A/N: Yay reviews, make me so happy. I'm a bit surprised that to date, no one has asked me where Luna was! I included an explanation in this chapter, because I know sooner or later someone will think to ask. I feel like parts of this chapter aren't as good as it could be... I won NaNo on November 16 and didn't have much left over for my fanfiction as a result. I really had to push myself to get a chapter out this week, let me tell you, so I hope the quality hasn't suffered too much. Enjoy!
Important Note: For those unfamiliar with the Japanese names of minor Sailor Moon characters, Urawa Ryo is also known as Greg, who was a Rainbow Crystal Carrier introduced in the first season.
Kohaku = amber
The next morning, Usagi was awakened from a heavy and deep sleep by the urgent sound of voices and footsteps outside of her room. She raised her head and blinked slowly, looking around the small space in a daze. Chibi-Usa and Chibi-Chibi were still curled up on the bed beside her, one on each side, and Diana was purring steadily at the top of her head. Curious as to what had the castle in such a stir, she eased herself out of their grip and scooted down far enough that she could slide off the bed without disturbing their rest. Chibi-Chibi whimpered softly before scooting into the warm spot left by Usagi's body and curling up into Chibi-Usa. With a soft smile, she drew the covers back up over her daughters before glancing at Umeko's side of the room. Empty, and her bed was already neatly made, indicating that she had left the room for her day, even though it was only early. Unusual for Umeko.
'What's going on?' she wondered, tip-toeing over to the door. Gently, she eased it open and peeked through. She was surprised and disturbed by the sight of servants rushing back and forth, but what really worried her was that no one looked particularly pleased, and at first she wondered if there had been another attack... but no one was frightened or concerned. Just... angry?
"... can't believe this," one of the maids was saying, making a poor effort at keeping her voice down. "What kind of nerve does that man have? Just barging in here and expecting her to agree? We all know what he's really here for. Who cares if it's been almost five years since that day? She should have him thrown out of the palace."
"Shh. If someone hears you say that, you'll be in a ton of trouble!"
"Yeah. That kind of reaction could cause a political storm, you know. She has to be careful. But it's not like it matters. The Princess will never go for it. Never."
"I think we're all in a lot of trouble regardless!"
That clinched it. 'Something's definitely not right,' Usagi realized, rubbing her eyes sleepily. The people she had been listening to moved out of hearing, so she closed the door and headed over to the closet. 'From the sound of it, that visitor that everyone was preparing for wasn't exactly invited. Shit. Like Seiya and the others really needed any more trouble?' Exasperated, she pulled out a fresh tunic and pants and quickly began to dress. Her actions woke Chibi-Usa, who sat up and muffled a yawn with her hand as she looked around the room with a mildly confused look. It was still a shock to see the younger girl with dark hair and blue eyes, but it was a look that suited the impish teenager, and it made her and Chibi-Chibi look even more like sisters.
"What's going on?" Chibi-Usa asked tiredly.
"I'm not sure. Get Chibi-Chibi up, and both of you get dressed, okay?" Usagi said, brushing out of her hair. She was relieved that for once, Chibi-Usa did as she had asked and followed her orders without arguing, dressing in the clothing that she had gotten from the Luna Ball the night before. Within ten minutes, the three of them were ready to go. Diana agreed to remain behind in the room with the Luna Ball and hide if anyone came in, if only because the gold crescent mark on her forehead would be a dead giveaway to Seiya, Yaten, or Taiki, but especially Yaten, who had spent a fair amount of time with Luna.
Slipping out of the room, Usagi led her two children down the hall, following the sound of hushed voices, until they came out near the balcony of the throne room. As she had expected, most of the servants were again gathered there and peering over the side to observe what was going on below. Clutching Chibi-Chibi to the hip that wasn't wounded with one hand and holding onto Chibi-Usa with the other, she managed to push through the crowd until they were close enough to be able to see. All three of them leaned forward and looked intently at the group of Starlights and their Princess who were standing below. Just one glance was enough to tell Usagi that something was seriously not right. Even Princess Kakyuu looked somewhat annoyed, and that was saying something when it came to the normally composed princess. Strangely enough, though, nothing seemed to be happening. Everyone was at a stand-still.
"Which one is Seiya?" Chibi-Usa asked suddenly, leaning her head against her hand.
"Oh..." Usagi glanced down at her, startled by the question. "I forgot that you'd never met her," she admitted, frowning slightly. It seemed inconceivable that two people she loved so much could not know each other at all. "Do you see the woman down there with the long, dark hair? The one with the blue-gray on her uniform? That's Seiya, or Sailor Star Fighter. And that silver-haired girl is Yaten, Sailor Star Healer, and the girl standing next to them would be Taiki, Sailor Star Maker."
Chibi-Usa observed the Tankei Starlights in silence for a moment. "Seiya's a woman," she said finally.
"Yes, she is," Usagi said slowly after a brief pause. There was no trying to deny that fact, not when the Starlights were transformed. Those leather fuku left little to the imagination. She set Chibi-Chibi down on the ground and bent, wincing slightly, so that she could whisper to Chibi-Usa without anyone hearing. "When they first came to the Earth, they were disguised as men in order to help find their Princess. But now that they've come back to Kinmoku, they're back to their real forms."
"I didn't know you were gay," Chibi-Usa commented, ignoring what her mother had said. "But then, I didn't know Aunt Minako and Aunt Ami were gay, either."
It was a good thing that Usagi hadn't been drinking anything, because she would have spit it out. As it was, her mouth fell open and she stared at Chibi-Usa for several seconds, her mind racing for an answer and coming up blank. In all honesty, she'd never really thought about it like that, but it was the truth, wasn't it? Seiya was a woman, and being in love with her - hell, just being attracted to her - meant that Usagi had to be at least bisexual. Turning away from Chibi-Usa, she glanced down at Super Sailor Star Fighter and studied the woman for a long moment, wondering how to respond to the implied question. Was she gay? Being with Mamoru had always made her assume that she was straight, but it seemed that she could definitely appreciate the female form... at least when it came to Seiya. Aside from the rather masculine Haruka, she couldn't recall ever finding another woman attractive in "that" way.
"I don't think I am..." she said at last. "Maybe it's because I knew her as a boy first... but either way, I care deeply about Seiya. I really do think she's beautiful." Usagi tilted her head slightly, and a slow smile crossed her lips. "It doesn't matter to me whether she's a boy or a girl... I love her." It was the first time she'd admitted it out loud, and it gave her the shivers, particularly since she was announcing it to the one person who would have grounds for refusing to understand.
Silently, Chibi-Usa looked at her mother for a long time. There was a thoughtful expression on her face when she said, "And Aunt Minako and Aunt Ami? You think it's the same for them?"
She was ready for that one, and answered honestly. "Minako-chan is the goddess of love, Chibi-Usa. I think she can find and appreciate love in anyone, regardless of whether they're male or female. If ever there was a person for whom gender wouldn't matter, it would be her. If she really loves Yaten-kun, and I believe she does, the fact that Yaten-kun is technically a girl won't matter. As for Ami-chan... Well... I'm not really sure. She never really spoke to me about the Starlights after they left. But I can say that there's definitely an attraction between her and Taiki-san. Whether it will continue now that Taiki-san is living a woman is a fact that remains to be seen, but I think it would."
Another silence fell between them. Chibi-Usa made a soft humming noise under her breath as she pondered the answer before she spoke, her eyes soft. "She always did love her, didn't she?"
"Who?" Usagi blinked down at her, but she was pretty sure that she already knew who Chibi-Usa was referring to. Neo-Queen Serenity's note, while a blessing, had been hard to read, because she could so easily imagine herself trapped in that position. That was, after all, why she was here, wasn't it? "Chibi-Usa... you do understand why I had to come here, don't you?"
"I'm beginning to," the teen admitted with a small smile that grew nervous. "Do you think it will matter that I've come? Will Seiya like me?" There was an anxiety surrounding the question that made Usagi soften. She reached out and placed a comforting arm around Chibi-Usa's shoulder, smiling when the girl leaned into the warmth.
"Don't worry. I haven't even made up my mind yet. But either way, I know that Seiya will love you, and even if she didn't, it wouldn't matter. My children will always come first," Usagi said quietly. "Don't ever forget that, Chibi-Usa."
For the first time that morning, a true smile crossed Chibi-Usa's face, and she cuddled closer to Usagi. "I've never doubted it, not since that time," she whispered back.
Whatever Usagi was about to say in return was cut off by the sudden gasps around her. She straightened carefully and looked over the side, conscious of everyone around her doing the exact same thing. Entering the throne room was a tall man with dark green hair tied back in a low ponytail, pale skin, and an expensive-looking wardrobe that consisted of stiff black clothing that looked something like armour, heavy black shoes, and a gilded sword at his side. He strode towards Princess Kakyuu's throne like he was completely unaware of the many people staring at him. There was an expression on his face that could only be described as pure confidence as he went into a deep, reverent bow that made Kakyuu's polite curtsey look almost insulting.
"Dear Princess Kakyuu, how wonderful it is to see you, alive and well on our prospering planet," he said.
"Good day, Lord Kohaku," the princess greeted, giving him a smile that would have looked warm only to those who were unfamiliar with her. To Usagi, it looked more like an icy grimace, and she winced, knowing that this would not play out well.
"When I heard of the illustrious celebration that had been planned, I simply had to come and join you," Lord Kohaku said, rising out of his bow. He laid one hand gently on his sword and swept the assembled Starlights with a condescending look, though his eyes lingered for a moment longer on Fighter, Healer, and Maker. "I am certain that it will be a celebration for the ages."
Princess Kakyuu nodded. "My advisors have assured me that it will be so," she agreed, softening just a bit. "I do not believe that you have stayed with us since we began our efforts to re-build the palace. Shall I give you a tour? I am most interested in hearing how your own lands have been doing."
"I would enjoy that, your highness." Lord Kohaku nodded and extended an arm to Princess Kakyuu. She cast a subtle but warning look at the Starlights, clearly wanting them to stay back. All of them frowned, but, since their princess had made her wishes clear, they couldn't fight against her. Usagi frowned as well and eyed the door that the two royals had left through, wondering if she should follow instead. Would Princess Kakyuu be alright?
"She'll be fine," Chibi-Usa said, running her hands over her hair. She had tied her hair into two pigtails, similar to Chibi-Chibi, and now she tightened one absently. "Hate wearing my hair this way. Never stays as well as odango. Anyway, that guy wouldn't dare hurt the princess without losing everything he's got, and it matters too much to him. There's too much to gain. If she felt like she was in danger, I'm sure she would have asked for a guard to escort them."
"I hope you're right," Usagi muttered, realizing that Chibi-Usa probably had a lot more experience with royalty than she did. Having the teen around would definitely be a good thing in that respect. She noticed that most of the servants around her were beginning to disperse and realized that it was getting late. "I have to go to work, Chibi-Usa."
"Just a minute," said the younger girl. Scooping up the half-asleep Chibi-Chibi, she hurried over to the stairs that led down to the throne room. Usagi realized her plan an instant too late and muffled a groan as she hastened after the two girls, but Chibi-Usa was a fast runner, and she didn't have an injury slowing her down. She reached the throne room long before Usagi and sauntered casually across the floor, aiming for Super Sailor Star Fighter. If she noticed the way the Tankei Starlights stiffened at her sudden appearance, she was willing to ignore it.
"Hello," Fighter said, sounding slightly puzzled and rather bemused.
"Hi..." Dark blue eyes went wide when Chibi-Usa got close enough to see their fuku, and she had to smother her gasp with Chibi-Chibi's hair as she promptly forgot whatever she had been about to say. A strange, almost pained look passed over her face, and she twisted to scrutinize Usagi closely as the older girl joined them. Fighter frowned and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
"Sorry," Usagi said sheepishly, locking her hands behind her back. "This is... erm..." It occurred to her that they hadn't worked out a name for Chibi-Usa. Although the Starlights didn't know her, they had heard her real name at least once.
"My name is Hikari," Chibi-Usa announced, her face smoothing out as she came to a decision. She sighed and offered Fighter a tentative smile. "I'm her oldest daughter."
"You have another daughter?" said Fighter in an odd voice, exchanging a look with Healer and Maker.
Usagi licked her lips and didn't say anything for a moment, realizing that it probably looked very strange for a young woman in her early twenties to have a teenage daughter. Finally, she said sheepishly, "Yes, I do. I thought that she would be staying with her father, but she decided that she wanted to be with me instead."
"Do you have any more children coming?" Surprisingly, the question came from Healer. Usagi glanced at her and was surprised to note that the Starlight actually looked kind of amused.
"No, no more kids." 'Except for Hotaru-chan,' she amended silently, subtly crossing her fingers behind her back. Hotaru wasn't technically her daughter, but in the wake of the other senshi leaving Japan to follow their dreams, she and the younger girl had become quite close, and Hotaru had taken to calling her "Mama" in the past couple of years. She smiled innocently at Healer and privately wondered how it was that she was in her early twenties and already had three children. 'That's it. I'm not having any more kids until I'm married and in my thirties at least.'
"I don't believe we've met," said Maker. She extended a hand towards Usagi, who grasped it without thinking and shook. "Fighter has mentioned you to me a few times. Your name is Haruki, correct?"
"That's right." She nodded and made herself let go, taking a step back. It felt so good to have contact with one of them that she had to stop herself from trying to hug all three of them at once. Prayer, who was standing a short distance away, was already shooting her a less than suspicious look. "It's nice to meet you."
Maker just nodded as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. That made Usagi nervous, as it was the kind of look that Ami wore just before she came to some sort of revelation. Her stomach twisted with anxiety, and she didn't have to fake the look of pain that flashed across her face as she grabbed at her side and stooped her shoulders, pretending that her injury was giving her problems. "Sorry, I think it's time for us to run. My side is killing me. I should have just gone back to my room, but I've told Hikari-chan so many stories about you that she really wanted to meet you."
"Does that mean you can have the day off?" Chibi-Usa asked hopefully, causing the three Starlights to chuckle.
"You don't even have to work. Why would you care?" Usagi retorted, grimacing as a particularly bad cramp almost made her double over. "How hard can it be to watch someone else work?"
Chibi-Usa smirked. "You should know. You've had plenty of practice," she teased.
"Brat," she muttered, inwardly relieved that Chibi-Usa had forgone her usual comment about how much experience Usagi had in watching Rei work around the shrine. She tossed her hair back, over her shoulder, and turned a brilliant smile on her friends. "I'll see you around, Seiya, Yaten-kun. Taiki-san, it was nice meeting you."
Long after the maid and her two children had departed, Healer, Maker, and Fighter stared after them, completely ignoring the way that Prayer was attempting to get their attention. No one said anything for a long moment, because it was all there in the way they exchanged wide-eyed looks of shock. Maker gazed down at her hand with a thunderstruck expression, remembering the soft feel of that maid's hand. That little caress of power... sweet and gentle, almost wispy and nearly unnoticeable, it had been like a memory slapping her in the face. Coupled with a loving smile that had the unique ability to take her breath away, and names that they had only ever been known by on one planet in particular... Could it be?
TLYM
The university was one of the most prestigious ones that she had been accepted to. Located in a bustling city, she had gradually found that there was always something to do, whether it was school-related or in the interests of having fun. There had once been a time when she was nervous to come... apprehensive about whether or not she would be accepted by her peers, after many times in the past when she had been teased and mocked for enjoying school. But slowly, things had worked out, until for the second time in her life, Mizuno Ami felt completely accepted. It was the first time that she felt truly at home with the average human... and now she was willing, no, ready to leave it all behind for however long it took.
"How was your day, Ami-chan?" Luna asked, giving a luxurious stretch as the blue-haired girl entered her dormitory. Now that Ami was considered to be one of the top students on campus, she had been given a private room, which was nice. At least Luna wasn't stuck pretending to be a regular cat all the time, which had been frustrating at best.
"It was wonderful, Luna," Ami replied, a sparkle gleaming in her dark blue eyes. Gently, she placed her bag on her desk and looked at the cat with a brilliant smile. As happy and contented as she was, there was only one thing that would make her life even better. "I got an A+ on that paper I wrote, and I managed to hand in that huge research paper that was due the first day we come back from the break. That means I can definitely go home now."
Luna looked pleased. "That's wonderful, Ami-chan," she purred, leaping into Ami's lap as the girl sat down on her bed. "Are you looking forward to seeing the others again?"
"Yes, very much so," came the quiet reply. Ami stroked Luna's fur lightly, a frown tugging at her normally pleasant face. She had been as surprised as the rest of the senshi when the news about Usagi's disappearance had come, but like Minako, she had known instantly where Usagi was. It didn't take a genius of Ami's calibre to figure out that the little blonde had been infatuated with Seiya Kou from the beginning, regardless of whether Usagi wanted to admit it. What shocked her was that her princess had actually been selfish enough to run away to Kinmoku. That was a move that was completely out of character for someone like Usagi, who made a point of doing whatever she could to make the people around her happy first.
Case in point: Ami had been nervous about returning to the university last year, especially after she'd had a particularly difficult semester. A few of the older kids had begun mocking her, her classes had been hard even for her, and she had gotten some upsetting news about her father's death. Usagi had realized that Ami wasn't ready to go alone, and in a show of the compassion that made the girl such a good friend, had asked Luna to accompany their friend to the university for moral support. It had been a touching gesture, one that Ami still couldn't quite believe that Usagi had offered, because she knew how close the blonde and the little black cat were. Luna had agreed and had proven to be wonderful company, and knowing that the cat was waiting for her had gotten her through more than one extremely long day.
Yes, Usagi was selfless, which made the latest development all the more puzzling in one way. But in another way, well... Ami smiled just a little. The only other person who could better understand the Starlights's impact on a person was Minako. It had been obvious to everyone that Minako was head over heels in love with Yaten; her feelings went far deeper than just the normal fangirl crush. As for her and Taiki... well, there had been an obvious spark, much as Ami wanted to deny it. She and Taiki understood each other in a way that the rest of the senshi couldn't. Many times during her years at the university, she had wished that Taiki was with her so that she could get the older girl's keen insight on a particularly difficult problem or essay. Being with Taiki made her happy in a way that no one else had been able to do before, not even Urawa Ryo.
"But does that mean it's..." she murmured out loud, closing her eyes and sighing. Ami was not very experienced with love. She could admit to herself that she felt very strongly towards Taiki, and she did want to be at the girl's side. Those feelings were similar to what she felt for the other senshi, but different, because she had certainly never fantasized or dreamed about any of her friends in... that way. A fierce blush seared her cheeks at the thought, and Luna chuckled.
"Are you thinking about Taiki-san, Ami-chan?" the cat asked with a knowing grin.
"None of your business," said Ami, blushing even harder. Shooing Luna off of her lap, she hurriedly stood up and went over to her closet. She hadn't packed yet, because that last paper had been so time-consuming that she hadn't been sure she would have the time to go home. But who had she been trying to kid? For something like this, she would have gone regardless, because she was fairly certain that for the first time in a long time, all of the senshi were going to be going home.
Chuckling, Luna curled up on the pillow and watched Ami begin to pack with a wistful smile. It had been very interesting, living overseas with Ami for a year. She missed Usagi a lot, but had to admit that the separation had probably done them both good. Part of the reason she had agreed to come was so that Usagi and Mamoru could have some time alone to grow as a couple. Obviously her absence had done just the opposite. Yet, Luna found that she was strangely okay with that. Crystal Tokyo was a wonderful future to look forward to, but if that wasn't what Usagi wanted... there was no way she could condone the thought of trapping that dear girl. Usagi deserved to happy. Luna just hoped that she would have the chance to say as much before Usagi made her decision.
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