't yet realized
the full implications of it..."

    "Implications?" Hotaru inquired. "What do you mean, implications?"

    "Saturn is sometimes called the senshi of Rebirth - yes?" Rhian
asked.

    "Yeah, so?"

    "And just how many times have you been reborn now?" the Avatar
queried softly. "Three times? Four?"

    Hotaru raised her hands. "The only ones I know of were the times
when the Moon Kingdom was originally destroyed and in the fight
against the Death Busters. If there have been any others then I cannot
remember them."

     "According to our knowledge you have been Reborn eight times
since the Assyia-Cthlia originally created you," Bran supplied,
looking at Hotaru closely to see how the brunette would react. "You
are unique, Hotaru-san. The only still living original senshi."

    "Oh," was the only word Hotaru could think to say.

    "A one-shot doomsday weapon, specifically created to have the
ability to regenerate..."

    "In some ways you could say that you are a lot like us," Pwyll
remarked somberly, interrupting Bran's explanation. "We were created
originally just to be weapons as well. And like you, the founding of
the Moon Kingdom did not change things much for us either. In a way,
all we managed to achieve by fighting the Assyia-Cthlia was to wipe
our race out. By the time the war was over there were only 30 of our
kind left and..."

    "Pwyll, I don't really think Hotaru-san is interested in a history
lesson," Bran said, taking back control of the conversation. "What she
was asking was why she had been put into this position in the first
place."

    "And that is what I was trying to tell her..."

    The sound of the entrance to the small room sliding open stopped
the rest of the conversation dead as everyone turned to see who it was
who had disturbed them. Two people strode into the room, and closing
the door behind them, took a moment to glance around. As Hotaru felt
their eyes pass over her, she instinctively shivered and reached for
her own power. Both of these figures emanated an aura of such
strength, that Hotaru knew instantly that they could be dangerous
threats.

    "Father!" Rhian gave a glad cry and ran over to embrace a man that
made a certain Knight of Hotaru's acquaintance look like average
material.

    "Rhian-chan," the man in question gave a rueful smile and ruffled
the grinning girl's long hair.

    "Rhiannon, stop that," the young woman beside him with hair that
was slightly darker in color than Setsuna's chided the girl. "We
aren't here for a family visit - this is business."

    Hotaru was slightly surprised by how those words seemed to deflate
the girl, but Rhian meekly did as the young woman asked.

    "Sorry, mother," she said, releasing her hold on the young looking
man and stepping back.

    "Oh, don't look so down, Rhiannon," the woman consoled the girl.
"Your father and I will be home tonight. We can speak then."

    "Really?" Rhian queried, looking up at the woman with a hopeful
expression on her face.

    "Yes, we have some news for you."

    "What..."

    "Quiet now, Rhiannon," the woman said once more, turning to look
at the man alongside her. "We have more important business to attend
too."

    "Kaiou-san?" the man smiled, holding out his hand towards Hotaru
which she automatically took. "Please, I know that all of this may
seem to be a bit sudden and strange to you at the moment, but if you
will allow me to explain things I think I can answer any questions
that you may have. But first off, let me start by introducing myself
and my consort. My name is Arawn Annwvyn," he nodded his head, and
then turning to the woman beside him said, "And this is my consort,
Olwen Penkawr."

    "Hajimemashide, Kaiou-san," the woman inclined her head once.

    "Dozo Yoroshiku," Hotaru bowed in response, releasing the man's
hand.

    "Pleased, I'm sure," the man called Arawn finished stepping back
and indicating that everyone should be seated. Hotaru glanced over at
Rhian and saw that the girl still had her eyes locked on her father.
Hmmm... There was something odd going on here.

    ::Rhian's family circumstances are... difficult:: a voice that
sounded suspiciously like Bran's whispered through Hotaru's mind, and
she glanced over at the other girl.

    How so? she queried, remembering how Rhian had read her mind
before, and hoped that Bran could do the same.

    ::That does not concern you, Hotaru-san:: Rhian's voice coldly
replied as her blue eyes flashed angrily at Hotaru.

    Opps... Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean...

    "Kaiou-san?"

    Hotaru blinked, and looked up as she realized that Arawn was
staring at her. Putting a smile on her face, Hotaru nodded, "Sorry?
What was that you were saying?"

    The man graciously waved her apology away. "Do not worry yourself,
Kaiou-san, I can more than understand how difficult this is for you,
so please let me try and explain." He looked around the room at each
of the teenagers and then began. "I'm sure that some of you have
already been told this, but for those who haven't I will try and start
from the beginning. A few months ago, I was contacted by Meiou Setsuna
- which is the current alias for Sailor Pluto - regarding the
possibilities of an alliance between the senshi and the Avatar.
Although you may not know this, Kaiou-san, the relationships between
the Avatar and the Moon Kingdom have never been particularly what I
would describe as cordial, so Pluto's offer took me initially quite by
surprise. However, the matters that Pluto bought to my attention soon
changed my mind. Over the last few years the Time Gates have been
showing hints of a possible future which, according to Pluto, has been
getting stronger and stronger ever since it first appeared. And
although I can't tell you the exact details of that future, what I can
tell you is that it revolves around the emergence of a... well...
entropic force, I think is the most appropriate word to use. A force
that appears to be affecting not just our solar system, but the entire
galaxy."

    "Entropic force?" queried Pwyll timidly. "May I ask what you mean
by that, my Lord?"

    My Lord? Hotaru thought, slightly surprised by the use of the
term. Was this Arawn some kind of ruler?

    "Perhaps hunger might be a better word, Pwyll," Arawn replied,
looking at the boy. "That's the word Pluto used to describe it. A
hunger which appears to be consuming anything in its path."

    "But what does that have to do with us... Ah... my Lord..." Bran
flushed and looked down nervously.

    Arawn laughed. "I'm not going to eat you, Branwen," he said, but
then something made his face become more somber. "I would never do
anything to hurt you, Branwen, you, or any of you." He looked over at
Hotaru. "I do not know if you realize this, Kaiou-san, but the only
reason I would ever allowed someone with your power anywhere near our
children is that Pluto knows what we would do to your princess if this
was a ruse."

    "What?!" Hotaru sat up alarmed. "What do you..."

    "Please understand, Kaiou-san, it is nothing personal," Arawn
reassured her. "But our children are the only things that matter. They
represent the only hope of a future that our race has, and I _will_
not put them in danger for _anything_. I hope you can understand that,
Kaiou-san. The only thing that stands between us and the extinction
of our race is just ten children. Can you imagine the kind of threat
that would be necessary for me to even consider putting any of them in
danger?"

    Hotaru eyes widened. "Ten..." she mouthed.

    "There is a price for near immortality, Kaiou-san," Arawn
continued. "And the Assyia-Cthlia did not exactly create our race with
reproduction in mind. However, the point I want you to understand is
the gravity of the situation that all of us are in - and I'm not just
talking about an elusive future that may never show up."

    "Then what, if I may ask, is the danger, my Lord?" Bran asked,
emboldened by what Arawn had said earlier. "What is this threat all
about?"

    "I would have thought the answer to that was obvious, Branwen,"
Olwen answered harshly instead. "The threat is extinction. Now that I,
Goewin, Blodeuwedd, Cordelia, Indeg, Morvudd, Modron, Essyllt, Hunydd
and Morvyth are past our breeding age, it will be your's, Rhiannon's
and Arianrod's responsibility to ensure the next generation. We need
to be..."

    "I don't think that was quite what Branwen was asking, Olwen,"
Arawn interjected quietly.

    "Well, it should be," Olwen replied, still staring at Bran who was
looking distinctly uncomfortable by now. "It should be the matter that
is foremost in everyones mind."

    "Yes, I agree with you, my dear," Arawn tried to soothe things
over, "But there are also other concerns that are just as vital." He
looked back at Bran. "The answer to your question is simple, Branwen.
Over the last seven years our planet has come under attack from more
enemies than in the last four thousand put together. And nearly all of
these attacks have been potentially devastating events. Things are
happening, Branwen. That is something both Pluto and I fully agree on.
What it is, or where it is ultimately leading, I just do not know, but
make no mistake - things are happening. Change is coming, a kind of
change on the scale that we have not seen since the Fall of the
Namers."

    "What do you mean, father?" Rhian asked confused. "Are you saying
that something or someone is deliberately causing all these events?"

    "No, Rhian," Arawn shook his head. "What I am saying is that
events along this scale do not occur just for nothing. _Something_ is
happening, but whether or not it is the result of a deliberate action
is hidden from us. Pluto believes that it may be linked to this future
that the Time Gate keeps hinting at, but I am yet to be convinced."

    "Then you're saying that _something_ is happening, but you have no
idea what, is that it?" Hotaru tried to make some sense out of what
the man was saying.

    The expression on Arawn's face was thoughtful for a moment and
then he asked, "Do any of you know about the basic principles upon
which the Namers were able to create the artifacts we call the Time
Gates?"

    Uniform silence met his question.

    "I'll take that as a no then," Arawn said looking around at the
blank faces. "Basically, the Time Gates work on the principle that
every event in the Universe is connected to every other event. I'm
sure you're all familiar with the axiom 'for every action there is an
equal and opposite reaction'. Well, the Time Gates utilize a similar
concept. For every event that happens in the Universe, there is a
cause for that event and a reaction to that event. Simply put, the
Namers created a technology that was able to scan each and every event
that occurs within a single moment, and from that, calculate all the
precedent and antecedent events related to it."

    "Sorry," Bran stated. "I'm lost already."

    "What father is trying to say, is that the Time Gates can workout
the past and the future by understanding the present," Rhian supplied.

    "Look at it this way, Bran," Pwyll spoke up. "If I were to pick up
a glass and drop it - what would happen?"

    "It would break most likely," Bran huffed.

    "Unless it landed on something soft," Dylan added. "Or someone
caught it."

    "But those are separate events," Pwyll stated. "I'm just talking
about one - what would happen if I dropped a glass onto this floor?"

    "It would break, obviously," Bran sniffed. "But what's that to do
with..."

    "So, from my action I can work out that by dropping the glass it
will most likely break, and that if I hadn't have picked it up, then
the probability of it breaking would not be there," Pwyll continued as
if Bran had not spoken. "Understand?"

    "'Suppose..." Bran did not look convinced.

    "For the event of the glass breaking to occur, I know that I have
had to pick it up first," Pwyll tried again. "And I also know that I
have had to drop it. Therefore, the two events are related to each
other - yes?"

    Bran nodded.

    "So, the Time Gates work along the same lines. For any single
moment in time, they are able to calculate the events that led up to
that moment and the events that will follow it."

    "But how?" Bran asked, wide-eyed. "What you are saying is that
these Time Gates are all-seeing - that they know everything. How the
heck can that be?"

    "The technology of the Namers is beyond our comprehension," Arawn
replied with a shrug. "While we may be able to understand the
concepts, I doubt we will ever be able to understand the how. But the
point I'm trying to make, is that all these events on some level are
connected, and because of that, having so many occur in such a short
space of time means that something at a pretty fundamental level is
happening."

    "Ahh... But what about the emergence of Crystal Tokyo?" Hotaru put
in. "That's supposed to happen in a thousand years, isn't it? Are you
saying that it is now under threat?"

    "No, that's not what I'm saying," Arawn corrected her. "What I am
saying is that change is occurring, and that this change is something
we will all have to prepare for."

    "But I still don't get why this is such a threat," Hotaru pressed.
"You're saying that change is coming, okay, I can accept that. And in
addition to this change, that there is a distant threat that may, or
may not, occur. Fine, I can accept that too. But what is the big deal?
When Crystal Tokyo occurs, then the senshi will be able to deal with
both, surely. I mean..."

    "And when they are dead?" Arawn interrupted. "Who will deal with
the threat then?"

    Hotaru blinked. "Dead?"

    "How long do you think your friends will live for, Kaiou-san?"
Arawn asked casually. "Two thousand, three thousand years? Then what?
Who will deal with the threats then? What would happen if someone like
Beryl or Galaxia attacked the Earth? What?"

    When Hotaru did not answer Bran took up the conversation. "So,
you're saying that we will be the ones that may have to deal with this
threat. Is that it, my Lord?"

    "Change is coming," Arawn repeated. "And with change comes
conflict, and my heart tells me that this time will be no different."

    "Can't the Time Gate tell us anything?" Bran queried, sitting up.
"From what you..."

    "Paradox," was all the man said. "There are times when knowing too
much can be even more dangerous than knowing nothing at all. That is
the danger with using the Time Gates to probe too deeply into what
might be. It is a risk that neither Pluto or I are willing to take. We
know enough to say that we must be prepared, and for now, that is
enough."

    Arawn was being evasive, Hotaru had seen enough of Setsuna-mama's
behavior in the past to know that. Something indeed might be happening
in the future, but Arawn knew more about it than what he was saying.
If what the man had said was true about being so protective of the
children in this room, then Hotaru just could not see him risking
their safety for a "something" that might occur in a vague future.

    No.

    While she could understand some of the sense of having a team of,
well, replacement senshi. The man's act about the importance of it
somehow did not ring quite true, and from the expressions of some of
the other people in the room, they were not convinced either.

    "So, how exactly is this expected to work?" Hotaru decided it was
time to return to more mundane matters. She would tackle Setsuna-mama
tonight to see if she could get anymore information. "What is it that
you expect the eight of us to do?"

    ::You are right, Hotaru-san:: Rhian's voice whispered in her mind.
::Father is being evasive - too evasive::

    ::Agreed. There is something else going on:: Bran added softly.
::But I have difficulty believing that Lord Arawn could be so...::

    ::Transparent?:: Pwyll supplied. ::Yes, it is almost as if they
want us to suspect something::

    Why? Hotaru queried.

    ::A catalyst to get us to work together, perhaps?:: Arian added
her penny's worth.

    ::Who knows?:: Pwyll answered. ::The only thing I can suggest is
that we...::

    ::Live with it:: a deep voice broke into the conversation, and all
eyes flew to look at Arawn who was staring at them with a cool
expression on his face.

    "A good question, Kaiou-san," Arawn commented as if nothing had
happened. "For the moment, all I ask is that you get to know each
other. Special arrangements have been made here at the school so that
you will all be by yourselves in one class. Extra lessons in some
topics that you might find interesting have also been arranged. I know
that this may not be exactly what you were expecting, Kaiou-san, but I
can assure you that all these arrangements have the full backing of
Meiou-san, and works to both our advantages. However, I can understand
if you do not wish to trust us yet. You are more than welcome to leave
until you have discussed things with Pluto, Kaiou-san."

    "No, I'm fine thanks," Hotaru said quietly, shaking her head.
"I'll stay for the moment. Setsuna-mama dropped me off here, so I
think I can trust you. I will be speaking with her tonight and I can
ask her for the details then."

    Arawn nodded his head in thanks. "I am grateful for that trust,
Kaiou-san, and I hope that I can show a similar trust in you. Please
remember, I'm also entrusting you with the future of our race. They
are good kids, please... look after them..." The expression on his
face seemed to Hotaru to become saddened, but it was so fleeting that
she was not certain if she had imagined it or not. "Well, Kaiou-san,
everyone, I will leave you to your classes. Please, try and remember
that you are going to be working together from now on. I know it is
not an ideal situation, but I believe we can make it work - at least
try, eh?"

    And with that, he and the woman turned and left, closing the door
behind them.

    "Well, that was different," Pwyll said cheerfully into the
silence, making a few uncertain smiles erupt on people's faces.

    "That's one way of putting it," Bran added.

    "So, Hotaru-san," Rhian said turning to face the brunette. "What
now? Do you trust us, really?"

    Hotaru caught the earnest look on the girl's face and bit at her
lip. What could she say? Trust is a very precious gift. It is not
something you can just give away to someone you have only just met.
However, if she was honest with herself, Hotaru did want to try and at
least give Rhian and the others the benefit of the doubt. Ironically,
as the man Arawn had said, Rhian, Pwyll, Bran - they all did seem like
good kids. But still...

    She swallowed, and looked around at the faces staring at her. She
knew that they were probably following her thoughts even now, and
while that idea still made her feel slightly uncomfortable, she was
getting more used to it. Looking back at Rhian, Hotaru nodded her
head. "I will try," she said with a small smile. "It will take me some
time, but I will try."

    Rhian's face lit up with a smile that seemed to reach all the way
up to her eyes, and she nodded. "Thank you, Hotaru-san. That is all we
can ever ask of you."

    "That maybe all you're asking of her, Rhian," Bran added with a
laugh. "But I for one will be asking a great deal more." She clapped
her hands together in a begging position and turned to face Hotaru.
"Please, Hotaru-san, I'm desperate for a study partner. I'm sick to
death of having Pwyll tell me how stupid I am all the time when I
partner up with him, and no one else is ever available. So,
pllleeasse, will you help me out?"

    "Hey, what do you mean I always call you stupid?" Pwyll
spluttered. "I never..."

    Bran spun around, her cute face red. "Yes, you do! All the time!
Whenever I get one little thing wrong, you always..."

    "That's because you always get things wrong!" Pwyll shot back,
leaning towards her. "You..."

    "Aye, aye. The lovebirds are at it again," Arian commented to no
one in particular, causing Pwyll and Bran to stop dead. And then...

    "We are not!"

    "What do you mean?!"

    "Hey, Arian! What about you and..."

    ::They can be children sometimes, Hotaru-san:: Rhian sent with a
grin as she came over to stand by Hotaru. ::But they are my friends,
my family, and I'd trust them with my life. I only hope that in time
you will come to regard them in the same way::

    Hotaru looked over at the girl who was the same height as her, and
then back at the now squabbling threesome, and a smile crept onto her
face. She nodded, but said nothing as she just stared into Rhian's
eyes. Rhian looked slightly confused, and her mouth twitched, almost
as if she wanted to ask what was the matter.

    And it was then that the small senshi of Destruction burst out
giggling.

                *           *           *           *