In the darkest part of the night, Hotaru disentangled herself from the warmth of the bed and Minako's embrace. She rose quietly, gazing with fondness at her lover's sleeping face. With the moonlight caressing her skin, Minako looked to be the perfect vision of an angel. Hotaru's fingers longed to caress the fair cheeks and silky tresses, but she carefully stilled the urge. There would be time for that later, but for now she had work to do. Placing a gentle kiss on Minako's brow, Hotaru withdrew... ...and emerged from the room as Sailor Saturn. Her glaive cradled in the crook of her arm, she walked the empty halls. Though the world was at peace, the senshi were careful never to let their guard down. One of them was always patrolling the palace and watching the city and surrounding areas for signs of evil forces or strange energy signs. Saturn's watch happened to be in the middle of the night, but she didn't mind. It suited her. She loved the way her footsteps echoed on the polished floor, and she found the sleepy silence that unnerved most people had a soothing effect on her. Yet tonight her mood seemed determined to be melancholy. Emerging onto a balcony, Saturn leapt nimbly to the top of a tall tower. From the roof of this particular building, she could see out across most of Crystal Tokyo. Of course, there was nothing amiss. There rarely was, these days. No senshi would ever think of skimping on her duties, but lately Saturn found herself feeling...useless. Was this how she would be spending her very long life, playing watchdog to a city with no rats? A gentle breeze ruffled through her hair, completing the sad mental picture she painted of herself: a lonely soldier standing guard in the cold darkness. Shivering at her own imagery, Saturn turned her thoughts to more pleasant things. Like Aino Minako, her lover. Sailor Venus. As she had many nights, she brought Minako's face to her mind, endeavoring to recall every detail to perfection. A smile curled at the edges of her lips as her imaginary Minako tossed her a quirky smile, winking and blowing a kiss before she vanished in a shower of golden light. Yes, she should think of her life as the many years she would have to spend in happiness with the one person who made it worth living. Later, as her shift drew to a close, she returned to the palace with a much lightened mood. Approaching the grand hallways that lead to her rooms, her expression became serious. With the approach of morning, the formerly empty halls were bustling with life. She faced the chattering palace staff, servants, and minor nobility as if they were the deadliest gauntlet. Just make it back to the room, she told herself grimly, as she did every morning. Shouldering her glaive, she stepped forward... ..into silence. As if she were surrounded by a soundless bubble, all voices within a few feet of her fell quiet. Wide eyes stared at her from countless faces as she walked calmly past, her gaze focused at a point somewhere in the distance. And then, after she had safely passed, the whispers began. "The Senshi of Destruction," murmured a voice filled with fearful awe. "Don't! She'll hear you!" someone else hissed. "She'll put a curse on us all!" "She's so small, so pale...she looks sickly." "That's the one who captured the heart of our dear Sailor Venus?" "What do they allow the Senshi of Destruction to stay here?" "We don't need someone like HER!" The barbs were small, but each one drove the icy spike a bit further into Saturn's heart. Day after day, the whispers always awaited her when she returned from guard duty. One would think after so many years people would have grown used to her presence, but nothing ever changed. Walking through that hall after a long, lonely night felt a little harder every day. The only reason she made it through was that she knew Minako waited at the other end. Love waited. Her heart waited to take away her pain. Finally reaching her rooms, she all but ran inside. Her transformation melted away as she pushed the heavy door shut, leaning against it while she regained control of her emotions. And then, as always, her eyes fell upon Minako. Her hair tousled from sleep, one arm flung haphazardly across the pillows, Minako still looked like the most beautiful thing Hotaru had ever seen. With the dawn not yet arrived, the light illuminating the room was in soft, pastel shades. I feel like an ink spot compared to her, Hotaru thought with a wry smile. Easing herself onto the bed, she stroked her love's cheek with gentle fingertips and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. As she drew back, Minako's eyes fluttered open, brilliant blue focusing on deep violet. "Hotaru-chan," she whispered sleepily, and Hotaru instantly felt as if the incidents in the hallway were no more than trivial nonsense. "Good morning," Hotaru said quietly, running her fingers through the long blonde locks, "Minako-chan." A smile lit Minako's face and she pulled her gentle lover close, their lips meeting again but this time with unbridled passion. The sun broke over the horizon, casting golden light over the couple. As always, they failed to notice the advent of a new day. And as always, Sailor Venus was a little late for her shift. ---------- Hotaru was still drifting in a peaceful slumber when the sound of a door crashing open startled her violently awake. Sailor Venus stood in the doorway, red-faced and out of breath. "M-Minako-chan?!" Disoriented from the rude awakening, Hotaru threw back the covers and stumbled across the room where the exhausted senshi fell into her arms, clinging to her tightly. "Minako-chan! What's wrong?!" Her voice sounded slightly hysterical. The senshi's shoulders were shaking. Was she crying? Venus raised her head and Hotaru gasped. There were tears in her eyes but the expression on her face was one of joy. "Oh Hotaru-chan, it's so wonderful! Serenity is pregnant!" She hugged Hotaru tightly. "We'll finally get to see Chibiusa...no, Small Lady...again!" Hotaru sat stunned, from relief that the news was good, not bad, and from the overwhelming emotions that Chibiusa's name evoked. "Chibiusa-chan," she murmured into Minako's hair. "I haven't thought of her in...so long..." She was my only friend back then, Hotaru remembered, the only one who saw me as a normal person and not some kind of freak. Pulling free of Venus, Hotaru stood. Her transformation enveloped her as Venus looked up. "Sailor Saturn?" Saturn smiled, holding out a hand to her lover. "I'd like to go congratulate the queen in person. Come with me?" Returning the smile, Venus grabbed Saturn's hand and all but dragged her out of the room, chattering brightly about old memories of Chibiusa as she hurried Saturn towards the royal throne room. A wistful smile on her face, Saturn allowed herself to be led. She wished she had Minako's confidence. Nobody ever whispered about Sailor Venus. Nobody ever thought poorly of the Senshi of Love. They reached the throne room and Venus swept Saturn inside. The large room was already filled with well-wishers, as the news of the queen's pregnancy had spread quickly. Ushering Saturn to the front of the room, Venus knelt before the throne. Hotaru followed suit, and then raised her eyes to stare at the beautiful queen. Serenity was perched delicately on her crystal throne, her cheeks flushed prettily from all the attention. Endymion sat beside her, one hand on her arm, looking more proud than she had ever seen him. "Your Majesty," Saturn began, her low voice somehow carrying through the background chatter of the large room, "Sailor Venus just informed me of the good news. I...know your child will grow to be a kind person who sees into the hearts of others. I wish you well with your pregnancy." For a moment, her eyes met the gentle blue of the queen's. "Thank you, Sailor Saturn," Serenity in her sweet, gentle voice. "I understand." Beside her, Endymion nodded his approval, and Venus winked at her. They could not let everyone know that they had already met the child Serenity was carrying. ---------- The nine months that followed were a whirlwind of celebrations, counting down until the day that Chibiusa was expected to arrive. In all the excitement, nobody noticed that one senshi looked a little bit less happy. Especially as that particular senshi wasn't known for being overly joyful to begin with. Not even her closest friend and lover noticed the changes at first. But of course, nothing about Hotaru could escape the attention of Aino Minako for long. ---------- Author’s Note: Senshi Transformations I know that many people think that the senshi will no longer transform in the future, that they will simply BE senshi. What I’m doing isn’t really all that different. The public only knows the senshi as the senshi. But to other senshi, family members, and maybe a few very close friends, they still fall back on their old human names. The transformations are more an act of changing clothes than really ‘transforming’. I did this to distinguish the more personal level that Hotaru and Minako (as well as the other senshi) share.
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