Here we go with the next chapter. Like I told you, it seems that with every new chapter I write they get longer and longer. I want to bounce ahead in time to when the girls are 13 or so but I can't just yet. So here we go, this one happens the next day.
I do not own Sailor Moon. But April, Jenny and Shannon are mine.
Chapter 11 of: My Friend. Why Did You Leave?
The storm outside was staring to die, just like Thomas had predicated it would. After lunch yesterday he said that the storm would die sometime this afternoon. That was good. I was sick of being inside. I wanted to go for a walk, get some fresh air.
I leaned back on my knees and whipped a hand across my forehead. I was sweating. I was trying to paint the bottom of the wall in front of me. I looked down at my hands and saw that they were covered in sea green paint.
"Blast it all!" I growled under my breath. I just knew I now had paint across my forehead.
Seiya and Taiki looked over at me from where they were painting and smiled. All of use we trying to fix the walls in the girls' old room, trying to turn it into Jenny's. Yes, that's right, Jenny's room. The girls had gotten into a huge argument yesterday after I had sent them away from the training room. Jenny and Shannon had been trying to leave the room after getting cleaned up when April started to throw things. She had also started to yell. Her yelling and the others yelling back had caught everyone's attention. So we decided that it was time to split the three up and give them their own space. If nothing more than to save Jenny and Shannon from having to be the line of fire when April lost her temper.
I looked over at April who was standing next to Stacey, painting. She had a scowl on her face. She glanced my way for a second than turned her back to me. Inside I sighed. She still wasn't talking to me. Cause of the temper tantrum that she had thrown yesterday I had given her a spanked and ground her to the palace for two weeks. She was not talking to me. She was being stubborn. Oh well like mother, like daughter.
"Look out below!" Shannon suddenly broke into my thoughts. I looked up to see a huge blob of paint falling toward me. I tried to duck my head but I wound up with paint covering my chin. Shannon was sitting on a ladder painting above me.
"Thanks." I said whipping the paint off with my sleeve.
"Sorry." Shannon grinned weakly at me.
"Oh well. I'm done here anyway." I got up carefully and stepped back.
"I'm done too." Shannon was climbing off the ladder. Everyone else was stepping back from their painting as well. I looked around. The whole room was now painted in a sea green.
"Do you like it Jenny?" Yaten asked from where she was standing next to the girl.
"Thank you." Jenny said to everyone in the room.
I heard a grumble. I looked over at April. She was looking down at her feet. She was mad again. Because of her being in trouble she was required to help with her 'sister's rooms before she could even think about starting on hers. She was upset. I sighed.
"Lets' all go get cleaned up and have some lunch while the paint dries." Thomas said as if he was reading my mind.
"Yeah!" Jenny and Shannon rushed from the room. They were hungry.
"Wait for me!" Seiya followed after the two girls. She had taken a liking to them.
Kakyu, Taiki, Yaten, Thomas, Stacey and Tony followed after Seiya all shaking their heads. I started to follow them when I noticed that April hadn't followed been following. I turned and looked to see her sitting down looking out the window. She sighed.
"Hotaru? You coming?" Tony stuck his head back in the room.
"I'll be there in a moment." I pointed over at April who was still looking out the window.
"Oh." Tony nodded his head and closed the door.
I looked back over at April. I walked softly over to her. I glanced out the window, the storm clouds were starting to break up and the sun was starting to shine through. The wind was also starting to die.
"April?" I gently asked.
She snapped her head around and glared at me.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"April please doesn't be that way." I sighed.
"Please just leave me alone." April turned back to the window.
"Can I sit?" I asked. I wasn't about to leave her alone, not when she was like this.
"It's your palace." She said.
I sighed again as I sat down next to her. The sunlight that was coming in through the window gleamed off her hair. I turned and looked out the window as well. We sat in silence for a while till I heard a sniffling sound. I turned and looked at April. Tears were streaming down her face.
"April?" I asked in a worried voice.
"Hum?" She glanced at me.
"You okay? What's wrong?" I reached for her, only to have her pull away.
"I'm fine." She quickly wiped the tears away. More quickly replaced the wiped ones.
"April please tell me what's wrong." I asked again.
She sat and looked at me, while the tears grew. I wasn't expecting her to throw herself into my arms. I held her as she cried.
"April?" I asked after awhile. This was so unlike her. She never cried like this in my arms since she was like 2.
"I'm….sorry." I managed to get that out of a sob.
"Sorry? For what?" I asked. With what had happen in the last day she could be sorry for anything.
"For…everything. I'm sorry." She sobbed out.
"Shh, it's okay." I rocked her in my arms.
"I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I wanted to push your buttons, even though I knew it was wrong." April cries into my shoulder.
"I know. It's okay, but do you understand why you can't use the Space Sword?" I asked.
"Yeah. I know. I'm too young." She leaned away from me.
Her face was wet from the crying and her eyes were all red. More tears threaten to spill over.
"Something else is bugging you isn't it?" I asked her gently, "What?"
"Hotaru what was my mom like?" April asked.
This was not what I was expecting. Her mom?
"Why do you ask?" I wanted to know.
"I can't remember her. I can't remember what she looked like. What she was like." April turned her tears stained face to me.
"I guess you won't really remember her, you were only three when we got here." I hugged her close to me. She squirmed. I released her and allowing her to crawl into my lap. "Your mom was strong, tall, with hair that looks just like yours and she kept it short too. She was also very stubborn. Just like you." I tickled April. She started to giggle. "She drove race cars for a living and for fun. She could also run like the wind. She always dressed as a guy. She never really wore dresses."
"Like me?" April looked up at me with a question in her eyes.
"Just like you. She also could play the piano. She would play along with Michiru when she would have her concerts. She was very protective of her friends and family. Haruka was very powerful. She loved her family and friends very much." I went on.
"If she loved her family than why didn't she come with me?" April's eyes started to tear up again.
"Your mom sent you here cause she loved you." I hugged her close. She cried softly on my shoulder.
"Wish I had a picture of her." April mumbled so softly that I barely hear her.
Now that I thought about it she didn't have a picture of Haruka. Nor did Shannon or Jenny have any pictures of Michiru or Setsuna. It must be hard on them not knowing what their mothers looked like or were like. I hugged April as she started to clam down.
"So my mom was just like me?" April whipped her eyes.
"Yeah just like you. The only thing that is different between you two is that her eyes are a darker blue than yours. Yours are a bit green/blue." I looked into April's eyes.
"Thanks Hotaru." April hugged me than stood up, "Let's go I'm hungry."
"So am I little sister." I got to my feet and put an arm around her shoulders.
"One more question though." April looked up at me.
"And what would that be?" I asked.
"Why do you call us little sisters when we don't even have the same mother?" April still looked at me.
"Yeah. We've been wondering the same question." A voice said from the doorway. April and me looked up to see Shannon and Jenny standing there. They were also holding a covered plate.
"We brought some sandwiches. Thomas told us to being them." Jenny held out the plate.
"How long have you two been standing there?" I asked.
"We heard everything. We also miss our moms." Shannon came in the room.
"Thanks." April said taking the plate from Jenny.
"So what was my mom like?" Shannon asked as she sat down on the floor by my feet.
I sat down with her as the other two joined us. I looked around at the circle we had formed. Shannon and Jenny looked up at me with excited eyes while April started to eat.
"First I'll tell you about why I call you my sisters. Okay?" I got nods from them. "I lived with your mothers for a couple of years before you guys were born. The raised me as their own when my own father died. I loved living with my Michiru-mama, Setsuna-mama and Haruka-papa."
"Haruka-papa?" April asked, "Why did you call mom 'papa'?"
"Cause that's what she wanted me to call her. Shannon you asked me what your mother looked like right?" Shannon nodded her head eagerly. "She was tall with a tan that never seemed to fade even in the dead of winter. Long dark green hair, that looked almost black at times, that went to her knees. She would wear some of it tied back in a small bun at the back of her head. She had garnet red eyes. She was a fashion designer. I had many cloths that she made. My favorite was this vast with fireflies on it.'
"Mom made clothes? Cool!" Shannon breathed.
"Yeah. She was also a powerful sailor scout. She stood by the princess even when Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune wanted nothing to do with her. " I was remembering things.
"What about my mom? And what princess?" Jenny leaned forward a bit.
"Your mom was an artist and a musician. She could play the violin and sing. Music was always being played around the house, if not in person than we would listen to some of the CDs she had made. She was very beautiful. Her hair was a bit darker than yours Jenny. Same colored eyes though. She was very caring and kind." I told the girl who was looking at me with such wide eyes.
"What about this princess you talked about?" April and Shannon asked together.
"Haven't you guys been paying an attention during your studies?" I was shocked.
"Not really." April answered for all of them.
"The princess is a very special person. I love her and I know your mothers do too. She is, was what kept us going." I stared off into space as I said this.
"What is her name?" Shannon asked.
"What is she like? Is she pretty?" Jenny asked as well.
"Clam down you three. Her name is Serenity. She is the princess who lived on Earth's moon. She has long blonde hair and big blue eyes. She is very sweet, carefree and loves everyone." I could picture her in my mind so well.
"She can also be kind of a cry baby." Seiya's voice wised through the room.
"Seiya!" I cried looking over at her. "Don't tell them that!"
"Sorry." Seiya said that but she didn't look sorry, "I'm here to tell you that we are getting ready to leave."
"What?" I jumped to my feet in surprise. I looked out the window to see the sky was blue.
"Yeah. Princess Kakyu has decreed that it's time to go home. She is excited to return to see her love." Seiya was leaning against the doorframe.
"Oh. Well I don't blame her on that one than. But if you guys can wait a moment. I want to ask Thomas something." I rushed past Seiya as she nodded.
"Hey!" April and Jenny called from behind.
I ran down the hall to the front doors. I could see Stacey standing there talking to Kakyu and Taiki. They turned when they heard my footsteps.
"Hotaru?" Stacey looked at me worriedly.
"Have you seen Thomas?" I asked them.
"He is in the study." Yaten said.
With a hurried thank you over my shoulder I ran down the hall toward the study. I pushed open the door and rushed into the room.
"Your Majesty?" Thomas looked up at me with shock.
"They're leaving." I gasped.
"Yes they are. And I have a feeling about what you're going to ask me about." I looked at him trying to catch my breath. "Yes you can go…"
"Yeah!" I started to jump around.
"But only till you reach Pluto's Castle." Thomas went on like I hadn't said anything.
"What? But I want to go to the party." I whined.
"Sorry but you are need here. You can take the girls with you and show them their castles." Thomas came around the desk. "I know you wanted to go to the party for Princess Kakyu but you are the only one who can stop any enemy who tries to attack the solar system."
"Guess you're right." I gave in; it was better than trying to fight with Thomas.
"Go and get the girls. Oh and tell them to pack up a bag." Thomas grinned at me.
"Bags? Why?" I didn't get it.
"Cause you are going to show them their castles. That okay?" Thomas was still grinning at me. "I think we can survive for a few days."
"Cool." I gave him a huge real quick than took off toward Jenny's room.
I found the girls inside the room talking to Seiya.
"You three need to pack a small bag. We're going on a trip." I grinned like crazy to them.
"We get to go with Seiya and Kakyu?" Shannon had jumped up.
"Not with them back to their planet, but we do get to go with them till they leave our solar system." I told them.
"We're going to Pluto?" Shannon looked at me with her eyebrows raised.
"Yes there, plus Uranus and Neptune." I looked over at Jenny and April. They were both trying to get to their feet. I moved out of the way while Shannon and April ran from the room. Jenny was going through her closet, throwing cloths all over the floor.
"I guess I'll meet you guys at the front doors." Seiya giggled. I nodded as I left for my own room.
I was digging around in my closet when someone cleared his or her throat.
"Yeah?" I called from deep in my closet.
"Hotaru?" it was Tony's voice.
I crawled out of the closet, dragging a bag behind me. I had stuffed some clothes in it. I looked up to see Tony standing there. He looked down at me with a gentle smile on his lips. As I got to my feet I saw that he carried a bag on one shoulder.
"What's with the bag?" I asked as I grabbed my necklace from where it was sitting on the dresser.
"Tony asked me to go with you guys." Tony smiled, "Oh and Stacey's going too."
"Cool. Are the girls waiting?" I walked over to a chair and grabbed a jean jacket.
"Yeah. They are bouncing off the walls." Tony said as we left my room.
"Oh boy." I shock with silent laughter.
We walked down the hall toward the front doors. The girls were bouncing around. Princess Kakyu and the Star Lights, who were in their sailor suits, were also waiting. Thomas was trying to hold April down. I walked over to Shannon, putting my hand on her shoulder. She clamed down. I looked at the pack back she was wearing.
We followed Thomas as he walked out the front doors. He leaded us to a tower that sets off to one side on the palace grounds. I've only been in this tower once. Inside is the teleport pad. That is on the top floor of the tower. We started to climb the stairs.
"Here we go." Thomas opened the door at the top of the stairs.
The girls pilled in after me as we walked into the room.
"We have to travel on that?" Jenny pointed at the pad.
"Yes. Don't worry, it's pretty neat way to travel." Sailor Star Fighter bent to Jenny's level.
"Come on. It's okay. Just get on the pad." Thomas pointed at the pad as Princess Kakyu, Sailor Star Healer and Sailor Star Maker stepped on it. I pushed Shannon and April on it while Stacey and Tony each took Jenny's hands. They lead her on to the pad.
"Okay, I'm going to send you guys straight to Pluto's castle. From there Princess Kakyu, you and the Star Lights can go home." Thomas was typing something into the computer that ran the teleport pad.
"Thank you, Lord Thomas. For everything." Princess Kakyu bowed to Thomas sending him a warm smile.
"Yes thank you." The Star Lights each bowed to Thomas.
"Welcome. Please come back and visit us when you can. Your Majesty please contact me when you reach Pluto." Lights started to flash around us.
"I will." I told Thomas as he started to fade from my sight.
In truth we were the ones fading away. In a brilliant flash of light we were transformed into shooting stars. We soon reached the atmosphere and raced across space toward the distance planet of Pluto. When in these form one doesn't really talk like they normally do. You pretty much talk mind to mind.
Hotaru? Is that Uranus down there? I heard April in my mind.
Yes it is. I answered back. I knew that she would find this way of talking weird. We'll stop there on the way back.
We continued to race across space. We soon passed over Neptune. I could make out Pluto Castle. The castle of Pluto didn't sit on the planet like mine did. It sat on the edge of the atmosphere. We raced toward it in our star forms.
All of a sudden we were standing in our normal forms on a huge teleport pad. We had reached Pluto Castle. I looked over to the girls. Their eyes were huge with wonder.
"Princess Saturn, welcome." A voice called in greeting to me. Princess Kakyu and the Star Lights didn't even flinch or gasp when they saw who had spoken.
"Guardian Pluto, hello." I turned to see a tiny woman standing in mid air before me. She looked just like Setsuna-mama, Sailor Pluto.
"Princess Kakyu, Star Lights nice to see you again." Guardian Pluto bowed to them.
"Hello again." Kakyu said.
"Are you guys leaving?" Guardian Pluto asked.
"Yes we are. We should probably be getting on our way Hotaru." Kakyu turned to me. I nodded.
"It was great to see you guys again. Please take care." I gave Kakyu a hug while the girls gave the Star Lights hugs.
"Thanks for everything." Star Fighter said as they started to vanish on their own. They were soon gone.
I turned to the girls. They were starting to look around. Tony and Stacey had taken their backpacks from them. Shannon was staring at Guardian Pluto. She held out a hand as if to touch the woman but soon pulled back.
"Guardian Pluto, may I introduce you to everyone?" the tiny woman nodded, "This is Stacey and Tony from Saturn. They live and work in the palace. This is Princess April of Uranus and Princess Jenny of Neptune."
"Hello." Guardian Pluto nodded to them.
"And may I introduce to you the heir to the Pluto throne, Princess Shannon." I interacted the girl in front of her.
"Princess Pluto, welcome." Guardian Pluto bowed low to Shannon.
"Hello." Shannon said with wonder.
"Would you like to see the castle my Princess?" Guardian Pluto asked.
"Sure. Can I?" Shannon was looking at me. I nodded my head.
We followed Guardian Pluto as she led us around the castle. Shannon was in awe as she looked around. This was her home to be, I guess. But I knew that she had another home to chouse as well. I hadn't really told her about the duty to the Gate of Time. But that wasn't for me to tell.
"This is Princess Pluto's room." Guardian Pluto was standing in front of a set of doors. Shannon gently opened them. I knew this room. It was Setsuna's.
"Tony I almost forgot. Could you and Stacey go to the control room and send a message to Thomas? Please?" I turned to them.
"Sure." Stacey answered for them both.
"Guardian Pluto could you show them the way please?" I asked the tiny woman.
"Of course. This way please." The tiny green haired woman led the way.
I turned back to the girls. Jenny and April were standing at the doorway. Shannon had gone in.
"Wait here please." I asked the two. They nodded.
I went into the room. Shannon was staring at a picture on the dresser. I walked over to her.
"Shannon?" I asked.
"Oh Hotaru! I didn't hear you come in." she jumped at my voice. She looked back at the picture. "Is this my mother?"
"Sure is." I said looking at the picture.
The picture had been taken at a Christmas party right after the Dead Moon Circus had been defeated. Setsuna was holding a glass of sparkling apple cider. She was laughing at something Rini had said, who was leaning over the back of her chair. I had taken the picture myself. I remember Setsuna-mama making copies of the picture so she could have one here, at home and with her while she had door duty. She had left a copy here soon after Sailor Galaxia had left, while she was setting up the solar system protection program. She had stayed out here for about a month setting it up.
"Can I take it with me?" Shannon was looking up at me.
"Sure." I hugged her close with one arm.
"Thanks!" Shannon hugged me back.
I walked Shannon out of the room and closed the door behind us. I could see Guardian Pluto leading Stacey and Tony back our way.
"The message has been sent. Thomas said that everything is fine at home." Tony assured me.
"That's good." I looked at my watch. Even though Pluto's days and nights were different from Saturn's, my watch was still set to Saturn's time. "We can still make it to Neptune Castle tonight."
"Than let's go." Stacey and Tony nodded.
"Come girls." I said to my sisters.
Guardian Pluto led us back to the room with the teleport pad. She smiled warmly at us.
"Thank you for showing us the castle." I said to her.
"You are most welcome Princess Saturn." She smiled at me. She than turned to Shannon, "I hope to see you again Princess Pluto."
"Thank you Guardian Pluto." Shannon was looking at the tiny woman with new eyes.
We were soon steaming through space again. I looked far in head of us. The sun was ball of bright light. One could barely make out the planets that were closer to it. I looked to were Earth would be. I sighed.
Something wrong Hotaru? I could hear Tony in my mind.
Nothing. Look there's Neptune. I quickly turned my attention to our task at hand.
Neptune was growing bigger as we got closer. Blue with dashes of green swirled in a dance of color. I looked around for Neptune Castle. I soon spotted it as it orbited the planet. We headed toward it.
As soon as we were in our true forms I heard gasps. I turned to see Jenny raise a hand to her face. It looked like something had happen. I walked over to her.
"Jenny, are you alright?" I started to ask, but stopped when I saw what had happen.
Standing next to Jenny was a tiny woman, the same size as Guardian Pluto. She had aqua green hair and wore the sailor suit of Sailor Neptune.
"Hello! Welcome Princess Saturn." The tiny woman giggled as she watched Jenny's astound face.
"Hello Guardian Neptune." I said back.
"And a warm welcome to you Princess Neptune." Guardian Neptune giggled again as she bowed to Jenny.
"How did you know that I'm the princess of Neptune?" Jenny asked in surprise.
"You look just like your mother." Guardian Neptune said. She turned to the others. "Hello. You must be Princesses Pluto and Uranus."
"Hi." April said back. Shannon just nodded.
"This is Tony and his sister Stacey from Saturn." I introduced my friends.
"Hello." Guardian Neptune nodded to them.
"If it's not too much trouble may we stay the night here with you?" I asked the guardian.
"No trouble at all. I shall show you the way to spare rooms." Guardian Neptune floated to the door, "This way. This way."
We followed the tiny guardian down a long hallway. She stopped by one door.
"Here is a good room for Sir Tony to stay in." she nodded to Tony. I covered a smile, trying not to laugh as Tony blushed when Guardian Neptune called him Sir.
He walked past me and opened the door. With a brief goodnight to us, he went inside. We continued on down the hall. Guardian Neptune stopped in front of another door, saying it was Stacey's. After bidding her a goodnight, she led us to couple more rooms.
"Here is your room Princess Neptune. The room right next door is your room Princess Saturn. Princesses Pluto, Uranus you can stay in the room across the hall." Guardian Neptune pointed them out.
"Thank you Guardian Neptune. Can you do me a favor?" I asked the tiny woman as the girls went into their rooms.
"Of course." Guardian Neptune grinned at me.
"Could you send a message to Saturn for me? Please tell Lord Thomas that we have made it here and are fine." She nodded to me and left with the message. I watched her float off down the hall.
I looked toward the room were Jenny had gone into. I shook my head as I headed instead toward the room where Shannon and April went in. I knocked on the door than stuck my head in. Shannon was pulling the covers back on a huge bed. I could hear water running in a side room.
"Are you two going to be okay in here for the night?" I asked stepping into the room fully.
"We should be if April doesn't kick off all the covers." Shannon smiled. I nodded to her.
"I heard that!" April shouted from the bathroom as I left the room.
I was shaking my head as I went over to Jenny's door. I knocked.
"Come in." Jenny called from inside. I opened the door to see her standing in the middle of the room.
"You aright?" I asked.
She didn't answer me. She was looking at a painting on the wall. I walked closer to her. I looked at the painting also. It was quite a big painting of an ocean crashing against a cliff. There was a small house sitting on the very top of the cliff.
"Jenny?" I asked again.
"Hotaru did my mom paint that?" she finally asked.
"She sure did. I remember when she painted that. She had just gotten over a cold that had left her weak and tried. She said the reason why she painted waters crashing against the rocks like that was because that was what she felt like with the cold." I put a hand on Jenny's shoulder.
She nodded slowly and moved out of my touch. She walked over to a small table. I watched her for a moment, than looked around the room. The walls were covered in blue/green paint. Curtains covered a huge window, which I knew showed the planet down below.
"Hotaru is this mom?" Jenny was holding up a small picture.
I walked over to her and looked over her shoulder. The picture she was holding was one of Michiru-mama wearing a long gown of pale, pale green silk. She was holding her violin. She was smiling for the camera.
"Yeah that's her. She loved playing." I said. "You can keep it if you want when we leave tomorrow."
"Thank you." Jenny said over a yawn.
"Go to bed little sister. Sleep tight." I kissed her on the forehead.
I left her room and entered mine. The room was huge like the girls'. I soon fell asleep in the giant bed.
I walked the halls the next morning. I looked around at all the paintings on the wall. Michiru-mama had brought quite a few of her earlier paintings here when she visited.
"Good morning Princess Saturn." Guardian Neptune floated up to me.
"Good morning Guardian Neptune." I returned in greeting.
"Sleep well? Oh Lord Thomas has sent you a message." Guardian Neptune went on before I could answer her first question.
"Yes I did. What is the message?" I answered her question than asked my own.
"The message is in the control room. This way please." Guardian Neptune motioned to me. I followed her down the hall.
We went into the control room. Guardian Neptune went over to a control console. I followed her. I touched a glowing button. Thomas face appeared on the screen in front of me.
"Your Majesty, I hope you are well. Everything is fine here. I just want to know if you will be returning to Saturn today or tomorrow. Please send me a message when you reach Uranus." Thomas's message ran to the end.
"Thank you Guardian Neptune. Is anyone else awake?" I asked as I left the control room.
"Ma'ma Stacey and Sir Tony are. They are looking around the castle." Guardian Neptune said.
"Oh. Are the girls up yet?" I asked.
"My Princess Neptune is." Guardian Neptune grinned.
I nodded as I started to walk around. It had been years since I was last here. I think the last time I was here was during the Sliver Millennium. It must have been when I was about 10. Or was it when I was 13? All I could remember was that I had come here a couple of years before my parents had passed away.
"Hotaru? Hello?" a hand waved in front of my face. I blinked a couple of times.
"Oh hello, Stacey. How are you?" I saw Stacey and Tony.
"Fine. We were just looking out over the planet. See?" Stacey pointed to some windows. I moved around her to see out the windows for myself. Neptune was spinning gracefully below us.
"Pretty. I just came from the control room. Thomas sent us a message." I said still looking out the window.
"What was the message?" Tony asked.
"Just wanted to know if we plan on staying at Uranus Castle or go straight home tonight." I was still looking out the windows.
"Anything else?" Stacey asked this time.
"And just send a message when we get to Uranus Castle." I added.
I was still looking out the windows when we heard footsteps coming our way. I turned away from the windows to see Shannon and April. They were both covering yawns. I could also hear someone talking. Just behind the two, it was Jenny. She was giggling at something someone had said. As they got closer I saw that Guardian Neptune was riding on Jenny's shoulder. She was saying something to make Jenny laugh.
"Morning girls. Sleep okay?" Tony asked them as they walked up to us.
"Yeah." Shannon yawned again.
"You guys almost ready to go? Or do you want to stay for a bit?" I asked.
"Can we find some breakfast?" April asked.
"Um…I'm not sure if the kitchen has food in it." I said.
"Oh." April lowered her head.
"Don't worry. We brought some food with us." Stacey smiled at the girl.
"Yea! Let's eat!" April grinned.
"Guardian Neptune, can you show us to the dinning room?" I asked the tiny woman, who was still sitting on Jenny's shoulder.
"Of course Princess Saturn." Guardian Neptune jumped from Jenny's shoulder and floated down the hall. "This way, this way!"
We followed her to the dinning room. We eat in silence. Well the girls at first complained. Stacey and Tony had brought dried food with them. The girls didn't like that, but they were soon eating away.
After eating we walked back towards the teleport room. It was time to leave Neptune Castle.
"Thank you for letting us stay the night Guardian Neptune." Stacey told the tiny woman.
"You are most welcome." Guardian Neptune smiled in return. She turned to Jenny and bowed low, "Please return anytime you would like Princess Neptune."
"When ever I'm allowed to." Jenny looked at me when she said this. I just shrugged my shoulders. We would have to talk about it later when we got home.
"Thank you Guardian Neptune." I said as I joined the others on the teleport pad.
We faded away from her as she waved goodbye. We became the shooting stars that raced across space. One last palace to visit before we went home. We head toward the sandy colored planet of Uranus.
When we reformed in our true human forms April jumped down form the teleport pad platform and looked around. I was looking around as well. Something was wrong. Usually when someone landed in the palace Guardian Uranus was there to meet them.
"Tony, Stacey would you watch the girls for me?" I asked the other two, grateful that they had come with us.
"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Tony leaned close and whispered.
"Guardian Uranus should have been waiting for us." I whispered back.
"Okay, but Stacey can stay with the girls. I'm going with you." Tony said. He walked over to his sister as I stood there in shock.
"Stacey can you watch them?" Tony got a nod from his sister. Tony walked back over to me.
"Tony, you should stay. I can handle this." I finally got out.
"No. I'm coming." Tony shook his head. I gave up.
We left the room as the girls started to ask questions. I closed the door behind me. As we walked down the hall our footsteps echoed off the walls. There was nothing down this hall. We rounded a corner and continued on. I looked around. I didn't know my way around this palace. I had only been here once, a long time ago. We passed some doors. I went over to one and put my hand on the doorknob.
"Hotaru wait." Tony put his hand on top of mine. I looked up at him with eyes that held a question in them. "There could be something inside the room. Let me look."
"I can't let you do that. I'm a sailor senshi. This is my job." I whispered to him.
"I know but please let me help you." He whispered back. I shook my head. If something was in there I didn't want him to get hurt.
I pushed is hand away and slow turned the knob. I gently pushed the door open. Nothing in the room that we could see, it was dark and quite. We left the door open and moved over to the door across the hall. I pushed it open and again nothing. We continued to open the doors in the hall. We saw nothing in any of the rooms. Everything was quite and still.
"Nothing. Where is Guardian Uranus?" Tony asked me after we had opened yet another door.
"I don't know." I started to say when we heard a scream. We looked at each other and took off running.
As we rounded another corner we heard another scream. Something was wrong. We were running down the hall, coming up to a corner when someone came running around it toward us. It was Stacey and she was dragging Shannon behind her. April and Jenny were right behind them screaming as they ran. Tony and me jumped away from the middle of the hall as they went running past us. Jenny slid to a stop right after she passed us.
"Hotaru…there is…someone following…us." She gasped. I looked at her than looked back the way she came. There was something floating down the hall toward us. Actually make that two some things.
I held up a hand, "Saturn Planet Power! Make Up!" My senshi pen flew into my hand.
I held out the Silence Glaive in front of me. What ever was coming toward us was going to have to go through me. The things were getting closer to us.
"Hold it right there. I'm the scout of death and silence, Sailor Saturn." I started to swing the Glaive up to use Silence Wall when one of the things floating toward us squalled and fling it's self at me. I gasped and stepped back. The thing was hugging me around my neck. "What?"
"Princess Saturn!" The thing squalled again. I breathed a sigh of relief. I lowered the Silence Glaive.
"Sailor Saturn what's going on?" Tony came up behind me.
"Don't worry Tony. Everything is alright." I said. I put the Glaive in my sup space pocket and turned back into my normal cloths. I held a hand up to the thing on my neck. It sat in my hand. I bought it up to my face. The thing looked just like me. "Guardian Saturn. So is this where you've been hiding."
When I first got to Saturn I had looked all over the castle for her. I couldn't find her. After a while I had given up looking for her. I knew sooner or later she would show up.
I looked up to see the other thing floating in front of me, out of reach though. It was another tiny woman only she had sandy brown hair and wore the colors of Sailor Uranus.
"Guardian Uranus. Hello." I smiled as Guardian Saturn hugged my thumb.
"Who are they?" Guardian Uranus pointed behind me. I turned and looked behind me. Stacey, Tony, Shannon, April and Jenny were standing behind me with eyes wide.
"Guardian Uranus this is Stacy and Tony of Saturn. Princess Shannon of Pluto, Princess Jenny of Neptune and your Princess April of Uranus." I moved aside for her to see them.
"Opps. I'm sorry Princess Uranus. I didn't know it was you." Guardian Uranus bowed low as she blushed.
"It's okay." April bowed her head in return.
"We didn't see you with them in the teleport when we checked and decided to scare them." Guardian Saturn looked down when I looked at her.
"We thought that they were intruders to the system. Sorry." Guardian Uranus said.
"It's okay. But if we were intruders Guardians Pluto and Neptune would have sent you messages that the intruders had gotten past them." I reassured them. They both nodded as they blushed again.
"Can we give you a tour of the palace?" Guardian Uranus asked us. I knew that she wanted to make things up to us.
"Yeah that would be cool." April spoke up. The other two girls nodded as well. I looked Stacy and Tony, they both nodded as well.
We followed the two Guardians as they lead the way. As we walked down the hall lights started to blaze around us.
"Please this way Princesses." Guardian Uranus led us down a hall with many doors. "Please stay with us tonight. We want to show that we are sorry for the scare we gave you."
I shared a look with Tony and Stacey. They both shrugged their shoulders. It didn't seem to bother them that we had been invited to stay the night. I knew the girls would like to stay.
"Sure. That would be fine. I just need to send a message to Saturn." The girls grinned. I turned to Guardian Saturn, "Can you show me the way to the control room? Guardian Uranus can show everyone their rooms, right?" they both nodded. "You girls follow Guardian Uranus, Stacy and Tony's orders. Okay?"
"Ok." They all said.
"Lead the way Guardian Saturn." I followed the tiny 'me'.
As we walked, well I walked and she floated, I thought of something.
"Why did you come here? Why didn't you stay on Saturn?" I asked her.
"Right before you went to Saturn, Princess Pluto came to see me. She asked me to join her when she left the planet. She told me that she was sending you and her daughter to leave on Saturn. When I heard that you were coming to Saturn I wanted to stay. But I was told that I couldn't stay. Princess Pluto said that you need to learn how to rule on your own. If I had been there when you got there you would have looked to me with anything and everything. So I left with Princess Pluto. We stopped at each palace and had talks with the other Guardians." Guardian Saturn floated over to my shoulder. She sat there; tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.
"It's okay. It would have been true that if you had been on Saturn when I got there I would have ran to you with every problem I had." I reassured the woman.
I opened a door to the control room. I walked over to the control console.
Meanwhile
Stacey and her brother were shown their rooms. As they got settled in their rooms, Guardian Uranus was showing Shannon her room.
"Oh thank you." Shannon said as she sat on the bed. It was a feather bed.
"You're welcome." Guardian Uranus smiled.
April, Jenny and Guardian Uranus left her there. Soon Jenny was showed her room. She also had a feather bed to sleep on. Guardian Uranus floated down the hall toward a room with double doors. On the doors was the planetary sign of Uranus on them. She stopped in front of them.
"Here is your room Princess Uranus." Guardian Uranus laded a hand on the doors and they opened.
April walked slowly into the room. She looked around at the midnight blue walls. A huge bed sat in the middle of one wall. She walked over to it and ran a hand softly over the covers. She walked over a small desk in a corner. She looked at the pictures lining the top, pictures of Haruka. Pictures of her racing, in her race uniform, playing the piano with an aqua green hair woman playing the violin and a picture that caused her to stop and stare. It was a picture of Haruka holding a baby. April gently picked up the picture. She looked at it closer.
"Guardian Uranus can you come here please?" April asked.
Guardian Uranus floated over the young girl. She sat down on the girl's shoulder. She looked down at the picture.
"Who's this?" April pointed to the baby.
"You Princess Uranus." Guardian Uranus said.
"Me? My mom brought a picture of me here?" April looked at the tiny woman.
"Yup. Right after you were turned 5 months. She wanted to check on the systems out here. She was so proud when she showed that picture to me." Guardian Uranus said.
April stood there, deep in thought. Guardian Uranus waited a few moments than left. As she went out the doors she waved a tiny hand and the doors closed behind her. They shut softly.
I saw Guardian Uranus floating in the air out side a set of double doors.
"Guardian Uranus, is something wrong?" I asked the guardian.
"Everything is fine Princess Saturn." The tiny woman just floated there.
"Where's April?" I asked.
"Inside. She is looking at pictures. Shall I show you to your room Princess Saturn?" Guardian Uranus asked.
"I'll do it!" Guardian Saturn floated up to us.
I looked at the two tiny women. They were both looking at each other. It seemed that Guardian Uranus wanted to be the one to show me to my room while Guardian Saturn wanted to do the same thing.
"Why don't you both show me to my room?" I quickly suggested. I didn't want a fight break out.
"Okay." Guardian Uranus said while Guardian Saturn nodded.
They led me down the hall to a room. I bid them both goodnight and went to bed. Sleep was quick to find me in the feather bed.
I was woken up about two hours later by something sitting on my nose. I slowly opened my eyes to see what was on my nose. With my eyes crossed I saw that Guardian Saturn was lying across the bridge of my nose. She was fast asleep. This was something new. I reached up slowly and gently swooped up the tiny woman. I gently laid her down on the pillow. I reached over to the tissue box, pulled one free and laid it over her as a blanket. With that done I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
Jenny knocked on April's door the next morning. I was just walking out of my room with Guardian Saturn riding along on my shoulder.
"Morning Jenny, Shannon." I yawn.
"Good morning Hotaru. Morning to you too Guardian Saturn." Shannon nodded our way. She was lending against the wall.
"Where are Tony and Stacey?" I asked.
"I think they went to the control room." Shannon said.
The doors to April's room opened. April came out into the hall. She softly closed the doors behind her.
"Morning. Hotaru, I'm taking picture with me." She was holding out a framed picture. I glanced at it and nodded. Heck the other two now had pictures of their mothers, so should April.
We heard footsteps coming our way. I turned to see Stacey and Tony coming our way.
"Morning." We called.
"Good morning. Hotaru, Thomas sent us a message. He wanted to know when we would be coming home." Stacey said.
"Well let's eat first than we can leave." I said.
Everyone nodded. Guardian Uranus sat close to April through the whole meal. Soon after we had finished eating we made our way to the teleport room.
"So you are going back to Saturn Guardian Saturn?" Guardian Uranus asked.
"Yes. It's time I went home." The tiny woman said as she crawled into my backpack. Why I don't know. She could have easily moved from Uranus Castle to the palace on Saturn. Guess she didn't want to be away from me. She had slept the whole night on the pillow.
"Goodbye than. Princess Uranus I look forward to the day you return home." Guardian Uranus bowed to us and than floated out the door.
I glanced over at April as we started to fade. She had a puzzled look on her face. I sighed, knowing that questions would soon be thrown my way.
We were soon shooting over the rings of Saturn. Just before we hit the atmosphere, I turned toward the sun. I could make out five planets orbiting it. Knowing that one-day I would once again see Earth I raced toward my home, for now.
Finally I finished this chapter. I have ideas for the next couple. So please look forward for them.
I thought that bring in the Guardians was a cool idea. I think that they are so cute being tiny and all. Hope you guys liked this story as much I do.