bloodsong1 | Now comes the tricky part.

Minako watched closely as Miss Sarah sighed, took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She couldn't help the slight smirk. Now they were actually getting somewhere! Miss Sarah replaced her glasses, spread her arms wide and looked to the ceiling.

"Hail Sailor Pluto, Avatar of Death, Guardian of the Gates of Time! I beg of you, lend me your aid in answering your sisters' question! I do not wish my presence to destroy the future!"

Time seemed to stand still. Minako's eyes darted around the room. Around the table, Rei-chan and Mako-chan tensed. Usagi-chan bit her knuckle and Ami-chan's hand twisted to summon her computer. After several heart beats, Miss Sarah lowered her arms.

"Well, it was worth a try," She said, shrugging slightly. The Senshi breathed again and Minako turned on Miss Sarah.

"What was THAT all about!?" She shrieked.

"I could destroy Crystal Tokyo by just BEING here, Minako-san. Before I tell you anything, I need to ask some questions to pinpoint where you are. As I have said before, I don't know how much I know is actually true for you. You do understand, don't you, Minako-san?" Miss Sarah met Minako's gaze squarely. Minako stared back, considering the implications and Miss Sarah's voice patterns. Eventually, she nodded slightly. Miss Sarah folded her hands on the table and looked to Usagi-chan.

"When did Chibi-Usa arrive?"

"Um, let's see, about...two weeks ago?"

"Three weeks," Ami-chan corrected. Miss Sarah nodded.

"How does the enemy capture heart crystals?"

"A gun," Mako-chan answered, folding her arms and shooting Minako a dirty look.

"Red headed woman shows up in a car with a suitcase full of Daimohn?" Miss Sarah's lips twisted into a strange little smile.

"Yes," Minako replied, pointedly ignoring Mako-chan.

"Figured out Sailor Uranus and Neptune yet?"

"Do you know who they are?" Usagi-chan blurted out. Miss Sarah's eyes widened before lowering to her hands. Minako noticed the knuckles turning white.

"Damn," Miss Sarah whispered. Everyone sat up a little, staring at the young widow. Miss Sarah sighed again and unlocked her fingers to flatten her palms on the table.

"Last question. How often does the enemy attack?"

"The average for the gun attacks is twice a week," Amy said, putting her computer away. Miss Sarah nodded and lifted her head. Blue eyes clashed with hazel.

"You're more then halfway there. Much will be revealed in the next two weeks. Watch the people Chibi-Usa befriends, she will find a large part of the puzzle. The Outer Senshi don't think like you do. To them, Duty is the only Law. The Mission comes before everything else. Usagi-imoto," Miss Sarah tore her gaze from Minako to Usagi-chan. "I know it's hard, but you are still the glue to the Senshi. All of the Senshi. Believe in yourself and believe in them. You WILL save lives." Miss Sarah turned back to Minako, while Usagi-chan blushed.

"That's all the intelligence I have, Sailor Venus."

"Understood." Minako smiled brightly. "Thank you, Sarah-chan."

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Sarah grabbed another Ramune and opened it with excessive force. She was, in a word, pissed. Minako's questions, even from Rei-chan's mouth, were understandable, but the gaijin suspected the Venusian did NOT really comprehend how damn HARD it was just BEING here, with too much information.

Maybe I can talk Ikuko-san into keeping the kiddos until we figure out how to get back. Considering the timeline, I'll be lucky if Ami-chan has any time to help me. Maybe she can tweak my phone?

"Sarah-Neesan?" Usagi-imoto asked. Sarah took a long drink and grinned.

"Yes, Usagi-imoto?"

"What it's like, being a wife? How did you take care of your husband...Keevan?"

"Kevin." Sarah couldn't help the fond smile as she propped her chin on her fist and twirled the soda bottle on its edge. "We complemented each other. I paid the bills, he worked with the children and tried to keep up the house. He was the better cook and he was very good at picking out clothes for me." She switched hands so she could watch Usagi-imoto's face, which currently had a dreamy expression.

"We were partners. We shared the work of the house and backed each other up with raising the kiddos. One of our favorite things to do was 'Hair Loving'. He would lay his head on my lap and I would play with his hair. He had gorgeous curly hair." Her smile turned wicked. "He had a very talented tongue too." Lifting her head, she looked around the room. Minako-chan and Usagi-imoto were the only ones not blushing. Her smile widened as Usagi-imoto finally looked at her with wide eyes and flamed bright red.

"Okay, Mako-musume. Your turn and then I get to ask the FUN questions."