--Present Time-- As the elevator doors close, I relax and lean my head against the cold metal doors for the second time tonight. I reach over and press the button for the ground floor as a wave of shame and disappointment rolls through me. Not only did I have to forgo what was shaping up to be an interesting night with Michiru; but I also dumped dealing with Ami on her. As much as I wanted to do something for the blue-haired genius, the fact was my 'better-half' would be able to help her more that I could. While I've dated my share of girls in the past, I could honestly say that I didn't understand the whole 'relationship' thing. Out of all the girls I've gone out with, I've only been in two real relationships; the first was with a girl named Ryuuzaki Umi that I dated for a short time back in seventh grade. We went out for a few months, but we eventually parted ways as friends; in fact, last I heard was that Umi was seeing a fiery little redhead named Hikaru. The other relationship was obviously with Michiru; after we met, everything just seemed to click. All of the other so-called relationships I've been in ended disastrously...usually when the girl found out I wasn't a guy. It wasn't as if I had gone out and intentionally misled anyone about my gender; it was just I never felt it was necessary. Unfortunately, things usually ended much like the scene I had witnessed upstairs; one girl fleeing while the other was left heart-broken...and I've played both rolls. Which, to my dismay, left me the most qualified to go find Setsuna and talk to her; after all, there were only so many places a distraught person would go after either rejecting someone or being rejected by someone. A string of curses left my mouth as I realize a flaw in my plan. This was Setsuna I'm dealing with here; someone who could easily disappear to Serenity knew where at the drop of a hat. As the elevator doors open and I stepped out into the lobby, my only hope was that my housemate was too distraught to think of that trick. Taking a deep breath, I decide to follow my instincts and try to find Setsuna; after all, the only other options I had were to either go back to the empty room I shared with Michiru or join my love in trying to calm Ami. Personally, wandering around in the middle of the night looking for someone who didn't want to be found was the most preferable of my three options. Fortune, it seemed, was smiling on me that night (after everything I've been through today, it was about time) as I walked into the hotel bar and noticed a familiar silhouette sitting at the far end of the bar. Making my way over to Setsuna, I take the empty seat next to her and, signaling the bartender, I order myself a soda. After my drink arrives and the bartender wanders away, I glanced discreetly at the emerald-haired woman to try to gauge her mood. The first thing I noticed was the bottle of whisky on the bar and the shot glass that Setsuna held in her hands. Apparently, in the short time since she had left her room, she had put a serious dent in the bottle; which was surprising since the years I've lived with her, I've never seen a drop of alcohol pass her lips. Taking a drink of my soda, I look at Setsuna herself and, for the first time in a very long time, I'm actually able to read her emotions. With shoulders slumped, eyes downcast, and a despondent look on her face; it's easy for me to see that; whatever was going on between Setsuna and Ami, it was more serious that I first thought. Taking another sip of my drink, I decide to broach the subject in the most subtly, gentle manner I could think of. "Hey," I say casually, "what a day it's been, huh? First, there's this whole thing with Hotaru-chan and that tramp from the future. Then I see you bolting from your room, leaving behind a crying Ami. So, you want to talk about it?" I hear Setsuna snort before she picked up her shot glass and downed the whisky in one gulp. Setting the glass back down on the bar, she refilled it and sat in silence for a moment before sighing. "Let me guess. You're not going anywhere until I say something to you, right?" "You got it. Believe you me; I have nothing better to do." The two of us sat in silence for a while before Setsuna eventually drained and refilled her glass again. Seeing that she apparently wasn't going to talk, I decided to get the ball rolling. "Let me tell you what I think happened." I say conversationally, taking another drink of my soda. "When you got back to your room, Ami put the moves on you and you rejected her. Which is surprising. I mean, looking back I can see the signs that Ami has the hots for you; but I'm honestly amazed that she got the courage to do something like that." Snorting softly, I heard Setsuna mutter, "You'd be surprised..." "What's even more shocking is that you apparently turned her down cold; I figure that you of all people would let her down gently." I finish and look at her expectantly. "You wouldn't understand." Setsuna mumbled. "Try me." "It...sigh...this has nothing to so with Ami. It's...it's about her..." "Her? Her who?" Tossing back another shot, Setsuna put the glass back down and refilled her drink. Sighing again, she gently uttered a name. "...Pai..." --Silver Millennium-- "This sucks..." I growl out under my breath as I lean back against one of the walls of the waiting room. "Kei!" my partner, Yuri, hisses as she elbows me softly in the ribs, "Not now." Grumbling quietly, I glance over at my partner and, despite the situation, I can't help but smiling slightly. Yuri and I have known each other for about six or seven years now, but it wasn't until recently that the two of us had begun truly working together. Since Lady Kirko and Lady Lumiere stepped down and the two of us became the Senshi of Neptune and Uranus; Yuri and I have become...well, I'm not exactly sure what we were; but I knew I was going to have fun figuring it out. All I knew was that if something happened to her, I didn't know what I'd do. 'Which brings us back to where we are now.' I think to myself as I scrub my face with a hand as the events of the last 24 hours come back to me. Yuri and I had been on a routine patrol around the orbital plain of Saturn when we received a distress call from the inner system. Now normal, I'm the one who would gladly lead a charge into unknown danger; but for some reason, something about the distress call made Yuri apprehensive. Flying at top speed towards the last known source of the signal, I couldn't help but notice that my partner was acting agitated about the whole situation, which made me worry. This was Yuri, after all; she was calm, cool, and collect...the very picture of grace under fire. To be honest, the next thirty minutes or so were a blur; except for the fact it seemed to have dragged on for an eternity. When we arrived at the coordinates, we found what I first thought to be a slow moving comet, only to find out a short time later that what I first thought was a hunk of ice was in fact an ice-encrusted ship floating dead in space. Bits and pieces of what happened on the derelict ship float through my mind unbidden. Hearing Yuri cry out in dismay as she races across the frozen surface of the ship and she blasts Youma left and right. Watching as the young girl wearing the mantle of Mercury collapses to the ground. Facing the hoard of Youma as my partner attempts to revive the fallen girl. The insane action of trying to fire off an attack aimed to blow the fusion engine of the ship and teleport the three of us at one while Yuri desperately tried to sustain the girl's life force with her own energy. The frantic actions of the medical team on Mars as they tried to restart the girl's heart while a ship was prepped for flight to the Lunar Palace that seemed to take forever. Of everything that happened, I knew the one thing that would stay with me the longest was seeing the grave look on the Queen's face upon our arrival as we followed the gurney to the medical wing. Of course, the worst thing of the past 24 hours was the waiting. Fortunately; the girl, Pai, would pull through; but I was still disturbed by what happened. The fact that so many Youma had attacked a transport ship, let alone one that was carrying two of the Queen's future Senshi (something I found out later) was disturbing to say the least. I tried to broach the subject with the Queen several times, but for some reason, she changed the subject. It was almost as if she was waiting for something. With a sigh of annoyance, I look around the waiting room again for the umpteenth time. The Queen sat there regally in her white gown, her poise and beauty marred slightly by the pensive frown she wore as she stroked the fur of her advisor, Luna. To one side, I watch as the Princess tries to stealthily grab a brownie from the tray sitting on a nearby table, only to have her hand stopped by her companion, Myung; were it not for the younger Serenity's red-rimmed eyes and the dark-haired girls worried creased face I would find there actions humorous. Standing in one corner was the newest Senshi; Rion, I think, wearing and unreadable on her face. My eyes then fall on the hallway leading towards the room where Pai was currently resting and a sigh of frustration escapes my lips; wishing that there were something, anything, I could do. Finally, I glance at Yuri and I feel some of the tension drain out of me. My friend and companion was sitting there calmly and once again I couldn't help but feel blessed for being paired with her. I was about to say something...anything to her in order to break the oppressive silence in the room when the door was suddenly slammed open. Moving with instincts that had been drilled into me from my years of training, I push myself off the wall and prepare to draw forth the Space Sword. Settling into a defensive stance, I take a good look at the intruder. Wearing a Senshi uniform whose colors I don't recognize, she stood there with a wild look in her red eyes as she clenched a key-shaped staff in one hand. I'm about to challenge her presence in the waiting room when a soft, gentle voice fills the sudden quiet of the room. "Iria-chan. I'm...I'm so sorry." I hear the Queen say with heartfelt sadness. "Pai was hurt badly; but the doctors assured me that she'll make a full recovery. If you like, you can visit her; she's in the third room on the right." Immediately the intruder takes off; her long, emerald tresses flying everywhere as she heads down the hall. Still trying to figure out what just happened, I look towards my Queen for answers. Standing by the hallway, she makes a placating gesture with one hand while cradling Luna in the crook of her other arm. With a sad nod, she walks down the hallway; immediately followed by the princess and Myung with Rion trailing behind a moment later. "Alright...What just happened? And who in the name of Serenity was that?" I ask angrily, motioning towards the empty hallway. Standing next to me, Yuri gently places a hand on my elbow. "That, my dear Kei, was Lady Iria." "So?" I reply crossly and I pull away from Yuri and begin to pace the room. "I don't care who she is; what gives her the right to just barge in here like that? If the Queen didn't say something I would have..." "Lady Iria." Yuri interrupted me with a slightly exasperated tone, "As in 'The Senshi of Pluto' Lady Iria. As in 'The Guardian of the Gates of Time' Lady Iria. You know...that Lady Iria." "Oh." OOHH... "Well...crud." I say as I collapse heavily onto a couch. I remember what Lady Kriko had told me about the most reclusive of the Queens' Senshi during my training. One of the most important facts about Lady Iria that she had impressed on me was to not, under any circumstance, piss her off. "Alright...so what's she doing here then? And what gives her the right to just barge in here like that and ignore the Queen completely?" I ask as I relax on the couch. Sitting demurely next to me, Yuri gently places a hand on my shoulder. "To begin with, Lady Lumiere mentioned to me once that Lady Iria and her Majesty were the closest of friends in their youth. As for your other question, Pai has been here at the palace for many years and in that time Lady Iria has been acting as her mentor." "Ah." I reply in understanding, then frown as a thought comes to me. "Um, why is she mentoring Pai? The kid's powers are Ice not Time." "We've both met Lady Airi, remember?" Yuri said with a small smile. "Do you really think that she would be best suited for mentoring another person, let alone a child?" Remembering the one time we met the Senshi of Mercury, I couldn't help but grin. While she was undoubtedly intelligent, she also had the attention span of a gnat. "So now what?" "We wait." "For..." I prompt, only to receive a mysterious smile from my partner; leaving the two of us in a comfortable silence. A commanding voice suddenly breaks the quiet. "You two. Come with me." "What?" I ask; jumping to my feet as a deep red flash of light blinds me. --Present Time-- 'Whoa.' I think to my self as the rush of memories crash over me. Grabbing my drink, I gulp down the remaining soda and place the empty glass on the bar. While I've had memories of the past before, this was the first time that I recalled something that didn't have anything to do with what happened just before the Silence fell. Making a mental note to tell Michiru about what I saw, I glanced at Setsuna who; despite her obvious mood; was giving me a curious look. "Sorry, I was just, ah, remembering something." I say sheepishly, stressing the word 'remembering' in an effort to convey what I was talking about. "I see." Setsuna replied, before returning her attention back to her whisky. Frowning in thought, I try to piece together what I knew. 'Ok. Ami has it bad for Setsuna. Something bad frightened off Setsuna; she's not to type of person to go breaking people's hearts like she did with Ami. During the Silver Millennium, Iria was Pai's mentor. Seeing how the two of them interacted during the past week tells me that Setsuna has no problem with being around Ami...so what's the problem? Either a) Ami remembers something of their past association and is reading something into it that wasn't there; but that means Setsuna is homophobic as all hell, which isn't like her at all. Or b) in the Silver Millennium, Pai and Iria were more that just teacher and student, they were...' A sly grin creases my face as I turn back to Setsuna and say, "Wait a minuet. Were you and her, you know...back then..." I trail off, my grin firmly in place, as the emerald haired woman next to me grimaces before sighing. "Something like that." She mutters before downing another shot. "Oh ho!" I cackle in glee. "So the student and the teacher in a torrid love affair, ey? The stoic guardian seducing her young, innocent pupil? Will wonders never cease; image the scandal that you must have created." "It wasn't like that." Setsuna said angrily before her voice took on a wistful, longing tone. "Besides, you have it backwards. I never stood a chance against her." "You mean...you were the seducie? My, my, my...who knew Ami-chan had it in her?" I say, holding back my laughter. Her frown back in full force, Setsuna refilled her shot glass and quickly downed the drink. "You just don't get it." "Seriously, though. I don't see what the problem is." I tell her, no trace of mirth in my voice. "I mean, look at the rest of us; Chiba-kun and Koneko-chan, Michiru and myself. We got back together again. So, what's wrong with you and Ami-chan getting together?" Lifting her shot glass up to the light, Setsuna looked at the liquid intently before answering. "You don't understand. The Princess and the Prince's love is destined while you and Michiru are soul-mates. But with Pai and I, we were just two people who fell in love. Besides..." "Besides what?" I ask curiously, a warm feeling creeping over me as being described as Michiru's 'soul-mate'. "Besides, she's not my Pai." Setsuna chokes out before draining her glass and leaning against the bar with her head slumped forward. "Sure she is. I'm mean, Koneko-chan is the Princess, Chiba-kun is Endymion, Michiru is Yuri, I'm Kei, Ami is Pai, and you're...you're..." I trail off, a sudden thought coming to me. "You're still you." Leaning close to my housemate, I lower my voice and the words begin to tumble from my mouth. "I mean, you're Iria. Well, of course you're Iria, but you're not Setsuna...well, you are Setsuna; of course; but that's because you wanted to be her, I mean you, I mean..." Trailing off, I sit there in silence for a moment before I finally say what I've always suspected, but never voiced. "You were never sent forward like the rest of us were, were you? You...you never died..." I don't need to see her nod to know the truth. I couldn't even imagine what Setsuna has gone through all this time, only to encounter the person she loved...but it wasn't that person. This went well beyond anything I was prepared to deal with alone; hell, I don't even know if any of the Senshi were ready to deal with this. So, I did the one thing I could do. "Yo, Bartender! Another bottle of whisky and a second glass, pronto!"
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