The Fate of the Stars

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Sitting in her seat, Hikari was contemplating the event of a couple days prior, not paying attention to what their homeroom teacher was talking about. Nothing had really happened since then, which made the whole thing feel quite surreal. However, Taiyou was still speaking, reminding her that she needed to find the reincarnations of the ambassadors as soon as possible. But, whenever Hikari asked how they were supposed to find them, she just said "You'll know when the situation arises.". She sighed. "What does that even mean?..." Hikari thought to herself as homeroom was ending. Next up was gym class, but she didn't really feel like hurrying there. A couple of her friends walked up to her. "Hey, Hikari-chan, wanna come down with us?" "Oh, uh, sorry, I think I'm gonna gather my thoughts for a moment." Her friends shared a worried look with each other. "You've been kinda out of it lately... Is something the matter?" "No, no, it's nothing. I'm just a bit tired, that's all." "Well, alright. Just don't forget we have to be down on the parking lot in five minutes. See ya." As her friends left the room, they also left Hikari feeling rather confused. "Why would we need to be down in the parking lot for gym class?..." She leaned forward, poking Hisao who was still sitting in his seat in front of her. "Hey, Emiya-kun. Are we... Doing anything special for P.E today?"
 
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Emiya, as usual, seemed to be in a rather odd state. More specifically, he seemed to be unconscious, but with his eyes half-open. In fact, he seemed to constantly make a point of not paying attention to anything going on around him. Given his usual apathy, this was hardly surprising. He did, however, snap back to reality after Hikari poked him, but by no means did he look thrilled about being brought back into the world. He slung his coat over his shoulder, and stood up.
"Don't you remember?" He asked, leaning on the desk while facing her. "We're going to the ice rink. To skate. We're going ice skating."

Normally, this would be cause for celebration. It wasn't often that this happened, and a lot of people found it quite fun. But, as usual, Emiya's tone was as flat as a sheet of paper. Even his expression made him seem unconcerned about the events unfolding. Not that they surprised him, of course. The trip had been planned for a while, after all.
"Don't tell me... You forgot, didn't you?"
Emiya was certainly no honour student, but even he knew to expect this sort of thing from Hikari. he ws beginning to suspect that she hadn't even bothered to bring any sort of coat or jacket with her.
 
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His words hit Hikari like a slap across the face. "Oh, no, I totally remember, I, uh, was just wondering if you remembered... Ha, ha, hahaha..." Her laughter was forced, and in all ways faked. "Oh no, I had totally forgotten about that! I suck at ice skating! Heck, with my balance, I can't even stand on the ground with the skates on without falling down... Aaah, I didn't even bring my jacket! I'm going freeze to death while being the laughing stock of my entire class. Well, I guess it could've been worse" She thought to herself.

"Well, uh, I better head down to the parking lot. Wouldn't wanna miss the bus, ha ha..." With a blank smile on her face, Hikari went down to the parking lot. "So this is my ride to hell, huh?" She thought while getting on, finding a seat next to one of her friends.
 
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"Honestly... Why am I always stuck with the dense ones..."
Emiya sighed, but only once he was out of earshot of Hikari. It wasn't like she seemed particularly stupid - she was still alive and had all her limbs intact, after all. But her brainpower was hardly his problem. It had been his problem a while ago, but what mattered was that he no longer had to be concerned about her. He no longer had to worry about her safety, or that she would likely be shivering uncontrollably throughout the entire sessions. He didn't have to care that she was completely unprepared, and that she was going to be a pain in somebody else's side if she wasn't controlled.

"No, Emiya. You're not going to help her. You have an image to maintain."
The boy made his way out of the classroom, after making sure nobody was paying attention to him. With any luck, he'd be able to get a seat on the coach, and nobody would come and sit next to him. He could just spend the trip by himself, in peace.

Long story short, he did find his ideal set. It then became a matter of keeping it.
 
Once all the students were on the bus and accounted for, it drove off towards Tokyo Juuban district Ice Hall. It was a relatively new, and actually quite impressive place. It had apparently been designed by some famous architect, and probably cost a fortune. Not that Hikari cared about any of that, she was busy trying to comfort and convince herself that she was going to be okay. As they pulled up at the parking lot, it felt like a rock sinking further and further down her chest. They walked into the entrance hall, and their teacher started talking about safety rules and where to rent ice skates and helmets, when a man walked up to him and told him something in a low voice. The teacher nodded slowly, before turning back to the class. "Alright, class, there seems to have been a double booking and the rink we were supposed to use is already occupied." Whispering spread through the crowd, and Hikari let out a deep breath of relief. "However, the very nice people renting the main rink have graciously offered to share it with us. That means we have to be very careful not to exploit their generosity, so make sure to stick to our assigned side, and don't distract them." Even more, louder whispering ensued, but Hikari was too deep in her own mind to hear any of it. "Great, now I have to embarrass myself in front of a bunch of people I don't even know? Just great..."

They were ushered into the main rink, and the tattling didn't stop. Hikari was shaking hysterically from the cold, and while she tried to put on her rented pair of ice skates, she overheard the conversation some of the others were having. "Wait, that uniform... Doesn't it belong to the central Tokyo branch of Saint Mary's private school?" "Oh, yeah, you're right! And, oh my god... That's Yukino Fuyumi! I saw her on TV last week, apparently she's a figure skating genius, in the double remark. She's really pretty, too... Just look at that long hair!" "Yeah, I even heard a rumor that she's going to represent Japan in the next Olympic games." Hikari had on all of her equipment, and took a few staggering steps towards the edge of the rink. She observed the people on the other side, moving so graciously across the ice. One of them stood out in particular, a girl performing astounding techniques, like jumping high into the air while spinning rapidly and then landing with perfect posture. Hikari sighed. "I wish I had just a sliver of her talent..." She braced herself, and stumbled out onto the ice. "Hey, this isn't so bad, I think I can..." Just as she was gaining some confidence, she slipped, and was falling right onto her back.

Meanwhile, at Hikari's house, Taiyou was having a nap. Suddenly her whole body jerked, and she woke up with a shocked expression. "What was that premonition?... Something's going on. I need to find Hikari!" She jumped up, and sprinted through the cat flap out of the house.
 
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Emiya was by no means an expert at ice-skating, but he'd done it enough to be at least competent at it. And, had it not been for the other students milling about around him, it would have been quite a therapeutic experience for him. Something that was repetitive but not tedious, and would let him just mill smoothly about while concentrating only on his own movements. For once, he didn't seem indifferent or agitated - rather, he seemed placid, and at peace. At lest until he saw the bumbling mess of a student named Hikari.

Under normal circumstances, he would have just regarded her with mild amusement, and would have continued skating. But now? She seemed more like somebody he was constantly having to look out for. Sure, she had friends, but he didn't see them doing anything for her.
"Good lord, you really are hopeless..."
Emiya skated over to Hikari, and offered his hand. He was at least confident in his ability to maintain his balance, even on the ice. He'd had enough practise before, after all. once he had managed to help her up, he held out his coat to her, once he was sure nobody was looking. It was a generic-looking grey coat, so it would be hard to tell it was actually his, so it was unlikely anybody would know if they saw her in his coat.
"Put it on. I'm going to teach you how to not fall over, and I can't have you being too cold to focus. And if anybody asks, I didn't give you that coat."
 
"Ah, this is it... This is how I go..." Hikari was lying with her back on the freezing ice, imagining herself being encased in the permafrost of a great glacier. As she felt herself sinking further and further down, she saw the silhouette of someone breaking through the ice above, pulling her up. "E-Emiya-kun! Thank you..." She took his hand and heaved herself up. She was at first reluctant to accept the coat as well, but if she didn't, she was probably going to freeze her butt off. She wiped all the ice scrapings off her body, and then put it on. As soon as she did, she felt a sudden warmth spread through her entire body. It may have been just a simple, grey coat, but it was enough for her. "I promise, I won't tell. Anyway, teaching me how to do something simple like not to fall over is quite the tall order... I'm sure I'll manage, I wouldn't wanna bother you with it." She tried pushing herself away from him, but as soon as she did she almost fell over again, so instead she pulled herself closer, grabbing onto him for dear life.
 
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Emiya sighed, and shook his head.
"Look, someone's going to have to teach you, so I- Wah!"
Emiya knew Hikari would fall over at some point. He would have been shocked if she hadn't. What he hadn't expected was for her to make a mad grab for him when she did. Instantly, his reflexes kicked in, and he reacted with the kind of speed only intense training and experience could achieve. He was a fighter, after all, and one that trained frequently at that. This was nothing to him.

Though it seemed like eh was bout to take a tumble, Emiya somehow managed to keep his balance - even with Hikari latched onto him. He had realised she was, and tough embarrassed and annoyed in equal measures, he let it slide. It had been an instinctive reaction, he assumed. What he hadn't realised was that he was also holding Hikari, in order to support her. This resulted in the kind of scene you'd have to watch a cheesy romance move for. Needless to say, once Emiya saw what he was doing, he released Hikari, and attempted to revert to as natural an appearance as possible.
"L-let's just g-get back to teaching you, shall we?" He said. It was obvious he was flustered - even he couldn't hide something like that.
 
The sound of metal scratching against ice was heard under Fuyumi's skates as she slid across the ice, stopping only when she performed a jump, like a Salchow or a Lutz, only to resume shortly thereafter. She was here with her class, and not attending a formal practice, she hadn't bothered to tie her hair up. While it got in the way and her coach would have scolded her for it, she didn't particularly care. It gave her a strange sense of freedom. The other girls in her class watched and clapped courteously, even though she wasn't trying. When the people involved with the mishap of the double booking came in, she noticed them throwing stares at her from afar, tittling and tattling. Nothing she wasn't used to and certainly nothing that bothered her, but sometimes she wished they would just talk to her, instead. But, despite most eyes being pointed at her, she noticed two pairs only pointed at each other. A clumsy girl and the boy helping her. Fuyumi watched them stumble, and no matter how close to falling that girl seemed to be, he would always pick her up. A slight smile crept up on Fuyumi's lips, and she continued her routine.
 
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Hikari was thoroughly embarrassed as she was swept up in Emiya's arms, and her boiling red face was proof of it. "Y-yes, let's continue..." She followed his lead, and surprisingly enough, she soon had all the basics down. It was actually quite fun, just skating around, giggling and laughing, not caring if people stared. But, all good things must come to an end. She suddenly noticed Taiyou staring at her from the bleachers. She had to be here for a reason... Maybe she had found a lead on the other girls! She stopped, and turned to Emiya. "I'm sorry, Emiya-kun, but I gotta go! I had a blast, though!" With surprising ease, she made her way off the rink. Taiyou signaled for her to follow into the restrooms, and Hikari quickly removed her equipment and followed.

"Hikari, I have a feeling..." Taiyou began once they made sure they were outside anyone else's hearing range. "A feeling? Is it bad?" "I... Don't know yet. All I know is that something will happen here today. You need to stay alert. Do you have the brooch with you?" Hikari fished around in her pocket. "Yes, it's still here." "Good, because you may need to use it soon..."
 
Emiya didn't say much to Hikari as they skated - he only spoke to instruct her, and even then, he was rather concise. Even so, it was strange to see just how awkward he was around her. Perhaps their little moment had left a lasting impact on the poor boy, who'd never even so much as shook hands with a girl outside of formal meetings. Or perhaps he was just bad with people in general. Whatever the cause, his stoic demeanour was dropped while they were together, and he seemed more focussed on avoiding another social faux pas.

Once Hikari left, Emia finally let himself relax, and milled about aimlessly. he couldn't shake the rather uneasy feeling he had inside him, though.
"Probably just a little uneasy from skating with her... I'll be fine."
Some people looked at him oddly, and some looked to the genius skater. He wasn't particularly bothered by any of it - he only cared if they just let him be.
 
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Lorelei was circulating the sky above the Ice Hall. She drifted around on the back of her wings, looking like someone lounging on a couch. "Large enclosed space, lots of people... Seems like the ideal spot to collect crystal energy if you ask me." Content with her choice, Lorelei swooped down, landing on the roof above the main rink. She used her sharp nails to cut a clean hole in the glass of one of the skylights, and slipped through.

Landing on the center of the ice, Lorelei attracted many shocked and confused stares. And the sources of the stares had good reason to be confused, after all, it's not every day you see a winged girl suddenly land from the ceiling. "Hr-hrmm..." Lorelei cleared her throat, and began singing. Soon, everyone in the hall grabbed their heads as a strange pain and haziness spread through their heads. They tried escaping from the source of it, but once everyone was off the ice, they fell to the floor, unconscious. Lorelei poured herself a cup of tea from a tea pot she got from who knows where. "Ah, delicious." When she was finished the cup, she tried pouring up another one, but the pot was all out. "Oh, what a bummer..." She then reached inside her egg, pulling out another one of those black pearls, putting it in the tea pot. "Hatch, egg of Pandora, and release all evil unto this world!" The pot rattled and shrieked like a boiling kettle, and Lorelei put it down on the ice. Suddenly, long, slender limbs of porcelain sprouted from it, and the pot itself remained as the head of the body. It rattled and shrieked again, releasing a large quantity of scalding steam. The temperature inside the hall suddenly rose quickly, and soon it was very hot. The ice on the rink started melting, leaving a large puddle in the center of the hall. "Child of Pandora, gather all the bodies and put them in a pile! I don't want to have to run around collecting their energy one by one." The monster made a sound like a steam engine, and did as it was told. With its long legs and arms it could quickly go around grabbing people and then putting them next to each other on the bleachers. Lorelei raised her hands towards the mass of people, and absorbed golden dust from them like a vacuum cleaner. "He he, this is a cakewalk!"
 
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Suddenly, Hikari and Taiyou could hear strange singing coming from the rink. "Wait, isn't that?..." The two looked at each other, and realized that the Pandora general from earlier was in the building. "Hikari, you know what to do, right?" She nodded, and raised the brooch above her head. Hesitating, she removed Emiya's coat and put it over the bathroom stall, before continuing. "Sol Prism Power, Make Up!" It shone brightly, and Hikari underwent the transformation into Sailor Sol.

"Hold it right there!" She shouted as she ran into the hall of the main rink. "I am the pretty soldier in a sailor suit, guardian of love and justice, Sailor Sol! In the name of the sun, I'll punish you!" While she had rushed into the situation confidently, she began feeling the extreme change in temperature. "Whoa, it's hot in here... What's going on?" Looking around, she noticed all the passed out people. "Oh no! Yukko-chan, Mio-chan, and... Emiya-kun? Where is he?" Her eyes went over to the Pandora general and a new, freaky monster. "Alright, I'll take you out quick this time!" She ran up to the monster, pointing her right arm at it, shouting "Solar Bracelet Purification!", and firing the coiling beam of light.
 
Sailor Sol fired her beam of light, but the child of Pandora quickly jumped out of its line of range. Lorelei cackled triumphantly. "I've been waiting for you, little girl! You really didn't think I'd come unprepared this time, did you? No, this time I brought an egg specifically modified to enhance the speed of this precious child! Because, I figured, no matter how fast your little legs can carry you, they wouldn't be able to keep up with this!" The monster jumped back into the puddle formerly known as an ice skating rink, making pirouettes on its long, icicle-like leg while spewing hot water at Hikari. "Now, if you'd just concede defeat and begone, little girl!"
 
"Kyaa!" Hikari screamed as a jet of scalding water nearly splashed all over her. "Crap, this is bad! I need to get away, and divert that things attention from the others!" She ran, making sure that the piping hot water wouldn't get on any of the victims, all while avoiding it herself. "Ahh, what do I do!? I can't just abandon everyone, but, there's no way for me to hit that thing if it moves so fast... Think, Hikari, think! There has to be a way to save everyone!..."

Meanwhile, Taiyou was observing it all from a distance. "Come on Sailor Sol, you can do this, just hang in there..." She looked around, frantically trying to find signs of life. "I can feel an unawakened presence in here... If a reincarnation is indeed here, they shouldn't be affected by the singing the same way as the others, but they might be faking it out of fear. I need to find out if my premonition is correct!"
 
He came without warning. He entered without a word. Like the blackest shadow, he appeared with nobody noticing. He watched from higher ground, waiting for his chance, examining the situation at hand. It was indeed one that could prove disadvantageous to him - fighting against an aerial creature on ice skates was, after all, rather inadvisable. Despite this, he knew that he had a job to do. Sailor Sol would have her hands full. He didn't know if she had any backup. The winged girl would be able to cut her to ribbons at any time she pleased. it was up to him now.

The Masked Shadow dropped, his foot aimed directly for Lorelei. There were no theatrics, no frills, no bells or whistles. The mystery man was aiming to take out the threat, at any cost.
Regardless of whether he connected or not, he would land with the kind of deftness reserved for only the most highly-skilled of acrobats - on the ice, no less.
 
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Lorelei continued her maniacal laughter, but just as the Masked Shadow was about to hit her with full force, she flapped her wings and propeller herself backwards, leading to him landing in the puddle on the rink. "Hmph, so we meat again, brat." She seemed far more annoyed by his presence than that of Sailor Sol. "Tell me, I'm curious, did that nasty wound I gave you heal already, or did seeing me give you a boost of energy? Ah, my bad, I should know by now, you don't speak." She bared her claw-like nails. "But, I suggest you step aside, unless you want me to permanently mark your entire body."
 
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Fuyumi had no clue what was going on. A crazy bird-lady came in through the roof, started singing, gave her a slight headache, and now everyone was dropping like flies around her. Then, the crazy bird-lady summoned some type of crazy porcelain monster which started piling everyone up on the bleachers and spewed steam raising the temperature inside like hell. Fuyumi hid behind the bleachers, out of notice from the monster. "Can this get any weirder?..." The answer was yes, it could. Suddenly, more crazy people popped in. "Anyway, this situation is getting out of hand. I don't really know what's going on, but that crazy bird-lady has to be stopped, that's for sure. But how?" Examining the situation, both the girl in the sailor suit and the masked man seemed to be somewhat skilled, and have some abilities that could end this, but they were fully occupied on their own ends. "Maybe... All they need is a distraction?" Fuyumi didn't like acting rash, but no matter how many scenarios she ran through her brain, she couldn't find one with as high chance of actually succeeding. "Hah, well, here goes nothing." She ran out from her hiding place, flailing her arms. "Hey, monster and crazy bird-lady, look over here!" She shouted. "Let's just hope those two are quick enough to catch on..."
 
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Hikari looked over in surprise at the sudden commotion. "Wait... Isn't that Yukino Fuyumi, the ice skating genius the girls were talking about!? Why wasn't she affected by the singing!?" Thankfully, Taiyou was quicker at figuring out the solution. "Aha, you must be the one we're looking for!" She pointed her crest at Fuyumi, and sure enough, a crest appeared on her forehead as well. But it was a different, shining icy blue. Taiyou threw her a pencil, ushering her to take it. "Quick, there's no time to explain! Hold it up high and shout "Mercury Power, Make Up!"
 
Fuyumi grabbed the pen. She was apprehensive about taking orders from a talking cat, but really, that seemed to be the least of her problems at the moment. She raised the pen high, and closed her eyes. "Mercury Power, Make Up!" A stream of water gushed forward from the pen. It surrounded Fuyumi, creating a crystal clear bubble. Then, it solidified, and turned into a shell of compact ice. With a sound similar to that of when a chunk of a great glacier is about to collapse, a crack appeared in the surface of the shell. Then one more, and one more after that, and soon the whole thing was filled with cracks. Finally, it broke down completely into a cloud of snow, and figure that had emerged the ice was not just Fuyumi. Like a butterfly breaking through its cocoon, Fuyumi had underwent a transformation and awakened as Sailor Mercury.
 
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