Interlude: Lost Sailor Princess Kakyuu paused as she got off the train, leading the little, bright red haired girl she had found with her. "Come along Chibi-chibi," the red-brown haired young woman said, keeping the smaller girl's hand in hers. She looked like many other young women on the street, dressed in a simple blouse and skirt combination. "Chibi?" the little girl asked as they made their way through the crowds, her fluffy pink dress making her look even cuter than usual. "Soon," Kakyuu said firmly. The city of Tokyo was a bustling metropolis, full to bursting with people rushing about their daily tasks. It was a bit overwhelming to Kakyuu, in all honesty, and worse the crush of frenzied life made her search all the harder. As she was walking up the steps from the train station Kakyuu winced in pain, reaching for her side. "Chibi chibi," the little girl commented seriously, looking up at Kakyuu with a tender expression on her face. Kakyuu wanted to protest, but she knew the little girl was right to remind her. Reluctantly she and the child temporarily abandoned their search, instead going to keep the weekly appointment Kakyuu had made. The hospital was thankfully not far away, and the nurses on staff nodded politely to the now semi-familiar figure. "Good morning," one of the nurse's called, "she's running a bit late, so you can just wait in the office." "Thank you," Kakyuu nodded with dignity. "Chibi!" the little girl waved cheerfully to the giggling nurses as they walked past towards the elevator. "Isn't she adorable?" one nurse sighed as the others nodded agreement. Another nurse nodded, her blonde hair bouncing. "And the lady too," she mused, "do you think they might have... that sort of relationship?" "No way," the first nurse laughed, but she blushed a bit too. The office on the upper floor was as neat as usual, probably reflecting on the doctor's personality. With a sigh Kakyuu settled on the couch, keeping a indulgent eye on the curious little girl as they waited. Dr. Nicole Mizuno bustled in a few moments later, the older woman looking apologetically at Kakyuu. "Sorry," she said as she pushed her glasses up, "I was dealing with a consult and lost track of time." "It's quite all right," a smiling Kakyuu said, "I should be thanking you for being willing to see me like this." Nicole lead the way into the examination room and ordered Kakyuu to disrobe. "So," she asked her as she busied herself reading the equipment, "have you decided to tell me what really happened to you?" "I can't..." Kakyuu sighed, taking off her shirt to reveal the bandages covering her side and on her arm and shoulder. Nicole chuckled softly, "You could at least make up a entertaining story." Kakyuu blushed at the teasing, still moderately surprised by the doctor's kindness towards her. She had arrived on this world battered and bloody from her battle with Galaxia, then finally collapsed from her injuries on a side street. She had awakened in Nicole's home, the doctor having treated her wounds, and surprisingly she hadn't asked any inconvenient questions. Once she found out Kakyuu was determined to keep her secrets Nicole respected that, even concealing her when Nicole's daughter came over. 'Ami...' Kakyuu thought, frowning as Nicole unwrapped her wounds. There was something unusual about the girl, even if she had only seen her from a distance, a aura of destiny. 'Is she connected to all this?' she silently mused. 'And what of this child?' she added, looking over to where Chibi Chibi played with a toy. Chibi Chibi was almost as much of a mystery to Kakyuu as the location of the lost Senshi. The little redheaded girl had literally descended out of the blue sky while Nicole and Kakyuu had been out for a walk, and seemed unable to speak except for variations of the word Chibi. Nicole could determine no medical cause for her unique condition, and all Kakyuu could determine was that the child possessed some unknown power... "All right, let's see...," Nicole murmured as she gently pressed along Kakyuu's side. "Oww," Kakyuu hissed as the doctor hit a tender spot. "Sorry," Nicole said gently as she continued the examination. She straightened up and looked Kakyuu in the eye, "You're healing up very well, actually." "I wish my ribs would agree with you," Kakyuu said ruefully as Nicole began to wrap them once more. "You broke several ribs and haven't been resting enough," Nicole chided her, "no wonder you have the occasional pain, Kakyuu." Kakyuu sighed, "You're right, but..." "Chibi chibi," the little girl said seriously, looking at Nicole with sad eyes. Nicole smiled wryly at the two of them, "I know, you can't stop now." She finished bandaging up Kakyuu's ribs then secured it with medical tape, "This should hold you, but be careful. No running or unusual stress, your ribs are mostly healed but you could break them again very easily at this stage." "I understand," Kakyuu nodded, meeting Nicole's gaze calmly. "But does that mean you'll actually take it easy?" Nicole asked pointedly as she added, "Let's look at those burns on your arm." "Yes ma'am," Kakyuu smiled slightly as Nicole began to unwrap the bandages there, too. The reddened skin still peeled in places and there were a few breaks in the skin where a clear fluid seeped out. "Not pretty," Nicole murmured, moving to grab a bottle of disinfecting cream, "but better than before." Kakyuu was glad she healed quickly, if Nicole had seen those wounds when she first recieved them, the woman might have fainted. As it was the blast scars were taking a long time to heal, at least relative to her own abilities. "You're very gentle," a faintly blushing Kakyuu noted as Nicole tenderly spread the ointment on her skin. "It comes from treating children," Nicole admitted, "a child is sensitive enough to pain without the doctor making it worse." Once the wounds were covered she carefully wrapped them again, using a lighter grade of bandage than what was holding her ribs in place. "Thank you," Kakyuu said as she gracefully pulled on her shirt. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 Nicole Mizuno sighed to herself as she turned away, feeling her heart race a bit faster. She felt like her life had been a roller coaster lately with the revelations about Ami, her daughter's beginning a relationship with a woman and now Kakyuu... She had found Kakyuu laying on a side street in what looked like a impact crater, yet somehow except for a few burns and her broken ribs the girl was physically fine. Nicole's first instinct had been to call for a ambulance but Kakyuu opened her eyes, gazing at her with painful need as she gasped, "Help me." With great care Nicole had picked Kakyuu up, the taller girl nearly making her fall several times, then brought her home to treat her. After tripping her strange, foreign clothes off Nicole treated her, washing her wounds and bandaging her ribs. The woman was incoherent for several days with a fever, and Nicole stayed by her side with ice and damp cloths. More than once Kakyuu plead with Nicole to hide her, and Nicole reluctantly agreed to try to soothe the disraught woman. She even hadn't told Ami about her, despite wanting to, for Nicole was fairly certain that whatever Kakyuu was involved in was related to Ami's life as Sailor Mercury. 'The clothes she was wearing,' Nicole mused as she checked through the samples various companies provided doctors, 'they almost resembed Mercury's sailor uniform. Is she a sailor soldier like Ami?' Buttoning up her shirt Kakyuu looked curiously at Nicole, "What are you looking for?" "These," Nicole passed Kakyuu a few paper packets, "they're a pain reliever. Not too powerful, but should help with the ribs." "Thank you," Kakyuu took the packets, smiling at the older woman in gratitude. Nicole felt a faint flush color her cheeks, once again faintly stunned by the unusual effect the other woman had on her. 'This is insane,' she thought, actually feeling a little weak at the knees. Clearing her throat she asked, "I still wish you'd let me call my daughter in. She might be able to help you." "How so?" Kakyuu asked innocently. Nicole opened her mouth to answer, then closed it feeling frustrated. She couldn't just tell Kakyuu about Ami being Sailor Mercury, it would violate her daughter's trust in her. Similarly she couldn't tell Ami about Kakyuu, she had given the young lady her word... "Ami's highly intelligent," Nicole improvised quickly, "she might be able to deduce where this mysterious soldier you're looking for is." Kakyuu rested her hand on Nicole's arm, "Thank you for offering, but I can't bring myself to endanger anyone else." "Chibi," the little girl noted cheerfully, twirling a stethoscope like a toy. "All right," Nicole conceded as she thought, 'maybe I can arrange some kind of casual meeting?' Gently taking the medical equipment away from Chibi chibi she looked up at Kakyuu as she asked, "Do you think you'll be back for dinner?" "Of course," Kakyuu blushed faintly as she added, "unless you've decided you're tired of taking care of us?" "Never," Nicole promised, feeling a blush on her cheeks too.
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