The Soldier's Ultimate Choice
Beyond Stars Ch. 1
(disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire them )

The scent of cherry blossoms filled the air as the soft breeze shook the branches. The tree appeared to be calling out to her, as if its branches were arms that were waiting to embrace her, to relieve her loneliness. She couldn't help think of what the other girl would say if she hugged a tree in the middle of the schoolyard. Still, she felt like the cherry tree was calling to her, as if warning her of something, and it wanted to protect her.
Rubi closed her eyes, trying to fight the strange feeling. She didn't want to be made fun of anymore. No more mocking when she talked to the plants and trees or sang along with the birds. She was in a new country now, and this was a new beginning. In America, she was Rubi Madison, a girl who talked to the ground rather than other people: a freak. Here in Japan, she would leave those habits behind and be normal.
Deciding to sit on a stone bench that was away from the beckoning tree, Rubi sighed, beginning to fidget with her school uniform. She didn't mind wearing it, except for the fact there was a bow on the blouse and the skirt was way too short. In America, she would wear only pants, and never wore a single bow in her hair; her aunts would try to get her to dress femininely, but she refused. Shrugging her shoulders, she tried to sit in a way that didn't show too much skin; that was impossible. Maybe the fact that there were no boys at the academy to peep under the skirts kept the fabric short. Oh well, Ruby thought.
She glanced over at the cherry tree, which still seemed to be calling out to her. Suddenly, the breeze shifted, and the branches seemed to reach for the entrance of the school. Approaching the gate of the school was a group of girls, one of them wearing the same uniform Ruby had. She had raven black hair that was worn freely, hanging down to almost her knees. Hair: that was the only thing "girly" Ruby liked. She herself had never cut her hair, and it hung down to almost her ankles. Ruby realized that she and the girl looked very similar to one another, except that Ruby appeared older than her.
Among the group of talkative teens was a blond girl. Ruby instantly didn't like her appearance. She was the complete opposite of Ruby. Her long hair was worn in pigtails, another thing that Ruby would never let her aunts do to her head. Her skirt was also short, although the uniform was for another school.
There was a big bow.
That stuck out the most on her uniform. Right there, between her breasts. How disgusting, Ruby sneered. It was way too girly and a total magnet for the male species. Ruby noticed that the other three girls were in the same uniform as the blonde. The other blond haired girl in the group had a giant orange bow in her hair. The tall brunette wore her hair in a high ponytail, and the last girl had a simple, short hair cut. Rudy thought her color was interesting: blue. Not regular blue, but that of a midnight sky.
Rubi suddenly felt a she knew them from somewhere, but she knew that wasn't possible. She had only been in Tokyo for a week, and she'd been in her apartment the entire time. Then why do they look familiar?

"Hey, Rei-chan? Who's that girl?"
Usagi pulled on the priestess's school shirt, trying to gain her attention. "She's been staring at us for a few minutes. Do you know her?"
Rei turned to look at a girl sitting on a bench. She studied her features: long flowing hair, raven colored with a tint of green, red-violet eyes, and long legs that revealed she was tall. Her tan skin and facial pictures appeared Japanese, but her height suggested she was not full Japanese. Rei thought her very pretty, but she shook her head. "No, she must be new. I've never seen her before."
"She could be an idol," Minako awed, gazing at her.
"Maybe she is," Makoto replied.
"Like the Three Lights?"
"I don't think so, Usagi," Ami answered. "I wondered why she's staring at us?"

As Rubi looked on at the group of girls, she realized they were returning her stare. Without a second thought, she stood up from the bench and entered the school, avoiding looking at the cherry tree. She couldn't believe she had acted so weird, staring at them as if their heads had rolled off of their necks. Still, she couldn't help feel that she knew them. During her first class, she had said few words when the teacher introduced her. She noticed that the raven-haired girl was not in her class, and decided that she must be younger than her.
Through out the day, Rubi seemed to just glide along with time, not really focusing on anything. She approached her car, searching for her keys in her purse. She had to have her keys since the car alarm was on. Rubi prized her car, even though her aunts had given it to her. What teenager wouldn't love having a brand new Corvette? She admired the metallic blue paint of the vehicle, much like the color of the shorthaired girl in that group. The downside was that the driver's side was on the left, so Rubi felt she drove on the wrong side of the road at times.
Just as she pulled out her keys and disengaged the alarm, she heard someone speaking in Japanese behind her.
"Yooshi!"
Rubi turned her head to find the raven-haired girl admiring her car.
"It's American, isn't it?"
Rubi nodded her head. "My aunts gave it to me before I left America."
The girl seemed shocked. "You're American? I thought for sure you would be Japanese."
"Half and half," Rubi replied without any emotion. This was the longest conversation she had ever held with another human and she started feeling nervous. "I'm on my way to the library. Which way is it?"
"Oh, I can take you there, if you don't mind. It's not to far from the temple, so I could walk the rest of the way."
Rubi looked at her car and then the girl. Her aunts had told her not to let strangers ride in her car. "What's your name?"
"Hino Rei," the girl replied, slightly bowing.
"I'm Madison Rubi. Now we're not strangers."
Rei looked puzzled. "Excuse me?"
Rubi shook her head. "Nothing. Get in."
Rubi wouldn't have minded if the ride was a quiet one. She would've been able to handle that. But Rei made it otherwise.
"So why did you come to Tokyo? Where did you live in America?"
"Boston."
"Oh, that's where Mamoru-san is. He's Usagi's boyfriend. He's a student at the university. He wants to be a doctor. Usagi is the girl with pigtails that was with me this morning. So why did you move to Japan?"
Rubi thought for a moment. Should she tell her the real reason? She wasn't sure if she could share her secrets with someone she hardly knew. "Personal reasons. Mainly to get away from my aunts."
"They drove you that crazy, huh?"
"Yeah," Rubi smiled.
"I live with my grandfather. He runs the temple on Cherry Hill. My mother died when I was very young, and my father is an egotistical politician who doesn't give a shit about me."
Rubi was amazed. Here was this girl who started out cheerful but changed like a flipping coin. "Your mother died?"
"Yeah. My grandfather says I look more like her every day. I'm so grateful to my grandfather. He's really the only family I have left. Except for Usagi and the others. I don't know what I'd do without them."
"My aunts are my only living relatives, and I despise them."
Rei was saddened by Rubi's hateful tone. "Why?"
"They won't tell me anything about my parents. Absolutely nothing. I have no idea what they looked like, what they enjoyed, when they were married, or my own mother's name. The only thing I have is my father's name and that they died in Tokyo."
"So that's why you came to Japan?'
"Yeah."
Her reply was a sigh of realization, that her chances of finding the truth were very slim. Her family past was floating around somewhere, and she would most likely never find it.
"Don't worry," Rei said suddenly. "You'll find your answers."
The next few moments were ridden in silence. Rubi thought about how open she had just been, especially to a stranger. But she felt she could confide in this girl, like she could talk to the animals and trees. She laughed inside at the thought of what this girl would say if she started talking to that cherry tree at school.
"Oh, pull over here. This is my temple. The library's just down the street."
Pulling her car over to the curb, Rubi stopped at the base of a long staircase. "You climb up those everyday?"
"Yeah, it's great exercise." Rei laughed. "Usagi complains about them a lot, but somehow she still manages to make it up to my room to raid my manga." Gathering her stuff, she opened the door and turned to Rubi. "Thank you for the ride." Just as she started to step out, she put her foot back in. "Would you like to have some tea and talk some more? The library will be open for awhile, and I'd like to talk to you some more."
Rubi's eyes widened at an invitation to someone's house. Back in Boston, no one had wanted to invite the 'strange girl' over to play dolls or tag. "S-sure!" Turning the ignition off, Rubi carefully stepped out of the car, making sure traffic was clear.
The climb up to the temple was a beautiful view, cherry trees growing everywhere, shading the stairs. Rubi breathed deep, taking in the peaceful scent. The breeze that blew through the branches shook the leaves, and they sounded like they were welcoming Rubi.
"You're a good person, Madison-san."
Rubi turned to her. "How can you tell?"
"The trees feel happy to see you. And so do Phobos and Deimos." As Rei spoke their names, two black birds flew down to perch on her shoulders. "Hello, my friends." Rei reached up to brush their feathers, ever so affectionately.
Rubi was taken aback. "You-you talk to animals?"
Rei, not appearing ashamed at all, nodded her head. "Can't you? That's what the my birds say."
Rubi opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find any words.
"They say you have a gift, that the trees are reacting to you." Rei, seeing the shock on Rubi's face, touched her arm. "I am not making fun of you. I know what it's like to be mocked. But don't you see, we are the same. I think we will be good friends."
Rubi smiled at the kind words. "Friends. I'd like that."

"Orroz! Come to me!"
A tall, skinny figure approached the seductive voice of his master, presenting himself humbly before her. He kneeled down on his knee, lowering his head in honor. "Yes, milady?"
A woman, hidden by shadows, stood with her back to him. Her figure was concealed by her wavy, red hair that cascaded down her back. Her hand reached out from the shadows, and a white glove covered it, with yellow bands wrapped around the top of the long glove. Her hand enclosed around a small bottle, filled with a clear liquid.
"I have a mission for you, my pet."
Orroz stood up, his head still bowed low. "What is it you wish, my lady?"
She approached him, her figure still shadowed. "For years, I have been observing the Sailor senshi that reside on Earth. I have known their true identities, but I have not been able to find a way to strip them of their powers." She revealed the flask, holding it out to him. "Until now. Take this to the Cherry Hill Temple. You will know what to do, my clever deceiver."
Orroz took the bottle, kissing the tips of her fingers. "It is done."

"Usagi..."
Rei and Rubi had entered the priestess's room, only to find her friends sitting around her table. Ami and Makoto were working on a math problem, while Usagi and Minako were giggling over a Sailor V comic book.
"We've been waiting here for you. Yuichiro let us in your room," Usagi replied, not acknowledging her friend's irritated tone. "He's bringing us hot tea."
As Usagi finished her sentence, a man with shaggy brown hair and wearing a temple garment entered the room, kneeling down. His eyes were hidden behind his long hair, reminding Rubi of the rock'n'roll singers in America.
"Your tea, ladies," he said, smiling at them. Sliding backwards out of the room, he slid the door closed, and his shadow disappeared down the hallway.
Rei, dropping her school bag on her bed, knelt down and picked up the tray. "Make yourself comfortable, Madison-san. All my friends are welcome here."
"You said you didn't know her," Minako said, looking up from the comic book. "Remember, this morning we saw her and you didn't know who she was."
Rubi blushed, remembering them watching her watching them. She sat down by the window, glancing down at Ami and Makoto's papers. "Oh, you missed a negative here," she said, pointing at Ami's paper.
The room was suddenly quiet, everyone looking at Ami. Ami looked at her paper, and her cheeks turned red. "Well, I did, didn't I?" She quickly marked her paper, fixing the equation. "I was wondering why Makoto-chan and I weren't getting the right answer."
"Wow..." Usagi stammered, gazing in awe at Rubi. "You must be really smart if you fixed Ami-chan's paper."
Rei, sensing that Rubi was feeling uneasy at embarrassing Ami, offered her a cup of tea. "No, thank you," Rubi replied. "I'm not a big tea drinker."
"I suppose you drank more coffee than tea in America," Rei replied.
"You're from America? Which state?" Makoto asked.
"Boston, Massachusetts. That's where my aunts live."
"Boston! That's where Mamo-chan is!" Usagi squealed, sipping her tea. "Do you know Chiba Mamoru?" Rubi shook her head.
"Madison-san, this is Tsukino Usagi, the airhead in our group." Before Usagi could remark, Rei continued. "This is Aino Minako, and she loves to play volleyball."
"Hello!" Minako said, waving playfully as she drank her tea.
"I'm Kino Makoto. If you ever want to have someone cook for you, I'll be glad to." Smiling at her, she finished her cup.
"I'm Mizuno Ami, the genius of our little group. That's why Usagi- chan was so amazed that you found a mistake on my paper."
Rubi blushed. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. My name's Madison Rubi."
"Ooh, you have a pretty name," Usagi said, putting her teacup back on her tray. "Did you just move here from Boston?"
"Her mother is from Japan," Rei said, placing her empty cup on the tray as well. "Madison-san is a third year at my school."
"You're eighteen? You're so pretty!" Minako scooted over to Rubi, playing with her hair. "You could be a model. That's what I'm going to be when I graduate."
"I thought you were going to be a singer?"
"I can do both."
"Sorry to interrupt the chit-chat."
The girls all turned to see Yuichiro standing in the doorway to Rei's room. Rubi had never seen his face before, but she was sure his eyes were not supposed to be glowing red.
"Y-yuichiro! What are you doing?" Rei stood up, her hands on her hips. "What's wrong with you? Grandfather would be infuriated if he learned you were being so rude."
"Wouldn't he be more upset to find out that you've been keeping secrets from him?"
Rei's eyes widened, shocked at what he said. "What do you mean? What secrets?"
"You know what I mean, you fiery warrior." His eyes gleamed with evil, and suddenly he changed form. Instead of the shaggy temple man, a taller, skinnier man stood in his place. His red hair was short, running all the way down his back to a long tail.
Rubi was taken aback at the fact that he had a tail. Surprisingly, the other girls were not too shocked. They were all standing now, and it seemed they were blocking the man from seeing Rubi. They looked at each other, confusion on their faces, and Rubi caught them glancing back at each other. Something was going on, and Rubi wasn't sure she wanted to know what.
"Now I shall test if my lady was correct," the fox-man said, raising his hands together in front of him. A shining light began to emit from them, and suddenly the girls were forced across the room and out the window.
Rubi, landing on the ground, hit her head on a nearby tree and lost consciousness. The girls, finding the coast was now clear, pulled out their wands and lifted them in the air.
"Mercury Crystal Power, Make-up!"
"Mars Crystal Power, Make-up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-up!"
"Venus Crystal Power, Make-up!"
"Moon Eternal, Make-up!"
The girls all looked at each other, horrified at what they saw.
"We can't transform!" Usagi cried, dropping to her knees in tears.
"We have to try again, before that fox comes back." Rei attempted once more, but failed. The others tried as well, but nothing happened.
"Maybe our powers were exhausted after the fight with Galaxia," Ami frantically suggested.
"Afraid not." The fox man was now standing in the broken window. "I put a potion in your tea that stripped you of your powers. You can never transform again, not even to your simplest form." He broke out into a hysterical laugh as the girls looked at each other in horror.
Suddenly, a voice spoke into their minds, one that was calm and soothing. "Do not fear, my companions. I am here to help you. Have faith and I will lend you a new power."
"Is that Pegasus?" Usagi asked Rei, who was standing close by.
Rei shook her head. "It's female. She's close by. I can sense her presence."
"Good or bad?"
"I don't know, Ami. I don't know."
The girls continued to stand there as the fox continued laughing. Minako raised an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what was so funny. "This guy is getting on my nerves."
"Please," the voice continued. "Open your minds. Feel what is in your heart. What it is you love."
"Rei?"
Rei turned her head to find her grandfather appearing around the corner, only a few steps away from the intruder. Rei's eyes widened in fear, and the man sensed that she was frightened for her grandfather.
He grabbed her grandfather's neck, totally surprising the old man. "How does it feel to watch your loved ones die without being able to help them? Ha ha!"
"No!"
"Open your heart to me, and I will give you a new power, one that can save that which you love!"
Rei, finding no other way to save her beloved grandfather, closed her eyes. "Please, help me!"
Suddenly, a warm feeling overwhelmed her entire body, wrapping her in what she could only define as ultimate love. As this new power flowed through her veins, words appeared in her head that she found herself speaking aloud. Lifting her hand in the air, still clutching her transformation wand, she spoke: "Mars Love Eternal, Make-up!"
In an instant, her rod changed, revealing a red crystal in the shape of a heart with the Mars symbol imbedded deep inside the stone. As the others watched, red hearts flowed from the crystal, wrapping Rei in a sphere of fiery light. The circle burst, and Sailor Mars appeared. Her outfit had changed, resembling Eternal Sailor Moon. Her skirt was two layered now, and her entire outfit was different shades of red, except for the purple bow in front with a deep red heart pendent in the center. Instead of a tiara, her symbol was ablaze on her forehead.
The fox man dropped her grandfather, and he became engulfed in anger. "This can't be! You can't transform!" His face reddened, and he snarled at her, revealing long fangs. He raced towards Sailor Mars, looking to kill.
"Search your heart, and it will help you," the voice called into Mars's head.
As Mars did so, she could feel a fire burning in her hands. Putting them to her chest, she could feel her heart beating, and she found the words for an attack. "Burning Passion!" She stretched out her arms at the oncoming attacker, and a stream of fire shot forth from her hands. The fox was scorched, and in a matter of seconds, he was no more.

A small girl approached the back of the room, kneeling down in front of the shadowed woman. "My mistress, the mixture has failed. Sailor Mars was able to transform, and she defeated Orroz."
"The potion did not fail. The others are still incapable of transforming. But someone is helping them again. Who?"
The girl looked up, revealing eyes of an emerald green. Her small face was charming, and her short, black hair was falling free around her face. "Let me find out, mistress. I am excellent at tracking. After all, I can catch the tiniest fly in the blink of an eye."
The woman nodded her head, touching the girl's hair. "Yes, Otag. This is a perfect mission for you." She motioned for Otag to stand up. "Be cautious, though. If Mars was able to transform, the others will soon follow. I have waited too long to be defeated by them again."
"Do not fear, my mistress. I will make you proud of me." In the blink of an eye, Otag was gone. The woman sat down in a nearby chair, resting her head on her hands. "I wonder if she is helping them..."

"Is she awake yet?"
"I don't know. She hit her head pretty hard."
"If she doesn't wake up soon, we should take her to my mother's hospital."
Rubi opened her eyes, finding the five girls hovering around her. They all sighed and smiled in relief.
"I'm so glad you're up, Madison-san. We were very worried about you."
Rubi sat up, regretting that she did so. Her head was spinning, and flashes of what she saw were reflecting in her mind: a man with red eyes and a tail, the shaggy guy fainting, and a woman in light reaching out to her. Wait a minute, she thought. When did that happen?
"I need to go home," Rubi said, trying to stand up.
"Will you be ok to drive?" Rei asked.
"You drive? That's so cool! She's like Mamo-chan and Haruka-san!"
Rubi nodded her head, despite the feeling of drunkenness she had. "I'll be alright. I've driven home with worse headaches. I don't live far from here."
Despite her comments, the girls followed her down the steps to her car. While Usagi, Minako, and Makoto were drooling over her vehicle, Rei and Ami pulled Rubi aside to talk.
"Rubi, don't be afraid to come over anytime," Rei said, smiling at her. "I know we're odd, but we do care about each other, and we'd like to be your friends. We know how important it is to have people who care about us." Rei kept on smiling. "I know we just met, but I feel you are my friend, and I care about you." She laughed lightly. "Actually, I suddenly have an overwhelming love for everything in my life."
Ami, who stood by quietly, smiled back at Rei. "A lot happened today, and maybe that's why, Rei-chan."
"I'm very confused about what happened. Who was that man?"
"A burglar," Rei said, rather quickly.
Rubi, thinking back to what she remembered and what that man had said, she didn't believe what Rei said. But the pain in her head was too great to argue, and she didn't want to fight with the first person who ever wanted to be her friend.
"I really am thankful for you, Rei. If we're going to be friends, please call me Rubi. I'm not used to being called by my last name." She held out her hand, which Rei accepted.
"I'll see you in school tomorrow, Rubi-san."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it for the first time in my life."