The clock on the wall ticked by the seconds, seconds that Castille could practically feel in her heart. It was almost time, she was almost there...

Midnight struck without a dull in the ticking, and she jumped from her bed. Her ability to go into space was limited; her power only allowed her to go every couple of weeks, though when she was there, she could stay as long as she liked. She quickly drew out the cell phone from her pocket, and pressed the button that would send her into space.

She landed on Grus as the Eternal senshi of the same name. Her fuku fell in familiar folds around her knees, and she brushed away a stray feather that had come loose from the hem of her skirt. She followed the now well beaten path toward the tree palace of the Grucians, feeling her heat beat faster as she ran through the large, verdant leaves. She noticed that they grazed her elbows now; a good three inches higher than they were the last time she visited. And on a few of the trees, vines with fragrant blue blossoms wound their ways around the trunks. This gave her pause. They definitely weren't there before. As a matter of fact, they were starting to grow everywhere.She'd never seen anything new grow. Just the same old ferns and trees.

But her heart tugged her on. forget about the plants it whispered, urging her toward her goal. She ran on, arms throwing the leaves away and the gates open as she entered the courtyard of the palace.

Th last few months had found Grus thinking about her planet more and more. She found herself doodling it's name on her paper, looking up the history of it's discovery, writing down musings about what she'd seen in her visions...


Oh the visions. The things that fueled her imagination. She hopped up the worn and beaten steps, into the corridor with the ratty tapestries. She stared at them again, remembering how they used to look, back when their splendor was real.

But this was not her destination. Instead, she followed the path of the children in her vision to another room with a large hearth. The walls were wooden and stained with age and smoke. The ceiling was a good ten feet above Grus's small stature. There were broken chairs and beaten up couches laying throughout the room. She figured they had some semblance of order once before. It lacked the formality of the other rooms; this one wasn't meant to be seen by the general public. Overall, it was quite cozy. The last time she had been here, she had brought with her some curtains that she had hastily nailed into the wall. They were a nice shade of red, and she threw them open to let the sun in. There were a few old pillows thrown on a mostly intact couch. Grus had found those at a garage sale. She flopped onto the pillows with a sigh. Her heart returned to normal now that she was here.

The planet was quiet' only the trees in the breeze outside were stirring. There were never any bugs, any scurrying critters. It was always just her.

And she was ok with it.


Grus felt safe here. No Negaverse agent could follow her, no youma could appear behind a tree. This was her sanctuary.

The heat was beginning to make her drowsy. She curled up in the pillows, letting the sunlight that shone through the open windows warm her body and calm her spirit.



The room was gloriously warm. It was like stepping into a bath. Svelte shivered, letting the room engulf her. It was full of chairs and luxurious couches. An expansive rug was rolled out across the floor, and sconces added light to the corners of the room the fireplace couldn't reach. The children were finding seats all over the place. Svelte chose a spot on the floor near the fireplace. The flames crackled and popped, sending her into a trance.

Once everyone was settled, a gentleman in a long green robe entered, holding a piece of paper. All the kids looked up, and there was a general feel of anxiety in the air.

"Alright now, I need you all to sign your name on this contract. It says that you understand that this is a trial. You aren't guaranteed anything. There can only be one Senshi of Grus." He looked around the room at each child.

"By siging this, you agree not to tell anyone what you do. The secrets you learn. There are serious consequences to those who break the oath." He flourished a pen with a long red feather attached. It seemed to hum with energy.

Next thing she knew. it was her turn to sign. Svelte took the pen, felt the energy flow through her fingers. Her hand shook as she wrote her name in scrawly script....


Grus shuddered awake, the warmth of the room in her dreams leaving her limbs. She rolled over, wrapping her arms around her one of the pillows and sighing. Another vision for her book. She closed her eyes, willing herself back to sleep so that she may experience more.

Now they were all in another room. It was lined with beds and hammocks. Svelte ran to a hammock, only to find a blonde boy laying in it.

"Taken kid." he said condescendingly, flapping his hand in a shooing motion. Svelte scowled, and turned away, finding all the hammocks taken by the other kids. She stomped over to a bed, throwing herself on it and examining the new shoes on her feet. They were bright red moccasins with glittery beads attached. The poked out from a long nightshirt the color of ivory, and Svelte undid her hair buns from her laying position, falling asleep with a ratty mess of hair that was bound to be a pain to fix later. But she didn't care. She was really gonna try. Try to be a Senshi.

An hour or so later Grus awoke back in her castle, the broken remnants of the one she saw in her dreams. She yawned and stretched, then looked around the room.

"This..." she said, knowing no one could hear her, but speaking out loud anyway. "This is where she started. But who is she?" she got to her feet, going back into the entrance hallway. "Who is Svelte?" Her words echoed, but got no answer. Grus turned to the hallway leading to what she assumed her the Princess's quarters, but she didn't go in. It didn't feel right, almost as if she were violating a trust to go in there. Not yet. her heart whispered.

Instead she set out to find the group sleeping room she saw in her latest vision. The wandered hallways, poking her head into various rooms, but none were the one she was looking for. Behind a dilapidated door was a staircase that seemed intact, and she took it to the second floor, finding rows of rooms to investigate. Judging by the broken beds, they were almost all sleeping rooms. But all of these beds were large, designed for adults. She needed one filled with small beds.....

"Yes!" she shouted, shoving open the door fully. Here were a few intact beds, and torn hammocks hanging from the ceiling a few feet above. The beds were in shambles, But Grus ran her hand over one reverently. This. This was the place. She felt the smooth wood beneath her hand as she walked from bed to bed. Finally her hand rested on the one. The one Svelte had collapsed on so long ago. She knelt by it, hands splayed on the mattress, avoiding the springs that poked out from the fabric. Grus blinked. "I can't believe this is real." She said aloud. Her eyes gazed at the leg of the bed, and her heart stopped. There, in the bed leg.


Her name.




Well, not her name. Not Grus's. But Svelte's. The letters, carved in the wood that was now being gripped like it was going to fly away.

"This is freaking real." she said. "Like, completely real! Oh my god!" The visions weren't her imagination. They weren't dreams.

They were memories.

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