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It was a typical night at my apartment. Sitting about while drinking Sprite and reading Jane's Gun Recognition Guide , I was content with the world. As long as I had Sprite, time, and books to read, I was happy. As I was browsing through the light machine gun section, I inexplicably began to think of my female friends.
"I wouldn't let Usagi handle ANY of these weapons, especially an automatic weapon!" I thought. After watching Usagi trip and fall for no reason several times, I felt justified in concluding that any misstep with her carrying a weapon could be fatal to herself- or others.
"Ami would probably be suited to using a sniper rifle like the PSG1, a German sniper rifle made by the famous gun makers Heckler and Koch. I imagined her estimating the target's speed and distance to make the bullet hit wherever she wanted it to. That thought was kind of creepy because I could easily imagine being the target.
Setting the book down, I went to refill my cup of Sprite when my mind suddenly turned to Setsuna. She was "a riddle wrapped in an enigma" as Winston Churchill once said. His quote seemed to fit her perfectly... every time I saw her she looked as if she were in thought about something, something that I could not decipher simply by looking at her. She was indeed a mystery, one that occupied my mind at random times like when taking a shower or walking about. What made her tick?
Then I thought to the conversation I had with her on Halloween. As Sailor Pluto, I knew that loneliness was her lot and that she seemed to always be formal in her interaction with others.
"We are a lot alike, she and I." I mused out loud.
I felt a liquid pour onto my right foot. When I looked down to see what it was, I realized that I had filled my cup to overflowing! Sprite was flooding from the counter onto the wood floor!
"D'oh!" I shouted as I began to clean it up with paper towels. In my zeal to clean the mess, I knelt down too quickly and experienced a burning pain diagonally across the right part of my head. I immediately dropped the wad of paper towels and clutched my head as I rolled about in pain.
I grit my teeth as I sat up and cradled the injured part of my head in my hands. Rocking back and forth, I kept my hand clasped to the area and eventually got up and went to my bathroom mirror. Upon removing my hand, I found that I had given myself a small diagonal cut on my head that was bleeding a bit, but nothing too serious. Cleaning the injury and bandaging it, I brushed my hair back into place and practically fell onto my bed as I went to lay on it. The pain was overwhelming, but I had virtually no aspirin on hand.
As I lay trying to endure the throbbing pain, I heard a familiar voice ring through my head.
"Greetings mortal! I see that you've injured your head! How clumsy!" Shinigami's delightful voice said.
"And you're a doctor now? Tell me, can you conjure aspirin out of thin air?" I asked sarcastically.
"No, I cannot! However, there IS something better..." it implied.
"Lemme guess... it involves killing someone, burning something, and dancing in triumph, right?" I asked with as much humor as my blinding pain would allow.
Shinigami sounded shocked as it said "You've read my mind, mortal! Am I really that predictable?"
"In a word? YES!" I shouted.
"Come now mortal! I am only kidding about the whole slaughtering thing!" he said in a near-whining tone.
"I didn't know you had a sense of humor, Shinigami." I replied.
"Oh, but I do, Mortal! It is just a strange one. I thrive off of the misery of others..." he said with a chuckle.
"Why am I not surprised?" I sighed.
Shinigami merely laughed as I lay about in pain. The sharp pain eventually tapered off into a dull thud around 2:20 a.m. My voice had seemingly gone to sleep himself, but I rolled about in misery until 4:30, when I finally went to sleep.
When I finally woke up, showered and dressed around 2:45 p.m. I sat about in my recliner and thought more about my female friends.
"Hotaru is almost as mysterious as Setsuna. And how she healed my hand that time is beyond my understanding..." I said as I flexed my right hand and balled it into a fist, as if reaffirming that it was still attached and still worked. The ugly episode in which I smashed my family picture with my bare hand came back to me and made me feel slightly depressed, but what made me feel worse was the way in which I treated Rei and the others. I felt ashamed and remorseful in a way I had seldom felt in my life. They were only trying to help, but I brushed them away until it was almost too late. Thus I began to dwell on my own insecurity and shyness.
Deciding to go out and see the world, I put on long socks and was tying my K-Swiss tennis shoes when I heard knocking at my door.
"I wonder who would come all the way to this remote area?" I asked. Throwing on my cloak, I peered through the peephole to confirm the identity of my unexpected visitor. I staggered backwards when I saw the face on the other end of my door.
"Setsuna! What could she want with me?" I wondered.
Opening the door and putting on my best smile, I said "Setsuna! Your visit was unexpected but not unwelcome. Please, come in!" I gestured her to go inside. She walked in and sat on my couch as I shut the door.
"I wish to speak with you." she replied.
"I trust that you didn't come here to admire my furniture. What brings you to my corner of the world?" I asked.
"Rei." Setsuna said in typical laconic fashion.
"Rei..." I said, waving my open hand in a circle, a signal that she could continue.
"Yes. She wishes to speak with you. She did not say why." Setsuna continued.
"To the point, as usual. Very well then. I shall meet with our mutual acquaintance and see what she wants with me. And one more thing... how did you know where I live?" I asked with a suspicious look.
"Usagi." was all that she offered as she stood up to go.
"I shall deal with that loose-lipped girl later." I mused out loud.
"You will get your chance. Follow me." Setsuna answered.
"As you wish." I said as I stood up and showed my guest the door. She exited and I followed as I locked the door.
We said little as we strolled towards our familiar meeting place, Rei's temple. Her laconic and formal speech added even further to her mystery, and she was not exactly forthcoming with small talk. Somehow I liked that... she did not press me for anything, and I returned the favor. Still, it made me wonder... why was she like that? What drove her to be so terse and precise with her speech?
"We are here." Setsuna spoke as the sweeping gates of Rei's temple stood before us.
"Indeed we are." I answered in her style. I could almost see her lips form a smile.
"Hey guys!" Chad said.
"Greetings." Setsuna and I said simultaneously.
"Whoaaaah, creepy! You two said it at the same time! It's like the Twilight Zone or something!" Chad said with a tone of surprise and fright.
"Or perhaps we are of similar personalities." I suggested.
"Right on, man! Anyway, Rei and the others will be back in a little while. They've gone shopping for something... I forgot what." he said while flashing a thumbs-up sign.
"Amusing fellow." I said to Setsuna.
"Indeed." She answered.
"Hey, you guys want some tea?" Chad asked.
"Yes." Setsuna and I replied in unison.
"Stop it! You're like alien clones of the real versions of you!" he said as he backed a step or two up and then jogged off to get the tea.
"What a strange lad." I mused.
"I agree." my laconic female companion said.
In five minutes Chad came back with our tea, prepared in the Oriental style. It was probably like coffee to Setsuna, but I had never had Japanese tea before. What would it be like?
I took a sip, careful not to violate some arcane rule governing tea consumption in Japan. It was potent, to say the least! I apparently made a facial contortion because Setsuna set her teacup down and looked at me.
"No poison was used." she replied flatly.
"It's not that. I have never had Japanese tea before." I answered.
"Really?" she asked with a curious look.
"Yes. Back in Georgia, we drink tea that is cold and has a good deal of sugar in it. Here you apparently like it hot and unsweetened." I said.
"Indeed." she replied with a sour look.
"I normally don't drink tea, but when I do, it is cold and somewhat sweet, as opposed to your hot and unsweetened tea." I offered.
"Interesting." was her reply.
"Actually, this tea is not bad. It is merely stronger than what I am accustomed to drinking." I added.
"Welcome to Japanese tea." she offered in a friendly voice.
"Great to be here." I said as I raised my cup in a toast.
The two of us stared at each other and drank tea for fifteen minutes. She looked me in the eye the entire time. Apparently she was trying to figure me out much like I was trying to figure her out. It could have easily gone on for an hour if a female voice had not interrupted.
"Looks like Setsuna found her a boyfriend, right Michiru?" Haruka said with a sly grin. Michiru simply laughed.
"Oh great... not her again! I'd rather visit a dentist than deal with her!" I thought to myself.
"Setsuna, are you REALLY courting HIM?" Haruka asked while elbowing her side.
"NO." Setsuna said with a slightly annoyed look on her face.
"C'mon now! You've found a good guy! Isn't that right Jordan?" She asked while putting her hands on my shoulders.
"Don't test me, Haruka." Setsuna said.
"I second that motion." I muttered.
"What's that? I can't hear you, Casanova!" Haruka chirped in a feminine voice. I was utterly put off.
"I am not dating Setsuna! And besides-D'OH!" I stopped as my head began to throb. Last night's injury was coming back to haunt me! I pulled off the bandage and felt the throbbing area where I had received the cut.
"Heh heh, what happened? Did Makoto catch you dating another girl and claw you?" Haruka taunted as she meowed and made pawing motions.
"Actually, I scratched my head on the counter corner while kneeling to clean a household mess!" I declared.
"Right. Keep telling yourself that, you handsome devil!" Haruka said as she winked at me in a bad attempt at flirting. She slapped my shoulder and I hit the ground in a burst of incapacitating pain.
I heard a female voice screaming at Haruka. When I looked up, Makoto was grabbing Haruka's shirt and shaking her about.
"What did you do to him?!" she screeched.
"Nothing. He said something about sustaining a cut in..." Haruka said as she was cut off.
"You two fought again, right? Why can't you leave him alone?" the brown-haired fury screamed.
"Makoto... this was not her fault. I sustained this injury in a household accident." I muttered, clutching my head.
"Are you alright?" came Makoto's reply.
"Not really. I can barely see anything, and the pain is incredible." I answered.
Then I felt something warm and sticky begin to pour from the cut. I was bleeding!
"Hotaru! Go to him quickly!" I heard Setsuna shout.
"Right!" she replied. I could hear footsteps clattering in my direction as I struggled to stay on my knees.
"Look me in the eyes." Hotaru instructed.
Looking at her despite the blinding pain, I looked into her violet eyes as she touched a hand to the bleeding area. I felt an inexplicable power surge through my head, stop the bleeding and reduce the pain to a more tolerable level. But as soon as that pain stopped, a familiar voice came to my attention.
"Mortal, do you not realize who that child is?" he asked.
"Other than Hotaru, not at all." I answered silently.
"Mortal, she is Sailor Saturn, the Soldier of Destruction!" he answered in a voice that was alarming coming from him.
"What?" I asked.
"Fool! SHE brought about the destruction of the Moon Kingdom!" he almost shouted as if volume equated comprehension.
"What?!" was all I could say.
"Yes! She finished what the Dark Kingdom started! She is..." was all I heard as strange memories flooded into my mind. Burning silver houses, dead people littering the streets, shattered weapons, and rubble from those houses not burning all pointed to the destruction of a rampaging army. But whose army, and why did they destroy the Moon Kingdom? What was the Dark Kingdom that Shinigami spoke of? Why was I remembering this now?
Then some of it became clear. I saw a small girl in a purple Senshi outfit wielding a strange-looking spear of some sort. Then she began to mouth words that seemed to go "Death... Reborn... Revolution..." as her spear touched the ground. Then the earth began to split apart and she turned and looked at me as my vision went white, the last thing I saw being a pair of piercing yet sad violet eyes. Now I understood what Shinigami was warning me about!
I did not know that Hotaru was Sailor Saturn because my last encounter with her was when she was Mistress Nine! I remained on my knees as I looked into her eyes... the one almost as mysterious as Setsuna was Sailor Saturn, the Soldier of Destruction. Such a small child was one of the most feared entities known to the Moon Kingdom aside from myself? I remembered fragments of conversation carried on in whispered female voices, voices that said that the Outer Senshi were dedicated to keeping Sailor Saturn from appearing in the Moon Kingdom. Such was strange, the powerful Guardians fearing the arrival of such a child reputed to be the harbinger of doom.
Why were these echoes of the past coming to me? Did the injury and its healing by Hotaru trigger some long-lost memories? Or was it something else?
"Hey Jordan, don't rob the cradle! Hotaru can't date yet!" Usagi joked.
"Don't test me." I answered with a glare.
She cringed as she hugged Darien for protection. Rei whispered something to Setsuna and Michiru. I became somewhat paranoid as they continued to converse in hushed tones. Were they plotting to eliminate me before I became a threat, much like they did to Sailor Saturn so long ago? If so, who was charged with my execution?
"Jordan, why were you so curt to Usagi? She was only joking." Ami admonished.
"For one thing, I'm not in the mood for her crude innuendo which passes for jokes. Second, she gave my home address to Setsuna without my knowledge." I answered sourly.
"Usagi CAN put her foot in her mouth a lot, but what's the big deal about the address?" Minako asked.
"It might lead roving death squads and would-be assassins to my door, which is NOT good for me." I answered.
"Who would want to kill you?" Makoto asked in a puzzled tone.
"I don't know... maybe agents from whatever bowels of the underworld that the likes of Rubeus and Wiseman came from. Some low-rent thug looking to move up in the underworld pecking order. I'm sure my head could fetch the holder some serious clout." I replied.
With that being said, Rei, Setsuna and Michiru walked over to me.
"When will the Yakuza be here to put me down?" I asked with a sly grin. It was always a grim joke of mine that Rei had ties to organized crime and was plotting to use Yakuza hatchet men to dispose of me.
"They're not involved with this. However, you are." Michiru said with a humorless expression.
"He remembers." Setsuna said.
"I remember what?" I asked with a look of concern.
"The destruction of the Moon Kingdom." Michiru finished.
"Yes. Queen Serenity has more to tell. But first- WHAT WAS THAT?" Rei choked out as the ground exploded behind the temple.
"I don't know... everyone, transform!" Usagi shouted.
We all activated our sources of power and became the various Senshi. Everyone except Hotaru, Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru.
"Why don't you come along?" Sailor Moon asked.
"We have something to attend to..." Michiru said.
"Alright, but be quick about it!" Sailor Mars advised.
"Very well." Setsuna said as the rest of us charged off to see the disturbance.
We arrived at an impact site that looked like a meteorite had hit the ground. Sailor Mercury inspected it with her mini-computer and visor.
"Strange... I detect traces of plant life and... human blood!" Sailor Mercury warned us.
All of a sudden, a giant blue rose sprouted from the ground and the bud opened to reveal a beautiful woman with long, pale blue hair and blue eyes, much like Sailor Mercury. The woman's hands were saturated with a red substance, something that looked like blood. Her lips were also covered with the blood look-alike!
"Greetings. I am Alraune, Mistress of Flora. I come here to speak with the Son of the Dark Cavalier." she pronounced as she stepped down from the rose, which immediately vanished back to whence it came. Her body was covered in a long gown that resembled white rose petals.
"Alraune? What's that?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Alraune... I have heard that name somewhere before..." Sailor Mercury tried to answer.
"Alraune is a mythical flower that supposedly grows at the site where executed murderers' blood touches the ground." I finished.
"He's right. I DO feed off of human blood. But rather than waiting for it to reach me, I go get it myself..." the sinister plant-woman hinted with a malicious smile.
"And let me guess. You absorb the powers of the blood you ingest..." I started.
"She wants your blood for its demonic powers! If she absorbs it, she can grow far stronger than she could normally!" Sailor Mercury finished.
"Hahahahaha! The two of you are the smartest ones in the bunch! And the others? They are only... cocktails compared to the wine that you will be, Son of the Dark Cavalier!" Alraune said.
"Let's burn this weed!" Sailor Mars said as she prepared to attack.
"WAIT! We don't know what her capabilities are!" Sailor Mercury warned.
It was too late. Sailor Mars was already preparing an attack when vines suddenly erupted from the ground and wrapped around her, encasing her from feet to shoulders.
"Fool! It will take a lot more than that to defeat me!" Alraune taunted.
The rest of us were not ready to chance any further attack, but we had to rescue Sailor Mars. The Outer Senshi were busy on some mysterious errand that was yet to be finished. And aside from my blood, what did the mysterious Alraune want with me?
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