When she arrived on her home planet, it was semi-dark, a strange twilight that didn't seem to be a sunset or sunrise. Grus couldn't tell where the sun was going to go in the next few minutes. She assumed there were stars, but the cover of trees prevented her from seeing them, so they were no help. So the young girl contented herself with sitting at the base of her treehouse until the light decided what the heck it was going to do. She wasn't afraid. Despite being on a planet that, while familiar to her in some ways, was still terribly mysterious, she knew that she was the only living thing left there. The rest were gone.

After fifteen minutes or so, Grus noticed it getting lighter. So she had come right before sunrise. She rose to her feet, dusting off her fuku and making sure it was free of wrinkles before looking up toward the sky, shielding her eyes from the few beams of weak sunlight that pressed their way through the leaves. Then she went south, a new direction. She had traveled every other direction except south. Something gave her a sense of anxiety about going that way, like she might find something that she didn't like. But this time, she squashed that feeling, hefting her backpack a little higher so that it didn't rub against her Eternal wings. No, this time she would go south and see what lie through the trees.

The branches swung out in every direction, thick with vegetation. Deep purple mosses hung from the wood, creating curtains that hung to the ground in some places. Grus gently passed through these, not wanting to disturb the plants. Heat clung to the tree trunks; once the sun rose higher, they gave off a wet mist that left Grus feeling sticky and hot. She tugged at her fuku collar, panting. How had her people dealt with this every day? Svelte must have been sweltering in her fuku too! She took off her gloves, ticking them into the sash around her waist. The small relief was enough to release her mind back to making sure she knew where she was going. Every so often, she placed a ribbon around a low tree branch. It was her bread crumb trail, her way back when she needed it.

The heat became too much around what she guessed was noon on this planet. The only indication she had of time passing was where the sun broke through the trees and hit her skin changing locations. At this point, she sough refuge under a large tree. The roots rose out of the ground, creating a cave-like space that she could fit the top half of her body into. She lat down heavily, placing the backpack roughly at her side. She dug out a couple granola bars, stuffing one into her mouth while she pulled out a sweater and balled it up. This became her pillow, and as she placed her head under the root, the difference in temperature was surprising. She felt the ground with her bare hand; it was cool to the touch. Sun hadn't hit here all day. She sighed, shifting until she felt her legs were as much out of the sunbeams as possible, and then fell into a heat-induced sleep. She didn't dream.

When she awoke, her face was hot where it was connected to the sweater. Grus grimaced, pulling her head from her hiding spot and peeling the sweater off her face. The contact with air was refreshing, and she looked up at the sky to see the sun had moved considerably during her nap. While it was still hot, the air had lost it's sticky feeling. The mist must have burnt off. She ate another granola bar, and resumed her journey, placing the garbage in the side pocket.

There were tree houses above her in various stages of ruin. She wondered if this was considered another neighborhood, or just an extension of the one that Svelte lived in. None of them looked safe enough to venture up towards, so instead she looked at them from afar, wondering what they had looked like before the Chaos had arrived.

The rest of the day passed in uneventful trekking. Grus continued to tie ribbons onto the trees, though she was starting to run low. The sun began it's descent, and her gloves went back on as the sweat and mist attached to her body started to chill her. It was a nice change, and she enjoyed the feeling of shivering for a while before pausing to don her sweater. But that proved to be too hot, so she compromised by tying it around her shoulders, letting it fall against her back, where the chill was most prominent. Soon though, it was too dark to continue walking. She tripped over a few roots and almost twisted her ankle before giving up and laying down under a random tree to sleep. Her dreams were sparse, but filled with a drumbeat, a steady rhythm that she wondered about.

The next morning came quickly, with the same sunrise and mist. Grus groaned and stretched her sore muscles. Sleeping on the ground was never a pleasurable experience. Neither was spending an entire day walking in boots. She removed them, feeling the air on her toes and sighing with happiness. It was short break however, long enough for her to eat an oversized muffin and drink a pouch juice. Then she was at it again, going south. She had awoken with the anxiety in her stomach, and even with the addition of food it did not disappear. In fact, the more she walked, the more anxious she got. She shivered despite the heat, wrapping her arms around her torso in an effort to contain the unpleasant feeling. “Gotta keep going.” Grus muttered to herself. She wasn't sure how far she had gone, but she knew that there was something out there. Something that she needed to see.

Again the midday heat forced the senshi to stop and rest while it burned away, and the drumbeat returned with more fervor in these dreams. She woke up with the remnants of it pounding in her brain.

When the afternoon was just beginning to ripen, Grus stumbled upon something that made her heart jump into her throat. The anxiety she felt rose with her heart, making it difficult to breathe.

A great lake lay like a carpet in front of her, continuing to either side of her as far as she could see. The water was murky and overgrown, and probably a few feet too low, but it was still there. Huge blue lilies spread their petals outward from the muck below, with centers like twinkling stars. But this was not what Grus was stunned at. It was what lie in the middle of the lake, or more accurately, the moat.

There was the remains of a huge wooden wall, with trees as the corners. There were things hanging from the branches, but Grus couldn't see what they were. A great stone bridge connected her side of the moat to the others, and she could see giant trees within the wall, larger than she had ever seen. It took a full minute for her brain to reboot, and then she was off at a run, sprinting through the grass surrounding the moat to the stairs leading to the bridge. She had to get over there. There was no mistaking the desire. She had to get over there.

The bridge proved to be broken in more than a few places. Grus found herself stretching to reach precarious holds, and jumping from broken rock to broken rock, hoping she didn't fall into the gross water below. Luck was on her side however, and she managed to reach the largest unbroken piece of the bridge unharmed but for a few new bruises on her legs. She was still too far away to see what hung from the trees in the corners; that was the first mystery she wanted to solve. The feather senshi ran across the bridge, leaping down the shattered stairs and hitting a jutting rock, tumbling to the ground. She rolled as she fell, pausing for a split second to let the pain sink in before continuing her run.

When she reached the wall, she looked beyond it and gasped. The trees inside were the biggest she had ever seen. They put the redwoods she had seen in California to shame. They towered upwards, branches intertwining and demanding respect just for their sheer size. There was a thick layer of leaves in what Grus realized was an expansive courtyard. Each leaf was as big as her hand She picked one up, turning over the oval leaf. They were thin; she could see sunlight through them. The veins created spidery patterns inside. She dropped the leaf and again stared at the trees. This had to be a palace of some kind. Her heart called to the palace, asking to go in. She wanted to, but first...

Her eyes turned to the corner trees, the ones with the wall attached to them. She was winded from running, so instead she walked carefully along the wall to where one of them grew. It was a surprise to see that the wall literally grew out from the tree; there was no seam between the two. How was that possible? She ran her hands along the busted wall, feeling creases and knots in the bark. Her hand withdrew as she stared upward at the branches. There the objects were, hanging tantalizingly out of eyesight. She climbed the roots of the tree, and found a door what was wedged shut. Grus tugged at the handle, increasing the pressure until the handle broke off with a cracking sound, leaving the eternal senshi on her butt with handle in hand. Grus swore, getting up and looking at the door. The wood was mostly healthy, however it seemed to be developing rot in a few places. She kicked at the edge, where the handle was, and a few more splinters crumbled away. It took a few more kicks, and tugging at the door by using the handle hole (which broke a couple more times, sending Grus reeling backwards) before she could gain access to the innards of the tree.

The stairs inside had fared far better than the outside of the tree. They were still dark and knotted, “But at least they aren't full of holes.” Grus muttered, testing her weight on the first step. It held, and began the arduous climb upwards.

The inside of the three was worn smooth, the walls slick from people using them as a bracer while running up and down the stairs, which had the sheen of well used wood on them. In the center of the tree was a tattered rope, probably used to send messages quickly when legs just weren't fast enough. Grus ran her hand over her ancestor's ancient pathway, trailing her fingers along the very same wood that they had also done so many years ago.

She had to pause twice during her climb. The run and the steepness of the climb left her breathless, but her curiosity pushed her onward. Finally a landing appeared, and she sped up despite her burning calves. There was another door, but this one practically wanted to be opened; it swung forward without the slightest creak. Grus inspected the door; it wasn't on metal hinges that could rust. It seemed to bend with the tree. A curious thing indeed. Around the tree was a circular platform with wooden railings. Some of these railings soared into the foliage above, creating empty window-like spaces This didn't hold her attention long as much as what was hanging from the branches. The blurry objects turned out to be birdhouses; there must have been at least a hundred if not more at varying heights. There were bits of rope where she was sure others had once hung. She went to the edge of the platform, reaching out her hand to the nearest one. It was rotted and practically crumbled at her touch. Only the roof remained attached to the string. The miniscule roof was painted blue, probably vibrant in it's heyday, but now the dull color of dried pen ink. The one above it was in slightly better shape, but she couldn't grasp it, the tip of her finger sent it spinning slowly on the spot. She sighed, and leaned on the railing, letting the blood flow back into her arm.

The copse of trees drew her attention again, and she walked to the other side of the tower, staring out at the giant expanse of trees looming overhead. There was a sparkle of activity down below; it crackled and sputtered at first with blue images. She saw them spread out before her, gaining momentum, until the whole courtyard was filled with facsimiles of people. Her eyes widened, as the ghosts began the memory of long ago, color replacing the blue so that the people seemed to come alive.

They were dressed in every color imaginable; the crowd looked like someone had splattered paint all over a white cobblestone canvas. She couldn't hear voices, but the crowd milled about excitedly, as if expecting something great. She stared at individuals, trying to get faces, but all she could see were the colors they wore, and the types of clothing they had one. Most of them wore leggings or what looked like yoga pants. The women had on frilled tops with long sleeves, the men, short sleeved shirts of a plainer variety. Everyone was adorned with jewelry; one child ran along the edge of the wall with at least three earrings in each lobe. Grus was astounded at the amount of decoration upon the people, but nothing surprised her more than when the music began to play.

It was loud. She heard the strum of acoustic instruments, and the boom of the drums. Everyone's attention was on the copse of trees, which looked in much better shape than present time. The branches were pruned, and balconies poked out from beneath the leaves. Everywhere there were birds. She now knew what the birdhouses were for. They tweeted and squawked, cawed and whistled, adding their cacophony to the music. The people below were still, and from the largest balcony, double doors opened. When a women stepped out, Grus gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

It was if she were looking in some sort of distorted mirror. She didn't even begin to wonder how she saw her face so clearly from so far away. The person was much tanner than she; her brown skin glistened with glitter. Her hair was the same color as Grus's, though she noted that the woman had deep streaks of red in hers. The eyes were different; hers green, and Grus's blue.

It was the fuku that gave it away. Similar design; a dress that faded from white to red, ending just above the knee. The ring of red feathers around the hem, and white feathers along the sleeves. A bright red sash around the middle, though hers had much more adornment that Grus's. The shoes were different; Grus had boots while this person has feather-ringed flats laden with beads. But there was no denying it to the eternal senshi.

She was looking at her past.

Grus saw her step forward, wave nervously, and smile. Two people stepped out behind her, though Grus wasn't paying attention to them. All of her concentration was on Past Grus, whom she realized looked very young. Certainly younger than herself. The women behind Past Grus waved her hands, and spoke a few words, but Current Grus couldn't hear them. There was a roar below as people began to cheer, music began to play, and Past Grus waved meekly. Current Grus wasn't sure what just happened, but it had to have been important. She leaned her way over the edge of the railing, trying to drink in as much of her past life as she could. The vision began to flicker, like the holograms did in movies when they had delivered their message. She groaned, willing it to stay longer, but the people below began to fade into oblivion, and soon, the other Grus faded away as well. Her arms began to tremble, and she stumbled back against the tree tower, inhaling deeply while she stretched her wobbly arm muscles.

So that's who she was in the past.

Words: 2,769