Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Ascension Trilogy, Book 1: The Coming Ice Age ❯ A Matter Of Time ( Chapter 8 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

THE COMING ICE AGE.
Chapter 8: "A Matter Of Time"

By Bill K.

Setsuna looked on with unconcealed concern as Janus haltingly
stepped through the door and out into the garden behind her home. His
fine sinewy body was as taut as a weighted rope, ready to catch himself
should his injured hip falter. She lingered near him, ready to catch
him as well.

"Are you certain of this?" she asked. "You do not look strong
enough to support your weight for a prolonged period."

"It does me no good to lay in your bed for weeks upon end," Janus
said. He was clearly in pain, but he forced himself on. There was a
stiffness to his gait, but not as much as she expected.

"I do not mind," Setsuna said softly. He must have heard, because
he turned to her and smiled warmly.

"Nor do I, when you are by my side. But I must prove my fitness
to be your beloved. Otherwise you will grow weary and contemptuous and
throw me over for the first hale and handsome male you see."

"How little you know of me," Setsuna responded, realizing he was
teasing her.

"I would be very grateful to learn," he said, capturing her hand
and putting it to his lips.

Janus walked out into the garden, his stiff gait the only blemish
on his otherwise perfect form. Though it was now in the high forties,
the temperature didn't seem to bother him. He walked barefoot and
nearly naked out into the flowers and stretched out his massive wings.

"Please do not attempt too much," Setsuna warned him.

"Relax, precious one," he cautioned her. "I have faced far worse
than this in my life. And my wings are not injured. If anything, they
are stiff from disuse."

The wings spread out and cupped to catch the air. With a powerful
thrust, they pulled Janus up into the air. He instantly commanded the
sky above her home. Setsuna felt something inside of her tighten with
desire. She watched how gracefully he moved in the air, demonstrating
ability that was completely breathtaking. And she noticed the joy in
his face as he soared through the skies. Night was approaching and his
light coloring and white wings stood out against the indigo of the
skies. He looped one more time, then angled down and landed near her
with the power of an eagle and the grace of a dancer. Setsuna felt her
heart skip.

"It has been too long since I flew," Janus gasped. He seemed to
glow with excitement. "Too long imprisoned upon the ground." He
noticed Setsuna look down with chagrin. "My only solace was the
beautiful healer my captivity afforded me." Setsuna flashed him a
cynical grin.

"How does your hip feel?" Setsuna asked.

"To the pits with my hip!" he grinned, intoxicated by his
reclaimed freedom. "I have tasted the skies again!"

"Care and moderation, Janus," Setsuna smiled gently. "Do not fly
too far too fast, lest you come crashing back to earth in flames."

He smiled, as if the words were familiar to him. "You are wise,
my love, and only seek my health and safety. I shall heed your words."
Then inspiration struck. "But only if you join me in one last flight
tonight!"

"Janus, are you strong enough?"

In answer, he seized Setsuna by her waist and pulled her to his
masculine body.

"Judge for yourself," he smiled.

Setsuna found her arms snaking around his neck. "You are quite
convincing. I find - - little of fault here."

Grinning, Janus flexed his wings and launched them up into the
air. Startled, Setsuna clutched him tightly around the neck.

"Fear not, my love," he whispered into her ear. "I have you and I
will not let go."

Setsuna laid her head on his shoulder and peered down at the
world. The ground whirled below her, then her perspective twisted as he
banked sharply. First sky then ground then the horizon passed across
her field of vision in a dizzying display. Setsuna clung to Janus,
slightly fearful, but also exhilarated by the sights and sounds around
her and by the feel of the body next to her. He straightened out, and
she twisted her head to see. Below them was the neighborhood, smaller
and less confining. The wind whistled across her face and her long
green hair trailed behind them, whipping and whirling in the rush of
air.

Lazily he banked, then swooped down to the ground. With time to
spare, he pulled up and landed softly. Even after her feet touched the
Earth again, Setsuna didn't let go.

"Was that not impressive, my love?" he asked.

Setsuna looked into his eyes and the only response she could come
up with was to kiss him. So she did, jamming her lips to his as she
molded her tall frame to his muscular body. Though startled at first by
her response, Janus quickly warmed up to the idea and returned it with
his own passion.

Shrouded by the night, Setsuna and Janus continued to kiss amid
the flowers of her garden.
* * * *
Rei Hino had seen many things over the course of her thirty-three
years on the planet. Sailor Venus carrying what looked like a woman
over her shoulder was not one of them. She stood at the top step of
Hikawa Shrine and stared.

"A woman over your shoulder? Is that the latest fashion trend?"
Rei asked.

"Not even close," Venus replied. "Help me get her inside, huh?"

"Who is she?"

"Candice something. You'll never guess where she's from, either."

Rei waited, but got no response.

"Well?" demanded Rei.

"You're not going to guess?" Minako asked. Rei glared at her.
"She's from Knorr."

"That's the place Janus is from!"

"I know. Weird thing is, when I dropped that little nugget on
her, she totally freaked on me. Started running, and when I chased her
she threw a fireball at me."

"Really! So why bring her here?"

"Well, I could have dropped her in Makoto's restaurant, but that
would have scared all her customers away."

"So you'd rather scare my customers away?" Rei asked.

"What customers?" Venus retorted, looking around at the deserted
grounds of Hikawa.

"Smart ass," grunted Rei. Venus smirked.

Rei and Venus carried the unconscious being into a room in the
shrine and laid her down on a futon. Rei looked her over.

"What happened to her?" Rei asked.

"I hit her with too hard of an energy burst," Venus said.

"You've got to learn to control that," Rei said. Venus stuck out
her tongue.

"So can you read anything from her?"

"Not while she's unconscious. And these folks from Knorr are
tough to read. We'll have to wait until she wakes up, and even then I
can't promise anything."

"'kay," Venus said. She sat down near the futon. "Usagi tells me
you were singing at The Green Room. Wish I could have been there, but I
was on tour."

"Maybe next time," Rei said, studying the mystery woman.

"So are you finally going to let me record 'Moonlight and
Heaven'?"

"Are you going to do it right?" Rei eyed her.

"I'm a pop singer, Rei! Ballads make my producer break out!"

"Then the answer's still no."

"But we could use it on the soundtrack of the movie I'm set to
film!" Rei was unmoved. "Come on, Rei! It's a beautiful song! I
could turn it into a number one hit!"

"By rearranging it into some techno-rock dance mix fluff? No.
You record it as I wrote it or you don't record it. And if your
producer and those movie folks don't like that, they can all kiss this
little Japanese girl's . . .!"

"Whoa, don't even go there!" grimaced Venus. "Some of those movie
producers would not only kiss it, they'd start doing things I don't even
like thinking about to get their way." Both women made faces at the
thought. "I'd love to do it as a ballad, Rei. I could do it in a way
that'd have half of Japan crying. But if you let us do the song his way
and it hits like we all think it will, it'll be a foot in the door for
you."

"Not in a million years," Rei replied.

"Rei, if you have a track record, even if it's only one song, five
times more agents and producers will look at you than if you don't. Why
do you think I prostituted my talent on crappy shows like 'Angel High'?
Because it was something to put on the resume. Something that told
producers and agents 'she's got experience'."

"I'm not going to compromise my artistic vision for a check or a
credit," Rei scowled.

Venus smiled. "I guess that's where we're different. To you it's
the creation; to me, the important thing is seeing all those happy
faces, all that excitement dancing in their eyes. How's not important.
I'd sing them the alphabet it if entertained them. I'm not an 'artist'
like you. I'm an entertainer. If it makes them happy, that's enough
for me."

"There's nothing unworthy about that, I guess," Rei said
contritely. "And I have to admit you are good at it." Then her eyes
narrowed as she smirked. "You're still not getting the song."

"Honestly, you are so stubborn!" howled Venus. "That was one of
my best performances!"

"Didn't move me a bit," Rei jabbed, realizing she was kidding.

"Not even a little?" wheedled Venus.

"Well," Rei grinned, "maybe just a teeny little bit." Venus
smiled proudly.

The two sat back and waited for their guest to wake up. After
about a minute, Venus began fidgeting.

"You still collect manga, don't you?" Venus asked Rei hopefully,
facing the prospect of actually having to sit still with unconcealed
dread.

"The latest issue of 'Shoujo Jump' is in the next room," Rei
sighed in exasperation.

"OH BOY! 'FIRE PRINCESS RIKA'!" Venus gasped and scampered into
the next room. Rei watched her go with disgust.

No sooner had Venus returned, then there was a knock at the door.
Rei got up to answer it and found more guests at her doorstep.

"Mercury!" Rei gasped. She noticed Uranus and Neptune behind
Mercury. Luna and Artemis zipped in through the door uninvited. "Is
something up?"

"I've discovered why the temperature is dropping," Mercury said.
"There's a temporal portal over the pond in Juuban Park. It's leaking
heat energy into another dimensional plane, probably a future era.
Something may have come through to our side, too. Uranus and Neptune
were tracking someone when they met up with me."

"Funny you should bring that up," Rei frowned, then waived them
in.

"Venus, put that manga down! We've got trouble!" they heard
Artemis shout.

"All right! You don't have to yell!" they heard Venus exclaim.

"Mercury, come look at this!" Luna called to them. Uranus got to
the door first.

"Neptune, look at this!" she said intently.

"That may be who we've been looking for!" Neptune replied. "Where
did she come from?"

"She claims to be from Knorr," Venus told them. "I found her
wandering around the park. We - - sort of had a disagreement. Be
careful of her when she wakes up. She can toss fireballs."

"Knorr, hmm," Mercury murmured, scanning the woman with her
computer and visor. "Interesting. Her scans don't match the ones I
took of Janus."

"Which means she's lying?" Neptune asked.

"Or he is," Uranus added.

"It's more probable that she's a different race," Mercury told
them. "Evolutionary divisions and branches would easily account for the
differences." Mercury turned to Rei. "She is a mystical being, isn't
she?"

"Oh, yeah," nodded Rei. "That much is clear."

"It'll be interesting to see what she has to say when she wakes
up," Neptune said, giving the unconscious woman a critical eye.

"I've already found out she knows Janus," reported Venus. "All I
had to do was mention his name and she started spitting fireballs."

"Really," Neptune replied, studying the woman even harder.

"Rei, could you or Venus call Usagi?" Mercury asked, distracted by
the analysis flashing on her computer screen. "That rift needs to be
sealed and she's the only one with the power to do it."

"I'm on it," Rei replied.

At that moment, Candes began to stir. She opened her eyes and saw
four Sailor Senshi surrounding her futon. Her hand went up to try to
form a fireball.

"Don't!" snapped Neptune. "I can snuff it out before you can get
it away! Now we don't want to hurt you unless you force us. All we
want is some answers."

Candes glared at Neptune. Her eyes moved to Uranus and saw she'd
back Neptune to the hilt. She saw Venus and knew what she could do.
Slowly Candes lowered her hand.

"You are my enemies," she whispered. "I will tell you nothing."
* * * *
"You're sure you're all right?" Makoto asked Usagi.

Makoto had taken a few minutes off to walk Usagi and Mamoru out to
their car. Usagi carried the bag containing remnants of the meal that
Makoto insisted she take - - not that she had to insist very hard.

"I'm married to a wonderful man, I have a successful manga,
wonderful friends, and I just ate the best meal in all of Japan!" Usagi
replied. "Why wouldn't I be all right?"

"I don't know," shrugged Makoto. "You just look a little pale is
all."

"Usako, give me your wrist," Mamoru said.

"Why?" Usagi replied coyly. "There are other parts of me that are
much more sexier."

"Humor me. I'm a wrist man."

"Would you two stop fussing about me! I'm fine! I'm just tired!"

"And you'd tell us if anything were wrong, of course," Makoto eyed
her warily.

"Me? I'm the biggest whiner on the planet! Ask Rei."

"OK, hon'," Makoto said. "Sorry if I got on your nerves there.
I'm just doing my job, you know - - protect the Princess."

"Like I said," smiled Usagi, hugging her larger friend, "how lucky
can a girl get?"

"I'd still like that wrist, if you don't mind," Mamoru persisted.

"You're just looking for a way to take unfair advantage - -," and
Usagi stopped in mid-sentence, the senshi communicator calling to her.
"I wonder what this is," she mused, rummaging through her purse.

"It must not be a general alert," Makoto said. "Mine didn't go
off."

"Usagi here. Hi, Rei!" Usagi said into the communicator. "You
did? She did? Really?"

"Looks like good news." Makoto noticed Mamoru still staring.
"You're still worried. Do you sense something?"

"She keeps telling me she's fine," Mamoru said, watching Usagi as
she talked to Rei, "and yet I get the impression she's not. It's
nothing concrete. Maybe she's hiding it. Maybe she's not even aware of
it." He shook his head and scowled. "Maybe I've just lost it."

"Did you want to check her pulse or something?" Makoto asked.
Mamoru nodded. "Well, keep at it. Better safe than sorry." Makoto
grinned. "Say the word and I'll sit on her for you."

Mamoru and Makoto turned to the sound of the communicator
clattering onto the asphalt pavement. They saw Usagi sink to her knees,
her face stricken with pain. Mamoru was to her side in a moment, just
in time to see her puke Makoto's wonderful dinner all over the pavement.

"Usako, what is it?" he demanded frantically. Usagi was trembling
in his arms, retching as if she needed to vomit again. Mamoru leaned
them forward, his left arm across her ribs for support while his right
hand cupped across her forehead to hold her head in place.

"Mamoru, what's wrong with her?" Makoto screeched.

"Skin clammy," Mamoru noted to himself. "Tremors, vomiting - -
Usako, do you hurt anywhere?"

Unable to force herself to speak, Usagi nodded.

"Where? Point if you can't tell me!"

"S-Stomach!" Usagi gasped out. Then she heaved what was left of
her four p.m. snack.

"Mamoru, is that blood?" wailed Makoto.

He studied the remains on the asphalt for a moment, then acted.
Scooping Usagi up in his arms, Mamoru ripped open the passenger side
door and set Usagi in. Nearly leaping over the hood, he arrived at the
driver's side door and pulled it open.

"Mamoru, what's going on? What's wrong with her?" Makoto
demanded.

Intent on the love of his life, Mamoru ignored Makoto and slammed
the door shut. Gunning the engine, he tore out of the parking space and
into traffic. His tires squealed as he barely negotiated the turns.
The scent of burned rubber lingered in the lot. Makoto didn't notice.
She turned and raced back to the restaurant.

"SAN-SAN!" she screamed. Sanjuro was already outside, coming to
see what the squealing noises were.

"Babe, what's wrong?" he asked, instantly alarmed by his wife's
mood.

"It's Usagi! Something's wrong with Usagi!" Makoto said, lurching
to a stop and clutching her husband by his arms. "You've got to take
care of the place! I've got to go! I've got to be there for her!"

"Go," he said. "I understand." Then he put his hand to her
cheek. Her tears trickled down against it, then diverted along the
hand. "She'll be all right, Babe. Believe that."

Makoto kissed his palm gratefully, then tore away and headed for
the street.
* * * *
"Chatty type, isn't she?" Uranus said. Her eyes never left
Candes.

"She might be a little less reluctant to speak if you weren't so
menacing looking," Mercury chided. She leaned in toward Candes. "We're
just trying to find out what's happening. Please, we mean you no harm."

Candes glared at her, disbelief etched in her expression.

They all heard the slap of slippers on the floor. Turning, the
senshi saw Rei race through the room at breakneck speed.

"Rei, did you talk to . . ." Mercury began. "Rei, what is it?"

"OH, CRAP!" gasped Venus. "That's her 'Usagi's in danger' look!"

continued in Chapter 9