
Sailor Moon: Secondary Characters: Change
{Jon Carp}
address: jcarp@med.unc.edu

TED: Hey, Dan, I know it's only seven in the morning, but why don't you come
 inside and have a drink?
DAN: I'd love to, Ted, but I'm already drunk.
TED: So am I.
DAN & TED: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
                                --Red Meat

Don't dream it.  Be it.--Dr. Frank N. Furter

        The house was empty.
        No, it wasn't, actually.  There were four people living inside.
        One of them didn't count, though.  She didn't do anything.  She just
sat by the window in a dark room (so she could see out but no one could see
in), and watched for whatever she thought was coming.
        Nothing could make her move.  Not even the one person in the world
she trusted.
        Not that Michiru didn't try.  And as she got more and more lonely
and desperate, her arguments to get away from the window grew increasingly
intense.  She never dreamed it would ruin everything.

        She walked in, carrying a mug and a plate of fried eggs.  "I've got
breakfast," she announced.
        Haruka didn't look at her.  "Did you make it?" she asked.  Michiru
nodded.  "Put it over there.  I have to keep looking or they'll come."
        Michiru put the food and coffee on a table and sat down near Haruka.
"Please tell me who you're so afraid of."
        "Them.  They're coming, I saw them a few days ago.  Didn't you?"
She didn't wait for an answer.  "They were here.  If I stop watching they'll
come and take us over."
        "What do you mean?"
        Haruka swallowed.  "They'll hypnotize us and make us do what they
want."  Tears came to her eyes.  "Like...like they did with Setsuna.  Having
her murder poor Hotaru."
        "Haruka, how many times do I have to tell you?  Hotaru died so we
could save everyone else.  Setsuna did what she had to do, why can't you
understand that?"
        Haruka grimaced.  "You've been fooled.  You don't understand."
        Michiru sighed.  She walked over to the drawer and opened it.  She
reached inside and took out a handful of little white things.  "I found your
pills, Haruka."
        There was no reaction.
        "The ones you said you were taking.  You..."
        "It's all poison," Haruka muttered.  "So they can kill me if I keep
them from controlling my mind.  But I'm too smart, see, I know."
        "Haruka...please.  I'm alone without you.  Please just take your
pills.  Then you'll be okay again."
        "You've been listening to Setsuna," Haruka grunted.  "She's made you
think these things."
        "Haruka, no."  She picked up one of the little white things and held
it out.  "I know it hurts losing Hotaru, but you have to get past it.  You--"
        Haruka grabbed her hand and stared her in the eyes.  "Are you
manipulating me?"  She shook her head vigorously.  "No.  No, you can't be
hypnotized.  I've been protecting you.  But...you believe me, don't you?
You don't think I'm crazy."  She smiled gratefully.  "You love me."
        Michiru didn't say anything for a second.  Then she pulled her hand
away.  "I don't think you're crazy.  I think you're sick.  There's nothing
coming after you.  I can help you get better, but you have to take your
pills.  Please."
        Haruka looked up in horror.  "They've gotten you," she whispered,
tears in her eyes.  "Oh god...how could I let this happen?  I..." she ran to
the door, panicking.  "I've got to get out of here!"
        Michiru walked up slowly.  "Haruka, please, I'm not trying to hurt
you.  You have to trust me...because I love you.  Don't you trust me?"
        Haruka grabbed her head and groaned slightly.  "Why are you doing
this to me?  WHY ARE YOU ALL DOING THIS TO ME?!!  Why did you take her?
It's not fair..."
        Michiru reached to Haruka, intending to stroak her hair, touch her
face, make everything better, just like always.
        But Haruka screamed and pushed her to the floor.  "Getawayfromme!"
she yelped, and ran.
        Sobbing all the way.  She wasn't going to come back.

        Hotaru's dead, and I'm watching a sit-com.
        Oh, I'm not getting any enjoyment out of it.  But here I am, sitting
on my ass, not crying.  I should be crying.  Or I at least feeling kind of
bad about it.  After all, I was the one who...
        This lanky, stupid guy trips over a table and falls on his face.
        LAUGH NOW.
        "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
        See?  That was easy.  I can fake emotion any time I want.  I just
don't want to.  It wouldn't be right.  Even after watching her die at my own
hand, and telling her father and seeing him broken...I didn't shed a single
tear, because...hmm.  I don't know.  I guess I'm just not an emotional
person.  I...
        Oh, fuck it.  Why am I lying to myself?  I know what's really true.
Unnecessary death is never a good thing, but when it happens, it happens.
Nothing to cry over.
        Besides, I didn't really love Hotaru.  I don't really love anybody,
so of course I don't feel sad when they die.
        I can't afford to.  It might distract me from my obligations, and
then what would happen?  God knows.  Or He would, if He existed.
        I'm tiring of this program and its wacky situations.  I change the
channel.
        "I know who the murderer is!  It's...the butler!"
        BE SUPRISED NOW.
        "Gasp!"



        Barbara was suprised to find no alchohol in the house.  Strange.
She ususally kept as much as possible as close as possible.
        She did, however, discover a great deal of vomit in the toilet.  She
suspected it was an important clue in the Case of the Missing Liquid
Happiness.
        Aha.  The culprit was found in only a few minutes.  Michiru was in
her room sitting on the bed, an empty bottle of gin in her right hand.  She
threw it on the floor and looked up at Barbara with bloodshot eyes.
        "She's gone," she muttered.  "Thought I was trying to kill her, just
ran off."  She stood up and shook her head.  "Shoulda tried harder.  Shoulda
made sure she took her pills and taken better care of her and helped her
more.  'Sall my fault.  Shoulda tried harder."
        Haruka...?  But that's impossible!  That couldn't happen, not for
those two.  It was Haruka/Michiru the same way it was Usagi/Mamoru.
They...they were supposed to be together forever!
        Barbara was embraced, tears soaking through her shirt and wetting
her shoulder.  "She's not gonna come back," Michiru muttered.  "Gone gone
gone gone gone."
        "Oh god," Barbara whispered, returning the embrace.  "How could she
do this to you?"
        Michiru refused to respond.  Instead she stared off into space and
began talking to the wall.  "I remember the day she first said she loved
me," she murmured.  "Wasn't special, wasn't after we died, or we started
taking care of Hotaru or anything.  Just some night, she walks up to me, and
she looks so scared and sad, and I'm afraid I'll hurt her if I don't agree.
So I just...pretended.  And now the only person who ever loved me is gone
because I didn't take good enough care of her, and I didn't even love her
back."
        Barbara froze.  She could feel opportunity smashing her over the
head with a mallet.  Which cliche to go for?  The familiar, easy,
intoxicated stupor with the tragic loneliness, or the reach out for the
stars, be all you can be risk that could bring actual, permenant happiness?
        She smelled Michiru's breath and gagged.  Then she realized that
she'd been tasting the exact same thing every day for years.
        "Michiru..." she whispered.  "She wasn't the only one who loved
you..."
        Cloudy blue eyes looked up, confused.  "What?"
        "I love you, too.  I always have."
        Neither spoke.  They just looked at each other, not even really
understanding what was happening.  Then suddenly the primal and spontaneous
parts of them took over, and it was good.

        Setsuna heard it.  Or maybe she felt it or smelled it or tasted it
or something else, but she knew it happened.  And it confused her greatly.
        She dropped the remote control and stood up slowly.  "What the
hell?" she muttered.  "What the HELL?"

        The three people stood in the kitchen.  They knew they were
tresspassing, but weren't hurting anybody, so figured it was okay.
        Pluto went to the refrigerator and got out the milk and leftover
berbequed chicken.  He took a leg and munched on it, after handing the
carton to Jesus.  "Anyway, like I was saying, everything is just a rule for
you, isn't it?  Can't have any fun or you'll be commiting some sin."
        Jesus grinned.  "That's not true.  See?"  He started drinking
directly from the milk carton.  "Look what I'm doing!"
        A small hand smacked him.  "Don't do that!" Hotaru yelled.  "That's
disgusting!"
        "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Jesus said.  "But I hope you got my point,
Pluto.  You can't just fixate on one aspect of a religion.  What if all I
said to any of you Olympians was about your inbreeding?  I mean, man!  You
guys are like the British royal family!  Besides, I didn't write the book.
I can't be held responsible for everything in there."
        "Of course you can.  When was the last time anyone was persecuted in
my name?  When was the last time there was a war, or somebody was burned at
the stake in my name?"
        Jesus smiled slightly.  "Well, at least no one ever named a cartoon
dog after me."
        "Don't go there."
        "Ruff ruff!" the Son of God exclaimed.  "Pant pant!  Ruff!"
        Hotaru giggled.
        Pluto shook his head.  "Oh, you're just a fucking laugh riot
tonight, aren't you?"
        "Now see, people would enjoy working with you more if you had a
sense of humor.  Why do you think I took most of the senshi?  I mean, my
religion isn't exactly prominant in this country, but guys like the Buddha
wanted nothing to do with you.  Well, and Jupiter too, but you especially."
        Pluto frowned.  "Buddha doesn't like me?  I always thought he kind
of did."
        Jesus shrugged.  "He doesn't dislike anybody, but..." he trailed
off.  Setsuna was standing in the doorway watching them.
        "Hi," Hotaru said.  "I'm not back, we're just delivering a message."
        Setsuna didn't notice.  Instead she went up to her god and grabbed
his arms.  "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" she screamed.
        Pluto cooly pulled himself away.  "If you're refering to what's
going on in the other room, then it is lesbian sex.  I'll go into further
detail if you want, but then I would get all caught up in that and
completely forget about saying anything important or interesting.  So I'll
let you just use your imagination."
        "No, no, why is that happening?  That's not the way it's supposed to
be!"
        "Why?" Pluto asked.  "Because Haruka and Michiru were Uranus and
Neptune?  And because of that, they're SUPPOSED to stay 'together forever',
right?"
        "Yes!  Exactly!"  Setsuna's hands were shaking.  "That's my duty, to
keep things the way they're supposed to be!"
        Hotaru sighed and shook her head.  "How do you know that Barbara
doesn't love Michiru as much as Haruka, or more?  There're lots of different
ways things can be, Setsuna.  You should know that more than anyone."
        "Yes, but there's a BEST way!  There's a timeline that can't be
corrupted, and that's what's happening now!"
        "Just out of curiosity, how much have you changed to preserve
this timeline?" Hotaru asked timidly.
        "A lot of things.  Sacrifices.  Having Ami move to Tokyo so she'd
meet with the others.  Saving Haruka and Michiru from the helicopter crash.
Letting all the inners die so the Princess could fight alone.  Dying myself
so she could do it again.  Having Makoto's parents die so she'd live by
herself, and be able to join the rest of the inners.  Letting Haruka have
Michiru.  Killing you.  Many, many things.  I've fought for this my entire
life."
        Pluto grunted.  "You really have been brainwashed," he muttered.
"Listen, remember back to who first told you about this duty of yours.
Okay?  You got that?"
        Setsuna glared up at her god.  "Yes," she growled.  "I remember."
        "He was lying.  Okay?  Nothing he said was true."
        Setsuna blinked.  That was impossible.
        "No, it's not impossible," Pluto said.  "You really don't have a
job.  Maintenance, is all.  Once in a while you show up at those funky Gates
o' Time, make sure there're no cracks or dents, and then go back and enjoy
your life.  You don't protect the human race, you don't guard it from
outside invaders, that's those other guys' jobs.  You don't try to
manipulate things so there's this future, which MIGHT be good.  And most of
all, you don't sit on your ass by yourself all the goddamn time!  Maybe I
should have told you this at the beginning, I guess I didn't care enough.
Well, you have no excuses now."
        Setsuna looked confused.  It was a frightening sight.  "What do you
mean?"
        "We mean that you should just relax," Hotaru said.  "You can be just
as happy in the Silence as in Crystal Tokyo.  Remember how much fun being
dead was?  You can have that exact thing now, except alive.  Nothing to
worry about, no problems, minimal duty.  Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"
        "Uh huh," Setsuna muttered.  "It does."
        "Well, go!" Pluto yelled.  "Be a person.  Pursue happiness."
        Setsuna nodded, still in shock.  She left the room without a word.
        "WAAAAHOOOOOO!!" they heard her yell several minutes later.


        "This is really good chicken," Jesus exclaimed.  "Even cold!"
        Hotaru nodded.  "The sauce is very good," she said, swallowing a
chunk of white meat.
        Michiru strolled in.  She went directly to the refrigerator, and
pulled out a bag of grapes.
        She put one in her mouth and looked up at her guests.  "Oh, hello,
Hotaru," she said absent-mindedly.  "And Pluto.  How are you?  And who's
this?  I don't think I've met you."
        "Jesus Christ," Jesus said, bowing slightly.  "I'm the messiah for
the Christian religion."
        "Oh," Michiru said.  She chuckled.  "Those nutty Christians.  Hey
Hotaru, I'm gonna be really suprised about seeing you all in the morning
when I'm sober, aren't I?"
        "Yep.  Hey, tell Barbara I said hi, okay?"
        "Sure."  Michiru popped two grapes into her mouth.
        "Michiru!!" Barbara's voice came from the bedroom.  "You coming
back?"
        "Yes," Michiru called.  She sighed and looked at the people in her
kitchen.  "You guys are either dead, gods, or messiahs.  You should have
some insight.  Am I making a mistake?"
        "Only one way to find out," Hotaru said.
        Michiru nodded.  "You're right," she said finally.  "Help yourselves
to anything in the fridge.  See ya."  She stumbled out of the room.
        "They'll be happy," Hotaru said, smiling.
        "Yeah," Jesus agreed.  "I think they will, too."



