Chapter 2: Partial Answers

The streaming sunlight from the window awoke Celeste. Disoriented, she was glad to discover that she was in her own bed. Taking stock of the situation, she quickly realized that she was in one of her nightgowns that she didn’t particularly like.

“What’s going on?” Celeste muttered, rubbing her eyes as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

She scooted closer to the edge. As her legs became free of the comforter, she noticed the soreness of her muscles. “Was it a dream?” she wondered, gently rubbing her hand down one injured leg.

It seemed that every muscle ached, but that the burns and cuts she remembered having were gone. She glanced at her alarm clock, the red numbers informing her it was 10 o’clock in the morning. Groaning, Celeste realized that she had missed half of her classes for the day.

A soft knock on her bedroom door startled Celeste. She watched as the door opened and a tall woman with long, dark green hair entered the room, carrying a tray. “Do you still like herbal tea?” the woman asked. “I found quite a bit in your kitchen.”

“I love herbal tea,” Celeste replied. “You’re the woman who rescued me last night.”

“Yes, I am,” the woman replied, setting the tray on the small table beside Celeste’s bed. “How much do you remember about last night?”

“Gypsum and Galena attacked me, I think. They mentioned someone named Scorpios and you told them to tell Scorpios to leave me alone. Who is this Scorpios? Why did I call you Puu? What's going on?”

The woman sat down on the bed beside Celeste with an amused half-smile. “You called me Puu because that was a nickname you had for me a long time ago. My name is Meiou Setsuna and I live in Tokyo, Japan.”

“How do I know you, Setsuna?” Celeste asked, confused. ‘How did I know her first name was really Setsuna and not Meiou?’

“It was a long, long time ago, Celeste. So long ago, I was surprised that you remembered me at all.” Her smile was amused but somehow sad.

“Who is Scorpios? Why did Gypsum and Galena attack me?”

“I wish that I could tell you everything, Celeste. However, there is a time for every purpose. Right now, you need to rest. Your friend, Jonathan, called, curious about why you had missed some of your classes. I told him that you are ill. He is coming shortly.”

“He worries about me too much,” Celeste grumbled.

“He is a concerned friend, and you can never have too many,” Setsuna replied. “I think I had better go before he arrives to save some difficult questions. Here is some information on how you can reach me. If anything troubles you or you just want to talk, I am there. I will help all that I can, Celeste.”

Celeste studied the sheet of paper for a moment before glancing up at Setsuna. She clearly was not going to get any more information from the woman. “I know I am going to see you again, Setsuna, so I won’t bother with goodbye. I’ll see you later.”

“Later, Celeste,” with a wave and a true smile, Setsuna left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * * * *

Celeste was curled up on her couch, watching soap operas when Jonathan arrived. She laughed in spite of herself when she opened her door to find Jonathan swamped with bags of groceries.

“I am going to make you some homemade soup,” he announced, heading straight to the kitchen. “No arguments.”

“Jonathan, I’m a lot better now. You don’t have to go through all of this for me. Really,” Celeste protested, following on his heels.

She silently moaned as Jonathan ignored her, pulling out the largest pot she owned. Whisking by her, he soon found a knife and a cutting board and started chopping some carrots. When she tried to peek inside one of the grocery bags, he ordered her out of the kitchen and back to the couch.

“Just remember I hate onions,” Celeste called over her shoulder, as she stalked back to the living room. Muttering about Jonathan’s over-inflated ego and chauvinistic behavior, she surfed through the channels. She paused when she found a documentary on the origin of the universe.

Jonathan left the soup to simmer and sat down on the couch next to Celeste. “The origin of the universe? Anyone who watches this for fun must be sick!”

Celeste shot him an evil look. “I enjoy learning about space. You need to expand your horizons, Jonathan.”

“Well, it’s your TV,” he said diplomatically, letting the argument drop. “Who was the woman who answered the phone this morning?”

“Oh, that was Setsuna. She’s an old friend.”

“You never mentioned her before or that she was going to visit.”

“I don’t have to tell you everything, Jonathan,” Celeste reminded him, “but she just arrived out of the blue last night.”

“Talk about timing,” Jonathan said. “Just when you got sick.”

“Yeah, pretty weird,” Celeste said, turning her attention back to the TV. However, she couldn’t concentrate on the program.


Partial Answers The streaming sunlight from the window awoke Celeste. Disoriented, she was glad to discover that she was in her own bed. Taking stock of the situation, she quickly realized that she was in one of her nightgowns that she didn’t particularly like. “What’s going on?” Celeste muttered, rubbing her eyes as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She scooted closer to the edge. As her legs became free of the comforter, she noticed the soreness of her muscles. “Was it a dream?” she wondered, gently rubbing her hand down one injured leg. It seemed that every muscle ached, but that the burns and cuts she remembered having were gone. She glanced at her alarm clock, the red numbers informing her it was 10 o’clock in the morning. Groaning, Celeste realized that she had missed half of her classes for the day. A soft knock on her bedroom door startled Celeste. She watched as the door opened and a tall woman with long, dark green hair entered the room, carrying a tray. “Do you still like herbal tea?” the woman asked. “I found quite a bit in your kitchen.” “I love herbal tea,” Celeste replied. “You’re the woman who rescued me last night.” “Yes, I am,” the woman replied, setting the tray on the small table beside Celeste’s bed. “How much do you remember about last night?” “Gypsum and Galena attacked me, I think. They mentioned someone named Scorpios and you told them to tell Scorpios to leave me alone. Who is this Scorpios? Why did I call you Puu? What's going on?” The woman sat down on the bed beside Celeste with an amused half-smile. “You called me Puu because that was a nickname you had for me a long time ago. My name is Meiou Setsuna and I live in Tokyo, Japan.” “How do I know you, Setsuna?” Celeste asked, confused. ‘How did I know her first name was really Setsuna and not Meiou?’ “It was a long, long time ago, Celeste. So long ago, I was surprised that you remembered me at all.” Her smile was amused but somehow sad. “Who is Scorpios? Why did Gypsum and Galena attack me?” “I wish that I could tell you everything, Celeste. However, there is a time for every purpose. Right now, you need to rest. Your friend, Jonathan, called, curious about why you had missed some of your classes. I told him that you are ill. He is coming shortly.” “He worries about me too much,” Celeste grumbled. “He is a concerned friend, and you can never have too many,” Setsuna replied. “I think I had better go before he arrives to save some difficult questions. Here is some information on how you can reach me. If anything troubles you or you just want to talk, I am there. I will help all that I can, Celeste.” Celeste studied the sheet of paper for a moment before glancing up at Setsuna. She clearly was not going to get any more information from the woman. “I know I am going to see you again, Setsuna, so I won’t bother with goodbye. I’ll see you later.” “Later, Celeste,” with a wave and a true smile, Setsuna left the room, closing the door behind her. * * * * * Celeste was curled up on her couch, watching soap operas when Jonathan arrived. She laughed in spite of herself when she opened her door to find Jonathan swamped with bags of groceries. “I am going to make you some homemade soup,” he announced, heading straight to the kitchen. “No arguments.” “Jonathan, I’m a lot better now. You don’t have to go through all of this for me. Really,” Celeste protested, following on his heels. She silently moaned as Jonathan ignored her, pulling out the largest pot she owned. Whisking by her, he soon found a knife and a cutting board and started chopping some carrots. When she tried to peek inside one of the grocery bags, he ordered her out of the kitchen and back to the couch. “Just remember I hate onions,” Celeste called over her shoulder, as she stalked back to the living room. Muttering about Jonathan’s over-inflated ego and chauvinistic behavior, she surfed through the channels. She paused when she found a documentary on the origin of the universe. Jonathan left the soup to simmer and sat down on the couch next to Celeste. “The origin of the universe? Anyone who watches this for fun must be sick!” Celeste shot him an evil look. “I enjoy learning about space. You need to expand your horizons, Jonathan.” “Well, it’s your TV,” he said diplomatically, letting the argument drop. “Who was the woman who answered the phone this morning?” “Oh, that was Setsuna. She’s an old friend.” “You never mentioned her before or that she was going to visit.” “I don’t have to tell you everything, Jonathan,” Celeste reminded him, “but she just arrived out of the blue last night.” “Talk about timing,” Jonathan said. “Just when you got sick.” “Yeah, pretty weird,” Celeste said, turning her attention back to the TV. However, she couldn’t concentrate on the program.


Chapter 3: More Than Dreams? Resurrection: Sailor Sol Sarah's Sanctuary