Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or characters within the
story. Surprise surprise. ^_^
Author's Notes: I am going to make this fic rather episodic. It takes
place after Stars. Assuming I don't go all lazy, there will be new
"villains."
There will definitely be shoujo-ai! I have a vague idea of what I want
to do, but it's not yet mapped out.
This is pretty much a mixture of manga and anime. Manga personalities
(with the exception of Makoto and Ami) and anime closeness, as none of
the girls were very close in the manga.
The relationship between the inners and the outers at this time is
primarily taken from the manga, as the two groups were much closer
there than in the anime.
*PLEASE* leave indepth reviews on character analysis. If you
don't think I've captured the characters correctly, tell me!
Phew, lots of author's note. ^_^;
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The Vessels of Fate
By Monikku
A slight breeze played with her long, dark green hair. Setsuna sat on a
wool blanket. The park she was visiting, clearly touched by the hands
of spring, had flowers blooming across the stretch of land. The
smallest of knowing smiles graced her face as she watched two young
girls, Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, play a short distance away. The girls'
laughter filled the air. Setsuna listened on intently, grateful for
such sounds of joy.
Extracting a thermos from a wicker basket, Setsuna poured herself a cup
of herbal tea. As she raised the cup to her lips, her eyes narrowed.
Sensing the presence of someone cautiously approaching from behind,
she placed her tea beside her. She pulled another cup from the basket
in preparation for her hesitant guest. Having filled the extra tea
cup, she waited a moment for the person to make their presence known.
Setsuna tilted her head up slightly, as if to take in the scents of the
world around her, she said, "Rei-chan, would you like some tea?" then
raised her left arm, her hand holding out the proffered cup.
A bit startled, Hino Rei responded in a tone that reflected little of
her apprehension, "Yes, Setsuna-san. Thank you."
Rei took the tea, and sat next to Setsuna. Taking small sips, she
looked on at Hotaru and Chibi-Usa as they picked flowers and played
with butterflies. Setsuna, having retrieved her tea, cradled her cup
in her hands, her hands resting on her thighs. "Spring and youth are
intertwined beautifully," Setsuna said, "both have a way of refreshing
the souls they touch."
Looking at Setsuna from the corners of her eyes, Rei replied,
"Setsuna-san, you are very mysterious."
Setsuna once again brought the cup to her lips, drinking the last of
her tea. The air was pregnant with silence, however brief it may have
been. As the cup left her lips, what seemed like an eternity's passing
for Rei, finally, Setsuna spoke. "The same could be said of you,
Rei-chan."
"Why do you say that, Setsuna-san?" Rei responded.
"You distance yourself from everyone, do you not?" Setsuna replied.
"No," Rei stated flatly, "Not everyone." she continued in her mind.
As if sensing the rest of Rei's unsaid sentence, Setsuna smirked.
Choosing not to push the subject, she opened the wicker basket and set
her empty cup inside. Stealing a glance at Rei as she resettled
herself, she noticed Rei was staring down at the cup she held as
though it had wronged her profoundly.
Rei looked up at Setsuna with determination in her eyes. She spoke
coolly to her, "Setsuna-san, Pluto, when you were first reborn was it
like Hotaru-chan? Were you a baby?" Rei did not wait for a reply, but
instead spoke on, "A few months after your death, you came back into
our lives. None of us questioned a thing, afterall, we had been given
a second life in our current forms, too. Seeing Hotaru, though, I
wonder of the circumstances around your rebirth." Rei paused
momentarily, "I find it difficult to trust you, Setsuna-san. I respect
you, even admire you. I know you would gladly give your life to
protect our princess..." her sentence trailed off. Rei, realising her
distrust was unjust, cast her gaze back down to her cup.
Setsuna hesitated before speaking, a thoughtful expression upon her
face.
"Rei-chan," replied Setsuna in a tone that sounded almost consoling, "I
am more than a senshi, you are correct. My duty expands beyond
protecting the princess. I understand your trepidation, but it is not
needed. While it is not my sole responsibility to protect your
princess... I will still do so with my life. Just as I have in the
past."
Rei looked up at Setsuna, regret shading her features, "I trust your
sincerity." Setsuna only smiled softly in response.
Rei emptied her cup of tea, then handed it back to Setsuna. She stood
up, "Thank you for the tea, Setsuna-san," she said, "and the talk."
Setsuna placed the cup into the wicker basket. She brought her eyes up
to Rei, Rei's features glowed with relief. Her long raven hair swept
across the back of her thighs in the wind.
"You're welcome, Rei-chan."
As Rei took a step in the direction of the still playing Hotaru and
Chibi-Usa, she smirked to herself. She had approached Setsuna to learn
more about her, and though she felt more confident with the woman, she
still knew nothing at all.
Rei turned her head back over her shoulder, her features in a playful
smile. She spoke in a tone of relaxed jest, "Your mystery is intact."
Rei then walked away, taking confident strides more befitting of her
character, revealing nothing of the unsure, soft footed way she had
arrived.
Setsuna let out a single repressed, almost noiseless chuckle as she
watched the young but astute girl saunter away. She spoke softly to
herself, her voice tainted with an unnameable emotion, "Yes, it is."
--------------------
A pair of eyes that had eagerly observed the exchange between Setsuna
and Rei, followed Rei as she walked toward Hotaru and Chibi-Usa. The
eyes then turned back to the older woman, who continued to watch the
two children and their newly arrived visitor. Setsuna's expression
was... "pensive?" Thought the owner of the intruding gaze. "I
wonder what they discussed." the intruder thought on.
The girl who so carefully watched Rei and Setsuna finally was drawn
back into her surroundings. She sat at a picnic table, not far from
where Setsuna had situated herself in order to watch the children. At
the table were six dear and familiar faces, all engaged in separate
conversations. Across, to the far left was Michiru; a gorgeous,
talented young woman she greatly admired. Next to her, Haruka; a young
woman she... hmm, she... well, she wasn't going to get into that. Next
to Haruka, was Mamoru; an ever present source of guidance, and next to
Mamoru, one of her sweetest and closest friends, Usagi. To the far
left on her side of the table was Makoto; the strong, caring
protector. Next to her was the shy, logical, girl genius Ami.
"Maybe Ami can help figure it out!" Minako thought excitedly.
Minako leaned toward Ami, who was engaged in a discussion with Michiru
and Makoto. She tapped Ami on the shoulder. Ami turned her head and
her attention to Minako and said "Yes, Minako-chan?"
Minako, speaking in a low voice, replied "Did you see that?"
Ami looked perplexed, "See what?"
Minako continued speaking in low tones, "Rei-chan was speaking to
Setsuna-san!" She said as though she had made a bizarre discovery.
Ami's perplexed expression seemed to worsen, "Is that a problem
Minako-chan?"
Minako became exasperated by Ami's inability to fully comprehend the
situation, "Yes!" she said, "Well, no," she amended, then continued
on, "It's just very weird, Ami-chan! Don't you think? Rei-chan never
seems so willing to speak to any of us intimately."
Ami responded to Minako in a tone a teacher would use to correct a
unknowingly wrong student, "Rei-chan sees us every day. Nearly
everything that she experiences, we do as well. What need would she
have to speak intimately?"
Minako released an aggravated sigh just as Usagi leaned in towards
them. Apparently Usagi had caught some of Minako's and Ami's
conversation and was now thoroughly intrigued.
A surprised looking Usagi whispered, "Rei-chan is intimate with
someone??"
Ami and Minako, both unaware Usagi had been eavesdropping, looked
forward at the blonde, odango haired girl with dumbfounded
expressions.
"What? Oh no! She's not... uh, _intimate_ with someone," Minako
paused, tilted her head to the side and looked up at nothing in
particular, she spoke in a more suggestive tone "at least... not that
I know of." Her gaze fell back on Usagi as she went on "No no. I was
just telling Ami-chan how weird it was that Rei-chan was speaking to
Setsuna-san privately."
Usagi nodded with a look of vague comprehension. "Ooh!" Usagi said, the
vague comprehension that clouded her face, filtered into her voice.
However, that understanding did not last long, as again she looked
confused. "What was she confiding in Setsuna-san?"
Minako's eyes twinkled. She leaned towards Usagi, with utter delight
painted on her face. In a conspiratorial tone she said, "That's what
_I_ would like to know, Usagi-chan!"
Ami watched on as Minako and Usagi schemed, plotted, and over
dramatized the entire situation. Mildly exasperated, Ami let out a
resigned sigh. Speaking to herself, Ami said, "This is the exact
reason Rei-chan remains so withdrawn. Nothing is sacred between the
four of us, especially not privacy."
Ami turned her attention back to Makoto and Michiru, who were still
talking. Minako caught a glimpse of Ami as she looked up fondly at
Makoto. Minako smiled to herself, and continued to nod in agreement as
Usagi spoke.
--------------------
The moon's gentle light peered in through the bedroom window. A
restless Minako stared at the ceiling. Her body was tired from the
day's lively events at the park, but her mind wouldn't shut off. The
blonde wiggled her toes into a small lump of warm softness that rested
at her feet. "Artemis?" Minako called in a low, mild voice.
Raising his head, the groggy cat replied, "Yes, Mina-chan?"
"Do you think Rei-chan trusts us?" Minako queried.
"With her life." the exhausted cat replied assuredly.
"I don't mean as senshi. I mean, Rei-chan is very," Minako paused a
moment, searching for the right word, "mysterious."
"She can be, I guess." Artemis responded.
"I wonder why?" the blonde said.
Artemis stretched his lithe feline body, "Rei-chan is a very private
person, Mina-chan. I don't think it is that she doesn't trust you
girls, she may just be too proud to reveal all of herself." the cat
stifled a yawn.
"But the 5 of us have been together for years now, Artemis!" Minako
restrained the exclamation, trying not to wake others in the house.
"To pursue her would only make her angry," the cat responded while
curling himself into a ball, resting his head on his paws, "She'll
come around when she's ready, Mina-chan."
"Do you really believe that?" the girl replied, her voice tainted with
a hint of hopefullness.
Artemis lifted his head, "Yes, I do. Now why don't you get some sleep?
You have school tomorrow," Artemis's tone turned into sharp jest, "and
you don't want to be any later than usual."
Minako stabbed the impudent cat with her big toe, knocking him to the
ground. "Goodnight, Artemis!" she said in a false, syrupy sweet voice.
The dazed cat sweat dropped at the girl's tone. "I guess I'm
sleeping on the floor" he thought to himself. "Good night,
Mina-chan." came his reply.
---------------------------
*Author's Notes*
Yep, so this is the first chapter. I haven't mapped out the second chap
just yet, but, as I said before, I have a vague idea of where I'm
going.
If anybody feels like being an editor, email me! I could use one. ^_^;
L0vecat@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading!
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