Chapter
1
By:
Kohan
"Duo,
up." Rei said, holding her small arms up over her head and
jumping up and down.
"You and me," Duo said, "We are going to have to
work on our communication skills." He picked her up and put
her on his shoulders. Duo and Rei had been walking in the park,
when Rei's legs got tired, as most 3-year-olds do. "This
baby talk is gonna have to stop, babe. I know you've got it in
you to speak like a normal person."
"Yeah, but it just goes with my character, though doesn't
it?" Rei said, in perfect Japanese.
"Your right, but no one's gonna hear us now."
"I know. I feel like this 3-year-old gig has been
overplayed, though. I'm already wanting to get out of it."
They stopped at a bench, and Duo put Rei down. She swung her
legs, which didn't reach the ground, and looked at her little red
sandals.
"I can just see how fast your growing, though. I know you'll
be back to normal soon. Look, if I were smart enough, I could
figure it out for you."
"I can figure it out myself," Rei said,
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Lesse, it took me two weeks to age three years, so
3*6 is 20, so that's 6 weeks, and subtract about 4 days from
that, and I should be about 18."
"And you'll start aging normally when you turn 18?" Duo
asked.
"Yeah...Hotaru stopped, didn't she?"
"I guess. She was sure weird there for awhile there, though,
huh? Your not going to turn that way on me, are ya, babe?"
"No, I don't have all the weird stuff in my past that Hotaru
does, either. Usagi says it was worse before Heero came back, she
said she was a lot more aggressive."
"Enough, this is depressing me. What say we go get an ice
cream cone?" Duo said, standing up. "I know you want
one."
"This is nice, Duo." Rei said.
"Nani?"
"This. I don't want it to ever end."
***
"You
baka onna! How could the Gods of cursed me with someone like you
as a cooking partner!?"
"Calm down, Wufei, you know, I'm not making that big of a
mess. Besides, it's Rei-chan's job to push me around, just
because she's on vacation, doesn't mean that you have to start in
on me, too."
"Okay, okay." Wufei said, taking a deep breath.
"I'll clean up the spilled flour, you just try to keep
everything in their respective bowl, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah...hey where did Minako go?"
"She headed off with Makoto and Trowa about a half hour ago,
why?"
"I was just wondering, do I have to have a reason?"
"No." Wufei said, he was on his hands and knees with a
sponge cleaning up the flour that had ended up on the floor.
Usagi was busy shaking out her rag that she had just used to wipe
the counter off with.
"Hey! Baka! You just got flour on my head!"
"Oops, sorry...guess I didn't see ya there!" Usagi
said, and giggled. It felt so good to be home. She had moved into
Setsuna's room when she had gone back to guard the time gates,
and was now helping take care of Michiru and Haruka.
"Usaggggiiiii!!!!!" Speak of the devil.
"Haruka, stop screaming like a baby, I'm in the
kitchen!" Usagi called down the hall. A few moments later, a
four-year-old Haruka came into view with Michiru in tow.
"She," Haruka said, pointing to Michiru,
"stole my Sailoruranus doll!"
"You guys! Please act your age!" Usagi said,
"I mean the age you are inside. Haruka, you know Michiru is
just doing that to annoy you, why don't you go out back and see
what Quatre and Ami're doing? I'm sure he'll keep an eye on you
for us." Usagi said, and looked out the window to see Quatre
laying on a lawn chair in shorts, soaking up the last few rays of
sun that they would probably get for the year. Three-year-old Ami
was off in the grass examining a water bug that was hopping
across the surface of the bird bath.
"Okay, I'll go if you go, 'Ruka" Michiru said, and
handed Haruka her Sailoruranus doll. Then she skipped out, and
Haruka followed close behind.
"I think their appearances are starting to rub off on their
minds," Usagi said.
"You know, onna, I think that you're changing into a more
sensible person."
"Thanks Wu-chan!" Usagi said, beaming. The she dropped
a sack of flour on the floor "Um, so..." She said,
looking down at it. "I'll get the broom..."
***
"You
know guys, I'm really glad that your my friends, guys, 'cauz It's
really good to have pals like you guys." Makoto said,
swinging between Minako and Trowa's hands. Minako smiled a
little, and wondered if her friend would ever get her memories
back. Rei had gotten hers back when Sailormars came to her at
night, but Makoto had never seen Sailorjupiter. Minako wondered
if it wasn't for the better that she had lost her memories.
Minako looked over at Trowa, wondering what he was thinking, and
then back down at Makoto. Her brown hair was shining in the sun,
and it was pulled on top of her head in a ponytail. "Um, did
ya ever think that maybe perhaps we could get somefin' to eat,
guys? 'Cauz Mr. Tummy down here is getting a little hungry, and
he's just to scared to say anyfing out loud." Makoto said,
and just then her stomach gave a huge growl. "I guess he's
more confident then we thought!" She said.
"Sure, we could get something to eat," Minako said,
"Are you tired of Usagi's cooking yet, Trowa?"
"Actually, I don't mind the cooking, but if I have to drink
one more cup of Wufei's tea, I think I'll go crazy!" He
said. Wufei had been supplying everyone tea those past few weeks,
only Heero and Hotaru had had the mind to turn him down, saying
that they would have Japanese tea, thank you very much.
"I want some fries... and some ice cream would be good. Only
I don't want a cone, because those things tend to melt in my
hand, ya know." Makoto said, skipping along. Minako laughed.
"Okay, we can go in a restaurantt, I'm buying. Which
restaurant do you want, Mako-chan?"
"Um, I dunno, whichever one sells fries and ice cream
without the cone."
"How about this one? It sells fries and ice
cream." Minako said, pointing to a small restaurant sitting
on left-hand side of the street. Trowa nodded, and they walked
in, the quietness of the restaurant suddenly downing out the
loudness of the street. "Is that all you want, Mako-chan?
Ice cream and fries?"
"Yup, yup." Makoto said, and clapped her hands.
"I could order for you if you want, Trowa-kun." Minako
said, looking at Trowa. "What will you have?"
"I think I'll have the same as Makoto over here." He
said. Minako smiled a little and shook her head.
"You can go find a seat, I'll be over as soon as I place our
order." Trowa nodded again and took Makoto's hand and led
her down the isles.
"Oooh, I want to sit there...no...there..."
Minako could hear Makoto say as the pair walked away.
***
Hotaru
and Heero sat peacefully on the edge of a fountain, Hotaru in her
summer dress, and Heero in the regular.
"It's funny," Hotaru said, gazing at the sun.
"What is, Firefly?"
"This world. It's different then I remember it, the
people... they've changed."
"How?"
"They just seem different... I'm not able to put my finger
on it... maybe it will come to me later."
"Maybe."
"What do you think? Coming here from a different dimension
in the future..."
"It's fine as long as your here. I came here to find you,
remember."
"I wonder... Since Mammoru and Usagi... never-mind."
"What?"
"About 3 years ago, Usagi met her daughter from the future,
her and Mammoru's... and she fought with us. I'm just wondering
if she's still alive... there being no more 'Mammoru and
Usagi'."
"The future's always changing... she probably disappeared
the moment Mammoru thought up that stupid scheme to change
Usagi."
"Your probably right." Hotaru said and sighed. It was
okay, though. She knew that Usagi was better off without Mammoru
anyhow. "You think we should go back, see if Quatre needs
any help with Michiru, Haruka and Ami?"
"Hai, let's go pry Wufei off Usagi, he's probably strangling
her by now." Heero said, Hotaru giggled and got up.
***
"I
need a break," Usagi said, flopping down on the couch. Wufei
muttered something under his breath, it sounded like 'weak'.
Usagi ignored it, and grabbed the remote to the television. She
turned it on, and watched a newscaster speak for a few moments.
After deciding that he had nothing to say worth hearing, she
turned it off and sighed. The TV flicked back on.
"What the--?" Usagi muttered, but before she could
finish, the TV went off again. On again. Off again.
"Your going to break that thing, onna!" Wufei yelled
from the kitchen.
"It's not me...!" Usagi yelled. Suddenly, something
small and fuzzily fell into Usagi's lap. It was a lightish
pinkish (AN: Are they words?) color and bore the strange
appearance of a cat. Oh, it was a cat, it just had it's
tail to Usagi instead of it's face. Usagi gulped, oh no, not
again...
"Are you Tsukino Usagi?" Asked the cat. It stared up at
her with huge purple eyes, and Usagi noticed that it had a
eight-pointed star on it's head.
"Um...um..." Usagi stuttered out...she hadn't heard a
cat talk in weeks, not since Luna and Artemis...she had no idea
where those two had gotten off to.
"I see." Said the cat, and jumped down. Usagi hoped
this cat wasn't going to be one of the smart-alek types. "My
name is Keika. I'm assuming that you are Usagi Tsukino,
and this is where you live?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Where, then, are the other senshi? Mars, Venus, Jupiter,
Mercury? Where?"
"Rei's out with Duo...Minako and Makoto are with Trowa and
Ami's out back...who are you?...Why are you here?"
"And the others? Pluto, where is she...? I must speak to
her."
"Who do you think you are!? Falling in here, demanding I
answer your questions...you haven't given me one scrap of
information at all!" Usagi yelled, getting up hurriedly.
"I told you, my name is Keika, that's all you need to
know." Said the cat impatiently. "Now please sit
down... Princess."
***
"Quatre,
play a game with me," Ami said, standing in front of Quatre.
She had a pack of cards in her hand and was looking at him
expectantly.
"Sure, Ami-chan, what game?"
"Go Fish." She said, and handed Quatre the cards.
Quatre dealt them out, and they began to play, Michiru and Haruka
hovered behind both of them.
About thirty minutes later....
"Do
you have any five's?" Quatre said, getting quite bored with
the game by now.
"GO FISH!!" Ami yelled, her laughter filling the air.
Quatre drew, it was an ace. Great, he didn't NEED an ace.
"Do you have an ace?" Ami did. Quatre handed over the
card. Just then, Duo came out.
"Hey, Quatre!"
"Duo?"
"There's a talking cat in here!"
"What?" Said Quatre, getting up, Ami grabbed
his hand.
"Hey, we're not done with our game!" She said, Quatre
shook her off, a little annoyed.
"Not now, Ames," He said. Duo made a motion with his
hands, urging Quatre to hurry up, like maybe the cat would be
gone before he got there. Quatre followed Duo into the house, and
saw Usagi sitting on the couch, next to her was Michiru, and they
were both staring intently at the cat. The cat was about the
weirdest thing Quatre had ever seen. He had never seen a cat with
a star on it's forehead, or a PINK cat for that matter.
"Speak!" Yelled Duo, "C'mon! I wanna let Quatre
see you do it!" The cat gave Duo an annoyed look, and
continued what it had been saying to Usagi and Michiru before
Quatre came in.
"As I was saying, you have an unclean soul among you...it
may corrupt your pure light, Usagi." Quatre's mouth gaped
open.
"Who?"
"I'm not sure yet...but that's why I was sent here..."
"I see." Said Usagi, and she sat back. A few moments
later, Hotaru came in with two cups of tea, and placed one in
front of Usagi.
"It's late." She said, "Perhaps we should put Ami
and Makoto down for a nap when Trowa and Minako return."
Usagi stared at her, then nodded. "There's someone at the
door," Hotaru said, and then the doorbell rang. Usagi was
beginning to feel that maybe Hotaru was turning into Rei... She
however, got up and went to the door, turning around to give a
glare at Keika, who jumped from the table to hide underneath it.
Usagi opened the door.
"Yes?" She asked. A girl about her age with dark blond
hair tied out of her face in two braids was standing there...
"Is this the Ten'ou/Tsukino/Kaiou/Tomoe residence?" She
asked in an educated voice.
"Yes it is, how may I help you...?" Usagi asked,
looking doubtfully at her.
"I'm here to speak to Heero Yuy, my name is Relena
Peacecraft...is he in?"