The Starlights and Princess Kakyuu finally sent back a reply to their message, much to the relief of Usagi.
After the cheer that came from the news of their revival and return to their home planets, though, came a grimmer mood with additional information attached.
"There's been a lot of tension throughout the universe," Sailor Pluto summarized, quite aptly. Bad blood that had predated Sailor Galaxia between planets, and then the issue of Sailor Galaxia herself. Some sailors, still furious, wanted revenge against the soldier of destruction and conquest. Shadow Galactica had, after all, destroyed entire planets. Others, with conflict that had been abruptly cut off with Shadow Galactica's arrival, were beginning to reignite old feuds.
Not all, Princess Kakyuu had said. But some planets had gone back to their old ways, using their second chance at life to continue their past.
Usagi was sad, that there would be more conflict, but she understood. It was not her place to tell others to forgive and forget, nor was it her place to forgive the sins of others in the stead of the victims. Galaxia may have repented near the end, but it did not erase what she had done, or make the pain she had caused disappear. Neither was it her place, to order them to forget longstanding disputes.
Sailor Neptune clapped to clear the air. "But that," she said firmly. "Is not something we need to be concerned with."
The Sailor Starlights – and perhaps some other sailor soldiers that had been revived – would eventually come to visit to give their thanks, when they had time. If Sailor Moon could help in some way to lead to a more peaceful outcome, great.
If not . . .
Saturn let her eyes trail over the pole of the Silence Glaive. Forged out of a pitch-black metal that had no luster, it was made to be the best conduit and amplifier of her powers. The ideal weapon for her.
If not? Saturn knew the answer. Then they protected the solar system and their princess. It was simple.
Today, her training was overseen by Venus, at Magellan Castle. Saturn arrived early, and was greeted by the fairy of Venus.
"She's in the Mirror Hall," said Harmonia, after enthusiastically welcoming her. Saturn followed her, and found the leader of the inner sailors staring at the mirrors, reflecting not her own image but something not in the castle. People Saturn did not recognize, places that were both foreign and familiar.
The Silver Millennium, and the Kingdom on the Moon.
"Should I come back?" Saturn asked. The murals hadn't been there before, and the wistful expression on the blonde woman's countenance made it clear it was more than just redecorating going on.
Sailor Venus looked back. "Hm? No, this is just memories."
She waved a gloved hand, and the scenes changed. The inner sailor soldiers, around Princess Serenity in the court on the moon during their past lives. Magellan Castle, back when there had been more than just one remaining Venusian living in its halls. Princess Venus running down the halls, laughing as carefree as could be while handmaidens chased after her.
The face of a handsome man with long silver hair, in the clothes of a general, with more than a cape resting on his shoulders. Dark invaders from Terra, possessed by an agent of Chaos.
"I've just been trying to remember," Sailor Venus explained despite Saturn's silence. "We all have."
Not just for Mamoru's sake, because their lives hadn't overlapped much, but for theirs. It was the past, but it was their past.
"I haven't remembered all of my past life," Venus mused. "Just some. And the castle felt too empty, even with Harmonia, so I just put it here."
Saturn averted her eyes when she saw Sailor Venus, much younger and in a uniform slightly different from her current form, holding onto the hand of a blond man hanging from a cliff. It was an extremely personal memory, that much was obvious from the glimpse she caught before she turned.
A younger Sailor Venus, crying out with pain and despair mingling equally in her eyes as the man slipped out of her grip, words condemning her to never choose love over duty.
Venus clapped her hands, to clear the air. "Just some nostalgia," she said brightly, and if Saturn didn't know better, she would have thought that the blonde woman was truly unbothered. "But enough of the past. Are you ready to work it?"
Saturn felt far less complicated at the unintentional threat. "Yes?"
Sailor Venus wasn't distracted during the training session, and Saturn didn't have the luxury of dwelling on what she had seen while trying to defend herself against the barrage of attacks.
But Sailor Venus also believed in teaching how to fight both strong and smart, and she was by no means above playing dirty.
"You don't have to feel sorry for me," she said.
It distracted Saturn, just as intended, and Venus lunged. Next thing she knew, Saturn was staring up at the ceiling of Magellan Castle's training room. Beautiful, really, but the sight of the ceiling, a golden metal streaked with amber and platinum veins, wasn't exactly pleasing to her in these circumstances. Venus had swept her legs out with the flat side of her blade while aiming a kick at her face, and while Saturn had dodged the latter, she hadn't seen the sword.
"I don't," Saturn said, after catching the breath she had lost during the ignoble fall. She didn't, because she knew Venus was stronger than that. She couldn't possibly feel sorry for Venus. She could respect her, she could empathize with the pain she must have felt, she could understand choosing duty over all else, but Saturn couldn't – wouldn't – feel sorry for Venus.
To do that did dishonor to Venus and everything she had done, everything she could do.
Venus smiled with approval. "I didn't have Harmonia stop you because I wanted you to see."
That explained it, Saturn thought grimly as Venus threw a boomerang. She hated that boomerang, truly. Harmonia would not have done anything that could cause Sailor Venus harm, be it physical or emotional. She certainly wouldn't have let Saturn intrude, even by accident, on a private moment if Venus hadn't given her approval.
"Pluto told me that one of your friends now knows about your ability to heal."
Hotaru tensed. Her parents had simply said they trusted her judgement, and so far Takeshi had told no one. She didn't think he ever would, out of his own volition.
The sight of her stiffness made Venus smirk and fire a Rolling Heart Vibration to make her dodge.
"I'm not saying that to chastise you," she assured Saturn. "Honestly, back when I was working alone, I got my identity discovered by the Superintendent-General of the Metropolitan Police Board."
That was quite the jump, she had to admit, and a far more serious person in a more threatening position to deal with. Saturn returned fire with a Press Crusher that Venus sidestepped easily. "How did that go?"
Venus shrugged. "She was a fan of me, so pretty well, to be honest. We became good friends. She wanted to have me work in the police force, but now I just do commercials for the police force instead. It helps with their image and recruiting process."
Having a top movie star and super model in commercials would do that, Saturn thought.
"Actually, a lot of people around us know," Venus continued. "Motoki and his sister, and their significant others – they found out separately," she added. "Reika-san learned through Setsuna, and Ittou overheard Luna talking and confronted Makoto about it before we even met you."
The blonde woman went on to list off all the civilians they knew of that were aware of their identities. Usagi's family. Umino Gurio and Naru. Rei's grandfather.
It was supposed to make her feel better, Saturn knew, but each name felt more like a weight on her conscience.
"Think of it as an opportunity instead," suggested Sailor Venus, pragmatic as the leader of the inner soldiers. "I know Haruka lets you practice your healing on her after her new hobby, but it's minor things, since it's Haruka. Boys his age are always getting into trouble and scrapes, and you can practice your healing on him."
She was very optimistic about it. After returning from Takeshi's house, Hotaru had stared at her hands for what felt like hours, wondering if she had made a mistake. Venus certainly was reassuring, but Saturn hoped that she would not be the straw that broke the camel's back and put them all in danger.
Still, Venus made a valid argument, and Saturn knew she could be rather pessimistic.
"My point is," Venus said. "You don't have to be so scared. If worse comes to worse, we'll just face it like we always have. We've faced too much for us to be goated by something so trivial."
Saturn felt her lips twitch into a smile despite the kick Venus aimed towards her chest. "Cowed," she corrected while jumping back and then to the side.
Venus hit the wall, but landed on her feet easily. "Yeah, that," she agreed.
Talking with Venus had helped. The leader of the inner sailor soldiers had all but given her implicit permission to share her identity with those she could trust.
Hotaru knew she wouldn't, but it was nice to be supported. She had cared about Haru and Takeshi for years, considered them her friends, but had felt a divide, subconsciously. Initially it had been due to the frozen time her body had been in for years, leaving her unchanging while the two of them grew, and after that it had been because of her secrets.
Withholding such a significant part of her meant that the relationships she built could, at best, be only half-sincere. That was how it had felt to Hotaru.
But at the same time she couldn't just tell them out of the blue that she was Sailor Saturn. Maybe share more of herself as Tomoe Hotaru, instead of remaining a mystery. As seen in Takeshi's case, it was clear that she hadn't been communicating with either of them well enough, if he had been under the implication that she was only with him because of his mother's death.
She would, Hotaru decided, give everything she could as Tomoe Hotaru to make up for what she couldn't give them as Sailor Saturn.
"Remember how we used to play princess and knights when we were younger?"
Hotaru paused, recalling the game Haru had started one day, out of the blues, after declaring Hotaru a princess. That had been more of taking pictures, and Haru and Takeshi wielding sticks they pretended were swords while Hotaru sat patiently, waiting to be 'rescued' from the invisible demons holding her captive. Sometimes they switched things up a bit and the knights were fighting ghosts with the charms the princess bestowed upon them. "Yes?"
They hadn't played that game in a while, come to think of it. Haru had always been the driving force behind them, creative in the stories she spun out.
Takeshi beamed. "Well, Tsuna likes playing the mafia game."
After Takeshi's near-death, Hotaru, realizing that she had been neglecting Takeshi, made sure to meet up with him at least once a week. He was more animated now, talking about Tsuna – the boy that had saved his life – and the things they did together. Takeshi was the only male friend she had, and she didn't really know what boys did in their free times.
She had assumed video games, sports, something involving exercise.
"The . . . mafia game?" Were they thinking of the same thing? Weren't mafia criminals?
Takeshi described it as a pretty active kind of game, involving a lot of running and dodging. A little like the exercises he used to do with his dad, for helping improve reflexes and speed, before he started baseball.
"That sounds exhausting," summarized Hotaru, after he finished describing all the realistic toys used to play. Dodging balls in physical education class was hard enough, but dodging toy knives, bullets and bombs? Ugh.
Even her deep-rooted hatred of exercise and running could not deter Takeshi's cheer. "Yeah, but I got approved to play with Tsuna. Even Gokudera had to accept it, and he's Tsuna's ear lobe."
For the second time in a short period Hotaru doubted her hearing, because surely she couldn't have heard that right.
"Wait, what?" That sounded more like an anatomy game than a mafia game. Unless they were talking about illegal organ harvesting, but even so, an ear lobe? Did those get harvested, too?
"He used to be the right arm," supplied Takeshi. "But I joined and he tried to make me the shoulder blade, so I demoted him to ear lobe."
Oh, that made more sense. Quite the downgrade, going from right arm to ear lobe. Takeshi was good for the role, though, Hotaru thought with full bias. Far better than anyone else. Especially someone that tried to make him a shoulder blade.
"He's the transfer student, right?" The one from Italy, if she remembered his stories of Namimori Middle right.
"Yeah. He's a little grumpy – probably from not getting enough calcium or drinking milk. Hey," Takeshi said suddenly, recalling that she also didn't like milk. "That reminds me-"
Hotaru wasn't going to drink milk, even if he asked her nicely. "They didn't make you sign anything, right?"
He gave her a look that said he knew exactly what she was trying to do, but went along with it anyways. "No. I did pass the entrance test, though, so it's more of an honor thing. Sometimes that's stronger than a piece of paper."
"True," she agreed. Her devotion and loyalty, like that of the other sailor soldiers, weren't something that needed to be left in writing. "But still, if they ever try to make you sign something, read it carefully, and get a copy. If they say you have to sign it there and then, that's a scam. Don't agree to give them your organs."
Who knew, if yakuza or some other criminals tried something?
"Tsuna wouldn't do that," Takeshi said simply.
Hotaru sighed and reminded herself that she had wanted Takeshi to make more friends, that his pickiness meant his friend was probably a good person. "Just don't get downgraded to ear lobe yourself if another person joins."
"Nah, I wouldn't be Tsuna's ear lobe. Gokudera tried to make me the nose hair after that, though."
"And you took that lying down?" Hotaru asked, outraged. Nose hair, really? What was he, five?
"No, I told him he was Tsuna's snot after that."
She gave Takeshi a satisfied thumbs-up at that comeback. It was a double insult, calling him snot and simultaneously banishing him from being a real body part. She was so proud of him.
Haru was always enthusiastic, but she seemed even more so today.
"He's so cute," she gushed, eyes sparkling like stars. "He wears this tiny black suit and a fedora hat and he has such pretty dark eyes and Hotaru-chan, Haru just wants to hug him tight and never let him down on the ground!"
Hotaru, having picked up that Haru had found a cute child to gush over, nodded, listening to her friend's words.
"That's a weird choice of clothes for a child, though," she said, when Haru paused for breath. Setsuna had loved dressing her up – all her parents had – and still did, but a suit? A fedora? Not clothes one usually thought to put on a baby. That sounded like the dress code of a private investigator or someone a little closer to the noire genre.
"Maybe," Haru agreed. "But if you saw him you wouldn't think so. He's so cute!"
Some moms did like dressing their children up in formal clothes, or in fashion closer to costumes. Hotaru just hoped the child wasn't too uncomfortable.
That would have been all the thought she gave to the mystery fedora baby, but the next day, Haru was furious.
"How dare he corrupt an innocent angel of a child?" she raged. Already some of their classmates, recognizing a storm ready to lash out, were cowering, metaphorically battening down their hatches and bracing themselves.
Hotaru frowned. Haru was an emotional person, yes, but for her to be this outraged did worry her.
"Don't do anything dangerous?" she asked, when Haru quietened into more of a simmering rage.
Haru clenched her fists and Hotaru knew her words had bounced off. "Anything I get into couldn't be as bad as what that poor baby's going through right now!"
If it was abuse, Hotaru wasn't going to be stopping Haru. Just diverting her focuses so that justice could be served without Haru exposing herself to danger. "What's happening?"
So far all Haru had raged about was how children should be protected (yes) and that they were angels with pure white hearts (a little debatable but yes, they could be influenced rather easily, Hotaru would give her that) who shouldn't be soiled by evil people (yes, definitely). In between her anger she had also spoken of how adorable Reborn was, and how articulate he was for someone so young – even if some of what he said had been due to the terrible influence of a no-good-rotten (and so the monologue shifted back into rage territory) boy who didn't deserve to be around children as pure as Reborn.
What an odd name for a child, Hotaru thought. Or really, for anyone.
The next day, Haru didn't come to school. Hotaru called during break, worried that Haru had actually confronted the accused abuser instead of taking matters to the police. She picked up, much to her relief.
"I just accidentally fell into the river, that's all, Hotaru-chan," Haru said over the phone. "I'll come to school tomorrow."
"What happened?" she asked, because why had Haru fallen into the river and missed school?
"It's a long story, I'll tell you more tomorrow." Hotaru read between the lines and realized there were things Haru didn't want to explain to her parents, which meant whatever had happened, it probably would have gotten Haru grounded if either one of her parents found out.
"Okay," Hotaru said, a little unconvinced but with nothing she could do.
The day after that, there was no trace of the anger in Haru.
"Hotaru-chan," Haru said, eyes dreamy. "I'm in love."
Hotaru mentally asked herself if the Starlights or some other sailors were coming to Earth. Not that she knew of, in the near future. No alien royalty, as far as she knew, and if any royalty from other places were coming to Japan they wouldn't be coming to Namimori, of all places.
Which meant this wasn't alien magic used in an attempt to manipulate Haru, no matter how sudden the change.
"With a prince?" she asked, just to be sure, because Haru had a rather specific taste in a future love interest, the last time she checked.
"A person like a prince," Haru corrected, sighing happily. Definitely love.
Now Hotaru was more curious.
"In what way?" The only prince she really knew was Chiba Mamoru, and she had it on good authority that he was a very popular person despite his devotion and love to his wife. He also fit the image of a fairy tale prince, too. Tall, handsome, kind-hearted . . . dramatic backstory . . .
Haru smiled, expression dreamy as she recounted. "He saved me when I fell into the river and nearly drowned."
Hotaru dropped the pencil she had been holding, because that last part was news to her. Haru was an excellent swimmer. "What?"
Why were all her friends falling and nearly dying? Sure, they were saved at the last moment, but still. Was there some kind of demon or evil invaders afoot she wasn't aware of?
Haru explained what had happened, and Hotaru wasn't sure whether to laugh or be horrified. At least she hadn't jumped deliberately, like Takeshi, but.
"Did you apologize for challenging him to a fight?" she asked, because there were priorities.
"Hahi!" Haru gasped. "I didn't apologize to Tsuna-san!"
Tsuna?
Maybe, Hotaru thought as the bell rang and they returned to their desks, there were more in common with her friends than falling from heights and nearly dying.
Maybe she should meet this Tsuna, to thank him for saving her friends.
AN: this chapter mentions information from Codename: Sailor V. All you need to know is basically Sailor Venus woke up first, out of all the inner sailor soldiers (even before Sailor Moon) and fought on her own for a while with Artemis. She had a crush on a dude who turned out to be Venusian in his previous life but worked for the Dark Kingdom in this one because he was in love with her and then he died in front of her right after telling her she'd always choose duty over love.
Next chapter Tsuna and Hotaru will finally meet!
TL;DR
Hotaru: *secretly worried and panicking about revealing part of her secret to Takeshi*
Minako: "Don't sweat it! Think of him as EXP farming for your healing skills!"
Hotaru: ...
Sweet Dreams~