"Are you two okay?" Sailor Christmas asked the two cats as soon as she brought them into the foyer of a ranch house. "What am I doing talking to cats? Oh well, this from a person that talks to horses and reindeer."
Returning to her everyday form of Merrie Khriste Massu, she unwrapped the cats from her cloak and hung it on the coat rack. After changing into her house slippers, she then put Luna and Artemis on a table and checked them over for any signs of illness and almost immediately noticed the crescent moon markings on their foreheads.
"Hmm? What's this? Crescent moon markings? Either you two went through hell when those have been tattooed on, or...." she dramatically paused and gave a knowing smile. "...Luna and Artemis, I'm glad to see you two again. I was hoping that you made it to this time as well."
Luna and Artemis stared blankly at each other and then at her. How'd she know their names? Was she really from the past? Why couldn't they remember her?
"I'm not surprised that you don't remember me." she said as if she read their minds. "After all, it did take a while to re-form the Sailor Team after re-birth, right? For all you know at the moment, I might be one of the enemy trying to lure you into a trap. Well, rest assured, I'm not an enemy. Not of the Sailor Soldiers of the Sol System at any rate. In time, everything will be explained, but for now, rest. Who knows what that liquid might have done?"
She then placed the cats on fluffy feather down pillows and let them to rest in a sun warmed section of the building. Artemis stretched and yawned before curling up next to Luna and falling asleep.
"Hey, Kashokuno-kun. Did you hear? They already filled Kurasu's position."
"What? Already? That's pushing it a little too fast, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but the school needed a new history teacher and one just happened to be coming to Juuban. You should meet her."
"I just may do that.." the dark skinned journalism teacher stated as he walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" the other teacher asked.
"To be able to talk with this new teacher, I have to find out where she lives, right? I'm making a pit stop to the main office, then to take a small trip."
"Don't bother...She handed out business cards earlier in case any of the staff needed to talk about Kurasu or whatever. Here..." the teacher said as he handed the card over to Kashokuno Hoshi.
"Thank you." Hoshi said with a faint grin and walked out the door.
After making a phone call to the vet, Khriste into some more comfortable clothes and went to the stables to unhitch the sled from the two Clydesdales.
"Nice ride you two. Just wish we were able to stop that Pesticite before the incident at the Crown Parlor." She told the horses as she started to brush one of them down. "On to a different subject, I still have no idea what to call you two. I don't want to just call you the horses and the Clyde and Dale name combo seems a bit over the top, don't you think?"
Both horses nodded in agreement, then turned their heads towards the open door as the sound of foot steps heading towards the main house could be heard. The red-head stopped mid-brush and looked out the door as well. She then put the brush down and glanced at the horses before looking out the door again.
"Either that's one quick vet, or we've got company. I'll be back in a bit, you two." she said as she headed out of the stables. She then called out to the visitor, "I'm over here. So glad you could make it. Those two cats should be looked over soon as possible."
Hoshi turned his head and looked over his shoulder at the owner of the voice. His dark blue hair flowed lightly in the slight breeze.
"What? I think there's some mistake. I'm not a vet, I don't even play one on TV. I'm looking for the new history teacher for Juuban High. I must have come to the wrong house."
"Nope. You found me all right. Anything I can do for you...eh... I'm sorry. I don't believe I caught your name." the red head paused and bowed apologetically.
"Kashokuno Hoshi." Hoshi said with a slight frown after remembering the real reason as to why he came.
"Pleasure to meet you Kashokuno-san. I am Merrie Khriste Massu. Would you care for something to drink? Some snacks perhaps as we talk?" Khriste said as she motioned toward the wicker bench on the porch.
"No. Thanks for the offer though. I just..." Hoshi paused to think of the right words for how he was feeling at the moment.
"You just hate my guts for taking the former history teacher's place so soon after his death and you feel you just had to vent it out on me."
Hoshi's face flushed a shade or two darker as she practically took the words out of his mouth.
"Well, yes. But I wouldn't have put it in those words."
"It's alright, Kashokuno-san. Feel free to vent all you want. Best to let it all out in the open, else it'll eat at you."
Something told Hoshi that this meeting wasn't going according to how he planned it.
"I'm back! Did'ja miss me?" the now very chipper, very female form of Pesticite called out once she entered the former abandoned cannery turned hideout of the Four Cites.
"Mind telling us where in the hell you were the past few hours?" replied Genocite as she jumped down from one of the support beams, her long pale gray hair flowing behind her.
"Had to blow off some steam." Pesticite said with a giggle as she ran her left hand through her short cropped blue hair.
"Couldn't your steam blowing happen somewhere other than downtown?" exclaimed Xenocite as he stormed out of the former foreman's office. "The reporters are going crazy with wild theories as to what happened."
"Geez. Sui blows off steam and nobody yells at her. I blow off steam and everybody's acting like I started a major catastrophe." Pesticite sulked.
"You did start a major catastrophe and don't go dragging me into your analogies! We're suppose to be in hiding until we can find our mistress, the Dark Princess. Or did your hormone challenged brain forget that little fact?" Suicite growled as she materialized not more than a foot away from Pesticite's face.
"Enough! This isn't getting us anywhere." Xenocite stated as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Pesticite, you're to stay here for the time being."
"Aww...but I wanted to track down that Sailor Christmas girl that ruined my fun." Pesticite whined.
"Who?" Suicite asked incredulously.
"Sailor Christmas. Weird thing to be a soldier of if you ask me."
"We didn't ask you, so shut up already..." Genocite grumbled as she leaned against a metal barrel.
"None the less, we should still be on alert. We have to find our mistress, without delay." Xenocite stated.
"You're not what I was expecting Merrie-san." Hoshi said from his position on the overstuffed chair.
"Things are certainly different than all they appear to be, Kashokuno-san. Like the saying goes; never judge a book by its cover." Khriste said with a slight nod from her position on the couch.
After a moment of unsettling silence, a knock on the door caught their attention. Khriste jumped up and headed towards the door.
"Yes?" Khriste said as opened the door.
"You called my office earlier to ask if I could come and take a look at a pair of cats that could of possibly inhaled noxious fumes." came the response from the veterinarian.
"Ah, yes. Right this way please." Khriste said as she took a step back and bowed slightly.
Khriste led the veterinarian to the room where Luna and Artemis lay resting. After a brief examination, the veterinarian declared that the cats must have been removed from the problem site before much damage could have been done to them, but just in case, he recommended that she keep a close eye on them and a prescription to flush out any possible trace chemicals.
Meanwhile, down the street from Khriste's home, Minako and Usagi were in the midst of looking for Luna and Artemis.
"Where could they've gone?" Minako sighed before cupping her hands around her mouth. "Artemis! Luna!"
"Maybe Sailor Christmas took them?" Usagi said hopefully. "I'd like to meet her too. Luna! Artemis!"
Back at the ranch, the veterinarian had left moments prior when Khriste stood at the open door.
"So, Kashokuno-san. Is there anything else I can help you with?" she said as she turned to face him.
"No, I'm fine..." Hoshi stated before mentally adding, '...for now anyway.'
"Luna! Artemis!" two voices chorused from just beyond the fence surrounding the ranch.
"Hmm?" Khriste wondered as she turned and saw the two blonds searching in a slightly frantic manor. She blinked once when she recognized one of them from her last period history class. "I'll be right back, Kashokuno-san."
Without even giving him a chance to respond, Khirste dashed out the door and towards the two teens. "Oi! Tsukino-san!"
"Huh? Oh, Khriste-sensei! Hi!" Usagi said as Khriste came up to her.
"You seem to be looking for someone..." Khriste stated.
"Yes, Minako and I are looking for our cats. They seem to have gone missing." Usagi said with concern sprawled on her face.
"And I take it their names are Luna and Artemis." Khriste replied, which got nods from both Minako and Usagi. "You know what? I came across a pair of cats earlier today. I had a vet come check them over to make sure they were okay. They're fine, but just need some rest... seems like they got too close to something that made them tired out and lethargic. Maybe they're the cats you're looking for?"
"Really?" Usagi asked excitedly.
"Please lead us to them." Minako pleaded.
With that, Khriste led them into her house where they paused to change into the guest slippers that Khriste had provided.
"Well, it looks like you're popular today." Hoshi said dryly.
"It happens." Khriste replied with a cheerful lilt in her voice. "Kashokuno-san, this is one of my students in last period World History, Tsukino Usagi. And this is her friend, eh, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your full name."
"Aino Minako." Minako said with a bow.
After the round of introductions, Hoshi excused himself and left the ranch. Khriste led Minako and Usagi to the room where Luna and Artemis were staying in.
"Luna, Artemis. You have visitors." Khriste said as she stuck her head in through the doorway before stepping aside and letting the two blondes in.
"Luna!" Usagi exclaimed happily as she traipsed over to the black cat and picked her up.
"Artemis, there you are!" Minako said as she scooped up her guardian. She then turned her attention to Khriste. "By the way, where did you find them?"
"Them?" Khriste stared blankly for a few seconds. "Oh, Oh! Them, right. Luna and Artemis. Well, about an hour after I left the school, I was riding past Crown Arcade when I noticed some people looking up. Did you know that someone smashed in the window of Crown Parlor? At any rate, I..."
At that point, there was a knock at the front door.
"Coming!" Khriste called out as she walked through the door to the hall which lead to the front door. "Kashokuno-san was right, I sure do seem to be popular today."
Usagi and Minako stayed in the room with Luna and Artemis but placed themselves next to the ajar door.
As she open the front door, Khriste started to greet the guest, "Hello? Setsuna-san! Long time no see! What has it been? Eight hundred, nine hundred years?"
'Eight to nine hundred YEARS? Setsuna-san? What in the world?' the two blondes thought simultaneously as they and Luna & Artemis face faulted.
"Time sure has a way of slipping by, Khriste-san." came the wry response from near the front door.
"Please, come in and get comfortable. I'll get some tea started. Green's still your favorite, right?" Khriste asked.
"I'm glad you've remembered. I see you have other guests. I hope I'm not intruding upon anything." Setsuna simply stated as she looked down at the other two pairs of outside shoes.
"No, not at all. Just a few high school girls picking up their kitties I rescued. And y'know... the kitties look a lot like the two from the past." Khriste said as she headed towards the kitchen to prepare the tea.
It was then that Usagi and Minako made their presence known to Setsuna.
"Setsuna-san! When did you meet up with Khriste-sensei?" Usagi asked. "We heard from the other room that she said something about not seeing you for hundreds of years."
"How did you meet her?" Minako added.
"We want to know!" they both chimed.
"She seems familiar somehow." Luna added just above a murmur, still unsure if she could trust Khriste.
"It's a long story." Setsuna replied cryptically.
"It's so long that it might have to be told in parts." Khriste said as she brought out a tray with four cups, a pitcher of green tea and two saucers of cold cream. As she set the tray down on the coffee table and served the tea and cream, Khriste looked at Luna and Artemis for a brief moment. With an affirmative nod from Setsuna, Khriste sat down and cleared her throat. "As you know, my name is Merrie Khriste Massu. What you ought to know, is that I'm also the Joyful Sailor Suited Holiday Soldier, Sailor Christmas."