Chapter 3: No Better Time than the Present
In front of the pink-haired princess was a Sailor Scout that seemed
disturbingly familiar, yet strangely cold, and blank. She seemed to be about
Setsuna's age in present Tokyo and had the same bun in the back of her head,
but slightly different. With a closer look, it was actually a bundled up
braid like Ves Ves' if you call it a braid. Her dark hair was, how would
you describe it? Knee-length? It was the same length as Rae's, but had a
strange iridescent shine to it. What also made it different were her blue
streaks mingling with the dark hair and was same color as Michru's. Her bangs
reminded the princess of Hakaru and her eyes, of Hotaru. The senshi
stretched her reptilian wings, making her look even more malevolent and
uncaring. Her uniform was pure white, almost as blank as her stare. Her
brooch was of a heart and a star that was layered on top of it. She slowly
approached Rini. Instinctively the princess stepped back. She couldn't think
straight she was so scared.
"Please don't be afraid, Lady Queen Serenity. I will not harm you." The
voice was familiar, but where?
The strange Sailor Scout took another step forward. This was too much for
Rini. It was cold; it was so foggy that she got a little wet, and this girl
seemed too blank to trust. "Don't get near me!" Rini shrieked.
"What was that?" Rae turned towards the scream, as did her company.
"Rini?!" Serena jumped to her feet and ran out to the graveyard where the
princess appeared.
The dragon-winged senshi looked towards the direction of the temple where
Serena was coming from. Neo Queen Serenity, could it be? She thought to
herself. Before Serena would be able to see her, the strange scout flew up
into the air, looking even more menacing. "Wait! Who are you?" Rini
hollered. "I am the Dragon Senshi, part of the prophecy of stopping the
Dark Neo Moon Apocalypse." With that, she disappeared from sight and the
blonde, clumsy, glutinous, procrastinating future queen of the world came to
Rini's side.
"Rini! Are you all right? Has anything happened in the future?" Serena
desperately interrogated.
"I'm all right. Nothing has happened yet. Somebody sent me back here to
your present to stop something, but I don't know. But I'm confused and tired
and hungry," Rini whined.
"That's easily solved. Studying was boring anyways." Rini started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Serena demanded.
"You? Studying? As if," Rini snickered.
"You'll pay for that you little rat!" Serena screamed.
"After I eat!" Rini shot back.
At a nearby cafe, Rini and Serena eat mochi and try to figure out what they
need to stop in the present.
Meanwhile….
"How did it get past us? It's so powerful," Hakaru slammed her fist against
the wall.
"It didn't. It emerged from within," Setsuna replied with her usual cool,
but her voice was still a little edgy.
"Are you suggesting someone created it?" Hakaru shot back. Things weren't
going well and she wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.
"No, it has always been there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for its
time," Setsuna calmly retorted.
"But, why now? And how did it stay dormant for so long, yet be so powerful?"
Hakaru demanded. Michiru remained silent.
"It is patient as it is powerful. It will not be easy," Pluto stated.
"It's never easy," the blonde tomboy huffed.
"Do we know what it wants?" Michiru asked quietly trying to release the
tension in the room
"I…don't know," Setsuna whispered, flushed with shame.
"What? How can you not know? You are the guardian of time," Hakaru yelled.
"It is older than time, the turning of the spheres have no meaning for it.
We must warn the Queen."
