Tears and Rain
Watashi-tachi ni Naritakute:
"Ever since I first met you
I've been shining in my heart
My love causes so much sorrow
I broke off my glance so quietly
Your insignificant gestures
And your ordinary words
Every time
I think of them I feel like I'm going to cry
Love brings a lonely lonely heart
I'm just all alone now
Lonely lonely heart
All the joy and pain I feel, I'm always
Dreaming it by myself
Love brings a lonely lonely heart
But I know that someday it will come
While I'm being held in your strong arms
Wanting to be together with you...
Right at your side, I'm standing there
I'm always waiting for you
But you don't return my advances
I've been disappointed so many times
When I fall in love with someone
Why does it cause me so much pain
All alone, by myself
It's like I've fallen sick
And now it's baby baby love
Please, I beg of you
Baby baby love
When I feel I am going to lose to this loneliness
I have to look into my hand mirror
And now it's baby baby love
Seems like every day I'm crying through the night
I long for the past, smiling to myself
Wanting to be together with you...
Nobody knows about these
Secret tears
The one to wipe them away is
Only
Not just myself
Wanting to be together with you...
Love brings a lonely lonely heart
I'm just all alone now
Lonely lonely heart
All the joy and pain I feel, I'm always
Dreaming it by myself
Love brings a lonely lonely heart
But I know that someday it will come
While I'm being held in your strong arms
Wanting to be together with you..."
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A dark haired girl with odangos sighed miserably as she and her pink
haired companion stood outside the Outer Senshi’s mansion, waiting under a
tree as the storm continued. "Why are we even here? We could be at home right
now, warm and dry, in the Crystal Palace. We could just tell Hotaru-mama and
ChibiUsa-mama about us and not have to worry about all this." The storm had
shown signs of slowing for a moment, but only a moment. It was already
starting to pick up again, pelting the two girls with cold rain. They were about
the same age as ChibiUsa and Hotaru, coming from further in the future than
their younger selves.
Shisa shivered, Selene’s body leaning against her own the only warmth
she felt. "Because we need to make them understand, Selene. They have to know
we’re in love. We have to prove that to them, make them realize that that’s the
most important thing to us."
"And why can’t we do that in the warmth of our own home? Why did
we travel back in the past for all this?" Selene asked. She was already starting to
feel homesick. She missed the room they shared; waking up to breakfast with
their whole family; their parents gentle prodding when it came to their being
princesses.
Shisa looked down at the damp grass. "We’d already talked about all
that. They wouldn’t understand if we only told them. We have to prove it. We
have to test them, show just how important their love is, so they’ll know how
important ours is."
"Maybe they already know," Selene said hopefully. "Maybe they know
and they’re fine with it."
Shisa shook her head skeptically. "Remember a year ago? You were
wondering why I was acting so strange around you. You kept wanting to know
what was bothering me. You just wouldn’t leave me alone about it. And finally I
told you. I looked you in the eyes and told you I was in love with you. There
was no mistaking it. I think you know me better than I know myself sometimes.
You didn’t need to ask, or to pretend you didn’t understand. And do you
remember what happened?"
The rain kept pouring over the two girls as they pushed further against
the tree, trying to stay out of the soaking rain. Selene let out a deep sigh before
answering. She looked away from Shisa when she did, not being able to meet
the pink haired girl’s gaze. "I freaked out. I didn’t talk to you for a while. I
thought you were sick. I kept telling you to leave me alone when I’d say
anything at all.." the maroon haired girl trailed off.
Shisa nodded sadly, pushing back the depression that always tried to
overwhelm her at those memories. "It took a long time before I could even get
you to even look at me again. ChibiUsa-mama and Hotaru-mama would
probably react even worse."
Selene thought for a moment, holding onto the other girl for comfort.
"But I did eventually wind up falling in love with you. I got over how I
originally thought of it. Maybe our parents will grow to accept it, too."
The dark night, lit only by occasional bolts of lightning, left the two
princesses in shadows. Shisa pulled her glasses off, trying to wipe the water
from the rain off on her blouse. Turning to Selene, she shook her head somberly.
"It took you time, Selene. It took a lot of time to fix things. Before our parents
could take the time to realize that, they probably would try to pull us apart.
They’d forbid us being together. We might wind up not seeing each other if they
decide to put us in different places to keep us apart. Who knows what else
they’d do." Shisa closed her eyes, shivering again. This time it wasn’t
just from the wind and rain.
"Oh, Shisa.." Selene wrapped her arms tighter around her lover, kissing
her cold cheek. "I don’t ever want to lose you. You’re right. We can’t take any
chances. We’ll do whatever it takes."
"Whatever it takes," Shisa repeated, determination lighting up her pale
violet eyes.
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Biting cold and freezing droplets of ice water hit ChibiUsa as she
opened the door for whoever had been knocking. Her pink hair was thrown
around by the strong surging winds. She shivered as the cold wind got to her,
standing there only in Hotaru’s nightgown. “Hello?” She called out into the
storm. The harsh rain and wind nearly blinded her as she tried to make out the
figure in the doorway. Why couldn’t she be back in bed with Hotaru right now?
What had possessed her to come downstairs in the first place? “Hello?” she
called again, barely hearing herself as a thunderclap shook the house. She
shuddered at the sudden sound, hugging herself as she waited for it to pass. As
she slowly managed to open her eyes and peer out past the doorway, a figure
slowly took shape. “Oh!” gasped the princess as she took a step back.
The figure smiled slightly and bowed. “It’s a pleasure, Princess
Serenity. You look surprised. I hope I haven’t come at an inopportune time.”
The pink haired girl shook her head slowly, at a loss for words. “I…
No, its just that… Why are you here?” she finally blurted out in confusion.
Taking another step forward, the figure’s smile broadened. “There is
much I must tell you, Princess.”
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Momoko cinched the towel around herself tighter and closed the door
behind her as she entered her room. No one was home, but force of habit made
her shut the door anyway. She had just taken a long relaxing shower after she
had finally gotten home from shopping with Ruruna and Naruru. Momoko rolled
her eyes. Those two were really hard to deal with. She could see why Hotaru
didn’t like them very much. They were good friends of ChibiUsa’s, though, so
she put up with them. The pink haired girl had been supposed to come along, but
she had called at the last moment saying she couldn’t make it.
Stretching luxuriously, the lavender haired girl reflected on the past few
days. She had learned from ChibiUsa and Diana that not only had ChibiUsa’s
younger sister shown up, but her future daughters as well. That news had been
rather shocking. She’d had no idea the two girls could have a child, let alone
twins.
A by now familiar scratching sound at her window grabbed Momoko’s
attention. She smiled broadly before turning to look, pushing her other thoughts
aside at the arrival of her lover. “Diana!” Momoko quickly ran over and opened
the window. A small grayish purple kitten hopped down into the room, landing
gently on the floor.
“Hi, Momo-chan!” Diana said happily. The kitten purred as Momoko
bent down to pet her.
“Where were you?” Momoko asked, scratching under the kittens chin.
“I missed you, Diana.” She pouted for a second before smiling again, picking
her up in her arms.
“I was being played with by Small Lady and Hotaru-chan’s kids,”
Diana replied, obviously frustrated.
Momoko couldn’t help but giggle. “Children love kittens, Diana.
Especially cute talking kittens like you.”
After a shimmer of light, Diana stood before Momoko in her human
form. The beautiful cat girl’s short dark hair was done up in four odangos. She
wore a lavender dress with matching stockings that reached her thighs. Her
catlike eyes gazed deeply into Momoko’s. She took a step forward, her arms
wrapping around Momoko’s waist as she hugged her tightly. “Thanks, Momo-
chan. You’re sweet.” Leaning forward, she gave the lavender haired girl a peck
on the lips. She sighed as she leaned against her lover’s soft body, the scent of
Momoko’s hair already starting to relax her. “Those kids are hard to keep up
with, even when they’re dragging you around. They have a bundle of energy.”
Momoko smiled, running a hand through Diana’s soft hair. “Sounds
like it. Maybe you should stay with me for a while. I mean, my mother knows
you stay around here a lot, as a kitten at least. And ChibiUsa doesn’t always
need you there. Like you said, the Quartet can watch over them.” Her voice had
a hopeful tone to it.
Diana squealed giddily and hugged the other girl again. “Really?
Thanks! No more little kids pulling my tail. And I’d get to stay with you. That
would be great, Momo-chan!”
“Yeah, I’d love if you could stay.” Momoko’s hands moved down
Diana’s back before arriving at her tail. “As for the not pulling your tail…”
Giving a playful tug on the other girls’ tail, Momoko laughed as Diana tensed up
in her arms. “At least you won’t have to pack anything,” she said thoughtfully
before sitting on the edge of her bed.
Diana sat down next to her, placing a hand on the lavender haired
girls’. “I’ve been thinking about you so much lately, Momo-chan. I love you,”
Diana said happily, her tail moving back and forth behind her.
“I love you, too,” Momoko smiled back. “My little kitten,” she added.
She slowly leaned forward, Diana turned to her, as if to speak. Momoko caught
Diana’s lips with her own, kissing her passionately. Diana was caught by
surprise. Her mouth fell open, Momoko’s tongue pushing inside. Diana quickly
regained herself, kissing the other girl back.
Momoko sat forward, lost in their kiss. She felt Diana’s tail wrap
around her hand, the soft fur against her skin. As their tongues danced, Momoko
felt a warm feeling pouring through her. Her eyes widened as she felt Diana’s
hand on her right breast. She moaned softly into Diana’s mouth. The lavender
haired girl was paralyzed. She didn’t know what to do, but Diana continued.
They had been dating for several months now, but they had only gone so far, not
actually having made love. Momoko’s worries were quickly drowned out by the
feelings flooding through her. She continued to kiss the other girl back, her
tongue brushing against the other girl’s. She moaned again when Diana lightly
squeezed her breast. She gasped, arching her back as Diana’s other hand went to
her left breast. Her now hard nipples pressed against Diana’s soft palms.
Both girls were breathing heavily when the kiss finally ended. “Diana-
chan,” Momoko whispered huskily. She pushed the cat girl backwards on the
bed, a quick yelp of surprise coming from Diana. Lying atop Diana, Momoko
kissed down her jaw line to her neck. Diana shuddered deliciously underneath
her. Momoko started pulling the top of Diana’s dress down, baring her soft
breasts. The lavender haired girl kissed down her shoulder hungrily. Lightening
shot through Momoko’s body as Diana’s hands began to caress her own chest
again.
Almost as if coming out of a trance, Momoko could vaguely hear a
ringing sound. “Not now…” she muttered, finally recognizing the doorbell. She
tried desperately to ignore the now grating noise, reveling in the new
experiences playing out before her. Her mind focused solely on Diana and the
sensations the cat girl was arousing within her. Sitting up, she ran a hand
through her sweat dampened lavender hair. “Diana,” she tried to say. She
shuddered lightly as Diana continued her ministrations. With great reluctance,
she finally disentangled herself from her lover.
Diana let out a small whimper as Momoko stood up. Her passion filled
eyes traveled up and down Momoko’s nude body. “Momo-chan, don’t go,” the
cat girl pleaded, reaching out for the lavender haired girl.
Taking Diana’s hand in her own, Momoko brought it to her flushed
cheek. “I’m sorry, Diana. I’ll be back in a minute. Wait right here,” she
commanded, ignoring the cat girl’s crawling towards her. Heading to the closet,
Momoko quickly pulled out a Chinese dress and pulled it on, eager to get rid of
the visitor. She wasn’t in the mood to deal lightly with whomever it was. A
glance back at her bed weakened her resolve to go check the door. The sight of
Diana sitting on her bed with the top of her dress down with a slightly
bewildered look in her eyes greeted Momoko. Blushing profusely, Momoko
averted her eyes and headed through her door. This was the first time she’d ever
done anything like this. It was an almost overwhelming sensation. She wanted to
get rid of the intruder as quickly as possible and get back to it.
The site that greeted her when she opened the door was a tired and
traumatized looking pink haired girl flanked by three younger girls. A worried
Hotaru was holding onto ChibiUsa’s hand, looking up with concern in her deep
violet eyes at her one true love. On the other side of the future princess were the
twins, Shisa and Selene. Shisa bowed first, her sister following suite seconds
later. “Ohayo, Momohara-san,” Shisa said politely. “Hi, Momoko-san,” Selene
said seconds afterward. She giggled and whispered something to her sister.
Apparently the other girl thought it was funny as well.
Momoko shook her head, looking back up at the miserable pink haired
girl. She knew that ChibiUsa must be taking that accident that changed Hotaru
into a child pretty badly, despite Diana having told her that she seemed to be
doing well. “ChibiUsa-chan, looks like you brought the entire family. Well,
except your little sister.”
“Aunt Kousagi is still back at grandma Usagi’s house. ChibiUsa-mama
spent the night with Hotaru-mama," Selene supplied helpfully. Shisa nodded a
little shyly from her place slightly behind ChibiUsa,.
A sigh escaped the future princesses lips before she looked up. She
gave Hotaru’s small hand a squeeze before plastering on the fake smile she’d
worn all the way there. It wasn’t enough to fool Hotaru, but she hadn’t known
what to ask her girlfriend. What could have happened that morning to upset her
so? “Momo-chan, I’m really, really sorry about this, but would you mind
watching the kids for a bit? There’s someone I need to talk to and its kinda
urgent. My mother sent her and there’s some things we need to talk about and
I’d feel bad just leaving Hota-chan, Shisa-chan, and Selene-chan all alone,”
ChibiUsa asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.
That much was true, Hotaru could tell, but what wasn’t she saying?
And why was she so afraid to ask? She knew that they could tell each other
anything, so all she had to do was ask the pink haired girl. But every time she
tried, the knots in her stomach would just get worse. ChibiUsa had seemed so
hopeful the night before and now…
Momoko looked back inside the house. Her parents were gone for the
day and she had Diana back waiting for her in her room for a day they could
spend in each other’s arms. They could pick up where they left off and see
where it went from there. With a sigh, she turned back to her friend. So much
for that idea. There was always some other time. Smiling a bit, she nodded.
“Sure thing, ChibiUsa-chan. I’d be glad to help.”
ChibiUsa let out her breath in relief. At least she wouldn’t have to
worry about the children while dealing with things. And it was probably better if
Hotaru stayed here for now. Maybe things wouldn’t have been so bad if Hotaru
didn’t already have so much to worry about. Hotaru’s enhanced aging had been
jump started, but it would still be a while before she was back to her normal self.
Whether that meant days or weeks, ChibiUsa had no idea. “Thanks, Momo-
chan. I owe you one.” She smiled a little weakly as she led the younger girls
towards the door.
Laughing, Momoko shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. You can
just baby-sit for me and Diana if we ever have a kid,” the lavender haired girl
joked.
“You mean Isis-chan?” Shisa asked curiously.
Momoko stared at the younger girl for a moment before she began to
sweatdrop. They did have a child? Before she could think about it anymore,
Selene slipped past her, dragging Shisa behind.
“Will you be okay, ChibiUsa-chan?” Hotaru asked softly, not managing
to hide the concern in her voice.
Smiling down at the dark haired girl, ChibiUsa nodded. “Hai, I’ll be
fine, Taru. You just try not to worry about things, okay? We’ll get it all worked
out soon enough.” ‘I hope,’ she added to herself.
Hotaru didn’t feel very reassured, but she slowly let go of ChibiUsa’s
hand and took a step towards Momoko. She didn’t want to leave the pink haired
girl, but she didn’t know what to say. Everything was so confusing. Looking up
at the pink haired girl, she tried desperately to say something, anything, but
nothing came to her. But she didn’t need words. ChibiUsa met her gaze with a
warm smile, comforting her a little.
“I’ll be back soon, Hota-chan,” ChibiUsa promised, kneeling down.
She gave Hotaru a hug, something she needed as much as the other girl to quell
the storm in her heart.
“I’ll be waiting for you,” Hotaru said softly before they parted.
Blinking back tears she didn’t know had been there, she watched as the pink
haired girl turned around and left. She knew that she’d be back, so why did it
feel like this would be the last time they’d see each other?
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“It isn’t fair.”
Hotaru sat quietly on the couch, hugging her legs tightly to her chest.
The small, lonely girl was propped up on a cushion, her chin resting on her
knees. She shivered, her pale skin forming thousands of goose-bumps. It wasn't
the cold that bothered her so much. No, she was used to that. She had always
been cold. It didn’t matter how warm it was outside. Inside, she always felt cold.
Now was no different. The only warmth she’d felt in her cold body was when
she was being held in ChibiUsa’s arms, losing herself in the sensation. It was as
if she was somehow absorbing the heat from the pink haired girl’s body. But she
knew that just had to be her mind playing tricks on her. She was always cold
because she had always been a weak and sickly girl. Maybe it wasn’t as bad this
time around as it had when she had been growing up the first time, but she still
wasn’t as healthy as most of the other children.
Her dark violet eyes reflected the flickering flames from the fire
Haruka had started not that long ago. The large house she shared with her
surrogate parents was slowly warming up. She wanted to get off the couch and
sit right in front of the fire, but she stubbornly stayed where she was. She didn’t
feel like trying to warm herself. Hugging her legs tighter to herself, she blinked
stinging watery eyes as the bright flames finally won their staring match.
ChibiUsa had come upstairs that morning with a trinket from Crystal
Tokyo that had jumpstarted Hotaru’s advanced aging. She should be her normal
self within a few weeks. In the meantime, she was still stuck in the body of a
child and she would have to slowly re-age back to her normal self within the
course of the next few weeks. But rather than being overjoyed by the prospect,
ChibiUsa had been quiet and withdrawn, not at all the normally outgoing person
she usually was. The pink haired princess had been preoccupied by something,
but despite Hotaru’s concern, ChibiUsa had just tried to convince her that
nothing was wrong. And afterwards, ChibiUsa had taken Hotaru and their future
twin daughters to Momoko’s house so she and Diana could keep an eye on them
while ChibiUsa thought. ‘About what? What’s she keeping from me? We’re
supposed to tell each other everything. Why would she hide this from me? She’s
treating me like a child,’ she thought despairingly to herself. ‘Could it be that
just maybe you’ve been acting like one?’ a voice within herself countered. She
silenced it quickly, curling up tighter. ‘I’m not acting like a child. I’m not… My
body’s just younger, not my mind…’ she reassured herself.
“It isn’t fair.”
“What isn’t fair, Hime-chan?” Michiru asked gently, gracefully
entering the living room with a tea tray. She kneeled next to the table in front of
the couch Hotaru was on.
“Nothing…” Hotaru trailed off, looking down miserably. Strands of her
short, dark hair fell into her eyes. Even the momentary blindness made her feel
worse. She brushed the hair from her eyes with her small hand, looking up
slowly to see Michiru’s soothing smile.
“Would you like some tea, Hime-chan? You need something to warm
you up before you freeze.” Michiru began pouring the tea into several cups even
before the younger girl’s response. “Sitting there all stern and thoughtful. One
might think you’re a piece of gothic architecture. We have enough art around the
house. We need more lively little girls.”
Hotaru giggled softly, a small smile beginning to light up her young
features. “Hai, Michiru-mama. I’d like that.” She missed the note of childish
exuberance in her own voice as she slid off the couch and gratefully accepted
the offered cup of tea. “Arigato, Michiru-mama.” The first sip of the warm
liquid did make her feel a little better as it slowly warmed her inside. Michiru
had to warn her about drinking it too quickly, lest she burn her throat. She
sighed softly before taking another sip. If she asked, she knew ChibiUsa would
tell her. They could tell each other anything. But what scared her was when
ChibiUsa did tell her. If this was enough to affect the usually bright and
optimistic pink haired girl…
Sitting in front of the fire, the mug held in both hands, the young
Senshi of Death and Rebirth counted off all of her blessings despite the
condition she was in. And prayed that she wasn’t about to lose them all.
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ChibiUsa sighed miserably as she searched through the refrigerator for
something else to eat. She was feeling empty in more ways than one. She steered
clear of the carrots, scavenging for anything that looked edible cold. ‘There we
go,’ the pink haired princess thought to herself as she found some chocolate near
the back. Usually she would be a little more weary of who’s it was, but she
wasn’t in the mood to worry about that at the moment. Putting the chocolate bar
in her mouth to hold for a moment, she smoothed down her pajamas before
returning to her seat at the table, a space she hadn’t vacated for the past two
hours. Taking a bite of the chocolate, she winced. It was still hard. She set it
down to wait for it to thaw a bit before trying to polish it off. Looking into her
half empty glass of water, she gazed at the dim reflection she could make out
from the single light that was on in the room. Her normally vibrant crimson eyes
seemed faded, they’re usual sparkle missing. She ran a hand through her pink
hair, let down from her odango hair style. “Not quite the pristine princess I’m
supposed to be, right, mom?” she asked quietly into the empty room. She
laughed bitterly. “But then, why should you care? Just how much of a
disappointment am I to you?”
Picking up the candy bar, ChibiUsa took a bite out of the still hard
chocolate. It was supposed to be comfort food, but it didn’t feel very comforting.
So technically, she should stop. But who would care whether or not she did?
Hotaru. She wouldn’t mind if Hotaru was doing this, if the pale girl got a little
chubby. Then she wouldn’t have to worry so much about the poor girl never
eating. Besides, she’d look cute even then.
ChibiUsa shook her head as she realized her thoughts were wandering.
But was that a bad thing? At least it would get her mind off of things. She didn’t
want to have to think right now, to have to relive thoughts over and over. It only
made things worse, it seemed. Thoughts lived and died, other darker thoughts
rising from their ashes as the night pushed inexorably onward towards the
coming dawn. There was no silver lining for her to search for, no shelter in this
storm. Sleep escaped her as if it were running from her frenziedly. Biting her
lower lip, she wondered if she could ask Elios if there were something he could
do about that. He was the priest of Elysian, the land of dreams, after all. But then
she’d still probably have nightmares all night long. That wouldn’t be any better
than this waking nightmare. And talking to him would just remind her of her
mother’s plans.
‘How could she do this to me?’ ChibiUsa thought to herself. ‘She made
it sound like she had faith in us. I always thought she was such a wonderful lady.
I wanted to be just like her. Now… I don’t know what to think. Why us?
Hotaru’s already had such a difficult life. Why can’t she have some happiness? I
love her. How can my mother dictate that? Is love so weak that she can decide
its fate? She thinks our love is nothing more than puppy love, that I was
experimenting back here and got with my best friend because of that. It took me
long enough to figure it out, but I do love Hotaru. I always knew it deep down. I
always worried about what the future would bring when I had to return, but I
knew things would work out. We’d think of something. Love would find a way.
But now I find out that my mother had it set from the beginning that this
couldn’t be. And what about the twins? Were they just told to say that Hotaru
and I were their parents so that we wouldn’t realize what was going to happen?
Are they Elios’ and my children?’
The pink haired princess buried her face in her hands, tears running down
her cheeks when she thought she had none left. ‘I thought we’d be together
forever. My birthright destroyed everything. How can I face Hotaru with this? I
just wanted to make her happy, and now I can’t even do that. I hate you, mother.
I’ll never forgive you for this. I want to curl up and die. Maybe I should. Prove
to you that you can’t rule my life. That I won’t follow in your footsteps if it
means leaving behind the girl I love. If it means leaving behind the other half of
my soul, what type of life is that? Its not even life. And I won’t live it. I’d rather
die than be her puppet. Than ever hurt Hotaru. I’ll be with Hotaru again in the
afterlife. You’ll never keep us from each other. I’d move heaven and earth to be
with her.’ The princess stood up, pulling back the drawn curtains to look up into
the moonlit sky. A renewed determination burned in her eyes. ‘I won’t let you
keep us apart. I’ll fight to be with her, give up my birthright, even die. Whatever
it takes.’ She drew a tiny picture on the damp glass with her finger. ‘I love you
too much, Hotaru. I’ll never give up on you. I won’t let it end this way. I
promise.’
“Are you alright, Kyusuke-kun? You’ve been out of it all afternoon.
You’ll make me think I’m too boring for you,” Hikaru chided the green haired
boy.
“Huh? Oh.. Sorry, Hikaru-chan. I was just lost in thought. And boring
is definitely not a word I’d use to describe you. You may be a lot of things, but
boring’s not one of them,” Kyusuke replied.
Hikaru paused for a moment, considering whether or not to take that as
a compliment before smiling back at the boy. “Just try not to get lost again. I
might not be able to find you.”
“I’ll be careful,” Kyusuke promised. Glancing sidelong at his
companion, he smiled to himself. Her short auburn hair fell past beautiful brown
eyes almost to the point of obscuring her vision, but she never seemed to have a
problem knowing exactly where she was going. With everything. A large
oversized sweater and a pleated skirt adorned the girl that chilly evening, her
arms still clutching the stuffed bear he’d bought her just a short time beforehand.
Kyusuke had known Hikaru for years now and they’d always been good friends,
but it hadn’t been until a few months ago that they’d finally started dating. The
girl was a little odd, but he loved all those little things about her.
“You’re grinning like an idiot again. Wanna tell me what about?”
Hikaru asked with a wink, once again shaking Kyusuke from his thoughts.
“Nothing.. I’m just thinking about things,” the green haired boy said
lamely. He was about to try again before something caught his eye. Across the
street he could make out ChibiUsa along with three younger girls heading into a
store. “ChibiUsa-chan must be babysitting.”
Hikaru followed his gaze to the pink haired girl and nodded. “Looks
like it. That’s the girl who dates the gothic girl at your school, right?”
Sweatdropping profusely, the green haired boy nodded. “Yeah, but
Momoko said she’d beat the crap out of me if I told anyone. She only told me
because I was joking about it.”
“Looks like she’s gotta kill you then, because you told me.” Hikaru
grinned and stuck her tongue out at the boy. “You really are scared of that girl,
aren’t you?”
“Hey, as long as Momoko doesn’t find out, I don’t wind up very very
dead. And sense you go to a different school, I figure the rules don’t apply.”
Proud of his explanation, Kyusuke watched ChibiUsa and the girls disappear
into the building. Slowly, the pair begin walking again.
“You always run up to your friends to talk to them except when I’m
around.” Hikaru turned and pouted cutely at Kyusuke. “Why is that?”
Sighing and rolling his eyes, the green haired boy kept walking. “Come
on, Hikaru-chan. Don’t do that.”
“I only do it because it always works,” the auburn haired girl said with
a giggle.
“Well, it’s just that… They’re all… And when you think about it….
You know…”
Hugging the stuffed bear against her chest, Hikaru turned to Kyusuke.
“But what’s the big deal? The pink girl and that other one are in a lesbian
relationship and your friend Momoko obviously seems fine with it. So there
shouldn’t be a problem if they met me. Its not like they’d find out.”
“I know, I know… It’s just…” Kyusuke began nervously.
“Now don’t start that. We both know why you don’t want me to meet
them. You don’t need to cover it up. Fine.” She shrugged, walking forward
again. Brushing some hair back, she placed a withering glance on the green
haired boy as he tried to keep up. “It doesn’t matter if you pretend I don’t exist.”
A sigh of defeat marked the end of Kyusuke’s resistance. Nodding, he
looked up at her. “Alright, you win. But don’t expect it to be a big thing.
They’re just my friends. Momoko’s kind of intimidating sometimes, but that’s
usually just to me. ChibiUsa’s sort of… perky. And Hotaru pretty much just
follows her around, not saying much.”
Hugging her boyfriend warmly, Hikaru smiled. “Thanks, Kyusuke-kun!
I knew you’d understand.”
Returning the hug, Kyusuke sweatdropped. He hoped he wasn’t making
a mistake.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What about this?” ChibiUsa asked as she lifted the small frilled dress
up for the younger girls to see.
“ChibiUsa-chan…”
“But it’s cute. You’d look adorable in it, Hota-chan,” the future
princess argued. Looking from the small dark haired girl to the dress and back,
she nodded, pleased. “Besides, Puu gave me some money and told me to buy
you some clothes. You do need some, Taru. The rest of your wardrobe’s still for
a sixteen year old girl.”
“I know, ChibiUsa-chan. But don’t you think it’s a little too...” Hotaru
trailed off as she stared skeptically at the dress.
“Cute?” Shisa supplied helpfully, startling the shy raven haired girl.
“Hai. Its more like something that you would wear, ChibiUsa-chan...”
Hotaru looked up at ChibiUsa with her dark violet eyes for a long moment. It
was strange, looking up at her like that. She remembered it the other way around
when they’d first met, when she had to look down to see the little pink haired
girl. The last time she herself had been this small and in a situation like this had
been several years ago shopping with her surrogate parents. Looking up at their
smiling faces, she’d been thrilled when they had let her pick out a particular
sundress she liked. Michiru had said it would only get dirty anyway but Haruka
had said that was the point. Now she was looking up at a different smiling face
with a different kind of love in those eyes than in those of her parents’. It left her
a little disoriented, the new mixing with the old, nostalgia mixing with anxiety,
all performing a jumbled orchestra in her heart.
Selene giggled and nodded. “I think you should get it, Hotaru-chan. It
would look nice.” Dark purple odango bobbed up and down as she nodded
enthusiastically.
ChibiUsa smiled at her future daughter’s attempt at helping. She had
noticed the twins had quickly dropped the use of ‘mama’ for Hotaru when
they’d found out she was their age. She hoped it was only because of their
similarity in age rather than Hotaru not really being their mother. If Elios really
was the father... Hotaru’s insistent tug on her hand brought her back to reality.
“I’ll get it if you want, ChibiUsa-chan,” Hotaru said with a shy smile.
ChibiUsa smiled down at her and shook her head, something catching
her eye. “No, you’re right, Taru. Its not exactly you. Besides, this is soooo much
cuter.” Pulling up a little yellow sundress to Hotaru, she grinned happily. The
younger girl looked simply adorable. “Now we just need to find you a good
wide-brimmed hat for that and it will be perfect.” Standing up and still holding
her girlfriend’s small hand, she looked around for the next object in her quest.
“ChibiUsa-mama? When we’re done getting Hotaru-chan clothes, I
want something to!” Selene stated so her future parent would be absolutely sure
not to leave her out of the day’s events.
“Me too!” Shisa added. “I’ll have the one you were gonna get for
Hotaru-chan if she doesn’t want it.”
Hotaru let her eyes wander as they walked through the enormous racks
of clothes. Everything was so huge now. She’d never been a tall girl, but the
sheer difference in size from a few days before and now was colossal. Brushing
back her dark hair, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were being
watched. But by who? She glanced around worriedly, unable to keep the
sensation from getting worse. To keep the disorientation welling up inside her
from becoming too much to bear, she squeezed ChibiUsa’s hand tightly. The
future princess squeezed back gently, reassuring Hotaru. A sigh escaped
Hotaru’s lips as she tried to convince herself that it was all in her mind. Smiling
to herself, she slipped away from ChibiUsa while the older girl was checking the
hats.
“This one looks really cute, but this one’s really good, too. Hmm...
What do you think, Hota-chan?” ChibiUsa looked up as she held the two hats
for the raven haired girl’s inspection, but Hotaru was nowhere to be seen. Right
as she began to fear the worst, a small voice piped up near her.
“What about this one, ChibiUsa-chan? I really like it!” Hotaru said
happily as she ran back up to the three other girls. She was clutching a beautiful
white wide-brimmed hat offset with a midnight black ribbon encircling it before
trailing off the back. Placing it on her head, the pale girl demonstrated for her
future princess. Her short dark hair fell out from underneath the hat, framing her
ivory skin. She giggled as she tilted her head to the side.
“Its really pretty, Hota-chan. I think you should get it.” ChibiUsa
smiled at her counterpart, her soulmate, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief that
nothing had happened. Before she could further comment, the two hats she had
been holding were snatched from her grasp.
“What about me? I look pretty, too, right?” Selene asked quickly,
wearing the hat that had been in ChibiUsa’s right hand.
“Can I get this one? Please?” Shisa asked, blinking huge puppy dog
eyes upwards at her currently overwhelmed future pink haired parent.
Hotaru watched as the other two girls fought over their mother’s
attention through blurry eyes. It had looked so perfect, sitting there all alone.
She wanted so much to show it to ChibiUsa, to see what she thought. All alone...
She’d known ChibiUsa would like it as much as she did, but now... A tear
dropped down to the cold floor, quickly joined by another. It wasn’t fair...
“Hotaru? Hotaru-chan, what’s wrong?” she heard pierce through the shroud of
sadness around her. A hand went to her shoulder as another brushed the hair
away from her eyes. Concerned crimson eyes met her own tearful violet ones.
She lunged forward with a choked sob and clasped onto ChibiUsa. Comforting
whispers brushed past her ears as the older girl held her tightly. She could see
the twins watching worriedly from behind ChibiUsa but her torn heart kept the
tears flowing. She buried her head against ChibiUsa’s shoulder, wanting
everything to go back to the way it had been. ‘Why am I doing this?’ she asked
herself. ‘It’s not a big deal. It’s alright. I know she loves me, so if she pays
attention to them, why does it hurt so much? Why am I so sad? I’m a big girl, I
shouldn’t be crying about this. This doesn’t matter. But.. I just wanted to show it
to her.. I wanted to ask her what she thought.. I wanted to be the only one...’
“Shhh... It’s okay, Hota-chan. Cry all you want. It’s okay.” ChibiUsa
stroked Hotaru’s back as the other girl sobbed against her. What had happened?
She wanted to ask, to make sure that the dark haired girl was all right, but she
just needed comfort right now. There would always be later to worry about such
things. Hotaru had been trying so hard to pretend that she was fine, but this had
taken a rather heavy emotional toll on her. She was just a little girl now.
ChibiUsa had been so worried about what she’d heard from the future and what
would become of them that she hadn’t been worrying enough about what Hotaru
was going through now. Things would work out, they would find a way. But for
now, Hotaru needed her. She never should have left her side since this had
happened. Closing her eyes, she realized what a mistake she had made. She
could only hope that she could make it up to the pale girl in her arms.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Poor Hotaru-mama,” an older Selene said as she watched the scene
unfolding before her. Her long dark hair was swept back behind her as familiar
fingers brushed through it. She smiled as she turned her attention to the
spectacled girl next to her. “I was wondering where you’d disappeared off to.”
“Just making sure we had one of grandfather Tomoe’s Daimon Eggs
ready,” the teenage Shisa explained. She lifted up the small object in her hand
for the dark haired girl to see.
Selene frowned as she looked from it to the embracing forms of their
parents. “Are you sure about this? Aren’t they already in enough pain?
ChibiUsa-mama just heard that she’s marrying High Priest Elios and Hotaru-
mama’s no more than a child.” She shakes her head sadly. “But we have to. We
have to or they’ll never accept us. We must test them.”
Shisa nodded in agreement. “We must make them hurt. To try to tear
them from each other. To make them suffer. Only then will they understand...”
She clutched the Daimon Egg tightly as her mind started to shift back to painful
memories.
“Shisa, no, don’t think about it. We’re both here. I’m here with you.
Please don’t worry.” Selene placed her hand on the other girl’s cheek gingerly.
She offered a small smile. “You can’t just give up on me now. What would I do?
If we’re gonna pull this off, we need to be together on it. I need you.”
Placing her hand atop Selene’s, Shisa nodded, smiling herself. “Hai,
Selenity. Besides, it should be fun.”
Selene grinned. “Most definitely. We’ll see just how well our beloved
parents can handle what we throw at them.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“There you go,” ChibiUsa said softly as she wiped the last of Hotaru’s
tears away. She smiled as she looked into the raven haired girl’s deep violet
eyes. “Is that better?” She got a shy nod from Hotaru in return. Smiling a little
more as relief spread through her body, she placed the wide brimmed hat on
Hotaru.
The pale girl looked at ChibiUsa for a long moment before smiling a little
herself. She was being childish, she admonished herself. But she had to admit
deep down that it was worth it if it meant ChibiUsa was there to take care of her.
She gave the bigger girl a warm hug. “Thank you, ChibiUsa-chan.” After a
second’s pause, she added almost inaudibly, “I love you.”
Whether the older girl heard her or not would never be known, because at
that moment an arm whipped out and grabbed at Hotaru. A yelp escaped the
raven haired girl as she got pulled backwards suddenly, her hat falling to the
floor. As the terrified Senshi of Death and Rebirth turned around, she saw what
she had sworn was a mannequin just a few moments earlier with an evil grin on
its face.
“Hotaru-chan!” ChibiUsa yelled as she watched in confusion. A Daimon!
Just like the one they’d fought a few days ago when Hotaru had been tied up. So
it wasn’t an accident after all. Someone was after them. But why? There was no
time to waste on the answers but she’d see that they didn’t get away with
whatever it was. Lunging forward, she grabbed Hotaru’s forearm.
Unfortunately, the Daimon was much stronger than it had appeared and
ChibiUsa had never been very strong to begin with, so both the dark haired girl
and the future princess got dragged through a few racks of clothes. Trying to
catch her bearings, ChibiUsa noticed that the twins were left unprotected as they
watched the whole thing. She could only hope that this thing was only after her
and Hotaru. “Hotaru-chan, hang on!” she screamed as she felt her grip
loosening. The Daimon laughed maniacally and lashed the smaller girl in her
grasp. ChibiUsa lost her grip and lay sprawled against a cosmetics display.
Disoriented, frightened, and now very angry at seeing the girl she loved
being hurt like that, Hotaru struggled with the much stronger Daimon.
"ChibiUsa-chan!” The Saturn symbol flashed on her forehead as the Daimon
laughed evilly. An aura of light started glowing around the young girl, her short
hair whipping around as if she were in a storm. “Don’t hurt her!” Hotaru cried,
grabbing the Daimon’s attention. The energy around the girl grew in size and
strength within seconds, ripping through the Daimon’s hand that had been
holding onto her arm. Screaming in pain, the mannequin daimon stumbled
backwards. Swaying back and forth after the serge of energy had drained her,
Hotaru fell to her knees. She was quickly pulled back to her feet by two arms
around her. Looking around in fright, the dark haired girl’s frantically beating
heart started to slow when she looked up into crimson eyes framed by cotton
candy pink hair. “ChibiUsa-chan!”
ChibiUsa smiled reassuringly. “Hai, it’s me. I’m just fine. You did a great
job, Hota-chan, but I want you to get out of here with the twins. I’ll henshin and
deal with the Daimon while you three get out of here.” She grabbed her broach
absentmindedly as she watched the injured Daimon.
Hotaru shook her head adamantly, her violet eyes worried. “I don’t want to
leave you…” she said softly. She couldn’t leave ChibiUsa to face this thing
alone. “Wait for the Sailor Quartet at least,” she pleaded, holding tightly onto
ChibiUsa’s white skirt.
The pink haired girl bit her lower lip as she watched the Daimon start to
regroup. She really hadn’t fought on her own before. Besides, when Hotaru had
returned to her it was so they could fight together. But now, on her own… She
would have to fight anyway. She was a Sailor Senshi and she couldn’t stand by
and let this thing hurt anyone else, let alone Hotaru or her future daughters.
Clutching her broach, she took a step away from the worried dark haired girl.
“Gomen nasai, Taru-chan. I promise we’ll fight together again.” Another soft
smile went the younger girl’s way before being replaced with a more serious
look. Holding her broach in the air, feeling her own Pink Crystal inside of it, she
braced herself for what could be the toughest fight of her life.
But before she had the chance to utter another word, another voice rang out
into the pandemonium that had become the mall. “From a distant horizon, a new
day is dawning. I am the future. Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon.” Landing
gracefully a few yards in front of the shocked would be Sailorchibimoon,
another Sailor Senshi stood, her long dark hair done up with four odango, the
thick pigtails draped across her back not quite reaching past her waist. She had a
light pink skirt with a purple bow on the front and back. Her long boots reached
just below the knee. Her broach, a highly decorated scarlet and pink heart, was
offset by a small gold half moon. Her shoulders were clad in a pink sphere,
similar to Eternal Sailormoon. Long gloves went past her elbows, an odd scepter
in her gloved hands.
Not knowing what was going on, but not wanting to keep the younger girls
in harms way any longer than necessary, ChibiUsa backed off from the new
senshi towards a clothes rack, hoping to find some sort of cover if anything
happened. It took her a moment to realize that she’d taken Hotaru’s hand in her
own in reflex. She looked curiously down at the other girl, but Hotaru’s simple
shrug was enough to see that the dark haired girl had no more of an idea than
she did about what was going on. She did know that the senshi sure looked
awfully familiar...
Hotaru squeezed ChibiUsa’s hand, looking for some reassurance in what
had quickly become a shopping trip from hell. She knew that the monster that
had attacked them was a Daimon, but she couldn’t figure out how or why it
would be here. Her father’s laboratory was gone, the Daimon Eggs wouldn’t be
easy to produce. But obviously someone had gotten a hold of them. And they
were sending them after her. She brought her other hand to ChibiUsa’s as well.
She’d never been this frightened before of an attack. But she had never been this
helpless before either.
Ribbons whipped out from the mannequin at the new Sailor Senshi, but
before they reached her, they hit right into a glowing barrier. Another Senshi
stood in front of the first, this one holding a very familiar looking weapon. The
Silence Glaive. Short, wavy pink hair graced her head along with a large pair of
glasses that accentuated the soft curves of her face. She had a dark purple skirt
and a light pink bow on the front and back. Her long laced up boots reached a
little lower than her counterpart’s. She had the sharp crystal shards that Saturn
had had on her original fuku for a broach, this time in a heart shape. Her
shoulders had the odd ripped look of Saturn's old costume as well.
“Sailorsaturn,” Hotaru gasped. Shaking her head, the raven haired girl watched
the two. But that couldn’t be right. She was Sailorsaturn. Or, Saturn resided
within her at least. This was all becoming more and more unnerving.
“Amazoness Jungle Arrow!!” With the Daimon distracted, the just arriving
Sailor Quartet wasted no time in attacking. Unable to dodge, it dissipated after
the combined blast of the four ripped through it.
“Well, that sure was easy. We’re getting good at this protecting the princess
thing,” JunJun said thoughtfully as she took a few steps towards who she
suspected were the Saturn and Chibimoon that they knew. Whirling around, the
short pink haired one stuck the Silence Glaive inches from the tanned member
of the Quartet’s face. Suddenly not feeling quite as friendly with the sharp object
pointed in her face, Sailorjuno backed off.
“What the hell?” VesVes asked as she watched the two new Sailor Senshi
suspiciously. “Hey, this is our job. Find yourself your own princess.” Out of the
corner of her eye, she could see Sailorceres and Pallas standing protectively near
ChibiUsa and Hotaru. She averted her eyes before she could alert the two
intruders.
The two girls laughed a little as they looked at each other. “Thanks, but no
thanks. We’ve got our own reasons for being here. We just decided that rather
than having them all get killed now, we’d let them know that we’re keeping an
eye on them,” the dark haired one answered, brushing her fingers through one of
her dark pigtails.
“Though they shouldn’t expect us to save them next time,” the shorter
haired one said, adjusting her glasses as she looked pointedly at the two girls in
question, ChibiUsa still clutching onto the younger Hotaru protectively.
“PallaPalla didn’t know there were anymore Sailor Senshi. Especially not
any that looked like Small Lady or Hotaru,” the blue haired Sailor Quartet
member whispered to CereCere.
“Neither did I. It’s starting to get difficult keeping track of everybody. Just
remember that nobody else matters besides the princess. It’s much easier to
remember that way,” CereCere explained, irritated at the newcomers
appearance. This would definitely mean more work for them. As if they didn’t
have enough as it was! ChibiUsa was pretty good at getting herself in trouble
with these sorts of things and they had to protect her as Hotaru had decided for
them when she’d awakened them as Sailor Senshi. Maybe if she wasn’t so
overprotective, they wouldn’t have to worry about this sort of thing.
“Who are you?” ChibiUsa asked as she stood up, looking over at the two.
“Why are you here?” She took a step forward toward the Sailor Senshi. “Are
you here to fight with us? Is there a new threat on the way?” Her innocent
questions were cut short as the Silence Glaive slashed through the bow on her
blouse. Startled, the pink haired girl stumbled backwards before falling.
“We’re here to test you,” the dark haired one answered with a sad smile. In
the background, a strange whistling music could be heard at that.
ChibiUsa swallowed nervously as the new Sailorsaturn looked down at her
with glassy, cold eyes, still holding the Silence Glaive ready. She remembered
not to let her fear show through as she shifted on the cold floor. “Test us?
How?”
“You’ll see,” the pink haired one said simply. With that, the two were off.
ChibiUsa wanted to follow, wanted to know what was going on here and
why they’d saved them, but Hotaru’s arms around her made her give up on the
idea instantly. Kneeling down next to her, she looked into those infinitely deep
violet eyes. “Are you okay, Hota-chan?” She hugged the younger girl to her,
glad the whole thing was over.
Hotaru knew that ChibiUsa was hiding how worried she was about all this
but she let it drop. ChibiUsa always tried to hide her feelings, pretending to be
happy when something was wrong so no one would worry about her. It wasn’t
very difficult for Hotaru to see through it, though. She wasn’t very good at
pretending to be happy herself, but she could still spot the differences in
ChibiUsa’s behavior when the pink haired girl tried it. “ChibiUsa-chan, I think I
know who they are,” Hotaru whispered to the older girl.
“What? Who?” ChibiUsa asked, startled. She hadn’t begun to think about
that yet, still confused by their very appearance to wonder who these mysterious
senshi could be.
Maybe she was wrong. How would she know? Maybe she was just looking
too hard. She shook her head. No, it made too much sense. Casting a sidelong
glance at the still worried twins, she quickly looked back at ChibiUsa. Leaning
closer, she whispered again. “ChibiUsa-chan, I think it’s the twins. I don’t know
how yet.”
ChibiUsa could barely restrain her surprise at that. She cautiously took a
look at the two younger girls, still embracing in fear as PallaPalla and CereCere
tried to calm them down. One with long dark pigtails, the other with slightly
shorter pink hair and glasses. Hotaru shook her head, silencing ChibiUsa’s
questions for the two girls before she could ask them. ChibiUsa just nodded,
biting her lower lip. This was most definitely getting bizarre. She wished for her
magical city of the future where things at least made sense. “Oh boy...”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next time on Quant… err… the ChibiUsa & Hotaru series of stories: I
really have no clue. ^-^ Maybe a few vague ones (which I’m currently keeping
tabs of in an outline for the next story) but otherwise I’m as clueless as you are.
^-^;; Maybe if I didn’t keep switching from story to story (I’m working on nine
at last count) I’d have some idea of where I was going with all this. O_o I’m
really sorry I’m so slow, but when it rains it pours. ^-^;; Things have been really
messed up lately, as everyone who knows me has surely heard about. But as far
as everything goes, you never can have too much time traveling right? ^-^ Okay,
maybe. ^^;; I’ll try to lay off the time traveling next time so I don’t cramp the
story with so many characters. I should be concentrating on ChibiUsa & Hotaru
more as it is. ^-^;; Anyway, I’m ranting now, so please ignore me. If any of you
would like to contact me for any reason at all (liked the story, caught any in-
jokes, noticed I screwed up somewhere from my bad habit of only writing when
I should be asleep, have any ideas for the next story, etc.), my ICQ name is
ChibiUsa Tomoe. I have AIM, but I’m not on it half as much. ^^;; Anyway,
thanks so much for reading. ^-^ *hugs and kisses*
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