ARROWS OF DESTINY
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON
Chapter 9: Jupiter – Part 1
Makoto honestly believed no one would have worse luck than she was having.
"Why is this happening to me?" She yelled as she ran as fast as she could from a swarm of brightly coloured insects.
Fortunately for her, she reached and hurled herself into a lake, finally shaking the bugs' relentless attack.
Makoto dragged herself onto the shore and tried to catch her breathe. Her dress was all wet and she was as hungry as hell.
She gathered a few logs and released a bit of her lightening to start a fire beside the lake. Afterward, she took her dress off and left it beside the flame to dry.
Makoto sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. Ever since she got on the planet, nothing good happened.
When she first laid her eyes on Jupiter, the planet was beautiful and full of life. Lush green forests and exotic plants covered as far as her eyes could take her. She inhaled deeply at the sweet and strange fragrances surrounding her. Truly, she was touched by this energetic place.
Unable to resist, she walked next to a giant yellow flower and examined it. The petals were small but many. Makoto smiled and gently touched the petals. Suddenly, a stream of dust exploded out of the flower and caused her to sneeze nonstop.
Makoto released the plant and jumped back, sneezing and busy covering her nose. Her eyes stung a little and her cheeks burned. She had never had such a violent allergic reaction before and the experience proved to be memorable.
Makoto thought it was a good idea to keep moving as she slowly recovered from the earlier accident. She was careful not to be tempted by touching another strange plant.
After walking around in a while, she got a little thirsty and looked around.
"Where can I get some water?" She said to herself.
Though the forest was rich with plants, Makoto was not a fool to just pick at random. Suddenly, she spotted something familiar.
"A cactus! In the middle of the forest?" She couldn't believe it. A cactus was just sitting there in the middle of a forest.
If memory served her right, weren't cactuses supposed to be found in the desert?
She approached the plant cautiously and looked at it from head to toe.
"It certainly look like the cactus I knew." Acting against her better judgment, she put her hand on the prickly skin of the plant.
Again, her curiosity proved to be her undoing. The entire cactus shook and Makoto backed away instantly.
A low buzzing noise could be heard coming from somewhere. Makoto glanced around but didn't see a thing. Suddenly, the pricks on the cactus came to life as what looked like bees swarmed out of the cactus and was flying straight at her.
"It's not a cactus at all!" Makoto ran as she yelled. Much to her poor luck, she picked a cactus hive to disturb.
After going through all of her misfortunes of the day, Makoto sighed again. She wondered if there were still inhabitants living on Jupiter. If only she knew more about this place before setting out on her trip.
But it was getting a bit late. She yawned and gradually drifted into sleep.
Next morning, she was awakened by the piercing sunlight. When she opened her eyes, 3 pairs of eyes stared back at her.
Makoto screamed in surprise and rolled away as quick as she could. She grabbed her dress and put her fists up.
"Who are all of you?" She demanded to the three strange women.
The three women in front of her all looked very different. The first was a small girl with brown hair. She had on a necklace of beads around her neck. The second was a young woman with dark hair with a touch of green tint. She has on a crown made entirely of freshly coloured leaves. Last was a voluptuous woman with hair like the sun fire. On her head, there were a chain of delicious fruits that looked so tasty, it almost made Makoto wanting to reach out to grab a taste.
As far as she could tell, they neither looked like sisters or relatives, each with her own characteristics. But at least she didn't sense any hostility from them.
"We ask who you be." The little girl answered.
"Me? I'm the princess of this place…or so I've been told." Makoto said defensively, hoping her identity would get her some help from these people.
"Perhaps, but we see with test." The voluptuous one said with a husky voice.
The dark haired woman gestured for her to follow them and started to walk away.
Makoto was somewhat relieved to know at least there were still some people on Jupiter. She quickened her step to catch up.
The three women were definitely strange to have as companies. The only one that talked was the little girl. She said her name was Euporie, the dark haired Hamalia and the attractive Ananke.
Euporie talked nonstop, while Ananke only smiled and Hamalia remained silent. She told her how they smelled the milk from a milk hive and came out to investigate.
"What's a milk hive?" Makoto asked.
"Don't know? A milk hive home to milk bees. Usually hard to find. Easiest way is wait for bees out plant and let smell of milk guide you. You must angered bees for us smell our way to you." She giggled.
Makoto forced a smile. At least she was right about it being juicy. Who knew it was so differently from the plant she knew on earth?
"By the way, where are you taking me anyways?"
"To village of course." Euporie said.
After about an hour's walk, they led her to a cliff. When Makoto looked down, she saw the village the girl was talking about just a while ago.
Perhaps 'village' was an understatement…
This village spanned out as far as she could see. Countless huts of different colours formed up in rolls and patches of crops spreading out.
"This…is your village?" Makoto asked with difficulty.
"Welcome to Jova, place of eternal greens." Hamalia announced quietly.
Makoto got a lot of strange glances while passing through the village. From what she gathered, most of the people inspected her with curiosity, not hostility. The people of this place wore brightly woven fabrics that displayed their long limbs freely. Most of the women wore decorations such as wheat or flowers in their hair. Most of them were quite tall, with women around her height and men easily towering over her. They were farmers and gatherers, with their farming accessories lying all over the place. All of their feet were either mud or grass stained.
"There are many people here." Makoto commented.
"Of course. Jupiter been lively, except after Great War. But slowly recovered nonetheless." Euporie giggled.
It was then Makoto noticed the three women with her did not dress as casual as the other villagers. They all wore the same colour of clothing that matched their hair. Instead of simple garbs, they wore a richly designed silk dress while still being bare feet.
They led her into a giant hut and sat down cross legged in the middle of the room. Makoto shifted around uncomfortably. The three of them seemed to be communicating silently to each other.
Finally, they rested their eyes on her.
"You claim princess of Jupiter?" Hamalia said with a calm expression.
"I am." Makoto lifted her chin up proudly.
"Only test can tell. You pass and we accept." Ananke smiled.
Makoto frowned. "What kind of test? I'm not doing anything here until I get some answers."
"No answers now. Must pass test. Test you can't fail. A test of food." Euporie answered.
"Food?" Makoto repeated. It sounded almost too absurd for her to laugh. Though she considered herself a great chef, how was she supposed to win acceptance with a simple food test? Not to mention the delicacies here seemed to be entirely different than the ones she dealt with on earth.
"You're kidding right?" Makoto laughed nervously.
"No laughs, you test to show true princess." Hamalia said sternly.
Looked like there was no alternative. Makoto slouched down in defeat. "What do I have to do?"
"You taste five foods. Name food correct and pass. Remember, you okay to taste...but may find surprise." Ananke replied.
"So that's it?"
The three of them nodded.
Makoto took a deep breathe and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she grinned confidently. "Fine, I've never been defeated by food before and I'm certainly not going to start now. Let's do it!"
Hamalia nodded again and waved a hand to Euporie. The small girl got up and banged on a giant gong. The sound vibrated throughout the entire village.
In a matter of minutes, villagers came charging, only to halt at the doorway. They whispered softly among themselves, stealing secret glances her way.
Hamalia silenced the crowd with a hard stare and turned towards her. She held out a blindfold and handed it to Ananke. Ananke took it and wrapped it around Makoto's eyes.
Though she couldn't see a thing, Makoto felt herself being guided to a table. Euporie's voice came up. "First test, try then speak."
Makoto put her hand down and felt something wet and soft. She raised it to her nose and smelled it. The aroma was strangely familiar.
"Cheese." Makoto said confidently.
The crowd cheered while Hamalia spoke, "Correct, next."
The second item felt thin and tiny. But there was no hiding to the rich flavour.
"Basil." Again, Makoto said without hesitation.
The crowd exploded with joy so she knew she got it right.
"Third." Hamalia continued.
The third item was a bit harder than Makoto thought. It felt slimy and cold in her hand. She felt the texture and smelled it several times. The crowd held their breath while waiting for her answer.
She was sure this was meat; there was no doubt about it. But what kind of meat? She grasped it a few times. The smell wasn't as strong so it should be some kind of white meat. Plus it wasn't as heavy as she thought…After weighing it and making a few estimates in her head, Makoto answered, "Pigeon."
The crowd once again reacted, even Euporie clapped.
Makoto wiped the sweat off of her head and moved on to the fourth item.
What she felt in her hand was something fine and powdery. Her first instinct was flour. But she couldn't be sure. What if it was starch or rice powder? They all felt the same in her hand. The only way to tell was to taste it, but Makoto dared not do that, as unpredictable as the food may be.
Suddenly, she remembered something she saw and decided to take a chance.
"Flour." She announced.
Everyone cheered and this time, even Ananke smiled.
Makoto was extremely glad of her luck and her observance of the villagers earlier.
"Now final test." Hamalia said finally.
A large bowl was placed in front of Makoto. A strange aroma of sweetness attacked her senses. Makoto carefully guided her hands to the bowl and put in a finger. The unknown liquid felt cool.
Minutes ticked by in the silent room as Makoto struggled frantically for an answer. She was truly clueless about this last item. The only way was to rely on her sense of smell and she was sure she has never smelled anything like it. But was she prepared to taste it in order to pass the test?
Makoto made up her mind. She needed these people to recognize her to make her mission easier. Perhaps the person she was sent here to find was even in this crowd.
Slowly, she dragged her finger out of the bowl and placed it in her mouth. The rich taste exploded in her mouth. It was even sweeter than honey. Despite Makoto sighing at the pleasure, she was still no where close to an answer.
"What answer?" Hamalia pressed.
"I…I…I do believe it is…" Makoto started
All of a sudden, a whisper came to her. "Buzz…"
It hit her like lightening. Makoto caught on right away. "This is milk from the milk hive!"
The mass started shouting with pleasure. Her blindfold was removed, only to find the three women clapping with the crowd. Hamalia bowed down as did everyone else. "Princess, welcome." She lowered her head.
Makoto rushed to their side, "Get up, you don't have to bow down to me. Get up everyone."
Hamalia raised her head, finally with a small smile. "You be true like legend."
"What do you mean?" Makoto said confused.
"We all children of past survivors. Legend of princess passed down long ago. We learn from elders about you." Ananke replied.
"I'm in the legends? This is way cool. Okay, now I want some answers."
Hamalia nodded, she bid the villagers to return to work and sat down with Makoto.
"Jupiter plant and harvest. This planet of nature. We three watchers of crops. Euporie, watcher of seeds. I, watcher of growth and Ananke, watcher of harvest. Together, we eat and help other planets fed."
"Ok, so I understand your position in the village, but what about the test?"
"Legend speak princess good chef and nature lover. She knows everything about food and plants. You be princess, you pass test." Euporie explained.
Makoto shook her head. It was a little funny to hear their reason for identifying her. She might be good at cooking, but it did take some luck to get her through their test.
"Well thanks, actually, I couldn't have done it without a little help." Makoto smiled, remembering the 'buzz' she received. She was sure one of the women helped her out, as they were the ones to tell her about the milk hive.
"Help?" The three women looked at her in puzzlement.
"Actually, I do believe I deserve the credit." A man materialized and chuckled at the doorway.
"Who? Nethrite!" Makoto jumped up and shouted.
"Hello again, Makoto." He waved at her openly.
Makoto answered by transforming to Sailor Jupiter, leaving the women dumbfounded by the sudden change of event.
I"m sorry for taking so long! I did finished this chapter awhile ago but didn't have time to post it. Thanks for all still reading, it means a lot to me. I'm extremely busy nowadays since I might be moving to another country so please don't be too alarmed if I don't update like I used to. I'm still juggling a few ideas for the girls!