Note: Sorry about the delay on this one minna-san, but I've been busy ^^;;;

Lost and Alone
Chapter Three: Saying Goodbye Isn't Easy

Kioko lay, curled up into a ball on her bed sobbing. "Mama.....why'd you leave me all alone...?" She looked at the picture form the trip to the carnival...the icecream dripping onto her mom's nose...... "Mommy....!" she wailed.

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Kakyuu looked at Maker worridly. "Is Healer awake yet?"
Maker bowed slightly. "Hai, Princess, she is awake... but she refuses to come out of her room...."
Kakyuu bit her lip. "Oh dear........"
Maker looked down towards Kioko's room. "This...Fighter's death...has hit all of us hard......terribly hard......"
Kakyuu looked away. "Fighter was just...always here.....with that....idiodic grin of hers." her voice cracked at those last few words. "Always...making jokes....and cheering us up......" She burried her face in her hands. Maker put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.
One of the guards ran up and bowed. "Princess...Maker..... The earth senshi have recieved our message and will be arriving before the day is out."
Kakyuu nodded, wiping her eyes. "T-thank you......that is all.."
"Princess." the guard acknowleged, bowing, before leaving.

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"What did Kakyuu have to say Luna..?" Usagi asked worridly. The cat was staring at the blank screen of the comunicator in shock.
Gulping, the guardian spoke. "We, the earth senshi, have been....requested to attend....a funeral."
Usagi's eyes widened with a sinking feeling in her heart. "W-who's funeral....Luna....?" she stuttered.
Luna swallowed hard. "Fighter was killed."
Usagi gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
"Also......in these past years....so many things changed....so we were also requested to make sure we always refer to Seiya, not just Fighter, as 'she'."
Usagi sat down in shock, eyes filling with tears. "W-why is that...L-luna...?"
Luna looked over, eyes wavering. "SHE had a daughter. Who is now an orphan because her father dissapeared shortly after she was born."
The tears broke form Usagi's eyes. Not only was their dear friend gone....but...there was yet another greiving heart.
"If we refered to Seiya as a he, the young one would be traumatized even more. Because Seiya, is--was-- her mother, a she."

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Healer stared of a picture of her and her sisters. "Seiya....you.......idiot!!! Why did you go and do that?!!" she hit her fist against her pillow. "Shimatta!!! WHY?!!!" Tears dripped from her eyes. "How could you leave your daughter like that?! Our princess?! US?!!" She hit her pillow over and over, each blow becoming softer. "Why?! Why?! Why...?!" finally she stopped, collapsing on the bed in tears. "You.....idiot..."

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The earth senshi arrived that evening. Taiki came to greet them, she had left her hair loose and a few stray hairs played across her forehead,undoing the neat look she usually had. "Kobanwa minna-san. It has been a while since we last saw each other." she looked down. "I wish we could have had this reunion under more pleasant circumstances..."
Uranus lifted an eyebrow. "Do we know you..?"
Taiki fell down. Mercury sweatdroped. "Don't be silly Uranus, its Taiki!"
Now it was Uranus' turn to fall down. "HE--ERR--SHE HAS BANGS!!"
Taiki sweatdroped. "Is that so wrong...?"
"Kami...the starlights are already giving me headaches......"
Taiki's face became solemn. "The funneral s tommorow. The princess is making preperations.
Venus looked around. "Why isn't Yaten-kun here to greet us too..?"
Taiki looked back at the palace worridly. "She refuses to come out of her room. I mean, we can even get Kioko out of her room....but Yaten refuses and threatened to 'Star sensitive inferno' anyone who tried. And knowing Yaten, she would."
Sailor Moon spoke next. "Is Kioko Seiya's daughter?"
Taiki nodded. "Hai, she is. Kioko is taking the loss of her mother very hard..."
Uranus was very confused. "Who the heck is her mother?"
Saturn looked at her increduously. "Weren't you listening when Luna was explaing everything to us?! Seiya-san was Kioko's mother!!"
"NANI YO?!!!"

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The next day.....

Minako pounded on Yaten's door. "YATEN-KUN!! COME ON!!! YOU CAN'T JUST STAY COOPED UP AND MISS SEIYA-KUN'S FUNERAL!!"
Yaten's voice came from the other side of the door. "WHO IN KAMI'S NAME IS THAT?!! WITH ALL THE 'KUN's PEOPLE WOULD THINK IT WAS---" The door flew open and Yaten fell down when she saw who it was. "MINAKO?!"
Minako smiled brightly. "Hai! Yaten-kun! Now come on!!!" she grabbed the silver-haired woman's wrist and literally dragged her down the hall.

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Haruka and Michiru stood off to the side. The funeral hadn't started yet. Haruka sighed and leaned up against a tree. "Its kinda hard to believe that he's gone, ya know?"
"Haruka." Michiru scolded. "You're supposed to refer to her as 'she' not he."
Haruka rolled her eyes. "Its not like anyone is around to hear me Michiru." little did she know, a small shadow was creeping up behind the two.
Michiru sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Haruka sighed. "I mean, I didn't have anything against the guy, but I mean, ever since that thing with the dressing room."
The shadow crept nearer. "Haruka, I told you. Both of us were trying to get information. Do you honestly think if you hadn't walked in that something would have happened?"
"Well no...but that Seiya...he just annoyed me so much..."
"HELLO!!!" the shadow jumped up revealing Kioko. However, the two outers didn't know thats who it was.
"Hello little girl...um...where is your--"
Kioko cocked her head. "Why did you call my mommy a he?"
Haruka didn't seem to grasp what she was saying, but Michiru did, she groaned and rubbed her temple. "I think I'm going to get a migrane..."
Haruka blinked. "Um...little girl--"
"Did you know my mommy? You must have because you're here for her funneral."
Haruka looked at her sympathetically. "Little girl, I think your mommy's funneral is somewhere else--"
"NO!! SHE'S BEING BURRIED RIGHT HERE!! AND WHY DID YOU CALL HER A HE?!?!?!?!!!" Kioko screamed.
Then, it finally dawned on Haruka.
"KAMI!!!! FIGHTER IS STILL DRIVING ME CRAZY!!! EVEN FROM THE GRAVE!!!!"
Michiru grabbed the now crying Haruka and Kioko who was still repeating "Why did she call mommy a he?" down towards where the funneral was now starting.

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R & R!!!