by Haruka

"I don't believe this," Kei said, shaking her head as she stared at Setsuna. "You can't be in charge here! You don't look any older than me!"
Setsuna pulled a file folder from the briefcase at her side. "I'm eighteen physically," she said, "but in another sense, I'm ageless. I'm Sailor Pluto, guardian of the gates of time."
"And you're doing this as a sideline?" Yuri said doubtfully.
"I was assigned to this duty a while ago, and will continue to fulfill it until a change is made or until danger threatens the time continuum." Setsuna folded her hands. "All right, let's all get to know each other."
"I want to know why we're here!" Kei said frankly. "Yuri and I were already busy enough. This is a waste of time for us."
"Okay, let's start with you then," Setsuna said, and referred to the sheets in her folder. "Kei and Yuri, the Lovely Angels. Neither of you are good students when you actually attend school, which isn't often. You've been working as trouble consultants for 3WA for two years with an impressive success rate so far as assignments go. However, your habit of leaving destruction in your wake has earned you an unflattering nickname and reputation."
"Hey, we get the job done, don't we?!" Kei snapped.
"Really," Yuri said, examining her nails. "You can't make omelets without breaking a few eggs."
"Perhaps," Setsuna said dryly, "but blowing up the kitchen isn't usually necessary." She skimmed her papers again. "Kei's specialty is guns. Great aim and accuracy, can clean, repair, and load pretty much any firearm in existence." She looked at Kei. "The down side is that you're trigger-happy, and you have a shoot-first-question-later attitude. You're also insolent, rude, irresponsible, and have no respect for authority."
"I thought you said this was the down side," Kei remarked.
"Yuri is a fine swordswoman and is good with computers, plus she's better than Kei at relating to people. However, she's lazy, vain, self-absorbed, manipulative, and as irresponsible as her partner."
"So why are they here?" Pulse asked. "Surely they're bound to be more trouble than they're worth."
"I don't think so," Setsuna answered. "They've proved themselves in tight situations over and over. Some time spent with us should hone their skills and give them the focus they need." She looked along the row of recruits. "This is something I want to emphasize to all of you. We're not trying to change you or turn you into something you're not. We want to take the best of what's in you and make it work for us."
"What's wrong with working where we were?!" Kei demanded.
"Nothing, except that we need you more," Setsuna told her. "3WA is a big organization that handles potentially dangerous problems both domestic and international. Seigi assignments may also prove dangerous, but we deal solely in situations that involve young people."
"And as young people ourselves, we can infiltrate those situations without suspicion," Kurama remarked.
"Exactly," Setsuna said. "But we only choose skilled, competent recruits with the wits and resources to get in and out alive."
"Okay, okay." Kei leaned back in her chair. "The bottom line is you need our help. Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"
"I thought it was obvious or you wouldn't be here," Setsuna replied, turning a page in the folder. "Next is Kurama. Has already proved himself to be highly intelligent. He's an accomplished martial artist and an honour student. Fluent in several languages including many tongues that haven't been used in centuries."
"Really?" Yui looked impressed. She smiled at Kurama. "I love learning new languages myself."
"He also has the ability to create and manipulate plants," Setsuna continued, glancing up, "especially those from the spiritworld."
Kurama nodded to acknowledge the fact, while Chihaya eyed him warily.
Kei crossed her legs and tapped her foot on the edge of the table in an irritating manner. "If you tell me he doesn't have any bad points, I'll have to shoot him."
Kurama winced. "Please don't even joke about that."
"Why?" Kei stopped tapping and studied him closely. The redhead had turned pale and was perspiring. "What's with you?"
"Do you want to tell her or shall I?" Setsuna asked Kurama gently.
He took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke in a low, soft voice. "I don't like guns. Once ... I was mortally wounded by a man with a gun."
"Wait a minute," Yuri interrupted. "How could you be mortally wounded and still be here?"
"Hn," Hiei remarked. Kurama glanced at him, then sighed, his vivid green eyes lowering.
"This is not my original form. I'm actually a kitsune. A fox spirit. I'm over five hundred years old."
"Well-preserved, aren't you?" Yui smiled. Kurama looked at her.
"This body is only fifteen years old. When I was shot, I tore my soul from my kitsune body and entered that of an unborn child. I was raised in this form as Minamino Shuichi, but my true name is Kurama. Youko Kurama."
"So you're a demon," Chihaya said flatly. "I knew it."
"Chihaya," Kagetsuya chided gently. "Listen before you judge."
"So Kurama's a demon," Hiei snapped. "So what? It doesn't mean he's evil. I'm a demon, too."
"Is that true?" Signal asked Setsuna.
"Yes, it's true," she said. "Kurama and Hiei have worked together in the past, helping to keep less-scrupulous demons from interfering in the human world."
Kei shuddered. "Demons, great."
Yuri had a impish smile on her pretty face. "Kei's afraid of ghosts and spirits."
"I am not!" Kei protested.
"Are too."
"She needn't be afraid of Kurama or Hiei," Setsuna said. "Like most people, they won't hurt anyone unless attacked first." She glanced down at her papers. "Now, Kei wondered if Kurama had any bad points. Obviously everyone does. In Kurama's case, his true nature as a kitsune gives him a strong sense of curiosity and mischief. Also, Youko Kurama is well-known in the spiritworld as a highly-skilled thief."
"You make it sound like Youko Kurama still exists there," Yui said.
"He exists here." Setsuna nodded at the red-haired boy. "Kurama can change into his Youko form at will, but unfortunately, the change may also come when he's angered or in pain. Youko Kurama is beautiful, but difficult. He tends to do things his own way, without regard for anyone else."
"You want me to gain more control over my Youko self while I'm here?" Kurama guessed.
"As I said, our goal isn't to change you," Setsuna told him. "Youko has been Youko for over five hundred years, and he isn't going to change. However, what we can do is train you to control the transformation, so that it's no longer involuntary."
"Boy, the things you can't tell from just looking at a guy," Signal said, eyeing Kurama with new respect.
"The same might be said for you, Signal," Setsuna remarked, turning a page. "As you've pointed out to anyone who'll listen, you are as perfect a humanoid as can be created, and are in fact, better than human in many ways. You've incredible strength, agility, and speed, all of which are exhibited in your fighting skills."
"Tell him the bad news," Pulse said, giving Signal a stern look.
Setsuna met Signal's gaze. "You're impulsive and more than a little cocky. You'll be taught discretion and caution while you're here. You have to learn to think before running headlong into any given situation."
"Especially considering your 'little' handicap," Pulse remarked.
"Shut up!" Signal yelled.
"Right." Setsuna sighed. "Unfortunately, that's one thing we can't change. If your creators couldn't do anything about it, we dare not make the attempt ourselves. We might do more harm than good."
"What are you talking about?" Yui asked.
Pulse smiled knowingly at a scowling Signal. "My 'perfect' brother has a bug in his program that can prove quite inconvenient at times."
Everyone was looking at Signal now. "So what happens?" Kei asked.
Signal pouted and folded his arms. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Is anyone here allergic to pollen?" Pulse asked.
"Um," Yui said uneasily, "I ... uh ...."
Pulse turned to Kurama. "Well, Flower Child? Can you produce a dandelion?"
Kurama shrugged and reached back into his long hair. He held out his palm, revealing a seed in its centre. Immediately, the seed sprouted and grew into a perfect dandelion.
"Thank you." Pulse took the flower and waved it under Yui's nose.
"Hey!" she cried. "What are y--ah, ah, AH-CHOO!"
An explosion of blue smoke knocked everyone off their chairs.
"What the hell was that?!" Duo exclaimed.
"Geez, Yui, you should learn to cover your mouth," Kei said dryly.
"That wasn't me!" Yui protested. "It was--" she turned toward Signal's chair and gasped. Everyone followed her gaze, realizing that the teenaged Signal was gone. A tiny hand reached over the edge of the table, followed by a fluff of blue hair and two innocent blue eyes that lit up when they spotted Pulse.
"Oniisan!" a childish voice cried. Next thing anyone knew, a small boy with pale blue hair longer than his body was running across the tabletop to jump into Pulse's arms.
"Is that--?!" Yuri began.
"Can't be!" Chihaya said, wide-eyed.
"Amazing," Kurama commented with a smile.
"Signal?" Kei asked. The little boy looked her way and waved happily.
"Hi, mister!"
"I'm a woman!" Kei bellowed.
The child giggled. "I like her. She's funny."
"So this is Chibi Signal." Setsuna smiled. "I understand that in this form, he's three years old."
"That's right," Pulse said, while Chibi Signal hugged him around the neck.
"That's some bug," Hiei remarked. "'Inconvenient', you said? Seems downright dangerous to me."
"Well, it's only a sneeze that can change him back and forth, and how often does that happen in the middle of battle?" Pulse said, stroking Chibi's hair. "Although I'll admit, it's something to be aware of."
"It leaves him totally vulnerable, doesn't it?" Michiru said softly. "Or does he have any power in this form?"
"Not unless being cute is a power." Pulse sighed. "No, like this, he's just a child. A robot, mind you, but a child."
"He seems to like you a lot more in this form," Haruka pointed out.
"Of course he does," Pulse said. "I'm his big brother."
"You're still his big brother when he's sixteen," Yui remarked.
"Yes, but then he's a teenager." Pulse rolled his eyes.
"Yeah," Kei said mischievously, "three-year-olds aren't as particular."
"Did you say another sneeze changes him back?" Nuriko grinned, grabbing the dandelion and shoved it into Yui's face.
"WAH-CHOO!"
This time everyone knew to hold onto the table when the powerful transformation occurred. When it was all over, sixteen-year-old Signal was back ... and sitting in Pulse's lap. Pulse promptly stood up, depositing Signal onto the carpet.
"Ouch!" Signal protested, rubbing his rear end while glaring at Pulse.
"You may take your seat, Signal," Setsuna told him. "I'm sorry your transformation was triggered like that, but it is best that we learn all the pertinent information about you."
"Just don't do it again," Signal grumbled as he walked around the table to his chair.
"Now then, Yui." Setsuna studied the page in front of her. "Like Kurama, you're an honour student. Fluent in English and Chinese with an aptitude for other languages as well. You're seen as somewhat of a leader at school."
"I suppose you could say that," Yui admitted.
"Your intelligence and shrewd presence of mind is your best asset. Your worst trait is a tendency toward bossiness
"I can see this place is going to be good for my ego," Yui said wryly.
Setsuna looked at her. "I'm not going to sugarcoat anything for you. This is honesty time here." She leaned forward. "Now, your only magic power isn't something that can be trained or perfected because it's not entirely yours, correct?"
"I don't consider it a 'magic power' at all," Yui said. "It wasn't my choice, it was wished upon me."
"But it _can_ work for you in a tight spot, can't it?" Setsuna pressed.
"Yes," Yui replied.
"What can she do?" Michiru asked.
"I'm Seiryuu No Miko," Yui answered.
Nuriko gasped audibly, drawing everyone's attention, including Yui's.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"You're Seiryuu No Miko?" Nuriko said in a strangled voice. "I'm a Suzaku Seishi."
Yui's eyes widened and for a moment she looked frightened. Then she relaxed and managed a smile. "Does it have to matter that Seiryuu and Suzaku people were once enemies? Isn't it more important to do the best we both can for Seigi now?"
Some of the colour returned to Nuriko's face. "O-Of course," she said.
"I'm glad you feel that way, Nuriko, because Yui will be an important focus for your attention in the days to come," Setsuna said.
"Excuse me for being dumb," Duo interrupted. "But what exactly does being Seiryuu No Miko mean, anyway?"
Nuriko composed her expression but didn't look at anyone. "It means Yui can summon the dragon god Seiryuu. He needs her in order to appear in this world, and she may have need of his protection or help."
Kei shook her head. "After all this, I can't wait to hear about this guy." She jerked her thumb at Chihaya.
"The Chihaya you see here is not in his original form," Setsuna explained. "He, along with Kagetsuya, have attempted to help people in the human world. Their presence at Seigi will be part of that."
"Another non-human?" Yuri remarked. "Are Kei and I the only normal people here?"
"Hey, I'm human!" Yui objected. "I just happen to be the channel for a god!"
"I rest my case," Yuri said.
"We're not talking about Yui now, we're talking about Chihaya," Setsuna said calmly. "Would you like to know what makes him different?"
"You're gonna tell us anyway," Kei remarked.
"Maybe he should just show you," Setsuna said. "Chihaya, would you mind?"
"No, sensei." Chihaya rose obediently from his chair and moved away from the table. Kei grabbed onto the table.
"Is this gonna be another explosion-type thing?"
"No," Kagetsuya assured her.
"Go ahead, Chihaya," Setsuna prompted.
The boy closed his eyes. A white light surrounded him and he seemed to shimmer and grow. When the light faded, everyone saw that Chihaya himself was no bigger, but large black wings had sprouted from his shoulder blades. His black hair had lengthened so that it hung down his back, but otherwise his sweet, innocent face remained the same.
Kagetsuya stood and walked over to Chihaya. The same bright light enveloped his body momentarily, then revealed large white wings of his own. His short blonde hair now flowed in golden waves past his backside.
"Whoa," Haruka murmured.
"Chihaya and I are angels," Kagetsuya said.
Duo crossed himself while Pulse raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't know your own co-worker was an angel?"
"I guess it's not the kind of thing that comes up in normal conversation," Duo said, his voice revealing the awe he felt.
"Well, now you know the most important thing," Setsuna said. "For you recruits, Kagetsuya is the spiritual advisor here. He and Chihaya will be working together the most, but he'll be consulting with each of you during your time here."
The two angels changed back to their human forms and sat down. Everyone except Setsuna stared at them for several moments before forcing their gaze away.
"Duo is a weapons expert," Setsuna said. "He's good with machinery as well. He's American, but fluent in Japanese. He's been in many dangerous situations and come through them more or less unscathed."
"Lemme guess," Kei remarked. "He's gonna be working with Yuri and me."
"All of the teachers will spend time working with each student," Setsuna explained. "But yes, Duo will be assessing your skills and improving upon them."
"Ha!" Kei scoffed. "I'll bet I know more about guns than he'll ever know."
"I'll take that bet." Duo grinned.
"Now, most of you already know that Pulse is Signal's older brother and a robot," Setsuna said. "He's a highly-skilled fighter, and I'm sure that training with him will benefit all of you."
"Hey, I'm not a fighter, remember?" Yui said, nervously eyeing Pulse's blades. "I didn't come here to get shish-ka-bobbed."
"Don't worry, Yui," Setsuna said. "We know what each of you is capable of. We won't put you in a situation, whether for training or in the field, that we don't feel sure you can handle." She glanced at Nuriko, who was watching Yui distrustfully. "Nuriko, is something wrong?"
The purple-haired beauty looked up. "What? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."
"Maybe you should, since I'm about to introduce you next," Setsuna said, then addressed the recruits. "As mentioned before, Nuriko is a Suzaku Seishi. This means that if Suzaku No Miko were here, Nuriko would be obligated to protect her."
"Where is this Suzaku No Miko?" Signal asked.
"I don't know," Nuriko replied. "In this day and time, she's probably not in any danger, and thus doesn't need to call upon Suzaku. Therefore, I'm not a necessity for her."
"In the meantime," Setsuna continued, "Nuriko retains remarkable power."
"Like dressing well?" Kei asked snidely.
Nuriko turned maroon eyes in her direction. Without a word, she rose from her chair and walked around the table to where Kei smirked up at her. She bent down and hooked a finger under the seat of Kei's chair. Next thing Kei knew, she and the chair were in the air, suspended only by Nuriko's finger.
"Wow," Kurama murmured.
"How are you doing that?!" Kei demanded, twisting in the chair while holding onto the seat. "No one's that strong!"
"I am," Nuriko said calmly. "Stronger, even. I'm not even using a fraction of what I'm capable of." She gently set Kei's chair down.
"Brute strength." Yuri sniffed. "Not very ladylike."
"Yeah, but Nuriko's no lady!" Duo chirped.
"That's a rude thing to say," Chihaya remarked. "That strength is a blessing from the gods, whatever the gender of the recipient. It doesn't make Nuriko-sensei any less of a lady."
"He means I never was a lady," Nuriko said with a sigh. "And if we're to be truly technical, I suppose he's correct." She began to open the front of her kimono.
"Hey!" Kei exclaimed. "What are you doing that for?"
Chihaya and Kurama turned away, while Signal blushed, but kept watching. Yui looked on thoughtfully, and Yuri shook her head.
"This is even more unladylike," Yuri said. "She's as bad as you, Kei."
"Hey!" Kei started to protest, then stopped, her mouth open as she stared at Nuriko. One by one, the recruits turned to look until all eyes were on the young beauty's exposed torso. The red Seishi symbol was glowing brightly on the left side of it, but no one noticed. They were all blinking at the sight of Nuriko's unmistakably, unquestioningly male chest.
"You're a man?!" Kei exclaimed. "No way!"
"Impossible!" Yuri gasped. "She was almost as pretty as me!"
"I still am," Nuriko remarked with a smile as he closed his kimono. "Prettier."
"Okay, Pulse," Signal said slowly, "maybe not everything about sex is programmed into my databanks."
"As you can see, Nuriko will not only be able to give you practice in strength training, but he'll also teach each of you how to disguise yourselves effectively." Setsuna smiled.
Nuriko returned to his chair, giving Pulse a flirtatious wink. Pulse's eyes widened and he turned red. Signal snickered.
"Our next instructor is Himura Kenshin," Setsuna said, nodding to the redhead beside Nuriko. "He is renowned as the most respected samurai in existence. Those of you with no knowledge of sword- handling will quickly become adept at it under his tutelage. Yuri, your training with Kenshin will be more intense, as you're already an expert swordswoman."
"Why should I bother training with him if I'm already an expert?" Yuri asked.
Kenshin smiled calmly. "Even the best can always learn more, Yuri. Those with minds closed to knowledge will be surpassed every time."
Yuri blinked, uncertain as to whether she'd been rebuked or not. "Uh, okay," she said meekly.
"Next we have Hiei," continued Setsuna. "As mentioned, he is a demon. Specifically, a fire demon. His own skill with the sword is almost equal to Kenshin's, as is his speed. However, his most powerful attack is one that's too risky to use in practice. Primarily, he'll be working with Kurama, who can make the most of training with a fellow demon, but you may all expect to face him sometime during your stay."
"Good," Kei said, cracking her knuckles. Hiei gave her an amused half-smile in return.
"Last but not least, we have my compatriots, Haruka and Michiru," Setsuna went on. "Better known as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. You'll learn some hand-to-hand combat from both of them, but mostly you'll be taught how to defend against their powerful attacks ... if you can."
"Wait a minute," Yuri interrupted. "Aren't all the Sailor Senshi female?"
"Yes, why?" Setsuna asked.
Yuri studied Haruka in dismay. "You mean I've been fooled again?"
Haruka grinned. "Want me to bare my chest?"
"Don't you dare," Michiru said mildly.
"Haruka _is_ a girl, Yuri," Setsuna assured her. "But to be honest, neither Haruka nor Nuriko were trying to trick anyone. They dress the way they prefer to. Haruka only wears a skirt when she's in her Senshi outfit, but Nuriko will wear boys' clothing when he feels like it. I promise, you'll get used to it."
"That's all right," Yuri said easily. "Kei never looks or acts like a lady, and I'm certainly used to her--"
"Knock it off, Yuri!" Kei yelled.
Setsuna took a deep breath and sat up straighter in her chair. "Now that we've all met, it's time to discuss what you'll learn here."
"You already told us," Signal said. "Combat, swordfighting, strength training--"
"There's more," Setsuna pointed out. "There'll be intense physical training, lessons in logic and deduction--and believe me, it comes in handy--plus a foundation in various religions and politics. You'll also have to learn etiquette."
Kei groaned. "Why?!"
"So that you won't be thrown out of high-class restaurants or parties as an infiltrator, that's why," Setsuna replied.
"Is there anything else?" Yui asked.
"Well, it goes without saying that you'll be tutored in the usual high school subjects. With the exception of Duo, everyone else has graduated and passed teaching equivalency tests." Setsuna sat back and looked at them seriously. "However, there is one other skill you may be taught, although it's an optional one. You may find it more difficult than anything else you'll learn here."
"Worse than math?" Kei cracked.
"Seduction," Setsuna said.
"What?!" all six recruits exclaimed.
"If you wish, you'll be taught how to charm, cajole, and tempt. If the need arises where you have to take it further, it will be left up to your discretion whether or not to follow through. If you choose not to, however, you'll have to learn how to get out of it without arousing suspicion."
"How silly," Yuri said dismissively. "I'm charming enough as I am. Kei, on the other hand, could certainly use some of that training--"
"Shut up!" Kei shouted.
"As I said, the seduction training is optional. We wouldn't want you to go against any moral beliefs you may have." Setsuna closed her folder. "Are there any questions?"
"How soon do you think we'll be sent out on assignments?" Yui asked.
"It depends on your progress and the urgency of the assignments," Setsuna answered. "There are already situations that we're anxious to investigate, but we haven't anyone to spare until we get you people trained. Some of you may be ready before others, but only because some have had more previous experience. There may also be times when recruits and instructors go on assignments together." She sighed. "In short, the need to send you out could come at any time."
"Then we'd better get busy, hadn't we?" Signal remarked.

Nuriko pulled his shawl more closely around his shoulders. Despite the chilly breeze, he was reluctant to go back indoors just yet. The view from the roof was breathtaking, encompassing most of the city. The bright lights twinkling in the darkness were almost a comfort, despite his disquieting thoughts.
"Nuriko?"
The Seishi turned, smiling when he saw Michiru watching him with concern. "Hi, Michi."
"Why don't you come in? It's getting cold."
"I will shortly." Nuriko looked out over the city once more. Michiru moved up beside him and admired the view silently.
"Do you think any of them have potential?" Nuriko asked quietly.
"I think they all do," Michiru replied. "Otherwise they wouldn't have been chosen."
"Even Yui?"
"Yes," Michiru said firmly. "She seems to want to do her best for Seigi, and that's half the battle won."
"I suppose you're right." Nuriko sighed. "Setsuna is going to send them out very soon."
"I know," Michiru admitted. "She has no choice. We need their help."
"She wouldn't be so desperate if we hadn't already lost--" Nuriko's voice faltered and lowered his head. Michiru placed her hands on his shoulders.
"They'll find them," she said gently. "Have faith."
"That's what Kagetsuya told me." Nuriko laughed softly. "He doesn't know how hard I'm trying."
"He does," Michiru gave him a hug. "We all do."
"It's been two months without a word--"
"That doesn't necessarily mean the worst."
"It isn't a good sign, either." Nuriko shook his head. "I just wish I could be as confident as the rest of you are. Listening to Kei and Yuri, I can't help but have my doubts."
"Give them a chance," Michiru told him. "This group is special, I feel it. They'll succeed."

End of Chapter 2

Story contents (C) 1997 Tenou Haruka

Character copyrights are too numerous to mention. Just know that none of them are mine.