A lot of people had died recently, including some of the Zodiacs and a whole bunch of average citizens. The chaos of the summer had detracted from what had otherwise been the highlight of Sailor Neso’s reign of power. When the sun was bright, so was Neso. He hated to patrol (and almost never did it, especially without anyone around to scold him to) and hated fighting even more. But when the summer sun was out, Bodhi Hanley couldn’t help but transform. Sometimes, he would do it without realizing. He’d described it to Flora as going “sleep-senshi,” but his springtime counterpart didn’t seem to find it as harmless as he did.

Sailor Neso spent his days hiking in the surroundings mountains in full fuku. He would drop down on random camps to share a meal from time to time. Most people asked him a ton of questions about what he was and what the senshi did. He knew very few facts about his senshidom and so there was little danger in it. A fair share of people chased him away on sight. But those memories were not the ones he chose to remember. Instead, he thought of going trout fishing with the nice businessman from Milwaukee who had the heart trouble, or climbing trees with the schoolteacher’s son while she put up a tent. He never stayed too long. Some people along the trail started whispering about the “sunny senshi” they’d met. Pretty soon a blog had popped up where people could post pictures and tell stories.

It wasn’t the brightest idea in the world, but it was, at the very least, a good PR move for the senshi. His cult status had won him some local acclaim, though he never came forward to take credit. No, Neso simply stuck to dropping in on campsites and otherwise enjoying his time in the great outdoors.

Like today, for example.

The senshi of summer had set out early that morning. He took a swim in the lake, even if it was several degrees below comfortable, and then scaled the highest tree he could find to take some breathtaking aerial shots of the mountainside. When his camera had spent the last roll he’d remembered to bring, Neso loaded them all into his fanny pack (tres chic) and then began his leisurely stroll back to where his bike was parked.

There were many unsafe habits that Neso had developed. If he was any threat at all, perhaps a Nega would have already made a point to capture him. It wouldn’t be terribly difficult. Roam the trail enough, and they were bound to stumble upon him. His appearance was well documented by those campers he’d encountered. His powers were still a mystery, but little would be expected from someone described as “gentle, easy-going, very trusting” by the civilians who came into contact with him.

As he walked, Neso crossed a few wildflowers growing off of the path. He hopped out of his way to snag a few. They were a brilliant pink, a purplish blue, and a fiery orange. There were green buds farther off, but Neso thought it better to let them grow. Sliding a cloth band from his wrist, he tied a knot around the little bundle. “Chronos will like you,” he said to the flowers.

Yes, Neso was the type to talk to foliage. And fauna. And water and rocks and grass and dirt. He was a hippie of the crunchiest kind, and he believed that everything that existed around him had a consciousness and a soul.

In this way, he picked his way all along the trail in his little short-shorts, humming to himself and stopping every so often to marvel at something. (Neso was a big believer in stopping to marvel at things.) Right before he reached the end of the path, Sailor Neso transformed back into Bo Hanley -- a boy in stained running shorts and a pale pink t-shirt that looked like it had seen better days too.

The sun was starting to move toward the west, and as Fall approached, the nights grew colder. Neso could feel his power waning, but he tried not to fixate on it. Fixation could lead to sadness; sadness was Very Bad. So instead he tried to distract himself with thoughts of how pretty the falling leaves would be and how happy Imogen would feel during her high season. She was a part of him, wasn’t she? So it was like he was powerful too!

At the base of the trail, Bo hopped back onto his bike and rode it all the way home. If he hurried, he could swing by Crystal Academy while visiting hours were still open to give Chronos her flowers. He’d been visiting so much that most of the girls on her floor thought they were dating. It wasn’t exactly a rumor that Bo was eager to quash, though he would if his Princess asked it. All in all, as he rode off toward the fading sun, Bo could only smile and think about his lovely, completely uneventful day.

And that was precisely how Bo liked it.