Yes, I'd like to say thanks to the people who are reading and enjoying this story and I really hope you review some more. (Wink wink!) Please do so because it would be so nice!!! Anyways I just got back from Literary Criticism. It's so nice to tear things apart. Edna St. Vincent Millay is a great poet!!! Read her work!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon!
Warning: Confrontations, characters running around all over the place and many other wonderful happenings!
Second Chances
Chapter Seven
"You've got to trust your instincts,
And let go of regret,
You need to bet on yourself now star,
Cause that's your best bet."
-All Mixed Up, 311
"No…" Miss Meioh, or as Hotaru had been calling her in her own mind Setsuna shook her head. "That answer is not correct. Hotaru?" The green-haired woman's voice made her snap to attention.
"Yes?" Hotaru blinked several times alertly.
"Would you please answer the question?" Setsuna requested giving her a small reassuring smile. Hotaru grinned back but answered the question. Setsuna nodded when she uttered the correct response. "Well, now that we've figured that out, we've only got five minutes left 'till the bell rings. You may all talk while I get something from my office. However…" Setsuna trailed off a little. "I don't want to hear about 'Miss Meioh's class being loud.' Okay?"
Several students nodded in response before she shut the door behind her. The class broke out into talk on all sides. Hotaru walked over to Usagi's desk with Mamoru. Minako, Rei, and Makoto were all laughing about something loudly and weren't paying much attention. They just seemed to know that they were talking about something private and didn't want to impose.
"Hotaru! You'll never guess what I remembered last night!" Usagi announced loudly.
"What?" Hotaru asked leaning in with curiosity.
"I remembered when you turned into Mistress Nine. Oh that was absolutely terrifying!" Usagi exclaimed. Several students were giving Usagi strange looks.
"Um, Usagi?" Mamoru began. "Perhaps you shouldn't talk about it quite so loudly."
"That's right!" Usagi hit herself on the head. "Sorry." Hotaru managed a weak smile. Ever since Setsuna had told her who she was, Hotaru had been plagued by nightmares. She was starting retain the memories of darkness that she tried so hard to push away.
"Hello." Kakyuu's regal voice greeted them. The three turned around. Usagi practically pounced on the red haired woman.
"Kakyuu!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Woah, hey! We only have one princess!" Seiya immediately put himself between Usagi and Kakyuu. He himself had a rather superior expression on his face. Seiya had seemed to try to forget about Usagi, appointing himself the official protector of Kakyuu. Not that Yaten and Taiki weren't but Seiya was really going all out.
"Feh!" Yaten muttered under his breath though all of them heard. Taiki looked up at them, gave them a brief nod, and buried himself in his book.
"Why Yaten, you need to be much more social!" Seiya commented. "Why you know Mamoru and Usagi, but have you met Hotaru?" For some reason that Hotaru didn't know, Seiya's eyes held some sort of taunting. Yaten looked as though he might take the nearest blunt object and start beating Seiya over the head with it repeatedly.
"We've kind of met." Hotaru supplied trying to remember when they had been confronted by the trio, her and Mamoru. It seemed long ago even though it really wasn't. She said something…well she couldn't remember what it was now. "But I guess we should do things formally. I'm Tomoe Hotaru." Hotaru stuck out her hand towards the silver-haired boy. Yaten didn't move. Seiya clapped him on the back in a friendly looking gesture that looked rather painful.
"Well Yaten?" Seiya prompted, his eyes lit by some odd sadistic looking happiness.
"Kou Yaten." Yaten finally muttered shaking her hand. The silver-haired boy really looked as though he would kill Seiya now.
"There we go, was that so bad? Don't mind Yaten he-" Seiya was cut off by when Kakyuu held up her hand for silence.
"Seiya, if you do not desist at once…" Kakyuu's voice trailed off in an unspoken threat. Seiya immediately dropped his eyes to the floor.
"I am sorry." Seiya apologized, looking up at her. Kakyuu smiled kindly.
"No matter. So tell me, what is new with you three?" Kakyuu asked them.
"Not much." Mamoru replied. "Just hanging out around the apartment. That one youma attacked and there hasn't been any news about others."
"I've been hanging out at the apartment too! Hotaru always buys the best groceries! You should see her apartment! It's gigantic!" Usagi told the others.
"Well your always welcome there. As long as it doesn't become too much of a habit." Hotaru smiled at the blonde haired girl before turning to the others. "You guys can come over when you want. It can be a sort of home base."
"I wasn't aware we playing a freaking game of tag." Yaten muttered and Taiki looked up over his book.
"Was that it?" Taiki asked suddenly. Yaten glowered.
"No." Yaten told him quickly. Usagi, Mamoru, and Hotaru gave them both weird looks.
"I was just wondering when you were going to say that incredibly strategic comment you've been bragging about." Taiki turned a page in his book. "Though it wouldn't surprise me to see you not go through with it."
"What are you guys talking about?" Usagi asked with large bewildered eyes.
"Oh see Yaten here-" Seiya was cut off again as Kakyuu hit him lightly with her hand on the chest. She didn't speak any reprimands but Seiya immediately stopped talking.
"I'm sorry, my companions just keep running away with their mouths." Kakyuu giggled primly into her hand. "They get like this sometimes." All three were staring at her with slightly begrudging expressions.
The bell rang though, making everyone feel a bit of relief. The tension in the air evaporated as they went into the cafeteria. Usagi went to go join her other friends. Hotaru was beginning to remember them from the past life and hoped they figured it out soon too. It was weird the way they had separated into the "I Know I'm A Reborn Super Hero" faction and the "What Past Life?" faction.
Hotaru and Mamoru sat graciously at the Kous table, which was rather nice of them to invite Hotaru and Mamoru. After all they did remember some of their past life and they didn't have to let them.
"I brought my portable water-heater." Hotaru announced. "Who wants tea?"
"I would love some, thank you." Kakyuu's tone was so princess-like it made almost all of them stare.
"That's almost a little creepy." Seiya commented. "Do you have to talk like that?"
"Well, I am Princess Kakyuu and was trained thoroughly in the ways of manners and such. It would simply be force of habit for me to talk this way." Kakyuu replied. Then her gaze narrowed slightly. "And if you don't like it then you can just go sit at another table with the other dorks."
"Someone's been hanging around Yaten too much." Seiya snorted loudly. Hotaru handed him a cup of tea.
"Yaten?" Hotaru offered a cup to the silver-haired boy who shot her a sour look.
"Like I'd want any of your tea." Yaten snorted loudly. Taiki looked up over his book.
"Was that it?" Taiki asked again for the second time that day.
"No!" Yaten snapped at his purple-eyed friend.
"Oh." Taiki went back to his book. Mamoru and Hotaru looked at him curiously. "Your never going to say are you?" Yaten hit a fist down on the table angrily.
"Maybe I was and you just ruined it!" Yaten stood up. "I've had enough of you losers for today."
"Yaten-" Kakyuu began and Yaten cut her off.
"I'm going and nothing your saying is going to make me sit down." Yaten folded his arms stubbornly.
"Sit down!" Kakyuu's voice commanded and Yaten obediently sat in his chair. Then he glared at her.
"That's not fair." Yaten murmured.
"You may leave if you wish but don't challenge me." Kakyuu smiled at him. "I could feel up to it." She giggled suddenly. "I'm really sorry, I just couldn't resist." Yaten got up and walked off looking rather pissed off.
"How come they do that? Obey you like that." Hotaru asked curiously.
"Oh, well as part of their training in the past life, they had to learn to listen to my orders and follow them. I always thought it was a little silly. They made me order the Starlights to sit down and stand up fifteen times in a row every day. I thought they hated me!" Kakyuu exclaimed.
"That's why you did that?" Seiya asked. "We thought you were crazy! Then Taiki said it must just be training…" Hotaru started to laugh.
"That's great. Imagine all the things you could sit there and compare!" Hotaru shook her head in amazement. "Like, why someone said this or did that!" Usagi ran up to their table excitedly.
"GUESS WHAT?" Usagi yelled.
"What?" Everyone chorused together.
"I think Rei is starting to remember!" Usagi told them excitedly. "She said she had a really weird dream that she's still trying to figure out! Apparently she dreamed about putting a ward on her friend Jadeite! Which means that Jadeite is here!"
"Jadeite?" Kakyuu tilted her head to one side.
"He was one of our enemies in our past life. Actually he was one of my four generals, the Shittenou." Mamoru explained. "I didn't know they were reborn too!"
"I wonder who else is reborn? Like what if Beryl was reborn?" Usagi gulped nervously. "Or any of the others…"
"What if Chaos-" Seiya immediately started up. Taiki cut him off though.
"I don't think Chaos was responsible for that youma. Besides, there were many enemies, weren't there?" Taiki questioned them.
"Yes." Usagi nodded.
"If Rei is remembering, it's best to take it one step at a time. Don't tell her what she is before she's ready." Kakyuu told Usagi importantly.
"Don't worry about it!" Usagi said before turning and running back. Hotaru smiled. It was only a matter a time before everyone remembered.
* * *
Setsuna was drawing a math problem on the board, trying to explain to the class of restless people how to do each step. She stopped in the middle of a five. Kakyuu looked up sharply too. She could sense an evil presence. Kakyuu raised her hand.
"Miss Meioh?" Kakyuu said the name questioningly.
"Yes?" Setsuna turned around giving the red-haired girl a rather serious look.
"May I go to the bathroom?" Kakyuu asked. Setsuna nodded.
"Of course, could I see Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki in the hall for a moment?" Setsuna asked the three boys who all got up immediately. Mamoru and Hotaru blinked a few times. Usagi was giving Setsuna the biggest look of all. "Hotaru? Could you go to the office and tell them I need some more chalk?"
Hotaru jumped up and ran out of the room eagerly. She knew what was really going on. Kakyuu and the three Starlights paused outside the classroom with Setsuna.
"Good luck." Setsuna told them. "If you get in trouble…"
"Don't worry." Kakyuu told her sister before running off with the Starlights. They ducked into a bathroom and transformed before leaving the school building, looking for the source of the evil presence.
They finally spotted a rather nasty looking youma sucking the energy out of some poor janitor.
"Hey you!" Seiya shouted at it. The youma looked up at her.
"Who are you?" The youma asked in a voice that sounded like nails going up and down a chalkboard.
"I am Sailor Star Fighter! Sworn protector of Princess Kakyuu!" Seiya announced. "Star Serious Laser!" The attack missed the youma that jumped out of the way. The youma grinned stupidly then launched an attack that blew all four backwards into the school wall. Seiya had thrown herself so that Kakyuu hit her instead of the wall. She winced; she had forgotten how much it hurts when you're a girl to get hit in the chest.
"Star Fighter!" Kakyuu bent over her immediately in concern. "Are you okay?" The youma launched another wind attack at them. Yaten recovered quickly this time.
"Star Sensitive Inferno!" Yaten yelled, but once more the youma dodged out of the way.
"Stop right there!" A voice sounded from above. Up on a ledge stood a figure in a sailor suit, holding some sort of pole-arm.
"Who do you think you are?" The youma asked, annoyed at yet another person interfering with it's business.
"I am the melancholy warrior, Sailor Saturn!" The person, who was partly in shadows told them all before jumping down. Hotaru landed perfectly on her feet, even with the Silence Glaive in her hands. The youma gathered up its energy for what looked like a strong attack.
"Get down Saturn!" Kakyuu yelled. Hotaru put the Silence Glaive in front of her.
"Silent Wall!" As soon as the monster threw its attack, it was absorbed by the invisible shield that Hotaru had summoned.
"Star Gentle Uterus!" Taiki fired her attack and the hit the monster right in the chest.
"I'll finish her!" Hotaru told them, running forward and slicing what was left of the youma right down the middle. The two sides seemed to turn to dust where it had once stood.
"Thanks Hotaru, we couldn't have done it without you." Kakyuu smiled at her gratefully.
"I'm sure you could've." Hotaru de-transformed into her regular clothes. "You didn't really need my help. Is Seiya hurt?" Seiya grimaced in pain as she sat up, transforming back into his normal male self.
"I think I broke something." Seiya winced as he touched his side, where his ribcage was. Hotaru put her hands over where Seiya was hurt. They glowed purple for a moment or two and then stopped. "Hey…" Seiya trailed off in surprise. "It doesn't hurt!"
"It shouldn't." Hotaru informed him before suddenly looking like she snapped out of a daze. "It still works! I wasn't sure I could still do that!"
"That inspires confidence." Yaten cracked after de-transforming. Taiki who had already done so gave him a weird look.
"Was that it?" Taiki asked for the third time that day that Hotaru had heard.
"NO!" Yaten yelled. "Stop asking!"
"What?" Hotaru asked. Kakyuu shook her head and sighed.
"You don't want to know." Kakyuu told her. "We should probably get back to class though."
"That's a good idea." Taiki agreed. "Might as well as Yaten is never going to say it." Hotaru didn't even bother asking. Kakyuu was a nice person but the Starlights were crazy.
* * *
Rei swore that she felt the strangest thing while sitting in her classroom. Miss Meioh had stopped writing and she felt like there was something around that shouldn't be. It didn't make a lot of sense to her at all. Sometimes Minako and Makoto would say that she was psychic, like the time that Rei said Minako had to be careful of lockers. Five minutes later Minako got hit in the face two times with a locker. She thought it was just little coincidences.
But at that moment she knew that she felt something. Sensing it seemed familiar like it happened all the time. Rei knew that it shouldn't be. But then odd things were happening around her. She watched as Kakyuu, Taiki, Yaten, Seiya, and Hotaru were all called out. That was interesting. If Miss Meioh had sent Mamoru it would have been the whole group that had lunch together.
Rei sighed. Maybe it was just stress. Yes, she had been studying very hard lately, that must be it.
Studying is way better when Ami's there.
The weird thought popped into her brain. She hated that. It kept happening to Rei too. She didn't even know an Ami! But if Rei closed her eyes she could almost see who she was talking about. A girl with big blue eyes and…Rei rubbed her head irritably. Maybe she was losing it.
"Hey Rei, can I borrow a pencil?" Minako turned around asking her. Rei blinked a few times. She swore to everything that she had just seen Minako wearing a sort of weird school uniform.
"Um, sure." Rei handed her a pencil. "Hey Minako…"
"What?" Minako asked.
"Nothing." Rei shook her head. Minako shrugged and turned around. No use worrying Minako after all. She watched as a little while later, The Kous, Kakyuu, and Hotaru came back into the room.
"Erm, they didn't have any chalk." Hotaru was obviously lying. Miss Meioh merely nodded. Rei knew something was going on. Rei amended that she would find out what right after school.
* * *
"Um, hey, Hotaru!" Rei called after the dark-haired girl.
"Uh, hello Rei." Hotaru greeted her. For some reason the lavender eyed girl was walking by herself.
"I know we aren't good friends or anything but…" Rei trailed off hesitantly. "Can I walk with you?"
"Okay." Hotaru agreed.
"Hey Hotaru!" Seiya called after them. Hotaru stopped and turned again. Rei wondered how they all got to be such good friends…it was just a little strange. Last year Mamoru and Hotaru were their own little group that no one ever approached.
"Oh hi you guys!" Hotaru greeted them. Seiya of course was with Yaten, Taiki, and Kakyuu.
"I just wanted to say thanks for today." Seiya told her. Rei wondered if she could ask them what they were talking about.
"We're going to the little diner, do you want to come?" Kakyuu asked, blinking her large red eyes. Yaten made an irritated noise and Taiki looked at the silver-haired boy before rolling his eyes.
"Okay! Rei, do you want to come?" Hotaru turned to Rei who weighed her choices. She kind of wanted to talk to Hotaru alone but the whole group would make her nervous, plus she got the feeling she didn't really belong.
"Thanks but I have a lot of homework." Rei waved them off.
"I'm sorry, perhaps another time then?" Kakyuu turned her kind smile on Rei.
"Yeah." Rei answered nodding her head. The group parted from her. Rei heard snatches of Yaten and Taiki's conversation.
"You guys invite her to everything!" Yaten complained not loud enough for anyone but Taiki to hear.
"You're the only one with a problem with her." Taiki shot back. "Besides, she helped Seiya today." Then they got out of hearing range for Rei. She chewed on her lip. She hadn't really figured out anything. Other than that group was a little close knit and Yaten didn't seem to like Hotaru.
"Hey Rei!" A male voice came up behind her. Rei smiled as she turned around to see Jadeite. Her smile vanished as something flashed before her eyes. Jadeite with a far crueler look on his face, his blue eyes holding none of their warmth. He was going to kill her.
"Akuryo…taisan…" Rei whispered to herself.
"Earth to Rei…" Rei blinked as Jadeite was waving his hand in front of her face. He was back to his normal self again. It was odd, had she imagined it just now.
"Sorry." Rei apologized trying to shake her head to get a better sense of what was going on. "I kind of spaced out there."
"You'd looked like you had seen a ghost. What was that you said?" Jadeite leaned in curiously.
"Nothing important." Rei quickly covered up.
"You know, I had a weird dream about you." Jadeite began. "I swear you threw something at me. A piece of paper or something." Rei's eyes widened. That was what she had dreamed.
"Akuryo…TAISAN!" Rei threw the spell at the evil general. He tried to move his body and he couldn't. The planes that he had tried to crush them with were coming towards him.
He looked up at her, meeting her eyes for the last time. Rei wondered through the look of horror crossing his features, why his eyes seemed to recognize her. The plane soon crushed his body. He was gone. Rei reached up towards her face in shock when a single tear had fallen down. She quickly wiped it away. Why was she sad? Her soul seemed to hurt. Perhaps she would consult the fire…
"Weird dream I guess." Rei tried to shrug it off. "Funny, I think I might have had the same dream."
"I read this book that said lovers in past lives would share dreams." Jadeite looked a little surprised that he had said that. "I mean…that's just what the book said…" Rei blushed a little bit at the mention of lovers.
"O-oh." Rei stammered a little. "I've never heard that before."
"Yeah, well this is from the guy who dreamed he got crushed under a plane." Jadeite shook his head. Rei's eyes became very large.
"In my dream, you got hit by a plane. I think I'm the one who killed you…" Rei said outloud. A tear tumbled down her cheek. She wiped it away.
"But that isn't possible…" Jadeite murmured. "But what if…"
"What?" Rei asked, leaning towards curiously. Jadeite stopped mid-stride.
"Maybe…it was a past life." Jadeite suggested. Rei thought about all the weird things that had been happening to her. The people she remembered that she didn't know, the weird little things she kept seeing, and the random odd thought…could that be it? She had a past life? Rei didn't really believe in stuff like that but yet, it seemed possible.
"That would be weird. But why would I kill you?" Rei asked him.
"Maybe you had to. Maybe there was something wrong with me. Right before you threw that piece of paper at me, I felt like I was trying to get someone." Jadeite admitted.
"Akuryo…taisan…" Rei repeated the words once more. "Evil spirit be gone…"
"That's what you said in the dream!" Jadeite turned excitedly. "Maybe there is something to this."
"But when I killed you…I was sad but I was surprised that I was. This is one heck of a mystery!" Rei exclaimed.
"Maybe I was one of your friends but then turned evil! No that doesn't sound right. I have a feeling I did something really bad though. I think I betrayed someone…" Jadeite frowned, trying to gather his thoughts.
"We have past lives! This is so unreal." Rei told him. "I have to tell Usagi!"
"Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone…we don't know for sure…I think it's right though." Jadeite shook his head. "Does that make any sense?"
"Yes." Rei nodded her head. "It does make sense." They walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, each one thinking the same thing.
* * *
"Her royal highness, the Royal Princess of Mars, Rei." The servant announced her as she walked inside. The beautiful lady in the throne smiled down at her. She had long silver hair and big silver eyes.
"Welcome to my court, Princess Rei." The Queen, for although Rei could not name her knew that's what she was, nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Please, take your place among the others." Rei bowed her head before turning to the two other girls. One was blonde and had a red ribbon in her hair. The other was a little taller with brown hair.
"Her royal highness, the Royal Princess of Mercury, Ami." The servant announced. Rei turned her head towards the doors as a rather small girl, who looked incredibly shy entered the room.
"Welcome to my court, Princess Ami." The Queen smiled brightly at the little girl who was blushing and looking at her feet.
"Thank you for receiving me." Ami bowed her head and stood next to Rei in line. Rei looked across on saw four other figures standing there, looking only a few years older except one who looked their age. One held a great key but she couldn't make out the others that well. The whole scene vanished though. She was older now, taller, and in a beautiful red dress.
Yes, they had come there to Earth for a peaceful alliance to be made. Princess Serenity twirled around the dance floor with the Earth Prince, Endymion. Rei wished that someone would ask her to dance, but she doubted anyone would.
"Princess Rei, would you like to dance?" The young man with blonde hair and ice-blue eyes asked her.
"Thank you, yes I would." Rei took his hand and was soon gliding along the dance floor with the handsome young man.
"I am privileged. You know why?" The young man asked her.
"No, why?" Rei asked curiously.
"I get to dance with the most beautiful woman here." He smiled at her. Rei felt heat rise up to her face. It all vanished once more. This time fading to her in a sort of battle uniform. She forgot the real name of it though. She didn't care though.
It was the same young man but he looked different. Those cold eyes, merciless and uncaring. Rei wished she could turn away.
"Jadeite! How could you?" She asked him, feeling her heart being torn in two.
"I have become Beryl's general. Beryl has absolute power." Jadeite told her. "Join me."
"I'm sworn to Princess Serenity." Rei shook her head.
"You can be at my side if you join Beryl. Unimaginable power." Jadeite's voice was filled with seduction. Rei wanted so badly to say yes. Then she realized that this was not the same man she had lost her heart too. This was a brainwashed shell of what she had wanted. It wasn't right.
"I will never join Beryl. When we meet again, I shall kill you." Rei felt the tears starting to well up. What had happened to those happy years before all was lost to Beryl? It faded as her vision blurred from the tears…
* * *
Nope, no more. Oh I'm evil. Okay chapter eight might be really long. This chapter is thirteen pages long! Grrrrrrr! I know the story is going a little slow but still, soon you will see that there's like all these chapters and things that have to be happened. There's kind of chapter deadlines going on here. Cause some chapters have big events so I have to take care of little things before them. It's weird. Plus I've noticed that on average, most of my chapters are ten pages or more! Oh I guess I should keep writing.
Second Chances Akugis!
Take One!
Jadeite: Join me.
Rei: No…I can't…
Jadeite: Why not?
Rei: I'm sworn to the jelly-doughnut! I can't eat maple bars!
Jadeite: ^_^!
Take Two!
Yaten: You guys invite her to everything!
Taiki: I can't help it…Saturn is just SO COOL!!!
Seiya: I know! I mean what can beat that Silence Glaive?
Yaten: I hate you guys…
Take Three!
Kakyuu: They made me order them to sit down and stand up fifteen times a day.
(Flashback)
Kakyuu: Stand up! (All of them stand) OHOHOHOHOHO! Now call me princess!
All Starlights: O.O