Tremble

For the 30 Day Drabble Challenge on Tumblr - I am still incapable of only writing 100 words..hee?

Kakyuu watched quietly as Healer and Maker assisted others outside of the palace's remains, talking animatedly about plans to rebuild and what it should look like and how it should go. She felt exhausted just by watching them, knowing how daunting the task at hand was, and especially because she knew how long it was going to take. It was all worth it; they had stayed strong and defeated the evil that threatened to destroy everything...thanks to Sailormoon. Kakyuu didn't even know how to begin thanking her and her soldiers, even after all that time.

She was fine with experiencing exhaustion over despair, which is what she felt for quite some time. 'To see your home destroyed...' she remembered telling Sailormoon, and her body shivered at the memory. Witnessing the deaths of her friends and family, acquaintances, men, women, and children... Watching buildings collapse and watching flames consume trees and bushes and other plant life, it was all a nightmare that Kakyuu would never be able to forget.

This new Kinmoku would be better. It would be powerful, stronger, and it would be home. No, it wouldn't have the antiques and personal touches of her parents or family before her, but it would be personalized to her tastes, to the Starlights' tastes, and to the tastes of her people. They were all survivors, they all proved their strengths and bravery and they all deserved a say in how their new home would look - no matter how long it took to finish it.

"Princess?"

Kakyuu gasped in surprise, not expecting anyone to snap her out of her reverie. She turned around and found herself smiling as Fighter gradually made her way to her before going down on one knee in front of her out of respect.

"Am I interrupting?"

"No, no. Fighter, please..." she trailed off, taking the few steps to her before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come."

Nodding, Fighter got back up on her feet and followed Kakyuu before the red haired woman took a seat at the remaining steps that used to lead to the main lobby of the palace. Fighter regarded her briefly before taking a seat beside her, glancing around at their surroundings. The palace, the place they called home for so long, was in shambles. Pieces of stone and marble everywhere, burnt up fabric and torn rugs, black, splintered wood that she recognized from some of the bedrooms, all simply memories now.

"What is it, Fighter?"

Fighter smiled somewhat, shoulders shrugging almost timidly. "I had some ideas for when we rebuild. I talked some over with Healer and Maker but I wanted to hear your thoughts..."

Kakyuu's eyes lit up as Fighter trailed off, and she nodded a bit to give the black haired girl the okay to proceed.

"Well, I was thinking that we could do things a little bit differently this time around. When we were on Earth, we saw a lot of things from their culture. Not just where we were staying, but all over their planet. There are so many beautiful things out there, and I think it'd be nice to have a touch of that here. Our take of their style. They have different countries, each with their own language and style. Maybe we could incorporate a little of everything here...and of course, our own."

"That sounds beautiful already," Kakyuu replied. "Are there pictures? I've never seen..."

"I, uh, Maker said that once we have some computer systems up and operational again, she could look things up for us. And the soldiers of the solar system I'm sure could offer us some assistance."

"You have my blessing, Fighter. It will give us a new style, which is perfect for our new beginning. Fighter, I... I know your stay there was rough, and I am sorry you had to endure that for so long."

"No, no!" Fighter was quick to correct her, and without even thinking her hands moved atop Kakyuu's, holding them firmly in the princess's lap. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong. Never say that, Princess... You were trying to save us all, and you did."

Kakyuu's breath got caught in her throat. Her gaze fell from Fighter's down to her lap where the other girl's hands were covering her own. Her skin suddenly felt so warm, and she felt shivers run through her body. She could almost swear she heard her heart beating in her ears.

"You always think of everyone but yourself... That is why you left, and that is why you did everything that you did at the time to ensure the galaxy would be saved. It was, because of you. You taught us, you believed in us, you gave us strength... And you informed Sailormoon. You were right there beside us the whole time, giving us the strength to go on. Princess, I don't know how to tell you how grateful I am for you."

"Fighter..." Kakyuu's voice was soft, barely audible, and suddenly her heartbeat got even louder in her ears.

"I...I will never lose you again. We did, twice, and one so quickly after the other...my heart couldn't take it, and I won't let it happen. Not again. This new Kinmoku, I want it up to par with your standards and your liking. I want everything perfect for you. I want to personally see to it that everything is in order, that our defenses are high, and that we're even better than we used to be. That we're the best, because you deserve nothing but."

Kakyuu finally raised her head, licking her lips as she made eye contact with Fighter, unable to bring herself to respond to her. The determination in her voice was palpable, and it was even worse to see it in her eyes. Kakyuu felt like she was drowning in Fighter's emotion. She was shaking, mind racing, unsure what thought to stop at and focus on.

She had dreamed of this. Before she had a lover to call her own, she simply enjoyed being in Fighter's presence, enjoying her company and being near her. The girl's voice was flawless, her touch was calming, her laugh made tiny butterflies dance around deep in the pit of her stomach. They often took walks together, talking and gossiping, and always wound up holding hands at some point along the way. Kakyuu could remember how warm her hand felt, how right it felt regardless of how absolutely forbidden it was.

Despite that, however, Kakyuu couldn't keep from falling asleep with the memory of Fighter's piercing blue eyes fresh in her mind. Once she was seeing someone, those old habits were quick to die out, but those old feelings weren't as easy to get rid of. And when he was killed, Fighter was the one to wrap her arms around her, to keep her standing, and to keep her from falling apart. The gates were opened and years of hidden emotions were renewed with almost more intensity.

But a princess couldn't do that sort of thing with one of her guardians, no. That was utterly out of the question. Kakyuu's heart broke each time that realization popped back into her head.

"Princess?" Fighter's voice was quiet, hesitant, and it was weird to hear a hint of shyness in her usually confident voice.

Kakyuu once again refrained from responding. Instead, a soft laugh escaped her just as she began to lean forward, eyes closing as her lips came in contact with the corner of Fighter's mouth. She didn't have direct contact, but from what she could tell Fighter's lips were as soft as she had always imagined, maybe even more so. Kakyuu pulled one of her hands out from Fighter's hold to raise it up and bring it to rest on Fighter's cheek, her fingertips skating across her skin as if she were afraid to break her with a harder touch. Her fingers slipped down her face and brushed against her collarbone before making their way down her arm and finally stopped on top of Fighter's hand.

"You are wonderful, Fighter. Sweet, bold, charismatic, opinionated, charming, confident, and brave. I have not a single doubt in my mind that you possess all the qualities needed to ensure our reconstruction is a success. You absolutely have my blessing, my Starlight."

This time it was Fighter that couldn't speak. Her eyes were wide, lips parted, face a bright pink. Kakyuu wanted to memorize that face, that look, and always remember that it was her who made it happen. She gave the Starlight's hands a squeeze before letting them go and standing up, turning to head in the direction that Healer and Maker were in.

"I will let them know of our discussion. Also, I will inform them to refer to you with any questions they may have if the situation arises that I not be present. Thank you for your kind words...please make sure you stay well-rested."

Fighter's only response was a slow nod as she watched Kakyuu's retreating form head in the direction of her tow allies. Her head was spinning; she almost felt lightheaded. When she finally found the strength to move again, it was simply to bring her hand up, fingers touching the spot on her face where Kakyuu's lips met her skin.

'It's forbidden,' she reminded herself, and her hand quickly moved again to slap herself across the face to snap out of it. Perseverance renewed, she stood up and quickly followed her princess, wanting to talk to the group ahead about their new plans.

'It's forbidden, and your heart is everywhere, and you need to focus. Reset, focus, and relax. This is not the time for that anyway.'

But then again, when would it ever be?