Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Eternal
Book 8: Chapter 24 'Picture'
e-mail [kisaki@tds.net]
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"I'm really glad we don't have to go to the meeting." Hotaru said as she munched on another peanut from the bag she held.
Chibi-Usa nodded in agreement. "I wonder where Kisa-chan is though…"
"I hope there isn't trouble." Hotaru responded worried.
"Maybe I should…" Chibi-Usa turned toward the entrance of the zoo. She halted then sighed in relief. "There!"
Sure enough, through the entrance raced Kisaki. She waved wildly upon seeing them. "Hotaru! Chibi-Usa!" The halted a few steps away from them. "I'm sorry… I thought we were supposed to meet at two. Haven said it was actually twelve and I barely made it in time!"
"That's okay!" Hotaru assured.
"So where are we going to start first?" Diana asked from Chibi-Usa's shoulder.
"Hmm… I don't know… I can't decide." Hotaru remarked after thought.
"The… animal performances?" Kisaki suggested hopefully.
"I heard their trainer is really good!" Chibi-Usa agreed cheerfully.
"Yeah, sure why not?" Hotaru nodded. "Then how about… the circus?"
"Yeah! I've never been to one of those either!" Kisaki clapped her hands together.
"Okay! Then… lunch!" Chibi-Usa continued. "Followed by… some of the rides?"
"Great!" The other three chorused.
* * *
"Kaylyn said something about a door to a great evil that was sealed long ago… and that the Lunar Heart was it's key…" Rei explained quietly. "She said that… Sailor Luna played a vital role in the events to come… she didn't explain though…"
"The events…" A civil form of Phobos asked confused. She wore a skimpy, garnet colored, spaghetti-strap dress with a pink, sleeveless shirt underneath.
"…to come?" The civil form of Deimos finished. Tugging at the end of the dress she wore - the exact same thing except the garnet had been changed to a navy and the pink to a light blue. Both sets of clothing had been borrowed from Rei.
"What about Kei?!" Houshu wailed.
"Houshu! She's at the circus today, remember!" Scolded Hana.
"Oh, yeah…"
"I'm confused…" Complained Minako loudly.
Setsuna looked at her. "About what?"
"Everything! The Elite's mostly but…" She sighed.
Kouhi heaved a breath and folded her fingers together. "Then… what do you say, Setsuna?" She looked to the woman.
"It's a little late now I suppose. A secret can't be one forever… It was bound to appear somehow…"
The teacher nodded. "That's what I thought you'd say." She turned to the others once again. "Let's start with what you know – the Senshi of this system, right?" When they nodded, she continued. "We have three different sets of Solar Senshi (Senshi of this System): the Inners, the Outers, and the Beyonds. The Inners are the protectors of the Princess. The Outers protect the kingdom the Queen reins. The Beyonds protect the Queen."
"We already know this! What does this have to do with the Elite's?" Objected Rei.
"Rei-chan, didn't…!" Usagi started to say but the group yelled at her.
"Usagi! Don't scold Rei!" Makoto waved a finger at her.
"I wasn't going to!" She countered then turned back to Rei. "Did Kaylyn tell you about the Beyond's or the Elite's?"
"Very little…" She admitted.
"We should all listen to this. Maybe they know something extra that we don't." Usagi told her friends. They reluctantly agreed.
Kouhi hesitantly continued. "The Inners – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus – were to protect their princess at all costs and continue to do so after she had been crowned.
"The Outers are special. Three held sacred talismans that were each a piece of a combined key. Uranus held the Space Sword, Neptune held the Aqua Mirror, and Pluto held the Garnet Orb. When the three were brought together, their power activated and a new Senshi emerged – Saturn. When she woke she was to return the world to death and silence – the first dimension. Therefore she is forbidden. Pluto's job was to eternally guard the gates that led to the fourth dimension – through time. Making her forbidden also.
"The job of the Beyonds – myself (Galaxia), Somnus, Apollo, and Themis – was to guard the Queen – making us the second strongest of the four groups. But the Queen reassigned two of us to new positions. They were Somnus and myself. It became Somnus' duty to guard peoples' dreams and its gates. Mine became to guard the third dimension, this one, from the evils of the others."
"Okay… we got that." Michiru voiced everyone's thoughts. "But what about the Elite's? And these dimensions?"
Setsuna spoke next. "There are four known dimensions. The third dimension is the one we currently live in. The fourth dimension is the forbidden and timeless territory. The second dimension is the world you go to when you sleep and can also be found on the other side of mirrors. And the first dimension is the place your soul goes to after you die. Each of them are interrelated and are vital to one another's existence."
Haruka whistled. "Huh. I didn't know that there were so many!"
"And the Elite's?" Persisted Ami.
"The Elite are the Senshi of our universe. They protect the four dimensions that revolve around each other. Pluto, Saturn, Somnus, and myself (Galaxia) are the four Elite Senshi. For one of us to appear would mean a terrible problem with the dimension. That is why it should be impossible for the four of us to meet. It would mean there's a horrible taboo with all four dimensions."
There was silence. Then Usagi spoke. "And the Amazon's… err… the Asteroid's… err… whatever…"
"Why don't we explain." Hana offered and Setsuna agreed.
"As you know, after we were healed by Princess Serenity we went back to the Amazon to sleep until Chibi-Moon became a true Senshi. But that doesn't happen for many years until the future Crystal Tokyo."
"Small Lady left to the past on her own because our world was changing." Irori added. "With time off balance presently, it was effecting Crystal Tokyo. Small Lady overheard this from the King and Queen, so she and Diana tried to help."
"How?" Questioned Mamoru to the girl.
Iro scratched her head. "Small Lady left to aid the armies against the Akuma. Diana tried to gather data on the enemy. Neither was very successful, so one night the princess left to the Doors of Time."
"The King and Queen, having suspected all this, met her in the gardens outside and wouldn't let her go." Houshu glanced out the window sadly. "But she wanted to help you badly… They told her if she left… now… just before her coronation as the heir… she would loose her status and therefore… her power also…"
"But why?" Usagi asked worried.
"We'll get to that." Hana assured quickly.
Setsuna stood up. "I think it would be better if I showed all of you instead." When the others consented, she used her garnet rod to take their minds to that time…
"Small Lady!" Neo Queen Serenity called to her daughter. Kind Endymion stood next to her. The three were in the garden overlooking the Crystal Palace. The people who were gathering for the next battle heard her call and glanced to the family.
"Mama?!" Chibi-Usa gasped. "What are you doing here?!"
"You're leaving to the twentieth century, aren't you?" The Queen told the child her suspicions.
"Umm…"
"We need you here." Endymion said to her. "And it's close to your coronation. If you left now, you'll miss it."
"It can be postponed!" She countered. "They need me there!"
The Queen sighed. "If you go, you will loose your only chance."
"What do you mean?!"
Her father spoke. "Small Lady, do you think the people of Earth would want an heir who abandons them? If you go now, you will loose everything you have gained. Your status as a princess and your power as a Senshi and heir to the throne."
"Are you… you'd…" She gulped realizing what they were saying.
"Are still going to go now?" Asked Neo Queen Serenity.
She looked away for a moment. Then looked up to her parents and clenched her hands tightly into fists. "Yes." She shook her head. "Because I'm the only one who can! The Senshi in the past need to know what they're fighting! Otherwise they'll loose and the Earth now will continue to disappear! If I can get rid of the problem in the past, the future will go back to normal. I can't just stay while they get hurt!" She waved her hand around her. "Mama, Papa, these are my people and the Senshi are my friends. If I can help, then I will! Even if all I can do is very little, at least it's something! Senshi or not, that's what matters to me!" She stood up straight. "So… I guess, I'll be just plain Chibi-Usa now."
Neo Queen Serenity smiled and walked over. She knelt to her and smiled again. "Small Lady, that is the wish of a princess of the Silver Millennium. To protect her people and the people she loves. Even if she has no way to do so. And a Senshi also desires this most of all. That is why they are Senshi, because of that wish and the Pure Heart they gain from having that wish. If you believe that, then you are a true Senshi. And a true princess, Small Lady."
"Mama… you mean it?!" She gasped but as she spoke, the surrounding people started to cheer for her.
"Yes." She put something in Chibi-Usa's hand. "Here. Take this and go."
"Go to the past, Small Lady." Her father agreed. "And return safely."
Suddenly the Senshi were back in the Hikawa Shrine.
"And because Small Lady became a true Senshi, we woke." Irori finished. "But because two people can't exist at the same time. We don't travel time. Our future selves stayed in the future and we woke now to protect Small Lady now. When she returns, we will go back to sleep and they will take our place."
"I get it!" Everything was now much clearer.
"Err… Phobos, Deimos, are you staying in a human form?" Rei asked.
They nodded. "Yes, Princess Mars. We don't have a Senshi form like you, but we do have a civil-human form and a fighting type."
"Then what should we call you in this form?" Asked Ami.
"This is our human form."
"Well, you need names." Minako remarked.
"Ojike… I like that name." Phobos nodded then looked to Deimos.
"I like Nayami." She said.
"Then you'll be Ojike and Nayami… Ojike and Nayami what?"
"Pardon?"
"You need a last name if you're going to live as a human."
"Not Hino." Rei said firmly. "Everybody knows I don't have any family besides Grandpa and Father on father's side."
"What about your mom's?" Makoto suggested.
"Her maiden name was… Sei… I think…"
"Then we shall be Ojike Sei," Ojike (Phobos) concluded.
"And Nayami Sei." Nayami (Deimos) added.
"Rei-chan!" Usagi hopped up and down. "They can go to your school!"
"Well… I guess…" Rei responded said slowly.
* * *
"That was fun!" Kisaki giggled to the Hotaru and Chibi-Usa as they walked out of the circus together.
"Yeah!" Hotaru laughed then suddenly pointed. "Hey! Let's go meet the trainer! She's over there!" She pointed to a redhead talking to a group of people outside the tent.
"Okay!" Chibi-Usa agreed and the trio scurried over to meet her.
"It's not really hard, if you know what you're doing." She was saying. "Listen, I've got an appointment right now but I'll be here later for the last show of the day, if you want to stick around. But right now I need to go." And while the crowd was groaning she exited the area.
"Aww…" Chibi-Usa complained. Then suddenly she noticed something… familiar. "Hey! Lady! Could you just hold on for a moment?" She ran over to the girl.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"I know you!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed as Hotaru and Kisaki approached.
"You do?"
"Yeah! You're Sailor Vesta, right?"
"Clever, Small Lady! Yes, I am. But my name is Kusamura, Kei here."
"I'm called Chibi-Usa. This is Hotaru and Kisaki." She introduced here friends.
"A pleasure." She yelped suddenly when she looked at her watch. "I'm late! We called a meeting and I was supposed to be there! Listen, I've got to go…"
"That's okay." They assured.
Kei waved as she sprinted down the street. "Bye!"
They waved back. When she was gone they moved on. "Now where?"
"Lunch!" Chibi-Usa crowed. "I'm starved!"
The others laughed. "Alright…"
* * *
"Ahh… It's nice to have a break." Sighed Haruka to Michiru as the two walked to their car parked outside the shrine.
"Yeah." Michiru readily agreed. "Say, where's you're next race again?"
"Here, at the stadium." Haruka responded as she stepped into the driver's seat. "Oh! That reminds me! I need to give out those tickets I got for the others!"
"I'll do it." Michiru offered as Setsuna approached.
"Need help?" She asked.
"Here." Haruka pulled and out envelope that contained many tickets for her race. She handed them to Michiru.
"Okay. See you in a bit." She agreed.
"Who wants tickets to Haruka's race?" Called Setsuna to the other Senshi, who were still gossiping in the shrine.
There was a loud uproar. "Me!" "I do!" "I want one!"
She laughed, "There's enough for everyone!"
When everyone was finished, Usagi spoke. "Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, and Kisaki will want one. But the Amazons already left…"
Michiru laughed. "It's alright. They said that thy had a show then so they wouldn't be able to make it." She took out the last remaining tickets. "Oh dear… there's only two left…"
"They can have mine." Mamoru relinquished his ticket.
"Mamo-chan…" Usagi murmured.
He smiled. "Go have fun. I'll be a good chance for you to get out and relax."
Usagi leaped and hugged him. "Thank you, Mamo-chan!"
* * *
The trio of girl's – Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, and Kisaki (along with Diana) – headed through the next part of the amusement park with glee.
"Where to now?" Hotaru asked ask she munched on some candy.
Chibi-Usa took another bite out of her cotton candy. "It's your turn to pick, Hotaru."
"Hmm… okay then…"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" A voice startled the trio. The turned around to see a clown. "Looking for something to do, do, do?"
"Uh, yeah…" Hotaru admitted. "You work here?"
"You bet, bet, bet!" He cheered and flipped into his hand.
"Do you have a good idea?" Asked Kisaki.
"Sure do, do, do!" He started walking on his hands toward a booth. "Walk this way, way, way!"
They glanced at each other, "Why not?" Said Chibi-Usa with a shrug and followed.
"This should be interesting…" Kisaki spoke quietly.
"Very." Hotaru agreed.
"Hey." Said the teller. "I see you met Mr. Three."
"That strange clown?"
"Yep."
"Hey, Hey, Hey!" Mr. Three said as he balanced on one hand and waved. "You can get Wacky Manga Pictures here, here, here."
"What's a Wacky Manga Picture?" Chibi-Usa asked.
"Pictures that show you as a manga character!" He flipped onto his feet again. "You can choose from a selection that's big, big, big!"
"Like what?"
"Tenchi Muyo! Magic Knight Rayearth! Dragon Ball! Trigun! Ranma ½! Card Captor Sakura! Mobile Suit Gundam Wing! Digimon: Digital Monsters! Clover! Pokemon! Neon Genesis Evangelion! Rurouni Kenshin! And more, more, more!"
"What about Sailor Moon?" Asked Kisaki.
"Sorry, Takeuchi-san is currently on tour in America. We couldn't contact her to get permission. But we have others, others, others!"
"Oh! This sounds fun! What do you guys think?" Hotaru exclaimed happily.
"Okay!" Kisaki nodded. "Chibi-Usa?"
"Let's go for it!" She cheered.
"Pick your person then, then, then." Mr. Three told them.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Chibi-Usa rooted. "I wanna be Sasami!"
"I always wanted to dress up as Rei…" Hotaru recollected.
Kisaki fidgeted slightly. "Suu, from Clover…"
Mr. Three hopped over to a tent behind him. "The costumes are in here, here, here!"
The three nodded to each other and raced in to the tent. A few minutes later they came out as manga styled characters.
Chibi-Usa dressed as Sasami from Tenchi Muyo. She was wearing Sasami's usual kimono-style clothes. Also Chibi-Usa held a stuffed Ryo-Ohki.
Hotaru was wearing a costume from Neon Genesis Evangelion, more precisely Rei Ayanami in her suit.
Kisaki on the other hand, had chosen the character Suu, from Clover. She wore the sleeveless turtleneck and black shorts Suu originally wore. Kisaki even had Suu's trademark mechanical wings.
"Wow!" Hotaru exclaimed to Chibi-Usa. "You look great! Just like a real princess of Jurai!"
"And you look like a Evangelion pilot!" Chibi-Usa giggled. "You look really good too, Kisa-chan!"
"Thanks, Chibi-Usa…" She smiled her usual sad smile. "You both look like the real thing."
The three girls giggled again.
"Picture time, time, time!" Called Mr. Three.
"Yay!" The trio ran over to the stage.
"You can have a solo picture or a group one, or both if you want to pay for it, it, it." He told them as they stopped on it.
"How about both?" Hotaru suggested.
"Yeah!" Chibi-Usa agreed.
"Okay." Kisaki nodded also.
"Who first, first, first?"
"Me!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed.
He nodded and started preparing waving her when he was finished. "Let's start, start, start!"
"Last one, one, one!" He called and the three scrambled together on the stage.
As they started to pose there was laughing from the sidelines.
"Who?" Asked Hotaru looking around. It was those same nasty kids that Kisaki had helped earlier.
"What do you want?!" Chibi-Usa snapped.
"I can't believe you're doing this! You all look so stupid!" One of them mocked.
"Leave us alone!" Hotaru said challengingly. "Or else!"
"Or else what?" Another crowed.
A third picked up a branch. "Why don't we find out?" He threw it.
It hit Kisaki. She yelled as something else hit her and she fell off balance landing on the ground. "Hey, stop that!"
"Leave her alone!" Chibi-Usa jumped up and got into a fight stance.
"Yeah!" Hotaru readied herself also, scowling at them.
"It's alright…" Kisaki said still sitting on the ground. "It doesn't matter…"
"Nonsense! We're friends right?" Hotaru insisted.
"Yeah, friends stick up for each other!" Chibi-Usa agreed firmly.
Snap! "Oops! I forgot to say 'cheese, cheese, cheese'!" Mr. Three gasped loudly.
"Ack! Grown-ups!" "Run!" The other kids hurried away before they could get in trouble from Mr. Three (who had been there the entire time!).
"Do you want a retake, take, take?" He asked apologetically.
"That's alright." Hotaru assured. "We should get going anyhow…"
"Yeah, let's go before they come back." Chibi-Usa nodded and helped Kisaki up.
"Thanks…" Kisaki smiled and brushed herself off. "I agree, let's go."
"You still want it, it, it?" He wondered to them.
"Sure, why not?" They nodded as they started back to the tent. "Could you make one for each of us though?"
* * *
Chibi-Usa bounced up the stairs of the Tsukino residence.
"Hey Chibi-Usa, how was the circus? And the park?" Usagi peered out from her room.
"Great!" She showed Usagi her pictures. "See Hotaru-chan, Kisa-chan, and I all got Wacky Pictures!"
"Oh! Those are so cool! Let me see!" She snatched them from her and examined them.
"Hey! Odango!" The pink-haired girl jumped for her pictures and grabbed them back. "Meanie!" She accused and scrambled into her room before Usagi could protest.
"Why you…!" Chibi-Usa heard Usagi say outside her door. She just giggled.
Heading over to her bedside stand, she opened a drawer and removed two empty picture frames. She slid one into each and set them on the stand. "Today was fun… and this weekend is Haruka's race. I need to tell Kisaki…"
She noticed the heart-shaped necklace on her dresser. "Ah yes…" She remembered the fight at the Hikawa Academy… err… the Hono Jr. High. [It gave off a lot of power… I wonder where her mom got it from…] She noticed something suddenly… the center didn't have a teardrop in it anymore. In its place was a pink crescent moon. She giggled again. [Now it's a Crescent-Moon Crystal-Heart necklace. A… Moon Heart necklace… A… huh? Oh my gosh… could it be… the same… the Lunar Heart… necklace…]
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Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Eternal
Book 8: Chapter 24 'Picture'
e-mail [kisaki@tds.net]
Book 8: Chapter 24 'Picture'
e-mail [kisaki@tds.net]
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm really glad we don't have to go to the meeting." Hotaru said as she munched on another peanut from the bag she held.
Chibi-Usa nodded in agreement. "I wonder where Kisa-chan is though…"
"I hope there isn't trouble." Hotaru responded worried.
"Maybe I should…" Chibi-Usa turned toward the entrance of the zoo. She halted then sighed in relief. "There!"
Sure enough, through the entrance raced Kisaki. She waved wildly upon seeing them. "Hotaru! Chibi-Usa!" The halted a few steps away from them. "I'm sorry… I thought we were supposed to meet at two. Haven said it was actually twelve and I barely made it in time!"
"That's okay!" Hotaru assured.
"So where are we going to start first?" Diana asked from Chibi-Usa's shoulder.
"Hmm… I don't know… I can't decide." Hotaru remarked after thought.
"The… animal performances?" Kisaki suggested hopefully.
"I heard their trainer is really good!" Chibi-Usa agreed cheerfully.
"Yeah, sure why not?" Hotaru nodded. "Then how about… the circus?"
"Yeah! I've never been to one of those either!" Kisaki clapped her hands together.
"Okay! Then… lunch!" Chibi-Usa continued. "Followed by… some of the rides?"
"Great!" The other three chorused.
* * *
"Kaylyn said something about a door to a great evil that was sealed long ago… and that the Lunar Heart was it's key…" Rei explained quietly. "She said that… Sailor Luna played a vital role in the events to come… she didn't explain though…"
"The events…" A civil form of Phobos asked confused. She wore a skimpy, garnet colored, spaghetti-strap dress with a pink, sleeveless shirt underneath.
"…to come?" The civil form of Deimos finished. Tugging at the end of the dress she wore - the exact same thing except the garnet had been changed to a navy and the pink to a light blue. Both sets of clothing had been borrowed from Rei.
"What about Kei?!" Houshu wailed.
"Houshu! She's at the circus today, remember!" Scolded Hana.
"Oh, yeah…"
"I'm confused…" Complained Minako loudly.
Setsuna looked at her. "About what?"
"Everything! The Elite's mostly but…" She sighed.
Kouhi heaved a breath and folded her fingers together. "Then… what do you say, Setsuna?" She looked to the woman.
"It's a little late now I suppose. A secret can't be one forever… It was bound to appear somehow…"
The teacher nodded. "That's what I thought you'd say." She turned to the others once again. "Let's start with what you know – the Senshi of this system, right?" When they nodded, she continued. "We have three different sets of Solar Senshi (Senshi of this System): the Inners, the Outers, and the Beyonds. The Inners are the protectors of the Princess. The Outers protect the kingdom the Queen reins. The Beyonds protect the Queen."
"We already know this! What does this have to do with the Elite's?" Objected Rei.
"Rei-chan, didn't…!" Usagi started to say but the group yelled at her.
"Usagi! Don't scold Rei!" Makoto waved a finger at her.
"I wasn't going to!" She countered then turned back to Rei. "Did Kaylyn tell you about the Beyond's or the Elite's?"
"Very little…" She admitted.
"We should all listen to this. Maybe they know something extra that we don't." Usagi told her friends. They reluctantly agreed.
Kouhi hesitantly continued. "The Inners – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus – were to protect their princess at all costs and continue to do so after she had been crowned.
"The Outers are special. Three held sacred talismans that were each a piece of a combined key. Uranus held the Space Sword, Neptune held the Aqua Mirror, and Pluto held the Garnet Orb. When the three were brought together, their power activated and a new Senshi emerged – Saturn. When she woke she was to return the world to death and silence – the first dimension. Therefore she is forbidden. Pluto's job was to eternally guard the gates that led to the fourth dimension – through time. Making her forbidden also.
"The job of the Beyonds – myself (Galaxia), Somnus, Apollo, and Themis – was to guard the Queen – making us the second strongest of the four groups. But the Queen reassigned two of us to new positions. They were Somnus and myself. It became Somnus' duty to guard peoples' dreams and its gates. Mine became to guard the third dimension, this one, from the evils of the others."
"Okay… we got that." Michiru voiced everyone's thoughts. "But what about the Elite's? And these dimensions?"
Setsuna spoke next. "There are four known dimensions. The third dimension is the one we currently live in. The fourth dimension is the forbidden and timeless territory. The second dimension is the world you go to when you sleep and can also be found on the other side of mirrors. And the first dimension is the place your soul goes to after you die. Each of them are interrelated and are vital to one another's existence."
Haruka whistled. "Huh. I didn't know that there were so many!"
"And the Elite's?" Persisted Ami.
"The Elite are the Senshi of our universe. They protect the four dimensions that revolve around each other. Pluto, Saturn, Somnus, and myself (Galaxia) are the four Elite Senshi. For one of us to appear would mean a terrible problem with the dimension. That is why it should be impossible for the four of us to meet. It would mean there's a horrible taboo with all four dimensions."
There was silence. Then Usagi spoke. "And the Amazon's… err… the Asteroid's… err… whatever…"
"Why don't we explain." Hana offered and Setsuna agreed.
"As you know, after we were healed by Princess Serenity we went back to the Amazon to sleep until Chibi-Moon became a true Senshi. But that doesn't happen for many years until the future Crystal Tokyo."
"Small Lady left to the past on her own because our world was changing." Irori added. "With time off balance presently, it was effecting Crystal Tokyo. Small Lady overheard this from the King and Queen, so she and Diana tried to help."
"How?" Questioned Mamoru to the girl.
Iro scratched her head. "Small Lady left to aid the armies against the Akuma. Diana tried to gather data on the enemy. Neither was very successful, so one night the princess left to the Doors of Time."
"The King and Queen, having suspected all this, met her in the gardens outside and wouldn't let her go." Houshu glanced out the window sadly. "But she wanted to help you badly… They told her if she left… now… just before her coronation as the heir… she would loose her status and therefore… her power also…"
"But why?" Usagi asked worried.
"We'll get to that." Hana assured quickly.
Setsuna stood up. "I think it would be better if I showed all of you instead." When the others consented, she used her garnet rod to take their minds to that time…
"Small Lady!" Neo Queen Serenity called to her daughter. Kind Endymion stood next to her. The three were in the garden overlooking the Crystal Palace. The people who were gathering for the next battle heard her call and glanced to the family.
"Mama?!" Chibi-Usa gasped. "What are you doing here?!"
"You're leaving to the twentieth century, aren't you?" The Queen told the child her suspicions.
"Umm…"
"We need you here." Endymion said to her. "And it's close to your coronation. If you left now, you'll miss it."
"It can be postponed!" She countered. "They need me there!"
The Queen sighed. "If you go, you will loose your only chance."
"What do you mean?!"
Her father spoke. "Small Lady, do you think the people of Earth would want an heir who abandons them? If you go now, you will loose everything you have gained. Your status as a princess and your power as a Senshi and heir to the throne."
"Are you… you'd…" She gulped realizing what they were saying.
"Are still going to go now?" Asked Neo Queen Serenity.
She looked away for a moment. Then looked up to her parents and clenched her hands tightly into fists. "Yes." She shook her head. "Because I'm the only one who can! The Senshi in the past need to know what they're fighting! Otherwise they'll loose and the Earth now will continue to disappear! If I can get rid of the problem in the past, the future will go back to normal. I can't just stay while they get hurt!" She waved her hand around her. "Mama, Papa, these are my people and the Senshi are my friends. If I can help, then I will! Even if all I can do is very little, at least it's something! Senshi or not, that's what matters to me!" She stood up straight. "So… I guess, I'll be just plain Chibi-Usa now."
Neo Queen Serenity smiled and walked over. She knelt to her and smiled again. "Small Lady, that is the wish of a princess of the Silver Millennium. To protect her people and the people she loves. Even if she has no way to do so. And a Senshi also desires this most of all. That is why they are Senshi, because of that wish and the Pure Heart they gain from having that wish. If you believe that, then you are a true Senshi. And a true princess, Small Lady."
"Mama… you mean it?!" She gasped but as she spoke, the surrounding people started to cheer for her.
"Yes." She put something in Chibi-Usa's hand. "Here. Take this and go."
"Go to the past, Small Lady." Her father agreed. "And return safely."
Suddenly the Senshi were back in the Hikawa Shrine.
"And because Small Lady became a true Senshi, we woke." Irori finished. "But because two people can't exist at the same time. We don't travel time. Our future selves stayed in the future and we woke now to protect Small Lady now. When she returns, we will go back to sleep and they will take our place."
"I get it!" Everything was now much clearer.
"Err… Phobos, Deimos, are you staying in a human form?" Rei asked.
They nodded. "Yes, Princess Mars. We don't have a Senshi form like you, but we do have a civil-human form and a fighting type."
"Then what should we call you in this form?" Asked Ami.
"This is our human form."
"Well, you need names." Minako remarked.
"Ojike… I like that name." Phobos nodded then looked to Deimos.
"I like Nayami." She said.
"Then you'll be Ojike and Nayami… Ojike and Nayami what?"
"Pardon?"
"You need a last name if you're going to live as a human."
"Not Hino." Rei said firmly. "Everybody knows I don't have any family besides Grandpa and Father on father's side."
"What about your mom's?" Makoto suggested.
"Her maiden name was… Sei… I think…"
"Then we shall be Ojike Sei," Ojike (Phobos) concluded.
"And Nayami Sei." Nayami (Deimos) added.
"Rei-chan!" Usagi hopped up and down. "They can go to your school!"
"Well… I guess…" Rei responded said slowly.
* * *
"That was fun!" Kisaki giggled to the Hotaru and Chibi-Usa as they walked out of the circus together.
"Yeah!" Hotaru laughed then suddenly pointed. "Hey! Let's go meet the trainer! She's over there!" She pointed to a redhead talking to a group of people outside the tent.
"Okay!" Chibi-Usa agreed and the trio scurried over to meet her.
"It's not really hard, if you know what you're doing." She was saying. "Listen, I've got an appointment right now but I'll be here later for the last show of the day, if you want to stick around. But right now I need to go." And while the crowd was groaning she exited the area.
"Aww…" Chibi-Usa complained. Then suddenly she noticed something… familiar. "Hey! Lady! Could you just hold on for a moment?" She ran over to the girl.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"I know you!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed as Hotaru and Kisaki approached.
"You do?"
"Yeah! You're Sailor Vesta, right?"
"Clever, Small Lady! Yes, I am. But my name is Kusamura, Kei here."
"I'm called Chibi-Usa. This is Hotaru and Kisaki." She introduced here friends.
"A pleasure." She yelped suddenly when she looked at her watch. "I'm late! We called a meeting and I was supposed to be there! Listen, I've got to go…"
"That's okay." They assured.
Kei waved as she sprinted down the street. "Bye!"
They waved back. When she was gone they moved on. "Now where?"
"Lunch!" Chibi-Usa crowed. "I'm starved!"
The others laughed. "Alright…"
* * *
"Ahh… It's nice to have a break." Sighed Haruka to Michiru as the two walked to their car parked outside the shrine.
"Yeah." Michiru readily agreed. "Say, where's you're next race again?"
"Here, at the stadium." Haruka responded as she stepped into the driver's seat. "Oh! That reminds me! I need to give out those tickets I got for the others!"
"I'll do it." Michiru offered as Setsuna approached.
"Need help?" She asked.
"Here." Haruka pulled and out envelope that contained many tickets for her race. She handed them to Michiru.
"Okay. See you in a bit." She agreed.
"Who wants tickets to Haruka's race?" Called Setsuna to the other Senshi, who were still gossiping in the shrine.
There was a loud uproar. "Me!" "I do!" "I want one!"
She laughed, "There's enough for everyone!"
When everyone was finished, Usagi spoke. "Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, and Kisaki will want one. But the Amazons already left…"
Michiru laughed. "It's alright. They said that thy had a show then so they wouldn't be able to make it." She took out the last remaining tickets. "Oh dear… there's only two left…"
"They can have mine." Mamoru relinquished his ticket.
"Mamo-chan…" Usagi murmured.
He smiled. "Go have fun. I'll be a good chance for you to get out and relax."
Usagi leaped and hugged him. "Thank you, Mamo-chan!"
* * *
The trio of girl's – Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, and Kisaki (along with Diana) – headed through the next part of the amusement park with glee.
"Where to now?" Hotaru asked ask she munched on some candy.
Chibi-Usa took another bite out of her cotton candy. "It's your turn to pick, Hotaru."
"Hmm… okay then…"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" A voice startled the trio. The turned around to see a clown. "Looking for something to do, do, do?"
"Uh, yeah…" Hotaru admitted. "You work here?"
"You bet, bet, bet!" He cheered and flipped into his hand.
"Do you have a good idea?" Asked Kisaki.
"Sure do, do, do!" He started walking on his hands toward a booth. "Walk this way, way, way!"
They glanced at each other, "Why not?" Said Chibi-Usa with a shrug and followed.
"This should be interesting…" Kisaki spoke quietly.
"Very." Hotaru agreed.
"Hey." Said the teller. "I see you met Mr. Three."
"That strange clown?"
"Yep."
"Hey, Hey, Hey!" Mr. Three said as he balanced on one hand and waved. "You can get Wacky Manga Pictures here, here, here."
"What's a Wacky Manga Picture?" Chibi-Usa asked.
"Pictures that show you as a manga character!" He flipped onto his feet again. "You can choose from a selection that's big, big, big!"
"Like what?"
"Tenchi Muyo! Magic Knight Rayearth! Dragon Ball! Trigun! Ranma ½! Card Captor Sakura! Mobile Suit Gundam Wing! Digimon: Digital Monsters! Clover! Pokemon! Neon Genesis Evangelion! Rurouni Kenshin! And more, more, more!"
"What about Sailor Moon?" Asked Kisaki.
"Sorry, Takeuchi-san is currently on tour in America. We couldn't contact her to get permission. But we have others, others, others!"
"Oh! This sounds fun! What do you guys think?" Hotaru exclaimed happily.
"Okay!" Kisaki nodded. "Chibi-Usa?"
"Let's go for it!" She cheered.
"Pick your person then, then, then." Mr. Three told them.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Chibi-Usa rooted. "I wanna be Sasami!"
"I always wanted to dress up as Rei…" Hotaru recollected.
Kisaki fidgeted slightly. "Suu, from Clover…"
Mr. Three hopped over to a tent behind him. "The costumes are in here, here, here!"
The three nodded to each other and raced in to the tent. A few minutes later they came out as manga styled characters.
Chibi-Usa dressed as Sasami from Tenchi Muyo. She was wearing Sasami's usual kimono-style clothes. Also Chibi-Usa held a stuffed Ryo-Ohki.
Hotaru was wearing a costume from Neon Genesis Evangelion, more precisely Rei Ayanami in her suit.
Kisaki on the other hand, had chosen the character Suu, from Clover. She wore the sleeveless turtleneck and black shorts Suu originally wore. Kisaki even had Suu's trademark mechanical wings.
"Wow!" Hotaru exclaimed to Chibi-Usa. "You look great! Just like a real princess of Jurai!"
"And you look like a Evangelion pilot!" Chibi-Usa giggled. "You look really good too, Kisa-chan!"
"Thanks, Chibi-Usa…" She smiled her usual sad smile. "You both look like the real thing."
The three girls giggled again.
"Picture time, time, time!" Called Mr. Three.
"Yay!" The trio ran over to the stage.
"You can have a solo picture or a group one, or both if you want to pay for it, it, it." He told them as they stopped on it.
"How about both?" Hotaru suggested.
"Yeah!" Chibi-Usa agreed.
"Okay." Kisaki nodded also.
"Who first, first, first?"
"Me!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed.
He nodded and started preparing waving her when he was finished. "Let's start, start, start!"
"Last one, one, one!" He called and the three scrambled together on the stage.
As they started to pose there was laughing from the sidelines.
"Who?" Asked Hotaru looking around. It was those same nasty kids that Kisaki had helped earlier.
"What do you want?!" Chibi-Usa snapped.
"I can't believe you're doing this! You all look so stupid!" One of them mocked.
"Leave us alone!" Hotaru said challengingly. "Or else!"
"Or else what?" Another crowed.
A third picked up a branch. "Why don't we find out?" He threw it.
It hit Kisaki. She yelled as something else hit her and she fell off balance landing on the ground. "Hey, stop that!"
"Leave her alone!" Chibi-Usa jumped up and got into a fight stance.
"Yeah!" Hotaru readied herself also, scowling at them.
"It's alright…" Kisaki said still sitting on the ground. "It doesn't matter…"
"Nonsense! We're friends right?" Hotaru insisted.
"Yeah, friends stick up for each other!" Chibi-Usa agreed firmly.
Snap! "Oops! I forgot to say 'cheese, cheese, cheese'!" Mr. Three gasped loudly.
"Ack! Grown-ups!" "Run!" The other kids hurried away before they could get in trouble from Mr. Three (who had been there the entire time!).
"Do you want a retake, take, take?" He asked apologetically.
"That's alright." Hotaru assured. "We should get going anyhow…"
"Yeah, let's go before they come back." Chibi-Usa nodded and helped Kisaki up.
"Thanks…" Kisaki smiled and brushed herself off. "I agree, let's go."
"You still want it, it, it?" He wondered to them.
"Sure, why not?" They nodded as they started back to the tent. "Could you make one for each of us though?"
* * *
Chibi-Usa bounced up the stairs of the Tsukino residence.
"Hey Chibi-Usa, how was the circus? And the park?" Usagi peered out from her room.
"Great!" She showed Usagi her pictures. "See Hotaru-chan, Kisa-chan, and I all got Wacky Pictures!"
"Oh! Those are so cool! Let me see!" She snatched them from her and examined them.
"Hey! Odango!" The pink-haired girl jumped for her pictures and grabbed them back. "Meanie!" She accused and scrambled into her room before Usagi could protest.
"Why you…!" Chibi-Usa heard Usagi say outside her door. She just giggled.
Heading over to her bedside stand, she opened a drawer and removed two empty picture frames. She slid one into each and set them on the stand. "Today was fun… and this weekend is Haruka's race. I need to tell Kisaki…"
She noticed the heart-shaped necklace on her dresser. "Ah yes…" She remembered the fight at the Hikawa Academy… err… the Hono Jr. High. [It gave off a lot of power… I wonder where her mom got it from…] She noticed something suddenly… the center didn't have a teardrop in it anymore. In its place was a pink crescent moon. She giggled again. [Now it's a Crescent-Moon Crystal-Heart necklace. A… Moon Heart necklace… A… huh? Oh my gosh… could it be… the same… the Lunar Heart… necklace…]
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Eternal
Book 8: Chapter 24 'Picture'
e-mail [kisaki@tds.net]