The Fate of the Stars

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Hikari, who was still running from the monsters' attacks, was relieved when the masked man appeared again, distracting the Pandora general. Then, she was shocked when Fuyumi suddenly transformed. "Eeeh!? She's one of the reincarnated ambassadors!?"

Taiyou jumped up on the bleachers next to Fuyumi so that their heads were on the same height. "You have awakened your true identity. With the seed of memory sprouting from your soul, you should know what to do."
 
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Lorelei was absolutely flabbergasted by the appearance of the new senshi. "Are you kidding me!? Another one!?" Even the child of Pandora was startled, and let out another shriek. "You, get back to work! Argh, why is this happening when everything was going so well!?" Her eyes flicked between Sailor Sol, the masked assailant, and the newcomer. Had it been just she and those two she would have had this in the bag, but with this new wild card, she didn't know what to expect. Her muscles trembled in rage as she tried to figure out a way to defeat all three of them swiftly, and the monster spouted even more steam, raising the temperature further.
 
"Yes, you're right. I know what to do." Fuyumi readied herself into a stance. "I am the pretty soldier in a sailor suit, guardian of love and intelligence, Sailor Mercury! Take a dip and cool your head off!" Despite the situation, her pulse kept a steady, slow pace, and her mind was not clouded by adrenaline. "First of all, you wicked creatures, this heat is bothering me. It is not fitting for a place such as this." She gathered her hands in front of her, creating a swirling ball of snow. "Snow Powder..." She let the ball go, leaving it spinning in front of her face, and crossed her hands behind it. "Mirage!" She jerked her hands apart, spreading her arms. As she did, the ball of snow dispersed, and a howling blizzard spread through the entire hall. The temperature dropped heavily, and despite the best efforts of the monster trying to desperately spit more fumes to keep it up, soon the puddle on the rink started returning to its solid state. The hall was now filled with fog and steam, making it extremely hard to see. As if by muscle memory, Fuyumi brought her hand to her temple, and the Mercury Goggles appeared. With them, she was able to see the heat signals radiating from all the bodies in the hall, and found the one belonging to the monster. "That thing may be fast, but I am unrivaled on ice." She brought the index and middle fingers of both hands together, making them glow in a bright blue light. With a swift movement she ran them down the length of the soles of her boots, creating thin blades of ice. She jumped into the rink, and set of towards the monster at incredible speed. It realized it was being chased and tried to get away, but no matter how fast it ran,slid and jumped, it was no match against Sailor Mercury who moved across the ice like the howling arctic wind. She quickly caught up, and cut the monster off in front of it. "Time to freeze!" She concentrated the air around her fingers, creating a pair of icy fangs extending towards the monster. "Mercury Frost Bite!" Bringing her hands together, the fangs crunched down on the monster. It shrieked, but the noise died out as it was frozen into position, rendering it completely unable to move.
 
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The Masked Shadow stood his ground. Even behind the mask, it was obvious how intently he was staring at his foe. That was not to say that he underestimated her, though - far from it. She was someone that he knew all too well not to take lightly. The wound he'd received after their last fight wasn't as bad as she was making out, but he still felt it. It would be a disadvantage, no matter how he looked at it.
He put his guard up, and readied himself, observing for even the slightest of hints that she was about to make her move. He could never be too careful with somebody like her. But even so, her focus seemed to be on the girls, not him. They ahd enough problems to deal with - they didn't need the general.

He broke a piece of ice off of the edge of the puddle, and hurled it towards Lorelei, hoping it would at least catch her attention, if nothing else. The fog was proving to lessen what little advantage he had even further, and he was slowly losing non-frozen ground. This would have to be over quickly.
 
As Fuyumi's attack froze the monster, the fog parted enough for Hikari to get a glimpse of it. "Now's your chance, Sailor Sol! Finish it!" Hikari once again pointed her right arm at the monster. "Solar Bracelet Purification!" This time the golden beam hit its mark, twisting around the frozen porcelain. As the grip of the bracelet tightened, the monster cracked, and a black mist seeped out of it. It returned to being a tea pot, albeit a broken one. The fog in the hall lifted along with the black mist, and soon, sights were pretty much clear. Hikari could see the Masked Shadow still fighting the Pandora general, and Sailor Mercury not too far from them. As the bracelet returned to its place on her wrist, Hikari noticed thatit didn't look exactly the same. A blue jewel had been attached to it, just below her hand. She felt a strange power emanating from it, and she felt like more strength had been bestowed upon her. Then she turned back to Lorelei, glaring.
 
Lorelei was fretting, trying to figure out what to do, when suddenly a chunk of ice flew past her head. "Hey, you brat! I could've been hurt there, you know!?" She shouted in the general direction from where it had been thrown. But due to the thick fog, she didn't know if she was facing her enemy or not. Then, suddenly, there was a blue flash, followed by a gold flash. She covered her eyes, and once it was over and the fog lifted, Lorelei realized she was alone on the battlefield, facing three opponents. "Tsch, outnumbered again! But mark my words... Sailor Sol, Sailor Mercury, and that brat whatever his name is, I'll have all of your heads!" She then made her getaway, flying up through the hole in the skylight she came from, leaving the broken tea pot on the rink and all the humans scattered around.
 
The Masked Shadow didn't have long to chase after Lorelei - a few moments at most. So, he did what he did best, and moved swiftly towards his target. Though he was no match for someone able to take a straight path to their destination, his speed and nimbleness were astonishing nonetheless. From surface to surface, he leapt and swung, attempting to at least see where Lorelei was headed. But, much to his dismay, she had long since left by the time he had reached the roof. Accepting defeat, he made his exit.

He was far less graceful when fleeing the scene, however. Every other step, and every time he had to absorb the shock of a landing, the Masked Shadow seemed to falter. Even with what seemed to be superhuman abilities, the injury Lorelei had given to him had evidently been more serious than he'd thought. But that didn't matter to him. Not at that point in time.
 
Hikari watched Lorelei leave the scene, and the Masked Shadow following after her. He really was as evasive as a shadow, as soon as you turned your light towards him to get a better look, he disappeared. She looked around at all the people, scattered around, and then at Fuyumi, Sailor Mercury. With a big smile on her face, she ran up to her. "Hi, it's so nice to meet you! My names Hoshino Hikari, but you can just call me Hikari. It looks like we'll be working together from now on! Ha ha, to think someone as talented as you would be one of my teammates... It makes me wonder how all the others are going to be." She then had another look around. "Hmm, I wonder what we're going to do with all these people. When they wake up, won't they think something's odd?" Taiyou made her presence knownby clearing her throat. "Sailor Sol, if you raise the bracelet and shout 'Solar Flash Amnesia', I think you'll find the solution to your problem." "Oh, uh, okay, if you say so..." Hikari raised her hand as she was told. "Solar Flash Amnesia!" When she uttered the words, the bracelet let off an extremely bright flash, forcing Hikari to cover her eyes. "Wh-what was that!?" "It's very simple really. When they wake up, they'll think nothing of the situation they're in, and go on with their lives, not remembering what has happened to them." Hikari brought her arm down,examining the bracelet and thenewly acquired gemstone. "This thing has more uses than one would expect..."
 
So much was going on. So many thoughts were swirling around inside Fuyumi's head, she didn't know what to make of any of them. To make matters worse, that girl was running around, acting like they were best friends when they've never met before. Fuyumi really didn't know what to do. All she knew was that she really want to be where she was right now. Feeling those emotions, her transformation came undone. "I... I don't know who you think I am, but I can't be your teammate. I don't have time." With that, she hurriedly gathered her things and dashed out of the ice hall.
 
"He he, look at all these people. They look kinda funny, like they all just decided to take a nap at the same time, or something." Hikari shared her own personal musings aloud, which was sort of a habit of hers, and one that made her appear as somewhat of a goof. Then, all of a sudden, Fuyumi just ran off without much warning. "Wait! Hey, Sorry if I was too pushy or something! I didn't mean to..." She was already gone before Hikari had time to finish her sentence. "To scare you or anything..." Hikari's expression of perpetual positivity melted off her face like a bowl of ice cream left out in the sun on a summers day. She was quiet for a while, leaving Taiyou worriedly awaiting any further reaction. "I'm... I'm kind of useless as a soldier, aren't I?" Taiyou shook her head, trying to comfort Hikari, whose eyes began welling up with tears. "Of course you're not! Why would you say that?" Hikari tried wiping the tears away, but they just kept coming. "Because, I'm supposed to be the leader of the princess's guard, no? But what kind of leader scares away her first recruit right off the bat?" "It's not your fault she's confused! Of course she would be, with all these alien thoughts in her head. Trying to run away from it is one of many natural reactions when faced with unfamiliar situations." "But... Shouldn't I have made a better job at trying to make her feel comfortable then?" "No, that's... You're practically as inexperienced as she is, and..." "Still, even if I am inexperienced, how will she ever be able to trust me as a leader, as a friend, from now on? To her I'm probably just some crazy, overly excited nut-job she would never want to hang out with, and definitely not someone to go around fighting some otherworldly empire with." While Taiyou wanted to say more, she hesitated. Hikari didn't seem like she would listen. "These people... When they wake up, they'll think everything is absolutely normal, right?" "Yes, of course, that's why..." "Then no one would care if I was gone when they woke up, right?" Hikari undid her transformation and ran out of the ice hall, just like Fuyumi had done a moment ago, forgetting entirely about the coat hanging from one of the stalls in the women's toilets. "Hikari, wait!" Taiyou followed, trying to speak some sense into her.

With Taoiyou at her side, Hikari was sobbing into her pillow, lying face-down on her bed, having stayed in that position for the last hour or so. "Hikari, please, cheer up..." "No! Why should I? I'm a horrible person, and I don't deserve to be happy!" "Seriously, you're overreacting! Don't take everything so personal. I'm sure if you talked to her again when things aren't as hectic she would understand." Why should I? She said she didn't have time, anyway. Besides, I wouldn't even know where to find her." "Oh, you don't know that for sure. And, well, as far as knowing where to find her goes... Since she's awakened her powers as a soldier, I should be able to dowse the signal of her crystal energy." Hikari stopped her sobbing for a bit, and then looked up at Taiyou with red, puffy eyes. "... Really? You can do that?" "Of course! How do you think I found you at the rink?" "He he, yeah, I suppose I forgot to tell you about it as well..." She sat up, rubbing the last tears out of her eyes. "So, are you ready to go?" "Yeah, let's!"

The two had been walking around for a while, not finding a sign of Fuyumi anywhere. "Are you sure that dowsing ability of yours is up to date?" Taiyou was flustered at Hikari's claim that her capabilities were not as good as they were supposed to be. "Wha- of course they are! I'm just not that attuned to her signal yet. We've already checked out her school and dorm, and we know she wasn't there, but... Oh, wait a minute, I'm picking up more signals... Yes, she has to be here! This is it!" Hikari looked around, her eyes closing in on the sign above them. "A fast food restaurant? You really think a fancy girl like her would eat at a place like this?" "Apparently, because I'm sure her signals are coming from in there. Now, go ahead, animals aren't allowed inside." Giving Taiyou a short, suspicious glare, Hikari entered through the sliding doors.

She looked around, but Fuyumi was nowhere to be seen. "Is that old cat really sure about this? I don't see her anywhere..." "Miss, can I take your order?" Hikari was startled as someone suddenly called out to her from behind the register. "Ah, um, well, sure..." And so, she ended up with a medium sized burger meal in her hands, and an awkward expression on her face.
 
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Fuyumi got out from the bathroom and pulled up the hood of her over-sized jersey over her head. Even though the risk was small in this part of town, she didn't want to be recognized. Especially not now. She was about to head out when suddenly, she froze. Right in front of her was that girl from the ice skating rink. Her being the last person on earth she wanted to see right now, Fuyumi held her head lown and tried to make a swift and stealthy exit. But, not watching where she was going led to her being bumped into by someone as distraught as herself. That someone was Hikari. Her tray of food was about to spill everywhere, but thanks to Fuyumi's reflexes, she managed to hold it firmly in place and avoid any disaster. However, in the commotion, her hood slipped down.
 
"So, uh, I guess I should find a seat..." Hikari looked around the restaurant at all the tables and cubicles. Most of them were occupied, or too big for her to feel comfortable sitting there alone. Distracted by her thoughts, she looked away and didn't pay attention, which led her to suddenly bump into someone. "Uwah!" Surprised, Hikari staggered backwards, and her tray was about to fly out of her hands. But, thankfully, the person she had bumped into managed to save her from being utterly humiliated at the last second. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention. Thanks for..." It was then that she noticed who she had bumped into. "Hey, it's you!"
 
Fuyumi was startled when her hood slipped down. While over-sized articles of clothing were good for hiding your identity, their ill fit could also be your downfall. But, there was no time for her to think about such matters now. She quickly covered Hikari's mouth, in order for her to not draw any more attention to them than the previous mishap already had. "Shh!" She sighed. "Why are you... Oh, never mind. Just, just come here." Fuyumi grabbed Hikari's arm and pulled her up to the second floor of the restaurant which was less crowded than the bottom floor, and found a nice, secluded booth for them to sit at. Plopping Hikari down on one side of the table and then sitting down herself on the other side, she rested her head on her arm leaning against the table. "So, what, did you follow me here or something?"
 
"So there was an upstairs section... I didn't even notice." Hikari thought before she was prompted onto her seat by Fuyumi. "No! I didn't follow you!" She unwrapped her burger and began nibbling on it. She hadn't noticed how hungry she actually was until now, which was rare. "Taiyou... You remember... The cat... Yeah... She found your... Energy signal, or something." She said between bites, then sucking on the straw of her soda. "So, do you come here often? I mean, it's not exactly the place I'd imagine a girl like you spending any time in."
 
"Yes, I go here every now and then. Mostly for privacy, since I can't be at school, the dorms or at home without anyone bothering me... That, and I quite like the french fries here."
 
"I see..." Hikari slowly stopped sucking on the straw, and put her drink down. "You can have some of mine, if you want. The fries, I mean. I'm fine with just the burger." She blatantly lied while gesturing towards the paper bag filled with strips of golden goodness. "Hey, listen, I'm sorry about earlier. This whole... Sailor Soldier situation must be and seem completely insane to you, which, trust me, it does for me too, but for some reason I just expected you to go along with it right away. Like, I get it if you're busy and pressed for time and all that, but, we have a mission, a mission only we can carry through, and the entire universe depends on us to do it. If you'd like I can walk you through everything I know about it nice and slow, but please, I beg of you, we really need your help..."
 
Fuyumi pulled one of the fries out of the bag, observing Hikari's expression while doing so. She could see the strain on her face as she started snacking away on her food, yet she did her best to hide it. In Fuyumi's book, that kind of sacrifice was at least in some way commendable, and it at least made her obliged to listen. "Thank you." She said with her lips pursing ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, into the faintest smile. "I must also apologize for my previous behavior. There are just... So many thoughts in my head, and I have no clue what to make of them. They're like memories, like cut up pieces of a photograph I'm trying to puzzle together but I can't even find the edges. When I held that pen, and said those words, it was as though an entirely different person entered my body. Yet it felt natural at the same time, like our souls were always meant to share a vessel. I think, perhaps, if you tell me what you know, I'll be able to start assembling that photograph, and find out more about this strange person I'm becoming, or who is trying to become me."
 
Hikari lit up in a bright smile, glad that Fuyumi would listen to what she had to say. And so she started telling the story about the Gold Millennium and everything leading up to this day, just like Taiyou had told her, with as much expression and enthusiasm as possible.

"So, what do you think? Will we be able to work together, as partners, as a team?" She smiled anticipatively.
 
Fuyumi sat perfectly still, almost expressionlessly, as Hikari told her about the past. She did so not because she was uninterested, more so the opposite, because she was very interested, and wanted to stay as focused as possible and catch every little detail. Only when she was finished did she nod slightly, confirming that she had been paying attention. She was quiet for a little while longer, until she finally broke the silence. "You said you were the reincarnation of the princess's lifeguard, and the rest of us, whom you're now trying to gather up, are the reincarnations of the ambassadors from the planets of the solar system, correct?"
 
Hikari nodded exuberantly. "Yes, yes, that is correct, yes!"
 
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