Subject: [SM] [AUTHORFIC] Made of Stone, Part 1
From: gaffney@iconn.net
Date: 7/13/1997, 9:15 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

Y'see...

Nah.  No amount of explaining could excuse it.  There is no excuse
for this fic.  I make no apologies.

However, I'm really having a *ball* writing this.  It's one of the
most entertaining things (to *me*, as opposed to others) I've ever
written.

I'd like your opinions as well.  My prereaders are mixed.

I'd love to hear from those who are familiar with the manga continuity,
where this mostly takes place, especially if your initials are ZT or 
MS.

Let the floggings commence!!!



     It was an anachronism of the highest order.  A tall building made
entirely of crystal (as, indeed, most buildings in Crystal Tokyo were), with
three gleaming spires reaching up to the heavens...and one spire made of
metal, with a pulsing red light on top of it.  Coming closer, one could
see the inside of the tower, with its dilapidated offices and mess strewn
everywhere.  The mess, however, looked calculated.  It was as if, had the 
owner not concentrated, he would have found it gone the next day.
     From inside the tower came the blast of loud music, a guitar-driven
melody totally at odds with the city around it.  One corner was set up as
a booth, within, a man was just setting up the next record for play.  He
was tall and thin, with a large black leather hat that obscured most of his
face.  Blond hair peeked out from under it.
     The song finished, and he faded out while grabbing the microphone set 
up next to him.  "That was My Bloody Valentine, with the song 'Only Shallow'.
A couple of listeners have actually asked me where they can find these songs.
Well, you could try some second-hand record stores, but...it's taken me the
better part of twenty years and a few trips outside Crystal Tokyo to get this 
collection.  And the chances of any of you wanting to leave this ivory tower
we call home are nil to minus-five.  So my advice would be to tape these
shows of mine.  I don't mind bootlegs...can you have bootlegs in Crystal
Tokyo?  It's not as if the artists will be demanding royalties anytime soon.
Reminder to all of you that the millennium is coming up soon.  Yes, I know
most of you celebrated it last year, but that was only 3000.  The _real_
millennium is this year, as I explain to people constantly.  Let's hope these
next hundred years are as eventful as the previous hundred.  Anyway, this is 
the end of tonight's broadcast.  If you have questions, comments, and 
_especially_ complaints, please don't hesitate to tell someone.  Please, 
it'll remind me that you can still be offended.  *sigh*  Sorry, didn't mean 
that.  You know that I appreciate you listeners, and hope that you can ignore 
me when I get like this.  Anyway, as always, here's our closing theme, by 
the Who.  Heaven and Hell.  This is Sean Gaffney, as your temporary bogus 
disc jockey, signing off."
     As the song thundered through the booth, Sean sighed and took off his 
headphones.  Reaching for his guitar, he began to play along with the music.
     ~Why can't we have eternal life, and never die?~ John Entwistle sang.
     Sean sighed, and turned down the pickup.  "Because eternal life sucks, 
John, that's why."  He then began to pick out a slow, careful guitar solo
on the guitar.


Made of Stone
by Sean Gaffney

Sailor Moon is (C) 1997 Naoko Takeuchi.  The various authors I namecheck
are (C) themselves.  This fanfic is very bad for you and should not be taken
internally.


1. Birth

     As Sean left the station carrying his guitar case and a few CDs, he was
only mildly surprised to see Sailor Mars waiting for him.  She looked a little
less than happy, but then that was the norm for her.
     "Hi there, Rei, what can I do for you?" he said.
     Her eyes narrowed.  You can start by calling me Sailor Mars."
     Sean sighed.  "All right."  The other senshi didn't care if he called
them by their real names, but it was a sticking point with Rei.  He guessed it
was because she lived her job more than any of the others, even Makoto.  Still,
he hated all the formality.  "My apologies, Sailor Mars.  What did you want to
speak to me about?"
     Rei glared at him suspiciously.  "Are you making fun of me?"
     Sean snapped right back at her.  "No!  Look, Sailor Mars, it's late, I'm
tired, and I'm not in a mood to talk.  If you can tell me why you wanted to
see me, then -- "
     "You are still trying to incite people to harmful, violent acts in your
broadcasts.  What you tell them to do is against the law of Crystal Tokyo.
We have told you time and again..."
     "You have told me.  Personally.  The others never come to see me, only 
you."
     "I am here on behalf of Queen Serenity." Rei replied coldly.
     "Does she know that?" Sean replied.
     "Shut up!"
     Sean wilted.  He wasn't in the mood for this.  They had had the same 
argument many times, and he didn't want to repeat himself.  "Sailor Mars, 
listen to me.  Yeah, I occasionally urge people to do things.  Buy bootleg 
tapes, whoopee.  Have a nude orgy in the streets, go for it.  But I have never 
incited my listeners to do anything that would harm another person.  Moreover, 
none of my broadcasts have convinced anyone to do anything."
     "That's not the point!" Rei snapped.
     "What is the point?  That I'm trying to get people to have fun?  That's
not a crime."
     "The people are already happy."  Rei was starting to get extremely 
frustrated.
     "Yes, but they're not having fun.  There is a difference.  The happiness
in Crystal Tokyo is the staid, pleasant happiness of people who live for a
thousand years and don't see a point in taking chances."
     "What's wrong with Crystal Tokyo?"
     "Nothing!  That is exactly my point.  It is a perfect world, where the
people live in peace and harmony.  It's also dull as dirt.  Serenity has given
me permission to do these shows.  Until I get a personal visit from her, I will 
continue to conduct my broadcasts the way I see fit.  Good night, Sailor Mars."  
And with that, he went down the stairs.
     Rei stood there for a moment, trying to calm herself.  *What is _with_
that guy?  Why can't he appreciate what he has?  Does he want to be miserable?"

***

     *I can't believe I just had that conversation.  Why don't I just change my
name to Magnesite and be done with it?*
     Sean walked on down the street towards his apartment.  The fact that the
street was a gleaming crystal, as was the sidewalk and most of the surrounding
area, just served to add to his depression.  *I'm going to have to take another
trip to the outside world soon, just to remind myself how bad it can get.*
Sean shuddered, remembering his last trip to the North American continent.
*Then again...*
     His reverie was broken by a cry to the side.  He turned, surprised.  It
was almost two in the morning.  The only people out were night owls like himself
and guardians of justice like Rei.
     A woman was standing by the shops.  She was very pregnant, and it looked
as if she was going into labour.  Sean went over to her, attempting not to slip
into panic mode, which was what he tended to do in situations like this.  "Um,
can I get you to a hospital?"
     She looked up at him as if he'd grown an extra head.  "The contractions are
only a minute apart.  I couldn't make it to the hospital.  Help me down."
     "Right, of course, yeah."  Sean helped her slide down the building, so that
she was about three-quarters on the ground.  "Um...you're going to have this 
baby here, aren't you?"
     She gave him another long look before answering.  "Yes."
     *Why didn't she get to a hospital earlier*, Sean thought.  "This seems very
sudden..."
     "The baby is very anxious to come out," said the mother, fixing him with a
cold stare.
     Sean decided then and there to stop saying stupid things around this woman.
"Um...I'd better go get some towels and stuff.  Um...newspapers, I think those
are good.  Do you need hot water?  Everyone always gets hot water..."
     "You don't need hot water," said the woman, now beginning to pant heavily.
     "Right, no water."  Sean looked around.  Where the hell was he going to 
get this stuff at two in the morning?  Then, with a snort, he remembered where
he was.  He quickly opened the door of the nearest store and walked in.  The
crime rate of Crystal Tokyo being zero, no one bothered to lock their doors in
the evening.  He quickly went to the back and found some tea towels and a few
other "absorbables" and went back outside.
     The woman was concentrating on trying not to scream in pain.  Sean put
down as many of the towels as he could where the baby would be coming out.
"Um...I'll need to check on the baby now."
     "Yes, you will," she moaned.
     He quickly got her dress up and peered around.  *Well, I can't see a 
head,* he thought, *so that's a plus.*  "Um...what's your name?"
     "Keiko."
     "Well, I'm Sean, and I'll do my best to the baby's head is showing oh
dammit."  The baby had apparently decided to make its appearance.  "Um...
push, breathe, you're doing great.  The head is coming out now...should I
be doing anything else besides waiting here like Johnny Bench?"
     Keiko was really not in the mood to be answering his questions.  "The
<gasp> baby will come out whether you are <pant> there or not.  Aaaargh!"
     "Um, OK, the head's out.  It seems to be coming out rather fast now - 
hey, wait!"  Sean grabbed the baby before it could fall to the ground.  He
almost dropped it.  "This thing is really slippery...towels, right, that's 
why they're there."  He quickly wrapped the baby in a couple of towels and
wiped the fluids off of it.
     "Now, what's next - cord, right, cord.  Um, need something sharp."
Sean quickly searched his pockets and found them empty, and he couldn't go
back to the store and just leave them here.
     "Ah-hah!"  Suddenly Sean opened his guitar case and found a spare E-
string.  "Interesting use for it, I'll grant you...hey, this is really hard
to cut!"  Finally breaking through, Sean then proceeded to attempt to tie
the cord off.  This took a couple of tries, but he managed it.  Then he
decided to check on the baby's sex.  Girl, apparently.
     He turned to Keiko.  "You have a beautiful baby daughter."
     Suddenly a glowing light appeared on her head, in the shape of a sigil.
*That's Saturn's sigil.  Oh, _shit_.*  He sat there for a few moments, 
staring at the girl.  The sigil faded after a while.  *No wonder she was
anxious to be born.  The first reincarnation of Saturn in a thousand years...*
     Sean heard a cry coming from Keiko.  *Dammit, why am I sitting here like
a duck?*  He turned, and then gasped.  She was bleeding.  _Much_ more than
she should have been.  There was blood everywhere.  Sean proceeded to go into
full panic mode.  He grabbed some more towels and attempted to stop the
bleeding, but this accomplished nothing.  He looked at Keiko, she was beginning
to haemorrhage.  *I've gotta get her to a hospital!*
     He tried to grab her in his arms, but she was a dead weight, and he 
couldn't let go of the baby.  Suddenly she grabbed him, pulling her down close 
to her.
     "I'm dying," she said.
     "No, you're not," Sean replied frantically.  "I'll get you to a hospital.
It'll be all right.  Just -- "
     She pulled him right next to her mouth.  "Promise me.  Promise me you'll
take care of Hotaru-chan.  Will you?"
     Sean gazed at her, stunned.  "Of course I will."
     She smiled.  "Thank you.  She's a very special girl."
     *You don't know the half of it,* Sean thought.
     Suddenly she began coughing blood.  Sean tried to get her up, moving, so
they could get her to a hospital.  This had the opposite effect, unfortunately,
and she collapsed to the ground.  "I...love you...Hotaru-chan...Saturn-chan..."
she murmured.  *She knows?* Sean thought.
     It took Sean a few moments to realise that she was dead.  Surprising
himself, he began to cry.  *Why the hell did this happen?  What did I do wrong?
This is Crystal Tokyo, things like this aren't supposed to happen!  Oh, god, 
I killed her!*
     Hotaru cried, interrupting Sean's reverie.  He realised that he needed to
get Keiko's body someplace where she could be taken care of, and then get
Hotaru-chan some food...water, he guessed.
     Suddenly, he felt a rustle behind him.  He turned.  Silhouetted in the 
street were two Sailor Senshi.  *Haruka and Michiru?  Gods, they haven't been
seen for _years_.*  Still, he was grateful for any help he could get.
     "Great.  Um...I could use some help here.  I don't know how she died, but
she did, and now I've got to get her body to a safe place, and then there's
Hotaru to...are you listening to me?"
     Haruka looked at him coldly.  "Give her to us."
     Sean blinked.  "Well, I know she's Saturn, but isn't this a bit quick?  
She was only born five minutes ago, I don't think we're *quite* ready to start
her training..."
     Michiru answered.  "Sean, you misunderstand.  She cannot be in this world.
It would be a disaster.  Please.  Give her to us."
     *Cannot be in this world?*  Sean began to back away.  "Tell you what.
First thing in the morning, I'll go to Serenity and we'll arrange something 
there.  But for the moment, this kid needs food and shelter, and somehow, I'm 
getting really negative vibes from the two of you, so if you don't mind, I'll
just be toddling along now."  Sean moved quicker now, trying to put space 
between him and the senshi.
     Haruka began to movie towards him.  Michiru stopped her.  "Remember, we
can't take the chance of hurting anyone else.  Serenity would --"
     "I won't hurt him," replied Haruka.  "I just want to get her and go.  I 
can do that without harming him at all."  She turned to Sean.  "You have no 
concept of what you are doing.  That is no ordinary baby.  She cannot be 
allowed to live.  What she will become would destroy us all."
     Sean began to get mad.  "Right, just like it did in the twentieth century.
How I remember when the Earth was destroyed...but wait, it wasn't?  What went
wrong there?"
     Michiru tried playing good cop again.  "Sean, please.  We don't like it
any more than you do, but it needs to happen."
     Sean glared.  "Well, that's a shame.  I don't like it at all, and don't 
see a need.  So I guess you do like it more than me.  This child's mother knew
she was Saturn, and asked me to protect her.  I'm beginning to see why.  So
if you'll excuse me..."  And with that, he ran down the street as fast as he
could, turning into a side alley almost as quickly.
     Michiru turned to her companion.  "Did you see the look on his face?"
     Haruka nodded.  "Yes.  I don't think we'd be able to get her away from
him now without force, and we can't do that.  Our only hope is to catch her
when he's not looking."
     Michiru turned towards her.  A tear was running down her face.  "You
realise what we'll have to deal with tomorrow.  What Hotaru will..."
     "Yes," Haruka replied.  "I do realise."
     Michiru began to collapse, and Haruka quickly hugged her to her body.
     "Oh God, Haruka, I don't know if I can do it.  Killing a baby requires 
all of my willpower, and I still feel damned.  But seeing her the way she
used to be...will we be able to kill her?"
     Haruka wanted to answer yes.  She wanted to be the strong one.  But she
could never lie to Michiru.  "I don't know...I hope so.  The future depends
on it."

***

     Sean realised that they'd probably try his apartment first, so he took
Hotaru back to the radio station.  *They'll check here second,* he thought,
*but I don't plan to be here long.*
     He quickly went to the mini-apartment he'd set up here for those nights 
when he felt like staying on the air all night.  He'd been rather surprised
to find that his listeners looked forward to these broadcasts.  In fact,
he'd been surprised that he had listeners at all.  This was, after all, the
city that rolled up its sidewalks at 6pm.  But for some reason, the denizens 
of Crystal Tokyo found the antics of a DJ playing music from the 20th century
to be fascinating.  Not that they had any musical taste.  Once, he'd actually
gotten a request for the Three Lights.  After boggling for a few moments, he
put on the New Kids on the Block.  It seemed to work just as well.
     He laid Hotaru down on his bed, despairing for a moment that the quilt 
would be ruined, then went to the sink and got some water.  Unfortunately, he 
had no bottles or any other type of baby food device.  Looking around, he saw
his rubber gloves used for washing dishes.  He grabbed one, filled it with
water, then pricked a hole in one of the fingers.  "Bingo!" he said, and went
back to check on Hotaru.
      She was crying at the top of her lungs.  *Great, just what I needed,*
thought Sean.  Still, one look at her shut off those thoughts.  She was the
most beautiful child he'd ever seen, even managing to look cute when crying.
She also looked very helpless, laying there on his bed staring up at the
ceiling.
     *This will never be a child that could destroy the universe.  I don't
care what those two say.  I will not allow anything to happen to her.  I
owe that much to her mother.*
     He sat down on the bed, soaking his pants in the process, and picked
her up carefully.  After adjusting himself, he raised the ersatz bottle to
her lips and squeezed the fingers.  As soon as she began to get water, she
shut up and concentrated on eating.
     He looked down at her suckling.  "Hi there, kiddo.  I guess I'll be
taking care of you for a while.  My name's Sean Gaffney, and...well, my life
story would take a while.  Suffice it to say it's been interesting..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty-five years ago...

     Sean got up and threw away the remains of his lunch.  He felt a little
uncomfortable, but it could wait until he got back to SNET.  He would do
_anything_ rather than use the bathroom at the Chapel Square Mall, a truly
evil place.
     *Back to the grind,* he thought.  *And tonight, I can go back home, 
stare at the screen, and not write any more of my Urusei Yatsura story.  
Boy, the life I lead.*  He quoted Crow T. Robot in his head.  "Boy, imagine
what it'd be like if something were _happening_!"
     As if to praise his sense of drama, the sky opened up in front of him.
"Oh, _shit_!" was all Sean had time to get out before his world was lit by
the brightest light imaginable.

***

     "Serenity!  Are you all right?"
     The Queen rose to her feet.  "I...I think so.  For a moment there, I
lost control of the Crystal."
     "That's what we were trying to improve, your highness," said Ami.  
"Your control of the Crystal is good, but not perfect.  And we need it to 
be perfect for when..."
     "Yes," Serenity interrupted.  They tried not to talk about the future
they all knew about, when Nemesis destroyed their lives.  "Don't worry, I
can still feel the Crystal.  I know what I did wrong now.  All I have to 
do is..."  She closed her eyes and reached out.
     There was a noise like an explosion.  Makoto and Rei quickly went to 
defend Serenity, but she seemed to be fine.  She was holding the Mystical
Silver Crystal, and had a bewildered look on her face.  "That shouldn't have
happened..."
     Minako was the first to notice it.  "Look!"
     In the middle of the throne room lay a young man.  He looked to be 
about twenty-five, though that meant nothing in Crystal Tokyo, where most
denizens live to be a thousand.  He was dressed in casual business attire,
which was totally contrasted by the large black leather hat that perched 
on his head.  He was also unconscious.
     This meant nothing to Rei, who merely noticed an intruder in the 
throne room.  "BURNING -- " she began.
     "Rei, stop!" Serenity shouted.  The command in her tone was enough
to prevent Rei from following through with the attack, but she still
rounded angrily on the Queen.  "Your Majesty, we don't know -- "
     Serenity cut her off again.  "Yes, I do.  This was my fault.  When
I lost control of the Mystical Silver Crystal...somehow it brought this 
man here.  All I can tell about him is he is not from here."
     "Not from Crystal Tokyo?" asked Makoto.
     "Far worse than that."
     Minako's eyes widened.  "Is he...from another time?"
     Serenity looked up, and her eyes seemed slightly pained.  "Yes, but
that is not all.  He comes from the twentieth century...from another
universe."
     The senshi gasped.  "Another universe?!?!"  exclaimed Rei.
     "Serenity, how can you tell this?" Ami asked, intrigued.
     "I think...yes, I think I can divine it from the Crystal.  It would
appear your experiment worked, Ami."  She looked down at the young man 
sadly.  "If only it did not come at such a cost."

***

     Sean woke up to a rather interesting sight.  He appeared to be in a
room made entirely of glass...no, crystal.  *Great,* he thought, *I've
died and gone to Crystal Tokyo.*
     "Excuse me," said a voice from behind him.
     He sat up and looked at the source of the voice, a woman in a gorgeous
white gown, with a tiara and what could only be described as a big-ass 
sceptre.  "Hello," she said.  "I'm sorry if this comes as a shock to you.
My name is Neo-Queen Serenity.  Welcome to Crystal Tokyo."
     Sean looked at her incredulously, then got a look at the other 
occupants of the room.  *Senshi,* he thought.  *I _am_ in Crystal Tokyo.*
     The others were somewhat baffled when he began to laugh his head off.

***

     "I beg your pardon?"
     Serenity had the decency to look embarrassed.  "I'm afraid I can't
see a way to send you back.  I don't really know why the Crystal brought
you here in the first place.  Still, you seem to be relatively healthy.
Are you normally that underweight?"
     "Yes," Sean grumbled.  It was a sore point.  "Let me see if I've got
this straight.  I am in Crystal Tokyo, in the year 2975.  Furthermore, it
looks as if I won't be able to get back to my time, because it's in 
another universe.  And you're also telling me that, due to this Crystal,
I'll live to be a thousand?"
     "No.  I said that most denizens of Crystal Tokyo live to that age.
You, on the other hand, were exposed to it for a lengthy period of time.
To hazard a guess, I'd say your lifespan is approximately the same as 
myself and the other senshi."
     "And how long is that?"
     "From what Sailor Mercury can detect, virtual immortality."
     Sean's eyes glazed over.  *Immortality.  I must be dreaming.  I'm
dreaming that I'm Twister, or something like that.*  He began to pinch
himself.
     Serenity looked at him worriedly.  He would need to accept what
had happened to him.  He looked as if he was about to crack.  She needed
to do something.
     "I know.  Let me take you to someone who understands all of this
better than any of us."
     Sean looked up.  "What, Sailor Pluto?"
     The others froze.  Rei looked about ready to blast him again.  "Just 
how the hell do you know about her, mister?"
     Sean sighed.  "I thought you were only like this in fanfics.  Anyway,
Serenity told you I'm from a different universe.  Ever read Heinlein?"
     Ami was the only one to respond in the affirmative.
     "Good, a nice brushup of The Number of the Beast would help.  In my
universe, you are all stars of a popular manga, later an anime, called
Sailor Moon.  I won't explain it all to you, because you probably wouldn't
believe me anyway.  Suffice it to say...well, actually, I may not know as
much as I thought.  I liked Sailor Moon, but wasn't fanatic about it.
Not to mention the different continuities."  He frowned.  "God, this 
sounds trite.  I apologise, I'm sounding really strange.  Suffice it to
say, I am fairly familiar with your antics from the period where Luna 
discovered Usagi Tsukino up until the destruction of Galaxia.  The rest
of these past thousand years is a blank page, I'm sure you'll be relieved
to hear.  Stop me when I'm babbling, please."
     Serenity gently touched his shoulder.  "Pluto really would be able
to explain it better.  She might be able to help.  You do seem to be taking
this better than I thought, though."
     "No, I'm not," Sean explained.  "I'm just not thinking of it.  
Allow me my denial, it'll make us all feel better.  I'm in a universe 
where no one thinks it's odd that the defenders of Earth wear Japanese 
school uniforms.  Onward."
     He started to walk out of the throne room, being stopped after a moment
by a cough from Serenity.
     "Sean?"
     He turned back.  "Yes?"
     She smiled sweetly.  "Who's Queen?"
     He flushed.  "My...um...my apologies, your Highness.  I'm not used to
royalty."
     Serenity glided out of the room, followed by the rest of the senshi.
Rei brought up the rear, watching Sean closely.  "Mr. Gaffney?"
     "Yes?"
     Rei smiled thinly.  "My recommendation:  _get_ used to it."

***

     Pluto looked up.  For a moment, as she saw the man walking towards
her, several expressions played across her face.  Relief, fury, and 
finally a cold anger.  She knelt down.  "My Queen.  I suppose that Mr.
Gaffney's appearance is the reason for your visit."
     Serenity had long since stopped being surprised at Pluto's knowing
everything.  She just accepted it and went on.  "Sean is having a little 
difficulty getting used to his presence here."
     Sean piped in.  "I'm having no trouble at all.  I'm just denying it.
If you could whack me on the head with your garnet rod, then I'll head
on back and we can all feel better."
     "No," Pluto responded.
     "I beg your pardon?  What happened to all of that 'the sanctity of 
the timestream must be preserved' and such.  Think of the damage I could
cause -- "
     Pluto cut him off with a voice that could have melted diamond.  "I
know _exactly_ what your presence will do here, Sean Gaffney.  Believe
me, it is only for the preservation of this timeline that I do not try
to kill you right now."
     "Geh," Sean managed.  He'd expected her to be cold.  This hatred
and rage was disturbing.  "Um...I don't have any plans to freak out, 
become and evil sorcerer, and destroy the universe, if that's your 
concern.  Um...thanks, now I really feel great.  You've taken my mind
off my lifespan by trying to make me think of why you hate me."
     "Not, you, Mr. Gaffney, but a possibility.  A possibility that, with
your arrival, becomes ever closer to becoming true."  Pluto looked at
him with those eyes that had seen not only everything to come, but 
everything that will come.
     "So send me back.  Get rid of me."
     "I cannot," Pluto responded.  "Your presence in this timeline is
ordained.  You do not go back.  The best I can do is arrange for you to
say goodbye."
     Serenity had been listening to this exchange with a growing 
confusion.  She decided not to worry about it, temporal mechanics was 
something best left to Pluto.  "Sean, we can help you get settled in
Crystal Tokyo.  There's no better place in the world.  No crime, no
poverty, no murders..."
     Sean interrupted her, screaming out.  "No _army_ no _navy_, no
_arms_, no _ammunition_, no _treasury_, no _friends_.  But bless my
soul, _spirit_."
     Serenity and Pluto both looked baffled.  "What?"
     Sean looked up.  "It's from '1776'.  Sorry, I do that a lot.  But
quite frankly, the thought of living in a utopia scares me almost as 
much as immortality.  There's no chance?"
     Pluto looked at him.  "None.  Believe me, I've looked."
     Sean sighed, and lowered his head into his hands.  "AAAAAAAIGGGHH."
He then looked up.  "Well, how 'bout employment.  What is Crystal Tokyo 
short of?"
     Serenity laughed.  "We have everything, Sean.  I've told you, it's 
a paradise."
     A light bulb lit up in Sean's' mind.  "Got a radio station?"
     "A what?"
     Sean grinned, his first real smile since arriving.  "Can't be 
paradise without radio.  Tell you what I'm gonna do...with your Majesty's
permission, of course."

***

Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2975 13:26:54 -0400
From: gaffney@serenity.gov
Message-Id: <199801161726.NAA19354@mailhost.serenity.gov>
Received: from 207.171.128.161 (nh-ts03-01.serenity.gov [207.171.128.161])
        by mailhost.mindspring.com (8.8.5/8.8.5.3) with SMTP id NAA19354;
        Fri, 16 Jan 1998 13:26:54 -0400
Subject:  Sean's Final Daily Rant
To: Zen <databank@mindspring.com> , Richard Lawson <sterman@sprynet.com>,
        Nicholas Leifker <nwl9354@unix.tamu.edu>, Sebastian Weinberg
        <bastian@enterprise.mathematik.uni-essen.de>

Hi, guys, guess where I'm calling from. ;-) 

Some sad news to report.  This will be my final Daily Rant, and I'm off-line
as of today.  The details would...well, bore you.  Not to mention you 
wouldn't believe thing one of them.

Sorry I couldn't C&C LAWR 4, Zen.  The little I looked at was excellent, 
and I'm glad that Eiko got a romance as well.

Richard, great to see the latest instalment in the Ranma/Kodachi fics.
I am especially happy that their child is *nothing* like Nouma, despite
the similar teachings.

Sebbie, where's the next Ranko 1/2?  Waaaaah!

Nick, beautifully done, as always.  Have you considered *happiness* as
a new overarching theme?  Just a thought...

The artist of the day is "Moonlight Romance" from Sailor Moon R Movie, 
for the selfsame reasons as above.

Bye-bye!  God bless! And if a green-haired woman with a large staff drops
by and tells you to forget everything you read, just ignore her.  I do.

--Sean Gaffney
--trapped in the future, can't escape the past

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Sean woke hurriedly.  *I must have dozed off*, he thought.  Then he
remembered what happened earlier that night.  Quickly he looked around
for Hotaru.
     And was rather surprised to see a naked four-year-old girl laying
next to him, still sound asleep.  She had the remains of the soiled
towels around her, and a hairstyle that reminded Sean immediately of
drawings of 20th century Hotaru.
     *Time for a quote, I think,* thought Sean, still somewhat in shock.
     "Fuuuuuuuuccccckkkkk  mmmmeeeeeeeeeeeee......"

***

End of Section 1

--Sean Gaffney
--out of his mind