A/N: I was very happy with the reviews I got for the first chapter! I know some people don't necessarily like Usagi/Seiya, but I do want to let you know that it's my OTP for Sailor Moon, and therefore it won't be changing. However, the story won't strictly be about love/romance, there will be other aspects too, so I encourage you to stick with me if you can bear the U/S. Also, I update ever Friday, so you can keep an eye out. Enjoy the chapter.
Haruki = springtime tree
Riko = jasmine child
Umeko = plum blossom child
Sora = sky
The feel of small hands prying her lips apart pulled Usagi from her deep sleep. A soft, childish giggle escaped into the air as her mouth obligingly opened, and a small, round object was dropped in. Automatically, she bit down. A burst of sharp sweetness spurted across her tongue, snapping her out of her daze instantly. She opened her eyes and blinked up at a round, deep pink jewel and the mischievous blue eyes above it. Chibi-Chibi giggled again as Usagi sat up and turned to look at the little girl. In one hand, Chibi-Chibi held several tiny orange berries, and in the other, the Luna Pen.
"Where did you get that?" she asked in amazement, reaching for the Pen. Chibi-Chibi handed it over willingly and watched silently as Usagi examined it, running her fingers over the cool pink metal. "I haven't seen this in years."
"Chibi chii chibi!" Chibi-Chibi said, holding out another berry. Usagi took it, rolling it around in her fingers. It was surprisingly plump, and oozed a pale yellow juice when she squeezed it. The scent was pleasant and reminded her of lemons. Shrugging, she popped it into her mouth, this time prepared for the taste. Chibi-Chibi appeared to be pleased by her actions. She dumped the handful into Usagi's hand and turned, toddling off.
"Hey, get back here!" Usagi jumped up and staggered, caught off guard by how... different she felt. Her body felt lighter than it ever had before. Slowly, she looked around, realizing for the first time that she was no longer on Earth. The two of them had landed in a field of soft, pale green grass and beautiful olive blossom trees, and that was all she could see no matter which direction she looked in. Just for a moment, she forgot about Chibi-Chibi and closed her eyes to breathe in deeply. A smile curved her lips as the smell of olive blossoms, a fragrance she had come to associate with Kakyuu and the Starlights, flooded her nose. Part of her expected to hear Seiya's voice calling out her name at any second.
Instead, she heard the distant sound of Chibi-Chibi giggling, and opened her eyes to track down her impish charge. Her sharp eyes caught sight of a shock of dark pink hair ahead. She dropped the handful of berries on the ground and strode forward, realizing that walking wasn't all that difficult once she'd gotten the hang of it. Chibi-Chibi turned and beckoned to her with a loud sound of impatience, then disappeared into a bush covered with unfamiliar, enormous blue blossoms. Usagi hesitated, shrugged, and went after her.
Wriggling through a bush was easier said than done, particularly when you were a nineteen-year-old woman as opposed to a little child. When she was finally able to shove through, she swore softly as her jean skirt caught and tore on a thorn. She glared at the bush as she pulled away and looked around for Chibi-Chibi, spotting the girl kneeling beside another bush not too far ahead. Usagi ran to her, half-afraid that Chibi-Chibi was going to try to go into that one as well. But the girl appeared to be utterly fascinated by something.
"Chibi-Chibi," Usagi began as she reached her, but then stopped. Her eyes widened in shocked amazement at the sight of the palace that rose up before them and she sank to the ground beside Chibi-Chibi, realizing that somehow the two of them had ended up in the royal gardens of Kinmoku. "Oh... my god."
The Tankei Palace was surprisingly small, about the size of a large mansion back on Earth, and built out of a white material that looked something like marble. Construction was still going on towards the Northern end of it, where the remains of the war that had wrought the planet could still be seen. As she watched, a very familiar woman walked out onto the palace steps and looked around. She was flanked by three soldiers and several guards, who held their weapons at the ready for the slightest sign of trouble. Usagi covered her mouth to conceal her gasp as Princess Kakyuu and the Starlights walked down the steps and entered a carriage of some sort that was being drawn by animals Usagi didn't recognize. Chibi-Chibi looked up at her inquisitively as she placed one hand on her chest, over her wildly beating heart, and took a deep breath.
'It's them,' she thought, feeling a sharp pain. 'It's really them. Seiya... Oh my god, I've missed you so much. I didn't even know how much until I saw you!'
Once the princess and senshi had departed, the guards split up, half of them taking up stations outside the palace and the rest striding off into the grounds to patrol. A couple of them walked in the direction of Usagi and Chibi-Chibi. Usagi ducked down, pulling Chibi-Chibi with her, and watched as the guards took up residence not too far away from them, beneath a large tree that would give them shade from the sun but still provide an excellent vantage point. She studied them, noting that their expressions looked less than welcoming. What would happen if she just walked right up to them and claimed to be a friend of Princess Kakyuu's? As a stranger, she would probably be in a lot of trouble. No doubt the whole planet was on high alert after the disaster with Galaxia.
"Shit, I didn't think about this," she muttered, glancing at Chibi-Chibi. The little girl looked more royal than Usagi did in her white dress, considering that Usagi was dressed so casually in a jean skirt, a pink tank top, and a pair of white sandals. There was always the option of transforming into Princess Serenity and announcing her arrival in a more formal way, but she wasn't sure she wanted to do that, either. What if they still suspected her as an enemy? What if Seiya and the others didn't want to see her anymore? Maybe she could sneak into the palace?
A small hand tugged on her hair. "Chibi-Chibi... disguise..." Chibi-Chibi said, holding up the Luna Pen.
"A disguise?" Usagi echoed curiously, then blinked. "Hey, when did you take that back?"
She retrieved the pen from Chibi-Chibi and considered her options. All she really wanted was to see the Starlights up close and make sure that they were okay, right? Maybe just talk to them one more time. So was it really necessary to cause a lot of panic? Usagi gazed down at the Luna Pen, which sparkled in the light. Luna had constantly told her that the Pen was only for sailor business, but when had she ever listened to her friend in that respect before? It was the easiest way to see the Starlights, if she could get into the palace and wait for them there. Then she could hurry off and find a spot to teleport back to Earth.
"Alright. Chibi-Chibi, come here." She scooped up the little girl and balanced her on her hip. "Disguise Power! Make us look like we belong here on Kinmoku!" she cried, holding the Pen up.
A brilliant white light exploded out of the pen and surrounded the two of them. Usagi closed her eyes as her clothing was stripped away and replaced by something completely different. As the light died away, she glanced down at Chibi-Chibi, who was pretty much unrecognizable. Her dark pink hair was now black, and tied into pigtails that fell nearly to her waist instead of heart-shaped odango. Sky blue eyes blinked up at Usagi. The child was dressed in a simple, close-fitting pink dress patterned with red flowers, with a high neck and short sleeves. There were soft white slippers on her feet.
"Works for me," she said, looking down at her own body. She was dressed in a red, tunic-style top with long sleeves and black pants. There was white trim at her neck and the end of the sleeves to match the white slippers on her feet, though she noticed that her slippers were made from a different material than Chibi-Chibi's. Underneath the tunic top was a form fitting white tank top that also seemed to serve as a bra. "Come on, kiddo. Let's go look around."
"Chibi!" Chibi-Chibi agreed.
"And try not to talk. That would be a dead giveaway," Usagi cautioned, parting the bushes and stepping out into view. The guards noticed her immediately and stared at them for a moment, but the Luna Pen had done its job well, and she was able to walk by them without being asked questions. She followed the long white path past a small pond and up to the palace, where she climbed the stairs and went into a large hall. Instantly, she was surrounded by several men and women dressed similarly to her, though the color of the tunics ranged from red to blue to green to white.
"What are you doing?" Someone's hand landed on her shoulder. Usagi turned, startled, to see a woman standing beside her. She was tall, with long, pale pink hair gathered back in a low ponytail. Her outfit consisted of a solid red tunic with white pants. "Don't just stand there, girl. Get to work!"
"But I'm not..." she started.
"Umeko!" the woman shouted. "Get over here. I got someone for you to train."
Out of the crowd came a young woman who looked to be about the same age as Usagi. She, too, wore the red tunic and black pants, but the trim on her tunic was green, not white. Umeko brushed a few strands of violet hair out of her eyes and glanced at Usagi, then nodded at the woman, who released Usagi's arm and disappeared into the milling crowd, barking orders left and right. Usagi tightened her hold on Chibi-Chibi and wondered what she'd gotten herself into as Umeko spoke.
"You must be one of the new maids that they've hired," she said in a soft voice. "I haven't seen you around before. Thank goodness you've arrived; it's been so busy lately. I'm Umeko, one of the third level maids. Don't worry too much about Riko. She acts as nasty as possible whenever she can, so it's best if you just stay out of her way." She studied Usagi and Chibi-Chibi. "It's good that you already have your uniform. Come with me, and I'll get you settled. What's your name? Is that your daughter?"
"Yes, she is," Usagi lied. She hesitated to follow Umeko, but if she didn't, the other girl might get suspicious. Reluctantly, she fell into step behind Umeko as she answered the other question. "Her name is... um... Sora, and I'm Haruki."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. You're fortunate in that Princess Kakyuu doesn't mind if we have children in the palace, otherwise you wouldn't have been hired," Umeko said, leading the way to a staircase. "But ever since the Dark Days, I suppose she doesn't have much choice," she went on. "So many people died that it's been a terrible struggle."
Usagi felt a pang. Truth be told, she'd never given much thought to the state of the Starlight's planet and how much effort it would have taken to rebuild, but now she realized just how devastated it must have been. Feeling guilty, but knowing that Umeko had just offered her the perfect cover story, she said quietly, "Yes, we lost pretty much everything at that time. I've been trying to support us here and there, but... well, you know. It's been difficult."
"We've all had a rough time," Umeko said with a sympathetic smile. "Here, this is my room. I haven't got a roommate anymore, so since I'm training you, you can stay with me." She opened the doors to reveal a rather small room that had two beds, a little vanity with a mirror, and two doors. "This will be your closet. By the end of the day, I'll make sure that the rest of your outfits have been brought up. If you haven't got anything else for Sora, I'm sure that some of the other women can gather some clothing for her. You two can share a bed, right?"
"Of course," said Usagi absently, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She now sported long black hair that, like Umeko's hair, was tied into two low ponytails instead of one. Her eyes were a bright pink color. The similarity in hair color made her and Chibi-Chibi look even more alike, so it was no wonder that Umeko had mistaken them for mother and daughter. "What will my, er, duties be?"
"Very simple to begin with. You'll likely be my partner. Sometimes we help in the kitchen or serve at dinner, though that's rare. We also cover the third floor in the East Wing. No one really important is there, but it's got to be clean all the time in case someone important comes to stay." Umeko shook her head. "Not that they would."
"What do you mean?" Usagi asked.
"Everyone thinks Kinmoku is cursed," she said in a matter-of-fact way. "People think that about all of the planets that were torn apart. We were extremely lucky that enough people survived to be able to re-build the Tankei Kingdom, you know. There were practically no survivors at all from the Ginkei Kingdom."
"The Ginkei Kingdom?"
Umeko stared at her in surprise. "You don't know the Ginkei Kingdom?" she asked, sounding suspicious.
"I don't know much about Kinmoku," Usagi said apologetically. "I... um... suffered some amnesia from the attack."
"Oh, I see," said Umeko, though her eyes never lost that wary glint. "Come on, then. Let's get started. You can bring Sora along and mind her while we work. There used to be a service you could employ to watch her, but..."
"That's okay." Chibi-Chibi fell into step beside the two of them as they walked slowly down the hall in silence. Umeko said nothing and Usagi wasn't quite sure how to begin the conversation again, not when Umeko kept casting less than subtle glances at her. Why hadn't she ever asked Seiya for more information about Kinmoku?
Something caught her eye as they walked past a particularly large window, and she froze. Umeko frowned in confusion as Usagi doubled back to stare through the glass at the statue that had been put up amongst the flowering blossoms. Built in a traditional "I'll punish you" pose, an excellent replication of Eternal Sailor Moon, Tier and all, smiled down at the world. Nearly every detail was perfect, from the large, exquisitely designed angel wings, to the streamers of hair that had been crafted with such care that she half expected them to move in the wind. A small plaque that was too far away for her to read had been affixed to the bottom of the statue.
"What... is that?" she asked breathlessly.
"Oh... that statue?" Umeko moved up beside her. "That's the saviour of our planet. Her name is Sailor Moon, and she's a very kind, gentle person." She smiled softly. "Princess Kakyuu had that statue built as a sign of thanks for the fact that she was able to defeat Galaxia and save everyone. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here."
Usagi felt suspiciously faint as she stared down at the statue. Ever since she had discovered that she was Sailor Moon, and especially since she had found out about Crystal Tokyo, she had done her best to not be selfish when it came to the future, accepting that she would be Queen and that's just the way it was. She had given as much as she could, until she simply had nothing left for herself. Now, here she was on a planet that was only concerned with thanking her, with people that would ask no more and were already amazed with what she had offered. Taking a slow, deep breath, she failed to respond to Umeko's concerned questions. Her voice was gone after the massive realization that she had just had.
For once in her life, Usagi was going to be completely and totally selfish on behalf of herself and everyone she loved, destiny be absolutely damned.
They were not going home. She and Chibi-Chibi were staying on Kinmoku.
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