"I don't get why we have to do math."

A question that would be asked by many students, regardless of age, Hotaru thought as Takeshi eyed his homework in distaste. Although he seemed a little young to start his hatred of math. He still had years to go through in the public education system, and math, unfortunately, was going to be a requirement every year.

Rather than point that out, Hotaru shrugged. "How else will you know about managing your money so you can buy the things you want and need?"

"You don't need math for baseball," he grumbled.

Hotaru wouldn't know, not really. She wanted to say that math was necessary for keeping track of points but knew Takeshi's reply would be that the level of math for that was something he already had. "Even baseball players need math to make sure they're not being sweet-talked into a bad deal."

"Not if you just want to have fun," pointed out Takeshi. "I'm not going to play baseball for money, so I don't even need math."

He was smart, but in a childish way. Biting back a giggle, Hotaru cleared her throat. "But you can't play for fun if you don't pass your tests or finish your homework."

Takeshi pouted.

"Just a little more," coaxed Hotaru, sensing that he was about to give in. He wouldn't not do it – he was just getting a little antsy. Still, he only had two questions left, so it was better to finish them first before letting him off his schoolwork.

"Can't you do it for me?"

"I could," Hotaru agreed, because these were simple for her. Takeshi brightened with excitement, and that cheer lasted for exactly two seconds before she crushed it. "But I won't."

"No fun," he said, but he picked up the pencil and glared at the sheet of paper with the last two unanswered questions like they were scum. "You're no fun, Hotaru."

"Life isn't fun," said the soldier of destruction who was temporarily on sick leave from her duties of protecting the solar system.

With a heavy sigh, Takeshi got to scribbling out his work on solving the first of the two questions. Hotaru could, they both knew, solve it within seconds instead of the minutes of struggle he gave both. She could even copy his writing somewhat to make it seem like it was his work.

But then Takeshi wouldn't learn anything from it, and later? In the long run?

It wouldn't help.

Takeshi was, as his mother once told a girl she met twice, astute. He didn't need to be told that 'this was all for his own good', because he sensed intuitively that she would not for his 'sake'. Even if he wasn't a fan of it, he wouldn't slack on his schoolwork.

It was a weird dream to be having. More of a memory, from the time when Takeshi was shorter than her with baby fat still rounding out his cheeks.

Maybe it was because of when she finally tracked him down, a few days back. And the reason was as breathtaking as an elephant dancing the flamenco.

"You're skipping school to learn kendo?" Hotaru repeated in disbelief.

Takeshi gave her a sheepish grin. Split logs and splinters littered the floor of the dojo, and his clothes were drenched in sweat.

"My dad said it was fine?"

Yes, Hotaru thought. Obviously, he was fine with it. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, when Hotaru finally found him, had told her where Takeshi was with a big smile, saying he was proud of how far Takeshi had come.

Hotaru didn't even know what Tsuyoshi was proud of, exactly, until she followed his directions and arrived at the dojo.

"I didn't know you were interested in the sword," she said, since that seemed to be the safest thing to say. And she hadn't known, truly. It had always been baseball for Takeshi. He was good at any sport, sure, but his first love was baseball.

Kendo? That was completely out of the blue.

Takeshi perked up. "My dad used to do kendo. That's how my parents met. He came to learn from my mom's dad, and then they fell in love."

Hotaru nodded, even as she still didn't see the connection. Why was he interested in the sword all of a sudden, then? What was the urgency about?

"Takeshi," she said. "What's going on?"

His smile faltered, and his eyes fell, quick and almost reflexive, like he hadn't even thought about it before his eyes broke eye contact with her. Then, as if conscious thought kicked in, he dragged his gaze back up to her eyes.

Was he injured again? Going through a drastic change? Did something happen with the baseball team? A lot of thoughts flashed through her mind while he remained silent.

Takeshi took a deep breath. "There was a guy."

Hotaru listened quietly as he told her about the guy, a long-haired swordsman who was really strong. And how he said it was clear that Takeshi knew nothing about the sword.

"Which was true," he said with a shrug, trying to play it off casually.

Casual, were it not for the days of school he skipped and the cut-up straw and remains of shattered pieces of wood littering the ground behind him. There was nothing casual about that kind of commitment. And the timing made her think that Gokudera and Tsuna and even Kyoko's brother was also just as fired up.

Hotaru knew Takeshi, knew that when he was determined, he held on like a bulldog, refusing to let go or give up.

"Are you going to skip school for the rest of your life to be a better swordsman than him?" she asked, deliberately asking about the very extreme option he might take.

Takeshi laughed at the joke. "Nah. Just until the rematch."

"Which is when?" Because Takeshi's idea of an 'upcoming game' could be months in advance, and he had another thing coming if he was planning to keep skipping school.

"A few days." He saw the expression on her face and made it clearer. "A week at most."

A week.

The part of her that said being a good student was important went to war with the part of her that pointed out that technically, since Takeshi had his dad's permission, he was okay. Namimori and its weirdly lax school restrictions on what constituted as reasons for not attending school.

To think that Hotaru had been pleased back when they first learned about it, because it meant if there was ever an emergency she could get out of school.

"Just promise me," said Hotaru, before the silence could drag on for too long. "That if you get hurt, you come to me. No, wait, don't. Just call me, okay? Or go to the hospital and then call me or something, just."

Because if he tried to drag himself to her home, severely injured, then Hotaru was never going to forgive him or herself.

"Just be safe, okay?"

Takeshi had the nerve to laugh in the face of her worry.

"Promise," he said, and offered her a pinky finger.

She wrapped her pinky around his and squeezed with as much force as she could muster, which wasn't a lot. But the message got across.

Or so she had hoped, until that evening proved her wrong.

Because there weren't enough things for Hotaru to worry about with the upcoming and unwanted visitors from Tau, Kawahira stress-eating like there was a crisis in ramen production coming up, as well as whatever else was going on with Takeshi and the boys, Kyoko's brother had vanished again, this time late at night and taking the baby that was Reborn's friend with him.

That, Kyoko said, was where she needed to put the foot down.

"I can understand that he's enthusiastic to train," she said with the patience and concern of a saint. "But I can't let him take Colonnello-chan out at a late time, too."

Hotaru briefly considered calling Takeshi to join their search party, and then figured that he deserved rest, since he was training for that rematch with the swordsman. He didn't have a lot of time.

Hana didn't share her thoughts. "And so, monkeys remain monkeys, instead of actual decent human beings that would help us wander the streets in the dark looking for a brat."

Hotaru couldn't defend Takeshi, since she couldn't share with Hana the full details.

Kyoko deflated. "Sorry, Hana-chan, Hotaru-chan."

Hana winced, regret for her brash words clear at the guilt her friend was showing.

"Don't apologize, Kyoko-chan," Hotaru said. Haru wasn't here because her parents said it was too late for her to be out, but had she been here she would have denied the apology vehemently, insisting that there was no need for it. Since she wasn't, Hotaru would have to step up. "Hana-chan didn't mean it that way, and of course we'd help."

"It's nice having a little girl time, anyways," Hana said, tone perhaps a little abrasive for someone who claimed this 'girl time' was nice, but that was the embarrassment kicking in, if the light flush on her cheeks was any indication.

There weren't many people on the streets, but occasionally there were a few. An older couple taking an evening stroll. A high school student walking back home.

A tall man in an orange jumpsuit and a boy their age –

Wait. That height, that hair, and the orange jumpsuit.

"Excuse me," Kyoko was saying to the man, who turned his head, and sure enough –

"Sawada-san?"

Tsuna's father raised his hand to wave. "Evening, ladies. It's a little late to be out, don't you think?"

Hana not-so-subtly threw a glance towards the boy at his side, who wasn't Tsuna. He had dirty-blond hair and was smiling awkwardly in their direction. When his eyes met Hotaru's, he froze, eyes widening, before he ducked his head to turn his face away from her. A weird reaction.

"A little," agreed Hotaru, turning her attention from the odd boy. "But we're looking for someone. Have you seen a child about this big, with blond hair? His name is Colonnello."

She gave the description that Kyoko had given to the three people they ran into so far, raising her hands in an approximation of his height.

The boy looked at Tsuna's dad, who rubbed his chin. "As a matter of fact, I did. He was going into Namimori Middle with a few friends."

Hotaru looked back at Kyoko, who was exchanging looks of confusion with Hana at the mention of their school.

"Thank you," said Kyoko, deciding that weirdness aside, she had to prioritize the safety of Colonnello.

"We were also on our way there," said Sawada Iemitsu. "Let's go together."

"I'm sorry," said Hana, in a completely unapologetic tone of voice that did much to counter the polite choice of words. "But we haven't been introduced."

Hotaru held back a wince. Hana had every right to be on edge – he was a stranger, and it was dark.

"Sorry, Hana-chan," apologized Hotaru. "This is Tsuna-san's father. And, Sawada-san, they're also Tsuna-san's classmates."

Tsuna's father also seemed to realize what was wrong. "Pardon my manners, I must have left them back on the plane, along with half my brain and sense of time. Sawada Iemitsu, usually not so rude. And this is Basil, a student of mine."

"It's okay," said Kyoko. "Nice to meet you, sir. And you, Basil-kun."

Hana looked like she was holding back a few words, but she still kept a wary eye on the two guys joining what was a girl's night search party.

Despite her being on-guard, they soon arrived at Namimori Middle, Tsuna's father keeping things from turning awkward by asking how his son was doing. There was no hiding the genuine light of pride in his eyes when Kyoko talked about how good of a friend he was, even as he pressed a hand to his mouth to hide its curve upwards.

What they saw at the school when they arrived broke the good mood.

In some kind of a ring – a sports ring, the kind people fought in – was a bloodied Ryohei and a man with a flamboyant hairstyle and sunglasses. Shattered glass littered the ring, and it could not have been any less obvious that they'd been fighting.

"Onii-chan?!" The words tore out from Kyoko's throat sharply.

Everyone's attentions fell on them.

"This looks troublesome, Kyoko . . ." murmured Hana through pressed lips, and Hotaru silently agreed with her. Outside the ring, Takeshi and the boys were also there, looking a little pale. On the other side were a few men in black trench coats, and each, despite being in the same uniform, looked as unique as the man in the ring with Ryohei.

Despite the many things that could have grabbed her attention, though, one truly stood out and demanded that she focus on it, and it alone.

The pair of pinked-haired women, in leather jackets and eye-covering masks, who were looking at her.

It wasn't hard to cloak magic. There was a reason, after all, that people who were more sensitive to what was beyond the modern mindset of science and rationality didn't immediately fall to their knees when they saw Usagi or Mamoru or the other sailor soldiers. It was also why they couldn't immediately just sense previous invaders until they revealed themselves by attacking first.

It wasn't hard to disguise or hide, which is why it made Hotaru wary, that the pair of women were making no efforts at all to be subtle.

Some sailor soldiers were better sensors than most. While Hotaru wasn't as good as Rei or Michiru, she still could, and was sensitive to magic. The fact that she spent a few years without magic helped with that, too.

The pink-haired women weren't malicious. That kind of magic, the ones that the Death Busters and Nehellenia's henchmen and even the oppressive, conquering force of Sailor Galaxia – those were threatening, and feeling it was in itself a warning, intent to harm clear because magic was intent given form and power.

There was no ill intent, no will for violence. It was as obvious as a forest, but not threatening at all. They didn't have the feeling of something dark and clinging like Mistress 9 or Pharaoh 90. It was clean, almost, even as it was –

"Hotaru," a voice broke through her thoughts. Hana was tugging at her sleeve, eye on Kyoko – who was being tugged away from them by a baby matching the descriptions she herself had given to Sawada Iemitsu. He was being held up in the air by an eagle. "Let's go."

Hotaru looked back at the pink-haired women. One of them nodded, and mouthed a word.

'Later'.

A warning? A challenge? Or just a promise? Just because they didn't feel like the Death Busters didn't mean Hotaru shouldn't be on guard. Worst-case scenario, there were two enemies for the sailor soldiers to face.

She was so distracted by the pink-haired women and what they might be that she nearly missed the boys joining them.

"Hotaru?"

A hand that was a touch cooler than her forehead pressed against it, and Hotaru started. Takeshi looked at her in concern.

"Are you okay?"

Yes, just a little tired and distracted.

Instead of an answer to appease him, something else slipped out. "What are you doing here?"

Because the last time she'd seen him, he was all fired up to prepare for that revenge match against the swordsman.

He blinked, and then grinned. "Didn't you hear Gokudera? It's the hybrid sumo wrestling match."

She was fairly sure that even the Dark Kingdom didn't do something like this, and from what she heard, they came up with some very odd plots to collect energy and get the Silver Crystal. "A what?"

"It's a pretty popular thing for boys, recently," said Reborn, who was sitting on Takeshi's shoulder. "Ryohei's match was today, and he won."

Her response was the equivalent of an unspoken question mark at this point, but Reborn apparently thought that he had given enough of an explanation. He hopped off Takeshi's shoulder and landed neatly on the ground.

"It's getting pretty late," he said, as he turned and began walking towards Tsuna and his dad. "You should get some rest."

"That's true," agreed Takeshi, and turned to her. "I'll walk you home?"

"What was that ring?" Kyoko asked from behind Hotaru.

Ryohei's voice followed, a little loud for the late time. "A prize from the match!"

Hotaru had to consider the weight of her curiosity against the importance of going after those pink-haired women, who were still lurking out of sight, she could feel it. Giving off a trace as if to let her know they would be here.

Sailor Saturn took priority over Tomoe Hotaru.

Her feet faltered, before they resumed a regular pace. Her priorities had been decided.

"Okay," she said, answer not too late in coming. The town was dark, and with their homes in different directions they began to separate. Gokudera went off first, ever the loner, and Ryohei insisted, despite being bruised and bloodied, that he would walk Hana home before he and Kyoko went home. Takeshi was already at her side, and they parted from the others with a good night.

There was something deeper about the silence of night – less background noise coming together to create a constant hum.

It was the perfect kind of silence to break with a question she knew would be touchy, because while Hotaru could and would choose to prioritize following up on the pink-haired women, that didn't mean she wouldn't be asking Takeshi some questions.

"Are you participating in the sumo tournaments, too?" Hotaru asked Takeshi, because if this was why Kyoko's brother had been undergoing more training, why Gokudera had been pushing himself to the point of needing her to heal him that day, why Takeshi had picked up sword training; and why Tsuna looked ragged every day, then there was all the more reason to investigate that suspicious duo.

He didn't have to give an answer for her to know. His nervous smile, his shaking eyes told her everything she needed.

Hotaru sighed. It was so obvious that he didn't want to tell her, and given that she was going to head right back to his school when she got home –

Well, what right did she have, to demand that he spill his secrets to her?

"You know what to do if you get hurt," Hotaru said instead. Kawahira had been right about teenage boys being dumb, and she was probably enabling him. She was such a terrible friend.

Takeshi fumbled, clearly not having expected her to not ask any more questions.

"Are you mad?" he asked, after a bit of hesitation, like he was cringing in anticipation of being hit. As if he was scared of hearing her answer.

She patted him on the back to alleviate his fear. Why he was more scared of her than fighting in what looked like an illegal underground tournament with ties to suspicious magic, she didn't know. He didn't look like he was affected by a spell, so it didn't seem to be a magical cause. It could have just been boys being dumb. Most likely the latter. "Not at you."

No, not at him. Takeshi, she would keep safe.

The minute she arrived at home, she contacted Luna and the others.

They weren't at war, but they were ready to fight.

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto went to their castles immediately, in case more enemies were coming from outside the solar system and this was an elaborate diversion.

Since she found the suspicious figures and they were definitely on Earth right now, Saturn went with the inners, who came through the mirror, to Namimori Middle. Later in the night, there was no one there save for the two women in masks like raccoon eyes.

Despite their punk-rock fashion, they curtseyed when they saw the sailor soldiers.

"It is an honor," said the one on the right, in a layered blouse under the black leather jacket.

The left one, in a sundress, picked up where the other left off seamlessly, as if they were one person speaking with two mouths. "To meet the sailor soldiers of the planets."

"We are the Cervello," they said in unison. "Hail, princesses of the solar system."

So this 'Cervello' knew who they were, and were treating them with at least the semblance of respect, though Saturn could not guarantee their sincerity. More than that, they knew their identity – at the very least, that of Tomoe Hotaru's.

Friend? Foe?

Saturn tightened her grip on the Silence Glaive. Jupiter didn't lower her guard. Mars narrowed her eyes. She could almost hear Mercury's brain whirling as she went through strategies and potential weaknesses, coming up with a best plan of action if necessary.

And as for Venus, she spoke.

"That means nothing to us and explains very little," she said bluntly. "Care to elaborate? Things like where you're from, what you were doing here, more information on who you are, so on. Five Ws and one H, you know."

"It is not within our authority to disclose the information you inquire of," replied the Cervello on the right.

"Don't worry about needing authority," said Venus in a falsely understanding voice. "We're not interested in who's telling us, so long as we get the what."

Either the Cervello did not catch the subtle threat lining her words, or the Cervello did not fear Sailor Venus, because they looked unaffected.

"We may not," said the left Cervello.

The chain entwined with roses weren't nearly as threatening in appearance to those who hadn't faced it in combat or sparring, but the sword that Venus had was certainly threatening enough, with its wicked sharp edge and the casual way that the sailor soldier of love twirled it in her hand, as if it was a weightless baton.

A weightless baton that could easily lop off heads. "Then who can?"

The raccoon masks of the Cervello impossible to see exactly where they were looking at, and so neither Saturn nor the others noticed the newcomer until he spoke in an unhappy drawl.

"Unfortunately, that would be me."

They whirled around, on guard, but even through her surprise – she hadn't felt a presence approach – Sailor Saturn recognized that voice.

"At least, in part." Kawahira walked up to them, mood stormy if the scowl on his face was any indication. Even the old-fashioned glasses he wore couldn't hide the distaste in his eyes towards the Cervello.

"I thought," he said softly, the gentle tone of his voice that of a false lull right before a strike. "That I made it clear I didn't want to be involved."

And that was more than enough to tell them that Kawahira was, in fact, involved in whatever was going on. Some way, some how.

There were very few things worse in the world than lying to Kyoko. For one thing, Ryohei wasn't a very good liar. For another, it wasn't right to lie.

But Sawada needed help.

The younger boy had never explicitly asked for his help, but he did. It wasn't just because Master Pao-Pao said so – something about a ring, the kind you wore, and a fight, and he didn't remember the details but it wasn't important – because it was clear in the stress that drew tension into his shoulders. Ryohei could have told him that being tense in the shoulders all the time that way wasn't good – not for boxing, and not for anything – but he didn't, because words were ineffective.

Ryohei believed in action. If Sawada was stressed about something, and Ryohei could help get rid of that, then it only stood to reason that Ryohei did. Real men let their actions speak for them, and they didn't back down when their friends needed help.

Kyoko still thought that boxing was something guys did in boxers with oven mittens. It was extremely discouraging at times when he thought about it, but Ryohei knew his sister was always supportive of him, cared a lot about his well-being, and that was why she worried. She still blamed herself for Ryohei's scar, and that was something Ryohei couldn't just beat up with his fists to make it go away.

The only way he could fight that was by doing what Kyoko asked, and not fight. He could still box, and that was enough for Ryohei, until now.

For one night, Ryohei put aside the promise. If he was going to be lying to Kyoko, and breaking his word as a man, then it would be for an important cause, and he would win because it was the least he could do for going back on his word, even for a short length of time.

It was for Sawada, who needed his help. It was his victory, to the extreme, and Ryohei was proud when he put the two halves of the rings together and presented it to Sawada, proof of a win for their side.

For the most part, Kawahira didn't like to show her his negative emotions.

He whined when Granny told him to cut down his ramen consumption and didn't really listen, and he frowned when faced with something he didn't really like, and sometimes he got into a very fragile, pensive mood that seeped out like chilled air from a block of ice when he reminisced something, but for the most part, Kawahira didn't like to show her those parts of himself.

He liked being composed, he liked portraying himself as a relaxed, breezy man. A calm river flowing at its own slow pace without regard to anything else, even if sometimes that image wavered to let her catch glimpses of a lonely man so used to be being alone that he was almost desperate for contact with someone who wasn't fully mortal, like her. Someone who was aware of the beyond, something more.

The Cervello, amazingly, brought out a part of Kawahira that Hotaru had never seen before.

It was too heavy to be scorn, too settled to be fury or rage. Hotaru could only describe it as 'loathing', because Kawahira's eyes were cold and the set of his mouth too firm, and the air he wore as spiky as the quilled coat of a porcupine.

And yet he moved towards them, even as it became obvious that he truly did not like the pink-haired women, looking at them the way Setsuna would cockroaches except without fear, just disgust.

"Cervello," Kawahira said in a clipped voice.

"Honored Acheron," replied one of the women. "It is a pleasure-"

"Don't bother," he interrupted, not even bothering to give even the slightest bit of politeness. "I'm not interested in hearing it."

The Cervello stopped speaking, and Kawahira turned to the sailor soldiers.

Pulling the corners of his lips up in a parody of a smile, he bowed, one arm horizontally placed above his stomach. "Would that we met under better circumstances. This humble servant of Terra is called Acheron. Hail, blessed soldiers of stars."

It would have probably displeased him immensely, Saturn knew immediately, if she expressed her thoughts in that moment – that for all his dislike of the Cervello, something about their greetings reminded her of each other.

For his sake, Saturn kept quiet on that.

"I think these circumstances are fine enough," said Venus. "Someone who can give a better answer than what we've gotten so far is always welcome."

Eyes no longer on the Cervello, his expression was bland now. It was the kind of expression that said he was deliberately ignoring something he didn't want to acknowledge. "A pleasure to be of use, but it is late in the night."

Saturn held back a sigh at words she'd heard a little too often this night.

"And not a story that is exactly suitable for," he paused to gesture at Namimori Middle around them. "Such a setting. In length and significance."

"You said you only have part of the authority?" Mercury asked, not missing out on previous words.

"Part," agreed Kawahira. "But even so, a fraction of a large whole is still significant."

Mars, like one of her fire arrows, struck to the point without fanfare. "What do you want?"

Kawahira sighed. "Less a want and more of a need, Sailor Mars. This is something that the prince should hear, and I believe he would appreciate a day's warning in advance. I certainly need it."

Saturn started.

"I thought you weren't going to meet Mamoru-san until he met your conditions." Not that she opposed it, but was he going to be okay?

Kawahira gave one last glare to the Cervello before he let the corners of his eyes droop, making him appear more exhausted than angry. The end result presented the image of a man sleep-deprived yet given more work right before he had been about to catch up on his desperately needed rest, one who knew that he could scream in despair but would still have to go through it all regardless. "Yes, well – desperate times, desperate measures."

Venus raised an eyebrow. "Would you consider this to be desperate times?"

With the same tired face, Kawahira looked up and over each of the inners. Jupiter's stare was the most intense, but Mars was a close second, and Mercury had her goggles on. He met all of them, and for all that he looked exhausted, there was a sharp light to his eyes.

"Not desperate," he conceded, after a moment of contemplation. "But we all have our duties, and mine was just invoked."

AN: Since canon also didn't really explain the Cervello they're mine to play with now.

I love Ryohei so much but I can't write him very well so that's why his part is very short. I don't want to write him as some stupid guy because he has depths but he's hard to write I will persevere to the extreme.

Sun battle is over, with Ryohei having won. And if you know the order of the battles, and Kawahira asking that they meet to speak the next day . . . Well, Acheron/Kawahira's an illusionist, and even in real life every conman / pickpocket/ magician knows that perception is the key to a trick.

Next chapter has a lot of talking, explaining, etc. might be a little boring but there is a revelation / bomb dropped so not too boring? Hopefully?

+ﾟ*｡:ﾟ+

What could have been

Takeshi: there was a guy and long story short I need to learn the sword now.

Hotaru: oh so your parents' love story is repeating. That's sweet but you still shouldn't skip school for a crush.

Takeshi: wait, that's not it at all.

+ﾟ*｡:ﾟ+

Kawahira: *stress eating because of the Cervello*

Cervello: We may not say anything x (infinity if necessary.)

Kawahira: You raise my blood pressure more than any amount of ramen could. *gulps down broth that's like 90% sodium like it's alcohol*

Hotaru: That's not an excuse to add to it.

+ﾟ*｡:ﾟ+

Sweet Dreams~