Lovers and Dreamers
The song in the story is ChibiUsa’s Stars singles song, ‘BaiBaitte Itta’.
The translation for the song was done by William Braell and a friend found it at
http://sailormusic.tripod.com/lyrics/BaiBaitte_Itta.html
This story takes place right after ‘Family Ties.’ We hope you all enjoy it.
^-^ Please e-mail us and tell us what you think. ^-^
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"C’mon, Taru," ChibiUsa said, waving to her from the curb. She wore a
mischievous grin that fit her older appearance well. It made her look a bit like her evil
self, Black Lady. Hotaru sighed and followed her lover towards the karaoke bar. She still
wasn’t sure this was a good idea. ChibiUsa had borrowed the Luna Pen from Usagi to
make them look older. Hotaru watched as ChibiUsa’s now much longer hair swayed
back and forth as she walked, brushing up against the back of the short dark crimson
dress the pink haired girl was wearing. Hotaru felt herself smiling as ChibiUsa walked
along. The pink haired girl always managed to affect her deeply, whether or not she was
pretending to be older. Hotaru found herself wondering which way she liked ChibiUsa’s
hair better. It was pretty when it was long, like her mother’s. But it was cute when it was
shorter and fluffier like ChibiUsa normally had it.
"Taru?" ChibiUsa asked quizzically. Hotaru blushed. She must have been lost
in thought. ChibiUsa took her hand and brought her closer. Hotaru felt ChibiUsa’s
warm breath against her cheek.
"Usa," Hotaru said softly as she looked into the other girl’s crimson eyes. Her
heart beat faster, almost stopping when ChibiUsa’s long fingers stroked her warm
cheek.
"You ready?" ChibiUsa asked, motioning behind her. "You seemed to be out of
it for a second."
"I get like that when I think about you," Hotaru whispered to the pink haired
girl. "You make it hard for me to think about anything else." She smiled, fingers
entwining in one of ChibiUsa’s long pink pigtails.
"Taru..." ChibiUsa’s soft red lips inched anxiously closer to Hotaru’s. Hearing
a car screech by, she shook herself out of it. Her long hair flew about, some hitting into
Hotaru’s head. "Gomen," ChibiUsa said, embarrassed.
Hotaru couldn’t help but laugh. "I think I like your shorter hair better."
Running her hands through her hair to straighten it out, ChibiUsa turned back
to Hotaru. "How’s that?"
Hotaru paused for a moment to take in the pink haired angel before her. She
was absolutely stunning. She was the most beautiful thing Hotaru had ever seen. She
heard ChibiUsa call her name again, but she just smiled. "Gorgeous," Hotaru said
breathlessly. The faint blush and the pleased look on ChibiUsa’s face told Hotaru she’d
said the right thing. Taking ChibiUsa’s arm, she headed inside.
"I meant my hair," ChibiUsa finally got out, still smiling.
Hotaru glanced at her and smiled back. "I know. But I meant what I said."
Taking a table near the front, Hotaru and ChibiUsa took their seats. Hotaru
helped ChibiUsa get her long hair out of the way while she sat. "I don’t think I’ll ever
know how mom does it," ChibiUsa sighed.
"I bet it’s probably with practice. When I was younger, I really wanted to play
the violin like Michiru-mama, but I was horrible at it whenever I played. But she taught
me how. It took a long time, but I really wanted to learn."
"And you play beautifully," ChibiUsa complimented. Hotaru had played
specifically for her on several occasions.
Hotaru smiled. "Thank you. Haruka-papa offered to teach me how to drive, but
if its anything like learning how to play the violin, I’m not sure I want to go through
that again," Hotaru joked. "I’m sure if you keep it long enough, you’ll do just fine with
long hair. In the meantime, though, I like it short. It’s..."
"Cute," ChibiUsa finished for her, grinning. Despite her dream she’d harbored
when she was younger about being ladylike, Hotaru was quite intent on making sure she
knew the raven haired girl liked her the way she was.
"Well it is. And I like it." Glancing over at the pink haired girl, Hotaru looked
at her curiously. "Why did you borrow the Luna Pen?"
ChibiUsa thought for a moment. "I thought it would be fun to go out a little
differently tonight. I heard about this place from Mamo-chan. He and his friends come
here every once in a while, so I thought we might want to look a little older if we came
so everyone didn’t just think we were kids."
"That’s what you wanted it for? Then why are we here?" Hotaru asked, raising
an eyebrow.
Smiling, ChibiUsa responded, "I just wanted to sing."
"Sing?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow. She did love ChibiUsa’s sweet, lilting voice.
The pink haired girl did sing quietly from time to time, but Hotaru loved hearing her
sing when they were together in the shower or when it was only the two of them at
one of their homes. A smile formed across her lips. It would be nice to hear ChibiUsa
sing here.
Looking up to confirm that the stage had finally been vacated, ChibiUsa
quickly stood up and took Hotaru’s hand. "Let’s go, Taru."
Hotaru glanced up at the stage. "I’m not sure, Usa. Not in front of everybody."
"But you’ve been playing your violin in front of people for a while now,"
ChibiUsa argued.
"That’s different."
ChibiUsa tugged at Hotaru’s hand again, trying to bring the dark haired girl
with her. "How’s that?"
"Because I don’t have to sing when I’m playing the violin. Usa-chan, if you
want to sing together, can’t we do that at my house? We can wait until everybody else is
gone, like when Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama, and Setsuna-mama and Seiya go out.
We’d have the whole house to ourselves, so we could sing a duet, or I could accompany
you on the violin. Whatever you want. I just don’t want to sing in front of all these
people." Hotaru looked nervously up at ChibiUsa. She never did feel comfortable with
large groups of people. It just reinforced how shy she already was.
The pink haired girl finally gave a defeated sigh. "Alright." Winking to Hotaru,
ChibiUsa continued up to the stage.
Hotaru stared on as ChibiUsa took the microphone. ‘What’s she doing?’ Hotaru
asked herself. She admitted to herself that ChibiUsa had been acting a bit strange
tonight. And she didn’t think the other girl was telling the whole truth about why she
wanted them to look different. Maybe so no one would wind up recognizing them. But
why? ChibiUsa’s voice over the speakers shook Hotaru from her thoughts. She kept
her eyes on the pink haired girl, wondering what she was thinking.
"Hello, everyone. Before I start, I’d like to dedicate this song to the beautiful
girl up front." Smiling mischievously, ChibiUsa pointed to where Hotaru was sitting.
"Taru, you make everyday a dream. A dream that I never want to end. I love you, Taru-
chan."
Hotaru sat in stunned silence, her normally pale cheeks blushed a deep red.
What had gotten into ChibiUsa? The other girl was usually rather shy and reserved
about their relationship in public. After Hotaru’s harsh life the first time around on earth
and her more loving second time growing up, she tried not to care what other people
thought about the two of them being in love. With how ChibiUsa had been acting lately,
maybe she was coming to understand how Hotaru felt about their relationship. That
there wasn’t a need to hide it.
ChibiUsa continued to sing, directing it to Hotaru. Hotaru received some odd
stares, but she didn’t notice. She was to intent on the future princess on the stage. She
may not have been the best singer, but that hardly mattered to Hotaru. She felt like
everything the pink haired girl sang was directly to her.
The pink haired girl’s eyes met Hotaru’s, her sweet voice ringing forth.
"No good! No good! No good" you said,
When your spirits were low, but
I am now at your side, so
It's surely, surely, positively all right!
Even if we're nothing but failures,
We won't just be downhearted NO! NO!
We just lost by a little bit...
Forget all about those meanies!
If we believe in pleasant things, then
Even if night comes, we won't be afraid of it;
We know morning, morning, is getting near, and so
It's not at all a big deal, right?
Now, even if we're a pair of fraidycats,
Don't be worried at all, NO! NO!
I'm giving a kiss to those eyelids
Brimming with tears (smack!)
Tomorrow, our wishes certainly will come true!
The things we'd like so much will happen,
We'll say BYE-BYE to failures like these.
I've said it! I've said it! It'll absolutely be all right!
As for being down-hearted and moping,
Giving in to these feelings too easily
Is obviously a big mistake;
Don't give up on our important dreams!
If we believe in cheerful things,
Even if it gets cold, it will not be painful;
We know spring, spring, is getting near, and so
It's not at all a big deal, right?
Now, even if we're a pair of crybabies,
Don't be worried at all, NO! NO!
I'm giving a kiss to those cheeks
Dripping with tears (smack!)
Tomorrow will be much more wonderful!
The wishes we most desire will be granted,
We'll say BYE-BYE to anxieties like these.
I've said it! I've said it! It'll absolutely be all right!
Finally, the music ended and ChibiUsa made her way off the stage. Hotaru threw her
arms around the other girl as soon as she was down. "Odango-chan, I love you, too."
They nearly stumbled, but ChibiUsa managed to lean against a table for support. She
smiled and returned the embrace. "But why did..." Hotaru’s question lay unfinished as
ChibiUsa’s soft lips delved upon Hotaru’s. "Let’s go, Usa," Hotaru said after they
broke the kiss. She noticed some of the attention they were getting and didn’t want to
stick around for too much longer.
"Hai," ChibiUsa agreed. The two quickly headed around the side and to the
entrance, careful not to attract any more attention. Finally exiting the building,
ChibiUsa released a deep breath. "Next time we’ll just sing at your place."
Hotaru smiled warmly at her lover. "Good idea." Her arm went around
ChibiUsa’s waist as they began to walk along.
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While strolling slowly through the park, the two women held each other
lovingly. Neither seemed to notice the cold night air or the dark clouds forming
overhead. They looked at each other, the silence around them only broken by the sound
of breathing. ChibiUsa’s arms went to Hotaru’s sides, drawing her close, exactly where
ChibiUsa wanted her. Hotaru gave an ‘oh’ of surprise before putting her own hands on
ChibiUsa’s shoulders.
"Are you mad?" ChibiUsa asked concernedly.
"Why would I be?" Hotaru blinked in confusion.
"Well, what I did back there. I shouldn’t have embarrassed you in front of
everybody. I just wasn’t thinking," ChibiUsa said apologetically.
Hotaru brought her hand up to ChibiUsa’s warm cheek. "Odango-chan, don’t
worry about that. I was... shocked, but I was happy. I never thought you would do
something like that in front of anyone."
ChibiUsa could see Hotaru smile in the dim light. "They didn’t know us
anyway. Why worry what they think, right?" she asked a little awkwardly as if still a bit
unsure herself.
Hotaru shook her head. "No reason to worry about them. I love you and you
love me. That’s all that matters."
ChibiUsa nodded. "Hai. I think I learned something tonight, too."
Hotaru’s heart rose. Maybe ChibiUsa finally had learned that it was okay
for them to be in love, that she didn’t need to hide it from everyone. "What’s that?"
"I learned that its alright to embarrass you in public as long as we kiss
afterwards," ChibiUsa gave the dark haired girl a wink.
"Odango-chan..." Hotaru stared at the pink haired girl, a sweatdrop forming.
"That’s not what I wanted you to learn."
ChibiUsa giggled. "Oh well. At least I’m prepared for next time."
"If.." Hotaru began.
"When.." ChibiUsa interrupted.
"there’s a next time," they finished.
Hotaru sighed and brushed some of ChibiUsa’s long pink hair back. "What did
you and your mom talk about after Rei and I left?"
"Oh, this and that. I’m feeling a lot better now that she knows. I may not say it
often, but I really can see that she’s my mother. I kind of miss not having been able to
see her in so long, so I’ve been thinking of Usagi as her more and more, even though
she hasn’t had me yet." ChibiUsa looked thoughtful. "I really think my mom knew I’d
fall in love with you when she sent me back to train as Sailorchibimoon."
"Maybe that’s why she sent you to train in the past in the first place," Hotaru
said, smiling.
"I’m not sure. But I do think she already knew." ChibiUsa’s eyes widened as
she remembered something suddenly. "Oh yeah! Usagi said she was pregnant."
Hotaru looked at the pink haired girl in shock. "She’s pregnant?" ChibiUsa
nodded. "Its you," Hotaru said joyously. "She’s pregnant with you, isn’t she?"
ChibiUsa shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. Its strange. My mom’s pregnant with
me and I’m around to see it. It all happened so fast. I’d almost forgotten about going
back to the future, but its almost time for me too."
Hotaru shook her head emphatically. "No, we can’t leave until after you’re
born. I want to see you as a baby. I want to be here when your born."
ChibiUsa laughed nervously. "Hotaru-chan, I can show you pictures of me as a
baby when we get to the future."
"That’s not the same thing. And its only fair. You got to see me as a baby when
I was reborn. I want to be here to see you. I’m sure Usagi would be a lot happier if you
were here while she was pregnant," Hotaru argued.
ChibiUsa was uneasy about the thought of staying around while her mother was
pregnant with her, but Hotaru did have a point. Usagi had a lot going on right now and
it might be easier for her if she stayed. Usagi was pregnant with her, having trouble with
Mamoru, and in the midst of falling in love with Rei. With Kousagi back in the past,
there were added problems. "Well, alright. Unless Puu says we need to go back. Or
my mom sends for me. Or.."
Hotaru cut ChibiUsa off with a quick kiss. The small piece of heaven shared
between the two of them pushed back the other thoughts. "Thanks, ChibiUsa," Hotaru
said quietly. The two girls ever so slowly started leaning towards each other. Hotaru
couldn’t think of anything other than the other girl’s soft, red lips. Barely inches away
from each other, a voice broke through the cloudy haze they were both in.
"SO that’s what you two were up to." PallaPalla stood a few feet away, staring
at the two girls. She wrinkled her brow as she got a closer look of the two of them "Why
are you two dressed like that? It makes you look too old."
ChibiUsa sighed. "You think anything over fifteen is too old, PallaPalla."
PallaPalla just smiled. "Yep. That’s why PallaPalla’s here. PallaPalla wanted to
help both of you."
Hotaru tilted her head to the side slightly. "You do? How’s that?"
"Of course PallaPalla does. ChibiUsa is our princess. You’re starting to get
older than us, ChibiUsa-chan. We thought you’d want to be young forever like us,"
PallaPalla explained.
"’We’?" ChibiUsa asked. "The rest of the Quartet are in on this?"
"Well, we all talked about you getting too old, but PallaPalla’s the only one
doing anything about it." The blue haired amazoness smiled proudly.
"PallaPalla, we’re going to stop aging around twenty two already. That’s what
age my mom and all the other senshi stopped aging at," ChibiUsa said.
PallaPalla shook her head in disgust. "Too old." She stuck both arms out in
front of her and a billiard ball formed between her hands. Energy swirled around it as
she started concentrating.
"PallaPalla?" ChibiUsa said, pulling away from Hotaru and starting to walk
towards the amazoness.
Too late. The ball shot out, whipping through the air. ChibiUsa gasped as she
saw it heading her way. She closed her eyes and held up her arms. She felt the wind as it
flew right past. Behind her there was a large flash of light before all was silent. ‘It
missed?’ ChibiUsa thought to herself. She wasn’t quite sure of what it would have done,
but she was glad she hadn’t had to find out. "PallaPalla, I don’t want you to stop our
aging. I’m fine with how things are going. Right, Hotaru?" ChibiUsa asked, turning
back towards the raven haired girl. She nearly lost her balance. Where Hotaru had been
moments before, stood a child roughly the same age as their twin daughters. Hotaru’s
dark purple long sleeved dress was draped around her. The little girl’s eyes were shut
tightly. "Hotaru?" ChibiUsa whispered breathlessly.
Hotaru slowly opened her eyes. What happened? She felt a little strange. She
was dizzy from the energy ball hitting its target. Her dress felt way too big for her now,
though she remembered thinking it was a size too small when she and ChibiUsa had
gone shopping the week before. She could feel the cold grass under her bare feet, having
stumbled out of her shoes. She blinked several times, trying to clear her blurred vision.
ChibiUsa was staring at her wide eyed and PallaPalla was waving her arms frantically,
trying to apologize. Apologize for what? "ChibiUsa-chan?" Hotaru gasped as she heard
her own voice. Now that she thought about it, ChibiUsa and PallaPalla looked bigger,
too. What was going on?
"Oh, Hotaru-chan.." ChibiUsa said disparately. She quickly turned back to
PallaPalla. "What happened?" she demanded.
"PallaPalla doesn’t know!" PallaPalla said apologetically. "PallaPalla was
trying to stop her from aging so you two could stay this age. PallaPalla didn’t mean for
that to happen. PallaPalla’s so sorry, Small Lady."
ChibiUsa took several deep breaths before saying anything. "Change her back."
PallaPalla held her arms out helplessly. "PallaPalla can’t," she said quietly.
"You can’t," ChibiUsa repeated. "You can’t?" she said again, the reality of the
situation dawning on her. "Why not?"
"PallaPalla just can’t. It was supposed to stop all outside forces from aging you.
So PallaPalla can’t do anything to fix it," PallaPalla explained hesitantly.
ChibiUsa turned back to Hotaru hopelessly. "Hotaru-chan," she said softly.
"What’s going on?" Hotaru asked, getting angry that neither was telling her.
"There is something PallaPalla can do," PallaPalla began.
"What?" ChibiUsa asked eagerly. "What can you do? Anything."
"I could complete the spell so she’s a baby."
ChibiUsa stared at the blue haired girl. "What good would that do?"
"Since Usagi’s pregnant with you, you’ll be born about nine months from
now. If Hotaru’s a baby starting now, she’ll only be about a year older than you.
So when you go back to the future, she’ll be just a little older than you." PallaPalla
smiled, glad that she’d come up with a solution. She’d been jumping along through the
trees to meet up with them, so she’d heard ChibiUsa talking about Usagi’s pregnancy.
Hotaru trudged along towards ChibiUsa, the dress flailing around her.
ChibiUsa was starting to seem a whole lot taller than her. Bending down, ChibiUsa
lifted her up in her arms. Hotaru gasped as she felt the pink haired girl pick her up.
"No! You can’t do that. We’ve got to find a way to make Hota-chan her
normal age again," ChibiUsa said worriedly.
‘Normal age? Is that it? Oh no.. Am I a kid again?’ Hotaru asked herself. A
wave of sadness passed through her at the thought of having to grow up yet again.
"ChibiUsa-chan, how old am I?" Hotaru asked, looking directly at the pink haired girl.
ChibiUsa looked back at her sadly. "I’m so sorry, Taru. I’d guess five or six."
"Well, PallaPalla thought it was a good idea," PallaPalla said to no one in
particular.
"I’m not going to let you make her a baby," ChibiUsa said angrily. "It was bad
enough she was taken from me the last time that happened. I’m not gonna let it happen
again."
PallaPalla stared at the ground. "PallaPalla’s sorry Hotaru-chan, ChibiUsa-
chan. There’s nothing PallaPalla can do about it now."
ChibiUsa felt her temper flaring. A mixture of anger, sadness, and hopelessness
coursed through her veins. "No, you have to do something," she continued desperately.
Hotaru shook her head sadly. "No, ChibiUsa-chan. There’s nothing she can
do."
The blue haired amazoness paused for a brief moment before starting to walk
away. She felt bad about her mistake, but what could she do? She just hoped the other
three amazoness wouldn’t be mad at her. She’d already disappointed her princess and
Hotaru. She didn’t want everyone mad at her.
"What do we do now?" ChibiUsa asked, her voice low.
"Go home," Hotaru suggested. "We’d have to go eventually and we might as
well get it out of the way now."
ChibiUsa nodded. "I’m so sorry, Hotaru-chan."
Hotaru swallowed a lump forming in her throat. "Don’t be, ChibiUsa-chan. Its
not your fault."
"Thanks, Taru." Setting Hotaru down, ChibiUsa pulled out the Luna Pen.
Using the pen she changed Hotaru’s dress into a much smaller dress for the now
younger girl. Picking her back up, ChibiUsa took off for the mansion where Hotaru
lived.
"Umm.. ChibiUsa, I can walk," Hotaru said after a minute.
"Oh yeah." ChibiUsa blushed in embarrassment and set the younger girl down.
Hotaru sighed as she had to reach up to hold the other girl’s hand. Something
she did so often was now so totally different. The two walked on in silence for a while,
both tormented by their own thoughts as they made their way to Hotaru’s house.
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Hotaru shivered as the cold when began to blow across her exposed skin. Tiny
goose bumps formed from the chill. Tiny droplets of water had begun to fall from the
dark clouds overhead. Hotaru was cold, wet, and miserable. A dark pit sunk in her
stomach when she looked up at ChibiUsa. She had almost managed to forget how old
she was while they had been walking along. The realization that she could be stuck as a
child frightened her. Her small hand clutched ChibiUsa’s soft hand tightly, her fingers
trembling lightly. She knew she shouldn’t be scared. ChibiUsa would be there for her,
and Setsuna could probably find someway to fix things. But she couldn’t help it. She
was afraid. What would happen now? Would she have to grow up again, wait those long
years over again? The thought that frightened her the most was from what she’d heard
PallaPalla say. Would she have to wait and grow up all over until she could see
ChibiUsa again? If she was stuck as a child, would ChibiUsa have to go to the future
without her? She would have to wait years to be together with ChibiUsa again if that
happened.
"Oh, Hota-chan," ChibiUsa said quietly, shaking the dark haired girl from her
thoughts. ChibiUsa was kneeling in front of her, rain droplets dripping across her
beautiful features, dripping off her chin. "It’s okay, Hota-chan. Please don’t cry." The
pink haired girl’s fingertips brushed away sad tears that had begun falling from Hotaru’s
large violet eyes. Hotaru hadn’t even realized they were there before that moment.
ChibiUsa’s soft touch sent a spark of warmth through the younger girl’s cold body. "I
promise it will be alright. Even if I have to go make PallaPalla do the same thing to me,
just so we can stay together, that’s what we’ll do." The pink haired princess smiled
lopsidedly. "We can go back to the future as little girls and grow up together." She
brushed some damp hair away from Hotaru’s eyes and kissed her forehead gingerly.
"ChibiUsa-chan.." Hotaru said, her voice choked off by the emotions she felt.
She threw her small arms around the now taller girl’s waist, her head resting against the
other girl. Sobs wracked her small form as ChibiUsa held her close. The fear and
sadness she had felt were replaced by the warm feeling of love she had for her
pink haired princess. She was still saddened by the whole ordeal, but she knew that she’d
be okay in the solace of ChibiUsa’s arms.
"I’d never leave you, Hotaru-chan. Even if it was to wait for you to grow up. If
it came down to it, I’d rather grow up with you." ChibiUsa sighed in relief as she finally
managed to coax a smile from the younger girl. "I love you, you know."
Hotaru nodded, the wind ruffling her dark hair. "I know. I love you, too."
"There’s nothing for you to worry about, Hotaru-chan. We’ll find some way to
fix this," ChibiUsa said, locking her crimson eyes with Hotaru’s violet ones. She took a
deep breath before continuing. "And if we can’t, don’t let it get to you. I’ll always love
you. We’ll always be together. Remember that."
Hotaru nodded again. "Hai, I will." She buried her face in the soft material of
ChibiUsa’s dress, the soft feel of the pink haired girl’s skin underneath. Warm tears
mixed with the cold rain on the dress, but the tears slowly trickled to a stop. Taking a
step back, Hotaru mustered a weak smile. "Thank you, Odango-chan."
ChibiUsa returned the smile. "Anytime, Taru. Now let’s get you home. Its
freezing out here."
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Unbeknownst to the two girls, two shadowed figures had been watching from a
distance. The two mysterious figures held each other tightly in the rain. Both appeared
to be around sixteen years old.
"That was surprising," one of them said, her dark hair done up in odangos
getting rather soaked in the rain. She turned to her companion.
"I had know idea that was going to happen. They had mentioned it before,
but I didn’t know it would happen while we were back here. Maybe we should have
spent more time researching everything," the other said. She pulled off her glasses with
a free hand, the raindrops blurring her vision.
"We might be able to use it to our advantage," the odangoed one suggested.
The other girl ran a hand through her own damp, shorter hair. She thought
for a moment. "Yeah, maybe we can. For now we’ll just have to watch. We’ll have to
wait for the right time before we begin."
The girl with the odangos nodded. "Right. I can wait. I’m in no hurry as it is."
Smiling, her shorter haired companion leaned closer, her lips almost touching
the other girl’s. "Neither am I, if it means waiting with you."
The two girls continued to hold each other in the shadows as the rain poured
around them.
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As a flash of lightening illuminated the area around them, Hotaru was sure she
saw two figures looking over at them. Before she could say anything, a loud thunder
clap hit, the sound ringing in her ears. Suddenly, she felt ChibiUsa’s arms encircle her,
drawing her near. Hotaru struggled to catch her breath as the older girl’s arms squeezed
her. She could feel the pink haired girl’s rapid heartbeat against her. Looking up, she
saw that ChibiUsa’s eyes were clenched closed. ChibiUsa’s normal warm complexion
was now pale. She knew ChibiUsa had a fear of thunder, but she’d forgotten all about it
for the moment. Hotaru felt awkward as she now tried to comfort the older girl. "Its
okay, ChibiUsa-chan. It’s only a noise."
ChibiUsa took a shuddering breath, slowly opening her eyes. "I know.. Let’s
just hurry back to your place, alright?"
"Sure. We’re almost there, ChibiUsa-chan," Hotaru said soothingly.
ChibiUsa giggled nervously. "It’s really no big deal. It’s silly to be afraid of
that." Another clap of thunder had her dragging Hotaru close in a tight embrace again.
The pink haired girl shut her eyes as she waited for it to pass.
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Over in the shadows, the girl with odangos shook her head. "Too bad she never
gets over her fear of thunder."
The other girl laughed softly and put her glasses back on. "By then it’s just an
excuse to clutch onto Hotaru."
"When you think about it that way.." the dark haired girl with odangos said
thoughtfully. Both girls stepped further back into the shadows as they followed Hotaru
and ChibiUsa.
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ChibiUsa and Hotaru sat on the bed in an uneasy silence. ChibiUsa wanted
desperately to comfort the now younger dark haired girl, but she didn’t know what she
could say or do to help.
Hotaru looked helplessly down past her small feet to the floor. Everything was
so much bigger now. Glancing sidelong at her girlfriend, she felt a stab of pain in her
heart. The pink haired girl was so much older than her now. She was only a child.
"Odango-chan?" Hotaru’s small voice piped up.
Turning at the sound, ChibiUsa’s arm went around the smaller girl, pulling her
closer. "Yes, Hotaru-chan?" She could see the hopeless look in Hotaru’s eyes, the
defeated slump of her shoulders. It crushed ChibiUsa to see the dark haired girl like
that. She took Hotaru’s small hand in her own, trying to comfort her.
"Would you really have PallaPalla do the same thing to you if we couldn’t find a
way to fix this?" Hotaru looked up at the pink haired girl worriedly.
ChibiUsa smiled and squeezed Hotaru’s hand gently. "Of course, Taru. You
shouldn’t have to go through this by yourself. And I wouldn’t mind the chance to grow
up with you. Besides, maybe it’ll help me be more ladylike when I get older if I have to
go through being a kid again." She giggled softly.
"But isn’t it better this way? If I’m changed back into a baby, then I can grow
up. When Usagi has you, I’ll only be a year older than you." Hotaru tried to smile, but it
failed to reach her eyes.
ChibiUsa shook her head firmly. "No. Either you get to come back with me to
the future or I’m staying here with you."
"But you’re the princess of Crystal Tokyo," Hotaru argued.
ChibiUsa smiled. Leaning forward, she softly kissed Hotaru’s cheek. "That
doesn’t matter. I love you. I want to be with you. No matter where it is. And if that
means as five year olds growing up again, then that’s fine."
"Oh, ChibiUsa-chan!" Hotaru stood up shakily on the bed, hugging the pink
haired girl as tightly as she could. ChibiUsa’s arms wrapped around the smaller girl,
drawing her close. They stayed that way for a long time.
ChibiUsa finally spoke up, breaking the silence that had once again enveloped
the room. "It doesn’t matter to me what age you are, Taru-chan. It hasn’t changed the
fact that I still love you. With all my heart." She added with a slight smile, "It was
strange enough to find out I was in love with my best friend, let alone a girl at that. Do
you think this would change things?"
Hotaru’s head rested against ChibiUsa’s shoulder. She shook her head slowly.
"I was just scared. My body’s so different now. I’m a little girl. I’ll have to wait to grow
up all over again. I didn’t know what would happen with us. I know you’d still love me,
but I didn’t know if you’d leave for the future, when I’ll be older. Its got to be hard
having a girlfriend that’s ten years younger than you."
ChibiUsa winked at the dark haired girl. "I’ll manage. I’m not the one who has
to grow up again. Yet, at least. Think about it this way, though. You’ll be able to
understand the twins better."
Hotaru giggled softly. She sighed as she looked into ChibiUsa’s warm crimson
eyes. A small hand rested on ChibiUsa’s cheek. "Thank you, Odango-chan."
"I want you to be happy, my Firefly. I’ll help you through this. I promise."
ChibiUsa brushed her hand through Hotaru’s dark, raven hair. She hesitated for just a
second before kissing Hotaru.
Hotaru closed her eyes, pretending everything was back to normal, that
everything was right with the world. Her heart sang out as she kissed the pink haired
girl back. "I love you," she said quietly as she rested her head on ChibiUsa’s shoulder
again. Shortly afterward, Hotaru fell asleep in the pink haired girl’s arms.
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"I want to dream nice dreams..."
Beautiful eyelids fluttered open, casting butterfly shadows across pale skin. The
figure seemed to clutch around her, praying for something to come into contact with
those long fingers. She sat upright, fabric spilling away from her frame like silk, coming
to rest near her waist. Nightclothes clung to her, and she reached one hand to peel them
away. The other reached up to brush a wispy strand of green and brown hair from her
face.
"I want to dream nice dreams..." She opened her eyes wider, as if astounded at
the quiet whispering. Green eyes went wide, then narrowed, as if suspicious of where
the voice had originated from. Small rosebud lips parted, then quietly said, "What?"
"I want to dream nice dreams..."
The whispering had become almost a pleading, and this small figure seemed to
almost jump from her bed. She searched with trained eyes over her surroundings,
padding across the floor with bare feet almost noiselessly. She turned at a small sobbing
sound, long braids with woven hair swinging, almost deadly. When she saw the almost
pathetic figure swinging on a lone circus swing, her heart just about melted.
"I want to dream nice dreams..."
With barely an effort, the lean arms hoisted the figure up on the ladder. With a
cat-like grace she climbed up to meet this sobbing figure that had caused her to rouse
from a tormented sleep. She reached her, easing her out of the swing and onto the
platform. The girl before her was clutching her knees, rocking back and forth, eyes
glazed over and unseeing. Her mouth was quivering, and so were the pale limbs of the
body it was joined to. Suddenly, her head shot upward, turning toward this tall figure
who had taken her from her sanctuary. Blue eyes were questioning, quivering...but all
she could utter from that perfect mouth was...
"I want to dream nice dreams..." and she wrapped her arms around this figure
standing by her side, pulling her down. "Oh, JunJun, I want to dream nice dreams..."
"I know," the savior said, wrapping thin arms around this petite blue-haired
child. "I know, PallaPalla." The embrace tightened. "I do too. We all do."
"Help me dream nice dreams, JunJun." Oh, how those piercing blue eyes could
envelop all who stared them. "Please..."
Baffled, she stared into the depths of blue, knowing she was trapped. "I...I
don't know how..."
"I know I could dreams nice dreams, JunJun..." she continued on, as if she
hadn't heard a word the other woman had said. "If I had only one thing..."
"What's that?" The words themselves seemed heavy...
"If I could just..." an embarrassed giggle. "Have you." A long moment of
silence followed. The words seemed to hang in the air, cling to every shred of dignity
both girls possessed. And the next noise was only a slight brushing of lips upon lips,
and the next a breathless gasp.
*Oh, if only we could dream nice dreams...* The joy of sweet kisses, one
following the other - so precisely placed on tender lips, as if purely made for mounting
pleasure upon pleasure.
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It was still dark when ChibiUsa woke up the next morning. But that wasn’t
really a surprise. Even with all the lamps, Hotaru’s room seemed perpetually dark. The
pink haired girl didn’t mind. She found the room romantic. A long yawn escaped her
lips as she tried to sit up, but something seemed to be stopping her. She moved a little at
first, testing. Her arm brushed what felt like a leg, and someone was holding on to her
other arm. Looking down, she saw three young girls in the bed with her. For a moment
her mind froze, wondering what could be going on. Panic started to edge in on her sleep
blurred mind, but things slowly started coming back to her. These were her daughters,
her and Hotaru’s. They had come back from the future to spend some time with them.
They must have snuck into bed after she fell asleep. But one of them was Hotaru. That
depressing thought woke her up fully. It took her a moment in the dim light to pick out
which was Hotaru, the dark haired girl holding tightly onto her arm. She smiled softly,
brushing back the girl’s raven hair before kissing her forehead.
After a long moment, ChibiUsa noticed her vision still wasn’t back to normal,
even for the dim room. Reaching up, she giggled a little when she pulled away a note
from her own forehead. In it, Setsuna told her she knew all about what happened to
Hotaru and that she had explained it to Haruka and Michiru. The Senshi of Time told
her not to worry, that she should have faith that it would work out. It also mentioned
that Haruka and Michiru had left for the day and that she was going to have breakfast at
Seiya’s, so ChibiUsa should have fun watching the kids. For some reason, ChibiUsa was
sure the older Senshi had been laughing when she’d written that part.
Realizing just how hungry she was, ChibiUsa took great difficulty in extricating
herself from the bed. Finally free from the tangle of bodies, she looked back at the bed,
trying to make sure that no one woke up. She sighed contentedly as she looked at what
would one day be her family. Even the fact that Hotaru was a little girl didn’t seem so
bad after a good night sleep. And she did make a cute little girl.
The future princess yawned as she walked downstairs, padding along barefoot
across the carpeted floor. She was wearing one of Hotaru’s nightgowns, she noticed. Her
mind raced with the possibilities of what may lay in the refrigerator, what delicious
breakfast could be in store for her. She smiled to herself, deciding to make something
for the twins and Hotaru while she was up. She paused at the foot of the stairs when she
heard the doorbell ring. The sudden noise in the still, quiet morning shocked her. She
stood still for a moment, waiting. Glad that it must have been nothing, she turned to
head to the kitchen just as it rang again. She sighed, but headed for the door. So much
for breakfast.
She stood in front of the door for a long moment, time seeming to freeze in
place. A pit formed in her stomach, as if opening that door might change everything.
‘That’s silly,’ she chided herself. Her hand nervously reached out for the door knob,
stopping at the cold metal. She swallowed nervously. Why was this getting to her? It
was probably just Setsuna or one of the others. The pink haired girl tried to get a grip on
the door knob, but her sweaty palm made it hard to turn it. Glancing back towards the
stairs, she wished Hotaru to be there with her for some reason. Well, other than the fact
that she -always- wanted Hotaru with her. She could hear the drizzling rain starting to
pick up as the knocking increased.
Steeling herself for whatever lay beyond the door, hoping her nervousness was
unfounded, ChibiUsa finally opened the door.
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To be continued in the next story. Ja! ^-^
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