Chapter 2
The afternoon sun beamed into the small greenhouse filled with flowers of every colour. The boxed flower beds were bursting with life, beautiful blooms in every bunch. Makoto wiped sweat from her brow with the back of a gloved hand having just finished pruning a vibrant purple chrysanthemum. The sweat seemed to have escaped from the dirty white scarf she wore around her head, keeping her hair back and stopping sweat from getting in her eyes. Satisfied the small plant in front of her was looking sharp, she stood up and placed her hands on her hips. She wore a slim fitting heavily used apron atop a long yellow dress that was adorned with small birds, fluttering in every direction. Her little flower shop had become quite popular with people in the neighbourhood, and most came in to say hello each day while she ran the daily errands. Now that Serenity had abolished any kind of currency, Makoto was much busier trying to keep up with the demand people had for giving flowers to loved ones. Not that she minded at all, she was never in it for the money. The joy of knowing someone was going to surprise their loved one with flowers was more than enough of a reward for the work she had done.
She was about to fill the large green watering can when the bell to the front door chimed, announcing a visitor. Placing the container on the floor where she stood, quickly making her way to the front of her store. A young teenage boy was standing just inside the doorway, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. He looked confused as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair. He must be about fourteen Makoto thought to herself, removing the gloves she was wearing and tucking them into a pocket in the front of her apron. Although, I don't look much older.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked cheerily. The young boy opened his mouth, but couldn't form any words at first.
"Um..." He stammered, running his hand through his hair again. "See the thing is I want to get some flowers, for my girlfriend. But I don't know what kind of flowers she likes." He lowered his eyes towards the floor as he finished speaking; sounding ashamed that he didn't know what she preferred.
"Well you can never go wrong with roses." Makoto offered, gesturing to a large bouquet of red roses with yellow lilies and purple daisies for adornment. He looked to where she gestured and his eyes went from disappointed to hopeful.
"Yeah, those look nice." He agreed, coming closer to the stand that held the bouquets. He picked it up and lifted the flowers to his nose. "Smells nice too." He said smiling. Makoto couldn't help but let out a quick laugh at the boys behaviour.
"Do you want me to wrap them up for you?" Makoto asked, assuming he had found something he liked.
"No thanks, these are great the way they are. Thank you very much; I'm sure my girl will love them." Before Makoto could offer a reply, the door swung open, ringing the bell again. Looking towards the door she saw Maria, a young woman who managed the shop during afternoon and evening hours, looking flustered as always. Her dark hair was a mess, probably from rushing over to the store and she breathed heavily, relying in the door handle to keep her upright.
"I'm sorry I'm late again Makoto-" she began, but Makoto put her hand up, palm out towards the other woman, stopping her from explaining further.
"How many times have I told you Maria? I don't care if you're running late. It's not like I hate being here. When you are running late, just take you r time. Honestly, one of these days you'll end up hurting yourself trying to get here when it doesn't really matter what time you show up." She began to untie her apron as she spoke, folding it carefully and making her way behind the counter. She opened a drawer and placed the folded apron inside. "I was just about to do the watering rounds when this young man showed up." She gestured to the boy, still standing with the flowers in his hand. "So if you need anything else, Maria would be happy to assist you." Makoto walked out from behind the counter and crossed the small shop towards the rack that held the bouquets. She grabbed one that was similar to what the other boy had just decided on and made her way to the door, still being held open by Maria. "I'm off now, have a good night Maria." She said with a smile, pulling the sweaty scarf off her head nd throwing it on the counter just inside. Without a backwards glance to see the other woman's reaction, she walked out into the warm afternoon sun.
Leaning up against the shop wall was her bright green bicycle that she rode to work every day. She enjoyed the leisurely freedom it provided to that of cars, and like she said to Maria almost every day, there was no need to rush. The frame was built for a girl, the main support bar running low to keep a skirt from riding up too high. She was glad she had gotten a bike with this feature as she wore skirts almost every day now. The white walled tires gave her bike a nostalgic feel and was almost romantic to her. Because she enjoyed riding more than speed and efficiency, she opted for a fixed gear bicycle instead of one that shifted gears. The streamlined look of a fixed gear gave her only mode of transportation a timeless style that never got old in her eyes. All I need now is a bottle of champagne and some cheese. Maybe a trip to Paris...
Gently, she placed the flowers inside the basket that hung off the handle bars in the front. Stepping over the bar she found the pedal with her foot and pushed off down the sidewalk, enjoying the warm summer air rush through her hair. She already knew her destination and made her way through the crystal streets of the city. Tomorrow is the Festival of Light, so that means Sol is probably visiting his parents. The Festival of Light commemorated the cleansing that Sailor Moon had done eight years ago. The day before the festival, Sol would stand in front of their tombstones, not saying anything, just staring at the names written on the granite slabs.
The bicycles tires rode easily over the smooth surface of the crystal and she made good time, weaving and turning towards her destination. It wasn't long before she came to the gated entrance of the graveyard that was a resting place for Sol's parents. Throwing her leg over the cross bar, she dismounted the bike and leaned it against the brick wall that held up the iron bars of the arched gateway. She grabbed the bouquet before pushing the old heavy bars open and started walking down the cobblestone path that led deeper into the graveyard. Large oak trees on either side of the path created a shaded canopy and provided some respite from the heat of the sun. Tombstones were placed at even intervals along the path giving the green eyed woman an eerie feeling of unease. Makoto walked out from under the shaded area, squinting her eyes against the bright light. When her eyes adjusted to the change, she could see Sol standing, alone, in front a single large tombstone.
His long black trench coat swayed in the light breeze as did his unkempt hair. The sandy blonde locks had grown just past his lower jaw, and he was constantly brushing the light hair away from his face. She walked slowly towards him, contemplating what she would say. Normally she never came here, wanting to give him time alone, but today she felt different for some reason she couldn't explain. Approaching him quietly from behind, she gently placed the flowers at the foot of the tombstone. Standing back up to her full height, she locked eyes with the man she had fallen in love with. His hazel eyes were more blue than green today and he offered a small smile. Taking his left hand in her right as she stood beside him, she traced the long thin scars on his hand with her index finger. The scars were a constant reminder of what his father had become, a constant reminder of the deep loss he had suffered on that fateful day the Senshi had awoken the world from a thousand year slumber. She recalled the way he attacked what had been his father, the way he had disregarded his own life, set on only one thing. Revenge. Makoto doubted she had ever seen such rage in anyone before and just thinking of it brought a tear to her eye.
"My mom would have liked those." The tall Irish man offered after some time of silence. She took her eyes away from his hand and looked at his face. She could see he was holding back tears so she gently reached up and took his face in her hands, making him face her.
"You don't need to blame yourself for this Sol. You can forgive yourself." She pleaded with earnest. When he spoke, it was barely a whisper and she had to strain her ears to hear.
"But I couldn't save them. I should have been able to, but I was powerless."
"You're allowed to think of the people you save Sol." He broke away from her stare and seemed to contemplate what she had just told him. "If it weren't for you, Rei-chan would have died that day. And what about the countless others you helped protect when Serenity defeated Koji? I'm not saying you need to forget about your parents, but you are allowed to forgive yourself and remember those you helped." She felt his now muscular arms wrap around her torso and pull her closer. He buried his nose into the top of her hair, something he did often as a sign of affection.
"You're right. You're always right. How did I get so lucky to find such an amazing woman as you?" He finished, pulling back and smiling at her. "C'mon, we better hurry or we'll be late for afternoon drills." He released his arms from around her, and with a small amount effort she let him lead her away from the grave. "Did you ride your bike here?" He asked once they were close to the exit. Makoto nodded, thinking it was pretty obvious, she rode her bike everywhere. A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on his face as he rushed ahead of her, opening the gate quickly and locating her bicycle.
"You ride in the basket." Sol yelled back to her, already seating himself.
"I don't think so." Makoto protested with her hands on her hips. "That is my bike, you get in the basket."
"Alright, if you want to run all the way to the Palace, be my guest." He replied sarcastically as he started to pedal off slowly. "Or you can get in the basket and let me be your chariot of fire." He glanced back, his eyes full of playfulness. Makoto couldn't keep her amusement contained, letting herself smile as she hiked her skirt up and jogged to where he had stopped.
"Only this once, my prince in shining armour." She replied in a noble accent, playing along as she hopped up into the basket on the front of her handle bars.
"Alas, be still my beating heart." Sol began as he pushed off hard, throwing her back into his solid frame while he quickly picked up speed. Makoto couldn't help but laugh and reached behind her head to caress his face. "Come my valiant stead, we must get this princess to her destination post haste!" She laughed even harder at the terrible accent he was trying to imitate, but failed miserably at.
"It's a good thing you never got into stage acting." Makoto teased feeling a small amount of stubble on his normally smooth skin. I could get used to a five-o-clock shadow. The breeze flowed through Makoto's hair, and it was times like these that she truly loved life. Watching the buildings rush past, people going about their business, preparing for tomorrow's Festival of Light. It wasn't long before they were on the Palace grounds, riding through the once empty space now filled with mostly barracks for the many people who had enlisted to serve the new Queen. One building in particular was much bigger than the rest with only a single door leading inside. From the outside it looked like any other crystal structure on the compound, but as Sol and Makoto passed she caught a glimpse of the other Senshi waiting patiently for her arrival.
"Sol, drop me off at the Gym."
"Aye aye." He replied, turning sharply in the direction of the large building. She had to reach back and steady herself against his solid arms or else she risked tumbling out of the basket. He approached slowly, seeing the other women waiting by the door. "It's my fault she's late. I couldn't keep my hands off her." He joked coming to a stop.
"Oh shut up Sol" Makoto scoffed, hoping down out of the basket "Can you leave my bike by the entrance to the Palace?"
"Aye aye." He replied, saluting her stiffly before turning to ride off away from them.
"Honestly, he is such an ass sometimes." The brown haired girl said to her three friends, already transformed into their Senshi forms.
"Well, you are his superior here, and he recognizes that." Mercury defended. Makoto let herself transform as well, no longer needing to say an incantation as she could do it at will now. Her long yellow dress disappeared and was replaced with a short green skirt instead.
"Alright, let's do this." Venus exclaimed excitedly. They walked through the small entrance into what was known as the Gym. This building was different from all the others on the complex because it was where the Senshi trained. The walls were triple enforced, meaning they were three times as thick as any other crystal wall on the complex except for some rooms in the Palace. They trained together almost every day to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, learning more about each other's fighting style so when they day came that they needed to fight, they could work flawlessly as a team. Jupiter was the last to enter and she pulled the heavy door closed behind and almost immediately Venus attacked her. She dodged it easily, knowing her friend was holding back for their warm up. Today, I'll be the last one standing for sure! Jupiter thought to herself preparing a counter attack.
-/-*-\-
The men's locker room was bustling with people getting ready for afternoon drills. Sol was almost dressed when his locker door was slammed shut, startling him.
"Are you ready to sweat your balls off today bud?" A deep voice said in one of the strangest Japanese accents Sol had ever heard. Speaking Japanese was the only requirement to join The Queens Guard. The man who had slammed his locker shut was a full head taller than Sol. He had short blonde hair and grey blue eyes. Square jawed, with a permanent grin plastered on his face, most mistook him for a slacker. But in reality, he was probably the most talented Field Commander of the four. The only one who could match his skill was Veronika and today she was on leave with the Queen.
"How many times have I told you not to slam my locker door Brook?" He called himself Kid Brooklyn and never gave any other name. Whoever he was before coming to join the Crystal Kingdom was dead. Let those demons lie where they rest was the only response Sol had ever gotten when inquiring about his past.
"How many times have I told you about these guns?" Kid Brooklyn asked in return, flexing his arms as a grin spread wider across his face. Sol chortled lightly, opening his locker again to finish getting ready. Kid Brooklyn had quickly become Sol's friend after joining and was one of the first to pledge his allegiance to the Queen. With a hard work ethic and an incredible athletic talent, he had quickly worked his way through the ranks, becoming the first official Field Commander under Sailor Venus.
"Listen Brook, I don't have time to mess around today. You know how much Tokiyama likes to ride me and if I'm late again, he'll make me run double drills today."
"Pfft!" Kid Brooklyn spat "Tokiyama is a blow hard! Just challenge him already and become Field Commander of Rolling Thunder." Each Senshi had a battalion of soldiers they commanded, and each battalion had given themselves a nickname. Sol was under Jupiter's battalion, naturally. Sailor Mars' battalion was known as the Priesthood with Veronika as File Commander. Sailor Mercury's battalion was known as the Mercs with a man affectionately known as Oakley as Field Commander. Last but not least, Sailor Venus' battalion was known as the Cutie Raiders. Minako fiercely denied having any involvement with the name, but Sol had his suspicions. Almost all the other soldiers in her battalion were against the name until Kid Brooklyn himself challenged them all. If anyone could defeat him, they would pick another name. Most the soldiers knew they stood no chance against him so they had the three best fight Kid Brooklyn. He fought them all at the same time and none of the three could even land a blow. After that, Kid Brooklyn was regarded as the best until Veronika showed up. Now people were divided on who was better, Kid Brooklyn or Veronika.
"Ahem" a deep voice cleared his throat behind Kid Brooklyn. He stepped aside to reveal none other than Tokiyama himself. The man was short and stocky, all muscle and built like a truck. The only Field Commander of Japanese descent, he took great pride in being one rank under Sailor Jupiter. He was also the least liked of all Field Commanders. "Once again the slacker is seen fraternizing with petty soldiers. Honestly Kid Brooklyn when will you take your role of a leader seriously. Those under you need to have the utmost respect for your authority and when they see you constantly engaging with soldiers such as... Him, they begin to see you as nothing more than one of their own. Thus, you lose that respect." Kid Brooklyn had started fuming as soon as Tokiyama had said his name and was now only inches from the other man's face.
"You wanna talk about what it means to be a leader?" Kid Brooklyn growled at the shorter man. "That's rich coming from the guy who sees his subordinates as nothing more than pieces on a chess board and has no actual intention of leading the charge? Let me tell you something about what it means to be a leader! The person who commands the troops should exemplify everything they want to be. He should laugh loudest, and fight the hardest to spark a burning passion inside their hearts so those men and women will strive for something greater. The people under me are more than just numbers, they are my brothers and sisters and I would throw myself on a sword for anyone of them. That's respect. What you try and do is lead through fear." A small crowd had gathered to watch the exchange and almost every head in the room was nodding in agreement.
"Tch!" was the only response Tokiyama provided before turning his back and walking away. Kid Brooklyn reeled around quickly, facing Sol, his grin back on his face.
"Man I hate that guy." He groaned.
"You know, for someone who's always goofing off, you can say some thing's with pretty deep meaning." Sol admitted honestly. This wasn't the first time Kid Brooklyn had impressed him with one of his speeches. It was qualities like that that people followed him so easily. He waved his hand, brushing off the compliment like it was an everyday occurring.
"Honestly Sol, you should just kick his ass. I know you can beat that guy easily." Kid Brooklyn moaned again. There was only three ways a Field Commander could be relieved of that position. First was a battle decided through combat. Any cadet could challenge any Field Commander to a duel. If the cadet won, they were then put through trails designed by the Senshi to measure their battlefield ability. Cadets who challenged Field Commanders rarely made it this far. Second was if one of the Senshi deemed her own Field Commander was unfit to perform their duties anymore, and would be relieved if necessary. Lastly was through death.
"What makes you think i can beat him so easily? Tokiyama is one of the best here with a sword and he's unmatched in battle tactics."
"Don't play coy with me Sol" Kid Brooklyn pressed. "I've seen you spare with Jupiter. You two go at really early in the morning, before most people are up. All of the Field Commanders don't last five seconds against any of their respective Senshi. But I've seen it with my own eyes Sol. You and Jupiter were fighting for a solid ten minutes before she floored you. When are you going to break the chains that bind you and set the fire free man?" He finished by placing his fist over Sol's heart. Break my chains. When the Queens Guard was first being established, Sol told himself it would be unfair for him to use his full power to become a Field Commander. So during testing and drills, he had never once tapped into the gift the Silver Crystal had granted him eight years ago. He wanted to earn his place with his own power. But he quickly found out how powerless he was without the added effects of the Silver Crystal.
"I don't want that kind of responsibility" he lied. In truth, he deeply wanted to be a Field Commander. But it felt like cheating to attain it like that.
"You know, more than half of Rolling Thunder thinks you should be the Field Commander anyway." Kid Brooklyn continued to press.
"And what about the other half?" Sol asked absently, pulling a white t-shirt over his head.
"They spend all their time under Tokiyama's desk, hoping for a promotion." A large smile spread across Sol's freckled face as he shook his head. He opened his mouth to reply, but people all around them were rushing to get out of the locker room, talking in hushed whispers as they went. Sol exchanged a quick glance with Kid Brooklyn before they both joined in with the herd. Kid Brooklyn quickly found a soldier under his command and asked what was going on.
"It's Tokiyama, he's going ballistic on one of the new recruits." Sol and Kid Brooklyn exchanged glances again, this time worry was written all over each other's features. They couldn't rush out the doors and investigate what was happening due to the crowd of people all trying to get out, so they had no choice but to go with the flow for the time being. It wasn't long before they could see the large double doors that led outside, sun shining in from being propped open.
As soon as they were outside, both Kid Brooklyn and Sol began to push past other people, trying to see what was happening. They got separated almost instantly, but that didn't matter right now. Sol jostled his way through, squeezing against bodies and fighting his way to the front. At last, he could finally see Tokiyama, his face red and contorted with rage. Pushing past a few more people, Sol got a better view of what was happening. Tokiyama held a bamboo practice sword and was swinging it violently down at someone unseen to Sol. He could hear the other person whimpering and begging for him to stop, but he relentlessly brought the bamboo sword down again and again.
"Someone needs to stop him before he kills that guy." Sol heard one person say behind him.
"Yeah, but who? The other Field Commanders have no say in what the others use as discipline." Someone else responded. The thump from every blow he inflicted made Sol clench his fist harder and harder. The voice of the person pleading, begging for Tokiyama to stop fell on deaf ears. Do something! Sol had heard and seen enough.
He pushed his way to the front aggressively; storming into the circle the people around had created. Tokiyama had his back to Sol, and brought the practice sword up to deal another blow when Sol grabbed his wrist and locked his own arm. Tokiyama pulled roughly but Sol didn't let go, wouldn't let him budge an inch. Fire blazed in Tokiyama's eyes as he slowly glared over his shoulder to see who had stopped him.
"He's had enough." Sol growled at the short stocky man in front of him. He could feel himself glaring right back and in this moment, Sol wanted nothing more but to bring this man down, to put him on his back.
"You dare to place your hands on a superior?" Tokiyama growled right back. Sol opened his mouth to reply when a sudden and very loud boom echoed throughout the complex. Everyone turned to look at the Gym, where the explosion had originated from. Everyone but Sol and Tokiyama. They were still locked in a stare down, a burning desire to lash out at one another.
"C'mon" Sol heard a gruff sounding voice say. "One of the Senshi won already today, let's go!" The attention of the crowd gathered around shifted and everyone rushed past and hurried towards the only door to the Gym. Sol waited until everyone else had gone before he let go of Tokiyama's wrist. As soon as he let go, the other man lifted the bamboo sword over his head, and held it high, ready to strike. Sol didn't flinch or turn away, only stared into the other mans eyes with a burning passion he hadn't felt in a long time.
With an effort, he inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, Tokiyama had lowered the sword, only his rage filled stare remained. Very deliberately, Sol turned his back towards his commanding officer and walked away leaving the incident behind him. But the fire inside had been lit and it continued to smolder.
A/N: So there is going to be more original characters in this part of the story. I hope people are alright with that as I've read some people's comments on the forums about how they hate OC's. Also, sorry if this chapter is kind of dry as well. I hope you're enjoying where the story is going, because I am having a ton of fun writing it :D