The tickets sat in his palm, almost being crushed by his near iron grip. His eyes darted downwards as the blue eyed blondes passed him by, not wanting to make it look like he was feeling left out. He wasn't feeling left out by these girls was what he was trying to convince himself, even though he was. They harboured their own secrets that they didn't let anybody in on during the secret meetings that they held frequently in Fruits Parlour Crown. It felt like there was something being kept from him. He tried not to let this bother him but it couldn't be avoided.

His eyes were watching the concrete path intently, as if he expected it to suddenly leap out in front of him to attack him. He felt the wind blow into his hand, though he chose not to notice it. He raised his head up from the ground and whipped it towards the walls of Mugen Academy. He could not believe that his intent street watching had lead him to the Mugenzu area. Tenozu, Kaiozu and Meiozu. The three areas that formed a near perfect triangle. He felt the cool concrete slab touch on his warm skin. He couldn't help but feel an eerie presence around him that didn't quite seem negligible. Something was wrong here, and he didn't know what.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned his head to look for the person whose feet were making the sounds. For a split second, his blue pair of eyes met with a reddish pink pair. Looking up and down at the person, he had a sudden realisation. This person could give him the answers that he was looking for. He froze for a moment as he felt the cool breeze work its way around his body, assimilating with his blood as a last resort. He knew the person would probably walk away, but something told him not to be so sure of that. He clenched the fist on his right hand side.

"Oh, I do think you might have dropped this," uttered a calm voice, coming from the stranger the man was facing. "Is this yours?"

He felt slightly gagged. Shocked, he muttered, "That's... my other ticket to the Michiru Kaioh concert."

"Oh, I see," the voice whispered, an almost sickly pale hand handing him back the concert ticket. "If you are interested in the academy, would you like to come in?"

"What the...?" he muttered to himself.

"Come on inside!" The woman's voice urged. "You wanted to see Setsuna Meioh, correct?"

"How do you know that?" Mamoru wondered aloud.

"I knew you were going to ask that question!" The voice chuckled. "I could just sense it in your demeanour. If you want to see her, why don't you just come this way."

He felt like he was being dragged forward by some mysterious force, even if his inner self was telling him that everything was alright. He couldn't help but have doubts, especially since this was a stranger and they did not know one another all that well. It was tempting for him to fight and argue, but he knew there was some potential way that he could trust in this unfamiliar person. A grave sigh escaped his lips as he was dragged through the halls at a great speed.  The hallway of the school was just so elaborate. He knew that it was a private school, but he never guessed that any of it would be this extravagant and glorious. It was not something that the man was familiar with.

He let go of the woman's hand as soon as they managed to get near to the elevator. He grabbed his grey glasses case and took out the glasses, slipping them on his face as slowly as he could. For some odd reason, he felt all the bones in his body shaking with nerves. He felt like the woman would reach out and do something. Maybe she would kill him. To avoid getting too nervous, he gave the floor-plan of the academy a focused read. He liked knowing where everything was and what a doorway lead to. He clenched his fists so the woman knew he hadn't fully let his guard down.

The woman grabbed his right shoulder and pulled him towards her, hissing. He felt her hand on his shoulder. It was cold, clammy and dry. It didn't feel a single bit as if it could actually belong to a human being. When she faced him again, she had a sinister expression on her face. It was like she knew that he thought something was off with her but, instead of attempting to disprove his theory, she was gradually proving. It was eerie and it caused him a very slight moment of panic. He whipped his head around as she began to forcibly lead him to the room. A smirk fell upon her face.

"Well then, I do believe that she is just a door away from you. I hope you weren't too bothered by my sudden intrusion," the woman said, laughing as she went off. "And, I do hope I was at least somewhat insightful about this institution, Mamoru Chiba."

The way in which the woman said his name sent chills down his spine. He was shaking as he looked at the door so he could learn where he had been lead to. The door read 'Academy Science Dept'. He pushed on the door, its coolness making the man feel nervous. Yet, he was still tempted to go inside. He kept telling himself that it was only for a short while. That he didn't need to be nervous.

But there was something off about this place, and it sent his inquisitive mind into a frenzy. He needed answers.

...

"Oh, good afternoon. I presume you're Mamoru Chiba," Setsuna commented with a smile.

The studious man nodded. "Yes. Do you know why I'm here?" He queried.

"I guess it's about something far greater than me," the woman with green hair commented simply. Her tanned hand reached out to him. "So, what did you come here for?"

Mamoru scratched the back of his head. "Before I get down to business, do you know anything about the Sailor Guardians?" He asked.