Chapter Two: R.O.S.E.S.

Each girl wrestled one another for the tickets that lay helplessly on their table top. It was imperative that no one else see them sprawled out, or else they could run into some seriously scary fangirls. Seiya was happy the girls were so enthusiastic over the night's concert. The singer smiled. "I take it you're all free tonight, then?" he chuckled lightly to himself.

Seiya produced another ticket from his pocket and handed it to Serena. "Oh, by the way, this one's for your boyfriend. Someone's gotta make sure you don't get lost, Odango." Seiya teased the blonde girl.

"Hey what do you mean by that! I can find my way just fine, thanks!" Serena adamantly argued, snatching the ticket from his hand anyway.

Seiya shrugged, "If you say so."

He couldn't believe he was actually smiling again. What was it about these girls that made him so happy? Aside from the obvious fact that he had deep feelings for Serena, he couldn't place his finger on what it was. He had felt the same way when he spent time with them during his last visit to Earth. Not much had happened to him since their last meeting, but the few things that had happened had left a big impact on him. He had been lost in thought and didn't hear when Amy had addressed him. She tried again, asking why he was back and what Princess Kakyuu was up to. Seiya was met with a dilemma: how much should he let them in on? He supposed he would have to get their approval before he could call Earth his new home, so telling them about Kakyuu was a must. Although, it wasn't Serena and her friends he was worried about, it was that damn Haruka and her followers from the outer solar system that he knew he was going to have some conflict with.

"Seiya? Is something wrong?" Lita asked, legitimately concerned.

The girls could tell by the expression held on Sieya's face that the reason he was sent back here to Earth wasn't of his own accord, and if it was, then it wasn't on good terms. Something was definitely bothering him. Seiya finally decided on an answer for Amy's question. They had a right to know. "I wish I could say I'm back here just because I wanted to see your smiling faces again, but that's not the case. When we returned to Kinmoku, Princess Kakyuu was struck down by illness and perished. As her dying wish we were instructed to return here on a mission... and give up all hope of reviving our civilization on Kinmoku."

The Sailor Soldiers huddled around the table gasped in horror and gave their condolances to the Starlight. They had a hard time believing a woman like the Fireball Princess would ask her most loyal subjects for such a task. Mina slammed her hands upon the table. "I think that definitely goes under the category of gruel and unusable punishment! What the hell kind of mission could she give you that was so damn important that you have to give up hope? Hopes and dreams are what drive people to do their very best!"

Seiya was slightly taken aback by Mina's words. He had always known her to be over-enthusiastic and passionate about the things she cared about, but he didn't think he had ever heard Mina so opposed to something before. Was she suggesting that he go against Kakyuu's order and continue living with the hope that someday Kinmoku would be restored? Surely that's what Mina was implying, however, if she were in his position he knew she would be very precise in following her Moon Princess's command. How very hypocritical of her, he thought idly. "I believe you mean cruel and unusual punishment," Amy corrected Mina, her head swaying back and forth at the mistake.

"Although Mina's being completely over-dramatic, she does have a good question: what's the mission? Maybe we can help you." Rei offered.

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to decide if it was wise to trust them with the mission Kakyuu had bestowed upon him and his colleages. "There is no hope of restoring Kinmoku, but even though the planet is in ruins somehow it lives on. That's all the hope we can have; just enough to keep the light burning within ourselves here on Earth. That's what we're here for; there's a place where the heart of Kinmoku and the light of Earth collide. That's the only place we can belong now. Our new duty is to find and protect it, but I think," Seiya paused for a second, "we'll do it on our own. I appreciate the offer, but don't bother yourselves with the heavy burden we carry."

"But... you're our friend, Seiya," Serena told him, "and friends help each other out!"

He slid out of the booth. Seiya had a feeling this was going to turn out badly, but he really didn't want Earth's colorful array of Senshi getting involved in affairs that didn't concern them. He told them his mission solely because they deserved the right to know why he had invaded their planet a second time. "Not where I come from..." he stated, back turned as he headed toward the exit, "see you at the concert tonight."

He entered their hideout completely drunk. The girls giggled at the drunkard; nothing was more funny than someone stumbling around with a lamp shade on his head. Ollerk chuckled in his bunk where he watched Emery pick up their cat and sniff him as if he were some form of pot in disguise. It wasn't unusual to see him this way, ever since he had been revived by the Goddess in Red he had been coping with his inner sorrow, drowning it away in a cool bottle of sake every night only to return so drunk he couldn't tell which direction was down. After he returned to the hideout each night he'd hit on the girls before collapsing onto his lower bunk, falling completely unconcious, waking up with an absurd hangover, and then repeating the whole ordeal. It would never hurt him—could never hurt him—because Emery, like the other four people he bunked with, was a cyborg.

Ollerk rolled over on his side, trying to ignore the girls now playing along with the drunk in the barracks. It wasn't like he needed sleep, but the simplicity of generic needs for humanoid beings made him feel comfortable. He glared at the outlet beside his pillow, knowing he would need to recharge before he could attempt to find a target for their Mistress. All their stories were nearly identical. She wreaked havoc upon their home planets, destroying them with a single blow. Those who survived were slain... and they were the lucky ones; they were the ones added to her garden of roses. Whether they were missing limbs, eyes, organs, it didn't matter. Those who were willing to go with her were spared and repaired. Ollerk was disgusted by what he had become, but his will to live was stronger than his sense of morale. His savior could do whatever she wished with him; he didn't care, for he no longer had anything to live for. Ollerk reached under his pillow to find the only thing he could salvage from the home he had so very long ago: the picture of his wife and daughter. They had been his whole world... and now they were gone. Ollerk had long ago resigned himself to the notion that his wife and daughter were lost to him forever. He was no longer the person he once was for he went by another name now: The Yellow Rose. Ollerk subconciously gazed at the engraving he had been branded with on his golden, cybernetic left arm: Rose. They were all marked with it. The word rang their loyalties to lie with the Red Goddess herself.

The doors burst open and the tan man dressed in a white tuxedo entered their abode. The girls greeted him with giggles, laughing more at his disguise than him. He stopped when he saw Emery had passed out on the floor. "Girls, you know better. Now hook him up to his post." he said, brushing his fingers through his satin chin-length hair.

The Pink Rose made a face at his request. Blonde hair was gelled up into a mohawk and her bangs hung low on the left side of her face. Between the pink tips a glistening pink light could been seen beneath her bangs, it was a huge contrast with the blue eye beside it. She brushed her hands against the sides of her head where no hair could be found. It was obvious the punky girl was frustrated. "If it concerns you, Swyn, then you can move him."

"The Mistress favors me, Rumi. Therefore, I order you to move him."

All this received from her was a sick, mocking laugh. "As I recall you are at the bottom of the food chain, White Rose... or don't you remember? We were ranked accoringly to our respective guardian roses: White, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink." she paused in mock thought, "Oh, wait... I believe that makes me your superior, and I don't take orders from underlings, Swyn."

She climbed into her bunk above Ollerk's and let out a heavy metallic-sounding breath. The White Rose glared at the bunk, but did not comment further. "Well!" the voice came to him from the other side of the room.

Swyn turned to look at the Blue Rose. Her silky cerulean hair flowed delicately between her shoulder blades. Her equally blue eyes seemed to be surveying him. "I suppose you'll be needing to plug-in like the rest of us, so you should probably dispose of that repulsive disguise."

Swyn smiled, "Oh no, I actually just recently charged up; I'm running on full power. I've got a job to do, after all."

The cyborg girl perked a brow, "Really? So you've found your target? I wanna see!"

He flashed her the photo of a girl with short red hair crying. "Yeesh! Why pick her?" she criticized, "She looks so... depressed!"

"Exactly, my fair Blue Rose. You see someone so incredibly depressed can only have hope that things will get better with time, and that hope is precisely what I intend to steal from her." He chuckled, turning on his heel to leave from that which he came, "But I don't know what I'm explaining all of this to you for. I've got a Goddess to please. Have fun recharging your circut breakers, Blue."

"Hey! We want to ask you a few questions."

The Three Lights turned around to see Haruka and Michiru standing backstage. They had just finished their first concert since their reappearance on Earth and now who follows them down but the inseperable Sailors Uranus and Neptune. They could see the two women were holding VIP passes. Seiya had no idea where they had gotten those from, but had no choice but to play the charming, witty pop star that he was. He smiled at the butch blonde and handed her a single red rose. He was slightly surprised to see her accept it, although he could guess that she was also playing her own role in this clever charade. He offered to show them back to his dressing room where they could speak in private to which Haruka and Michiru complied. Yaten and Taiki followed the standard proceedure of offering autographs and tours, but Michiru politely declined. The three singers knew what "questions" Haruka and Michiru were here to ask them. They prepared themselves for the worst.

Seiya held the doors open and allowed Haruka and Michiru to enter the dressing room, Taiki and Yaten following closely behind them. As soon as the door shut Haruka crushed the rose in her hand and folded her arms. The petals gracefully floated to the ground at Haruka's feet. "So, let's get started shall we?" Haruka stated firmly.

Taiki smiled and plopped into a chair. "Yes, let's."

"We want to know what your purpose is here." Michiru informed them immediately, "We thought your only reason for being here had been to find your princess. We had expected you to leave us well enough alone after Princess Kakyuu was returned to you."

"Unfortunately," Taiki began, "Princess Kakyuu ordered us to return here. Trust me when I say I would have preferred our senshi to stay apart from yours."

Haruka's eyes narrowed, "See, that's the thing, I don't trust you. So you say your princess has ordered your return? Then where is she? I think you forget that this galaxy doesn't belong to you, Starlights. Although I don't think Princess Serenity would have a problem with your visit, I am obliged to protect her and if I see your presence here as a threat, then I will dispose of you. So, again, where's the Fireball Princess? I think we ought to have a little heart to heart with her highness."

"She's not here." Yaten explained, "Our princess has taken her rightful place upon the throne of Kinmoku. This mission of ours is for us alone. We won't ask for your help; we don't want it."

"Then tell us more about this mission so we can understand what to protect Serena from." Michiru suggested.

Seiya sighed. "Look, I want to protect Serena as much as you do, maybe more—"

"Seiya!" Taiki and Yaten gasped, horrified that their comrade was more interested in the Moon Princess than their own.

Seiya, however, ignored them and continued, "we were told to look for a scout in this galaxy and that she was the only one left in the universe that possessed the heart and soul of Kinmoku's golden age. She's our only hope of restoring Kinmoku. That's why we're here; it's our duty to find her at all costs. As much as I adore the Moon Princess, my mission will come first."

Tennoh glared at Seiya and turned to leave with Kaioh at her side. "Stay away from Serena."

Michiru was deep in her thoughts as she entered her classroom. However, those thoughts were quickly cast aside as Takano greeted her. Michiru smiled at the older girl. Something was off about her today and Michiru couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. Her brow furrowed as Takano spoke animatedly about a new restaurant opening at the east end of town. Michiru could sense the waves of the sea becoming more restless. Takano stopped mid-sentence and stared at Michiru's serene face. "Sailor Neptune, free me..."

Michiru's eyes widened at the sound of the girl's voice speaking her senshi name. "What?"

"Hm? I didn't say anything. You just started spacing-out all of a sudden. Thinking about Tennoh-san?" Takano teased.

Michiru had opened her mouth to argue the matter, but decided against it. Somone was trying to get her attention... someone—or something. She simply smiled at her friend and kept quiet about her true thoughts. Takano took this as meaning she had guessed correctly. She chuckled a bit and suddenly remembered yesterday's assignment. She asked Michiru if she had completed hers yet and Michiru apologized that she wasn't comfortable with letting Takano view it before it was finished. "That's okay; it's no big deal," Takano assured her, "I'll just wait until it's finished before I see it. In the meantime, can I get you to critique my work for me? I finished last night since I didn't have anything better to do."

Takano opened her portfolio to reveal a stunning work of art painted with brilliant colors. It wasn't Takano's mastery of skill that had the most influence on Michiru, though, it was the piece itself. Takano had fabricated an exact image of Crystal Tokyo and at the base of the palace stood Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion with Small Lady. Yet there was another couple in this picture who looked oddly familiar to Michiru. "Who are all of these people?" Michiru asked, trying to be curious.

"I don't really know... they're probably a royal family, but I think these people look a lot like you and Tennoh-san... and that little girl looks like a girl in the lower grades I know named Hotaru." Takano chuckled slightly, "But I could never see Haruka wearing something like that, hehe."

"See Haruka wearing something like what?" Haruka asked, stepping in from the doorway, her hands in her pockets, "Michiru, you haven't been drawing anything naughty, have you?"

It was then that Haruka saw the painting. She saw herself standing with the outer scouts in the lower left corner of the painting and in the lower right corner were the inner scouts. The royal family of Crystal Tokyo smiled at her from the painting's staircase up to the palace, and in front of them were, not three, but four starlights. Haruka's brow furrowed. Who was that smiling so cheerfully beside Star Fighter? She wore the traditional fuku with black as her primary color and gold as her secondary color. Like the Starlights, a star adorned her sailor tiara and a star could be found on either arm attached to a black band that encircled her biceps. The painting was absolute perfection, but who was the extra person? "Who is this?" Haruka asked, pointing to the unknown Starlight.

"Well, that set of people are my favourite, I think they sort of represent Stars. I like to think each star burns differently: Spirit, Intellect, Strength, and Love. So the girl you pointed to, at least what I like to call her, is Princess Ai." Takano explained with a smile.

Princess Ai. Whoever she was, if she could side herself so easily with the Starlights, then she was no ally of theirs. Haruka pointed to herself in the picture, slightly curious, but also trying to discern how accurate Takano's portrayals of the Senshi were. "What do you call her?"

"Hm... that group is my group of Planet Guardians: Grace, Elegance, Solitude, and Precision. That girl specifically represents the Graceful Uranus... I was telling Michiru I think she kind of looks like you except... I don't think you'd ever wear that outfit, hehe."

It was worse than Haruka thought. Takano's painting was far closer to reality than she probably realized. This was far too ironic to be considered merely "coincidence". Someone was feeding Takano these thoughts and ideas. There was no way such a girl could come up with an exact replica of the future on her own. She decided right then and there that she and Michiru would have to consult with Pluto before any further action could be taken, as Pluto was the Keeper of Time. Haruka smiled at Takano, though. "You're pretty talented, Takano-chan."

Takano beamed with delight at the compliment, "Arigato!"